It is December 2nd. I look at my calendar and think, “I’m in big trouble.” I feel stressed and scared. No marketing events scheduled, no speaking engagements, no new prospects to talk with. This is not good, especially since I am a small business owner supporting a family of four with a regular income. I immediately blame my schedule on the Holiday Season. I get on the phone with my coach, Dawn, and begin to rant:
“I hate the holiday season! It’s horrible for my business. No one wants to meet and do business this time of year. I need to get wiser about using my time, nothing’s getting done….”
My coach patiently listens to me whine. Then she kindly points out, it is not the holiday season’s fault that I lack a full schedule. Dawn wisely observes that the holiday “season” is actually just four days: Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas day, and New Year's day. Yes, people take extra time off between the holidays, but business does not come to a halt.
It is because of how I think about the holiday season that I do not have a full schedule. My thinking has stopped me from making calls and attending networking events.
My coach nails it. A five-minute conversation with her and I’m back in action. This is why I love having a coach.
For the last twenty years, I have worked with different coaches to help me grow in life and work. I value coaches because they have a clear and unbiased perspective of me. It is too difficult to see oneself objectively. My coach stops me when I am about to shoot myself in the foot. If I do screw up, my coach quickly helps me recover and guides me to not make the same mistake again. So here are four fantastic benefits to having a coach:
* Coaches offer sage advice and invaluable insights that allow
one’s thoughts and action to expand
* Coaches hold us accountable
* Coaches spot limiting beliefs
* Coaches support us and make us feel safer, which allowing us
to take more risks
I don’t always like to hear about my limitations nor do I like feeling foolish when my coach points things out. But this kind of discomfort is way better than feeling stuck, or experiencing the pain of not achieving what I want.
To the coaches who have so deeply impacted me, I thank you: Regina Peratta, Lucinda Rhyes, Denise Benson, Wendy Palmer, Richard Strozzi Heckler, Deborah Price, Kay Robinson, Ian Chambers, Liz Dobbins and Dawn Lyons. I feel blessed to have been the recipient of your wisdom and support.
In 2015, if you want to achieve your goals with greater ease, hire a coach. If you’d like to talk more about how a coach could be beneficial to you, please feel free to call me at 510-919-2254 or email me at anna@annascott.co.
Here’s to a successful 2015!