34 | Goals, Grit, and Growth: A Real Talk on Coaching Success

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Hello and welcome to Women in

the Coaching Arena podcast.

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I'm so glad you are here.

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I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor

and ICF accredited coach

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

and I help coaches to

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build brilliant businesses.

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I know that when you prepare to enter

the arena, there is fear, self doubt,

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comparison, anxiety, uncertainty, shame.

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You can tend to armor up and

protect yourself from vulnerability.

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In this podcast, I'll be sharing

honest, not hype, practical and

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emotional tools to support you to make

the difference that you are here for.

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Dare greatly.

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You belong in this arena.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone)-1:

Hello, welcome to the 34th episode

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of women in the coaching arena.

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I am so glad you are here.

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It's Sunday morning now, and we are

going away for a few days tomorrow.

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But I don't know about you, but

I constantly get ideas and I just

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really, really need to share them.

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So I'm excited to share

this episode today.

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On what I believe is crucial

for your success as a coach.

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And it was prompted by a question why

do you want to grow your own business?

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What do you actually get out of it?

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Versus having an employed role.

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So today we're going to talk

about goals and more specifically

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the cost of achieving them.

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I know that many of you, just like my

clients, have big dreams and aspirations.

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You want to explore your own capacity,

see what you can create in the world and

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uncover treasures that lie within you.

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And that is fantastic.

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And we need to have that fire that

you do have, and we also need to have

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a clear understanding of what what

it takes to reach those objectives

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so you don't give up along the way.

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So the question my client

asked me was "is it worth it?".

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I feel like I'm working harder

than before yet I'm not earning

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as much as I did before.

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And it's worth saying that she's

only around four or five months

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into her business at this stage.

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So to go from zero startup phase

to earning the same as you did

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before in a career that you've

probably worked 10 to 15 years to

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achieve is going to be a depressing

comparison, at least in the beginning.

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And I know that's always the first goal.

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It was my first goal to earn the

same amount as I did in my previous

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career, so I completely get it.

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But it's worth just reflecting

on what it took you to get

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to that goal in that career.

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I bet you didn't go from leaving school

or university straight up there to

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wherever you left off in your job.

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And it was such a good question that

really did have me thinking because many a

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time, do I think, yeah, why do I do this?

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Like, this is not easy.

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This is not the easy option

of having a business.

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And she said that she constantly hears

people say that entrepreneurship is so

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exciting and they wouldn't have it any

other way and they'd never go back and

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she said, I'm just not sure I get it.

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And so that is what today's episode

is going to be on why we do this work.

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And if you have been around for a while,

you will know that it's not the easy

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option, it's way easier to get a job.

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So if you are wondering if this is

a quick fix, and if this is going

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to be easier than your job, I can

hand on heart say, I don't think so.

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Your business will drive you like

no other job has ever driven me.

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And I was always really driven

and really committed to my jobs.

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But it's like a unwavering

desire to change the world.

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I can only describe it as, is how I feel.

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And why on a Sunday morning, I am here

recording this podcast episode for you.

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So here is the great opportunity

to reflect on why I do it.

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And why you do it.

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And what's in it for

you if you keep going.

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Because many coaches are, struggling

with those goals, questioning whether

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they should keep going or give up.

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They feel like the goal isn't

working for them or that the cost

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of achieving the goal is too high.

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And this got me thinking,

how can I best help you?

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My fellow coaches to

achieve what you want.

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I have achieved some pretty amazing

goals since first being coached,

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a little over four years ago now.

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And I've overcome many obstacles

along the way to get there.

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This was not an easy path for me.

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I've never been one who's overly confident

or someone who's confident to be visible

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or any of those things that you think

you may need to be, to have a business.

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That's why I'm so passionate when

clients come to me who are worried that

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they won't be able to do this because

I really, really believe that you can.

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And that is the entire point.

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Having a successful business will not

fix you and will not make you confident

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and will not make you all of those

things that you perhaps want to be.

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But, the inner work you have to

do to grow your business will.

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It will completely change your life.

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And that is why I do this work.

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I want to get even better at helping

you to blow your own mind with what

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you can achieve and realize in your

life, and to do that, we need to make

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sure our philosophy and thought process

around goal setting and what you want

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to achieve are set up in the right way.

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So let's dive into the

concept of goal cost.

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So goal cost is essentially the

cost that you need to pay in to

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be able to achieve your goal.

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It includes the types of costs that

we are willing to pay and the types of

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costs that we aren't willing to pay.

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When we approach setting goals, if we do

that cost analysis before we start, we

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won't be surprised when the bill comes in.

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We will be prepared and we will

be able to anticipate those costs

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associated with achieving your goal.

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So it's a bit like if you want to have

a six pack or if you're going to run

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a marathon, you know, you're going

to work damn hard every single day.

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And as long as you know

that you won't give up.

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And I think that's the difficulty here.

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We see how easy it is all the time to

just have this business immediately.

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And we live in this world of

instant gratification where

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we want everything to be easy.

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But if you reflect on anything

going in your life, if you want to

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achieve these big goals, usually

there is a cost associated.

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So as we go through today's episode.

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I want you to think about your own goals.

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And the costs associated

with achieving them.

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Along with the benefits

of the effort required.

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And are you willing to pay the

price to achieve your dreams?

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If we think of strictly come dancing,

which I was watching recently.

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Why do these people do it?

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Like that's really hard learning

a new skill, putting yourself

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under the spotlight of everyone,

seeing what you're like.

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And you're probably gonna be

pretty rubbish when you start.

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And why do they do it?

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Is it just a win strictly come dancing?

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Or is it because of the personal

challenge they're setting themselves

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of, can I do this and can I practice

and show up every single day in order

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to get better than I was yesterday?

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If we think of a few examples,

which might be relevant for you

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in terms of growing your business.

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It might take consistency on social media.

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It might take regular networking.

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It might take mentioning to your

network and your friends and

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family, what you're doing right now.

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So all of those things in

themselves can feel extremely scary.

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Is that cost worth the

goal you are pursuing?

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And know that in every single

one of those actions, every

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single thing you are scared of.

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You'll come out stronger the other side.

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Now we've talked about the cost

benefit analysis of setting your goals.

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And how crucial it is, to be honest

with yourself about the costs you're

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willing to pay, let's shift gears a

bit and talk about how this relates

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to you as a coach who helps others.

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So in this coaching world setting and

achieving goals is our bread and butter.

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We guide our clients through this

process and help them to realize

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their potential and achieve things

that they never thought possible.

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So as a coach, when you're setting

your own goals, whether that's

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increasing your client base, boosting

your income, expanding your reach,

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you need to be crystal clear on the

costs and benefits of those goals.

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One of the best things that I have put

time and energy into in building my

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business is my LinkedIn audience growth.

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And now I have seven and a

half thousand connections.

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And I started from pretty much zero

or maybe like 30 connections four

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years ago when I was employed and

no one I knew really used LinkedIn

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so I didn't have any network at all.

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So it's taken that daily consistent

action to really grow those connections.

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And it just makes me so happy to see

that growth and the relationships

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I have built on LinkedIn.

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Is it worth it for my business?

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Yes.

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A hundred percent.

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But also more importantly, is

it worth it for me personally?

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Am I gaining?

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Am I growing?

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Am I learning?

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And the answer is still yes.

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Which is why I do it.

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So I think sometimes we have to dig

deeper than just that business growth.

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It's about whether the platform you're

using for example is fulfilling for you.

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Imagine how satisfying it is to

commit to yourself and your own goal.

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I set a goal at the beginning

of September, to not drink

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alcohol for three months.

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And what I feel most proud

about is that I am achieving it.

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I have committed to that and

I will not back down on that.

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And I think it's just like consistency

in social media posting or emailing

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your email list or all of those

things that we know we should do.

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But most of the time, your

body and your brain is just

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looking for the lazy way out.

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We don't really want to do those things.

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But when you do them, you feel so

good as to what you can achieve.

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So these things are easy.

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Like doing 10 minutes of yoga a day.

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It sounds easy, but actually doing it

and not thinking, do you know what?

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I can't be bothered today.

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Is really hard and it's these

tiny, tiny habits that can

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completely transform your business.

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It's not just about the

hard work and sacrifices.

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It's about the immense benefits

and growth that comes from

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pursuing something meaningful.

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As a coach, you will know

that that journey is just as

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important as the destination.

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And sometimes the journey

is even more rewarding.

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When I published a book in my first year

of business and I had on my vision board

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in pencil, because I thought it was

impossible to achieve, that I wanted to be

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an Amazon number one bestselling author.

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And, strangely enough when I actually

achieved that, I was literally so

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depressed because I'd worked so hard

to get that book ready, figure out

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how to get it out there in the world.

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Figure out how to market it.

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Do all the things.

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And then.

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you get to what should be

that really rewarding moment.

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And you realize that what was

rewarding was the hard work

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of getting that thing done.

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Not of the badge or the

reward that you get.

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It's the same as whenever I've received

my certifications for my coaching.

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I never really did get that.

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Wow.

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You know, this is an

amazing achievement feeling.

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What I gained achievement

from, is doing hard things.

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And I think that is a really good

thing to know that by doing hard

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things, you will grow as a person.

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And that is why I do this work.

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So when it comes to you, helping

your clients embrace the costs

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of what they are going for.

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Help them to see it as investments

in their future success, in

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their own personal growth.

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I mean, that is why we are here.

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It's to grow as human beings.

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So every rejection, every setback is

a stepping stone towards your ultimate

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goal and your client's ultimate goal.

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So keep reminding yourself of

the benefits of this goal and

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growing and learning along the way.

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I invite you to step into this picture.

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So you are that successful coach who

is making a huge impact in the world.

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You are positioned as the

go-to expert in your niche.

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Your marketing, research and

insights are changing people's lives.

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You are making good money from doing what

you love and you are making a difference.

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You look back on your life and are so

proud of the legacy you have left and

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the fact that you have contributed and

left this world in a way better place.

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So now you are there.

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We can continue the rest of this

episode and you can consider

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if that cost is worth it.

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Let's talk about a common pitfall

that many coaches fall into.

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And it's not your fault.

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It is the world we live in.

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So the allure of quick

fixes and shortcuts.

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In this fast paced world is

easy to get caught up in the

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promise of instant results.

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And as seasoned coaches, we know

that meaningful change takes

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time, effort, and persistence.

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The true cost of achieving your

goal is the effort that you put in.

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And the benefit of this

effort will last a lifetime.

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I hear from clients a lot, that I feel

like I'm starting from scratch again.

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If you've decided to change your

niche or something like that, then

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you aren't starting from scratch.

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You will have learnt so much, you

would have built your network.

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You would have done so much

already to achieve your goal.

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It's a bit like I started my business,

therefore from scratch two years ago.

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But I didn't really, because I'd

already had experience in executive

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coaching and career coaching.

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I had learned how to set up

a business and email list.

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I'd built my audience.

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All the that, is part of my success today.

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So don't ever think that anything

is wasted, any effort you've put

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in because those experiences will

contribute to your future success.

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So finally let's touch on the

importance of resilience . As coaches.

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We need to be pillars of strength for

our clients, helping them stay the

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course, even when the going gets tough.

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And in order to do that we need

to cultivate our own resilience.

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So set big audacious goals for yourself.

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Embrace the costs.

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Reval in the benefits and show your

clients what's possible when you

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stay committed to your own dreams.

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Be the living proof that with the

right mindset and willing to pay

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the price, Anything is possible.

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So let me summarize today's episode.

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We talked about why we do

this work as entrepreneurs.

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We talked about how you can

analyze the cost of this goal.

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A great example of this is reflecting

what might get in your way.

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What's going to come up and how are

you going to deal with it and if you

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have considered that, upfront then you

will be far more likely to overcome

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that obstacle when it comes up.

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Because you have considered this when you

aren't feeling emotional and you'll be

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able to draw strength from that moment.

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We talked about that cost benefit

analysis and how crucial it is

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to be honest with yourself about

the costs you are willing to pay.

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We talked about what is gonna make you

happy is the inner work you will need

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to do to actually grow that business.

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What it really comes down to is

how you grow as a person and who

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you are becoming and the legacy

that you leave in the world and the

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difference that you make for others.

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So is that worth the cost

that you are putting in?

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And lastly are you prepared to go all in?

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Not just want quick fixes and shortcuts

but really do the work that is required

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because that is the difference.

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There's this great quote by biz Stone,

who said timing, perseverance, and 10

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years of trying will eventually make

you look like an overnight success.

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The only way you fail is by giving up so

embrace every setback and know that that

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is building your resilience which is what

it takes to build a successful business.

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Thank you so much for joining me today.

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Remember the cost of greatness is

high but the rewards are immeasurable.

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Do drop me a line if you

found this episode helpful.

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Generally i'm on linkedin as my main

platform as joanna Lott or otherwise

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on instagram @joannalottcoaching.

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And like i say at the end of every

episode trust yourself believe in

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yourself and be the wise gardner

who keeps on watering the seed.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

Thank you so much for listening to this

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episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

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I have a mess of free resources on

my website joannalottcoaching.com.

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That's Joanna with an A

and Lott with two T's.

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joannalottcoaching.com.

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And I'll also put links in the show notes.

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Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

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Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

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personally thank you for that.

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Remember to trust yourself, believe

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

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who keeps on watering the seed.

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Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.