I have a really strong view that I could never expect you to invest in coaching if I don’t do it myself.

Why should I?

It’s a bit like working with a fitness trainer who is obviously overweight and unwell.  It just doesn’t ring true for me.

So I tell you this, not to justify myself or so you can pat me on the back, but simply to let you inside my world for a moment…to reinforce that I practise what I preach.

You see, noone is above help. Noone is perfect. Noone has it all together. And noone has all the answers.

And I felt that keenly recently, when I was reviewing my presentation for the first round of the 8 Weeks to Content Confidence program.

I had some nagging thoughts that wouldn’t go away.  I was confident the content was really useful, I knew it read well, I knew it had substance and delivered value, but I also knew it could have been tightened up and that the learning experience could be more robust.  Progress.

So, instead of letting the thought continue to nag, instead of trying to ignore it, instead of rationalising the potential experience of my clients, I made an investment at the 11th hour. A rather hefty one in fact. Of time and money. An investment in an education and training coach, someone who is great at creating curriculum and who has heaps of experience in the Learrning & Development field.   Because I don’t.

I’d been aware of her for about 18 months and we’d met briefly at a conference earlier in the year. Randomly (or maybe not?) I then attended a webinar of hers last week as I was actually interested in the person she was co-presenting with.  Funnily enough I had a quick strategy call a few days later and it only took me a nanosecond to ask for help and sell myself into her coaching program.

She had something I needed, experience I required and a no-bullshit attitude to her work.  I knew we would work well together and she’d help me get the job done in the most efficient way possible. I signed a contract, punched in the numbers of my credit card and we had our first call that night at 9pm – the night before my program began. She’s not based in Australia and so it was the only time that vaguely worked for both of us. She promised we could make changes in 90 minutes that would have a huge impact on the program delivery the next day, so I knew I had to do it.

And it worked.  It worked really, really well. We had the best fun on the call but we got so much done.  She’s an expert at what she does so she does it fast. We literally co-wrote a training workbook and rejigged my presentation on that call. And now I have a framework to reconstruct each of the other modules, plus a range of ideas about how to repurpose the program. It was the perfect process for me. I don’t like mucking about when it comes to getting work done or learning new things. I’m a little impatient, especially at 9 o’clock at night! She knew there was urgency and she knew I was motivated – I was the perfect client for her right then.

And that’s how I like to work with my clients too.

Sometimes the process takes days or weeks, sometimes it’s done in 90 minutes. Sometimes my role is more mentoring or ‘doing’ than coaching.  Either is fine by me, as long as it’s what you need.  Regardless, I love to work with highly motivated people who want to get the job done and progress their business.

When I woke up that day I hadn’t intended on spending a few thousand dollars on coaching. I certainly hadn’t intended on staying up until almost midnight completing work. I knew that what I had was great and thought that was good enough.

But good enough isn’t what I strive for. It never has been. So why should I settle now?

Don’t settle. For anything. Make conscious choices to be and do the best possible. The money and time you invest to elevate yourself will come back to you in multiples. In fact, you won’t even consider the ‘cost’ when the benefit is so great.

Make today the day you decide to stop settling.

Let me know if I can help.

You can check out my NEW COACHING PROGRAMS here.