Hey new person! Welcome to the Coach Pony Community! This is where I share the secrets behind my coaching business. Enjoy 🙂
This week has been hard. I’ve been trying new things and stretching myself AND YES I AM CRABBY.
See, even though I’ve created retreats, written a book, launched big coaching programs, launched small but lucrative programs, and done allllllll sorts of crazy things, I still stretch myself every single day.
And this month, I’m doing it all month :).
(One of the things I’m doing is for you – and you can find out more here if you are curious).
And any time you stretch yourself (like when you start a new business!), it brings up fears.
The same old fears in fact. You’d think that after doing this for years, I’d be immune. But…NOPE!
Here’s some of what has been running through my head:
What if I can’t learn to do what I need to do?
What if people hate what I’m up to…or worse, they are completely indifferent?
What if no one joins/reads/pays attention and I’m just TALKING TO MYSELF ALL THE TIME. ????????
*Sigh*
So, as I challenge myself to do new things, I’m also in the position of sometimes wondering if I’m crazy, and basically feeling uncomfortable *most* of the time.
I share this to say that this will never change in your business – as long as you want to grow it and evolve, you will continually be pushing yourself.
Welcome to being an entrepreneur! 🙂
But here’s the thing: Coaching and business building is also awesome.
Seriously.
Today I got this in my inbox from a Revolutionary Club person:
So, on the whole, it’s been a pretty awesome day!
When I get scared or frustrated, I remember that even though I spent yesterday fighting with my technology (don’t even get me started on technology), and wondering what to do with my hair (I was doing a webinar, and my hair was NOT HAVING IT), feeling anxious and frustrated, my work was helping people.
Things that I did years ago, and things that happened in the last 24 hours – they both helped people.
Truly.
So please remember that when you get scared.
Don’t let the fear stop you from doing what only YOU can do.
As long as you put yourself out there, you are helping people! Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but somewhere someone is reading your blog, or thinking about signing up for your coaching package because they need you, or they talked to you at an event and remember how caring and helpful you are.
But seriously, what concrete things can you do to get over the fear?
I always like to go back to my vault of praise, and think about the people I’ve helped to remind me to keep pushing forward.
But, I know that if you are new to coaching you won’t have video testimonials to watch, or a stack of emails to read from satisfied clients (but don’t worry, eventually you will have all of these things!).
So, here are a few ideas:
- You ARE a good coach (I know this because you are here reading, so you are interested in learning which makes you good). So, think back on the times you’ve helped people and make a list of those folks that you can post somewhere. You are already making a difference!
- Put a rubber band on your wrist, and when you get scared or small, snap it. It’s a good way to break the pattern.
- Take a walk. Seriously. I can’t tell you how many times 10 minutes outside has cleared my head and refocused me when I start to get anxious or stuck.
- Phone a friend! Sometimes venting or a pep talk can go a long way to getting you over the hump.
- Take action in an area of strength. Sometimes I’ve been stressed out and that makes me unfocused and procrastinate-y. But then I sit down and write. I write a blog, or a guest post, or something – and I’m immediately in an area of strength for me. For you, it could be writing, it could be interacting with folks on social media, it could be asking someone how you can help them, it could be doing admin work. It doesn’t matter. Action is the enemy of fear!
And that makes all of the stretching and fear and doubt and worry worth it. Now take a deep breath (I’m breathing with you), and get out there. You’ve got this!
Need more help?
And if you want more help that isn’t obnoxious or require anything from you – PLEASE READ THIS ARTICLE on why most coaches fail, so you won’t, okay? No opt-in required, just your fancy eyes and your clicking finger!
Go here. It’s painless 🙂