041: Coaching Vs. Learning Alone • Passion Design Project

Summary::

Did any of you guys play sports? Growing up, my world was ALL about sports. It’s definitely a northwest Ohio thing…or maybe a midwest thing in general…where life depends on your success at indoor sports. Volleyball, Basketball, & Track were my sports of choice and then track in college. What about you? Does this bring back any nostalgic memories of high school sports or extra-curriculars for you?

I now do more outdoorsy sports but still play intramural basketball on Wednesday nights. I love the game so much, and it makes me laugh because it’s the one thing I get really intense while doing. I’m competitive in general but come a basketball game, I’m on another level.

Each year there is a tournament, and the first 3 years here we came in 2nd place. Honestly, it drove me nuts. I know, I know, intramurals really shouldn’t matter that much right! Haha! But coming in second over and over was so irritating. No one likes to be second all the time!

I was thinking about it one day and trying to figure out why I could always win back in high school with different girls each year, but couldn’t win with my teams here. Sure, there’s other variables, and don’t say it’s cuz I’m getting older – ha! But I realized the one main thing we were missing was a coach.

I’ve had my share of good and bad coaches through the years. Some liked me more than others, some yelled too much, some made me mad, but a lot of them made me better. Way better than I ever could’ve learned on my own.

It’s a no-brainer that you get a coach for most sports, right? I mean look at pro athletes. They’ve got their sports coach, their nutrition coach, strength coach, etc. It makes sense. They want to be the best in the world and they take all the help they can get to get them there.

Now, let’s compare that to entrepreneurs. Should they have a coach?

Say you create a business tomorrow and want it to be the best in the world, what steps do you take?

Well, maybe you read some books about it, you attend some conferences, you build a really cool website. Your biz is on its way.

Okay well Joe Shmoe athlete also read a cool biography on Michael Jordan, he went to some NBA games to watch the best play in front of him, and he bought the best basketball gear. He’s on his way to being the next LeBron James, wouldn’t you say?

No. You wouldn’t say that. You’d say he sounds like a million others. Like an athlete watches their favorite sports stars on TV, you could watch Tony Robbins give a speech online. Both beneficial, but do either of these two acts sound to you like they are trying to be among the world-class elite?

You would most likely tell this athlete that he better go get a weight coach, and shooting coach, and probably go on a nutrition plan. If he wants to be the best, he better be learning from the best and taking all of their knowledge to heart.

Let’s go back to that entrepreneur. Should he just keep reading, listening to podcasts, hoping his biz is gonna be found and change the world?! What if he had the option to hire a business coach, or a life & success coach. or a money mindset coach, maybe a tech coach? All people who have done the work, know what it takes to uplevel, and can get you there way faster than the 20 books on your shelf.

How’s this idea sound now?

Coaching, when it comes to entrepreneurs, can be such a controversial subject. One often looked at as a waste of money or a scam. In all honesty, I’ve thought this in the past.

However, the funny thing is, never would I think that I could go into a sports event without a coach, but for some reason when I want to take on the entrepreneur world, I think I can do it all alone.

It’s pretty funny what we let our brains tell us sometimes. And then we keep trucking along, wondering why our biz hasn’t blasted past everyone else’s yet.

I know that athletic coaching isn’t a perfect comparison, but in general, it’s an easy way to present awareness of your options. You don’t have to do everything alone. You certainly can. I did for a very long time. But there’s a lot of people out there who truly want you to get to the next level and are waiting to help ya out!

But remember (disclaimer), whether it’s sports or life, some coaches suck. Kind of like everything in life. Not every Mexican restaurant has incredible burritos either. But also, SOME DON’T. Some coaches can get you further than you ever thought possible (more quickly too). Kind of like when you find that taco joint with the free salsa bar. Score!

I’ll be opening some coaching programs and courses soon in conjunction with this podcast, to give you a place where you can begin to take your life to the next level! If this interests you at all, join my email list to be the first to hear about them. It can be found here: Newsletter.

You can find more episodes like this on my website at www.PassionDesignProject.com or subscribe on iTunes to get them delivered to your app. Remember to leave a review and rating if you enjoy these!

I’d love to know what you’d like to hear more of, or any guests you’d like me to have. You can reach me at Haley@PassionDesignProject.com or by finding me on Facebook at Passion Design Project.