Do you spend lots of money investing in your development?
Talk about taking one to know one; I spend alot of money in upskilling myself! In fact I was once talking with Jill Porter from Financial Clarity about overspending. It's something I have never done with clothes, or personal items, but I certainly have the tendency to do it with courses and coaches.
Here is a great quote from Brian Tracey;
“Invest three percent of your income in yourself (self-development) in order to guarantee your future.”
Personally, I think he is right, it is really the best investment you can make in my opinion. And it is not surprising that I have become a thought leader's mentor, because thought leaders really do need to be constantly upskilling to get ahead in their game (although often this is more through reading than attending courses).
But the question is, are you getting the returns you expected?
In a number of cases, I believe that the answer is 'No'. I know that has been the case for myself in the past too, and I am sad to confess that some of my own clients don't get the results either.
So why is this happening? I think there are 5 reasons, and more than one might apply to you;
1. You don't do the work required.
I once wrote a blog about the fact that is what you do in between the coaching sessions that counts. It really is important to apply the learnings either between coaching sessions or once you get off that inevitable high following a seminar.
2. You do the work required, but do something different or ‘your way’.
Most curricula or coachings are based on sound principles which work when applied. They are being constantly honed based on feedback and results, so you can be pretty sure that the way it is laid out, is the optimal way to achieve what is professed.
However, sometimes we think we know better, and do our own version of work. For example, in the thought leader's curriculum, we suggest you don't commercialise a leveragable opportunity (eg online program) until you are earning at Red Belt ($600K per annum) but so many people ignore this and introduce one earlier (conveniently distracting themselves from getting out there and selling).
3. You get yourself in the way
If you haven't done the work on yourself, and believe that you are worthy of success, and doing what you love, you will most likely sabotage and not create the results. With my 'willy wonka' lead generation machine, I say to clients that they can build the most beautiful machine, but the fuel that makes their machine go is their conviction.
4. You give up before the results start really showing up
Last week I talked about playful patience. I remember when I was quite early on the thought leader's journey, and was frustrated that I wasn't getting results. I connected with Christina Guidotti through the online community, and I remember her saying 'just keep going'! Sometimes we don't get the results we want, but it might just take a little bit more time, and a slight course correction to get there.
Don't fall into the temptation of simply buying into another program, before you have got results from the existing one! For those of us who like 'bright shiny objects' this is particularly relevant. Personally, I think you should only be focusing on one coach or program at a time, in order to be able to go deep enough to produce a return.
5. The program isn’t that good.
Let's face it, becoming an expert is pretty popular, especially an online one. As much as I genuinely believe that everyone has something that they can share with others for commercial success, many people simply don't unpack what they know properly. This can confuse those who have purchased their courses or coaching. It requires quite a bit more than saying, hey, here's what I know, here's what I have earned and you do this, and you will earn the same too.
When you are next considering purchasing a course or coach, ask yourself 1. have I got the most out of any course I am currently undertaking (before I give it up) and 2. how can I be sure that this new program will work? I do think that gut feeling is important as is asking to connect with others who have completed the program to date.
But the most important question to ask yourself is, 3. Am I prepared to do what it takes (including any work on myself) to make sure I get the results?
