As I see it life is one big experiment where our thoughts lead us into creating anything new – projects, experiences, or ways of being that newly define us over and over again.
A year ago, my daughter was graduating from medical school. Outside of my immense pride, this celebration also meant I had TEN whole days with both of my children in the same place. Many of you know how wonderful this can be when your kids are adults and creating their own lives.
But I am a coach and I need to be present to earn money, so there’s a limit to my company’s growth. This trip made me think about making money in my business without having to be physically present – it’s called passive income. My business is growing, but I want limitless growth!
There’s nothing better than taking time off to allow new ideas to hatch.
My new experiment became two-fold: streamline my coaching practice and create a digital coaching program. This allows me to fine-tune what I love most about my work and expand it, as opposed to trying to serve every possible client. The foundation of my coaching practice has always been for each of us to become the Leader in our own lives. I know this happens from the inside out so I needed to begin the change I wished to see.
A recent UC Berkeley management study found that what differentiated outstanding performance was that “top performers mastered selectivity, rather than simply piling on more hours, tasks, or assignments, they cut back.” This was good news!
But both projects required me to step in front of the camera and saying I dislike having my photo taken is an understatement. Moving through that fear and taking action toward what I really wanted, as I tell my clients everyday, gives us the courage we need to take on life’s next experiment.
It was time to practice what I preach. How could I make peace within myself so that I could genuinely feel comfortable looking into a camera lens?
I set out to find my courage and change my attitudes about coaching and teaching daily practices while looking into a camera. In-person is one thing. But putting my coaching, my photos and videos, out into the world without personal connection (or a hug!) felt difficult.
I observed myself as a client dealing with big fear. The thought I had was, “I can’t connect with clients through a camera.” The Work, by Byron Katie, is a capstone tool of my coaching practice. Any Martha Beck Coach knows this tool very well, and learns to question whether our limiting thoughts and beliefs are actually true. As I moved myself through this untrue thought, I needed to find the ways I’ve already delivered connection through a camera.
I realized that in this day and age we couldn’t possibly get around it. We are so fortunate to make strong connections using technology and I do it all the time, it’s just not recorded. And as I set out to research a digital coaching program, the first thing I did was find a variety of videos.
I kept thinking of a quote by Caroline Myss, “Do you really want to look back on your life and see how wonderful it could have been, or do you want to look back and see you tried, you tested theories, and you created?”
Yes, I want to create and I only want to work with companies I can trust to support me in finding my sweet spot of “I don’t give a shit what I look like; I know this may not be easy; I know I am a kick-ass coach; and I know who I am.”
I ultimately invested in Rachel Rodgers’ course, Multiply. Rachel is a brilliant, sweet, business savvy lawyer and fellow MBI Coach who has done this thing I want to do. Her first-rate course includes six modules, with about five chapters inside each module – a serious education, to say the least. It is chock-full and I am hugely impressed!
Trust Company #1, done. My learning was in place so back to creating client connection.
My “Work” then became focusing on my connection-through-the-camera conundrum. I wanted the client bond that I always create to come from me, through the wires of time and space, to anyone who sees or listens, but I quickly realized it wasn’t all about me.
I found Trust Company #2 in Indermaur Media. After speaking with three different multi-media companies I knew that owner, Scott Indermaur, really understood my desire to create an exceptional product while remaining strongly connected to my personal values and coaching style. He was able to match an estimate from a company I had previously worked with in the corporate world. I needed to engage in a steady, down-to-earth approach while creating high quality, and my personal admiration of Indermaur’s spiritual projects sealed the deal.
As I thought about my expenses and my quick-start style to jump in full steam ahead, I pushed for a full day videotaping half of six RightLife RuleBook modules. Indermaur cautioned me against this and rightly so. Seriously, it could have passed the sniff test based on what I see out there, but I wasn’t putting my name or brand on it.
Scott’s very steady leadership was a lesson in master coaching. He asked lots of questions, and guided me to realize the misstep he already knew I made. I needed to sit with myself and be very clear about deciding to ditch the whole lot and begin again.
Failure is rarely a total bust. I learned a ton about how I wanted my course to look from the outside.
I fretted over wardrobe without a stylist and makeup without an artist; but forged ahead. Before we began, Scott brought me through a visualization. I stood in front of the camera with my eyes closed listening, as I centered myself and moved into the mindset of who I wanted to be and how I wanted to show up for my clients. It was peaceful and powerful.
As a yoga instructor, this process was full of ease. It wasn’t about him or me. It was about delivery of a stellar production. Once I did that, I felt I could take the bigger risk of relaxing in front of the camera.
Don Miguel Ruiz writes in The Four Agreements, “Your best is going to change from moment to moment. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.”
I hope that when you see the videos, you’ll know that I delivered my best.
Originally published at lgcoach.com