I love being a coach. The work of coaching has the ability to change lives, and the feeling you get when someone tells you you’ve helped change theirs is indescribable. I have worked as a coach in one capacity or another for almost a decade, and I think I love it more with each passing year. But you know what I don’t always love? Being the CEO of a business. You see, I started Higher Good Coaching so that I could expand the reach of my coaching work and work with even more people…NOT because I loved the idea of running a business. And while I still have a way to go, over time I have grown in my CEO role. In fact, there are even things about being a CEO that I have come to enjoy. But at the end of the day, I still define myself largely as a coach, and that is what drives me.
Knowing this, you may not be surprised about what I’m about to share.
Working on my business goals is HARD for me, not because I hate my business (I love it) but because it often feels disconnected from the work of coaching that is what led to its creation. For example, while I enjoy things like speaking and networking for the opportunities for human connection that they provide, my brain doesn’t naturally lean toward strategically planning how to maximize these opportunities for the growth of my business. Because of that, I tend to be less proactive in these areas than other business owners, instead focusing on interpersonal interactions, especially in 1-1 settings, which are those that most mirror the type of coaching I offer (1-1). I also tend to not get excited about showing up for the more “business-y” parts of my job or sticking to goals related to them, not because I don’t care but because they haven’t always felt resonant to me.
But something I have learned (and I believe will continue to learn as I and my business grow and evolve) is that the best way I can stick to these business goals that may be necessary but seemingly less exciting or fulfilling is by anchoring them to something that TRULY matters to me. For example, sharing knowledge with others is one of my core values. When I start to connect how strategic business decisions allow me to create opportunities and connections that support my stepping more deeply into that value? It suddenly feels WAY easier to stick with!
So why am I telling you all this? Because whether you own a business or not, this applies to you as well!
If you are struggling to achieve a goal, a GREAT first step in figuring out why is to reflect on your values. Which one(s) is it connected to? If none, then perhaps you need to revisit why you set the goal in the first place! But if there is a value that your goal aligns to, think about in what ways you might help to strengthen that connection so that it can serve as a motivator for you during those times when the struggle feels REAL. Not sure where to start? My inbox is always open!
