The Mindset You Need To Grow Your Coaching Business!
Do you struggle to take action in your business?
Or maybe you are gungho for a bit, but lose the steam, unable to be consistent with your tasks.
Am I right?
Well, I might actually say congratulations because you have come face to face with resistance.
Author Steven Pressfield in his book The War of Art explains resistance like this:
that destructive force inside human nature that rises whenever we consider a tough, long – term course of action that might do for us or others something that’s actually good.
I love how Pressfield normalizes the experience of resistance.
He doesn’t blame you for feeling resistance. He doesn’t say it’s because you are weak-willed, or lazy, or had a bad upbringing that you come up against resistance.
Rather, he says it’s a destructive force inside human nature.
In other words, whenever you are putting yourself out there, stepping into your power, moving forward toward something new and big, you will awaken the sleeping giant of resistance within and it will do whatever it can to push you off track.
Procrastination is a Perfect Example of Resistance
Procrastination is the most common form of resistance.
It doesn’t tell us we are never going to start meditating, it says I am going to start tomorrow. I don’t have time today.
It doesn’t tell us we are never going to get our business going and growing, it says I don’t have the right idea for my Instagram post, I’ll do it tomorrow when I feel better. I’m not sure Instagram is for me anyway!
It doesn’t tell us we’ll never be a good life coach, it says, I have a lot going on in my personal life right now, and I’m feeling too tired and overwhelmed.
Please be clear, resistance is what stands between the life you are currently living, and the life you want as coach.
Any and all the reasons you have thought of so far, both now and in the future, for why you need to put other things before working on your business are what Pressfied is calling resistance.
He says it this way:
Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance
Okay. So Resistance is real. In the rest of the blog I will talk to you about what you can do about it.
The Mindset You Need to Grow Your Business
You’re not going to like it.
The mindset you need to get past resistance and step big and bright into your business is simple: Just Do It.
Yup, it’s the Nike slogan.
“Just Do It” is the only way to get beyond resistance.
I know right? But stick with me here. I have a couple of tricks for you.
Here are the two Tricks that will help you to “just do it.”
TRICK ONE: Start small.
Resistance will tell you that you have to do it big, and perfectly. So you must postpone until you figure out how to do that.
TRICK TWO: Just start.
You have to start, anywhere. It doesn’t matter. Action of any kind will get you beyond resistance.
Simple right? I wish 😁
Like you, I deal with resistance everyday.
Every time I sit to write a blog, work on Instagram posts, write my newsletter…in other words, every task I have in the marketing of my coaching business, brings up resistance.
I stopped listening to it ages ago.
Hence, I get my tasks done and often with a lot of pleasure as I exercise my creativity.
If I am feeling really super resistant, I set a timer for 15 minutes and tell myself, “I’ll just do it for 15 mins.”
When the timer goes off, I am already on a roll and able to do all my tasks.
It’s the “keep it small and just start” tricks. They really work.
How You Handle Resistance Is The Difference Between Being a Professional and an Amateur.
Steven Pressfield calls the mindset of discipline and commitment, “Going Pro.” It’s about being a professional versus an amateur.
I think that’s a great distinction.
Consider working on your self-image and start thinking of yourself as a Professional.
Ask yourself: “What would Going Pro look like?” as you get unstuck and get your business going
As Pressfield says, amateurs think they have to overcome their fear first, and then they can do the work. Professionals know that fear can never be overcome. And they do it anyway.
That point is huge!!!! You will never overcome your fear first.
That’s not how resistance works.
You have to get started and do the work regardless of your fear.
And it looks like this:
✅ It means creating a powerful purpose or why statement. You need something that will motivate you to get you moving on your tasks.
✅ You need a vision, what are you working toward. What’s your dream?
✅ You need a plan with daily tasks that you can see and check off regardless of how you feel. Get out that Bullet Journal. Resistance is so sneaky, it will tell you things that sound totally reasonable and take you off track. You need a list to follow.
Once again, start small and get started. You can make those tasks as small as you need as long as you get started on something.
It’s Vital to Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway
Because on the other side of just starting, you will find the counter force to resistance, what Pressfield calls Assistance.
“As Resistance works to keep us from becoming who we were born to be, equal and opposite powers are counterpoised against it. These are our allies and angels.” – Steven Pressfield
Within each of us is the urge to unfold our highest potential. And that urge, that longing of our soul has powers to support its becoming.
Really think about this. Because it is true. Just as resistance will show up to hold you down, angels of light will arrive to lift you up.
Here is the most wonderful quote about this from W.H. Murray. I know you’ve heard this before. But really listen to it and realize what it means to you to just get started growing your business, no matter how small the step.
Concerning all acts of initiative there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would not otherwise have occurred.
A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have dreamed would come his way.
I have learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets: “Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, magic, and power in it. Begin it now. ” — W . H . Murray, The Scottish Himalayan Expedition
You will come up against resistance as you start taking those steps toward growing your business.
Do your best to recognize it, and name it.
It doesn’t like being named. It takes away some of its power when you say to it;
“I know you. You’re resistance. Lisa told me you’d be coming.”
Then, ignore it. Maybe it sounds reasonable, but if it is keeping you from your success, it’s resistance.
Take a step, take an action, any action that is on your list of tasks and just get started.
Remember that on the other side of fear, there is help. I want you to know that deep in your soul. Expect it. Look for it and be grateful when it happens.
❤️ Lisa