Jo discusses the significance of setting goals in your business and the effort required to achieve them. She shares her personal experiences and emphasises the importance of hard work, commitment, and consistency. She also discusses the transformative power of small habits and the journey towards a goal. She highlights that every experience contributes to your future success.

The cost of achieving goals [00:01:27]

Discussion on the challenges and sacrifices involved in pursuing and achieving goals in a coaching business.

The philosophy of goal cost [00:05:09]

Jo explores the concept of goal cost and the importance of analysing the costs and benefits associated with achieving goals.

Personal growth and goal setting [00:08:46]

Discussion on the personal growth and fulfillment that can be achieved through setting and pursuing goals as a coach.

The importance of embracing hard work and the journey [00:11:09]

Jo discusses the transformative power of small habits, the rewards of hard work, and the disappointment of achieving a goal without enjoying the process.

The true cost of achieving goals [00:12:34]

Explores the idea that meaningful change takes time and effort, and emphasises the value of previous experiences and efforts in achieving future success.

The importance of resilience [00:13:52]

Highlights the need for coaches to cultivate resilience and serve as pillars of strength for their clients, encouraging them to set audacious goals and stay committed to their dreams.

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If you’re kind enough to leave a review, please do let Jo know so she can say thank you. You can always reach her at: joanna@joannalottcoaching.com

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Hello and welcome to Women in

the Coaching Arena podcast.

2

I'm so glad you are here.

3

I'm Jo Lott, a business mentor

and ICF accredited coach

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

and I help coaches to

5

build brilliant businesses.

6

I know that when you prepare to enter

the arena, there is fear, self doubt,

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comparison, anxiety, uncertainty, shame.

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You can tend to armor up and

protect yourself from vulnerability.

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In this podcast, I'll be sharing

honest, not hype, practical and

10

emotional tools to support you to make

the difference that you are here for.

11

Dare greatly.

12

You belong in this arena.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone)-1:

Hello, welcome to the 34th episode

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of women in the coaching arena.

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I am so glad you are here.

16

It's Sunday morning now, and we are

going away for a few days tomorrow.

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But I don't know about you, but

I constantly get ideas and I just

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really, really need to share them.

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So I'm excited to share

this episode today.

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On what I believe is crucial

for your success as a coach.

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And it was prompted by a question why

do you want to grow your own business?

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What do you actually get out of it?

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Versus having an employed role.

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So today we're going to talk

about goals and more specifically

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the cost of achieving them.

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I know that many of you, just like my

clients, have big dreams and aspirations.

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You want to explore your own capacity,

see what you can create in the world and

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uncover treasures that lie within you.

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And that is fantastic.

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And we need to have that fire that

you do have, and we also need to have

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a clear understanding of what what

it takes to reach those objectives

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so you don't give up along the way.

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So the question my client

asked me was "is it worth it?".

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I feel like I'm working harder

than before yet I'm not earning

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as much as I did before.

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And it's worth saying that she's

only around four or five months

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into her business at this stage.

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So to go from zero startup phase

to earning the same as you did

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before in a career that you've

probably worked 10 to 15 years to

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achieve is going to be a depressing

comparison, at least in the beginning.

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And I know that's always the first goal.

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It was my first goal to earn the

same amount as I did in my previous

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career, so I completely get it.

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But it's worth just reflecting

on what it took you to get

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to that goal in that career.

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I bet you didn't go from leaving school

or university straight up there to

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wherever you left off in your job.

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And it was such a good question that

really did have me thinking because many a

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time, do I think, yeah, why do I do this?

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Like, this is not easy.

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This is not the easy option

of having a business.

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And she said that she constantly hears

people say that entrepreneurship is so

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exciting and they wouldn't have it any

other way and they'd never go back and

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she said, I'm just not sure I get it.

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And so that is what today's episode

is going to be on why we do this work.

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And if you have been around for a while,

you will know that it's not the easy

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option, it's way easier to get a job.

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So if you are wondering if this is

a quick fix, and if this is going

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to be easier than your job, I can

hand on heart say, I don't think so.

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Your business will drive you like

no other job has ever driven me.

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And I was always really driven

and really committed to my jobs.

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But it's like a unwavering

desire to change the world.

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I can only describe it as, is how I feel.

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And why on a Sunday morning, I am here

recording this podcast episode for you.

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So here is the great opportunity

to reflect on why I do it.

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And why you do it.

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And what's in it for

you if you keep going.

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Because many coaches are, struggling

with those goals, questioning whether

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they should keep going or give up.

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They feel like the goal isn't

working for them or that the cost

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of achieving the goal is too high.

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And this got me thinking,

how can I best help you?

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My fellow coaches to

achieve what you want.

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I have achieved some pretty amazing

goals since first being coached,

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a little over four years ago now.

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And I've overcome many obstacles

along the way to get there.

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This was not an easy path for me.

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I've never been one who's overly confident

or someone who's confident to be visible

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or any of those things that you think

you may need to be, to have a business.

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That's why I'm so passionate when

clients come to me who are worried that

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they won't be able to do this because

I really, really believe that you can.

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And that is the entire point.

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Having a successful business will not

fix you and will not make you confident

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and will not make you all of those

things that you perhaps want to be.

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But, the inner work you have to

do to grow your business will.

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It will completely change your life.

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And that is why I do this work.

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I want to get even better at helping

you to blow your own mind with what

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you can achieve and realize in your

life, and to do that, we need to make

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sure our philosophy and thought process

around goal setting and what you want

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to achieve are set up in the right way.

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So let's dive into the

concept of goal cost.

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So goal cost is essentially the

cost that you need to pay in to

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be able to achieve your goal.

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It includes the types of costs that

we are willing to pay and the types of

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costs that we aren't willing to pay.

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When we approach setting goals, if we do

that cost analysis before we start, we

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won't be surprised when the bill comes in.

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We will be prepared and we will

be able to anticipate those costs

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associated with achieving your goal.

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So it's a bit like if you want to have

a six pack or if you're going to run

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a marathon, you know, you're going

to work damn hard every single day.

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And as long as you know

that you won't give up.

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And I think that's the difficulty here.

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We see how easy it is all the time to

just have this business immediately.

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And we live in this world of

instant gratification where

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we want everything to be easy.

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But if you reflect on anything

going in your life, if you want to

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achieve these big goals, usually

there is a cost associated.

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So as we go through today's episode.

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I want you to think about your own goals.

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And the costs associated

with achieving them.

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Along with the benefits

of the effort required.

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And are you willing to pay the

price to achieve your dreams?

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If we think of strictly come dancing,

which I was watching recently.

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Why do these people do it?

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Like that's really hard learning

a new skill, putting yourself

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under the spotlight of everyone,

seeing what you're like.

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And you're probably gonna be

pretty rubbish when you start.

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And why do they do it?

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Is it just a win strictly come dancing?

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Or is it because of the personal

challenge they're setting themselves

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of, can I do this and can I practice

and show up every single day in order

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to get better than I was yesterday?

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If we think of a few examples,

which might be relevant for you

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in terms of growing your business.

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It might take consistency on social media.

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It might take regular networking.

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It might take mentioning to your

network and your friends and

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family, what you're doing right now.

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So all of those things in

themselves can feel extremely scary.

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Is that cost worth the

goal you are pursuing?

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And know that in every single

one of those actions, every

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single thing you are scared of.

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You'll come out stronger the other side.

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Now we've talked about the cost

benefit analysis of setting your goals.

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And how crucial it is, to be honest

with yourself about the costs you're

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willing to pay, let's shift gears a

bit and talk about how this relates

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to you as a coach who helps others.

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So in this coaching world setting and

achieving goals is our bread and butter.

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We guide our clients through this

process and help them to realize

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their potential and achieve things

that they never thought possible.

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So as a coach, when you're setting

your own goals, whether that's

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increasing your client base, boosting

your income, expanding your reach,

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you need to be crystal clear on the

costs and benefits of those goals.

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One of the best things that I have put

time and energy into in building my

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business is my LinkedIn audience growth.

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And now I have seven and a

half thousand connections.

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And I started from pretty much zero

or maybe like 30 connections four

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years ago when I was employed and

no one I knew really used LinkedIn

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so I didn't have any network at all.

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So it's taken that daily consistent

action to really grow those connections.

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And it just makes me so happy to see

that growth and the relationships

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I have built on LinkedIn.

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Is it worth it for my business?

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Yes.

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A hundred percent.

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But also more importantly, is

it worth it for me personally?

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Am I gaining?

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Am I growing?

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Am I learning?

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And the answer is still yes.

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Which is why I do it.

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So I think sometimes we have to dig

deeper than just that business growth.

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It's about whether the platform you're

using for example is fulfilling for you.

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Imagine how satisfying it is to

commit to yourself and your own goal.

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I set a goal at the beginning

of September, to not drink

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alcohol for three months.

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And what I feel most proud

about is that I am achieving it.

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I have committed to that and

I will not back down on that.

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And I think it's just like consistency

in social media posting or emailing

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your email list or all of those

things that we know we should do.

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But most of the time, your

body and your brain is just

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looking for the lazy way out.

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We don't really want to do those things.

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But when you do them, you feel so

good as to what you can achieve.

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So these things are easy.

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Like doing 10 minutes of yoga a day.

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It sounds easy, but actually doing it

and not thinking, do you know what?

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I can't be bothered today.

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Is really hard and it's these

tiny, tiny habits that can

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completely transform your business.

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It's not just about the

hard work and sacrifices.

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It's about the immense benefits

and growth that comes from

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pursuing something meaningful.

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As a coach, you will know

that that journey is just as

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important as the destination.

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And sometimes the journey

is even more rewarding.

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When I published a book in my first year

of business and I had on my vision board

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in pencil, because I thought it was

impossible to achieve, that I wanted to be

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an Amazon number one bestselling author.

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And, strangely enough when I actually

achieved that, I was literally so

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depressed because I'd worked so hard

to get that book ready, figure out

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how to get it out there in the world.

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Figure out how to market it.

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Do all the things.

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And then.

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you get to what should be

that really rewarding moment.

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And you realize that what was

rewarding was the hard work

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of getting that thing done.

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Not of the badge or the

reward that you get.

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It's the same as whenever I've received

my certifications for my coaching.

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I never really did get that.

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Wow.

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You know, this is an

amazing achievement feeling.

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What I gained achievement

from, is doing hard things.

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And I think that is a really good

thing to know that by doing hard

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things, you will grow as a person.

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And that is why I do this work.

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So when it comes to you, helping

your clients embrace the costs

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of what they are going for.

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Help them to see it as investments

in their future success, in

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their own personal growth.

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I mean, that is why we are here.

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It's to grow as human beings.

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So every rejection, every setback is

a stepping stone towards your ultimate

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goal and your client's ultimate goal.

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So keep reminding yourself of

the benefits of this goal and

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growing and learning along the way.

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I invite you to step into this picture.

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So you are that successful coach who

is making a huge impact in the world.

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You are positioned as the

go-to expert in your niche.

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Your marketing, research and

insights are changing people's lives.

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You are making good money from doing what

you love and you are making a difference.

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You look back on your life and are so

proud of the legacy you have left and

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the fact that you have contributed and

left this world in a way better place.

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So now you are there.

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We can continue the rest of this

episode and you can consider

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if that cost is worth it.

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Let's talk about a common pitfall

that many coaches fall into.

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And it's not your fault.

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It is the world we live in.

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So the allure of quick

fixes and shortcuts.

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In this fast paced world is

easy to get caught up in the

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promise of instant results.

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And as seasoned coaches, we know

that meaningful change takes

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time, effort, and persistence.

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The true cost of achieving your

goal is the effort that you put in.

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And the benefit of this

effort will last a lifetime.

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I hear from clients a lot, that I feel

like I'm starting from scratch again.

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If you've decided to change your

niche or something like that, then

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you aren't starting from scratch.

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You will have learnt so much, you

would have built your network.

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You would have done so much

already to achieve your goal.

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It's a bit like I started my business,

therefore from scratch two years ago.

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But I didn't really, because I'd

already had experience in executive

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coaching and career coaching.

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I had learned how to set up

a business and email list.

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I'd built my audience.

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All the that, is part of my success today.

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So don't ever think that anything

is wasted, any effort you've put

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in because those experiences will

contribute to your future success.

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So finally let's touch on the

importance of resilience . As coaches.

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We need to be pillars of strength for

our clients, helping them stay the

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course, even when the going gets tough.

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And in order to do that we need

to cultivate our own resilience.

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So set big audacious goals for yourself.

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Embrace the costs.

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Reval in the benefits and show your

clients what's possible when you

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stay committed to your own dreams.

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Be the living proof that with the

right mindset and willing to pay

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the price, Anything is possible.

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So let me summarize today's episode.

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We talked about why we do

this work as entrepreneurs.

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We talked about how you can

analyze the cost of this goal.

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A great example of this is reflecting

what might get in your way.

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What's going to come up and how are

you going to deal with it and if you

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have considered that, upfront then you

will be far more likely to overcome

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that obstacle when it comes up.

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Because you have considered this when you

aren't feeling emotional and you'll be

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able to draw strength from that moment.

272

We talked about that cost benefit

analysis and how crucial it is

273

to be honest with yourself about

the costs you are willing to pay.

274

We talked about what is gonna make you

happy is the inner work you will need

275

to do to actually grow that business.

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What it really comes down to is

how you grow as a person and who

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you are becoming and the legacy

that you leave in the world and the

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difference that you make for others.

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So is that worth the cost

that you are putting in?

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And lastly are you prepared to go all in?

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Not just want quick fixes and shortcuts

but really do the work that is required

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because that is the difference.

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There's this great quote by biz Stone,

who said timing, perseverance, and 10

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years of trying will eventually make

you look like an overnight success.

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The only way you fail is by giving up so

embrace every setback and know that that

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is building your resilience which is what

it takes to build a successful business.

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Thank you so much for joining me today.

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Remember the cost of greatness is

high but the rewards are immeasurable.

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Do drop me a line if you

found this episode helpful.

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Generally i'm on linkedin as my main

platform as joanna Lott or otherwise

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on instagram @joannalottcoaching.

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And like i say at the end of every

episode trust yourself believe in

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yourself and be the wise gardner

who keeps on watering the seed.

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Microphone (Samson Q2U Microphone):

Thank you so much for listening to this

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episode of Women in the Coaching Arena.

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I have a mess of free resources on

my website joannalottcoaching.com.

297

That's Joanna with an A

and Lott with two T's.

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joannalottcoaching.com.

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And I'll also put links in the show notes.

300

Let me know if you found

this episode useful.

301

Share it with a friend and

leave me a review, and I will

302

personally thank you for that.

303

Remember to trust yourself, believe

in yourself and be the wise Gardner

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who keeps on watering the seed.

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Get into the arena dare, greatly and try.