This article may ruffle your feathers a little bit but my intention is to leave you feeling inspired.
It’s a blend of the struggles I’ve been through over the last 6.5 years and some coaching techniques I have used along the way. But most importantly, this article reveals my solution to building a 6 figure online business.
Firstly, I’d like to start by defining what my “ordinary world” was (as a millennial)
At 21, I was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. It was obviously a terrible experience and 2 years later when it was all said and done with, my life was a bit of a shambles. I was broke, overweight, lacking confidence and had no real tangible skills.
What I did have though was what I like to call “millennial thirst”. (I can’t say if this is shared by other generations but I’ve seen it countless times amongst millennial.)
I use the word thirst to describe the deep longing feelings of wanting more. More time, more impact, more freedom, more money, more meaningful relationship. More.
This thirst led me down the road of self-development, online business and coaching.
Yet I could never seem to quench it. Everything I tried seemed to fail or leave me with average results.
I’d launch a new podcast but then it would crash and burn after 5 episodes. I’d start a new course but only attend 50% of the classes. I’d start a 30-day challenge and find a mystery reason to end it on day 24.
This trend went on for over 6 years.
I longed for freedom and I genuinely thought I was working towards it. I’d always look for the next “special 5 step system”, the next “productivity hack” or the next “Matcha tea that is guaranteed to improve your concentration”.
Still, nothing changed…
… and whilst I’m not saying those things above don’t work, they are just band aids if the deep underlying issue isn’t solved.
The reason I know that is because I became accredited by the coaching masters and they equipped me with new tools to view my problems differently. They also opened up my mind to start receiving coaching (something I was very resistant too).
During a coaching session with a now dear friend, I explained my day to day routine. I explained all of the “great things” I was doing to change my situation and at the end of my spiel I stated – “I’ve tried everything, maybe this isn’t for me”.
The coach then stopped me and said – “the reason you are getting amateur results is because you are an amateur”.
That statement hit me straight between the eyes. So much so that I kinda wanted to end the call and find a new coach or a new solution. I didn’t and I stuck around and the coach started to explain the difference between an amateur and a professional.
He explained how an amateur “try’s things” and dabbles. Amateurs always look externally for the reasons why they aren’t “making it”.
Amateurs always find reasons to not take responsibility for their circumstances. Every single part of me wanted to fight this and deny to myself that I wasn’t an amateur. You may be feeling that right now.
Roll the clock forward to now and I can say with full velocity that I am a professional.
Within weeks of deciding to turn pro everything changed. I’m now making more money, I have a world class network, people respect the work I do and most importantly I finally feel free.
^^^ All of these things are promised by YouTube tutorial videos and online courses, but they are almost never ever achieved by amateurs. Seemingly turning pro is the only way to unlock professional results. Who knew?
It’s as if without turning pro you are playing a rigged game where only amateur results and pain await you. So how do we do it, how do we go pro?
Firstly, we accept that everyone starts as an amateur and that is absolutely okay. I’m still an amateur in most things (especially golf lol). At this point it’s recommended to choose what you will turn professional in – a writer? A coach? A media buyer? A creative?
Secondly, I strongly suggest spending time learning from a pro. If you’re reading this blog you have access to some world class professionals.
Spend 5 minutes observing the life of either Liam James Collins or Lewis Raymond Taylor and you will see a professional at work. (there are also hundreds of others in the Coaching Masters community, I’m just getting brownie points here)
Observing a professional cuts your learning curve down and ensures you are following good advice.
Thirdly, after your observations start to mimic professional behaviors. There are always commonalities amongst professionals. Some examples include –
1) Doing what they say they are going to do
2) Acting in spite of fear
3) Focus entirely on the value they bring to the marketplace
4) Make the necessary sacrifices
5) Always goes the extra mile
6) Stays patient and enjoys the process
7) Turns up prepared on time, every time.
This list is not exhaustive and I haven’t “unlocked” all the answers. You will likely find more than just these 7.
Fourthly, accept that these boring solutions are the answer.
This is the most difficult step because it seems too good to be true. You may be asking – “How can these simple things really bring me the life I want?”.
Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to that, but I can tell you that until I accepted this nothing changed for me. Maybe it’s a cosmic law?
Fifth and finally – practice. You can decide to turn pro at any time, but please be aware that being a professional is a skill. Like all skills it needs to be practiced and fine tuned for it to really work!
……………
This is my first guest blog appearance on the coaching masters and I really hope it’s been valuable to you. Going pro and maintaining it has been the best gift I ever received. I hope it plays the same role in your life.
Additional resources – “Turning Pro” by Stephen Pressfield really helped me solidify these beliefs.
…….
About The Author
Joshua J Daniel Stanier is the CEO of the Creators Chronicle, a company on a mission to help creatives turn their creativity into cash flow. To learn how to turn your creativity into cash flow, consider joining our free Facebook training group here –TheCreatorsChronicle
