Have you ever tried to achieve something? Really truly tried to make a change in your life or career? Made a new year’s resolution only for it to be broken two weeks after you got yourself all revved up?
Maybe, you decided that this was the year when you set a goal to find that perfect job, the one you have been dreaming about, you know where all the ducks are lined up, and everything is perfect, only to be disappointed when you faced the first hurdle and fell. Or, quit that unappreciated and frustrating job that you have been in for the past five years, that you keep threatening to do something about and your friends are so bored listening to.
We don’t fail resolutions or new projects because our intentions aren’t genuine, we don’t aim to fall at the first hurdle, it’s just that building new habits or a new career is really, really hard. And one of the primary reasons it’s so hard is we often try to do it alone, with no support, and no end game and no end goal in sight. No wonder we end up disappointed.
Simon Sinek – leadership expert, TED speaker, and author of The Infinite Game – put it like this:
“We’re good at disappointing ourselves, but we don’t like disappointing other people. I can wake up at 6:00 in the morning, all revved up to go to the gym by myself, and just change my mind. And I’ll just sit in bed ‘til noon. I’m really, really good at letting myself down, guilt-free!”
As a life coach, I know all about goal setting and the benefits to my clients. But I must confess I struggle with achieving my goals just like you. That is why I have a coach to hold me responsible for my actions and outcomes.
Yes, you read that right, a coach has a coach, I can disappoint myself and change my mind, but I will not disappoint my coach.
Having an accountability partner, a coach is one of the most effective techniques for sticking to goals and building new habits. That’s why I have one.
*According to The American Society of Training and Development, you are 65% likely to achieve your goal simply by making it public but having a specific accountability partner like a coach makes it 95% likely you’ll make it happen.
While I’m sceptical of those exact numbers (very few things in life are 95% guaranteed) the trend is definitely right: We are significantly more likely to meet other people’s expectations than our own. And it’s really, really hard to do it on your own!
So, If you want to succeed. Get a coach.
*Extract courtesy from Brian Miller
