The value of self-investment
Investing…blah!
Thinking about the stock market and how to invest, what to invest in, and when makes my head hurt. It feels like that college calculus class I took mixed with some statistics. I would almost rather poke my eye out than have to melt my brain with the complicated mess of math.
But I also want to have a fat retirement fund so…how can I compromise? I signed up for some free “Women and Money” webinars from Fidelity to learn more. It was very high level and I can’t tell you half of what happened except I’m glad I have a managed account (AKA they do all the shifting for me!).
Now, I’m pretty smart so it wasn’t that I didn’t understand the concept or that I couldn’t follow what they said…it’s just that I didn’t pay attention.
It was free, the internet was glitchy, and deep down…I wasn’t that interested in what they were talking about. Yes, I want the money to flow in but I don’t really want to know the BTS of investing. Kinda like the internet, I just want it to work.
Since I’m not a money guru, let’s talk about investing in yourself.
The value of coaching specifically.
My question to you is: Do you go to free classes more consistently or the sessions with the trainer at the gym?
You’ve probably heard people say that people who pay, pay attention. As coaches or educators, we are not supposed to provide only free training and coaching. It’s because people will sign up and not show up. They'll sign up and half-ass it. Sometimes that's true for me too. If I don't have the bandwidth for it after I signed up for it (and I didn't pay anything) then I'm not showing up.
Why do we do that? It’s free so…why don’t we take advantage of the offer? It's about the value that people place on their time, money, and energy. There is something important about free things though…people have to get to know the person, product, or service before they're going to spend a lot of money on it.
Most coaches and business owners will tell you how to do what they did to get the results so why not just listen to the free podcast? They usually cover how to do X, Y, and Z and if you're smart, you can probably figure out most things. BUT…
It’s a lot of work.
The steps aren’t always in chronological order.
Most people aren't going to put that kind of effort (or time) into figuring it out.
We want to hear someone tell us what to do, how to do it, and when to do it so we are efficient and get quick results. (This “quick results” thinking can be a trap so watch out!)
photocredit: unsplash
That is why it’s important to invest in yourself for things that will get you results. The results depend on you and what you do with your time. No amount of planning will make it happen without follow-through.
So, how do you know when to pay?
When you are ready for changes that you have been trying to get on your own and it’s not working. When you feel stuck and don’t know why you aren’t making progress.
What does coaching with me look like?
I'm not going to tell you that on Thursday you need to do XY and Z.
I am gonna say pick the day that works best.
I’ll ask what are you going to do about this (insert goal, task, etc) and help you work through some solutions.
I'm going to help you decide what is important *right now* instead of just saying “This is your list and what you have to do this week.”
Why don’t I give you the step-by-step? Mindset work and goal setting are different than setting up a printer.
I think people should learn to trust their instincts, learn to think for themselves, and be able to manage without me. With coaching, you are going to have a period of growth where you're like oh shit, I'm in some stuff I don't really know how to figure out. That’s when you find a coach that you are in alignment with and have them help you figure the shit out.
Coaching helps you now and sets you up for success in the future. You are able to grow and apply what you learn to more situations.
When my clients come back and tell me all the amazing things they have done, I am so impressed with their hard work. That is the value of investing in yourself.
Peace and love,
Teresea
