It’s September and the coolness of Fall is starting to sneak in around the edges here in Northern California.
Back to School for the kids…
How will you go “Back to School” in your own life this year?
Each year in September I lay out my own educational goals for the coming “school year” – the training I want to take, the areas I want to develop in myself, the growth I want to make happen in the next year. Unlike my college years, I am now in total control over my learning plan for the year! I find that taking the time to consciously (and proactively) think about my own personal development really helps me stay focused and consistently working toward my goals.
Often times our adult (ie non-college) education and training efforts unfold in a reactive or haphazard way – we get an email about an interesting workshop or see a notice in an ezine or posting. There is no real plan or strategy to the training / education, it just happens in a fairly random fashion.
Because of this, we don’t end up with a cohesive learning path, but rather a series of workshops and learning opportunities that end up filed away on our shelves and forgotten because we aren’t able to apply the learning in our day-to-day life.
Does this situation sound familiar? How many workshop or course binders do you have on your shelves, gathering dust? (I’m guilty of this too!) This is often the result of pursuing training / education without having a related goal that requires you to put it into action.
Please take a minute or two to think about this question: What do you want to be different about you, about your business, a year from now? Working backward from that end state, what learning or training do you need to make these goals a reality?
For example, let’s say that in a year you want 10 more clients in your business. Yea for you! Unfortunately, we can’t buy clients by the 6-pack at your local grocery store. So let’s look at your current toolbox and see what additions you might need.
- How effective are your client attraction skills?
- How clear and engaging is your brand?
- Are you clear about your niche, so you know who to focus on and how to best connect with them?
- Although there is no scientific research in this, I estimate that you need to talk to 10 (or more) people to get 1 potential coaching client. How will you get in front of 100+ people to find those 10 clients? Do you have a marketing plan that will help guide your activities so you can create these opportunities?
Let’s take another example. A year from now, maybe you want to be feeling more financially secure. What’s needed to make this happen?
- Let’s start at the beginning – what is your relationship to money? Is it a healthy, realistic relationship? Are you afraid of money? Feel a slave to it? How can you make your relationship with money one of health and abundance?
- Are you aware of your spending patterns and the beliefs you hold about money that may be causing you financial struggle?
- We all know that “diversification” is a good thing – do you have diverse (ie multiple) income streams to generate revenue for you? Do you know how to create those income streams?
Do you see how each of these goals has a learning / training component that may be crucial to your success? This is why I recommend spending time (30 minutes would be great) thinking about your own training and education needs for the coming 12 months.
The time you invest will be rewarded with a proactive strategy for your training that will help focus and motivate you. Then you can start actively looking for workshops, books, lectures, courses and other resources that will help you gain the knowledge for your success!
Warmest wishes for your growth during the coming school year!
Your partner in learning,
Dorcas
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Dorcas Kelley CPCC CMC PCC
Helping you make the leap from ‘coaching skills’ to ‘coaching profession’
mailto:dorcask@clarityinaction.com
(408) 749-0614
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