The cognitive illusion that made me wait too long to hire a coach
Here’s the cognitive illusion that made me wait too long to hire a coach—
I’m a REALLY good student.
If you give me a lot of information…
I’m REALLY good at getting a lot of value out of that information…
And coming up with ideas for how to apply that information in my life…
And then going off and actually applying it.
I’m not trying to brag.
This a feature of my personality that’s helpful in some ways but holds me back in others.
I first discovered coaching concepts in August 2018.
I then consumed content about coaching for 2.5 years…
And hired my first one-on-one coach in February 2021.
The content I consumed had been super helpful, and I’d made a lot of progress on my own.
But the coach provided a HUGE unlock in value for me that I could not possibly have gotten to by myself.
And looking back, I think I waited WAY too long to get one-on-one support.
Here’s the illusion I fell prey to—
I didn’t wait so long because I was making BAD progress on my own…
I waited because I was making “good enough” progress on my own.
And I didn’t realize that faster, more efficient, “breakthrough” progress was available to me.
I got stuck on a local optimum.
Because I’m a self-motivated, self-directed, ownership-taking “good student”…
I can always think of ONE more thing to try on my own.
I’m always ready to try again, give it one more shot, get back in the ring, and work harder this time.
And I can get so busy working hard…
That I don’t stop to ask:
What am I missing here?
How could this be easier?
How can I work SMART?
Here’s how my coach helps me work SMART.
She shows me my blind spots.
Sometimes, the reason I’m working hard but inefficiently is because I’m working on the wrong problem.
I think I have a productivity problem — when I really have a negative self-talk problem.
I think I have a discipline problem — when really I have an unrealistic planning problem.
I think I have a “bad strategy” problem — when really I have an “insufficient data to even set the strategy” problem.
You can work SO hard but SO inefficiently when you’re not working on the right problem.
And it’s the kind of blind spot that’s virtually impossible to see on your own.
But when you have a coach who can see and correct those blind spots quickly, you can point your hard work in the right direction and make MUCH faster progress.
She gives me the tailored solution for MY situation.
When you’re doing it on your own, you’re inundated with information.
There’s all these great tools and suggestions and ideas and solutions…
But YOU have to figure out which tool to use when — which takes time, effort, and trial & error, especially when you’re not the expert on this stuff!
A one-on-one coach cuts through all that effort.
They don’t start with the solution. They start with your problem.
They listen carefully to your exact situation.
They ask questions and take the time to get everything clear.
And then, based on the exact situation you’re in, they tell you: Let’s try THIS solution.
You may still do some trial and error to figure out if it works for you.
But because the process starts with an expert taking the time to get a deep understanding of YOUR exact situation…
And THEN suggesting a solution…
That trial & error process is at least ten times faster than if you were doing it on your own.
She keeps me consistent, focused, and on-track.
Reducing your stress and anxiety at work…
Figuring out what you want to do next…
Landing that next job…
Figuring out how to do even better work where you are…
All of those problems take real mental and emotional energy to solve.
And they’re all problems you’re working on in addition to your day job and day-to-day responsibilities.
Which means when things get busy, your work on yourself can be the first thing to go.
There is a tremendous amount of progress my coach unlocks just by having a call on my calendar every single week.
If nothing else, we’ll talk about the things I’m working on in coaching for one hour a week.
And even if I do absolutely nothing else towards my goals…
Those calls compound week after week.
I’m always reaping the rewards of consistency and focus.
I’m maintaining past achievements and preventing a backslide.
All with very little effort or discipline required on my part — all I have to do is NOT cancel the call.
I think you’re probably a lot like me.
You’re a good student, a diligent worker, and you make a LOT of progress on your own.
But don’t get stuck on a local optimum.
You could be making faster, easier, breakthrough levels of progress with one-on-one support.
I don’t know if that’s true for you, or not.
We can’t know for sure until we talk :)
So come talk to me and let’s assess how things have been going and what working with a coach could unlock for you.
What my clients have to say…
“I was not used to spending so much money on my well being and my personal success. I wasn’t used to investing in myself.
It's funny, we spend so much money on trips and even little subscriptions that add up, but you’re never really taught to prioritize your own well being.
But after just a few sessions, I was like, ‘I’ve already got my money's worth.’
Don’t skimp where it matters the most, which is investing in yourself.
If you read or listen to Pooja’s content, you already have a pretty good idea of how she thinks about things. If you resonate with that, working with her is ten times the value.”
—Client | Solutions Engineer at Fintech Company
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