There are a lot of obstacles that can stand in the way of success when building a health coaching business (or any business for that matter). Some of those obstacles come from external sources, and some of them come from internal sources, and today I want to talk about one of those internal sources, a mindset barrier that can block your success. Because let’s face it, those are the barriers that can sometimes be the toughest ones to overcome.
Recently I did a Facebook Livestream inside my group for health coaches, talking about this issue, because it’s something I think every entrepreneur needs to check in with themselves on, and ask themselves about.
Conditional Mindset vs. Commitment Mindset
I was at a wonderful coaching conference recently, and one of the speakers on stage spoke about the difference between a conditional mindset and a commitment mindset, when it comes to building a coaching business.
And this concept really resonated with me. I completely took it on board, and it helped me clarify a few things, in terms of who I wanted to BE in my business, and how I wanted to show up.
And let me tell you, magical things have been happening ever since I had that crystallizing moment. Opportunities have started coming out of the woodwork, and a lot of things have really started to gel. And that’s exactly why I want to talk about this, so you can start to think about it, and examine your own actions and decisions, and maybe you can start to see some exciting shifts in your business, too.
So what does this mean, a conditional mindset versus a commitment mindset?
When asked if you’re ALL IN with your business, a Conditional Mindset says things like:
“Yes, I’m in … IF I land a client in the next 30 days.”
“Yes, I’m in … IF I can get some money coming in before the end of the year.”
“Yes, I’m in … IF people sign up for my challenge..”
And to be honest, if you really want to achieve your potential, this kind of mindset has to go.
In contrast, a commitment mindset is when you are fully ALL IN … no caveats, no exceptions, and no conditions.
Because being all in means just that: all in.
How To Go All In
What you’re telling yourself is that you are going to make this work. No matter what. If your first webinar flops…you’re going to figure out what went wrong, and do it again. If you don’t have a client sign up after your first 6 discovery calls…you get some feedback, figure out where the disconnect is happening, and you get back out there.
Several years ago, when I was coming out of a particularly difficult health challenge, I was doing a lot of reading and learning around “happiness” and I encountered a metaphor about making a commitment to things, really going for what you want, and I use it as a short form to this day.
The metaphor goes like this: Let’s say you’re hiking, out in a field or somewhere, and your path leads you to a tall fence, and you want to be on the other side of it, but you just don’t know HOW to do it…you could backtrack, sure, but that isn’t what you want to do, you really do need and want to be on the other side of that fence. So to make sure you don’t give up on yourself or back down…you throw your backpack over the fence. It’s an irreversible act, and now you have no choice but to figure things out, and get yourself over that damn fence.
I think of this many times, when I’m kind of wavering on something I know in my heart I really want to do. How can I throw my backpack over the fence? Sometimes, it’s stating my goal out loud. Sometimes, it’s telling a specific person, or a whole bunch of people, in some kind of public forum. Sometimes, it’s actually spending a bunch of money, plunking down a chunk of cold hard cash…and now, I have to make it work.
So that’s the question: are you in a commitment mindset, your backpack is over the fence, you absolutely have to go for it, come what may? Or are you in a conditional mindset, in that you’re halfway ready to back down, or bolt, if the going gets difficult?
Throw Your Backpack Over The Fence
I mean, sure, when you’re just getting started, I think it’s normal to have one toe dipped in the water for a little while, hedging your bets, before going all in, if you’re just exploring an idea or just starting to learn about something … but if you truly want to make a go of your business, you’ve got to commit to it, in your heart, fully.
To be clear, I’m not necessarily talking about abruptly quitting your day job and walking out in a big dramatic show and telling your boss what you think of her…I mean, I’m pretty sure everybody fantasizes about that, particularly if your 9-5 is soul-destroying and your expiration date has long passed…but that’s not necessarily the right move for everyone, depending on the stage you’re at.
It might be. That might be the exact thing you need to do. Handing in your notice, it might be absolutely time for that. Only you know. For you, it might be more about telling your family what you’ve been secretly doing on the side. Or maybe it’s finally buying the domain name you’ve been considering but kind of hesitating on.
It doesn’t really matter what the actual steps you take are, because what I’m really talking about is more about your mindset, it’s a commitment you make inside, in your soul. A promise you make to yourself.
Because it’s those inner promises — the things you say to yourself, and the things you believe — that dictate your decisions, your behavior, and your actions. And it’s all those pieces that will get your business up and running, will see you through the external obstacles that come up, and will get you over the fence.
Are You Hedging Your Bets?
So I want you to ask yourself: have I been treating my business like a hobby? Have I been dabbling, hedging my bets? Have I been holding back? Have I been gripping onto my backpack, afraid to go ALL IN, when what I should really be doing is chucking that thing over the fence, so I have no choice but to make good on my promises and find a way over to the other side.
So I’m curious: what comes up for you when I say this stuff?
I would love to know. I think it’s a really juicy issue, and I think it’s really worth examining for yourself, as you work on building your health coaching business.
Now before I wrap up, let me just mention that if you are looking for a way to throw your backpack over the fence, to really own a commitment mindset, I would love to let you know about my group coaching program called The Prosperous Health Coach Mastermind. We just started the fall session (on November 1st), but I’ll be running another session in the spring of 2019.
It’s a 90-day group coaching program and inside the group I show you how to put together all the pieces for your health coaching business, step-by-step, so there’s no overwhelm or confusion…and by the end of the program you’ll have everything set up for a thriving health coaching business, and you’ll be well on your way to consistent $5K months in your business.
If that sounds intriguing to you, I encourage you to check it out.
If you click on the thumbnail below, you’ll be taken to the program page so you can read about all the details and see if it’s right for you!
