COACHING IS NOT EXPENSIVE. TRIAL AND ERROR IS.
This is what I always tell people when I talk about the importance of coaching.
But reliable coaches cost tons of money. That was my first impression.
Ever since I have always been curious about a lot of things. when I was a kid, my go-to place when it comes to answers to a lot of my out-of-this-world questions is either the library or the National Bookstore. These days, we have the internet, and of course, Kinokuniya.
There is a lot of credible and reliable information out there: from videos, books, and the web. And what is fascinating is that a lot are for free. So why do we need to hire a mentor or an “expensive” coach when we can learn about stuff at a fraction of a cost?
A BOOK IS WAY CHEAPER THAN PAYING A COACH. BUT…
If we crunch the numbers in, at first glance we can always agree that books are way cheaper, and that coaching is expensive. Tony Robbins’ Mastery University cost me around half a million pesos ($10K), which excludes travel costs and accommodation since his events are conducted in the US or Europe. If you are going to buy his book, it will probably just cost you less than $30 USD – and that is just 0.3% of the Mastery University’s price tag.
I am not saying you should not be buying books. I am a fan of books, especially personal development ones. In fact, most of my shipment when I moved to Ireland was “my Dubai library”.
With books (and the internet), we can immediately find an answer. Whether that information is correct or not, we still have to do some digging though. However, getting the answer is just part of a bigger puzzle. If that piece fits in the larger picture, then it might be useful, otherwise, we must find the other pieces scattered everywhere. Where to find, how to find, and what to find are three big questions. Because more often than not, most of us try to look for pieces of information all over without even knowing what the bigger picture is. How can we piece them altogether if we do not even know what the whole thing looks like? Most of the time we are being tactical than strategic.
This is where coaching comes in.
TRIAL AND ERROR EQUALS WASTED RESOURCES
I realized that, for several years, I have been doing what we call in our Cebuano dialect, “tira pasagad” which can be translated as “striking haphazardly”.
This is, in itself, trial and error. The process is awfully expensive. It is a waste of money, time, effort, and other resources. And if you are going to add up all the costs, it will end up way more expensive than getting a coach.
Yes, there is joy and a sense of excitement in venturing into the unknown but why reinvent the wheel when there is already a proven, tested, and effective method to do things?
To put it in perspective, let’s say you got in front of you a sack of flour, a gallon of water, a cup of yeast, and a bag of salt. If you don’t have a recipe, imagine how many iterations you have to make for you to bake flavorful bread? Perhaps, 50 times? How much of the ingredients (plus time and effort) you think will go to waste? A LOT! Except, if you have a recipe to follow, maybe in less than an hour, you are already done with the best homemade bread you have ever tasted.
NO ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL SOLUTION
A recipe, however, is a ready-made instruction for a specific goal: bread, cake, meals, etc. If the result is of your liking, that remains to be tested (or tasted). So, this means, that even having a recipe does not necessarily mean that it is what you are looking for or if it fits your purpose.
If a book or the internet tells you to save up 20% of your income and use 80% for your living expenses, do you think that 20% savings allocation is (more than) enough? How did you decide with 20%, is it because a book says so? Why not use 13% or 29%?
You see, the information we get from books, the internet, videos, etc. are general recommendations. These are not one-size-fits-all solutions. You cannot use an Olympic runner’s training plan if you are aiming to bulk up. You cannot just copy your neighbor’s hypertension prescription or blindly follow your friend’s investment strategy without really consulting an expert in the respective field.
Everyone, including you, has unique needs, goals, and circumstances. You cannot force someone to save up 20% of his income when one has too many liabilities to pay. Or have them invest in equities when one’s risk appetite is conservative. That is why it is important to have a coach because your “recipe” is customized to your needs and aims.
HOW A COACH CAN HELP YOU
Whether it is about personal finance, career, health, or relationships, our individual circumstances are unique, and that you should have a “recipe” specifically made for you to achieve whatever aims you have in life. Not just a copy-pasted template that may not be applicable for you and your situation.
A coach is not only a mentor but also serves as your mirror since he provides feedback especially on things that you fail to see on your own. Your coach is also your accountability partner. How many times have we set a goal but failed to follow through since no one is constantly checking on our progress? Perhaps, a lot of times.
It was only when I started coaching our fellow Filipinos that I realize how important having a reliable coach is. You will not only achieve your goals faster but since you are no longer “striking haphazardly”, you save time, effort, and resources thereby making trial and error way more expensive than hiring a coach.
Learn more about how to get your Financial Freedom “Recipe” by scheduling a free discovery call through this link.
