Prosperous Coach Podcast just reached Episode 300 and very soon will reach 300,000 downloads. That’s thanks to you for listening and sharing my podcast with other coaches!
With all that experience, how did I let my last episode air without editing it? You could hear big empty spaces in the recording, me turning pages, repeating phrases.
Because it was a public mistake, I felt that drop-in-the-stomach feeling as if I was in an elevator going down fast.
One of my clients emailed me about my goof up and I so appreciated that!
Of course, I fixed the episode, but not before hundreds of people heard it.
That episode got more downloads than the 5 before it.
What does that tell you?
My audience is forgiving and so is YOURS.
Let’s talk about how you can grow more quickly in your coaching career by the way you respond to your mistakes.
How Many Mistakes Can a Coach Make and Still Be Successful?
Hey Coaches!
How many mistakes do you think you can you make in your business and still be a successful coach?
I know, it may seem like an absurd question, but take a minute and think about it. Is there a limit?
Infants, from the time they are born, are in experimental mode learning how their body and how the world works. No one judges them when they repeatedly fall on their butt, so they develop FAST!
Think about your favorite mentors — the authors you read, the luminaries you follow, the people you respect most. How many mistakes do you think they’ve made before reaching where they are now?
Hundreds? Thousands? At least and no doubt, some were DOOZIES. But they are still here. Still on their mission, doing good. Is that because they have become perfect? Are they infallible now? No.
If anything, the greater the goal, the bigger the mistakes a person will make.
And, without mistakes humans and other beings would have made very little progress.
I’ve been in business for 25 years and I know that I’ve made thousands of mistakes in my business. But I don’t remember most of them. That’s because in the short and long run those mistakes didn’t stop me.
I didn’t let them.
The only way my goof ups hurt me at all was by the way I punished myself for them.
I could have saved myself a lot of anxiety and brain cells if I’d worked on my relationship with failure sooner. But, I’ve been doing my best to evolve and whenever I started paying attention to this — that was the right time.
Most of my errors have made me stronger, wiser, better.
The Road to Equanimity is a Healthy Relationship with Failure
Your business mistakes won’t kill you or your business either. You are getting stronger, more knowledgeable every day as a coach and business owner.
It’s okay to be a beginner when you are beginning anything new.
Celebrate your mistakes with your successes because they are what got you to where you are now — starting a coaching business — an awesome endeavor.
Entrepreneurship is a big playground where mistakes are welcome.
Entrepreneurs are really good at failing their way to success.
That’s something that Will Craig said. He was the founder of Coach Training Alliance — where I co-authored curriculum, designed their Certified Coach Program, and trained over 500 coaches in coaching skills.
That phrase comes back to me whenever I royally mess up and feel embarrassed. It helps me to realize that every human being is making mistakes on a daily basis while on their way to something better.
So … what are some mistakes you’ve made so far in this journey?
- Maybe you said something that didn’t land well in a coaching session.
- Or, you forgot to spellcheck a document that went out to a client.
- Or, you posted something on socials you later regretted.
Okay, yeah, it was embarrassing. But most likely, it’s far worse for you than anyone else. And so often, mistakes are easily repaired.
The main issue here is how it affects your belief in yourself.
If you can allow your mistakes to MEAN NOTHING in terms of who you are and your potential then you will keep your belief in yourself and it will grow.
Here is a method I’ve used to stop freaking out about my mistakes and get on with life:
- Pay attention to what it looks like and how you feel about it when other people let go of mistakes easily. Model that.
When other people handle their mistakes gracefully, the mistake is barely noticed. Everyone moves on.
When other people make mistakes, most people will have empathy for them. At the same time, the more attention the person who made the mistake puts on it, the more uncomfortable it feels for everyone.
2. If you feel stuck on a mistake and can’t let it go, pay attention to what’s happening in your body. Where do you feel the mistake? Around your heart? In your stomach? In your head?
Find the place and observe it. Give it a color, a shape, a temperature, a sound. Then stay with it while you breathe. In your mind’s eye, watch it shift and dissolve.
When I practice this, I am always amazed at how fast I get back on track. Less anxiety is always good.
Another method that people use is to write it out. Imagine that each word you write on the page dissolve the bad feeling until it’s gone completely.
I’d love to know your tips for responding lovingly to your own mistakes.
Celebrate your mistakes as well as your successes and that will help you grow fast!