THE GUY BEHIND THE GUY. WHY COACHING WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.
To excel at the highest level — or any level, really — you need to believe in yourself, and hands down, one of the biggest contributors to my self-confidence has been private coaching. — Stephen Curry
In the cult classic film Swingers, Mike (Jon Favreau) is introduced by his friend to a cute cocktail waitress. His friend (Trent, played by Vince Vaughn), plays him up by introducing him as “the guy behind the guy.” However, both of them have nothing going for them. They are out of work actors trying to act big time in Vegas. Thus, this is a terrible example of what “the guy behind the guy” should look like. However, this is a very common practice for most people.
What I’m learning recently has been the impact of coaching. The quote above by Stephen Curry eludes to the power of a good coach. I love coaching and the impact of a good coach. However, I’m the first to admit this area of my life has tremendously lacked since I exited the world of sports nearly 18 years ago.
Let’s take a look at this statistic regarding coaching.
The benefits of coaching are many; 80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills. 86% of companies report that they recouped their investment on coaching and more.
When I read this statistic, I’m absolutely ashamed of myself. I’m like, “Anthony, why haven’t you invested in coaching? What are you thinking man?”
The reality is, I tell myself, It’s not in the budget.
And then I ask myself, “how do you not have it in the budget? What are you thinking?”
That’s where I’m at right now.
I’m learning more about it so I can live my best life. I want to have more self confidence, better performance, increased communication and relationship skills. Why would I not, right?
What got me thinking more about this?
The other day I had lunch with a friend who works at Leadr.com. He’s one of the hardest hustlers I know and a person I respect a lot. He started talking to me about his new business, which was coaching. While I knew the power of coaching through sports and successful business leaders, I never looked into it for myself. We shared laughs, exchanged stories and he left me with a podcast to check out.
(You can check out the podcast here, it’s called Against The Rules)
Once I began going through the suggested podcast, the “coaching’ light began to flicker. After a few episodes, the “coaching” light was no longer a light, but rather a spotlight. This light was now shining on so many areas where I was lacking. Plus, statistics were showing, all of the greats I followed or looked up to, all had coaches.
Why would someone like Stephen Curry, one of the greatest basketball shooters of all time have a coach?
Why would someone like Eric Schmidt, founder of Google have a coach?
Why would Oprah have a coach?
Why would Leonardo Dicaprio have a coach?
Why would Justin Beiber have a coach?
Why would Serena Williams have a coach?
The list goes on and on and I think you can guess the answer for each person? They are all looking to produce better results. If you want to be the best, rise to the top, become all you can be, the answer is a coach.
The word coach can be thrown around loosely. A “coach” can be anything from a therapist, pastor, mentor or teacher. It’s a person who is going to take you to the next level.
Behind every great athlete is a masterful coach that inspires the athlete to evolve into the strongest performer they can become. — Cathy Engelbert
The goal in all of this is to start thinking about your next level. If you are learning, as I am, you’re going to come to this cross road. Unfortunately for me, it’s taken a long time to admit this. I wish I had done this sooner. I wish I had invested in this area as much as I did on my health.
However, I am now. It’s now become my mission. I hope you dig deeper into it and do the same.
I want to leave you with one thing to read. It’s from one of the smartest people I know, who’s also a friend. I didn’t even know he wrote this article until I searched google and found it.
Read this from Sean M Everett about coaching. It’s really helped me and I know it will help you get to where you want to go. (14 Billionaires & Celebrities Get Coached)
Let’s keep inspiring each other.
Let’s keep moving forward.
Let’s continue to become everything we were created to be.
Always be learning. a.
