By the Ocean
Before Sunrise 76 Degrees
5:05 a.m.
Imagine if an apple tree decided to save up money for a coaching or mentoring program. Or imagine if it ran out to the store and bought the latest book about how to be a more productive apple tree.
Kind of silly. An apple tree doesn’t need to learn how to be itself. It comes knowing that from the beginning.
So if an apple tree can get that together, why are we so different?
We couldn’t POSSIBLY be enough on our own, right? The world says you can’t. And so we respond to that feeling of lack and “not enoughness” and we go looking for someone to help.
Bring in the mentors and the coaches! Let’s especially invite the ones who say everyone needs a mentor and a coach.
(I imagine it probably won’t be long before there’s an entire industry of experts who specialize in helping you decide which experts you need to hire.)
So then, slowly and surely, we work our tails off to completely cover up who we’re here to be. We’re running on someone else’s track now and we’re often paying a lot for the privilege! We’re finally going to get somewhere!
Ever wonder why it’s so hard to get attention these days? Because there are so few people acting and being in such a way that is worthy of attention.
Original thinking is at an all time low because we’ve been told that “doing it wrong” is a fate worse than death.
But you can’t do YOU wrong.
Is the apple tree doing it wrong?
We are surrounded by clues that show humanity’s manufactured lack of trust in itself. It’s time for something better, because that’s a big lie.
There’s a big difference between needing a coach and wanting a coach. Wanting a coach is certainly a viable way to improve your performance out in the world. Needing a coach is an entirely different matter.
Back when I was getting started, I thought I “needed” a coach. That’s because I hadn’t yet taken responsibility for directing my own ship AND I hadn’t yet developed the guts to go out into the world and learn something for myself through trial and error.
I “needed” a coach. Not because I wanted to get better but because I wanted someone to put a rudder on the ship I was too scared to put there myself.
I didn’t trust in the sacredness of the process of developing into myself. So I never left the port. I just sat there learning about leaving the port.
My experience during the last 20 years would have been MUCH different had someone sat me down in a chair and said:
“Jason, you learn a business by doing the business. You don’t learn a business by learning about the business.”
No one “needs” a coach. No one “needs” a mentor. Those beings are only useful once you have stood up and begun the journey.
Get in touch with yourself. Go out in the world and stand for something. Get bruised and battered. When you realize you didn’t die, when you realize you’ve actually drawn strength from your challenges, then walk boldly in the direction of your heart and do it all again.
You don’t need anyone’s advice for where to go. You’re the leader. That’s what you’re here to do for yourself.
Can you trust yourself on this?