You Can't Challenge What You Can't See
Every growth-minded person I know has someone in their corner.
I was asked recently whether my time with my coach was drawing to an end. Whether I'd achieved what I set out to, and maybe it was time to go it alone.
And I had to stop. Because the honest answer was more complicated than yes or no.
When the Goal Was Just the Beginning
When I started working with my coach, the goal was set pretty clear. I wanted to invest my AgriFutures win into more models and frameworks, create my own, build a marketing plan, work out my niche, get the foundations in place. And yeah, I've done that. Those boxes are ticked.
But what I didn't expect was everything else that had to happen underneath all of that. There was a lot of self work required to keep up with where I was going. The identity work. The versions of myself I had to grow into. A lot of self trust to build in the background, because there was self belief I didn't even know was missing to make all the moving parts work.
Three years ago I couldn't have imagined doing some of the things I'm doing now. Not because I didn't have the capability. But because I couldn't see it. And when you can't see it, you can't believe it.
That's not a motivational line. That's just what self awareness actually costs you when it's missing.
What the Horses Taught Me About Breakthroughs
Here's where I see a lot of correlation between my own personal development and the way I used to train and work with horses.
Shit gets ugly. And right on that cusp, where it's messy and emotional and personal, and there's no clear sight of what you don't yet know you need to know, everything sucks. And it's right at that point that the breakthrough is usually closest. That's the moment most people quit. And it's really the moment that matters most.
Building a business is no different. Every time I've hit a wall, every time that voice has said, this sucks, what am I doing, it'd just be easier to go get a job and work for someone else, in that silent surrender, something shifts on the other side of it. Every. Single. Time.
But I couldn't have navigated those moments alone.
The Subscription We Cancel On Ourselves
Think about it. We auto-pay our Netflix subscription. Monthly iTunes or Spotify fees. Subscribe to the sports channel. Buy a how-to course every new year that we never finish.
But investing in our own growth? That's the one we talk ourselves out of. That's the one we call indulgent.
And I get it. For a long time I told myself I couldn't justify it, there was always something else that needed the money more. But the return on investing in myself has been unmatched. Not just in what I've built, but in how I move through the hard parts now. I move through stress points faster because I have the capacity to go through them, not avoid them, not muscle past them on pure grit. That's the difference between coping and actually expanding.
Self-coaching is like trying to read a book an inch from your face. You're too close. You can't see it clearly. You need someone who can see what you can't.
You can't challenge what you can't see.
If You're In That Season Right Now
If you're in that season where things feel hard and messy, where it would just be easier to stay where you are or go back to what you've done before, you're probably closer to your next level than you think.
Don't mistake the ugly part for the wrong direction. It usually isn't.
Every growth-minded person I know has someone in their corner. Not because they're falling apart. Because they're smart enough to know that the one thing you can never fully see is yourself.
And if you're ready to stop trying to figure it out alone, reach out. I'd love to have a conversation about what's next for you.