Do you want to know something that a lot of people are just simply too afraid to say online?
A lot of business coaches need business coaching.
Over and over again I have had business owners come to me seeking clarity, seeking action steps, and seeking real practical advice to move their business forward. This pattern is predictable though, primary due to the fact that most of this business coaching industry is made up of either motivational speakers or cheerleaders.
And you know what?
They are great at what they do – they really get you fired up to go kick some butt in the industry.
The problem then occurs when you realize that you’re really fired up…but you haven’t actually learned anything concrete.
You feel energized, but don’t have confidence in the exact steps you need to take in order to move the needle forward in your business.
So, you decide to “upgrade your package” by paying this “business coach” ten’s of thousands of dollars so you can speak to them directly, because, maybe if you get some 1-on-1 time with him/her then they will be able to see what you really need and create a blueprint of success for you.
Wrong again.
What you’re met with is yet another motivating talk, probably a few quotes you have already heard before, and then an outline of business principles to work from – but not business action-steps to work from.
Fact is, although general principles are extremely important to understand in business, in most cases they aren’t that practical in an immediate, action-taking sense.
Most of us have to do what works for our business, and that’s a very day-to-day thing. It can’t always be guided by theoretical concepts – put another way, it needs to be real and clear in order for it to be acted upon.
Since you need to make many different decisions every single day at your business, and since they mostly revolve around how to get the best results for your bottom line – I understand that you might be skeptical that I can give you specific advice for your business today.
But I can, and I will.
And it starts with bumpers at your local bowling alley.
Bowling for Success
Your business might be really similar to mine, in which case any conversation for us would be easy as pie.
But, maybe you’re somebody whose business is completely different from mine (and every other business out there for that matter) – beyond this, maybe your vision and goals are completely different from mine as well.
It doesn’t really matter, the choices we make are going to add up to a very, very similar outcome.
It’s kind of like bowling.
Sometimes you want to whip the ball down as hard as you can, other times it’s smarter to pump the brakes a bit and go slow with your approach.
You will have times where you’re far ahead in points so you can put your focus on autopilot, only checking the scoreboard in a “stop-start” manner from time to time.
Other times, you are going to completely injure your shoulder because the bowling ball you grabbed was a little too much for you to handle at the time, so you ended up in the gutter and needed to call for help.
And finally, for some of us, we didn’t know what we were getting into when we first picked up that bowling ball – so it ended up so far away from the pins you’re supposed to be hitting that it ended up way out of sight.
Luckily for us, in almost every single bowling alley these days you’re going to have the option of putting up “bumpers” – these rails prevent you from going into the gutter. They help you stay on track and hit the pins no matter how terrible your throw was because they are built in a way that guides you to success no matter how you started.
Well, I like to think of your own ambitions in life and your business being like those bumpers. If you keep them in place and remind yourself of their importance, you’ll keep your business and your life on the straight road to success.
Putting Up Your Bumpers
Bumpers are a great metaphor that allows you to stay on track for your goals because they represent your rules of engagement.
When you keep these rules in mind, it forces you to take a few steps back from those constant and sometimes overwhelming day-to-day decisions, and instead, consider them within the context of your big picture vision for yourself.
This kind of perspective motivates you to ask yourself important questions such as:
What matters to me the most in this situation?
What will specifically advance this business/vision?
What will specifically hold back this business/vision?
How does this decision impact the quality of my life?
Suddenly, you’re start hitting these bumper-based questions and start moving in the direction of scoring a strike in one throw.
Without these bumpers in place, however, you will forever be reacting to opportunities and problems instead of acting upon them.
You let your circumstances – rather than your heart and mind – dictate what you do and how you do it. Yes, we have to acknowledge that life is a delicate balance between what you want and what the universe says you can have.
But, don’t you want to control your future as much as you possibly can?
Commitment to A New Way of Living
Previous to this blog, you have probably known about placing bumpers in your life – but I am here to tell you that this is a non-negotiable act. You need them if becoming the ultimate version of yourself is something that you want.
When I have talked to entrepreneurs about this in the past during the business consultations that I do on Skype, I get a familiar reaction of:
“Well, if I try and put up bumpers in my life, this will probably limit my success, not support it!”
Put another way, although they don’t say it directly, through their eyes they see that having rules in life and putting up bumpers as something that will detract from their personal happiness.
Let me tell you as a smiling blog writer and owner of multiple companies that I am ecstatic to work for and build on a daily basis – I have found the exact opposite to be true.
These rules and parameters force you to be more creative then you have ever been, which, in turn, creates more opportunity in your life.
Your bumpers put you in problem-solving mode.
You end up pushing yourself harder to seek a path that leads to your true desired outcome, rather than settle for quick and dirty ways that end up compromising the long-term plan.
Final Thoughts
Bumpers force you to learn, adapt, and bring new ideas into your business instead of just doing what you have always done. Or worse, playing follow-the-leader with your competition.
Make things happen, don’t let them happen to you. Set up bumpers to protect you from things you know good and well hold you back, but that you may currently be justifying in one way or another.
Place everything that comes your way through the scrutiny of specific bumpers that analyze what is driving your big picture vision for yourself and your business – if you don’t, you will lack the clarity that over 90% of entrepreneurs in today’s world wish they had.
Bumpers bring clarity through decision-making, and decision-making that is protected by bumpers allows you to throw a strike every round – no matter what ball you picked up.
Dan Garner
