Finally! A magic solution for most problems
Today I was reading a post on IttyBiz where a reader stated “what I need the most right now is traffic to my website. Can you help come up with ideas for that?”
The reply is titled “Do You Really Need A Business Coach”, and you really need to read the post to be able to snap up it’s full impact, but basically it suggests that many people who ask this common question are quite frankly able to find the answer themselves easily enough, and in some cases may already know what they should be doing to get results.
This is quite an interesting reply, and to me it reinforces that the solution to this and many other “can someone help me?” scenarios found in life tend to revolve more around snapping into gear, getting off your butt and making things happen, rather than waiting for someone to solve your problems for you.
“Here’s the biggest problem I see.
People want to someone to give them a magic solution..” - Naomi, Ittybiz
It was a timely post for me, as it ties in with another book I’ve been reading that discusses how many people wallow in self-pity and doubt without even realising it, looking for someone else to come along and solve all their problems.
I’ve been just as guilty as the next person in succumbing to apathy, so let me encourage you (and motivate myself) by saying:
and work harder!
Did I make that clear enough?! I’m speaking to myself here, too! Sometimes we tend to fall into a pattern of spending so much time looking for solutions, reading ‘how-to’ manuals, that we lose focus on actually putting more time and energy into trying new things, having a go, making things happen.
Whether it’s driving more traffic to your web site, making more money, working on family and relationships, saving more, starting a business, doing charity work, giving more to others, doing things around the house…
Whatever you want in life, you can make it happen.
Get cracking, and don’t give up!
Need another prod? Check out this video as seen on A Daring Adventure…
You see in your own life what you believe How to stay inspired in tough times Giving up on life Repetition = dull and boring? Sometimes… Becoming a better person
December 22nd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Great article Ross. There are so many ways to wait for someone else to make a move, we often limit ourselves just because we don’t dare make some simple step to progress in life.
Tim has had a couple posts lately being sarcastic with things. This one is quite funny. Oddly though, I think a lot of people have already done all of his suggestions.
Mike King’s last blog post..Why Are You Waiting for Happiness? Have it NOW!
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:04 am
Hi Ross,
Too many people set limitations on themselves.Settling for what they think is security.They cant go against the grain.
A lot of this comes from parents,true.Unless encouraged to expand their horizons they become sheep from learning by example.
I read something the other day I liked very much.Hopefully I remember how it went.
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
I will tell this to my future children someday.
That isn’t anytime soon !
Cheers
December 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
@Mike – hi there, oddly enough I’d have to agree! Nothing like mixing a bit of sarcasm with a bit of home truths!
@Bunny – Expanding horizons is a good way to put it. Instead of waiting for the answer to drop into our lap, we need to work harder, expand our horizons. Thanks for the quote, also!
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 am
Being a business coach myself, I can attest that yes, some folks already do know the answers they seek. However others, myself included, sometimes know that they will accomplish more by paying a coach to hold them accountable. A coach is a tool and just like any other tool, when used in the right way, anything can be built well, including a business or a life.
One caution, there are many folks out there selling what is essentially consulting and they call themselves coaches. Just charging someone else for the methods that got you where you are can be a total waste of time for the client. A real coach digs into the issues and needs that are most pressing for each client and helps craft a customized solution.
I’ll check out Naomi’s post, she’s generally spot on.
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work’s last blog post..Five Tools to Sharpen Your Authentic Edge
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
You have said it all Ross. Excellent article. I just want to add one more thing in this. Inspired by the Rubik’s cube photo up there, I just learnt last week how to solve the Rubik’s cube in less than a couple of minutes. People (who did not know) believed that it must have been very logical and need to look at it until the moment of truth came to you; then you can solve it.
It might be true but for me, solving the Rubik’s cube is a hard work of 1) Memorising 2) Repetition 3) Persistence. You don’t need to be a genius but you need a good brain to memorise all the algorithms and repeat them over and over and over. And look at it again and do another algorithm over and over and over. When I screw up the cube, I start all over again. Yes, the magic solution is hard work even for the thing that looks highly intellectual as the Rubik’s cube.
Viriya’s last blog post..The Two Most Common Communication Pitfalls
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 am
@Tom – Hi, thanks for visiting.. It wasn’t until I read your reply that I realised that this post could have come across as being “anti-coaches”… This wasn’t my intention at all, as business or life coaches can help steer people in the right direction and get focused on goals.
My intention in this post was rather to encourage people to work hard, and remember to look for answers themselves rather than automatically relying on others for answers in life.
Thanks for adding your personal experiences with coaches / consultants also. As this field expands further, it’s important to hear feedback from people like yourself so that we don’t get snared by snake oil salesman! Have a great week.
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:21 am
@Viriya – Hi, I’m a rubik’s cube fanatic from back in my uni days! We had one at home when I was younger that I couldn’t solve, but I was inspired by a friend of mine at uni that could solve it pretty quickly, I don’t remember exactly how fast but it was under a minute. I spent hours and hours the next week learning the sequences for each stage, like you i used the ‘memorising patterns and sequences’ approach, until I was also able to solve it with some degree of speed. (about 1000 times slower than the professionals, though!)
You get a real sense of accomplishment when you can get someone to mix it thoroughly then solve it from any random position… It’s been years now, but makes me want to dig it out again! What a cool invention…
December 22nd, 2008 at 10:44 pm
That’s like so many of my English students – especially the non-adult ones – they just expect me to hand them the answer and they refuse to apply even a modicum of logic (e.g., they answer a “you” question with “you” instead of “I”).
It’s insanely frustrating, but it has helped me become more butt-kicking in my blog.
Alex Fayle | Someday Syndrome’s last blog post..The First Step is Getting Off the Floor: Naomi Dunford Interview
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Great article Ross. The attitude of depending one’s life to the mercy or help from others is a wrong attitude.
And Bunny, that is one of my favorite quote too. The quote is from George Bernard Shaw.
Arswino’s last blog post..Bend, but Don’t Break
December 23rd, 2008 at 8:22 am
@Alex – Reminds me of helping my daughter with her maths homework – “I don’t want to hear about how to do it, just give me the answer!” Quite impressed with your Naomi Dunford interview, I was checking it out yesterday..
Good to have your support on board.
@Arswino – Thanks mate
December 26th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I can definitely relate to spending oodles of time reading and researching and not enough time actually “doing”. Getting to knowledge isn’t always the problem; applying it is.
Carla’s last blog post..Green and Chic Blog | What is it?
January 1st, 2009 at 5:34 am
Ross, just for the record. You communicated well. I didn’t think your post was anti-coach at all. The answers are within us, most of them anyway. One man benefit of coaching is the acceleration that happens because of the synergy and of the accountability. Best in 09 to you.
Tom Volkar / Delightful Work’s last blog post..Parlay Your Wisdom