Hey Friend, 

 

Tuesday marked seven years since I completed my ‘Foundations of Coaching Success’ (FOCS) training at The Coaching Institute. 

 

I was 28 years old when I flew to Melbourne to attend this three-day training. 

 

This was perhaps the most transformative weekend of my life. And it signified the beginning of a new journey. 

 

I remember calling Kaci after day two, and she said to me: 

 

“You sound different”. 

 

And it was true. It was as if a light had been switched on within me. My state and energy had been elevated. 

 

That’s the power of live events.

 

They change you. 

 

I’ve never been to a Tony Robbins event before. But I’ve heard how transformative they are.  My FOCS training was like a Tony Robbins event for me.

 

It was also a Matrix moment. 

 

Do I choose the blue pill and forget all I learned that weekend and go back to living my normal comfortable life? 

 

Or do I choose the red pill and go on an adventure to become who I was called to be? 

 

I made a commitment that weekend. 

 

‘Commit once, and do the work forever’. 

 

Nothing meaningful happens until you commit. 

 

I’ve seen this time and time again in myself and others. When you’re sitting on the fence, or just dipping your toe in the water – nothing happens.

 

Any minor obstacle that gets in your way will stop you when you’re not committed. 

 

But as soon as you commit, you stop considering your escape routes. Your focus dials in. And higher powers conspire to help you. 

 

In the beginning, people would always tell me: 

 

“At least you have your engineering degree to fall back on”. 

 

But I always knew, I’d never go back down that path. 

 

 

As part of the coaching curriculum, we did something called ‘coaching triads’. 

 

We were put in groups of three to practice coaching. One person would be the coach, one the client, and the other the observer. 

 

In one of my first triad sessions as the coach, my client came with a pretty ridiculous problem to work through. I didn’t feel they were showing up in their role as the client with integrity.  

 

At the end of the session, I felt broken. I felt out of my depth. I didn’t think I could do this coaching thing. 

 

But the coaching mentors told me it takes a good 100 hours of coaching before you start to feel comfortable. 

 

It would be a long time before I felt comfortable facilitating a coaching session.

 

But just like with any new skill, I knew competence and confidence could only be attained through practice. 

 

Since I first started, I kept a coaching log of my sessions. 

 

 

It’s taken me seven years. I definitely haven’t gone as fast as some people. I’ve heard of people doing 1,000 hours in a year! But my energy doesn’t work that way. 

 

I’ve always felt like the tortoise. 

 

I’m not the fastest or the flashiest, but I’m slowly and consistently progressing forwards. Outlasting the hares who go too hard and burn out. Or get lost chasing a new shiny object.   

 

I checked my coaching log. 

 

There are 210 people I’ve worked with one-on-one over the past seven years. And many groups I’ve facilitated. That’s humbling to reflect on. Over 200 people have trusted me to guide them. 

 

The seven year mark is significant. 

 

Because it signals the end of the ‘apprenticeship phase’, which is the length of a traditional apprenticeship. 

 

I’ve learnt from some of the best in the industry. I’ve embodied their lessons (the good and the bad). And now I feel as though I’m becoming a master of my craft with my own unique flavour.  

 

Year seven is also significant because it’s the year when the power of compound interest really starts working for you. 

 

This reference point is crucial for investors and business owners to know. If you’ve been in the game for less than seven years, you’ve barely left the atmosphere. Keep going. 

 

Last week I told you about the Physical vs Spiritual Bank account. 

 

When I quit my engineering career, I took a big hit to my Physical Bank account (How much I earn), but my Spiritual Bank account (the satisfaction and fulfilment I got from work) started to fill up. 

 

Since starting, I’ve earned $324,062.72 from coaching. 

 

That equates to $46,294.67 per year. 

 

That’s less than HALF of what I was earning in my final year of mechanical engineering.

 

I have no doubt if I’d stayed in my engineering career I would have earned far more over the past seven years, and perhaps our Net Worth would be significantly higher. 

 

But I would be far less than HALF the man I am today. 

 

Sometimes in life, you’ve got to take a couple steps back to move forwards. 

 

I was 11 years into my engineering career when I quit. Career compound interest was working for me. 

 

It’s hard to leave a career when you’re on the up and starting to get paid well. That’s why most people stay in careers they don’t really like for far too long.

 

(And there’s nothing more addictive than a fortnightly salary)   

 

At times, these past seven years have felt like I’ve taken a massive step back (especially income wise). 

 

But it’s given me the space to cultivate new skills and face the challenges to develop my character and forge my own path.  

 

A mentor of mine once told me, there is a massive time lag between your skill development and your income. I’ve found this to be true. Keep going. 

 

Any who,

 

If I could go back in time and talk with that 28 year old version of me at the beginning of his journey, I’d tell him:

 

It’s going to be harder than you think.

 

It’s going to take longer than you think.

 

But the journey will be FAR more rewarding than you could have ever possibly imagined.  

 

Have a great day,