I Can Do Hard Things (When I Have a Plan)
I can do hard things.
I have this thought a lot when I leave a CrossFit workout. It’s helped me do more than just go back the next day. I repeat it to myself as I work on my business because I believe it has made me a better speech coach.
It reminds me of all the people I’ve worked with who tried doing something new (improve their English speaking skills) and did the hard part: sticking with it consistently to make progress.
The “Open Gym” Problem
I’ve never enjoyed doing any sport. I can’t say I’ve enjoyed any physical activity other than yoga (alone, at home). When I went to open gyms in the past, I wandered around wondering what to do next, stared at the tv, checked the clock to see how much time had passed, thought about what I had to do the rest of the day or the work I could be doing at that time. As a result, I lost interest and always found excuses to not go and never made improvements.
When I ask clients what they’ve tried in the past to improve their English speaking skills, they often list books, videos, apps, online and in-person groups. That’s great, that’s motivation. When I ask why they were looking for a speech coach the answer is almost always, “I wasn’t sure what to focus on and if I was doing it correctly.” That sounds a lot like getting to the gym and wandering around.
The Structured Coaching Solution
What makes a huge difference is having a plan made for you. When I get to the gym for CrossFit, I see the plan. I trust that the coaches have a good rationale for the order of events for the hour and for the longer term. When I make a plan for a client, it’s based on the speech evaluation that we did together.
I break the long term into shorter units (months) and those units into even shorter units (weekly sessions). They have input on what to prioritize, but they don’t have to wonder what’s next because we have sequential steps toward a big goal.
The Coaching Process
At every step, I’m providing detailed feedback on their performance and how to make changes. There’s no doubt about what to focus on and how to do it.
Now they have motivation + plan + continuous feedback. That creates progress and results.
Everyone loses motivation, but if you know that if you get there you won’t have to think about what to do because there’s already a plan, and your job is to follow through with it, that reduces a lot of excuses to not go. When you get feedback and guidance on how you’re doing, you can see your progress through someone else’s eyes and ears. That creates motivation to keep going.
Now there’s a cycle: motivation to start + plan to follow + continuous feedback = progress = motivation to keep going.
Consistency is Key
When life gets busy and clients have prioritized coming to our sessions, they always make progress. That reminder keeps me from making excuses as well. I’ve heard clients’ practice recordings where I can hear background noises like dishes being done, kids crying, people talking in the background. That tells me they were practicing even when the conditions weren’t ideal or easy.
Seeing them commit to consistency helps reinforce my own dedication as a speech coach and as someone just showing up for my own workout.
If you’ve been wandering through speech self-improvement attempts and would like a clear structured plan to follow, contact me for a speech evaluation and then decide if lessons are the next step for you. Schedule a consultation.