What are you really selling?

Just dropped past a cafe I spent a good portion of this year writing my book at. It's a 24 hour cafe in South Yarra called Chapelli's.

I'd been writing every morning for 8 months there from 4am til 6am.

I dropped in a copy recently and was fortunate enough to meet the owner. I expressed my gratitude.

I expressed my gratitude and explained what I had been up to each morning.

Early in the wee hours, I would sit in the very back of the cafe, on a two seater table under the blackboard and drink my long black before heading off into the world.

It made me think...this isn't just a cafe.

It's where dreams are created. Where ideas are spawned. Where friends can connect.

Let me ask...what do you really sell?

Cafe's don't sell food, coffee or treats, they sell connection and warm laughter with old friends.

Personal Trainers don't sell reps, sets or an exercise plan, they sell confidence, they save marriages and extended lives.

Coaches don't sell a 3 step method, a strategy call or a retreat, they sell certainty, a way to reach your potential and peace of mind.

Doctors don't sell consultations, medication or blood tests, they sell an extra 10 years with your kids.

If you think it's the actual 'service', you're missing the point.

The customer never wants the 'thing'...they always want the OUTCOME your service provides...

Get clear on what that is and then communicate that to your client.

Good Luck.

P.s you can purchase your copy of the book here: Australian buyers | International Buyers | Kindle

Find Your Struggle

We all need a struggle. Something to work towards that is both inspiring but also difficult...sometimes really difficult.

That means...at times, you are going to feel like you cannot go on. Like you've got no other options.

Earlier in the year, I had a major event lined up. People had bought tickets, speakers contracts had gone out with address detail, and I had displayed in many places the venue. Everything was set as we were 3 weeks out from my event and was looking forward to delivering a great event. To build some hype, I arranged to go into the venue and do a live recording on facebook.

The venue was fantastic, I was feeling the vibe and really looking forward with what was to happen in less than 21 days.

As I went to press record, the venue contract manager asked me to sign something. It was a contract displaying some of the numbers.

As I looked down, something seemed a little off....The number at the bottom was nearly DOUBLE (given the size of the venue we're not talking small numbers here either..think low 5 figures difference).

I questioned it immediately: "This must not be taking into account the discount"

She responded: "Oh that's right, you've paid the deposit, that number should be a little lower"

"You nearly gave me a heart attack" I jokingly said..."because it's that's supposed to be nearly half, right?" I questioned.

"Well...no because there is a minimum spend" she responded.

AHHHHH...what?

And just like that the struggle was REAL.

3 weeks out from the event happening and there was minimal chance of raising that kind of cash and nearly doubling the most expensive overhead.

For the next few hours, I shut down. I drove home in silence, before collapsing on my bed with no idea what to do next.

I was literally screwed. This was going to ruin me. Fear crept in and confirmed my believe: "You never should have tried to do this. You should've known better".

After wallowing in self pity for around an hour, my phone rang. I relluctantly picked it up to speak with my friend.

I explained what happened and that we were literally screwed. Nothing I could do about it.

"There is always something" he stated.

"No, you don't get it, we are three weeks out from the event, there are no other venues that take bookings this late" I said with a closed mind.

I explained I had no other answers and that I would have to do something, but had no idea what that was going to be.

He empathised with my situation, but thre wasn't much he could do.

For another hour I lay there, confused, alone with no plan of action.

It was around 4pm by the this stage and time to take the dog for a walk. At least that would clear my head a little.

As I was walking, I decided....I may as well try something...I may as well give a few venues a call and just SEE if they have space.

It's better than just continuously feeling like I'm hopeless or worse, cancelling my event.

I sprung into action. Called 10 places within 30 minutes and to my (GREAT) surprise, found out a few venues DID indeed have space.

2 places in particular who had room were going to get my proposals first thing in the morning.

I couldn't believe it.

Yeah, it was going to be a hassle having to change the venue in the marketing and with those who already had one location down, but it was better than cancelling it. I knew what this event achieves and it's an important part of the fitness industry...Cancelling was the LAST thing I was going to do.

Within 24 hours, I had ran through so many different emotions:

Happy, Angry, Explosive Anger, Sadness, Hopelessness, Depression, Numbness, Possibility Thinking, Neutralisation and then back to normal.

That next day, I got the proposals, visited both venues and by 3pm made the decision that I would be changing.

It was clear as day what I needed to do.

Funnily enough, it ended up being one of the greatest decisions I've made and I was more than happy with how things turned out. The new venue was stellar and we were able to really over deliver.

Here's the thing...without that struggle, I wouldn't have grown.

I wouldn't have seen what I was capable of.

Through those 24 hours, despite probably losing 10 years off my life due to increased stress, the knowing that I can create a new reality through thinking differently added those ten years back.

Here's the thing...all life is challenge.

Challenge is the key to growth - and growth is the key to life.

The challenges don't stop - in fact, they get even harder and even more challenging.

But with each challenge, we ascend up to a new level of evolution...this is what we call life.

Then the next time that happens, we will be equipped with the skills, heart and bravery to tackle it head on.

Find your struggle, own your struggle and then overcome your struggle.

Everyday you're stronger, and everyday you're growing.

If you feel like you're currently in a struggle within your life, maybe it's time we had a chat.

Our LIFT OFF program semester starts soon and is perfect for anyone in a fitness business that wants to embrace their inner leader and develop something remarkable.

Let's get you firing on all cylinders.

Find out more information here.

Stop Drawing a Line in the Sand.

In June 2016 I made a decision that changed my life. I still vividly remember standing outside the doors of my first Fitness Business Summit Australia in the lobby with my good friend, Linh Trinh.

It was the first 'major' success I'd had as a solo business operator and my first real 'proud moment'.

Inside that room were 110 personal trainers and fitness professionals eager and ready to learn about what it takes to grow and maintain a business in the fitness industry.

It was at this very moment when I said to Linh: "Never again will I build another website for a customer again"

And just like that...it was DONE.

Although my mind still had a slight amount of worry.

This was before I had a coaching business, it was before I knew a lot of the stuff I know as I write this and it was well before I even knew what I was going to do for income!

Hell, at the time, the way I made money was via building websites for people. (which I actually hated it due to the constant change of mind, dealing with international outsourcers and the forever increase in scope (without increasing budget).

As I said those words to Linh, I was deadly serious.

And since June 19th 2016, I have kept that decision with integrity.

Because that's what a decision is.

Decision literally means "cut off from".

Yet most people miss this.

What most people think of as a decision, is really just a loose promise they keep telling themselves again and again.

They're really only fooling themselves. We can all see it, and their results tell us the truth.

If you are looking to stand out as a Young Leader, you need to get DEADLY serious about the decisions you're making too.

What clients will you no longer take on? What standards will you no longer accept? What are you going to commit to?

Get super clear on what you will and won't do and then DECIDE.

Stop drawing a line in the sand, and draw a line in the CONCRETE.

Let's get it done.

Hayden

The Coaching Paradox

I wanted to share some insights into some of the feelings and emotions we as coaches go through. Quite often is the thought process that happens after a client leaves/finishes with us.

Sometimes it can make us feel insecure and question ourselves, other times it can be the best thing that ever happens.

There is only ONE reason why a client finishes using your service: You are no longer offering value (in their eyes).

Today, I want to talk about the journey we as coaches go through after a client leaves without getting the anticipated result: Phase 1: Blame Phase 2: Realisation Phase 3: Owning It Phase 4: Systematising

Let's take a look:

Phase 1. Blaming the client "They should've done this. They didn't listen. They didn't do what I told them". In this phase you continually play victim and blame the client for not doing their part. Right now you are completely oblivious to the role you played in the relationship (or didn't rather) other than you 'gave them all the right tools'.

Phase 2. The first realisation that you may have been at fault too. In this crucial phase, you finally get that light bulb moment. "Actually, could I have done more?" you ask. (Great question - we will use that in phase 3). Write down exactly how you could have been at fault. What EXACTLY stopped this person from getting results in your eyes?

Phase 3. Owning those faults Now you've accepted your role, let's ask, what could you have done differently? What could you do differently next time to help REALLY get results? What deficiencies lie in OUR skillset? Own up to your role and let it be a lesson to where you need to improve.

Phase 4. Developing systems within the business to minimise this happening again. A beginner makes a mistake once, a fool let's it happen again and again. Do not let this be you. Use this 'lesson' as your education and understand exactly what needs to happen to make sure this never happens again. What can YOU do to increase the probability of your clients achieving under your guidance? What systems can be put into place?

Lastly...Wake up.

It isn't your clients job to know everything. That's why they're coming to you.

Yes, they need to do their part and do the work. But if they're struggling, it isn't to be a pain in the ass...it's because they don't see where to go next.

HELP THEM.

This is your job. This is why you get paid.

Trainers get stuck in phase one. Coaches move to phase two. Good coaches move to phase three. GREAT Business Owners complete all four phases and continually strive to be better.

To make it through to completion, you will need to take full 100% ownership and responsibility.

Hayden

Gratitude - For Better or For Worse.

I find most people among us, love to share their intense gratitude with us when everything is going well. Pictures flood our feeds with smiling faces and positive words.

Yet these are the very same people who seem to be speechless when things all of a sudden don't continue going their way.

It's easy to claim you're 'grateful' and have gratitude when things are supportive of your values.

Then when something happens that doesn't align with those same values, you curse the world and ask "why me?! - I'm a good person, I do good things"

This is when gratitude is MOST important.

This is the 'hard' bit.

While most confuse gratitude with the emotions of happiness, joy, elation and excitement, true gratitude is allowing your mind to embrace both sides

Take solace in the fact that despite what is happening right now, the universe never closes a door without leaving a window open. There is hope, and the light will be shown sooner than you think.

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But I hear you saying: "nice post...but I still feel terrible"

Cool - so here is what we can do.

The below is based on the learnings and principles I have picked up from studying under Dr John Demartini.

If you're perceiving this event as 'bad' we need to switch your mindset from challenge to opportunity.

Stop viewing this as something that's happened 'to you' and start viewing it for what it is: an occurrence.

All throughout life you will have these instances, so may as well learn to deal with it effectively...right?

Step 1. Write out the specific challenge you're currently going through. What specifically happened? How does it make you feel? Get ultra clear. Sometimes this can take some digging but we can only proceed once we find it.

Step 2. Write out all the opportunities that have (and will continue to) present themselves as a result of this occurrence. Look to that which is most important to you and also all the different areas of your life. This can be tough, but I promise you, it's there. Write 30-100 opportunities.

Step 3. Write out all the drawbacks had it continued the way you had dreamed about. Look carefully. They are there. This step will dissolve any fantasy and show you, what you imagined wasn't a reality, but instead, just make believe inside your mind. It will also balance your emotions.

This process is not easy, but it works. (guaranteed).

The key is to take the time to actually do it.

You can read all you want, numb yourself with information, avoid the true problem or continue to complain about your story (all of which I've done by the way),

...or, you can do the work.

Each and everyday we help people escape the prisons of their mind and see a new way. We would love to be able to help you too.

If you are struggling to see the light, and need assistance with a trained professional, please use the contact form and get in touch.

Weekly Growth Tip - The Standards We Set, Determine The Life We Live

Welcome to this weeks "Weekly Growth Tip" One concept that I've been coming back to again and again recently is that of standards.

What are they, why do they matter, but most importantly, how do we raise them?

In this article, we explore exactly that.

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The standards we set of ourselves, determine the life we live.

If we aren't happy with our standards, it's because we are accepting and living at a standard that is too low.

And while most wait for catastrophic events to happen before they decide it's time to do something about this, The Young Leader decides much before that.

You need to call out to the world and say: "This is what I want, and THIS is what I am prepared to do to get it".

That second: "THIS" is the most important.

Because that is the definition point of what we will and won't accept (or put another way, the standards we set for ourselves).

While most are waiting to be led and to be spoon fed, I want to invite you to a new way of having, doing and being...

And it starts with the standards we set.

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What are standards?

Standards are simply a set of rules that we play the game of life by. A series of reference points.

In every single area of our lives, we currently have a reference point.

In our business, we say: This is what I want to achieve. We set a standard for the number of clients we want to work with. We set a standard for the effort that we will put into them. We set a standard for how often we will talk to them and a standard for what we deem as acceptable to help them with.

In our relationships, we do the same thing. We set a standard for how much time we should be spending with that person. We set a standard for the types of things we will do with them. We set a standard for how much money we will spend on them or the holidays we will take them on.

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Why do they matter?

Standards matter, because this is the life you have chosen.

If you're not getting what you want from your life, the best question you can ask yourself is: What is the standard I'm accepting here?

If not, use this article to discover what needs to happen (we explore this below) in order to achieve what you would like.

Are you telling yourself 'good enough' is OK, or are you constantly pushing to set yourself a new standard?

The truth is, in today's world, good enough is NOT good enough.  Good enough is barely enough to get by.

You need to turn your 'good enough's' into un-acceptables, and redefine exactly what you're going to accept in this life.

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Raising your Standards

OK, so now let's look at what needs to happen to raise the standard you're currently living within.

Step 1: DOCUMENT Write out every single thing that you're currently unhappy with in your life. Think about all the different area's from finance and business, to relationships and travel. Think about how you're treating your body and what's currently happening in your social circle.

Get it all onto the paper.

Step 2: DEFINE Write out where you believe that you should be (or would love to be) in those area's of your life. Get ultra detailed and really describe what things look like for you. Truly define what success is in those areas for you, as well as everything you'd love to be, do and have.

Step 3: DISCOVER Answer in as much detail as needed, what would need to happen in order to bridge that gap.

Who would YOU need to become to be able to fulfil these dreams, desires and goals?

What does this new person need to do every single day to make these things happen?

How will this person live and lead their life in order to achieve the new results and maintain this new standard?

Redefine who you would need to become.

What you write down is your new standard and how you will live your life.

This is YOU 2.0.

Step 4: DECIDE Lastly, (the part that actually takes work) you need to decide that you are going to do whatever it takes to live up to this new set of standards.

It's not enough to just take steps 1-3 and think it's going to magically happen. This takes work. Which is why so few people do it!

Managing yourself and a new set of standards isn't a 'sometimes thing'. It isn't a "when I'm feeling good" kind of thing, or "I've done X so I deserve to take a break from this".

It's an all the time thing.

You want amazing results in your business? You need to be amazingly consistent at maintaining the new standard. You want amazing results in your relationship? You need to be amazingly consistent at maintaining the new standard. You want amazing results in your health and vitality? You need to be amazingly consistent at maintaining the new standard.

The key to all change and maintenance of results, is setting a new standard and then sticking to it.

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This life is 100% up to you. No-one gets up in the morning with the sole purpose and helping you achieve your own goals (they've got their own goals to strive for).

If you aren't getting the results you desire, it's time to look at the standards you've set for yourself, and discover what needs to happen to realign that with your ideal outcome.

Redefine your standards, Redefine your life.

Go.

The Irony of Alone

I think one of the strangest phenomenons we experience as human beings, are feelings of aloneness, isolation and being 'wrong' in the thoughts we think. We hide them and shy away from ever releasing them to the world (unless anonymously) due to the perceived shame, fear and guilt attached.

Collectively we all have these feelings, yet collectively we all try to hide them.

As a result we remain stuck in the prison of our mind as they continually grow and grow.

Everyday I speak with people who either reveal their fears to me, or I am the one revealing my fears.

I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, we are all going through the same stuff.

We just want to be loved for who we really are.

Free from judgement, criticism or ridicule from our fellow human being.

The funny thing is, we only ever judge someone else for the things we have not yet learned to love within ourselves.

The bigger the judgement, the further away from love we are.

The key to loving others, is first to love thyself.

(ponder on that one over the weekend)