The Triple C Project

If You Want to Go Slow(er), Go Alone; If You Want to Go Fast(er), Hire a Coach

• Ryan Spence • Season 2 • Episode 121

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This week, I stepped foot in a gym for the first time in 4 years.

And even though I could probably have watched a few YouTube videos and figured it out alone, I hired a coach.

Why?

Because I'm clear on what I want, and I know having someone to guide me and hold me accountable will get me there not only faster but also more sustainably.

Listen in as I share: 

  • how each coach I've hired has helped me differently;
  • why I hired a coach to build my strength; and 
  • why booking a strategy call before the end of the year is the best thing you can do to ensure you're closer to where you want to be this time next year. 

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Speaker 1:

But if you have somebody who is there to inspire you, to motivate you, to hold you accountable, to make sure you turn up, but then also to just watch you and give you those subtle hints, those subtle tips and tools that completely change the trajectory of your progress, you're going to feel excited, you're going to feel motivated. You're going to feel motivated because you're seeing the change. And, yes, making the change may be hard. It's going to be quite a lot of grit, a lot of effort, a lot of sweat, but because you are seeing the results, that's going to make you feel energized, it's going to make you feel high, it's going to make you feel lit and that's going to keep you on that path right. That's the value of a coach. You're listening to the Triple C Project. Welcome to the Triple C Project, the podcast that helps you gain clarity, boost confidence, build courage so you can live life lit. I'm your host, ryan Spence, the Big Law Dropout, life coach, author, speaker, lover of hoodies, hip-hop and big, hairy, audacious goals. If you're tired of living the life you think you should want and ready to start living the life you do want, this podcast will help you get from where you are to where you really want to be. So now we're friends, I invite you to grab a drink, take a seat and allow me to guide you towards living a life that's lit. Hey, welcome to episode 121 of the Triple C Project. The Triple C Project book has been out almost two weeks at the time of recording this and received its first review on Amazon, which was very exciting Always pleasing to receive a review and I admit I did a little happy dance when I read it, because it's really because it's really good to read, because it touches on exactly what I wanted the book to do. I mean, the headline of the review is if you're stuck in a rut, get this book, something along those lines. I probably should have had it in front of me recording this, but you can go to Amazon and see it for yourself. You don't need me to read it out to. You. Had it in front of me recording this, but you can go to Amazon and see it for yourself. You don't need me to read it out to you.

Speaker 1:

And the process of getting to the second book if you've been listening to this podcast or following me on social media, you'll know it hasn't always been smooth. It was certainly more challenging than writing and publishing the first book, and there were times when I thought that it just wouldn't come out. I just didn't want to do it anymore. Who the hell cares who's going to read it? And so getting feedback and getting reviews in that really speak to the reasons why I wrote this book. What I wanted to convey, what I wanted to inspire within people, what I wanted people to think about, just shows to me that I basically did the right thing and that all the pain was worth it. So I encourage you to go ahead and read the review if you don't have the book yet.

Speaker 1:

If you've been on the fence, I don't know where you would be if you listened to this podcast, because the book was written for you, um, but yeah, check out that review, um, on the uh, the Amazon store, uh, and then grab your copy of the book. And if you really want to support uh, independent writer publisher, uh, and not have your money go towards another rocket trip, then you can actually grab the book direct from my website. If you head to IamOrionSpencecom slash books, you could grab the book and also the first book, the Triple C Method, directly from me, and if you buy the paperback directly from me, you'll get it signed. Um, so you will get a signed copy, uh, which you will not get from Amazon, um, so that's another incentive to to buy direct. Um heads up. Postage is going to be a little bit more because postage is expensive, man, um, and while I've absorbed some of the cost, I can't absorb it all, but just know that each purchase is very, very much appreciated and it all goes back into the business and helps me to continue to produce the podcast and potentially write more books, although I have no idea if I'm going to do that at this moment in time. I just generally create the content there that inspires, motivates and helps you to live life lit. So iamryonspencecom slash books uh, grab the paperback or ebook, and for the first book you can also grab the audio book there as well. And, uh, yeah, get yourself yourself a signed paperback from the author, aka me.

Speaker 1:

All right, so this week's episode. So I've hired another coach, so let me tell you. I'll tell you exactly what happened, but if you've listened to some of the earlier episodes, you'll know that I fully believe in coaching, which is why I'm a coach. I think if I was a coach and I didn't believe in coaching, then I'd be a little bit of a grifter and you wouldn't trust me at all. You shouldn't trust me at all. But I believe in coaching because coaching was what refrained my thoughts and allowed me to see that I could have a life beyond big law. I could go on and do the things that I wanted to do and embrace the unknown and figure it out along the way. So coaching for me is very valuable and I really understand the importance of it, and I've had coaches for different things.

Speaker 1:

My first coach was a life coach generally a life coach to just help me get through that situation of being at a crossroads and not knowing which way to go or what to do. I had a business coach for a couple of years to kind of help me figure out how I wanted to be in business, how I wanted to run my business, and that was really valuable just in terms of allowing me to realise that I can do this any way that I want to. I don't have to follow a preconceived script or blueprint. So, beyond all the other practical strategies and tips that I got from a business coach, that's probably the biggest takeaway that I still hang on to and still influences and informs the way that I run my business today. I mean, you'll see, from my social media, there is, I mean it doesn't seem like there's any clear strategy there, and there is and there isn't. It's messy, but it's speaking to exactly what I want to speak to. I'm just not trying to make it this perfectly curated space, because life's not perfectly curated.

Speaker 1:

I worked with a speech coach, a voice coach, really, someone to kind of help to continue to build my confidence in speaking publicly. So I've worked with a variety of coaches and they have all been valuable in different ways and I will continue to work with coaches as I need them more in the future. Oh, I also work with a TEDx coach as well to kind of help me craft and put together and prepare for a TEDx talk, which hasn't happened yet. I've kind of taken my foot off the gas a bit there, as my attentions have been focused in other areas, but it's something I may come back to and, in any event, working with that coach was extremely valuable too, particularly as I've gone on to do uh, to do other talks not Ted, but other talks, um webinars this year. So this is all to share with you. Uh, that I, I walk the talk, I talk about the value of coaching and I invest in the value of coaching for myself, um, so I don't talk about things that I don't know about and I haven't experienced. So that brings me to my recent hire of a coach Well, really, a personal trainer.

Speaker 1:

So for a while now I'd be thinking I need to supplement my yoga practice. So when I was back in Singapore I was boxing a lot and that was really great. Then I moved, I didn't have my trainer anymore and, yeah, it was just kind of figuring out what I wanted to do. For a while I was doing reformer Pilates, which I loved as well, but studio moved, timings changed and I just couldn't make it work with my, with my ever demanding schedule. So I've been toying with going to the gym. Now I used to go to the gym pretty religiously, uh, for quite a long time actually.

Speaker 1:

Um, and the first time I hired a personal trainer at the gym was when I was back at my firm my my original law firm in London. We had a gym downstairs which was handy and I had a trainer. I saw there for a few years before I went off as a comment, and I thought that was really valuable because, one, it held me accountable. When I was sat at my desk and thinking that I was too busy, the fact that I paid somebody and if I didn't go I lose the money kind of got me up and out and down to to work out. So that was great, uh, it also got me results faster, uh, and it also, um, built my confidence in just using the gym on my own. So I found real value in that.

Speaker 1:

And when I moved to Singapore, I again had a trainer for a while and then when I started boxing if you've heard the story of my signing up for the fight and getting through that first week and realizing that I wasn't going to make it if I continued on my own I had a trainer who I then ended up working with for almost two years right up until I actually left Singapore, and I just loved, I love the progress that I made, I love how hard he worked me and again, that accountability piece and I got results a lot faster in the process. So I've known that, particularly this year, as I've been teaching more and sort of practicing more myself that in order to balance out my practice, to help to avoid injury and to build strength in the areas that yoga or yoga practice alone would strengthen. I need to start doing some strength training and I kind of decided pretty early on that I didn't just want to go back to a gym because I didn't find that particularly interesting and also I just don't have the time to waste. So I needed whatever I chose to do to be efficient. I needed to be able to get in and do the things I needed to do to get the results I needed to get. So I started to look around for a trainer and it was actually my brother who recommended somebody who said he's worked with. He was amazing, you should give him a call, I'll put you in touch.

Speaker 1:

And so we exchanged a couple of messages, arranged to meet. He had to reschedule a couple of times, but I met him beginning of this week the week that I'm recording and we had a good chat about what I'd done before, where I thought I was, and I pretty much said to him look, treat me as a beginner. I've been to the gym for many years but I haven't set foot in a gym like a proper gym gym for four years. Um, and the work that I want to do, um, a lot more of free weights, compound movements, deadlifting, pull-ups, um that that sort of thing I haven't really done that much of. I've used machines a lot, I've used dumbbells a lot, but I haven't done a lot of those sorts of exercises. So I want to make, I want to get results. This is the reasons why I want to do it. But I want to learn the proper form. I want to know what I'm doing right, what I'm doing wrong and how I can improve.

Speaker 1:

And he seemed cool. We had a we again. We had we had a good chat. Actually he thought at one point about becoming a life coach. So we had a good chat about that, about what I do and how I work. And then we booked him the session for a couple of days later.

Speaker 1:

So I went to the session on, so that was on the Monday. I went to a session on the Wednesday, so one hour session. And yeah, so the first thing thing he was like okay, let me just kind of see what you're, what you're working with, what you can do at the moment. So he pointed me to a, to a bench, and asked me to do a bench press with dumbbells. Um, I went and sat initially went to sit on the bench the wrong way round, so that shows you how long it was since I'd been in the gym and been on the bench. But I did the movement and he said actually you've got pretty good techniques.

Speaker 1:

But watching me he's like here's a few tweaks. And those tweaks it's made a massive difference to how I felt and also I could feel the muscles that were working were actually the muscles that I wanted to be working, because you see, even as a yoga teacher, I've got very high awareness of my body where my strengths are, where the weaknesses are, I mean the areas where I know I always get cramp and I probably need to work on them more. So I have that awareness, but I don't necessarily know exactly what I need to do to address them beyond yoga. And so having somebody who has expertise in that area just watch me, give me those little tweaks and then watch me again with those tweaks, it's fantastic because it means that I get started from a very strong foundation. And we did that with additional exercises too deadlifts, squats, lifts and each time he was able to just give me a couple of pointers because generally he said my technique is good, my strength is good. There's a lot of power, but he was showing me how to harness the power that I've got and use it most efficiently to build muscle, to strengthen the areas that I want to work on to get results. And as I was working through, we talked, he asked me questions to kind of know more about me, my lifestyle, what I've got going on, and give me some sort of tips in that area and share some knowledge as well about his own story, his own background. And I've got to say I left after that hour feeling like this is probably the most fun I've had in the gym ever, not in terms of boxing or anything like that, but just in terms of going to a gym and lifting weights. I really enjoyed it.

Speaker 1:

The hour flew by and I felt that I'd accomplished something. I felt that I knew what I was doing. I felt that I could go into a gym and lift some weights properly to a gym and lift some weights properly safely, from a good foundation. And I also felt that working with this coach, with this trainer, was going to get me to where I wanted to go and it was going to get me there a hell of a lot quicker than I could get there by myself. It was going to give me the accountability to show up when I said I was going to show up to make that commitment and keep that commitment to myself. It was going to give me a very strong foundation from which to work from, to give me the tools to be able to go in and do work on my own in between sessions to help to accelerate my progress and to really lock down the form. It was going to give me a different outlook, rather than just me going and pounding weights without any direction. It was going to give me a positive outlook and also give me a direction to follow to achieve what it is that I want to achieve, to fulfill my mission.

Speaker 1:

And I'm very excited to do the work, even though I know that the first session was pretty much to get at the foundations and as you progress it's going to get tougher and tougher. But I'm really excited by that prospect and I really feel that the coach that I've hired knows his stuff, that I'm in good hands and he's going to get me to where it is that to be. And so actually working with this coach fulfills my three C's, the triple C method it's, it's given me clarity, or he's given me clarity in terms of what it is that I that I need to do to to get to where I want to get to. I mean, I already had the clarity on what I want and why I want it, but he's given me that another level of clarity. Okay, this is how to get to. I mean, I already had the clarity of what I want and why I want it, but he's given me that another level of clarity. Okay, this is how you get it.

Speaker 1:

It's given me confidence, confidence to be able to walk in a gym and feel that I know what I'm doing, feel that I'm doing the right things to to, um, create the change that I want to create. And it's given me the courage again to just walk in back, straight shoulders back, get to the weight section, pick up some weights and do a workout. So it's funny, because this is obviously all that I talk about the triple C method, those three foundational pillars of change that helped me get from big law lawyer that sort of soul sucking world that I was in to the big law dropout and is actually playing out again with a trainer in a completely different space, but doing still making a change, a life change, still making a change, a life change. So I'm sharing my story of me stepping back into the gym after four years and hiring this coach to show you the parallels with life, just with your life.

Speaker 1:

You know, if you want to change something in yourself, if you want to create a particular type of body, you want to gain a certain level of fitness, you can do it on your own. Probably. You could go to a gym, you could sign up and you could go and jump on a machine and do a bit of running and do a bit of pushing and do a bit of pulling and you may notice some change. You may feel really sore at the end of it and feel like you're really making progress. But if you don't know what you're doing, if you don't know if you're doing it right, then you're going to be pulling in a lot of work, a lot of effort and not seeing any results or not seeing results at the level you want to see them at or in the timeframe that you want to see them in, and that's going to lead to you feeling discouraged, like what you're doing isn't working, and eventually that's going to lead to you giving up. It's like I talk about in my new book and the triple C project, about people who sign up to the gym in January as a new year's resolution and will hit the gym hard for a little while and then they'll fall off and they won't see the results that they, that they want to see, and eventually they'll just stop going and they've signed up for the year but they just don't go again.

Speaker 1:

Uh, but if you have somebody who is there to inspire you, to motivate you, to hold you accountable, to make sure you turn up, but then also to just watch you and give you those subtle hints, those subtle tips and tools that completely change the trajectory of your progress, completely change the trajectory of your progress, you're going to feel excited, you're going to feel motivated because you're seeing the change. And yes, making the change may be hard. It's going to require a lot of grit, a lot of effort, a lot of sweat, but because you are seeing the results, that's going to make you feel energized, it's going to make you feel high, it's going to make you feel lit and that's going to keep you on that path right. That's the value of a coach.

Speaker 1:

It isn't necessarily the fact that you can't do the work on your own. You know, like me, you can go and read all the personal development books. You can follow the personal development gurus, motivational speakers, on social media. You know you can download some exercises from the internet and run through them. You can get the productivity journal and run through that on your own. You can do all of that on your own. Of course you can. There's no reason why you can't.

Speaker 1:

You're a very smart, intelligent and ambitious individual. That's kind of what got you to where you are right now. But do you do it? That's the question. Because it's all very well being able and capable of doing those things, but if you're not doing those things, then nothing's going to change.

Speaker 1:

And that's where I found myself. I was doing all the reading, I was going down all the YouTube rabbit holes, but I was getting inspired, but I wasn't taking that action, I wasn't implementing the things that I'd learned, because I didn't have anyone to hold me accountable. So when things got busy or seemed a bit too hard, I would just move on to the next one, looking for the next quick fix, the next hack. And there is no hack, there is no fix. There is no substitute for doing the work, for doing the work to get to know yourself, to connect with yourself, to figure out who you are, what you want, why you want it, and then to build the confidence and the courage to actually make the changes you need to make to make those things happen. There just is no substitute, and that's where a coach can really help you to accelerate your progress.

Speaker 1:

Because when you've got that session in your calendar that you paid for and you think I can't be bothered, you're going to go because you've put that money down right and you might feel when you approach the session that you have nothing to talk about. You don't know what you're going to say, but I guarantee from my own experience and from experience with my clients that by the end of the session you'll be like I really needed that, even though I didn't know I needed that, and it's going to push you a little bit further forward than you were before you joined the session. You are going to make the effort because you don't want to let your coach down, even though your coach doesn't feel let down. It's your life. They just want you to succeed. But that's the kind of the mentality you'll get into because you're seeing this person every week, who you know is helping you, and you're going to want to have done the things that you committed to doing so that in your mind you don't feel that you've let them down. So that's going to drive you forward and you're going to start to see changes a hell of a lot quicker than you see them on your own.

Speaker 1:

I mean, just think about now how many of you have been listening to this podcast since the beginning of the year, six months ago, even since the beginning of this podcast, getting inspired or thinking to yourself yeah, I really resonate with that, that really makes sense to me. Or thinking to yourself yeah, I really resonate with that. That really makes sense to me. And then, when you've answered that question, ask yourself what changes have you made from what you've heard to your life? And then, how have you implemented those changes? How and how have those changes changed you from when you first started listening to where you are now? And maybe there are one or two things that you have changed, that you still keep up with, that have really made a difference, and that's fantastic. And maybe nothing has. You keep listening, you keep getting inspired, but you just there's something missing that's stopping you from taking that final step, and that's all fine, that's all normal. I have definitely been there.

Speaker 1:

But if you had somebody who could say to you each week okay, what have you done? Where are you going? Okay, how do we continue to move you forward? What's the next level, what's the next step that you can take, somebody who's going to keep you inspired and motivated but also get you to take action, get you to commit to yourself, how much further ahead will you be a month from now, three months from now, six months, this time next year? What could be different? How different would you feel? How much more lit would your life be or could your life be?

Speaker 1:

So that's the power of coaching and that's why I show up and make this podcast. I show up and share my content. I show up and write these books. I show up and share my content. I show up and write these books because I understand and I fully believe and I have seen the power of coaching, how it can fundamentally transform people's mindsets and transform people's lives. It can transform your life, but it can only do that if you make the move, if you make the decision to get the support to help you move forward faster, and I'd love to help you with that.

Speaker 1:

So, as we start to roll into the final month of the year and your thoughts turn to what you did or didn't do this year, or what you maybe want to do and achieve next year, why not take this time to reflect? Don't wait until the end of the year, don't wait until the 1st of January. Start now and let's have a chat and let's talk about how we can help you to make those shifts in a way that is sustainable, in a way that is more efficient and in a way that gets you from in a way that is more efficient and in a way that gets you from where you are to where you want to be quicker than muddling through alone. Head to irinespencecom, slash coaching, or just drop me a DM on social media Instagram, linkedin and I'd love to set up a call, a strategy call, with you to work through this. And the strategy call, as I say, is free. It's free, but also you're going to leave with actionable tips whether we continue to work together or not.

Speaker 1:

So it's kind of a no-lose situation for you. You get an hour dedicated to you, which already is a bonus for a lot of people, somebody who's committed to your success and we just talk about your life where it is now, where it is you want it to be, and some of the things that we can do to help you to get there. So I really want to encourage you to get your spot in before the end of the year. Get that call booked and let's have that conversation. I'm really passionate about helping people in the position that I was in, because I know just how much of a difference it can make to your life. So that's IamRyanSpencecom slash coaching. Fill out the questionnaire, book your strategy call and I'm going to look forward to speaking to you and to helping you move from a life of lethargy to living a life that's lit. Thanks for being here. I will keep you updated on my progress with my trainer and how much he destroys me over the coming months, but I'm really looking forward to the changes that it makes to how I feel, to up-leveling my game, both physically, mentally, energetically and spiritually. So that's it for now. Until next time, stop living a life of lethargy, start living life.

Speaker 1:

Thanks for tuning in to the Triple C Project. In the spirit of the Triple C, there's three things that you can do to support the show. Head to ratethispodcastcom. Slash triple C or over to your favorite podcast app and leave a review. Reviews really help people checking out shows to see what they can expect and how the show can help them. Second thing you can do share. Share this episode, share a previous episode with a friend, someone who you feel could benefit from what I'm throwing down on this here show. And number three head to IamRyanSpencecom. Get on the mailing list. I'll be sharing news about the show, news about what I'm up to my new book start writing soon. So to be the first to be in the know, you need to get yourself on the list. Really appreciate you being here and until next week, stop living a life of lethargy, start living life lit.