We are one mile offshore in 7 foot seas as swell rolls in from the Atlantic Ocean off Africaās west coast. Our 14 foot dingy is powered by a weak 15 horsepower outboard that is being driven by my instructor for the day, Jamal. The waves continue to crash into the boat as the 15 horse struggles to make headway against the swell and the 25 knots of wind. This simultaneously feels like a horrible idea and also exhilarating one, to be on this new adventure.
What the heck am I doing out here in the Bay of Essaouira anyway?
The āBest Adviceā I ever received:
Years ago I did the Brian Tracyās Ultimate Career Master Course and one of the the teachings turned out to be one of the best advice Iāve ever received:
āIf you want to be successful, find someone who has already done it and do it the same way they did.ā - Brian Tracy
I have applied this lesson over and over again. Every time I find myself overwhelmed with something, I just think to myself š¤ā¦ has anyone, ever, in the history of the world, done this before?
Inevitably the answer isā¦ of course. So then itās simply a matter of how to access that person or those people.
Learning from others means being humble, putting our ego aside and asking for and usually paying for that helpā¦ Not always easy but it has made all the difference in my life.
Here are some examples of when I applied this advice:
Business - When I was originally starting my business in 2009 I agreed to a strategic alliance with PACE Network and was coached by the partners, Geoff and Bruce. I probably could have started my business on my own but their coaching massively compressed my timeline to success. What they helped me achieve in the first 9 months, would have taken me years.
Running - After various failed attempts at running a marathon to qualify for Boston Marathon, Candace finally got fed up with my complaining and hired me a running coach, Coach Kevin. Coach Kevin is formerly one of the top Canadian marathoners, he took one look at my running regime and informed me that I was āmostly running too fastā (WHAT!!??) and that I āneeded to go slowerā (WHAT AGAIN!?)ā¦ and go faster once in a while. He made me do my long runs slower and my speed work much faster. As with most great coaching, it works if you do what they tell you to do. In only 4 months of Kevinās coaching, he reduced my marathon times by 15 minutes and I successfully qualified for the Boston Marathon. Within a year, he had my marathon times down nearly 30 minutes!
Life - For life coaching to live a FULL OUT LIFE, Iām coached by Ed and Yurij at Warrior Coaching.
Investing - For investing in Real Estate and Bitcoin, Iām coached by Nick and Tom at Your Life Your Terms and Rockstar Real Estate.
Writing - Now for this writing project, I am a part of Kristina Godās Online Writing School.
Back to the Bay of Essaouira:
Jamal, from Explora Watersports, is trying to find us some flatter water so that I can learn to Wingsurf Foil (WINGsurf not WINDsurf - check out this video for explanation on what Wingsurf Foiling is).
We finally reach the calmer waters in the protection of the 18th century harbour and fortress. Jamal jumped out and performed a wingsurf foil demonstration. Looked easy. He promptly returned to the boat and now it was my turn.
With much patience and some great instruction, I finally got up on foil and was able to get in some rides of up to 10 seconds before some spectacular crashes. So instead of just renting gear and floating around the bay all day, great instruction from someone who can already do what we want to do, paid off again.
If we want to do your Bigger Things, the easiest way is to find someone who has already done what you want to do and reach out to them. Ask them for a call, a meeting, read their book, pay for their coaching or, like with Jamal, book a few lessons.
The four keys to implementing this advice:
Stop listening to people who really donāt know what they are talking about. Stop taking financial advice from broke people, travel advice from people who are armchair travellers and so on.
Humble yourself, park your ego, be coachable.
Do what ātheyā tell you to do. When we go to someone who has already achieved what we want to achieve, the more we just accept and do what they tell us to do, the faster we make progress. This can be tough, see #1 above.
Set an āaggressively reasonableā timeline and then stick with the coaching long enough to reach sustainable results. I currently have 5 coaches and mentors in my life, 6 if I count Jamal š.
My life continues to be enriched and I continue to make accelerated progress toward my Bigger Things as I apply Brian Tracyās great advice.
To Your Bigger Things!
Brad šš