I Never Thought of That Before

Have you ever found yourself saying, “I never thought of that?”

It is a common statement I hear when I'm having a coaching or consulting conversation. As we're talking through a problem that a client is dealing with, or a challenge with determining the best course of action to bring about a desired outcome, sharing an idea or a solution that had not yet been considered is often an “A-ha” moment.

Just this week, I was talking to two different coaching clients who sell to the public. as we talked through their current business practices, identifying where they were seeing success, it became obvious to me that there was an opportunity that was simply being overlooked. As I pointed it out to them and shared some implementation ideas, I heard a response that I hear all too often.

“I never thought of that?”

Sometimes my ego gets stroked when they say an idea that I bring to the table is brilliant, creative, innovative, or simply a great idea.?But in reality, it is simply my ability as someone who is looking from the outside in to help my clients (who are looking from the inside out) to see what they cannot see.

We all do that from time to time. Behavioral intelligence teaches us that we are all creatures of habit and as we are looking for solutions our brain gravitates to stored memories of what has worked well in the past. This takes less mental energy than deliberately thinking into the problem or the challenge to consider other ways of solving the problem that has not yet been evaluated.

Simply put, we don't know what we don't know.

This is why having a coach or a mentor in your life is so important.

You choose any great athlete, any great musician, any great performer, and you will find one thing in common. They all have a professional coach, often more than one, who is there to help them see what they don't see, hear what they don't hear, think what they do not think, and share their insights and wisdom. The grades continue to not only get great but stay great because they not only continually hone their craft, they have an individual that speaks into their life helping them know what they do not know.

How often have we seen people flounder, or simply fall on their face, and we wonder why they didn't see the obvious but rather made decisions that were not in their best interest??It is often not that they were ignorant or arrogant, it is usually the case that they simply did not know what they did not know enacted based upon past experience.?

You and I, looking from the outside-in, can often see what they do not see and you wonder why, for whatever reason, they could not see it themselves??Under stress, oftentimes our attention becomes so focused on the problem we can't see the solution, or a different solution, even if it is right there in front of us. Under stress, our body tends to turn two habitual patterns of behavior and we do what we’ve always done, hoping for a different or better outcome this time.?

When you don't know what you don't know, you see all the pieces of the puzzle, but you don't necessarily know how to put all the pieces of the puzzle into the proper position so a beautiful picture emerges.

This is where coaching and consulting, and the power of the mastermind, come into play.

Napoleon Hill famously discussed the power of two or more minds coming together, and a third collective mind is created (known as the mastermind) and new insight and wisdom is gained. When you are working with a mentor or a coach, you not only have the opportunity to learn from their life experience and wisdom, you have the opportunity to collectively create a third mind that brings about innovative ideas previously yet unexplored.

In essence, you are discovering what you don't know and how to apply it to solve a problem, overcome a challenge, or achieve a desired outcome.

So now, let me make this personal.

How many opportunities have you and I missed, how many million-dollar ideas have we overlooked, ignored, or simply thrown away as a ridiculous idea that will never work, simply because we could not see these for what they were??

Ouch!?That one hurt, didn’t it??

But this is what happens when we are viewing our opportunities from the inside out.?

When you're lost in the woods, it's hard to see the forest for the trees.

Every great athlete performing at a world-class level understands that talent alone will not get them there or keep them there. They understand without a coach or a mentor who can help them see the unseen, they will never make it to the podium and take the gold, win the tournament, or become the best in the world at what they do.?

The coach or the mentor views the opportunity from the outside in, adding a level of wisdom or expertise, or simply the perspective of a different vantage point, to help you see what you cannot see and make a better, more informed, enlightened decision.?They can also see the as yet untapped potential in an individual, and draw that out, allowing them to move into elite, world-class status.?

If the best in the world have to do that so they can be the best in the world, what makes you think that you can do any better on your own?

Ouch!?That one hurt too, didn’t it??

95% of humanity is content to live a status quo existence, essentially living life by default.?It is the 5% who believe that they have been put on this earth on purpose, for a purpose, and choose to pursue that purpose with passion have the potential to become a world-class Black Belt Leader in Life and become a world-class Black Belt at what they do.?

No one becomes a black belt in any profession by themselves. To truly MASTER Your Life?, you need a coach and a mentor to help you discover, develop, and deploy the Black Belt Leader Within.?A coach, a MASTER Instructor, can help you discover what you do not know and to

If you truly want to be world-class at whatever it is that you do, you need the wisdom of a coach or mentor, and the power of a mastermind, to truly help you become a Black Belt Master at whatever it is that you do or want to accomplish in life.

They can turn your focus from inside out two outside in, helping you see and to seize the opportunities that have always been before you, but up to this point you have not been able to see for yourself.

So, the Dojo is open, and class is in session. Would you like to put on a Gi and start training??

Your Black Belt future awaits.??

2X martial arts Hall of Fame inductee, John Terry (The Black Belt Leader) is passionate about helping others become Black Belt Leaders in Life. He is a motivational speaker, leadership, sales & communication coach, and trainer.???

Jessie Terry, John's daughter, is a Certified Speaker, Coach, and Trainer with the?John Maxwell Team?and is actively involved in the JMT Global Youth Initiative. She is also a Real-Life Management trained coach and a certified Women-Safe Self-Defense Instructor and the author of several children's books.

For more information, schedule John (or Jessie) to speak to your organization or to book a personal, group, or corporate coaching session, visit our website at?www.beablackbeltleader.com.??

If you are a faith-based organization, learn more about John and Jessie's outreach to churches, para-church organizations, or faith-based volunteer groups by visiting?www.DunamisFactor.com.

Why just be a leader, when you can be a Black Belt Leader?