Are you feeling like you're really anxious to get going on your business
but unfortunately there's a part of your mind saying, you know, what you really
need is to get certified if you're gonna call yourself an expert ... and that worry,
that question, is really holding you back from getting started? So that's what
I want to talk to you about today. I'm going to give you three ways to think
about this. So first off the short answer is no you absolutely do not need a
certification unless it's required by the laws of your place of business.
Think of it this way: think about qualifications over certification.
Big, huge difference! Here's what I mean by that. Would you rather --
if you had a problem that needed solving -- would you rather go to a doctor, somebody
that has a doctorate, that went to a big fancy school but had absolutely no proof
of anything they've done to help people solve those problems ... or would you rather
go to somebody that didn't have their doctorate but actually had tons of
people just singing their praises and so thankful and not just even tons of
people but somebody you actually know said you have got to try this person ...
they just changed my life! The truth is you want the results, right?
So that's really what it's about when it comes to service based businesses:
Can you deliver the results? People really don't care about the certification as
much as you think they care about the certification ... and I know this because
I've been there myself and I remember this being a sticking point for me. But I
guarantee when people get on a call with me never once has anybody asked me if
I'm certified! There really isn't a certification for business coaches but
there is for performance coaching, and no one has ever ever asked me that. And the
reason that I decided not to pursue a certification is because when I was
first getting started in business somebody suggested that I interview
people that were already doing what I wanted to do,
and I was overwhelmed and surprised by how many people said that I should not
get my certification! And these were people ... some of them had
certifications and they now looking back wish that they hadn't gone that route.
And I'm gonna talk a little bit about that about why, but that's the first and
most important thing for you to remember. Just get that in your head:
"qualifications over certification." Now here's the thing. If you don't
necessarily know if you can get those results, guess what? Get it! So here's
what you do. You can work for free ... you can work pro bono ... and you can
actually not have to feel any kind of pressure because of money spent to
actually deliver those results and get some social proof, get some testimonials,
and prove that you can do the work. Another thing you can do if you actually
really do need to start earning the money and you're pretty sure that you
can do it but you just want to make like absolutely damn sure that you can do it,
then just go ahead and tell people that it's a beta program. Like this is a beta
test that I'm going to be running ... I'm giving a super reduced rate for this
first round. I'd love to have you be a part of it. You know what? People love
that kind of stuff! They love to think that they're getting a great deal, they
love to be in on the ground floor with someone who's going to
explode. Like how many people do you hear that say oh yeah I attended Marie
Forleo's B-School like seven years ago or something ... and everyone's like oh my
god, you knew her when? Or you you were with her back from the beginning? I mean
that's something that people really enjoy so own that beginner status
because it allows you a lot more flexibility with people. People are very
forgiving. People like to think that they're part of something new and it's a
really good win-win situation for both of you
You can be very honest about the fact that I'm trying this out but
I'd really love your feedback. Please give me your immediate feedback so that
we can adjust right here and I can get you the results that you need. That's
something that isn't as available to a more established coach because people
they they don't feel as comfortable giving you that immediate feedback
because you've placed yourself more in this expert position. So like really own
that and use that while you can when you're starting out, because you can
learn so much from the people you're helping and it will really help, really
give you those amazing testimonials that will get you so much further so much
faster than if you spent a year doing your certification and weren't
actually like gathering that real-time information. The last thing to think
about ... well I actually have three topics and this is the last part of the
first topic. So in the qualifications over certification, like think about
ongoing professional development instead of a certification because that is
really really important. I mean how many of us have gone to a doctor where it
feels like okay yeah maybe they went to med school twenty-five years ago but
they probably haven't opened up a book since then. Like everything they're
talking about is so antiquated and they really don't want to listen to what
you're talking about! I know I've been there before. It drives
me up the wall! I absolutely can't stand it but I love
going to people that tell me, "Actually the latest research says X," or "I went to
a conference on this topic just a couple months ago and here's what the
leaders in the field were saying." I love that and I believe that if you are a
professional ... if you are in this for the long game and you want to make this part
of your profession, then get into that habit of thinking that your education
will never end. You will always be improving your game and you always want
to know what's going on in your industry and you want to keep learning, keep
taking more courses. I think that my education will never end and I get
better and better by the month because I never stop improving my field. And
that's really what sets the people that are going to continue for the long
game and that are really really going to make it happen from the people who kind
of start out but then fizzle out. That's really the main difference.
It's that growth mindset, you know? Okay so the first is
"qualifications over certification," the second thing to think about is this
whole idea of an expert. And I hesitated using the word qualification because I
know that trips up a lot of people as well. They're like, you know, am I
qualified enough and do I need more qualifications? Who am I to say that I'm
an expert? And so really what an expert means is that you are two steps ahead of
somebody. And you're really in a good position to help somebody if you're not
a hundred steps ahead of them because the truth is once you're a hundred steps
ahead of somebody you kind of lose that beginner's mindset and you start to
forget what it's like and what you exactly need to teach somebody in order
for them to move forward really quickly. So the reason I say two steps
ahead instead of one step ahead is because one step ahead means that you've
actually been there, you've actually done it ... the second step ahead is that you can
teach it. And that's a totally totally different thing. Like how often do you
know something in your head and then you try and explain it to somebody and you
feel yourself getting a little tripped up, right? And that's again why this
pro bono work or this beta testing work that I mentioned in the first step is so key
to helping you get your system down, get your process down and get your
confidence up. So just remember that expertise doesn't mean that you are the
best in your field ... because the truth is everybody's better for somebody than
someone else. Like we all resonate with people for a certain reason, we all have
certain needs that are satisfied by a different person and that comes out with
the people that you attract and the way that you're able to help them and so
even though someone's doing exactly the same thing that you're doing and in your
mind you think they're doing it better than you, the truth is it may not be
exactly what your customer needs to hear. It may not be delivered in the way that
your customer needs to hear it in order to move them forward and get them those
results -- which remember, is all that matters. All that matters are
the results. So think about that in terms of expertise and getting
tripped up on that ... and I really encourage you to watch a video on
perfectionism that I've done in the past -- I'll link to it as soon as I get off
here -- because it talks about it. That's what this is rooted in, when you have
that fear of expertise ... Good for you! Because part of it means that you have
high standards and that's just a wonderful thing, but when your
perfectionism keeps you from moving forward there's a problem, you know why?
Because people really need your help and they don't care about all the things
that you do when it comes to making, you know, your website perfect, your
credentials and your qualifications perfect, and the way you present yourself
perfect. And they don't really care about that. What they want is for their
problem to be solved. And I lay out a whole story, a whole analogy, that's
really helped a lot of people in that video about perfectionism so definitely
check that out. I'm going to link to it. So the first thing to think about was
"qualifications over certification," the second thing was this whole issue of
expertise and you know being an expert and being qualified -- just to remember
really what that means is that you're two steps ahead of somebody ... it means
you've done something they're trying to do or you've helped others do something
they're trying to do and you know how to teach it in order to help them get to
that same place -- the third and final thing is to be really careful about the
voices in your head. And when I say the voices in your head I
can mean the inner critic, I can also mean those voices that are telling you
that you should probably get certified. And the reason is they're really really
smart and they know logic really really well because they
know you better than anyone, right? They've been with you your entire life
24/7. And so nobody can talk you out of something as well as your own brain can
talk you out of something ... So here's an example. Okay if I were for instance
thinking of something and a voice in my head said
"Jenna you are just a worthless piece of shit you are gonna go nowhere with this"
that wouldn't really be effective for me cuz I've been in the game long enough
that if I heard that kind of voice in my head it would catch me off guard because
I don't usually talk to myself that way anymore -- I used to -- but it would
catch me off guard and I would laugh, right? So it wouldn't really be effective.
I'd think well where did that come from? That's a blast from the past!
And I would immediately work to counter that sentiment. But since the
brain is so smart, it has figured out another way. So now
it would maybe say to me, "Well, Jenna you know that's a good idea
but wouldn't March be a better timeframe to do that? I mean think about it
logically ... you've got this going on and it would be a perfect pre-launch to this
other thing and bla bla bla bla." Okay the point is that your brain is amazing. The
way I like to think of this is like a really high-class executive assistant ...
You know those kind of people where you can just tell them like a broad vision
and they will run with it? They'll execute everything, they'll get
everything laid out for you, and you don't really have to give them the "how"?
You don't really have to ... check on the work
that they're doing. They are amazing, they can do everything, so the only problem
with those kind of people -- I don't know if you've ever worked with these like
hyper efficient people before -- but they kind of start getting a big head and
they kind of start thinking that they know better than the boss.
That's how this person is, this part of our brain that kind of takes over for
us. What happens is you may say, "I have this plan to start a business. Brain, I
want you to execute this for me." But what they're thinking to themselves is, "Mm-hmm,
yes ma'am. But you know what? A long time ago you
gave me these other instructions, and the other instructions said 'Don't let me get
too full of myself and ... I don't really want to get
ahead of myself and people that earn money like that are all rich and greedy
and I never want to be like that." And so because it has these
prior instructions that you've given it, it says, "You know what? I know you think you
want to start a business ... but I know better than you do and so I'm gonna
steer us in this direction which is the safer direction based on this earlier
programming." And so that's what you really have to watch out for. It's
difficult to do, like I said, cuz this assistant is so damn good! She is so
smart and she really knows how to craft her argument. But whenever you have
a desire to move forward it's coming from somewhere.
You have a deep calling. There's a reason for that and so every time you hear a
fear start to come up or a reason why or 'what about if' or 'but just don't' ...
Just stop and breathe and make sure that that is not coming from this wonderful
assistant that's trying to help you out but it is really just getting in your
way. You need to work on kind of dismantling that previous programming
and to actually clear it and to institute a new set of programming and
to really let your assistant know, hey girl, you got my back and I really
appreciate that. I see what you're trying to do, I know you're trying to keep us
safe, but we're going in a different direction and I know you have it in you
to make his work. I know you can do this for me. We're going to take
it one step at a time. We'll get the support we need. We're
gonna get a good accountability group, a bunch of our
besties are gonna be there with us and we're gonna make it happen. And you can
just reassure her and then you can move forward. So three things to keep in mind
when those thoughts start popping up about 'Do I need to be certified? Am I
really qualified enough?' First of all, qualifications over certification ... and
you can get those qualifications by actually working with people and
actually allowing yourself to do some pro bono work or some beta
testing or to transfer skills you've used elsewhere that you know are
transferable ... and then you can gather testimonials. Even if it hasn't been paid
work it doesn't matter. It can be neighbors that you help, it could be
friends that you've helped. Gather that and allow yourself to move forward. Just
get going on it. The second thing is think about that word expert and really
tell yourself it just means two steps ahead.
You need to have gotten there or helped other people get there and you need to
be able to tell somebody else how to do the same thing. And then the third and
final thing is just be really careful, really damn careful, about those voices
in your head. They're very crafty and they'll try all
sorts of things to keep you back with your original programming that was
years and years ago and that doesn't really serve you anymore. But
don't allow yourself to think that's just the way it is because it's not.
Every single minute of your day is a different decision point. You can make a
new decision, you can move in a different direction .... We have so much more power
than we think we do and in terms of dealing with these voices in our heads,
everybody has them. Someone brought this up today and I think it's such a great
point and sometimes I forget to say this to everybody .... Everybody deals with these
voices in one way or another and people just learn how to to manage them better
and to get used to them and to move forward. And that's what I hope for all
of you. So I really hope this helped. If you have any questions at all pop them
in the comments or message me. I'm always available for you guys I love talking to
you and it has been great. Thanks so much for watching.
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