I am a firm believer in the power of self, but also in the benefit of an outsider to watch us, keep us honest, and provide challenge and ultimately to believe in us. You really need someone to do this for you to truly succeed. The thing is, it needn't be a single person.
Watching is a crucial first piece. Having someone to check in to see if you're doing what you need to do and to watch your progress is so helpful.
They call our BS, but also our wins - especially the smaller ones we may not catch ourselves that can help reinforce the feeling of success that keep us motivated. That's the 'keep us honest' part.
They can then challenge us, and not just in the 'tough love, sense. They can give us tougher goals than we are giving ourselves to keep us going and pushing hard. They can also warn us when we're going to far and risking the big picture. So, in a sense, they can push us to the next peak while keeping us from falling off a ledge.
Now, the ideal coach is a dedicated person who can do these three things honestly and unwaveringly whenever they need to. However, if you don't have that person in your life or can't find them (and I can be that person for you), you can find alternates. Online tools like stickk.com and beekeeper.con (I love this one - it's about tracking it - principle 1 - and getting reinforcing pushes and financial pressure) can serve some of this role. Supplement it with social pressure and support via Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc, and you start to approximate what a single coach can do. It will never be the same or as good, but it's much better than nothing.
Lastly, make a commitment to be real with yourself, your performance and your dedication, and you round things out nicely.
So, best bet is to get a real coach, but don't let not finding one be an excuse - you can still do it and get much of the coaching benefit to ultimately hit your goals.
I did. So can you.
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