My Broken Arm “Lessons Learned”

Last month I broke my arm… Apparently I am part of the very small percentage of people who can somehow managed to tip over a Segway!

Currently I am recovering from surgery where my orthopedist put in a metal rod and basically screwed the broken bone to the rod so that my arm will heal faster and stronger.

While having a broken arm is obviously a bummer (and also quite painful), I’m doing my best to stay positive and take a “coach-like” approach to this experience…

… Which means that I have learned some lessons and gained some insights that I thought I’d share that with you:

#1 – Accidents happen… When they do, we get to choose our response.

When I was first in the ambulance I noticed my initial thoughts were in the “woe is me” category. Fortunately I realized that kind of energy wasn’t helpful, so I changed my thinking to, “What can I be grateful for?”

So even though I was in excruciating pain, shifting from “victim” to “gratitude” thinking put me in a totally different and much better place to handle the next 10 hours in the emergency room and hospital.

#2 – My life and business would suck without my business friendships.

The Segway incident happened when I was attending an annual joint venture networking event down in San Diego with some of my closest business friends and colleagues. I am so grateful for all of the love and support I got in San Diego and continue to receive.

It has been a wonderful reminder of how important it is to have a network of business friends and colleagues to support my business growth and overcome the isolation and loneliness that often happens to coaches, especially if you are like me and primarily work from home alone.

I’ve invested a ton of time, energy and money to create and maintain my business relationships and it’s been totally worth it… x10!!

#3 –The world doesn’t end if you need to cancel a program.

I was just beginning to promote a new offering when I broke my arm. I was super excited about the program, but I realized that in order to allow enough time and space for my recovery, I needed to cancel the program. So I did.

And even though it was not fun to issue refunds to the people who had already registered, they were completely gracious and understanding. And now that I’m in recovery mode, I’m so glad I made the decision to give myself the extra time necessary for healing.

#4 – Everything is better and easier with the right support.

While I am grateful for the team and support I currently have, I am naturally independent and in general prefer to do things on my own.

Having a broken arm has taken away some of my independence and “forced” me to bring on a new in-person assistant… something I’ve been wanting for a while but had been putting off.

Not only is this making things so much better for me now during my recovery, I have no doubt that the ongoing additional support will help me grow my business much faster and easier even after my broken arm has healed.

#5 – People seek out experts and will do what it takes to achieve the best and the fastest solution.

Of course I already know this because it’s what we teach in the Coach & Grow R.I.C.H. Business-Building System, but my recent injury reminded me of the importance of becoming known as an expert in your field and offering a high-end solution that gets the best and fastest results.

For example, I found my orthopedist through an online referral service. I needed a specialist and found one who had good recommendations.

Next, I could have chosen to wear a plastic splint for up to six months to allow the broken bone to fuse together naturally over time.

Instead, I chose surgery, a much more expensive option, but one that shortens the recovery time from six months to about two months.

The same principles apply to coaching. When you’re seen as an expert and your services are positioned as the fastest and easiest way to achieve your ideal clients desired outcome, people will pay top dollar for your services.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my “broken arm lessons learned.” I’ve missed connecting with you while I’ve been recovering and I look forward to continuing to be of service to you in the future.