Hello everyone! I hope you’ve all had an amazing day. Today we’re going to discuss a word that recently came up in one of my coaching sessions. It resonated with me because of how dangerous it is. Mentally, it’s like a 4-letter word to me when I see it play out in people’s lives. The word is “dabble”. The dictionary defines dabbling as “taking part in an activity in a casual or superficial way”. Dabbling means not being serious about what you’re doing. It’s playing with, flirting with, or tinkering with something.
Now, we’re going to look at three things that make dabbling particularly dangerous. The first applies to those who are looking to or have recently started a business, the second applies to established business owners and salespeople, and the third applies to those who use coaching.
1. New or potential business owners
Some who come to us in this category are dabbling. They’re checking things out and putting a foot in the water but they aren’t fully committed. I was guilty of this myself many years ago. When you do this, you fail to gain traction and may blame others or the business itself for the lack of success. You say “That just didn’t work” or “No one was interested” when dabbling is the issue. There are some business ventures that don’t work, but dabbling will make any business venture fail.
2. Established business owners and sales professionals
These people are dedicated to growing their business in general but dabble in specific areas. Their dedication wanes in certain areas. Again, this is something I’ve struggled with, I think we all do at some point, but we must be aware of it. Some people will try a marketing activity but deem it a failure before giving it the three to six months it typically takes to get results. They don’t go in as hard as they should, whether that means doing it too little or not giving it enough time.
Finances are another area where dabbling is common. People want to understand the finances of their business but don’t go deep enough because it’s too confusing or they don’t enjoy it. This happens frequently, so I want to encourage all of us to go all in with anything we pursue.
3. Business owners who use coaching
At EntreResults, we have a process to accept clients involving an application and a mutual interview. People who go through that certainly aren’t dabbling in coaching. However, we have long-term relationships with our clients that last for years, so there are definitely short periods, perhaps a month or two, where people find themselves dabbling with coaching. Results decrease when that happens, so I want to challenge you to go all out and follow the process. Make sure you show up for the coaching sessions on time and fully prepared. Treat yourself and the sessions like your biggest client. This is something I’m challenging myself on too because I work with a coach as well.
Conclusion
Taking things seriously is the opposite of dabbling, so I’ll leave you with the following advice: If you’re looking to start a business, are engaging in marketing activities, or use coaching, please take it seriously. Enjoy yourself, but don’t dabble. You’ve got to commit and take it seriously. I can’t overstate that enough. Go all in, and you’ll get better than amazing results.
Thanks so much for joining me today! I hope you’ll join me again next time. Until then, make it a better than amazing day. In fact, make it the best day of your life!
