This article from Seth Godin speaks to what Jennifer and I discuss about the differences between being and Amateur, Hobbyist or a Professional Indoor Cycling Instructor in Podcast number 68
The myth of preparation
There are three stages of preparation. (For a speech, a product, an interview, a sporting event...)
The first I'll call the beginner stage. This is where you make huge progress as a result of incremental effort.
The second is the novice stage. This is the stage in which incremental effort leads to not so much visible increase in quality.
And the third is the expert stage. Here's where races are won, conversations are started and sales are made. A huge amount of effort, off limits to most people, earns you just a tiny bit of quality. But it's enough to get through the Dip and be seen as the obvious winner.
Here's the myth: The novice stage is useful.
If all you're going to do is go through the novice stage before you ship, don't bother. If you're not prepared to put in the grinding work of the expert stage, just do the beginner stuff and stop screwing around. Make it good enough and ship it and move on.
We diddle around in the novice stage because we're afraid. We polish (but not too much) and go to meetings (plenty of them) and look for deniability, spending hours and hours instead of shipping. And the product, in the end, is not so much better.
I'm all for expertise. Experts, people who push through and make something stunning--we need more of them. But let's be honest, if you're not in the habit of being an expert, it's unlikely your current mode of operation is going to change that any time soon.
Go, give a speech. Go, start a blog. Go, ship that thing that you've been hiding. Begin, begin, begin and then improve. Being a novice is way overrated.
Originally posted 2010-09-14 10:33:00.
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
- ICI Podcast 238 Meet Nerd Fitness Creator Steve Kamb - April 6, 2024
- ICI/PRO Podcast #113 Explosive Power pt 3 – Video PROfile with Tom Scotto from Stage 5 Cycling - March 31, 2024
- Spinning RideBook of class profiles - March 28, 2024
For those who may not know who Seth Godin is, he’s a well-known and very respected internet marketer, author and coach. I love this quote that John posted because whether some want to admit it or not, as indoor cycling instructors, we ARE selling a product. That product is us, our class, our expertise, and even our music. When you realize this, and capitalize on it, that’s when you can explode your class size and following, and make your indoor cycling coaching an even more rewarding experience. Everything you say and do is “selling” your product!
http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/bio.asp
Jennifer,
Just reading your comment gives me goosebumps!
There is a lot going on to being an indoor cycling instructor
(or any group exercise/fitness instructor). Jennifer I love your comment about how we are selling a product and the truth is I will bet most of us are already capitalizing on it to increase class size and following. And don’t forget about the things we don’t say (how we present ourselves; what we wear while teaching a class) – these things all count!