UW 018: Devotion, 'Good' Coaching, and Moving To Substack
Making Art Requires Commitment
Devotion and Art: What it Takes to Create
Two years ago during the pandemic, I created the first two cards of a Tarot Card deck for coaches. Everybody I showed the cards to LOVED THEM and encouraged me to keep going.
But even though I started with a ton of energy I struggled to keep working on them. At one point I tried working on a card a week but I only made it through 5-6 cards before I quit. The deck became one of the projects that I was always thinking about, but never working on, and I wondered if I'd ever finish.
Then recently, while working through The Artist's Way, I remembered the Tarot Deck and pulled it back out. Instead of coming up with some BIG plan to finish them, I just started working on it day after day.
Before I knew it I had completed almost as many cards in a few weeks as I had completed over the past 2 years.
This sudden burst of progress made me question: What makes some creative projects flourish while others fade?
The answer, I've come to believe, lies not in talent or vision, but in devotion.
The secret to creative success lies not in talent or vision, but in devotion.
The Nature of Devotion
What makes devotion different from simple habit-forming is the way you lose yourself in it.
When I'm trying to develop a habit or get something done, I tend to break those things down into units of work or tasks I need to do. But when I'm devoted to something, it's almost like I'm stepping into the practice of doing something for its own sake.
I've seen this show up across different areas of my life:
In Creative Work
When I write every day, I find writing becomes more effortless. When I work on a project every day or most days in a week, I find I'm drawn to working on it or thinking about it more often. And part of why I've made so much progress on my Tarot Deck these last few weeks is that I'm not trying to get it done - I'm simply trying to show up to it every day.
In Relationships
When I've focused on being grateful for my partner every day, I noticed that I got less upset when they did something that bothered me. When I made a point to create a date night every week, that rich romantic feeling permeated my relationship. If I'm ever lucky enough to find my forever (for this lifetime) person, creating date nights will be something I would do without an endpoint in mind.
The power isn't just in the consistency - it's in the spirit behind it. The reason art becomes easy and love becomes more effortless when I practice devotion isn't just because I'm putting in more time. It's because the nature of my energy is that of worship, meditation, and prayer.
What This Means For You
If you're looking to bring more devotion into your own life and work, here are three steps you can take:
1. Start by choosing something you genuinely love or want to fall in love with
Maybe you want to write a blog
Or maybe you want to improve your relationship with a team member
Or maybe you want to reignite the romance in your relationship
No matter what it is, make sure it's something you're willing to invest time and energy into.
2. Remove the pressure of outcomes Instead of focusing on the product, focus on the process:
Don't focus on getting 1,000 subscribers, focus on writing every day
Don't focus on making the team member like you, focus on creating instances of clear communication
Don't focus on trying to shove love back into your relationship, focus on creating moments of connection
By letting go of the endpoint, you're more likely to show up to the subtle work of devotion.
3. Create a simple daily ritual or Create a practice you can show up to every day without worrying too much about progress:
Write morning pages (3 pages of handwritten text) and then write 5 paragraphs about something you're interested in
Make a point to connect with the team member you want to develop a relationship with daily and be curious about how they are
Buy your partner flowers every Sunday or spend a few minutes each night reflecting on the things your partner did for you today
The key is to put your attention on the practice of what you're creating instead of tracking how far you have or haven't come.
My Practice of Devotion
This insight has led me to look for how I can bring more devotion to the things in my life:
Doing recapitulation work several nights a week
Reading every day
Playing Pickleball at the same time each week
Working on my Tarot card deck, even if just for a few minutes
Buying flowers every week, as a way to practice devotion to my someday future partner
These small but simple acts are producing results... but that's not why I'm doing them. I'm doing them because I love the things themselves, whether they give me a payoff or not.
I love the process of showing up to them regardless of the outcome, and right now this simple practice is helping me move forward with more trust and faith than I normally have.
💡Coaching Tip of the Week
What Makes a Good Coach? It's Not What You Think
I've spent years training and working with coaches, and if I'm honest... I have no idea what makes a good coach – at least not in the way most people think about it.
The Mystery of Coaching Excellence
The traditional view is that good coaching comes from mastering certain skills and theories. But here's what's strange: I've often met people and known almost immediately whether they'd be great coaches or not. Not through some magical coaching-radar, but because there's something deeper at play.
Beyond Skills and Knowledge
I've long believed that the traditional way of training coaches is fundamentally flawed. We teach them theories and frameworks, expecting technical knowledge to translate into coaching excellence.
The best coaches I know do understand human development and transformation deeply. But that's not what makes them exceptional coaches – or at least, not entirely.
What really matters is the quality of their presence. When you're with a truly great coach, there's something about the way they are with you that transforms the experience.
Don't get me wrong – I've known people with amazing presence who coach terribly. But given the choice, I'd pick a coach with an authentic and deep presence over one who's merely knowledgeable.
Why? Because when I'm with someone who:
Truly hears me beyond just listening
Sees what I miss about myself
Is genuinely curious about my growth
Is committed to my development in ways I struggle to be myself
That relationship becomes a powerful mirror for my own relationship with myself. It provides crucial support as I work to create things I'm not sure I'm capable of.
The Real Challenge
This creates a dilemma: while teaching coaching theory is straightforward, how do you teach someone to develop this kind of presence?
If you want to become a great coach – whether for your team or as a professional – how do you cultivate this quality of being?
How To Become a Good Coach
I wish I could give you a simple answer. But the truth is, developing presence isn't linear. It requires devotion rather than mere skill-building.
Here's what I've noticed: The best coaches I know didn't just study coaching – they committed themselves to deeper forms of development:
They meditate for an hour daily
They go on silent retreats
They immerse themselves in art that demands patience and dedication
They write poetry
They travel alone
They train for marathons
They read profound literature
They do embodiment work
They engage deeply with spiritual practices
They do intensive personal development work
They review their coaching sessions like scientists
These might seem like strange suggestions for becoming a better coach. But almost every exceptional coach I know has done work like this – non-linear, challenging work that hones their consciousness.
The Real Path Forward
The key insight is this: becoming a better coach isn't about accumulating more knowledge or obsessing over techniques. It's about deepening yourself as a human being.
Stop focusing solely on coaching skills. Instead, think holistically about what it means to be someone who can truly support others in their growth.
The path to coaching excellence isn't about what you know – it's about who you become.
🌀 Happenings
(What’s going on Tokuuuu!?!)
1. I’m Moving This Newsletter To Substack
After a lot of thinking about it, I’ve decided to move my Newsletter (and my post Archive) over to substack. The main reason is simple - There’s really no good way to access all my past posts and I don’t have a good way for other people to discover my work.
What does this mean for you?
The Cons… Actually you won’t really lose anything when I make this change. If you’re subscribed to my list you’ll start getting emails from Substack instead of my email system, but you’ll still be able to read the newsletter in your inbox.
The Pros…On the other hand, it will be A LOT easier for you to read old posts, make comments, share my content, and engage with me.
Because Substack has a better system for organizing content, sharing posts, and interacting with me it should make your experience as a subscriber much better.
You will need to create a substack account to get access to some of this stuff, but if you’re not interested you won’t need to do anything.
Oh cool, how can I help?
Well right now you don’t need to do anything. BUT… once I’m on substack it would help me a lot if you shared my substack with people who you think would like it, re-stack my posts if you like them, and recommend me on your publications.
And if none of that makes any sense to you don’t worry about it. Again if you don’t want to create a Substack account you won’t have to. You’ll still be able to open and read my emails with ease and if you do want to create an account all of these things above will make a lot more sense.
2. My Episode was Named the #1 Episode on The Coaches Journey Podcast
I got the coolest notification the other day that my podcast episode
Episode #15: Sales with Honour and Love on the End of a Sword,
was the most popular episode on the Coaches Journey podcast According to Robbie Swale (the podcast creator) “On average, people who listen to that episode get 80% of the way through it.
Given all the distractions we have to contend with in our lives, and given it's over two hours long, that's incredible to me.”
It’s an incredible honor to get in front of people’s audiences and it's truly an honor to be recognized in this way.
If you haven’t had a chance to listen to the episode now’s your chance and I also HIGHLY recommend you check out Robbie’s other episodes he’s truly a highly skilled coach and creator.
Toku’s Treasures! 💰💰💰
(Aka cool sh*t I want to share with you)
1. A Podcast NOT about the US election - but about Crimes and Phones
If you’re anything like me you’re sort of sick of election news, so now is a good time to listen to a Podcast about something totally unrelated.
This episode of Search Engine is all about what became the best phone to commit crimes on a few years ago and the crazy story behind how it was created. I don’t want to give anything away but it’s truly a wild ride.
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts
2. A Podcast About The US Election
Then again maybe you’re also like me in that you do want to hear a FEW things about the US election.
And if that’s the case I think this is a really good episode where Ezra Klein breaks down why the Democratic party did so poorly. I thought his analysis was brilliant as always and I think he made some strong points which helped me understand more about what produced the results we saw.
Listen Here: On Apple Podcasts - On Spotify
3. A Great Party Game
I’ve been hosting game nights at my house recently and one game has been very, very popular and that’s CodeNames. It's a simple game that you can play with a wide variety and number of people and it’s really fun.
If you’re looking for a simple but fun game for your whole family or group of friends to enjoy, this is a really good one.
Buy it here - On Amazon - At Walmart
🎉 Here's Who I'm Celebrating This Week ...
This week I’m celebrating An Artist Named Silvi
I’m a member of a small but growing community of people who are devoted to growing businesses in a Sacred Way and one of those members is a woman named Silvi who writes this really cool blog where she reflects on the human experience and makes cool doodles to illustrate her experience. I’ve been inspired by her as an artist and really enjoy her work every time it lands in my inbox. So go check it out!
Check Out Her Blog the Undoing
Inspiring Quote of the Week
“The most important thing about art is to work. Nothing else matters except sitting down every day and trying.”
―
Steven Pressfield -
(The book not the substack fwiw)
Thank you so much for reading. Until Next time!
Love,
Toku
Unexecutive &
The coachingMBA