Coaches and Consultants, Are You Making This Mistake?
Last night I had a profound dream.
When I woke up I thought the dream was so important I had to share.
The Dream
There was this woman who was showing signs of physical distress. I quickly realized she was showing signs of a heart attack.
My panicked mind raced with what I should do. I decided I needed to dash off to a cardiology office. Right when I entered I started shouting, “Help, she’s having a heart attack!”
After questioning me about the patient a nurse started to scold me. I came to the wrong place! I realized my mistake and that she needed to go to the Emergency Room.
So I raced over the hospital. I entered the ER room and started shouting “Help, she’s having a heart attack!”
The ER staff just stared at me blankly. Finally someone asked “Where is the patient?”
That’s when I realized I should have called 911. By the time I ran all over town trying to get her help it was possibly too late.
My mistake in this dream was that I felt in order to help her I needed to go to the cardiologist FIRST in order to save her life. I expended a lot of energy looking for the right people to help her when all I needed to do was pick up a phone.
Of course this dream is an analogy of what was going on in my life professionally. I was so busy envisioning all the great possibilities for my clients I was failing to pay attention to the one thing they needed help with . . .
Their First Steps
In my dream the ailing woman’s first step was getting immediate medical help to save her life and get on the road to recovery.
Are you guilty of doing this in your business? In your desire to help your clients do you skip over the needed first steps to get your clients accomplish their goals faster?
An example would be a health and fitness coach who has a client that wants to lose weight. The coach could find out why the client is overweight first before they personalize a program they think the client needs. Weight gain is a very complex formula depending on the individual and the old model of calories in and calories out is outdated. Emotional, physical, and mental aspects of the clients could be addressed first for successful weight loss.
The problem with starting with the possible end results is that the person is suffering today and needs immediate steps to take before they can “recover and move forward.”
How about you? Have you noticed a disconnect between what your clients want and what they really need? Are you their best solution?
I realized I needed to make a choice. Focus what I offer on what my clients really need and not on what they think they want or refer them to someone else who better can help them.
Possible Solutions
Here are a few options that may help solve this issue.
- Create a group of coaches or consultants that focus on a different stage of development and create a referral system for each step.
- Create a series of programs that a client can follow, step by step.
- Focus on one step and be known as the expert in that step.
Photo Credit: Free Digital Photos
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Are You Information Hoarding? Try This Solution
I’m a hoarder of sorts. An Information “PDF” hoarder. They sit on my hard drive just waiting for me to read. The only problem is that I don’t like reading PDF’s on my computer. Laptops are great for a lot of things but curling up and reading isn’t one of them.
The further behind I grew on my reading and researching the more guilty I began to feel. So after making sure that the Kindle did support PDF reading I decided it was time to buy one.
I can happily report that I am beginning to catch up on my ebook reading.
The PDFs are not perfectly formatted as a Kindle formatted book. But you can ignore that fact as it’s far better than lugging your laptop around when all you want to do is read.
If you haven’t tried reading your PDF’s on your Kindle yet here are some tips on getting them onto your Kindle.
In order to send PDFs to your Kindle you need your Kindle email address.
To find your email address:
- Log on to Amazon.com
- Find Your Digital Items at the top right side of the screen and click on it.
- Click on Manage Your Kindle under Kindle on the Your Digital Items page.
- On the left side of the screen you will find a column that says Your Kindle Library and Your Kindle Account.
- Click on Your Personal Documents Settings.
- Once there you will find your Kindle email address under Send to Kindle Email Settings.
- Copy the email address and add it your email contact list.
To send the ebook to your Kindle:
- Compose an email.
- Enter your Kindle Email Address as the send to address.
- In the subject line be sure to add the word convert. This formats the PDF for your Kindle so you can adjust the settings, font sizes etc.
- Upload your PDF.
- Wait.
I’ve had it take 5 minutes to reach my Kindle and I’ve also had it take 12 hours. I have no idea why there is such a difference. So if you need to read something right away I wouldn’t rely on it. Don’t let that stop you. It is a great way to finally get those PDF’s read.
I have found the best way to manage all your PDFs on your Kindle is to create a folder and store all them under a title such as study. If you haven’t started sorting your Kindle library here is a great tutorial by Amazon to get you started. Click here.
These instructions should also work with devices such as IPads, Tablets, and IPods. The only difference is there is a separate email address for the Kindle app. You should be able to find the address in the same place as the Kindle email address. Most likely you will need to have downloaded the Kindle app and have registered your device with Amazon before you get your email address. Be sure to double check and see if your device is supported.
Have I motivated you yet to catch up on your PDF reading? You never know where your next great big idea will come from. It could be buried in one of those giveaways and/or training materials.
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Law of Attraction, Move Over!
Here is a great guest post by my friend and colleague Steven Rice about the Law of Attraction and how it really applies to your business.
If you are an entrepreneur seeking to create an enlightened business, good luck! You are facing a whole set of challenges beyond the typical business struggles that all business owners face. In addition to bottom lines, profit and loss statements and marketing strategies, you may be struggling with obstacles created by the current culture and business “norm.”
The Culture of ‘Lack’ and Business
Over the last 100 years, western civilization has created a culture of lack in business. In marketing, we have learned to identify the need of the customer (“lack”) and highlight that. We drive all focus to it, and then provide our product as the best solution for what appears to be missing in the customer’s life.
We “fight” for the sale, and competition–not cooperation–is the trait most highly valued by the modern business paradigm. All of these viewpoints are based on a belief that there is a limited number (of sales, dollars, customers) to go around and that to “win” at business, it means putting your competitors out of business. Or at least, marginalizing their influence in the market place.
A Bit of Context…
Over the past few years, there has been a lot of focus on the Law of Attraction with the popularity of films like the Secret. Many people, newly introduced to the LOA, have become disenchanted with the idea that what we think about draws our circumstances to us because they have experienced perceived inconsistencies in results produced by applying the “law” of attraction.
Searching for consistency and understanding, many of us have been seeking more and more information to try to explain this seeming disconnect. All the things we took at face value are being challenged. We’re a little afraid, but more excited about what this means for the future.
As our consciousness expands, we look for ways to assimilate all the stimulus of how we perceive our “new world”. As we open ourselves to abundance and ideas of enough, our old ideas of how to run a “proper” business are challenged.
How the heck are we supposed to hold the belief that the world is abundant and there is more than enough when business practice tells us that we have to go out there, hunt it (the leads, prospects, sales, etc.) down and drag it home?!?
Ugh…I wanna pull my hair out sometimes!
We want to run an abundant business, but we act from hunter/gatherer instincts. How, then, can we engage in a profitable but enlightened business? Here are my thoughts…see what you think.
Leveraging the Law of Generosity
The LOA is great, but let’s take a few minutes to talk about the Law of Generosity. You’ve probably never heard of it referred to in this manner…or maybe you have. I don’t know, but let me explain what I mean.
The natural ebb and flow of creation is giving and receiving. As you create, there is a natural expansion that occurs, which requires giving. If not, your life and business will stagnate in every way.
Generosity is not only about giving, but it is also learning to receive (which is really generosity shown toward one’s self).
Face it, Sweetheart…You gotta be willing to receive before you can truly give to others without reservation, or you simply become an opportunistic SOB (and we’ve all worked with or for one of those). Don’t be that person!
When you believe that there is not enough, you think that the only way to receive is to “get” something from someone else. The truth is that you can never get anything from anyone else that you have not given to yourself first.
You can get trinkets and toys, but the true gifts that those things represent will be withheld. It is not the stuff you’re really seeking, anyway, but the underlying values that they represent. Abundance comes from within and is born of the belief that we fundamentally deserve it.
The Main Point
Business is about expressing yourself in a physical and tangible way. As entrepreneurs, we sometimes–or a lot of the time–allow our business to become the primary focus of our lives (professional and personal–or both).
Your business is the method by which you expand in the physical world. It is the tool and platform by which you share your gift with others. Business is the mechanism by which your creativity is shared with the world around you.
When I say business, I am using it very generally to describe the commerce of our lives. Business is the exchange of one thing–money, time, energy–for something else.
Therefore, this broader definition is comprised not only of the narrower idea of business as exchange of money for goods and services, but it also encompasses all exchange that occurs in our lives. Business is the manner in which we interact with life.
Back to the main point, thought. Business is not the end. It is the means. The end is the journey. The end is the creation. The end is the expression of your gifts.
Don’t get so wrapped up in the commerce of business that you forget the business of living!
Generosity and Commerce
So let’s wrap up this article by bringing it all down to the bottom line. Let’s talk business–real, profit and loss business!
How does an understanding of an abundant universe and a generous spirit blend with a business that must make a profit in order to stay afloat?
Let me start by asking you to think about a couple of assumptions we tend to make.
ASSUMPTION 1: Money must be earned.
We think that our money is a result of our efforts…and it is. However, what if we chose to look at it a little bit differently.
What if we chose to recognize that money represents energy flow? What if we then recognized that energy is always flowing? What would that mean about the flow of money?
What if we chose to simply look at our businesses as a bucket? What if all we had to do was hold up the bucket in the rain storm in order to fill it? How would that change things?
ASSUMPTION 2: Generosity means I don’t get paid.
We think that generosity means that we must give up something to (or for) someone else at the expense of ourselves. We think that if we give that means that we have less.
In business, we think generosity means giving away products or services. We think that if we are running a spiritually generous business then we cannot (or should not) get paid.
What if we truly began to believe the universe is abundant?!? What if we chose to believe that generosity means expansion? What if we finally realized that it is impossible to truly give without gaining? What if we realized that receiving money is absolutely necessary to a truly thriving, enlightened and generous business?
What would that mean? How would that change things?
Your Turn!
What do you think? Share your comments below and please tell me about your experience creating an abundant, enlightened business.
What practical steps have been successful in helping you to be truly generous in your business? What has that looked like for you?
Photo Credit: renjith krishnan
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Find Your Hidden Blocks For Business Sake
Are you suffering from stuckitis when it comes to your business? Stuckitis is a term for the failure to move forward. When it comes to your business it’s affect can create financial, mental and emotional harm.
A few explanations for this condition happening when running a business are:
- Lack of Focus
- Poor or No Goals
- No Marketing Plan
But those aren’t the cause, they’re conditions created by the real cause. The real problem is those pesky little hidden personal wounds that you haven’t healed. They block you from making progress in all parts of your life, not just your business.
Let’s say you were . . .
- Criticized a lot for being a poor writer or speaker when you were younger.
- You never felt accepted and loved by your parents.
- Your creativity was never recognized or developed.
- You felt powerless and defenseless as a child.
- You were abused in some way.
- You grew up poor and felt a sense of lack.
I could go on and on listing potential hidden wounds. Most of us have them but don’t make the connection to what’s going on in our business lives. What these wounds are doing is sabotaging your progress because somewhere inside you don’t feel worthy in some way or another.
So for now, forget about time management strategies, planning sessions, and goal setting. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty first. What is your hidden pain? To learn what it is try this exercise:
When you have a chance to be alone, turn off everything electronic and get comfortable. Close your eyess and ask yourself “What hidden wound from my childhood or early adult life is holding me back?” Just sit there and wait. The answer may pop into your mind as a word or imagines. Don’t judge what you feel. You will know you have the answer when you feel a sense of pain or loss.
If you need a little more help discovering your Hidden Business Blocks I’m here to help.
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Stuffing Down Business Greatness
Have you ever had this happen to you?
You think of this really great idea for your business. Seriously, it’s brilliant. You can’t wait to write it down and get started.
Then something happens . . .
- You have an incredible urge for a huge bowl of ice cream or a bag of potato chips so you run to the store and buy some.
- You decide now is the time to pick a fight with your spouse. Or kids. Or mother.
- You suddenly slap your head and realize you forgot to pay an important bill that’s due to tomorrow.
- The junk drawer in your kitchen needs to be organized. STAT!
I could go on but you get the idea.
The thing is these ideas are divinely sent. Don’t worry about how or why. Or maybe you do know. These shots of inspiration could have been the idea that sent your business to the top. Or maybe it would have covered a large bill due. Or it maybe it could have sent your business in whole new direction that fulfills your purpose.
I call this dreadful act stuffing down business greatness. It’s one way we procrastinate on moving forward in our businesses. For some reason your mind says to you “I’m not ready yet so here is something more important that needs to be done.”
Excuses are the enemy to personal and business greatness.
But don’t you worry. Ideas are endless. In the meantime, work on what you need to work on within yourself. When that next inspirational idea hits you’ll be ready this time.
Do You Believe in Destiny?
Destiny: The predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible course of events.
Do you believe in it?
I was all set to write about destiny last night when I decided to watch the Adjustment Bureau. Not believing in coincidences I put off writing this post until after I watched it.
I’m so glad I did.
If you haven’t seen it yet I won’t spoil the plot. I highly recommend watching it. It’s a unique way of looking at destiny versus free will, a common debate in the spiritual world.
The premise of the movie is two characters falling in love and a “bureau” that wants to keep them apart.
If you’ve seen the movie I want to point out that in real life we all are a part of this bureau. We play a role in everyone’s lives in some way or another. Our lives help redirect others to where they are supposed to go. There are even some people who make a living nudging people onto their right path. Yes, I’m one of them.
Since a lot of my intuitive coaching work is based on destinies and life paths I thought it would be fun to learn what you think about destiny.
- Have you seen the movie?
- Do you believe in destiny?
- If so, where does free will come to play?
- Do you have a story where destiny seemed to be at hand in your life?
- Do you believe things happen for a reason?
- Do you believe in life lessons?
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