Back Off and Back Up

June 19, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

When we push too long and too hard, we can get off track. It is so easy to lose perspective and move forward in ways that do not serve us. That is not logical, and many of you know it is true.

From an intuitive perspective, we are influenced and affected by the energies we encounter every day. Some of them we slough off easily and others stick with us and we feel ourselves react. These energies most often come from others, their opinions, thinking and reactions to the success we are trying to create. As we experience the energy of each person, it moves us in subtle and sometimes not so subtle ways. We don’t even notice or don’t pay attention how it alters our thinking and changes our energy. Now we are moving forward in a slightly different way. We are starting to get off track slowly over time. We become more controlling and our work starts to feel more difficult.

Meditation is a way to stop before we get too far off track. I see companies and individuals go from a great place of creating success to feeling like nothing is going right, or it is becoming too hard. This is not a coincidence. When things do not feel right that is the time to stop, back up and back off what we are doing to regain our perspective, but more than that to set our energy and vision right again.

Taking the time to meditate each day is a way to stay on track, maintain perspective, to reset your space and energy. During meditation, you can clear, release and let go of whatever stuck with you from the day before otherwise it stays with us and begins to affect your decisions and actions. We get slowly off course.

Make time each day to back off of what you are doing, to stop and meditate. It will make all the difference. In this way, you do not have to control or be in effort. Your vision can continue to manifest and in surprising ways.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Meditation

How I Spend My Day

June 7, 2014June 6, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

Realizing that I have two ways I can spend my day, I decided to pay attention to the result of each. How did I feel? What was my mood? What did I accomplish? What did I gain?

One day goes something like this. I get up early. Jump out of bed and begin my morning routine, get dressed without much thought, have my usual bowl of cereal while reading only the headlines on my iPad then I have a cup of coffee as I walk to my home office. I check my email and spend a lot of time responding to what I find there. Organizing my desk and taking care of the obvious To Dos on the top of my desk takes a bit of time as well.

Now I think about the most pressing, urgent, etc. issues. By the way, something being urgent or pressing does not mean that it was important. Typically it is urgent and important to someone else or something I must get done by the due date.

By now, my head is swimming with information from everything I already placed a moment of my attention. I look at my very long to do list that adds more thoughts to my mind. Then other things come to mind. I start doing things I don’t mind doing one after another.

The phone rings and my attention shifts again to that request and so my day goes. I am very busy, doing a lot of work, feeling tired, growing less and less focused. At the end of this day, I can say I was busy, did a lot and accomplished nothing! I can say that I do not feel good about the results of my day.

Another Kind of Day

Another way that I spend my day, I wake up and lay in bed for a moment to gain my focus and perspective. How am I doing? What must I do today? What would I like to do? What would help me to take a step to accomplish my vision of success? How would I like to feel today? With that intention, I get up and make sure that I am approaching each step mindfully. My cereal, headlines and coffee are still in the routine but I am more conscious about each step.

Look around my home, I put things away, clean up so that my living space is clear. Now is my time to meditate in a quiet, comfortable space. When I feel calm in my body, have cleared my thinking from the day before and set my space to enthusiasm then I am ready to create my plan for the day. I meditate on my vision and my goals. Where am I now and what can I do today that will have the greatest impact on achieving them? What am I resisting? What steps am I not taking? Who is on my side and can I engage in helping with my goals? With this clarity and feeling grounded I move into my office.

Clearing and organizing my workspace does not take much of my time. I do a quick and cursory scan of my emails, addressing only those that support my goals for this day. The others I will look at later. Now is the time to take on what I call high value tasks and make some magic. I know from experience that focusing on a single high value task to completion moves the dial that much closer to the result I want to achieve. The challenge is not to avoid the task just because it is difficult, pushes my limits or makes me feel uncertain. I take a deep breath, ground, center, focus and begin. It is amazing to me how a very difficult task taken one step at a time unfolds, opens up so that I can see the next step, then the next. None of the steps is as daunting as I expect.

At the end of this day, I am smiling, inspired, assured and energized. I can see the distance I have come. Now I am ready to close the door for the day. Collect up my energy from the days work. It is time to play.

The first day I described I am justing going through a routine with barely a second thought, doing a lot and accomplishing nothing. The second day describes my way to taking ownership of what I intend to create and making it happen.

If you have ways that you spend your day that support, your vision of success, please share your thoughts.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Help Me Focus

June 6, 2014June 4, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Making sure that we get an important project done can be a challenge. A group of business owners were seeking peer support for issues that challenge us. Christie’s concern is quite common. When she has a project, she finds it difficult to create a time to get it done.

The group offered several great suggestions including creating a workspace conducive to working on the project; start your day working on the project; break it down into smaller projects, etc.

As I watched and listened to Christie intuitively I saw that she is easily distracted, reacts to anything and everything that comes her way. Her energy and her focus are constantly changing in response to whoever or whatever grabs her attention. Her attention and her energy changes each time she changes her focus. What I saw is this affected more than this project. It affected all of her efforts to complete something that required focus.

When we want to create something new that requires some planning, thoughtfulness and mindfulness then distractions sabotage that effort. Our ability to create a space of quiet and to harness our attention and energy in one way is critical to completing something new, something we have not done before. An intuitive description would be to create an energy “bubble” around our workspace, not move out of that bubble and not let anything to distract you.

My suggestion to Christie was to start her day meditating because I saw that she had so much going on in her space that it was hard to be grounded and focused. Christie is a healer, an empathic and a problem solver so if anyone places their attention on her needing something she was immediately distracted. By starting her day with meditation, she could clear her space, let go of everyone else’s needs, be clear about what she wanted to do that day and visualize how that would go. In this way, she could start her day with a clear space and the ability to focus on what was most important to her.

I wrote recently about multi-tasking. That is very different from being distracted and responding to everything and everyone who grabs our attention. The ability to focus is the single most important ability to success. Learning to meditate helps a great deal to be grounded, center, own your space (bubble) and to be clear in present time.

If you find you have trouble getting to something or completing a project start you day with meditation and see how that changes things for you.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Meditation

Multi-tasking done right

May 31, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Recent have said multitasking is bad, and I rejoiced. Researchers said that multi-taskers were less successful. This was shocking. I was raised to be a multi-tasker. Wasn’t multi-tasking was a virtue? Everyone valued someone who could get a lot done. Right? I was a lifelong multi-tasker and saw this as my chance to stop working so hard. After years of working fast, completing multiple projects at one time, this was my way of saying that I needed to make things simpler. I could relax. What I found was quite the opposite. I was not relaxed. I was not as productive nor did I feel as accomplished so I decided to learn more about this phenomenon called multi-tasking.

To begin, I observed myself multi-tasking and not multi-tasking and the results, accomplishments and how much I enjoyed what I was doing. I observed others in the same way. As a coach and consultant I had lots of opportunities to observe others. As a result I was to ask the researchers two questions. Did you measure the difference between men and women? Did you assess the value to the tasks they were doing?

In my observation and my experience, women are natural multi-taskers and men are not. Women have by our nature and physiology a higher energy level. Women have a higher energy level in our bodies to create life. We are wired at a high energy level, so multi-tasking is natural, can creative and rewarding when done correctly. Men, on the other hand, do better when singularly focused. This is not less of an ability just different, and the world is better for these two different ways of being. Multi-taskers and persons who are singularly focused are both needed for success.

Multi-tasking of itself does not create success, so I agree with the studies in this regard. Focused multi-tasking does work. Whether you are a multitasker or a single focus person, your success depends on what you spend your time doing. Just being busy doing whatever presents itself is of no value and has no long-term result. On the other hand, when multi-taskers or single focused persons chose high value tasks they create success. High value tasks are those that will make a difference in your efforts to achieve success versus other tasks that are just busy work or someone else’s need.

So men feel free to be singularly focused on high value tasks if that feels right to you. Women, I say go ahead and multi-task focused on high value tasks if that feels right for you as well.

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. For me, I have returned to multi-tasking, and I am much happier, getting more done and finding greater success.

Best wishes, Kay

Work fast. Work hard. Really?

May 26, 2014May 26, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Working fast, hard and smart is one perspective on success. I recently read a blog on success and the author suggested that the most successful people work fast, fast thinkers, fast decision makers, and they move fast. He also suggested that they work hard, long hours and do the hard work. The third characteristic of a successful person was they carefully selected where they spent this fast, hardworking time. They worked on things that mattered.

This blog grabbed my attention because I have found similar characteristics in the successful people who I work with and others that I observe though I would describe them differently.

From an intuitive perspective working fast is not necessary though you may enjoy working fast. From my observations successful people have high energy. High vibrations are creative energies. High energies make it easy to be creative, create change, to see more clearly, to move through blocks or limits. So while I would not say working fast is a good approach working at a high energy level which is enthusiasm, creativity and may feel or appear fast is essential for success. When our energy is low, nothing is moving, nothing changes and energy blocks are too hard to unlock. So best practice, be in enthusiasm when you work.

Working hard is not necessary either though we might choose to do that, and it may happen. Working hard, of itself, is not a useful goal. From an intuitive perspective successful people are those who have a clear vision, focus on the vision and are not easily distracted. This might feel like hard work, but the key element is to focus. When we are focused and see the impact of that, we want to focus more, to create more. It is rewarding and so we may in the end work harder but that is not the goal.

The last characteristic is doing what matters. I completely agree. It is so easy to work hard and stay busy without accomplishing anything. We are successful when our time and attention stays focused on high value activities. By that, I mean tasks that will make a difference in achieving our vision of success. It is easy to keep busy doing whatever presents itself. Being disciplined enough to focus on actions that matter to our success makes all the difference.

My formula for success using the three traits mentioned in the beginning would be: With enthusiasm focus on high value tasks that will help you achieve your vision of success. Sounds simple? Spend this week working in this way and see if it is easy to do and notice the impact of this approach.

Best wishes, Kay

What you don’t know is important

May 9, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

What we are not good at matters most. That may sound counterintuitive, but it is not. In our journey to success, we know what we are good at and the skills we use to push forward enthusiastically. While this is important, it is not the answer.

Doing what we are good at alone will not make us successful. Many business owners and professionals forge ahead disregarding what they do not know, where they are inexperienced or simply don’t have the skills needed as the owner. Others do not know what they do not know. This disregard for our weaknesses gets in the way of our success.

Carol

Lunches is a daytime café that is wildly successful according to the owner. Carol says her café is popular and full every lunchtime so it must be successful. This concept of success is not working for her. She feels that she does everything right. In reality, she does a great deal that is right. She has a great location, great food, repeating customers, happy staff, etc. but she is not making enough money. Carol’s area of weakness as a business owner is finances. As long as she is bringing in lots of money every day she thought it would all work out then she realized that was not the case. Carol’s avoidance of financial planning, reporting, and management was killing her business.

Sara

Sara has an accounting firm, three offices, twelve staff and hundreds of clients eager to use the services of her company. She and other CPAs in her firm have a good reputation. Sara says her problem is she cannot service her customers because she is unable to keep competent, reliable, office staff. As we explored this Sara grew to admit that her weakness is hiring, training and mentoring staff. This is something she did not consider before. She was focused on the reputation of her accounting staff primarily. This was killing her business.

Max

Max has a financial planning firm that he bought from a retiring planner. He has a strong group of clients. He is a skilled financial planner but after two years he is ready to throw in the towel. He feels like he does not have a life. He complained that his staff is not competent, and he is not making enough money to make it worth his while. When we looked at the business, he was very confident and initially unwilling to look at his weaknesses. When we finally opened that door, there was an obvious solution. Max is a doer. His company had no systems or procedures for staff to follow. He simply tells each person each day what they need to do. This was inefficient and resulted in poor customer service. He was loosing business. Max had to admit that he was a good financial planner and a terrible manager.

There is a fear behind not knowing which makes us feel vulnerable. That fear is there whether we admit to our weaknesses or not. When we are willing to be clear about both our skills and our weaknesses, ask for help then we can create success. The fear no longer controls us. When we are overly confident, in denial or only focused on our strengths then we will be frustrated, and our business suffers. It is not easy to step back and look from this perspective and yet it is essential to success. Some do this easily, for others it is a struggle.

While, in this blog, I spoke about businesses, the concepts apply to professionals, as well. Finding out what we do not know is important. Asking for help is next. Making changes is the answer to moving your business or career forward and enjoying it more.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Business and Professional Coaching

Not A Problem!

April 26, 2014April 26, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Problems! Problems! Problems! Or No Problem. Which vibration do you feel most often? What happens most in your life, work or business? From an intuitive perspective this is a state of mind.

Some vibrate at the energy of “No Problem”. They see every bump in the road as something to solve, fix, create or change. Others see the opposite. That bump in the road is a problem. It is frustrating. It will ruin everything, and they are sure it will get bigger and are overwhelmed by the sight of it. This may sound like an exaggeration, but it is not.

How we react to what seems like a problem defines our success. When a problem presents itself successful people immediately look for a solution so that it does not affect them or their success. They see a problem as something that can be solved and even enjoy solving it. Their vision of success does not change. Their enthusiasm for success does not lower. They do not stop and do not let the problem distract them or take up much of their time or attention. If anything, they use it as a way of getting better at their success.

Those who take two steps forward and two steps back see a problem as A PROBLEM. They stop. Their energy drops. They start to blame who or what they perceive created the problem. They are distracted from the goals they are trying to achieve and focus their life force energy on the problem. So now they are in the energy of the problem, go deeper into the energy of the problem so it grows affecting them in body, mind and spirit.

Claire is successful with three offices and a growing staff. With growth problems appear and Claire is learning to adjust to her fast growing company. When a problem occurs, she takes it on and resolves it immediately. Claire is a quick decision maker and does not want to be brought down by the energy of the problem. In this way, she stays focused on her vision and places her time and attention on that.

Susan has a vision of the business she wants to create but has been unable to move it forward. Susan does not yet see how much she goes into the energy of a problem in all aspects of her life. When a problem presents itself she reacts by dropping her energy to the level of the problem then stays there awhile. Susan often sees an ordinary life experience as a problem. Susan is not ready to change at this time, so she lives at the energy of a problem in her life, not just in her business. Not surprisingly she is not yet successful though she is very capable. When Susan becomes aware of this pattern in her and steps out of it she will be able to move forward.

There are many reasons why we are one way or another in relation to problems. Partly we learn this from our families or from an experience that is still on our mind or in our space. Some of us vibrate at a high energy level as a spirit so it is natural to have a positive perspective and success moving forward. Others vibrate at a lower energy level, attract and stay with their problems.

How we react to a problem is a matter of choice, free will and becomes a state of mind. If we see our life moving forward and don’t drop our energy when a problem presents itself then we find success personally and professionally. No Problem. If, on the other hand, we view our life as a problem then problems appear, and we lower our vibration to the level of “It’s a problem” with success always in the future.

How we react to problems is a matter of choice. We may be in the habit of falling into the energy of a problem, but we can change that. By being aware and mindful in the moment, we can catch ourselves and come out of the energy of a problem and approach problems in a new way with a different perspective and a higher energy level.

Take a look at how you react to a problem. What happens to your body? Do you get tense? What about your emotions? Do you get angry or frustrated? What about your thinking? Do you start creating thoughts and stories about how this problem is going to get bigger?

Another way of being is to keep your energy high. Feel successful. Keep your vision set on the possibilities and be in enthusiasm. Take ownership of a problem as something you can solve and move on. In this way problems do not last long, don’t stop or distract you from your success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Hold Your Head High

April 21, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

My grandmother said, “Hold your head high.” I am sure you are familiar with this phrase as well. When my grandmother said it, I did it and felt better. Over the years I’ve had the same experience. When I held my head high and the more I held it high I felt a significant change in my energy level and my feeling of certainty.

Observing Others

Observing others I noticed I could tell those who held their head high and those who did not. I also observed how I reacted to each. I was drawn toward those who showed confidence and did not have a strong impression of those whose head was down. In fact I hardly noticed them. Finally I decided to look intuitively to see what was going on that made such a difference.

Seventh Energy Center

We all have seven major chakras or energy centers. The first is at the base of our spine and the seventh is on the top of the head in the area that is the soft spot for babies. It is this seventh chakra that is activated when we “hold our head high”. When the 7^th chakra is active we feel certain, have ownership of our space and sense of seniority in our life. We appear strong, in charge of our space and own our personal power.

How to hold your head high

The power of the seventh chakra is undeniable. Try it for yourself before you read further. Here is a technique I use with my clients. Start by holding your head high but more than that – stretch your neck. Really lift your head up so that your spine is long and the top back of your head is the top. Notice how differently you feel. Take a deep breath and really hold your head high.

This is not magic though it may feel like that. When we lift our head up, stretch the neck we are straightening the spine and at the same time aligning our energy centers. When our energy centers are aligned along the spine and our energy can flow clearly and smoothly. That alone makes us feel better. So this concept of holding your head high is the alignment of our energy centers with our energy flowing and our crown chakra energize.

Crown Chakra & Strength of Spirit

The crown chakra (seventh) is a powerful energy center that is energized when we hold it in alignment with our spine and energy centers. We feel more empowered. Others perceive us as empowered. Watch others. Notice how you react to someone whose head is down in their shoulders versus someone who is holding their head high.

This is an important concept for those focused on achieving their goals. Some create from their third chakra (below the sternum) with hard work and a great deal of effort. Others use their upper chakras (5^th through 7^th) for success from creativity, clear vision and certainty. This is a lot more fun and validating.

Feel Better in Body, Mind & Spirit

There are more reasons why energizing our crown chakra makes us feel so much better. It is the chakra through which our life force energy flows (chi, prana, etc.) into the body bringing life force energy to the organs. We feel energized.

So hold your head high when you want to feel better, feel certain, to be seen as a leader, to have strength of spirit and to feel in charge of your life.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Manifesting the hard way

April 20, 2014April 20, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Mandy asked me to work with her to make a career change. She had a good job that paid well. She is seen as a leader in her industry but it is not what she wants to be doing. Mandy was finding it hard to stay focused on her work. She was distracted thinking about what she would rather to be doing.

When we begin to create a plan to transition to a new career or an old career revisited she got cold feet and worried that she needed the job she had. Though she wanted a career change she could not imagine making it happen. Mandy made some attempts to change her career then turned around and tried to find ways to connect with her current job. One step forward and two steps back.

From an intuitive perspective we are always getting our goals. Mandy never gave up her goal to change careers so I knew it was manifesting. I also know that goals manifest gracefully when we actively create them. Goals manifest less gracefully when we don’t. So Mandy wanted out of her job and onto a new career but she could not take the steps to make it happen. The only way for that change to happen was for her to lose her job. That is exactly what happened. She was laid off so now she had to create the change she desired in the first place. She was going to get her goal though not very gracefully.

Mary

This same scenario played out for Mary. She was top executive in a large organization, was paid well and had a lot of visibility but it was not the job she wanted. Over and over again she decided to quit and each time she thought about leaving she would get a raise. As a single mom she could not imagine quitting a good paying job so she stayed all the while visualizing her next step. Her vision manifested when one day suddenly she was laid off. At first she was angry then she realized that she had visualized a job change for a long time. Being laid off was the only way her vision could manifest and so it did.

My best counsel is to take charge of the change you desire. It is going to happen one way or another. Remember the saying, “Be careful what you pray for.” Take a moment to notice the changes you have imagined. Are you actively working to make it happen? If not, be intuitive and notice what would have to happen to move your vision forward. How do you want to manifest your vision? Be proactive or have it happen a bit less gracefully. You decide.

Best wishes, Kay

Stuck on the Wrong Solution

April 19, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Trust your vision. It is always manifesting – even when we get in the way. Just because our vision does not manifest in the way we expect does not mean it is not going to happen. It is so easy for us to get in our way, lose sight of our vision and decide that we are not going to get our goal because of once circumstance or another. That decision is powerful and wrong. Here is a story of one business owner who thought her vision was not going to manifest.

Sara

A business owner, Sara, called last year at her wit’s end saying she was going to close her business but wanted to check in with me before she did so. After speaking with her it was clear that she did not want to close her business. She just wanted and needed to change her role in the business. Sara’s next step was to move more into a leadership role and not be responsible for the day-to-day operations any longer. This is normal and needed step for the owner and the growth of any business.

Leadership Solution

When Sara called she was vibrating at the energy that her business was a big problem. Not so. Sara just needed to stop being CEO, CFO, COO, CBO and every other c-suite title you could think of. Her real goal was not to close her business but to position her business for sale and to find someone she trusted to buy the business she started. Sara wanted someone to carry on its strong reputation and tradition.

A New Organizational Strategy

We created a new organizational strategy to grow her business. We changed her role to CEO/President, made her accountant functionally the CFO. One staff person was promoted to CBO as marketing chief. Another staff person, Carol, was promoted to COO in charge of the day-to-day operations. Carol was also interested in eventually taking over the business. As an intuitive I did not see that Carol as strong nor committed enough to take over the business in the long run but Sara was convinced this would work.

Sara stepped back and let the Carol take over. It did not turn out as well as Sara had hoped and Carol quit within a year throwing the business back into Sara’s lap. Sara was devastated. Her disappointment was overwhelming. She felt like a failure and was unhappy that she was back in the role of CEO and COO once again.

Vision Still Manifesting

Sara called in tears. I had to remind her that she was still getting her goal of finding someone she liked and trusted to take over her business. That goal had not changed. It was so clear to me intuitively that Sara was still getting her goal. It simply was not manifesting in the way she expected. She had pushed for the Carol to be that person. That was not meant to be. Intuitively I saw that Carol was not the person who could carry on the reputation and tradition of the business so it was inevitable that she would leave. It is not a mistake nor a coincidence. That does not mean that Sara is not getting her goal. Quite the contrary. She just has not found the person who she trusts and who could run her business with the same quality of service the community had come to know. Sara could not see this at first because she had too much energy in Carol being the solution.

Not A Coincidence

Not coincidentally the next day Sara ran into a Gail who operated an agency that was her largest competitor. Gail asked how Sara was doing and said she had heard that Carol, Sara’s heir apparent, had quit. Gail asked if Sara was interested in selling her business. Sara was blown over by this.

Vision

Even with this miracle appearing out of no where Sara was still stuck in the energy of disappointment about Carol quitting. She was so much in that energy that she could not see the miracle being presented. Sara’s focus on the solution rather than the goal is something that we all do. By doing do so we get in our own way. We are unable to have a clear perspective and lose sight of the goal. Sara was so focused on losing Carol who she always believed was the solution that Sara had lost her perspective. Sara’s goal was to sell her business and to someone she trusted and who could continue the business in much the same way. She liked Gail and respected her. This could be her dream come true. Perhaps this is the right plan for achieving her vision.

Notice for Yourself

Notice for yourself. Have you ever fixated on what you believe is the right and only way your vision can manifest? In your daily meditation take the time to pull your energy out of solutions, strategies, etc. to order to focus on your vision and where you want to be. Your vision is always manifesting. How you get there may surprise you. Always take steps toward your vision and allowed it to manifest in unexpected ways.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Start Your Day This Way for Success

April 15, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

Steve starts his day checking his email. It is easy to be lured into the computer, the latest news, an entertaining story, YouTube video, email, etc. I cannot tell you the number of people who let email direct what they do and focus on each day. Email takes up their time and distracts them from focusing on high values takes that create success. Yikes! It is so easy to be lured into a workday determined by email! The more engrained this habit becomes the less successful a person or business becomes.

To Do List

Frank told me his goal is not to read email or go near his computer until later in the morning or afternoon. His fears about what he might be missing have turned out to be unfounded. Frank has been able to break that addiction. Instead he focuses on his to do list first. Changing that one behavior has made it possible for Frank to focus on changes he needed to make in his business. That is a good step but that is not enough for real success.

Goals, Plans & Strategies

Gail agrees. She starts her day focused on the goals and strategies she wrote for the year. She knows how easy it is get distracted, for others to grab her attention, distract her from her plans, demand that she focus on their issue, etc. so before she begins her day she makes sure that what she has planned, the appointments schedule and her to do list will help her meet her goals. She is determined to have ownership of her time and to make sure that what she does in a day will make a difference in her success. Gail also evaluates if her strategies are producing the results that she wants. That is a good and important approach but it is not enough for real success.

Vision of Success

Charles starts his day reminding himself of his vision of success. Where does he want to be in 3-5 years? Then he makes sure that everything he does that day, in present time, will move him toward his vision. Charles is cautious not to get side tracked by the newest brightest shiniest object or idea. He knows what he wants to create and reminds himself of that before he starts the day. He sets his energy to a vibration that will bring him to that vision knowing that change is important. That is a great approach but it is not enough.

Setting Your Space & Energy

Claire starts her day by connecting with herself. She wants to make sure that whatever she does, however she communicates and the energy level she brings to her day is aligned to who she is at her core. Claire wants to create success based on who she is and what she values. She begins each day with meditation, quietly going within, clearing her thinking, releasing the energy in her space so that she feels like herself, can see clearly where she is going, setting her energy to the level that feels right to her and regains her perspective. Claire knows that the intensity of her work affects her space, her thinking and perspective so she wants to start each day from a clear space.

Start Your Day This Way

Each of these professionals or business owners has a handle on one aspect of creating success. If you were to begin in reverse order of how they are presented here you have a formula for success.

Start your day with meditation to get back to who you are at your core.
Take time to reflect on your vision of success and live that all day.
Review your goals, plans and strategies to achieve your vision. Adjust as needed.
Make a to do list that is limited to high value tasks that help you achieve your goals. Prioritize. Focus.
Finally, break your addiction to email and computer. Stop letting them control your attention. Focus on email as a tool you can use during your workday to meet specific goals.

Having control of our energy, our space and where we place our attention is important to our success. Begin to incorporate these steps and notice the difference this will make.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Sacrificing Your Business

April 9, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Frank has a strong vision of the business he is creating yet everyday he does things that sabotage his success. I met with Frank for the second time yesterday. Our first conversation was about his business – mostly the facts. The meeting yesterday was to assess the state of his business and create a business development plan for the year.

Frank was full of bravado that I knew masked a deep fear so I delved. He kept saying he was moving forward, making changes, etc. I could see his uncertainty and fear behind this. He was not going to be successful without being honest with himself. His wife, partner and bookkeeper told him they need $30,000 per month to survive, pay bills and put food on the table. They have been generating $15,000/mo. since the beginning of the year. They are at risk of loosing this business and Frank was hiding.

We talk about what it would take to turn this around. Sales was his answer. Who does sales for the business? He does. How much time does he spend doing sales? Not enough. Where does he spend his time? Responding to what comes up.

These answers are not uncommon. Frank is getting in the way of the success of his business. He is scared so he does those things during the day that make him feel good and valued. He is very good at solving customer problems. They love him so given the choice of helping someone who loves him versus making sales calls he choses the former. He is working within his comfort zone, what feels good and is validating. I understand why he does this though when we want to create a change it means getting out of our comfort zone, doing something new that will make a real difference and create the change that is needed.

He defended his need to serve his customers. I challenged him asking if sacrificing his business was worth making his customers happy at this critical juncture. We created a plan to do both. The plan included daily sales efforts which he avoids and will find any reason to do otherwise as well as time to work with customers. Both times of the day are important and cannot replace each other.

At the end of the consultation Frank thanked me for making him get out of his bravado, hiding and helping him face the reality of the weaknesses in his business. Now he feels he is ready to address them to move his company into profitability. His next step was to complete the business development plan for 2014 that we started. This will help him stay focused on the high value tasks and not hide dong what he makes him comfortable and that he enjoys doing.

Frank is not unlike most business owners. If any of this rings true for you then it is time to get out of your comfort zone. Take the steps that are uncomfortable but will make a real difference.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Decision Making Is Overrated

March 29, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

We do not always have to make a decision. We can make a really good decision or be completely off the mark. While there is no science to decision-making there are ways to make them better. We make decisions all the time. Mostly we do not pay attention because the decision is obvious though not always easy. We make most decisions without a second thought throughout the day in our personal lives and in our work.

Whose Problem Are You Solving?

It is always important to know when we do not need to make a decision. Others may place their problem in our space demanding that we decide to solve a problem they have. Knowing what is our problem and what belongs to someone else helps us in many ways. That is the topic of another blog. For this context knowing when we need to make a decision and when we do not is critical. Knowing our goal comes first then knowing if making this decision is moving us toward that goal or distracting us.

Does It Feel Right?

Decisions based on facts, data, information, advice, etc. that make sense are made easily. We have no doubt and decide. Other times the facts, data, information, tell us one way to decide while our gut feeling says there is another. While I never recommend that we make a decision based on gut feeling (second chakra) gut feelings are an important red flag to stop, step back and reflect because something is not right. In general if it does not feel right then something is off.

Trust Your Intuition

Step back, check the information and take the time to separate your energy from the question so that you can gain perspective to determine why it does not feel right. There is always a reason for this feeling. If you know how to meditate us this to clear your thinking. When we step back, calm the body, clear our thinking, clear everyone else’s energy and thinking out of our space then we can see more clearly. Listening to our intuition is an important to making good decisions. How many times have we said, “I knew that would happen!” or “I wish I had trusted my intuition on that.” This is hard with others are pushing you in a different direction. Being in touch with your clear perspective and in touch with your intuition about the decision guides us in making good decisions.

Don’t Decide

Sometimes the best decision is not to decide. I know that is not logical but you know what I mean because we have all had that experience. When making a decision at that time does not feel right then simply not deciding is the best decision. It is amazing how many things are solved this way.

Be Certain

The best decisions are those made when we are certain. If we learn to step back, clear our thinking, release the energy in the body and the emotions, ours and others, then we can see more clearly. Meditation is a good way to find perspective. Gaining clarity and certainty are the prerequisites to making a good decision then trusting your intuition.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Meditation

Take the Time to Make Time

March 4, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

There is no topic less interesting than time management and yet I was recently part of a discussion on this. Most of us hate the idea of time management and others seem to manage their time with no effort. What if I said there is no such thing as time? That time is simply a construct we create to organize our thinking. There is science behind this concept but that is not the point of this blog.

Choices

On a practical level one person in the conversation did not understand why people have a problem with time management. To him it is just about making the right choices each day. For him it is simple. For others they just know they do not have enough time. Still others have the time but time flies without accomplishing what they intended. I am sure there are other scenarios as well.

Intuitive Perspective

From an intuitive perspective each of us are programmed in our concepts about time. Our thoughts are often unconscious and so they become a habit. We react in the same way in relationship to time, each and every time. During the discussion the organizer polled us on various questions related to time management. Everyone answered and they summarized the poll. Intuitively I saw that we would answer those questions the same no matter when we were asked, last week, last year, next year, etc. We are each programmed to think and react to time in a particular way.

Claire

Working with my client, Claire, I saw she was overwhelmed with the idea of no time or not having enough time. Granted it is a busy season for her but I noticed that her body was tense. Her energy was tight. She seemed stressed. She was not behind in her plans for the day because it was early morning and it had not started. I asked her about her schedule for the day. It was grounded and clear. She had a well thought out plan for her day. I asked about her priorities and what she needed to get done. Claire was clear and knew exactly and in what order she needed to do certain tasks. So why the tension? This question caught her off guard. She was not aware of how stressed she felt then realized that when she thinks about her schedule and her work she reacts in this way in her body. It is automatic and without thought.

This is true for most of us. When we consider time management, prioritizing our work, creating a schedule and a plan to get things done we have an automatic and unconscious way of being. What is that for you? Is it the way that you want to be? Is it causing you not to achieve your goals or in the way you desire?

Multi-Tasking Distorts Time

I admit I am one of those people who can get tense if I am not paying attention. As a teenager and young adult I was taught that multi-tasking was a sign of being very capable so I learned to do many things at once, to have my attention divided. That way of being is very stressful on the body because it requires that you are never present with one thing.

A New Approach

Later I learned that being this way I was busy but not accomplishing my goals so I changed my approach. Now I focus intently on the most important task first to its completion then on to the next. This is a very effective approach for me. I also noticed that though my actions changed my thinking about time and how I felt in my body did not. I still felt like I was multi-tasking and not having enough time. I needed to change this as well.

Real Change

Meditation is a great tool for creating change. I knew my thoughts and reactions were unconscious, automatic ways of being. In meditation each morning I take the time to stop, get quiet and go within. From there I notice my thinking and change it. I become aware of how I am holding energy in my body and relax, release until the tension is gone. Next I decide how I want to be and feel in my body, in my work and in my life this day. The idea of present time (this day) is powerful. How do I want to feel and be right now then feeling that way in my body and changing my thinking to support how I want to be? Some days it is easier to do than others but I stay quiet until I can make these changes because if I do not then nothing changes.

Next Step

What is your relationship to time and time management? What do you want to change? Changing our time management skills happens on several levels so just deciding to change is not enough. Real change happens in body, mind and spirit. So create a time management plan to change your thinking (mind) about time then take the time to meditate to create change in body and spirit. Making these changes in some miraculous way creates time. This is not logical but it is very intuitive. So take the time to make time.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Did you do it yet? Do you have a plan?

February 2, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

January has passed and by all means possible it is my hope that you did it – your plan for 2014. Whether you are a business owner or a professional focused on success, a written plan is a must do activity. It is fine to have an idea or even know what you want to have happen but there is magic to writing it down, a level of commitment that most of us need. Granted there are exceptions to this rule but they are few and far between. For most of us having a grounded written plan is essential for success. You can easily tell whether you are in the “most of us” category or the “few and far between” category. Are you consistently achieving your grandest vision for yourself each year?

We all achieve some of our goals. Those are the easy ones. The goals are clear to us. We have no difficulty seeing them happen. Most importantly we don’t have any energy, thoughts or beliefs that get in our way that create doubt and so those goals manifest without a second thought.

Beyond Your Reach

Then there are the goals that always seem beyond our reach, challenging to accomplish or simply more difficult to achieve. These goals take a plan – a written plan. As an intuitive I know that everything we wish to create begins with knowing what that is then being able to imagine or seeing it happen in our mind’s eye. These are first and very important, but there is more.

Goals

For that vision to manifest takes concrete actions to bring it into the physical reality. A vision without action remains a dream or a fantasy. Translating our vision into goals (small steps) moves our reality from where we are now to where we want to be. This is where the magic happens.

Write It Down

Going through the process of writing down our vision, the goals (small steps to getting there) and the plan of how to make this happen is all about making your vision real. Writing a plan helps us take bigger steps more quickly as we focus our attention and our awareness. In this way we are not lost in thought, distracted by whomever or whatever grabs our attention.

Vision & Goals

Often people write goals though achieving only goals may not bring us the result we want. It is so much more powerful to know your vision for success first, write goals to get you there next then the plan to achieve those goals.

Not Too Late

It is not too late. You can write your plan at any time so that you can move from where you are now to where you want to be next. If you find you cannot make yourself write it down you may also find you have difficulty creating change in your life. You can change everything by sitting down and writing it all out. It does not have to be perfect. It should be a living document so that if strategies do not create the results you intended then you can create new strategies until your goals and your vision of success begins to manifest. Take the time and see how writing out your plan changes things.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Plan for Success

Visualization Is Not A Fad or a Fancy

January 13, 2014January 12, 2014 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

Visualization is an ability we all have. From an intuitive perspective if you can imagine something clearly in your mind’s eye (visualize) you can manifest it. If, on the other hand, you find that you cannot image something then it does not happen. This is not a logical concept, but it is very intuitive.

Visualization is an important topic for January of any year. We all make resolutions, set goals, many of which will never come to fruition. One reason is though we may want something to happen we cannot imagine it happening (visualize) so it won’t.

Three Techniques

Scientists have found three techniques that work for being successful at something: visualize success, model someone else’s behavior and vicarious learning. None of these engage thinking. Scientists observed that the more basic (perhaps intuitive) parts of the brain kick into gear and activate around these experiences the more likely we are to create success.

Michael Lardon, UC San Diego School of Medicine, states that his research has convinced him that visualizing past successes is the most effective way to influence change. This fits my experience as well. No matter how devastated someone is in the moment if they have been successful up to this point, I urge them to feel that success in present time. This ability to re-stimulate successful energy can change your energy back to that level of experience. On the other hand if you feel, think and imagine failure you can create that as well. Be careful what you think.

Scientists refer to the ability to recall past successes as finding the “true data points”. An intuitive explanation would be to restimulate a past time energy and memory, feel that success in the body, recall and create a mental image of that success in present time.

Perhaps you want to be successful in an area that is new to you. Always start by visualizing (imaging) what they success looks like and feels like. Then try the other two techniques, modeling and vicarious learning. Intuitively this means to find others who are successful in ways that you desire. Spend time with them. Intuitively match their vibration of success. The way your energy is now is creating precisely what you have. If you want something different then your energy needs to change. Change to what? Change to the energy level of others who are successful in the ways you desire.

For me modeling and vicarious learning are the same process, match energy of successful people, observe their actions and visualize doing it that way. Your energy, your body and your mind will change in ways necessary so that you can manifest this goal.

Now there are other factors that affect our success but if you are clear about what you want, don’t entertain negative thoughts and feel determined then you are ready for success. First see if you can visualize what you desire. Visualize often until you can see yourself clearly having, being or doing it. Meditation is a good way to do t his. Spend time around those who are successful in ways you desire and match their energy of success.

Let me know about your experiences with success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Why Do You Think That Way?

December 16, 2013December 3, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Knowing that thoughts are creative means to be careful what you think. This past month I did a series on thinking. It included being aware of where we get lost in thought, stuck in our thinking, create negative thoughts and other possibilities. In essence I noticed that we take little control of our thinking and, in fact, are not be aware this is happening.

Why do we dwell on thoughts that invalidate our goals and our vision for ourselves? This happens all the time. We just go with it. Whatever we dwell on manifests. That may not be logical but it is very intuitive. Notice for yourself what do you dwell on. Do these thoughts support your vision of success? If so, I am going to guess that you are succeeding. Do you dwell on thoughts that bring you down, focus on what is not happening or reasons why it is not happening? I am going to guess that you are frustrated in not achieving your goals. Without deciding which came first the chicken or the egg simply change your thinking and see what happens.

This is not as easy as it sounds because we are set in our ways, have little control of our thinking and worse yet we believe our thinking as if it was right and true. There is a great deal of research that shows how our thinking can be dead wrong. Yikes!

I was giving a talk this week to a group of business owners and thoughts about their business. One young woman stated emphatically that she was going to have to work 24/7 to be successful in her real estate business. regrettably there would be no time for husband and family. I asked her, “Why do you think that way?” She looked surprised. I asked her if she really wanted to create her career in that way, working 24/7 and not having a family. I suggested that she could change her thinking after all it was only her thinking and not necessarily true. Could she imagine being successful and having a husband and family?

A physician told me that she was concerned this time of year because people don’t go to the doctor during holidays. I asked her why she thought that way. She also looked surprised as I suggested another way of thinking. How about thinking that people decide to go to the doctor during the holidays because things are slower, they have time off or it is easier to take time off. Surprised she agreed this is a possibility as well. Which way would you direct your thinking?

We have free will and free thinking so why not create thoughts that support your vision of success in your personal and professional life. How might things be different if we did not dwell on thoughts that negated this vision. Take control of your thinking. Catch yourself and change your thinking in ways that support your success.

Best wishes, Kay

http://www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com

Goal Not Happening

December 2, 2013November 24, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

What goal is still not being achieved? What part of your vision is not manifesting? This is frustrating when we are achieving goals and manifesting our vision in all areas except here. If there was a logical solution you would have found it by now so let’s take an intuitive approach. What is it within you that’s in the way? Knowing that thoughts are creative, as are emotions, find out what you believe.

Karen, Attorney at Law

One of my clients is an attorney with a fast growing practice. Karen decided to change from having a law practice to having a law business. We worked together to make this shift. This means she is more than an attorney. She is a business owner. With the enthusiasm of this change Karen brought in many new clients and was in heaven. After the glow (high energy) of this change wore off Karen started to hit a wall. She was not meeting her financial targets and began to doubt herself.

On the face of it, she was doing all the right things so what happened? Karen is self-aware so she knew to look within. Karen found that at her core she believed that she could not run a business that she was just an attorney. There are lots of reasons for this limited belief but more importantly Karen found it was her own thinking that was putting on the brakes. Armed with this awareness she became determined to release the limiting thoughts and hold her vision to create a successful law business. And she is.

Sarah, Realtor

Sarah is a realtor. She is young and would like a family but sincerely believes that if she wants to be successful in her career it will take all her time, hard work and attention. This means she will have to put off her vision for being married. When she told this to me I asked her why she was creating her reality this way. It was precisely what she did not want to happen but believed it firmly. I asked Sarah if she could imagine being a successful realtor, having a relationship and being married. Sarah looked surprised. She had spent so much of her time struggling with her own thinking that said either/or that she did not even consider the possibility of having both. When Sarah realized it was her own thinking in her way it changed everything for her.

Max, Bakery owner

Max owns a bakery. He works 24/7 or so it feels that way. When Max called me he was at his wit’s end and about to give up his store. I asked him the same question. Why are you creating your business this way? Can you imagine another way? With that Max came up with a list of reasons: can’t find good help, can’t trust others to do it as well as he can, can’t afford to hire enough people, etc. His list was long. Knowing that thoughts are creative I asked Max why he chose to hold these thoughts as the basis for his business. These beliefs will destroy his business. Max never considered that he was the cause of his unhappiness and was not familiar with the notion that thoughts are creative.

Max was willing to try anything to save his business. He agreed to learn meditation as a way to become self-aware, clear his thinking and create a new vision of success that more aligned to what he valued. Max was able to imagine his bakery running successfully with the help of staff and soon after fired a handful of people who share his vision. His business is thriving without him being there 24/7.

What About You?

What part of your vision is not manifesting? What goals seem to elude you? Now become aware of your thoughts creating this. Clear your thinking. Imagine your vision and goals manifesting. Allow things to change and your vision to manifest.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

How are your thoughts in your way?

Meditate – Everyone is Doing It!

November 18, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Things don’t have to be this way. They are this way because it is what we believe. I know this is hard to hear especially if you are busy in your life and don’t have the time to stop thinking, solving and working.

From an intuitive perspective I can see how we are creating what we have and what we experience now. It is not a mystery except to ask, “Why do I think that things are this way?” Or “Why do I believe this (your experiences) to be true?”

All Gone Wrong

The only way to find that answer from my perspective is to stop, get quiet and meditate because the answer is not a logical one. I was telling my daughter what a tough time I was having last week. My staff was not showing up, my clients were cancelling, etc. It felt all-wrong and there was not logical explanation so I stopped stressing and decided to mediate. In meditation I can get quiet, pull my energy out of the problem, my thoughts about it, the stories I was making up in my mind, get my space back and get back to the way I truly like to be.

Now I cannot explain to you why things got so out of whack because in my mediation I was aware that it was not one thing but a series of things that I reacted to and collectively they altered my energy and, therefore, my reality. Within an hour of that meditation (which was simply to become aware of myself in present time) everything seemed to turn around 180 degrees. This is not logical but it is very intuitive.

Use Both Sides of Your Brain

We can work mostly from our logic, work hard, solve problems, stress about what is not as we want it to be or we can use both of our abilities – logic and intuition. To benefit from our intuition we have to quiet the body (which is so loud and demanding) and clear our thinking (stop being logical for a moment). It is hard to stop our thinking, our logic< and get quiet enough to meditate but that is where the miracle happens.

FastCompany

FastCompany magazine November 2013, “Want Success? Meditate. The centuries old practice has its skeptics, but science confirms it: Meditation, advocated by an increasing number of successful business people, leads to a happier, more productive, and more creative life. This deep dive exposes how the process affects our brains, from weakening our capacity for anxiety to dramatically improving our ability to fitter out distractions and retain new facts.”

Ray Dalio on Meditation

Meditation is becoming a common tool successful business owners use and are talk about more and more. This is not surprising to me because once you create the practice you experience the change immediately but it requires taking the time to try. Ray Dalio, Hedge Fund Genius, says meditation is secret to his success.

Find Your Style

There are many forms of meditation. I use an intuitive form of meditation because I work with people who have big visions and this style works in manifesting visions. Any form of meditation has value so pick one that suits you and start.

This morning my week looked grim so I meditated and by noon my companies had two new contracts out of blue or I should say, “Out of my meditation.” My recommendation – meditate every day. It will make all the difference.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Meditation for Business Owners and Professionals.

Change Required

November 13, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Success is not elusive. Achieving goals is not a mystery. Nothing is impossible when we can see clearly and get out of our own way.

What does that mean?

There are a few essential steps to assure success and while the basics are the same (know your vision, see it clearly in your mind’s eye and take determined action to move in that direction), I find that I add elements to this list for each person I coach. It might be to:

Clear their thinking about _______
Change routine way of doing ______
Or wherever else I see intuitively you are getting in your way.

Sometimes people can hear what I see and sometimes they cannot. It depends on how attached someone is familiar ways of being, doing or thinking. We can be unconscious to ourselves.

If we want something new or different then change is required. That change can be on a number of levels. It could be a change in our thinking, our routine, habits, pastime ways of doing things and wherever we are set in our ways.

Working with business owners and professionals we name everything they do that supports their success and what they do that gets in their way. It is fascinating to unravel this. Mostly we don’t realize that we are in our own way. Our way of being is just so much a part of our unconsciousness.

The most common way that we get in our own way (and it is becoming more prevalent) is our attachment to email and social media. A large part of our time can get lost in these two places taking our attention off our vision and our goals and placing it squarely on what others have to say, want from us or something that we find interesting.

The Keys.

Know your vision of success.
See it clearly in your mind’s eye (meditate on it because seeing is different than thinking).
Take determined action.
Then I add my suggestions specific to you. It may be getting focused because there is too much grabbing your attention.
You are multitasking and not achieving your goals.
Maybe I’ll see that you are really really busy but not achieving your vision of success. Busy does not create success.

There are others ways as well but I would have to talk with you to know what those are for you. You probably know some of them but not all because you are unconscious to them.

Most important is to know you must change! How you are now, how you think, how you spend your time and the energy level you do it from is creating precisely what you have in present time which may be fine but if you want something different then your energy and patterns have to change.

How are you getting in your own way? Know the changes you can make to support your success.

I saw two videos recently that for me show these dichotomies. One is a dancer. He reminds me to let energy move, let things change, lighten up and let go.

The other is much more serious report on how distorted our thinking can become. How we can work without awareness. Here they are. Enjoy!

Dance

Five Monkeys

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Inspired Success Coaching and EMyth Business Coaching.

Don’t Start Work Until

September 18, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

We get up. We go to work. We work hard and don’t always meet our goals and more importantly our vision of success. Getting things done. Completing our To Do List is not important. Are you surprised? One of my clients told me that she has a To Do List that for her is everything. If she does not get that list completed every day then she does not feel that she has accomplished anything. On the other hand when she does complete her to do list she is no closer to being successful.

So what does this all mean? It means we are not focused in the correct way. Sure there are things to do but they are not your purpose, vision or intention of why we do what we do. So often we become doers and lose sight of where we are going. The rest of the title of this blog is “Don’t Start Work Until You See and are Focused on Your Vision of Success”.

Don’t Leave This Blog

As an intuitive Business Coach I recommend all my clients to begin their day with meditation. I know half of you just left this blog because I mentioned meditation but there is no other sure way to promote your success. You won’t understand this until you experience it for yourself. Meditation is simply a way to quiet the body and clear your thinking so that you can regain perspective.

Busy But Not Successful

If you run off and start doing whatever you think you should do, the body will be energized and your mind buzzing on whatever is at hand and it may not be the best choice to achieve your vision. On the other hand if you start with meditation (quieting the body and clearing your thinking) how might things be different than starting our day from thoughts left in our head from the day before that have nothing to do with achieving success or an emotional reaction to something we experienced which also has nothing to do with our success.

Reacting & Stuck Thinking

So often we are reacting to what is on our mind or in our space instead of being clear about the actions can we take to move us further in our success. Don’t just be busy. Don’t be reactive. Don’t get lost in your thinking which can take you way off target. Stop. Clear your thinking. Let go of all the energy in your space then see clearly what is the next step and what can you do today to further your success. Ask that question when you are clear and quiet. That is the most important question you can ask and from the space of clarity.

Try This Meditation

Find a comfortable and quiet place. Allow yourself the time to do this well so don’t rush. That is not to say it will take a long time. It will take the time that it takes depending on how easily you are able to get grounded and quiet in present time.

Sit in a chair in a comfortable and quiet place.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and as you exhale relax and release tension (energy). Repeat as needed until you feel relaxed in your chair.
Be grounded. Feel and see yourself connected deeply into the ground.
Be centered. Bring your attention behind your eyes into the center of your head. Notice what that feels like.
Stop thinking. Be aware of being centered.
Have your space. Imagine all of your energy in around you – within arms reach.
Don’t be scattered or distracted.
Be present in the moment. Notice yourself breathing.
Don’t let your mind wander. Be present.

(Repeat until you are grounded, centered, have your space and are present in the moment)

Now meditate (imagine) your vision of success (personally and professionally).
- See it clearly in your mind’s eye.

(If you cannot see your vision of success then do this often until you can because the things that manifest are those that you can see clearly. Think of them as the blueprint.)

Once you can see your vision of success begin to notice any thoughts you have that argue with your success. Clear and let go of these thoughts. They are just your thinking. They are not true unless you decide they are.
Now in your mind’s eye see the steps you can take today to move you further along. Don’t think. Use your intuition. Meditate and know your next step.
- It may be an uncomfortable step, one that you are avoiding, something you resist, etc. Decide to take it!
- Take a deep breath. Stretch. Come out of meditation.

Do this everyday. Each day you will become clearer. Each day you will see the benefit of taking this time to be clear. Also observe how each day goes when you begin this way.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Please share your experiences with meditation and success.

Meditation

Stop the DO to Be Successful

June 13, 2013June 12, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

We have to get out of the DO before we lose everything! Does that resonate with you?

My focus is your success so I am always watching and observing what we do that supports our success and what we do that gets in the way. In this blog we are going to look at how being busy, doing lots of things, multi-tasking and focusing on details can get in our way.

I am a details person so I am not suggesting that paying attention to details is a problem but what is a problem is paying more attention to details than the big picture.

Success is a vision of something big we want to have, be or do. It is the big picture of what we are creating, our blue print of sorts. When we have a clear vision and can see it clearly in our mind’s eye it is manifesting. Too often we lose sight of our vision and get lost in the details. I love the term “loose sight” because that is exactly what happens.

When we lose sight our success begins to diminish and we wonder what happened. Just as easily we can place our attention back on the vision and make that focus of our attention. So rather focusing on sorting widgets and doing a really good job at it we can refocus on the big picture pulling our energy out of DOING things.

Being busy and working hard do not equal success. I know lots of people who are busy everyday and work really hard but are not achieving their vision of success. For the most part this happens when they confuse a good idea with a clear vision. A good idea is a thought we have about what we want our success to be. A vision of success is our ability to see that idea manifesting clearly in our mind’s eye. We can imagine it happening and can “see” it happening.

When we get lost in doing things and being busy we lose sight of our vision, it is diminished. We find that we are just busy, working hard and getting things done. None of this will create success of itself.

The next step is to take time each day to meditate and see clearly in your mind’s eye your vision of success. Don’t think about it. See it. Imagine it. Only then will the actions your take manifest your vision.

When we can see our vision happening then it is. If we do not see our vision clearly it is not manifesting so working harder won’t make a difference. Spend time meditating, clearing your thinking until you can see your vision of success. When you see it then all the hard work you are doing and all the details will pay off.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Secret Sauce for Success

May 12, 2013May 12, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

The San Francisco Business Times Small Business Summit was held this week. It was a refreshing look at the state of small businesses with reports from their research group and a discussion among panel of small business owners, Mike Puente, Owner, House of Bagels; Peggy Howse, President & CEO, All Seas Wholesale Inc.; Babette Pinsky, Owner, Babette; Joy Chen, CEO, Yes To Inc.

Research report indicates that businesses have had a tough time since 2008 bu that owners feel optimistic and see a move toward increased profitability.

The three business owners identified their secrets to success and not surprisingly they agreed on the secret sauce that helped them survive. I want to share

Being incredibly focused on the most important strategies for your success
Put attention only on what matters
Be passionate about your product and service, its contagious
Convey that passion to a your clients, vendors and staff
Believe in yourself and your business
Look forward, focus forward and keep moving

Take a moment and self-assess. Where are you now relative to these and what can you change? It will make a difference.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

The Right People in the Right Positions

May 12, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

I met with a new client yesterday. Kathy is the President and CEO of a very successful family owned business with two of her sisters working for her. Kathy finds she is doing a lot of the work and wants to hire but does not know how because she has never done this before.

Set in Their Ways

As we spoke it became clear the problem is more complex than simply hiring. Because this is a family business that has been around for over 30 years many of the staff have been on board for 20+ years. Loyalty is a great asset but it only works when the long-term staff is willing to develop new skills, allow change and grow professionally. Kathy feels her staff are “stuck in their ways”, not interested in learning new technologies, changing systems or changing their roles. They have gotten into routines and habits that keep the company from growing. Kathy cannot fire them because they are loyal employees. They are LIKE family. Then there are her two sisters who are not about to have Kathy tell them what to do. She can’t fire them. They ARE family.

New Vision of Success

Kathy wants to take the business to a new level. She is creative and has a new vision for their success. She is the CEO but finds no one else wants to change. She even finds herself doing a lot of the day-to-day work assigned to staff and her sisters that somehow bounces back to her.

New Organizational Design

I took an intuitive perspective on this with Kathy. Her father made all of agreements with staff when he ran the business. They are not her agreements (spiritual or other wise). It was time for Kathy to develop her own vision for the staffing of her business. For Kathy it begins with letting go of the energy and pictures that say there is no hope, that she is saddled with her dad’s agreements and sisters who don’t share her vision to grow the business.

As an intuitive I know the power of a clear vision so Kathy’s first step is to meditate on the kind of staffing she knows she needs to manifest her vision. This is not about specific people but rather the ideal structure, positions and functions – an org chart.

When Kathy is clear in her mind’s eye of how she sees staffing the business to achieve her vision then we agreed that she would it down – not to be shared. This is just for her work as the visionary/CEO of the company. She would also write down her vision of the business in three years. This she would share with her sisters first seeking their input then the staff inviting everyone to work toward this vision.

Who Fits In?

Once she has a clear vision of the business and the staffing then she must take her attention off and stop resisting her current staffing and her frustrations with everyone. It is my experience that when an owner begins in this way everything starts to change. Kathy will start to assign work to her current staff in a way that fits her vision, slowing creating change. As she does this she will see a change in the staff.

Don’t Resist What Is

By creating a vision of what she wants it begins to manifest. This is different than resisting what is. (Resistance perpetuates what you don’t want.) Intuitively staff will feel the change. Staff who is in agreement with her vision will begin to fit into one of the positions on her org chart. Staff who are not in agreement will suddenly find a new job, decide to retire or force themselves to be fired. This is not a coincidence. That is just how a vision manifests.

Steps To Create Change

This is a story about a family owned business but the intuitive principles apply to every business. If you are a business owner take the time to meditate on your business. First see clearly the vision you have for the next three years. Write it down. Be clear in present time. Now meditate on the ideal staffing to get you there. Write this down. Finally begin to act in ways that support your vision. Read and meditate on this everyday then watch this vision manifest.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Staff Supporting Your Vision

April 30, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Karen owns an interior design company and when I first met her she was working out of a large one-room office in Berkeley with another designer in a one-room office in Concord. She had an office manager and two part-time designers. She rented space to another designer to help pay the bills.

Karen’s work was well respected and her clients liked working with her but she was not making enough money to create the kind of company she wanted. We worked on her vision. She was able to dream big and was not afraid to face her demons, the pictures and energy that were in her way.

The first step was to use meditation as a tool to clear her thinking, to clarify her vision and to get out of fear. Karen wanted to approach her business from an intuitive perspective so meditation was an easy fit for her.

One of Karen’s big obstacles was her staff. They did not share her vision. Something had to change so the next step was to bring staff into alignment with her vision or let them go. It was a rocky time as Karen is a healer meaning she wants to help people. This hurt her business. Her rates were low and she gave more to her staff than they gave to her business. Her Berkeley staff decided to leave and subsequent hires did not go well as Karen hired people she felt compassion for. They call came and went.

In meditation Karen released her need to heal the people that she hired. Finally she was able to find enough neutrality to hire highly qualified staff that supported her vision and who she did not have to heal. This changed everything.

With this new staff Karen felt comfortable changing her rates to the level that supported her value and the value of her company. To make this work Karen had her lead staff receive coaching as well with the goal that each of them would own their department, set goals, clear their thinking and have a strong vision of success in their area of responsibility.

Did I mention “departments”? Yes, her company in its new design has departments, home design, office design and sales. Her staff is in agreement with her vision; see their role in creating success and use meditation as a way to stay clear and focused.

This year Karen opened her third office in Marin and expanded her offices in Berkeley and Concord. She was able to do this because she was willing to get out of her own way, to see where she was stuck, release energy and create a clear vision. Inviting her staff to share in her vision and her practice of using intuition and meditation strengthened this. Karen’s greatest challenge is to not let fear stop her and to watch when she is healing everyone. She is eager to be self-aware and how she is creating her success. This year with strong staff in place her focus is on her personal life so that her business serves her life.

Having a vision is powerful. Having your staff share your vision is more powerful.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Be At Ease

April 24, 2013April 24, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Most of us associate work with stress or effort. This is so familiar that we become tense automatically at the thought of work without noticing. Consider being at ease at work. Does that even seem possible? Being in effort is most often an automatic response. Being at ease at work is a choice we can make. It means being conscious and aware of how we want to be in the moment, choosing to be at ease.

When we are in stress, resistance, tension or other energies that create effort we will notice that our life and our work mirrors this. This is not a coincidence. Being at ease is a way to turn things around, cause things to flow and for our goals to manifest more easily.

Sometimes our energy is light meaning it is moving at a high vibration, light in color, and other terms that describe ease. What does it mean to be at ease? From an intuitive perspective it means energy moving without resistance and vibrating at a high energy level, being at ease in body, mind and spirit.

Being at ease begins when we are grounded in present time. This helps the body relax. Being at ease means not thinking – just being present and aware in the moment as you observe what is going on with you and around you. Being at ease means being aware of yourself, what you are being and how you are reacting in the moment. Being at ease means being in communication with yourself.

Notice if you can be at ease. Notice where you are not at ease. Release, let go, stop resisting, be neutral – which means not reacting. Just observe. Notice yourself being at ease. If you have never truly ever been at ease you may not know yet what that is or how to get there.

Intuitive exercise: with your eyes closed imagine a gauge in front of you from 0 – 100. Without thinking have the gauge show you how close you are to being at ease – 5% 10% 50%. Are you surprised?

I was working with a client this morning and she was NOT at ease. She was stressing but was not aware of it because she is in a constant state of stress about one thing or another. So for her the goal is to stop and be at ease before she goes to work, makes a decision or interacts with her staff.

Are you able to be at ease at work? What are your thoughts about being at ease at work? Is it the idea that it is WORK so by its very nature it should be stressful? What is your programming? Meditate on the aspects of your work that allow you to be at ease and the aspects that don’t. Change your reaction. Decide to be at ease at work. Can you imagine that? If you are at ease at work how might your work be different?

The client I was working with this morning had many reasons why she was not at ease with other people and why they were the cause of her lack of ease. I smiled then she smiled. The cause is never outside of us. We have the ability to act and react in any way we choose. So what do you choose? There is no logic here. You simply get to choose. Free will. You can choose to be or not to be at ease. What do you choose? If being in stress is a habit and being at ease is not familiar then it will take focus and attention to break that routine and create a new way of being.

How might your work be different if you were at ease with it? Try being at ease then notice what changes.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Focus on a goal – Create a miracle

April 4, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

On my way to give a presentation today on “Staying on Track to Achieve Goals” I created a miracle. One of the main concepts in my talk was the importance of focusing on one goal intently even if you are not certain how to make it manifest.

I took BART and realized I did not have the dollar to pay for my parking. I thought about paying on my way back after I got some cash then feared I would forget. I decided to use the focus concept from my presentation. I had to focus intently on my goal to make it manifest even if I was not certain how it would happen.

I went back down to the payment machines focused on finding a dollar to pay for my parking. As I approached the machines I saw one of them had a dollar bill hanging from it. My goal manifested!

Try it!

Kay

Inspired Success Coach

EMyth Certified Business Coach

How might the world be different if …..

April 1, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

Working with business owners and professionals focused on success is inspiring. My work with clients begins with knowing what is important to them and what they value. This is their compass for the success they are creating. Over the years I have read hundreds of values statements written by my clients and I continue to be inspired by them.

Not surprising these men and women share some values in common and it makes me wonder. How might the world be different if their values were shared by more people? I am not so naïve to expect that everyone can share these values but how might the world be different if more of us did?

How might the world be different if ….

More people cared.

No one lied.

We shared more.

Were angry less.

We showed more love.

We set aside our ego.

Started with having peace in our home.
Were at peace with everyone around us.
Had compassion.
Took responsibility for our effect on others.

Helped each other.

How might the world be different?

What would you add to this?

Best wishes, Kay

Business Coach

http://www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com

Your Routine is Killing Your Success

February 23, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ 1 Comment

Your routine could be killing your success. I was taught to get into a groove or a good routine. There is value in this if you want to truly keep the things as they are in your life. From an intuitive perspective routine holds them in place. It sets your thinking, energy and actions in a particular way so that your actions and experiences repeat with the same outcome.

Success or Change

Then there is your vision of success, goals you have and a change you want to make. This is where your routine can get in your way. When we want to create anything we don’t currently have then change happens and happens on a number of levels.

Set in Your Ways

Your thoughts, actions and your energy as they are now create precisely what you have and experience in your life at this moment. If you want something different or you want a change then something – and perhaps everything – has to change. If nothing changes then nothings changes. I love the term “set in your ways” as a reference to people who have a certain way of thinking or acting. We know they are not going to change. They are set.

Not Getting Our Goals

Well, in truth, most of us are “set in our ways”. Some more so than others. The first step to manifesting, creating or having something you don’t currently have is to get uncomfortable meaning get out of your routine. Get out of your comfort zone. What is amazing to me is how we stay in a routine or pattern even if it does not achieve the goals we want. We do it because it is our routine and it is familiar even if it does not create what we want. That’s nuts! Actually that’s routine.

Change is Not Easy

Getting out of our routine sounds like a simple thing to do but it is not. When I talk about routine I am talking about more than your schedule and what you do in your day. I am referring to being conscious about how you are in body, mind and spirit. How do you set your energy? How are you in your body? How do you think?

Sara

I have a new assistant. Her last job was in an atmosphere where everyone complained, acted in self-interest and in competition with each other. An awful work environment but not uncommon. After working there for many years she got into a routine, along with everyone else, of complaining, having a negative perspective and approaching everything as a problem. Why did I hire her you ask? I hired her because she is smart, experienced, high energy at her core, works independently and was continually promoted. My intuition said she is one really talented young woman who got into a routine of negativity. My office is set at a high vibration of creativity and success so when she started I noticed she approached everything as a problem. When I pointed this out to her she did not know she was doing this. She was unconscious to her routine.

Routines Get in the Way

Our routines can be destroying what we are trying to create and we are not aware of this because routines make us unconscious. We don’t think. We are not aware of how we are being in the moment. We act and react automatically. So the first step is to notice our routines, meaning our automatic ways of being in our lives and in situations. Notice do you always feel angry when you are about to do a particular activity. Change it. What is your usual energy level? Notice. Change it. To create change your energy has to be high enough. Its physics. Raise your vibration as the first change. Enjoy everything. If you cannot then you are in a routine of not enjoying. Change it.

Create Change

If you want something different than what you have then get out of your routine in body, mind and spirit not just once but moving forward. Change your schedule. Change your thinking about things. Change your energy (attitude). Raise your vibration. Place your attention on what you do want rather than what you have or what you don’t want. There are so many ways to change. The most important are your thinking and your energy and starting now.

Get out of your routine and focus on creating your vision of success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Consultations available.

Taking Charge of Change

February 16, 2013 ~ Kay Robinson ~ Leave a comment

If nothing changes then nothing changes. Creating change is more than just a decision.

Change is inevitable if we want something more or something that we do not now have. Creating change of any kind involves many levels in order to be accomplished. We fail to accomplish the change we want when any one of these levels does not change. Let’s go through this in a simple way.

What You Don’t Want

What is the change you want? This sounds so simple but it is not. Most respond by identifying what they don’t want, the situation they want out of, etc. This is a start but this does not accomplish the change you desire. It simply gets you out of what you don’t want. Remember that whatever you declare with certainty will manifest one-way or the other. The old saying “Be careful what you pray for.” It happens very often when we say we hate the job we are in. We want a new job but we don’t take action to get out of our job so as it turns out we are laid off or fired. How else can we get what we said we wanted? We did not take the action to leave our job so the only way for it to happen was to be removed. This happens in relationships as well. You might find yourself saying, “I need to get out of this relationship.” We do not take action to get out of the relationship then our partner leaves.

My point being we are good at saying what we don’t want and having that manifest though not always the way we want This happens because we did had the thought but did not create the change. We let it happen the only way it could. Are you following me here? So focus on what you do want. Know what you do want and let that manifest.

Can You Imagine It Happening?

Creating the change you desire begins with knowing clearly what you do want. The next step is to see that happening clearly in your mind’s eye, to imagine it, visualize it, or whatever term helps you realize your ability to see what you want. This is a state of seeing not thinking or knowing.

See It Happening Now

See your vision or your goal fully manifested in present time. If you imagine in the future then it will forever be something you imagine in the future. The tricky part that defies reality is to imagine it happening NOW. This is the only way that your reality can change. If you imagine it in the future then nothing changes.

How Does It Feel?

Once you can see this in your mind’s eye the next step is to know what this feels like in the body. Actually experience this vision in present time. Change happens when we can imagine something new, see it clearly in our mind’s eye, feel the difference in our body, emotions, etc.

Do this often. Do it in meditation so that your logic and fears don’t get in your way. Once you have your vision everything begins to change, subtly and not so subtly. Observe, don’t control and allow the changes to manifest.

Try this today. The steps are: to know what you want to create; to see it clearly in your mind’s eye actually happening now; feel yourself being in this new place of change and, finally, allow change to happen.

Please add your comments and experiences to this conversation.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Intuition in Life & Success

Whatever you imagine is being created!

Getting your goals

Back Off and Back Up

How I Spend My Day

Help Me Focus

Multi-tasking done right

Work fast. Work hard. Really?

What you don’t know is important

Not A Problem!

Hold Your Head High

Manifesting the hard way

Stuck on the Wrong Solution

Start Your Day This Way for Success

Sacrificing Your Business

Decision Making Is Overrated

Take the Time to Make Time

Did you do it yet? Do you have a plan?

Visualization Is Not A Fad or a Fancy

Why Do You Think That Way?

Goal Not Happening

Meditate – Everyone is Doing It!

Change Required

Don’t Start Work Until

Stop the DO to Be Successful

Secret Sauce for Success

The Right People in the Right Positions

Staff Supporting Your Vision

Be At Ease

Focus on a goal – Create a miracle

How might the world be different if …..

Your Routine is Killing Your Success

Taking Charge of Change

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