Our perspective on why we do what we do matters. Feeling like it’s a job, a profession or a business lacks awareness and understanding of our true nature. Everything we do, every decision we make is part of our calling, purpose or path. When we step back, take a deep breath, get out of our routine, we open to understanding the why behind what we do. This simple yet profound shift makes a huge difference on how we view ourselves, our work and our life. Take a deep breath and release.
I often hear from people the eternal question, “What am I meant to do?” asking as if the answer was some how out there if they could only find it. Their first solution is to change what they are doing, do something different, etc. That is never the answer.
Life is not about what we do – our occupation. It is about what we are bringing of who we are into the world, what we value and what is important to us. Our purpose, if you will, is to be who we are in the world, our lives and in our work. To do this takes inner awareness not seeking something outside ourselves. So if you find you are busy doing but feel there is more then go within.
Becoming conscious of ourselves and why we do what we do whether it is sorting widgets, manufacturing cosmetics or being a race car driver is the answer we are seeking. When we are self-aware of what part of ourselves we are being in this moment there is great enjoyment. When we unconsciously go through our day, in our routine we are not conscious and lack inspiration. It is not about our future. It is how we are being in this moment, present time.
Our life is working for us when all of who we are is reflected in what we do personally and professionally. This means being consistent across all aspects of our lives and showing integrity in each and every way. Integrity means intuitively to be your true self. Inspired success comes from this consistency. When we are not aware, consistent and congruent then we have more problems than we care to have, are frustrated, perhaps in pain and experience more failure than we need.
Take the time to meditate. Get quiet. Go within to have inner awareness of who you are at your core and let that energy flow into your life and your work.
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.
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.
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.
A common fear is failure. Others don’t fear it at all and, in fact, embrace the challenges the possibility of failure presents. These are two entirely different ways of being. Success can be the result of both reactions depending on how you approach it.
I conducted a meditation with business owners and professionals on the fear of failure. Now keep in mind it was not about actually failing just the fear of it. From an intuitive perspective, thoughts and energy are creative so the fear of failure creates ….. failure. We have to get out of fear or manage our fear if we want to be successful.
Meditation is a good tool for becoming aware of the fears that we hold. From the quiet of meditation we can release the energy of fear from our space. This works because the fear of failure is not logical and cannot be processed in that way. Fear is an energy that we can let go of when we are aware of it.
When Fear Is A Good Thing
Fear is important to have in cases of illness, injury, threat, etc. Fear creates a series of physiological reactions designed to make sure that we survive. When we are in fear all our energy goes to the first chakra at the base of the spine. Logic is set aside and replaced by automatic reactions. This is all good when we are in danger.
Fear of failure does not pose a threat to our life so having our body react in survival and our logic compromised is not helpful. It can cause us to act and react in ways that do not support our success.
Working with business owners and professionals I see this all the time. Most of my clients are self-aware and freely talk about their fears knowing they are not in danger but know that fear is in their way. Where these fears originate is a long story but for most of us fear begins at a young age. When we are not aware of the nature of fear we can let it control us.
Fear of Failure
The most common fears I hear are fear of failure, not being good enough and fear of finances. Some of my most successful clients express these fears often. If we are sensitive to fear it will be re-stimulated easily and often in our space. Suddenly we are in fear but we are not in danger. We can sit in the energy of fear or we can become aware that something just re-stimulated a memory, experience, emotion, stuck picture, etc. When we realize this we can take charge of our space and come out of fear. Each time we take a step out of fear we release another layer of energy. On the other hand when we sit in fear we add a layer of energy. Which do you choose?
Kathy’s Aware of Fear
Kathy owns a steel manufacturing company and is growing each month. Her greatest fear is failure despite all evidence to the contrary. Without going into her story suffice to say that she vividly remembers her dad’s fear of failure and how uncomfortable it made her feel. As she becomes aware of her own fear she steps back from it and resets her space to certainty as a women. She finds that her fear passes (releases) and she moves on.
Not resisting fear or failure is important to our success. Placing our attention and vision on what we are creating is a way of getting out of fear. Sitting in fear is not productive and, in fact, creates many physiological reactions that are harmful to our body, mind and spirit. So Fear Not!
Frank’s Fear
When we are in fear of failure it is easy to create stories in our mind that are not based in fact. Frank was in fear that his company was failing simply because he was waiting to hear on a bid he submitted. He did not hear back for so long that he created a story in his mind that he did not get the bid, went into fear and failure then called me. I asked why he was in fear? Why was he in failure? His bid had not been turned down. I suggested he use meditation to get out of fear and failure, to refocus his attention on being awarded the bid and being successful. Frank has free will so he can choose to focus on whatever vision he wants so why not chose to imagine success? Frank did this meditation for three days and felt better. Shortly afterwards he got a call that his bid was accepted. Success! Not a mystery. Not a coincidence. Frank changed his energy from fear of failure to visualizing success and so it manifested.
Notice if you are one of those who embrace the possibility of failure as a challenge to take a step up. Or are you more inclined to go into fear first? You can still embrace the challenge to take a step up. Fear Not.
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.
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.
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!
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.
This week was a look at how easy it is for business owners to get in the way of their success. Here is the story of one business owner getting in his own way. Jake has owned a large heating and air conditioning installation company for 18 yr. and suddenly it is about to go under.
Jake
Jake turned over the day-to-day operations of his company two years ago to two of his key staff. In general day-to-day operations is the function of managers and so that was a good strategy. On the other hand, Jake also stepped out, and unknowingly gave them the leadership of his company and this was his mistake.
Setting The Tone
For a business to succeed someone, typically the owner or CEO, sets the vision, values and the tone of the company. Staff, vendors and customers come to know this as the company’s brand which becomes how they feel about the company and what they expect in terms of customer service and product/service quality.
Abdicated Leadership
For two years, Jake trusted these employees, thought they were doing a good job and left them to run the business while he found new projects/customers to serve. This year Jake’s intuition told him he better come back as the leader of the company. He felt compelled by his intuition to ask for financial reports. With that both men quit leaving Jake with huge debt and little knowledge of the day-to-day operations, staff, vendors, customers and current operational procedures.
Admit Mistakes
Jake made several mistakes as a business owner but the one that harmed him the most was he gave up leadership of his company.
Jake had not been providing leadership from which all work would be done. One person has to define the vision for the company, the values they hold, the products and services provided and the way everyone will interact with each other, clients, vendors, investors, etc. When Jake gave up leadership, the two lead staff took over setting their own vision, imposing their own values and setting the tone for working with everyone. This change resulted in financial mismanagement, decreased quality and delivery of their products and services as well as relationships altered.
Now What?
When these two men left Jake had a crisis on his hands. He was in enormous debt, could not service his contracts, did not have qualified staff or systems in place, all the knowledge about the operations was held by the two that left and he had lost the faith of his bankers, staff, vendors and clients.
Jake’s Fears
How did Jake get into this mess? It was simple and could easily happen to any of us. Jake is educated and smart, but like all of us he does not know what he does not know as a business owner. Two years ago he felt like he did not know enough to keep his business going so rather than admit his uncertainty and finding a way to learn how to take his business to the next level he abdicated his business to others. Jake’s greatest weakness as a business owner is his fear of not knowing. His greatest strength is his knowledge of his industry and the high values that he brings to his business. His greatest fear, stated by him, is that he is not a leader. Jake is clearly a leader in his family of 14 children and his local community where he works to inspire youth to get an education and sees his role as helping others to be employed and productive. That sense of leadership is missing in his business.
Intuitive Perspective
Jake belongs to a very conservative religion that values humility and allowing others to be senior to them. This affects his ability to set his crown at a leadership vibration. Leadership from the crown chakra is different from the control and command form of leadership which comes from the third Chakra below the sternum.
From an intuitive perspective leadership vibrates in an energy center on the top of the head called the crown Chakra. When you hold your head high and straighten your spine, you experience an energy change. Try it. Suddenly you feel more certain. The crown Chakra sets the energy for our space. We can use this energy center to set the tone in any situation. Notice for yourself. Those who hold their head high show the energy of leadership, seniority and certainty. We notice, listen and pay attention to them. Those who hold their head low, bowed or below others give off the impression of not knowing, not being important, being weaker and certainly not a leader.
Be Willing to Learn and Change
Jake created a successful company for 16 years based on the information he had available to him then he hit his limit. He did not know how to manage or grow his $6 mil. company. In his fear of not knowing, he gave up leadership.
When Jake came back into the company and realized how desperate the situation was he called to discuss business coaching. He was willing to admit that he did not know what it would take to turn things around. After working with Jake for a month I realized it would not work. Jake’s greatest weakness he was his inability to plan and prepare both of which are essential qualities of a business owner and a leader. It is, in fact, the most important ability, to work on the business rather than doing the work of the business. He was simply unwilling to spend the time to create the vision of his company, define the brand he wanted to impart, to develop a financial or organizational plan and all the other foundational components of a successful business. He admitted he hates planning and preparing.
As an intuitive, I see Jake was stuck in an old energy pattern or routine that is familiar and comfortable even if it is not serving him. He was in resistance to changing his space, energy or focus. So if nothing changes within us then nothing changes in our lives or in our creations. In the end we stopped coaching as Jake admitted he could not take the time to plan. He would try to put band aids on his problems for now.
Being willing to lead, admit what we don’t know and to change ourselves first are essential components of success.
As always, your comments and experiences are appreciated.
This past week we invited Lynne Twist, the author of “The Soul of Money”, to speak. I read her book years ago and am still reflecting on her perspective that every decision we make is based on “Will this make me money?” or “Will this cost me money?” We are so programmed by money that in the back of our mind we are always weighing these two thoughts. Yikes! Is that really what we want?
Stop Striving
On Thursday Lynne focused on other aspects of money that I want to share with you. She suggested that we let go of trying to get more to free up our creative energy so that we can simply create more. She suggested that we pay attention to what we have, be grateful, make a difference with it and see our world change. This is not at all logical but it is very intuitive.
Have Gratitude
Lynne’s primary message was one of gratitude and gratefulness. These are two energy levels that create a different outcome than being focused on the energy of scarcity and lack. We can focus on having what we need and want or we can focus on our fear of not having. It is our choice, our free will.
What do you choose?
I was working with a business owner yesterday who realizes that her company goes up and down based on where she is in her focus and her thinking. Since we started our coaching relationship a month ago her business is up 12% so now she feels empowered. Even with evidence of her ability to create a successful business she has in the back of her mind fears that it will fail. I pointed out the choice she was presenting herself. She can place her attention on gratitude for what she is creating and see herself continuing to create OR she can place her attention on her fears. Which would you choose?
Thoughts About Money
What would happen if we changed our thinking about money? Try these steps and see what happens to your reality?
Let go of striving and trying so hard to have money
Clear your thinking about money, i.e. lack, not enough
Have a clear vision of what you are creating
Be grateful for what you have already created
Have gratitude for what you have now
Have gratitude for what you are creating
Please share your thoughts about money. There is so much to say about this.
One thing is for sure. You cannot be successful alone. I have seen so many people try. Even those who promote their success as an individual are not alone. They are part of something bigger.
I learned this at a very early age. My dad was successful, and I observed that he spent time being connected and building relationships in a very genuine way. When his connections needed logistics services of one kind, or another they called Bob Robinson, Robinson & Ogilvy. He was irresistible. What does that mean?
This morning I read a blog by Deepak Chopra about how to be irresistible. As I read, his blog I thought of my dad and it is Father’s Day. The characteristics mentioned were: be present, be centered in who you are and what you value; and care. These are my words not Deepak’s, but the concepts are the same.
When you were with my dad, he made you feel like you were the center of his world at that moment. You had his full attention. Everyone who spent time with him felt aware of themselves because he was so focused on them. My dad was very confident. He was an attractive man, who loved to have fun, made connections easily, saw himself as being successful and enjoyed being successful.
Most importantly he cared about others. He made friends with everyone he felt was sincere regardless of their role in his life. His friends were people he felt were honest and genuine from truck drivers to heads of corporations. He was a generous man. He gave to those who in need on the streets, donated to organizations that served a cause that moved him and gave endlessly to his church including an anonymous donation of the altar in a church he helped to build after meeting in a fire station because we did not have a church building.
So what did I learn about being successful?
Be present so that you know who you are being in the moment.
Build real, genuine connections.
Be centered in yourself. Know who you want to be and be that.
Care about others, be sincere, give, have compassion and be part of something bigger than yourself.
In the end, I saw my dad as bigger than his business and his success. His business served his life, and he made his life have value. He was not boastful and never saw himself above, important or better. He simply enjoyed being.
Was he perfect? Not at all. He had faults and had tough times like us all. I am grateful on this Father’s Day for what I learned about success, being and caring.
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.
What do you do when you cannot define what you do? Sounds confusing and for those in this dilemma it is. I have noticed an interesting trend among many small business owners. They cannot decide what they do and from my perspective that is the wrong question. The question is who am I and what do I bring forward?
Yesterday I visited a business owner at her office and noticed that she had three different businesses named on her door. Have you met a business owner who hands you two or three different business cards for what they do? I experience this quite often and have done it myself.
When I first met Dave I asked him what he did. He was hard pressed to tell me specifically. My impression was he helped with marketing your business but I was not sure how. His company did website design, made videos, took photos, helped with mobile marketing, social media, etc. I had another client who needed marketing support so I wanted to know so I could put them together.
Another client, Marcia, is struggling to define her niche. She is an artist (sells her art), an interior designer for high-end clients, web designer, stager for fund-raising house tours, develops landscape designs, etc. Her question is how to market herself. Stacy is the business owner with three business signs on her door and a long list of coaching certifications to define her business.
I work with business owners to define the business they are creating when it is not so much a brick and mortar business like my other clients, i.e., a very successful heating and air conditioning installation business. Even my client, Kim, who owns a CPA firm, which seems pretty specific, is struggling to define her services and target market. She sees herself as more than a CPA.
This same dilemma can happen with professionals. Nicole has been a CFO for years and is looking for a change. She spoke about her passion for motorcycles and teaching. To her these are all different parts of her life. Working with her I suggested that she not see them as separate but all that she is. In the end she took a job as a CFO for a company that sells motorcycles and a job description that involved teaching and mentoring financial staff in each division.
From an intuitive perspective there is a new brand of businesses and professionals emerging that cannot be placed in a box. All of these business owners have one thing in common. They are all very intuitive whether they would define it that way or not. They each have an intuitive sense about their area of focus. For example, Dave is very good at “reading” a business and a business owner to decide the best way to set up communication between the company and possible customers. Dave knows about online & mobile communications but his real talent is an intuitive sense of how to create communication. What box does that fit in? So if you ask Dave what he does, he is not a web designer, a video producers, a photographer, an apps developer, etc. though he does all those things. Dave establishes communication.
Marcia helps you make your world more beautiful in any way that you that you want. Stacy helps you know who you are and what is important in your life. Kim helps her clients get out of fear of money. This is the truth of what they do. This is not your typical business elevator pitch nor does it fit the traditional perspective that says you must fit into a box. I am sure they wish that they could and want to but that box does not fit for them.
So the first question is not “What do I do?” The trend toward out of the box businesses comes from the business owner knowing who they are, what is important to them and what they want to bring into the world then creating their business. Taking all that we are and seeing it as a whole and not apart brings us to a new place. We can get a job, do work or create a business OR we can express who we are through what we do in our work or in our business. It is a journey in self-awareness. It is a new way of thinking about what we do. It is more than the skills that we have. It is who we are.
If you are going to work in a job or create a business why not chose to create one that reflects who you are even if it is out of the box. The culture of business is changing and this is one of those ways.
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.
Marketing is such an interesting area to an intuitive. You can approach marketing logically and decide what you want to happen. This is a hard sell approach and it may bounce off your potential clients. My perspective is intuitive. An intuitive approach involves reading your potential clients and what they want versus telling them about you, your business, products and services. They may or may not be interested. Telling them about your business does nothing to motivate them to do business with you or use your product. They don’t care. They don’t want to be programmed.
As an intuitive I work with business owners to use their intuition to read their potential clients, see where their attention is and how you can grab it. This is no place for logic. Be intuitive.
One of my clients is starting a new business selling high-end good quality delicious chocolates. He has partnered with expert chocolate makers to distribute their products. I read the quality of the product, the energy of the business itself, the business name, the chocolatiers who designed the chocolate, the manufacturers, his business coach, the office, his communication with the distributors for Whole Foods and other locations. Finally I read the packaging of their first product.
In the end it was the packaging of the product that was out of sync. The packaging was very nice, well designed and I saw that it would be entirely invisible in the stores. For the success of this business I saw they needed to take a risk and design packaging that would stand out and not get lost on the overly stocked shelves of very popular stores. Now this is not true for all products and services but it is true in this case.
Using intuition in marketing is simple. It begins by stepping back from all the logic and the energy of everyone working on the product. This means getting out of your analyzer and to stop thinking. Find a space of quiet and begin to imagine your product and your target customers. What will bring them together? Don’t be logical. Be intuitive.
Being intuitive involves using your mind’s eye to see from the perspective of the buyer and the consumer. Where is their attention and how do you grab it? People love it when something grabs their attention. When you can see that clearly in your mind’s eye you have the answer to your successful marketing plan.
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.
Your brand is everything. Your customers and potential customers experience it everywhere they interact with you, your staff, your website, etc. Knowing how you want everyone to experience and think about your business is the basis for your brand.
We all know this and most businesses work hard to have their staff represent their brand as well as having others experience it at all other possible touch points with your business, i.e website, print materials, ads and more. This is important for your customers to feel good about working with you and to come back again and again because they like your brand and how it feels to them.
Researching a business insurance option recently I was attracted to a company because of their products, pricing and the brand image they promoted including friendly, efficient and personalized service. They said they were fun to work with. I experienced this from the account representative and was pleased with their brand promise as he described it.
The last step was to exchange documents. I took the opportunity to go into the company’s local office. When I walked in I could feel the tension in the air. The receptionist smiled, acted friendly and pleasant but the feeling in the space was completely different. I could see and feel the conflict in this office. I felt as though I was interrupting something. I could not wait to leave. I have not yet finalized my contract with them. Their brand promise and how it felt in their office were not the same.
Everyone is intuitive. Our gut reaction makes a difference. For this reason I work with my clients to not only express their brand in all the usual ways but to also in their office, store, warehouse, etc. and to be aware of the energy of their staff. Acting friendly and smiling does not hide the energy in someone or in the space. The brand experience has to be genuine. Everyone is intuitive meaning they can feel, see and know what is real.
Being aware of the energy experience in your office or your staff is important to your success. If it does not feel right to you it will not feel right to your customers. Take the time to notice the energy of your business, your staff, your offices, etc. Take steps to change the energy if it is not consistent with the brand of your business. This is not something you do once. Monitoring the energy of your business is something to be done every day.
I don’t recommend that decisions are made from the gut or gut reaction but in reality people do this all the time. Take the time to set the energy of your business to your customers gut reaction is consistent with your brand promise.
Best wishes on your success, Kay
Contact me if you would like a consultation on the energy experience of your business.
Inspired success begins with you though it is possible to be successful without this awareness but it is a different experience. If you look at successful people it is easy to see those who create inspired success and those who are simply successful. Their lives are quite different.
In this blog I focus on inspired success. You are probably tired of hearing about self-awareness. It is a tired term but there is no way around it. If you are waiting for inspired success, hoping for it or even visualizing it you are going to be waiting a long time. It is not out there somewhere. Inspired success begins with awareness of yourself and where you are coming from. Who are you? What is important to you? What do you value? How do you want your life to be? This awareness changes the energy in your space. You experience yourself and others experience you differently.
Your life, business, work, relationships, career are a form of self-expression. You are creating in a physical form some aspect of yourself. When we do this consciously we are pleased with what we have in our lives. When we are not conscious and aware of ourselves and what we are creating then stuff just happens. Some of it we like and some we do not. When we are not creating from our core then we are just working and what we are working on is more important than who we are.
Inspired success depends on awareness of self, not what you should do, what others think of you, what comes along or even what your ego dictates. The easiest way to become aware of self is through meditation. I suggest a simple form of meditation designed to help you quiet your body and stop thinking so that you can simply become more aware of you.
The work, career or business we create comes from this awareness. The more aware we are the more clearly we are able to create what we enjoy and what serves us. Have you thought about your career or your business being a reflection of you, your energy, your thoughts, emotions and programming? This discovery of yourself takes time, does not have an end point and it creates our reality. I know this is not logical but it is very intuitive. Knowing what is important to you is essential as you decide what you want to create or change and what you are creating so that it supports what is important to you.
Tom
I was working with Tom, a successful business owner, who decided his business was running him and felt like he lost his life in the process. When he meditated on this he decided that his relationship with his wife was most important to him that while creating a successful business he had compromised their time together. When I pointed out that he chose to create it that way and that is not the way it needed to be, he was curious. From that point he decided to create his success around what was important to him and to his surprise it worked.
One day lost in his enthusiasm he decided to open an office in Hong Kong. This was an old dream that was now possible. He talked about taking the lead to get this office started. I asked him if this decision fit what was important to him and what he valued. If he was in Hong Kong how would that support his relationship with his wife. Upon reflection he did open the Hong Kong office but hired a young executive who was eager to live there. Together they built this division – Tom from here and his new executive in Hong Kong.
Once we know what is important to use then we create our success in a way that supports this.
Values
The next step is to know what you value. This may seem like the same question as what is important to you but upon reflection you will find similarities and differences. Your values go with you to your work, your business, your life and it makes everything feel right, aligned and in sync. Your values are not only concepts that you hold they also vibrate an energy in your space that others experience. This may not be logical but it is something you can experience.
Your values become part of your business, your staff and customers are drawn to you because they share those values and so it goes with everyone in your life personally and professionally. Knowing what you value is another level of knowing yourself. Meditation is a way to find a quiet place to reflect on what you value.
We grow in our understanding of our values over time. Our value change as we have life experiences and learn more about ourselves. When we stick by our values then it guides the choices that we make so that we are always true to who we are. In this way we feel connected to our work and our business. There is no disconnect or dissatisfaction. We find opportunities that fit what we value and decline opportunities that do not. We make decisions that move us in ways that support what we value.
So where are you now?
Does your work or business align to what you value? If they do then you are on track to create your vision of inspired success. If that is not the case then you have choices. You can change how you are in your work or your business so that you are being what you value. You can change what you are doing and create a new opportunity. It is common for us to decide that the problem is outside of us. That we have to quit what we are doing. That there is something wrong with someone else and that is the cause of our dissatisfaction. That is not the case. That is never the case. Inspired success begins with us knowing who we are, what is important and what we value. Walking, talking and being this creates a reality that works for us. So the change comes within us. No need to jump ship just yet because if you don’t change you then nothing changes no matter where you go the pattern repeats itself in a new place.
Kathy
Kathy is an experienced capable professional strategist but feels her life is not what she wants it to be personally or professionally. When I asked her what was important to her or what did she value she did not know the answers. In fact she did not know what she wanted. This is not uncommon. We take what comes at us which is one way of experiencing yourself. We may like or not like what comes your way.
Take the time to meditate. Connect with who you are, what is important to you and what you value then be that everyday and everywhere. See how things change and how you experience your life and your work.
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.
Welcome to the new year. Every change in cycles is an opportunity to create. In our culture we tend to say the new year is a time to fix something, make resolutions we won’t keep, to change ourselves in someway, etc. Another perspective might be to simply be more of who we are, to focus more on what is important to us and what we value. It could be a time to create something new, to see everything as an opportunity and to take back our world. It is a matter of perspective. How do you tend to see things? Do you see opportunities or do you become discouraged by what is? This is free will and we all have it. Your Choice.
Your Choice
What do you choose for the new year? How do you choose to be in this moment and each moment? It is so clear to me that it is time for a change in every level of our culture and our country. Things have gotten off track, out of sync, etc. We are watching people being discouraged by lack of shared values. From an intuitive perspective it is the ending of a cycle.
The Old and a New Cycle
A new cycle is beginning. The old cycle that controlled, based on competition, self-serving, me first, money at all cost, logic only, success above all else, hierarchy,war, etc.is ending which is why we are seeing turmoil in old structures (political and corporate). It is not because they were bad it is simply a change in cycles. The new cycle is about collaboration, cooperation, support, values, self-awareness, intuition,circles, peace, success, greater good, green, social responsibility, etc.
Where Are You
The ending of the old cycle and the start of the new begins with each of us acting in each moment from what is important to us and what we value, being conscious and aware of how we are being. This influences our family which influences our community and so on. As we build a new group agreement based on values we have always had within us then everything will change. If we stay in the old accepted point of view we will be out of sync with the new cycle that has already begun. Where are you? In the old or in the new? If you don’t embrace where you want to be you will be pushed by the energy around you.
Ending Violence
I have been very affected by the energy of conflict which has been part of the old cycle. We can not simply accept a broken political system, countries at war, violence in our streets, being in conflict with each other. It is a time for new perspective personally and professionally. Voices of the old cycle cannot continue to control our world. Voices of the new cycle do not control either. They are simply authentic and clear.
Forget Resolutions – Make Changes
Rather than make new years resolutions try coming into present time with the new cycle. Mediate and imagine in your mind’s eye the world you desire. Be aware of what is important to you and what you value then be that in every action you take, every communication you have and decision you make. In this way you become part of a new year and a new age – personally and professionally. Happy New Year.
A good way to start the new year is with a clear perspective. The first step is to know what is important to you and what you value. Take some time with this. You probably have your top three right off the top of your head but there is more to it.
Coaching with my clients begins with them writing down what is important to them and what they value. The reaction is the same from everyone. Taking the time to do this is very grounding and helps them focus. I suggest they write their first thoughts then come back and look at it again preferably in a quiet place where they can clear their thinking, quiet their body and listen within.
Carmen
This process creates many ahas! One woman, Carmen, thought her family was most important to her but when she really looked at it money was most important because of financial uncertainty. In terms of her values her family was first but money was most important at this point in time. There is nothing to judge here and there are no right answers. What is important is that we know and acknowledge what is important to us and what we value. Some of this is based on circumstances and so it changes. Some of it reflects who we are at our core and that does not change.
Once we know this then every action we take and decision we make needs to support this otherwise we get off track. This happens all the time. Part of my role is to help you stay aligned to who you are, what is important to you and what you value.
Rick
This week I was meeting with a business owner excited to expand his company, an expansion that would make his role more global. I asked Rick to go back and read what he wrote about what was important to him and what he valued. In both, family and spending time with family was first. He sat back and reflected on how he could still grow his company globally and not take him away from his family. His solution was to let go of control, to trust his top executive team and to hire a VP of Global Sales. This sounds easy but it was hard for Rick because he is a hands on person. His impulse is to get involved but his first value was his family and still is. So for him sticking with his values is important but in this case not easy.
Kathy
A professional woman stated that the most important thing to her was to have a loving and supportive relationship with her sons and her husband. These holidays challenged those values. Kathy was frustrated because she wanted to attend a number of holiday parties. Her husband and sons did not. They wanted to stay home and have a family holiday. Kathy was angry, feeling like she cannot get what she wants, etc. Her resentment and judgment of her husband and sons were foremost in her mind. When she reread what was important to her and what she valued she was taken back. Things were not very loving and supportive at this moment. Kathy decided she had to engage her family in an agreement to attend one or more of the parties in a loving and supportive way or she had to let the parties go. This was not easy because she was feeling as though she was not getting what she wanted. I suggested that after the holidays she go back to what she wrote about what was important to her and what she valued to make sure the list is complete and that it reflects who she is at her core. Professional and social pressures often cause us to loose our perspective.
Write It Down & Change Your World
There were many more stories from this week about where we move away from what is important to us and what we value. If you do not have this written down for yourself I suggest you take the time. It will change everything and will set the course for the new year. If you have written what is important to you and what you value, read it over. It does change so make sure it is true for you in present time. Keep this in your view. Read it often. When you have a tough decision to make or things seem out of sorts so back and read your list before you make a decision or take an action. It will help you stay on track and will support your vision of success.
This past weekend I attended a TEDx conference and it blew me away! Have you attended a TED conference? Go now and find one in your area. You will not be disappointed.
TEDx San Jose contacted NAWBO SF Bay Area (National Association of Women Business Owners) to see if we would sponsor the upcoming TEDx for Women. Though I had not attended this event before I saw it as providing good visibility for our organization and agreed to sponsor and promote the event. Have you ever heard the saying, “Just say yes!”?
As it turned out it was a great experience personally and professionally as well as for NAWBO. During this one-day event I heard and met ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I say ordinary people because they are just like you and me. The only difference is they think big and that nothing is impossible if I can get enough people in support of your idea.
The latest meditation series I conducted for business owners and professionals just was coincidentally on “Don’t Do It Alone!” No matter how strong, determined, independent, shy or focused we are it is not possible to manifest your vision fully on your own. It is simply not how the world works.
Let me tell you about a few of the people who I met. You can read about others on my other blog Women Achieving Goals.
Let me begin with a quote I heard that day, “Say yes to something outside your comfort zone.” The more times we can do this the greater our ability to experience who we are.
I met Super Sylvia, an eight year old who learned welding at age five then learned that she could make anything using this skill. Her enthusiasm for this was boundless. She now shares her passion for makings things on her WebTV show Super Sylvia. Her last words were “Go Make Something!” This was the best advice I heard all day because when we make something it stimulates our creative energy and self-expression in a way that inspires us. She also quoted one of her mentors from Myth Busters, “Failure is always an option.”
We heard Preetha Ram who created Open Study, a free online education for anyone worldwide. Seth Shostak, Sr. Astronomer from SETI who said in the next decade we will find a partner planet, have ability to live off Earth, create new levels of artificial intelligence and, of course, find extraterrestrials. Paul Bennett, IDEO’s CCO, whose company is trying to make being healthy fun, sexy, appealing and motivational. Bryant Austin, photographer, who takes life-size photos of whales! Jonathan Trent from the NASA Omega Project which is creating biofuel without competing with the planet.
I was most impressed by these two speakers. One was Jack Andraka, a fifteen-year-old boy who was so affected by the death of a friend from pancreatic cancer that he decided to do something about it. Currently the diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer is 60 years old, costs thousands of dollars and can only detect late stage cancer. Jack created what he describes as a 3-cent test that detects pancreatic cancer with nearly 100% accuracy in its earliest stages. His journey from an ordinary 14-year kid who knew nothing to making this discovery is nothing short of miraculous.
And finally, Adam Steltzner, lead engineer on the NASA Mars Curiosity rover. Adam spoke how people working together for a common goal, giving up their egos, making mistakes, being determined, including everyone’s perspective, etc. was the only way they could have created and landed a rover of this size on Mars. Think about this. The rocket carrying the rover traveled at 10,000 miles an hour. How do you slow it down so that it lands like a feather on Mars to protect the delicate equipment inside? They all cried when it landed successfully as did we listening to this story of collaboration.
At the end of the day I was reminded of something I tell everyone and now I am sure of it. “You are never too old and it is never too late.” I have added to this. “You are never too young and it is never too soon.” These are ordinary people with big ideas, a strong vision and the knowledge that if they could get enough people in agreement they could make it happen.
Each of these individuals had a very strong vision of what they were creating and that strong vision is manifesting in expected and unexpected ways. Create your vision and share it.
During October we focused on setting the energy for success. What does it mean to set energy? Quantum physics demonstrates what we have known for a long time that we have an effect on everything by where we place our attention. But it is more than placing our attention. We can create change through our attention. In doing so we can make things better or worse so being conscious and aware of where we place our attention is an important ability to develop.
Whatever thought we dwell on becomes our reality. Scary thought if we are not paying attention. For example, it is not a coincidence that something happens to you right after spending some time dwelling on it. Dwelling on it is the same as focusing on it. We have a thought and we begin to imagine what it would be like, adding our energy to the thought. Poof! It manifests. I was working with a client and she worried that she would be laid off. There was no evidence to that effect but she got stuck on that thought, worried about it (adding energy), imagined what she would do if she was laid off (expanded the picture in her mind) then became anxious (adding more energy). As imagined she was laid off and to this day I know her supervisor is wondering why they laid off someone so capable.
My efforts to have her take her attention off her fear of being laid off fell on deaf ears. She could have just as easily dwelled on and imagined being successful in her job, being enthusiastic about that (adding energy to that concept) then that thought would have manifested. We have free will to create whatever we choose so be careful what you dwell on.
Setting energy is a way to consciously focus your attention and your energy on precisely what you would like to see happen and experience. Being intentional is a far better practice than dwelling on what we fear or resist.
During this month we focused on some specific areas we can set energy. You can do this as well. Try understanding your ability to set energy in the following areas.
Your Space & Your Success: How do you want to be? How are you being in your work? Everyone is intuitive so how do others experience you? How would you like them to experience you? Set your space in a way that supports your success.
Your Office or Workspace: How do you feel when you are in your office or workspace? Are you inspired or do you feel irritated? Identify what irritates you. It could be someone, something, the energy level, etc. Make changes to raise the energy level of your workspace so that you feel inspired. Clear the clutter, rearrange the space, fix what is broken, move away from someone negative, etc.
Communication: Communication is more than words. It is an intuitive experience. Take the time to notice how you want to be when in communication with someone. Remember that everyone is intuitive so what are they picking up from you? What is the goal of your communication? What is on your mind? Clear your thinking. What energy is in your space? You can’t hide it so change it to the vibration you want others to experience from you.
Achieve A Goal: Setting energy to meet a particular goal. You have a goal. Can you see it in your mind’s eye? Notice how you react to your goal. What are your thoughts about it? How do you feel (your energy level) when you put your attention on this goal? Now clear your thinking and change your energy so that your goal can manifest in the way you desire.
There are recorded meditations on each of these areas if interested in learning more about how to set energy for success. Series is “Setting Energy for Success” To buy.
A photographer told me a great story of a surprising step she took in her business. Kathy has a cute, quaint 400 sq. ft. photography studio. She loves the look and feel of it but it has become clear that it no longer fits her needs. It is simply too small. She needs a much bigger space but feared she could not afford this. Though she did not proactively look for new space she did none the less keep the idea of new space in her mind. She thought of it often and imagined the kind of space she wanted, where it would be located, how much she would pay and all the details that described her ideal new studio.
Last Thursday she was walking in the area of her current studio and saw a For Rent sign on a store front. She felt energy move through her. Feeling excited and inspired she called the landlord and saw the property on Friday. It was perfect, 1000 sq. feet, high ceilings, open space on a cute street with other small businesses. She knew immediately this was what she had imagined. It gave her chills to realize her vision manifested. At this moment her concerns about paying more in rent were gone. She could see her business growing in this larger space. Monday she completed the rent application and by Tuesday had signed a new lease.
Kathy is still aglow realizing that her vision manifested. Her plan is to pay rent on both spaces in the short run to create a grounded move into her new studio. Her fears about money are gone.
Kathy’s story about her vision manifesting is exactly how we create. The more aware we become of this ability the more we can manifest our vision of success.
Best wishes on your success,
Kay
If you would like to learn to create your vision of success just email me.
How you, your staff and customers/clients experience your business impacts your success. Yet we are don’t pay attention to this factor and just keep working hard.
We can make it so much easier on ourselves and our staff, not to mention attracting customers/clients/patients, simply by tuning into the feel (you might think of it as the vibe, or the tone) of the business. It begins with your awareness in the moment as you walk into your office, speak to your staff and react to the physical surroundings. If anything feels off, it’s time to change the energy.
Read Your Business
Read your company, your staff and your physical office. Doing this is simple. Start with just noticing, How does this feel? How do you find yourself reacting to individuals, the office, clients, your work? Any aspect that brings your energy down, causes you to react in a negative way or creates tension needs attention. Something has to change.
Create a Change
That change might mean changing staff, changing the physical office in some way or changing factors involving the staff, office, or yourself. The best way to do this is in meditation which is a way to clear your thinking so that you have perspective. Create the time and opportunity to meditate anytime something does not feel right. This will help you and your company.
Meditation
Here is an idea of the kind of meditation you can do. It begins with creating time to stop, close your door, turn off your phones and ask not to be disturbed for 15 minutes at least.
Have a seat, close your eyes and relax into a chair.
Your goal is to quiet your body and clear your thinking.
Bring your attention to yourself. Take a deep breath and release.
Continue to breath, release, relax until you feel quiet.
Clear your thinking by letting go of whatever is on your mind.
If you know how, be grounded, centered and have your space.
(Let’s focus on your physical office as an example. You will want to do a separate meditation for each aspect of your business.)
See an image of your office in your mind’s eye. Imagine the entire space. Notice how you react.
Notice places that are ungrounded and a bit chaotic. Imagine those spaces as being more grounded.
Notice places you avoid. They may hold energy because they are unused, cluttered, in past time or an employee has set them at a very low vibration.
Notice what you can do to change the energy in this space by shifting its use, rearranging it, clearing it out or moving the employee.
Notice the parts of your office that have the highest energy. If you don’t have places of high creative energy, you will want to create them.
Finally, imagine how you would like your office to feel to you, your staff and customers/clients. See this clearly in your mind’s eye. Know the experience you want yourself and others to have.
When you can see all of this clearly in your mind’s eye, you are ready to create change to support your success.
Your goal is to raise the energy level of your office so that it feels successful, creative, supportive, innovative, healing or whatever quality fits your industry. Your second goal is to make sure the energy is moving. Always notice where the energy is low or not moving and do something about it right away. If you don’t address it right away, it’s easy to get used to it – and then this stagnant atmosphere becomes the norm for your business, affecting its success.
In short, when energy is not moving or high enough in your office, guess what? – you will notice the same conditions in the success of your business. Change the energy of your office, and see a corresponding change in your business.
If you want more information, please contact me to do an energy assessment of your office, create a plan to change the energy and get it moving. Together we can design a specific meditation for your company that you can use regularly to jumpstart more success.
When your vision begins to manifest do you unconsciously stop it or miss the opportunity? This week I was reminded how easy it is to forget that we are creating our reality when our body reacts to these changes. Perhaps this story will help us all become more aware, intuitive and recognize there are no coincidences.
Kathy
Kathy has a successful accounting firm. Her business has sustained on referrals for years. Recently she decided that she wanted to grow her business 50%. As we developed a strategy for that to happen Kathy realized she would need to change her client demographics. Once her business plan was completed I guided her through a meditation to visualize this growth and change in her company. This plan would change everything. She envisioned a big step for herself, her staff and her success.
Within the week she received several unexpected inquiries that would give her access to her new client demographics of high net worth individuals.
One of her staff brought in couple from his church to interview the firm.
An investment banker asked her to attend an invitation only luncheon for his clients.
An estate attorney asked to meet to discuss her ability to serve his clients.
And a business organization in LA asked her to partner with them for large local event.
Kathy was thrilled and inspired by this sudden onslaught of possibilities that seem to manifest right from her new business plan and vision. Indeed they did. She had a busy week before her.
Yesterday, during our coaching session, Kathy said she was worried and wanted to quit. I have heard and seen this countless times before so I laughed and asked her if success was scaring her. I saw intuitively that her physical body was reacting to the energy change she just made in her company. This is not logical but it is very intuitive. We create as body, mind and spirit. When all three parts are in sync we are happy with our success. Kathy decided to increase her business 50%, updated her business plan (mind) and meditated to create a vision (spirit) of this new level of success and to see clearly how things would be different, i.e. new client base.
In the body, mind and spirit triad, the mind can come up with ideas and thoughts with little effort. We can take the time to visualize which is the spirit part of us. The body on the other hand hates change, easily goes into fear and is always seeking comfort so when we visualize something new, a big step up and the change it requires, our body reacts. Sometimes it screams NO!
Kathy created a vision that she was excited to create. Her creative energy level was high. This change in her energy level created a reaction in her body, which was at a lower vibration. Anywhere the energy was low or slow in her body suddenly felt uncomfortable, in pain and she wanted to quit. This was quite simply her body reacting to the energy of change.
This is the time that many people back off their success and not takes steps to raise the energy level of the body to be high enough to allow success. We can decide to succeed or sit down so that the body is comfortable. So many people let their body’s limitation stop them, direct their decisions, etc. when all they need to do is help raise the energy level of the body high enough to match the vision she has created. In this way we are in sync (body, mind and spirit).
In my practice I suggest the basics to keep the energy level of the body high enough to allow you to create inspired success.
Get the right amount of sleep and exercise. Both are a must.
Eat high value foods. Your nutrition can raise or lower the vibration of your body so chose foods of high value.
Breath deeply and more often. Breathe deeper.
Drink lots of water as this keeps energy moving in the body.
And finally have fun! This raises the energy level of the body.
Next time you take a big step or even think about taking a big step notice how your body reacts. Consciously take steps to raise the energy level of the body so that you can have inspired success.
Some do not achieve success because they simply get in their own way, back away from opportunities, resist change and don’t push through the energy to take crucial steps. I have coached business owners and professionals for 30 years and have seen so many stand in their own way. My job is to help them get out-of-the-way, to be clear about their vision and use their courage and determination to push through the limits they believe are real.
There are many ways that we stop our success. Each of these are addressed in upcoming blogs. Today’s blog is how our thinking gets in our way. When we believe what we think we make bad decisions, misinterpret information and head down the wrong road. You are probably thinking, “How can that be?” That is precisely why I am writing this blog. We believe what we think. To think clearly depends on having perspective. We do not have perspective when we act and react to the current thought in our head which may not be based on reality. This thought may come from a restimulated memory, an emotion, someone else’s thought. etc. Our challenge is to continually clear our thoughts so that we can see clearly.
Amy
One of my clients, Amy, is an incredibly talented strategist and communications professional. She knows everyone because she is that good yet she believes that her career is failing. It is not but by believing that it is she is creating failure. This failure comes from Amy’s thoughts about her capabilities. These thoughts about failure are contrary to all facts. Amy spent time recently with the president and his communications team. She discussed with his communications team how they could use her talents to support the re-election campaign. With all of this going on and still her thinking about what is possible stand in her way. Her thoughts are wrong but she is unwilling to give them up. She is afraid to. In my coaching I push clients to clear their thinking, move on even if afraid and create a new perspective that supports their success. It is not always easy so I push and at times push hard which is why I fondly refer to my work as Inspired Success Bootcamp.
Jeff
At times people confuse my push with their limits, get angry and not see the blocks they may have placed in their own way. I was working with a client yesterday who I enjoy a great deal because he can see when he is stuck in his own thinking. Jeff, a successful chef, jokingly refers to a boulder that sits in his way as a metaphor for the limits he creates and perceives on his path of success. Sometimes he looks at how he can move around the boulder. My question yesterday was can he step back and become aware of why he is creating the boulder to begin with. He laughed because he always thinks he has to overcome things so it was amusing for him to ask why he feels he has to create things to overcome.
Recently he meditated on having the owners of the company not being so ever-present in order to give him the space to create. He cleared his thinking and saw how this might happen. It did. He was thrilled then he laughed saying, “Be careful what you pray for.” Jeff found that he indeed now had more space to create but he also had new responsibilities to oversee the whole operation with the absence of the owners. He wonders if this is truly what he wanted. I imagine he will meditate on this again.
These are a couple of examples of how our thinking creates our reality. Take the time to meditate on your vision of success. What are your thoughts about it? Quiet the body and clear the mind so that you can become aware of your thoughts that are in the way of your success.
Please share your stories of success, what is in your way or how you got out of your way.
One of my client’s is making a serious effort to double her revenue. Claire was inspired by how easily she increased her revenue by 30% this year. (She did use the word easy in hindsight.) With this new goal in mind Claire developed a marketing strategy that takes advantage of all the new ways of marketing. Most of this plan is out of her comfort zone so she looked for experts in a variety of areas to carry out her plan.
Claire is clear about her new marketing strategy. She has done her homework. Her task is to find the right people. At first she was drawn to professionals she has used in the past and who are loyal to her and her company. She thinks they could do some of it including her sister who is a professional writer. Recently a PR expert at a networking event approached Claire. She agreed to hear what she had to offer. Finally she received recommendations from myself and other trusted advisors of professionals she may want to interview.
Before she began the process of finding a team she took the time to meditate on her vision of success, which for this upcoming year meant doubling her revenue. She felt if she could not see this clearly then how could she navigate a team toward this goal. Claire meditated until she cleared her thinking and could see clearly doubling her revenue. She then meditated and imagined a team of experts who would help bring in new clients with specific demographics, a team that would work together, enthusiastically and collaborate to achieve her vision of success.
My task was to watch intuitively to see what was driving Claire’s choices so that loyalty did not trump skill and strong salesmanship did not talk her into something that was not a good fit.
As Claire sorted through her options, she used both a logical and intuitive approach. She checked credentials, looked at samples of everyone’s work, interviewed writers, social media experts, PR professionals, graphic designers, etc. Her most difficult decision came when her intuition told her not to use the writer and marketing person she used in the past. This was not a logical decision. She just felt intuitively that they were not the right fit for the level of growth she envisioned. Claire did stay with her graphics team who are young, inspired and push her to think in new ways. They stayed on the team!
The PR person had a strong presence and was very interested in helping Claire increase the visibility of her business but in the end something just did not feel right. Claire found herself finding fault with the proposal, their communication, etc. then she realized that she did not need to find fault. The PR company just did not feel right. It was not logical. She stopped trying to find fault (logic) and simply decided not pursue this strategy at this time. It was intuitive.
Finally, she needed a social media expert. This is a new and growing field in which an expert is not well-defined. She decided in the end to interview three of the five people on her list of possible experts. Her choice of the three was intuitive and she was correct. In those interviews she found someone who described an approach that fit for Claire and how she saw her brand.
Coincidentally, immediately after Claire and I met to finalize her marketing plan and the team she would be hiring, her phones were ringing off the hook. Three new-targeted clients called and scheduled appointments. Claire felt that was a miracle! From my perspective is was Claire’s vision of success beginning to manifest.
How to create inspired success is not rocket science. In all that I have read, experienced and observed there is a short list of must do steps. Everything you read and hear from me is about these steps and how we can get in our own way. Kathy took the step to get out of her own way and created success.
Kathy
This week I again observed how these steps work. Kathy has a bookkeeping business and her goal for the year is to increase her sales by 20% and net income by 30%. Each week she finds herself having to make decisions that will either keep her comfortable or push her outside her comfort zone. She struggles to decide knowing that she wants to reach her goal for the year.
Kathy’s team participated in an audit for one of her clients and the outcome was in her client’s favor. It took a lot of work by her team to get his out of date books in order. When it came time to bill for services Kathy was uncomfortable because the bill was so high. Should she lower her bill and charge what she was comfortable asking or bill the full amount and own the value of their work? She could not decide.
When Kathy and I discussed this I saw three intuitive principles at work.
• Havingness: Was she going to let the energy of her company stay where it is familiar or push through to take it a step up?
• Non-resistance: The second principle was for her to allow both possibilities. Ask for the full amount and allow the client to pay less. This is not logical but it is a very important principle. She had to get out of resistance.
• Clear vision: We can visualize what we want but if our thoughts and emotions conflict with that vision then it will not manifest.
Kathy decided to invoice the full amount, to call the client and follow-up. She wanted to be fully paid but for this new client she would be willing to negotiate if necessary. Finally her vision was that the client would pay her in full without batting an eye. In meditation she cleared any thoughts she had about him not wanting to pay, her guilt about invoicing such a large amount and the fear of pushing her company to a new level.
In the end the client was so grateful the audit came out well that he did not even bat an eye at the invoice and paid it upon receipt.
It is our own thinking that gets in our way. Kathy laughed and immediately unconsciously created another situation with another new client who wanted her to create books for his company. It took longer than they both expected and she was afraid to bill such a large amount to a new client. The steps and the outcome were the same at the story so I will not repeat them here. Kathy struggled. She billed the full amount. The client paid. Amen. Kathy is learning to get out of her own way so her business grows.
Best wishes on your success,
Kay
Check out the next Inspired Success Webinar series beginning September 5 in which we will discuss the core principles of Inspired Success.
Our perspective on why we do what we do matters. Feeling like it’s a job, a profession or a business lacks awareness and understanding of our true nature. Everything we do, every decision we make is part of our calling, purpose or path. When we step back, take a deep breath, get out of our routine, we open to understanding the why behind what we do. This simple yet profound shift makes a huge difference on how we view ourselves, our work and our life. Take a deep breath and release.
Intuition in Life & Success 