25January2011
Posted by Intuitive Coach under: Coaching Tools; Current Events; Goal Setting.
It’s only three weeks into the New Year and it already feels like 2011 is going to be waaaay better than last year. More people are finding jobs, fewer people are filing for unemployment, foreclosures are down, more homes are selling for more money than they did a year ago, more businesses are reporting higher earnings, and fewer businesses seem to be going under.
These are all good signs that the Great Recession is, well, receding and that perhaps the worst of those troubling economic times are now behind us. What lessons have we learned?
As a business coach, my job is to help my clients not only manage their present circumstances but also keep them focused on their future and how they will create the life they envision living. In order to do that properly, however, they must incorporate lessons they’ve learned in the past. This requires a focused willingness to honestly assess what you’ve said and done to get where you are.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that most people need guidance with this process. Sometimes it’s not so easy to peer inside yourself and put light on all the thoughts, beliefs or actions that ultimately form the fabric of Who you are. It may feel like some of that old stuff is better kept underground, but it’s also possible that some of it might be worthy of closer examination. Remember that thousands of years ago Socrates famously said “the unexamined life is not worth living” which may sound extreme but his words still resonate all these years later.
The trick is to do it without getting stuck in self-loathing or relentless negativity.
I’m just now putting the finishing touches on an e-book I’ve written called Release and Catch, which is essentially a practical exercise to help let go of the past and attract, or catch, the future of your dreams. It works well in both a group setting and on an individual basis. As soon as it’s ready, you’ll be among the first to know.
It’s critically important that we as individuals and as a nation Read the rest of this entry »
28December2010
Posted by Intuitive Coach under: Goal Setting; self-growth; Women Entrepreneurs.
As we look back at the old year winding down and in the next breath look forward to the fresh and shiny new year ahead, it’s almost impossible not to feel a mixed bag of emotions. Maybe you’re focused on what went well for you this past year, your accomplishments and celebrations.
Or maybe you’re beating yourself up about where you stumbled or tripped, regretting the things that despite your best planning, just went wrong. All you can see when you look back is what didn’t go right.
When you look ahead to 2011, perhaps you’re feeling excitement, a surge of eager anticipation, a whiff of promise and hope, or perhaps a laser-clear focus on planning with precision what steps you will take, what roadmap you’ll design to accomplish the growth you desire.
Or maybe the opposite is happening. You feel fear about the approaching new year and overwhelmed at the prospect of dealing with what may come your way. Perhaps you feel stuck on a treadmill of boredom, disinterest or despair and the coming new year just means more of the same to get through and endure.
Which brings to mind one of my favorite quotes from Norman Vincent Peale, and with apologies to that wise man, I post it here using the feminine pronouns rather than his original male pronouns:
One of the greatest moments in anybody’s developing experience is when she no longer tries to hide from herself but determines to get acquainted with her Self as she really is.
The Path of self-development may be arduous and challenging Read the rest of this entry »
7December2010
Posted by Intuitive Coach under: Business Growth; Goal Setting.
When you look back at 2010, how’s the view from where you sit now?
So many of us are programmed to set our goals for the New Year and much of that work is typically done in the last few days of December once the hectic craziness of the holiday is behind us. However, goal-setting is a forward-looking exercise, which is informed and enriched by first looking back. I find that early December is the perfect time to review the year that’s passed so you can better:
- Identify, recognize and congratulate yourself on what you’ve achieved
- Assess what you’d like to continue or what to leave behind
- Review what fed your passion and what drained it
- Review how effectively and efficiently you used your time
Because of the kind of business I have, for me it’s easiest to look back over my appointment calendar where I keep meticulous records of how my time is spent every day. In a week at a glance, I can review the year fairly quickly to see how goals were met, and to review with whom, how and where my time was spent.
From that I can spot what nourished me and what drained my energy so I can make an informed decision about what I wish to keep on doing in 2011 and what I am choosing to leave behind.
It’s no coincidence that the Roman god Janus, whose image shows him in dual profile with one face looking back and the other looking forward, is the “father” of the first month of our calendar. January is a balance point of looking behind at the same time as we look ahead. Now is the perfect time of year first to review where we have been so we can then chart where we are going.
Some of my clients are in businesses that tend to slow down at this time of year, while others get revved up to what can be a crazy-making level. In order to use the “down” time wisely, here are three steps you can take right now:
- Organize—sort through the piles, clean out the files, streamline the systems.
- Research new opportunities—what audiences or markets have emerged as potential customers or which ones have you perhaps overlooked while you’ve been focused on running the business?
- Get visible—when work slows down, don’t hide in fear. Get yourself out there! Professional organizations, networking groups, social situations, and other gatherings, especially those where your potential customers might be hanging out, are a great opportunity for you to raise awareness of what you offer.
For many people, the whole idea of making resolutions for the New Year is mostly just overwhelming, especially when they usually forget about them by February. But when put in the context of looking back at the year that’s drawing to a close, objectively and without judgment or being hard on yourself, the road map you create for what’s ahead unfolds much more easily.
