Strategy

Usually this is my favorite month. Spring is in the air, it’s my birth month – tons of good things. But this year, March has kept me reeling with illnesses and back issues. As a result, my attitude has gone in the toilet.

In an attempt to get myself out of my funk, I turned to my go-to solution: create a success. Putting something in my “wins” column is always motivating and helps me return to my normally sunny attitude.

Brainstorming how I to create a success, here’s how my thought process went:

“I know, I’ll offer coaching sessions at the price I offered when I first got started. Yeah, I’ll send it out to my list and take 3 people – that will definitely give me wins!

But wait… didn’t I commit to not doing single sessions because they didn’t actually help people long-term? And if I get 3 people signed up, I’ll work for hours to make less than I make in my entry-level group program, and work with people who may or may not be serious and who are less likely toimplement. This isn’t going to create an actual win, is it?”

Upon reflection, my initial solution went against two important things: my value of impact – having to make a positive change in others’ lives – and my income goals. If I had gone through with this plan, I would have been totally out of alignment with who I am, and with what I want. This would have been a losing proposition, and completely unmotivating!

Have you ever gone through a similar thought process? Come up with an idea that you got momentarily excited about, but ultimately lead you in the wrong direction?

This is really common in the life of a business owner. I hear it again and again from my clients who want to stir up their business. So how do stop getting caught up in just doing anything to get a win and instead work on the things that give you wins that really count in the long run?

1. Think it through. Is your action aligned with your values, goals, and proven marketing plan?
2. Pause. Give some space for additional information to arise, even if it’s just for 24 hours.
3. Get an outside perspective from an expert. Too often I see business owners getting advice from someone who is an employee or who has never successfully run their own business. Speak to a business coach, your mentor, or peer who has “been there, done that”.
   

Stay excited about your business. Try new things. And give yourself the gift of taking action that will give you what you really want!

I visited my husband at his Real Estate office in Sedona recently, when I saw a woman walking across the parking lot, lugging a box of stuff toward the nearby coffee shop. She was in her 50s or 60s and had a tired air about her, yet a fluidity to her walk- almost a carelessness. Something itched at the back of my mind- what was this quality I was witnessing?

Then it hit me- she’s an entrepreneur.

I saw a beautiful stubbornness that I related to without her having to utter a word: the absolute commitment to do ANYTHING in order to avoid being tied down to working for someone else.

Soul sister!

I have a special place in my heart for entrepreneurs, especially those who are taking their first wobbly steps towards working for themselves. I sigh with almost motherly pride when I see an entrepreneur set up an information table at a coffee shop, or in front of the health food store. My heart aches with joy when I see a man at a restaurant present his “30 second commercial” to his waiter. It makes me laugh- the inexperience, the tenacity, the enthusiasm- it’s all just such a strange and wonderful combination. We put our pride, our hearts and our hopes on the line in pursuit of freedom.  

And yes, I realize I am romanticizing. Along with my sighing and the aching, I know the shadow side. Sleepless nights from both success highs and failure lows. The ups and downs of income. The skepticism of family and friends who think we are completely nuts. On the down days, we suspect they might be right.  

It’s no wonder we entrepreneurs often feel like we have one foot on the gas and one on the brake.

Your best bet? Keep a laser focus on the things you 100% control over that lead directly to your goals.

Look at those faces – could you just eat them up? Meet Zoe and Owen, my sister’s children who I adore. Having the freedom to travel to California and pick them up from school to feed them cupcakes is one of the best paychecks I get! And my bonus? They think Auntie Mary rocks!

As I was pondering what to write today, it occurred to me that this adorable moment was made possible because of something I did 7 years ago. I defined my values, and then made sure every business decision I made thereafter was in alignment with those values.

I’m a highly pragmatic person, so the idea of defining my values seemed like an exercise navel-gazing at the time. I was so wrong. It was by far one of the most important things I have ever done. Today my values operate like a combination of an internal compass, my DNA and oxygen. In other words, essential to a fulfilling life.

What is your experience with understanding and living in alignment with your values? Inquiring minds want to know!

This is, hands down, my favorite video of the holiday season. First of all, it will just leave you grinning from ear to ear. And secondly, there are so many great lessons to take away from it: the joys of giving, the positive power of business, and – my favorite – the reminder to dream big and ask for what you really want. Enjoy the video, and have a wonderful holiday season.

Years ago, my sister got me hooked on the TV show “What Not to Wear”. If you’re not familiar with the premise, two fabulous New York stylists help women ditch their frumpy, inappropriate, outdated wardrobes, and not only overhaul their closet, but also confront issues of self-esteem and body image.

This show is junk food for the mind, and I watch it to unplug. But without meaning to, I received a moment of inspiration while vegging out recently.

In every episode, the hosts review the guest’s wardrobe and proceed to throw away every article of clothing in it. It’s often quite emotional for the guest to let go of their familiar yet ill-fitting clothes. In one episode, the hosts asked their guest if she was having a hard time with this process of letting go, to which she replied, “I guess you can’t get something better if your hands are full of something else.”

I found this image so clarifying: hands full of some grubby old sweatshirt, safe and familiar, but ultimately no longer in alignment with who she is and what she wants.

So as you set your goals this year, I highly recommend you also root out your own version of the cruddy sweatshirt. Make room for something truly stunning!