Now What?

I have a couple of suggestions for those of you who are experiencing more fear than personal power these days.

First, move it! It is impossible to be stuck in fear when you are rolling from meeting to lunch to appointment to meeting. You'll be too busy creating the results you want to be focused on the results you haven't been getting, or a worst case scenario that could be.

Second, watch what's going in (to your mind) and coming out (of your mouth). Whatever you're focusing on is expanding. Turn off the news, walk away from conversations about "how bad it is" and (re)discover the things that get - and keep - you motivated, excited, and focused on the future you want. I'll post some ideas later in the week to get you going. Here's some food for thought ... Catherine Ponder, a Unity Minister I have studied for almost 20 years, says this, "Turn the great energy of your thinking upon ideas of plenty, and you will have plenty, regardless of what people about you are saying or doing." Now is a great time to put this into practice.

I had a conversation with a fellow coach today and three things stuck in my mind from the conversation: (a) those spouting "positivity and predicting good things" are spending some time under the bus {I can relate}, (b) there are lessons here for each of us, if we are open to them and (c) there are opportunities available, if we keep our eyes open and are willing to adjust our plans (just in case what's happening now wasn't something we saw in our crystal balls).

Reality check: what's happening is what's happening, that is the truth. How you respond or react is up to you, and will determine what story you'll be telling about it in the future.

My thoughts and best wishes are with you.

Your Current Economy is Up to YOU

Fortune follows the bold, not those who say, "Based on the state of the current economy, I/we can't ..." 

I have several clients who started a new 100-day Action Plan at the beginning of the year, and based on their positive results, if I didn't hear (almost twice a day) about "the economy" I wouldn't know "we" were experiencing challenging times.

This proves to me that those who (a) have a plan and (b) work that plan get good results. Period.

What I do know for sure is that those who are sitting around telling stories and making excuses are missing their opportunity to get into momentum. They are just missing opportunities, period. Momentum happens when you start taking action anyway, and just a few weeks later the popcorn starts popping.

When the evidence you see right in front of you contradicts what you really want, you must make a conscious daily decision to continue to move in the direction you want to go. You must have a burning desire and a clear outcome - and settle for nothing less!

Go for it.

New Time + Old Activities = Success

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday due to some excitement around here. I attended a meeting and heard something there I've been hearing a lot lately, "I'm here networking and upping my marketing efforts because for a long time I didn't have to. Now I do, so here I am." The days of living off the fat of the land seem to be over for the time being and folks are getting back to work. Its interesting to watch!

I have two suggestions, one for now and one for later.

For now: revisit what brought you business and got you into momentum in the first place. You probably did things like: attend networking meetings, write articles, speak to groups, meet people for lunch or coffee or even tour their offices, follow-up on every lead, make a consistent solid effort, and be extra friendly.

For later: when the economy is better and there's cash flow galore, keep doing the above.

Note: I have several clients who prospered like crazy in the past several years. I suggested they do a few things: (a) save some of the cash, (b) row their boat with both oars [oar 1: marketing, oar 2: servicing clients], (c) work smart, (d) work consistently, and (e) repeat. Now those clients are in the catbird's seat. They have reserves (which equal peace of mind), they have a steady flow of business and they are optimistic and focusing on what's going to happen in the future ... and they are expecting great things.

You can, too. Go for it!

Shift and the World Shifts With You

I started a 100-Day program with a group of professional ladies last Monday. Each Friday, they are meant to fill out a Weekly Progress Sheet. This is the sheet that helps the coach (me) coach them effectively and keeps them on track. Several of the ladies got my one-time courtesy call reminding them to do their homework. Oh, the stories they told! I didn't do my homework because ... I was in a meeting, my kids were sick, I got distracted, I'm busy doing something else, I forgot, blah blah blah.

Here's the notice: what you're experiencing in your life and business is in direction proportion to what you're making happen, allowing to happen, focusing on and creating a story about. If you have clients that aren't returning your calls, whose call haven't you returned? If you aren't getting new business, what product or service have you put off getting? Are you focusing on the possibilities or the challenges? If you're having lots of challenges, I bet $50 you're talking about those challenges, making them bigger and bigger.

The new year is one of many perfect times (along with Mondays and birthdays that end in zero) to press your reset button and decide to do something new. Get yourself organized, argue for the possibilities, take action when you'd rather update your status on Facebook, call the person you're sure is going to say no and ask for their business anyway. As you shift, the world will shift with you and rise up to meet you.

Give it a try. Watch the cool things that happen!