What if I am WRONG?

Today’s Small Business blog post answers a business mindset question from Caroline in the UK, who posted this question at www.AskLisaMurray.com:

“I am relatively new into running my own business, having worked in a large corporate previously. How do you overcome the mental challenge of that little voice that says - you aren't good enough or - what if you advise someone and you get it wrong etc!”

Great question, and one that all of us who make the transition from employee to business owner ask ourselves more than once!! Here are a couple of simple strategies for overcoming the anxiety monkey that sits on your shoulder just waiting for you to make a mistake…

Most of us have been raised to believe we have to be good enough… we have to deserve… we have to perform… we have to deliver… we have to continually prove ourselves... we have to…………. (the list is never ending!).

So the first step is to recognize that the little voice inside our head probably did not originally belong to us. I use a simple tool of sending all of those niggling negative thoughts back to wherever they came from (with consciousness attached). If you do that every time you have some doubts, that little voice has absolutely no power and you’ll find those thoughts will disappear. You don't have to know who gave them to you, but you do need to be willing to choose another reality!

The second strategy I use is to ask some questions that change the energy of these thoughts and create new realities…

What if you didn’t have to prove anything to anybody in relation to your business? Who would you be? How would you conduct your business? What choices would you make? What other possibilities could you create and generate which go way beyond what you can imagine right now…?

What if there was no right or wrong? I see business as a series of choices… it is my job to offer my clients a range of possibilities they may not have thought of yet… and it is my clients job to make the choice that will work best for them. I may guide them towards an effective model for making a choice, but I don’t make the choice for them. Ultimately, all clients are responsible for their own business decisions and your contract and insurances should cover that clearly.

If they are into judgment and making you (as the consultant or coach) into their scapegoat it’s worth asking if they really are your ideal client!! Of course, if you have made a mistake, do whatever is required to resolve the issue fairly - your reputation rests upon it! Most people will be very decent if you are proactive and committed to finding a solution that works for the client.

Creative Empire Building

Have you ever wondered how Richard Branson built his empire from nothing? What’s certain is that when he was 19 and larking about with his student newspaper he didn’t sit down and write out a business plan that included owning a couple of airlines, a space program, an island paradise and a financial institution or two!

At 19 Branson was just like most small business owners… thinking really creatively about where income could come from so he could pay the bills. So what changed? Those who dare to think big with their businesses are adept at taking the next step…

What’s different about their next step is that it is the step beyond what they can see clearly now. Leaders who live large are willing to take steps into the unknown. If you want to live a life larger than any movie star or business guru, this is the first and only step you need to take… and you’ll need to take a lot of them!!

So what’s the use of a business plan or strategic plan if stepping beyond the obvious is all that’s required? Well, this morning I woke up at 4am (sleepless in Brisbane) dreaming intricate details of the products I’m creating for BlissTribe.

Over the weekend we had done some creative brainstorming on BlissTribe and this had clearly carried over into my subconscious. Last night those plans showed me the next steps beyond my waking imagination…that’s why I create plans!! I use plans to dream and to create… to develop my ideas beyond what I can see now… to catch glimpses of what else is possible and to discover what those ‘next steps’ could look like.

Does this make planning sound just a little more interesting and appealing to you?

Motivating Staff – (Empty) Words Are Not Enough!

In the course of my somewhat chequered career in marketing and sales, I worked for a range of small – medium businesses. One of the oft quoted platitudes from business owners was “we’re family here” – mostly said to entice employees to work enormous hours for no extra cash, to make unreasonable demands rather than requests and to create a general sense of guilt – as in: ‘we gave you a job…you owe us everything’ . This approach is often coupled with vague promises of future rewards.

It makes you wonder what type of family these people had!! As an employee, working conditions like that generally bring the response: “ If that’s how you treat your family, I’d rather be an orphan!”

So let’s ask the multimillion dollar question that most business owners are really wanting to answer when they behave like this: “What does it take to have employees do their best work and for everyone to profit?”

Well, integrity is a good start. In western countries slave labour has been abolished for quite some time. So if you truly intend to create a workplace that feels like home in the best possible sense then it’s time to get creative!

Carmen’s Fine Foods in Australia provides an inspiring example of what’s possible. Ever had the pleasure of an office nanny… your car washed every fortnight… or a boss who actually asks ‘on a scale of one to ten, how stressed are you?’ each week and then does something about it? Hmmm I didn’t think so!! (And for the scrooges out there… Carmen’s has virtually NO staff turnover… ) wouldn’t you rather invest in keeping your team loving their work, than hating you and leaving as a result??

Just a thought… as someone who has sat on both sides of the fence… (maybe its time to dismantle the fence too!!).

When Change is the only Constant...

Change is the only constant we have and the acceleration of change in the last 20 years makes you wonder what else is coming… can we really go any faster? Change isn’t like a tap, we can’t turn it off when we have enough! So what are our other choices?

A common response is to go into controlling everything we can in the hope that we can ‘manage’ the change. My preferred response is to go with the flow and create and generate more than we think possible with the possibilities and potentialities available to us as the winds of time shift and blow.

I am the first to admit that this isn’t always easy. That project you are in love with that just isn’t working? Could it be time to dump it and move onto something that will flow with ease? (I did that with a whole business once – best choice I ever made!!!) That business alliance that never quite delivers what you expected…? Maybe it’s time to let it go and open the doors for new business relationships that are more rewarding… (Done that too…)

In the past month I’ve had massive changes in my life and business… I’ve launched BlissTribe (v. exciting!!), sadly put my darling little dog to sleep (heartbreaking), made a choice to move in with my Darling (which means a move to the Gold Coast, a new Brisbane office and a quick reno on the house so I can rent it out!) … it’s enough to make your head spin with delirium!!! So, here’s what I do when it all gets too much:

• Pull right back on what I’m promising people so that I have time for rest and reviving me. Ensure there is time for nurturing, play and creativity (this feeds my ability to regenerate myself and keep moving through the overwhelm).
• Take more time off no matter what the business is demanding of me… nothing is more important to me than keeping myself in a flow state – from that I can see clearly what is required and everything works. When I’m being a control freak, nothing works and I quietly have small meltdowns (not pretty!!).
• Make lists… and get stuff done in power hour blocks.
• Stay in the flow… if something isn’t working I move on and then go back to it later to see what’s possible.
• Ask a lot of questions of the ‘What would it take for ………………………. to happen with joy and ease?’ variety. (That’s how I found a roofing company at my neighbors just by looking out the window at the right time… a great builder who can start tomorrow and a set of French doors in 20 minutes… yep, asking questions can save you a lot of time!!!)

I'm sure none of you have ever been in a situation like this... lol... so what do you do to move through the craziness of a life filled with change?

Your Purpose… What If You Already Knew The Answer?

Have you ever been in a place where you knew there was something more to life, but you didn’t know what was missing? Up until my late twenties I always felt something driving me, showing me the next part of the puzzle, but not really knowing what it all meant. For someone who is pretty good at connecting dots, I thought I must have collected a few bits from other people’s puzzles by mistake! There weren’t many visionary insights happening… and my purpose was as clear as mud.

Then in my thirties, I knew clearly I was here for a greater purpose, but still had no idea of where to start in connecting it all together. This was a time when I explored many different ideas and jobs, looking without success for the place where I ‘fit’ with ease and joy.

Fortunately, by the time I turned 40, I had gained a whole lot of clarity (thanks to a Life Direction reading with a very talented psychic) and in the past couple of years have made massive steps towards living my bliss every single day. (It’s true; life really does begin at 40!!)

This week I had a strong sense I needed a big cleanup. So I went through all of my old notebooks and journals and cleared out everything that was not energetically aligned with where I am going. What was truly fascinating was to see, so many times, how I had written about parts of my purpose, but without actually recognizing the significance of what I’d discovered. When I combine that with awareness of how so many of my jobs and life experiences have prepared me for precisely what I’m doing, it all starts to become a little spooky!! It seems I knew a whole lot more than I thought!!

So, if you don’t know what to do with your life here’s my ‘in hindsight’ thoughts on speeding up that process of discovery…

• Take note of ideas that repeatedly arise… I’ve known since I was about 27 that I would have a career as a writer… but being the sensitive soul that I am, wasn’t brave enough to write anything much until I was 40 and it became really clear that writing was a requirement for my bliss, rather than an ‘optional extra’.

• Write (!) a journal regularly and use it to explore what you most love. When I saw all those small snippets of ideas I’d had, my purpose began to seem so obvious to me – how could I not have seen it? Most often your purpose is connected with what brings you joy and happiness… of course, you can choose to suffer, but why would you if your path could be filled with bliss instead?


• Think about all of the things that are easy for you. Often what is easy for you is difficult for others… don’t think too hard, but maybe there are some money-making possibilities here for you? Also, have you noticed that a lot of people spend their entire life doing stuff that is hard or challenging rather than interesting and joyful? What if you were here to have an easy life where you do what comes naturally… would that be a whole lot more fun?

• Spend time being creative… even if you think you aren’t! (Maybe your definition is a little too narrow – creative and artistic are two different things!) Creative energy feeds your soul and enables you to explore the non-linear/non-logical parts of your life. Generally this is where those synchronistic connections are made and you discover the missing bits of the puzzle.

• Follow your intuition. Many sensitive people find their environment so overstimulating and overwhelming that intuition gets thrown out the window in favour of being a control freak of magnitude. When I follow the energy each day and ask questions about “what’s next?” my life and business flow with ease. When I try to control what’s happening, often nothing does!

All of these ideas sound simple, but when you put them together, they create a very powerful flow of blissful living in purposeful ways. So, when you think about your purpose now, do you go “oooooohh Yeah!” or “Oh Hell!”? It’s just a choice you know. (Because you do know… deep inside you it is all there, just waiting for you to recognize it.)

Strategy OR Tactics – What Does Your Business Need Right Now?

Many people I coach want to focus on the tactics… the ‘how’ of what they are doing ( eg those really big decisions, like ‘will I use Facebook or Twitter?’). The truth is, tactics are easily copied by your competitors, but a really smart strategy is a lot more difficult to ‘borrow’.

Building a strong business starts with smart strategies… finding those ‘AHA’ pieces that deliver the goods for your business… creating ideas that are hard to copy because they come from the heart… from the authentic core that drives your business vision.

Transforming an average business into an outstanding one is all about authenticity… buzz… and creativity. Traditional strategic planning doesn’t exactly address these topics all that well, so I’m going to suggest you play with the Revive Business Coaching approach to strategic planning – I promise it will be a lot more fun!!

Here’s a small taste of our process… what would it take for you to answer these questions from your heart, rather from a space of what you think is possible? When you allow your energy to soar, your business will rise with you! Creating new potentials is what revitalizing your strategy enables…when we allow ourselves to dream audaciously and love new perspectives!

Authenticity:
• If anything was possible, what would people most LOVE about your business?
Buzz:
• What it would take for your business to transform your industry?
Creativity:
• What could be possible if your vision was a thousand times bigger?

Tip: Think BIG picture rather than small tactical choices… if your business could be phenomenal, what would it look like? How would it change the world?

Are Creativity & Cashflow Connected?

I love the magic of nature! From the depths of muddy swamps come the most stunning lotus flowers, held by stalks that bend with ease but rarely break no matter how much pressure is applied!

When you feel like your business is sinking into a quagmire or your day has become a puddle of putridness, it’s time to depend on that central core of creativity and resilience that brings the beauty and brilliance back into your business.

Personally I have found that whenever my cashflow gets tight, it’s because I’m not allowing my creativity to shine through. (And I’m not talking about creative accounting here!) Through observing my business closely, I have discovered that the energy of money and the energy of creativity seem to be closely aligned! Sounds a little strange, but take a few moments to consider the possibilities…

When you are in a creative, exuberant, abundant space in your business you meet exactly the right people at exactly the right time, everything flows and you are a wellspring of ideas. When you are feeling stressed, stretched and like it is all a struggle, you can’t connect or create with ease… people feel your distress and they stay away!

So how do you move from stressed and strungout to creative, connected and cashed up? Here’s three simple tools that will allow you and your business to bloom like a lotus:

1. Nurture yourself first… do whatever it takes to have one hour a day for you and one day a week where you don’t for a moment think about work or business. Make a list of playful, creative fun things and do whatever your body is asking of you each day… this creates the space for you to be the amazing creative abundant YOU that you truly are!
2. Take a few hours to revisit where your business is at (As a business coach I can help you do this if you would like a fresh perspective!) – so often we get caught up in the doing, that we forget to look at the stars and create new energy and new ideas for our projects… what can you create today that will bring abundance and joy to your life and business?
3. Do something different! If what you’ve been doing isn’t working, it’s time for a change… Surprise and delight your customers… offer something new! Take yourself to an event or activity you wouldn’t normally do… and discover a whole lot of new connections. Find some new friends online and be generous in how you connect… there are endless opportunities, what will you do differently today?

So... let us all know how your blooming goes... the flatter your energy is the more important it is to have fun! Creativity is an essential step in reviving yourself and your business!