Ever have a project due or a deadline looming
that really stresses you out?
Well, that was Chloe’s shark project for her science class.
This girl had a vision, and she made it come alive, but wow – what it took to get there was some serious time reconfiguration, lots of that time spent in the Fabrication Lab at school during lunch, recess, and after school when she wasn’t at musical rehearsal, and lots of support, though she did all the work herself.
This photo is her completed project, and I have to say, from it coming home in many separate pieces to 4 hours later to completion – I’m impressed.
I’m even more impressed that she had a really great attitude about it all – even when she had to go back to store at 7:30pm to get less strong magnets! (Thank you, James, for taking that trip with her.)
But something she said while she was hot glue gunning struck me (I admit, with a tad bit of unease)…
I commented that she didn’t need to do something, that it was fine the way it was, and she just smiled at me because she was going to do it her own way anyway (she is so my daughter) and said, “But Mom, I’m a perfectionist.”
Yikes!
From a recovering (almost) perfectionist, I cringed a little. But I also recognized that part of the reason this project was stressing her out wasn’t just the limited time she had to work on it, but because it’s really important to her to do well.
In this case, she saw clearly what she wanted and she went for it – focused, determined, and yes, it took more because she wanted it to be more.
And that’s not a bad thing at all.
And it made me think, where in my business could I give more so it could be more?
You?
I’d love to know your thoughts…
Cheers,
~ A
A few weeks ago, I was trying to make a decision about something in my business.
It wasn’t a huge decision but I wasn’t sure which way I wanted to go, so I asked a couple of respected colleagues for their advice.
While I was leaning one way, they encouraged me (separately) to choose the other path. Because it wasn’t a major decision and what they both said made sense to me, I did choose the other path.
Then I was regretted it. I found myself frustrated because I didn’t listen to my own inner knowing, my own intuition. The results I was getting from choosing the other path were fine, so it wasn’t that it wasn’t working. I just had this strong sense that had I followed my intuition, my results would have been a lot better.
I’ve done this several times over the course of being in business for 16 years. I’ve also had many more occasions when I HAVE listened to my own inner guidance system, on some very big decisions, even when I was very scared to do so, and things have always worked out way better than I had imagined.
This little episode was simply a reminder that while it’s great to ask others for help in making decisions, to take my own advice that I give to clients all the time – check in with yourself before making your final decision.
Where in your business (or life) could you tune in a little more, connect with your own inner knowing, and use that information to move forward much more easily and effortlessly?
I’d love to know – please share below!
I don’t talk politics on social media, nor do I often comment on my husband James’ work (mostly because I can’t) … but what’s currently happening in our country has fueled a desperate need for James’ particular area of expertise…
He’s constantly being asked to participate in high-level discussions, and I’ll admit it’s fun to see people like Montel Williams retweeting and commenting on his tweets. 
😉
This morning he’s being interviewed for a documentary for Nat Geo.
Yesterday he was part of a critical conversation at Harvard.
He’s been doing this work (counter-terrorism) since 9/11. It’s dark and depressing and scary work to me.
But I’m so proud of him.
Almost every morning, I wake up with a phrase or a song in my head. It’s the first thing I notice, and I try to pay attention to it and really take the message to heart.
This morning, I woke to the distinct voice of Olympia Dukakis as Clairee in Steel Magnolias saying in her southern accent…
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.”
Sometimes it’s just being reminded to have faith that all will be well, that things are always working out for our best and highest good, even if we can’t see that in the present moment.
Some days that’s easier than others, for sure. Yet this morning, I’m taking those words to heart – and keeping the faith strong.
Your turn: Share in the comments if this resonates with you too.
cheers,
P.S. Have you read my foundational lifestyle + business book yet?
After three years of learning how to create my own priority-based, highly profitable business in less than part-time hours, I wrote 6 Simple Steps to Creating a 6-Figure Business, How to Create a Lifestyle Business Based on Your Passion for Serving Others, which now serves as the backbone to my coaching programs. This book lays out the fundamentals of creating an online business that gives you the time and money freedom we should all enjoy. If you haven’t read it yet, check out 6 Simple Steps to 6 Figures for the Solo Service Professional: How to Create Your Lifestyle Business Based on Your Passion for Serving Others
today.
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I read a lot all year long, but in the summer, I try to read at least one autobiography. Off the top of my head, I’ve read Barbara Walters, James Lipton, Steven Tyler, Michael J Fox, I tried to read Tina Fey’s but I couldn’t get through it (very unusual for me not to finish a book), Gordon Ramsey, Melissa Gilbert, Ashley Judd and many more I can’t think of right now…
This summer I’m about to start Arianna Huffington’s Thrive…
Is there an autobiography (I prefer written by the author even if with the help of another writer, ghost or not) that you’ve read and enjoyed and received some insight from?
In 2009, I started thinking about the hosting my own live event, but even though I had a great coach to help me plan it, her events were far larger and much more involved than anything I wanted to do…
And so I held back.
Then I started feeling pressured to move forward with this idea, so I contacted a nice hotel near the airport, submitted my request to host a 3-day event there, and then nearly passed out when the 15-page contract arrived – along with a required MINIMUM commitment of $15k from me.
Gulp.
So I decided to toss the whole idea until I could come up with a way to do it that felt good to me – and that didn’t make my heart palpitate in fear!
I asked myself what kind of event I really wanted to do. Not what ‘everyone’ else was doing, but what felt easy, fun, and much more me…
What I came up with was this…
I didn’t want to hold it at the airport. I didn’t want to hold it at a big hotel. I didn’t want to hold it in the big city. I didn’t want to stress about filling seats or worry about paying for rooms that didn’t fill in our room block. I didn’t want to commit to thousands of dollars of food that I knew most of would be wasted. I didn’t want to deal with sound systems and the cost and labor involved. Basically I didn’t want to do anything the way I was ‘supposed’ to.
So I started over – and by asking myself what I REALLY wanted (and following that guidance) – I found myself with a 1-page contract with no financial commitment upfront, with no commitment to paying for empty guest rooms, in a boutique hotel in a hip town near the sea.
Was I still nervous about filling seats? Sure. Did I have lots of questions about all the things I didn’t know? Yup. Was I afraid of what I didn’t know I didn’t know? Absolutely.
But by doing it my way, and starting from where I was realistically, I’ve successfully hosted 6 small workshops and have generated anywhere from $60k to over $100k NET every time.
I’m sharing this with you so you know I’ve been there…and I have a lot of wisdom to share with you as you plan and navigate hosting your own small live event.
If you’d like to learn more and get on the early access list to my brand-new training, just CLICK HERE.
If any of this resonates with you, I’d love to hear it. Just comment below and let me know. 🙂
today.
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