general business

My boss is really a smart woman. Unfortunately, I don't always listen to her. But I'm working on changing that.

She's always whispering to me. A sweet nothing that sounds something like...

"Get up for a 10 min stretch break."

"Go walk the dog."

"Ask for help."

"Slow down."

"You don't have to do everything at once!"

"Breathe."

Some days, I listen to these gentle requests and I feel great when I do. I am able to stay focused and motivated and on task with my work during the day so I can focus on family and fun and rest in the evenings.

But other days, I brush her sage advice away. I work harder. I type faster. I multi-task more. And what happens? I usually end up not getting as much done, work later into the evenings because I think I "should" and am exhausted at the end of the day.

So the question I've been asking myself lately (and my boss supports this question, too! I did run it by her wise counsel) to help me discern when to rest and when to work harder is...

"What will give me the most relief right now?"

Some days, it's absolutely getting up from the computer and walking away for a bit. Or spending time in nature to reconnect to my creative self. Or reaching out to a colleague and asking for advice on a problem I've been noodling on.

But other days, the answer is to focus even more - batch my phone calls, turn off e-mail so I can write an article, make a list (a realistic one) and be able to check off everything on that list by the end of the day. Because then I will feel a sense of accomplishment and my mind will be clear heading into the evening or the weekend.

I find that when I listen to my body's wisdom I always win. The body will always choose relief and feeling good as the preferred choice! I have never subscribed to the old saying of "No Pain, No Gain" I think that's a bunch of hooey!

So the next time you feel stumped at work - perhaps have low energy or feel foggy headed or are just not sure what to do next - ask yourself what's the fastest way to relief? And see where it takes you...!

I just returned from the land of Walt Disney where I watched the fireworks over Epcot from my hotel balcony each night. Inside the Marriott World Center Resort, there were fireworks of a different kind going off.

Speakers from around the globe came together for the NSA annual conference and the results were explosive! Here are some key concepts I gleaned from a few of the speakers --- I hope that you will find some sparks of inspiration here as well.

1. Lenora Billings Harris encouraged... When someone says "You were great!" ask them "Please tell me why. What resonated for you?" If you're speaking or serving the world with your gifts and talents, it helps you to know where people truly connect with you and your message.

2. Chris Clarke-Epstein suggested... Always carry a journal. You'll get brilliant ideas in random places and it's important to capture them in an idea notebook or creativity journal.

3. Gary Rifkin shared... There are 6 steps to being excellent on stage. Prepare. Prepare. Prepare. Practice. Practice. Practice. If you do these, it will give you freedom to be authentic when you show up.

4. Nido Qubein inspired... Invest 1/3 of your life in earning, 1/3 of your life in learning and 1/3 of your life in serving. Brilliant wisdom from a wildly successful businessman. 

5. Stephen Tweed reminded... "What gets measured gets managed. What gets rewarded gets repeated." Makes me want to pull out Michael Gerber's E-Myth and brush up on my information systems!

I've just updated the Speaking page on my website and look forward to more opportunities to share my message of inspiration with the world!

I've just completed a year long program with the amazing Andrea Lee, one of the most well-known and well-respected coaches in the world!   

Andrea led us through The Thomas Leonard Success Strategies Program which was a wonderful compilation of the brilliance of Thomas Leonard, considered by many to be the Father of Modern Coaching.

I won't recount the 12 strategies here - you can see them on the program's website - but I will highlight a few of the tidbits from our summary call today.

These are some of Andrea's bits of wisdom and some thought provoking questions to ponder (not always her exact words, my interpretation of what I heard!):

"When we say good-bye, it invites space for big hellos!"

"Be the boss of technology, don't let it be the boss of you" 

"Repeat what works."

"What do you believe to the core?" 

"How can you cut through the info-crap?" 

"Traverse the edge. It keeps you awake!"

"Juice the orange." (my personal favorite!)

"What risks are you willing to take?"

"What can you claim and make it your own?"

"Why do you have your governor on?"

Thank you, Andrea, for sharing these gems and for being such an important leader, a kind and compassionate person and light in the world! I am a better coach and smarter business woman for knowing you! ~ E.

H.E.A.L. Series - Over 60 Conscious Leaders - Taking the Evolutionary Leap with Dan Hanneman on Spiritual Rockstar Radio!

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We are experiencing a HUGE SHIFT in our consciousness and it seems most everyone is feeling the new energy that is being birthed.  Like any birthing process, we will be able to move through it much easier and naturally when we discover the best path for us to allow it to happen.

I am honored and excited to be part of this FREE online series that will provide instructions on how to embody the new energy with more grace, ease, & joy.

Over 60 conscious leaders (including Dr. Bernie Siegel, Marcia Wieder, Guy Finley, Robert Scheinfeld, Christian Pankhurst, Anita Pathik Law, Christine Kloser, and many others) are gathering to provide you with perspectives on opening to what is emerging.  It is all part of the H.E.A.L. (Highly Evolved Actualized Living) Series that is happening between March 23rd - May 27th, 2010.

You can join this extraordinary FREE series and it's interactive online community by going to http://spiritualrockstar.com/healseries.  

Be sure to listen in on Monday, May 24th at 10 am EST when I will be interviewed by the host, Dan Hanneman "The BlockBuster"!! We'll be talking about making the shift from Tired to Inspired!

When people ask me to explain coaching, often the best analogy I give them is that working with a coach is like working with a personal trainer.

Let's say you want to get healthy. You know you need to exercise, eat right, stretch, rest and remove as much stress as possible from your life to achieve your goals. Chances are good, you can do this on your own.

But so many of us don't. We start and we stop. We give lip service to our goals, but we don't follow through.

And often times, we simply give up.

And we remain unhealthy.

And unhappy.

And that's where personal trainers come in.

Once we decide we're truly ready to make a change and once we ASK FOR HELP, we're so much more likely to succeed with our goals.

The initial decision is what's most important but the follow up decision of asking for help is what sets the wheels in motion toward a healthy life style.

Same goes for coaching. You know what you  need to do to grow your business and to live a balanced life, right?

So why aren't you doing it?!

We all need a little help every now and then and when we've got big goals and big dreams, a collaborative partner can make all the difference in helping to shepherd us on the road to success.

When I ask my clients what are the top benefits they get from coaching, accountability always ranks near the top of the list.

If you hire a coach to help you achieve your goals, you're going to SHOW UP for yourself on a regular basis.

And if you enroll in a coaching group, (there's one starting in Tallahassee March 2nd) you're going to SHOW UP not only for yourself and for your coach, but for all the other members of the program.

There's a reason why Weight Watchers is one of the most successful weight loss programs in our country.

There's a reason why group coaching programs work.

Accountability.

Committment.

Showing Up.

Resources.

Inspiration.

Community.

If you're ready to shift your life and your business from tired to inspired, I invite you to join me for the next 4 months and see what an impact coaching can have on your life!

I guarantee it will transform you in powerful ways!

Howard Libin, who calls himself Supreme Commander of Adventures in Advertising, a Tallahassee-based promotional advertising agency writes a column for the Business Matters section of our local paper.

Today's article was titled "Team up to stretch your marketing dollars" and I'm thrilled that he mentioned me and Deanna Mims of Market Done and the collaborative work we've done with TEN - Tallahassee Entrepreneurs Network.

His article gave some great examples of how businesses can work together to reach a wider audience. In these economic times, stretching your dollars is key for success for most folks.

In addition to Howard's points, I'd like to add a few thoughts on the matter:

1. It's FUN to collaborate! Deanna and I have a blast when we're co-creating and co-presenting our material.

2. We are both LEARNING from each other. Deanna has an extensive background in marketing and my skill set is in business coaching with an expertise in networking. We are both able to bring our perspectives to the table and share ideas in a way that everyone wins.

3. When you collaborate you double your reach. Howard addressed this in his article but I think it's important to note it again here. When you come together with another business owner, it's like doubling the size of your data base.

Thank you, Howard, for educating the Tallahassee business community about the value of team work. Your article was timely and helpful and we're honored to be cited as one of your examples!

I co-facilitated a women's retreat last week with my dear friend and colleague Licia Berry at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, NM and guess who lives 15 minutes down the road? That's right - Judy!!!

After two years of relationship - and coaching can be a very personal, intimate, deep connection - we finally got to meet in person! It was wonderful!

I love the phone and I love e-mail and I've made authentic connections with people all over the world this way. But somehow a hug in person is just the best.

Judy introduced me to her husband, Wayne and her horses Jack, Madonna and Guapito. I soaked in all the details about her home, land and business. I'd heard about these for years and even seen photos but it's just not the same as being in person.

You can learn more about her business at Healing Through Horses. Thank you, Judy, for attending our retreat and for welcoming me to New Mexico with open arms! It was a joy to spend time with you!

How about you? Do you have a problem relaxing?

The crazy thing is, I thought I was doing a good job of being relaxed. I've been eating healthy and going for walks and spending time with my husband and friends.

But I think it's more than that. It's bigger than that. I think I need to be looking at the bigger picture of my life.

I think this is probably going to be my theme for 2008. Or at least a sub-theme!

I just started teaching the January Jumpstart Program this week and in the first module, I'm asking participants to tease out their goals for the year which will utimately lead them to their "theme for the year".

As I was pondering the homework I gave the class the other day, I realized that I need to remind people to look at not only what do I want to accomplish this year? ("the norm" for goal setting) but also

What do I want to EXPERIENCE this year?

How do I want to FEEL?

How do I want my life to be DIFFERENT and more ____________________(joyful, playful, loving, creative, dazzling, peaceful, etc) than it currently is?

I think if we focus more on the desire of BE-ing and less on the DO-ing that it eliminates stress and expectation and we have more freedom and passion to pursue our goals and dreams!  

I think I'll go relax now...

I give the folks at The Green Peridot a big gold star for their customer service savvy. Why was my experience there great?

1.They were professional and inviting. Everything they did up front - their website, my initial scheduling appointment, their confirmation call - all said in essence "We're glad to hear from you and we look forward to serving you. Your business matters to us."

2. They were personal, too. When I walked in the door, both front desk people greeted me with smiles and as soon as I explained who I was, my new hair stylist, Suzi, came out to greet me and shook me by the hand and said "Hi, I'm Suzi!" (I've been amazed at how many people do not follow this simple rule of good business etiquette!)

3. They were good problem solvers. Apparently, Suzi's schedule got a little wonky today and she was running 30 minutes late when I arrived. But they had a plan. First, they'd tried to call me to avert the problem but I'd already left the house. Then when I arrived, Suzi explained to me my options "I'm so sorry, I'm running late. Do you have some other errands you could do? Would you like to shop in the area? You could sit and read? Or we could reschedule you for another day. Whatever you would like."

She left the choice up to me which felt SO great! How many times do you sit waiting for an appointment and feel annoyed because you feel "trapped"? I chose to run errands which worked out great for me.

4. They offered good ideas and resources. I'm new to town and still get lost and don't know many people. Suzi gave me some great tips on shortcuts around town and where to go to meet people we might enjoy.

5. The owner introduced herself to me as I was checking out. When she overheard I was new to town, she approached me and shook my hand, asked me a few questions about myself and thanked me for my business.

So, I just popped my thank you note in the mail (yes, snail mail, I decided this deserved a stamp!)to the folks at The Green Peridot and I'll definitely be returning there.

Think about your own business - do you consistently provide great customer service? If not, what small changes could you make to have big results?

Think about other businesses you frequent - when was the last time you acknowledged someone for doing a great job? I'd encourage you to try it...it made me feel great to write a thank you note and I imagine they'll be tickled to receive it.

What do you think are other hallmarks of good customer service? Please comment... I'd love to hear your ideas!