2013: Have it be a Breakthrough Year

There’s a great story in Alice in Wonderland. Alice is going down the yellow brick road when she comes to an intersection. Sitting at the intersection is the Cheshire cat. Alice asks: “which way?” The cat responds: “where are you going?” Alice says: “I don’t know.” Whereupon the cat says: “Well then, it doesn’t matter!”

So first, planning has to start with clarity about where you’re going. What I’m pointing to is your vision. In a business context, this means what you’re committed to creating. Not just next year or the year after or even the year after. It’s the big picture. Who are you? Where are you going? What are the fundamental commitments in building your organization? What would you have it look like some day, when all of your hopes and dreams become a reality?

There are a whole series of questions like these in Chapter 19 of Unshackled Leadership, http://www.UnshackledLeadership.com. You might want to consider getting a copy before you go too far with your planning.

Why is it so important to start with the big picture? Several reasons.

First, when the context for all that you do is your vision for the future and that vision is big, clear, inspiring and challenging, it creates excitement and enthusiasm for you and everyone else in your organization. And, if you remember the discussion of cause and effect in previous issues of The Coach’s Corner, you know that a mood of passion, excitement and enthusiasm has you attract into your company more things to be passionate, excited and enthused about!

Second, when all you do is look at what you accomplished in the past and set some goals for things you want to accomplish in the future, you unwittingly design a future that is an extension of the past! And then you wonder why you’re not inspired or motivated. This is why we so do not recommend “strategic planning.”

Third, for those of you that are long time readers of The Coach’s Corner, you know we live in a fundamentally fear-based, scarcity-based world. If you’re not standing firmly in your vision for the future of your company, it’s so easy to get sucked into fear-based, scarcity-based thinking. And all that does is attract to you scarcity and things to be fearful of. And isn’t that what’s going on right now? Really?

In planning for next year, what happened in the past is really irrelevant. What happened in the past was a reflection of your thinking in the past. If you want to have a different future, you need to think differently. And creating from your vision is a great place to start that process.

Once your vision is in place, and looking from there, the first question to ask yourself is “what’s missing?” Not what’s wrong, not what’s bad, not what isn’t working, just what’s missing? Standing in your vision, you’ll see lots of things missing. Just make a list.

When that’s done, ask the next question: “what’s possible?” What’s possible is very different from what you can predict. The later looks to the past, the former looks to the future. Again, just make a list of what’s possible.

Then, standing in your vision, seeing what’s missing and what’s possible, see what you’re willing to take on, what you’re willing to commit yourself to. Not from what you know, not from what you’ve done, not even from what you don’t know. Just looking to the future and seeing what calls to you, what inspires you, what would get you out of bed in the morning raring to go because you have work to do.

Create intentions, goals, projects, commitments, whatever words work for you. But whatever, have it be an expression of the future you are committed to, not some prediction based on what you’ve done in the past.

And then, let it all go, proceed with faith, trust and optimism, and let the Universe take you where it knows is best for you. The Universe is really on your side. The Universe wants you to have everything you want. That’s the truth. Move boldly in the direction of your dreams. Bring your passion, your excitement, your gratitude, appreciation and thankfulness to life, and you will indeed have the best year ever!

If you’ve never done planning this way, and I suspect very few of you have, it can be a somewhat daunting task. Please give yourself the gift of a breakthrough year and give us a call. We’ll be happy to work with you to make this all simple, straightforward, exciting, and doable.

The Law of Creation and Manifestation

It occurs to me that if everyone on this planet of ours understood how to use their ability to create and manifest, what a different world we would have. Having said that, let’s talk about our ability to create and manifest.

Whether you’re a student of quantum physics, the law of attraction, Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill or any of the other hundreds of books written on the subject, the simple and irrefutable fact is that we are the creators of our experience. How it works is that we have thoughts, our thoughts create feelings and emotions, and those thoughts, fueled by the feelings and emotions, get planted in the fertile soil of creativity and ultimately manifest.  

If you plant watermelon seeds in your back yard, you’re not going to get a harvest of oranges. That’s pretty obvious. Yet the corresponding fact of how we use thoughts to create is beyond the understanding of most people, which is why so few seem to manifest what they say they want.

So many people spend their time complaining about and thereby focusing on what they don’t want and then wonder why they don’t have what they want. I can’t find a job, my relationship isn’t very satisfying, nobody understands me, I don’t have the money, I’m sick, I can’t afford it, I hate this or that, are all the types of things most people seem to speak about. Unfortunately, this “law” of creation that I’m discussing has no sense of humor and has no opinion about what you choose to think. So when you think and speak about all of the things you don’t want, that’s what you get more of.

This gets me back to my opening statement. If everyone, including you, the person reading this, understood how to use your ability to create and manifest, we would have an amazingly happy, successful and abundant world.

How to implement this: since your thoughts become your experiences, choose your thoughts carefully and attempt, if at all possible, to think about what you want in such a way that it is for the highest and best good of everyone. And watch out for the two most powerful words that you use to start a sentence: “I am …” and “I intend …”

For example, never say things like “I’m broke” or “I’m sick” or anything else negative after those two words. But you might ask: what if I am broke or sick? I say: that’s not a fact, it’s what you’re creating! Regardless of what you see in front of you, which is just the result of what you’ve said in the past, learn to use those two statements to create how you would like your life and your company to be …

I am rich and prosperous

I am happy, healthy, and filled with vitality and I intend to have a wonderful day.

I intend that I am in perfect health.

I intend that the perfect job, with the perfect opportunities, with wonderful teammates and benefits is manifesting for me now.

I intend that our company is successful and prosperous and that we have all of the customers we want

I intend that I am the president of the leading company in our industry

Start the day saying these kinds of things and then look around you to see what needs fixing. Whatever it is, intend that the perfect solution is on its way and that you are whole in every way. You do have the power of manifestation, you are using it every minute of every day with the thoughts you now have, so if you don’t like what you’re seeing in front of you, change your thoughts to be consistent with what you want.

And for those of you that think this is a bunch of nonsense and want to continue living feeling victimized so you can blame everyone else for your circumstances, I highly recommend you give that up and take responsibility for your life because in the final analysis, this is not a dress rehearsal for your real life. This is it. Make the most of it.

LEADERSHIP STRATEGY: Clarity & Focus

In my blog posted 9/6/12, I talked about Stepping up to the Plate, looking at what’s working and not working for you in your personal and/or professional life, AND taking responsibility for all of it.  Well, what did you discover?  What do you want to do about it between now and the end of the year?

 A common discovery for leaders who are struggling is that they don’t have clarity and focus about what they want to accomplish in their personal or business life.  Some people try to multitask in many areas, often without prioritizing.  They spin in circles with no tangible results.  Self confidence and energy are eroded. Fears and uncertainty crop up.

 Pause right now and put 30 minutes on your calendar to look at what you want to do between now and the end of the year.  What’s not working that you want to change and what do you want to do about it?  What are your intentions and goals for the balance of 2012 to make the changes you want?  Just for fun, set a timer for this 30 minute exercise so you stay focused and get those ideas out as fast as possible.  Some people take forever to do this because they think it needs to be just right.  Trust me; your key ideas will come out in 30 minutes.   Write them down.  Prioritize.  Pick one goal.  List the actions you can do to support it in the next week.  Pick one to do tomorrow.  Do it!  Check the box and go on to the next.  With clarity and focus, your certainty increases.  You gain momentum. With each action and accomplishment, you will see your sense of confidence increase.

 While thinking about how this very topic applied to my life, a weekly email from one of my fellow coaches, Mike Brenhaug, (www.WheresTheFocus.com) came across my desk.  His website, weekly emails and blog talk radio show are a great resource for all business leaders.  Listen to this particular one on clarity and focus. 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/coachmike/2012/09/10/entrepreneur-fuel-future-focus-with-coach-mike

 Use clarity and focus to help you Step Up to the Plate and make the changes you want in your life.  Do the 30 minute exercise I outlined.  Email me with the one goal you plan to work on next week and one action you plan to take! Bring 2012 to a close with pride and gusto!        Lois@UnshackledLeadership.com

LEADERSHIP STRATEGY – ACT AS IF

The 2012 London Olympics that start this week bring up several questions of interest to business executives.  What do these talented athletes do to be so successful, to win those medals?  What tools and strategies do they use?  How can this be applied to being a success as a business leader or in whatever life area you choose?

 One of the great strategies for success is to ACT AS IF you’re already where you want to be.  This is a simple, fun  tool where you’re thinking like, talking like, acting like, feeling like the person who has already achieved your goal.  An Olympic athlete will see himself touching the side of the pool before anyone else does and standing on the platform receiving the gold medal.  A business person can see himself receiving a bonus or an award for an outstanding achievement.  A parent can see themselves in a fun and loving relationship with their teenager!   ACTING AS IF sends powerful commands to your subconscious mind to find creative ways to achieve your goals.  It programs a part of your brain to start noticing anything that will help you succeed, and even sends strong messages to the universe that this end goal is something you really want.

 Start now!  You can begin right now to ACT AS IF you have already achieved any goal you want.  Feeling the outer experience of this helps create the inner experience, the mindset, that takes to manifest this actual experience.  So, how would you act as if you were already a leader of a successful company, the head of a department, an award winning scientist, a rich entrepreneur, a bestselling author, a significant other in an amazing relationship, or even a parent who has an amazing relationship with their kids?  How would you dress, think, talk, treat other people, handle money, live, travel and so forth?

 Once you have a clear picture, stand in that place.  Start being that person now.  Then start doing the actions that are consistent with being that person.  Soon you will have everything you visualized you wanted.

 As you watch the Olympics, use this as an opportunity to pick something you want and start ACTING AS IF you are already have it – that you are being and doing what needs to be done to achieve it.  During the games, you will hear and see many stories of persistence, hard work and dedication.  Get inspired with your own story!  Breathe in the joy of victory!