9 posts tagged “life coach”

When you’re ready for the next step … when you are the red tulip practitioner that is doing particularly well … how do you become the yellow tulip?

Approach your business differently than you have traditionally done in the past.

ACTION … Set clear, concise and bold goals – then take consistent baby steps to achieve those goals. Without action a goal is useless and non-existent.

Initially, determining your goals may be one of your biggest challenges. It is uncomfortable to push your boundaries, to do things differently, to be concerned if those around you will approve of what you are doing. In the beginning, you may not know if you personally approve of what you are doing.  It takes time and repetition to be comfortable with change. The more you push your boundaries, the more comfortable you will become doing so. When you are comfortable, it is time to push the boundaries a little further. And so the cycle continues and expands.

ASK YOURSELF: “Who are my favourite, long-term clients? Who are the clients that represent my ‘ideal client’? Which type of clients would I like more of?”

ACTION … Request the above clients complete a very brief survey to help you position yourself better in the marketplace. They will be honoured and happy to do so. After all, if they’re your favourite clients, you are likely their favourite practitioner (or store or consultant).  They like and trust you and so would be pleased to help you and … they would be honest.

The purpose of the survey is to find out what ‘value’ they, as a client, receive from time spent with you.  The number of surveys completed is not nearly as important as the quality … 6-12 surveys should give you a good field of results. There are specific questions you can ask that will help your clients put this rather vague word (value) into context but this is a simpler method for most people to understand:

Question to the client:

“Take a moment to think of how you feel when you are in a session with your practitioner (or consultant, or in your favourite store). List 5 emotion words (peaceful, relieved …) and 5 value (spiritual, honoured, respected …) words that apply in this scenario.”

Include the ‘meaning’ of the word value so they understand in what context you are applying it.

Value val.ue n.

1.      A principle, standard, or quality considered worthwhile or desirable.

Source: The American Heritage® Stedman’s Medical Dictionary

http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/value

We'll continue ... 

PS -- Are you spread a little too thin in your business? Working constantly and still not making the money you want? How could you create abundance and satisfaction in your business? Stop wondering. Contact me. I'm here to help you answer those questions (and many more!).

What if Outlook refuses to co-operate, or you do not have Outlook (or something similar).

Use a Daytimer of some sort. For me, it is a daunting task to find the 'perfect' Daytimer. In fact, I have yet to find one that suits me and my life. At-a-Glance makes a one that's OK but I want 15 minute increments from 5 or 6 am through midnight. Most are made for 8 or 9 to 5 or 8. This doesn't work in my world. However, it does work for appointments for Sutopia, my complementary care wellness centre ... so I use one there. I do my actual appointments in that book (which goes back and forth from the office with me daily), then I 'block' the times on Outlook without adding details.  Luckily, Outlook and my new phone synchronize well so my phone is always up-to-date if I am on the road. It is synchronized as soon as I get home and then charged.

To use your DayTimer in a similar method, try this. Before I was familiar with Outlook, this is what I did.

Buy a variety pack of highlighters -- and there's no shortage of choice out there. Choose a colour for each main task or group, such as 'personal', 'household', 'health', 'work', 'family'. They should be broad and general categories to make your life easier when you're starting this. As you become accustomed to the idea, you can add more colours.

On the inside cover of the DayTimer, make a legend: yellow = x; orange = y; pink = z, etc. This is because, like me, you will likely totally forget your colour scheme very shortly.

Throughout the day, write in what you did. You can colour code everything at one point in the evening for efficiency; or, if you are using it at your desk only, you can colour code as you go.

Now, you can look back and easily see what colour(s) is dominating your life; or, you can search for an event a little easier because, as an example, you know birthdays are under 'personal', that's blue and the birthday you are looking for was in the last few weeks. It's a lot easier to look for the colour blue and read the details than to try and find 'Paul BD' scribbled somewhere on a page amongst all the other scribbles.

As with any organizational plan, you can go off the deep end on this one. Too many colours can be a bad thing as it becomes confusing and you also waste a lot of time choosing what colour to use. However, I suppose, the colouring could bring out your inner child as well...

To organization!

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

If you happen to use a computer-based scheduler (like outlook) for your calendar, a lot of them have a handy section called something like 'category' or 'label'.  By categorizing each entry and/or labelling it a different colour it helps your organize a little tighter.

As an example, if you have a 'category' for blogging time, and you click that each time you enter your time block on your schedule, you can later do a 'search' for 'blog' and determine exactly how much time you spent on that task. This is ideal for people who charge by the hour -- IF they remember to put their times in the scheduler as they do them. I use this to track my time for Greystone Retreat. At the end of each month, I do a search for 'greystone' and, voila!, there are my total hours for billing.  It's very handy once you catch on to it.  My personal penalty for not bothering to put things on the scheduler -- simple -- I lose that income. Since that is painful in my wallet, I pay better attention to tracking my time. This method of tracking can also be useful if there is a discrepancy with when and how you spent your time down the road for whatever reason.

The label feature is handy if you're like me and are a visual person.  Each broad category can be assigned a different colour; they are editable. That way, when you are entering your item and category, you simply click on a 'label' at the same time ... it takes less than 1 second. Now, when you glance at your day's schedule (once you get used to your colour scheme), you can spot instantly what you either are supposed to do or have done, depending on how you work your scheduler (in advance planning, or fill in as completed).

To organization...

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

John Ho's blog today, reminded me of this thought-provoking quote that I keep posted by my desk as a reminder of life's journey and its lessons. I use it as a base for workshops I teach; hand copies out to students and clients; and utilize it in coaching sessions. I hope you enjoy it.

1.                  You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it will be yours for the entire period this time around.

2.                  You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have an opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3.                  There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial and error and experimentation. The ‘failed’ experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately ‘works’.

4.                  A lesson is repeated until learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can then go on to the next lesson.

5.                  Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons; if you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6.                  ‘There’ is no better than ‘here’. When your ‘there’ has become a ‘here’, you will simply obtain another ‘there’ that will, again, look better than ‘here’.

7.                  Others are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something that you love or hate about yourself.

8.                  What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9.                  Your answers lie inside you. The answers to life’s questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen and trust.

10.               You will forget all this.

Dr. Cherie Carter-Scott

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

Here’s something for you to try …

The next time someone gives you a compliment, simply say ‘thank you’. Then, STOP. Say nothing else in regard to the compliment.

Can you do it?

A lot of us cannot.  We are socially conditioned to automatically respond with a compliment to the giver.  This diminishes the pleasure the giver receives from giving and negates our pleasure to receive.  I’ll stop there. It’s the weekend and we don’t want to delve too deeply.

Try it. Just for today.

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

From a 6-year old's perspective...

This is a very insightful story that I've heard a few times. I doubt everyone has seen it, so I pass it on for your enjoyment and reflection.

A veterinarian had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound, named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

The vet examined Belker, and found he that he was dying of cancer. He told the family they couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for their old dog, in their home.

As they made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told the vet they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.

The next day, the vet felt that familiar 'catch' in his throat, as the Belker family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, and the vet wondered if he truly understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion.  Everyone sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why!'

Startled, everyone turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned the vet, as he'd never heard a more comforting explanation than his. Shane said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life, like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?'  The six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.'

Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was your teacher, you'd learn things like:

- When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

- Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

- Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

- Take naps.

- Stretch before rising.

- Run, romp, and play daily.

- Thrive on attention, and let people touch you.

- Avoid biting when, a simple growl will do.

- On warm days, stop to lie on your back, on the grass.

- On hot days, drink lots of water, and lie under a shady tree.

- When you're happy, dance around, and wag your entire body.

- Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

- Be loyal.

- Never pretend to be something you're not.

- If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

- When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

Back on June 16, I posted a blog about 'balance' in life. A portion of our life that many of us ignore is hobbies and interests. Remember when you were a kid, and you spent as much time as you could on your hobby? Remember how much fun it was? How time stood still? How curious you were?

Take a couple of minutes for a brief trip down memory lane – right now – 2 minutes from your day won’t affect your schedule dramatically and, in fact, the ‘time out’ could be quite refreshing.

What was your favourite pastime as a young child (say under the age of 10) … if you choose to share? Mine was drawing and writing.

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

Continuing along yesterday’s vein of adding quotations into your copy…

A well-placed, related quote can reinforce what you are trying to achieve (see John's comment on my blog yesterday). As an example, when we teach our complementary care programs at the Academy, each certification course includes a detailed manual. At the beginning of each chapter in the manual, we place a quote, drawing or cartoon that relates to the upcoming chapter. This serves several purposes: (1) it encourages the students to look forward to the next chapter (suspense), (2) it switches from left brain learning to right brain enjoyment (better learning mode), (3) it lightens the tension by adding humour and, most importantly for the workshop’s purpose, (4) it inspires and motivates.

Following is one of my favourite quotes. I trust you will find it inspiring.

 “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small doesn't serve the world.

There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine, as children do.

We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

 

American Author and Lecturer, Marianne Williamson (quote is often credited to Nelson Mandela)

From her book “A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of a Course in Miracles”, 1992

Do you have a favourite quote? Please feel free to share it with us. If you don’t have a favourite (yet), perhaps a web search will help you find one that suits you at this time.  Fifteen years ago, I would never have considered the quote above to be my favourite and I certainly looked at it in a different way that I do now. At that time, the quote frightened me at some level. Now, I find it both inspiring and empowering.

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor & Coach

OK. Enough of the personal stuff and ‘filler’ … time to get back on track to the original purpose of this blog which is “Baby Steps to Success”.

I remember as a child waiting impatiently for someone to give us an old copy of a Reader’s Digest magazine.  I couldn’t wait to do the increase your vocabulary page … I so enjoyed trying to get them all correct.  It has continued to this day – I simply love to learn new things and add new words to my vocabulary.  The words seem to flow better when I’m writing than when I’m speaking but, eventually, I’m getting there … as in … having the confidence to incorporate more and more of them verbally in daily conversation.

Your vocabulary is one of many ‘clues’ that people use at a subconscious level to determine: how intelligent they think you are, how trustworthy you are, how knowledgeable you are and how much credibility you deserve.  Just as we are judged very quickly on our choice of clothing and our mannerisms, we are instantly judged when we open our mouth and speak.  How often have you met someone whose image does not match either what they say or how they say it?

One of the easiest ways to increase your vocabulary is to learn a new word on a regular basis … once a day, once a week or once a month … and incorporate it into your life.  Start with easier words that are more recognizable.  Some of my early favourites were: affable, loquacious, peristalsis (as in reverse) and paradiclorobenzene. Make sure you know the meaning as someone will likely ask you ‘what does that word mean?’ and you’ll be able to confidently help them increase their vocabulary as well.

My favourite (at the moment, as the internet is a fleeting thing) site is simply www.dictionary.com and the randomly generated ‘word of the day’ from them: http://dictionary.reference.com/wordoftheday/ . Or you could try this one: http://www.wordthink.com/ which has a download for handheld devices.

What’s your word for the week? Post it the next time you’re on the blog so we can all learn it.

PS – if ‘hiatus’ is new to you … use it.

To your enriched vocabulary…

Sue Crutcher, Life Empowerment Mentor

Baby Steps to Success Expert and Certified Personal Trainer

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hi·a·tus     /haɪˈeɪ təs/ Pronunciation Key - [hahy-ey-tuh s]

–noun, plural -tus·es, -tus.

[Origin: 1555–65; < L hiātus opening, gap, equiv. to hiā(re) to gape, open + -tus suffix of v. action ]

—Related forms

hi·a·tal, adjective

—Synonyms 3. break, interval, space.