In today’s email, Suzanne Falter-Barns asked a somewhat ~ like very ~ vulnerable question:
“Has your business ever made you cry, Bonnie?”
My answer without a moment’s hesitation! You bet it has… Has yours?
Suzanne went on to say:
I know, I know. We’re not supposed to talk about these things. We’re supposed to be INDEPENDENT, BRAVE and STRONG … and not have inconvenient feelings like fear, shame and serious self-doubt.
Thing is … those feelings are unavoidable. And the real truth is that when you find yourself planted face down on your bed, wracked with sobs, that’s usually a really good sign.
It’s an indication of an imminent breakthrough – a complete break with the way you’ve always done things. A chance to be liberated from whatever is currently sticking you … so you can make the surge forward that you need.
This is the reality of entrepreneurship:
We’ve all been in tears with our businesses.
We’re going to be asked to do hard things.
We’re going to feel like complete idiots from time to time.
We’ll have to do things sometimes that make us feel crazy, weak or just plain out of our league.
And yes, we’re going to have dark nights of the soul.
Which means …. we also get the chance to GROW. To pry ourselves OUT of the comfort zone which is totally a great thing.
And isn’t that why Spirit put you in business in the first place?
My note: Thanks, Suzanne, for bravely stating there’s an elephant in the room.
In fact, I’m going through yet another expansion of my comfort zone. What a relief to be reminded that the waves of emotions, sometimes tears, are a good thing!
How grateful I am to be traveling with you, Suzanne. Thanks for being who you are, showing up as you are. I am encouraged and empowered!
I’m ready to do some yoga, then get to bed early so I’m fully charged to show up in the world in a new, bigger, bolder, and better way tomorrow.
P.S. That was yesterday, and today has been a better day. Energy ebbs and flows in nature, and I’m part of nature! So are you… I’m learning to relax and go with the flow, to trust that I am the right person to do the next thing that’s right in front of me, and then to do it. Being in motion makes it easier for me to be in the right place at the right time, to say or do the right thing, meet the right person… you get my point.
So, I invite you to laugh when you feel like laughing, and cry when that feels right, too. And I will, too. Together, being our real, authentic selves, we can hold each other’s hand and JUMP! Right through the next ring of fire. Let who you no longer need to be, what you no longer need to say or do be burned away a tiny bit at a time. It’s part of the journey of life.
To quote Suzanne, “Isn’t that why Spirit put you in business in the first place?”
And remember, if it’s got to get done, let me help you make it fun!
Tags: Professionals, Strategies for Success
May 3rd, 2010
I immediately bought the book and signed up for Tim’s e-course I receive via emails.
Today’s issue #29 was exactly what I needed to read today. By the time I got his email, I had created the draft of a PowerPoint presentation for a project I’m working on for a client, I had a meeting with him while taking my morning walk, I wrote another blog post, read and when appropriate answered about 40 emails, and discovered about 10 new sources of knowledge and expertise I’ll explore after I finish this post.
Yet, even having done all that before noon, I felt pushed and pressured by myself to do more faster. Then I read Tim’s advice. I found what he had to say so helpful I wanted to share it with you… I know I am in good company with others like myself 
Here’s what Tim shared:
Making your life a direct expression of your purpose is the most fulfilling and rewarding choice. It is also something that doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to make an orderly transition from how you are currently living to a new, purpose-centered life.
This may or may not involve changes in profession or other life circumstances. Remember, a purpose isn’t a job, a job is an expression of a purpose.
Living fully from purpose requires consistently making purpose-based choices. More on that in a later issue.
There are a couple of significant disadvantages to this strategy. The most common problem people face with this approach is fear of the unknown. They imagine that they will be unable to support themselves, that people they love will reject them, or any of a number of other fears. These fears rarely come to pass, but the imagination of them can deter people in their movement towards manifesting their purpose.
The other “problem” is an interesting one. Moving towards your purpose tends to increase the amount of serendipity and synchronicity in your life: people show up to help you and things that you imagine will be difficult become easy. This creates a feeling of “acceleration” which can be both exhilarating and nerve-wracking.
Of course, it’s hard to imagine a better problem to have: the question becomes, how much exhilaration, meaning, passion, and success can you tolerate? It seems like a silly question, but it really isn’t. I often find myself “hitting the brakes” a little bit to keep the rapid progress towards my purpose at a rate I can manage.
Copyright © 2003-2009 Timothy A. Kelley. All rights reserved. “Know Your Purpose” and “Purpose Hunting” are trademarks of Timothy A. Kelley
Back to my thoughts…
I’m wondering if Tim’s perspective was helpful to you. If so, how specifically?
Equally important, how do you manage the pace you operate at because you’re driven by your passion ?
Please share as I know we are in good company and what’s working for you may help me and others, too.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
Tags: Become an Expert, Information Marketing, Information Products, Internet Marketing, Marketing for Professionals, Professionals
December 15th, 2009
I just got back from a two-day seminar on Internet Marketing. Armand Morin was amazing. He talked non-stop, except for breaks, of course, for both days.
Needless to say, I learned a great deal. Some you’ll be hearing about in future blogs and articles. I also met dynamic, exciting people.
The single most important benefit to me: I’ve shattered another myth in my Marketing Resistance Syndrome, one of the biggest obstacles to my success. Maybe you can relate, and more important, hopefully you, too, can banish this “Success Thief” from your mind forever!
I LOVE what I do. I talk about it, read about it, listen, watch, think about it. My ‘IT’ is helping consultants turn their expertise into gold by becoming known as a VIP with VIP ~ a Very Important Person with Valuable Intellectual Property. If you’re a consultant, you want the perks that go along with being known as an expert in your field, don’t you?
What’s your “IT”? As you read the rest of this post, imagine you’re holding your “IT” and the people you LOVE to serve in the center of your heart. That’s where they are already, isn’t it?
Back to my story… Here I am, sitting in a room filled with “Internet Marketers.” I wish there were a way to spell that in four letters because that’s how I used to think of them — emails, newsletters, links, opt-in pages, downloads ~ information overload. And what are they promoting and selling? Information products, often not even their own. Why? To make the thousands of dollars a day they advertise you, too, can make, or the pounds of weight you can lose, if you buy whatever they’re selling. Sound familiar? Yuck!
Well, after a slow start, I found myself typing away as fast as I could. Why?
Armand said something so important. He only said it once, and I could have missed it if I weren’t listening VERY closely.
His examples for how to use this technique and that to promote and sell products were always his or someone else’s product that would help the Internet marketer succeed.
Before I quote Armand, I want to tell you something I learned at T. Harv Eker’s Train-the-Trainer as well as from many others who coach and teach about creating, promoting, and selling information products.
We MUST package our expertise into Valuable Intellectual Property, also known as Valuable Information Products. Sure, there are many benefits to us.
We’ll get to those in a moment.
More important, let’s take a look at how our clients and prospective clients benefit when we turn our knowledge, experience, and wisdom into something tangible, something they can hold in their hand or download, something they can take home with them, or discover sitting comfortably in their favorite chair.
People are hungry for information. Not just any information. Specific information on something they’re passionate about, curious about, maybe they just need to know. It doesn’t matter if it’s related to their work or personal life, their hobby or a community project. They’re searching and more and more, they’re searching online. How do you think Google stays #1 on the Internet?
And some of them are searching for what you know! They have a problem they want to solve, a pain they want to avoid or eliminate, a pleasure they’re seeking, or maybe it’s a question they want answered. And they’re actively looking for “IT”!
You can make their day! You said you were PASSIONATE about “IT”, didn’t you? You want to share your passion with others, don’t you?
Guess what?
You owe it to these people to share your expertise with them! From their perspective, you’re being selfish if you don’t. Did you ever consider that? And once they find you, they want to stay connected, to learn more, to be encouraged, to be shown how step by step. They need you!
So write it, say it, demonstrate it, and while you’re at it, record it. Turn it into a blog post or article, an audio or video podcast, post it to YouTube, Tweet it, share it with your Facebook friends and fans. It doesn’t matter if it’s a book, a song, a product, a program or a service.. It could be physical or digital. There are advantages to both, so why not do both. You can give it away for free or sell it. The important thing is share it!
Share it with the world so those who are looking for you can quickly and easily find you and benefit from your expertise, your perspective, your wisdom and knowledge. There’s only one you. You’re the only you that ever was, is, and will be! YOU have the perfect message, the perfect story, the perfect answer for someone, for the many someones who are looking for YOU right now! Start spreading the word to the world so those who want to be in YOUR world can find, and get to know, like, and trust you.
People do business with those they know, like, and trust. That’s how you benefit! According to Milgram’s law, the marketplace will blindly believe the words of an expert. So you must be perceived as an expert. To be perceived as an expert, you must be more visible to more people who then have the opportunity to realize you are credible and valuable. That’s how you become more profitable and get all the other perks of being known as an expert in your field. How cool is that!
Back to Armand and that one thing he said that changed my world, and I hope changes yours.
“What’s better than using all the techniques Armand covered, and all the ones he didn’t cover, to promote, distribute, and yes, even sell other people’s products, programs, and services? Create, promote, distribute, and yes, even sell your own!”
Thank you, Armand!
Does that make you an Internet Marketer? Or are you still you, being passionate about what you do, using the Internet to help you become more visible, credible, and valuable to those who want to find you because you are passionate about what you do? Here’s the bottom line…
Whether you’re doing business around the corner or around the world, you owe it to the people who need you and are searching for you to take your message to YOUR World. It’s time for you to become a VIP with VIP!
Tags: Become an Expert, Information Marketing, Information Products, Internet Marketing, Marketing for Consultants, Marketing Resistance Syndrome, Professionals, VIP with VIP
December 7th, 2009
