Making the Transition:Evaluate

       Everyone will tell you transition is not easy. As our worlds become more and more intertwined with checking email at home and board meetings done by phone. I find the greatest asset we can use to concentrate our impact with our home and business lives are elimination. I have been on a journey in my life and practice of coaching to eliminate all the excess. The truest way to impact your business and your life is to systematically examine your functions in order to evaluate how well it is serving you, your family or your business.

    Personally I am in the process of moving and the most significant changes for me have been weeding through home pieces in order to evaluate the usefulness. Taking this time before moving allows me to get rid of or pare down to the essentials. A non profit I work with also evaluates at least twice a year the processes that are working and the processes that are no longer working. I have seen first hand how being able to evaluate the effectiveness of systems and processes will change your business, and expand your impact.

Being able to evaluate systems and processes that are no longer bringing the desired results for your business and home will allow you the freedom to build and expand. This incisive change will further business and invest in your family.  Give yourself the opportunity to succeed fully!

I would establish a set of questions to ask in these situations to verify how each system or process is working for the business. 

As I have built my own practice I ask myself:

-What is the focus of my impact?

-Does this system or process follow my impact focus?

-Does this system or process add to the bottom line in regard to dollar revenue vs time spent?

-Would my business be impacted negatively if I stopped?

-Who is targeted by this system or process?

-Am I spending too much time on this system or process?

-Am I using this as a time filler so I can stay busy?

This is a partial list, of course you should tailor the questions you are asking to your specific business or situation. This is the first section in the transition series. so take the next few days to challenge yourself with the deep questions about your business. The depth of the questions you are willing to ask yourself reveal the depth of change possible. 

How to Choose Your Coach

Choosing the right business or career coach is how your team is going to make the magic happen. Hopefully by the time you are bringing someone in to focus and hone your vision you have an idea of how you work best and what really motivates you. Really great coaching will empower you to reach the milestones you are looking to accomplish using who you are to connect to your dreams.
1- What is(are) your goal(s) with coaching?

2-What time frame(s) are you looking at to reach your goals?

3- How do you feel with the coach? (trust your gut) Coaching is an honest place that can sometimes be intense, you want to be empowered and encouraged in those places of vulnerability.

4-Review the coach's expectations and request an idea of the client expectations. Determine whether they are reasonable for the time you plan to invest in coaching.

4 Steps to Have it All

1- Dream It

The old adage if you can dream it you can do it is true! Here is where I reveal my love of white boards. I have not 1, not 2, but three in my kitchen alone. So if you like me need a white board in front of you make a bucket list of dreams. I've mentioned this before but one of my big dreams is to rent a cabin on the coast in Maine and write for a summer. Trust me it's on my dream list. But I have other ones too like having a sustainable farm, and creating a place people like to get away too. Most of my dreams are centered around my family and friends creating experiences. So first things first pic up a pen or in my case dry erase marker and write them down. Mirrors also allow the use of dry erase markers! 

2- Research and Developement 

Figure out how far off your dreams really are! They could be right around the corner and if you didn't ask you'd never run into it. If your dream is to learn a foreign language my town has business lunches during the week where groups get together to study a language. It would only cost you lunch once a week. If your dream is to make your own cheeses there are websites or books you can read to figure out how to start your own production of cheese. Cheesemaking for Beginners

3- Make a Plan

This can be as detailed as I found the towns close together that have wineries and I'm going next weekend. Or as complicated as I am giving up my full time job here to teach English in Thailand for 3 years. Teaching English

I know someone who went through this program! That type of a life change might take more strategy.

Life is a many splendid thing and should love and breathe as you dream and grow. This part is crucial because you want your plan to be as detailed as you need to so the steps are manageable. What other obligations do you have? Are there financial obligations you have? Are there skills you lack? Make sure you also ask how can I overcome those deficits? I loved to travel so I worked 2-3 jobs. The sacrifice was worth it for me because I could go on a trip every 3-4 months. Money to travel was worth my exchange of time. Don't be afraid to barter for things too. If you know someone who has a camper trailer you want to take to the Gran  Tetons who also needs their roof redone maybe that's a good use of a weekend to trade. While I nannied I had a hair dresser who would barter child care hours. It was a perfect exchange of services. 

4- Execute Dream

This is the fun part. Take the first step! Go ahead, Do it! Make the call, sign up, or make your reservation. Your life is calling.

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Kill the Cow, Keep the Dryer

You know what these are, the things maybe habits or items we can't live without. Our sacred cows of life. I'm reminded of a girl and her industrial strength hair dryer, but I digress. Sometimes your sacred cow is as plain and as unknown as the nose on your face, something your eye is trained to ignore.

I would challenge you to ask a friend, spouse, or coworker what your ticks are. To be brutally honest my biggest tick was an "Adult" job 9-5 Monday through Friday. I don't know if I thought the world was going to end if I worked outside of those hours but I know my most productive times do not always happen between 9 am - 5 pm. Somehow I decided that people who worked these hours had made it. After much reflection I have decided Monday through Friday 9-5 doesn't work for me. So with one sacred cow down and the other soon to be down. I have a new standard of "arrival". I want to work minimally without my income being dependent on my presence in the office. When the cow no longer stands in the way you are free to redefine and adjust expectations.

The other was comfort. I liked a predictable ( insert safe) standard of living. I was terrified first with what would I DO if i no longer was a work-a-holic? What would happen if I stepped out to the unknown and fell flat on my face? I was too comfortable in my commitments like rent and car payments and a delightful cell phone bill. These demands were an unkind task master.

Challenged by an honorable man, I was given the task of following a rabbit trail into the what if's of the world. What if I didn't fall on my face? What if I succeed at my heart's desire? What if I did become an author? One of my dreams from a tender age. But it gets better! Not only did I dream of one day writing a book, I specifically wanted to write a book on the coast of Maine in a sea cottage on the beach. So my journey down the rabbit hole continued. What if I COULD write a book in a sea cottage on the coast of Maine with the ocean as my soundtrack and a lighthouse for my bearings. Life just looked better and better. Well first things first I had to believe I had something to write! Its difficult to be a writer without stories. But I assure you I have no shortage of words and even ideas, but a story??? So I have beaten back the beast of a sacred cow to try my wings outside of comfort and though the journey is in its infancy, I am delighted to say its been quite the success.
The land beyond your sacred cows is bright and full of promise and risk. But all of the best things take a bit of faith.

Quote for the Day

Eye on the Prize

In business I feel we are losing the personal touch. I firmly believe that every place you've been develops you as a person. I am honored as I take the time to count my blessings from my prior employer, and survey all I get to take with me. An excellent quote from my supervisors desk, "You are serving a customer, not a life sentence. Learn how to enjoy your work." ~ Laurie McIntosh. 

The value I take with me are the people I was able to connect with and share a bit of life. Wherever you work, whatever you're doing take time for people. A call center I worked at coached this philosophy, each person weather internal or external who came on your line deserved your very best. At the end of the day products and systems even businesses can go under but people remain. You can spend your time at war with your desk mate or you can invest in them and watch the true value they carry come forward. As you move through situations take a moment to walk in their shoes. Use every skill you have in observation and listening. If you need a refresher on how to listen well, I refer to the listening master's ted talk here . If you truly have your eye on the prize, you understand you will get there by investing in relationships. Companies have invested research into being cost effective, and maintaining a customer is far more valuable than the investment to bring a new one in, relationships are that way too. My golden rule is to look for ways you can invest in their life, work, or family to bring value. If that is your goal customer service, business relationships, and networking will be genuine and intentional. 

Building Dreams: 15 minutes or less

You have a dream, you're in a great place. Now what? 

People think in order to get into their dream job, shape, location it will take everything. I'm here to challenge that thought. Even if your dream is basket weaving (which is quite a skill!) you can do something toward your dream everyday. Don't just dream about it, look it up! Check out a book, google it, ask a friend or better yet find someone who is doing it. Ask questions, search for answers. Even if your dream is to travel, and you know where you want to go, start a plan on when it's best to go, local places, tourist attractions, how long are you going to be there? Do you need to get some language basics so you can ask for a bathroom at your dream destination. 

Maybe your 15 minute discovery process with help you answer why you want to go after your dream and figuring out why your dream is important will be worth more than its weight in gold!

Don't forget to start your fifteen minutes today!

Top Three Ted Talks

Everyone needs useful information and these three are wonderful to ponder.

1) Susan Cain: The Power of Introverts

2) Julian Treasure: How to Speak so that People Want to Listen

3) Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi: The Danger of a Single Story