The cost of growing a thriving coaching business is high.
It requires that you give up your need to:
- look good
- please others
- politely avoid the truth
- constantly be nice
And, it requires that you give up your natural inclination to spend too much time focused on yourself, concerned about:
- not looking perfect
- not being good enough
- not knowing how . . .
The cost of growing a thriving coaching business: consistently choosing real courage even when you:
- feel self-conscious
- think you aren't good enough
- fear you don't know what you're doing
The cost of growing a thriving coaching business: giving up the idea of unattainable perfection and replacing it with:
- walking your talk
- consistently doing your own inner work
- telling the truth to yourself and to your clients, even when it's uncomfortable
- hiring your own coach
If you haven't been consistently doing your own inner work, walking your talk or working your own coach, and yet you still know to the depth of your being that you are here to serve by coaching, then commit in this moment to doing what it takes to choose courage.
That choice and commitment makes you the kind of person that others would like to learn from, be supported by . . .
If you can't or won't walk your own talk, do your own inner work or hire your own coach right now, then be compassionate with yourself.
But don't lie to yourself.
Tell yourself the truth. Kindly and firmly. And, then choose to do something else right now.
The cost of being a thriving coach is high.
It involves real courage.
Every day.
Choosing and committing again and again . . .
What can you do in this very moment to choose and commit and then take action?
* * * *
If you'd like to do something with me:
One-on-One Coaching Opportunity
I will have an opening in September to begin coaching, mentoring, consulting one-on-one with a new client.
Small Group Immersion Coaching, Mentoring, Consulting
I am also starting to have conversations with a few coaches who would like to receive intensive coaching, mentoring, consulting with me for 9 months in a small group of 3 to 5 coaches.
Both of these opportunities require your commitment to courage. Daily.
Even though the cost is high, the fulfillment is beyond anything you can imagine right now. Truly.
I am here to teach you how to serve clients so fully and so deeply that you offer them a life-changing experience of themselves that they have never had before. Serving clients in this way naturally grows your coaching business.
I can tell you from my own personal experience that serving in this way is more than worth the high cost of courage.
If either of these opportunities call to you, let's talk. Call me on my direct line at 303.399.8737.
Here's to thriving - the willingness to be courageous, even when it's scary!
Lots of love to you!
Ann
P.S. Even if you're not sure you'd like to coach with me or join a small coaching group right now, if you feel called to explore Living more courageously, let's talk. Call me during my open office hour Fridays, 10 - 11 am MT . . .
Thank you to everyone on the Thriving Coaches Roundtable today who asked for a copy of this meditation, affirmative prayer, opening for our gathering.
So, I have now publically commited to having the published book of these meditations, affirmative prayers, openings, centerings available to purchase by Christmas. Thank you so much for all of your encouragement!
Meditations tips: Feel free to use this piece and the others listed under "Mediation Tips" on this blog in any way that serves you and your clients . . .
Standing in the Center of Me
I’ve been tempted to step to the right
when I suspected that’s what he wanted me to do.
I’ve talked longer than I wanted because
I thought she would like me more.
I waltzed way over to the left
before I caught myself trying to please.
I’ve bent over backwards
until I noticed how much it hurt.
I agreed to projects that didn’t inspire me
because I thought I needed the money.
And, then it occurred to me:
all these contortions cause a lot of confusion.
Left to the whim of what I think you want me to be,
or what I believe she wants me to say or
what I hope he wants me to do,
then I am lost.
So I consciously choose to step back into the center of me.
In any moment, I choose based on how it feels to me.
Do I feel alive?
Happy?
Peaceful?
Whole?
Complete?
Loving?
Inspired?
Ignited?
Connected?
Expansive?
On purpose?
Of service?
Energized?
This is the center of me.
Do I feel less than?
Not enough?
Unworthy?
Self-conscious?
Drained?
Irritated?
Angry?
Sad?
Disconnected?
Confused?
Lethargic?
This is me attempting someone else’s dance,
attempting to stand in the center of something other than me.
Yet, there is no something else.
I can either stand in the center of me,
or deprive the world of my Self.
So, I choose now
to stand in the center of me.
"Standing in the Center of You" Coaching
If
you would like empowering one-on-one support for Standing in the Center
of You, check out Ann's new, three-month "Standing in the Center of You" coaching
program.
To live our best lives from our best selves, we must discover what best fills our own cups, what energizes us, what fuels us. We each have our own unique “energy recipe,” and we continue to enrichen our blend as we discover more about the best of ourselves throughout our lives.
Sometimes, we tend to put our spiritual life in it’s own box, “First, I’ll exercise, then do the laundry and then get to my spiritual activity.” Yet, spirit (energy) runs through everything. And, if we are open to it, we can experience spiritual awakening while exercising or doing the laundry, as well as when we are praying or meditating.
Knowing spirit, discovering energy from doing the laundry or in other aspects of our daily routines adds a beautiful spiritual richness to areas of our lives that we might otherwise consider as boring repetition or mindless chores. Spiritual awakening involves recognizing spirit in everything. Discovering what specific things most energize us and engaging in those activities more and more allows us to contribute more of our own personal best to the whole.
Several key areas of spiritual awakening in which we discover our unique energy ingredients:
Nature
Physical activity
Solitude
Community
Interests
Passions
Let’s briefly look at each one:
What two or three ways of being in nature most energize you?
Which physical activities most restore you to your equilibrium?
When you spend time alone, are you more energized by meditation, trimming bushes, reading, prayer, journaling, singing, chopping vegetables or . . .?
Are you energized by spending time with your neighbors, one good friend, new acquaintances at a party, a group of children or . . .?
Which of your interests do you get lost in?
Which of your passions most ignite you?
Looking at each more closely . . .
Nature
I didn’t realize until I was well into my thirties how much nature energizes me. Until then, I thought I didn’t like being outside much because I hated the hikes – I called them forced marches – that my mother made me take as a kid. I also wasn’t too thrilled when she made us play outside for an hour in the winter, no matter how cold the day.
As I matured, I realized I love sitting on the river bank watching the water rush by me. I also noticed how much I’m energized by the wide open landscapes of the desert. The more time I spent in the desert, the more I realized how much comfort I receive from the moon. And, I’ve experience many a spiritual awakening on the ski slope – as long as I allowed myself to go into the lodge before I got too cold!
What aspects of nature call to you?
Spending time with animals? Listening to trees? Scaling sheer rock faces? Rolling in the grass with kids? Playing in a big lake? Taking in the spiritual awakening on the ocean floor?
Physical Activities
I was as late a bloomer with knowing the energizing value of physical activity as with finding spiritual awakening in nature! In high school, I took modern dance as my gym requirement, hoping to avoid sweating. I learned the hard way that modern dance is a whole lotta work! Only in the past 9 years (living 2 blocks from 314 acres of fabulous City Park) have I learned both the joy and spiritual awakening available in physical activity – dare I say exercise?!
Today, I refill my energy cup by walking in the park, riding my bike on errands, skiing in the winter and practicing yoga once a week. I can’t imagine my life without this physical nourishment, yet I do remember telling people, “I’m just not a physical person.” Of course, now I know better. We are all physical people! And, there are an infinite number of recipes for energizing ourselves through physical activity.
What physical activities support your spiritual awakening, call you to feel more alive?
Do you get energized from “hard work” like chopping wood or making things? Does your energy come from physical challenges like training for a marathon or swimming across the English channel? Do you feel energized playing a team sport?
Solitude
I knew from a very early age that a good bit of my spiritual awakening came from solitude. When I was five, I spent hours pulling the seeds from the four-o-clock flowers in our yard to later sell to our neighbors. I spent many summer hours laying under a tree reading books. As the oldest of five children, I cherished any quiet time alone!
Today, I am energized by and experience spiritual awakening when skiing alone, taking solo retreat in the desert, walking in silence, reading for many hours and making jewelry.
What type of solitude facilitates your spiritual awakening?
Do you get energized by camping and fishing alone? Do you feel recharged when you chop vegetables for lunch or fold laundry after dinner? Do you feel most alive deep sea diving?
Community
I’m much more of a one-on-one person than a group person. And yet, I experienced a profound spiritual awakening at an Obama rally three days before he became president. I’ve also felt energized by taking a strong stand on a neighborhood zoning issue. I love the energy and spiritual awakening every time I go to church at Agape. And, I give and receive so much energy in the tiny community of two with my best friend, Tama.
What aspects of community, what particular communities energize you, spiritually enrich you?
Do you feel a spiritual awakening when you volunteer your time with children or the homeless? Do you get energized by leading your work group? Do you feel more alive when you sing in your church choir?
Interests/Passions
I’ve had a love of “home” ever since nine years of age. I masterminded, and built with my sisters, a two-story, three-room fort - complete with carpet, screened and curtained windows and a safe . . . for snacks, of course. Today, I am tickled pink that my 8-year-old-niece, Hailey, loves HGTV! I get energized doing almost anything in my home. And, just watching Hailey’s enthusiasm watching home design shows makes me feel more alive!
I’ve collected rocks since I was ten. Still today, every time I visit the desert, I bring a few new rock friends home with me. I feel Spirit in those rocks!
I can’t get enough of soul music. I’m constantly on the lookout for new artists – one of the reasons I love attending church at Agape – even though it’s 1,000 miles from my home! Listening to Rickie Byars Beckwith, Aaron Neville or Niki Haris sing from the bottom of their hearts facilitates a spiritual awakening in me so beautifully!
What interests or passions give you more energy, call to your heart, cause your spiritual awakening?
Ice fishing? Restoring vintage Mustangs? Riding your horses? Inventing video games? Sky diving? Gardening? Sail boating? Remodeling houses? Cooking for dinner parties?
Your unique recipe for energizing you . . .
Take the time to observe yourself – noticing when you feel most alive, when you are strengthened and give yourself – and the world – the huge gift of allowing yourself to spend more time engaged in the activities that cause you to feel more alive!
Here’s to our spiritual awakening . . .
I’d love to hear what you’re noticing!
Join a small group of like-minded coaches to spend 90 days discovering and implementing your way in the Thriving in 90 Days! program. Begins Sept 24th.
A few months ago, I wrote a "guiding light" for me and how I serve the world. It has brought me so much comfort, always reassuring me about the essence of me and what I have to offer.
I'm sharing it with you now, so that if you feel inspired you may use my personal essence statement "template" for spiritual inspiration and write your own.
Here's mine:
Ann's essence statement
I am fully present with:
- My Self
- My beloved
- Loved ones
- Clients
- Those I encounter
- All of nature that calls to me
With my:
- Love
- Clarity
- Generosity
- Playfulness
- Focus
- Grounding
- Beauty ways
- Inspiration
- Truth
- Empowerment
- and Strength.
I am present
to the energy
of each of us
and our combined energy;
where it's flowing
and where it's stagnant.
In each moment,
I discern
what's called for
to more fully experience
Love,
presence,
and flow . . .
Now it's your turn
To write yours, fill in the blanks:
I am fully present with:
(Fill in who and what you most love to be present with.)
With my:
(Fill in your best qualities.)
I am present to:
(Fill in the way(s) you love to engage and serve.)
In each moment:
(Fill in what you naturally do consistently that is almost always helpful to the situation.)
Have fun with this! And, after you write yours, do post it here to share with others . . .
My business mentor, Peleg, recently completed a client survey for me. For the past two weeks, I have been periodically reading and absorbing lots of information from the survey and asking Spirit to help me know whatever is most helpful for me to know.
No small task. A couple of times I got completely overwhelmed and had to stop.
While on personal, spiritual retreat in New Mexico last week, I finally reviewed everything piece-by-piece and felt some concepts integrating inside me.
Here's the one I'd like to share with you today: one of the comments in the survey indicated that I need to decide whether I am a business coach or a spiritual coach.
After initial annoyance, I am so grateful for that comment.
I have chosen.
I chose both. More accurately, it's less of a choice and more of a truth. I AM both. Spiritual coach and business coach.
How great is it to run our businesses from our spiritual foundations?! I am privledged and honored to support people in growing themselves and their businesses at the same time.
Spiritual coach and business coach. Okay, I'm out of the closet.
And what great value to my clients: two for the price of one. Spiritual coach and business coach. (And, mentor coach to coaches.)
Glad we cleared that up!
