It's time for a Spring Refresh

It’s that time of year again. It’s not technically the New Year, but to me, every new season represent a fresh beginning.

Now, as the days has started to be longer and Mother Nature has started to grow & bloom, I feel myself filled with the same eagerness to start anew.

If we don’t live intentionally - start of a new season can easily pass us by. And in my own experience, it is the years where I forget (or simply forgo) my seasonal reset, that I’m left feeling scattered and overwhelmed a few weeks in.

Therefore, at the start of each new season, I now conduct a quarterly reset. And regardless of what the season is for you, you can use this process any time that you’d like to create a new start.

After experimenting with a variety of “reset” activities over the years, here’s the system that I’ve found works for me. My resets contain three into three parts: Looking back, looking around, and looking ahead.

1. LOOKING BACK

Looking back is all about reflection-- An opportunity to take stock of how things have been going and how far you’ve come.

If journaling is your thing, you can free-style the answers to the questions below. Otherwise, you’re welcome to bullet point. Either way though, I recommend actually writing your answers. I’ve found (and science confirms) that putting pen to paper activates the mind in a way that merely mentally contemplating and/or typing cannot.

When you’re ready, consider the following prompts:

Big wins: What wins have you experienced in the last quarter? Where have you succeeded? What goals have you accomplished? What do you feel good about? What’s going right?

This is your chance to ponder what is going well. Remember, while success sometimes takes the form of checking a big goal off your list, smaller and less “remarkable” successes are often meaningful. For example, learning how to set healthy boundaries or consistently engaging in a new daily practice can also be life-changing and noteworthy. Big or small, note any meaningful “wins” you’ve experienced.

Highlights: When you look back over the last quarter, what has been the most enjoyable? Which days, events, or occurrences stand out as particularly special? What have been your highlights?

What’s not working?: Where in your life or business is there considerable friction? On a daily or weekly basis, what causes repeated frustration? Consider various areas of your home, relationships, work life, personal goals, productivity systems, and digital atmosphere. What is one area in which a simple change could make an impact?

Something may jump immediately to mind. But if not, pay careful attention to your emotions and thoughts over the next few days. Notice when you become agitated, and pay particular attention to instances where the locus of control lies with you.

2. LOOKING AROUND

Now it’s time to take a look at the space surrounding you at the present moment.

The “looking around” portion of this reset is all about cleaning and clearing your physical and digital environments. If you’re anything like, well, most people, you probably have a space in your life or business that could use a little spring cleaning.

Take a look at your current offers; do they still light you up? Are you excited to sell them? ARE they selling? What about your content? Are you feeling inspired or bored? Take some time to really reflect on how things look and feel in your business, and make a clean sweep.

3. LOOKING AHEAD

Part 3 of the seasonal reset entails preparing for the months to come. Here’s where you look ahead and map out your vision and goals for the upcoming season.

Take time to reflect and journal on a few things: How do you want to FEEL in the next few months? What does your ideal schedule look like? What offer do you want to launch? What FUN activities can you schedule that get you out of your routine and feeling joy?

There you have it. A three part reset to leave you feeling refreshed and energized for the season ahead. And again, regardless of what season it is for you right now, taking time to deliberately welcome the upcoming chapter is a powerful way to set your intentions and start this portion of your journey off on the right foot.

How to ACTUALLY stick with your 2023 goals

Happy January! It’s a fresh new year, and you know what that means…people set fresh new goals.

And oftentimes, lose steam on them a couple of months (weeks?!) later.

Here’s the thing, If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you’ve heard me say there’s no 5-step formula or cookie cutter strategy to reaching your goals – just the one strategy that works for YOU.

I want you to bring this truth to your goal-setting for the rest of 2023. So as you’re mapping out your strategy for the rest of the year, be sure you’re selecting strategies that work for YOU.

Don’t worry about what so-and-so on your virtual block’s doing to make the income you want. Don’t choose a strategy because you think you “should” (or someone told you you “should”). Don’t chase after the latest shiny object strategy if it’s not what floats your boat. Stop forcing something that isn't you.

This is honestly one of the top reasons folks don’t achieve their goals, because they’ve chosen a strategy that doesn’t work for them. For example, let’s say I wanted to lose 20 pounds and I picked kickboxing as my exercise strategy. I would honestly fail miserably (and quickly) because kickboxing just isn't for me and I would dread (and avoid) my workouts.

Make sure the strategies you choose work for your personality, your ideal lifestyle, and your industry. When you do that, it’s 1,000% easier to show up consistently and execute on the strategy that will get you to your 2023 goals!

Your turn, are your goal strategies REALLY in alignment with YOU, or are you following what everyone else is doing?

PS If you're feeling stuck on this, reach out! My 2-hour intensives are back and they're a GREAT way to kickstart your goals and get a clear-cut, personalized strategy. Let's get you some momentum and energy around your business again!

4 ways to be a productive (and profitable) biz owner every week

Ready to set your weeks up for success? Here are 4 easy steps to get get you there:

1. Plan your week--Take some time today to map out your goals and intentions for the week. Do you want to get consistent online? Grow your community? Book a client? Collaborate? Write it down and plan it out! Break it down into tasks and to-do's that you will actually do and focus on those.
   

2. Have a goal for each day that you work towards--Pick one thing you want to accomplish each day from your to-do list. Remember, it feels so good to cross that off the list at the end of the day!
   

3. Work your business like it's a real business--You know what I mean, now is the time to step up as a leader and CEO. Focus on your vision and work towards it everyday. Ask yourself, "Is this what my next-level self would work on?" If the answer is no, move on!
   

4. Stop comparing yourself to what others accomplish and focus on what you need to accomplish (stay in your own lane!)--And most importantly, CELEBRATE those accomplishments! Even the small ones; those are building your business (and bank account) too!

Your turn, what's your favorite way to set your week up for success? Comment below and let me know!

And, if you’re looking for my favorite ways to find, and stay, in flow in your business, check out my FREE RESOURCE!

My favorite ways to stay productive, and present, even through really hard times

Ok, I'm going to be totally honest here, the past few weeks and everything that's been going on with our government, with 24/7 news coverage, has left me reeling. I'm feeling shocked, overwhelmed, saddened...you name it, I've probably felt it. And I know I'm not alone. My first instinct was to hide and avoid any work, but I knew that wasn't the answer. So, I thought about some ways that would help me, and hopefully others, stay productive even through really hard times.

Ask for help

I know this can be scary, but I promise that asking for help doesn’t make you weak and it can yield wonderful results. I've opened up to a lot of friends and colleagues, and all of them were incredibly understanding and willing to help me out, even if that meant just lending an understanding ear.

Work in batches

The idea is to do work for twenty minutes, then take a ten minute break. Breaking up work this way can make it feel more manageable. It’s daunting to say, “I’ll work for two hours,” it’s a little easier to view it as six sets of twenty minutes, taken one at a time, with breaks in between.

Prioritize

Often when we’re feeling overwhelmed and going through a hard time, we dwell on every single thing we have to do, mentally piling minute task onto minute task until we’ve built an insurmountable mountain of a to-do list. The reality is often less daunting than we make it out to be. Before you go to bed or when you wake up, write down the three things that are most important to accomplish that day. Then focus on those three things.

Get out of the house

If you can, I really recommend trying to get out of the house most days. Take with you only what you need and go somewhere where you can breathe and focus. It doesn’t have to be a library. It can be a coffee shop, a park, a friend’s home, anywhere where it’s a little easier for you to work. This can also help remind you there’s a world out there and you are capable of being a part of it. Sometimes the momentum of getting out of the house can give you the boost you need to get stuff done.

Most importantly, take care of yourself

Going to your therapy appointments, taking your medication, resting...that’s how you stay productive. By taking care of yourself and by making sure you’re getting all the help you need and using every tool available to stay afloat.

Those are my reminders to staying productive and present during tough times, what are some of yours?

And, if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stalled out, reach out! My VIP Days are a perfect way to jumpstart you back into CEO mode, centered and reaching your goals.

Lean in to curiosity.

My coach recently asked me what I want my clients and community to feel when they're in my energy or social media. I immediately answered with powerful, abundant, successful, clarity..all that good stuff. Then she challenged me to meditate on it and see what comes up when I get really quiet and truly listen.

So I did.

And the first word that popped up when I was finally quiet, was "curious." It was clear as day.

I want people to feel curious.

I want you to feel curious about me, yes, but more importantly about yourself.

I want you to be curious about what it is you REALLY want. How you REALLY want your life and business to look and feel like, not just what everyone else says it should.

I want you to be curious about what you can achieve. (I have a hint for you, it's a lot more than you think you can right now.) And I want you to explore that. I want to witness that moment when you finally see just how much you are capable of and that it's not only within your reach, it's not all that difficult!

I freaking love that moment with clients. It's what lights me up.

I want you to be curious about the world around you, and how you can impact it, and how it can change you.

I want you to be curious.

As a life-long learner and student it really shouldn't have come as a surprise that what I wanted clients and my community to feel was curious, but sometimes it takes that gentle push from a coach, and to get truly quiet, to see the things right in front of ourselves.

If this resonates with you, I'd love to chat. My VIP Days are the perfect starting point to getting clarity and clear action steps to booking clients and increasing your income. Let's get curious on how much you can actually achieve!

What type of clients do you attract?

It occurred to me recently that while I'm a coach myself, the majority of my clients are not. Whaaaaat?

Yep, I've worked primarily with service based entrepreneurs....VA's, OBM's, Pinterest Managers, SMM's, HR Consultants, Fractional CMO's, Therapists, Graphic Designers...you get the idea.

Don't get me wrong, I love my coach clients! (I have one who I have worked with FOR YEARS who is one of my closest friends now.)

But I also love the dynamic of working with women who are in a different field because they often come to me with the structured side of their business pretty solid, but instead need help with the mindset, self-trust side.

We connect so well because I come from a very structured, corporate background so we relate on that, but they see that I've taken my business a step further and added the magical mindset part (in a very practical, attainable way) and they want that too.

So tell me, what types of clients do you attract?

The surprising ways setting goals impacted my life and business....

When I first started my business I had an IDEA of what I wanted it to look and feel like, but I was so focused on getting started (and getting clients!) that I just dove in head first and didn't really set up any type of systems or structures to get me there.

Needless to say, I scrambled around for a while (a long while). I didn't really have a direction or plan to get where I wanted to be.

As a former project manager, the irony of that is not lost on me. I had spent almost 17 years reaching success and goals through strategic planning, but when it came to my own business, I was lost.

It wasn't until I hired my first coach, got serious about my business and really stepped up as a CEO that I got the structure (and success) that I wanted.

Empowered growth

Setting goals in life helped me grow in areas I never expected.

As I sought out resources to help me with my goals, I also learned to prioritize. I let the unnecessary things fall away and I simplified my life and business.

Doing so, both revealed things in my business that needed little adjustments and simply auto adjusted other areas that fell in line with whatever I was working on.

This part came as a very pleasant surprise. Along the way, I learned that when we aren’t growing in life we are stagnant.

I don’t know about you, but I never want to look back on my life and business and see that I was stuck in the same place, the same mindset, and at the same skill level for years.

I’m all for being myself, but I love the idea of always being the best version of myself. As I increase in life and grow my business, the best version of myself exponentially increases as well.

Setting Goals Saved Me Time

Setting goals in life helped me create an action plan that saved me so much time. I no longer spent countless wasted hours wondering what I should do.

I knew what I wanted to do long-term, I knew what I needed to do short term to get there, and I knew how I needed to spend my extra time to help me with my goals.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I didn’t and still don’t spend every waking hour actively working on my goal.

But when a moment arose that I needed something to do, or wanted to work on achieving my dreams, I knew exactly how to go about it.

I Finally Had Direction

A common theme I've seen since starting my business is that most people have the wrong mindset when it comes to setting goals in their business and that’s why they struggle with them.

People view setting goals as something they have to live up to and accomplish or else they are failures. As if their goals are shackles and they’ll only be set free if they achieve them.

They are also usually under the impression that their goals have to be these huge grand things that prove their success and worth.

The truth is that when you set a goal, the process in which you set it, should give you a guided map of sorts. It’s not meant to be something that’s binding. It’s just mean to help give you direction on your journey.

A goal set effectively will have a plan of action to go with it. That plan is your reference; the thing you can go to when you’ve missed a step or aren’t sure what to do next.

Setting goals should never be oppressive. It should only guide you on your way to your dream!

I'd love to hear from you, how is your mindset around setting goals, whether you reach them or not?

And if you’re ready to scale your business and income in a strategic, aligned, SIMPLE way, my VIP program is the perfect way. Let’s chat!

Avoiding Business Burnout

Running a business is hard work, especially if you’re doing it all on your own. You have to juggle every project, every client, every task & every detail. (Not to mention all of the stuff in between)

There are so many ups & downs with running your own business, it’s quite the rollercoaster.

When business is great, it’s seriously wonderful. You feel on top of the world.

When business isn’t so great…..it feels like your life is coming to an end (maybe not literally, but you know what I mean). You're spending more of your time worrying, than actually creating. It feels like you’ve just totally lost interest in your own business…and that’s scary.

What is Burnout?

Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress (kind of like the world we've been living in for the past year??). It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands.

As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.

So, what’s Business Burnout?!

It’s when you become unproductive & totally unmotivated to do ANYTHING related to your business. Even if you love your clients, your industry & your business….too much of a good thing, can still be too much.

Running your own business & having to deal with all the highs & lows….and stress, can lead to some crazy emotional & mental exhaustion. It’s like, even though you have things you have to do (which normally you love doing)….you’d rather curl up into a blanket cocoon and watch Netflix for 47 straight hours.

I think the biggest culprit of the-big-bad-burnout…..is lack of balance.

• Focusing too much on business & not enough on ourselves.

• Always putting clients & projects in front of our own priorities.

• Having to juggle so many things, by yourself.
  

All of this causes stress and the burnout is a direct reflection of that. I’m sure we’ve all felt this way, to some extent, in one way or another.

Sometimes, we totally know we’re in a burnout stage…and than we start to feel guilty about it, which just adds to the exhaustion….which just amplifies the burnout.

How do you avoid it?

Top, no-brainer tip to avoid burnout? Take time for yourself!

Do you know what the most important part of your business is? You. Without you, your business wouldn’t function.

Take a step back. Slow down. Not making time for yourself is a one-way ticket to burnout highway.

Don’t think there’s enough time in the day to take a little break for yourself? Commit to less. No one said you have to do everything, all the time, for everyone.

Sometimes, thinking about taking a little break actually creates MORE stress because you’re not actively tackling your to-do list BUT once you take the step away, you’ll realize it’s actually quite the opposite. Self-care is just as important as all of your business tasks. 

Taking some time away from working can actually help you come back 10x more focused. So, instead of mindlessly working like a robot to finish tasks, you actually end up being more productive because you’re reenergized & refocused.

Put the work down & go hang out with your friends & family (safely, of course). Plan a weekend getaway. Go get a massage. Drink lots of water and eat more vegetables. Grab some friends and try a new workout class or go for a walk around your neighborhood.

Taking a break (big or small) helps you clear your head so when you come back to your work, you might just see things with a whole new perspective.

Or, maybe it’s time to reassess things?

One of the first things I do when a client tells me they feel burnout or unexcited with their business, is to re-assess their current goals and make sure they are still aligned to their long-term vision.

Chances are, the goals your planned out in January look different now, and that's ok! But that means you need to revisit those goals you set back then and make some adjustments.

Are they still aligned with your vision? Do they still make sense for how your business looks now? Are they still in line with growing you business NOW, given the current environment?

How is your progress on them? Do you still feel excited and lit up to work on them? Or do they feel like an energy drain and you dread opening your computer in the morning?

Really take a critical eye to your goals and take some time to answer those questions. I promise, they will keep you on the right track and away from burnout!

 If you need an outside perspective on this, reach out! I have space in my revised, signature 1:1 program and this is EXACTLY what I can help you with! I'd love to work with you and get you back on track to scaling your business and reaching that next-level income.

Ready to step into the CEO role now? Read this...

Read this if you’re ready to finally leave behind what is no longer serving you and truly step into your CEO, next-level self now.

When we grow out of clothes, places, and people, we usually leave them behind. We don’t hang around and peek our head around the corner to see if these things changed, nope. We throw that sweater into the donation pile, move out of that city, or dump that boyfriend.

We leave because when we’ve outgrown something, the energy of that thing, place, or person doesn’t feel like it has a place in our world anymore.

How many of you immediately dump that customer that keeps you awake at night with their nasty emails, sever ties with a manufacturer whose shipments are late all the time, or revamp your business model because it leaves you working 50 hour weeks? ⠀

Not many of us — or at least not until we allow the bad vibes to fester for months and they slowly tire us till we get to a point where we have no choice. ⠀

It’s hard to leave relationships and structures in our businesses behind, but it’s much easier when you choose to leave the lane that you’re in. ⠀⠀

Leave the lane where you can’t dump your customer because 80% of your revenue comes from them, so you’re chained to them. ⠀⠀

Leave the lane where you’re worried about changing your business model because you’re afraid of trying and failing.

Leaving lanes are easiest and incredibly empowering when you surround yourself with people who are in your new lane. When you’re ready to evolve, don’t simmer in the energy of the people and mindsets you’ve outgrown — surround yourself with those who inspire you to expand and spark a light in you too.

Yes, I'm still doing a year-end review, here's why...

I know you're probably excited to leave 2020 in the rear view mirror and start planning out 2021, (and trust me, we're doing that in here next week!) but I like to take some time to reflect on the past year before I leave it behind and look forward.

I get it, 2020 likely didn't go as you had planned back in January. But you know what, I bet there were still highlights and good things that happened along the way too.

Before you start planning your goals and intentions for 2021, take some time to review how this past year went. What worked, what didn't and what you want to leave behind.

Here's what I typically look at in my year end review (and how I will STILL do it, even this year):

1. What did I learn in 2020?

2. What progress did I make this year that made me proud?

3. How did my life and business evolve in 2020?

4. How do I feel about it all now?

5. How do I describe 2020 in 3 words?

6. What were my top achievements and wins?

7. What were the highlights of the year?

8. What am I grateful for from the past year?

When you take time to reflect like this it really puts things into perspective and allows you to shift into a space of gratitude and celebration (even for the small wins).

Maybe you finally figured out your ideal workday schedule? Or mastered a new recipe every week? Add it to the win list!

This puts you into the right headspace to plan your success for 2021.

Your turn, how do you reflect on the past year? Will you take an afternoon and spend some time reflecting before you jumpstart your 2021?