February was a fast paced month in many ways.  I hired a professional organizer in the last part of January and by February 8th I had completed a complete overhaul of my office.  I held a CORE Values workshop, attended many networking events, provided several Accelerate Results Jump Start sessions and created a few new programs that are going to be rolled out this year.

Personally several things transpired as well-my family and I passed the test for our rank advance in tae kwon do, I solidified my workout routine and healthy eating, and settled into a schedule that satisfies ALL areas of my life.

Last month was a wonderful flow of activity, all of which had very positive outcomes.  Because the momentum toward my goals has been good, and things have flowed very easily, I had to dig a little deep to find the big “ah-ha” / insight.  I am not sure about you, but for me it’s pretty easy to see the lessons learned after a challenge.  It’s harder to see it when things are going great.

The biggest insight I had was around the value of structure.  I am primarily left brained which means that structure and logic come somewhat naturally.  However when in a state of overwhelm, both can quickly go out the window.  In a state of overwhelm, structure allows us to get into auto-pilot mode and still be effective.  But what value does it really bring when you are already in a great rhythm with your business?…It allows you to do and be MORE.

In working with executives and business owners I find the more structured they are, the more they can bring forth to serve clients, create content, develop products and services and just be MORE of who they are.

Now, structure comes in all shades of grey and the “sweet spot” of it is dependent upon the individual.  The key is to understand the following:

• How much structure you want
• How much structure you need
• How much structure will serve you best

The answer to the questions above may be the same or very different. If they are different, you may need a shift in perspective, a shift in priority, or maybe a reality check as to what will get you what you want out of business and life.

As a business coach, I am all about working with what gets my clients the joyful, balanced career and life they want to create.  Sometimes we apply more structure and sometimes less but we ALWAYS find what works with the client as an individual.  When you find the sweet spot of structure, you are able to do and be more with ease and joy.

Coaching Question: How is the way you are structured in your business and personal life serving you in creating the life you love?

I am a lifelong learner and enjoy all kinds of personal and professional development books.  As a business coach, I was trained through Coach U but also have read books from other major ICF accreditation worthy schools.  My experiences in corporate as well as being an entrepreneur have taught me valuable lessons as well as provided great content for me to teach and train others in too.

Recently I stumbled on a few books I bought and read “back in the day”.  Books like Developing the Leader Within You by John C. Maxwell, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Managing Your Time by Jeff Davidson, and The One Minute Sales Person by Spencer Johnson.  Each of these books provided a perspective and information on the “how to”.  All are great books and all ones that I have kept and will re-read to find additional nuggets of wisdom.

I sit here now, analyzing my current standing with my business as well as my goals for my business and life and realized that these books provided me exactly what I needed at the time I read them.  Now, I may not have gleaned every point the author intended and I may not have applied all the points that I did get.  But I can tell you that each little or big thing I learned and applied was perfect and needed at that time.  I know that each challenge and success that we encounter allows us to learn the thing that we need at that time.

The big ah-ha for me is the realization that what I needed at the time in my past is still a resource for me, even now.  The lessons, skills, and information I learned back then are useful to me now.  Especially as a coach who supports business owners to achieving great things!

So right now what I need is to pull together all the things I have learned and have, or have not yet, applied.  It is a time of  expanding my application.  I am drawing upon what I currently have in my arsenal of knowledge, skills and talent to create some amazing Success Programs, Strategy Workshops and CORE Seminars that support people in getting what they want from their business and life.  And the content is from hundreds of credible sources and education from my past as well as my present learning.  WOO HOO!!!

Coaching question:  What is it that you have RIGHT NOW that you need fully access to take that next step forward?

 

 

In a recent mentor coaching session, my coach and I discussed not being able to see the forest for the trees.  I was assessing my experience, skills and credentials to understand better ways to serve my clients and the world.  In that conversation I felt small.  I was looking at the last 5 years of my business and was trying to pull out those things that could really up my game and help add more value to my clients.

My coach asked that I recount my successes and experience in order to find those nuggets that I could use today.  For my homework I took it a step further and looked at my education and skills development as well.  I created a method to truly understand and communicate the tools, skills, education, and experience that are brought to the table.  We’re not talking a resume or bio here, we are talking a method and tool that could be used in marketing material.

In this work I realized that in the conversation with my coach, I was looking at my life and business from a certain point of view.  It was when I took a step back to see the WHOLE picture that things got clear.  It was when I changed my vantage point that allowed for creativity and productivity to freely flow!

Coaching Question:  What vantage point will you take to allow creativity and productivity to flow in your personal and business life?

P.S. Contact me directly if you would like to learn more about the Success Map Method I created and mentioned above.