by Erin Owen | Jan 28, 2013 | Ezine
Earlier this month, I attended a professional development workshop hosted by the Philadelphia chapter of NAWBO (the National Association of Women Business Owners). There were two compelling presenters there: Lena West of Influence Expansion and Gary Fedor of Capstone Training and Development (part of Sandler Training).
Among the many valuable “ah-ha” moments I experienced, was the realization that I still have a lot of head trash floating around in my mind that is getting in the way of me positively transforming more people’s lives and businesses.
What’s head trash?
While teaching us that up to 80% of our business can come from client referrals, Gary said the hesitancy we experience when reaching out to clients to ASK for referrals is rooted in head trash.
Ha!
It got me thinking about chitta vritti, the yogic term for the turnings of the mind. These can be distracting thoughts, busy activity that prevents us from focusing, really anything false that gets in the way of us realizing our true nature.
Head trash! You won’t find that term in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras or any of the Vedas.
Gary challenged us to clear out that head trash and practice asking for referrals.
So, here I go. Big and bold. Doing it right here in public format.
[And if you’re in a business where you too could benefit from getting more referrals, then follow along to learn how this goes…]
STEP ONE: Bring in the garbage truck to remove the trash. [Note: I added this step to Gary’s approach, as it’s a critical first step in starting any new endeavor!]
Head Trash Item #1: “You [my readers, my clients] don’t know anyone who is stressed out, feeling overwhelmed by their obligations at work and home, or who complains about feeling derailed from their original hopes and dreams. “
Of course you do!
GONE – cross that one out and throw it in the back of the garbage truck!
Head Trash Item #2: “You are too busy to think about who in your circle of influence would benefit from working with me.”
Really? It only takes about 5 to 10 seconds at most.
GONE – tossed into the dumpster, ready to be loaded into that truck!
Head Trash Item #3: “Even though you know the value of my support far exceeds the monetary investment, you feel it’s not your place to suggest other people should invest in themselves the way you have so successfully done for yourself.”
Of course you want to see other people loving themselves and life even more and enjoying the success that comes from performing at their optimum level and living in alignment with their dreams.
GONE – hog wash! Wiped clean and presently being crushed by the powerful jaws of the trash compactor.
STEP TWO: Thank you for the positive feedback you’ve given me.
I truly and deeply appreciate that you have taken the time to tell me in such detail about the positive impact I’ve had on your personal life and your professional life.
Seeing you experience such an incredibly positive and meaningful transformation is exactly why I get up every day and do this work!
STEP THREE: Let you know that referrals help me to continually improve my offerings to you.
You may not know this, but client referrals are not only some of the most enjoyable new clients to work with, but also…
When a majority of my new business comes through referrals, my time gets freed up to focus on ways to be a better coach, a more creative writer and communicator, and continually improve the ways in which I help you create breakthrough results.
Instead of spending time marketing myself and my business, I can focus more time on providing better support to my existing clients.
And with more free time, I invest even more in my own professional development and studies of ancient Eastern practices that help us live and work in a way that is simpler, more effective, more enjoyable, more meaningful—and ultimately more prosperous.
I am then able to share these ideas with you: in my writings and audio/video recordings, and in my coaching programs.
STEP FOUR: Ask for a referral.
A great referral for me is someone who is still living under the illusion that working harder and working more hours is the way out of feeling overwhelmed, overworked and exhausted.
Or someone who you’ve noticed complains a lot about being stressed, who is continually late, missing deadlines, getting sick a lot. Someone who has trouble drawing or managing boundaries and is continually getting sucked into doing more and more for others.
Someone who could really benefit from taking a breather and getting some perspective on what’s most important and how to achieve goals by simplifying and doing less – not only for themselves, but for those who count on them – their colleagues, family members, clients or customers, even people in their community.
Who in your personal or professional circles of influence might benefit from a call from me?
STEP FIVE: Thank you for the referral.
I’m sorry to hear how much he is struggling, but you’re right: it does sound like he could really benefit from my support.
I very much appreciate your trust in me. When I reach out to him, I will take care to be as present and warm and supportive of him as I have always been with you.
Thank you!
Wrapping It Up
Whew! I did it! I cleared out my head trash and asked YOU for a referral!
It feels great to lighten the load of false beliefs and limiting thoughts, and I hope you too benefit from using this approach in your own work life.
I look forward to receiving more of your referrals AND I look forward to hearing how you do trying this approach and asking for your own referrals.
Remember: The secret to performing at your optimal level and achieving success is learning how to do less in such a way that you generate better results—for your overall life and for your business!
And when you do so, we ALL benefit.
Erin
P.S. Stay tuned, as I’ll soon be announcing a new offering designed to not only clear out your head trash but free-up your energy to get better results in your work life and more enjoyment in your overall life…
by Erin Owen | Jan 21, 2013 | Ezine
Most of us are holding off on making a change in life.
Why? We’re waiting.
Subconsciously, you too may have decided to wait until something happens.
What is it that you’re waiting for?
Are you waiting…
- To feel better?
- To retire?
- To get laid off?
- To get in better shape?
- For work to slow down?
- For your children to leave the nest?
- To come into money?
- To sleep better?
- For permission?
- To know “enough”?
- To have “the right” credentials or past experience?
- To have more energy?
I have a little secret to tell you…
That may not happen anytime soon.
And how does it feel to know that you might wake up in the exact same situation you’re in (or worse) a year from now, or five years from now, or decades from now?
Maybe it’s time to acknowledge that you’ve been waiting, and that it’s time to let that go.
Maybe it’s time to give yourself permission to not need someone else’s permission.
Maybe it’s time to take one small step toward something better… CARPE DIEM!
There is only full week left in January to schedule your New Year’s Resolution Strategy Session with me. More details here.
by Erin Owen | Jan 14, 2013 | Ezine
Recently I’ve been reading how New Year’s Resolutions are a waste of time. Nonsense!
Riding the fresh wave of energy that comes out of the turn of the new calendar year is a super smart way to re-energize your most important goals.
Read on for 3 Quick Tips to help you Show Up the Naysayers and Create a New Year’s Resolution worth Shouting to the World…
1 – Line it up!
Make sure the wording of your New Year’s Resolution AND its supportive actions directly support what you want most in life.
If you don’t really like to eat vegetables, then find another way to get healthier. If you don’t really want to work harder, then resolve to find a way to work smarter. If you’re craving more time with good friends, then don’t create a resolution that has you working out 4 times a week by yourself.
When your thoughts, words, and actions support your vision, you are more likely to get the results you want.
2- Make it ZING!
The words “get in shape” sound so flat and boring. Much different from “Feel sexy, fit, and fabulous everyday so I can boost my energy, attract my perfect mate, and invite into my life even more prosperity.”
“Find more meaning in life” sounds like a great intention, but what exactly does that mean? Try something more specific and inspiring like “Spend two fun hours with good friends at least twice a month and watch at least one inspiring TED talk at least once a week.”
3 – Join a Band!
I don’t actually mean pick up an instrument and join a band, unless that is actually your desire. I mean, don’t go it alone! You’re more likely to be successful if you have someone encouraging you and ideally even doing “it” with you.
Being a member of a band, rather than playing solo, helps build in (1) accountability – so you actually show up at the gym, (2) creative inspiration – you have someone else to bounce ideas off of and also suggest alternatives when you feel stuck, and (3) shared rewards – celebrate by giving virtual and actual high fives and pats on the back.
One woman who I met with by phone for a New Year’s Resolution Strategy Session commented that I really “nailed it” when I helped her clarify and move forward with her goals, and another man commented how “motivating and inspiring” it was to receive my support during this special one-hour coaching session.
I can’t wait to give you my undivided attention and support you with my warm and wise guidance!
There are only two full weeks left in January to schedule your New Year’s Resolution Strategy Session with me. More details here.
by Erin Owen | Dec 31, 2012 | Ezine
One of the best things I’m going to be celebrating tonight for New Year’s Eve, is just how awesome my clients are!
I raise my glass to the following clients* and their accomplishments in 2012:
JANET
She wrote this to me in her holiday card:
“Thanks for all your support over the year and especially this past year that was so difficult for me. You helped me figure out how to deal with my new life situation with my aging mother and you helped me make my dream come true; to be a professor at Penn. It’s going great and I just love it!”
DAN
In spite of an incredibly challenging schedule, he successfully integrated several mindset, breathing, yoga, and meditation practices, resulting in a lower average golf score, finishing his work projects ahead of schedule and under budget, and generally enjoying life more.
MIMI
During our work together, she realized she wanted to sell her business earlier than planned so she could pursue a new career path in her 60s. She identified and groomed a successor, and in her holiday card she shared “I am moving closer to my goals each day and am halfway through my [certification] program.”
KATHERINE
Prior to working with me, Katherine had no new business revenue and was doubting her decision to leave the corporate world and start her own business. Now she is in discussions with one of the largest television networks in the U.S. about doing her own show! An amazing shift in less than a year.
ALAN
On the verge of shutting down the business he had spent 6 years building, he worked with me to clarify the overall vision he had for his life and realized he neither wanted to continue in his business “as is” or go work for someone else. After laying out the terms for what he wanted, and letting go of his fears, he successfully secured a large investor in his business, along with an equity partner to handle all the operational details that caused him stress.
MARVA
Marva had dedicated 25 years of her life to her children’s healthy growth and development, and began working with me to turn much of that energy inward to her own personal evolution. In just 6 months, she cultivated and consistently practiced an inspiring set of platinum practices that resulted in her losing 25 lbs, boosting her mental & physical energy, negotiating a better equity deal in her business partnership and shifting her role to focus more on her passions and strengths, traveling domestically and internationally to places she’d always wanted to visit, and more.
ELLEN
Over the course of our work together, Ellen has consistently impressed me with her ability to fully embrace the ideas of “letting go of the shoulds” and “feel the fear and do it anyway.” Within 10 months, she quit her day job and started her own company, moved her primary residence from the suburbs into the heart of the city, started a new romantic relationship, and started challenging herself in amateur martial arts competitions.
To my dear readers:
Not all of my clients experience such awesome results. There are no guarantees. And there have been some spectacular duds over the past 9 years of coaching private clients. But, this past 18 month stretch has seen some pretty extraordinary shifts among the clients in my practice. I sincerely hope it continues for everyone in my tribe!
Dearest clients:
It is my honor to witness your transformations and to be a part of your path. When you breakthrough to perform at a higher level, I know the benefits you experience have a ripple effect that positively influence us all. Thank you for your trust, your willingness to experiment and try new practices, and for believing in yourself!
And don’t miss out on my New Year’s Resolution Strategy Session special. This is your opportunity to receive my warm & wise guidance and undivided attention for a full hour for just $66. During our time together on the phone, you will create and successfully move forward with your New Year’s Resolution. Sign up now and get started on the right foot in 2013, focused and with a clear path to bring your dream to life.
Only $66 if you Sign-up and Pay by Friday, January 4, 2013
(A savings of more than $70!)
NOTE: All strategy sessions must be scheduled between January 1 and January 31, 2013.
Happy New Year to All!
Erin Owen
Performance Breakthrough Coach
*Note: Some of the names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect my clients’ privacy – that is, until they decide to shout their excitement to the world and toot their own horn!
by Erin Owen | Sep 24, 2012 | Events, Ezine, General
It’s dark. So dark I can’t see in front of me more than a few inches. But I am intensely focused on the sound of my strained breathing and the strange scraping sound of my feet dragging through the scree (loose stones that resemble gravel).
Occasionally I hear a cough from someone in the line of climbers behind me, and each time I stumble, our guide says “pole, pole” (meaning “slow, slow” in Swahili).
It’s the final ascent up Kilimanjaro. They woke us at midnight, fed us popcorn and hot black tea, then led us away from our rocky, mountainside campsite through a pass in the cavernous rocks to the open trail. The sky was thankfully clear, with the full moon shining brightly overhead.
But, in these final hours, it seems the moon has disappeared. In fact, all sense of reality and direction has left me completely. I feel lost, with my awareness switching between two dominant states.
One state of mind is focused completely on surviving – breathing rapidly, trying desperately to take in a quick succession of breaths to get enough oxygen at this high altitude of nearly 19,000 feet above sea level.
I feel as though I have absolutely no reserve in the depth of my bones; no energy to tap whatsoever to take another step, to get to the top. How can I go on? What did I sign up for?
Then, my awareness rapidly switches to the other dominant state of mind: excitement, exhilaration; reminding me that “oh yes, I am almost there. Almost to the top of Kilimanjaro! I’ll see the sunrise soon and look out over the Tanzanian and Kenyan landscapes to the vast wild world of African below. I can do it!”
Each step up and “forward” feels defeating. As I lift a hiking boot a foot step ahead, my boot sinks into the loose scree and slides back downhill almost as far as I stepped ahead. Only a few inches of progress a minute, it feels.
“Oh my god, will this ever end?” I don’t have the energy to look forward or even up at my desired destination: the top of Kili. My head hangs heavily, exhausted; my eyes glazed and unfocused, with only my peripheral vision taking in vague, grayed images around me.
There are times in my business when I feel like this. Everything feels like a slog. The literal and painful experience that epitomizes the saying “two steps forward, one step back.” When I’m in this low place, I find it hard to keep my head up. Hard to focus on the big picture, my desired destination that is my vision for my business and my life.
I know you experience these moments too. And sometimes those moments stretch to days, weeks, months – and sometimes years.
But, there’s hope.
When we reached the top of Kilimanjaro and turned around to take in the view, it was both everything I’d every imagined – and a bit disappointing.
See, we were promised that if we left at midnight to hike up, we would arrive at the top to see the sunrise. But, our progress was slower than expected and so the sun was already up once we arrived. And the cloud cover blocked the view of much of the African landscape, offering just bits and pieces of what lay below, along with the not-too-distant peak of Mount Meru.
And yet – a dream come true! I had climbed Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest peak in all of the African continent; 19,314 feet or so above sea level. An amazing achievement and incredible experience to share with my new husband Matt on our 3-week honeymoon trip to Tanzania in East Africa.
I share this personal story with you from my life ten years ago because I want to help you to – not only climb your version of Mt. Kilimanjaro – but do so in a way that feels enjoyable, effortless, and allows you to get to the top sooner so you can see the sunrise from the top.
I’ve been there. I’ve experienced many challenges in my life and business ventures, and also (thankfully!) had many more successes.
And now I want to support you in identifying your Mt. Kilimanjaro – your big, bold vision for your life and your business – by cultivating the mindset and practices that will get you to the top sooner, with greater ease.
As I mentioned in last week’s ezine, I recently published my first book. You could say this is another mountain scaled in my two-decade long career. And I’m celebrating in every way I can!
To share my joy with you, for a very short period of time – and to support you in climbing your Mt. Kilimanjaro, I’m offering a 50% discount on my 1-day Performance Breakthrough Retreats.
This is a HUGE gift to you, and I’m so excited to extend this offer to you.
To find out more about my 1-day retreats and if it’s right for you, click here.
If you’re ready to get started, or simply have a few questions, please schedule a Performance Breakthrough Coaching Session here to assess if a 1-day retreat is right for you now and fill out a performance background evaluation form here. When scheduling, use the discount code “RetreatSpecial” to receive 50% savings!
If you’re still not sure if a 1-day retreat is right for you, no problem. Just book the breakthrough session with me here and I’ll answer any additional questions you may have.
And if you’ve already met with me for a coaching session and now know the time is right to move forward to the 1-day retreat, email me here and we’ll set-up a time to talk and confirm the date and time for the retreat that works best for you.
Erin
