It was Sunday afternoon and I went for a run around a lake at the end of my neighborhood. I was angrily pounding the pavement. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was angry about, but I figured a run would help me work it out.
And my dog, Monty, was happy either way. 
I am launching a new program that I am SUPER EXCITED ABOUT. I am visualizing the entrepreneurs who will join, and what my life will look like over the next few months as I support this freaking amazing group to stake their claim in their business and their life.
OK, I’m visualizing that now as I write this. And I visualized it clearly when I carefully mapped out the program that was freakily d
ownloaded from Source without my asking for it. (www.alignandprofit.com/
Truth talk. I was not visualizing it this weekend. I lost sight of the excitement about watching your businesses unfold, and began instead to think about all of the ‘stuff I have to do’ to get to that point.
Luckily I have a tool to help me zero in on what’s going on any time I feel stuck (anger is a Level 2 emotion, as you’ll learn in the program). On my run I was able to shift out of a Level 2 “Patty Proven”focus on every thing that might be ‘wrong’ with my leadership and how things are launching (I have a very new team), to a Level 5 “Empowering Emily” focus on the end game.
The end game includes supporting inspiring entrepreneurs to see the biggest version of themselves AND ACT ON IT. The end game includes me having a well-oiled team and me learning how to lead rather than DO. That’s a win-win worth playing for, even with some bumps in the road.
Phew, got that cleared up.
Now, none of this shifting in focus to create a new result is a surprise to me. I teach this stuff. I believe it at my core. You probably do too.
It’s nice in theory, but can you really?
Can you practice what you believe when the rubber meets the road?
Sara has incredible insight about how inspire a team. She believes in people doing the work they do best, being able to express themselves, and take ownership of HOW the work gets done without micromanaging that piece.
She teaches others the principles of leadership in this way. At the core of her being she knows them to be true, and she believes that following them will allow her, and her clients, to have the most effective team.
Then one day her team member doesn’t check in with her on a part of the project that she knows SHE would have done by now. And suddenly the theory goes out the window. She knows she SHOULD walk her talk and stay hands off and allow it to unfold, but…
It’s nice in theory, but can you really?
Joan’s story involves growing up in a household of manipulation and co-dependence. Mom would whine when things weren’t going her way, but would rarely just ask for what she wanted. Dad would make bold and inconvenient decisions and everyone learned to go along. Unless Mom whined enough, or someone got sick. That was the only way to impact the results.
Joan carried this theme into her own life, fitting herself neatly into the lives of those around her until she made herself sick enough to throw a fit. When she got tired enough of that pattern, she took her power back, voraciously studying boundaries and co-dependence. Today, this is what she teaches.
Her beliefs about healthy relationships:
- Each individual is responsible for their own happiness.
- Each individual must be committed to seeking the greatest evolvement toward their own purpose.
- Each individual needs to speak their authentic truth, never suppressing themselves to hold or influence another.
Then one day she finds herself working in partnership with someone in her business. She’s growing increasingly more uncomfortable because her partner is doing things that she doesn’t agree with. But rather than speak up, she just tells herself that it will get better if she gives it time. Besides, what if she’s overreacting? Time passes, it doesn’t change, and soon she’s sick. Damn, she thought she was over this pattern, but…
It’s nice in theory, but can you really?
I’ve been teaching recently about believing yourself as you craft your business and put your message out into the world. Without a tool to recognize your own alignment, a regular practice of evaluating your business, and accountability for owning the big version of your message, your mission will likely remain a theory.
Here’s the thing, it doesn’t make you bad. Ninety percent of my results come from a very few marketing actions that light me up. Every now and then I do something that doesn’t light me up because I should. Those things don’t work. And sometimes I wake up in the morning with a big ah-ha because I realize I wimped out on a message to you and I could have been bolder!
I am not perfect, and neither are you! Phew, glad we got that established.
But when you are committed to operating your business from a place of alignment, it’s hard to do it alone and keep your commitment in perspective. That’s why I always work with a coach. And that’s why I share my personal tool (I call it the Profit Styles Index) with my clients so they know how to recognize when they need to really practice their own advice to get back into alignment. There’s no judgment, just a shift and you’re on your way!
Or a quick run around the lake with the dog and my latest Profit Styles audio… at least that works for me!
If you want to get an ah-ha about the gap between your theory and practice in your business so you create the magical energy of alignment, I invite you to schedule a Breakthrough Session with my Lead Support Coach here: http://www.