OK, here’s the deal…

You are going to spend at least one third to one half of YOUR LIFE working. So why not make it something that gives you joy?

Today’s article is about looking at your business not just as a ‘cash machine’ or a form of revenue generation, but more of something that becomes an extension of you…and your life’s mission. Deep stuff I know, but since we are gonna be putting in all those hours, at the end of the day, let’s find a way to make it matter.

Since this article is not your basic Marketing 101 type of article, I want to set up in the beginning who I’m writing to.

If you are the kind of business owner who understands that in some ways your business is like your ministry, I’m talking to you. If you feel called to fully express your gifts through your business, I’m talking to you. If it’s important to you to serve as many people as you can, I’m talking to you. And if you are passionate about leaving a legacy – then you are my people…So let’s get going…

Business as Your Ministry –

I’m not referencing here the traditional or religious sense of the word ministry. To me it means that you know that your soul’s purpose is being expressed through your business and the services that you provide. One of the definitions of ministry is “the act of serving.” You may be a coach or speaker or own a store. Your work can be done consciously or unconsciously. You can look for ways where you can show up more fully and be of greater service, or it can just be a way to collect a paycheck. You get to decide.

That’s the absolute first step. If you have the sense that your business is like your personal ministry, you stand in the knowing that you are here to serve and are committed to that. From that level of commitment and decision, everything else falls into place.

Fully Expressing Your Gifts –

We are here to make a difference in people’s lives. (OK, that may be my belief, but I like it and am keeping it!) Your business becomes effortless when you express your gifts in the world, instead of trying to be what other people want you to be. This is where fulfillment lives, where passion lives, and its cute little down the street neighbor, Fun, lives!

First you have to know what your gifts are. And a big hint…what you think is easy and comes naturally and likely gets overlooked as “Doesn’t everyone have that?” – That’s YOUR gift. Take an inventory of what you do easily that your clients are really blown away by. Notice your passion-meter. What gets you juiced to talk about or do? Show up more fully in your business and you’ll not only enjoy it more, but you’ll also attract the RIGHT kind of clients who will resonate with your unique energy, AND you’ll also make more money doing it.

Stuck on what your gifts are? Ask! Survey your clients or close friends/mastermind partners and ask what they see that you are gifted at. You will probably be surprised at what they see that you have overlooked. Next – assign a value to what they say that your gifts are. You have to really own how much impact you have, so discovering what your gifts are worth is a huge step in gaining entrepreneurial confidence! When you really get clear about how much value you bring, raising your rates and being paid what you are worth will be easy.

Leaving a Legacy –

What will your footprint be? When you are gone, how will you be remembered? By the lives you touched? For the contributions you made? From the children you so tenderly raised?

Is legacy something that you strive for, or a thing that just happens when you show up and do your work in the world?

It’s my belief that sometimes we get so bogged down with the daily ‘to-do’ list that it’s easy to forget that we are here to make a difference. What would change in your business if you regularly tapped into that place in you that could hold the longer vision of what’s possible.

This legacy stuff on one hand feels a bit big and scary. But on the other hand, it can be energizing when you tap into the knowledge that your ideas and contributions will outlive you. I remember years ago meeting a copywriter and her big dream was “to be an influence.” It hadn’t occurred to me at the time that my scope was any broader that the local folks I was working with, but her soul knew that her purpose here was to influence how people thought and to help them open up to new possibilities.

What will it be for you? It’s not something I want you to ‘work’ at or stress over, but do give it some thought. If you create that new product, can you see the ripple effect? Imagine that 100 people work with you, and that work effects 10 of their friends, and five more down the road, in their networks. Can you see the endless possibilities?

So my wish for you, my dear reader, is to really do some thinking about the meaning of your business and the difference you make in the world because of it. Own your vision in a big way! We need that from you.

I just got off the phone doing a ‘laser’ coaching session with someone who really inspired me.  She inspired me because in just 20 minutes, I was able to get her back on her right path which is always very cool in my book.

This is a gal who is working a full time job but yearns to be a life coach.  She has a passion, has great ideas, and wants to quit her job by December.  She came to the call asking for help with clarity because she was overwhelmed and seemed not to be able to get past obstacles in her life.

Her solution to her desire to become a life coach????  Join a network marketing company.  She began the call by telling me how important it was for her to be able to spend time with her kids, and that she worked full time, but she thought that doing network marketing would get her income.  (It sounded pretty crazy in my book!)

Here’s the deal….when I listen to folks in a coaching situation, I always listen for the passion – or the lack of it.  In her case, I said, “It seems like you are living in San Diego, wanting to go to Seattle, but you are traveling there via New York City.”  Catch the metaphor, gang?

The reason she was bumping into blocks and couldn’t move forward was because she wasn’t on her right path.  Not that determining one’s path is up to me, but particularly when working with moms who have only a few hours to build a business, I’m a bit militant about making sure their time is spent on high payoff activities.

Wanna know where she was stuck?  She didn’t think she was ‘enough’ to be a life coach. She had researched coaching schools, but discovered it would take six months to earn a certification.

So her plan was to jump into network marketing and HOPEFULLY, earn enough $$ to quit her day job. But I’ve coached enough people over the years that it takes a ton of time and commitment to earn $$ that way, and for this woman, it seemed like a really bad plan! (Note that I’m not trashing networking marketing because that can be a good strategy for some, but not in this case.)

This is where as a coach I have to really check in and see how bold I can be.  But what I know is that showing someone the truth, or helping them get back on track isn’t the same as being a dream stealer.

I took a deep breath and asked if she wanted my opinion.  “Yes.”  I asked if right now she had enough content in her coaching repertoire to help people.  “Yes.”  Did she have a group of folks she could help?  “Yes.”  And finally, would she be willing to take those six month and put together something (even if it’s free or low cost) just to start coaching?  “YES!”

She already has the passion, vision, ideas, creativity, determination, market, and time.  But she had convinced herself that without going to coaching school, she couldn’t do anything in the direction of her dreams. My plan with her was to roll something out to be able to test her theories, build her list, confidence, and actually earn some $$ doing it.  I really believe that in six months she could earn more doing what she loved than showing up half-way to try a network thing that she’d quit a short time later.  And….she can still go  to coaching school because its a great idea to get the foundational pieces, but my whole point to her that she was enough right now, with what she had, to get started.

Here’s the truth – there’s no way this woman would have been successful.  Or if she had gotten some income, she would not have been fulfilled.  Why?  Because she was creating a business that didn’t serve her life nor her values.  That’s the key.  So look now at your business.  Is it in alignment with what you love?  Do you have passion, or are you just chasing a buck?

So let me asked you my dear readers…what’s your excuse?  What are you waiting for?  What is the ‘if I only had this’ story that is holding you back?  My encouragement is for you to see what it is that you want to be doing and find some way….even if it’s small….to start doing that.  You may not be able to have the whole enchilada, but a few chips would be nice!

Remember – you are fully cooked.  Now get out there and BE!