For Women Entrepreneurs – It Takes Courage

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” – Peter Drucker

Hello Fabulous Women!

In the last post, I talked about the necessity of connecting to your big goals, and the fact that it takes courage to do this and to keep those big, most important goals and dreams alive.

Why does that take courage?  For the simple reason that we have all, every one of us, had dreams and goals that mattered to us and that we have failed to accomplish.  We have been discouraged and disappointed and have started to doubt ourselves and our abilities.

We’ve told ourselves to settle for less, to be more realistic.  We’ve become frightened and told ourselves that maybe we don’t have what it takes.  We’ve told ourselves we don’t deserve to have what we want. 

But then we stop ourselves, regroup, re-energize, make new goals and get back in action.  That takes courage.  We make some changes, start to make progress, achieve some of our goals and are proud of what we’ve done. 

And then, inevitably, we run up against some new obstacles.  We work harder but nothing seems to work, and we start to lose ground.  And those old doubts and negative thoughts and scared feelings come back again.

I’m sure this all sounds familiar, doesn’t it? 

The fact is, when we set out to create something new, the odds are not with us.  My life right now is set up and structured to keep creating what I have now, and so is yours.  To create something new with our lives, we have to change much more than we realize when we first set out.  We have to change how we think and how we view ourselves and others.  We have to break out of and break through our old patterns and ways of doing things.  And that takes courage.

Peter Drucker’s quotation above is great, but I would change one thing about it.  Creating a successful business doesn’t take one courageous decision.  It takes many.

It takes reaching down inside ourselves again and again and finding more courage than we knew we had, over and over. 

All of us have those days – or those weeks, or those months! – when the obstacles seem too great and we doubt we will ever succeed.  When we feel beaten down and disheartened and ready to give up. 

Here is what I want to make clear: When I feel that way, I am not being courageous.  That doesn’t mean I’m not a courageous person, but it does mean that in that moment, when I’m feeling frightened and overwhelmed, what’s missing is courage.

And that is a choice.  I could be looking at those same exact obstacles with despair or with courage, and each and every time, I get to choose. 

Today, I choose courage. 

For Women Entrepreneurs — The Real Goal

“It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.” — Arnold Toynbee

 

 

For Women Entrepreneurs – The Real Goal

Hello Fabulous Women!

Today’s post was inspired by the above quote which I came across this morning.  I was struck by it – I have found this to be so true! 

I find for myself and for my women’s business coaching clients that clarity about the biggest, most ambitious goals is absolutely critical to making even the smallest goals come to reality. 

For example, you may have created a goal for your business of selling X number of items, or signing up Y number of clients or customers.  Those are good, concrete, measurable goals.  You may even have a specific plan in place for how you are going to accomplish that goal.

But in my experience, the biggest determining factor in whether or not you will actually achieve that goal is not that you stated it clearly, and not that you know how to achieve it, and not even that you have a plan to achieve it.

The biggest factor is this: whether or not you have clearly defined and are powerfully connected to the big goal behind that goal – the bigger purpose of why you are doing this.

Having a certain number of clients or even a certain income coming in doesn’t mean anything in and of itself.  The power and motivation is in getting the difference it will make when you have achieved that.

It is all too easy, when running or starting a business, to get caught up in the minutiae.  Many entrepreneurs end up spending so much of their time putting out fires they lose track of the big goals, and this is one of the biggest reasons why so many small businesses eventually fail, or at least fall far short of what their owners intended.

One of the best business coaching tips I can give is to make yourself set aside time to create that big picture, or reconnect to it if you have lost sight of it.  And don’t do it alone, talk to other people about it as much as possible.  Create that vision of where you are going, and the energy from that will fuel those shorter term goals and keep you in action. 

How do you know if you need to do that?  It’s simple – answer this question:

What is your big goal, the one that all these smaller goals are helping you to create? 

If you can’t answer that question right off the top of your head, or if you have a quick answer but it doesn’t ring true to you and energize you, then there’s your answer.  A goal that doesn’t inspire and energize you is a waste of breath.  A goal that turns you on, excites you and moves you is the greatest gift you can give yourself, and make no mistake, you will not create any lasting success without it.

Scared to dream big and set big goals?  You’re not alone, but that’s why courage is one of the essentials for success.  More about that in my next post, and for now, take a deep breath, tell that voice in your head (the one telling you to lower your expectations) to be quiet and start dreaming big again.  Set a big goal that both scares you and excites you, and see what happens to your motivation today!

Go for it.

For Women Entrepreneurs: Do you Know Your Purpose?

Hello Fabulous Women!

What is your purpose?  This is a question many people never ask themselves, and yet it is the key to success and freedom and happiness in both life and business.  When you know your purpose, you have power to change and create your life that you can have in no other way.

This is one of the most important questions my clients answer for themselves in their Life and Business Coaching sessions, and the clarity and power it provides for them is priceless.

In many ways, my whole Women’s Business Coaching practice is founded on the premise that Purpose is Power, and that when you are crystal clear about your purpose and are connected to it in your daily life, you can do anything.

So when I hear about a new resource or opportunity connected with finding your purpose, be sure that I pay attention and want to share it with you.

Tim Kelley, author of the upcoming book, “Know Your Purpose,” is offering a free one hour teleclass on Thursday, August 14 at 2PM EST.  David Wood, a very successful coach who has had a huge impact on me in building my coaching business, is hosting the teleseminar with Tim, and the call will be focused entirely on finding your purpose.  Please note that, while this call is being marketed largely to coaches, it is absolutely appropriate and relevant for everyone, which is why I am sharing it with you.  I’m looking forward to listening to and learning from another person who is as focused on the power of Purpose in his business as I am! 

I am registered for the call myself, and I highly recommend that you register as well.  When was the last time you set aside time to step back and look at the big picture of what you are doing and why?  Think of the difference it makes when you are crystal clear about what you want and why you want it – couldn’t you use some of that right about now?

Even if you know you can’t make the call, register and you will receive, free, access to the recording of the call.  You will also get a copy of Tim’s eBook, “Purpose Hunting,” absolutely free.

Register here for the free teleseminar: http://knowyourpurpose.com/davidwood/register.php

 

Have a day full of purpose, fun and great results!

FREE Business Coaching to Jumpstart Your Business!

Hello Fabulous Women!

It’s hard to believe but fall is almost here.  And I have a serious question for you:

What are your goals for yourself and your business for 2008?  Where do you want to see yourself and your business by the end of this year?  Do you have a plan to get there, and are you On Track and On Purpose with your plan?

If you are like me, you have had a lot of important plans for 2008, plans and goals that matter.  Some of them have come to fruition, while some, let’s face it, have not. 

This is the time to regroup and reconnect with those goals and the difference they will make once they are reality.  This is the time to kick it into gear and make the rest of 2008 great!

And I am here to help you make it happen.

As a Jumpstart Your Business for Fall special, I am offering a full month of Business Coaching, absolutely free, to new or existing clients who sign up for an initial three month coaching program.  That’s four full month’s of Business Coaching for the cost of three, to bring you and your business through 2008 with flying colors!

Wondering if this is for you?  If you have ever even considered Business Coaching, or wondered what it would provide for you, you owe it to yourself to sign up for your FREE Business Coaching Consultation with me.  This is an absolutely free, no obligation, 45 minute coaching session, focused totally on you and your business. 

Even if you have not considered Business Coaching before, but you have goals and plans for yourself and your business that have not yet become reality, you owe it to yourself to sign up for your free consultation.

What do you have to lose?  And think what you have to gain!

I guarantee that you will get new insight and energy and actions for you and your business from this free session, whether or not you choose to take advantage of the Jumpstart Special and sign up for a round of Business Coaching.

So call or email me today to schedule your FREE consultation and start moving powerfully toward your success!  You can do it, and I am here to help you make it happen!

–Ann