Archive for September, 2010

In owning a business I have found three recognizable periods. Read the rest of this entry »

Life Essentials For Conscious Business

“Now abide faith, hope, love, these three: but the greatest of these is love.”

My life is pretty simple and I strive to keep it that way. Read the rest of this entry »

I am an early riser. Since the age of six, Saturdays and summer vacations I would bound out of bed at the crack of dawn eager to go to the barn and spend the day with my pony. This habit has stayed with me my whole life. Each morning I greet the day by going the barn to take care of six dear equine friends accompanied by two Irish Wolfhounds, a Greyhound, a precocious Airedale and one big black cat who behaves more like his canine family. As we cross the fields I give thanks for all that I have and ask the question,” how I can serve today?” This sets the tone for my whole day.

Today is special. I am going in town to speak with a woman’s charity about assisting some courageous women who are battered and torn, gain skills, heal wounds and begin new lives filled with a dream. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity to touch a life and offer hope. Charity work is by far my favorite part of my business and becomes increasingly a more vital part of my life as my business grows.

I am telling you this not only because I love to talk about it, but also because of the importance this mind and heart set has played in upping my game in my business. You notice I didn’t just say mindset  -I said mind and HEART set. The most significant change in my life and my business was when I allowed myself to incorporate the two and make them one.

I have spent countless hours going through the motions of defining my target audience. I knew pretty much from the start who they were. Various mentors gave me lists of relevant questions to ask myself about who these people were and where they hang out etc. and I went through the motions of doing all of these assignments yet something was missing. The connection was there but not complete and my business reflected this. The enigma of how to push to next level remained unsolved for the better part of a year as I struggled and let my business mindset control me. Frankly, at times I felt like throwing in the towel.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

It seems like the break through occurred overnight but it didn’t really. The breakthrough occurred slowly by asking everyday that simple question, “How can I serve today?”

I have always felt the question to a certain extent but it took a series of not so pleasant events to bring this question into better alignment for me. This summer I have battled with some intense physical pain from an old injury that rears it’s ugly head at different times. And on top of that, one of my treasured Wolfhounds, Morgan, is nearing her last days on this earth.

As summer comes to an end, I am reminded of the ebb and flow of life and have drawn closer to the reasons why I am here. Grief is a portal to another phase or stage of life. It brings sadness but its gift is wisdom. It’s brings us to a moment of aloneness filled with memories of much togetherness. It teaches us to get out of our own way so that we may see the clearer path and in this case has brought me closer than ever to whom I serve in business.

Heart set, which is probably not even a term, is what the guts of your business and life are about. It shows up in ways that may seem totally unrelated to your work but if you will allow yourself the opportunity to feel the moment and ask for the lesson you will be rewarded in ways you could only dream of.

I wish you a mind and HEART set business!