Succeed On Purpose

Living in the AND

2011-10-07T04:50:00.000-07:00

‎"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking, and don't settle."

– Steve Jobs

I am on this earth to inspire people to reach their potential, by following their purpose and overcoming limitations and fear. In order to teach others how to live their purpose, I had to do it for myself first. What a ride it’s been.

The first step on that journey was to learn how to live in the “AND” rather than the “OR.”

By “And” I mean, having success and purpose. Being at peace and simultaneously inviting prosperity, and most importantly, serving and being abundant.

Face it. We’ve all lived way too long in the “Or”. I, for one, choose the “And.”

As children, we don’t think in terms of Or. We only see And. “I’ll have cake and ice cream.” “I want to be a doctor and a lawyer.” “I want to play football and basketball.”

Along the way someone told us to we had to narrow our dreams, accept less than we are worth and eventually, we all have to choose Or. That is the biggest lie of our century. It’s just not true.

Mark this prediction: 2012 is the year of And.

In 2012, there will be disasters and victories; there will be successes and failures. Being on the winning side of all that 2012 has to offer is about learning to live in the And.

Today, this week, this month and this year: we have to get in the practice of making new choices in order to tap into this And energy.

Prepare to live in the And. Practice living in the And. And, do it now. Take your own first step.

‎"I've looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself, If Today Were The Last Day Of My Life, Would I Want To Do What I Am About To Do Today? And whenever the answer has been ‘no’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." -- Steve Jobs

The second step for me on this amazing purpose journey was to trust the process. Trust the process. Let’s look at Webster’s definition of “trust”:

Trust

noun

1. Assured reliance on the character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something

2. One in which confidence is placed

3. Dependence on something future or contingent: hope

Now, let’s look at Webster’s definition of “process”:

Process

noun

1) Progress, advance

2) Something going on: proceeding

3) A natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result <the process of growth> (2): a continuing natural or biological activity or function <such life processes as breathing>

So, “trust the process” means: first, you have to have “assured reliance”. Assured reliance.

Think about that for another second. Assured reliance. To get assured reliance, you have to rely on hope (reliance), but…and this is the big part, you have to be sure. Being sure is an inside job, not an outside job.

That’s where the process comes in. Process is a natural phenomenon marked by gradual changes that lead toward a particular result. We advance. We progress over time.

So, trust the process means:

- Choose to be sure of each step (you may only see a single step, and that’s okay)

- Rely on your faith that the next step will present itself

- Know that you will experience gradual changes that will lead to a particular end point

‎"Believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well-worn path, and that will make all the difference."

-- Steve Jobs

There are some questions I've been asked hundreds of times. One came up in our September 2011 Purpose Workshop.

The question? How do I know if I am on the right path?

There are 2 ways you'll know if you're on the right path.

1. You'll know you're on the right path, when the doors stay open or new doors start to open.

It sounds simple, but that's really the way it works. Unfortunately, we confuse "path" with the "perfect answer". Many times our path is simply preparing us for something better. And, a path is just that, a path. It’s a process of life. In most cases, many doors are really just windows leading us to bigger and better doors. Besides, if a door closes, it doesn't mean we failed, it just means a course adjustment is occurring as the process of our journey unfolds.

2. The second way to trust the process and know if you are on the right path is to pay attention to the level of fear. If you feel afraid…you’re on the right path.

Surprised?

I can remember reading about Franklin D. Roosevelt who was one of my favorite presidents, talking about “freedom from fear.” For most of my life, I wanted freedom from fear.

What I didn’t understand back then is that fear is a healthy barometer that lets me know I am pushing myself forward. If I want to grow, I will feel fear. If I want to strive for success, I will feel fear. If I want to do something I’ve never done before, I will feel fear. Fear is healthy and has to be a companion on a purposeful journey.

Fear is at the heart of living in the AND.

“It is not a matter of being fearless. The fear is sometimes constant, but it's about moving forward regardless of the fear. Courage means feeling the fear and doing it anyway.” – Gillian Anderson

You see a purposeful path requires courage. It's not easy to face fears. It’s not easy learning how to live in the And. It’s not easy to expect abundance when you’ve settled for mediocrity for so long.

But, the time has come. Step into it with me. Come join me and let’s live in the And.

I’ll end with this: Do you want to know if you are the right path?

Start by listening to the song by Jana Stanfield, "What Would I Do if I Were Brave?" When you listen to the song, ask yourself the question: “What would you do if you were brave?” If the answer is exactly what you're doing right now…then it's the best path.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF5V2PEujqs&list=PL26444CC22DA3F7E3&index=2

“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." -- Steve Jobs

The moment you can visualize being free from the things that hold you back, you have indeed begun to set yourself free." ---Unknown

How to…Get What You Focus On

2011-09-05T17:07:00.000-07:00

How to…Get What You Focus On

Most Succeed on Purpose followers have heard the story of “You Get What You Focus On” from Chapter 7 of my book. If not, I’ve included Chapter 7 at the end of this blog post as a reference.

This blog, however, is not about the lesson itself. This blog post is about how to apply that lesson and make it work. We all know that we get what we focus on, but how can we actually change what we focus on?

Even though the lesson of “You Get What You Focus On” is one of the many things I am known for, I’ve noticed that people struggle to not only to adjust focus, but also to maintain that change.

There are 3 techniques to equip you to actually change your focus:

1) Evaluate What Shows Up

2) Deal with The Difficult, but Don’t Focus on It

3) Realign Focus to What Is Working

Technique 1: Evaluate What Shows Up

My grandfather was a quiet man. He didn’t say much, but when he did speak it was usually powerful stuff. “You Get What You Focus On” was one of several powerful seeds of wisdom he left for me.

As long as he was there to provide reminders, I was good at managing my focus. Life is kind of like that, you know, as long as the lessons are obvious or we’re reminded of them, then we do OK. But in the day-to-day drama of everyday life, we forget even the most basic of truths.

That’s how it was for me. When grandpa passed away, I was 28 and in the midst of a skyrocketing career. His death alone was devastating, but the absence of his wisdom soon became debilitating.

Within the first year after his death, I had completely forgotten most of what he taught me. With a career in hyper-drive, accompanied by an obsessive-compulsive personality, it became easy to lose focus on what was working and to shift it to what wasn’t. Besides, I was a “fixer” and was rewarded profoundly in executive roles for identifying issues and fixing them. The more I was rewarded, the more I focused on things that needed to be fixed.

Soon, an interesting pattern started to show up. Today, I affectionately refer to it as an addiction to drama. But back then, it wasn’t so clear. The more I looked for what was broken and needing fixing, the more things broke.

I went through several years of being addicted to drama after my grandfather’s death because I didn’t know how to change my focus. I remembered his words “you get what you focus on,” but didn’t know how to apply them when he wasn’t there to remind me.

Then in the fall of 1996, God inserted a little help…via misfortune. Life drama had been escalating and I was trapped in what felt like hell on Earth. I had no way to escape and it seemed like things got worse every day.

First, a relationship failed. Then, my career began to falter. Then, my elder brother passed away from an Aids-related brain tumor. And finally, less than three weeks after his death, I was in a very bad car accident, which put me in the hospital and out of commission for over three weeks. I was unable to walk without assistance from a nurse or a friend.

There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no way to fix what needed fixing…me.

At the time, I thought I was being punished. Since deep down I didn’t believe I was good enough, it made sense that God would punish me by these unfortunate events. The funny part (and it’s only funny now) is that the accident was just the break I needed to realize one thing: the common denominator in all of the unfortunate events happening around me was...me.

In that moment, I learned how to change what I focused on. I evaluated what showed up.

Look around. What does life look like? Life is simply a mirror of our focus. If a bad relationships shows up, then ask yourself why? The truth is that we’re probably focusing on bad relationships due to fears and insecurities, or perhaps we don’t expect that we should be treated well.

And if the lack of abundance has shown up in your life, look around. What are you focused on? Usually we’re focused on fears about money and success rather than on creating it. The more we wonder why we aren’t receiving abundance, the more we’re focused on what we don’t want.

It’s very easy to overlook our role in the drama and put the blame “out there.” The truth is that life is simply a mirror of our focus. So this first technique for changing what you focus on is to evaluate what shows up! That will let you know where to change focus.

Technique 2: Deal with the Difficult, but Don’t Focus On It

It took a few more years (ok, more like ten) to learn this technique. In spite of how I evaluated what showed up, which certainly assisted in my ability to change my focus…difficult stuff still happened.

And, when that difficult stuff showed up (illness, career issues, money issues, relationship issues) invariably, I’d lose focus on what was working and move it to those pesky little issues that had shown up.

For a long time, I rationalized that I didn’t have a choice in the situation. What was I to do, avoid the difficult stuff or focus on it? Of course, I had to focus on those issues in order to deal with them, I argued. Makes sense, right?

Despite my grandfather’s words of wisdom repeating themselves in my head (You Get What You Focus On), when life’s challenges showed up, I saw no alternative but to focus on them. Again, I rationalized that I had to focus in order to overcome them. The little Rocky Balboa – Eye of the Tiger spirit inside me enjoyed overcoming issues. After all, I was good at it.

For example, a friend gets a divorce. I need to support her, and I need to tell everyone I know that I am supporting her (insert focus). Oh, my relationship fell apart, so I have to take time out to address this matter and to talk to others about it (insert focus). Oh, I hate my boss and/or my job, so I complain about it all the time (insert focus).

To deal with stuff, I thought I had to focus on that stuff. Boy, was I wrong. Stuff happens, period. It’s how we look at that stuff which determines its value (good or bad). So learn to deal with it, but don’t focus on it.

What’s the difference? How can we deal with the bad stuff that happens in our life without focusing on it? I have two tips.

A) Don’t talk about bad stuff to anyone who isn’t involved

How many times has someone told you his or her problems even though you couldn’t help and had nothing to do with it? How many times have you told people your problems even though they couldn’t help and had nothing to do with it? How many times do we complain about the weather (relevant in the hottest summer in Texas!)? Too many, right? Me too.

When we talk about issues, especially to people who can’t help or others who are not involved, we give those issues focus. And when we give issues focus, guess what we’re focused on, and guess what we get? More issues.

This will be an extreme example, but it’s important to the lesson. My mom’s health is rapidly declining. I am worried and know that her days are numbered. I haven’t told anyone other than my very close friends. I haven’t told people, not because I don’t care, and not because I don’t want people to know.

I don’t talk about it because most people really can’t do anything about it. Unless I specifically need their support, or it’s relevant to something we’re working on, I just don’t talk about it.

For some, that may seem odd. But know that because I’ve learned how to get what I focus on, that I have also learned not to talk about anything to anyone unless they can specifically do something about it.

In most cases, what we talk about are all the little things that are wrong with our lives. The IRS did this, the government did that, my husband did this and my boss did that.

We retell these issues to anyone who will listen. What we don’t realize is that every time we retell a story, we’re changing our focus to that negative story.

STOP TALKING ABOUT ISSUES! Stop telling stories about them. Deal with them, but stop talking about them.

B) Stop making drama an excuse for bad choices

I used to have an issue with being on time. (Ok, my Controller would still say that is true, but that’s a blog post for another day!) I had good reasons for being late: A customer called a fire drill and pulled me away from my schedule. My car broke down or I had a flat tire. An employee was having marital issue and needed consoling. You get the picture. All very good reasons.

The truth is that those are also really good excuses. The truth is that I overscheduled myself (because of my need to be busy) so much that I didn’t leave time in my day for the normal “fire drills” that just naturally came up. The truth is that this didn’t happen occasionally, it was a pattern of behavior. And, the hardest part to accept was that I was choosing to repeat this pattern.

When a pattern repeats itself in our lives -- it’s actually a choice, and believe it or not, we do have complete control to make new choices. However, we allow ourselves to use daily drama as an excuse for a poor choice, which means we’re actually re-focusing on the drama. And when we focus on the drama, and use it as an excuse, we’re actually creating more drama because “we get what we focus on.” That’s right. By using drama as an excuse, and retelling the drama, we are unconsciously creating more drama.

Stop focusing on the drama and accept responsibility for poor choices.

Technique 3: Realign Your Focus to What IS Working:

The last technique is one I learned over the course of this past year. It turns out to be the easiest to implement. In order to ensure I am focused on the good I want to create, I must consciously change my focus from what isn’t working to what it is I want to create.

When things start to go off track in life, we pull attention away and start to worry. The truth is, however, that anytime we focus on what isn’t working, it immediately moves the focus back to that stuff. Instead, put the focus on what you want to create.

There are two tips that I use to accomplish this:

A) Make a list of what is working

When things appear to go wrong in life, and they will, I stop and make a list of what is working. This simple act takes the focus off of what isn’t working, and puts it where it belongs…on what is working.

This is incredibly powerful. By powerful, I mean that not only does the stuff that isn’t working all of a sudden seem inconsequential, but the shift in focus also causes life to improve immediately.

I’ve been doing this for the one year now, and I’ve seen more abundance and joy in my life in the last year than ever before. I attribute it to this technique!

It’s so powerful in fact that I’ve started to do this proactively, which is leads us to the second tip:

B) Practice realigning your focus each day

Almost every day now, I make a journal entry and list the things that are working. So before anything bad appears to happen, my mind is already equipped with a list of the things that are working.

Cool, huh? And I’ve noticed something very interesting. When those “bad” things pop up, they don’t seem so bad because once I make a list of items that are working, it’s like my focus is now recalibrated in a more positive direction.

As I travel around the country speaking, I become increasingly aware of how popular the phrase “You Get What You Focus On” is becoming. I meet people who’ve heard me speak, and they always recite that phrase.

It’s more than a phrase to me, though. It’s a map for a perfect, purposeful and abundance-filled life. It’s more than a story, and it’s more than wisdom.

It’s the missing ingredient for an extraordinary life.

I want you to have that kind of life. I want you to have the kind of life that is abundantly rich and magically blessed. It’s possible if you change your focus, and changing your focus requires learning and applying new techniques. I hope the tools shared today will assist as you focus on a better life.

The three 3 techniques to change your focus are:

1) Evaluate What Shows Up

2) Deal with The Difficult, but Don’t Focus on It

3) Realign Focus to What Is Working

Isn’t it time to focus on what you want to create?

You Get What You Focus On (Chapter 7 Excerpt from the Book, Succeed on Purpose by Terri Maxwell):

Danielle strutted into the gym. It was an important playoff game and at 17, she loved being the starting point guard. During the first half, Danielle played her best game all year. Her team was much faster in the open court and ran up the score using a fast break that allowed Danielle’s speed, athleticism and ball-handling abilities to shine.

She delighted in the cheers from the crowd and the praise from teammates each time she led a play that resulted in a score. By halftime, the 11th grader was on top of the world. “Game on!” she said as she waltzed onto the court for the second half, cocky and ill prepared for what was about to happen.

The other team had made a major adjustment at halftime, having paid close attention to how Danielle’s team moved the ball down the court.

At the start of the second half, Danielle grabbed the ball and drove down the court. Two opposing players waited as she crossed half court on the right side and quickly moved into a formation called a “trap.” Danielle lost the ball to the defenders, who in turn quickly scored.

She was furious! Danielle took the ball and this time ran straight toward the defenders, convinced that if she was a little faster she could get past the defenders who were again poised to set a trap. This time, instead of driving toward them, Danielle made the mistake of stepping backward after they had formed the trap. The referee blew the whistle. She knew better than to step backward across the court because it was an illegal move, resulting in the ball being turned over to the opposing team, which then scored.

Danielle fumed. “I’ll try harder this time, I’ll show them, I’ll get by them,” she thought. This time she ran even faster down the court, and as soon as the defenders stepped up into the trap, she ran straight at them, but failed to squeeze between them before it was fully set.

The referee blew his whistle, charging Danielle with an offensive foul, which again put the ball into the opposing team’s hands.

These same patterns repeated themselves numerous times, and each time the defenders either stole the ball from her in the trap, or she fouled a player or dribbled the ball out of bounds. Danielle ignored the directions being shouted by Coach Miller and refused to pass the ball to her teammates.

For some reason, she returned to the same right side of the court, with the same two players blocking her from advancing toward the goal. Danielle and her team watched their lead dwindle and then disappear completely. Suddenly they were behind!

With Danielle in meltdown and unable to lead the team effectively, the coach took her out of the game and put her on the bench. She was incensed! If only she’d had a few more tries, she believed she could’ve beaten the defenders.

The game ended with Danielle’s team losing. “It’s Coach Miller’s fault!” she declared as she slammed out of the gym. During the first half, she ran her game and they were winning. “The second half, the coach takes me out, and we lose!” she lamented. Danielle couldn’t believe he had taken her out of the game.

That weekend, Danielle drove over to her grandpa’s house, certain he’d let her vent about the loss. Danielle talked and talked about her coach. “He was mean. He was unfair. He took me out of the game!” The angry girl was convinced she could’ve turned the game around if only she’d had more opportunities to try.

Grandpa listened quietly and then smiled with an all-knowing look on his face.

Finally, he said, “Let me ask you a question. As you were driving down the court the first half, what were you focused on?”

“Scoring,” Danielle said haughtily.

“And in the second half, what were you focused on?”

“Well, getting past those freaking defenders!” she answered irritably.

Her grandfather smiled and said softly, “Danielle, you get what you focus on.”

Danielle sat there, not knowing what to say. “What the hell did that mean?” she wondered.

He continued, “You get what you focus on. In the first half of the game, you were focused on scoring. As soon as you became fixated on the obstacle in your way, in this case the defenders, you could no longer see the goal, scoring. You took your eye off the goal, and focused on the obstacle. Guess what happened? You got more obstacles and they eventually led to defeat.”

Danielle was confused. Her grandfather was talking about her focus, rather than blaming the coach. Sensing her feelings, he asked another question. “Why, after failing several times, didn’t you change your focus back to scoring?”

“Well, because I was doing what had always worked!” said Danielle, frustrated.

“Yes, but they changed the game. They changed how they played you. Why did you remain focused on the defenders, and not refocus on scoring?”

Danielle was beginning to see his point, as much as she hated to admit it.

He continued, “This situation is a perfect metaphor for life. When things are working in our favor, God sometimes changes the game to help us grow into all that we are capable of becoming. The key to navigating life’s curve balls is to remember that you get what you focus on. When the game changes, don’t beat your head against the wall trying to do it the way you’ve always done it. Focus on your goal, and find another way.”

Danielle’s mouth fell open. In this particular game, when the defenders started to block her on the right hand side of front court, all she had to do was shift the ball from her right hand to her left and go to the other side of the court.

It wasn’t any more complicated than that. She could have easily shifted the ball and dribbled down the left side of the court, or passed the ball to her teammates before the opponent set the trap on her. Yet she didn’t see any of these options because she was focused on the obstacle, not the goal.

His words repeated in her head. “You get what you focus on. Focus on the goal, not the obstacle.”

As he let Danielle absorb the message, he also wanted her to understand how broadly to apply its wisdom. “Do you know where I first learned this valuable lesson? I was a young man in a Wisconsin community hit hard by the Great Depression. I noticed that about 80 percent of the people in our town – well, their lives got worse as the depression wore on. But for the other 20 percent or so, even in those difficult times, their lives got better.”

He added, “I was fascinated and wondered what the difference was between the 80 percent and the 20 percent. For the longest time, I couldn’t find a difference. They came from similar backgrounds, some had jobs and some didn’t, some had kids and some didn’t. Some were single and others were married. Some went to church and others didn’t. They were the same kind of people in the same situation, but some fared well while others didn’t.” He looked off to a different time and place, nodding.

“Finally I figured it out. During one of the worst times in our nation’s history – a time that was incredibly scary – most people focused on their fear and anger. But those 20 percent, well those people...no matter what happened, they looked for the good. They focused on their goals, and how they could take advantage of the difficult circumstances and leverage them to good. That’s when I realized that we have to be careful what we focus on, because that’s what we get.”

Grandpa reached over and gave Danielle a great big hug, the kind that only a grandpa can. “Danielle, life has already thrown you several obstacles and there will be more. Remain focused on what you want and be careful, because you will get what you focus on.”

A few months later, Grandpa’s advice returned not only to save Danielle, but also to transform the course of her life.

It was the end of her junior year and something unusual had happened. There’d been an armed robbery at a local restaurant and one of Danielle’s friends, Pam, was held up at gunpoint. Pam and a coworker had been marched into the freezer before the robbers took off with the cash.

Danielle was worried and sought Pam out at school. When Pam saw Danielle, she pulled her aside and said, “Hey girl, I need to talk to you. I don’t know how to tell you this, but I think one of the gunmen was your brother Jimmy. I couldn’t see his face because he had a mask on, but I recognized his voice and he knew my name.”

Danielle was stunned. Even though her brother was involved with drugs, she’d never seen him with a gun. Armed robbery?

Danielle thought about it all afternoon. Maybe Pam was right. Jimmy seemed to be flush with cash lately. She felt she had to do something. If he had really committed armed robbery, someone could have gotten hurt. So on the way home from school, she went by the police station to tell what she knew.

The officer asked a few questions about her brother. Then he sat her down in a chair and said, “Based on what you’re telling me and the evidence we found at the restaurant, it’s a strong possibility that your brother participated in this crime. However, because you’re a minor, we need permission from your parents to take your statement.”

Danielle drove home with incredible sadness in her heart. Although going to the police was the right thing to do, she couldn’t believe her brother would participate in armed robbery. If it were true, he had to be held accountable for his actions.

She waited for her parents to come home. As her mom walked in the door, Danielle told her about her trip to the police station. Even though she didn’t know exactly what to expect, she was unprepared for her mother’s angry reaction.

As she finished explaining that the cops wanted her mom to sign a form so they could use Danielle’s statement, her mother flew into a rage. “Why’d you do that?” she roared.

“Because someone could have gotten hurt,” Danielle stammered, “And what Jimmy did was wrong.”

Danielle’s mother was livid. “You care more about your stupid friends than this family! I can’t believe you did this to us!”

The day’s drinking fueled her mom’s rants. She continued to throw out ugly and hurtful comments at Danielle...

- You are stupid

- You are terrible

- You only care about yourself

- You ain’t no good

As Danielle listened to the poisonous words hurled at her, she felt caught between the part of herself that believed her mom’s mean words, and the part that knew she had done the right thing and didn’t deserve this tirade.

Danielle didn’t know what to believe, but she knew it was a no-win situation and started to walk away. This time her mother followed her, not yet ready to quell the fight between them.

“Get back here!” She grabbed Danielle’s face as she spewed obscenities at her daughter. “You didn’t answer me. How could you do this?” she screamed.

“Because it was the right thing to do, Mom! Someone, including Jimmy, could have been killed!” she retorted.

As the words left her mouth, Danielle saw her mom’s fist coming toward her face. As the fist connected with Danielle’s jaw, the teenager’s body flew across the room and landed against the wall. She was stunned and dazed.

Danielle touched her face, and wiped off the blood that was trickling down from where a ring had torn her skin. Every cell in her body called for her to get up and slug her mother as hard as she could. She’d never hit either parent before, but she was ready now.

Seconds later, she started up off the floor. Fists ready and gritting her teeth, Danielle set her body to launch the attack. Immediately, her mother bent down in a perfect fighter’s pose, waiting for Danielle to hit back and unleash the rage that had loomed silently for years.

As Danielle started toward her mom with a burning, shaking anger, a familiar voice inside her heart cried out: “You get what you focus on, Danielle. Focus on your future. This is another obstacle. You are better than this.”

She knew it was Gramps. His gentle voice caused her to pause.

Danielle slowly took a step back, with every bit of effort she could muster. All of the anger, pain and hurt were begging to be unleashed in a way that would be irreversible. Astoundingly, she lowered her clenched fists and turned her attention away from her mother, looking upward and then closing her eyes.

Knowing that her future rested on this very decision, she thought carefully about her next move. If she fought her mother, she would not stop. It would be a fight to the death. This was a defining moment in her life.

The choice became clear. She had to leave. It was her only hope of accomplishing her goal of building a better life. Danielle walked past her mother and into her room, hurriedly packing as many clothes as her gym bag would carry. As the girl walked out, she turned to her mother and said, “I don’t deserve to be treated this way. I won’t be back.”

Danielle had no plan for how she would survive. But she knew there was something better out there and it was time to find it. From a payphone at the corner store, she called Gramps. She told him how his words had saved her that day, but it was like he already knew. He told her, “You can stay with me, honey. You made the right decision.”

For the rest of the year, he helped her put her life together so she could graduate high school. Every day he would ask, “Danielle, what are you focused on?”

“Graduation, Gramps!” she’d say. “And then what?”

“College,” Danielle would say.

“That’s my girl,” the elder wise man would say, his love showing for his beloved granddaughter.

Danielle vowed to never forget her grandpa’s words and how they had led her out of a life of violence and eventually to college with a future filled with hope.

Although she believed in her own inner strength and no longer felt like a victim, she still carried a sense that there was more to do: mountains to climb, challenges to face.

As she packed her car to leave for college, opening a new phase in her life, she felt in control of her destiny for the first time. “You get what you focus on,” she said as she hugged her grandfather goodbye and jumped into her car.

Silently, an angel gently pushed the young girl’s car forward with a blessing and whispered into the old man’s ear, “Well done.”

The Solopreneur Decade

2011-06-17T08:26:00.000-07:00

Some astonishing facts: There are an estimated 27 million businesses in the United States. Only 1% generate revenues greater than $10 million. More surprising is that the majority of businesses (78%) are classified as “non-employer firms,” otherwise known as “Solopreneurs.”

“Solo-business” ownership is increasing at an astounding rate as white collar professionals struggle with the stifling job market showing no real signs of rebounding soon (despite media reports).

Unfortunately, those 21 million Solopreneur businesses will only generate 3.4% of the overall revenue in the business sector. Let me paraphrase: The greatest majority of businesses in the US are responsible for generating a tiny percentage of overall revenue.

What does that mean? It means that the proverbial “entrepreneurial dream” of business ownership creating wealth, is in fact, an illusion.

My personal quest to go “solo” began after the 9/11 tragedies stunned our country. Like many, I found myself with a new perspective on life and it became impossible to stomach the corporate games. I could no longer tolerate the politics, wastefulness, and down right ineffectiveness of the corporate machine. I had to be free.

So, I put out my shingle and became a marketing consultant. Within 18 months, I replaced my executive salary and had a client list to include Target, Nokia and BNSF. Better yet, I wasn’t a part of the game playing, board politics or whack-a-mole mentality that forms the basis of so many corporations today. I was finally free.

But, there was one big problem. I was also alone. I had no one to create with, to lead, or shoot the breeze with at the water cooler. Worse, I had to GET the work, MANAGE the work and DO the work all by myself.

At first, it was refreshing. Then, it became boring. Eventually, it became debilitating.

So like every Solopreneur who has struggled with “the business of being alone,” regardless of income generated, I became bored, lost my motivation and started looking for a job.

2 ½ years after taking off the corporate ball and chain, I was willing to put it back on because working alone did not feed my soul. Surely, working for someone else would be more fulfilling than doing all of the work by myself.

It was November 2003 when I started the job search. I went on five job interviews before striking gold. Franklin Covey was looking for a Managing Director in Dallas. I breezed through several rounds of interviews before they asked me to fly to Salt Lake City as one of two finalists for the role. I prayed about it constantly. I wanted this job.

On a mid-December day after several grueling interviews, I met with the CEO, Robert Whitman. He said his management team was quite impressed with me, and there were only a couple of questions remaining. After giving me a brief overview of his 5-year strategy, he laid out his questions.

“Question 1: Why do you want this job?”

I gave him my standard answer about how it would a perfect blend of my training, marketing and sales skills...blah, blah, blah. He nodded and moved to the next question.

“Question 2: So given your success as a single person entrepreneur, and now with an impressive list of clients under your belt, why don’t you want to grow that into a real business enterprise? What is holding you back?”

I sat perfectly still. Soon, the silence was deafening. The proverbial “you could have heard a pin drop” was an understatement in this moment.

Finally, I spoke. My response was something like, “Mr. Whitman, I don’t have a good answer for that. All of my life I’ve led teams and inspired people to achieve great things. For some reason, I just don’t know how to do that as a single-person business.”

To be honest, I don’t remember the last question he asked because I remained totally checked out for the rest of the interview. I numbly walked out of his office and got into the cab and headed towards the airport still wrestling with his question. On one hand, I felt like I had failed as an entrepreneur, and on the other hand I knew that I really wanted a team of people to work with and lead. His question, “What is holding you back?” rang in my ears like nagging voice I couldn’t shake.

After Christmas, Franklin Covey’s recruiter nicely informed me that I didn’t get the job. I was disheartened to say the least. The following month I met with my executive coach, Dr. Nancy Schreiber (Makingpeoplematter.com). I told her what happened and told her I just didn’t know what to do. She said, “Terri, all of the personality tests we’ve done indicate that you are an entrepreneur. Why do you want to go back to a corporate role anyway?”

I gave her my standard spiel about “wanting to lead teams, etc.” and then with one comment, she took out a 2-by-4 and whacked me over the head. “So, why don’t you just build a company? What are you afraid of?”

Silence.

I knew the answer, but didn’t want to say it for fear that its weight would crush me. She pressed. “Terri, you are talented and you’ve built companies for other people, why don’t you do that for yourself? Instead of working by yourself, why not turn what you’re doing into a company?”

Silence.

Finally, I answered with part of the truth. “I don’t know how.”

Working in the corporate engine I could, and did, do just about everything. I had built teams, grew companies, led incredible marketing and sales efforts, but I didn’t know how to translate that to doing it for myself. That doing it “for myself” part sounded great, but felt empty.

And, then she said, “And when you didn’t know how to do something in Corporate America, what did you do? You asked questions, you took classes, and you learned how. So, tell me why you won’t do that for yourself? And tell me the truth.”

“The truth is, I am afraid to fail.”

There it was, I had said it. I was afraid to fail and it was easier to not try.

As the coaching session continued, Nancy helped me realize that if I stayed a Solopreneur (they didn’t call it that back then) that I would indeed fail. She also helped me realize that the only thing keeping me from growing my business was fear of failure and certainly fear of success.

Breaking through those barriers the next few years after that fated conversation with Dr. Schreiber, allowed me to create a $6M consulting business whose clients were some of the largest brands in the world. Companies like: Target, Wholly Guacamole, Northrop Grumman, Texas Instruments, On the Border and Centex. Not only did I break through those barriers, but I created true financial freedom.

All because I answered one question, “What are you afraid of?”

I tell you this because I see two amazing trends at play in the marketplace.

1) In the next decade, there will be more Solopreneur opportunities available than full-time corporate positions.

2) If those solo-businesses don’t figure out how to collaborate and grow collectively, they will fail. And unfortunately, there won’t be any corporate job to go back to. As a result, those professionals could lose their homes and damage their future.

When I started Succeed on Purpose, my goal was clear…to use my own purpose to inspire others to achieve their potential. I had no idea where it would go, or if I could make money, but I knew that it was time to do what I really wanted to do and leave the rest to God.

Today, Succeed on Purpose has 10 companies launched out of its portfolio and a new “crop” that started this month. In addition, we’ve created inspiring support programs for people in all types of professional transition. Succeed on Purpose can assist through several paths:

1) We’re a purpose-driven incubator, which means that if you have a great business idea, you can attend a Purpose Workshop, and then apply to have that idea incubated. We’ll teach you everything you need to know to turn that business into a million-dollar enterprise and provide seed capital to fund its growth. Our incubation training is free for Purpose Workshop graduates. It’s how we serve.

2) We launched Empowered Voyage in late 2010 to give solo-consultants a home and a team to work with that includes a network of consulting companies to partner with. (www.empoweredvoyage.com)

3) We’ve just launched a pilot program called Serverpreneur™ which is a 12 month training program dedicated to teaching professionals how to become purpose-driven coaches, inspiring others to find abundance on purpose. For more information, contact me at tmaxwell@succeedonpurpose.com

4) We incubated and are launching two businesses this summer focused on helping small businesses collaborate and grow:

a. Network on Purpose™ - CEO Mindy Audlin’s purpose is to “create empowered communities” and Network on Purpose does just that. This amazing collaborative think-tank provides small business owners and solopreneurs with the training, coaching and support to grow their businesses to a million and beyond. (www.networkonpurpose.com)

b. Venuspreneur™ - CEO Sabrina Eaton’s purpose is to “Dream. Believe. Create. Inspire.” Venuspreneur is about inspiring women to Build, Maximize, and Profit as they use their natural gifts to serve the world.

You see, it’s real simple. Those of us at Succeed on Purpose want to change the world by using our individual and collective “purpose” to inspire collaboration and create financial freedom. As a result, we will change the economic facts stated at the beginning of this blog post.

- What if those 78% solopreneurs created 20% of the revenue instead of 3.4%? How would that change their personal financial freedom? And, what if through collaboration, they actually felt a part of something as they built wealth?

- What if there weren’t just 1% of businesses above $10 Million, but 15%? What would our economy look like? How many more jobs would there be?

You don’t have to “go it alone” and if you don’t know how to grow your business, then the only thing to stop you from learning...is fear.

Isn’t it time to succeed on purpose?

A Tribute to Keith Maxwell

2011-05-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

I called Keith in January of 2003. My business was struggling and both my confidence and quite frankly, my faith were shaken.

Keith’s advice was simple, “With God, all things are possible.”

We talked for a while about what that meant, and as I hung up the phone I was both relieved at the simplicity of his counsel, and perplexed at the strength of this faith. I wondered how anyone could trust so completely. At the same time, there was just something about him that was different. He was one of those rare souls who made the world a better place just by being here. Trusting him was simple.

I set out over the next few years to study Keith and the Maxwell clan. I wanted to know what made them uniquely different than any family I had known. Keith led his family as a shining example of what a Husband, a Dad and a Grandpa should be. He was a living role model. I had never meant anyone like him, and to this day I never have.

Eventually, I boiled down Keith’s philosophy for business and life to three basic, but pure principles. "Keith’s principles." They continue to guide my life today.

Principle 1: Serve first. Sell second.

Keith had a very simple business philosophy, which resulted in incredible financial and professional success. Unlike most self-made men, Keith wasn’t boastful, so it took a long time for me to understand what his secret really was. If you ever watched Keith operate, be it at work, church, on vacation, or with his family, Keith put service above all else. “Serve first.” He looked at every situation as an opportunity to serve, whether that was opening the door for me at a restaurant, asking about how my business was doing, or inquiring as to the strength of my faith. Like everyone else in his life, Keith wanted to be of service to me. I was dumbfounded. In my family, it’s like every person for themselves, so being around Keith felt like I had been transported to a foreign country.

At first I thought it was because he was in the prime of his retirement years when we met, and he simply had more time on his hands. However, as I listened to his family tell stories about his professional accomplishments, I realized this theme was the central component of his business strategy.

Keith’s 18-restaurant Sweden House chain throughout Michigan and Minnesota was incredibly successful. This family dining establishment had a reputation for service, but not just to customers. Everything about the way Keith led was about being of service: to his customers, his vendors, his employees, his family, and of course, his faith. Keith frequently explained to me that he made EVERY business decision in prayer. But, not the kind of prayer I was used to praying in my business (“God, please bring me a new customer…”). Instead, Keith prayed, “Lord, how can I serve you today?” That’s how he started EVERY day. No joke. He told me story after story about hard decisions he had to make, and how he simply lifted the decision up in prayer. He ran his business that way, without fail. When there was a conflict with an employee or a vendor, he simply asked, “What choice would serve the most people?” That was how he was guided. Serve first.

My professional tribute to Keith will be to lead that way. I vow to start every day with that question, “How can I serve?”

Principle 2: Let Grace Replace Judgment

Keith had very strong convictions, and for those who dared to verbally spar with him, even stronger opinions. I loved that about him. But it quickly dawned on me that there was something different about Keith’s opinions. In spite of his beliefs, or his opinions, Keith let grace replace judgment. We frequently disagreed, but Keith never judged me. Never. At the same time, he never wavered on his beliefs. It was like his belief, and my belief, although different, could co-exist. It blew my mind for the entire time I’ve known him. Different beliefs allowed to co-exist? How could that be?

On a visit to Grand Rapids in the summer of 2002, I decided to play a joke on Keith. The TV was almost always tuned to Fox News, and when Keith went into the other room, I grabbed the remote and turned it to CNN. I fully expected him to at least give me a hard time about the dangers of watching CNN.

It didn’t take long for him to realize what I had done. His face had this quizzical expression on it, as I observed him from the corner of my eye.

Finally, after a few minutes, he said, “So, you like CNN huh?”

I said, “Yes, as a matter of fact I do.”

Keith chucked and said, “Well, good for you.”

That was it. No judgment, no ridicule, not even a passive-aggressive comment about the ‘liberal news media.’

Over the course of the weekend, and actually for years later, I continued to test Keith, waiting for him to pass judgment the way so many of us do. He never did.

It didn’t occur to me until the last time I sat with Keith in the Spring of 2010, after Helen’s death, what this was. I sat in the chair next to him at the nursing home while family members busied about. For some reason, I felt my role that afternoon was to entertain Keith, and I willingly complied. Any time spent talking with Keith was pure joy, because he welcomed my questions and encouraged my desire to learn.

Knowing full well that Keith and I did not share similar political beliefs, I asked, “Keith, what do you think about our new President?”

“Well, you know, I wanted Hillary to win, even though she’s not a republican. I thought she would be a stronger president.”

I kept pushing, “Yeah, but what do you think of our new President?”

Keith said, “He’s our President, and I pray for him.”

There it was, that “pray for him” thing. I had heard Keith say that he “was praying for me” and in my own spiritually immature mind I thought he was praying that I would change or something.

I couldn’t let the moment go, for fear I wouldn’t see Keith again and I had to know the truth. “Ok, Keith, so when you pray for us, does that mean you’re praying for us to change, to believe what you believe?”

“Oh heavens no,” he said. I simply pray that you come to know the Grace of the Lord. If you receive that, everything else works out.”

I sat perfectly still. This was it. This was his secret. His words twirled about the room as my mind slowly grappled with phrases to encapsulate this wisdom. After what seemed like an eternity, I said, “So, you let grace replace judgment?”

“Yep, that’s about right. I think that’s how God wants us to live, don’t you?” He grinned.

How profound. “Yep, I think you’re right, Keith.” And, then we turned on Fox News.

Principle 3: Love Big

In May 2004, Keith and Helen attended my MBA graduation celebration. It was a proud moment, and I was delighted they were there. I saved them a special seat at the head table, and introduced them to my family, friends, co-workers, and church family. It was one of my all-time favorite memories. We even danced with Helen.

After everyone but a few close friends left, Keith told the age-old story of how he met Helen. I am sure many of us have heard this story a dozen times, and I think I was on at least my 3^rd version.

Yet, every time I listened to him talk about Helen, I noticed his face lit up, and his smile got bigger. Wanting that depth of love, I asked, “Keith, how is it that you can love Helen so much?”

He responded in his matter of fact tone, “She’s my angel.”

I knew he didn’t understand the question, and it was important to me that he did, so I rephrased it carefully. “No, Keith, how is that you can love anyone that deeply? I struggle with letting my love out. How do you do that?”

He sat there for a minute, and then he got this little twinkle in his eye, you know the one…playful, mischievous and precious all at the same time.

“I decided a long time ago that there was only one way to love…” and then he let his words trail off for affect, purposely not answering the question, with a grin a mile long.

I couldn’t resist and said with my own playful smile, “What way is that Keith?”

His eyes twinkled even more, and it was like I could almost hear him laughing inside, even though he didn’t make a sound. Then, finally, he threw his arms in the air and shouted, “BIG!!! Love big!!!”

We all laughed, and he chuckled knowing full well that his charm and wit had won the table over. I laughed with everyone else, but noticed Keith watching me carefully. It was like he saw right through me that night, and when we had a minute alone he said, “You know, Terri, love isn’t like a faucet that you can turn on or off. You either love big or go it alone. It’s a lot better if you can love big.

I knew he was right. He usually was. “Yes, Keith. Love big. Got it.”

He smiled and walked away with this little skip in his step. Then, he grabbed Helen by the arm and escorted her to the car, humming as he walked.

In that moment, I felt it. I felt “love big.”

Keith Maxwell made the world a better place by simply caring enough to see us for who we really are, as children of God. At the same time he allowed us to be who were truly were, as people, whether he agreed or not. He left a piece of himself in each of us and I chose to carry that light forward. If I am lucky, maybe my actions will honor his life, and my spirit will serve his legacy.

1) Serve first.

2) Let grace replace judgment.

3) And, by all means, LOVE BIG!

Thanks Keith. Given Helen a kiss for me.

Women Entrepreneurs: The Top Three Barriers to Financial Freedom

2011-03-04T14:16:00.000-08:00

Let’s start with the truth. According to the Center for Women Owned Businesses, there are 10.4 million women-owned businesses that employ nearly 12.8 million people and generate $1.9 trillion in sales. That’s astounding.

The cold hard truth, however, is that most women-owned firms are still one-person shops (10.4 million businesses employing 12.8 million people. That’s about 1.2 employees PER business.) Why is that? Most economists say that women start “lifestyle businesses” so therefore they are not interested in growth. Is that true? I don’t think so!

So, what is it preventing women business owners from aggressively growing their business so that they achieve financial independence?

I asked this question to several investors over the last two years. The response: “Most women just don’t know how to compete.”

My response: “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Their answer did nothing but fuel my desire to find the real truth. Fox Business News thinks “Women ROCK as business owners" and cited these points in a 2010 article:

1) Women owned firms contribute $3 trillion annually to the U.S. economy (revenue generated plus investment expenses to grow their business). They also account for 16% of ALL jobs.

2) Women owned firms are projected to create 5 – 5½ million NEW jobs by 2018. For the record, that’s more than half of the TOTAL new small-business jobs that will be created and about one-third of the TOTAL new jobs anticipated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This includes jobs in Corporate America.

3) The Fox Business News article states that characteristics such as being customer-focused, community-focused and being servant leaders translates into women who excel in running a business, keeping employees engaged and building a loyal customer base.

The article didn’t mention that “we don’t know how to compete.” Just for the record.

So, if we “Rock” at business ownership…why does it feel as if we’re just getting by?

As an Incubator with a passion for incubating and launching million-dollar businesses in a growth platform of 2-4 years, I needed some answers. For me to be successful as an Incubator, I must ensure the business can and does grow to $1 million in revenue as quickly as possible.

So…I asked. Starting in 2009, I interviewed over 100 women business owners whose business fell short of their expectations. I quickly realized that these were not “lifestyle businesses” as many economists would have you believe. These women were working on average 60 hours per week trying to grow their business.

Next, I ruled out the “women don’t know how to compete argument” because what I found is that if anything, women are too competitive - which actually gets in their way.

But I did find three simple, yet growth-stifling mistakes, that when you put them together explain why there are so many women-run firms who remain small and miss the $1M annual revenue mark.

1) First, We FOCUS on DOING rather than “getting it done.” Most women feel as if we have to do it all ourselves, and so consequently, we do. Yet, to reach financial freedom it requires us to give up control and find ways to get the work done through others. Regardless of how well they do it.

So, if your business is still a micro-enterprise (that means like a 1-person business)…it’s time to change your focus from “Doing” to “Getting it Done”. The first thing to outsource?

Accounting. That’s right. In our Business Incubation program, the business owners must turn over the accounting function to our Group Controller because it is the LEAST value-added activity in the entire enterprise. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep track of your money, but it shouldn’t be something YOU do. It’s just not value added.

My grandfather, who, if you read my book (Succeed on Purpose – Everything Happens for a Reason), was the primary source of knowledge and inspiration for most of my young life, said this: “To make money, you can’t sit around and count money.”

2) The second biggest mistake women business owners make is that we FOCUS on tasks rather than business priorities.

There are hundreds of tasks required to run a business. How many truly add value? Not many. So, know this: To get to $1M in revenue, there are only THREE priorities:

· Drive new business revenue

· Grow the revenue you currently have (This is much more than customer satisfaction: Think ORGANIC Growth)

· Drive organizational efficiency (Doing it smarter)

And, the BIGGEST mistake?

3) The biggest mistake we make is that we FOCUS on what’s not working rather than what IS working! Think about it. Look at your To Do list. How many things on that list are areas that aren’t working? How many times have you lamented the challenges? Conversely, do you have a ready-made list of what IS working? Probably not. Shift your focus DAILY to what IS working and you’ll see an immediate shift in your business success.

At Succeed on Purpose, we have a model called: R³OCK™ Your Business. It stands for: Re-position, Re-focus and Re-energize.

- Re-position: Focus on getting it done, NOT doing it.

- Re-focus: Focus on PRIORITIES rather than tasks.

- Re-energize: Focus your time and energy on what IS working; and your energy will improve…and what isn’t working will resolve itself.

Want financial freedom? Develop a strategy to grow your business to $1M in annual sales. Need help with that? Stay tuned…we’ll be announcing a really cool Venuspreneur™ Million Dollar Makeover soon. Get ready to R³OCK™ your business!

Career Personas™ - A New Framework for Career Planning

2011-02-17T14:37:00.000-08:00

Forget asking your kids if they want to be a doctor, lawyer or teacher. Tomorrow’s career options in the social-digital decade will be radically different than anything we’ve experienced in our professional lives to date. In the old days, we went to college and then chose a career. Although our jobs may have changed over time, our career “track” stayed in the same general hemisphere.

Not anymore. Yesterday’s jobs don’t exist. Today’s jobs won’t exist in a few years, and tomorrow’s careers haven’t even been created. Shocking?

Just look at any job posting board and you’ll see this career-manic trend played out. One week a company advertises for a marketing communications specialist. A week later that job is pulled down, and now the company wants a PR manager. Then a few weeks later that job is pulled down, and now THE SAME JOB is titled social media specialist.

What’s the deal? The same job with 3 different titles? And it’s not just occurring in marketing. The same phenomenon is occurring in IT, sales, finance and operations. Worse yet, this not only rings true for the 20-somethings graduating from college, but it’s true for you and me, too. Yep, both the Gen X’ers and the pre-retirement Baby Boomers are witnessing this manic hiring dilemma as the job market attempts to recover. So what the heck is going on?

Tomorrow’s career options are changing faster than your teenage daughter changes clothes. No longer will we choose a linear career path and stick to it. It is time to learn a new language. To have career success in the social-digital decade, you’ll have to think differently about career options. It’s a whole new career frontier.

After working with professionals in varying stages of career transition, I created system to explain this new world to the throngs of professionals who are either jobless or in career shell-shock after having been rocked by these changing trends. The problem is more than learning how to do LinkedIn. Not only has technology transcended the way we search and get hired, but it has also transformed the type of people corporations want to hire - and the way in which they hire them!

The truth is, in the social-digital decade ahead of us…you know the one…where technology changes in an instant…so will jobs. Don’t fight it - adjust. Instead of worrying about your job, build a new career framework and operate within it.

The Succeed on Purpose Career Framework serves as a map to this new world and starts with 3 simple personas. Personas are like identities. These are not the typical career tracks known to us prior to the 2009 job market crash, but they are radically more useful. This new framework will benefit anyone: from a Reluctant Entrepreneur™ to a would-be solopreneur, to a career seeker trying to find the new career superhighway.

Persona 1: DOER. A DOER persona requires a familiar environment and a predictable set of responsibilities. Although the tasks might change, DOER’s function best in a familiar structure. They are motivated by the “known.” Be it large corporation or a small business, the structure suits them. DOER personas have been, and will remain, the bedrock of our workforce in Corporate America.

If you have a DOER persona, your career choices should focus on roles in corporations and general business arenas. In a future blog, I’ll explain how to expand those options to take advantage of this persona and use it as a secret weapon.

Persona 2: SOLVER. A SOLVER persona responds best to freedom and is highly motivated to solve problems. SOLVER personas have a lot of career choices. Whether they lead a team, work on a team or work alone, is irrelevant. They just need to solve problems and have the freedom to do so. They can work successfully in traditional corporate roles, but being given the freedom to solve problems is a critical component for them. If they are told what to do, their passion is dampened and they quickly lose motivation. Since most corporations typically “outsource” problem-solving assignments to consulting firms or sole-proprietor consultants, we decided to launch Empowered Voyage™ (www.empoweredvoyage.com). The company was launched specifically to address the needs of this persona. It’s mission is to teach and mentor professionals who want to become sole-proprietor consultants. In addition to training, participants in the Empowered Voyage Network of Success also receive a 12-week “Solverpreneur™ Boot Camp” designed to help them cross the bridge from a traditional job to that of a professional consultant.

Persona 3: BUILDER. The BUILDER persona typically struggles in most corporate roles. They are better suited to be a solopreneur or entrepreneur. BUILDERS excel in small businesses that are growth oriented. But, there’s a very important catch. Builders are never satisfied with the status quo. They must build something. And once it’s built, they need to make it bigger or better, or move on to the next thing. BUILDERS make great entrepreneurs. Builders invent, create, build, solve, and serve in a variety of roles across all industries. The key for a BUILDER persona isn’t what they do, but how they do it. They must feel as if they are building something.

As you reflect on your career, don’t think about traditional career tracks. Think about your persona. Which of these personas best suits you? Focus on the framework, and target your job, career or business search using this framework.

As always, it’s an honor to serve you!

How to Measure Success using “Guide Posts” Rather Than “Goal Posts.”

2011-01-24T16:42:00.000-08:00

I’d like to introduce a new way of measuring success. Part of the desire for setting measureable goals comes from the American culture where success is measured in dollars, things or points scored.

Unfortunately, small business success doesn’t work that way.

In my last post, I shared a specific process for goal setting that is in direct conflict with what we’ve been taught about success. Remember “SMART” goal setting? (SMART being an acronym for Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.)

This old way of thinking about goals is a bunch of bull. Now to be honest, I am a recovering obsessive-compulsive planner who used to drive employees crazy with detailed plans and measureable goals. Needless to say, it was hard to let go of the incessant need to measure. The truth is…it just didn’t work. Success is relative, period. Now, before you throw away this advice from a recovering planaholic, hear me out.

Perspective: I built a profitable $6 million (annually) consulting business that created true financial freedom. However, the target revenue goal wasn’t $6 million. It was $50 million. By the planned “measures,” I had failed. And that’s exactly how it felt, like I had failed. That’s crazy. Furthermore, a lot of negative energy was spent focused on what wasn’t working. So much so, that I neglected to enjoy what was working. As a result, everyone around me was miserable too. That is not success.

Maybe you can relate. How many measureable goals have you actually hit? Probably not enough to feel successful. So, “if you want something better, you have to be willing to do something different.” Yeah, you can quote me on that.

Here’s another way to think about goals.

Since late 2008 I’ve learned how to completely reshape the way I intend, manifest and work goals. That’s not to say that measurement isn’t important, but it can’t be the key indicator that determines our sense of success. Instead, we have to learn how to use measures as “guide posts” rather than “goal posts.”

Entrepreneurs set goals like this: We start a business and set a goal to earn $50,000 in the first year. In our mind, the $50,000 target is a “goal post.” If we cross the goal post, we have achieved success.

It’s like we a belief that if we achieve $50,000 then we will be a success. And what happens when we don’t hit the goal? Right, we feel like we failed. My purpose for writing this blog is to help entrepreneurs (and would be entrepreneurs) redefine the way we think about and measure success.

Regardless of what you’ve been told, start-up success is not measured in a linear manner. Goal posts set us up to fail. Guide posts, however, accelerate success.

Here’s an example.

Succeed on Purpose incubated and launched 7 businesses in 2010. Of those 7 brands in our portfolio, 6 were successful. That’s pretty good odds: 6 out of 7.

One of my favorite CEO’s had a terrific brand, but despite repeated warnings, he set very detailed revenue goals for 2010. For this business owner, his targets were “goal posts.” Unfortunately, the business did not hit those revenue goals. He missed the goal post. However, in the process of its growth, and because of the nature of its services, his business changed lives. It changed lives. How do you think that business owner felt despite the number of lives he touched? You guessed it - like a failure. Let me give you one more example, and then I’ll give you the secret sauce behind this new way of measuring success.

Another CEO, who is the owner of our fastest growing business, started a self-publishing powerhouse, Inspire on Purpose™. Now get this, she never set revenue targets, but instead set goals of abundance and joy. She established high-level revenue targets that were only used as a guide. Her singular goal was to make a lot of money doing what she loved to do, publish books. She blew the doors off of her revenue “guide posts.”

That’s right; the business with a detailed business and financial plan missed his goal post by a mile. The other set very broad targets and used them as a guide post. She focused on abundance and joy. Her business exceeded our wildest expectations.

So to find true success, you have to use measures as “guide posts” rather than “goal posts.” Here’s how:

1. GIVE THANKS for what your life is today... just as it is. Because of where we are today, we have been “prepared" for more. I cannot express how important gratitude is. We’ve heard that before, but it bears repeating. Give thanks for wherever you are now.

2. Define REAL goals (goal posts) in broad terms as an end result, such as Health, Abundance, and Joy. If you’re starting a business, or trying to grow one, you should definitely set a goal for abundance.

3. Next, set guide posts (target revenue) at key points throughout the year, rather than by month. These guide posts should be just that…a place to direct your aim. For example: if you just started a business, perhaps you want to earn $3000 per month after 6 months, and by year-end you intend to be at $5000 per month. Remember, the numbers are to be used as a guide. They let you know if you’re on track or need to adjust. So, don’t attach to the numbers themselves, attach only to the broad goal of abundance.

4. Now comes the critical part, and it’s based on one principle: We can’t control the outcome, we can only control our activity. Period. Set very specific activity goals for what you will DO to achieve the broad goal of abundance. How many contacts will you make? How many networking events will you attend? These kinds of goals are completely in your control and should be measured and evaluated. These are the real goal posts because you have control over them.

5. Finally, here’s how to measure success. Each day, evaluate how you’re feeling against the broad goal of abundance rather than the revenue targets. Do you feel abundant? Why or why not? This is where entrepreneurs get off track. They’ll say, “Well Terri, I didn’t hit my goal of $3000 per month, so how can I feel abundant?” That’s not the point. If you’re not feeling abundant, then what has to change? Your attitude or your actions? You can’t control the outcome (how much revenue you make); you can only control your attitude and your actions, right? So, which needs to change, your attitude or your actions? Goal post measures should ONLY be those that you can control. Since you can’t control the outcome, it should never be a goal post.

6. Now, if you’re not feeling abundant, and you’re not hitting your revenue target, then you have to adjust. Here’s how to do that:

a. First, give thanks for what you have achieved. Focus on what is working. Again, gratitude is the key. You’ll find it easy to be grateful when you focus on what IS working.

b. Second, evaluate what adjustments need to be made. There are only two categories to choose from: your attitude or your actions. Did you do what you committed to in terms of the calls you would make, or the networking events you committed to attending? Most of the time, the issue is here. We don’t do what we said we would do. If you didn’t meet your commitments, then adjust your actions. This part is totally up to you. You have complete control over actions.

c. Third, if you achieved your activity goals, and are not achieving the results desired, perhaps you need to readjust your attitude. How can you focus on what IS working and refocus on the broad goal of abundance? Maybe you need to visualize more, or maybe make a list of what did work. Success becomes easy when we focus on what IS working.

d. Finally, if things still seem off track, then either there’s something you need to learn, something you need to change or something you need to heal. Ask God for guidance to show you what that is so you can achieve the true goal of abundance. Open yourself up to be guided because God is trying to get your attention.

We look forward to a continued dialog on the true success. May 2011 be the year of abundance and joy.

Here's how to make next year...better than this year!

2010-12-31T06:04:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but I always LOVE the New Year. In the past I would use today, December 31, to:

1. Make a List of Goals (Lose weight, eat right, make X amount of money)
2. Then, I would develop my New Year's plan.

Sound familiar?

Invariably, I would find that in a month or two, "my plan" was off track, be it weight loss, financial goals, etc. I always wondered, there has to be a better way! Last year, I tried this instead, and it worked! All but one goal (end result) was achieved!!!!! And, in retrospect, I now see where I can make it 100% this year, by improving how I describe that goal.

So, if don't want to have to repeat your New Year's Resolutions next year, try this alternative:

1. GIVE THANKS for what your life is today... just as it is. For what our life is today, no matter what, is exactly what we need. Because of where we are today, we have been "prepared" for more.

2. Define what you want in terms of a broad end result (Such as Health, Abundance, Joy). Call it a vision, an intention, whatever. What end result do you want? What do you want your life to look like a year from now? Describe it in BROAD terms. I know we were told somewhere to be specific, but I can tell you that doesn't work. If you want more money, don't put a dollar amount out there, put ABUNDANCE. Most importantly, don't worry about the hows, or even the plan to get there. (I realize how difficult that can be...I used to be an obsessive planner too!) KNOW that what you want is ALREADY yours in spirit, by divine LAW. Just focus on the certainty of this ownership, understand it, claim it, and "it will be on earth, as it is in heaven (spirit)."

3. LET GOD (or the Universe) direct your path. He does so by sending us inspirations, or gentle nudgings. They are not big red flashing lights by the way. Listen for them. They are like whispers. "Go this way. Take that path. Try this." Little impulses and whispers that appear as you open yourself up to do HIS will.

4. TAKE ACTION. MOVE!!!! Don't let another year escape without having taken steps, real action, regardless of how big or how small, towards what it is you want. You have inspiration (God nudging you towards your dream) by the way. NOW DO SOMETHING!!!! Take inspired action. Don't worry that your first steps seem silly or futile. And if you don't know what to do, do something! Go! Get busy! Do not insist on your "perception" of success, only focus on the end result. Move toward the end result, in whatever baby steps you are able to take. But take action. And, please understand...in the first month, it will not feel like you're getting there. TRUST ME. It won't look, at first, like those results are in sight. If that happens (and it will), go back to #1 and repeat the process. Give thanks for where you are. Remind yourself of what your end result is, open yourself up to receive the whispers and inspiration from God. If they don't come, then keep listening and wait. That of course, is the hard part, at least for me. Sometimes, we are asked to wait. If no whispers or inspirations are coming. Wait. Keep listening. Soon, you'll be guided to take a new baby step. Again, it won't look like how you imagined (that's why the freaking planning thing doesn't work by the way!). But, it will look like what God planned, and in the end, you'll find you have reached your end result/vision.

5. Finally, Give Thanks. (That speeds up the process, by the way.)

Have a NEW and ABUNDANT, JOYFUL, LOVE-FILLED and HEALTHY 2011.