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August 12, 2015 by Sharla Jacobs

How to Raise Your Rates (And Feel Good About It)

Have you ever wanted to raise your rates, but the voices of fear keep you from actually doing it?

These internal voices say things like:

  • Who are you to think you can charge more?
  • Is it even spiritual to accept money at all?
  • If you were really spiritual you would do this work for free!
  • No one will sign up because they won’t be able to afford it. People will think you’re greedy or in it just for the money.
  • Other _____________ (coaches, practitioners, massage therapists, nutrition counselors, etc.) charge ________. How can you even consider charging more?

featured-post-August13How do we know about these voices?

Many years ago, we raised our hourly coaching rate (to a rate that sounds like a smokin’ deal now, LOL)…  

I (Sharla) stood on stage in front of some of our best clients, offering VIP days (which we rarely offer because our time is so limited for private clients). And although I looked confident on the outside, I was trembling inside.

I KNEW that working with Jesse and me privately would help these clients position themselves like rock stars, attract the exact right clients, create a clear path to get from where they were stuck in their business to exactly how much income they wanted to make…while working less.

But suddenly I had the same feelings of insecurity and discomfort that I experienced the first time I raised my fees…and the second and the third.

No matter how many times you raise your fees, it’s common to “not feel ready” or to know you’re ready but still feel uncomfortable, especially when you start actually telling your potential clients about it.

But there comes a time when what you’re charging doesn’t feel balanced with the value you’re providing and you’ve got to do it in order to stay in integrity with yourself and in alignment with your values.

Here are 3 Tips to help you raise your rates:

Tip #1: Avoid looking to other coaches and holistic practitioners to figure out what you should charge.  

Many of our members initially say, “Other [therapists, coaches, etc.] charge this much; so how can I charge more?”

Instead, look for how you can INCREASE the value you offer to your clients rather than be just like everyone else in your industry.

When I was pregnant with our first son, Jacob (now 7), my belly got too big to lie face down on the massage table and I noticed I was having a difficult time enjoying a satisfying massage. So, I sought out a therapist with an ergonomically designed cushion for expecting moms like me and was happy to pay the extra dollars for the added value. 

Ask yourself, “How can I increase the value of what I’m offering? What do I offer that’s unique?”

Tip #2: “Feel Into” Your New Rate

If you’re charging too little, you’ll likely feel resentful and overworked. If you’re charging too much, you might feel greedy. There is a perfect balance that lies somewhere in between.

Unless you feel like you can truly own your new rates, you’ll stumble and feel awkward when sharing these new rates with potential clients.

To figure out what rate you can confidently own, here’s a short exercise:

Imagine you’re talking with a potential client.
And say the price you want out loud.
Then check in with your body to find out how it feels.  

If it feels GREAT, you just might have your new price.

If it feels anything other than GREAT, you’re not there yet.

If you don’t feel anything in your body, don’t worry.  

Sometimes the new rate just doesn’t have much juice.  

Also, not everyone gets information from checking in with how their body feels. Some people just have a voice of clarity or inner knowing that it’s right or not right. Others need to imagine publishing this new rate on your website (although we don’t recommend this for reasons we can share in the future).  

Just use the best way of discovering what’s right for you when you’re making a decision.  

Still confused about it?  

At the Client Attraction Summit, we will guide you through an exercise to find your perfect fees. Chances are you’ll give yourself a raise because at least 95% of our past participants have done so. 

Tip #3: Be Willing to Feel Uncomfortable for a Short Time After You Raise Your Rates

I have always found that whenever I have raised my private coaching rates, I go through an “adjustment” period.  

At first, it’s difficult to say (like in the story I shared earlier in the article). Then I justify this increase to myself by thinking about how my clients will get more value at this new rate and how I deserve to be paid well for the great work I do. Eventually, I settle into it as perfect and right.

What usually happens after I get the first big “Yes!” is I’m able to “own” my new fee and it fits perfectly. I have found that this is when the real shift happens.

After having a difficult time at that event sharing our new VIP day rates for the first time (with not one single client saying “Yes” by the way), I could have decided that I’d made a huge mistake and I should drop my rates back down.

Instead, I knew that going through the discomfort of the “adjustment period” was part of my process and if I hung in there long enough, I would eventually feel comfortable and confident.

A few weeks later we got our first client at our new rate. I felt a little nervous just before the initial consultation call, but I showed up with 100% of my energy, now fully aligned with the new fee. And because I owned my value, our client got tons more out of it than if we were charging our lower fee.

We haven’t raised our rates for private coaching for years because we feel so aligned with our rates for private work. (It’s all about alignment.)

When you feel great about your rates, you don’t question them….

But when something is niggling at you that it’s time to raise them, it’s common to experience this adjustment period and then eventual success.

If you’re willing to deal with the discomfort for a short time, knowing that it is part of the process of raising your fees (and not a sign you should shrink back), then you’re on the road to attracting more appreciative clients who will see the value in what you have to offer.

And the good news is:

Over time, you’ll become less intimidated by the prospect of raising your rates. You’ll just know when the time is right and become aligned with it more quickly. The adjustment period shrinks and you’re on your way to serving your clients in a deeper way, because you’re aligned with what your clients are investing to transform their lives by working with you.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Business Tips, Commitment, Planning, The Inner Game of Growing Your Business Tagged With: 6-figures, Coaching, coaching rate, holistic practitioner, private clients, raise your rates

August 5, 2015 by Sharla Jacobs

How to Get Great Testimonials

featured-post-August6Way back when we were planning for our wedding, we checked out an endless amount of photographers, videographers, florists, caterers, and every other possible type of vendor associated with “The Big Day”.

What really helped me (Sharla) make decisions and often took some vendors out of the running, was testimonials. If a vendor didn’t have them, I almost always eliminated them in my mind.

This was such an important event and I didn’t want to take the risk of using a photographer who couldn’t even show me samples of her work or testimonials from happy clients.

The same is probably true for many of your potential clients. Yet, most coaches and holistic practitioners don’t know how to get great testimonials that make selling your products and programs and enrolling clients a breeze. 

Testimonials are an essential part of your promotional materials.  Without them, your potential clients are just ‘taking your word for it’ and taking a risk with their time and money.

Testimonials provide “Social Proof” to your potential clients by letting them know that other people have benefited from working with you; so they might benefit too. 

The great thing about testimonials is: they can do the selling for you.

Maybe due to the legal constraints of your industry (check with your state board to be sure about legal limitations) you can’t make a bold claim like “I can cure your allergies” or “I’ll eliminate your back pain in just 10 visits.”   For example, as an acupuncturist, you can’t claim that you can cure pain.  But one of your clients can say “After my first visit, my pain was reduced by 50% and after 10 sessions I am completely pain-free.” 

And, if you feel shy at all about tooting your own horn, you can share stories (aka testimonials) of what your clients have received and make a great impression.

Most coaches and holistic practitioners don’t know how to get great testimonials that make selling easy.  I decided to share 5 of my favorite tips with you here:

1. Ask

My first tip is: “Ask.”  It’s that simple.

When your clients sing your praises after a great appointment, do you ask them for their permission to use their comments as a testimonial?  How about after they worked with you for a period of time?

It can be this simple: “I’m working on some new marketing materials about this work we’ve been doing together.  Would you be willing to share about the benefits you’ve received from our work together to help other people who are thinking about it discover what they can get from it?”

2. Make it Easy For Them

Recently, I was revamping our program brochure so I used Tip #1 and started asking our clients for updated testimonials.  Instead of just asking, I made it easy for each of them by creating a sample for them to edit.  

Here is an example of a testimonial I wrote for one of our star clients, PJ Van Hulle, for our Six Figure Speaker Program. Because I know PJ well, I created it using language I thought would fit her and then invited her to edit so it fit her voice.    

“I had dreamed of being a trainer for 5 years, but I had no idea how to do it as a business successfully. Then I met Jesse and Sharla and a huge door opened for me. In just 6 months I have created a successful training company AND repaid my investment in the Six Figure Speaker program...earning $52,000 in one weekend seminar. And more importantly, I am showing up for my students and creating miracles in their lives.!"    -PJ Van Hulle

She sent it back to me within hours and I added it to the new brochure.  Had I asked PJ to write it for me, it might have taken weeks for her to get to it. 

3. Use 2 Levels

If your potential clients hear only from your superstar clients, they might feel a little skeptical. But if they also hear from someone who got good or decent results, it makes it much more believable.

For example, we’ve gotten several testimonials from attendees of our Client Attraction Summit whose income quickly surged to 6-figures AND we have testimonials of clients who were thrilled to have made more than $1,000 in one hour.  

Do you see how the smaller number makes the results more believable?  If all of your testimonials say “In one session, I got X, Y and Z and my life has changed forever,” your potential clients might feel skeptical.  Ask yourself, “What seems realistic?” And then ask those clients for testimonials too.

4. Use “Before and After”

Diet products have been using “Before and After” testimonials forever.  It gives us a clear picture that “This Stuff Works!”

Here’s a template for you to use:

Before I worked with (YOUR NAME) I had ____ and ____ for ___ years.  After ___ sessions/treatments/weeks I no longer have ______ and I feel _________(great/fabulous/better than ever.)

Read before and after examples here.

5. Tell a Great Story

Everyone loves a great story.  It’s why we go to the movies, read books and participate in the drama of our own lives.  We learn by storytelling in a subtle, yet very effective way.  So let your clients’ testimonials tell a story.  It creates connection and makes it easy for potential clients to relate.

What can your potential client do now that they couldn’t do before working with you?  Pick up their grandchildren?  Spend time gardening?  Enjoy the sunshine? This emotional connection in your testimonials sells for you PLUS it’s fun to share stories.

Lastly, make sure to get explicit permission from your clients who provide testimonials and I recommend acknowledging them with a thank you card for taking the time to share their story so others may benefit from your work, just like they have.

Now it’s your turn to ask your clients for great testimonials!

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Business Tips, Client Attraction Tagged With: acupuncturist, clients, coaches, coaching business, holistic practitioner, marketing, promotional materials, testimonials

July 28, 2015 by Jesse Koren

When to put your business on hold?

One of our Thrive Community members has a best friend who is dying and she posted about her grief in our private Thrive Membership Facebook group.  It was a beautiful, heartfelt post that touched me (Jesse) deeply.  

Her therapist recommended that she take a break from her business and allow herself to fully grieve. From my perspective, this is not a bad idea. But it’s also not necessarily a good idea.

I wrote a response to her post in the Membership and I decided to share some of my response with you, to support you when your life circumstances are so challenging that you’re tempted to take a break from your business.

If your life is very tough now, this will be especially relevant.  And, if your life is awesome, this might be a blog post you forward to a coach or holistic practitioner friend who is going through a tough time.

Here’s what I wrote:

----------------------

featured-post-July28Thank you for sharing this. What an intense, incredible journey. I appreciate everything you shared and everything you asked for. You are amazing.  

I know how deep the grieving can go and I believe that only you can decide whether or not to take a break from your business and for how long.

I’ve found that sometimes taking a break from your business is the perfect thing to do.  

When I first started my business and had no business training whatsoever, I couldn’t get one paying client to save my life.  Out of frustration and compassion for my failure, I took a year away from my “business” to reset and heal before ramping back up and succeeding the second time.

When both my boys were born, I chose to take about 3 weeks off so that I could support Sharla and set an incredible foundation with my new family.  I’m SO glad I did this.  

There have been other times where life circumstances have been VERY challenging and VERY emotional.  Everything inside of me wanted to quit my business and walk away from everything I had built.  But, I knew that this was not my truth… just me trying to avoid the discomfort of being called to stretch and grow in new ways. So, I’ve stayed the course for ten years.   

The only one who can make the decision to take time away from your business or not, is… you.

I find that self-care and healing is often best done in small chunks of time and that we can get lost in a sea of depression if we give ourselves an indefinite amount of months to heal from tough life circumstances.

If I was grieving the death of someone close to me, I imagine that I would take a week or two or three away from our business to fully nurture myself and my family.  

And, then, if I was still going through it, I would do everything in my power to get the nurturing, support, love, and healing for a couple of hours everyday. 

Then, I would dedicate the rest of my day to channeling my emotion into service for you and every other Thriver, and my team and my boys and Sharla.

What I’m sharing is not “the right thing to do”. But it is my truth in this moment, as someone who is committed to taking my experience and dedicating it to the people who have asked for my support. The people who would miss my presence if I stepped away from Thrive for a long time.   

There are people who are waiting for you also, who will benefit from your wisdom, heart and experience. And who would miss you, if you stepped away for too long.

I don’t believe that life is giving you anything you can’t handle.  As they say, “whatever doesn’t kill you will make a great seminar story.”  When you dedicate your life to service, everything you go through is in service to you being the best leader you can be, for your people.  So, if you’re going through a tough time, trust that you’ll get through it soon, and everyone will benefit from your healing and empowerment, including you.  

So, to sum this all up, I invite you to make a conscious decision as to whether you want to take time away from your business, and if so, how long.  And, if you choose to take time off from your business, I invite you to hold a vision for who you will be, when you re-emerge.  

I look forward to hearing what you decide.  🙂

----------------------

I hope that, wherever you are right now in your business and whatever you are experiencing in this moment in life, you have the courage to treat yourself with kindness and compassion.

Sometimes being kind to yourself means backing off and sometimes being kind means stepping up. I encourage you to get the support you need to do whichever is right for you.

And if you know someone who is going through a tough time right now, I hope you will share this article with them...

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Filed Under: Business Tips, Commitment, Inspiration, The Inner Game of Growing Your Business Tagged With: business training, coaching business, healing, self-care, Thrive Community

July 16, 2015 by Sharla Jacobs

Is Your Niche Too Narrow? A Case Study with Allison Rapp

Many years ago, Allison Rapp signed up for a VIP Half-Day with us.  It was one of the first VIP Days we had ever done and we were feeling anxious about whether we could deliver enough to and help her reach her goal of making $10,000 each month.

featured-post-July16One of our biggest concerns in being able to show her how to build a business that consistently earned $10,000 each month was that her niche was too narrow...

But we were wrong.

Allison learned this the hard way. Fortunately, she experienced a “moment” that created a big shift for her and completely turned her business upside down.

Jesse interviewed Allison for one of our 6-Figure Secrets calls and she is proud member of Thrive Academy’s $10,000 Month Club. She is a very cool person with lots of wisdom and the story of her journey reveals how she went from struggling to easily earning $10,000/month or more, even with a VERY narrow niche.

Read this excerpt from the interview transcript below.

Jesse: Tell us about where you started when you came to Thrive.

Allison: When I first came, I was in a pretty miserable place. I, at that time even, was one of the most experienced Feldenkrais Practitioners in the world. I was a trainer; I traveled all over the place teaching people how to be Feldenkrais Practitioners. But I couldn’t feed my kids without help from my parents.

The truth was that I just didn’t know anything about how to get clients and so I did what most people do, which is I talked about what I did and it was so exciting to me, and I didn’t understand why people were not jumping out of their skin to be able to work with me. 

I didn’t know why I didn’t have clients and I didn’t even really understand that I should be looking for help. I just couldn’t even grasp that anybody would be able to help me or that anything that anybody had as a solution would work for me. I mean the idea of making six figures was like, “Are you kidding me?” I’d be happy to earn middle five. It just didn’t make sense that I could do that with my practice.

Jesse: So what changed for you?

Allison: There were a lot of things in the way but I came for the first weekend at the [Client Attraction Summit] and it changed my life. I remember I had this burning question and you didn’t call on me, so I just yelled it out. I wanted to know how I could make it work when I live in a really small town. You put your thumb and your index finger up to your ear and turned to me and said, “You’ve got to get on the phone.” 

And my first thought was “Oh yes, right!” I touch my clients, and that’s going to work beyond the phone, okay sure. But what happened for me was that I began to get it, that although what I was learning from you worked to help me build a private practice, that I could help a lot more people if I worked with practitioners.

That was really the turning point for me and I think it came somewhere during the [programs] of that [year]-- like toward the second half and the second half was that first year. All those programs, I spent a year going back and forth [from Nevada City] to the Bay Area.

But in that process, that was when I really got it, that I needed to change what I was doing because I really wanted to help more people. And so I did, and that’s what I’m doing now, and I worked mostly on the phone with people. I just finished an online program with 40 practitioners from all over the world.

Jesse: What’s the best part of your success?

Allison: I just feel like this is so important, and it’s so much more than what I was doing when I was working with people in a private practice. I loved it, but in terms of my being able to take what I had to offer into a bigger arena, it was really important to make that jump. So I probably will never forget the day that I got so angry with you when you put your little telephone up to your ear.

Jesse: You have one of the most narrow niches of anyone that I’ve ever worked with. And so people have often asked me at Client Attraction Mastery, if their niche is too narrow and I’ve used you as an example of someone who I DID think your niche was too narrow. I’ve told people that even with this narrow of a niche, you’re still doing better than with no niche at all.

Allison: Absolutely!

Jesse: I’ve been wanting to ask you since I heard that you have had your first $10,000-month, I’m curious if you have stayed with the niche of Feldenkrais Practitioners or if the $10,000 represents you widening that niche?

Allison: The $10,000 represented mainly Feldenkrais people.

Jesse: How many Feldenkrais people are there in the whole world?

Allison: Maybe 6,000.

Jesse: So you’re doing really well just with Feldenkrais Practitioners. And so I just want to stress that point, I think that’s a huge point because so many people worry that their niche is going to be too small and so this just goes to show as long as you could say there’s at least 10,000, there probably would be more but at least 10,000 potential clients that you have in your niche then it might not be too small.

*******************************************

Allison’s Business Today:

Allison mentors hands-on holistic practitioners around the world to make a bigger impact and get paid what they’re worth. She regularly has $10,000 months and is doing what she loves!

Now you have to understand that Allison came to us as someone who brings more than three decades of experience as a hands-on practitioner!  It just goes to show you that you can be really gifted, really experienced and really wise...but not be successful without the skills you need to grow your business.

Did you enjoy this post? Please leave a comment and share it with others who might enjoy it too.

Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.

Filed Under: Business Strategy, Business Tips, Inspiration, Leverage Tagged With: Allison Rapp, Business, Coaching, Feldenkrais, Niche

June 25, 2015 by Jesse Koren

How to Overcome Self-Doubt and Make Great Decisions

jesse-969
Do you sometimes doubt yourself when making decisions?  

If you do, then this blog post has the power to change your life.  

In this article, you’re going to discover the mindset and strategies that support me to make decisions I feel great about….decisions that make me a better man, father, husband, leader, and speaker.  Decisions that have supported us to impact tens of thousands of people, make millions of dollars and help our entire community thrive.

Self-doubt used to interfere with MOST of my decisions.  And one of the main reasons we’ve enjoyed so much success is because my self-doubt no longer runs the show.  My self-doubt takes a back seat to my Higher Self who has the steering wheel and takes me where I want to go. 

Where does self-doubt come from when trying to make a decision?  

I believe that self-doubt comes from our fear of making a bad decision.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Your fear may tell you that if you make a bad decision that it could put you into an overwhelmingly bad situation that you will regret for the rest of your life.  

The fear can be paralyzing.  

The problem is that when you are faced with a big decision, it’s important to be in an empowered state... if you are frozen or avoiding making the decision, you lose the power to make great decisions and are more likely to make a less than optimal decision.  And if you make a poor decision, you’re more likely to doubt yourself the next time you have to make a decision…. And the cycle of self-doubt becomes stronger and stronger. 

Fortunately, I have discovered 3 Strategies to Overcome Self Doubt and Make Great Decisions.

Strategy #1: Let Go of Your Fear of Making a Bad Decision

When I have been frozen by self-doubt, it was usually because I was trying to avoid something “bad” from happening.  Once I started thinking about what I didn’t want to happen, the fear would become paralyzing.  

I’d feel like I was living in a dog-eat-dog world, where I could mess everything up by simply making the “wrong decision.”  Even if the wrong decision was about what to wear to my session with a client!  “What if I don’t look professional enough (or too professional) and my client feels disconnected from me and wants to cancel and then I have to refund all their money? And then I won’t have the money to pay rent, and then I will be in a place of scarcity and not be able to attract any more clients, and then I’ll have to get a job I hate.  And then...what if I lose the job and become homeless, and die, cold and alone sleeping on the street?”

Wow!  From “what should I wear today?” to “dying cold and alone sleeping on the street!”

Does your mind ever take you down the rabbit hole like that?

Byron Katie says that “the worst thing that can happen in life is a belief.”  

I believe that this means that the pain of making a “bad decision” has little to do with your “bad decision” and is actually painful because of your belief (or the story you tell yourself about your decision).    

For example, recently I had someone come up to me at the Client Attraction Summit and say, “I really want to sign up for Thrive Academy Platinum, but I’ve already invested thousands in another mentor’s program and I have nothing to show for it.  I don’t want to get burned again.”

I set my intention to help her overcome her self-doubt and make a powerful decision (to invest in Platinum or not).  

As we went deeper down the rabbit hole, I discovered she was telling herself all kinds of things like: “I trusted myself once and failed.  I was so stupid.  That was a bad decision.  I can’t trust myself again.  I am a failure; I’m never going to succeed.”

She had a breakthrough in our short conversation, which I will share with you in Strategy #2.  But for now, I want to stress that the pain comes from the things you tell yourself, not from the reality of your situation.  To quote Byron Katie again, “Reality is always kinder than your story.”  

So instead of beating yourself up for the “stupid decisions” you’ve made, I recommend telling yourself something very different.  

Below is what I say to myself and my boys nearly every single night and it’s one of the key reasons my self-doubt and fear of making bad decisions has taken a back seat to my Higher Self.

Here’s what I say:
“I love you, no matter what you say, no matter what you do.  And we live in a Friendly Universe which means that everything that happens is happening for you and never against you.  If it feels good it’s here to support you and if it doesn’t feel good, it’s here to help you grow.  But it’s always a good thing and it’s always a gift.”

The more I hear myself say this, the more I believe it.  The more I believe it, the more I see evidence of it.  And the more evidence I see that the we are loved no matter what, that the Universe really is a friendly place, that every decision we make brings us to greater support or greater growth.  And the less I fear making bad decisions.  Because if this statement is really true, then I can’t lose.  I can’t fail. I’m not stupid. and I can trust myself.  

If this statement speaks to you, I invite you to read it again, print it out, say it to yourself, share it with your loved ones, and let it be a healing balm for you and those you love.

Strategy #2: Turn Your Deepest Regrets into Your Greatest Gifts

Now if someone confided in you that they really want to take your program but had a bad experience with another mentor, what would you do?  

If you’re like many people, you might tell them how your program is different/better and try to “make the sale.”  

Instead, I recommend helping them see the gift in their “bad decision.”  Because once you get that every “bad decision” comes with priceless gifts, you will never fear making a bad decision again because you will look forward to the gifts you get to unwrap. 

This is how I used this strategy to help our participant use this strategy:
I asked her, “What was the biggest gift you got from this other program?”  

She thought about it and said, “Well, I did get a few high end clients.”  

“How much money did these high end clients pay you?”  

She smiled sheepishly as she realized that her new clients had paid her more than the investment in that program.  

I asked her what else she got from the program.  

She shared enthusiastically a few more things that seemed small at the time, but looking back were pretty big.  

As she discovered that she really did get some gifts from that program, it dawned on her that it wasn’t a stupid decision and that she wasn’t a failure and that she really could trust herself.
From this awareness, she felt empowered.  

I honestly don’t remember whether she signed up for our Platinum program or not, but what I do remember is that she made her decision about signing up for Platinum from an empowered place. 

If you really want to release your fear of making a bad decision, make a list of your 10 biggest regrets, then find at least three gifts that came from each “regret.”

Strategy #3: Questions to Help You Make Better Decisions

Now that you have an empowered mindset, it’s time to get down to some practical strategies for making great decisions.  

Here are some questions I ask myself that support great decisions:

Q: Do you have all the information you need to make the decision?

Sometimes paralysis can come from trying to make a decision with missing information.  What questions can you ask that would bring clarity to the situation? 

Q: Do different parts of you want different things? 

Sometimes the Coach part of me (the part that loves kicking ass, strives for excellence, and is unstoppable) wants me to keep working.   The boy part of me wants to play.  And the tired teenager part of me wants to rest.  

Since they can’t agree on what to do, it can lead to checking Facebook which sort of appeases all three of them, but is not fulfilling.  It’s more powerful to have a dialogue with all of them and give them all a voice.  In this dialogue, you can give them space to fully express their feelings and what they want.  After hearing from each part, you can find a solution that honors all of your parts.  

You can conduct this dialogue in your journal or type it out on your computer (as you would characters in a play).

Hot Tip:  This is YOUR dialogue and you get to add whoever you want into the conversation. You can bring your Higher Self into the discussion.  You can bring in a mentor (or mentors) you respect.  Each part may bring a different perspective to a solution that is a win for everyone (all the different parts of you as well as everyone impacted by your decision).  Get creative, have some fun, and enjoy the process of coming into alignment with all these different parts of yourself.

Q: Where is your decision coming from: Love or Fear?

I believe that the intention behind your decision is more important than the decision itself. Making decisions from love and kindness perpetuates more love and kindness.  Making a decision from fear and scarcity perpetuates more fear and scarcity.

For example, a while ago we entered into an agreement with someone we trusted who “borrowed” $15,000 from us, lied to us over and over, and wasted many hours of our time. I found myself going to sleep stewing over it and waking up with adrenaline-pumping anger. “This guy is a scam artist,” I told myself.  “I need to stand up for myself and our family and get our money back.”  

After trying many times to get our money back, I had a decision to make: get our attorney involved or let it go.  I realized that the cost of devoting months of my life to this fight was far too great.  I only have so much fight inside of me... and I would much rather fight for a cause I believe in than fight against this guy.  

So I decided to let it go. Not because I’m a spiritual guy, not because it was the right thing to do, not for any reason except that it was the kindest thing I could have done for myself, my family, and our community.  

Rather than seeking to get the money from a man who was evading us, I took that same energy and devoted it to fight for our clients to get the best results possible.  And that $15,000 has come back over and over and over in the form of clients and JV partnerships that I would have squandered away, had I put my energy into fear. 

So I ask you now: Are you making your decision from fear or from love?  We say: Choose Love.

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Filed Under: Business Tips, Commitment, Speaking to Get Clients, The Inner Game of Growing Your Business

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