March 5, 2014 by Sharla Jacobs

What's holding you back?

Have you ever really wanted to do something that inspired you? That you knew would make a big difference?

But something was (or still IS) holding you back?

Today's post is dedicated to you!

I have wanted to connect with you by making valuable videos for you, but this thing (that I'll reveal in the video) was stopping me and kept getting in the way. I've made a decision to never let this stop me again!

Watch this video to find out what has been stopping me...and discover some powerful questions you can ask YOURSELF to move beyond what's stopping you.

Comment below and let us know what you got from watching this video below...
and make sure to share this video with someone whom you think will benefit from hearing this message.

Tell us what you think...

February 27, 2014 by Sharla Jacobs and Jesse Koren

The Secret to Business Success is the "C" Word

Sharla and I first met at a workshop (can you believe it?) on November 15, 2001. It was NOT love at first sight. I thought she was cute, but would only make a really great friend. She thought I was cute also, but a little too young (and too nice) for her taste. 🙂

Jesse and Sharla on their 12-year anniversary

Our first date was a workshop that I led at my home. I had desperately tried to fill this workshop with lots of people... but Sharla was the only one who showed up. I was totally embarrassed... But Sharla was so gracious and she suggested that I lead the workshop for her anyway.

Somehow, the workshop started to feel more like a first date. (Looking back, we think the Universe set this one up.)

Our first kiss was on January 5, 2002. Don't ask me why I still remember the date, because we dated for about a week after that. And then I broke up with her. But then, in Sharla's words, "You called me 10 times a day and wouldn't stay off my couch."

So we got back together again. And then broke up again. We were on again and off again for another 6 weeks when she finally got fed up with my antics and she said, "You need to sh*t or get off the pot!"

That night we were sitting in Yab Yum (for all of you Tantra people) and I sprung the "C word" on her.

I said, "I commit to you." (At least that's what Sharla remembers me saying.)

I don't remember anything about that night (and I was sober, I swear)... I must have subconsciously blocked it out, because in my world the "C" word meant being stuck, trapped and regretful for the rest of my life.

I moved into Sharla's small apartment a week later. And for the next year, I literally did not unpack. That's how not committed I was. It would have taken me less than an hour to pack up my Red Jeep Cherokee with all my stuff and head off to the land of freedom.

It took me a year to realized the "freedom game" I was playing was killing us. We argued more than we kissed and underneath every argument was, "Are we in this together or not?"

So we went on a retreat together and decided that we were either going to dive deeper together or break up. At the end of the retreat, I asked Sharla to marry me...for just one year. You might laugh; but this was a HUGE step for me! I really thought I'd regret it.

But instead a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. Suddenly, I could dedicate my whole being to loving her (instead of holding out for another woman). It was like I saw her for the first time (and I really liked what I saw).

I thought I was cured of my commitment phobia... but it took me another 3 years until I finally had the courage to commit to her for life.

We had hiked far back into the South Fork of the Yuba River. We sat in Yab Yum again and after I proposed we cried together and laughed together, as we talked about the kids we would have and the life we would live together. I felt freer than I had felt since I was a little boy.

No one was more surprised than I was that the freedom I sought by avoiding the "C" word was the very freedom I found when I embraced it, by proposing to Sharla.

It's this same level of commitment that had us go from 0-$175,000 in our first year working together. And it's this level of commitment that has had us earn over $10 million dollars.

It's this level of commitment we see in our Thrive Academy Members who are making $10,000+ each month. And it's this level of commitment we see in our many friends who consistently earn 6-, 7- and 8-Figures each year.

Even though most people avoid it, Commitment is the secret that will fuel your success.

At the Client Attraction Summit, we do a process where you let go of the comfort-seeking part of you that would rather not commit to your business.

Instead, you'll commit to:

a) NOT do your business.

b) Kick the back door shut and commit to your business for 1 year.

c) Kick the back door shut and commit to your business for the rest of your life.

I've asked myself why so many people cry during this exercise...

What I've realized is that most people NEVER fully commit to their business.

They're in their business as a fair-weather friend. As long as it's comfortable, convenient and inspiring they do their business. But the moment it gets challenging (which it always does) they turn to Plan B (aka Plan "Back Door)," which usually involves a draining J-O-B (with no plan as to how to get your business thriving again).

This is the ordinary approach to being an entrepreneur. And it's the reason so many Coaches and Holistic Practitioners struggle. As I shared in last week's Blog Post, I know what it's like to work a draining job with no plan to fulfill my dream.

The reason I believe so many people cry during the Commitment Exercise at the Summit is the same reason I believe people cry during weddings. Because commitment is beautiful, inspiring, and an act of courage.

All of our members who are making more than $10,000 per month have committed deeply to themselves.They've kicked the back door shut and have chosen to honor their desire to contribute over any circumstance that would stop them from fulfilling their destiny.

Are you ready to kick YOUR back door shut and make this year the best year of your life?

If so, leave a comment below. We'd love to hear from you.

Tell us what you think...

February 13, 2014 by Sharla Jacobs and Jesse Koren

Valentine’s Day Holds the Secret to Avoiding Burnout

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentines inspired by our son Jacob's Kindergarten class

In the spirit of expressing our love and appreciation, we’ve spent the last week making Valentine's cards.

(And we are taking Friday away from the office to celebrate our own Love! You’ll get a full report next week. ☺)

Because we’ve seen too many coaches and holistic practitioners get sucked into the burnout vortex, we wrote a special Valentine’s blog post to help you use the spirit of Valentine ’s Day to avoid burnout in your own business.

We have seen too many coaches and holistic practitioners who are on their way to burnout, because they either have too many clients and no time for themselves.

Or they don’t have enough clients and their worry (and attempts to just make ends meet) burns them out.

However, YOU can steer clear of burnout.

The answer is hidden within the spirit of Valentine’s Day!

How do you know if you’re heading toward the Burnout Vortex?

On a scale from 1-10, how much do you LOVE your business? And we mean
REALLY LOVE your business.

To help you answer this question, here are some additional questions:

Does it light you up and excite you?
Do you dread the thought of getting up to go to "work?"
Does it worry you and stress you out?
Are you delighted with some parts of your business (like the actual
work of supporting others), but hate other parts (like the bookkeeping)?

Go ahead and answer the question now: On a scale from 1-10, how much do
you LOVE your business?

Here's the scale:

Score of 1-3 = The Burnout Vortex

Score of 4-7= Maintaining (but probably not feelin’ the love).

Score of 8-10 = Truly Thriving!

Everyone wants to be in the range of 8-10, but may not know HOW to get there.

So we want to make sure you have some distinctions and tips to move you away
from the Burnout Vortex and toward Truly Thriving!

First, let's talk about what it means to be Truly Thriving...

True success means consistently hanging out in the “Truly Thriving” range.

And when someone who is truly thriving dips into the 6’s or 7’s (which is inevitable),
they quickly ascend back up to at least an 8 by using some of their own pre-determined
structures.

This is WHY they are able to maintain the level of Truly Thriving.

Maintaining is really to just be going along, doing the day-to-day, but not really excited about it.

The last category is the Burnout Vortex. Unfortunately, too many coaches and holistic practitioners are either living in the Burnout Vortex or just on the edge (and some even believe becoming successful = burnout).

What’s the remedy to steer clear of the Burnout Vortex?

The secret is hidden within the spirit of Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day is the one day of the year that is fully devoted to love.

Why?
Is it because Hallmark says so? ☺
Of course not!

Valentine's Day is a only a day devoted to love if YOU say so…if YOU make love important.

Whether you have someone you call your lover or whether you are single and your lover is you…

You get permission to devote the entire day to LOVE!
You get to indulge in whatever makes you feel and appreciate LOVE. It could be chocolate, baths with rose petals, candlelight dinners and beautiful music…

Or you could make it a regular day of your life.

The choice is yours.

But the truth is, as an entrepreneur, you have permission to make LOVE important EVERY DAY.
You can turn any day you want into Valentine’s Day.

And when you show YOURSELF a great deal of self-love by making self-care important, YOU will avoid the Burnout Vortex.

Here are a list of tips to help you avoid burnout:

Create clear office hours when you answer your phone and email. And then don't answer your phone when you're office isn't open. We take weekends off (unless we're leading an event, in which case, we take the Monday and Tuesday for our rest days). We also finish work by 4pm at the latest and devote this to family time.
Create structures for rest and rejuvenation.Studies show that one day away from screens is like seven days of rest! Make sure you have clear rest days to let your mind relax (which frees yourself up for more creativity!)Be sure to find a few things that REALLY rejuvenate your mind, body and soul.We have found that regular massage and bodywork is ESSENTIAL to our ongoing well-being. Without it, we find ourselves feeling a little cranky and not being as focused.(If you're still not quite making the money you want to make, you can always create a trade for bodywork with another practitioner who values your services as much as you value bodywork!)
Schedule 15-30 minute breaks every 90 minutes. Studies show short breaks every 90 minutes increase your productivity and creativity dramatically.You can take breaks to meditate, dance, go for a walk or whatever you need to rejuvenate yourself.

It’s YOUR life; you get to live it on YOUR terms.

The secret is to set aside the time AHEAD of time, so you don’t have to get burned out or exhausted in order to finally relax.

Okay, we’re off to take a short “Thrive Break” before our team meeting.

We hope you enjoyed this article.

Tell us what you think...

February 6, 2014 by Sharla Jacobs and Jesse Koren

How to Stop Sabotaging Yourself (In 2 minutes)

Are you ready to take what you’re doing to the next level? To deepen your confidence, your power, and your ability to attract more clients?

If you’re not saying “Yes, I'm ready!” right now – something may be stopping you?

After working with over 20,000 coaches and holistic practitioners, and we haven't met one person who didn't have at least a few negative beliefs that were stopping them from reaching their potential.

In fact, the reason we're so passionate about this topic is because over the last 10 years, we've had to take back our own power over and over again.

So, if you have some negative beliefs that are holding you back, you're not alone.

Rick Carson, author of Taming Your Gremlin™, calls these negative
beliefs Gremlins™. He says:

There is indeed a Gremlin™ in your head and he's out to make you miserable. Left to do his thing, he'll zap your health, foul up your relationships, ruin your disposition, dampen your creativity, hamper your productivity, drive you into low-down funks and wind you up into fits of anxiety.

So, it's time to stop sabotaging yourself and take back your power from your Gremlins™.

But how?

The Worst Thing You Can Do...

The worst thing you can do is go to war with your Gremlins™. Ignoring them doesn't make them go away. Drowning them out with food, alcohol, drugs, work, and other addictions won't make them go away. Telling them to go away doesn't work either.

The first step to stopping your Gremlins™ from sabotaging you is to see that they are on your side. No matter how mean they are, they are doing their best to keep you safe.

It turns out that your Gremlins™ prefer safe and familiar (read "boring") over exciting and amazing (read "scary to your gremlins".) This is true even if your Spirit is calling you to grow and contribute at the highest level.

In fact, the stronger your urge to grow and contribute, the louder and more powerful your gremlins need to be... Otherwise, how could they neutralize your efforts and keep you safe?

Should I try Positive Affirmations?
Hell no! Why don't positive affirmations work?

Because your Gremlins are far more powerful than your positive affirmations. If you say: "I'm good enough," or even "I'm amazing," your Gremlins™ will simply say: "NO, YOU'RE NOT!" And, so you're left feeling even worse than before you started "affirming yourself."

So, how do you stop your Gremlins™ in their tracks?

The Most Powerful Way to Stop Your Gremlins™ from sabotaging you (in 2 minutes)

Instead of trying to avoid, drown or resist your Gremlins™ (and instead of using positive affirmations), try this:

Harness the power of your Gremlins™ and then use your new level of power to inspire your greatness.

Here's a 2 minute exercise that will leave you feeling unstoppable:

Stand in front of the mirror. Set a timer for 1 minute. And for 1 minute, give your Gremlins voice. Without holding back, tell yourself why you're not good enough, not ready, why nobody wants what you have, what a F&*# up you are... Let yourself get as loud and mean and "Gremlin-y" as you possibly can.

At the end of 1 minute, take a deep breath and set your timer for 1 minute again. This time, with the same level of energy, tell yourself how amazing you are, why you will succeed and why your people need what you have.

Finally, take a deep breath into the aliveness and love that you feel for yourself and make a new commitment to share your gifts with the people who need what you have.

With this new level of energy, that comes from harnessing the power of your Gremlins™, you will be amazed at how much easier it is to attract new clients.

If you’d like more powerful ways you can stop your Gremlins and attract more clients, sign up for our weekly Thrive Ezine (delivered to your inbox every Thursday). We’ll send you tons of great tips and info via articles and videos to help you get more clients and reach more people.

Get your free videos and tips here: www.ClientAttractionSummit.com