Last week I was working with one of my small business clients, a bright and dynamic woman who’s passionate about positioning her artisan business for growth. We were talking about her financial picture and forecasting robust sales over
next three years. As I coached her, she expressed excitement and eagerness to see her dreams turn into reality, yet somewhere, just below surface, I sensed subtle resistance on her part to fully imagine scenario we were painting.
I asked her about what she was feeling. After stopping for a moment to “feel into” my observation, she tentatively at first, then heartily agreed. Then she got very curious about her seemingly incongruous resistance to success.
“Sarah”, I asked, “What is your ‘rule’, about financial success? In other words, what belief do you carry (deep down) about money?” It didn’t take long for her to respond. “Well,” she reported, “if you’re financially successful, it means you have to give up on your values and your integrity”.
Wow! By uncovering that one rule, Sarah hit pay dirt. She was now free to clearly see that one disempowering rule she had been carrying her entire life.
Taking a look at rules that drive your thinking is a very powerful activity to help you grow as a person, especially as a business owner. Another wise client of mine once said, “There’s no way to separate who we are from what we do”. You can have most empowered business plans in world and if your inner life and dialog is disempowered…forget it. It’s an up hill battle.
What are your ‘under-the-surface rules’ that run your life and business? To explore, ask yourself: Where are you consistently stuck in your business? What are things that always hang you up? What are recurring thoughts or themes you could write book about?
