Business Peace Means Business Success
By Lisa Cherney
What would peace in your business look like? We all know what “business success”
looks like, but how about “business peace”? Is peace a dollar figure, a certain
number of clients, or is it a state of mind? Is peace dependent upon anything
external (like profit) or is it inside yourself? Maybe it depends on how you
view the world. The following are questions I ask myself when I want to bring
more peace into my life.
Is Peace an Inside Job?
When it concerned my business, I used to pray for lots of external things. When
I got the clients, the money and the recognition and still didn’t feel content,
I realized all I really wanted was inner peace. If I am peaceful I am happy. If
I am happy, I feel like I have the clients and the money I want. Inner peace
means I feel like things are going along “swell” (a very Brady word!). What
would it be like if you felt peaceful about your business? What can you do to
maintain business peace? Here are a few activities that help me:
• First thing in the morning, I visualize how I want the day to unfold.
• I don’t answer the phone when I am in creative activity (i.e. writing).
• I choose not to answer e-mail right away, especially if it stirs up
non-peaceful feelings.
• I don’t skip meals, no matter what.
• I say “no” to opportunities that feel stressful before they even start.
• I make sure I have the weekend off and several weekday evenings free.
• I put administrative tasks on my calendar so they don’t hang over my head.
How Does It Feel?
Does this mean you don’t take risks? Does this mean feeling a little fear is a
bad thing? No. It simply means you maintain an awareness of your peace level and
make adjustments as you feel it is necessary. This means that you are conscious.
I started Conscious Marketing because I found many business owners were defining
themselves by what they thought clients wanted, looking at themselves
externally, and, as a consequence, not attracting the success they wanted.
Conscious Marketing takes an “inside out” approach. We encourage you to start with what feels good inside, achieving clarity from within, and then moving outward — making sure your actions are in alignment with your purpose and passion.
“Business Peace” is about the same thing. It is about checking internally to
determine how something feels each step of the way. Even when you have an action
plan — stop — check inside — see if is still feels good. Did new awareness arise
as you moved down the path? Things often become clearer as you get closer. New
inner awareness comes forward and your action plan may need to be adjusted (or
even aborted). As entrepreneurs, our businesses are a reflection of who we are.
Since we are constantly evolving, so too do our businesses. My “Business Peace”
honors that process.
What is Your Feeling Vision?
We all know about creating a vision for our business. We all know about setting
goals and project planning. But we often forget about how we want our business
to feel. I often say, “I help people create a business they love with the income
they want.” Notice that the “business they love” is the first priority. If that
feeling isn’t there, then the income feels empty. Or, the desired income doesn’t
happen.
So, how do you want your business to feel? Ask yourself these questions to get
a start on creating the “Feeling Vision” for your business:
1. How do I feel on Monday morning?
2. How do I feel when the phone rings?
3. How do I feel when I meet with a potential new client?
4. How do I feel when I pay my bills?
5. How do I feel when I attend networking events?
6. How do I feel when friends ask, “How’s the business going?”
7. How do I feel when they ask for a business card or brochure?
8. How do I feel when I take a day off?
9. How do I feel when I’m asked for my pricing or a quote?
For my “Feeling Vision,” I want all of the answers to be in the peaceful category. My answers include words such as “proud,” “accomplished,” “self-assured,” “excited,” “purposeful,” “confident,” etc. But here is the catch… the answers are not dependant on external things. For example, you can feel at peace paying bills even if you realize that you owe more then you think. You can feel confident taking a day off, even if a client has a crisis.
At the top of my To Do list everyday are the words “Walk” and “Meditate.” Now, it wasn’t always like this. When I first left Corporate America, I was driven by guilt and “should” in nearly everything I did. The corporate programming was my operating system, even though I was now in charge of my day. I didn’t have inner peace and the idea of a “Feeling Vision” was nowhere in sight. In fact, my dominant daily feeling was anxiety. Seven years later I now know for sure that when I have “Business Peace,” I experience “Business Success.” If I love my business the money and opportunities flow in. For you to attain “Business Success,” what can you do to maintain your “Business Peace?”
Lisa Cherney is a Business Intuitive and Founder of Conscious Marketing,™ which offers one-on-one coaching and creates marketing materials. For more details, www.ConsciousMarketing.com or call (888) 771-0156.
CONGRATULATIONS! Lisa and husband Greg recently became proud parents of a baby
girl. Bella was welcomed into the world on January 27.
Return to the March/April Index page