“Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.” – Richard Bach

This quote (from one of my favorite authors) has served me well for many years. We’ve all got dreams and goals we want to reach. But when we allow negative thoughts to dominate, we put ourselves at risk of never achieving the things we want most.

One of my clients is an amazingly talented writer who wanted to get more corporate clients. He had a long list of prospects, but kept putting off making the contacts. When we dug deeper, we realized that he was feasting on a regular diet of negative self-talk. The messages he sent himself ranged from “There are other writers better than you” to “You’re never going to make enough money to support your family.” On particularly tough days, he even succumbed to “You’re a loser.”

These incredibly powerful thoughts were keeping him stuck in the very negative position he was projecting. It took some effort on his part, but through a conscious program of replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, he’s been able to turn his situation around. When he told himself over and over again “You’re a great writer” and “You have a lot to offer this company,” he began to believe those statements. He was able to make his contacts with greater confidence and began to get new clients.

This isn’t voodoo; anyone can do it. YOU can do it. The book Psycho-Cybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz is an excellent introduction to the power of positive thinking.

What thoughts are you thinking about your dreams and goals? How are those thoughts affecting your performance and your results?

Think of your most important goal right now. What are you trying to accomplish?

Then think about what messages you tell yourself about that goal every day. Are they positive messages, or are you sabotaging yourself with negativity?

People regularly ask me “How have you been able to do so many things in your life?” My answer is always the same. I set goals and I believe that I will reach them.

What one shift could you make in your thinking around your most important goal? Write down a positive statement you can tell yourself every day, and tape it up in front of you.

Try it. It works.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

I find this absolutely brilliant.

“Hallmark and the U.S. Postal Service Launch Postage-Paid Greeting Cards”

In a world where most of us bank online and use social media to say happy birthday, I’m sure the Hallmarks of the world were wondering, How do we remain relevant? The fact is, there’s no substitute for a hand-written greeting card that pops up in our real-life mailbox, and most of us know it. But since we never pay bills through the mail anymore, we’re usually lacking one critical requirement for sending a card through the mail: a postage stamp.

Hallmark decided to meet us where we live and make it simple to buy – and use – their products. Instead of picking up a card at a drugstore and then having to make a second trip to the post office, now we can simply pick up the card and drop it in the outgoing mail.

The folks at Hallmark could still be standing around, wringing their hands, wailing about how things are different and sales are down. Instead, they put their heads together and came up with a simple, elegant solution that will delight their customers.

What can we learn?

You’ve heard that you need to have an “elevator speech” to introduce yourself to a group. But that speech is NOT what you start with when you meet someone for the first time one on one at a networking event or a dinner party.

Instead, when you’re introduced to someone, simply say hello and ask the first question. The first question can be as simple as “What do you do?” or “Have you been to one of these events before?”

In making the first move, you’ve put the other person at ease and boosted your confidence. You’ve expressed interest in the person and asked a question designed to learn more about her. She’s going to respond and immediately start talking about herself. And while she’s talking, you’re listening for clues. Then you can either ask a follow-up question or use what she said to tailor your own introduction.

For example:

I approach a woman at a networking event and say, “Hi, I’m Sharon, and I’m a business coach. What do you do?”(Note that I asked the first question, before she even introduced herself.) She says, “I’m Susan. I own an interior design firm.” I then follow up with more questions – “Residential or commercial?” “Do you work alone or do you have a staff?” “How long have you been in business?” And so on.

From talking with Susan I discover that she works alone, she’s targeting residential projects and her biggest challenge is marketing to home builders.
Eventually we get around to talking about what I do, but now I can tailor it to her interests. I say, “I’m a business coach, and one of the things I do is help owners create marketing plans.”

She says, “How do you do that?” And we’re off and running, talking about marketing her business. I’m providing value to her and demonstrating that I can help her.

Do you see how asking that first question makes all the difference? You can find out what the person needs, and then offer solutions – either your own services or referrals to others.

Start asking the first question – every day. It will transform the way you talk with other people about your business.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

There are superstar coaches out there who will tell you, if you’re not aiming to make a million dollars a year, you’re thinking small.

I beg to differ.

I’m a business coach. I get paid to support people and their dreams. And in some cases, those dreams don’t include making a million dollars. There can be many other reasons leading people to become entrepreneurs: the desire for a flexible schedule, the pull to spend more time with family, a calling to serve others. Not everyone is motivated by money and celebrity.

But I see, time and time again, small business owners being distracted by the hype. You MUST have a passive income product that you sell online. You MUST write a book. You MUST become a paid speaker. You must, you must, you must. Entrepreneurs hear this, and they start spinning in circles, trying to do everything at once, and oh – by the way – forgetting about their customers in the process. Guess who gets rich in this scenario? That’s right – the superstar coach.

There’s nothing wrong with tactics like speaking and writing, and sometimes I recommend them to my clients. But there’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for success. Every business is different and every business owner has insights into his/her abilities, industry and customers which must factor into a successful business plan. The key is to discover those insights and use them to create unique strategies that will work because they’re on target for YOUR business and YOUR goals.

Most of my clients would be very happy making six figures. And they can – if they settle down and do the hard work that’s required to earn and keep customers.

I’ve been criticized for working with solopreneurs and the self-employed. I’ve heard “They think too small,” or “They don’t have any money,” or “You need clients with bigger budgets.” I do have larger clients, and I enjoy working with them. But the self-employed are the backbone of small business in America. They’re hard-working, devoted to their clients and their industry and motivated to succeed in a way that an employee of someone else’s company will never be. That’s why I continue to support solopreneurs in their dreams, no matter how big – or how small.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

This quote really speaks to me:

“The place where God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” – Fredrick Buechner

For me, this is the quintessential expression of life’s passion: finding the intersection of your talents and the world’s needs.

Does your work make you happy? Are you passionate about your results?

If not, why are you doing that work? How can you improve your situation so that you’re experiencing joy and satisfaction through your work? Maybe it’s time for a change.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

I’ve had a certain item on my to-do list for about a week now. Each morning when I plan my day, there it is, staring me in the face. It’s even got one of those red exclamation points by it… clearly it’s important.

And yet… I haven’t done it.

Why do we procrastinate? Pretty much all procrastination comes down to two reasons.

1. We don’t like to do it.
2. We’re afraid to do it.

Yes, I’m sure you’re thinking of other reasons right now.

• We think it has to be perfect. (Uh huh, that’s fear.)
• We’re overwhelmed by the size of it. (Again, fear.)
• We’re not sure whether others will like it. (You guessed it… fear.)

Yes, unless you just plain don’t like to do this thing (taking out the trash comes to mind) we typically procrastinate because we’re afraid of something. But why does fear play such a big role in procrastination?

Fear keeps us in check… keeps us from doing things that could hurt us. The fear you feel standing atop the platform just before you take that bungee jump is useful. It makes you think – is the harness properly hooked? Will the bungee cord hold my weight? Why did I have that burrito for breakfast?

But fear can also keep us from moving forward on things that are not life-threatening. We fail to act because we fear others will judge us or the results might be less than we desired. We fear change. We fear failure or success.

It may sound ridiculously simple, but the best tool I’ve found to combat is procrastination is to get started. With no expectations, no judgments. Think of it this way: if you start, and you complete 1/10th of the project, that’s a tenth that is done. If you don’t like what you’ve done or have to start over for some reason, you’re no further behind than you would have been had you not started at all. I like to set a timer for 10 or 20 minutes, and work on the dreaded task until the timer goes off. Frequently just the act of getting started has the effect of releasing much of the fear that’s built up around a task, and you find yourself off to the races and maybe even enjoying what you’re doing.

But if you just can’t seem to get out of the starting gate, enlist the help of a friend. Tell him what the project is, what your deadline is and what’s holding you back. Ask him to help you by holding you accountable for making progress.

By verbally stating your intentions and putting an accountability measure in place, you’ll have the support you need to move forward. Try it. And now I’m off to check that item off my to-do list.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

I’m convinced that our intense, prolonged use of computers is changing the way we think — and having a negative impact on our ability to be effective business leaders. Remember (well, some of you will be old enough to remember) when your typewriter sat on a stand next to your desk? Unless you were a writer dreaming up the next great novel, the typewriter stood by to be used only as needed for typing a letter or report.

Today, where is your computer? I bet it’s sitting right before you, front and center on your desk. You might even be reading this in a coffee shop, or on your couch, where your laptop, along with your cell phone, comprises your entire office. Our computers now shape the way we approach our work.

Think about it. When you sit down to start working, what’s the first thing you do? Is it to take a few moments and really determine what needs to happen for your business to succeed? Or is it to automatically click on your email inbox and start reacting?

Get your head out of the box. I challenge you to take three minutes right now (set a timer) and walk away from your computer. Sit down, and just THINK about your business. What’s the most important thing for you to do today for your business? Which action would have the biggest effect? I guarantee that the answer will come to you. And the email? It can wait.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

If you’re not talking about your business, you’re not growing your business. Do you know how many conversations you need to have each week to be successful?

Service professionals and small business owners easily fall into a pattern of working full-steam until a project is completed, then suddenly realizing that it’s been two months since they’ve done any marketing. Monitoring the number of conversations you have about your business is one way to ensure that you’re marketing on a weekly basis.

But I’m not just talking about telling the cashier at the grocery store about your business… I’m talking about quality conversations with your ideal client. This requires three steps:

1. Know who your ideal client is. Who buys what you sell? Create a picture of that customer… including demographic and psychographic clues as to where you will find them.
2. Know what you want to say. Develop and refine a dynamic opening conversation that includes a benefit to the customer. How will you improve this person’s life/job/bottom line if he/she works with you?
3. Schedule conversations weekly. If you don’t know how many you need, start with five each week. This means five lunches, coffees, phone calls or networking opportunities… and don’t hide behind email! You want to have an easy, natural, inspired discussion with your prospects. Each Monday make a plan to complete at least five conversations during the week.

Make a simple chart and keep track of how many conversations you have, and what the results are. Over time you’ll see how many conversations equals one conversion. This is the simplest, most cost-effective way to market your business.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

That’s right. I’ve never met a lazy entrepreneur.

“Lazy entrepreneur” is an oxymoron. By their very nature, entrepreneurs are driven, competitive, passionate and hungry to create a better world for themselves and their customers.

And yet – about once a week I hear a coaching client say, “I don’t know what’s wrong. Am I just lazy?”

The answer is no. There are no lazy entrepreneurs. If you’re not succeeding it’s because something is holding you back: fear, lack of confidence, lack of knowledge, lack of support. It’s not for lack of trying, because if you were lazy, you’d be out of business – or more likely, would never have gotten your business off the ground.

The good news is that there are resources out there to help you – counselors, coaches, SCORE advisers, trusted friends. But you’ve got to ask the right question. Not “am I lazy?” but “what resources am I lacking?”

You can’t fix lazy, but you CAN fix whatever’s holding you back. You’ve invested so much already in your business. Invest the time and effort to discover what you need, and go get it.

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.

Do you have a vision for your business? Do you know what you’re trying to create?

Vision gives us clarity. In darkness, we move blindly about, each step a question mark. With vision, the path to our destination is illuminated, showing partners standing by to guide and help us, snags that might trip us up and shortcuts to speed our journey.

When I was 18, I worked on my university’s student newspaper. I loved creating content that brought the campus community together – on a diverse campus the newspaper helped to illuminate and bridge the gaps between student and faculty, between left and right, between races, ages and faiths. I wished I could do the same for the teen population in our city, where divisions ran high. For 18 years I carried that vision with me, and finally I was in a position to create a business around the vision. Knowing with certainty what I was trying to create, I was able to develop a plan, share it with others and achieve my goal.

When we can clearly see a picture in our minds of how our business will solve problems, we can make our vision a reality.

Do you have a clearly articulated vision for your business? Give yourself time and space to create a picture of what you’re trying to achieve. Close your eyes and envision a perfect day in your business.

• What are you doing?
• Who are you helping?
• What problems are you solving?
• What do your customers say about your business?
• How does it feel? What kind of lifestyle does it allow you?

When you know what you’re moving toward, your decision-making processes become easy. Everything you choose to do supports your goal. You can create plans that move you, one step at a time, toward your business vision.

See it; do it. Make it happen for you!

Are you ready to turn Insight Into Action and watch your business flourish?
Schedule a no-obligation telephone consultation with coach Sharon Reus to learn more.