#162 Do You Deny Yourself?

Coaching Moments used to be exclusively for my coaching clients and Champions members. We've now opened them up to share them with you via this blog. Coaching Moments are shared each Friday and meant to encourage you on your path to greater enjoyment and/or success- whatever you happen to be reaching for. They remind us to think about our paths, our decisions and our priorities. Hopefully they make you think about something and refocus. Enjoy.

#162 Do You Deny Yourself?


List the top 3 things you like to do. Now, when is the last time you’ve done each? Make sure you are making time for the things you love. Schedule each one in your calendar now. And, ask those around you what their top 3 are- and help them make time for them. They’ll appreciate you even more.

Coaching Moment #161Treat Yourself

Coaching Moments used to be exclusively for my coaching clients and Champions members. We've now opened them up to share them with you via this blog. Coaching Moments are shared each Friday and meant to encourage you on your path to greater enjoyment and/or success- whatever you happen to be reaching for. They remind us to think about our paths, our decisions and our priorities. Hopefully they make you think about something and refocus. Enjoy.

#161Treat Yourself


What is the last gift you gave to yourself? It could be a gadget, an experience, forgiveness, etc... Make sure that in the hustle and bustle of life you don’t neglect treating yourself well and recognizing what your needs and wants are.

5 Steps to a Profitable Coaching Business

Five Steps to a Profitable Coaching Business


The primary revelation to any coach unlocking their financial potential is to first recognize that coaching is still an anomaly to most people. Therapy is widely understood, although still taboo in some circles. Mentoring is welcomed and expected to be free of charge. Consultants are well-paid professionals with expertise in a particular area and highly sought. Coaches… well, they have more education to offer before they achieve wide recognition and more lucrative contracts.

Coaches who choose to start and run their own business suffer the same challenges that other experts and professionals do, they don’t typically have an M.B.A. They haven’t been serial entrepreneurs. They aren’t versed in contract negotiation and business management basics. The majority are good or great coaches and mediocre business owners. The good news is that coaches tend to be ready for a good challenge. They are creative, resilient, and fast learners.

There are five basic steps to facilitate a coach becoming more profitable. These steps can be addressed in tandem.

 Step 1: Educating Others. Coaches must perfect their “commercials” to all audiences, potential clients and potential leads to clients, and address what they do, how they do it, what the benefits are, and why they are the best person for the job. Coaches must ensure they have the credentials, background, experiences and ability to perform their duties with positive results. Then, they must be able to share that experience verbally with prospects and groups that are helping them build your business.

 Step 2: Network. As a sole proprietor, or small business owner, a coach must develop a trusted network of other business professionals who can serve as their sales team. Relationships take time. Quality relationships can be a vital part of a coaching businesses’ growth over the next year. One of my own networks generated 64% of my business in 2008- the first full year of my private practice. Many networks are formalized with exclusive memberships and weekly or monthly meetings. Referrals and leads are tracked and taken seriously by all involved parties. Other networks are informal and built over a longer time with trusted friends and professionals in your circle, city, client base, etc…

 Step 3: Fast-Track M.B.A. Most coaches don’t have the time to commit to another intensive degree while building their coaching business. However, the business of business, so to speak, has to take center stage if they want to make coaching a profitable and successful part of their life. Most cities and online universities offer classes in contracts, simple accounting, governmental opportunities, etc… The Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov) is a good place to start learning about successful business ownership. How will you determine your pricing? What contract will you have in place to ensure a clear understanding of expectations, deliverables, secure payments, schedules and timelines, etc….? Coaches should also consider developing a team of professionals to assist them in the management of their business: accountants, financial advisors, attorneys, sub-contractors with various expertise, etc… Research and hire them early on. The earlier they are involved the better your business will be prepared to succeed.

 Step 4: Embrace Feedback. As the clients’ needs change a coach too should be ready to evolve and deliver. Understand their offerings and be willing to make adjustments as necessary to provide the services people need. If a town is undergoing an economic hardship or industry layoffs it may be wise to take additional training in career development and mapping, gain further understanding of seniors re-entering the workforce, and/or stand ready to address cultural shifts. Great coaches are hired and retained because of their trusted role in a person or company’s life. Their talents often reach much further than one area of expertise. Showing diversity and continual education to serve a client base and acquire new clients is a very attractive feature of any business.

 Step 5: Deliver Excellence. Treat every contact as a million-dollar one. Every client is the first and most important. Every person that the coach comes in contact with has the potential to become a raving fan. Raving fans produce more clients, thus more opportunities to produce raving fans. Businesses may be opened overnight but they build successfully overtime with loyal clients who sing a coaches praise at every turn. One dissatisfied client or company can set a business back years in reputation, track record of excellence and financially. If a coach agrees to take a contract at a price they can’t live with, they have no one but themselves to blame. They still must deliver as though it was their highest-paid contact with their best client. Their reputation and business is on the line.

These five steps will allow a coach to develop their coaching practice while recognizing that coaching is a business similar to many others and requires strong management to be profitable. As a coach, their role is clear. As a professional coach in business to be profitable, their role has just been amplified to include multiple other hats. With creativity, perseverance, and their keen interest and ability to learn, they’ll find the right fit as they complete these steps.

Coaching Moment #160 Feelings Assessment

Coaching Moments used to be exclusively for my coaching clients and Champions members. We've now opened them up to share them with you via this blog. Coaching Moments are shared each Friday and meant to encourage you on your path to greater enjoyment and/or success- whatever you happen to be reaching for. They remind us to think about our paths, our decisions and our priorities. Hopefully they make you think about something and refocus. Enjoy.

#160 Feelings Assessment


How are you feeling today? Optimistic, creative, cloudy, depressed…? Take time to assess your feelings each day. Think about what may have brought those feelings on. And, finally, act on them. If it’s a creative day, make sure you do something creative and you don’t waste it. If it’s a day full of clouds and depression, take extra care to do things that are calming, relaxing and enjoyable to recover.

Coaching Moment #159 Your Daily Allowance.

Coaching Moments used to be exclusively for my coaching clients and Champions members. We've now opened them up to share them with you via this blog. Coaching Moments are shared each Friday and meant to encourage you on your path to greater enjoyment and/or success- whatever you happen to be reaching for. They remind us to think about our paths, our decisions and our priorities. Hopefully they make you think about something and refocus. Enjoy.


#159 Your Daily Allowance.


How much money do you spend in a typical day? Right now, take a guess. Then, track your spending today (or do it for the weekend). Every dollar that you pull from your wallet or pay with credit should be noted and what it was used for. Finally, analyze the cost of what you spent with the benefits received. Was it worth it?

Coaching Tip of the Month: March 2011 Persistence

Persistence pays off. Most people will never do something. Some will dare to do it once. Few will stick in there until the results are achieved. Which are you?

I was clearing out my filing cabinet to purge old data when I discovered a tattered and ripped piece of a magazine page. Here's what it said:

A word about persistence and determination....

Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.
Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent.
Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb.
Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts.
Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
-Calvin Coolidge
30th President of US (1872-1933)

To be more persistent, just practice it. Write down something you want to do. Tell people about it and ask them to ask you for updates. Do it. Continue to follow-up and repeat as necessary. Just work on being more persistent at one thing. Then another. Then another. Soon practice will make perfect (or near perfect) and you'll see the fruits of your labor.

When someone says they'll get back to you, don't wait around. Get back to them. Don't wait for answers, seek them out. Don't be afraid to ask busy people for an answer- likely you are on their list but way down there. They'll be appreciative they get to answer and move on.

Start to check things OFF your to-do list today.

Coaching Moment #147 100 Possessions

Coaching Moments used to be exclusively for my coaching clients and Champions members. We've now opened them up to share them with you via this blog. Coaching Moments are shared each Friday and meant to encourage you on your path to greater enjoyment and/or success- whatever you happen to be reaching for. They remind us to think about our paths, our decisions and our priorities. Hopefully they make you think about something and refocus. Enjoy.

#147 100 Possessions


There is a popular book out now and a movement to dwindle your personal possessions down to 100 items. That includes shoes, clothing, books, utensils, etc… Could you do it? What 100 items could you not live without?

If the number were 1000 could you do it then? Do you have any idea how many items you have in your home? I dare you to stay right where you are and begin counting. Stop counting in 15 minutes and see how far you’ve gotten. Now, did you notice things you’ve not paid attention to in years? Are they really necessary?

Whether you believe this new trend to be insanity or brilliance, think about its greater awareness and application.

Coaching Moment #146 Take Only 5 Things

Coaching Moments used to be exclusively for my coaching clients and Champions members. We've now opened them up to share them with you via this blog. Coaching Moments are shared each Friday and meant to encourage you on your path to greater enjoyment and/or success- whatever you happen to be reaching for. They remind us to think about our paths, our decisions and our priorities. Hopefully they make you think about something and refocus. Enjoy.

# 146 Take Only 5 Things



What are your treasures in your home? Treasures are the things that we cherish most. If I told you to leave your home forever and take only 5 items with you- what would they be?


List them sitting where you are now. Then, go room to room and look at the things you have.


Let’s always focus on the things that are most important to us.

Referrals.. what to do with them?

When you get a referral you should do the following:

• Whether or not you take it, you should immediately thank the person who gave it to you and reiterate how the client fit was (If it was spot on, let them know. If it wasn't a good client for you let them know why.) I also give the referring party a "referral fee" which is equal to a particular % of the client's package. Referral fees are a sensitive subject I know. But I opt to use them in my practice and I wouldn't have it any other way.
• If the referral isn't ideal for you don't just let them hang out there. Call them back/ meet with them and refer them to someone else who may be better suited for them. And, follow-up with that party.
• Treat them right. This goes without saying (or should) but sadly I see the tragedy of poor service time and time again. Every client and every referral you are given should be treated with the greatest level of respect, dignity and professionalism. You ruin far more than just one relationship when you deliver poor service (and that includes not getting back to people- even if they are not a good fit for you).
• Meet with your referring partners at least quarterly to get to know how you can return the business. Are they expanding their line of work or taking on a new speciality that you need to be aware of. Return the referral.
• Take time to follow-up with all parties involved. Did they receive the service they expected? Would they refer you again (specifically why or why not)? Was your referral what they wanted/needed? Did the client receive the care they'd expect (and you can be proud of)?

So You Want or Need a New Job?

Some of my clients are job-seekers who don't have a current position but most are currently employed but dissatisfied. Here are a few starter questions or comments, regardless which arena they are in:

• Tell me what you love. What you really love to do. Don't worry about the monetary aspects, for now, just talk about what you enjoy doing with your time.
• Now, let's see if there are ways we can make your loves part of your daily life. It may be through full-time, part-time or volunteer work but let's make it happen in some capacity. Work with trusting and supportive friends on this brainstorm or bring a coach in to help you. But don't give up on making the things you love part of your daily "work".
• Remember that volunteers often become employees. If non-profit is your thing, volunteer for the place you want to work. Show them your talents and passions. Have patience and then pair it with a little persistence talking to the right people in the organization. Soon, you'll likely be working in the place that you were a volunteer and doing work that you were cut out to do.
• Consider if now is a good time to take a part-time program at your local college for a new degree or certificate in a new field or one that will elevate your current status. You can always make time for the things that are important- so don't worry about where the time will come from. You'll find it if its a priority.
• Do one of your friends do something you have interest in? Have you always been curious what their workday looks and feels like, really?  Why not ask them to allow you to shadow them for a week. Consider it an alternative vacation. Maybe you'll discover your next career.
• Now, consider money. Consider making less. I know you didn't want to hear that but this is more likely than the opposite if you really want to step out and do something you love. At least for the first couple of years. It's a trade off but its well worth it. I've done it myself and it was life-altering and "freeing". If you have a financial planner sit down with him/her and figure out how you can live on 1/2 of what you currently make. Yes, I said half!  If that doesn't work, let me do it for you. You may not like me afterwards but I'm sure I can find ways to cut and reduce your spending. Remember, this is about finally doing something you enjoy doing- you may need to revisit many of your lifestyle choices. If you can't bear to do that - well then you might be doing just fine in your current line of work or waiting for that big lottery win.
• Join a business group or social club- one with more than 50 members is a good measure. The point of doing this is to sample a variety of jobs that exist in your area. You may find yourself saying, "You get paid for that?"  I once worked for a military contractor and one of my projects was to learn a massive-multi player online game (Never Winter Nights) and teach it to Marines to evaluate generalization in weaponry resourcing and overall warfare training! (And, the irony there is I hate video games!)

Why Freecycle is Not for Me

I was chatting with another mom, who I greatly admire, and we were comparing notes. What we do. What services we use. Etc... You know how it goes. She mentioned they "freecycle". I had heard of it before but never signed up for the free program. So, I did- based on her recommendation.

I was on it a mere few hours when I realized it was not for me. Don't get me wrong, I think it's a FANTASTIC resource and it clearly works for hundreds if not thousands of people within an area. But for me... I don't think so. Here's why:

• I value my time too much. To use this resource and "win" an offer you have to be lightning fast. Anything that isn't a size 48 men's brief goes within minutes. (I made that up by the way.) So, if like me, you subscribe to the daily digest to receive 1 email versus dozens- you'll see in the digest the offer AND THE RECEIVED of the same item.
• I realize that I highly value the foundation and philosophy of freecycle and already participate. I donate all of my goods (that would otherwise end up in a landfill if I threw them away, yet they are perfectly usable) to Vietnam Veterans of America at least monthly. So, I give. The receiving part of this isn't exactly FREEcycle but I shop at recycled goods locations, consignment shops and thrift stores. So, I receive in a way that works for me and fits my budget too. I don't need free but I do enjoy reused and recycled with a partial price tag of the new value.

But maybe Freecycle is for you. Check them out: http://www.freecycle.org/

Vietnam Veterans of America (picks up at your home and provides a tax receipt): http://www.pickupplease.org/vva/veterans-donation.aspx?gclid=CKiM4bak76YCFUmo4AodkHg4IA

And my favorite consignment shop for babies and children: http://www.onceuponachildmonroeville.com/

Happy shopping and giving. Find what works for you.

Be Responsible for the Energy You Bring

As I was reading an interview with Oprah, she mentioned reading about a woman who had a stroke (I believe) and put a sign up on the door saying, "Be responsible for the energy you bring into this room." I stopped in my tracks. I love this saying and I've said it, albeit in various ways, for many years. The woman was in recovery and had lost some of her senses while heightening others. She could feel the energy others were bringing into the room. Many times they (the nurses) were just buying time until it was time to leave. Sometimes they were moody or in a rush, paying little attention to the patient or her well being.

I have often advised my clients to take inventory of who and what they surround themselves with. And without apology I have advised them to reconsider having people in their lives who are always negative, downers, takers, drama queens and kings, pessimistic, etc... you get my point. I also encourage them to be mindful of what they read, view and do. If you surround yourself with death and destruction its hard to be wildly optimistic and visionary about your or anyone else's future.

I have done the same in my life. I take great care in who and what I surround myself with. I have asked on more than one occasion, "do you have anything positive to tell me?" I've called on the carpet those people, former friends, who always call and always have negative things to talk about. They gossip. Their lives are a mess. They are done wrong by everyone. And, now they can add me to the list. Good bye.

When I was pregnant I hired an energy worker to do reiki on me and my baby. It was a wonderful twice a week experience. Energy is powerful. Be mindful of it. Allow it to foster your goals. And, recognize it when it is detrimental- and get rid of it or who ever is embodying it.

I Am Me. I Am Okay.

This poem was introduced to me in 1993 when I was in college. It has remained a part of my life (both physically – a poster in my private space – and mentally- a poem for which I believe every word). I hope it inspires you also- to be your absolute best every day. – Lisa Spahr


My Declaration of Self-Esteem

by Virginia Satir

I AM ME


In all the world, there is no one else exactly like me

Everything that comes out of me is authentically mine

Because I alone chose it - I own everything about me

My body, my feelings, my mouth, my voice, all my actions,

Whether they be to others or to myself - I own my fantasies,

My dreams, my hopes, my fears - I own all my triumphs and

Successes, all my failures and mistakes Because I own all of

Me, I can become intimately acquainted with me - by so doing

I can love me and be friendly with me in all my parts - I know

There are aspects about myself that puzzle me, and other

Aspects that I do not know - but as long as I am

Friendly and loving to myself, I can courageously

And hopefully look for solutions to the puzzles

And for ways to find out more about me - However I

Look and sound, whatever I say and do, and whatever

I think and feel at a given moment in time is authentically

Me - If later some parts of how I looked, sounded, thought

And felt turn out to be unfitting, I can discard that which is

Unfitting, keep the rest, and invent something new for that

Which I discarded - I can see, hear, feel, think, say, and do

I have the tools to survive, to be close to others, to be

Productive to make sense and order out of the world of

People and things outside of me - I own me, and

therefore I can engineer me - I am me and



I AM OKAY

© Virginia Satir, 1975.

Get on the Treadmill and Hit Incline!

I didn't want to like her. I'm talking about Oprah. My mom likes her enough for all of us. "Oprah this and Oprah that...". I think she's her #1 fan. Besides, most of what Oprah preaches I teach myself as a coach. No need to overdo it I tell myself. Okay, so 100% honesty and confession would tell you that I'm just plain jealous. Why don't I have a television show? Oprah has become Barbie. Do you know that humorous bumper sticker that says, "I want to be Barbie. That B*&%$ has everything!" That's how I feel about Oprah. Although I'd never use the B word to describe her. I think she's almost saintly.

But I was on a weekend retreat last weekend. I needed to prepare for a speech (which I've since cancelled in the chaos of what my schedule has become), catch up on tons of reading and do some writing. I picked up Oprah's magazine because I thought some of the articles may inspire my remarks for the talk. I read the magazine cover to cover (and mom if you are reading this, it is NOT an invitation for a year-long subscription, nothing would pain me more). There were several articles or moments in articles, I should say, that spoke to me. You'll read about a few of them in upcoming blogs. In this one I just want to highlight the story on Everest.

A young girl won an essay contest and earned a trip to the base camp at Everest. Wow. Let that sink in for a minute. The caveat was that one of her parents had to escort her. Her mom assumed that would be her dad. He couldn't go because he couldn't get his passport in time. So mom, who wasn't in Everest-shape, joined the gym with only one month to train. Read that again. She had only 30-days to train for a climb to the base camp at Mount Everest! (Contrast that with my own experience of training for a relay in a marathon! I trained for several months!) Taken from the magazine word for word, "she joined the YMCA and set the treadmill on 'incline'". I read this sentence a couple times. I laughed out loud at the simplicity and absurdity of the whole thing. She was one of my new heroes. Not Oprah (that love/hate fest will continue) but this woman who climbed to Everest's base camp just because her daughter wanted to and had won the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to do so.

What a great story. Thanks Oprah. (I say with my head down, quietly, while moving my foot back and forth on the floor like a child who just received a gift from the girl they didn't like in class.)

I'm going to put my treadmill on incline when I get it and think of this courageous woman!

You're a Winner! Part II

You have your exhausted list of how you would spend your mad loot from your big winnings. Now, take a hard look at that list and tell me why you can't do every line item you have, .... are you ready.... with your current money? Yes, I said it. I believe you can do at least 75% of the items on your "I'm a huge winner and have more money than I can ever spend list" now with your current salary, whether it be $10,000 or $150,000.

The amount should be up for discussion but not the item that you want to put money toward. For instance, if you wanted to "help a friend" on your mad money list, you were probably talking about thousands of dollars, perhaps even hundreds of thousands. Why not help a friend with an extra hundred dollars this year or better yet, do some sweat equity and help them with chores or projects around their home.

Another example, if you had "pay off debt" on your list, keep it on there and adjust the timeline for having it paid in full. Pay an extra $25 or $250 (whatever you can do) toward your debt each month.

Final example, if you had something like "start a scholarship fund" on your list, I encourage you to find a scholarship that you can contribute to or identify a needy student and contribute to help him/her with books (which can cost hundreds of dollars each semester).

You don't have to be a huge lottery winner to live large and do what you want. You just have to be committed, make your list and then find ways to honor it.

Happy spending. (and saving)

You're a Winner! Part I

So this week more than a few of you began fantasizing about winning millions upon millions of dollars. At least two lucky people, one a retiree in Washington and another in Idaho, had that dream become reality.

But let's think this through a little for a fun exercise. Let's imagine it was you who won the big score. What would you do with it. Seriously, make a list of what you'd do with that kind of money. Then, prioritize that list by what order you'd use the cash.

Now I'm going to assume you've lined up the attorney, financial planner, accountant, etc.. and the other professionals you'll need to manage such a huge win. Let's get to the fun part of the spending (or saving).

For example my list might begin:
1. Payoff all debt
2. Put money in a retirement fund or investments (long-term)
3. Identify some fun money to do something nice for myself and my family (a nice vacation for instance)
4. Give money to charity and the church for charitable giving
5. Help a friend out
6. Develop a scholarship fund
....

Make an exhaustive list. Spend about fifteen minutes on this and then check back for Part II in the coming days. The fun continues.

Restocking Fees aren't the Only Reason We Hate Gift Cards

So there I was....

This year my husband got me a gift card for Dunkin Donuts. (Yeah, I know what you must be thinking. Bless his heart. He knows I love boston cremes and that ultra fabulous coffee.) Today I went in to pick up a couple coffees and a couple donuts to bring home. I frequent this particular shop in Squirrel Hill. They went to the trouble to become kosher (a brilliant idea in a Jewish neighborhood) but as you'll learn they fall short on basic customer service. My total rang up and I handed the cashier my gift card. (The cashier who is often there when I visit and knows me almost by name.) "Oh no," she said. "The machine has not been accepting these." "So what do we do?" I asked. It was clear, I had to pay for the items with cash or credit. Sure, the machine can accept my Visa but not my gift card. How convenient. I asked what the manager was offering customers for the inconvenience? "There is nothing we can do," she said over and over. But I assured her there was plenty any good business could do. A free coffee? A donut? Here's one... how about an apology? No, I got nothing. I only got, "There is nothing we can do." To add insult to injury I ordered two coffees and a couple donuts therefore I asked for a carrying tray. "No, we don't have any of those. We've run out." Great. So, trying to drink my hot coffee to eliminate at least one carry item, I managed to get baby, handbag, coffee and donuts safely, if not gracefully, to the car. I do enjoy a good boston creme donut- and sometimes they get them just perfect- but there are other donut places. And, I'll miss the coffee too- outside the kind we make at home it's a second favorite. Goodbye Squirrel Hill Dunkin Donuts.

Here's another example, again that happened today while trying to use a gift card. Sephora, a great retailer that I've had wonderful service at, for the most part, over the years. I went into my local shop, in Shadyside, and saw they were out of the perfume I wanted to buy. The consultant said I could get it online. I asked if I'd be charged shipping (having learned from the Origins fiasco). Not if it is over $50 she said. And, sure enough my perfume was. OK, great. So online I go. Trouble is that the online system still wanted credit card information from me, even though my gift card had double the amount I wanted to spend with that single purchase. Not only did they want credit card info, a disclaimer said that I had to spend at least what was on the gift card to use it. Did I read that right? I read it three times. Then I abandoned the purchase and hoped my information wasn't saved (although knowing of course it was). I called the toll-free number and made the purchase with a wonderful person on the telephone who had no problem taking only the amount I wanted to spend, for my perfume, from my gift card and shipping my product promptly. Thank goodness. Sadly, she could see the purchase I attempted to make online (which let me know, unfortunately, that my information had been saved although I abandoned the transaction). Oh, well. We can't solve all the worlds problems in one day, can we?

And it isn't just a new problem, last year my mother gave me a gift card for Origins. I adore their product lines of skincare. I spent about an hour in the Origins department at my local Macy's talking with the representative and carefully choosing lotions and potions. I was really excited to have some new products to try and some trusted ones to continue with. At the time of checkout I handed the representative my gift card. "Oh no," she declared. "You can't use that gift card here." Apparently, as it states in fine print on the card, it can only be used online or at a stand alone store, not at the department in Macy's and other fine retailers. My protests were worthless. There was nothing she could do. So I went home and tried to recreate my order online. I, of course, paid more because now I had to pay shipping and a few items were higher than they were in the Origins department. I swore I'd never shop at Origins again, after all there are many fine skin care lines out there. And there are. And, I have ... found several. Goodbye Origins.

So, what does my rant offer in guidance to businesses. (1) Don't offer gift cards unless you can actually accept them without ridiculous limitations and at all times (2) Offer your clients something when that system fails... along with an apology (3) Make your cashiers, consultants, representatives, etc... aware of the fact that customers help to get their paychecks fulfilled each week and do keep businesses going. Being nice to them is the very least one can do and the wild card (4) Fire any employee or manager who says "There is nothing I/we can do." There is ALWAYS something you can do to promote customer satisfaction and loyalty.

And for even better measure: train your associates that if a client's hands are full, offer to help them to the car- ESPECIALLY if their hands are full because of your lack of supplies or caring. The Chick-fil-A at the Waterfront has this down pat. They continuously offer some of the finest examples of customer service I have ever seen. Go there to learn a thing or two.

A Great Read in a Million Miles

A dear friend of mine gave me Donald Miller's book titled A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. I am absolutely loving it. She gave it to me because she said she could hear me saying the things he says in the book. She also thought that as a coach, I may want to share it with my clients. She was right.

Miller's writing is easy on the brain without complexities or jargon. He's hysterically funny. But most importantly he reminds us that our life is our story. Stories have meaningful plots and events. Yet, many of us live without great meaning and our stories are boring. But, we can change that. Your story is yours to write and edit.

Miller talks about his uncle in the book. He (the uncle) dies. His life was full of meaning and giving. Miller talks about a good life, a good story, often feels cut short in death. While lives that weren't filled with great meaning don't grip us the same in death. It doesn't mean we don't love the deceased, it just feels different. I hope my life feels cut short, even if I die at 101. I hope to live with meaning and purpose each and every year I have here on earth. Don't you?

I recall a women's project I did years ago. I asked the women in my life to tell me about moments or events that were of great meaning to them. I did the exercise myself then too. It resonates with what Miller opens his book with. There are some people who have meaning and purpose or attempt to identify it often and then those who don't. The good news is that if you or someone you know is in the latter group, you can change. You can begin a purposeful and meaningful journey today.

I'm only on chapter fourteen but I look forward to next and the next and the next after that.

If you are open to examining your life- and you like some humor along the way- pick up Miller's book. Then let me know what you think of it.

A Baby's Lesson in Time Management

I have far less time than I ever did before. Yes, it's true that I still have 24 hours in a day just like you and just like I used to. But now, I have the cries and needs of a little one that take priority over all else. Some days it can be maddening, I'll confess. Where did my time for creativity go? My time for careful business planning and marketing? My time for showers that are more than 5 minutes?

But I'll also tell you that I find it wonderfully redeeming too. I have to choose how to spend a quiet 5 minute period and constantly reprioritize. I slimmed down my inbox months before my little bundle came so that I no longer received 200+ a day and now likely receive 50-70. That was a plus. But of those 50 I may only pay attention to or answer 15. So, all nonsense has literally "left the building". I have no time for things that are not wildly interesting, profitable or very pleasing. It's kind of .... wonderful. I'm FORCED to make hard choices that are far easier than they ever were before.

Thanks Bahia.

New Year Resolutions: How to REALLY Accomplish Them

I often refer to "goals" rather than resolutions. Goals tend to have more structure and are worked on throughout the year, not just focused on at the beginning as many resolutions are. No matter what you call them, here's a few hints to making them stick.

Carefully consider the goal- how it is written (and yes, write it down). Make it succinct. This will allow you to be mindful of it often and tell others about it (for their support) in an easy way.

Digest and discuss why the goal is important to you.

Further, explore ways that have been unsuccessful in the past toward the achievement of this goal (to prevent going down the same exact path).

Make a plan for how you'll work on this goal each day. How will it be visible in your everyday habits?

Don't allow a mistake to ruin the goal. We all fall off the wagon, so to speak, so just get back on and remind yourself of the above points.

Get others to help and support you.

Join a group of others who have the same goal or who are also determined to make a goal of theirs come to life.

Don't be afraid to honestly revisit the goal, it's importance or it's presence in your daily life and edit is as necessary.

Harness the power that you do have to accomplish what you want to. Don't make excuses for yourself or others in why your goal didn't come to reality. Instead, make a declaration and plan that will see it through to completion and then celebrate.

Happy goal setting.