Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Stop Doing This & Follow Your Dreams




How do YOU sabotage your success? Be honest. We all do it. Sometimes we don't try hard enough. Other times we shy away from opportunities. Oftentimes we are just too tired and worn out to make the effort required. In this economy, however, it's more important than ever to get out of sabotaging behavior and make your success a number one priority, because if you don't your competitor will beat you to your next new client.

This post is about ways to stop sabotage and follow your dreams.

Create a forceful mantra - Sometimes we need a visual or verbal reminder of our potential success. Mine is the three foot by three foot painting in my office that says "Follow Your Dreams." It sits right above my desk. It's the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see when I stop work in the evening. I chose to follow my dream of starting an independent coaching practice for financial advisors six years ago. I live, eat, and sleep success. This painting is my mantra. What is your mantra?

Jump at opportunities – I am continually amazed at the opportunities many people let go by because they are simply not following up with prospects and clients. You've heard the saying "the early bird gets the worm"? Well it's TRUE. Be on the ball. Be assertive. If an opportunity presents itself, be the first to raise your hand, EVEN if it's scary. Feel the fear and do it anyway.

Live up to your full potential – You may have done this in college - You could have gotten an A but you skated by with a B. In the real world, that won't cut it. What could you be doing that you are not doing? Could you be a leader in your field? Do you have a "field" or a niche? Stop being "safe" and declare your niche and your full potential. Stand out from the crowd and take a stand.   

Your past has nothing to do with your path – We make our own success. The path you have travelled may have been full of detours, ruts, and poor neighborhoods, but you make who you are. You are in charge of your own life and only you can write your success story.

Here are some resources to help you move forward.

Three books you can read to break out of defeatist patterns:
The Magic of Thinking Big – David J. Schwartz PHD
Secrets of the Millionaire Mind – T. Harv Eker
Awaken the Giant Within – Tony Robbins

Three magazines to subscribe to if you want more success:
Success Magazine
Entrepreneur Magazine
Fast Company Magazine

Real change comes from connecting with the motivation and emotion behind the change you want to make.  Without going there, you don't stand much of a chance of making change permanent.  Work with a coach or a success partner to correct sabotaging habits and make them go away. Then replace them with success traits and follow your dreams.

Suzanne Muusers
Business Coach for Successful Financial Advisors
The Prosperous Advisor


Monday, August 9, 2010

Take Personal Responsibility for Your Success


A few years back a client hired me to better organize his independent practice and create a business plan and marketing plan for growth.  The first few coaching sessions went well. We were laying the foundation for the firm's change from chaotic to smoothly functioning machine. Then there were a few signs that the owner was not willing to take the actions and make the leap to a higher level of success. He would complain about his employees and then do nothing about changing their behavior. He would complain about the clients without sending them packing.  Then he started showing up for his coaching sessions with no idea what he wanted to work on.

I should have seen the writing on the wall when he told me months prior that he had dropped out of a high profile "coaching program" due to a busy schedule.  So I said "Wouldn't the coaching program have taught you how to have a less busy schedule?" He said he just didn't have time to do any of the homework because he needed to be out meeting with clients.  A few weeks later he emailed me that he just couldn't continue with the coaching because he was too busy.
  
This client failed to take responsibility for implementing critical changes to his business which brings up an important point:  You must take full responsibility for your financial success in order to make changes in your business and your life. You are independent. No one is standing over your shoulder forcing you to work. This is your business and it is your responsibility to work your business, provide value to prospects, and win new clients.  You have no control over others, but you have control over what you decide to do with your time.

Go from Thinking to Doing
Once you make the decision to GO FOR IT with your business, one of two things will happen. You will either sit there thinking about what you should be doing or you will start DOING what you should be doing. There's a switch in your brain that needs to go from passive to active. Once you are successful in turning on that switch you will skyrocket your success.

You can't change others but you can change yourself. What do YOU need to change?

Suzanne Muusers
Grow Your Business and Prosper
Prosperous Advisor Coaching Program