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

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

Personality Success Traits

Here we are at the end of July and going into August. Are you working ON your business? It's OK to take a break, go on vacation, spend some time with the family, but realize that all successful business owners get back to working ON their business after the break.

What should you be working on? Your five to ten year Business Vision and your Marketing Plan are good places to start. You might also review your income goals to see if you're on track or whether you need to adjust.  Your situation may have changed which means you need to update your projections and take the actions to reach your goals.

For me, it's been an interesting time. I learn from my clients what they need and then I make products to solve their problems.  This month I'm working on a new program: 90 Days to New Clients. Stay tuned for more!  

Here's an article I recommend you read since we are right in the middle of summer and it's a good time to work on yourself: 3 Personality Success Traits for Financial Success.  What are the personality traits that lead to success?  The ability to handle fear, a willingness to invest in YOU, and persistence and a never give up attitude.

Happy Summer!

Suzanne Muusers

Is success in the mind?

That's a question that was posed to me recently. Yes, absolutely true. Success is all about what's going on in our mind and what we think about ourselves and our capabilities. If we are too busy focused on the news, the TV, and the negativity on the internet, we can't focus on being positive. Or if we are too busy blaming others or being stuck in "woe is me" then we'll dig a big hole for ourselves.  

So how do you get out of your mind and into a positive frame of reference?

1.       1. Stop drinking in the bad news. The media is happy to sell us all the negativity we want to take in. They know bad news sells. When you run into bad news, change the channel.

2.      2.  Get clarity about what you should be doing. Ask yourself daily "What is the best use of my time?" Focus on what you CAN do not what you can't do.

3.     3.   Look for opportunities – they are all around us. There are always opportunities that we are not taking advantage of. Think carefully – what opportunity have you let fall by the wayside? 

Best Business Networking Strategies

There's nothing like face to face in person business networking to grow your business.  Meeting a prospect at a networking event presents an opportunity to get to know people in a relaxed environment.

A question I'm frequently asked is "What's the best strategy when networking?"  To better understand networking, let's look at the different types of networking events:

Leads groups – one member per occupation

Trade membership organizations – architects, attorneys, home builders, women business owners

Special interest events – wine, art, movies

Business chambers – local business owners

My preference in order of effectiveness is the first three types of groups.  I like leads groups because you develop deeper business relationships and have a group of professionals to refer your own clients to. I like trade organizations because I always think it's better to be one business coach or one financial advisor in a trade organization rather than competing against many others in a general networking environment. I absolutely love special interest groups because I love wine and art and if belonging to one of these groups allows me to build my business while enjoying what I love to do, so much the better. My least favorite group is a business chamber. To be effective networking at this kind of group, you will need to be on a committee or heading up some sort of special sub group, otherwise you are just one of many who belong to a chamber.  

To find out what type of group works best for you, your best bet is to visit 3-5 different groups. Many cities have a business networking web site that lists events in a calendar format.

Here are a few resources to help you network more effectively

Feel more confident when networking: Four Ways to Be a Better Networker

Don't know what to say when networking? Maybe it's time to update or Write Your 30 Second Commercial?

Suzanne Muusers

Marketing Coach for Financial Advisors

Where Do You Get Motivation?

Do you think it's possible to grow a successful business without motivation and a positive attitude?  I was asked this question yesterday and thought deeply about whether success is dependent upon motivation. I'm sure there are businesses where the owner has a negative attitude yet new clients come in the door like clockwork. But I'm willing to bet that without motivation, it's far more difficult to build a business.

So just how does one get motivated?

  

You have to get excited about your business and the possibilities! We all need to be reminded of the big vision and the energy we feel when we think about what we're building.  It's natural to have highs and lows but we must learn to uphold a positive attitude no matter what.  To let fear or doubt in the door is to take the wind out of our sails.  

Here are a few things you can do to get more motivation:

• Declaration - Type out your BIG GOAL and post it at your desk so that you see it daily. Remind yourself what it is you want to achieve.
• Read - Subscribe to a success-focused publication. Reading about success breads successful habits.
• Inspiration - Listen to motivational CD's in your car and in your office. By surrounding yourself with positive messages, you will create a new mindset.
• Articulate - Talk to people about your big goals and the life you want. By verbalizing your desires, you will make the commitment to achieve them.
• Dream - Close your eyes and envision your life as though you have achieved your goals. What are you doing? Where are you living? What is your life like? If your mind's eye can see it, you can believe it.

I've always said, in order to be successful you must have not only a vision of what you want to achieve, but also a positive attitude and the motivation to succeed.

Suzanne Muusers

Business Coaching for Motivated Advisors

Scottsdale, Arizona