Author Archive
Leverage the Wisdom of Others-Best Business Women Tips
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As a business owner and woman, you are busy balancing the plethora of demands between your life and work. In fact many of you had great insight about the topic which you posted to my Facebook wall, which will be shared in a future blog. However, in the interest of staying “balanced” as I prepare for the upcoming Destiny Project Retreat in Hunt, TX, I’ve decided to leverage the wisdom and share several Best Business Women Tips that I received from my friend and colleague, Krista Dunk of KB Women.
Be sure to take a moment to read the insight from the many incredible business owners that shared tips with KB Women. You can read more at the KB Women Blog.
In the meantime, here is the quote that I shared:
“Imagine your business is like a coin. There are two sides to this coin which requires your attention so you can create both a thriving life and prosperous business. One side represents discovering who you are authentically, including your values, purpose, mission and personal definition of success. The other side is about applying this insight into your daily life by establishing practical systems, like how to work with clients, ways to market your services and a schedule that leverages your time. When you address both sides, including the spiritual and the practical, you will achieve authentic success.”
As you read this quote, I wonder what’s your next step to balance both the spiritual and the practical?
When I answer this question for myself, it’s truly about leveraging who I am in a way that helps me to achieve more with less effort. In this moment, that means using what is already available to benefit you by bringing you this KB Women blog post. This honors my values of connection, impact and contribution (the spiritual side) and allows me to accomplish the preparation I need (the practical side).
What insight do you have to offer? Share your comments at the blog. And have a great week.
Picture courtesy of Photoxpress © Styf
What makes you mad, sad or glad?
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I’m curious what makes you mad? How about sad? And what about glad? If you take a moment to think about these simple yet powerful questions, you’re actually a step closer to identifying and naming what you are passionate about, ultimately pointing you to your greater mission and purpose in life.
Let me make a clarifying point here because what I’m not asking is what activities make you mad, glad or sad. For example, I’m sure spending time on a beach in the warm sun could make you really glad. I know it would make me glad since we’ve only had about 5 sunny days in the Pacific Northwest this summer. 
(Thankfully today one of those sunny days this summer!)
The responses to these questions live beneath the surface of your life and connect you to the core and fabric of your being. Your deeper answers to these questions point you to a very important place, as they reveal your greater mission and purpose in the world offering a powerful foundation for making intentional and meaningful choices for your life and business.
For example, it makes me glad to hear people’s stories of life because as I watch and/or listen I am able to notice the sparks of aliveness and resonance within them. As this happens, it makes me glad to connect others to what really matters for them which becomes the fuel needed to create a fulfilling and inspired life. This is why I am richly blessed to work as a professional life and business coach, acting as a catalyst for life transformation in the lives of women business owners who long to make a difference.
On the flip side, it makes me mad (and sad) to know that women feel inadequate and insecure within themselves. It takes its toll on your confidence and esteem while wreaking havoc on your life and diminishing your success in your business. This is the reason I’m so passionate about living my purpose which is to help women like you overcome obstacles and discover who you are so you can boldly live your inspired life vision with courage, confidence and authenticity.
So what moves your heart?
What makes you mad, sad and glad?
What stirs you?
You have a vital role to play in the world. When you access the answers to these deeper questions, you will find direction toward your mission and purpose which will bring you greater joy and lasting fulfillment and leave a favorable impact in the lives you touch.
As you contemplate your answers, feel free to share by posting your comments at www.shannonbruce.com. More importantly, take action upon what stirs your heart and don’t let this moment to connect with your purpose pass you by.
The Spiral Staircase to your Authentic Success
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I am currently in a pretty awesome (and scary!) transition place in my life and work. I’ve been here before so I’m keenly aware of a “pattern” that surfaces when I’m called forth to a new level. I notice that I become very “controlling” toward my outer world in an attempt to bring peace to the chaos I feel inside. Can you relate?
I’ve also recognized that the one person in my life who takes the brunt of my “controlling” nature is my daughter as you’ll see by my post below. When I realized this (again), I decided to share the article I wrote 3 years ago on the topic to let you know that “moving forward” toward your inspired life also results in some “moving back” in order to overcome the obstacles that are in your way. It may seem like you’re “stopped” but as the spiral staircase shows, this is actually a coming back around the loop at a slightly higher place all for the purpose of moving upward to your authentic success.
I also want to make the point that when you are going through this “letting go of the old” to “make room for the new” you must practice extreme self-care. For me in this moment, it means sharing something I’ve already written so I don’t have to muster the attention and strength to be creative with a new blog post this week. (by the way, I’m redirecting you to the original article to keep this post length manageable).
As you read the article below, I invite you to ponder the following questions:
- In what area are you being called forth to a new way of life that is more genuine and authentic?
- What support do you need to overcome the patterns, beliefs and behaviors that are holding you back in your life and your business?
- What’s your next step?
I welcome your comments and insight. Feel free to share by posting them at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com. If you like the article and want to receive more tips, wisdom and insight from our team, we invite you to join our community and sign-up for the Inner Wisdom Unleashed Monthly Newsletter.
The Heart of a Mother – The Power of “Yes”
Have you ever noticed that one of the first words out of a toddler’s mouth is “no”?
Hmmm. I wonder why that is?
I have been reflecting on my role as a mother and I realize that I frequently use the word “no” with my nearly 7-year old daughter, Taylor. With our recent struggles, I am aware that my overuse of this word has been a hindrance in our ability to reconnect. It’s draining me and separating us further. This is not who I want to be as her mother, nor is it the relationship I want to have with her.
I recently decided to try a different approach. I started to say “yes” more often.
I am in awe of what I have noticed…Read on here.
Photo from Photoxpress © Lars Christensen
Schedule an Appointment with Yourself – Today!
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In my expert call for the Direct Selling Telesummit, Sallie Meshell asked me this question: “Sometimes people listen to these calls, but then don’t take action, so what is the one action step you suggest the listeners take to incorporate your information into their businesses?” Before I share my answer to this question, I want to give some background to set the stage for my response.
My message in the book, “Direct Selling Power: Expert Advice to Accelerate your Business“ is not a traditional message. Essentially, it’s a message of “slowing down” in order to “speed up”. After coaching women in the industry for 7 years, along with being a leader in my own direct sales business, I’ve come to realize how vital it is to understand who you are in business and the unique values, mission and success you wish to create, not just for your business but also for your life.
You might be wondering why I see this as so important. Let me explain further.
At some point in your business you’ll go through a transition that requires you to reevaluate and assess where you’re headed and what you really want. These transitions could be as exciting as learning how to balance your life and business because of your team expansion and your rising up to the next level of leadership. It could also be the result of a lull in your business where you aren’t achieving the results you desire or envisioned.
Whatever the case, it becomes a crossroad point of choice inviting you to “slow down” in order to “speed up”. During this “slowing down” point, you need to look inward to gain the internal clarity and truth that is right for you, helping you make purposeful choices that will keep both your business and your life thriving.
What happens if you don’t look inward at this point? You run the risk of:
- Becoming overwhelmed and scattered which causes you to feel fragmented.
- Working harder with less impact yet expecting different results (aka “insanity”).
- Experiencing diminished results at home and in your work making you feel ineffective.
On the flip side, as you slow down and work through the exercises from my chapter “Ignite your Passion & Live with Purpose: A Guide to a Thriving Life and Prosperous Direct Sales Business”, you’ll come to understand your personal values, identity, mission, purpose and personal definition of success.
These filters provide a point of reference for making conscious, intentional and empowered choices that will bring internal peace and joy and greater results with less effort. In essence, your slowing down actually propels you beyond!
The truth is every business owner (and woman for that matter), needs to continually reevaluate and assess to make sure you’re on track to the inspired life you desire. After all, Alice in Wonderland was told, “If you don’t know where you’re going any road will get you there.” Why not be proactive, rather than reactive?
My answer to the question Sallie asked was simple:
- Block time in your calendar today by scheduling a non-negotiable appointment with yourself in the next few days.
- During this time, evaluate on a scale of 1-10 how satisfied you are in your life and business.
- Once you have your answer, decide what changes will improve the quality of your life and business? If you’re already at a 10, what more is possible? If you’re less than a 10 what action step will bring greater impact and fulfillment?
I assert that this time with yourself is not optional but rather a non-negotiable. Yesterday I actually shared, “Self care isn’t selfish; its essential to live out who you are completely.” What do you think?
We’ve all heard the quote that the journey of 1,000 miles begins with a single step. What’s the intentional step you’ll take today? Share your comments at the blog and contact me if you’d like a recording of yesterday’s call.
Enjoy your time to yourself; may it propel you into all that you hope for and imagine!
Photo Courtesy of PhotoXpress © Gale Distler
New Experiences
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Last night as I was writing in the gratitude journal shared with my daughter, I asked a “coach-like” question about her 3rd grade year. With today being the last official day of school, I thought it would be fun to hear her answer. As I let the question out, I held my breath hoping she would be willing to answer on a deeper level, rather than the usual one word responses I typically receive. 
To my surprise, she was eager, willing and ready to fully engage with me. It brought joy to my Mom’s heart and stirred the coach in me to get ready to be curious! So here’s how our conversation went.
I asked, “If you could use one word to describe your 3rd grade year, what would it be?”
She thought for a few seconds and then wondered, “Can it be two words?”
Excited to hear her answer, I said, “Absolutely.”
She shared, “New experiences.”
Wow, I thought! That’s deep and meaningful from a not-quite ten-year old. I wanted to know more so I put on my coach hat and said, “What are some of the new experiences that you’ve had this year?”
Her answers made me smile and become teary-eyed. I asked her permission to share these with you and here’s what she said:
- New friends.
- New math concepts; multiplication and division.
- Language arts; reading and writing.
- Math enrichment.
- Student council.
- P.E. was super duper fun this year; I liked doing all of the new sports, but football, not so much.
By reading this list, I’m sure you can glean a little bit about who my daughter is. She loves to read and write, is a bright girl, is an emerging leader, and loves to be physical and engage in sports. She’s a fan of math and plans to use her intelligence to become a veterinarian some day.
What is more profound than her answers is the fact that she has overcome many hurdles in her short life. In her earlier years, we spent many hours working with specialists to help her with endocrinology issues, sensory integration challenges, gastroenterology problems and some other delays. So who she is today is even more significant with these additional facts.
This conversation with her is very meaningful for me on many levels. The mother in me is proud of her for persevering and I am humbled that I have the privilege of nurturing this young girl’s spirit. The coach in me is inspired by the dreams that are developing within her and passionate about holding her bigger vision as I shepherd her heart and dreams in the coming years.
It’s ironic how all of this points to the integration in my personal and professional life. Not only is today a celebration for my family because of the end of 3rd grade, but it’s also the 4-year birthday of Inner Wisdom Coaching Services and the 1-year birthday of this blog. So, I am also celebrating professionally with this month’s team newsletter with the theme of Dreams & Visions Made Real. If you aren’t already subscribed to this newsletter, be sure to check it out because we are offering a huge discount on our “Making Dreams Real” coaching packages for you and your friends, family and colleagues.
So now I’m curious about you. What are the new experiences you are grateful for? And what are the bigger dreams that are evolving from these new experiences?
I invite you to take time to ponder these questions as you join me in the celebrations of the season. I’d love to read your comments so be sure to share at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.
“Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you did not do than by the things you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
Photo compliments of Photo Express © Nat Ulrich
