Archive for Impact
For the Sake of What?
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This question “For the sake of what?” is one that all business owners ask at some point. It doesn’t matter whether your business is in direct sales, if you are a professional coach or some other self-employed entrepreneur. There is a time when this question will be the question whether you are fully aware of it or not.
It’s a seemingly large and provocative question. As you read it, I wonder what’s happening for you in this moment? Where does it take you? You might be pondering your answer or perhaps, you are about ready to hit delete because the question seems overwhelming or irrelevant to where you are in life/work right now.
Wherever you find yourself, I invite you to sit and stay with me. Your answer to this question is crucial to your ongoing success in your life and business.
Yesterday was a perfect “real life” example of this for me. I blocked the entire day to work on administrative projects for my business, which I’d been resisting for months. With deadlines looming I could no longer put it off. Several times throughout the day I noticed that I was drained so I got up and walked around to shift my energy.
Quite frankly the work was sucking the life out of me so my thought was “thank goodness this isn’t my daily life anymore!” I also wondered if it would actually be easier to be an employee doing only work I love rather than dealing with these non-delegatable administrative items for my business.
When I asked myself “for the sake of what?” I was able to reconnect to my greater purpose for my business. The excitement around my deeper why gave me the energy to get back to my computer and work through “the list”. Today I am energized, celebrating and moving forward with clarity and freedom.
Not bad for six hours, huh?
So what about you. What will you do with this question?
Will you say “yes” to discovering your answer? If you need help, schedule a free information session to find out how professional coaching will support you. My book chapter in Direct Selling Power will also help you in the discovery.
Take some time to think about the question for yourself. Knowing your answer will give you clarity and guide you in a focused direction in the choices you make and the activities you engage, improving the results you achieve in your life and business.
I’d love to hear what you think. What’s next for you? Share your comments at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.
Photo compliments of Photoxpress © Dariusz Kopestynski
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.
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
The Power of Personal Connection–Phone Calls and Handwritten Notes DO Matter
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Imagine it’s the end of the day and you’re heading to the mail box to gather its contents. You open it and find it full of all sorts of paper. Visualize yourself sorting through every piece and what do you notice?
If you’re like me, you have a few bills, a coupon mailer, an ad for lowering my insurance, catalogs and a promotion for Direct TV.
Every now and then I receive a “Golden Ticket” in the mail box just like Charlie found in the candy bar in the movie Charlie & The Chocolate Factory. The “Golden Ticket” in the mail box comes in the form of a personal handwritten note received from a friend, family member or colleague. Whether it’s an encouraging word or a thank you, the impact of those handwritten words is profound.
The other day, one of my Facebook friends posted this question on her wall and I re-posted it to mine. She asked, “When was the last time you sent a handwritten note through the U.S. Mail?”
The responses to this question on her page and mine were numerous, confirming that handwritten notes really do matter!
What I know for sure from this Facebook scenario and my work as a coach and facilitator is that there is power in a personal connection. We are meant to be in relationship with others and hanging out on the surface doesn’t cut it for the long-term. Bottom line: We want more connection because the superficial doesn’t sustain meaningful results in your life or in your business.
As I think about receiving a personal note from a fellow business owner, it’s a gift to know that my referral matters. Quite frankly, receiving a handwritten thank you inspires me to send more people to you. Receiving a phone call, and yes even a voice message if I can’t be reached, does make a positive impact to know that the caller is thinking about me.
What about you? What impact does a thank you note or phone call have in your life?
In my time management formula for business owners, I suggest that 10% of your time should be spent on “super service”. This time is used to go above and beyond doing exactly the things I’ve mentioned—picking up the phone and making that call and/or writing your thoughts in a note card and sending it in the mail.
I’ll take this a step further. Reciprocation, in other words responding to the note or call, is also just as important. Why? Because it’s the beginning of communication flowing between two people which is essential to nurturing the relationship.
What do you think? Will you take a moment to reciprocate and share your comments? Share them at the blog at www.shannonbruce.com.
If you want to have an increased impact in your life and business you can start today, just by making a phone call or writing a note. You don’t need a fancy strategy or the latest technology. This is one of those times when the “good old fashioned way” of connection will produce great impact with minimal efforts.
Calgon Take Me Away–Permission to Pause
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Remember that commercial years ago where a woman is overwhelmed and frustrated by the many demands for her attention? She finally took a stand and declared “Calgon, take me away!” This woman was really onto something that I think bears repeating. Her declaration points to the truth that we all need to step away from the chaos and demands of life to slow down, pause, breathe, check in and reassess.
So what about you? Could you use a “Calgon” break? Permission granted…Go for it! Maybe it’s not a bubble bath, but it could certainly be a ten-minute break to breathe or go for a quick walk. Or how about sitting down to eat your lunch at the table rather than “on the go” or standing up?! 
At some point, you will get caught up in the “doing” and “serving” others through your business and your life that you barely have time to think, let alone feel. Some of you might press in and push through, while others shut down and just stop all together. In either scenario, you’ll reach the point where you are ineffective and unproductive forcing you to reevaluate.
So what’s the answer?
The answer is this: give yourself permission to pause. Take a quick assessment right now and contemplate the following questions.
- What are you currently experiencing internally? Are you at rest inside? Or are you feeling chaos within? Name what you notice.
Once you tune in to what’s happening in your internal world, take a look at what’s going on externally by answering these questions.
- What’s working?
- What’s not?
- What really matters?
- What changes are needed?
Your answers to these questions will reveal some powerful truths. However, you’re just scratching the surface at this point.
There are actually deeper truths that need to be accessed. This internal wisdom will actually help you on the front-end to be proactive in your life and business rather than reacting to the shut-down or burn-out that comes after you hit the proverbial wall.
When you give yourself permission to glean this inner wisdom, you’ll discover your true identity and life mission which reveals your purpose. With this information, you have filters for your choices and you can design a path to the life you’re intended to live. This keeps you anchored in peace while achieving greater impact and tangible results with less effort in both your life and your business.
There’s actually a coaching journey that can help you tap into these deeper truths. It’s called The Destiny Project and this week it went virtual under one website location with it’s own unique brand, identity, mission and purpose. What’s really cool about this journey is that it provides enough structure to keep you moving forward, blended with enough process that takes you deeper into the learning of who you truly are at the core.
Many say they don’t have enough time to dream because there’s too much to do. How about you? What do you think?
What if the question isn’t how can you afford to dream, but rather the question was how can you afford not to? I invite you to contemplate this in your “Calgon” moment as you exercise your permission to pause.
Post your comments at www.shannonbruce.com; I’d love to read your thoughts and be sure to check out the new website because it’s pretty amazing! Thanks Michael Warden and Josh Tilton.
Photo Provided by www.photoxpress.com, Copyright Julia Britvich
