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

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.

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

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.

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

A direct sales client of mine started coaching because she was exhausted, tired of being different depending on who she was with. She realized she had various  “faces” she shared with others depending on whether she was with this friend or family member, or that co-worker or team member. Allowing her external world dictate how she engaged with others caused internal chaos and lack luster results, leading her to confusion about her “real” self, wondering “Who am I?” and “What do I want?”

I wonder if you can relate? Do you find yourself putting on different faces depending on who you are with? Are you experiencing internal chaos and achieving marginal results because of this?

These questions actually lead to the bigger question of, “Do you know who you really are?”

Let me say this next thought loud and clear. If you find yourself in this situation, YOU ARE NOT ALONE! This is a challenge for all of us because discovering the truth about who you really are is an ongoing process, and likely something that you lose sight of with the demands of your life.

And you don’t need to accept this or throw in the towel in this game of life. There is HOPE as you make the choice to discover who you really are, and begin to live from this place of authenticity.

Through the power of the coaching process, the woman I mentioned above knows her values, understands her purpose and mission and now lives from her “real” self. Her impact is significant as she experiences inner peace and wholeness. Her relationships have dramatically improved and her business is flourishing based on her definition of success.

The point here is about living with authenticity, consistently, and without apology!

What does living with authenticity look like? Here are some suggestions to consider excerpted from an article written by Barbara De Angelis, PhD in the Empowering Women Magazine:

• Behave in ways that are in harmony with your personal values
• Make choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe
• Believe you can be yourself and be loved, rather than having to act in ways you feel will be acceptable to others
• Accept and honor all parts of yourself rather than hiding or lying about them
• Communicate the truth when you need to, even though it might create conflict or tension
• Don’t settle for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships
• Ask for what you want and need from others

This month is the launch of my newly co-authored book, “Direct Selling Power” which includes the chapter on “Ignite your Passion and Live with Purpose: A Guide to a Thriving Life and Prosperous Direct Sales Business.” Whether you are a direct sales business owner, entrepreneur, stay-at-home Mom, or employee, what I’ve written will help you discover the real you. Perhaps this is a next step for you to in connecting with the “real” you.

Bottom line here, it’s time for the real you to stand up! We need what you have to offer.

So what do you say? Share your comments at the blog; let’s get real together!

Contributing Sources

Barbara De Angelis, Ph.D., is one of the most influential teachers of our time in the field of relationships and personal growth. For the past 25 years she has reached tens of millions of people throughout the world with her positive messages about love, happiness and the search for meaning in our lives. She is a best-selling author, popular television personality and sought after motivational speaker.

Empowering Women magazine is a specialized and focused national publication designed to inform, motivate and inspire individuals who are interested in supplementing their income and empowering their lives. Each issue of Empowering Women spotlights a direct selling or party plan company. Readers are given an in-depth look into the featured company and how it creates opportunities for women to achieve success in life and in business. Every issue is packed with engaging articles designed to educate women on how to obtain success in their professional, financial and personal lives.

As a solopreneur, you wear many hats as you plant a variety of seeds to keep the garden of your business thriving. These seeds are activities such as marketing, administration, serving, selling and developing, all which keep your garden flourishing.

While I’m not a gardener, I do know that weeds begin to grow if you don’t tend to it. If you aren’t careful, these weeds will slowly choke the life out of the healthy plants destroying the beauty and harvest of the garden that’s planted. The same holds true for your business and life!

As you plant these seeds and your garden grows to produce a harvest, there is one thing to remember. Each day is limited in time and because of this you must be intentional as you tend to your garden. Nurturing the seeds already planted, as you continue to seed for the future, are both important and necessary. At the same time, you must be aware of the weeds that need to be removed to avoid losing the harvest you’ve planted.

What are some of the weeds that might show up in your garden of your business?

• Activities that are no longer energizing and take away from producing a fruitful crop.
• Administrative tasks which drain you and could be done by someone other than you, the master gardener.
• Duties outside of your expertise like technology, social media, graphic design, web site maintenance, newsletters, developing promotional materials, etc.

Take a moment to look at your own garden. What are your weeds?

Once you’ve identified them, here are some next steps:

1. Hire others to help. You cannot grow the garden of your business without expanding your team. At some point, it’s essential to hire a virtual assistant, bookkeeper, accountant, technology person, and a professional certified coach to support you through the expansion. Bottom line: you cannot do it alone forever!
2. Dedicate time to plan and strategize. Block time in your calendar to evaluate and assess: What’s working? What’s not? What changes are needed? If you don’t, you risk being reactive rather than proactive.
3. Remove the “good” so the “better” and “best” have room to flourish. As you grow and narrow your focus, some of the opportunities that were one ideal and considered healthy plants in the garden of your business may actually become weeds. This is because the good plants can take up space and time in your garden and keep you from growing and harvesting the best plants that produce greater abundance.

You’ve probably heard all of this before but it warrants repeating. As the garden of your business expands, growing beyond being a solopreneur doing it alone, to becoming an entrepreneur with a support team is critical. Every business owner reaches this fork in the road and needs to decide what the garden needs to grow, otherwise you run the risk of the weeds taking it over and wreaking havoc not only in your business, but also in your life.

As you contemplate your own business (and life because this metaphor applies here too), how would you answer this question:

What next step will help the garden of your life and business thrive to produce a more abundant crop?

This month, there are several coaching programs and products available to you to help your garden grow, flourish and thrive. If you want to know what’s coming, sign up for our monthly newsletter.

What comments do you have? Share at the blog and may the harvest of your life and business be abundant!

I’ve spent the majority of my life “doing” rather than “being”. After all, there are places to go, people to see, and things to do, right?

This approach to life fell short for me over ten years ago when I made the bold and courageous decision to leave behind the security of my steady paycheck. I quit my “Corporate” job to pursue my entrepreneurial dream because I was exhausted and burnt out from all of my “doing” for the sake of what?!

Little did I know that I would find myself going through life transition upon life transition, starting with my divorce and the subsequent hurdles of my daughter’s health struggles.

Because of these changes, I was challenged to find answers to the questions of “Who am I?” and “What’s next?”

I could write a book on the topic and some day I just might! In the meantime, the key learning is that I am a “human being”, not a “human doing”. Out of this paradigm shift, I have reaped the benefits of living a heart centered life and I am committed to supporting women like you to do the same.

For those of you who are “do-ers” (which is 99.9% of the women out there), here are some practical next steps that will help you “to be”.

1. Slow down and breathe fully. Repeat multiple times during the day!
2. Go for a walk in silence. A little bit of exercise, a chance to be and not just “sitting still”.
3. Get up early in the morning before everyone else wakes up. Drink your coffee in silence and breathe some more.
4. Stop talking and listen. Pay attention to others and to your inner voices, your body, etc.
5. Read my blog article “On the Verge of a Break Through” for more insight.

Learning to “be” is essential if you want to find inner peace, joy and greater purpose. It’s a huge shift from the crazy-making world we live, yet so worth the perseverance and commitment to find it.

So what else would you add to this list? Share your comments at Facebook and the Blog…And then, breathe and “just be”!

OK, let’s get real. Are you overwhelmed by too much information? It’s a blessing to have readily accessible information at your fingertips 24-7. However, the curse is that there’s an overwhelming abundance of “too much”. So much so that I’m inviting you put yourself on an information diet!

Let me set the stage as to why I think this is important. Last week I had a conversation with a colleague about the impact of being plugged in to so much information. We both agreed that having access to the collective wisdom and brilliance of so many people  provides not only inspiration and practical tips, but also calls forth new directions, opportunities and possibilities.

Just like a coin however, there is a flip side. We’ve both found that too much information can become distracting, overwhelming and worst case, it can cause you to question your value, abilities and direction.

If you’re like me, you might often find yourself reacting to what shows up in your in-box feeling obligated to read all of the newsletters, blogs, daily devotions, tips, and inspiration that you’ve signed up for. The challenge is that it can become all consuming to the point you end up working more than you’d like, once again compromising what really matters. Not to mention it can totally diminish your self-worth and esteem.

If any of this resonates for you, my suggestion is that you go on an information diet. Just like you cut back on your food intake to focus on becoming physically healthy, an information diet is about reducing the volume of content you read so you become emotionally healthy and can thrive in your life and work.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not suggesting you eliminate everything. I am encouraging you to become tuned in and aware so you can decide what content to decrease as you guard your heart.

Here are some questions to ponder and some potential next steps:

1. Does this information add value to your life or work or is it a distraction? If it’s a distraction, consider opting out.
2. Are you energized and inspired by the information or do you feel drained or defeated? If you are drained and defeated, it might be time to opt out.
3. Do you read the information or do you just delete it? If you’re deleting it you aren’t reading it anyway so clear out the volume of e-mails by opting out.
4. Is it all good and yet there’s just too much? Rate what you receive on a scale of good, better and best and opt-out of the good so you have time for the better and best.

Clearing and purging information that is no longer life giving or relevant to where you are in your life and work will have massive benefit to you. It will free you up emotionally because you will have more energy available to focus on what’s truly important. It will also help to eliminate the self-sabotage and allow you to focus on who you really are, not what you think you ought to be.

So what do you think? Share your comments at the blog and share it with your friends, family and colleagues.

Here’s to living freely and lightly!

I know you’ve heard it before; it’s the poignant phrase about knowing the truth which will set you free. I believe it now more than ever before as I process on my ferry ride home from The Destiny Project Retreat. It was a life transforming weekend where the hearts, minds and spirits of 11 women (including mine) have been set free to experience more of an abundant life.

If was the first ever “live” version of The Destiny Project, held as a retreat at the beautiful Gaylord House B&B just outside of Seattle, WA. Throughout the weekend, the home was filled with laughter and tears, creating a safe and courageous space for the women to experience the truth of who they are as unique masterpieces.

I hold a new perspective around the term B&B thanks to the innkeeper who joined us for the journey. It no longer stands for Bed & Breakfast; it now means Belief & Belonging which was exemplified over and over throughout the weekend. It allowed the women to fully own and believe in their true identities as they felt a deep sense of acceptance and belonging. This sacred space allowed each of them to bring their full selves to the experience.

Throughout the weekend each woman learned to embrace her humanness, including both the light and the shadow, bringing about the compassion needed for each one of them to declare, “I like me!” What a profound statement when we live in a world so focused on what’s not working as we strive to be who we are not, meeting the have to’s, ought to’s and should’s that are placed upon us by ourselves and others. With child-like joy these women came alive to embrace the truth, which provided a clear path to the life change that has transformed each woman forever.

The impact was significant! After settling into the experience, each began to trust the organic process and the truth was awakened. Every woman now has a clearer picture of her desires, dreams, values, identity, mission and yes, even her shadow. They all left with a tool kit overflowing with truth and wisdom that will be used as personal filters for moving forward with boldness and courage toward each woman’s God-inspired destiny.

As we wrapped the weekend, we moved into the making it real phase because this journey is so much more than “feeling good” about yourself. It’s about a new way of living, a God-inspired paradigm shift that allows you to find the deeper truths of who you are so you can integrate and live out this truth and transformation in practical real world ways. I refer to this type of living as the “sweet spot” where your spirit intersects with God’s so you achieve greater impact and enhanced results with less effort because there is no more striving.

As you can imagine, the ripple effect of women living from this authentic place of being is exponential. Their lives have been transformed AND the freedom and love they bring to their homes, families, communities and the world will overflow in powerful ways to others.

One of the participants, Rhonda, described her experience this way:

“I’ve lived my life with the burning sense of knowing I was meant for so much more. I filled my life with busyness and over commitment not knowing what to say yes and no to.  I longed to really hear clearly from the Holy Spirit what he saw in me and where he wanted me to go in my life but never felt I could.

“The Destiny Project Retreat changed all that!  For the first time I heard loud & clear from the Holy Spirit, that he definitely had an identity for me and my mission became quite clear! What incredible freedom to know what to focus my life around. The world would never be the same if every woman stood in their true identity and moved forward courageously in their mission. My prayer is that every woman would get this opportunity.”

After facilitating the Destiny Project for over 2 years, I am convinced that women are hungry for this type of experience. I’m a firm believer that each and every woman is worthy and deserving of the truth and transformation that is evoked. The genuine woman that is released and the freedom that comes is no longer option, but essential.

Where are you in journey to complete freedom as you live from your true self?

Contact me if you want to explore what it means to free your genuine self so you can find meaning and purpose while leaving your legacy behind. Also contact me if you’d like to participate or coordinate a group for The Destiny Project over-the-phone course or in-person retreat. Don’t waste another minute; the time for change is now!