self-awareness

What Are You Doing Today To Make Tomorrow Different?

May 17, 2010 By Cara Lumen

If you keep on doing what you’ve been doing you’ll keep on getting what you’ve been getting. Let’s talk about what you can do this very day to bring about a different result tomorrow

Passionately On Purpose Radio with Cara Lumen, Your Idea Optimizer, who keeps you passionately on purpose while you make a difference in your world. During these shows we’ll talk about how to uncover your passion, define your purpose, identify your path, make money from what you already know and attract the people you are meant to serve. But most of all, we’ll help you believe you can!!!

As a Business Coach, Content Developer and Educator she talks about how to uncover your passion, define your purpose, identify your path, make money from what you already know and attract the people you are meant to serve. But most of all, she’ll help you believe you can!!! Join her Mondays on www.blogtalkradio.com/passionatelyonpurpose

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Are You as Coachable as You Think You Are?

April 9, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

A coach is a professional guide, an accountability partner, a skilled motivator who can only do her best work if you do yours. Here are some ways that people have sabotaged their own success.

We were both shaking our heads in dismay. “She’s gone back to where she was before we started, she’s shutting down again.” I said to my web designer partner, Judy. “And she doesn’t listen” she added. And she can’t make a decision,” I added, “I have to write an article about how to be coachable,” and we started listing the important qualities you must bring to the mix if you are going to be coachable and reap the results of the knowledge and guidance of the people you hire to coach you.

Trust your coach

First be really clear that you need help. Your business is stuck, you don’t know what steps to take, you want to start a new blog or signature information product and you don’t even know where to start.

Second. Decide that a coach can get you moving forward. Then you go coach hunting. Sometimes that person just shows up on your radar when you most need her. Sometimes she’s someone you’ve been following and knew when you were ready that would be your choice, and sometimes you really go hunting. But you will know your perfect coach when you find her. You will feel a connection. You will choose her because you resonated with what she or he does and how they do it. You are excited to work with that person and ready to learn what they can teach you. You are going to pay good money for this learning experience and motivational jump start. To get the most out of the coaching experience there are several things you must learn to do.

Listen to your coach. Listen to yourself.

You coach is going to listen carefully to you. She is going to ask you questions that help you recognize and make your choices. And then, she is going to set up a program to get you to where you want to go. She can see the overview and knows which steps come first.

But you won’t get there if you don’t listen. If you don’t do what she says, in the order she gives it to you, you are sabotaging yourself.

I know you are filled with ideas, but my job as a coach is to recognize, out of my own experience and training, which are the best ideas for the goals you say you want. If you disagree, do so, but express clearly why you disagree. Sometimes you’ll discover that the barrier or resistance is from another source. Let your coach help you discover what is holding you back. Your coach will help you reevaluate your direction based on those objections. For instance, I always ask my clients if they are willing to do the assignments I give them. If not, we talk about why and adjust it according to what we discover together. It may be a reality check time issue; it may be the suggestion needs to be tweaked to increase the clients’ willingness. You are a partner participant. Let your coach help you in and around and through your stuck places.

Make decisions with confidence

You are the captain of your business ship. You are the decision maker. Be in charge. Make those decisions based on what you feel, what you know about yourself. I had one client take ten days to decide between a web site proposal, working on a Mac in a program she knew nothing about or having a WordPress presence up in ten minutes for very little money. Ten days and two coaching sessions! And she didn’t understand why the process took so long. She was in an indecisive mode partially because she didn’t understand her options. I explained them to her and she made her choices.

When Nancy Hendrickson and I decided to partner on Magnetic Blog Builders we had a site up within 48 hours. Sure we may tweak it, add content, change a few things, but we were open for business in 48 hours. The professionals you work with are fast and capable. Make up your mind. Trust yourself to know what you want.

As a web designer Judy Stewart is incredibly good at capturing the essence of the person she is designing for. But sometimes the person doesn’t recognize it and suggests small changes and shows her three more sites she likes but can’t tell her why. And inevitably the client comes back to the original design. Begin to look consciously at what you want – what colors do you like, what shapes are you drawn to; what feeling do you want people to have when they arrive.

Know yourself and trust yourself

Which brings me to the cornerstone of being a good coaching client – know yourself. It’s not about being inflexible, or being unwilling to change direction, it’s about trusting your intuition, listening to the discovery questions offered by your coach and taking time to go within to find your answer and then making a decision. “I’ll know it when I see it” is a bit hard for a designer or a coach to work with. Begin with a vision. Understand your target community. A web presence is not about you, it is about the people you plan to serve – what they like, what they will respond to, what they need. Know yourself and know your clients.

Take responsibility for doing the work

The most disheartening thing to have happen with a client is for that client to disengage, to not do the work,, to not make the decisions. When the client is excited and making decisions and allowing the results to happen we are all feeling productive and successful. But when a client shuts down, puts off making decisions, will not take the responsibility to learn how to do the next step, we are both soon stuck and disheartened.

Commit and give it everything you’ve got

What point is there in taking a class if you never pick up a book? What point is there in hiring a decorator then insisting on ignoring their advice? What point is there in hiring a coach and ignoring her suggestions? If you have the wrong coach, change. But when you have the right coach, commit to doing the homework, making the decisions and go search out new information and ideas to bring into the project.

Hiring a coach in an investment in your success

A coach has developed an area of expertise. She spends a lot of time developing coaching systems and learning more about her field. She offers you’re her expertise, her knowledge and her insights which translate into short-cuts to success.

In Magnetic Blog Builders we focus on creating a web/blog presence in 4 weeks. Nancy will have it physically up for you in one week, but you and I have some decision making to do – branding, community development, marketing and content development. We develop a magnetic web presence.

As a Book Yourself Solid Coach I help you build a strong niche-targeted foundation for your business and help you decide what marketing strategies are best suited for you and your target community.

As a Signature Product Development CoachI help you organize your ideas, develop and create your product, and create the landing page to help people buy your book, or telecourse, or product.

Choose a coach that has your same values. Choose a person who is supportive, smart, focused and is the guide you want to help you move forward. Then be the most coachable person you can be.

Trust. Do You? Do They?

April 4, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

Trust is the cornerstone of all relationships. It is a two way street. We have to learn to trust in ourselves, in our judgment, and our choices. And as a friend and business person we have to earn the trust of others.

There are so many powerful synonyms for trust: faith, belief, hope, conviction, confidence, expectation, reliance, and dependence for starters. When I read those I wondered how many of those I had going for me.

How much do you trust others?

The issue of trust is coming up for me because I’m going to have knee replacement surgery in a few weeks and I have to trust a lot of people I have never met before. I’m new in town so I followed my insurance to the orthopedic surgeon. I simply called up the office and said, “Who does knees?” It turns out this surgeon has an exceedingly fine reputation. So I trusted my instincts that had me ask for the one who does knees and trusted that this unknown choice would be the right one. I have faith that I have been guided to the right team of people for this particular moment in my life. And I have the expectation of getting literally “back on my feet” easily and rapidly. Faith and expectation – both elements of trust.

There are a lot of people that I don’t yet know that I now have to rely on. The operating team, the nurses, the physical therapist. I have to trust that these people are well-trained, love their jobs and are doing their best work. I have to expect that – its part of trust.

So I’m sitting here thinking about how we are inspired to do our best work when we are with our ideal client; how they motivate and inspire us. And I wondered, what can I do to be the ideal patient so those people are inspired to do their best work on me? I’ll remember their names, or try to since I think drugs are on my agenda. My daughter who has done orthopedic surgery three times says I’ll hurt but I won’t care. I have to be prepared to do my best work as a patient: do the exercises I am given, send healing thoughts to my body so I recover rapidly. And I’m at a bit of a disadvantage because I’m the recipient, not the giver. How do I become a cheerful, cooperative, appreciated receiver?

I have never before been so aware of how I must trust others and how I can inspire them to do their best work – on me.

Do you trust yourself?

I’ve had a really good life so the idea of signing up for pain with this surgery had me worried. I did some EFT Emotional Freedom Technique) and I can no longer get a rise out of that concept any more. I’m a Reiki Master Teacher so I’m already sending energy ahead to the whole experience. I can’t drive for six weeks so the thought occurred to me that I would be lonely. But I’ve figured out that before I go in I’ll go to the library and get books on the history of the Kansas City area – the Indians, the pioneers, all that took place in this jumping off place for the untamed West. That would be fun. If I read a business book I’ll want to get up and create something, so I want balance there. I have confidence on my inquisitive mind to keep me entertained. Confidence and expectation – both elements of trust.

Why do others trust you?

Now that I’m on the need-to-trust others half of trust I have a better idea of how I can earn trust in my own life and my business.

Have I built a reputation of being really good at what I do (like my surgeon has)? He obviously is skilled, he keeps up with the latest innovations in his field, and he loves what he does. And from the experience I’ve had with his staff so far, he over-delivers.

Can people tell I care about them and what I can do for them? I have seen my surgeon for about 5 minutes so far because I think that’s the norm with surgeons but I have spent 45 minutes with the former surgical nurse who he has selected to orient me to my choices. She was kind, articulate, and thorough and I felt well informed and well cared for.

Does my team reflect competency and caring? The scheduler for my surgeon was warm and efficient. There have been great follow up literature to assure me all is well and will be fine. I have some special class room orientation with a nurse that will give me information on what to expect. Good follow up is an important part of building trust.

Do I offer high quality services and follow up? My sense of the mid-west is that this is the most kind and caring community I have ever met. So yes, I expect to be well cared for.

Being in a position to need to trust others because they have skills I do not have has been revealing. It has given me ideas of how I can build trust. I can anticipate needs, give the best that I’ve got, be reliant in my delivery, and show up consistently so others know they can depend on me. I can help them get great results so they have confidence in me and believe that what I offer will make a difference in their lives.

Think a minute about who you trust and why. What do they do that makes you trust them? Then go forth and do likewise.

Are You Doing It For the Right Reasons?

March 16, 2010 By Cara Lumen

Sometimes we get so caught up in what we are doing that we do not take time to be certain we are aligned with our values and our goals or even if all that activity is taking us in the right directions. Here are six questions to ask yourself to keep on target.

Passionately On Purpose Radio with Cara Lumen, Your Idea Optimizer, who keeps you passionately on purpose while you make a difference in your world. As a Business Coach, Content Developer and Educator she talks about how to uncover your passion, define your purpose, identify your path, make money from what you already know and attract the people you are meant to serve. But most of all, she’ll help you believe you can!!! Join her Mondays on www.blogtalkradio.com/passionatelyonpurpose

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How Are You Spending Your Attention Budget?

March 15, 2010 By Cara Lumen

by Cara Lumen

What we focus on is what shows up in our world. So it makes a lot of sense to notice where we are placing our attention. Chris Brogan looks at attention as currency and that got me thinking about how I spend that most valuable asset.

Do you hang out in the past, present or future?

Do I spend my time remember the past and wishing I had made a different choice? Do I sit around making lists and dreaming up things for the future? That has its place but what is the proportion of time spent on “what if’s.” Or can I be in the now, the present, the moment at hand, and savor it and absorb all the moment has to offer.

What are your moment to moment choices?

Seth Godin had a great blog post listing all the things you could do if you didn’t watch TV. It includes things like starting an online store, or writing a book, or hey, something really life changing like proposing to someone (that’s mine, not his)

I often go back to work on my computer in the evening. Sometimes I do small organizational things and sometimes I tackle something big like write a new radio script, or work on another draft of my ebook. I do watch the rhythm of my body during the day – I get up and move around when it hollers loud enough at me. I’m usually willing to sit in the afternoon sun and read awhile and I’m not adverse to a short doze while there.

And when my young cats Sebastian or Sabrina come to sit on my lap I actually take time to not only pet them but to focus on how much I love and appreciate them. Sometimes they interrupt me and I don’t want to stop for them but maybe they sense the need for me to pause and are actually taking care of me when they ask me to take a break. Do you focus on the moment? Every moment? Each moment? Do you appreciate its richness? Its texture? Its gift?

Where is your attention in your business?

I’m spending a lot of time on my blog because I love doing it and it helps me build community. I also love my radio shows because there is more time to develop an idea and talk about it. And it helps me reach people who prefer to listen rather than read. I also spend time creating more information products. I’m a teacher at heart and helping people learn new things is very special to me.

And I volunteer. Right now I am adding content ideas to the revision of Michael Port’s “Book Yourself Solid.” I’m adding information on blogging and radio that were not in the original book and adding more how to the information product section. Other Book Yourself Solid Coaches are adding information on social media. We will be given credit in the book but meanwhile we are helping create the very program we teach.

I write copy for others. Sharon Sayler’s new book “What Your Body Says and How to Master it” will be out in June and I’m writing landing pages and reports for her.

And I coach. My focus is on helping people build an internet presence – a profitable internet presence.

What I get to do with my attention is continually figure out how to add more value in these areas, how to draw more people into my community and serve them better, how to write that eye-opening, insight-giving book that will change some lives, and how to inspire others to believe they can!

What is your attention focused on? What are you attracting because of it? Change your focus, change your life.