The World is Conspiring Against Me!

Have you ever thought that the world is conspiring against you? Well there have been times in life and business that I have. I mean, let's be truthful here. We have all been faced with what seem to be insurmountable obstacles in our path and as we strive for direction or clarity, we can get discouraged.

We even wonder what on earth did we do to deserve ______(fill in the blank) and how are we going to get beyond it? For business owners, this can be an ongoing dance between joy and emotional turmoil, wondering what is going to happen next. The trap in getting stuck in a place like this is that we often start making decisions out of fear vs. logic. We allow our emotions to be the driver instead of our vision and plan.

Several of the clients that I have coached come to me because they are feeling stuck on the merry-go-round of discouragement and fear-filled decision making. This is a recipe for catastrophe if not addressed at the root level. The root level is what got us to that place to begin with, so we must go there to change it. To uncover what 'it' is means taking time to reflect on what has happened and reconstruct next steps so that, we don't keep recreating the same old situation. We must always remember that if we are making a decision based out of fear, it is probably the wrong decision.

So, you may be asking yourself, 'great Tammy, I get the fear piece but I still don't get the why?' Well that is an interesting question, and one that people ask all the time. "Why is this happening to me." It is in those moments that you feel the world is conspiring against you - right? I say, the world is conspiring not against you, but conspiring to make you a Success! There are no accidents in life or business. We can learn from every meeting, encounter, employee or vendor that we come in contact with. It is the way we look at those Giants or Mountains in our path that make the difference.

3 Tips for facing those Giants and moving those Mountains

1. Reflect on where you've been
   You want to pause and look backward to correct course moving forward. It also aids in noticing how those things which seemed to be obstacles weren't really in the way, they were there for my protection.
   
2. Hit is head on
   That's right, no fancy footwork will get you out of it, you have to have the courage to stand in the face of it and know beyond all knowing that you were meant for such a time and go for it. Ask yourself, How is this going to make me a success?
   
3. Record - Track - Rehearse
   This is key for future mountains (and they will show up for your success.) When we record what has been, to correct course and track our steps moving forward, it supports us staying on the path according to our plan, and lessens the fear based decision making. Now combine it with rehearsing what will be in the future - create a new picture and attach yourself to it and those giants seem much less intimidating and the mountain more like a hill.
   

We limit ourselves by allowing fear to rule our world rather than shifting the way we look at things to envision what we want and aligning our steps to follow. Vision is necessary, and showing up as we want to be seen is key.

So the next time you feel a conspiracy is mounting...take a proactive approach and shift your mindset to one that supports where you want to go. Remember, you can make change without improvement, but you can't make improvement without change.

Tammy Redmon
Executive Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders

Stop Running!

Do you find yourself running your business so fast that you are tired and out of breath? That is a common 'drama factor' for business owners. There are no simple cures for the dis-ease that I call Working at the Speed of Whoosh. The only thing that I have found that works is similar to the same technique they teach us in elementary school, if our clothes catch on fire. Stop. Drop. Roll.

Ok, do I have your attention yet? When we are running our business, and are unable to catch our breath it is commonly because our business is running us! I have designed a few tactics for the weary business owner that reinforce the proven technique Stop. Drop and Roll.

Step number one: Stop (and breathe)
We need to stop and consider what we are doing to ourselves by running. How are we taking care of our staff and client/customers if we are too busy to notice them? When we are running at a fast pace we are likely giving off the appearance of being scattered, worn and unavoidably out of control. Is that the impression you want your staff and customers to see of you? I say no.

So, how do we stop? Well the action is in the four letter word. Sit, Think, Oversee, Perform. Sit down and relax, allow your brain to unwind and just be in the moment. So that you can think of what obstacles have gotten in your way to taking better care of self. It has been said that we are to work On our business, not In it. That means to oversee the systems that you have set in place, not running every detail. Then you can truly perform to your potential as business leader, manager, CEO.


Step number two: Drop (everything)
Be willing to drop everything. (Oh, did I hear a collective gasp from the readers?) Yes, drop it. Many have become accustomed to running their business, office, team, instead of allowing their system to run the business. Micromanaging at it's finest is often disguised as "I am too busy" for a life, to exercise, to _____(fill in the blank.) When I am working with my coaching clients that are in breakdown and need to drop everything, I take them through an envisioning process that helps them to see their end-result, what they really want. Then, we fill in the details of what is getting in the way to getting to that place they envision. Most often my business clients see they are in their own way, their micromanaging the details vs. allowing the system they built to work for them. So, they drop what they are doing and replace it with a new action plan that requires less of them and more of others.


Step number three: Roll (just go with it)
By the time we get to Roll, people are typically feeling a sense of relief. That is because they've caught their breath, discovered what has gotten in their way, made a plan to responsibly work toward their goal and now it is time to just go with it. Work the plan and allow the plan to work for you. As coach, I encourage clients to set in place a review process that is date specific, so that they are not still pushing to get to 'it' and they are allowing their plan to work itself. This is very important for the roll-with-it factor, we commit to looking at our plan in the future and to assessing how it's working at a set point vs. every day. When we do that, we are less likely to keep running in circles or toward burnout.

Bottom-line, the responsibility to stop is on us, the individual. No one is making you do anything, draw a boundary for yourself, envision what you want, create a plan to get there and go for it. Stop. Drop and Roll.

Tammy Redmon
NW Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders

See what I have going on!

This has been an interesting week. Actually, an interesting couple of weeks. I have been busy around the Sound with events and meetings, gathering ideas for my business and to share with others. But perhaps the most interesting piece is the new things that I have created. Like, a couple of new workshops, Building a Workshop 101 was launched with great reviews and I am putting the finishing touches on a new twist to creating vision boards (name is still in the works.) Most exciting, I have posted a few articles for print and should know how those go real soon! Dream come true, I am author!

The past few weeks I have been very busy building blogs, online networking profiles and my website. I invite you to check out the links on my blog to see what I have been talking about, writing about and building in the online community. I of course welcome feedback and comments, that is how we grow as human beings. Coming by first of week is another edition of DWELL In Possibility - doing well everyday living life, my E-newsletter for life, business and the pursuit of balance. Please go to my website and join in to receive your copy! I will be covering some fun topics:

SchoolHouse Rock - revisited
Doing Well Everyday Living Life
Highlight on Executive Coaching
Plus! Client Profile with special offer

Try something new this week that supports your business growth plan. It is a lot of fun, keeps the creativity juices flowing and may just introduce you to your next client.

An inquiry for today: What am I doing today that supports my business for tomorrow? (It's the sustainability quotient - consider it and write down your aha.)

Make it a great day!
Tammy Redmon
Coach and Business Growth Strategist
Redmon & Associates - Empowering Today's Business Leaders
email: tammy@redmonandassociates.com
www.redmonandassociates.com