A new client comes in, and the session is great.
At least you thought so, but she doesn't book a follow up appointment with you.
So, as usual, you put your energy into finding as many new clients as possible with low-cost promotions, free samples at the mall or an event happening in your town, and big signage outside your office.
Let's face it. This is a never ending cycle of despair. All this work to keep your practice booked with new clients who...
Does this resonate?
You are so excited and passionate about the healing benefits of your techniques or products that you often describe your business by listing all of them to anyone who will listen. You are certain in your heart that anyone and everyone will get amazing results if they would just get involved with your business, so you make sure your marketing materials are inclusive for everyone.
How is that working for you?
It's probably not...
How do you answer when someone asks "what do you do?" Do you say something boring like "I'm a massage therapist" or "I'm a yoga teacher" or "I'm a practitioner"? If you answer that way, you're not alone. Many many holistic health and wellness professionals respond in conversation this way. It's a very easy and convenient way to label yourself.
But, it really doesn't leave room for you to shine as the superstar "stress buster", diva of "deep relaxation and peace of mind"...
Your dream is like a garden. It needs certain ingredients and tending in order to grow, blossom and yield a harvest. The very first thing you need to do, just like with a garden, is make space for your dream to grow. Not only do you need to designate a physical space for your client work to take place, you also need to make space in your schedule to tend to it.
One mistake emerging heart-centered entrepreneurs make is to do other non-business related things...
I reached a crossroads in 2007 where I had to make a choice - there simply was not enough time in the day to balance marriage & family, full-time volunteering and full-time work. The balance between how much I was giving and how much I was receiving was just not working out. Something had to give. I had been dabbling at having a private practice, for free, for a very long time, and it was time for me to take the leap to really become a profitable, professional...
I learned about the concept of flow more than 10 years ago when I was first studying Tai Chi and Taoism. The general idea is that life is like a journey down a river that twists, turns and flows. It starts at one point, and there are endless unexpected mini-destinations along the way to your ultimate destination.
Sometimes you can manipulate the flow by blocking it, but it's most effective and so much easier to just get out of the way and let the river carry...
I've been living with chronic pain for the last three years. Luckily, my quality of life has been improving and the intensity of the pain has been slowly and steadily decreasing. It took learning a toolbox of strategic coping mechanisms to finally learn how to maintain a sense of well-being and joy while living with the burden of chronic pain.
After doing lots of research online and speaking with experts, I decided to find some answers by following the wisdom...
When I was in high school, my favorite English teacher told me that the key to producing an "A" essay paper was to stop working once an hour for a 1-5 minute break to rest my mind and engage my body. She encouraged me to stretch, go outside or simply close my eyes and take a deep breath. Another teacher encouraged me to overcome those notorious afternoon slumps by having a high protein snack and exercising for 15-60 minutes to wake up my body and increase my energy for the rest...
In the very near future, my Reiki Master students will be graduating from the 5 month intensive training program with their Reiki Master certification. You might think that a Reiki Master program is all about learning the Reiki System of Natural Healing techniques and how to use them on others.
That doesn't really cover it though. Reiki Master training is so much more - it's an investment in yourself. Working with energy is working with emotions, mental habits and...
What if you are already good enough?
In preparation for the creative retreat I attended last weekend, my mentor had all of the participants read The Soul of Money: Reclaiming the Wealth of our Inner Resources by Lynne Twist.
Ms. Twist, a long time fundraiser and activist for The Hunger Project who has worked closely with some of the most resource rich and resource poor individuals and communities in the world, puts forth some revolutionary ideas about our capacity to...