The Right People in the Right Positions

I met with a new client yesterday. Kathy is the President and CEO of a very successful family owned business with two of her sisters working for her.  Kathy finds she is doing a lot of the work and wants to hire but does not know how because she has never done this before.

Set in Their Ways

As we spoke it became clear the problem is more complex than simply hiring.  Because this is a family business that has been around for over 30 years many of the staff have been on board for 20+ years.  Loyalty is a great asset but it only works when the long-term staff is willing to develop new skills, allow change and grow professionally.   Kathy feels her staff are “stuck in their ways”, not interested in learning new technologies, changing systems or changing their roles.  They have gotten into routines and habits that keep the company from growing. Kathy cannot fire them because they are loyal employees.  They are LIKE family. Then there are her two sisters who are not about to have Kathy tell them what to do.  She can’t fire them.  They ARE family.

New Vision of Success

Kathy wants to take the business to a new level.  She is creative and has a new vision for their success. She is the CEO but finds no one else wants to change.  She even finds herself doing a lot of the day-to-day work assigned to staff and her sisters that somehow bounces back to her.

New Organizational Design

I took an intuitive perspective on this with Kathy.  Her father made all of agreements with staff when he ran the business.  They are not her agreements (spiritual or other wise).  It was time for Kathy to develop her own vision for the staffing of her business.  For Kathy it begins with letting go of the energy and pictures that say there is no hope, that she is saddled with her dad’s agreements and sisters who don’t share her vision to grow the business.

As an intuitive I know the power of a clear vision so Kathy’s first step is to meditate on the kind of staffing she knows she needs to manifest her vision.  This is not about specific people but rather the ideal structure, positions and  functions – an org chart.

When Kathy is clear in her mind’s eye of how she sees staffing the business to achieve her vision then we agreed that she would it down – not to be shared.  This is just for her work as the visionary/CEO of the company.  She would also write down her vision of the business in three years.  This she would share with her sisters first seeking their input then the staff inviting everyone to work toward this vision.

Who Fits In?

Once she has a clear vision of the business and the staffing then she must take her attention off and stop resisting her current staffing and her frustrations with everyone.  It is my experience that when an owner begins in this way everything starts to change.   Kathy will start to assign work to her current staff in a way that fits her vision, slowing creating change.  As she does this she will see a change in the staff.

Don’t Resist What Is

By creating a vision of what she wants it begins to manifest.  This is different than resisting what is.  (Resistance perpetuates what you don’t want.)  Intuitively staff will feel the change. Staff who is in agreement with her vision will begin to fit into one of the positions on her org chart.  Staff who are not in agreement will suddenly find a new job, decide to retire or force themselves to be fired.  This is not a coincidence. That is just how a vision manifests.

Steps To Create Change

This is a story about a family owned business but the intuitive principles apply to every business.  If you are a business owner take the time to meditate on your business.   First see clearly the vision you have for the next three years.  Write it down. Be clear in present time.  Now meditate on the ideal staffing to get you there.  Write this down.  Finally begin to act in ways that support your vision.  Read and meditate on this everyday then watch this vision manifest.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Staff Supporting Your Vision

Karen owns an interior design company and when I first met her she was working out of a large one-room office in Berkeley with another designer in a one-room office in Concord.  She had an office manager and two part-time designers.  She rented space to another designer to help pay the bills.

Karen’s work was well respected and her clients liked working with her but she was not making enough money to create the kind of company she wanted. We worked on her vision.  She was able to dream big and  was not afraid to face her demons, the pictures and energy that  were in her way.

The first step was to use meditation as a tool to clear her thinking, to clarify her vision and to get out of fear.  Karen wanted to approach her business from an intuitive perspective so meditation was an easy fit for her.

One of  Karen’s big obstacles was her staff.  They did not share her vision.  Something had to change so the next step was to bring staff into alignment with her vision or let them go.  It was a rocky time as Karen is a healer meaning she wants to help people.  This hurt her business.  Her rates were low and she gave more to her staff than they gave to her business.  Her Berkeley staff decided to leave and subsequent hires did not go well as Karen hired people she felt compassion for.  They call came and went.

In meditation Karen released her need to heal the people that she hired. Finally she was able to find enough neutrality to hire highly qualified  staff that supported her vision and who she did not have to heal.  This changed everything.

With this new staff Karen felt comfortable changing her rates to the level that supported her value and the value of her company.  To make this work Karen had her lead staff receive coaching as well with the goal that each of them would own their department, set goals, clear their thinking and have a strong vision of success in their area of responsibility.

Did I mention “departments”?   Yes, her company in its new design has departments, home design, office design and sales.  Her staff is in agreement with her vision; see their role in creating success and use meditation as a way to stay clear and focused.

This year Karen opened her third office in Marin and expanded her offices in Berkeley and Concord.  She was able to do this because she was willing to get out of her own way, to see where she was stuck, release energy and create a clear vision.  Inviting her staff to share in her vision and her practice of using intuition and meditation strengthened this.  Karen’s greatest challenge is to not let fear stop her and to watch when she is healing everyone.  She is eager to be self-aware and how she is creating her success.  This year with strong staff in place her focus is on her personal life so that her business serves her life.

Having a vision is powerful. Having your staff share your vision is more powerful.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Be At Ease

Allow Change

Most of us associate work with stress or effort.  This is so familiar that we become tense automatically at the thought of work without noticing.  Consider being at ease at work.  Does that even seem possible?  Being in effort is most often an automatic response.  Being at ease at work is a choice we can make.   It means being conscious and aware of how we want to be in the moment, choosing to be at ease.

When we are in stress, resistance, tension or other energies that create effort we will notice that our life and our work mirrors this.  This is not a coincidence. Being at ease is a way to turn things around, cause things to flow and for our goals to manifest more easily.

Sometimes our energy is light meaning it is moving at a high vibration, light in color, and other terms that describe ease.  What does it mean to be at ease?  From an intuitive perspective it means energy moving without resistance and vibrating at a high energy level, being at ease in body, mind and spirit.

Being at ease begins when we are grounded in present time.  This helps the body relax.  Being at ease means not thinking  - just being present and aware in the moment as you observe what is going on with you and around you. Being at ease means being aware of yourself, what you are being and how you are reacting in the moment. Being at ease means being in communication with yourself.

Notice if you can be at ease.  Notice where you are not at ease. Release, let go, stop resisting, be neutral – which means not reacting.  Just observe. Notice yourself being at ease.  If you have never truly ever been at ease you may not know yet what that is or how to get there.

Intuitive exercise: with your eyes closed imagine a gauge in front of you from 0 – 100.  Without thinking have the gauge show you how close you are to being at ease – 5% 10% 50%.   Are you surprised?

I was working with a client this morning and she was NOT at ease.  She was stressing but was not aware of it because she is in a constant state of stress about one thing or another.   So for her the goal is to stop and be at ease before she goes to work, makes a decision or interacts with her staff.

Are you able to be at ease at work? What are your thoughts about being at ease at work?  Is it the idea that it is WORK so by its very nature it should be stressful?  What is your programming?  Meditate on the aspects of your work that allow you to be at ease and the aspects that don’t. Change your reaction.  Decide to be at ease at work.  Can you imagine that? If you are at ease at work how might your work be different?

The client I was working with this morning had many reasons why she was not at ease with other people and why they were the cause of her lack of ease.  I smiled then she smiled.  The cause is never outside of us.  We have the ability to act and react in any way we choose.  So what do you choose? There is no logic here.  You simply get to choose.  Free will.  You can choose to be or not to be at ease.  What do you choose?  If being in stress is a habit and being at ease is not familiar then it will take focus and attention to break that routine and create a new way of being.

How might your work be different if you were at ease with it?  Try being at ease then notice what changes.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Can’t fool your customers

 Your brand is everything.  Your customers and potential customers experience it everywhere they interact with you, your staff, your website, etc.  Knowing how you want everyone to experience and think about your business is the basis for your brand.

We all know this and most businesses work hard to have their staff represent their brand as well as having others experience it at all other possible touch points with your business, i.e website, print materials, ads and more.  This is important for your customers to feel good about working with you and to come back again and again because they like your brand and how it feels to them.

Researching a business insurance option recently I was attracted to a company because of their products, pricing and the brand image they promoted including friendly, efficient and personalized service.  They said they were fun to work with.  I experienced this from the account representative and was pleased with their brand promise as he described it.

The last step was to exchange documents. I took the opportunity to go into the company’s local office.  When I walked in I could feel the tension in the air.  The receptionist smiled, acted friendly and pleasant but the feeling in the space was completely different.  I could see and feel the conflict in this office.  I felt as though I was interrupting something.  I could not wait to leave.  I have not yet finalized my contract with them.  Their brand promise and how it felt in their office were not the same.

Everyone is intuitive.  Our gut reaction makes a difference. For this reason I work with my clients to not only express their brand in all the usual ways but to also in their office, store, warehouse, etc.  and to be aware of the energy of their staff.  Acting friendly and smiling does not hide the energy in someone or in the space.  The brand experience has to be genuine.  Everyone is intuitive meaning they can feel, see and know what is real.

Being aware of the energy experience in your office or your staff is important to your success.  If it does not feel right to you it will not feel right to your customers.  Take the time to notice the energy of your business, your staff, your offices, etc.  Take steps to change the energy if it is not consistent with the brand of your business.  This is not something you do once.  Monitoring the energy of your business is something to be done every day.

I don’t recommend that decisions are made from the gut or gut reaction but in reality people do this all the time.  Take the time to set the energy of your business to your customers gut reaction is consistent with your brand promise.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Contact me if you would like a consultation on the energy experience of your business.

Focus on a goal – Create a miracle

On my way to give a presentation today on “Staying on Track to Achieve Goals” I created a miracle.  One of the main concepts in my talk was the importance of focusing on one goal intently even if you are not certain how to make it manifest.

I took BART and realized I did not have the dollar to pay for my parking.  I thought about paying on my way back after I got some cash then feared I would forget. I decided to use the focus concept from my presentation.  I had to focus intently on my goal to make it manifest even if I was not certain how it would happen.

I went back down to the payment machines focused on finding a dollar to pay for my parking.   As I approached the machines I saw one of them had a dollar bill hanging from it.  My goal manifested!

Try it!

Kay

Inspired Success Coach

EMyth Certified Business Coach

How might the world be different if …..

Working with business owners and professionals focused on success is inspiring.  My work with clients begins with knowing what is important to them and what they value.  This is their compass for the success they are creating. Over the years I have read hundreds of values statements written by my clients and I continue to be inspired by them.

Not surprising these men and women share some values in common and it makes me wonder.  How might the world be different if their values were shared by more people?  I am not so naïve  to expect that everyone can share these values but how might the world be different if more of us did?

How might the world be different if ….

• More people cared.

No one lied.

• We shared more.

Were angry less.

• We showed more love.

We set aside our ego.

• Started with having peace in our home.
• Were at peace with everyone around us.
• Had compassion.
• Took responsibility for our effect on others.

Helped each other.

How might the world be different?

 

What would you add to this?

 

Best wishes,  Kay

Business Coach

http://www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com

Just Be

 Inspired success begins with you though it is possible to be successful without this awareness but it is a different experience.   If you look at successful people it is easy to see those who create inspired success and those who are simply successful.  Their lives are quite different.

In this blog I focus on inspired success.  You are probably tired of hearing about self-awareness.  It is a tired term but there is no way around it.  If you are waiting for inspired success, hoping for it or even visualizing it you are going to be waiting a long time.  It is not out there somewhere. Inspired success begins  with awareness of yourself and where you are coming from.  Who are you?  What is important to you?  What do you value?  How do you want your life to be?  This awareness changes the energy in your space.  You experience yourself and others experience you differently.

Your life, business, work, relationships, career are a form of self-expression.  You are creating in a physical form some aspect of yourself.   When we do this consciously we are pleased with what we have in our lives.   When we are not conscious and aware of ourselves and what we are creating then stuff just happens.  Some of it we like and some we do not. When we are not creating from our core then we are just working and what we are working on is more important than who we are.

Inspired success depends on awareness of self, not what you should do, what others think of you, what comes along or even what your ego dictates.   The easiest way to become aware of self is through meditation.   I suggest a simple form of meditation designed to help you quiet your body and stop thinking so that you can simply become more aware of you.

The work, career or business we create comes from this awareness.  The more aware we are the more clearly we are able to create what we enjoy and what serves us.  Have you thought about your career or your business being a reflection of you, your energy, your thoughts, emotions and programming?  This discovery of yourself takes time, does not have an end point and it creates our reality.  I know this is not logical but it is very intuitive. Knowing what is important to you is essential as you decide what you want to create or change and what you are creating so that it supports what is important to you.

Tom

I was working with Tom,  a successful business owner, who decided his business was running him and felt like he lost his life in the process.   When he meditated on this he decided that his relationship with his wife was most important to him that while creating a successful business he had compromised their time together.  When I pointed out that he chose to create it that way and that is not the way it needed to be, he was curious.  From that point he decided to create his success around what was important to him and to his surprise it worked.

One day lost in his enthusiasm he decided to open an office in Hong Kong.  This was an old dream that was now possible.  He talked about taking the lead to get this office started.  I asked him if this decision fit what was important to him and what he valued.  If he was in Hong Kong how would that support his relationship with his wife.  Upon reflection he did open the Hong Kong office but hired a young executive who was eager to live there.  Together they built this division – Tom from here and his new executive in Hong Kong.

Once we know what is important to use then we create our success in a way that supports this.

Values

The next step is to know what you value.  This may seem like the same question as what is important to you but upon reflection you will find similarities and differences.  Your values go with you to your work, your business, your life and it makes everything feel right, aligned and in sync.   Your values are not only concepts that you hold they also vibrate an energy in your space that others experience.   This may not be logical but it is something you can experience.

Your values become part of your business, your staff and customers are drawn to you because they share those values and so it goes with everyone in your life personally and professionally.  Knowing what you value is another level of knowing yourself.  Meditation is a way to find a quiet place to reflect on what you value.

We grow in our understanding of our values over time.  Our value change as we have life experiences and learn more about ourselves.  When we stick by our values then it guides the choices that we make so that we are always true to who we are.  In this way we feel connected to our work and our business.  There is no disconnect or dissatisfaction.  We find opportunities that fit what we value and decline opportunities that do not.  We make decisions that move us in ways that support what we value.

So where are you now?

Does your work or business align to what you value?  If they do then you are on track to create your vision of inspired success.  If that is not the case then you have choices.   You can change how you are in your work or your business so that you are being what you value.  You can change what you are doing and create a new opportunity.   It is common for us to decide that the problem is outside of us.  That we have to quit what we are doing. That there is something wrong with someone else and that is the cause of our dissatisfaction.  That is not the case. That is never the case.  Inspired success begins with us knowing who we are, what is important and what we value.   Walking, talking and being this creates a reality that works for us.  So the change comes within us.  No need to jump ship just yet because if you don’t change you then nothing changes no matter where you go the pattern repeats itself in a new place.

Kathy

Kathy is an experienced capable professional strategist but feels her life is not what she wants it to be personally or professionally.  When I asked her what was important to her or what did she value she did not know the answers.  In fact she did not know what she wanted.  This is not uncommon.  We take what comes at us which is one way of experiencing yourself.  We may like or not like what comes your way.

Take the time to meditate.  Connect with who you are, what is important to you and what you value then be that everyday and everywhere.  See how things change and how you experience your life and your work.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Your Routine is Killing Your Success

Your routine could be killing your success.  I was taught to get into a groove or a good routine.  There is value in this if you want to truly keep the things as they are in your life.  From an intuitive perspective routine holds them in place.  It sets your thinking, energy and actions in a particular way so that your actions and experiences repeat with the same outcome.

Success or Change

Then there is your vision of success, goals you have and a change you want to make.  This is where your routine can get in your way.  When we want to create anything we don’t currently have then change happens and happens on a number of levels.

Set in Your Ways

Your thoughts, actions and your energy as they are now create precisely what you have and experience in your life at this moment.  If you want something different or you want a change then something – and perhaps everything – has to change.  If nothing changes then nothings changes.  I love the term “set in your ways” as a reference to people who have a certain way of thinking or acting. We know they are not going to change.  They are set.

Not Getting Our Goals

Well, in truth, most of us are “set in our ways”.  Some more so than others.  The first step to manifesting, creating or having something you don’t currently have is to get uncomfortable meaning get out of your routine.  Get out of your comfort zone.  What is amazing to me is how we stay in a routine or pattern even if it does not achieve the goals we want.  We do it because it is our routine and it is familiar even if it does not create what we want.  That’s nuts!  Actually that’s routine.

Change is Not Easy

Getting out of our routine sounds like a simple thing to do but it is not.  When I talk about routine I am talking about more than your schedule and what you do in your day.  I am referring to being conscious about how you are in body, mind and spirit.  How do you set your energy?  How are you in your body?  How do you think?

Sara

I have a new assistant.  Her last job was in an atmosphere where everyone complained, acted in self-interest and in competition with each other.  An awful work environment but not uncommon.  After working there for many years she got into a routine, along with everyone else, of complaining, having a negative perspective and approaching everything as a problem.  Why did I hire her you ask?  I hired her because she is smart, experienced, high energy at her core, works independently and was continually promoted.  My intuition said she  is one really talented young woman who got into a routine of negativity.   My office is set at a high vibration of creativity and success so when she started I noticed she approached everything as a problem.  When I pointed this out to her she did not know she was doing this.  She was unconscious to her routine.

Routines Get in the Way

Our routines can be destroying what we are trying to create and we are not aware of this because routines make us unconscious.  We don’t think.  We are not aware of how we are being in the moment.  We act and react automatically.  So the first step is to notice our routines, meaning our automatic ways of being in our lives and in situations.  Notice do you always feel angry when you are about to do a particular activity.  Change it.  What is your usual energy level?  Notice.  Change it.  To create change your energy has to be high enough.  Its physics.  Raise your vibration as the first change.  Enjoy everything.  If you cannot then you are in a routine of not enjoying. Change it.

Create Change

If you want something different than what you have then get out of your routine in body, mind and spirit not just once but moving forward.  Change your schedule.  Change your thinking about things.  Change your energy (attitude).  Raise your vibration.  Place your attention on what you do want rather than what you have or what you don’t want.  There are so many ways to change.  The most important are your thinking and your energy and starting now.

Get out of your routine and focus on creating your vision of success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Consultations available.

Taking Charge of Change

  If nothing changes then nothing changes.  Creating change is more than just a decision.

Change is inevitable if we want something more or something that we do not now have.  Creating change of any kind involves many levels in order to be accomplished.  We fail to accomplish the change we want when any one of these levels does not change.  Let’s go through this in a simple way.

What You Don’t Want

What is the change you want?  This sounds so simple but it is not.  Most respond by identifying what they don’t want, the situation they want out of, etc.  This is a start but this does not accomplish the change you desire.  It simply gets you out of what you don’t want.  Remember that whatever you declare with certainty will manifest one-way or the other.    The old saying “Be careful what you pray for.” It happens very often when we say we hate the job we are in.  We want a new job but we don’t take action to get out of our job so as it turns out we are laid off or fired.  How else can we get what we said we wanted?  We did not take the action to leave our job so the only way for it to happen was to be removed.  This happens in relationships as well.  You might find yourself saying, “I need to get out of this relationship.”  We do not take action to get out of the relationship then our partner leaves.

My point being we are good at saying what we don’t want and having that manifest though not always the way we want  This happens because we did had the thought but did not create the change.  We let it happen the only way it could.  Are you following me here?   So focus on what you do want.  Know what you do want and let that manifest.

Can You Imagine It Happening?

Creating the change you desire begins with knowing clearly what you do want.  The next step is to see that happening clearly in your mind’s eye, to imagine it, visualize it, or whatever term helps you realize your ability to see what you want.  This is a state of seeing not thinking or knowing.

See It Happening Now

See your vision or your goal fully manifested in present time.  If you imagine in the future then it will forever be something you imagine in the future.  The tricky part that defies reality is to imagine it happening NOW.   This is the only way that your reality can change.  If you imagine it in the future then nothing changes.

How Does It Feel?

Once you can see this in your mind’s eye the next step is to know what this feels like in the body.   Actually experience this vision in present time.  Change happens when we can imagine something new, see it clearly in our mind’s eye, feel the difference in our body, emotions, etc.

Do this often.  Do it in meditation so that your logic and fears don’t get in your way.   Once you have your vision everything begins to change, subtly and not so subtly.  Observe, don’t control and allow the changes to manifest.

Try this today.  The steps are: to know what you want to create; to see it clearly in your mind’s eye actually happening now; feel yourself being in this new place of change and, finally, allow change to happen.

Please add your comments and experiences to this conversation.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Do Something! Make Something! Share Something!

This past weekend I attended a TEDx conference and it blew me away! Have you attended a TED conference? Go now and find one in your area. You will not be disappointed.

TEDx San Jose contacted NAWBO SF Bay Area (National Association of Women Business Owners) to see if we would sponsor the upcoming TEDx for Women. Though I had not attended this event before I saw it as providing good visibility for our organization and agreed to sponsor and promote the event. Have you ever heard the saying, “Just say yes!”?

As it turned out it was a great experience personally and professionally as well as for NAWBO. During this one-day event I heard and met ordinary people doing extraordinary things. I say ordinary people because they are just like you and me. The only difference is they think big and that nothing is impossible if I can get enough people in support of your idea.

The latest meditation series I conducted for business owners and professionals just was coincidentally on “Don’t Do It Alone!” No matter how strong, determined, independent, shy or focused we are it is not possible to manifest your vision fully on your own. It is simply not how the world works.

Let me tell you about a few of the people who I met. You can read about others on my other blog Women Achieving Goals.

Let me begin with a quote I heard that day, “Say yes to something outside your comfort zone.” The more times we can do this the greater our ability to experience who we are.

I met Super Sylvia, an eight year old who learned welding at age five then learned that she could make anything using this skill. Her enthusiasm for this was boundless. She now shares her passion for makings things on her WebTV show Super Sylvia. Her last words were “Go Make Something!” This was the best advice I heard all day because when we make something it stimulates our creative energy and self-expression in a way that inspires us. She also quoted one of her mentors from Myth Busters, “Failure is always an option.”

We heard Preetha Ram who created Open Study, a free online education for anyone worldwide. Seth Shostak, Sr. Astronomer from SETI who said in the next decade we will find a partner planet, have ability to live off Earth, create new levels of artificial intelligence and, of course, find extraterrestrials. Paul Bennett, IDEO’s CCO, whose company is trying to make being healthy fun, sexy, appealing and motivational. Bryant Austin, photographer, who takes life-size photos of whales! Jonathan Trent from the NASA Omega Project which is creating biofuel without competing with the planet.

I was most impressed by these two speakers. One was Jack Andraka, a fifteen-year-old boy who was so affected by the death of a friend from pancreatic cancer that he decided to do something about it. Currently the diagnostic test for pancreatic cancer is 60 years old, costs thousands of dollars and can only detect late stage cancer. Jack created what he describes as a 3-cent test that detects pancreatic cancer with nearly 100% accuracy in its earliest stages. His journey from an ordinary 14-year kid who knew nothing to making this discovery is nothing short of miraculous.

And finally, Adam Steltzner, lead engineer on the NASA Mars Curiosity rover. Adam spoke how people working together for a common goal, giving up their egos, making mistakes, being determined, including everyone’s perspective, etc. was the only way they could have created and landed a rover of this size on Mars. Think about this. The rocket carrying the rover traveled at 10,000 miles an hour. How do you slow it down so that it lands like a feather on Mars to protect the delicate equipment inside? They all cried when it landed successfully as did we listening to this story of collaboration.

At the end of the day I was reminded of something I tell everyone and now I am sure of it. “You are never too old and it is never too late.” I have added to this. “You are never too young and it is never too soon.” These are ordinary people with big ideas, a strong vision and the knowledge that if they could get enough people in agreement they could make it happen.

Each of these individuals had a very strong vision of what they were creating and that strong vision is manifesting in expected and unexpected ways.  Create your vision and share it.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Setting the Energy for Success

During October we focused on setting the energy for success. What does it mean to set energy? Quantum physics demonstrates  what we have known for a long time that we have an effect on everything by where we place our attention.  But it is more than placing our attention.  We can create change through our attention.  In doing so we can make things better or worse so being conscious and aware of where we place our attention is an important ability to develop.

Whatever thought we dwell on becomes our reality.  Scary thought if we are not paying attention.  For example, it is not a coincidence that something happens to you right after spending some time dwelling on it.  Dwelling on it is the same as focusing on it.  We have a thought and we begin to imagine what it would be like, adding our energy to the thought.  Poof!  It manifests.   I was working with a client and she worried that she would be laid off.  There was no evidence to that effect but she got stuck on that thought, worried about it (adding energy), imagined what she would do if she was laid off (expanded the picture in her mind) then became anxious (adding more energy).   As imagined she was laid off and to this day I know her supervisor is wondering why they laid off someone so capable.

My efforts to have her take her attention off her fear of being laid off fell on deaf ears.  She could have just as easily dwelled on and imagined being successful in her job, being enthusiastic about that (adding energy to that concept) then that thought would have manifested.  We have free will to create whatever we choose so be careful what you dwell on.

Setting energy is a way to consciously focus your attention and your energy on precisely what you would like to see happen and experience.  Being intentional is a far better practice than dwelling on what we fear or resist.

During this month we focused on some specific areas we can set energy.  You can do this as well. Try understanding your ability to set energy in the following areas.

• Your Space & Your Success: How do you want to be?  How are you being in your work? Everyone is intuitive so how do others experience you? How would you like them to experience you?  Set your space in a way that supports your success.
• Your Office or Workspace: How do you feel when you are in your office or workspace?  Are you inspired or do you feel irritated?  Identify what irritates you.  It could be someone, something, the energy level, etc.  Make changes to raise the energy level of your workspace so that you feel inspired.  Clear the clutter, rearrange the space, fix what is broken, move away from someone negative, etc.
• Communication: Communication is more than words.  It is an intuitive experience.  Take the time to notice how you want to be when in communication with someone.  Remember that everyone is intuitive so what are they picking up from you? What is the goal of your communication?  What is on your mind?  Clear your thinking. What energy is in your space?  You can’t hide it so change it to the vibration you want others to experience from you.
• Achieve A Goal: Setting energy to meet a particular goal.  You have a goal.   Can  you see it in your mind’s eye?  Notice how you react to your goal.  What are your thoughts about it?  How do you feel (your energy level) when you put your attention on this goal?  Now clear your thinking and change your energy so that your goal can manifest in the way you desire.

There are recorded meditations on each of these areas if interested in learning more about how to set energy for success.  Series is ”Setting Energy for Success” To  buy.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

If you can imagine it …

A photographer told me a great story of a surprising step she took in her business.  Kathy has a cute, quaint 400 sq. ft. photography studio.  She loves the look and feel of it but it has become clear that it no longer fits her needs.  It is simply too small. She needs a much bigger space but  feared she could not afford this.  Though she did not proactively look for new space she did none the less keep the idea of new space in her mind.  She thought of it often and imagined the kind of space she wanted, where it would be located, how much she would pay and all the details that described her ideal new studio.

Last Thursday she was walking in the area of her current studio and saw a For Rent sign on a store front.  She felt energy move through her.  Feeling excited and inspired she called the landlord and saw the property on Friday.  It was perfect, 1000 sq. feet, high ceilings, open space on a cute street with other small businesses.  She knew immediately this was what she had imagined.  It gave her chills to realize her vision manifested.  At this moment her concerns about paying more in rent were gone.  She could see her business growing in this larger space. Monday she completed the rent application and by Tuesday had signed a new lease.

Kathy is still aglow realizing that her vision manifested.  Her plan is to pay rent on both spaces in the short run to create a grounded move into her new studio. Her fears about money are gone.

Kathy’s story about her vision manifesting is exactly how we create.  The more aware we become of this ability the more we can manifest our vision of success.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

If you would like to learn to create your vision of success just email me.

Self-Expression: the Power Behind Your Success

How comfortable are you with self-expression?  Self-expression can be the engine that drives your success.   You may find yourself doing a job, working hard yet not considering even for a moment if you are expressing who you are.  If you find you are irritable, complaining or disappointed about some aspect of your life or your work, notice if you’re lacking the room for self-expression.

Often we give our energies to our job or our work.  That is very different from creating our work spaces from a place of self-expression.  Without analyzing this, I’ll describe the difference as I see it intuitively.

When you put all of your energy (life force energy, creative energy, physical energy, emotional energy, etc.) into your work, then all of your energy leaves your space.  That seems effective at first – until you just don’t feel right and you start to experience a lack of vitality.  You’re not sure exactly what’s wrong, but you know there’s some kind of problem with your work space.

On the other hand, when you see your work as a vehicle for self-expression, your energy level goes up, and you run your life force, creative, physical, and emotional energies in your space as you work.  You feel inspired, creative and enthusiastic. Your energy is moving in your space and its level is high.

These are the mechanics of the power of self-expression. But what is self-expression?  It is simply awareness of self from within, and expressing, showing, experiencing that self in your work, play, life, relationships and all the other aspects of your life

Tapping into your true self, communicating it, and showing it to others requires you to become more aware and to get out of old patterns. It may even feel scary or strange.   Our fear of how others might react to how we express ourselves often keeps us from taking this risk.  Knowing that self-expression is not about seeking approval or validation from others helps change those expectations.

Self-expression may feel risky but the benefits are well worth it.  Making self-expression the driving force in your life changes everything.

Does the energy level of the body keep you from success?

      When your vision begins to manifest do you unconsciously stop it or miss the opportunity? This week I was reminded how easy it is to forget that we are creating our reality when our body reacts to these changes.  Perhaps this story will help us all become more aware, intuitive and recognize there are no coincidences.

Kathy

Kathy has a successful accounting firm.  Her business has sustained on referrals for years.  Recently she decided that she wanted to grow her business 50%.  As we developed a strategy for that to happen Kathy realized she would need to change her client demographics.  Once her business plan was completed I guided her through a meditation to visualize this growth and change in her company.  This plan would change everything.  She envisioned a big step for herself, her staff and her success.

Within the week she received several unexpected inquiries that would give her access to her new client demographics of high net worth individuals.

• One of her staff brought in couple from his church to interview the firm.
• An investment banker asked her to attend an invitation only luncheon for his clients.
• An estate attorney asked to meet to discuss her ability to serve his clients.
• And a business organization in LA asked her to partner with them for large local event.

Kathy was thrilled and inspired by this sudden onslaught of possibilities that seem to manifest right from her new business plan and vision.   Indeed they did.   She had a busy week before her.

Yesterday, during our coaching session, Kathy said she was worried and wanted to quit.   I have heard and seen this countless times before so I laughed and asked her if success was scaring her.  I saw intuitively that her physical body was reacting to the energy change she just made in her company.  This is not logical but it is very intuitive.   We create as body, mind and spirit.   When all three parts are in sync we are happy with our success.  Kathy decided to increase her business 50%, updated her business plan (mind) and meditated to create a vision (spirit) of this new level of success and to see clearly how things would be different, i.e. new client base.

In the body, mind and spirit triad, the mind can come up with ideas and thoughts with little effort.   We can take the time to visualize which is the spirit part of us.  The body on the other hand hates change, easily goes into fear and is always seeking comfort so when we visualize something new, a big step up and the change it requires, our body reacts.  Sometimes it screams NO!

Kathy created a vision that she was excited to create.  Her creative energy level was high.   This change in her energy level created a reaction in her body, which was at a lower vibration.  Anywhere the energy was low or slow in her body suddenly felt uncomfortable, in pain and  she wanted to quit.  This was quite simply her body reacting to the energy of change.

This is the time that many people back off their success and not takes steps to raise the energy level of the body to be high enough to allow success. We can decide to succeed or sit down so that the body is comfortable.  So many people let their body’s limitation stop them, direct their decisions, etc. when all they need to do is help raise the energy level of the body high enough to match the vision she has created.  In this way we are in sync (body, mind and spirit).

In my practice I suggest the basics to keep the energy level of the body high enough to allow you to create inspired success.

• Get the right amount of sleep and exercise.  Both are a must.
• Eat high value foods.  Your nutrition can raise or lower the vibration of your body so chose foods of high value.
• Breath deeply and more often.   Breathe deeper.
• Drink lots of water as this keeps energy moving in the body.
• And finally have fun!  This raises the energy level of the body.

Next time you take a big step or even think about taking a big step notice how your body reacts.  Consciously take steps to raise the energy level of the body so that you can have inspired success.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Join a free meditation each Friday, 12:15 PM Pacific

Inspired Success Bootcamp – Get out of your way!

Some do not achieve success because they simply get in their own way, back away from opportunities, resist change and don’t push through the energy to take crucial steps. I have coached business owners and professionals for 30 years and have seen so many stand in their own way.  My job is to help them get out-of-the-way, to be clear about their vision and use their courage and determination to push through the limits they believe are real.

There are many ways that we stop our success.  Each of these are addressed in upcoming blogs.  Today’s blog is how our thinking gets in our way.  When we believe what we think we make bad decisions, misinterpret information and head down the wrong road.  You are probably thinking, “How can that be?”   That is precisely why I am writing this blog.  We believe what we think.  To think clearly depends on having perspective.  We do not have perspective when we act and react to the current thought in our head which may not be based on reality.  This thought may come from a restimulated memory, an emotion, someone else’s thought. etc.   Our challenge is to continually clear our thoughts so that we can see clearly.

Amy

One of my clients, Amy, is an incredibly talented strategist and communications professional.  She knows everyone because she is that good yet she believes that her career is failing.  It is not but by believing that it is she is creating failure.  This failure comes from Amy’s thoughts about her capabilities.   These thoughts about failure are contrary to all facts.   Amy spent time recently with the president and his communications team.  She discussed with his communications team how they could use her talents to support the re-election campaign. With all of this going on and still her thinking about what is possible stand in her way.  Her thoughts are wrong but she is unwilling to give them up.  She is afraid to.  In my coaching I push clients to clear their thinking, move on even if afraid and create a new perspective that supports their success.  It is not always easy so I push and at times push hard which is why I fondly refer to my work as Inspired Success Bootcamp.

Jeff

At times people confuse my push with their limits, get angry and not see the blocks they may have placed in their own way.  I was working with a client yesterday who I enjoy a great deal because he can see when he is stuck in his own thinking.  Jeff, a successful chef, jokingly refers to a boulder that sits in his way as a metaphor for the limits he creates and perceives on his path of success.   Sometimes he looks at how he can move around the boulder.  My question yesterday was can he step back and become aware of why he is creating the boulder to begin with.  He laughed because he always thinks he has to overcome things so it was amusing for him to ask why he feels he has to create things to overcome.

Recently he meditated on having the owners of the company not being so ever-present in order to give him the space to create.  He cleared his thinking and saw how this might happen.  It did.  He was thrilled then he laughed saying, “Be careful what you pray for.”  Jeff found that he indeed now had more space to create but he also had new responsibilities to oversee the whole operation with the absence of the owners.  He wonders if this is truly what he wanted.  I imagine he will meditate on this again.

These are a couple of examples of how our thinking creates our reality.   Take the time to meditate on your vision of success.  What are your thoughts about it?  Quiet the body and clear the mind so that you can become aware of your thoughts that are in the way of your success.

Please share your stories of success, what is in your way  or how you got out of your way.

Best wishes on your success.

Kay

Inspired Success Bootcamp for business owners or professionals.

If it does not feel right…

One of my client’s is making a serious effort to double her revenue.  Claire was inspired by how easily she increased her revenue by 30% this year.  (She did use the word easy in hindsight.)  With this new goal in mind Claire developed a marketing strategy that takes advantage of all the new ways of marketing.  Most of this plan is out of her comfort zone so she looked for experts in a variety of areas to carry out her plan.

Claire is clear about her new marketing strategy.  She has done her homework.  Her task is to find the right people.  At first she was drawn to professionals she has used in the past and who are loyal to her and her company.  She thinks they could do some of it including her sister who is a professional writer.  Recently a PR expert at a networking event approached Claire.  She agreed to hear what she had to offer.   Finally she received recommendations from myself and other trusted advisors of professionals she may want to interview.

Before she began the process of finding a team she took the time to meditate on her vision of success, which for this upcoming year meant doubling her revenue.  She felt if she could not see this clearly then how could she navigate a team toward this goal.  Claire meditated until she cleared her thinking and could see clearly doubling her revenue.  She then meditated and imagined a team of experts who would help bring in new clients with specific demographics, a team that would work together, enthusiastically and collaborate to achieve her vision of success.

My task was to watch intuitively to see what was driving Claire’s choices so that loyalty did not trump skill and strong salesmanship did not talk her into something that was not a good fit.

As Claire sorted through her options, she used both a logical and intuitive approach.  She checked credentials, looked at samples of everyone’s work, interviewed writers, social media experts, PR professionals, graphic designers, etc.  Her most difficult decision came when her intuition told her not to use the writer and marketing person she used in the past.   This was not a logical decision.  She just felt intuitively that they were not the right fit for the level of growth she envisioned.   Claire did stay with her graphics team who are young, inspired and push her to think in new ways.  They stayed on the team!

The PR person had a strong presence and was very interested in helping Claire increase the visibility of her business but in the end something just did not feel right.  Claire found herself finding fault with the proposal, their communication, etc. then she realized that she did not need to find fault.   The PR company just did not feel right.  It was not logical. She stopped trying to find fault (logic) and simply decided not pursue this strategy at this time. It was intuitive.

Finally, she needed a social media expert.  This is a new and growing field in which an expert is not well-defined.  She decided in the end to interview three of the five people on her list of possible experts.   Her choice of the three was intuitive and she was correct.  In those interviews she found someone who described an approach that fit for Claire and how she saw her brand.

Coincidentally, immediately after Claire and I met to finalize her marketing plan and the team she would be hiring, her phones were ringing off the hook.  Three new-targeted clients called and scheduled appointments.  Claire felt that was a miracle!   From my perspective is was Claire’s vision of success beginning to manifest.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Let me know if you would like an review of your marketing strategy from an intuitive perspective.  kay@insightintuitiveconsulting.com

Happiness is not coming

  Ben Bernanke, Federal Reserve Chairman, relates our happiness with progress of the economy.  If you are happy then the economy is progressing.  Which came first the chicken or the egg?  For each of us the answer may be different.

This month I focused my work (with clients, online meditations, blogs and webinars) on happiness.  We all say we want it.  We all long for it as if it was something coming in the future. Happiness is not coming in the future.

Happiness is an experience in the moment.  We cannot experience happiness in the past or in the future.  We can only experience it now.  So be happy NOW.   For most the immediate response is to think of all the things that have to happen first before we can be happy.  For example, you will be  happy when you have more money, a better relationship, lost 50 lbs. and a long list of other reasons.  None of this is true but that does not matter.  If we believe it then we make it true.

Interest in happiness has grown recently.  It seems to be more important as our culture evolves.  There is even a new specialty in economics known as happiness studies.   Though money does not buy happiness these studies have determined that the magic number is $75,000 annual income to be happy.  Less than that folks tend to be unhappy.  More than that does not mean you are happier. Interesting.

From an intuitive perspective, when we decide to be happy – in this moment – and we change our energy to the level of happiness in body, mind and spirit everything changes.  Happiness is a high vibration with energy moving.   As a result our ability to act and react to life changes.  We have a different perspective, can see more clearly and make better decisions.  We feel better in our body.   There are other changes we experience when we decide to be at the energy level of happiness.

Sounds wonderful but it is not that easy unless you are genetically inclined to be happy.  For most aside from happy experiences, the idea of just being happy takes some attention.  If we consciously focus on being happy throughout the day things are going to change.   Those changes may not be fun or easy.  Happiness is a high energy level, which hits up against anything in our space that is vibrating at a lower energy level.  It is like putting a spotlight on everything that makes us unhappy.  Then what do we do?   We can decide to stop vibrating at being happy because it makes us aware of places in our lives that make us unhappy.  Or stay at the level of happiness, allow things to change and commit to being happy.

The answer to this is your free will.  If you decide to go for being happy remember:

• Be happy now
• Be happy in body, mind and spirit
• Be willing to let go of old thinking, energy and ways of being
• Allow change

Being happy is a journey in self discovery and it is a change worth making.

Best wishes,  Kay

Get Out of Comfort Zone, Push Your Envelope & Own Your Value

Getting out of comfort zone

How to create inspired success is not rocket science.  In all that I have read, experienced and observed there is a short list of must do steps.   Everything you read and hear from me is about these steps and how we can get in our own way.  Kathy took the step to get out of her own way and created success.

Kathy

This week I again observed how these steps work. Kathy has a bookkeeping business and her goal for the year is to increase her sales by 20% and net income by 30%.  Each week she finds herself having to make decisions that will either keep her comfortable or push her outside her comfort zone.   She struggles to decide knowing that she wants to reach her goal for the year.

Kathy’s team participated in an audit for one of her clients and the outcome was in her client’s favor.  It took a lot of work by her team to get his out of date books in order.  When it came time to bill for services Kathy was uncomfortable because the bill was so high.  Should she lower her bill and charge what she was comfortable asking or bill the full amount and own the value of their work?  She could not decide.

When Kathy and I discussed this I saw three intuitive principles at work.
•    Havingness: Was she going to let the energy of her company stay where it is familiar or push through to take it a step up?
•    Non-resistance: The second principle was for her to allow both possibilities. Ask for the full amount and allow the client to pay less.  This is not logical but it is a very important principle. She had to get out of resistance.
•    Clear vision:  We can visualize what we want but if our thoughts and emotions conflict with that vision then it will not manifest.

Kathy decided to invoice the full amount, to call the client and follow-up.  She wanted to be fully paid but for this new client she would be willing to negotiate if necessary.  Finally her vision was that the client would pay her in full without batting an eye.  In meditation she cleared any thoughts she had about him not wanting to pay, her guilt about invoicing such a large amount and the fear of pushing her company to a new level.

In the end the client was so grateful the audit came out well that he did not even bat an eye at the invoice and paid it upon receipt.

It is our own thinking that gets in our way.   Kathy laughed and immediately unconsciously created another situation with another new client who wanted her to create books for his company.  It took longer than they both expected and she was afraid to bill such a large amount to a new client.  The steps and the outcome were the same at the story so I will not repeat them here.  Kathy struggled.  She billed the full amount.  The client paid.  Amen.  Kathy is learning to get out of her own way so her business grows.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Check out the next Inspired Success Webinar series beginning September 5 in which we will discuss the core principles of Inspired Success.

Fear of Loss – It’s Just a Story

Most of what I know about success I learned from my clients, those that succeeded and those that have not.  This story is about how thoughts are creative especially when they stimulate our fears.  We have control – when we pay attention and clear our thinking.

Kathy is a consultant.  She has one very big contract that keeps her busy most of the time though she has other clients as well.   Every now and then she goes into fear that if she looses this primary client it will devastate her.  As with any business we know not to rely on one or two contracts though many successful businesses have done just that for years.  The intuitive point in this story is Kathy has a fear (picture) in her mind (space) that is at her core.  She has expressed several times that she wants to get of  fear of not having the money she needs and wants.

As an intuitive I have observed that we are always getting our goals.  Kathy has declared that one of her goals is to get out of fear.  Once we have a goal our world changes in ways that help us achieve that goal.  Often that means experiencing what we fear so that we can get out of it.   Watching Kathy intuitively I saw her creating ways to re-stimulate her fear of losing a client not because she wanted this to happen but so that she could use the opportunity to get out of fear.

Intuitively I watched this fear picture move to the surface (of her space) and experiences begin to happen.  The first was Mandy, who taught her and mentored her for years to become a consultant, called to say that she lost her biggest client and now was in serious financial straits.  This was big for Kathy.  If it could happen to Mandy then it could happen to her.  The person who was the expert just created what Kathy feared the most.  I cautioned Kathy to pay close attention to her reaction and not to go into sympathy because in doing do she brings her mentors problem into her space where is could easily manifest for her as well.  I suggested that she consider Mandy as  her teacher in a new way.   Learn by looking intuitively and seeing what caused Mandy to create this and see if Kathy has a similar concept so that she could clear this thought.

The next experience was with one of executives who works for her largest client.  He told her the new CFO wanted to cut Kathy’s contract in half.  Panic!  She immediately believed it was true. I warned Kathy not to place her attention on that thought knowing that whatever thought you place your attention on will manifest.  It does not matter whether it is something that you want or something that you fear.  Kathy did not have to take that communication as her reality.

Finally, her best friend called to say that her husband’s pay was cut 60% and they were doomed.  When Kathy told me these  three  scenarios one after another I began to laugh and asked Kathy if she could see that there was no coincidence here.  She has a choice.  She could match the pictures and see all of this happening to her – her greatest fear – and it would or she could use this opportunity to get her goal to get out of fear by clearing her thinking.  Again I cautioned against dwelling on these stories or going into sympathy.

At the end of her session Kathy spent time meditating on seeing clearly her vision of success, releasing her fear and clearing her thinking.  Kathy knows that her vision of success does not depend on this client.  That it can manifest in a number of ways.  However, Kathy did not want to lose her client so we meditated on her having a conversation with the new CFO and visualized how she would like that conversation to go.

Kathy reported back that despite all her fears the conversation with the CFO went very well.  She continues to check herself when she goes into fear before her thinking  distorts her reality.

Be aware of your thinking.  It’s just your story.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Schedule a consultation

Taking Control of Our Thinking

Watching very capable business owners and professionals for the past 20+ years has brought me to the same conclusion many have said before.  Thoughts are creative.

Those who see clearly what they are creating, stay focused and determined succeed.   Some do not have a clear vision and so nothing is manifesting.  This is not difficult to understand.  Imagine that you are the creator.  If you do not have a clear idea of what you want to create then nothing manifests.  Still others have a clear vision followed by a great many thoughts that tell them why what they envision cannot happen and so it does not.

This brought me to a very clear understanding of how we manifest.  It sounds easy but it is not.  The most difficult task before us is to control our thinking.  When we stay focused on our vision, align our thinking and our feelings to support our vision it will manifest.  On the other hand if we let our thinking drift to argue against our success then what we are creating comes to a stop because we thought so.

As an intuitive I can see this clearly.  We always have either a vision or a thought.  Something is on our mind. It can be something we want or something we do not want.  It is all the same. Our energy begins to form around that picture (vision or thought) and once enough energy gathers it becomes a physical reality.

With this in mind, I work with people who focus on success (personal or professional) to clear their thinking, notice what they are thinking and stay focused on a very clear vision.

I find that some of us  are set in our ways, have a certain way of thinking and believe what we think. If we are not accustomed to change then nothing changes.  Dwelling in negative thoughts, unable to imagine a new reality, don’t believe their vision can manifest are some of the more common forms of thinking that get in the way of success.

Success comes from a clear vision, focusing all our thoughts, feelings and actions to that end.   Do not be deterred. Don’t see problems but only solutions.  Keep moving forward even if you do not know precisely how to get there.

When we can become conscious and aware of our thinking, take control of it so that we don’t dwell on thoughts that negate our vision and work hard to change our thinking about things success comes easily.   We read stories all the time of people who tells the story of how they imagined success in a very particular way then it manifested.  Kate Winslett tells about standing in front of a mirror practicing her Academy Award acceptance speech while she was in college.

I recommend meditation though that is not the only way to clear our thinking and open our awareness.  I work with business owners and professionals every day to clear their thinking and create a strong vision they can manifest as success.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com

Time for Big Change

What is the definition of insanity?  You remember.  It has something to do with doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.   We do this all the time.  All of us.  Routines that don’t serve us, rigid thinking, ideas that aren’t true, habits that get in our way, blame games, being set in our ways, not allowing change, etc., are all ways in which we create our own insanity. Do old concepts about money and relationships control your reality (illusion) with concepts of blame, fear, scarcity, etc.? It is time to stop if we want something to be different.

Change Now

I work with people who focus on manifesting their vision of success and the only thing I can see is in our way is ourselves.  Truly.  So I have decided to shout out! Loud!

• Know your vision of success.
• Clear your thinking.
• Stay focused on vision.
• Don’t get distracted.
• Take NEW steps.
• Allow your vision to manifest.

A New Paradigm

There is also an energy shift happening.  You can see it in government and in corporations.  Old models and ways of thinking are no longer working and, in fact, are harming us.  Old paradigms of being right, in competition, self-serving, being first, etc. are old ways of being.   As you focus on your vision of success include the highest good for yourself and the highest good of all. When you do this you might find yourself going back to something that has always been true for you or doing something you have always wanted to do.

No Fear

Making this shift will take you out of your comfort zone.  If you find that is not the case then nothing has changed.  Meditate to have clear communication with yourself.  Fear, risk, the unknown are characteristics of real change. This is a time to be conscious, aware and open to new possibilities, allow new and perhaps unusual ways to make money. Allow and discover love and fun!  You know your answer.  Just do it!

• Meditate.
• Get out of your mind.
• Open to new ideas and solutions.

This is a time of change.  Old ideas and ways of doing things will not move you forward.  They will maintain precisely what you have now.  Maybe that is ok or you can see yourself having more.

Be a Leader

This is a time for leadership, for each of us to model a new way of being.  Clearly leadership at the highest levels of government and corporations is not the model that works.  So as a paradigm shift let’s have leadership start at the “lowest” level meaning with each of us influencing our family, community, company, etc.

Courage

Manifesting our vision of success takes great courage.   It is our inclination to stay in routines and patterns of being even if it does not serve us.  Taking the time to be conscious and be the change you wish means getting out of our routine, our comfort zone and changing our thinking.  Try this for one day and you will know the difference.  Then try it for another day.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

If you cannot see where you are stuck then contact me (kay@insightintuitiveconsulting.com) and I will offer insight on this for you.

Mistakes Can Support Success

Cathy was really angry with her office manager, Sara, who had made a mistake.  Cathy vented to me how upsetting it is for her when any of her staff made a mistake.  It makes her want to fire them because she cannot afford to have people make mistakes. I offered Cathy another perspective.

Cathy decided to grow her company by 30% this year.  We have been working on her strategy to do this. We have met with her staff and created a strong vision that everyone supports.  I meet with Cathy weekly and one or more of her staff every other week to keep everyone moving forward to meet this goal. Things are changing.  There is heavy new client recruitment and at the same time nurturing and servicing existing clients.  Big steps are being made to bring everything inline to support this growth, new messaging, updating their marketing, changing their internal systems, etc.

Mistakes -  An Opportunity to Learn

Knowing that with all these moving parts and changes mistakes are inevitable. I suggested to Cathy that she recognize the mistakes as adjustments to change.  Staff making mistakes is an opportunity to look more closely at some aspect of the company, train staff to be better at their job and allow staff to expand their skills into unknown or evolving skill areas.  Consider mistakes as a way to let your company grown and improve That is not to say that it is ok for an employee  to continually make mistakes without concern or attempts to improve.  That is another situation entirely.  On the other hand employees who are not afraid to make mistakes knowing that they will learn and will receive help or training along the way is a very valuable employee.

Hiding Mistakes

I have seen employees who are afraid to make mistakes and hide the mistakes they do make both of which hurt your company.  Employees who are afraid to make mistakes will not grow in their positions and will not help you grow your business.  Employees who hide their mistakes are an even greater detriment to your company as those mistakes are usually discovered after they have had a negative impact in some fashion.

Mistakes that Support Your Success

• Creating a culture where everyone is knows and actively supports the vision of success is the first step.  Staffs who know you vision of success are an entirely different part of your team than staff who simply has a job to do.  Encourage staff to move outside their comfort zone to learn new skills.

• Empower your staff to take initiative in their job in ways necessary to support the vision of success.  Ask them to offer creative ways to do their job.  They know things about their job that others don’t so encourage them to offer ways their role in the company can support its success.

• Encourage staff not to be afraid to make mistakes and ask for support or training.

• Allow staff to work together to find solutions. Staffs that buy into the vision of success are greatly inspired by working with others in the company to solve problems and find solutions.  That means trying something new and making a mistake along the way.  It may mean making a mistake from lack of experience but they are ready to learn.

• Create a culture of support so that staff work in communication and collaboration and not judgment and competition of each other.  Set the energy of your company so that support, encouragement and cooperation are valued.

• Notice your reactions to staff making mistakes.  How does your staff experience your reactions?  Take the time to meditate on this as a way to clear and let go of past patterns and thoughts but more importantly imagining a new way of being in reaction to mistakes.  How do you want to be?

• Clear your thinking.  Notice your thoughts and reactions to mistakes.  Some of this may feel automatic and beyond your control.  Become conscious and aware of those concepts and the energy that comes with them.  Decide how you want to be.

• Finally, do you allow yourself to make mistakes, take risks and get out of your comfort zone?  Do you hide your mistakes even when they are in plain sight?  They are always in plain sight.

Take a look at where you are now and how you want things to change so that your company can grow in its vision of success.  The team you have around you is the key to your success.  Meditate on how you want to set the energy of your company for everyone involved.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay Robinson

Business Consultant

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Business from the Ashes

Tracy is not my client though she shows up at every free event that I have.  I do not mind that but it does make we wonder.  Her story is one of giving up, stepping out of the energy of success then trying to get back in.

Twenty years ago Tracy and her friend, Kathy, started a business together.  They created a wonderful model for searching for the ideal staff person but even more than that they prepared people for those jobs.  Their model is proprietary.  It worked and brought them instant success.  Their business model allowed them to work together or with their own clients.  All was well and money was flowing in.  Their combined female creative energy was a fireball that inspired everyone they worked with.

Because Tracy is not my client as I only met her when giving a talk at a group of business owners I cannot tell what went wrong and it really does not matter.   Something I said and the growth period Tracy was in caused her to look to me for an answer.

It is now 20 years later.  She is turning 50 and her business is dead.  Tracy was desperate to know why and how to get it going again.  Frankly she needed the money more than she wanted to have a business.  My intuitive read was she had taken her attention off creating her business sometime ago thinking it would continue on its own steam letting her staff run the day-to-day work of the business.  She was wrong.

Vision of Success

A business is a vision (a picture) when energized by the owner becomes a reality.  Conversely when the owner of that vision (picture, business) takes their attention (their energy) off their vision it begins to dissipate.  I know you all are thinking this out logically but I am describing something that I see energetically.  This is why the a strong vision by an owner is so critical to the success of any business.

The only other way her plan would have worked is if there was a particular staff person who had a strong vision and ownership of that vision such that he/she would use their life force energy to manifest it.  This is rare though it does happen.  That was not the case here. Her business died from lack of vision and energy.

Tracy needed to get her vision back or create a new one then focus (energize) that vision.

Success in Past Time

When I offered to Tracy that she needed to get out of her house and back into the world and into her business, the pain in her space was too great.  She had pulled her energy out so much that she no longer has a vision of success.  When I suggested that she create a new vision of her company in present time she declared that was not possible.  She believed her success was in the model she created originally.

Tracy’s vision and energy are stuck in a past time success and she is unwilling or unable to create a new vision in present time.   When we have our energy of success in the past we are not able to create success in present time.  This is not logical but it is intuitive.  I saw clearly that Tracy has the ability to create success.

Creative Energy

For sometime Tracy let the energy in her body drop very low.  When you looked at her you could see the spark that was Tracy but her creative energy and life force energy were low.  There is no way to create from a low vibration so her next step was to get dressed, get out of her house and into the business world.  She knew this was going to be hard.

Havingness

Successful people vibrate at an energy level I call havingness.  It means simply that they expect to have what they want.   They imagine it happening.  They expect it to happen.   Their vision is strong and they are certain.  Tracy had that when she created her business so I know she has that ability within her.  She is not at that vibration at this moment.   I suggested that she meditate to clear her thinking, see her vision of success in present time and get the creative energy moving.

Support

When Tracy realized she could not get out of the low vibration, create a new vision, let go of the past and get back into the world she looked for support.  Tracy partnered with another company that does her work globally hoping that by aligning herself with a bigger company she would get the energy moving in her business.  Logically it sounds like a good plan.  Intuitively we have to have energy moving in our space to have energy moving in our creations so she still has to do this for herself.

Tracy’s next steps as I see them from an intuitive perspective are:

• Get energy moving in her space.  Raise the energy in her body.
• Get back into her business.
• Create a new vision in present time.  Stop thinking and create a vision.
• Pull energy out of her past success.
•  Create in present time even if that means a new business model.
• Clear her thinking.
• See herself as successful in present time – raise her havingness

Tracy is a really good example of how we can lose our business then take steps to create it again in present time.  I do not now if she will decide to do this that is yet to be seen though I see her taking steps to see if she can make it happen.

Your story may not be the same as Tracy’s but if you are looking to re-energize your business or career these same principles apply.

Nothing is impossible and determination (focused energy) can change everything.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Inspired Success

Achieving Goals Won’t Get You There

Getting your goals won’t do it.  When I began working with people some 20+ years ago I was all about goals.  I knew how to get people to meet them.  I had a strategy that worked. Over time I found that my clients were achieving goals and faster than they expected but complained that they were not satisfied nor any happier.

From an intuitive perspective I saw that they focused on achieving goals but did not have a vision for themselves.  What was the life they imagined for themselves? What was the bigger picture they wanted to create?   What did their goals have to do with that?

Since that time I  focus on making sure my clients have a clear vision of their life, work, health, wealth, etc.  I have found that once we have a clear vision then we can create goals to move in that direction.  That creates the next obstacle.  I observed that most people take their goals very seriously and perhaps you should.  I suggest that you focus on your goals but focus more on your vision.

Goals are a good way to direct our actions while not making them more important than our vision.  Let me explain.   Your vision is paramount.  Your goals are simply the actions you believe you need to take to get there.  It is your best guess at the moment.  Often our vision begins to manifest in unexpected ways and faster than we expected.   If we are so focused on our goals we can actually get in our own way and keep our vision from manifesting.

Often I see my clients get so focused on a goal that they do not see the opportunity in front of them. One of my clients, Tim,  is the Director of Health Care for a mid-west medical system.  He had a strong vision for his facility.  He created goals that included staff changes.  There was one doctor he wanted on his staff because he was convinced he would help achieve his vision.  He created a series of five goals that he felt he needed to achieve to bring on this prominent doctor and it would take a year.  Tim continued to meditate on his vision.   A week or two later another highly regarded doctor became available.  Tim could not see that this doctor would help him get his vision for the facility because he was so focused on the goals he had set.  I suggested Tim take his energy out of his goals and focus on his vision, that perhaps this new doctor is the way to meet his vision.  Tim meditated on this, cleared his thinking and realized would be the asset he needed.  He hired him.  Over the past month they have increased their patient population and brought new visibility to the facility.  Tim is well on his way to achieving his vision for the year in the first six months.

Create your vision.  Create goals too.  Notice how your vision is manifesting.  Don’t get stuck in your goals or make them more important than your vision.  Meditate.  See your vision. Constantly notice where you are and be willing to let go and be in present time.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Free Q&A each Monday at 5 PM Pacific.  Call (218) 862-7200  Access 299398.  Ask a question and listen to the conversation.

Manifesting our goals the hard way

Mandy has been working with me to make a career change.  She has a good job that pays well and is a leader in her industry but it is not what she wants to be doing.

When we created a plan to transition to a new career or an old career revisited she got cold feet and worried that she needed her current job because she couldn’t imagine actually creating a new career at this time in her life.  Mandy continued to imagine a change, made some attempts then turned around and tried to find ways to connect with her current job.

From an intuitive perspective we are always getting our goals until we decide that we are not.  Mandy never gave up her goal so I knew it was manifesting.  I also knew that her goal would manifest gracefully if she was proactive or not so gracefully if she was not.

This is not logical but it is very intuitive.

So her was her vision. Mandy wanted out of her job and onto a new career.   She could not take the steps to make it happen.  The only way for her goal to manifest in this scenario is to lose her job. That is exactly what happened.  She was laid off so now she has to create the change she desired all along.   She is getting her goal though not very gracefully.

This same scenario played out for Mary.  She was a top executive in a large organization, was paid well and had a lot of visibility but it was not the job she wanted.  Over and over again she decided to quit and each time she thought about it her company gave her a raise.  As a single mom she could not imagine quitting a good paying job so she stayed all the while visualizing her next step.  Her vision manifested when one day she was suddenly laid off.  At first she was angry then she realized that she had visualized a job change for a long time.

My best counsel is to take charge of the change you visualize because it is going to happen with (gracefully) or without your guidance (not so gracefully).

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Join Free Q&A each Monday 5- 5:30 PM  1 (218) 862-7200  Access 299398.  Ask a question, hear insights  and listen to others.

Remember What You Prayed For

  When I began working with Sara a year ago she had one very large corporate contract that was her primary work along with a few private clients.  Everything was going well but she worried that if her large contract for some reason was cut she would experience too large a loss.  Sara wanted to create another large corporate contract with the idea of adding staff to her business.

We identified the type of corporations she wanted to approach and began to develop a plan to secure those contracts.  This list included what Sara would call her “fantasy” company, a large famous company that she always wanted to work with but with a laugh wondered if it was possible.

As part of the plan to secure another contract I asked Sara how she would make room for this additional work, as her schedule was already fully booked.  This question always seemed to end the conversation and the planning but time and time again Sara would bring up the need to secure new contracts though she did not take actions to make it happen.

As an intuitive I know a few principals always in play.

• We are always getting our goals.
• Whatever we resist will manifest.
•  A strong vision manifests.

These may not be logical but they are very intuitive so I worried that Sara was not aware of what she was creating.  She was resisting loosing or reducing her current contract.  She had a strong vision of bringing on a new contract but was not making creating a plan or space for it.

As I mentioned we are always getting our goals so here is how it is turning out for Sara.  She raised her fees for her current contract and they agreed.  Not coincidentally, a few of the executives she was working with left the company thus reducing the work she was doing with them.  Her first reaction was fear at loosing this contract.  This is not logical but could manifest if she believes that it will.  In reality the contract reduced a little, enough to give her room to bring on another contract or client.

Also not coincidentally an executive from her fantasy company called to discuss her services and contracted with her to work with one executive as a beginning step to a larger contract!  She was beyond thrilled.  And finally one of her private clients referred her company to Sara.  She just submitted a proposal to secure a new contract with them.

Now with all of Sara’s vision beginning to manifest my question still is how is she going to provide services to all the clients she has created.  This will make her take the next step in her vision of success, adding staff to her business.

I love this story as I watched it unfold.  I watched Sara’s vision created so my message is remember what you pray for because it is manifesting.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Free Q&A each Monday 5 – 5:30 PM Pacific.  Call to ask a question. 1 (218) 862-7200 Access 299398 or SKYPE mkayrobinson

The definition of insanity or success

You have heard the definition of insanity. That same concept applies to business and success. From an intuitive perspective the way that you think now, your routine, actions, perspective, attitude, approach and energy level all create what you are experiencing, have and are creating in this moment. If nothing changes in these areas then nothing will change in your life or your work. You may reach a goal or two but your vision of success personally and professionally remains beyond your reach.

On other hand if you allow and create change then everything else changes. Some of those changes might include:
• Change your thinking
• Get out of your routine
• Develop a new perspective
• Take different actions
• Adopt a new attitude
• Approach everything in a new way
• Change your energy level

These sound simple but it’s not that easy.   We are creatures of habit. We have automatic defaults for the above and when we are not paying attention we automatically revert to our default. You might say we are set in our ways.

There are other levels of change you can create within you as well changes outside yourself, i.e. the people around you, where you spend your time, your physical environment. This is why vacations are so helpful. We get out of an old pattern into an entirely different space. It’s why changing offices, redecorating, etc. can raise the energy. Letting go of staff that are no longer in agreement or bringing in new staff at a higher vibration creates a sudden success.

While changes external to you can give an energy boost this is temporary. The real change has to come from within. Success in many ways is a state of mind and being at a high energy level. Each day is an opportunity to reflect or meditate on your space.  The answers may not always be logical so don’t look for that.  Allow your intuition as you meditate, clear your space and reset your energy.  Ask:
• How are you doing?
• What is on your mind?
• Who is on your mind?
• What are your thoughts about your vision of success?
• How am I in my way?
• And more

I have clients who embrace change, are eager to know themselves and what they can change to reach their vision of success. Other clients want to reach their vision of success but are not good at allowing or creating change. They persist in old patterns that do not serve them so nothing changes.

Being aware of what is behind you or inside of you gives you the chance to create your vision of success. Once you have decided the change you want to be and create then be conscious of doing so. If nothing else be conscious of creating a single change within you each day, see how things are different then create another change until you reach your vision of success. If nothing changes within you then nothing changes in what you are manifesting.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Free Q&A: Your Question about Success.  Each Monday from 5 – 5:30 PM Pacific you can call in to ask a question or listen to others.  1 (218) 862-7200 Access 299398 or SKYPE mkayrobinson

Consultation

Take Control. Change the energy!

David had four bids out for great projects.  His company had finished another project and was waiting for the final approval from his client.  The phone was not ringing.  His email and phone calls were not being returned.  Most of all he was not hearing from his best client.  This was a scary place to be so he called me to ask what was going on.

This may not be logical but it is very intuitive.  I saw that David had a lot of energy in his space and in the space of his company causing the energy of his company to stop.  David was taking it all personally.  What was he doing wrong?  What was wrong with his company?  How could it be that NO ONE was returning his calls? This is not a coincidence.  My suggestion was to stop thinking about it, stop trying to solve it.  Those approaches had not worked so far.  I suggested meditation to change the energy in his space and in the space of his company.

When David could get out of his thinking and look intuitively he saw the energy of competition between all the vendors on his current project.  It was competition against someone or something.  This is a dangerous energy because destroys. This is different from competition to be better within yourself or in your business.  This is a different energy level, is normal and helps us take steps.

More than anything David wanted to get back into communication with his best client so we focused on this.  I saw that his client was also the effect of the “competition against” within his own company.  This was interfering with his communication with everyone involved is the project and involved his largest client.  The stakes were high.  David and I used meditation to clear energy between himself and his client.  This is not logical.  It is something that you have to do and experience to understand.  At the end of this meditation, I suggested that David take an hour or two away from his office and do something that he enjoys.  This was a way for him to bring his energy to a higher level so that he could create again.

The next morning his client called him!   This is not a coincidence.  They spoke for over a half hour about the energy of the project, how it  affected each of them then reaffirmed their agreement to work together on future projects.  If David had not taken control the energy would have continued destroying his communication with his best client.  He used meditation to know and clear the energy for himself.  This made it easy for him to speak with his client in a clear and grounded way.

If you have energy in your communication with one of your clients you might try this for yourself.  We never have to wait and worry.  We can take charge, change the energy and move forward to meet our goals.

Now David wants to meet and work the energy on those four bids to see if he can get them happening as well

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Free Q&A for business owners and professionals each Monday 5 PM Pacific.  Call 1 (218) 862-7200 Access 299398 or SKYPE mkayrobinson.

Where am I going in my search for success?

Knowing your vision of success is a journey in self discovery.  Some of us know it right off and perhaps have known it our whole lives.  I know a 6-year-old who proudly declares that he IS a paleontologist and to back it up he knows, studies and learns everything he can about dinosaurs.

Many career experts suggest that you remember the first professional you imagined wanting wanted to be.  In my experience that is not far off while we may not end up doing that precise career we are not so far off the mark.

Your vision begins with a thought about what that might be but to really know and see your vision requires quieting the body and clearing the mind.  To get out of your mind so that you can hear yourself. So take time to sit quietly, relax and begin to imagine your vision of success and what that is for you, how it feels and releasing any thoughts that may compete with that.

Story

I met with a new client this week who is in school to develop his skills in hopes of supporting his success.  He believes if he can develop his skills as a digital artist then he will be more marketable.  Indeed that is true but I noticed as an intuitive that Fred did not have a vision of his success.  He did have steps and goals but without a clear vision he was just working hard.  When I asked Fred what his vision was he described wanting to work with a major digital arts production company.  I asked him if he could imagine that happening.  He chuckled saying it was what he wanted.  Wanting and having a vision are really different.  Wanting creates…..wanting.  Fred’s next step was to create a space of quiet (meditation) and start to see his vision of success.

He called back the next day to say how hard this was.  I explained it was only hard because he had not done this before.  Once he gets comfortable with visualizing it won’t be so hard.  He agreed to stay with it.  I am curious to see how this turns out for him as my experience is once you can see your vision of success in your mind’s eye everything starts to change.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Free Q&A on business and success.  Monday’s 5 PM Pacific.  Call 1 (218) 862-7200 Access code: 299398 or SKYPE mkayrobinson between 5 & 5:30 PM to ask a question and listen to others.  Get an answer on success.

Do you have your clients attention?

When meeting with a potential client notice if you have their full attention or is it elsewhere?  I attended a meeting with one of my clients to read the energy and keep the meeting grounded.  Fred is a producer.   He works to develop relationships with national and international ad agencies.   One of those agencies asked to meet with Fred and his creative partners to discuss a project.  They wanted to know how the technologies Fred used on other projects might make theirs go viral.

Taking Time to Be Present

Fred met with his creative partners a half-hour before the meeting with the potential client to set the energy for the meeting, to be grounded in their agreement and to have a clear vision of the outcome they wanted.

What happens when your potential client is spaced out?

The ad agency producer, Paul, came to the meeting with an art director, Sam.  I noticed right off that the producer was not present.  His attention was elsewhere.  The task was to find a way to bring Paul’s attention and awareness fully into this meeting. No one had met Paul or Same  before so this gave the opportunity for introductions with hopes this would bring his attention to the meeting.  This did not do the trick.  I kept saying hello to him asking about his role at the agency and his clients.  That did not do the trick either.  He answered my question but his attention was still distracted.  His gaze was not at us but “out there” somewhere.

Staying present when others are “spaced out” or not focused in the moment is hard but important to keeping the conversation grounded.  So Fred paid attention to staying present.

The Importance of Being Present

It was important that Fred and his team have a grounded and clear communication with this potential client if he wanted any chance of securing this contract.  Fred turned his attention to Sam, the art director, and noticed that he was focused and enthusiastic to have the conversation.  It was clear that Sam would be the client at this meeting.

The creative discussion went well.  I noticed that Paul’s attention slowly came into the room.  I could see that he had a lot of energy in his space that made it hard for him to be focused in the moment.  By the end of the discussion Paul’s attention was more with us but part of his attention was still outside on something else.

Getting Present

We knew Paul had to be present and aware of what was going on and so the challenge was how to make that happen.  Fred suggested that they move onto the creative floor and see examples of the technologies the team had developed.  Getting Paul moving and focusing his attention in this way did the trick. Fred got his attention, as Paul is clearly a guy who is at his best doing the work rather talking about it.

In the end Paul and Sam got a clear understanding of what was possible from Fred’s team and invited a proposal and a bid on the project.

Every business owner knows the importance of making an impression on that very first contact.   That impression depends not only on what the business owner or staff present but also on the space of the potential client to hear and receive the presentation.

Taking the time to make sure that you and your team are grounded and have a clear vision before the presentation is the first step.  Being aware of your potential client and the space they are in is also important.   Finding a way to bring their attention and awareness into the moment will determine their ability to hear what you present.

I hope this insight will be of use to you in your next presentation.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

So What Do You Want to Do, Be & Have?

   So what do you want to be, do and have?  This statement sounds so obvious but the answer is not.  Our heads are full of what we should do or should want that we really don’t know.  The media bombards us with advertising and programming to guide our thinking.  The pressures from others to have more, do more or be more distorts our understanding of ourselves.  Expectations from others and what they want for us or from us only adds to the confusion.  These and other external energies get into our space and cloud our ability to see clearly.

So how do you know what is truth for you?  Put simply, it feels right.  To get to this space you may have to clear all the energies that are affecting your ability to see clearly.  There are many ways to do this.  The simplest from my perspective is meditation.  Meditation is a way to open to your awareness, your intuition and clear your space.  If that is not your thing then simply sit quietly.

Knowing what you want to create is the first step.  This could be something personal or professional.  It could include your health, relationships, work, business, finances, etc.  Take the time to be clear about what you want.  Take the time to clear your space and your thinking of all the energies I mentioned above so that you are creating what is true for you versus your response to all the energies in your space.

Once you know what you want then you can decide whether you want to create it.  It has been my experience that it is important to know what you want whether you decide to create it or not.  There is great power in deciding whether you want to create or not.

My client, Sara, is a great communicator.  Her heart’s desire has been to have a TV show in which she highlights people big and small who make a difference in some way.  Sara took many steps to explore this as a possibility.  In the end she decided that she did not want to expend the amount of energy it would take to make it happen.  In making this decision she freed herself to use those same skills in a professional way.  She works for an agency that impacts public policy.  Her skills in communication make her ideally suited for this work.  Sara became successful when she decided what she wanted to do, be and have.

Another client, Fred, was in his fifties when he decided to take a huge step and expand his business in a new way.  He was a graphics designer who expanded his work to include web design but now he wanted more.  Fred decided to transition his company in a big way by adding staff and shifting his work from small businesses to large corporate clients.  There was nothing logical about this.  No one believed he could make a transition with this big a leap but Fred did.  He was clear, focused, determined and did not listen to those who could not imagine it happening.  In less than a year his new business has started and work is coming.  There is no logic to this just a strong vision, courage and determination.  It is so clear to me that this new aspect of his business suits him so perfectly.

Achieving goals takes great courage as these examples show.  It all begins with knowing what you want to do, be and have.

What do you want to create?  Write and rewrite it until it feels right.  Use meditation to clear your space and your thinking so that you can know for certain.  Then take steps to make it happen.

Remember you are never too old and it is never too late.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Mentoring for professionals.

Your Staff. Your Success.

I worked with Kathy, an established business owner, to increase her sales by 30% last year.  This may be seem like an ambitious goal in this economy but only if you look at everything logically.  Kathy values her intuition and knows how to be aware of when it is time to create change.  She owns a staffing company and soon after we began working together she received a contract to staff a large national corporation’s new local technology center.  Kathy was beyond thrilled.  This looked to be a big step in achieving her financial goals for the year.

Shortly after contract began Kathy saw they were not attracting enough professionals for the positions needed to be filled.  That did not make sense for a region hit hard by unemployment.  She was concerned because she had a short time frame to staff the facility before its opening.

When we looked at this intuitively I saw that her staff were worried and I saw it affecting this project.  I explained to her that everyone in the company has an impact on its success so being aware how our staff were perceiving and reacting was important.

I saw intuitively that her staff were concerned that they could not handle the schedule of appointments and all the related work.  It was more at one time than they were used to so unconsciously they were slowing down the energy to a level that was comfortable and familiar.  This is tough for a business focused on growing.  When we decide to increase sales, income,etc. it means that everyone has to get out of their comfort zone and all change.

We decided to set up a meeting with  her staff to talk about the project and change the energy so it would be a success.  First we discussed their plans for managing the increased workload.  They had a plan.  Then we discussed their fears, i.e. they would have to work long hours, have more work than they could handle.  Finally we did a meditation designed to clear the energy and thoughts that may get in the way of this project being a success.  Everyone became aware of their owns thoughts and used meditation to clear their thinking then to visualize working together for success.

As you might expect after that meeting everything seemed to start moving forward, the energy was moving.   The project was intense and a lot of work.  The staff felt the meditation more than anything gave them a way clear their thinking and be grounded to succeed.

The staffing turned out well, on time and on budget.  Kathy fully expects this success will help her create more and achieve her goals.

As a business intuitive I work with business owners to be aware of their staff and how to work with them to keep the energy moving, to clear thinking that may get in the way and to be in agreement to achieve goals together.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Business consultations

Business Feels Like It Is Dying – At least it feels that way today

      At times our business feels dead.  It fees this way  when the energy has stopped moving or the energy is too low.  There are many causes of this.  Analyzing that is far less important than getting the energy moving.

How do motivate yourself or your staff is a question that has been asked and answered a thousand times.   Motivation is a common term that means, “How do I get the energy moving or raise the energy of my business?” I want to jump into the conversation with an intuitive perspective on this old question because it is so important to us.

An a intuitive business consultant I am always looking at the energy level of the people, products, websites, marketing, etc. because the energy of each of these can make or break a business and its success.  In the same way I look at the energy level that inspires us as we work.  The answer is simple.  When the energy level is high we are inspired, creative, enthusiastic and things are happening.  When our energy level is low we are in boredom, apathy and not creative.  This slowing of energy affects success personally, professionally and in our business.

So the challenge becomes how to raise the energy level for ourselves, our staff and our business.  It is important to stop and change the energy .  Here are some of the ways to raise the energy level:

• Get physical = Some like to use exercise to get energy moving in the body and raise the energy level in their space.  Companies that have work out spaces on site can attest to the benefits they see when staff take the time to get energy moving in their bodies.
• Be Creative – When you or your staff are engaged in something they find creative it turns on creative energy in the body and great things happen.
• Focus on a goal – When you or your staff are working to achieve a challenge or a goal, this effort turns on the energy in the body, raises their vibration and great things happen.
• Be Inspired – Identify something that inspires you and ask your staff what inspires them and put sometime in creating this.
  
• Create a change – Get out of routine, rearrange the furniture, change the surroundings, mix things up in any way you can to change old patterns and the energy they create
• Have fun -  Create opportunities to have fun especially when the energy is dead (too low).  Create a celebration.  Get yourself and everyone out of the dead energy.

Working harder and pushing more when the energy is low does not create success.  It only creates effort.  So when the energy is low or not moving, try the above or other ways you know of to change the energy and raise the vibration.  Success happens from enthusiasm.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Other business tips

Be careful what you pray for!

     Kate works in a really great company but she is ready to move on.  She wants a leadership position that will allow her to use her creativity, her strategic thinking skills and offers a new level of visibility.  Kate says she wants out of her current job as soon as possible.  We have been working to create that vision, her goals and a plan to take that step.

It was not surprising to me that Kate’s supervisor notified her yesterday that her position was being eliminated and converted into a Director’s position!   As an intuitive this is a beautiful example of creating our reality.  Kate was not as thrilled by this as I was.  She was horrified by all of it and could not see that she had created this.  She wanted out of her job and wanted a leadership position.  So her job was eliminated and made into a leadership position.  Beautiful!  It manifested precisely as she said.  If the circumstances where different she could call this a miracle! Granted she left out some details that now are a bit unsettling to her.  Kate has to apply for this new position.  Applying for a new position was, in fact, part of the work that we did together so it fit her vision as well.

Kate and I met today to ground her vision.  Is she ok with a leadership job within her current company or does she want to be more clear that her vision is to move into a leadership position in a new company?   Kate is not ready to answer that right now.  She is a bit overwhelmed by how her vision manifested.  At this moment she feels like she has no control when in fact she is very good at creating what she wants.

Kate was surprised that her supervisor essentially fired her.  I was not.  Kate had the picture in her space and on her mind that said “I want out of my job”.  Her supervisor was simply seeing Kate’s pictures and responding to them whether she was conscious of this or not.

As an intuitive I see that she simply needs to be more clear about her vision.  Her natural reaction is to hold onto what she has but is it what she wants?    Over the next week Kate will meditate on this, clear her thinking, release the fear and find her perspective.  From this space of being clear she will find her vision.

We are always creating our vision.  Sometimes our vision is simply not clear enough.  Take the time to meditate as you are already creating what you have in your mind.

Have you created a vision and had it manifest in surprising ways? Share your story or ask a question.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

This Stuff Works!

You read stories about my clients all the time and the miracles they create.  Today’s blog is my client’s story about someone she works with.  It’s a miracle!

Sarah provides coaching to upper level managers in a large agency.  One of the managers, Keri, who is 4 months pregnant, told Sarah that she wanted to apply for a different position in the company but did not believe they would give it to her.  Surely they would hire someone else.   Sarah suggested to Keri that she visualize getting the job.  Keri thought this would be a waste of time but worked with Sarah anyway.  The next day Keri told her boss that she wanted to apply for the job.  He indicated that they were going to offer the job to another person.  Keri told Sarah who advised that she meditate again and visualize getting the job despite these odds.  A day later Keri’s boss came by and asked if she was serious about wanting the position.  Keri explained her reasons and qualifications.   Again she meditated to visualize getting the job.  As it turns out Keri was offered the position and starts next week.

Now it is easy to work really hard to explain all of this logically.  That is our tendency.  If you step back, take a deep breath and allow the possibility that Keri created her vision you begin to have a different perspective.  None of this is logical.  The only way to understand this is to do it for yourself.  Take the time to meditate and visualize something that you want.  Clear your thinking about it.

The most successful people are those who have a strong vision.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

What may be in your way? Consultation

Hire Slow & Fire Fast!

Yesterday I met with a client who owns a tax preparation, bookkeeping & accounting firm.  As you might expect it is the time of year when she adds staff to handle the tax season.  Susan is very intuitive and business savvy.   She knows when something is not right and takes action to protect her business.  Susan added several staff recently, some temporary and some permanent.  She called because two of those hired do not feel right.  Her intuition told her to let them go and find new staff.  Her logic told her that she cannot make those changes during tax season.  Susan was torn between her intuition and her logic.

It did not take her long to decide once she described her situation.  As she listened to herself talk about the two staff she found her answer.  One of them was a returning contractor who does high-end corporate work for her each year.  This year something was different.  Carol seems to have an attitude, complains a lot and puts everyone on edge when she comes into the office.  Susan knew she could not have one person change the energy of her office in this way as it was affecting everyone and ultimately her business.  She was afraid of  letting Carol go because she felt she needed her unique skills.  In the end Susan decided to interview other CPAs to find someone who would fit both in terms of skills and the energy of her company.

The second person is a part-time employee.   We discussed her  during the hiring process a month ago.  I saw, at that time, that Tina was not a good fit for Susan’s company.  Her energy was rough and Susan had not verified her skill set.  This is always a red flag.  I saw Susan go into sympathy with Tina and her situation. In doing this Susan had lost her perspective. In the end Susan hired Tina and I knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would see this was not a good hire.  When Tina started her job everyone in the office resisted her.  Susan found she did not have the skills or focus to do the work required.  Susan will be letting Tina go.

I am not sure who coined the phrase “hire slow and fire fast” but I like it.  Maintaining our perspective and being aware of how we react to someone we interview or hire is critical to our success.  In additional to the usual skill assessment, how does this person feel to me?  What does my intuition tell me? How am I reacting to them and why? How does your staff and your office change when this person comes to work?  These and other questions help you to be self-aware and make good hiring and firing decisions.

As a business owner it is important to keep your office and business grounded and energy moving at a high (creative) vibration.  If someone changes that then it is time to re-evaluate.  If the energy has shifted such that it is not comfortable then the agreement with them is not working.  It is time to work it through with them or let them go.  This is good for them and it is good for your company.  Trust you intuition on this!

   Your goal is to have staff that have the exact skill set that you need, match the energy and values of your company, and have a high energy level that inspires.

Likewise, if you are a professional and where you work does not feel right to you then it is not the right fit.  Trust your intuition and begin to look for a position that feels right, raises your enthusiasm and inspires you.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Business Paradigms Gone!

This week I spoke on a panel at the Microsoft Office 365: Your Office, Your Terms Event Series.  The panel was there to support women business owners. The topic was challenges faced in this economy, how to start or grow their business and technology enables entrepreneurs.  Sounds kinda heady though the information offered was critical for young and experienced business owners.  Though the event was for women, the audience was both men and women of all ages.

As an intuitive business consultant I work with my clients to learn to use intuition and sound business practices together.  This post is mostly about the later.

Key points made by the panel. Note: Challenges for solopreneurs are different from for high growth companies and in some ways they are the same.

• The business environment is constantly and rapidly changing so don’t think old school.  Be aware in present time, be conscious of all the changes happening due to globalization, technology and the enormous business creativity that is constantly changes the business landscape.
  
• There is no current paradigm so we need to look at business differently.
• Think Darwin – the species that evolves survives. Be flexible.
• Create a balance in life and work or you will get lost in your business then regret it.
• Create a financial plan for your whole life not just your business.
• Be willing to change your business model and to learn new skills.
  
• Consider how your business will address the trend toward social, mobile and global.
• Plan to create strong networks. Networks that include both men and women who have access and are decision makers.
• Get certified as a women owned or minority owned business if you are interested in corporate contracts through Supplier diversity programs.
• Find the talent and ability you need to grow your businesses quickly. Don’t compromise on this.
• Use technologies relevant to your industry.
• Secure capital. Learn to use someone else’s money responsibly to scale your business.
• Be willing to ask. Ask for money. Ask for mentoring. Ask for partnership. Ask.
• Have a mindset that supports success: Play to win. Thinking big enough. Be a strong negotiator.
• Know how to present your capabilities, your value and your company’s value.
• Be willing to take risks.
• Recognize economic issues facing a new business then charge forward planning and adjusting to these realities focusing on what you can control.
• Find new markets for your products and services.
• Develop innovative products and services.

“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” The words of Eleanor Roosevelt

Best wishes on your success!

Kay

For a Business Consultation

Manifesting the small stuff!

Manifesting

The art of manifesting is as simple has having a clear vision.  This sounds so easy and it can be.  Most often we focus on what we cannot manifest.  Can’t manifest a relationship, a job, money, health, etc.  There are reasons for this that do not diminish our ability to manifest.  It is the small things that remind us that we can manifest what we want.

My husband and I go to movies a lot because we are in the production business.  Earlier this week we pulled into the parking lot of our local theater and saw cars driving in circles fighting for parking spaces.   I watched us immediately match the concept that there are no parking spaces, it will take us forever, etc.  and so it did.  Ugh!

Yesterday we headed to another movie but this time my husband decided not to simply match the group agreement but rather he decided to create his vision of parking.  His vision.  We would pull into the lot.  Go to the second floor.  All cars in front of us would go right and we would turn left and immediately find a parking space in the first or second space.  Off we went with this vision in mind.

We pulled into the lot.  There were once again lots of cars.  We drove to the second floor.  All the cars in front of us turned right.  We turned left and saw a woman and her daughter walking.  We asked if she was leaving.  She said yes and pointed to the car in the second space.  Yahoo!

After we parked my husband sat for a moment to reflect on what just happened.  In his vision he had seen the mother and child.  A coincidence?  Not at all.  We do it all the time when we consciously decide how we want something to be and can see it clearly in our mind’s eye.

Try this yourself.  Take the time to visualize or see in your mind’s eye how you image an event going for you then watch that vision unfold.  Try it with small stuff to recognize the ability then try it with something that has more charge or challenge to it.  Let me know your comments.

Best wishes on your success!

Back to website

Yes I Can Fly

Fly

When my daughter was very young she told me a secret.  She could fly but she did not want me to tell anyone because they would not believe her and then she would not be able to fly again.  Honestly I wanted to believe her but I did not. I was sure this was a childhood fantasy. Of course, as her mother I supported and encouraged her hoping not to show one ounce of doubt. She looked at me and said, ” I cannot fly anymore” and so begins our journey as a child learning that we cannot do one thing or another because others tell us we can’t, they can’t or they can’t imagine that we could.

Outrageously Successful

Fast forward to present time.  As a business intuitive I see people decide or become programmed by others that they cannot.  This energy is so strong that it automatically sticks to most of us and we work with this limit.  Steve Jobs died yesterday.  He was one person who did not let others lack of understanding or awareness hamper his vision.  One broadcaster who knew Jobs well stated that Steve always found a way to get his goals.  He described him as focused, determined, intuitive and a visionary.

On the flip side there was talk that he did not have the best social skills.  As an intuitive I see his lack of concern about what others thought or believed was possible and his unwillingness to let others program him gave him a bit of a rough edge.  When he met these limit makers Jobs pushed right on through their energy to pursue his vision.

The author of the Harry Potter series was rejected by eight publishers before one picked up her books.  How might our world have been different if Rollins had given up and we would be without Harry Potter?

Talked Out of Vision

A young client, Jeff,  is a successful American professional working in South American. Jeff told me his passion and original goal was to be a veterinarian.  His dad told him back in high school that he could not make a living as a veterinarian so Jeff went to business school.  As Jeff told me this story I saw that he will find a way in the future to pursue his passion for caring for animals.

No Fear

Sarah wanted to start an IT company.  Her family and friends tried to talk her out of it fearful that she would fail.  Failing was not Sarah’s concern.   She was excited by the challenge and, in fact, enjoyed that she chose to do things others could not imagine her being able to do.   Sarah did this as a child winning and losing many skate boarding competitions.  To her starting this company at such a young age was just another competition.  She won!  She now runs a successful IT company.

Limits

Take the time to stop and be aware of the limits (others’ concepts) that  have programmed your space and unconsciously or consciously limit your success.

Meditation

I ask all my clients to use meditation as one of their business practices.  Meditation is beneficial on many levels but most importantly it teaches us to visualize.  When we have a strong vision it will surely manifest regardless of any logic or others concepts.

In meditation I teach my clients to imagine or see a rose in their mind’s eye. This is an exercise to open clear seeing and to visualize. For those who are certain enough I challenge them to see the rose so clearly that it manifests.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Stop Wanting. Have!

Recognize Your Success

Havingness refers to your capacity to allow what you want in each aspect of your life – to have what you want. Havingness begins with a clear vision followed by clear thinking.  I work with clients everyday to make sure these first two steps are in place otherwise we find ourselves working hard and not achieving our goals.

Sarah

Sarah contacted me because she wanted to add a new interior designer to her firm.  She met a woman and wanted my intuitive read on this potential hire.  I saw Sarah making a mistake many business owners make when hiring.  They assess potential hires before they have a clear and strong vision of what they want for the position.  I worked with Sarah to clarify her vision of the position.  As we defined her vision I noticed Sarah’s concepts or thoughts that were in the way of knowing precisely what she wanted.

Wanting

For example, her description of the skill set she wanted was followed by statements about why she thought she would not be able to find a person like this or why they would not be available or would not want to work for her.  It was an amazing stream of thoughts that completely invalidated her vision and they were her thoughts!  We cleared her thinking so that her vision was true to what she wanted.  This came up again as she described her vision further regarding  salary & benefits, personality traits, work ethics, etc.  Each time she described what she wanted  followed with thoughts about why it was not possible.   By the end of our session she began to realize how her thinking about things affects her havingness.

Having

In the end, she came up with a strong and clear vision for the position.  Once that completed she was ready to look at the potential applicants and whether they fit her vision logically and intuitively.   She changed from the energy of need which causes us to compromise our vision to a vibration of havingness – the certainty to have what she wanted in this position.

Havingness

These concepts apply to any situation.  Have a clear vision.   Clear your thinking. Decide you can have what you want.

Please share your thoughts, experiences, etc.

Best wishes on your success.

Kay

The energy level of success! Do you have it?

My client Cathy called because her business was down last week and she was concerned about meeting her financial goals.

Being successful or failing is never a coincidence and it is not a mystery.   Cathy’s father died two weeks ago and his funeral was last weekend.  The energy of death was in her space.  It affected her business.  Her clients intuitively pick up on her energy as a successful businesswoman and she was not there.  She was in a lower vibration.  This is not logical.  This is intuitive.

Sarah

Another client called because her business had stopped for an entire month!  Sarah was diagnosed with a system infection a month ago and while she did not feel great she felt she was able to work.  Coincidentally from the onset of Sarah’s illness through the four weeks until she was well she received not one single phone call for her services as an interior designer.  Up to that point her business was robust and she has always done well.   Also not coincidentally as soon as she was well again clients started calling again and she is as busy as ever.   Sarah found this remarkable.  How did her clients know she was not well?   I saw intuitively that when Sarah was ill her energy changed.  Her clients intuitively connected to her at a certain energy level  (a highly creative vibration) and Sarah was simply not at that level until she recovered.

Store

I walked into a small local grocery store while traveling and could hardly breathe.   The energy of desperation from the owners of the store was so intense I just wanted out   Clearly they were in financial survival.  I could sense this and as a potential customer I just wanted to run and I did.  I ended up not buying what I came into the store to find.

Everyone is intuitive.   We can support our success by being conscious and aware of the energy level we are being and what  our clients, customers, patients, etc. are experiencing.  What is your energy level or the energy of your business?  Does it support your success?  If not, change it and notice what happens.

Please share your story or experience.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Not a Coincidence! A Success Story

I tell my client’s stories to bring us out of our unconscious routines, to wake up our awareness so that we create and not just accept.  Enjoy Fred’s story so that you can create your own.

Fred was preparing a proposal and bid for a big contract for a project that has never been done before.  The project was for one of his best clients and he needed to get this right.  The cost exceeded the expected budget by 60%.  He was nervous.

In the end he drafted a proposal that would create a great product and using the best talent in the industry.  He also worried about the cost and the short timeframe.  He pressed Send and off it went.

Immediately upon sending the bid, Fred’s mind starting going.  They probably already have someone in mind for the project.  They can probably do it for less.  They will never accept the bid because it is more than they expected.  His mind just went on and on with streams of invalidation.

Fred called me with his mind racing out of control.  I led him through a meditation to clear his mind.  This is an important concept because whatever we believe will manifest.  Fred needed to clear his thinking.  From meditation he released the energy and the thoughts that invalidated his bid, the proposal and his company.  Then Fred imagined (created a mental image picture) of his client loving his proposal, the bid and awarding him the contract.

I watched Fred clear f his negative thoughts and create a new vision.   I saw he still had some worry energy in his space so I suggested that he do this meditation regularly until he heard back from his client.

Within 5 minutes he got a call from his client offering him a contract for a different project, one he had not even bid on and was three times larger than the one he just submitted!  A coincidence?  If you are an atheist you can logically create concepts to explain this away.   If you are intuitive you can see how this manifested.

As for the original bid his client had not looked at that yet but would get back to him.  In the meantime he had to get busy on this new project.  It’s a Miracle!

What is your success story?

I think I hit the wall

Hit the wall. Reached my limit. These are interesting terms that describe how we feel when we are stuck.  As a business intuitive I see that we experience being stuck when our energy stops moving.  Hitting the wall, reaching your limit or being stuck does not mean it is time to give up your goals.  Understanding the energy dynamics behind this experience may help.

Energy Not Moving

When I say energy is not moving I mean this literally.  We all have energy that flows through and around us.  When energy is moving we feel inspired, creative and ready to conquer the world.  When our energy is moving slowly we may feel tired, less focused and not so creative.  We get through the day.  When our energy stops moving we feel defeated, exhausted, loose perspective and perhaps even feel depressed.

Allow Change

The challenge here is not to quit.   At these times we see everything as black and white because stuck energy is limited so everything is limited, i.e. either/or.  We feel stuck most often when we are moving to the next level of achieving our goals.  It is a new energy level.  It is unfamiliar and means changing from an old and familiar energy level to a new one.  When we resist this change, we are resisting our energy and so it gets stuck. The question then becomes.  “How determined are we to achieve this goal?”  Are we willing to allow change and for energy to change?

Thoughts Create Stories

Another common experience that causes us to get stuck is our thinking.  We get stuck on a thought.  It can begin that simply.  When we get stuck on a thought that makes us uncomfortable we tend to focus on it.  Our mind then elaborates on the thought, creates a whole story based on our fears and suddenly we have imagined a worst case scenario or worse.  Our body responds emotionally and suddenly we are stuck in our own thinking.  We are not breathing and our energy has stopped moving.

Fred

Fred bid on a big project.  He was sure he was the right vendor and submitted his bid with great confidence.  He knew the timelines for the decision to be made and that time came and went without hearing from the contractor.  He immediately went into fear and invalidation.  In his mind he decided that his bid had been disregarded.  They had decided to go with someone else.   He had hit the wall.  He could only imagine the worst case.  When he told me this scenario, I smiled to myself and pointed out to him that he made up that entire story in his mind without any basis in fact.  He was not able to rely on his intuition on this because he was too emotionally involved so the best solution was to call his potential client and ask.  When Fred called he found that the primary contact had taken personal leave due a death in the family and would be back the following week.  I suggested that Fred enjoy his work for the next week, keep a clear vision and not let his mind wander.  In the end, Fred did get the contract.

I often joke that our analyzer has a mind of its own and makes up incredible and interesting stories.  We all know that our thoughts are not always correct.  They are just our thoughts.

Why Am I Stuck

When we hit the wall, it could be for many reasons other than taking big steps or letting our thoughts get the best of us.  It could also be we are getting out of our comfort zone.  It is scary or unfamiliar.  Maybe someone got into our space (we are feeling someone else’s energy) and it has unsettled our energy level.  There are so many possibilities.

Get Energy Moving

When we hit the wall, reach our limit or feel stuck the goal would be simply to get energy moving.  How we get our energy moving in part has to do with what caused our energy to get stuck in the first place.  On the other hand finding ways to raise our vibration are effective as well.

The goal is not to give up or quit simply because our energy stopped moving.  At these times it may be hard to see clearly or get unstuck.  Here are some options:

• Do something that you really enjoy.  This raises our energy level which will get our energy moving.  Once our energy is moving we have a better perspective.
• Seek insight from a neutral professional who can see intuitively what is going on because the answer is not logical.  If it was logical you would have found your answer by now.
• Meditate each day.  In this way you clear your space, raise your energy level so that you don’t have to hit the wall to find your way in achieving your goals.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Apple, Inc. – An Intuitive Business

This past week Steve Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple stepping out of his role as the chief designer.  Everyone wonders how his genius will be replaced.  It was not his genius it was in large part his reliance on intuition.  Below you will find some of my favorite quotes by and about Steve Jobs.  Feel free to add yours.

Trip Chowdry, a director at Global Equity Research, said, “Success in the consumer space is not dictated by getting your product 80 percent right, 90 percent right, or 97 percent right,” he said. “The success is defined by the last 2 percent of the product, and I don’t think there’s any other individual on the planet who has the kind of intuition Steve Jobs has to make sure they get the last 2 percent right.”

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful… that’s what matters to me.” [Steve Jobs The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 1993]

“The cure for Apple is not cost-cutting. The cure for Apple is to innovate its way out of its current predicament.” [Apple Confidential: The Real Story of Apple Computer Inc., May 1999]

In a speech last year at Auburn University, Tim Cook, the new CEO of Apple, urged the audience of young graduates to trust their intuition over logic or plans.  He said it made no sense for him to take a job at Apple in 1998 when the company seemed to be fading.  “But no more than five minutes into my interview with Steve, I wanted to throw caution  and logic to the wind.”

In a commencement speech to students at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs advised, “Much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later.”

“Your time is limited, don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living the result of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinion drowned your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

He created everything from personal computers to the iPod,  iPhone, iPad and more. Over the course of his career, Steve Jobs has patented more than 300 groundbreaking products that have made our lives easier and revolutionized the way we interact in the world.

“The thing that drives me and my colleagues at both Apple and Pixar is that you see something very compelling to you, and you don’t quite know how to get to it, but you know, sometimes intuitively, it’s within your grasp. And it’s worth putting in years of your life to make it come into existence.” Steve Jobs

“Again, you can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.”

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

I would like to add that it takes great courage to follow your intuition.  The difference is success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

I Don’t Have

Be careful what you declare or as the saying goes “be careful what you pray for”.  Recently an employee of one of my clients, Clare, quit suddenly.  The employee was very angry for no clear reason but did accuse my client of being wealthy.  Clare heard herself saying in defense, “I’m not wealthy!”.    When Clare relayed this conversation I knew she would experience a hit to her income that week and she did.  So what happened.

From an intuitive perspective it was a perfect example of what happens when a company decides to make a change.  I had worked with Clare on her vision of growing her company by 30% each of the next two years.  It may be surprising but her vision and her plan are completely doable in her industry and the way she positioned her services.  So far this year her company has already grown 20%.  Her business plan was right on target to meet her goal by the end of the year.

When a company changes its vision, its business plan and its goals this has an impact on everyone in the company both practically and on an energy level.  Every company has an energy level.  We feel it and experience it when we interact with them as a customer, vendor, contractor, etc.   If we like the energy (and this may be not be entirely conscious on our part) then we continue our relationship with them.  If we do not then we move on.

In this scenario, the employee was experiencing many personal conflicts among them financial.  Clare was supporting her in every way she could, knowing that she could not solve an employee’s personal issues.   As Clare changed the energy of her company to grow financially by 30% this year it vibrated in the space of this employee.  It made her uncomfortable because the energy in her personal life was the complete opposite.  She was creating “not having” money.

As an intuitive I watch the energy in everyone’s space to see if it supports or gets in the way of achieving goals.  I was not surprised when Clare told me the story of her employee quitting in anger.  The anger was directed at Clare’s “havingness” for financial success because it made the employee uncomfortable because she was creating the opposite.  She was creating not having.   This may not be logical but it is very intuitive.

While Clare is not wealthy at the moment it is her vision and her energy is set to create wealth. When she declared, “I am not wealthy!” she invalidated her vision.  Not coincidentally her income dropped 30% for that week.  I reminded her that words are creative.   She realized this as well and reset her vision of success (wealth).

In the end Clare reached out to the employee offering her the opportunity to continue to work with the company knowing the vision of growth.   Clare owned her vision of wealth and success as she spoke to her former employee who she valued.  In the end the employee returned understanding the success of the company and now being in agreement to support that success.  I saw intuitively this employee will change her personal financial situation by matching the energy of success in this company.

This was a great experience for both owner and employee.  Clare was able to look intuitively at the situation to gain greater understanding and awareness.  This experience helped her grown in her understanding of her vision of success.

Take the time to look intuitively as situations in your workplace and how you might grow in your success.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Getting decisions right

The most common reason people call for a consultation is they have a decision to make and they want to get it right.  We all want to be certain about the decisions we make but is not always what happens.   Neurologist Robert Burton believes our brains often manufacture a sense of certainty that we are right whether that is the case or not.  This happens because the brain has the ability to create a feeling of being right even when we are drastically wrong.  That is scary and we have all had this happen to us.  How often have your said or heard, “What was I thinking?”  I often tease that the brain has a mind of its own and makes up incredible stories that simply are not true.

From an intuitive perspective it is easy to be a better decision maker. When people call about making a decision they say:

• I feel one-way one day and the opposite the other.
• I can’t decide.
• I have three thoroughly logical decisions and I can argue each of them equally.
• I want to feel absolutely certainty about this decision.
• I can’t find a good decision. I don’t like any of my options.
• I have made a decision but it doesn’t feel right.
• All the facts say I should decide this way but my intuition tells me otherwise.

Is this a decision you need to make?

Would it surprise you if I said, “Most times there is no decision to be made”? Or that decision making is overrated. Knowing when not to make a decision is just as important as making the right decision. For example, Should I quit my job?  Should I move?  Should I hire or fire Suzie?  When I hear a question like this I know the person is not ready to make a decision OR they are asking the wrong question.

When someone has a decision they are struggling with my question is always the same.  What is your goal or the vision you have for your company?  That is always the starting point.  If you don’t answer that question first then you are building a Winchester Mystery House of decisions and not a successful business.

Decision making from an intuitive perspective

When we have a clear vision of our success and a plan to get there we barely realize the decisions that we are making all day long.  We gather the facts and information and if it supports our goal then we make a decision without a second thought.  You don’t call me.  Everything is moving, as it should.

When decision-making is difficult

When we get out of sync with our vision, lose our perspective or someone places a demand, their energy or a problem in our space  suddenly we feel like we have a difficult decision to make.  When you hear yourself say, “Should I…..? you know you have lost your perspective so it is time to stop and not make a decision from that space.

What gets in the way of having perspective?

When we are overwhelmed by energy in our space, cannot see straight or think clearly we are not in the space to make a decision.  So what can  affect our ability to see or think clearly?

• Other’s energy or concepts in our space.
  • What others want you to decide
  • Others reactions to what you decide
  • People who have investment (or energy) in your decisions
• Ego: Our ego can easily get in the way of making a decision that helps meet our goals
• Past experiences, memories, energy or thoughts clouding our perspective
• Our fears or emotions
• Resistance to change
• Wanting to stay in our comfort zone
• Wanting to please someone or everyone.

Knowing what affects your decision-making ability makes you a better decision maker. If does not feel right then step back, get more information, find other choices or realize its not a decision you need to make. Having perspective means seeing clearing and being able to step back and look from a neutral place. Making good decisions means being aware of your vision and what is affecting you in the moment.

Recognizing when you have lost your space (perspective)?

You have lost your space and your perspective when:

• When you feel pushed to make a decision.
• When you feel yourself reacting to someone or something or everyone and everything.
• When you hear yourself say, “I should…” This is always a red flag that we have lost our perspective.
• Can’t decide. Arguing one-side then the other. Or keep changing your mind.

How to Make Good Decisions

Here is an intuitive approach to making better decisions. Make sure you have a clear and neutral perspective when making a decision.  If it seem difficult even after having all the information that you need then stop thinking.

Stop Thinking: If the decision was logical based on available information then you would have already made the decision without effort.  So the answer cannot be found in logically. Robert Burton, a neurologist, shows studies that indicate our thinking can be dead wrong. Another study showed the more we think about something the more inaccurate we can become.

Find your space/Regain your perspective: Take the time to meditate.  Everyone whines about this but this is the best way to regain your perspective. How are you doing? What is on your mind? Who’s in your space? Are you clear thinking and in a space of neutrality?

Take the time to be clear about your goals or vision of success. Ask, “Will this decision  help me meet my goals?” If the answer is “No” then whose question is it or whose problem are you solving?

Intuitive Exercise

• Find a quiet and comfortable place to close your eyes
• Take a deep breath and begin to bring all of your attention on yourself
• Calm your body and clear your mind
• Be grounded and centered
• Imagine (do not think) the decision you are about to make
• Meditate on one decision versus another.  Use your intuition to begin to clear your thinking
• Let go of others’ energy in your space about this decision
• Take deep breaths and release
• Once you are calm and quiet and you feel clear then ask yourself what is the right decision (even if it makes you uncomfortable in some way)
• Listen to your first thought because the thoughts after that will be the mind arguing with you

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Is your vision of success up to date?

This past week I watch the new hit cable show “The Wormhole” with Morgan Freeman.  This segment was on the concept of time.   I won’t go into the discussion about time though I was happy to hear scientists describe reality.  One scientist in an effort to explain time first defined reality as a series of mental image pictures that we have about reality.  Those pictures are constantly manifesting what we perceive.  Heady stuff but none the less affirms what I know intuitively, thoughts are powerful.  They create our reality.  It is hard to analyze but easy to see intuitively.

This is why I work so much with my clients to develop their vision of success (mental image pictures of success) because that is what will manifest.   Another way of saying it is, if you cannot imagine it then it cannot manifest.

The most difficult part is to know the difference between thoughts about what you want versus a vision of your  being successful.   Thoughts are literal so thinking about what you want is translated as something you do not have.  Your reality then becomes “wanting” and “not having”.  This is not logical but it is very intuitive.

All my clients want something that is why they come to me.  “How do I achieve my goals?” “I am doing all the right things but it is not happening.”   My immediate response is “What is your vision?”  “Now what are your thoughts about that vision.”    If their vision is clear (I want to have a successful printing company) but it is seen as something outside themselves (wanting not having) it will not happen.  Or if I want to have a successful printing company then the thought in the back of their mind is “but I don’t think it will happen” then they are left with wanting and not happening.

My best advice is to take the time to meditate to quiet the fear in the body and the noise in your mind.  Quiet your body and clear your mind then begin to imagine yourself being successful in the way that you desire. Keep meditating and do it often until you can see this vision clearly.

Next clear your thinking about this vision.  Release any thoughts, emotions, doubts, etc. that are in the way of seeing your vision manifesting.  Do this and experience a miracle?  But don’t do it just once.  Make meditation a tool you can use to continue to create the reality that you desire.

Best wishes on your success,

Kay

Success with Grace

     I would not be surprised if you are not drawn to this theme or even relate to it.  Success as we know it and have seen is not graceful.  It is hard work . At times it is brutal .  So many tie their energy in knots as a way of creating success.  This is not the only way to create success but it is the way we have been taught and programmed and so our automatic response can create effort, stress, problems, conflicts, etc.

There is another way.  What is Success with Grace?   Well, we all know what success means to us and for each of us this will be different.  Grace is the energy level we are being as we create our success.  As an intuitive I see the energy of grace as energy moving in body, mind and spirit.   Now some of you have changed to another link but for those of you who are still reading there may be an answer here for you.

Maybe the idea of body, mind and spirit does not fit with the concept of business or success then again maybe it does.  The challenge is to take the time to find the vibration of grace for yourself.  It may take quiet time (meditation) to become aware.   As a starting point grace is the state of being at ease and in neutrality.   Being at the vibration of grace makes it easy to have perspective, make the right decision, and see your vision clearly.

Approaching your work from the vibration of grace does not make your work life perfect but it does change how you react and handle demands, expectations,  communication, problems, etc.

How do you know when you are working from the vibration of grace?  You are clear-headed, have a level of neutrality to what is going on in your work or business, have the ability to focus on your vision and are non-reactive.

Carol

Carol is one of my clients who has a clear vision of her success as an investment broker, is very smart and knows her industry well.  She is struggling to succeed.  When I look intuitively I see her energy “tied in knots”.  Carol finds it hard to be neutral in body, mind and spirit all at once.  She is most neutral spirituality. Her body and her mind are reactive.  For example, you could say that she flies off the handle (body and mind).

 Fred

Fred, a successful pastry chef, is looking to reduce the stress in his work life.  He is what I refer to as a healer.  Fred feels the need to respond to everyone’s displeasure, which causes him to be reactive.  When I look intuitively, I see that Fred has grace (ease and neutrality) in the mind and spirit parts of him.   His body is not neutral to those around him.   He is looking to find the vibration of grace in his body.

Exercise

Now back to you.  Take a moment without thinking.  Notice with your eyes closed what happens for you in your work?  Are you aware of how you approach your work?

• Do you feel like you see clearly and have perspective (spirit – your intuitive side)?
• Are you able to clear your thinking and have perspective (mind – getting out of old thoughts in your head)?
• Are you calm with emotions in check (body – no tension)?

Meditation

Finding the vibration of grace takes your attention, as most of us were not taught how to be there.  Try this meditation.  This could take five minutes or an hour.  Take time for each step.

• Sit in a quiet and comfortable place
• Close your eyes and take deep breaths to release the tension in your body
• Be grounded and centered – behind eyes in center of head
• Begin to quiet the body and clear your mind –deep breaths and releasing
• Place your attention on yourself and notice how you are doing.
  • Try not to think rather notice and be aware
  • Meditate on the vibration of grace for you
    • Imagine ease in your mind – release your thoughts
    • Imagine ease in your body – release the tension and emotions
    • Imagine ease in your spirit – hear  your inner voice
    • Take deep breaths and release until you experience the vibration of grace as you know it at this moment (ease, neutrality, tension free)

The next step is to bring this awareness into your life.  When you are at work take a moment to notice if you are at the vibration of grace or something else.  The more you do this the more you will grow in your understanding of your vibration of grace.

Notice how this changes how you experience yourself (body, mind and spirit) and your work.

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Learn Meditation

Imagine Big!

    Imagine Big! was the theme of last month’s meditations. The goal was for each person to open to their true vision of themselves and their work.  For some it meant changing their perspective on what they are doing and for others it meant changing course and committing to their dream.

As an intuitive I have seen that most of us do what we are good at, have been successful with or fell into.  Then there are those who go within to remember their true passion, their dream job or work then take a deep breath and commit to making it happen.  Both choices need your attention, focus and hard work so why not choose to focus your life force energy on creating what you have always wanted.  We don’t do this because change is scary.

Here is a brief summary of one woman’s journey back to her true passion.

Kathy, an interior designer, signed up for intuitive mentoring with me because while she was very successful working for a prestigious company, she longed to pursue her lifelong passion as an artist.  We agreed the mentoring sessions would be focused on making this happen.  I could see intuitively this was going to be a tough transition because all the energy of validation and success in her space from years of successful interior design work.  It was going to make it hard to let that go and step into the unknown. She was willing and eager.

After a few mentoring sessions Kathy declared that she did not want to give up interior design and could she do both.  I saw intuitively how letting go of all that was familiar was making her very uncomfortable in her body. I also saw this was her way of working through this bright yellow energy in her heart.

Kathy did all the right things to move her interior design business forward even signed up for a class to write a business plan.  In that class she realize she wanted to write a business plan for her art business and presented this to her class mentor.  He told her, “You cannot make a living being an artist. It is better to get a job.”  Invalidated by that communication Kathy changed the business plan to develop her interior design company.  At the end of the class each student was to present their  plan to the class.  Kathy stood up and realized that she could not do it.   The business plan for a successful interior design company was not what she wanted though completely doable because of her experience, contacts and resources.  It was at that moment she committed to her original vision of being an artist and created an art business.

In our most recent mentoring session Kathy told the business plan story, that she was ready to create the art business and wanted our mentoring sessions to focus on that.  She was scared.  Her energy was also electric with the passion of the work she truly wants to do.  Kathy developed her plan with concrete steps as a way of managing all the uncertainty.

Imagining Big! can mean simply committing to the path you have always wanted to take or it can mean stepping off the train you are on then stepping onto the path of your desire.   I remind all my clients, “It is never too late and you are never too old to create the change you desire.”

Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Recordings of the series on Imagine Big!    Intuitive business or professional mentoring sessions.  Weekly meditations.

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Hurry Up & Find Your Perspective

I have written about having perspective a couple of times and I am doing this again because it is so critical to our success.  As business owners, every action we take, decision we make and communication we have impacts the success of our business.  Having clear perspective is important to each of these well.  In reality we all lose our perspective several times during the week.  How much we lose it and how fast we can regain our perspective varies.  It would be great if we could find a way NEVER to lose our space but that is not real so the goal is know when you have lost it, to be able to stop and regain our perspective really fast!

What does it mean to have perspective?

For me having perspective means seeing things clearly.  As an intuitive that means not only having a clear understanding in which we use our logic but also being able to read any situation and clearly assess what is going on and knowing the correct action or decision. Having perspective involves being neutral enough in a situation so that you can respond and not react.

Why does this matter?

You can answer this as well as I can.  When we lose perspective it impacts our staff, clients and our business.

• Can’t think clearly to make a good decision or asses a situation
• React to someone, to everyone, about something or everything
•  Communication is off.
• We make mistakes.
• Loose sight of the goal or our vision
• Are not ourselves.
  
• Make decisions that are completely off the mark

How long we are in the space of loosing our perspective can be brief or quite long.  During this time we are on shaky ground.

What causes us to lose our perspective?

This can be caused by something personal or business related. It is simply something causes us to lose our space and our awareness.  We feel distracted or fixated on the one thing that is on our mind or in our space. The term space for me refers to being conscious and aware in the moment.

So what makes us loose our space and perspective?  It could be a thousand things.

• We hear something that unsettles us.
• We are overwhelmed.
• Stress.
• We interact with someone who makes us uncomfortable.
• An emotion or memory gets re-stimulated
•  An unexpected event knocks us off our center. 
•  Someone jumps in our space with a demand.  They climb right into the center of our head so that we are no longer clear-headed.
• When our ego gets in the way
• Certain situations, people or projects cause us to lose our perspective

We each have a sensitive space and for each of us it is different.  Basically we lose our ability to be centered.  When we are not grounded and centered then our attention and awareness is off somewhere.  We are not able to see clearly in the moment.  I am working with one of my clients, Carol, who loses her space (perspective) when one of her staff disagrees with her.  Everyone recognizes when she has lost her perspective but for a long time she did not.  Carol still looses her space but now is aware of when this happens and has the ability to regain her perspective.

The goal is not to be perfect but more importantly to know when we have lost our perspective and take the time to get it back in that moment!  Recognizing when you have lost your space then having the ability to stop, step away and regain your perspective is the goal.

Knowing what triggers’ loosing your perspective helps you to be prepared, to be aware of not reacting, etc.  Awareness changes everything.  It is all about awareness

How do you know when you have lost your space?

It is so clear to me when one of my clients has lost their space.  Suddenly they are fixated on one situation, person or incident.  Everything is seen through that.

• You can probably feel it before you realize it logically. You feel different.  You are not yourself.
• Can’t think clearly
• Can’t see straight
• Can’t decide or are uncertain about deciding
• Feel communication is off
• Make mistakes
• Resist someone or something
• Are not ourselves

How do you regain your perspective? 

Having perspective means being aware in the moment.  There are many ways to regain our perspective.  I am going to offer an intuitive way.  Take the time to meditate every day or at the very least at the moment you realize you have lost perspective.

• When you loose your perspective immediately step away.
• Take the time to meditate.
  • Find a quiet place to close your eyes & bring your attention on yourself.
  • Be present.  Bring your attention completely into the moment.
  • Notice how you are doing.  What’s on your mind?  What energy is in your space?  Who is in your space?
  • Clear your thinking
    • Meditate on caused you to go outside yourself (loose perspective)
    • Open to your intuition.  Don’t think.  Just be aware.
    • Imagine releasing the energy, emotions, ideas, thoughts, etc., that are in the way of having perspective.
    • Imagine (envision) how you want to be with yourself, in your work and with others.
    • Meditate on what it means for you to have perspective and be there.
    • Continue to clear & release until you feel that you have your space back and have regained your perspective.

I recommend using meditation each day as a way of having a clear perspective and creating success.

Learn more about meditation as a business tool.
Best wishes on your success,  Kay

Secret Sauce for Success

The San Francisco Business Times Small Business Summit was held this week.  It was a refreshing look at the state of small businesses with reports from their research group and a discussion among panel of small business owners, Mike Puente, Owner, House of Bagels; Peggy Howse, President & CEO, All Seas Wholesale Inc.; Babette Pinsky, Owner, Babette; Joy Chen, CEO, Yes To Inc.

Research report indicates that businesses have had a tough time since 2008 bu that owners feel optimistic and see a move toward increased profitability.

The three business owners identified their secrets to success and not surprisingly they agreed on the secret sauce that helped them survive. I want to share

• Being incredibly focused on the most important strategies for your success
• Put attention only on what matters
• Be passionate about your product and service, its contagious
• Convey that passion to a your clients, vendors and staff
• Believe in yourself and your business
• Look forward, focus forward and keep moving

Take a moment and self-assess.  Where are you now relative to these and what can you change?  It will make a difference.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

Intuition in Marketing

Marketing is such an interesting area to an intuitive.  You can approach marketing logically and decide what you want to happen.  This is a hard sell approach and it may bounce off your potential clients.  My perspective is intuitive.  An intuitive approach involves reading your potential clients and what they want versus telling them about you, your business, products and services.  They may or may not be interested.  Telling them about your business does nothing to motivate them to do business with you or use your product.  They don’t care.  They don’t want to be programmed.

As an intuitive I work with business owners to use their intuition to read their potential clients, see where their attention is and how you can grab it.  This is no place for logic.  Be intuitive.

One of my clients is starting a new business selling high-end good quality delicious chocolates.  He has partnered with expert chocolate makers to distribute their products.  I read the quality of the product, the energy of the business itself, the business name, the chocolatiers who designed the chocolate, the manufacturers, his business coach, the office, his communication with the distributors for Whole Foods and other locations.  Finally I read the packaging of their first product.

In the end it was the packaging of the product that was out of sync.  The packaging was very nice, well designed and I saw that it would be entirely invisible in the stores.  For the success of this business I saw they needed to take a risk and design packaging that would stand out and not get lost on the overly stocked shelves of very popular stores.  Now this is not true for all products and services but it is true in this case.

Using intuition in marketing is simple.  It begins by stepping back from all the logic and the energy of everyone working on the product. This means getting out of your analyzer and to stop thinking.  Find a space of quiet and begin to imagine your product and your target customers.  What will bring them together?  Don’t be logical.  Be intuitive.

Being intuitive involves using your mind’s eye to see from the perspective of the buyer and the consumer.  Where is their attention and how do you grab it?   People love it when something grabs their attention.  When you can see that clearly in your mind’s eye you have the answer to your successful marketing plan.

Best wishes on your success!

Kay