The entrepreneurial journey has taught me a lot. Most of all, the lesson that ‘if I desire to help, then I must first do!’
During this journey I haven’t only chosen my path to walk in business intuitively, I have also made sure I experienced (at least once) some of the things I preferred to naturally stay away from.
Why on earth would I do this, I hear you ask.
Well, although my instincts would say I don’t need to adopt certain tactics, structures or narratives, I still felt called to explore them. To better understand them, the approach and appreciate why they weren’t for me, apart from the head, heart and gut instinct.
It would be fair to say then that I have done a lot of things in business that I knew wouldn’t be my path or my way forward. Rather than be deterred naturally by my intuition, I made conscious choices to experience a bit of what I was repelled by, so I had the experience under my belt and I wasn’t solely guided by instincts.
To me this is a prime example of marrying my logical thinking side with the intuitive to explore and understand my real comfort and discomfort zones.
What happened though when I stepped into this space of experimentation was magical, because I had no attachment to the outcome. I went into business situations with the pure intention of experiencing them. That was it!
I feel that this makes me a much more well-rounded and receptive individual, experimental, not too ‘woo- woo’ but plenty at the same time, because I know I’m always looked out for.
It’s not that I am going against the grain to be difficult or challenging or testing my intuition. It’s more that through challenges, for me, there is always growth. So, when I know I do not want to do something I do not do it, unless it’s something I am speculating about, something I could learn from, something that makes me feel uncomfortable yet I know could teach me something and make me a better version of myself. For example, applying for awards, submitting articles, speaking on stage, hosting events and going through rigorous training!
This approach has made me a better Coach and Mentor to my clients as I can guide them on real life experiences through variables. Not just what I specifically do and believe works for me. I can see the pros and the cons to a multitude of ways to build a business and develop a career. I encourage them to experiment and try things out as well. It’s the best way to know what you like and don’t like in business and life for that matter. Instead of making hypothetical choices, that may limit your opportunities outside of that comfort zone, of what you know.
Now there are obviously limits to this thinking, but here’s some of the things I tested out, against the judgement I knew to be true, and the results:
- I knew I wanted to be an organic marketer, building my business through referrals and success stories. Yet I played around with facebook ads in the past to give me exposure to knowing how they work and how to use them if needed. Honestly it did nothing for me in regards reaching people but I feel really confident talking about them now and the power of social media on that specific platform so my clients can weigh up if they want to use that strategy or not.
- I knew I didn’t want to limit my clients to joining my programs during my launch times, I felt that if someone was ready they were ready and my schedule of programs and launch timetable was irrelevant. So, I allowed people to jump into my group programs when they felt called to, and this worked, until this year when it no longer felt aligned. Yes, it felt scary to launch something, especially a new membership and close the doors, but I had tried the other way and in this case it felt messy and disrespectful of those building the community. Goes to show things can and do change.
- I have used the phrase ‘I only have 2 more 1:1 coaching places, and 4 more calls this week so if you want a spot please can you let me know within 24hrs.’ I knew it was a douche move, regardless that it was true. I don’t really roll like this, but I had to try it on and see the response and whether I could pull it off. Needless to say, if felt yuck, did nothing for me – thankfully I said it to someone I knew wasn’t really committed – and it did nothing for them. Experiment experienced, never to be repeated I proved myself right on that one.
- I agreed to payment plans with people I knew had no intention of actually paying, but I so wanted to help them, so I stayed, committed and supported them. Lesson here was they weren’t that committed as they weren’t invested so no change occurred, even though I put my heart and soul into their transformation. Expensive exercise in time, money and emotion. This is no longer repeated. I value me, money and my client’s perceptions of those things too!
- I went for coffee with an acquaintance and thought she was batty, never imagined she would be interested in working with me, but I wanted to be nice. Turned out she was the most serious and amazing client ever! To this day, she blows me away.
These are just the tip of the iceberg, there are so many more!
But what all of these experiences taught me, were:
- to trust in my own intuition and calling,
- to be less judgemental and assuming when making choices what to do and not do.
- to release the attachment I place on the outcomes and learn, value the experience and know that as long as my intention is to grow and expand I will always win!
I encourage you to weigh up the ‘pro’s’ and ‘con’s’ of going ahead with options and opportunities on alignment alone. Value the lesson in the rejected or repellent idea, as what you may choose to dislike today, may well surprise you tomorrow.
Think more, what could this provide me in growth and experience, and less of whether you’re likely to succeed and I assure you that you will develop and grow though the experience every time with that mindset!
With Gratitude always,
Alison Callan is The Clarity and Success Coach for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, as well as an International Award Winner in Business, and Internationally Accredited Coach and Certified Neuro-Linguistic Practitioner, Mindfulness Consultant, Facilitator, Speaker and #1 Best Selling Co-Author of the book ‘You Are Meant For More‘.
Alison is committed to helping you mindfully align with your mission to create Conscious Business with Purpose, Confidence and Ease. So that you live a life you love and deserve with Clarity through Conscious Creation.
Check out more on Alison Callan on her Website, Facebook and LinkedIn pages, or schedule a Discovery call to work with Alison now.