Whispers From Those We've Helped
Sadness crept in like a fog. She’d tried so many different versions of the right answer, and not one of them seem to be growing her business. Her shoulders felt heavy; the short walk to her desk endless. She sat staring out the window as the late September crickets rasped. It was then that she noticed it, a tiny corner of ivory paper sticking out from a stack of business books. One of the first thank you cards she’d ever received, a note from someone she’d helped just by talking to her. She’d spent a few extra minutes listening to this woman after a meeting. She no longer remembers what she said, but her words had mattered. The black ink swirls on the creamy card said that. Suddenly she smiled, remembering why she was here - to help.
She’d learned how to fly and was meant to show others they had wings.
There will be weeks in your business building where nothing seems to be working.
Either you’re stuck doing backhouse tasks, like updating your accounting or learning a new email marketing tool, when everything you read is telling you to get out there and be in front of people. You are your product -you have to sell!
Or maybe, you’ve launched a new program, and there wasn’t the response you’d hoped for, not even close. All the work you put into developing feels like it was all for nothing.
Or perhaps life is intervening – your kids’ schedules changing, a spate of doctor appointments, repairs – all necessary tasks but ones that take your already too precious time away from your business.
What I want to say to you in these moments is PLEASE DOn’t Give up.
Stay steady.
And remember your why - why you’re here in the first place, trying to build a soul-based business.
What’s your purpose?
Are you here to help people reclaim their essential self so they can find joy in their career again?
Are you here to guide people to seek their own spiritual truth?
Are you here to help business owners create an amazing business plan?
shifting the focus from you and your business to your why can reframe the moment.
You can also try this:
A Writing Exercise: Helping Hands
Think back to someone you helped in the last few months. It could be with something big, or not. It could be connected to your business, or not. It could be something you were paid for, or not. All that matters is that you helped this person.
Remember connecting with that person and how you felt in the moment. Get specific – how did you feel in your body? What were your emotions?
Next, let anything that person shared with you about their experience wash over you.
Now grab a pen and your journal, set a timer for at least 10 minutes and write what comes to you after this prompt:
What I loved most about this moment was:
Next, sit back and consider a challenge you are facing in your business. Imagine for a moment that you are that person you helped. Become them in your mind’s eye and tell them what’s been going on for you.
Now, pick up your pen again, and set your timer for at least 10 minutes. Ask them for their perspective about your challenge and see if you can hear what they have to say. Try to capture in writing what they are telling you.
If you get stuck, be patient and wait for their response to come.
Once you are done with the writing exercise, review what you’ve written looking to discover any fresh connections or insights about your challenge. Note those down as well, relishing for a moment stepping into an alternative point of view.
A fresh perspective is sometimes all it takes to give us a whisper of encouragement and make our hearts sing with renewed possibility.
I’d love to hear what you thought of this exercise and if it offered you a different point of view. Send me an email or post a comment below.