Since I've mentioned that the emotional side of my work isn't the hardest part of my work, I would be amiss if I didn't mention what I do find difficult. Luckily for me, I love my clients, I love the work I do and I love making a positive difference. So what is difficult for me? This might be surprising but the answer is: Promotion!
The only difficulty: Promotion
I know that because I love the work I do, I should be happy to talk about my work for hours. It's true that I love talking about my work, but I don't discuss clients or their history and I don't always feel comfortable discussing everything I can do in the setting I'm asked. Often people will ask me what I 'see' concerning them. Since I'm good at what I do (Psychic Healing), my gift often focuses on what needs to be healed. That can be very confrontational and difficult at a time when people would rather do something else (celebrate on a birthday, promote themselves at a network meeting etc.).
I have seen miracles in my practice with my healing gifts and I'm really proud of the work I do, but I tend to hesitate to mention those to prospective clients. I guess I'm part of the under sell - over deliver crowd. I don't want to brag or toot my own horn. Sometimes that means I have trouble giving new clients a good idea of what they can expect from their work with me. I've started mentioning what I want to work towards though and often this is a lot more then clients were expecting. This is a very comfortable middle ground for me, but hasn't become a habit yet.
Another problem is that I do a lot of different things. When I tell prospective clients about my business, I tend to forget some of the services I offer (like house cleansing for example). For me, it seems like it all flows from the same source, however I have considered cutting back on options that are available. I'm still considering this, because whenever I need to promote my business it's hard to choose what I will talk about. I might consider dividing my services in different ways then I have before.
I also love working with businesses, but I never did any cold calling. I know I have a worthwhile service that would truly help transform some businesses. When people are back into balance, they are the most productive and the most happy employees you can wish for. I often see how stress reduction, better team work or leadership can make a world of difference. I also offer business reports and that really helps charting the right path and making the best of the opportunities available to businesses. However, promoting those services is difficult for me. I'm still brainstorming about what would work for me.
Luckily for me, I receive most of my clients by word of mouth, because I have many satisfied clients who adore the work I do and want to see others whole as well. I also received a lot of positive feedback and ideas from clients. I feel blessed that I have been on TV and would love more opportunities. Still, I want to grow, so I need to get my promotional vibe stronger!
Want to give me some good advice or do you have a great promotion idea? Post a comment on the blog, Facebook Fan Page or talk to me in the practice.
Today I'm writing on the topic that is very hard for a lot of people: taking the easy road. I remember vividly how I always used to choose the hard one. For a long time I felt that taking the hard road with sacrifices, blood, sweat and tears somehow made me superior. However, as people who take the hard road can attest it often doesn't lead to the best results.
Why we should take the easy road
We are often lead towards the easy road, which is the road that is right for us. The road that is right for us naturally becomes easy. We will receive aid (from many different people and from our guides, angels, the universe and God) making progress easily. The right road leaves us feeling fulfilled and happy. That doesn't mean that we don't find challenges on our way or have to confront parts of us that aren't healthy, but when we move forward, we find many rewards without falling into despair, extreme pain or other negative outcomes.
Why we don't take the easy road: Doing it on our own
A lot of times people don't take the easy road, because we feel that we need to do things on our own. This is quite strange, because every day when we wake up, we rely on other people. To make sure we have electricity and water, to make sure that we get paid, to make sure we can buy food. Everybody is interconnected and we all depend on each other. Also, all of us are being aided from the other side, regardless of beliefs. When we ask for help, we receive more, but we are never abandoned.
Yet for some reason, people still think that they need to do things alone. As if somehow, we get a merit badge for going in solo. Newsflash: we don't. Often, tackling things on our own that we could have done easier, more efficiently and healthier with help from other people, just leaves us tired, grumpy and strung out. It takes longer to reach our goals and our rewards and that means we spend more time in a situation that isn't right for us. So, whenever you feel you need to do things on your own, think carefully on if it's ego speaking....
Why we don't take the easy road: Thinking the hard road has more rewards
When I was younger I was quite romantic. I always thought that taking the hard road, salting the earth with my tears and hard work, would somehow give me better results. As if God would look down on me, saw how much I had sacrificed and then would reward me more. Sadly, that never happened. In fact, often, we have less rewards.
If you think back on how you tackled large things on your own, you will find that it's true, as slow progress means less rewards. And why would it be better to work extra hard in the first place?
Why we don't take the easy road: Thinking we are slacking off
The saying: "Hard work is it's own reward" is insane when you think about it. Smart work has many rewards and has it's own reward too. We only have so much time in a day, so if we only work hard, we have no time to enjoy, relax and balance our lives. A lot of people feel that things can come 'too easy', but when you think about it, what's wrong about it? We get harder things in life quite often without looking for it, so why not easy things as well?
If you don't work hard, but work smart, you will have more rewards and you are definitely not slacking off.
Want to chime in on this topic? Post a comment on the blog, Facebook Fan Page or talk to me in the practice.
Often, it's hard for us to take a break, sleep enough or rest. I often see people rushing through their lives trying to do too much in just too little time. If we don't rest up, we can burn out, crash or keep feeling down and out for a very long time. So, to make sure your relationship with rest is healthy, do this quick exercise with reflection questions!
Question 1 Sleep:
Do you feel that you sleep enough? Do you feel healthy and rested in the morning? Do you take naps/need naps? Is the quality of your sleep excellent and if not, what can you do to improve it?
If you aren't sleeping enough, what are you doing?
One of the biggest drains in life isn't sleeping enough or sleeping badly. I've seen a lot of people who have late nights and early mornings and it simply doesn't work. There are so many sleep studies showing how effectiveness decreases without adequate sleep. Not everybody needs the same amount, but make sure you get yours almost every night. If your sleep needs are heavy (10+ hours) usually another problem needs to be addressed first.
Question 2: Breaks
How often do you break? Do you spend enough time eating lunch? Do you have small breaks during the day? What do you do in your breaks? Does that truly relax you or do you feel stressed out?
Taking a break is good. To make sure that you stay hydrated, to refresh your mind, to relax a little, to look at your work with fresh eyes etc. etc. Often, people neglect breaks thinking that if they have a lot of work they should keep on working. Studies however say that working in 45 minute chunks is the best for us. Our concentration lags if we try to work longer. So, take a break! Check in with your body, heart and mind so you make the right choices.
Question 3: Resting up after work
Do you take a break in the weekends or do you plan those full with work too? Do you take enough holidays? Do you take time to reflect and evaluate after big projects? Do you sometimes have 'nothing' to do? Do you have enough time that is peaceful, quiet or restful?
We can't live from high stress point to high stress point, yet many of us try. Make sure that you have a time to appreciate what you have done and enjoy a reward, before starting on a new project. If a project runs a few weeks or even months, it's important to take a break before starting another long stretch of work. That time can be used to rest, recharge and revitalize yourself and helps you enter the new project with the right frame of mind.
Work: Planning
If you noticed that your relationship with sleep, rest and relaxation isn't healthy, the biggest ally to solve this is: Planning. Plan times to relax in your daily routine. Plan enough time for sleep and relaxation.
If you feel that you can't seem to stretch your energy for what you need to do in a day, either decrease your workload or increase your energy. Take a good look at what the true problem is: are you expecting too much of yourself or are you too tired and do you need to recharge? Take appropriate measures!
Want to chime in on this topic? Post a comment on the blog, Facebook Fan Page or talk to me in the practice.