As I read this book I thought, wow, this is good information. I immediately picked up the phone and invited her to be one of the experts in the Answering The Call Virtual Summit.

Why?

Because if your money-stuff isn’t healed you won’t feel confident about saying yes to your calling.

Here are ten insights from the book that will get you to start thinking about where you may be sabotaging your success:

1. Giving away your services, bartering, bad-talking people who have money and blaming others for your bad money situation are all key indicators of being a pattern under-earner. (Her quiz for identifying if you are an under-earner was really powerful.)

2. All under-earners share a common trait of a high tolerance for low-pay. You can earn six figures but still under-earn because you don’t pay YOURSELF.

3. Under earners CRAVE comfort and rarely do what makes them uncomfortable.

4. Under-earners use the same methods to manage their money as they do to make most decisions: avoidance and delusion.

5. Bottom Line: UnderEarning is a condition of low self-esteem. Inside every under-earner lies some degree of hopelessness or helplessness.

6. What you have in your life now is a reflection of what you intrinsically believe you deserve.

7. The most efficient way for entrepreneurs to overcome under-earning is to raise their prices. If you resist this then you are going to continue to under-earn.

8. Create the habit of respecting money by having a good money practice — save, know what your money situation is weekly and read on money savviness every day. A lack of good money habits will be counter-productive to ALL great business growth strategies.

9. Create community with others who are creating healthy wealth systems. Those that “go it alone” will fall prey to their old beliefs, habits and practices faster than those who surround themselves with a healthy money game in life.

10. When you shift out of being an under-earner and make a stand for financial success in your life, you will find that every goal, dream and calling you have will be more “do-able.”

Where have YOU been a pattern underearner? We’d love to hear your journey in the comments below.

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Barbara Stanny is one of 12 of the world’s leading experts on achieving success by following your passion in the  Answering The Call Virtual Summit!  Join us free today!

Guest Article By Drew Gerber, co-founder Wasabi Publicity and PitchRate

(Discover more great wisdom on Achieving Your Dreams during Answering The Call Virtual Summit, starting February 7th)

Why bother?

Why would I?

Why me?

Why not?

The perennial whys. Truth is, we have reasons for just about everything thing we do, from why we chose vanilla over chocolate to why we decide to run our first marathon. Depending on the choice in question, our reasons for various things have different “weights,” don’t they? You may not need a huge, emotionally-charged, majorly significant reason for choosing vanilla. But to run your first marathon? Personally, I’d need a big, fat, loud, massive reason to get through all those muscle-aching, lung-gasping hours of training! “Because it sounds good” just wouldn’t cut it.

Fortunately for you, the weight of your reason for writing your first book is somewhere between choosing vanilla and running a marathon. You need a little more than “because my colleague wrote one” and quite a bit less than “because the future of the human race depends on it” — though if the future of the human race does depend on your book, let me know and I’ll help you get it done!

Writing a book can be simple and is relatively easy compared to all you’ve done thus far to build your career. But it can get “hard” and there are definitely times during the process where we all need a strong reason to keep keeping on. So for me, the first step of any project is clearly analyzing and defining why the heck I’m doing it in the first place.

There are a zillion compelling reasons for writing a book: To tell a story that needs telling. To preserve a bit of cultural or personal history. To get all those crazy thoughts out of my head and on to the page! For many of us non-writers, the urge to write a book has something to do with our career or our passion – which, if we are fortunate, are one and the same!

So why would you, a non-writer who has probably never attempted writing a book before, write a book related to your career or your passion? Your reason will be unique to you, and you need to find a reason that is particularly compelling to you. But here are five possibilities to consider:

Credibility: Even in today’s world, where half of your neighbors are YouTube stars and the other half have enough friends on Facebook to populate a small country, being a published author is still rare and respected. Your book gives you particular credibility, an aura of authority that’s hard to create in other ways.  And having credibility helps you with your…

Public Relations: The media (TV, radio, magazines and newspaper) are always looking for new stories or for experts to fill out their stories with commentary and data. To create a good platform to promote your career or work, you definitely want to be one of the media’s go-to experts. And nothing screams “knowledgeable expert” to the media like the fact that you have written a book.

Teach a Topic: Think of the classroom: What’s the main resource teachers have? Books! Information from the internet is great. But to really study a topic, to learn something in depth, many of us still prefer a clearly-written, well-organized book that we can mark up, throw on the bookshelf, and refer to later.

Spread a Message: By authoring a book, we can increase our sphere of influence exponentially because our books end up in the hands of people that we would not otherwise meet or touch. And often a passionately-written book can inspire others to action, adding their support to the cause or objective we care deeply about.

Make Money: Every year, a few non-fiction titles become blockbusters and rake in millions of dollars. Could yours be one of those? Maybe. But even authors whose books don’t hit the New York Times best sellers list have found ways to generate income from their books. From eBooks to audio downloads, books can be sold in a number of formats to a wide variety of audiences through a myriad of venues.

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About the Author: For 30 years, Drew Gerber has been inspiring those who want to change the world. As the CEO of Wasabi Publicity, lauded by the likes of PR Week and Good Morning America, he sparks “ah-ha” conversations that lead to personal and business success. His PR firm is known for landing clients on Dr. Phil, Oprah, Anderson Cooper, The Wall Street Journal, Inc., Entrepreneur, and other top media outlets.

To discover how to write the book the media loves that skyrockets your credibility, join Drew and 11 other experts for Answering The Call Today Virtual Summit! 

How our economy continues to decline.

That unemployment is at an all-time high.

Company leaders that are downright lying to the public and their employees so they can continue to build their personal wealth.

How bankruptcy and foreclosures are as common today as credit card approvals were five years ago.

Millions of people who are struggling to put food on the table, let alone discover their purpose and create a thriving business.

Sometimes I want to run up and down Melrose Boulevard screaming “Stop the Madness People!” Well, not really, but the thought has occurred to me that somewhere, somehow, this madness has to shift.

I’ve found that picking up a paradigm-shifting book is the best way for me to re-center myself. Last week I finally started reading “The Storm Before the Calm” by Neale Donald Walsh. As I was browsing through the first few pages this quote literally jumped off the page at me.

“What is needed here is not a revolution on the ground but a revolution of the mind.”

What he is referring to is that we, the people who inhabit this planet, have to stop looking for solutions and fixes out there and start shifting what’s going on inside our heads before anything will change.

Whoa. That’s a lot of responsibility. Create a revolution in our own mind.

But that’s exactly what we have to do…

And here’s how we can do it:

1. Know that everything is made up

Every single thing that happens is neutral in meaning until we as humans attach a meaning to it. What that means is just because something is happening doesn’t mean its bad – or good – it’s just happening. What could happen if we attach a meaning that has more value to the outcome we are pursuing? Heck if it’s all made up anyway then why not make it more fun, more empowering, and realize that we can actually do something about it?

Take for example, your current financial situation. What if you knew that right now in the moment you could actually create the money you are seeking – without struggle or frustration? This paradigm shift is a radical thought for many but its actually possible. Most people just tell themselves it can’t be done.

2. Stop buying into everything the media (or anyone) says

Just because it’s someone else’s reality doesn’t mean it has to be yours. For eleven years I’ve been unraveling the beliefs and decisions that no longer support my clients. The crazy thing is that the reason they are stuck and don’t have the life or business they want is because they listened to what someone else told them – and made it THEIR truth.

Even the media distorts reality — they want you to watch their show. Sales people distort reality – they want you to buy their stuff. Your family/friends distort reality – they have THEIR own experience of the truth. The only thing that matter is what YOU believe and how you act from that belief system.

3. Reconnect to what gets YOU fired up

One of the fastest, most effective ways to revolutionize your thinking is to reconnect to your purpose in life. It’s easy to forget, to let it slip away as we get focused on paying the bills and getting the daily grind of tasks done. Our passion is what fuels our momentum and drive to push past resistance and roadblocks.

When you are connected to your deepest “calling” you are an unstoppable force — a force for good to be reckoned with. If you aren’t on fire, then you haven’t really answered the call to your greatness.

4. Learn how to create your own reality

You can create the success you want by changing the story you tell yourself. It’s what Walsh meant by creating a revolution in your mind first. For anything to change on the outside you have to change what’s happening on the inside. It starts with us then it begins to impact and influence everyone and everything we are involved in.

Take the idea of creating a new reality around money. One of the presenters in the Answering The Call Virtual Summit, Elyse Hope Killoran, teaches “The New Wealth Game: How to Create the Prosperity You Deeply Desire on Demand.” I have found it extraordinarily fascinating how I can shift my financial experience instantly by making up what I want – not what I don’t want!

So what’s your revolution about? Which of these four steps do you know would help you awaken to your full calling in life? We’d love to hear you share it in the comments below. And be sure to join us for the Answering The Call Virtual Summit today!

When you’re too busy, it has a negative impact on all facets of your life.  Those of us in the entrepreneurial world have a tendency to think about the negative aspects of busyness in terms of how it makes running our businesses harder.  If we expand our perspective of the problem, it becomes readily apparent that much, much more is really at stake.

If you’re like me, you love your business.  You’ve found your passion and you relish the opportunity to spend time with it.  You may not enjoy every aspect of running your small business, but you do love it on a fundamental level.  You probably feel strongly about the business itself and enjoy the challenge of reaching your objectives.

That being said, your business isn’t the whole of your life.  It’s only one part of what makes your life worth living.  In fact, in many cases, the business is actually a means to an end–you value your success in the business world based on the way it makes those more important aspects of your life better.

Busyness short-circuits that means/end connection. When we’re spending our time and energies on the business to the point of excess, it invariably trades off with those other priorities.  Building your business isn’t particularly meaningful if those trade offs are becoming too pronounced.  Busyness forces undesirable trade offs, destroying the quality of our lives.

Most of us consider our families a priority.  Our businesses exist as a way to aid our families and to provide them with a great life.  How great can that life really be, though, if we’re spending our time trapped on a high-speed business treadmill instead of spending our time and lending our complete presence to our family?

It happens all of the time.  People plagued with busyness spend day after day neglecting their families in one way or another in pursuit of business objectives.  That kind of hectic lifestyle has a negative impact on the family!  Instead of being there in mind, body and spirit for important events, those suffering under the weight of busyness find themselves absent from family.  When they are around, they’re thoughts wander.  They’re checking emails.  They’re sending text messages.  They’re jotting down notes.  They’re worrying about their ever-growing list of tasks.

The stress associated with busyness has an immediate negative impact on the busy individual, too.  It’s hard to imagine anyone living under constant, seemingly insurmountable pressure having a great quality of life.  In fact, there’s an indisputable connection between the stress and anxiety of busyness and poor health.  When you’re too busy, you’re hurting yourself.

If you’ve been thinking of fighting busyness in order to improve the functioning and efficiency of your small business, that’s great.  However, you can find even more motivation to improve your situation by considering the other negative impacts of an over-crowded lifestyle.  Busyness has a negative impact that reaches well beyond your business’ bottom line.

Join us for the New Era Entrepreneru Wealth Mentor training as we discover how to transform Busy-ness into a Profitable Business! Not a member? I’ll waive the $97 enrollment fee so you can grab a free VIP Eavesdrop seat now.

Then Marcia said something that shook me to my core: “The logical mind is the death of your dreams.”

Holy crap, I thought, she’s right.

I’ve been killing my dreams with my rational mind.

I’m really good at logic. As a matter of fact, I’m paid well to be logical – to help others transform their random, way too big ideas into a logical six figure roadmap. If it doesn’t make sense why do it?

Oh boy, I gotta let go of another old, worn out strategy that’s not part of the emerging Melanie.

Thank god I heard her loud and clear because saying yes to my dream has become the single greatest source of my joy and success.

When you give up on your dreams you start to die a long slow death. Often the death of a dream causes business paralysis, overwhelming identity confusion, and even depression. At its worst we even begin to question our worthiness.
Believing in your dream despite what results you currently have can be tricky. The evidence all around you might be making you believe it won’t work.

The facts and data say it won’t be profitable.

You don’t have the resources so it’s hopeless.

No one else believes in it and since they are the experts why should you pursue it?

But what if Walt Disney had looked at the facts and data. Would we have Disneyland?

What if Steve Jobs had been rational instead of following his gut instincts that the world would say YES to Iphones, Ipads and Ipods?

What if I hadn’t dreamed of having a business where I work as little or as much as I desire? Or if I had not dreamed of a more fulfilling way to challenges people to leave behind their self limitations so they can create success on their terms?

We have to believe in our dream, our big idea, if we are going to get up every day and persist. The dream has to land in our gut and inspire us to play outside our comfort zone every day.

So here’s a thought. What if you didn’t give up on your dream and you decided to invest your energy, time and resources into making it happen? Would it inspire you to know that…

- Sometimes your dream isn’t ready for you yet. When you hold onto the dream but get unattached to when and how it happens, you will often be surprised at the outcome.

- You have to be willing to do what you didn’t want to do to get what you didn’t know you wanted. The happiest people I know have often times surrendered what they thought it was supposed to look like to create something a million times more rewarding.

- The gap you feel is easily closed when you step up your game. Become the person who can easily manifest the dream. The dream can only become real when your energy matches it.

Here’s my invitation to you. If your dream is not real yet, know that there is something inside of you that needs to shift in order to have the full experience. Your dream becomes conceivable when you release your attachment and are willing to expand what you believe is possible.

Join me in committing to your dream. I’d love to hear what yours is in the comments below.

But what about a big idea?

How is that different from all the other ideas swimming around in your head?

The Big Idea is different.

It’s the idea that energizes you to play a bigger game while tapping into the core of your purpose. It’s probably something very similar to what you have always wanted to do (and started your business to pursue in the first place) but you couldn’t ever figure out how to make money with it. So you dismissed it.
A Big Idea is aligned with what’s important to you – so instead of compromising your freedom or diminishing your bank account the big idea feeds it.
When you launch the big idea it takes your credibility and impact to new heights, positioning you as the thought leader in your industry.

The key is to find the “Big Idea” that is the right one – the one that aligns with what your prospects are craving that you have a fire in your belly to bring to the world. One that isn’t a copy-cat of someone else – it brings your unique genius so it stands out as the only logical choice to the people your serve.

The Big Idea is a game changer. It causes you to shift into being the person you’ve always meant to be – someone who has the confidence to pull off an idea at this level.

Here are some examples of how a few of my clients tapped into their Big Idea:

- A well-known six figure coach wanted to bring her trademarked branding system to more people but didn’t want to coach them all. She felt her lifestyle freedom was shrinking and she deeply desired to have more time to create and recharge. We developed a certification system to train other coaches how to use her branding program. When she launched this level of a program, she skyrocketed her credibility into a new dimension will positioning herself for an additional seven figure income stream.

- A former Fortune 500 market researcher uncovered a way to integrate her research with profiling women entrepreneurs, wrote a book on it and propelled herself from being a best kept secret in the corporate world to a thought leader in the entrepreneurial marketplace (and added a seven figure income in the process.)

- A dating coach who spent hours a day coaching one woman after the next, feeling completely burned out and disenchanted with the job he created for himself, uncovered his client’s most unanswered question – and developed a new line of education materials that brought him over half-a million in new revenue, his dream home and a whole new inspiration!

So what’s the key to uncovering your Big Idea?

1. Liberation. You have to commit to let go of the stories, beliefs, habits and resources that are holding you back from accessing this next level of your evolution.

2. Recharge. In many cases, doing things the way you’ve done them up to now has burned you out or exhausted your spirit. You may need to fuel yourself before you’ll be ready to get fired up again.

3. Hone In. When you learn how to make decisions that are totally in sync with your genius factors and lifestyle priorities, unleashing your big idea will feel easy!

Ready to get your big idea making big money (and impact?) Find out which of the above three elements you need to tackle first. What are your thoughts?

I want to shake Nancy and tell her to STOP THE MADNESS!

Just because you have lots of ideas doesn’t mean you should act on all of them. Adam Gilad, founder of many online dating resources, once had a coaching epiphany with me many years ago.

Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean you should be the one to act on it.

Moving an idea from inspiration to an actual money making business or revenue stream is much more than just having a vision. You have to allocate time, money and resources to birth it and grow it into a real cash-machine.

Yet most entrepreneurs spin around and around in the “opportunity addiction” phase because it makes them feel excited. Ideas are exciting. They just aren’t a real business opportunity.

So how do you pick the one(s) that really can become a money-making, life-changing business offering? I’ll share with you a formula that is part of my ULTIMATE Success Generator toolkit.

It’s called the Decision Making Filter and here is how it works:

1. Values & Needs
We start building your own personal filter by defining what’s important to you (kinda like the traditional pros and cons list but this step is so powerful you’ll often know exactly what to do before you finish this step.) Your values are an important part of your “compass” for growth so new opportunities must be in alignment.

2. Business Priorities
This step allows us to factor in exactly what you have to focus on in the business. This criteria can include cash flow, credibility, support, funding, etc. An idea that is not in alignment with an urgent priority becomes a “should.” Which means it doesn’t get attention, becomes another item on the to-do list, and eventually falls off the radar.

3. Passion & Inspiration
In this step we identify how much passion you have for the opportunities. Others might tell you that it’s not important but in my ten years of experience with entrepreneurs, this step is critical. If you are not excited then 100 other things will get your attention. If you are not excited, your prospects will feel it. This is part of being aligned for sustainable growth.

4. Profitability
Where most decision making stops at the first three criteria, I add in when and how will it make you money. Identifying exactly how long it will take to make money and later generate a profit moves you out of a “hobby” and into a “real business offering.”

A technique I use is to identify how much of a financial investment is required for the new idea. I map out every cost involved, including my time away from other opportunities (otherwise known as opportunity cost.) Then I estimate best and worst case scenarios for when and how much income will be involved. If I can take that financial risk and accept the worst case scenario then I’ll move forward.

5. Time & Resources
All other things considered, no idea is a good investment unless you have the time and resources to implement it. Consider who would be in charge of it and how will it get funded?

Once you have identified your criteria for each segment of the formula, you then want to rank them (5 being the opportunity has a high level, 1 being very low.) The idea with the highest score is the one most likely to succeed.

Once you have identified your criteria for each segment of the formula, you then want to rank them (5 being the opportunity has a high level, 1 being very low.) The idea with the highest score is the one most likely to succeed.

As I explore this formula with each client who goes through the Re-Energize your Business Retreat, a big reality check is rating each of these five criteria in the Decision Making Filter. Missing just one of them can mean a HUGE deflating effect on your ability to catapult forward.

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Get a copy of the 25 Tips to Re-Energize Your Business in 7 Days or Less and uncover your blueprint for achieving your big brilliant business idea.

What is not taking time off costing us?

We lose our focus, spin in circles or even make horrible decisions. Our creativity gets blocked because the juices aren’t flowing. Or worse yet, we start suffering from the entrepreneur’s worst nightmare — fatigue (five cups of coffee later and you still can’t get in gear.) It is time to give yourself a break. For those of you who have great discipline and balance, you can stop reading now. You have probably already mastered this area. For those of you who rarely take time for yourself, let alone a vacation from the business, take good notes.

Why is this important? Because as an entrepreneur our most important and valuable skill is our creativity. And creativity flourishes when we are rested. Have you ever noticed that our best ideas come at times like when we are sleeping or in the shower? Maybe you are like me and they drop in when you are driving? Well, to tap into that cherished creativity more often, we need to have downtime. Let me introduce the idea of the “entrepreneur’s vacation.” You may not have the time or inclination to go to Hawaii, Europe or spend the week at the lake house with your in-laws, so here are 10 ways to give yourself a “mini-vacation” without losing momentum from your business. (And all ten are doable no matter what you say about your schedule.)

1. Read a good book. No not another marketing or leadership book. Be really audacious – read a fiction book. Recently, I’ve been into Ken Follet. Maybe you are more of a Harry Potter fan. Or be real decadent and just read a trashy novel. Anything that will let your imagination run free and the creativity flow.

2. Hang out in a coffee shop. You’ll meet the most interesting people (especially in L.A.) I’ve run into Dr. Phil, Robert Downey Jr., and many others. Coffee shops are great for people watching. You can’t throw a wet noodle without hitting a Starbucks around here so I prefer the “local” places (like Aroma Café in Sherman Oaks.)

3. Go for a drive. Pick a place you haven’t been before. I’ll often jump in the car and drive down to the beach just to get my head clear.

4. Have lunch with a friend. You know, at one of those fancy, chi-chi restaurants with the great view. I highly recommend Shutters in Santa Monica if you are in the neighborhood.

5. Go to a mid-day matinee. Be really adventurous and make it a 2:00 showing. Plus it’s a great way to escape the summer heat waves.

6. Enjoy a hobby. Golf, tennis, knitting, painting, gardening, whatever it is, give yourself some time to have fun with it. Internet surfing and chat rooms don’t count! (But planting a few house plants does!) I’ve recently picked up my sticks again and hit the driving range once a week.

7. Play games with friends. Two of our family favorites are Guesstures and Balderdash. Games are an amazing way to let off steam. The idea is to laugh like a kid again.

8. Get some culture. Most towns have outdoor concerts for the summer that are free. Visit a museum. The Getty in West Los Angeles is a good one. Be a tourist in your own town.

9. Spend the afternoon with a child. If you don’t have any of your own, borrow one from a friend. Do something you would never do unless you were with a five year old! Make a fort in the living room couch or play hair salon. My 11 year old niece loves to go shopping with me or hang out at the pool for the afternoon. I’m always 7 million mental pounds lighter.

10. Treat yourself to a spa day. My personal favorite – massage. It is something that is good for EVERYONE! If you are really looking to decompress, head out to a spa weekend. A few of my favorites are: Palm Desert Marriott Hot Springs, The Bacara in Santa Barbara or a more reasonably priced spa is The Oaks at Ojai, California.

When my clients get stressed out, I give them an assignment to take time off. It always works like a charm! The pay off for taking breaks can be significant. Writers who suffer from writers block often say that the best thing to do is disengage for a while and do something else.

When you notice you are reading the same sentence over and over again or when you sit staring at the computer for over 15 minutes, trying to remember what you were just working on, it’s time to take a break! Have fun with it and just enjoy yourself for a few hours. I promise, nothing horrible will happen and you will be much more creative when you return.

So here’s an opportunity for you to integrate more time to tap into your creativity. Plan to do at least one of these 10 recommendations within the next week. Watch what happens. Realize how your energy is rejuvenated. Observe how much more productive you become when you take time for fun. Open your mind to the flow of creativity and new ideas. Pretty soon you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how nice an “entrepreneurs vacation” can be.

What other ideas do you have for a mini-vacation? Share them in the comments below…

A great idea just dropped in.

It’s the big one.

The one that will generate MILLIONS and make a big splash on the industry!

You jump in and start working on it. You share your idea with your team and everyone is furiously burning the midnight oil to get this program up and running in record time.

You launch, get OK results and sink back into despair wondering why it didn’t work.

Here’s my diagnosis: you didn’t actually plan it, you just reacted to a great idea and spit out more stuff.

Why do we resist planning?

Well, first of all, it’s not really fun. Secondly, because we typically feel it’s a waste of time and energy because of some ridiculously short implementation timeline we imposed on ourselves. Third, it’s not what entrepreneurs do best. We create. We lead. We inspire. We don’t like to slow down and think things through.

But when we take the time to slow down and plan we are able to consistent predict and deliver the results we desire.

A plan

…allows us to identify the connection between our vision and the steps to actually achieve it.

…reveals actual timelines versus the super-hero, in our head, make believe time tables we kid ourselves about.

…helps us utilize resources and cash flow more effectively.

…is the missing link between where you are and the level of success you desire today.

There are four types of plans you must have to achieve a great level of consistent results:

1. A strategic plan for achieving your annual goals

2. A revenue plan showcasing the potential cash flow from achieving the goals

3. A marketing plan that is the roadmap for generating the income and results

4. Tactical plans for each project or program launch (detailing each step, who is responsible and when it is due by.)

Make a commitment to learn how to use these tools and you’ll open up to a level of masterful business management that will quickly put you on the ‘who’s who of success’ in your industry!

If you’ve been stuck getting the level of results you desire then you’ll want to get your hands on this free training I put together on How To Map Your Mission to More Money. I reveal how to use these planning tools to achieve consistent predictable income in YOUR business.

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Ready to Fast Track your Success to Six Figures or Beyond? Find out if you would benefit from this proven system for spending more time doing what you love — by putting your business on auto-pilot! Groups forming for July 1st at http://www.fasttracktolifestylebusiness.com.

Growing a mailing list of 10,000, 50,000 or even 100,000 followers.

Amassing hundreds and thousands of clients.

Achieving a million (or even a billion) dollars in revenue.

Conquering a niche.

But is bigger really better?

Have you ever stopped to wonder what the cost for achieving bigger is?

What you might have to give up?

What bigger problems you have to deal with?

What your lifestyle will be like (and if you really want it?)

What kind of team or operations you need to pull it off?

How much money it takes (and probably debt too?)

In my 9+ years of coaching entrepreneurs I’ve found that some people will purse their big goals with determination and vigor – like a sword slicing through the jungle – with little worry of the consequences.

Along the way their families, friends, values, and hobbies are cast aside in this limitless pursuit of bigger.

Most of the time they wake up at some point and say…”How Did I Get Here? Why are my kids all grown up and I don’t know them? I haven’t been on a vacation in five years but yet, I’m supposed to be free from a J.O.B.”

For others, the fear of losing something (time, money, people, their identity, etc.) becomes a deterrent to their emerging dream. They are left feeling paralyzed, unmotivated, blocked, stuck, or de-energized, all of which keeps them from playing a bigger game. On some level they rationalize that they’ve achieved enough – even though there is something deep inside calling them forward.

So the question becomes….how big is big ENOUGH?

How do you know you have arrived at the level of “big” that allows you to feel internally satisfied without having to lose what’s important along the way?

I’d like to share with you three different techniques for finding the right level of “big” for you:

1. Suffering

Suffering is the ass-backwards approach — and the one most of us take. As head-strong entrepreneurs we take on our goals at lightening speed, put our head to the grindstone and barrel through the challenges. Some day years later we pick up our head and say, “Ouch.” We land somewhere between bummed and down right depressed with what it cost us to get to bigger.

Most human beings are wired to solve pain more than we pursue pleasure. It’s the boiled frog concept – if we slowly turn up the heat to an unbearable level we just accept it. Then one day reality strikes, pain sets in, and we try to recover what we most wanted to begin with.

Let’s explore the two more effective techniques now.

2. Modeling

No, I don’t mean getting on the cover of Vogue. Modeling is a technique where you identify with someone who seems to have a business you want, then you investigate who they have to be in order to achieve it. When I teach this technique to my clients, it’s pretty in-depth – you have to learn the mindset, habits, skills and environment they create in order to sustain their success.

For instance, if you have a dream to be a world famous expert who conducts trainings all over the world, has countless books and is worth millions, then you’d want to model someone like Tony Robbins. You find out everything about the way they operate — the good AND the bad — then determine if you are willing to have a similar outcome.

3. Vision Alignment

Creating a vision alignment is one of the most powerful techniques you can ever learn. A vision can only be achieved when it is in alignment with your Truth. One of the exercises I give to every person I coach in my Fast Track to 6 Figure Lifestyle Business is to get crystal clear on their Truth – what their core values are, their real priorities in life right now and what the criteria for success means to them.

Believe it or not, more goals are ditched because of the tension from being unaligned. To know how big to grow, we simply look to our Truth – what will it look like so we can enjoy your values, priorities and magic? If you are unaligned in any way, you will sabotage, procrastinate or shelf your big dream.

Which of these approaches are you taking to accomplish BIG? What have you discovered along your journey – where you allow suffering to guide you vs. using one of the two techniques to plan for the right level of big?

I’ll look forward to hearing your comments below!