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Among several insights into bright people, there is one I'm 'hot' on right now.

Many bright people tend not to be very physically aware. Some of them are actually completely exited from their bodies. They are the epitome of 'you're moving around that meat sack of yours around, but no one is home.'

More on the whys and such at another time. For now I wanted to share a very precise exercise that can be done anywhere with one other person. (You don't even have to really know them or like them to do it either.)

The point of the exercise is to assess where you are in your body; become aware of how physical self in a way that gives you mental insight (your main way of understanding things...thus, forging a new link between mind and body) AND begin to understand some of the psychological things behind why you behave the way you do in your business and life.

If you have asked yourself:

- Why you have difficulty asking for what you want.
- Why you have difficulty receiving what you've asked for.
- Why you may be afraid to build relationships.
- Why you may stay in relationships that are not supporting you any longer.

Or...any question or curiosity or concern you may have about how you relate to other people...

...this exercise will be of interest to you.

I've used it in workshops, and, interestingly, several times over the phone, paraphrasing where needed, and asking the listener to do this exercise only in their 'minds eye.' For coaches with clients who you feel are spending an inordinate amount of time in their head, you may find this a good addition to your toolbox.

Credit for it goes to Christine Caldwell, author of 'Getting Our Bodies Back' a paperback book availalable in bookstores. [From Chapter 7, page 146-147, Exercise #3.]

3. Find a partner and stand facing each other. Slowly walk toward him or her and then away, sensing the point at which the distance feels too far or too near. First, you do the approaching and parting while your partner stays still. Next, have your partner approach you and move away. Then do it simultaneously.

What feelings and sensations arise?

Is it harder to get close?

Do you feel panicky when you get separate?

What about when your partner is doing the moving? Is it OK to let him or her go? Is it irritating when he or she gets too close?

Acknowledge and breathe into the sensations that arise. Find the right distance for right now and talk about this exercise with your partner. How does this remind you of other relationships you have had?

--- end excerpt---

Our bodies are printouts of our minds. And each one of our bodies is talking to us, if only we'd listen.

Imagine a world where a mental or emotional problem was solved by asking the body what it wants!

Having spent a LARGe amount of my life exited from my body, and only now really getting to know thoroughly every cell that is the physical me, I suppose it shouldn't be suprising I'm attracting clients in similar states.

What exercises, etc., do you use - for yourself or your clients - to help anchor into the physical realm?

Where might you use the above? Having tried it, what happened?

Every coaching season has its theme, at least it does for me, and right now it's about how things can be much, much easier.

Lots of people have grown up to think hard work is what brings success, and as all our businesses grow, it can be really difficult to understand how you can possibly manage things - you are already busy every minute of the day and exhausted underneath it all.
Loosening this tangle begins with letting go - simple enough to say, difficult to really achieve, permanently anyway.

So we spend all sorts of time putting real life exercises in place to help. If you're someone who has the 'identity' of a hard worker, and controlling things or being obsessively detail-oriented has been your 'way of being' until now, you may be wondering how to change.

[You cannot play big if you are drowning in details. You can't even begin to THINK big because your brain will shut down as a defense mechanism.]

[You can't be planning to reach 10,000 people in your niche market if it takes you half an hour to write one email. Or you can't get to bed because you are trying to answer all your emails.]

[You wouldn't be able to plan a new development, put the streets in the right spots, decide where the school is going to go if you spent an hour fussing over a pile of leaves in one of the back yards.]

So a lighthearted tool for you today, if you're wanting to marinate a little deeper about letting go on an unconscious level. It just so happens using this tool will force you to stop working for a couple of hours, hehe!

One of my favorite movies features Bridge Fonda in 'Point of No Return' a remake of the French 'La Femme Nikita'. In it, her character has a line that I want you to watch for, let wash over you (and begin seeping in). At one point in my own life I used it as a very real tool to help loosen my death grip on trying to get every single last detail 'PERFECT.'

"I never did care about the little things."

It's a lovely line and I think coaches and aspiring coaches especially will enjoy the lovely little interaction between Fonda's character and her mentor, as this wisdom is passed along.

In my opinion, everyone can loosen up a little more...

Note: Don't rent La Femme Nikita the original French movie OR the DVD of the TV series by the same name. As far as I know, the line I'm most wanting you to see/feel/integrate doesn't appear at all in either. It's the English movie remake, called "Point of No Return" or "The Assassin" in some markets, that you want. Enjoy!

This statement wins the prize for Most Profound Insight on a Souvenir T-shirt, at least this summer:

"The best things in life aren't things."

And, as it happens, the same shirt took second prize, for:

"There are 2 ways to get rich, earn more money or want less stuff."

Taken together, this is yoda-ish in its profundity, isn't it? Which got me thinking about a thing I had fun sharing with Anna Dargitz the last time we visited in Denver, Colorado. I call it "Shopping, Rethunk."

How do you resist shopping? [Do you try to resist it?]

We are all pretty plugged in people here, so we've all heard the stuff. You know, stuff along the lines of:

- People spend 25.6% more time at shopping malls than at church or with their kids, combined.
- 15.7% of the population of the US pays good money to put their extra 'stuff' in storage or mini-storage.
- More than 50% of people have things in their homes that are still in their packaging that they haven't used/played with/finished/started. (Perversely they have of course lost the receipt.)
- Also approximately 50% (not sure if they are the same 50%) will go to the mall this weekend anyway.

A lot of focus gets put on the media, the evil Gargamel role it has to play in generating and sustaining the crush to consume.

And while some of that is certainly warranted, I think there is something fairly innate about our basic desire to hunt things down (window shop); kill them (bring something to the register and have it stuffed into a plastic bag); and bring them home to eat (put them in our closet.)

Face it, deep down, we're all just squirrels putting nuts away.

So...when you're someone who eschews struggle in your life, yet you'd like to tone down the nut-hunting instinct, what can you do?

Here are 2 practical suggestions which really, really work. (They work even more over time, as you get used to them, but they work right away too.) Think of them as a practical antidote to shopping.

(1) Go shopping in your own house. reShop the items you know you have bought, but haven't yet enjoyed.

If we're all hunters or gatherers, let's not fight it, shall we? Instead visit the corners of your own 'store' and pull out the things you haven't yet consumed. I won't suggest you put them in a bag or write up a fake receipt or anything, but how about exclaiming over the packaging and reading the instructions?

Wait till your family has left you alone for a minute to coo over the slick casing or pretty colors, even. Then, consciously set to enjoying whatever the item is. It's like a reverse garage sale. It all starts with raising the grain on the 'stuff' you already have, but haven't enjoyed.

Here's a little something to get you going. On my list of things I'm looking forward to enjoying thoroughly:

- An IPod and new Bose speakers I got for my birthday in June...they've been sitting in my office. I know, crazy, right?

The thing you may not know about me is sometimes I like to savour things. And I love my new-old IPod. So here's me playing with the settings and loading up songs. But I have yet to indulge in the delicious fun of playing it in my car. Or jogging. There is a world of enjoyment to be had here without going to the mall - again.

Other common things that belong in the 'reShop' category are: your CD collection, 'summer' or 'winter' clothing boxes, sports equipment, craft project type things, interesting ingredients in your kitchen cupboards - figure out that can of coconut milk, wouldja?

You get the idea. Next time the siren song of the mall calls, try reShopping to satsify your desire for something 'shiny and new.'

(2) Go to the mall and pretend you are at a really cool museum.

This is a little different, so as usual, it's probably best for me to convey this one with a story.

I am attracted a lot to color and touch; I especially like certain floral patterns, it's a personal taste thing, and for whatever reason a particularly nice one will give me a smile just to look at it. So what I've taken to doing is, for example, picking up a skirt that delights me and carrying it around. Sure I pick up my size. But I don't go to the changing room.

I just hang on to it, draped over my arm, and I keep window shopping. I touch, I ooh, I ahhh. I might put a couple things over my arm.

When I've finished browsing the department store, I then take another moment to enjoy the beauty of what I've been holding, and then...I put it back.

Yes, sometimes I say a tender goodbye, but not because I want to buy it and I'm depriving myself of it, just because I'm fond of it. A little nutty? Perhaps.

Anyway, I'm coming clean on this. I've been doing this for years and years. Until I discussed it with Anna, I hadn't given it a name, but we now call it Museum Shopping.

You know when you go to a gorgeous museum and lust after what's in it? But, you know you can't have it, so you just enjoy it. You drink it in with your eyes. You breathe a little deeper because it activates your endorphins. You smile. You repeat this for a few hours and then leave, happier, a better person, even, than when you got there.

This is the essence of Museum Shopping. Enjoying the item in the department store while you're in the store, taking your fill, and then leaving it there.

Because - speaking on a spiritual level now - if there is only one universal source of energy, that means everything belongs to everyone, doesn't it? If we are all one, we already own the things we see. There is no 'need' to 'have' because we already do.

It's like an extended 'being' or 'belonging' state with these things we call things. Make sense?

After all, it's how we feel about the things around us that we covet so much, not the thing itself, right? (How you feel in the red cardigan that brightens your face, not the fact of the cardigan. Fill in your own example here.)

Mike and I do go to the mall, like everyone else. But before we give in, I often try reShopping first. And then, when we *are* at the mall, I enjoy it more like a museum, aquarium, or zoo (without the admission fee.)

Coming full circle, truly 'the best things in life aren't things.' And by adopting and creating new ways to enjoy life without consuming per se, I think we bring ourselves back to what's important.

Because as the sublimely ridiculous yet somehow-sensible comedian Steven Wright put it "You can't have everything, where would you put it?"

"Shopping, Rethunk" is a series of thoughts-in-progress, so please contribute your practical antidotes to shopping at the comments link.

I believe we can create a body of work that supports refreshment. Refreshment from over-shopping.

Not that there's anything wrong with wanting things! But let's ask ourselves what we gain by acquiring more and more things. If by our desires we create our world, perhaps it would be fun to use our minds to create more non-things...

----

Your help answering the following is appreciated as we develop more material on this subject. If one of these questions moves you, just click the 'comments' link to share. Or, just comment freely as you see fit. Thanks!

Is the topic of consuming less meaningful to you? Are you annoyed at feeling 'in the grips' of the consumption machine? Are you happy to collect more things and see it as the natural order in a world where the 'law of attraction' lives large?

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Ever felt worried about marketing too hard to your prospective customers?

If you have an email list, how many emails is too many? Are you annoying, or illuminating, with the number of your blog posts?

In the offline world, it's harder to feel as though you're overdoing it. A large percentage of flyers are considered 'destined for the garbage' before they're even sent out - the cost of doing business. So when 1% of flyer recipients gets mad, you brush it off and just keep on mailing.

In the e-world, it's a bit different. Precise measurements allow you to see exactly how many people unsubscribe at any given time. Did you send out a 'risky' email with no content, and just a promo? Maybe two in a row, even?

Depending on your relationship with the readers, you'll likely get a few unsubscribes.

So, what's a great marketer to do? You believe in your offerings so you keep marketing. And, you measure, watching for the negative tipping point - 10 unsubscribes and 100 purchases? Sounds fine to me. Oopsie, 100 unsubscribes and no purchases? An overaching downward trend in your list numbers? It's likely time to pull back a bit.

But there are actually a few alternatives to the above, one of which you can dig into here.

Instead of sending an email out to your entire email database yet AGAIN, send a few to a couple of segments instead.

What does this mean, exactly? Perhaps promoting your $97 offering to the segment of your database that's already bought at the $25 level. Or, instead of blasting your whole list with your newest $500 seminar, send out to just your $250 buyers.

You can slice and dice your list in other ways too. In fact, how about we make a list?

5 Easy Ways to Segment Your Email Lists So You Can Market Hard Without Marketing TOO Hard

(i) According to price, per above.

(ii) According to product:

A special email to buyers of book #1...about book #2 makes sense, because you know they are book buyers. How about Volume II of your CD set to those who bought Volume 1? Or a teleseminar on 'How to use a Tell-a-Friend Software' - to those who have used yours? Kinda logical once you start thinking about it.

(iii) According to occasion:

"As a one-year anniversary of you graduating from X offering, I'm sending a follow-up invitation to take that foundation and (insert new benefit.)"

(iv) According to geography:

"I'll be in St. Louis on November 1, 2006, won't you join me for a special local gathering?"

(v) According to lookie-lou status:

This is probably my favorite segment. Lookie-lous are tire-kickers, folks who like to take advantage of your freebie offerings, whether they be free teleseminars, mini-ecourses, weekly group coaching, etc. Yet, they never seem to buy, or at least not yet. If you have a way of segmenting out your lookie-lous, consider a targetted email just to them that markets a low-priced offering pretty hard.

Because once you start thinking of your customer database NOT as one gigantic monolith but as pockets of people in clusters, you realize you can say things differently to different folk, depending on where they are in your funnel.

You'll find It takes off a lot of the 'pressure' of sending multiple mailings to your main list, and begins utilizing those cool little lists you have stored in your shopping cart or email manager. (You wondered what all those mini-lists were good for, didn't you?)

[Side note: If you've just started building your list, you may not have as many opportunities to segment yet, but you will.]

Put it simply: You'd send a different set of email to a small list of left-handed golfers than a list of just plain golfers, yes?

As Perry Marshall likes to say, "Enter the conversation in the mind of the customer." "It's about relevance."

Specific, very relevant, relevance.

So try micro-izing your list - you may be surprised what's relevant to each slice. As your mindset shifts, it makes the day-to-day marketing a whole lot easier. [Look at your various segmented lists and ask, who shall I write something to, today?]

It's worth it. Besides, in most cases, your conversion rate will be higher, and that means big marketing results...with less angst.

Stay tuned for more tips and recommendations on how to market hard without marketing hard (get big marketing results without becoming one of 'those' marketers) in future posts.

In the meantime, if you're looking for more ways to build your list, both monolith AND segmented, so you can begin implementing the above, give our actiion ecourse a look-see.

Thank you to Alicia Smith who shares this photo of a sexy Pink Spoon from her travels.

Pink Spoon = A free taste of something that encourages the taster to buy more of what they've tried, a la ice cream stores and their tiny pink spoons.

Pink Spoon Marketing = A business strategy that when executed generates more sales more effortlessly for almost any business owner, and is especially effective for service or information providers to generate leads, or business owners who sell both products and services.

Under "An Adult Book Store" in the photo, the marquee reads:

FREE SEX ED CLASS
FREE SEX TOYS

FEB 10
7-8:30

Whatcha think? Did they sell a swack of books on Feb 10, or just lose their shirts (haha) giving away ze toys?

"Hi I'm Tyler." "Hi I'm Kyle."

"We're collecting bottles for recycling. Do you have any bottles or cans to give us?"

"Sure," I said, "Hang on sec."

Just about to shut the door, I think to say, "What'sit for?"

"Just for us. We're just collecting them." Innocent look.

I laugh. "Okay."

"What're you gonna do with the money?"

Sideways glance at each other. "Calaway Park." (An amusement park in Calgary - you know, roller coasters, midway, corn dogs and sno-cones. Hmm - idea for next weekend?)

I laugh some more. "Okay." And go to shut the door, only out the side of my eye I see them look at each other with impish 8-year old grins.

"Wait!" I say...calling back the innocent looks.

"Are you REALLY going to go to Calaway Park with the money or what are you REALLY going to do with it??"

"Calaway Park, really!"

By this time I am laughing really hard.

"Okaaaay. Hang on."

I'm laughing still as I say to Mike, "There are a couple of kids wanting our recyclable bottles and stuff. I'm gonna give them a bag. It's not for charity, it's just for them."

Mike smiles. I get the biggest bottles out of the bin to make room for more. (Read: So I don't have to go to the recycling bin for awhile, saves me a trip.) I look at the bag I've filled and say, "I figure I'm giving them, what, a dollar?"

Tyler and Kyle (names changed to protect the innocent) say thank you and saunter to their wheelbarrow with giant box on top and toss the bottles in. The bag doesn't drop all the way to the bottom so I'm obviously not the first to say yes.

Shutting the door, Mike says, "So basically they are going to everyone in the neighbourhood, begging for money but in a socially acceptable way."

Me: "Yup!" Grin.

Mike: "You love it."

Me: "Yup! Anytime kids are enterprising like that, I love it."

"I mean, what's the worst thing they're going to do with it, buy slurpees? On second thought, maybe a dirty magazine? Smokes, maybe?"

Whatever. Identifying something one wants; thinking of the easiest positive way to get it, including asking for the money; then following through on doing it - man, if all the kids in the neighbourhood knew this was my soft spot, I'd be in biiiiig trouble. Come to think of it, I have the soft spot no matter what age you are.

Everything is energy, or so I keep repeating. How is the energy of you asking for the business/the sale/the joint venture/the coaching gig/the speaking opportunity/the thing you want most in life, etc. the **very** same as what Tyler and Kyle did, with impish grins?

How can you ask more often and more better: just as leanly, just as cleanly?

"We're collecting bottles for recycling. Do you have any bottles or cans to give us?"

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It's been said and quoted so often, I'm not too sure who to attribute it to, but that doesn't mean it's not 100% true:

"Wherever you go, there you are."

My version of which is:

"Wherever you go, look down, those are YOUR feet." And no, there's no way to get a different pair, not even for vacation.

One of the fun things about running a business I care about, is noticing things in unexpected places. (The 'work' of noticing what you care about isn't work.)

As we waited for boarding to commence at the airport in Calgary the other week, I couldn't help but look on, in boggle-eyed bafflement while:

- a husband and wife bickered nastily about where the sunblock should go, in the left side pocket of the hubby's backpack or the right hand side (really!)

- a dad marched a 5 or 6-year old out of the waiting area, dragging her as she screamed at the top of her lungs (you know the kind of dragging where the child's feet stops touching the ground and they are being carried by one arm, who knows where?)

- a whole section of Maui-bound Calgarians sat crabbily in the waiting area, not a single smile in sight (honest, i looked twice at each face)

In another spot, there was one group of four thirty-something women - obviously friends - who were laughing and smiling and talking excitedly about beaches, and they were the center of attention for the whole room. Almost as if they were the television set. (So that's how to be happy.)

In the meantime, my inside voice is saying:

What is this 'get me to Hawaii and I'll turn on my happy-face' mentality?

'Everyone get out of my way, I'm going to Hawaii, damnit!'

Take the jam-packed ice-cream store we were in as another example.

"I don't know what all these other people are doing but *WE* are next." says the lady, two children in tow.

Really. "Well, please be my guest. Go ahead, and I hope you enjoy your ice cream?!!"

Now, how does this relate to your business?

Well, as a business coach, I wonder, how is 'who you are' when nobody is looking, affecting how well you're doing in business?

(When nobody is looking = when you're waiting in the airport; in the privacy of your home; at your angriest, most depressed, most certifiable...etc.)

My friend Elyse said something today, about a great question she heard asked, "Would I be better off working on my business, or working on myself?"

The answer, of course, is 'yes.'

No matter where we go, there we are. And no matter how much work you're doing on your business, there you are. So make sure you're working on yourself, as much as you are on your business.

This doesn't need to be hard. For most people, in fact, it's the opposite. It's about stripping all the masks, messages and baggage away, and getting reconnected to what's easy.

Many of you are familiar with the Peter Principal. "In any given business, an employee will tend to rise to his level of incompetence."

Here's what I call the correlating Paul Principle in brief:

"In any given business, the growth of the business will depend on the level of the business owner's personal development."

As we seek together to pursue lives rich with meaning AND money, work and leisure, activity and rest, do you have 'different selves?'

Who are you when (you think) nobody is looking?

As part of the 'Putting Money in Coaches' Pockets' mini-ecourse, and thanks to the power of the internet, we've now reached thousands upon thousands of coaches with this single question:

Ask, 'What could I do in my life, if money was absolutely no longer an issue?'

(To sign up for this five-part mini-ecourse yourself, go to www.MoneyforCoaches.com. The above question comes from Part 1 which you'll receive immediately.)

You might be surprised at how many people reply to this question, as I suggest they do, via email, even knowing I may not reply. Great big lists of things are unleashed - there are SO many things people would do, *if* money were no longer an issue. It's great to read them all.

And usually, after reading the lists, I reply back with a very brief: So, which one of these will you do NOW, today, THIS MINUTE?

I know, it's a mite sneaky, but it works. Keep reading. ;-)

So many of us 'futurize' our prosperity, and in doing so, push it away. Our dreamy Shangri-La of 'When I Have Enough Money' is always in the distance.

I don't get as many replies to my second question, but enough to know it's working, a bit. People will say, "You know, now that you ask, I actually CAN do more of this or that, right now, why am I waiting???"

----

Put it another way...

Everyone's heard the phenomenon of lottery ticket winners: where sooner or later (usually sooner) the winners have blown their money and are worse off than before. There are a lot of financial gurus, teachers, trainers and coaches who work on the psychology of this with aware folk, to break the paradigm that's at work here. But what I'd like to add is this:

If you don't know what you'd do, there would be no point to you having an abundance of money.

And so, you don't have an abundance of money.

If you'd like to have an abundance of money, figure out what you'd do with it if you had it.

Simple, right? :-)

Actually, sometimes it can take burning life right down to the wick to step back and realize you'd like things to be different. It can take a serious health setback.

And... it can take lots of practice to switch from 'struggle' to 'ease.' This is what I call an 'identity-level' shift and it usually doesn't quantum-flip overnight.

But everyone has dreams, right? So for starters, tap deeply into those. (Do it even if you feel quite a way along the path to being emotionally healthy and prosperous...)

Our dreams are doorways into our future. So I say again...ask yourself, regularly: 'What would I do in my life, if money was absolutely no longer an issue?' And then, for bonus points, ask...'Which one(s) can I start doing now?'

I don't know about you, but... I don't want the universe to think I wouldn't know what to do with a lottery ticket, do you?

[photo credit: Mike enjoying a fresh coconut in the car on our way from Lahaina (whaling town and historical capital city of Hawaii) back to Kihei, Maui where we were last week. Betcha didn't know a coconut would fit in those drink holders, did you? Me either!]

Thank you to everyone who sent well-wishes for our trip to Maui last week. It was a grand-ole time, and Mike officially celebrated 40 with more than a cake and bottle of wine. Phew! The responsibiliites of being a significant other, I tell you! ;-)

By way of sharing, here are just a few photos:

Land of waterfalls, endless beaches and craggy lava rock, our home in Kihei (in south Maui) did not disappoint.

The view from our condo was oceanfront, so much so that it basically felt like we were on a boat!

This is a shot from the balcony using a new 'self-photo taking' technique I'm still perfecting (hence me in shadow, but you can see the scenery fine.)

Let's see, what was the highlight of the trip? Probably fruit! (Mangos, papaya, figs, coconut, and cherries - from Washington, lol.)

Here he is deciding to leave an avocado unviolated since chances are, it would take longer than a week to ripen...too late to do him any good.

Me again, still trying to take my own photo - but - include some nice scenery in the background. Arty, ain't it?

This self-photo taking habit of mine is strictly self-preservation - I love a good photo - and Mike dislikes 'posed' photos (how'd he ever end up with an Asian girl like me?!)

Hey! Success at last. A *double* photo with a wee bit of background, nice!

Oh wait, you can see the shadow of my arm with camera, haha!

And, last but not least meet Dressy Mike, last photo before heading to the airport. Hey, nice tan! Not too bad for a 40-year old, my dear... ;-)

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	How to Measure What Matters Exactly Where, When, Why and How to Use Metrics in Your Business the Easy Way with Andrea J. Lee The ‘numbers’ may not be the most exciting aspect of your day to day business activities, but what if measuring could be the catalyst that moves your business to the next level? Listening to your numbers will point the way to what you must do next in terms of making more money in less time. >> More Details Regular Price $77.00 | CD plus How-To Booklet *
	How Not to Mess Up a Joint Venture Including a Formula for Sharing the Money with Andrea J. Lee Joint ventures are being solidified among some of the most far-flung, unexpected and fruitful individuals. After all, together we know everything and can do everything we’re meant to do. Which is why you must know *exactly how* to broach the topic of splitting up the money in joint ventures. Many times, small business owners (you?) won’t even consider potential partnerships because they don’t know how to have ‘THAT conversation.’ >> More Details Regular Price $77.00 | CD plus How-To Booklet *
	How to Lead Free TeleSeminars Exactly What to Say, and When, To Effortlessly Generate New Business via TeleSeminars with Andrea J. Lee This CD plus How-To Booklet is for anyone who’d like to make (more) money from leading no-fee TeleSeminars. Designed for Coaches, Consultants and other service professionals whose primary business building strategy is education, it’s exactly what you would expect from the title: A Minute-By-Minute Template: Exactly What to Say, and When, To Effortlessly Generate New Business via TeleSeminars. >> More Details Regular Price $77.00 | CD plus How-To Booklet *

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2 Joyful moments courtesy of "A Virtual Moment of Joy!" cheerfully brought to life by: KC Christensen-Lang, Joyologist / Success Coach and (lucky us!) Public Relations Consultant extraordinaire. She goes the extra smile, oh yes. ;-)

If this isn't motivation for a mass decluttering, what is?

Definitely a glass is full kind of situation. Isn't life grand?

If you'd like to receive a not-too-frequent online newsletter whose sole mission is to bring you a forward-moving and practical laugh-out-loud...visit http://www.humorandlaughter.com

2006 isn't even near over, yet I'm a little sentimental about it already -- for both emotional and pragmatic reasons.

First, it's been our best year in business ever AND Tina and I were remarking that we've worked the least in terms of hours, probably in our entire working lives.

Put it another way: we've been working a lot less this year (by a long shot) and earning significantly more money.

What's the year been like? Take stock for yourself a moment, would you?

Here's a snapshot of us:

(1) February: Andrea moved to a new home in Calgary. She and Mike kept her old home, renovated and found tenants.

(2) March: Tina and Dan have their first baby, Samantha (future Online Business Manager, but of cousre.)

(3) March: Andrea and Mike overhaul the home on their Nova Scotia property from afar, and find another great tenant.

(4) March/April: Tina and Andrea co-write the book "Money, Meaning & Beyond: 27 Unexpected Ways to Create What Really Matters for Business Owners"

(5) May: "Money, Meaning and Beyond" comes out in print. Andrea spends 2 weeks on the road speaking, including managing a live webcast SuperConference in New York City called "The Power of Collaboration."

(6) June: Andrea gets the all-clear from her biopsy and competes in her first-ever Ping Pong tournament.

(7) July: Tina and Dan move from Calgary to Lethbridge. The "Money, Meaning & Beyond" Book Festival attracts hundreds upon hundreds of new readers around the wolrd.

(8) July/August: Andrea goes on 'summer hours' - no more than 10 to 20 hours per week; is on the road nearly 3 weeks and begins writing books #3 and #4.

So what is the link between working far, far less is generating much more productivity, including profit?

Money & Meaning readers will recognize the idea of "Re-learning How to Swim" (Chapter 27) where we visit the idea:

"Been doing the same thing forever? Could it be time to destroy old habits and create some new?" A sort of creative destructionism, as it were.

Although this all may seem rather remote or oblique, try it on for size. It's more than the Dr. Phil-ism that says "If you don't like what you're getting, stop doing what you're doing."

To the extent that you're willing to try the opposite of what you're doing, you'll generate some new results.

To the extent that I learned how to be a cool well, my business did well. (This was in my first year of the Multiple Streams business.)

To the extent that Tina and I have NOT worked this summer...to the extent that we have focussed on babies and families and health...our businesses have done well.

You *can* have it all. We've seen it proven over and over again. Won't you experiment, test it out for yourself? There are more nutsy-boltsy tips to having it all that we can cover but we hope you'll try just this for now:

Try the opposite. Do what seems 'wrong' yet 'compelling.' What's counterintuitive.

Fill in the blanks: "To the extent that I (blank), (blank) will happen."

What extent are you willing to investigate?

[Photo credit: Auntie Andrea holding baby Samantha. Captured on Tina's new cell phone camera at the River Cafe for Andrea's birthday.]

August 6, 1995, despite considerable (and I mean considerable) opposition, Mike and I got married. It's now 11 years later, and amidst a much different environment of support, we're celebrating. :-)

The photo is of our ceremony in Ottawa, Ontario, in the tree-planting part of the proceedings. In case you hadn't noticed, our more recent photos show me with a bit more cleavage and Mike with a bit less hair. ;-)

Of course, at 36 and 39, we're somewhat of an anomaly among our peers - 11 years is the length of time someone much older than us is married, isn't it??!

And as if this gives me the authority to know what makes marriages work, when asked for the secret, I usually say something like....

"Above everything else, we've been able to give each other the freedom to wake up every day and be whoever we want to be..."

Thanks, Michael. Here's to 11 more...

What To Do With Criticism and Angry Customers isn't everyone's favorite topic, nor will it win any 'most-jolly' awards at this blog. But if you plan to be in business awhile, you will get some of this, so it pays to be prepared.

The below is a real email question, a variation of which arrives in my inbox consistently but irregularly. The answer that follows is excerpted from the e-course entitled '39 Internet Marketing Lessons' available at www.39Lessons.com.

"Andrea, I've heard you talk about this before, and I seem to remember loving how you've demonstrated how to handle hard knocks online. I actually have a really angry person right now and I admit I am really shaken up by it.

She is accusing me of sp@mming her and threaten to report me to the sp@m police! I checked and she had obviously subscribed herself but forgot and is blaming me!!

What do I do, and how do you take it all so serenely? Please repeat it if you've already talked about it because I think I need the reminder right now. I'm surprised how much this hurts!"

--------------

Answer: Here is a bit of a philosophical answer for starters.

But note that in our organization, and any business that plans to stick around long term, has a plan for this kind of thing. Into every business a little rain will fall. So see if you can let some of these ideas soak in:

First and foremost, take it like a vitamin.

If you do business for any length of time, online or off, you will definitely make mistakes. In fact, I try to make at least a mistake a week...not cavalierly, but honestly.

What I mean by this is that I actively pursue a coaching and consulting business where I am pushing the envelope. Trying new combinations, testing models, working out kinks in new projects or just trying a new phrase in a marketing letter. For the most part, my customers know this and value this in and of itself.

Sometimes it doesn't sit right though. So my personal policy is that real criticism of my work is like a vitamin. Not just take it on the chin, but take it like a vitamin. Let it strengthen and nourish you. See it as a glorious opportunity to fix or improve something.

Remember too that as a business owner, you have the choice to change something or not. So if someone complains about something, you don't have to necessarily change. You just have to be ready to lose a customer if that's the case.

McDonald's isn't going to change everything around because a person can't get spaghetti there, right?

However in the case of something you do want to change, here is a sample email letter, a variation of which I've used on many occasions on behalf of consulting clients, and of course, occasionally for myself as well.

As with all the templates in 39Lessons, feel free to tweak this and adapt to your own business. Just be sure it suits you by 'making it yours.' Things 'ring true' online *and* off, you know. :-)

The real live concrete template:

Dear (Name),

Nice to hear from you, and thank you for taking the time to express your unhappiness about (X).

I understand that you would be upset about this and want to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and frustration I've caused. If I can, I would like to make this up to you, and wonder if you would allow me that?

What has happened in this case is (explanation of the truth of the matter) and unfortunately it has caused me to (reiteration of the problem.) What I can offer is that (possible solution, refund, or gift to make amends).

As a token of my thanks to you for bringing it to my attention, I'd like to go ahead and (action) by way of making amends. If you'd prefer not, though, be sure to let me know.

(Note: Or the last two sentences can be replaced by: Would you let me know if you would like me to Z?)

Again thanks (Name). I look forward to hearing from you and resolving this as best as possible.

Cheers,

(Name)

(Signature File)

How do you deal with angry customers? Suggestions, additions, criticisms? ;-)

Appropros of my recent post on the value of speed in your business is this follow-on question:

"If speed is good, how do I get fast?"

Well, one way is to practice. One of the remaining artifacts I have from working with Thomas Leonard to build CoachVille and the Graduate School of Coaching is a tiny yellow post-it note.

On it in black marker are 3 words:

2 Second Rule

The 2-Second Rule was something Thomas had me implement. It meant "answer every email in no more than 2 seconds." If it takes you longer than 2 seconds to do something with, Andrea, delete it.

(To which, as an aside, I resisted saying - 'even emails from you, Thomas?' LOL.)

In any case, I still have it. I remember practicing it. Although doing *every* email in 2 seconds is a stretch (what great coaching challenge isn't?) it does help.

Try it. You might like it. It was part of the 'culture' that was CoachVille and Thomas, and It's now part of the way we keep things moving around these parts - fast, decisive, to-the-point email management that acknowledges some emails just aren't worth the time/energy to handle. Better off to just junk them, right off the bat.

A big thank you to all the participants in our Money, Meaning & Beyond Summer Festival (for the price of a book)...it was a blast!

Curious about the photo? Read on.

After my recent post, 'Books, Books, Books | Why All the Mad Rush, Andrea?' I remembered that someone else I know has written about the importance of speed in (life and) business, so I went looking through some old notes (always a trove of goodies.)

Sure enough, here is a priceless gem that captures 'it' so well, I must include it here as an addendum.

Thomas Leonard did have a magical way with words, oh yes!

And although this is only a tiny sliver of a greater magnificent body of work called 'The 15 Frameworks & The 15 Proficiencies: Hallmarks of the Certified Coach (TM)' the value of the excerpt applies to anyone living today...that's you, whether you are a coach or no. :-)

So here 'tis. Enjoy:

---------------

6. Delay is increasingly expensive.

The windows of opportunities open more often, yet shut more quickly than ever before.

Combine that dynamic with the level of flow and just-in-time synchronicity that humans are coming to rely on to be their best, and the notion of delay is fading quickly as a viable option in life and business.

-------------------

Whether it's a book you're writing, a new brilliant idea you've got for your business, or something else entirely...have you considered the value of speed-in-action versus the traditional past-due mentality of 'slow and steady?'

What could you do faster, at the speed of light even, today, to the delight of clients, (dismay of your competitors) and the benefit of your business?

The above-mentioned frameworks are part of the basis of the Certified Coach Program and copyright CoachVille.com.

P.S. About the photo. Thomas often mentioned his favorite RV park in Scots Valley, California, where this photo was taken in November 2005. Not seen is Mary Lewis, formerly Director of the CoachVille Institute (and one of the very first Local Event Managers Thomas relied on so much during his Millenium Tour) who shared the spot with us.

Pictured are (from left to right) Valerie Green, me (Andrea) and Tina Forsyth...a little worn, but not quite frayed, after 4 days at the ICF Conference in 2005. Thanks, Mary, for sharing this precious memory from 'back in the day!'

Choice - The Magazine of Professional Coaching - is about to send out their Volume 4 Number 2. A lovely magazine especially for Coaches and coaching-types, I understand this issue is to contain a comprehensive round-up of Coaching School Roundup as well as a treatment of that all-important topic of Finding Your Niche Market.

Click the link below to get a sneak peek at pages 20 and 21 right now, however - subscriber or no - and see what fun coaching tools Marcy Nelson-Garrison has reviewed this time around. This column is a regular feature of each issue of Choice.

From her vantage point as regular CHOICE columnist and President of CoachingToys.com, I'm sure Marcy would agree that from Hats to Board Games, Books to Software programs, the sophistication level of Coaching Tools in existence today is nothing short of invigorating. Don't tell me our industry is in our infancy, just look at the depth of these tools. (Pet peeve alert!)

In any case, we are of course completely delighted to be included in the lineup with our multimedia home-study course 'Pink Spoon Marketing: The Art & Science of Building a Multiple Streams Business.'

Click to take a peek - just look for the strawberry-flavoured ice cream cone.

http://www.pinkspoonmarketing.com/CHOICEreview.pdf

You'll need a copy of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to open.

"What really impressed me is that throughout the material, you really feel Andrea and Tina's presence. Two powerful coaches standing by your side bringing their creativity and passionate certainty that if you take the steps they outline, you can and will succeed." -- Marcy Nelson-Garrison, MA, CPCC for Choice Magazine

I guess that's why we like to call the workbook plus CDs 'the closest thing you'll get to a real live Multiple Streams Coach - in a binder!' ;-)

Thanks Marcy and Choice. Your review is sweet to these ice-cream loving ears...

To find out more, or subscribe directly to Choice, visit them online at www.Choice-Online.com.

You never know what might happen on a teleconference at the Money and Meaning Blog. :-)

A short while ago I issued a challenge to participants: Write something you've been stuck on writing and I will post it to the Money and Meaning Blog. Uncoach-like of me, I didn't even give a deadline. Okay I'll confess, I was using the cockiness of the offer as an extra loving spur: "Betcha can't write that...betcha can't!" :-)

If everyone on that call had taken me up, there'd be 30-some new articles here. For now, we have one. Congrautlations Kris Carey, on completing the two articles. And as promised, I'm posting one here...the longer of the two. And thanks for sharing the email that prompted it: I've always said your email is a goldmine.

So as you read Kris's email and subsequent article now generating her traffic to her website, think about what gems you might find if you look at your email a little differently...a few basically complete articles to boost your search engine ranking, perchance?

Begin Kris' email:

Hi Andrea.

Well, you’ve done it again. As a result of the call where you issued a challenge to write if we were stuck I’ve written two articles! As you know I like to write, but sometimes it can seem there’s nothing to write about, or it’s too hard, too esoteric, off topic, blah blah blah…

So when you issued the challenge I said to myself, “Self, what articles are living in your email inbox right now?” This conversation got me unstuck and has shown me a fun and easy way to get writing again. Please consider the below my submission for your blog-a-thon.

Happy summer, and I send a big hug.

Kris

Kristine Carey
kris@lifestylecatalysts.com

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I got the following email as a result of an email I had sent out about my business coaching Uniquely Sensitive People:

Hi Kris,

It is great to hear from you and timely too.... I've been thinking suggesting to my friend that she call you... she is a sensitive person and has been told she is too sensitive her entire life, which is what got my attention from your material.

However, I don't know if she is coachable. She has created a life that is extremely small and insulated. These are big issues and in order to break out of it, she needs to be ready and truly want to live a more full and rich life. She has worked with many therapists over the past 30 years and says that no one has had any answers. I am not sure she is ready to move ahead, though sometimes she says things that indicate she might be.

I would love to chat about this…given your expertise and insights into the sensitivity issue.

Where to go from here?

Regards,

A Concerned Friend

Click to jump to Kris' nice and easy, valuable yet light article...

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Congratulations to Glenda Watson Hyatt of www.booksbyglenda.com on winning the Mega Marketing Makeover Contest sponsored by Suzanne Falter-Barns and GetKnownNow.com.

Glenda is author of the upcoming book: "I'll Do It Myself: A Collection of Memories from a Woman Living with Cerebral Palsy" www.booksbyglenda.com/about.htm . I look forward to helping Glenda develop multple streams of income through using the Pink Spoon Marketing Binder!

A bit about Glenda: Glenda has cerebral palsy. A lack of oxygen at birth meant she would not be able to walk, her hands would not function well and her speech would be almost impossible to understand. Her parents were advised to institutionalize her. She wouldn't amount to anything, the experts said.

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