You know those things that you say….”OMG, this better NEVER happen because I could not handle it!”  That for me was the idea that one of my boys would come home with lice.  Images of creepy crawly bugs taking up residency in my child’s head was more than my psyche could tolerate.  I pretty much was convinced that if lice made their way into my household, I’d more than likely lose my mind.

So guess what happened a few years ago.  Yep.  Son #2 came home with a whole tribe of the little buggers.  Apparently there had been a huge out break in the school, so much to my chagrin; the thing that I had feared had come true.  (How’s that for some really crappy Law of Attraction manifesting!)

And while I was in a bit (okay more than a bit) of a freak out….we got the thing treated, and I can see some big parallels with being in business.  Let me share those with you now…..

Lice treatment – There is a process for treating lice that involves buying some over-priced lice killing shampoo.   You are to use two different products, then wait 10 days and treat again.  They also throw in a ‘nit’ (aka lice egg) comb which is designed to get the eggs the lice lay.  (For those of you who have not yet had the sheer delight of dealing with this issue, the lice lay eggs that are about the size of a grain of salt, stuck on the hair shaft with something pretty close to super glue.  No comb just combs them away….you have to go hair by hair pulling them out, one by one.  What I learned?  Buying the formula that is supposed to work absolutely didn’t.   Well, it may have worked for a day or so, but when the eggs hatched and a new crop of lice popped up, the vicious cycle continued.

Business lesson -  How many times have you bought an info product or signed up for a coaching program because a guru tells you that this is how they did it and it’s designed to work for everyone.  Yikes.  This is where breakdowns occur because just like the lice treatment, the recommended protocol had minimal effect.  It wasn’t until I researched other (natural) methods that we finally begin to make a dent in the problem.  The lesson here is that you can’t just take what someone tells you and particularly if it’s a one-size-fits-all process.  Each business owner has a different starting point, unique challenges, and not equal resources.  Trying to do the pre-packaged blueprint may bring some degree of success, but if you have been one of the scores of discouraged folks out there because for some reason it’s not working for you, you may want to find a solution that is more tailored to your specific needs.

Lice treatment – Persistence pays.  It was hours and hours and hours of pulling every hair up, grabbing the eggs, and then slathering the poor lad’s head with weird concoctions like mayonnaise, or cola or olive/tee tree oil.  And again, had we just stuck with the directions on the product, he would have ended up with 2nd and 3rd and 4th generations of lice.  Yuck!

Business lesson – There are no quick fixes!  Success means doing focused and inspired action day in and day out. Taking a stand, sharing your knowledge, and giving value.  Over and over and over.  But sometimes as a business owner there are some mindset mistakes that interfere with this.  Examples of these would be:

1.  Not owning your value

2.  Not understanding the results you provide and what that’s worth

3.  Being timid about marketing/connecting with your list

4.  Blocks about achieving success

5.  Issues with earning/keeping money

It’s imperative that you ‘pick these buggers’ out of your business.  I’d suggest that you start with one and make a goal/plan for how you will rid yourself of it.  Because even though these aren’t crawling around in your hair shafts, they are taking up tons of space in you head! And no amount of mayonnaise is going to get rid of it like some great coaching.  So set the intention of ridding your business and mindset of the things that no longer serve you.

I’ve got some new programs for 2011 that will blast this stuff away, and quickly!  One will be a mastermind group for those who already have mastered the basics, have a decent level of success, but want to break through to that next level.  Contact me if you are ready to rock next year.

Let me ask you this big question…..

Is the stress you have in your business real or imagined?  And most importantly….what the heck can you do about it so it doesn’t make you go under?

Suddenly you are not in the moment enjoying the work, you are in the grip of one of the number one business happiness and productivity killers – you are stressing which means that as hard as you are working, your energy is going south with attracting the right clients to you.  That translates into the fact that you may be on some level pushing away the very thing you desire because of the stressed and overwhelmed state you are in!

Let me start by telling you that you aren’t alone, and that very often it’s darn hard and a bit scary to be in business for yourself!  I think stress, overwhelm, doubt and confusion are one side of the entrepreneurial journey.  (So are happiness, delight, satisfaction, pride, and so many other cool things!)

If you are like most enthusiastic entrepreneurs you may have moments where you are in the flow, feeling great, and doing the work you love.  But then there are those other moments when you start to worry or feel overwhelmed.  You may start to project fear into the future or ruminate over past opportunities missed or perceived mistakes made.

My request to you today is to notice the self talk you are doing when your stress level is at it’s highest.  Write down your thoughts.  That will prepare you for the rest of the articles that will follow.

Read the next post, on why you need to start by telling yourself the truth and know that you CAN turn things around!

Here’s to believing in you……

Therese