Endings and Beginnings by Charli Williams Personal Success Coach Beginnings. Transitions. Endings. Business changes: Personnel, leadership, buyouts - there are lots of those in the financial services industry right now. Births. Birthdays. Deaths. These events are wake-up calls in life. They are times for evaluating your life, and thinking about what you want for your future. It often happens around a birthday which ends in a zero - 30, 40, 50, 60. It may also happen at the death a close family member or friend. These are precious times, time to look deep inside yourself and re-evaluate your priorities. If you have gotten lost in the busyness of day-to-day living, or have forgotten to follow your plan, any time is a good time to start following your plan again, or redesign your plan. And on the outside, the news is good! You live in America, you are an entrepreneur and you have freedom of choice. While it is true that there is a power in the universe greater than we are, we certainly do have a lot of opportunity to have a satisfying life. We cannot control all events, and we certainly cannot control other people. What we can control is how we respond to events and people. We can decide who we want to spend time with, and who we would rather avoid. We can also be proactive in creating the results we desire. CHANGING THE DESIGN: When you have decided to evaluate your life, look in all areas of life. First of all, look at what you have created for yourself in your business. (Note: By "created" I am referring to the current status quo. You have the results you currently have because of choices you have made. You were an active participant in creating results, whether or not you were aware of it at the time.) What was your intention when you originally began the work you are doing now? Is your business functioning the way you thought it would by this time? If so, congratulations! Now just notice what you want to change, what you want to keep the same, what you might want to add or take away from the overall business picture. Also be sure to acknowledge yourself for your success. You have created a powerful momentum for further success. If the answer is no, it's time to ask yourself some hard questions and be willing to answer them. One of the easiest - but most confronting - ways to understand "how this happened" is to look very closely at what you have been doing with your time. Underneath those actions, and not always easy to find, is your attitude. Attitude is a collection of thoughts and beliefs. Actions and emotions come from your thoughts. Changing your thoughts changes your actions and emotions. Different actions give you different results. Awareness is the beginning of change. For example, if you are worried that you will stumble during your presentation, you probably will. When you become aware that you are worrying, you can decide to think about being confident with your presentation. Whether you are successful in this particular presentation or not, you will have felt better about your abilities rather than worrying. Much healthier. With practice over time, you can change self-defeating thoughts to self-supporting thoughts which become a new habit. Your results will reflect this change - that's how you know your practicing has been successful. Check your attitude about yourself in relationship to your actions in business, to your clients and your staff. We reinvent ourselves every day. The earth turns on its axis, we wake up. There is nothing in the day. Nothing has happened and we have initiated no action. The first glimmer of awakening causes consciousness - awareness of our thoughts. What do you habitually think about when you wake? If you are habitually happy and excited about life, looking forward to what the day will bring and how you can participate, you are likely to leap from your bed in joyous anticipation. On the other hand, if you are a worrier, anxious and afraid, you will have a different response to the morning. HOW TO REDESIGN any part of your life, using your business as an example: Look at where you are. Looking at the physical details - the premises, furnishings, equipment - is a good place to start. It's easy to see what is there. You can't move if you don't know where you live; you can't create change unless you know what you are changing. Everything you see was chosen by you. One of the ways you make choices is by allowing certain things to continue to be present. The next step is to notice the people who interact in your business - support staff, clients, associates, courier services, et cetera. Again we are looking at the choices you have made to decide if you want to continue with those choices, or make new ones. There is no fault or blame here, just a new awareness. At this point you may decide that you really do have everything pretty much the way you want it. You may realize you have been more successful than you thought! With the intention of empowering your experience of choice, ask yourself what you would enjoy enhancing in your business? What would make showing up for work even more fun than it already is? What can you do to make that happen? Brainstorm with yourself and make a list of possibilities. for positive change. If you are willing to be painfully honest, try this exercise: Choose something you don't care for about the way your business operates. For example, you may have a relationship with a broker or client you don't get along with very well. Or a secretary who doesn't really support you and the business but rather wastes time and creates problems. Notice that you have and maintain these relationships by your own choice - you keep showing up and you allow them to keep showing up in your space. It takes courage to make this type of evaluation, yet it is sometimes necessary in order to live the way we wish for ourselves and our families. Now what can you do to help facilitate a change so that everyone involved is supported in moving forward in their lives? In my coaching work I have found that miracles occur when people are clear about what they want. In the case of an undesirable person (client, staff, etc., as mentioned above) involved in the business, most of the time, that person chooses to leave when the business owner gets clear about what he or she wants for themselves. This happens without the client or staff having any knowledge of new choices being made - that is the miracle! Change your attitude and you change your life. When your attitude about yourself changes, some things and people around you change. The point of power is in the present. Now. Yesterday's history; tomorrow's a mystery. Today is a gift; that's why we call it the present. You design your future by the choices you make now, out of your attitude about yourself. What'll it be? Visit my website to start creating your own success!! Charli Williams, founder of Lamont Williams in Orange County California, has been a Personal Success Coach for more than a decade. She is an author, lecturer, columnist and radio talk show personality. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Orange County Association of Health Underwriters. She develops custom tailored programs for entrepreneurs, designed to move each person along their path to success. Lamont Williams operates under the philosophy that just as Olympic athletes have private coaches to help them fine-tune their abilities, so too should business people have a coach to help them reach their goals more easily. Lamont Williams clients are varied. Current participates include engineers, financial and estate planners, physicians, top insurance producers, educators, loan consultants, real estate agents and sales representatives. The Coaching Program enables individuals to develop clear, detailed plans resulting in success on a consistent basis, and more time in their lives for relationships, fun and relaxation. Charli helps her clients formulate and achieve their Ideal Lifestyle. This Ideal Lifestyle is not only limited to business; it carries over into personal life as well. Charli, through her unique visualization techniques, has achieved her own Ideal Lifestyle. The tools and techniques used produce success more easily, eliminating the old fashion concept of the need for "hard work." The Coaching Programs are very "person specific."That is, they are tailored to fulfill the needs of each individual, rather than the individual needing to fit the program. The programs enable people to develop clear, detailed plans resulting in more income on a consistent basis. Living a balanced, successful life is the ultimate goal. The Coaching Programs from Lamont Williams include: Private Coaching, on an individual basis; Coaching for Team Synergy, for groups; and other custom designed training's. Her workbook, Creating Your Own Success,is a step-by-step guide to achievement. For more information, please call our offices at 800-500-1551 E-mail Lamontwm@pacbell.net or Fax (714) 389-3038.