Don’t be ‘that guy’. Don’t be that guy that works his (or her) tail off for 25 years, who FINALLY makes it, who makes more money than they ever thought possible, certainly enough money to provide them the lifestyle them dreamt of when they started in the business but find themselves more miserable than they had ever been. This is such a common phenomenon in this business that it is worth writing about. If you are starting to find yourself bored or frustrated, you may be on the path to ending up like ‘that guy’. If you already know that you are ‘that guy’, don’t lose hope. You can still recover.
Ninety-Nine percent of the time when a client starts coaching with us, a primary objective is to make more money. Sounds like an obvious and even noble desire, hire a business coach to make more money! I can ask them how much more they would like to make and they often come up with an answer easily. When I ask them WHY they want to make more money, they often times get stumped. “Well, because that is what you are supposed to do in this business.”
We are generally programmed as Americans that making more money will make us happier. Now, don’t mistake me, I am in full support of capitalism. But generally, we go about this process backwards. We have an idea of how much money would make us happy and when we finally attain it, we often times find that we are no happier than we were before. You see, as soon as we attain our financial goal, we are on to the next one. This process continues until death do us part for most. Why does this happen? It is an interesting inquiry. Why we continually strive for great wealth and are still left with a ‘void’ as many call it.
What I have seen over the years is that someone who’s sole purpose for working to make more money will forever strive for that benevolent goal and never fully reach it. On the other hand, someone who has a greater defined purpose sets themselves up for an entirely different outcome. Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj says it beautifully, “The higher your aims and vaster your desires, the more energy you will have for their fulfillment.” Those who have a business just to make money will earn it the hard way. Those who focus on the purpose or service of their business, the easier and faster your business will grow and flourish. Think about it, when you talk to the most successful people you know who make doing business look easy, you would find that they would continue doing what they are doing even if they won the lottery. The reason is simple, they enjoy being of service to others and that is where their primary attention is when making money.
The big question is how do you transition from being money focused to being service oriented. The answer is simple, start out by asking yourself what story or case study from your business makes you most proud and why. By doing this, you will find what satisfies you most deep down. Create some reminder of this story that will represence you to what it is you enjoy doing for others when you interact with clients or customers. I have a sculpture someone gave me that says ‘INSPIRE’. This is called doing business from the inside out.
At the very least, define what making money actually does for you. First, describe in detail your ideal lifestyle. Is it traveling to experience different cultures, is it being able to send your kids to the best schools, or is it to impress your neighbors (not a choice I recommend). Be honest with yourself. Then attach a price tag to everything you would like to do, experience or have. Total up the amount and ask yourself how far are you really from attaining a life you desire. What next steps do you need to take in order to achieve it. Try creating your business from the inside out and you will be rewarded much more handsomely than you can imagine!
