What to Do About Set-Backs and Settled-For’s

It was a good thing I could see her.

It was our first coaching session, and whenever I start with a new client, I like to meet with them in person if I can. Since she was half way across the world, we met by video on Skype.

The first thing I noticed was what a great space she had. It was really neat and organized, and I commented on it. “What a great place to work!” I said.

But she said she didn’t like it. There was a window directly behind her, and because of the way she had to arrange the room, she couldn’t enjoy it.

She’d been settling for less than she wanted. So we quickly came up with a solution, and she felt better almost instantly. (Watch the video to hear how.)

Look around the room you’re in, and notice what you see.

Do you notice things that bring you joy?

Perhaps you see something beautiful – special artwork, or a bit of decor that you just love. Maybe you see a project that you just finished, or a desktop that’s nice and tidy for once. And that just feels good.

Or do you see something else instead?

The stack of papers that need to be dealt with. The lamp you’ve never really liked. The printer that is soooo slow and never seems to work right.

The items you noticed in that first group add to your energy.

Those in the second, drain it.

A few years ago, I held a meeting in the larger waiting room at my practice. Someone at the meeting asked if her two boys could hang out in my smaller private office while we worked, and I said sure.

It was only after everyone left that I discovered the boys had somehow broken the switch on my lamp. The light itself still worked, but I had to turn it off and on with the plug.

I lived with that lamp for the next several years. It just always felt like too much to go get another one or figure out how to fix the one I had.

And that was just one of many energy drains I accepted at the time.

We all do this. We all tolerate things around us that we don’t love, that we keep out of guilt or obligation, that we hold on to just because.

But clutter, items that don’t work, and things we no longer need or love are literally energetic roadblocks.

They prevent clarity. They stifle creativity. 

They literally make it harder for you to think.

And that impacts your success.

As you go through the next few days, notice what you tolerate – not only in the physical environment of your home or your office, but in the way your business operates.

Then click here to download a free tool, Set-Backs and Settled-For’s. Use it to capture the things you’re tolerating, and list one or two steps you could take to address each one. (It’s a fillable pdf you can do on your computer, or you can print it out and complete it by hand.)

“Wherever there is stress, there is a lack of habits, systems or boundaries,” my coach often says. And I’ve found that she’s pretty right about that.

Since that first conversation last month, my client continues to make changes in her office that please her. More and more she enjoys being in that space, so her productivity – and her progress – is increasing.

I myself once had a basement that was a mess for months. When I finally had enough, I hired an organizer to help me spend a day working through it all.

The very next week, I brought in $8,000 in new income. At the time, it was the most I’d ever made in a single week.

So use that toolMake a list. Pay attention to what feels good – and what doesn’t. Then choose ONE thing you’re ready to change.

What are you letting block your abundance?


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