Why Are You in Business?

Is this familiar ...

Here you are, working on your business, just like you do every day.

Oh, wait a minute. I see that you're reading email right now.

You have so much to do today, but somehow, here you are, reading email ... again.

I know, I know. You intend to get some seriously good stuff done today.

You'll get to it. Right?

But it feels kinda hard to get started.

There are so many projects to work on for your business and not enough time.

Whew, it wears you out just thinking about it all. Instead, let's go back to getting caught up on that ever-expanding email inbox. That'll feel good - to clear out a few email messages – won't it? Hmmm, yeah, it feels good for now.

But then, the next thing you know, another day has gone by in a blur and you still haven't finished that ebook or gotten your next (or first!) newsletter finished.

Sigh.

Oh well, you'll start bright and early tomorrow. Yeah, that's the ticket. Tomorrow it is.

Wouldn't it be nice if instead ...

... you were reading email right now because it was part of your planned day?

You know what you want to get accomplished today and getting caught up on unread email messages is actually scheduled in for one of today's top priorities.

No, it isn't a default, go-to, avoidance activity. It's right there on your calendar, sandwiched in between your lunch break and your afternoon project time.

You've chosen it purposefully as a transition activity after lunch and it feels really good, really productive, to be clearing this inbox for a set amount of time, knowing that you have your next block of time scheduled for focused tasks that will allow you to complete your newsletter.

What an excellent afternoon! This is great.

So, let me ask you again: Why are you in business?

Have you answered that question for yourself lately?

Why are you in business for yourself?

What do you hope to achieve?

What are your dreams and goals?

What do you have to offer the world?

Having the answers is essential

Having the answers to those questions is essential for bringing your natural brilliance to the world so that you can build your successful business.

Make a difference and be fulfilled!

If you truly want to make a difference in the world AND live a fulfilling life, then it's important to get clear on the vision you hold for yourself and your business.

Without clarity you can't move forward with focus.

Without focused, forward movement, you won't build momentum.

Without momentum, your business goals (and your personal ones) won't be achieved.

And if you aren't achieving your goals, you aren't successfully building your business and living your fulfilling life, are you?

Check in with yourself

What would happen if you checked in with yourself?

Would you find clear answers?

Could you answer affirmatively and confidently that you are forward focused, gaining momentum, and achieving your goals?

If so, congratulations! I hope you have your personal answers written out and placed where you can see them regularly. Celebrate that clarity. Celebrate and savor that feeling of focus and momentum. You are truly on your way to building your business and living the life of your dreams.

Maybe you haven't checked in with yourself lately. Or maybe you have and you realize that you don't have clear, confident answers as to why you're in business, what you want to achieve, and how you will make those goals a reality. Well, that's okay. That's your starting point. Awareness is the first vital step.

You can get clarity.

You can get focused.

You can build momentum.

You just have to begin.

Build a strong foundation

Here is my three-pronged approach to help you get clear on the types of questions I proposed above. I call it "building a strong foundation." Once you have a strong foundation, everything else you do in your business flows more easily and gains momentum.

Step 1: Clarify Your Vision

If you don't know what your vision is - for your business and for your personal life – you'll find yourself floundering when it comes to "getting stuff done" on a daily basis. (And that's when you find yourself mindlessly reading email too often.)

If your vision isn't clear, how can your daily business-building plan be clear?

When you take the time to clarify your vision, that's when you create alignment between your personal values, what you envision for your fulfilling life, and your overall business goals. Once all of those aspects are in alignment, then it's much easier to prioritize your day so that you are indeed building your brilliant business and creating your fulfilling life!

If you don't have it yet, grab my free workbook, Create a Brilliant Vision for Your Life and Business.

Step 2: Claim Your Tribe

Let's be honest. If you’re going to have a successful business, you need to have a tribe – a group of people you serve. If you are going to create offerings of any kind for your tribe, then you absolutely need to know what their problems are and what they want from you. You can’t build a flourishing business if you don’t know who "they" are: the "who" you are trying to help and what kind of help they want.

So this is my call to for you to dig deep – maybe deeper than you've already gone – and do some work to clearly identify your ideal clients, what they want from you, and how you can best serve them. Then you'll be able to serve your tribe in powerful and relevant ways. And isn't that why you’re in business in the first place?

Step 3: Focus Your Expertise

You need to be clear about who it is you want to serve (your tribe) and it's equally important that you are clear about who you are and what you have to offer. You can't build a successful business if you don't understand – and can't articulate – who you are and what you offer. It's important to identify and own what it is that makes you, you, as a wonderful, unique person. As the amazing coach you are who is so inspiring and effective.

Once you are able to pull together all of your expertise – focusing it – you'll be able to see how what you have to offer really does match up with your ideal clients' needs and desires.

Let's get started, shall we?

Find one small step that you can take today to get really, truly clear on each of these foundational building blocks. Focus. Stay on course. Then move forward with the next step. Focus, stay on course. Repeat as necessary.

Build your brilliant business, make a difference in the world, and live your fulfilling life. That's what I want for you.

Start today.

What are you waiting for?

The world is waiting with great anticipation for you to share your brilliance.