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The beauty of “good enough.”
I am a recovering “perfectionist.” I have been working hard for years to go from “everything HAS to be perfect” to letting in Brené Brown’s theory of “good enough.” Raised by a feminist single Mom, “good enough” wasn’t going to cut it for me, her little girl. “PERFECT,” although she never used that term, was what she encouraged me to aim for. It wasn’t her fault, lots of Moms were helping their young daughters in the ‘70s navigate the new message of “we burned our bras so you can be anything you want to be” and the added pressure to those of us who wanted to make those women proud. For years, when I aimed for "perfection," I was rewarded for that effort. It got me plenty of job offers, big salaries, and important job titles. It also gave me a lifetime of anxiety and perfection paralysis. I am not sure that way of living was worth any fancy job title or big salary. So, I’ve been trying something different. I quit aiming to be perfect, and instead, continue to aim for imperfect. And I take inspiration in the words of three amazing women who remind me it is safe for me to be imperfect. Coach Lindsey wrote an incredible blog recently on being a Beginner and the beauty of Beginner’s Mind…Not sure what Beginner’s Mind is? Lindsey reminds us that it is a Zen Buddhist belief that “when you embrace being a beginner at something, you are your most open and vulnerable. Therefore, you are in a state of constant learning and experimentation. You actively work on non-comparison and non-judgment because well, you’re just starting out. There’s no need to know everything.” Thanks, Lindsey, for that reminder. You know what I think is the best part of being a beginner? Beginners don’t have to be perfect. You get to do it messy. You get to do it “just so.” You basically have a “get out of jail free card” that allows you to be as imperfect as you want. But what has always amazed me is how uncomfortable folks are being in the “beginner’s stage.” We seem to immediately strive to be “perfect” at things that we just learned. Who in the world can actually achieve this kind of success? Not many actually, yet so many try to achieve this herculean feat. I say stay a beginner for a while and enjoy the freedom! Live in the imperfection of being a beginner and relish the learning. Other than taking on beginner’s mind, how does one take steps in becoming a recovering perfectionist? Well, keep being perfect, but change what you are perfect in. With this in mind, let me be honest, I am still a perfectionist, but I am perfect at being imperfect. It allows me to strive for success in something, all be it a bit different success than most people strive for. By being imperfect, you finally recognize your ego voice exactly for what it is: You are your own personal Success Prevention Expert. And that expert keeps you stuck. And that keeps you “as-is.” So, by my thinking, perfectionism actually keeps you stuck. And is the opposite of growth, that thing that so many perfectionists aim for. Ironic, right? I look to my “spirit animal,” Elizabeth Gilbert, who shares in Big Magic, Creative Living Beyond Fear that, “I think perfectionism is just fear in fancy shoes and a mink coat, pretending to be elegant when actually it’s just terrified. Because underneath that shiny veneer, perfectionism is nothing more that a deep existential angst the says, again and again, ‘I am not good enough and I will never be good enough.” And finally, thank you to Coach Erika Gerdes who recently wrote in one of her recent blogs about her own inner critics that have kept her from making even the tiniest of movement, much less action that is perfect. Her honest, vulnerable blog inspired me to say it again, “let’s kick perfectionism to the curb and celebrate that we are enough!” If asking you to completely give up your perfectionism is too much, why don’t we aim at being perfect at being imperfect? Let’s nail that…my gut says we will get more done. And feel a hell of a lot better. Sounds perfect, right? -Coach Amy  Have you watched it? Or did the trailer scare you? With me it was the latter. It scared the living daylights out of me and I was about to never come back. But I came back and dared to watch it. Once I got used to the tone of voice and the images, I tried to enjoy it. You guessed it right, I am referring to Birdbox the movie with Sandra Bullock. She did a great job. Her lead role here was like hers in The Blind Side. In both films she takes care of others and does it very well.
I was fascinated to see how she used the birds in her birdbox to notify her that danger was coming or that she was in the middle of it. At the same time people had to close their eyes otherwise they would become victims of a force or notable enemy. In Birdbox, I saw analogies with my work as a Career Coach. When clients come to me for career coaching, eight out of ten times it is because they are blindfolded or do not rely on their warning system. They are not able to see, or only vaguely see, that there will be light at the end of the tunnel. Life throws things at them which might be hard to digest or overcome. They do not recognize their own talents, or do not feel appreciated for them. Being blindfolded does not help you see what is out there and so it is nice to have a sounding board like me to help you get a clear vision on your talents, strengths and how to apply them wisely and effectively in your life and career. The upside to being blindfolded is that you are forced to concentrate on your other senses: hearing, touch, smell and taste. Although it is not a sense, I like to add intuition or gut feeling to this list. Your gut feeling or intuition in my opinion would be your Birdbox. More and more I have learned to rely on my intuition in life and in general. It will tell me whether I like the situation I am in or whether I would be able to work well with a prospective coachee. My birdbox is filled with intuition that helps me in daily life and with the choices I make. My question for you would be: What is in your Birdbox? This box is a toolbox containing all kinds of tools that make you aware of situations, people, and most importantly, Yourself. Are you blindfolded in your career? Do you know what is in your Birdbox? Would you like to figure out these things? There is an abundance of help out there. If liked what you read so far, please reach out to me or my colleagues at FromWithin Coaching. - L.J. Nieulant  With “New Year’s Resolution Season” upon us, many rush out to change themselves with the turn of the calendar page – it is almost like with that one day change that takes you from one year to the next, you will suddenly gain all of the will power you need to make the change that has eluded you all year. Or worse, you think that suddenly you will become the person you have always wanted to be…overnight, just because you resolved to do so. But I invite you to consider this year, instead of making a “New Year’s Resolution” that you instead consider making a life resolution and hire a Coach. Why a Coach? Because we think you are “enough” as you are. We believe that you hold amazing power, knowledge, and capacity as you are as a person, today. And that you are not broken and need fixing. Instead, we believe as Coaches, that you are enough and that the support that you need is about expanding that “enough”. We look to expand and reinvigorate the strengths you bring to the world every day. We remind you of the tools you already possess to not just set goals, but get them as well. We challenge you to not allow your “buts” (those excuses that often have the world “but” in the middle of them like, “I have always wanted to do that BUT I just don’t think I can survive on that salary) to get in the way of your dreams. We believe that the change you seek is most often the product of steady, sometimes circuitous effort; that what we do every day matters more than what we do once in a while. Our job is to help you create an environment of success around that steady effort. We take the long view of the game of change instead of the “30-day challenge” but by making it an expanded view of possibility and opportunity, our clients find a great deal more success that lasts a life time, versus just a short New Year’s Resolution period of time. But most importantly, we make help our clients identify that THEY are the most powerful ones to support themselves in this journey of change. And the ones they can trust the most when they become committed in change, not just interested. So instead of putting money down for a gym membership that you won’t use, a new pair of $200 sneakers that won’t make you want to run no matter their color, or invest in a new resume because surely is going to help you get clear about what you want out of life – contact a Coach. And let them walk through with you what is really important to you and let them help you see that you are enough as you are – and that change is indeed an important part of growth, let them show you how to navigate change to not only set the goals you want out of life, but get them. See you in 2020!  “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.” ~Anais Nin The beginning of a new year represents a time of hope, a time for fresh starts, new goals and new connections to self and others. I find it perfect that the beginning of a new calendar year happens in winter, the season that calls for us to turn inward for reflection, self-acceptance, and self-growth. This nurturing energy of winter supports the opportunities a new year brings and invites us to be intentional and take stock of the previous year, to acknowledge any successes, reflect on what worked and what didn’t work, and to be honest about using this information to build upon and purposefully move forward into the new year with clear goals and visions for ourselves. Today, as I look to 2019 and to the continued self and professional work that I am committing to, I am deciding to chose a word to frame my year ahead. This word will embody the character of who I want to be and who I need to become in the upcoming year as I strive to make positive changes in my personal and professional life. This word will be the lens through which I focus my intentions and develop my vision, goals, and action steps for the year. My word for 2019 is COURAGE. Courage is a word often used to describe heroes or those who commit a heroic act in the face of grave or life threatening danger. These true heroes are indeed, courageous. However, the courage I am speaking of lives more on a spiritual plane, embodied in the heart and not always seen or recognized by others. This type of courage defines the small, daily acts that one takes to discover, honor, and live in alignment with their true selves. It’s in the ability to live with uncertainty and take action nonetheless, to understand that outcomes are not guaranteed and yet to trust and love what shows up. It’s in the decision to live a created life, a life on purpose and by design instead of a allowing a life of default and chance. As a Life and Wellness Coach, I have the honor to work with clients who show me this type of courage every day as they dive deeply within themselves to sit with, untangle, and reframe their insecurities and fears in order to move past them and achieve real success with their personal and professional goals. They model courage to me in their decisions to end dysfunctional relationships, overcome old patterns of self-sabotage, take risks and speak their truths for the first time or try new behaviors that are more aligned with their health and wellness goals. Courage is what paves the journey of many who begin the allowing of feelings, all feelings both painful and joyful. The greatest courage I often see is in the desire and determination of parents I work with to end dysfunctional familial patterns of fear, shame, or anxiety so that their children grow with confidence and a sense of self-worth and safety. This deep inner work can be messy, uncomfortable, and often times downright scary. It is, however, powerful, liberating and absolutely life-changing. It is work that I am daily committed to because as a Life Coach, I cannot take my clients any deeper than I have gone within myself. This work of personal growth and evolution is essential to me in my life. One of my favorite quotes by Margaret Young states “You first must BE who you really ARE in order to DO the things that will get you what you really WANT.” This being who we really are is all about the work of cultivating profound inner belonging and navigating from a place of internal validation, of knowing our self-worth and self-value instead of looking to others for approval or acceptance. It’s about listening to and honoring our inner guidance and inner wisdom and making decisions based on true self-knowing. It’s about working through the swirling thoughts and gripping sensations of fear in order to make daily decisions to lean into the discomfort and uncertainty of new growth territories instead of avoiding them by numbing with substances, food, busyness, care taking, or any of the other myriad of ways we numb to avoid. These small daily decisions of becoming take courage as we step out of our comfort zones. We absolutely do not grow inside of our comfort zones and by choosing to lean in and live at it’s edge, we push it out bit by bit. Actions that once took courage to do are soon done with ease and confidence and we can then lean in and find our edge again and continue growing and achieving. So, yeah, courage. It’s my word for 2019. It both challenges and excites me. What about you? How can you invite courage into your goals and dreams for 2019? What courageous boundary can you initiate within yourself or with others that will ignite a flicker of self-pride and have you standing a bit taller? What quiet moments can you weave into your busy day that can provide the space for even a fleeting presence of courage to step in and take root? Comment below or find me on Facebook to share how you can see courage playing a role in your life for 2019 or to share a different word that you come up with for yourself. I would love to hear! -Coach Augusta  It is normal this time of the year for my clients to ask what I think about New Year’s Resolutions. In fact, it happened just today. For those that know me well, they know that I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions (well, I did once, it was that I was never going to make another New Year’s Resolution ever again.) But this time of the year, we celebrate not only the new year ahead, but how we want to move into it differently from the year before. I’d like to suggest something I have been playing with for years instead of New Year’s Resolutions…I write two reflection pieces – one that is designed for me to reflect on what I learned during the prior year and one that helps me decide what to leave behind in the old year. I’ll unpack each in case you are interested in trying these reflections out instead of resolutions… The first – the “learning” reflection – is one that I have done now for ten years….it helps me catalog, inventory, and noodle over what the last year has brought to me in terms of lessons. As many of you have heard me say, failure is not the opposite of success, but instead lessons are. We have much to learn when life doesn’t go as planned…sure, these lessons are un-gift-wrapped messes on the outside but they are gems of wisdom when we open them up and truly look at them. So, my lesson list for 2018 is one that I will share both the lessons learned, positive and negative ones. An example of each is that I learned I enjoy Ethiopian food. An amazing restaurant offers a monthly meal of Ethiopian delights, and I learned two months ago that I thoroughly enjoy the flavors and the textures of that region’s food. So it isn’t just that I learned I like Ethiopian, but it was also a reminder that there is still food out there in the world I have not tasted in the last 46-years of my life to discover…what a gift. As for the un-wrapped, messier gifts? I learned that I still have a tendency to over extend my time to others at the detriment of my own time. As an Obliger, I know that I put everyone else ahead of me, but for some reason this year, I made it an art form. Time, money, energy, emotion…I put everyone else’s in front of my own. And I burned out a bit. But thanks to some dear friends who helped me wake up from my Obliger Coma, I am starting to learn how to be both an Obliger and someone who is comfortable putting up boundaries higher than before. Both lessons, Ethiopian and Obliger tendencies, helped me see that even the Coach can still learn and grow… Now, onto the “leaving” reflection. Here is a great example of what I am going to leave behind in 2018 from my Obliger admittance. I am going to leave behind the behavior pattern that everyone comes before me and instead, choose who I put ahead of me in terms of my own self-love, attention, and healing. Because Amy Magyar is as important as those I support. And in fact, if I don’t support myself, I can’t support those around me that I love dearly. The “leaving behind” reflection helps us see what we don’t want to bring with us into the new year and reminds us that we do have a choice between what we will and won’t bring with us. Empowering for me to say the least. I hope for you as well. My learning and leaving reflections are usually a total of a page of handwritten scribble, however, this year, it might be two full pages with no white space in the margin. But I don’t think that is a bad thing. I don’t feel sorry for myself that there are more things for me to leave in the old year – it just means I am that much smarter…and by leaving them, lighter, in both body and mind. Not sure what you learned in 2018? Not sure what you want to leave in 2018? Reach out to us and book an exploratory session with us – I have no doubt our team can help you make 2019 an incredible learning year! And on a final note, thank you to all of our wonderful clients and organizations that we work with. Each one of you brings incredible wisdom to us and it is an honor to watch you grow! And to my team of Coaches and Writers, thank you for all of the wisdom you bring to our Clients! Learning and Leaving, Coach Amy  I recently had the opportunity to support a close friend as she struggled with a challenging business decision. She wasn’t a client; she came to me for advice in making the right choice for the next step with her business. I couldn’t help myself; the coach in me came right out. We crunched the numbers, we strategized, we played with the best and worst case scenarios, we imagined the “what ifs?” We talked about what was scary, what was exhilarating, what was challenging, what was a “no brainer.” Most importantly, we spent many hours ensuring this change in business direction effectively contributed to her long-term personal and professional goals. It wasn’t easy; there were many times she looked at me and said, “I don’t know if I can do this.” There were too many moving parts, too many details that seemed overwhelming as we talked them through, too many times she said, “Aw, I’ll figure that out later.” I sat with her as she called back her business stakeholders, picking their brains to gather more data, collect more ideas, and weave new strategies into her thinking. Excel spreadsheets covered our laptops; flip chart sheets littered the floor. Time was ticking; she had to make a choice, commit to a new direction or stay “as is.” I suggested we push away from the decision table and take a breath. We began to explore the optimal question: what does it look like to have “no regrets?” Heading in a new direction often takes courage and some would view it as risk-taking, but at the end of the day, isn’t it better to live a life with no regrets rather than wallowing in the “would of,” “should of,” “could of’s” of our decisions? That was the catalyst; just by asking the question, “Do you want to live your life with any regrets?” she was able to spring into action, squaring her shoulders and declaring a definitive “Yes!” to the new opportunity. Navigating these activities with my friend was triggering something in the back of my mind; I, too, many years ago, had been faced with a similar dilemma. I was newly married, living in Yosemite National Park, working my way up the government jobs career ladder. So was my husband. He finally got the call…a promotion to a national park in South Florida. South Florida? Who the heck wants to live in South Florida? We agonized over the pros and cons: I would be hunting for a job, we would be swatting mosquitos and dealing with extreme humidity, we would be able to buy our first house, we already had a few friends in the area, we’d be closer to our east coast-based families, we’d learn to scuba dive, etc. But, Homestead, Florida after Yosemite National Park? It was a lot to swallow. After a few nights of “spirited” discussions, he took the job and we made the move. Looking back on the decision now, I realize we applied the “No regrets” thinking. Stay in Yosemite and watch the promotion go to someone else or take a shot at something new and different. While this was many years ago, it was still the same path of gathering data, evaluating the ups and downs, and making a decision we would not regret (to be honest, I ended up falling in love with Everglades National Park where I was able to continue my Park Service career). As an Executive and Career coach at FromWithinCoaching, I go through a very similar process with my clients. By asking the right questions, the people I work with eventually look themselves in the mirror and ask themselves how they can live their personal and professional lives with “no regrets.” That being said, it’s not easy finding a new job, changing industries, maneuvering through a challenging conversation, or being honest with oneself about having outgrown a role; it can be a lonely and overwhelming spot. But we only take this trip around the sun once – make sure it’s a regret-free adventure. Are you feeling stuck in the “regrets” zone? An exploratory session might be just the thing to get you out of a rut. You can read more about me and book your session below. I’d be honored to help. -Coach Lu Setnicka  Many approach resume writing backwards. Why think of it as a personal work history when you can and should use it as a tool to reinvent yourself to manifest an incredible future? And by manifest, of course I mean create a focused intention you work your butt off to achieve. This is my goal in writing resumes, LinkedIn profiles, cover letters, and bios. I do not just help my clients get better jobs, I help them see, understand, and when I’m lucky, execute their skills and talents – even when they are just returning to the workforce or have gaps in their work history.
Mid-career job seekers have so much more to offer than work history: they bring life experience and transferable skills! When examined, understood, and properly portrayed, these experiences and skills can make you look amazing online (think LinkedIn profile) and become the fundamental elements of your new career. Here’s an example of what I mean. I have a completely esoteric hobby: Greenland Style kayak rolling. In Greenland the water is too cold to swim, so those who hunt from the kayak (and some still do!) must know how to roll in order to self-rescue when a wave or a walrus knocks them over. There are sixty or so different kinds of Greenland Style rolls. Some are done with spears instead of paddles, some are done with bare hands, some are done without any hands at all. I became fanatical about this style of kayaking, I learned about its history, I learned how to do it, I learned how to teach it. Being under water, stuck upside down in a kayak is scary. To get to a point where you can teach someone how to right herself from this scary place without totally freaking out, you must know what you’re doing, how to teach, and be trustworthy (your student’s life is literally in your hands). Sure, the body mechanics of the roll, the width of your kayak, the height of its deck… are all very important, but it is possibly more important to trust and believe you can do it. I help the student believe she can do it, then I show her how to use her strength, balance, and body (all things she already has) to roll up. What does this esoteric paddling tradition have to do with career communications? Everything except the cold water. Here are some of the skills and characteristics I have transferred from this life experience to my resume and a job that I love: Enthusiasm – The first time I witnessed G-style rolling, I knew I had to learn it. Research – I had to find out who knew how to do it and who could teach me. I had to experiment. Inquiry – I had to keep asking. Practice – Rolling is hard to do; I had to dedicate myself to practice. For years, the roll-over comb-over was my summer hair style. Dedication – Hard work, too. Mentoring – I joined different organizations, signing up to teach others how to roll. Humor – Humor is part of who I am. I need it to survive – in and out of the kayak. Compassion – I understand that my students might be a little anxious when learning this new skill. Such characteristics make great resume foundations and excellent career elements. In fact, I bring my kayak-teaching skills into play every time I write a resume (a big part of my work today). I understand and acknowledge that job hunting, like being stuck upside down in a skinny little boat, can be scary. I also understand that each of my clients already has the talents and skills they need to right the boat. By examining and insightfully representing transferable and skills and life experience, I help my clients reflect on who they are but who they can become. I will be presenting a workshop Friday, October 19 on exactly how. Join us at Vermont Tech Jam for Reinvent Yourself. Explore ways to rebuild your resume – and your confidence – in the face of change. Bring your laptop! No kayaking skills required. -Jane Taylor, your writer. We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time. — T.S. Eliot (1943) How many of you are going through life feeling broken, like you are missing something, have parts yourself you need to hide or need to have fixed in some way? How many of you feel that in order to achieve success or inner peace in life, you must learn some system or method and therefore try one self-help book after another searching for the right way to feel more positive, attract more wealth, overcome worry, become more effective, or lose 10 pounds? How many of you have an inner knowing that there has to be more to life and that there has to be more to you? What if I told you that everything you need to make the transformations necessary to create the successes and inner peace you desire is actually within you just waiting to emerge? What if I told you that YOU are the only one with the answers you seek and that looking outside of yourself can actually make things worse and result in more self-judgement and feelings of helplessness as you ultimately fail to make lasting and sustainable change by using other’s methods? I truly believe that each of us is born with everything we need inside of us and that we all have an inner genius that is waiting for the proper conditions and nourishment to burst forth. Like the tiny acorn which grows into a might oak, we are each born with the potential and capacity to fulfill our own special destiny, to continuously grow and evolve and share our unique gifts and talents to enhance others and the world around us. However, as we grow, we constantly receive feedback and hear messages that lead us to believe it’s not Ok to be ourselves, that we are inadequate and need to act or be a certain way in order to be accepted. We learn to stifle and shut off the parts of ourselves that don’t fit in or don’t look like “the norm” and to quiet or ignore our inner wisdom which desperately urges us otherwise. Planted in this environment, our inner acorn struggles to develop the deep and secure roots necessary to support reaching our full and inherent potential. Although some of us grow an impressive reach above ground, we feel unstable, insecure and unfulfilled, and easily question our true power and purpose in life. My question to you is how are your inner and outer environments nourishing your growth towards your own unique potential? What is it that you want in life that you don’t ask for? What is standing in the way of you achieving your deepest desires? Where are you holding back your power? My passion is guiding individuals in creating their lives from the inside out in order to live a life aligned with their true purpose and individual passions and talents. How can I help you re-discover and cultivate your inner genius in order for you to live to your fullest potential? -Coach Augusta  “The breezes at dawn have secrets to tell you. Don’t go back to sleep!” - Rumi I am usually the only person in sight on my daily summer sunrise walks. I pass cows, deer, and turkeys in the fields and hear only the songs of the birds and crickets. The stillness and sounds of dawn fill me with gratitude and appreciation for this magical time of day and the opportunities it provides for me to spend time focusing on myself. As a collegiate rower in California, I woke most mornings at 4:00 a.m in order to be at the boathouse for 5:00 a.m. practice. Waking early became a habit for me and while not easy at first to establish, it allowed me to invest time in myself to become both mentally and physically stronger while most everyone else was still asleep.  The time we invest in ourselves is the best investment we can make as we strive to attain our career, life, health, and wellness goals. Purposely taking time each day for personal development and self-care can seem selfish and leave us feeling guilty or anxious, but the returns are significant and will impact every area of your life. Waking up early each morning to put the proverbial mask on ourselves first will result in increased self-confidence and self-esteem, strengthen our boundaries, and propel us forward to success with our goals.
So how exactly does harnessing the power of morning help us improve our lives and attain our goals? If you consider that the majority of people wake up and immediately go into a reactionary mode The alarm goes off, they grab their smartphones and start checking emails or social media, then go about getting ready for the day in the same way they do everyday with the same routines and the same thought patterns. These becomes repeatable patterns of living in the past as they are doing the same thing they did the previous mornings. Humans are creatures of habit; our lives are the result of the actions we repeatedly do. Being on autopilot in the mornings assures that we stay the same with predictable emotions and feelings and therefore, therefore, stay the same. Consider this title from Marshall Goldsmith’s book “What Got you Here Won’t Get You There” or this quote from Les Brown. “To achieve something you have never achieved before, you must become someone you have never been before.” We must purposely and intentionally take different actions and become somebody different in order to achieve the different results we desire in our lives. The early hours of the morning provide us the time to devote to self-development work and the platform from which to start our day in a way that sets us up for success. You don’t have to be a morning person or need an hour long routine to be able to harness the power in the moments after waking. How we structure our thoughts and what we do in the mornings can have a profound impact on our day. As a life coach, I often weave the opportunities that are abundant in the quiet moments after waking into my client’s goal getting and success endeavors and into their self-care design. Consider these questions for yourself: How would intentionally designing your mornings to include time for yourself affect how you experience your day? Are there opportunities in your morning to grow stronger, find more peace, more self-love, or more gratitude? What can you achieve in those quiet dawn hours that could change the trajectory of your life? And if you do have a morning routine, how could you enhance this important time to connect more to your purpose and to your goals? -Coach Augusta Drip, drip, drip. As a Coach who has owned her own business for over 13 years and who coaches business owners across the country, starting and managing their own businesses, I am often asked what is one of the best marketing ideas to help get the word out about their business. Most people seem to respond to their own questions with, “spend money on Google, right and flood the market?” And my response is usually, “sure, you could, but what if you tried drip irrigation first?” Most of the business owners I work with are not farmers, however there was one in Middlebury, VT that I adored working with, drip irrigation can help ANY business get off the ground. And it seems to be a “small step” that everyone can take without spending much money or time.
The idea of using drip irrigation in your marketing is based on an agricultural practice with the same name. In drip irrigation, crops are nurtured and grown using a perfectly measured amount of water delivered in “drips” over time. Drip marketing is characterized by the idea of “dripping” relevant pieces of information to customers at the appropriate moments. Drips are often referred to as “touches,” and are scheduled moments when the business reaches out to the customer. Sure, you could “touch” your customer by starting from scratch a website and making the excuse that once it is done, you’ll be successful because you have written a new blog post every day hoping to catch the attention of the entire internet that has no idea they should be looking to your website for your daily blog posts. BUT, what we know is that drip irrigation is always better than a flood when it comes to nourishing plants (and a growing or emerging business…). It gives your plants a chance to absorb what is coming at them vs. being flooded, practically drowning in information. So, how do I suggest you start drip irrigating to “nourish” the seeds of your business? LinkedIn… Using LinkedIn to market your business. You may be thinking, “but I thought LinkedIn was designed for someone to get a job Amy?” No, when LinkedIn was created in 2002, it mission statement was keyed to connecting the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. And it still is that platform, especially for your business. This is a great way to “Get Clients” by speaking to them in measured moments, to educate or share with them information they may find interesting. The message many new (and existing) business owners get is that they should be blogging about their company, or at least about the industry their company caters to. One does not need a fancy website (or delaying the launch of your business as an excuse of not having one) to become a blogger. And you don’t need to write 1,000 words every few days to get the attention of your customers. Emerging entrepreneurs most likely has a LinkedIn profile, because they most likely have a professional network built up over the years from the jobs they held prior to starting a business. Speaking to your customers can be as simple as just updating your LI profile that you own a business and publishing a few thoughts on the industry you are now in…and you will start to build your customer base from the network you created on LinkedIn. By doing so, you spark a thought in them that, for example, for me as a Coach who works with business owners, I want people to think, “Wow, Amy really shares some great articles about Subject X…I should think about sending my cousin to her who is also interested in starting a business around Subject X.” Share what others have written. By sharing with the world your thoughts on articles or blog posts OTHERS have written, you can baby step into the world of blogging without having to write a super long post. Because trust me, only folks on my team like Jane Taylor, REALLY love writing. The rest of us, tolerate it. Especially blogging about ourselves. Or our businesses. So, the excuse of “I don’t know what to write about” or “I am a bad writer” doesn’t have to be the excuse to not share and comment on an article you find interesting. What does it look like to comment on someone else’s posts? Find an article that connects what your business or you think your client base may find interesting, adding, “this is a wonderful article that made me think of _____” and post it on LinkedIn…what I love about this approach is you don’t have to write a full blog, just find an article on a topic that interests you and comment on it…then provide the link in the post. It gives you SEO ability because you are using someone else’s article, so folks may find you to find the article, but it also gives people a sense of what is important to you. Plant your seeds, but don’t flood them. By starting to plant the seeds to your network that you are a business owner without screaming “I am selling to you, hire me, or buy from me”, you are watering with small drips, your business, helping folks start to think of you as a subject matter expert in the business that you won.” Plus, it is fun to go look for GREAT articles written by other subject matter experts and share them with your network. And by drip irrigating and not flooding your audience and network with “buy from me, hire me, blah, blah, blah” they are going to start to feel drawn to you and what you are actually selling. You don’t need to write every day, but one post, once a week commenting on an article you just read is a great start. And in owning a business, baby steps or drip irrigation of effort is a sure cure for every day fear. And creating an audience for your business. What can you do to create a trickle in your business, your life, or your career? Side note: Thank you to the Coach who inspired this blog post…rumor is after speaking to him about drip irrigation for his own coaching practice, he took it a step further and bought a drip irrigation system for his lawn…it’s a start for sure…may the “waters” you bring to the world help nourish others (and your flowers…) -Coach Amy |
AuthorThe authors of these blogs include incredible Coaches and Writers at FromWithin Coaching who are inspired to share their thoughts, ideas, comments, and possibilities with YOU, the reader. Archives
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