Planning for Success!

Having consulted to and coached hundreds of business leaders over the past 18 years I am constantly amazed at how many businesses don’t have a business plan or any plan for that matter. If they do have a plan it is held in the vault of the brain of the business owner. There is some loose map that the business owner is following, but in most cases businesses just bump along with the turbulence of the environment hoping to reach a destination that is desirable. If we are not clear about our destination then surely it will be hard to meet that destination.

We would not build a house without a plan? We go to the building site, meet the builder and suggest that we build a wall here, have a bathroom there and maybe we can put the kitchen over there. Can you imagine how the building would come out let alone the extra cost to build it, and this is the crux of the matter. When we don’t know where we are going it often costs us twice as much to find out. This is where a business plan comes in!

A business plan allows you to identify where it is that you want to end up and how you are going to end up there. Starting with your vision and mission and ending with a clear picture of the market, how to find them and encourage them to buy your product or service. There are many steps along this journey but all of them are aimed at providing you with more clarity and sense of purpose the most cost effective way possible. It is amazing to watch clients get into action once they have found a clear purpose for doing what they are doing.

So do you have a clear purpose? Are you excited to execute it every day? A business plan will allow you to identify a clear purpose, help you to ignite your passion for what you started to do and provide you with hope. These things will inevitably lead to a desire to take positive action to have your plan come true.

So start with a clear vision, set an inspiring mission, be clear about who your customers are, what they buy and off whom, why they buy and how you are going to differentiate yourself. Identify how you are going to position yourself in your market. Look at how you are going to inform these people of your product or service, what will inspire them to come and see you and how you are going to deliver it to them. Then make clear plans on direction, marketing, your finances, and inevitably your exit strategy. Yes, your exit strategy!

Most business owners don’t have a clear exit strategy. There is one thing we can be sure of in life and that is that everything is going to end. At some point in the future you are going to finish your business, whether that is selling it, closing it down or gifting it away to the next generation. How you design your business today can be influenced by the exit strategy that you have.

A business plan, regardless of how big it is and some of the best plans are the shortest most concise ones, will help you to find your way allowing you to make cost effective decisions. Clarity of purpose and identification of direction leads to a saving in time, money and nervous energy.

So create your dream, have a clear vision and give your business the best chance of success by developing a clear and concise business plan. Oh and if you need help give me a call!

Marcus is the winner of the Australian Moot Corp Business Planning awards and runner up in the international Moot Corp Business Planning Awards. He is the developer of the One Page Business Plan a dynamic and easy business planning tool kit for small businesses.

Engagement Part 1: What has WELLBEING got to do with business?

It would seem like everything according to the Gallup organization, who have been tracking wellbeing from around the world since the mid 20^th century. In fact they track the wellbeing of the US on a daily basis. So what’s all the fuss about and how can it help us in business and career?

Wellbeing is not just about being happy but rather having a full life: according to Gallup ‘wellbeing is a combination of our love for what we do each day, the quality of our relationships, the security of our finances, the vibrancy of our physical health, and the pride we take in what we have contributed to our communities’. According to dictionary.com wellbeing is: a good condition of existence; a state characterized by health, happiness and prosperity.

So how is your health, happiness and prosperity?

Gallup found that the number one contributing factor to overall wellbeing is career wellbeing. Whether you are an employee or you own your own business the amount of enjoyment we get from our work has an enormous effect on the wellbeing of all other areas of our life. In fact people with high career wellbeing are twice as likely to be thriving in their lives overall. Not only does high career wellbeing help us to have ‘thriving lives’ it may also help us to live longer. The Gallup study also shows that high career wellbeing reduces blood pressure and the potential of head disease and also reduces anxiety and the likely hood of depression.

Now this is all well and good but how is this going to help us in business? Besides the obvious health and overall life enjoyment benefits it may also be good for our businesses health. There is a direct correlation between wellbeing and engagement. If you have employees you, as the business owner, can have an impact not only on their health but also the way that they engage with the business. I have a saying and that is ‘the more engaged we are with anything the more likely we are to be successful at that thing’. We tend to put more effort in into that thing and want to spend time and energy on that thing. We have a desire to become better at that thing and therefore are more conscientious. The more engaged we are with our career the more successful we are likely to be. This is why the most successful business people seem also to be the most passionate and engaged in what they are doing. In turn the more that you are engaged with your work the greater your wellbeing will be.

It is also true that those with careers where they get to use their strengths and do what they love are six times more likely to be engaged in their jobs and three times more likely to have a great quality of life. Therefore what you do, and the love you have for what you do, will help you to be more successful and could help you to live longer. Gallup conducted an ‘old age study’ and found that those who enjoyed what they did so much and did not retire until they where eighty lived until at least 95 years of age.

So loving what you do has a great impact on your health and overall wellbeing. It also has a direct correlation to your level of engagement with what you do. Therefore the more we can help ourselves and employees to engage with our business the more successful we are likely to be.

Maybe we need to have some focus on our wellbeing? Our life might just depend on it!

In part two, next week, I will discuss how we can assist the engagement process both providing practical steps to increase the wellbeing of ourselves and our organisation.

If you would like to increase the success of you or your organisation call me to discuss engagement and wellbeing in business.

Fatigue and the Busi-ness of Life?

I came to the end of another busy week feeling tired, exhausted and fatigued. Pushing myself from one meeting to another in a flurry of action, and as I came to a stop on Saturday morning I realized the pattern. Caught in a pattern that I have been running for many years now, flat out making it happen or fatigued to a stop. A wave of sadness came over me as I realized that my true self is the stillness that resides inside me. That peaceful self that meditates the wisdom of my life, and yet still I run.

It got me thinking of the sub-scripts that the subconscious brain runs that I often talk about with my clients. Those damn beliefs, patterns and fears that we choose to agree with over our lifetime. Now manifesting as a negative interference pattern. And I tell my clients that once you have a consciousness about a thing you can then decide to change that thing….right? Well as we all know it is not as easy as it seems and sometimes that comes down to the level or depth of consciousness we have about that thing. In my case I had some consciousness about it but not enough to completely shift my external experience of that thing, until today!

We had my nieces seventh birthday at a gymnastic centre followed by lunch at my brothers. It was a wonderful day, I got to run and play with my little girl Lucy and see our other two children, Claudia and Brendan, play with her. The love and care they have for her and each other whilst in a group of children is wonderful. Anyway when we got to my brothers the rest of the family had assembled including my Dad. Now I love my Dad but for most of my life he has been the one that I am trying to free myself from and today he gave me an insight. Now when I mean free myself please don’t get me wrong my Dad is a wonderful man, generous, caring and has supported me and my brother far and beyond most fathers. However like most boys and certainly first sons, I have the father wounding that I am trying to heal. So today was another chance but did I take it?

At one stage throughout the day, Dad I had a chance to chat alone for a few moments and in true form he asked me how business was going and again, true to form, I picked all the most positive points to tell him. The opportunities, the excitement of new clients and the underlining message of how well I was doing. At that moment I looked at him and noticed how far away he was from me. It was as if he had not heard anything that I had said. Oh there was the obligatory nod of the head and rhetorical murmurings of agreement and understanding but at the end of the day he was not there. Here I was sharing exciting news that things were going well and he had chosen to disappear. Now the disappearing is not the important part of this story, hell we all have those moments when we disappear from a conversation. No, it was the need I felt to once again prove that I was worthy and valuable….

Here was the driving force behind my need to run flat out and why it is not possible to keep up the pace. In truth this keeping up of the pace is me not living the truth of who I am but rather in the shadow of approval and acceptance of what my father might think is good. Sure like most I can keep up the pace with the best of them however I have had chronic fatigue so energy or the lack there of is my specialty. It is my calling, the reading of energy and sensing the state of myself and others, so now what to do with it…?

At the end of the day it is not the speed at which one moves that is the issue but rather what is going on inside that counts. It is possible to drive a car at 100 kilometers and hour however if you don’t change gear relative to the speed of the car then you are likely to blow up an engine. To complicate matters the alignment of ones own truth must match the energy so that the external performance matches the internal truth. In other words not only do we have to change gear so as not to blow the engine up but we must also have our gears aligned or we will destroy the gearbox. Now at 100 kilometers an hour that could be life threatening. In my case when my gearbox goes I get fatigued and literally have to stop.

There is a great understanding that comes from deep observation. Observation of your own internal scripts that continually run through your mind and observation of the scripts of those around you. To then bring awareness to how those scripts inter play with each other and the effect that these then have.

My Dad’s script is one of having to be perfect, which plays beautifully into mine, which is one of trying to seek acceptance by having the perfect business, life or what ever. Perfection to me is then played out through what I perceive as positive success, the bigger the positive success the better. This continual expectation is not possible to live up to. It is never possible to live up to others expectations. The only thing you can do is live up to your own, that is to meet your own inner expectation that in this life you will live as your true self as much as you can. That is the only expectation we have of ourselves at a deep level and it’s not really an expectation but rather a mantra, a desire to fulfill ourselves. Those that surrender fully to this internal expectation reap the rewards of a full, content and happy life. Those that don’t have to make do with whatever is left.

It is time to live my internal truth and to slow down, become clear, focused and move forward with grace and ease, regardless of the speed of the vehicle. Now I am going to take some of my own medicine and powerfully choose to make a difference. To live the peace that I am, calm and relaxed regardless of the speed of the outside world. I will allow myself to not have the need to impress, or be good, or be anything except that inner peace.

So how do your sub scripts interfere with your success and affect the living of your truth and, what do you choose now…………….?

So be brave and courageously share a little more of yourself this week. In a work or corporate environment it can be the scariest thing to do….but the most important. As one of my clients discovered last week, when you begin to let go and share your truth others are given permission to share theirs. Out of the darkest places the most amazing light often appears. So go and shine this week and let me know what happens and who else crawls from under the veil of a subconscious sub-script self.

If we were all free to perform from this place the world would certainly be better place…

Regards Marcus

Remember: Perform from your core, your truth and you will unleash your true potential...

The Power Of Energy

I am constantly reminded of the power of one’s energy when trying to manifest or create anything. Just this morning a relatively new client of mine shared the story of her amazing success over the weekend. After three sessions where we identified underlying blocks to her success, empowered a new paradigm and unleashed a new possibility she had the best sales ever in one event. This was all put down to her energy being in the right place.

So what is the energy that you go out into the world with? I see business owners spending thousands of dollars on advertising, hours of effort cold calling, or time sitting waiting for people to walk into their store all to no avail, and why? More often than not it comes down to the energy that we put out into the world. Whether we know it or not we are energy beings having a physical experience, just ask Quantum Physicist if you don’t believe me. We are constantly sending subtle messages out into the world, which is then picked up by others. This is then translated into the first point of approval to engage. If the energy is one of fear then it is less likely that another will engage, who wants’ to engage with fear? If the energy is one of being excited to meet others then we are more likely to want to accept. Now this energy goes deeper than just having a good feeling about others. It is one of those things that we can’t fake and we all have the ability to pick out a fake. So at a deep level it is about aligning with your true energy that gives you the best chance of success.

The most difficult part of getting your energy right is that because it is so subtle in its nature we often don’t see the energy we are portraying. Even if we feel positive, inviting and welcoming there maybe an underlying energy of ‘no not now!’ Now there are three ways we can monitor our energy: 1. Look at what is coming back to us from the outside world. Are we receiving the abundance that we know we deserve or world like? If not you have an energetic mismatch; 2. Have someone else guide us, preferably someone who can read energy and who can guide us back to our true energetic nature; 3. Have the intuitive ability to pick up on our own energy. This is much easier said than done as our own fears, beliefs and blocks often get in the road.

I have been called an energetic intuitive and have spent many years growing my intuitive abilities but I too sometimes need an outside person to connect me back to my core energy and to give me the courage to go live it in the world. I’m luckier than most as I live with another energetic bunny, my life partner Stephanie who helps guide me back. I know that when I am aligned and congruent with whom I truly am, things manifest easily and quickly. It is amazing that even if you have no idea where the next thing is going to come from, becoming aligned will have it emerge from the most unlikely sources.

A few months ago I was attempting to fill up one of my courses and was beginning to get frustrated that all the avenues and cold calls I was doing was leading to nothing. I realized that at some level my energy was blocking people from coming. I did some quick realignment processes and not long after a lady rang who had been given my brochure from a past participant and wanted to book 7 people into the course. Coincidence or the power of energetic alignment?

There are many, many examples just like this one and I am sure you would have your own if you think about it. An exercise that I often get clients to do is to imagine the last time things manifested easily or out of the blue. Try to remember how you were feeling, what was the attitude that you were sending out into the universe. What was the energy you were displaying? Now close your eyes and imagine creating that same energy, the same feeling right now. Now imagine focusing it towards that which you are trying to manifest, more clients, more money, no termites as in my case….but that’s another story for next time.

Remember for the most profound results align your energy with who you are and go live that in the world….It works and is more powerful than any advertising campaign!

If you want help with the identification and alignment of your energy call now 0419 538 320 or email me at marcus@intrinsicsuccess.com.

Intuitive Intelligence Part 2

Often when I speak to people about intuition and Intuitive intelligence I get the feeling that the common belief is that it is some mystical ability granted only to the gifted few. Well this could not be further from the truth. It is a fact that we all have an equal ability to connect with our intuitive intelligence, it is a birth right and an important soft skill that we have. It is a primal sense that we attained so as to survive and not be eaten by wild animals. As we began to gain more and more control over our world our safety and security increased and therefore the need for intuition decreased. Until now! As I discussed in my previous blog, our ever demanding world requires greater skill sets and abilities to stay ahead and be successful, intuition is one of these...

So how does intuition work and how is it that we all have the ability but only few choose to actively utilise this skill?

It might help to give you some background information on brain function and the role this plays in the intuitive process. If you take a look at a human brain you will notice that there a two distinct hemispheres, a right and a left. These two hemispheres are connect via a part of the brain called the corpus colosseum, a collection of millions or neural fibbers that sits low down in the centre of these two hemispheres. The two hemispheres of the brain have very distinctly different functions and working together, help us to do all the things that the human being can do.

There is an amazing video on the website www.ted.com, and if you haven't been on this site I highly recommend it, by a lady called Jill Bolte Taylor. I recommend you have a look at it here: 

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Ms Taylor is a Neuroscientist who experienced a stroke and in the video she excitedly shares her insights and deeper understanding of brain function. This experience gave her, not just a theoretical understanding of brain function, which she obviously had, but also an experiential understanding of it's function during the stroke. In her video she gives us a view into the complex world of left and right brain function and inadvertently uncovers the brain - intuition connection. 

As an overview the left and right brains function like so...

The left hemisphere of the brain sees the world through organised, systematic steps, process orientated and determined to make sense of the world around us. It is analytical, structured and logic focussed. It tends to use language and words to describe it's relationship to the external world and in our modern day society is valued highly.  The left hemisphere sees us as separate from each other and is the part of the brain that knows me as 'I' and you as 'you'. It has separated and differentiated us from all other things and knows me as an individual alone in the world. It tends to concern itself with the past and the future.

The right hemisphere of the brain on the other hand has its focus in the abstract world preferring to make sense of the world through our sensory perceptions. It tends to use feelings and images to describe its relationship to the external world. It learns kinaesthetically taking in all of the energetic information through the senses so that it can experience its world. It knows us as one with everything, that we are all connected right here right now. It lives in the present moment understanding that there is only now. In this state it is the part of the brain that connects to our intuitive abilities accessing all of our senses both physical and subtle.

It is therefore possible that anyone with a right brain can access and utilise intuition. The issue we face is that we have grown up in a left brain focussed world where IQ is valued higher than all other forms of intelligence. It is a fact that the most academic and educated tend to get the best jobs and make more money. When we are born we tend to rely more heavily on our right brain as our ability to access speech and have ourselves understood by the external world is gained. This ability is then literally beaten out of us as we enter the external conventional world. This I have seen first hand with my children as they enter school and slowly but surely begin to rely less on their own intuitive nature preferring to analyse and quantify their decisions. However if we are to survive and move forward in the world we must reignite the use of our intuitive abilities.

Stay tuned for part 3 - How to consistently access intuitive intelligence... www.intrinsicsuccess.com

Sometimes letting go helps…

Sometimes it is just about letting go… The problem with our modern busy world, if there is a problem at all, is that we spend so much time in our heads. Constantly thinking, over analyzing, and trying to work out the next thing to do or to write. As has been the case this morning, yesterday I thought of so many things to write about yet when I got up at 5:30am on this Monday morning do you think I could reach in and located any of those great thoughts from yesterday. Then it hit me maybe I should stop thinking and just start writing so here we are…

Through my experience of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome I came to realize just how full the mind can get and the consequence of that fullness. In my case it lead to a foggy mind, an inability to think clearly, irritability and anxiety and often dizzy spells. To this day if I fill my mind up enough these symptoms come back. The mind is an interesting instrument constantly analyzing, assessing and contemplating the for’s and against’s for any particular situation, decision or thought. It rarely gives you a definitive answer on any matter but rather the thought or decision with the least likely hood of failure. It then spends its time often over analyzing the decision that it has just made. Now in and of itself it is a great instrument and has helped to get us this far. However it is “the emptiness of the vase that is the most valuable part”, in that without the space in-between the ceramic vessel there would be no vase. In some respects it is the same with the brain with out the ability to empty the mind from time to time we reduce our ability to utilize it’s power of thought.

I often see business owners and executives who have become anxious, stressed and confused finding it difficult to make a decision or think straight and immediately I know that the mind has become full. It is amazing what insights, clarity and freedom comes from emptying the mind from time to time. It is a bit like freeing up some space on your hard drive. I know when my computer runs out of space I get a warning that the computer is about to have a nervous breakdown and loose data or worse totally break. (As you can tell I am such a computer expert…not!) I am sure it wont break if I run out of space but I know its not good because it tells me. Now the brain is a bit like this if you don’t clear it out every now and then it does get overloaded and when this happens there is a fear that it will break down. When I guide these executives to clear the mind and free up some disk space it is amazing to watch the clarity come back, the anxiety go and a wave of relaxation appears.

So if you begin to feel anxious, confused, unclear or full take a moment to let go. Go for a walk, change the scenery, stop thinking about the issue or any issue for that matter and clear your mind. Think of nothing if you can, meditation is a great way to do this or failing that think of a time when you where in nature, on holidays where you were away from work. Think of how that place made you feel, what were the noises that you herd, the smells that you smelt and the sights that you saw. Immerse yourself it that experience for just a moment. If you have an abstract painting in your home or office, focus on that for a while or look at the plant in the corner of your office (if you don’t have a plant in your office get one, natural objects like plants can assist you to feel more relaxed and provide fresh oxygen). Then go back to what you were doing, a moment out of time can help you to become clear again, less anxious and more relaxed. 

Please note that short term anxiety or stress can be relieved through the clearing of the mind however long term anxiety related disorders may need greater help and support. If you are suffering from anxiety please see a health care professional.

Intuitive Intelligence (SQ)

Intuitive Intelligence is the ability for one to consciously connect with and translate gut feel into practical and effective actions. Intuition is something that most of us have used at one point or another throughout our lives. It is often so subtle that we connect with it on an unconscious basis. It is a guiding and ruling emotional connection that can direct us away from danger when there is no conscious reasoning to be alarmed.

Having recently had a beautiful baby girl, Lucy now 2, I saw first hand the instinctive intuitive response that we are all born with. A child instinctively knows whom they feel comfortable approaching in a room full of strangers. This instinctive connection is the gateway to a deeper intuitive response that is constantly active in small children and in all of us. Some may say it is just a survival mechanism however, when nurtured and encouraged, becomes an essential life skill.

This instinctive response is often mystified throughout our early years to the point that as we grow older we believe that its access is reserved for the gifted few. This could not be further from the truth however, it does take some amount of retraining to reconnect and understand its truth.

So what has intuition got to do with business? In an article from Harvard Review that I read a few years ago a group of graduates went to find out how the US top CEO’s made decisions. What they found lead to a paper called ‘When to trust your gut’ published in 2001. This paper goes on to explain that although these top CEO’s, from the top fortune 500 companies, assessed all the analytical information at the end of the day there most difficult decisions where made using ‘gut feel’ or intuitive intelligence.

So how could accessing Intuitive Intelligence help you and your business, well I’m glad you asked. Let me share how I use it in my business and in my work…

I utilise Intuitive Intelligence in a number of way. Just this morning I utilised this soft skill to organise my day and allow me to stay calm relaxed and focussed. Running late for a meeting I sensed that my appointment was also running late so I let go and relaxed. One minute later my appointment rang to say he was running late.

In maximising my time in calls to potential clients I utilise this skill to make the most appropriate calls first.

In business decisions I utilise Intuitive intelligence to sense what the right course of action maybe. This comes at times when the analysis of a situation is not clear-cut. SQ helps me to know what the most appropriate course of action is.

In all my years of using SQ it has rarely let me down. As we continue to experience ever more competitive environments, finding an effective point of difference and a ‘market edge’ is imperative if we are to continue to grow and prosper. Having our leaders gifted in their ability to access state of the art soft skills will allow them to be able to guide employees and the business in the most appropriate way, is essential. It is often the fine edge that makes the difference between success and extraordinary success as the Harvard report documented.

‘The higher up the corporate ladder people climb, the more they need well-honed business instincts. In other words, intuition is one of the X factors separating the men from the boys’. Harvard Business Review ‘When To Trust Your Gut’ Feb 2001 p.3

These soft skills, of emotional and intuitive intelligence, should not be ignored as your competition might well be accessing their immense benefit right now. If you want to learn more about Intuitive Intelligence call me to discuss how of and your team can take advantage of SQ.


marcus@intrinsicsuccess.com

Doing what you LOVE!

I used to work for a company, actually I was a partner in the company, called Love Your Business which was started by an amazing guy called Peter Cook (check them out www.loveyourbusiness.com.au). His blogs are well worth reading and put mine to shame, love what you do Pete.

Now what I really leant from my time with Peter was that if you do what you love you have more energy. Having had Chronic Fatigue I know all about energy, what gives me more and what takes it away. When you have energy, and not just the physical type, you come alive. This aliveness leads to the expression of passion, enthusiasm, inspiration and a sense of excitement. These emotions are contagious and infectious and lead others to feel more energised.

Now the result of having more energy or being more energised is that you have more success...how you ask? Well people love to be around people who are inspiring, passionate and enthusiastic...don't we???? Well I know I do! These people seem to be magnetic, attracting all sorts of good fortune to themselves. So what does it take to be this type of leader...Loving what you do!

So how can you do more of the things you love? We all know that the accounts need to be paid, the reports need to be written, the trash needs to be taken out and the office needs to be cleaned. Now unless these are the things you love to do...STOP! The sooner you move into the things that you are passionate about, which are often the things you are good at, the sooner you will have more energy, become magnetic and attract all manor of good fortune to yourself. I see too many business owners who are tired, disillusioned and trapped in the thoughts of how do I get out of this mess. When we start our own businesses there is usually only us so we end up doing everything, marketing, accounts, sales, reception, PA, product development etc... But at some point if our business is to grow we need to make changes. These changes need to happen slowly and gently so begin with one small step. Where can you delegate something you don't love to do to someone who does. The bookkeeping is the first and obvious area that comes up. Bookkeeper don't cost much but you doing the books does. So begin to delegate to external providers first then eventually when the cash flow is right bring them back in-house.

I think the moral to this story is the faster you can do the things you love the faster you will have intrinsic success.

What is Intrinsic Success

If you look at the definition of intrinsic you will find the following: 'relating to the essential nature of a thing, inherent' (world english dictionary online). Intrinsic success is therefore the essential nature of success, a form of 'true' success in every aspect of life. I have meet some very financially successful people in my life only to find that their family is breaking down, to hear from their children the truth of there lives. What is the point of life if we are only successful in one aspect of our lives only to be Hippocratical in all others? Therefore intrinsic success is the ability to manifest success in all aspects of life, career, family, friendships, intimate relationships etc... It is a holistic view of our lives that leads us to living and expressing a full and complete life. This expressing inevitably leads to a deeper happiness and feeling of contentment that we are being the best version of ourselves that we can be, and why wouldn't you want to live this way?
There is a movement of inner connection and reflections that is happening on the planet that cannot be ignored. The more people I talk to the more I see this truth manifesting. In fact you may have started to explore this reality and experienced it's mutterings from deep within. The questioning of: what is it really all about? and; am I fulfilled in my life right now? Maybe these questions are spontaneously appearing, unanswered, opening up the preverbal can of worms.
My journey has been one of asking and answering just such questions. The finding of same opens up a new way of being that does lead to a life of happiness and fulfilment.