I always get a big “ah ha” from my clients when I take them through the “Size Isn’t Everything” exercise. It’s so easy to take ourselves out, when we become too general and lose track of what we really need.

For instance, in a workshop I held recently, one of the clients set “getting new clients” as an objective. This is not a bad thing to do, but it can create overwhelm if not considered from the right perspective.

She explained how she was struggling to get in front of new people and, “…just really needed new customers.” but it wasn’t happening easily.

Now, there are MANY things to say about this scenario; however, this article is specifically about perspective, so, here’s how I coached her through that;

I asked, “Could you handle 100 new clients this week?”

Her eyes got really big and she immediately said, “No.”

“Could you handle 50 new customers?”

“No.”

“How many could you take on easily this week?”

“About 3.”

“So, that is your new client number. How does that feel?”

“More manageable”

“Could some of that new business even come from an existing customer?”

“Well, yes it could.”

“So why not start there, where you’ve already proven yourself? Remember you don’t need a million people to want your business today. Usually its just a few. Size (quantity in this case) isn’t everything.”

So often we think of growing our business as needing to have loads of new customers coming through the door, when in reality we couldn’t handle that volume of business. The pressure to get new customers can create a feeling of overwhelm, which constricts our energy and can stop us in our tracks. To open the flow, take a reality check, work from the customers you already have and remember that size isn’t everything in building your business.

So there you are, crazed about what to do next. Feeling overwhelmed and doubtful. For  entrepreneurs this scenario could present itself on a regular basis. What can you do to shift out of paralysis and into mindful action?

1 – Go Play.

You’re in constriction mode which means that neither the blood in your body nor your energy of attraction is moving in the direction you need it. You are probably not thinking very clearly and likely to take some random action just to feel like you’re being productive. STOP.

You need to breath and gain perspective so that you can take mindful, inspired action. Go play; music, art, a video game, walk in a natural setting, take lunch at the zoo, or tea with your 6 year-old.  (You get the idea.)  You have to disrupt the existing pattern and create a new one. This doesn’t have to take a lot of time, an hour will do.  But an hour of restorative engagement will take weeks off of the frustration meter.

2-  Go De-clutter.   

Clearing physical space also opens up your energetic space. Sometimes all you need to get things flowing from the energetic world is to create a little order in the physical world. So go clean a drawer, the trunk of your car or some other small space and put the physical world into alignment with your intentions. This distracts the mind and pulls you out of that infinite loop.

3 – Go Help Someone Else.

Getting your mind off of your work and into service for someone else is a great way to break the bond of overwhelm and gain a new perspective.

All of this may sound ridiculous, but I’ll say this, How’s that overwhelm working for you?  You don’t have to believe me, just try it for yourself and see. You have to do something differently to experience a different result.

I realize that I’m a never-ending project.  And really, I think it’s true for all of us. As I work through the spiral of my life and work,  I’ve reached another level of understanding. I used to focus on helping entrepreneurs position their businesses and develop strategic marketing plans. I still do that, but that’s the 3rd step, two important steps come before it.  These steps – the prequel steps – are about “seeing yourself, talents and possibilities” clearly, and then positioning yourself to share your best, and then applying that to your work or business.

What I’ve discovered in my work with clients is that all the strategy and tactics in the world are useless if you can’t truly see yourself, your calling and your path. When you don’t see things clearly, you make decisions and take actions that require more effort than necessary. The extra effort leaves you and your resources exhausted, wondering how you got there.

I greatly recommend spending more time in the prequel stage to maximize clarity and vision as you think about your work or business. It’s foundational and soulful work. It’s easy to dismiss these stages because they don’t appear to generate tangible results, but the greatest success, sense of well-being, and contribution start with you; what you perceive, receive and envision for yourself.

Are you exhausted and overwhelmed, wondering if things will ever get better, and how?

No doubt there’s a lot going on these days, plenty of worry, concern, fear, and uncertainty. It’s everywhere and it’s draining.  Low vibration emotions zap the vitality right out of us. Low vibrations also set up a kind of filter or veil which may keep us from making decisions for our highest good.  So, what ends up happening? We work like crazy for a desired outcome, only to come up short.  What can we do about it?

1 – Start living YOUR life.    

Take a “Truth Inventory” – a list of what’s working and what’s not. Don’t leave out anything! Include all aspects of your life including work, hobbies, volunteer activities, relationships, health, finances, etc. Lay it all out.  Sometimes we just really need to SEE it in order for it to register that something needs to change.

2- Make a change to anything (or anybody) that no longer serves your highest good.

Yep, I said it. Clutter or diminishment of any kind – emotional, physical, mental – is a killer. It destroys inspiration, clarity, possibility, health.  Purge it.

What was true one year, five years, or ten years ago, may not be true today and yet, are you hanging on? Hanging on takes up space in our lives and anything that takes up space, takes energy.  I think Steve Jobs says it very well,

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. ~ Steve Jobs

3 – Make no excuses. Start today. 

Start small, that’s fine, but starts today.  Your life is too valuable to make excuses for why you’re coming up short on your personal goals and expectations.

There’s a lot of talk about the importance of discipline. We need it for work, we need it for raising kids, and we need it to lose weight. But the word discipline is one of those heavy resistance words – a word that creates an immediate negative reaction, consciously and subconsciously.  It sounds like pain, difficulty, punishment.

I’d like to turn that around. Try this on instead: self-love.  Think of discipline when applied to self, as self-love. Do you have the self-love you need to do your best work, raise your children with love, and stick to a program for your health? In the end, you must do this for you, no one else. If you make it about anyone else, you’ll end up with lackluster results and disappointment.

September 30 – October 1, 2011

Eaglewood Resort, Itasca, IL

This 2 day, 6-sensory weekend is about providing the tools to go beyond illusion, to accept the truth, see opportunity and begin accepting your great life.

Accepting your great life?

Yes, accepting. Because the life you want awaits your permission to flow in!

Our greatest challenge is not how to create, but how to let go.

That, my friend, is the secret.

This weekend is about removing the veil of lack, not enough, and what isn’t… so you can receive the abundance, joy and well-being you seek and deserve.  It’s right under your nose.

But!  … read more

How to Recover Your Time and Energy: A Lesson From Star Trek

Are you looking to add more time and energy into your life? Check out how you’re balancing your Responsibility. Have you gone too far or not far enough? The Star Trek Federation called it the prime directive. The key was to avoid unnaturally altering the course of another society. Learning to mind our own business is a discipline with more benefits than we can imagine. Join Karyn Pettigrew for tips on how to recover time and energy in your life and business with a quick lesson from Star Trek.

Unleash the Power of Letting Go

Attracting what you need is not the hard part. Letting go of what no longer serves you is the real discipline. Join Karyn and stress-reduction expert Diana Fletcher as they explore the ways that overdoing, or “needing to do it yourself” may be killing you and your business.

Beating Burnout

Today’s special guest, burnout specialist Barb Garrison, says, “Passion is the missing link to wellness. You can drink water, eat vegetables, and go to yoga, but without passion, purpose and work you love, your immune system won’t be 100 percent.” Tune in to find out just what you can do about it.

The Power of Play

My mentor Sonia Choquette says that “play and prayer are on the same vibration.” Join us as we talk with creative powerhouse Redmoon Theater about the power of play to unite communities and stimulate peace. Guest: Frank Maugeri, Artistic Director, Redmoon Theater.

Yes You Can – 5 Ways to Achieve Balance Today

Balance may be an elusive term for entrepreneurs. Find five ways that you CAN achieve balance when we talk with Adele Ryan McDowell about her new book: Balancing Act: Reflections, Meditations, and Coping Strategies for Today’s Fast-Paced Whirl.

“When you’re stuck in a spiral, to change all aspects of the spin, you need only to change one thing.”                                                                                                                                                                    -Christina Baldwin

Ever feel like your life is like that movie Groundhog Day? In the movie, Bill Murray gets trapped in a spiral where he relives the same day over and over. What I’m talking about is getting trapped in situations or circumstances that you impede your ability to live your dream, over and over again.

The quote by Christina Baldwin eloquently captures a lesson from my 10 step system about change and perspective. My metaphor is the kaleidoscope, but the message is the same; change one thing and you’ll change everything. The simplest, but often more challenging place to start is by changing your perspective on the situation.

Can you:

1)      See the learning in it? As painful as this may seem, EVERY situation has a lesson in it for us; even the painful ones. What can you take away from this experience that strengthens you? What did you learn about yourself or the others involved?

2)      Do one thing differently? It doesn’t have to be a full-scale change. Simply, start by changing one aspect, and then another. Eventually, you’ll have made a significant change – collectively.

3)      Believe that things can be different? Changing your mind, changes everything. If you don’t believe it can be different, you’re guaranteeing that it won’t. But if you believe that change is possible, you’ve, at least, left the door open for something new.

Let’s face it. The business will always need something else. Just like there will always be people who will ask for your help. Where we get caught is when we begin to believe that we can actually bring the

“need” to a close. “If I can just make another $50 grand, then I can invest…” or “If we can just get 3 more clients, then I’ll hire the support I need…” As they say, tomorrow never comes.

Holding off on beginning to take the steps you need to stay fresh, supported and out of overwhelm is not a good idea. Because in reality, most of us needed the help long before we actually got it. The next time you find yourself saying, “I can’t do this until…” Ask yourself the following questions:

1)       If money were no object what would I do next? Write it out as if you had all the resources you needed. The answers will tell you exactly what your true priority needs to be. Do what ever you need to do to get moving on that priority, not something else  simply because its cheaper to do. Once you know what you want to do, ask yourself this…

2)       I wonder who would be willing to support me in this? Then surrender it for a day or so. If you believe that what you need could show up in any kind of package, interesting coincidences are likely to occur.

Remember, you don’t need to know how it will show up. Your job is to remain focused on what you’re creating.  We don’t get a vision before we’re prepared to begin working on it. It could come through a friend of a friend. Before you make a pitch, ask this….

3)       What is the best summary I can prepare about what I need and why its important? Then write that down. You’ll want to be concise and coherent when its time to share your ideas with others. Finally, ask this…

4)       What am I willing to share in exchange? Whether it’s a fabulous environment, a paycheck, a chance to be part of something bigger, my services in exchange, whatever, just be clear on how you could support someone else. It may be conventional, or it could not. Remember there are a thousand ways you could help someone else.

We’ve hit the half-way mark to the year. It’s amazing what can happen in 6 months.

First I want to send a shout out to my intellectual property attorney, Julie Katz for winning the NAWBO Chicago Corporate Partner Member of the Year award!

Julie Katz

I’ve been developing some really spirit-rich, business content that supports you and your business. Aren’t you ready to lighten up? To put your business to work for you, instead of slaving in your business? Are you ready to bring the worry and anxiety levels down?

Well you can. It’s all about perceptions, beliefs and mindset.

Coming up June 14^th at 6:30 CST is a tele-chat for all my women entrepreneurs and professionals. “Releasing the Genie – Discovering the Power of You beyond mother, spouse and career and how it can lead you to the life you dream of and deserve!”                  

I have a fabulous guest presenter who will join me, Jill Williams, she’s a Human

Potential Consultant specializing in behavior change. We’re going to take off the masks and rejuvenate your she-power. You can link here to learn more and join us in the comfort of your own home or office, for the price of parking downtown and a $10 lunch!

And if you’re really ready! I’m very excited to be offering a live 2.5 day retreat July 8-10 just west of Chicago called, “How good can I stand it? – Unlock your soul’s code to business success“

Here’s an insight – the abundance, joy and well-being you seek, seeks you! Its just waiting for your permission to flow in. Come find out what’s blocking you and remove it from your life and from your business.

For more information visit, How Good Can I Stand It?

As always, send me notes and comments about the newsletter or what you’re doing. I’d love to include your successes in the newsletter!

Be well,

We need new. What I mean is we need freshness in our relationships, in our hobbies, and in our work. Are you doing things the same way that you’ve been doing them for years? As humans, we need a change of pace, innovation, a fresh perspective to keep us engaged. When we don’t get that, we fall into habits, some of which may be good, but many of which dull our senses. We begin to miss things like customer nuances – a change in purchase behavior or frequency of purchase. We miss industry or segment trends. We may miss sales declines.

The remedy is to mix things up a bit. There’s a saying, “art begets art”.  The way I see it, when we are stimulated through our senses – sight, sound, touch, taste, smell it gets the neurons firing in new ways, which opens the doorway to new insights. So, try something for the first time. It doesn’t matter if it is work related, just do something new. Right now – pick a new lunch spot, take a 1 day class, sign up for a continuing education course, buy a new board game, drink your coffee from a cup and buy yourself flowers for the office, advocate for half day Friday’s once a month during the summer…You get the idea.

Keep it fresh, it will do wonders for you.