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Our thoughts, greatest news and professional tips and tricks!

Time and Money

Have you ever made the correlation between how you invest your time and money in your marriage relationship with how you invest time and money in your business?

Last month I spoke to you about the Business of Marriage with the idea being you can use life lessons from your marriage that can cross over into your business as well. Today is another thought on that subject regarding investing.

Let’s say you “invest” in your marriage by buying an anniversary trip to Hawaii. By doing this you are investing in this trip with intentionality. You are also investing in your spouse and your relationship. And, you are creating value and longevity through positive experiences.

When you think about investing in your business are you thinking the same way? Are you thinking long term? Because we all know in our business that the greatest investments are the ones that pay off long term; not just a one off deal, but for the long term of your business.

This is just another way of looking at marriage, and then reversing it and asking how would this be really effective if I thought this way about my business and I invested in that for a lifetime for the long term.

Reach out if you’d like to talk with us about this. Schedule a free appointment today.

by Scott Ballard , September 5, 2021

The Business of Marriage

The business of marriage is the idea of using lessons from your business life to help you in your marriage. And, using lessons and things you’ve learned in your marriage to help you in your business.

I love talking about this because Orlena and I have been married for 40 years and we’ve been in business and worked together for the last 10.

We have had many conversations about how we have learned different things from our business that we can apply to our marriage; and how we have learned different things from our marriage that we can apply to our business.

Business/Marriage

Here are a couple of things to think about that will help sharpen and make both your business and your marriage better.

In business you need to know your customer. You need to know their needs, what they like, and what they don’t like. You also need to know all the little details about them so that you can serve them well and they will stay a lifetime customer.
Well, that’s no different than what we’re talking about for a marriage. You need to look at your spouse and learn about them. You need to find out what makes them tick. Find out the things that are meaningful to them; the things that create value and build on that long term relationship.
How much time are you investing in your business? Let’s say you’re working 50-60 hours a week. When you do so, you expect a certain return, result or experience out of that.
So let’s flip that question around and ask how much time are you really investing in your marriage or your family? And are you investing in them with the idea that there’ll be a positive or good return out of that?

It’s a different way of looking at your marriage, and it’s a different way of looking even at your business result.

Where are you at in your business and your marriage these days? At Confidence Coach we are here to help business owners, entrepreneurs and CEOs to grow in their business and work, but our lives are not one dimensional, we all have a life outside of work. Are you putting as much time and effort into your marriage as you are your business?

Reach out if you’d like to talk with us about this. Schedule a free appointment today.

by Scott Ballard , July 22, 2021

The Halo Effect

The halo effect is the tendency to think positively about a person based on just one aspect of their character. Which can lead the most successful people to get trapped by their own thinking.

Below are some ways the halo effect can influence you as a person or as a business owner in different ways in your life.

A couple of sayings around money: Money doesn’t make you smart; wealthy people can easily confuse luck with skill.
Prior success does not guarantee future success.
Intelligence is often situational and specific.
Highly Successful People rarely have anyone to challenge their thinking. They’re often times surrounded by “yes” people.

Just some thoughts about this. If you have customers, vendors, or partners, you have people in your life that you have put a halo over their head. It’s good to remember that we all put on our pants one leg at a time. And, each person, no matter who they are, struggles in at least one area of their life.

Remember this when you are talking to a potential huge customer or you’re trying to close a deal or you’re seeking advice from your attorney, accountant or coach. Everybody has things that they struggle with; we’re all equal in that regard. These people have an area where they’re struggling and maybe you have a strength. Or vice versa, you’re struggling in an area that is their strength.

The halo effect is something we all do with people. We put people on pedestals; think of American Idol, Survivor or some billionaires for example.

A good thing to always remember is that we are all equal in some areas, in other areas we have greater strengths, and in other areas we all share weaknesses.

At Confidence Coach, we are here to help and encourage business owners, CEOs and entrepreneurs to build a better future. Feel free to reach out for a free consultation if you’d like to learn more about how we help people build their confidence and hope for a great future.

by Scott Ballard , July 15, 2021

What’s Going to Keep You Curious and Interested for the Next 25 Years?

Today’s blog comes out of a conversation with an owner thinking about the long term future. She was thinking about her role and what she really wants to do that would be exciting, interesting and keeps her curious with the business, their product and clients.

This is what I did with her. I asked her “What isn’t interesting to you? What is boring or mundane to you?” I wanted her to get these things out of the way. Next I said, “What’s left?” She had five or six things left that she was actively doing in the business that she really cared about.

Then I asked her to rank those things from 1 to 5. By ranking them 1-5 we actually found that one and two really connected and were kind of the same activity or same type of work. That’s when she discovered that’s what she would like to do as her main role 70-75% of the time in her business over the next 25 years. These things would keep her engaged, interested and contributing at a really high level. It was a fun exercise.

It’s an exercise I think you should challenge yourself with. List out and eliminate all the things that aren’t interesting to you or that are boring and mundane. Then think about the one or two things in your business that would keep you interested, curious and engaged in your business at a very high level for the next 25 years.

Let me know what you came up with! We’ll talk to you soon.

At Confidence Coach we ask deep questions that help business owners, entrepreneurs, CEOs and leaders create breakthroughs. Schedule a free consultation today.

by Scott Ballard , July 5, 2021

Leadership

Question of the day for you: How is your leadership?

How has your leadership affected the results in your business in the past and presently today?

What do you need to change in order to get a different and/or better result in the future?

How is your leadership affecting your company’s results?

These are just a few things for you to consider and ponder today.

At Confidence Coach we ask deep questions that help business owners, entrepreneurs, CEOs and leaders create breakthroughs. Schedule a free consultation if you’d like to talk. Make it a great day!

by Scott Ballard , June 27, 2021

Stuckedness

Here’s a new term for you: “stuckedness.” Life is too short to stay stuck.

It’s not your challenges that are holding you back from reaching your full potential and your best future. Instead, it’s the lack of action to overcome these challenges. You need to grow and change through the experiences that you live.

Are you living your best version of yourself? Or, do you feel stuck in one area or maybe several areas of your life?

Stuckedness Statements

Over the last five years, I’ve been keeping track of people’s “stuckedness” statements and how they’ve gotten stuck in their business and/or their life. I’d like to share some of those statements with you. See if you recognize yourself saying some of these things.

I don’t feel worthy (or better known as the imposter syndrome). I’m really good at what I do, however, there are so many others who have been doing this for so much longer with so much more education or experience or maybe a larger following. It makes me feel like an imposter. Why would somebody even consider me when they could just go to one of my competitors in the industry?
Nobody will ever pay me that much money for the service (or product or experience) I provide. I have a great fear that I’ll never be able to make more money than what I need to survive on.
I’m stuck. My stuckedness is — I have dyslexia, ADD, ADHD, a learning disability, etc. Because of that, I can never get past where I’m at today. I’m stuck here in this crappy job or in this business that owns me and controls me 80 hours a week.
I’m afraid of what people will say. I am afraid if I start this business, or if I buy that location, or if I hire that person, or, or, or whatever. I’m afraid of what they (the great “they” out there) might say about me. Am I greedy? Am I selfish? Have I sold my soul for the dollar.
I don’t have time to finish that degree. I don’t have time to have a relationship. I don’t have time for my kids. I don’t have time for my marriage. (These are the lies that say you don’t have enough time.)
I’m stuck in my head. I’m overanalyzing, overthinking, over planning, over worrying, to the point of never doing anything.
Whenever I think about my future, I can only see or think or believe that it’s not going to work out.
I’m afraid to hire someone. I’m afraid to make an investment. I’m afraid to leave my current security to go after something better.

These are just some of the “stuckedness” statements and comments that I’ve heard over the last five years from clients that reached out to work on their problems. These statements were holding them back from taking what we call “brave” or “massive” action to face their fear and become 100% committed to doing something about it. I’m thrilled to say that all the clients that shared the above statements with me have resolved their issues. Not only have they resolved them, but they’ve overcome them and are succeeding far beyond their wildest dreams as a result of getting unstuck!

One-on-One or Mastermind

My great passion, joy, and gift in this world is to bring insight, breakthrough, and transformation. I love to bring miracles into people’s lives through one question or one conversation that changes everything. I do this one-on-one with people and also through a group coaching program.

There’s currently room for two one-on-one coaching clients right now. We also have room in our next mastermind group which will start in August of 2021. If you’re interested in taking on one of your places that you’re stuck and take that part of your life to the next level, reach out to me by either emailing me (or hit reply) or schedule a free consultation. Let me know the area of your life, whether personal, business or both, where you feel stuck. I look forward to hearing from you.

by Scott Ballard , June 20, 2021

Are you a victim?

Do you feel like you are a victim sometimes? We’ve all had bad things that happen to us. Are you still living in the past with those bad things and thoughts? And are you still acting and believing like you’re a victim? You need to change that now.

Your identity is not that you’re a victim.

I’d like to suggest that you find some people or even one person that is full of hope, full of vision and full of happiness. Then, you need to start being grateful and appreciate all that life has brought you so far.

When you start to do these things you’ll start to have hope.

Appreciation brings hope.

And when you have hope, you will start to see and experience a vision for your life, for your business, for who you are to be in the world.

“Let your hopes, not your hurts, shape your future.” – Robert H. Schuller

My question for you today is are you still wearing the victim label? Step out today and associate with others that are full of hope.

When you have hope, you can change what you thought was a victim into a victor!

At Confidence Coach, we are here to help and encourage you to build a better future. Feel free to reach out for a free consultation if you’d like to learn more about how we help people build their confidence and hope for a great future.

by Scott Ballard , June 13, 2021

Your Tombstone

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into a graveyard on every tombstone there’s a date the person was born and a date the person died and in between there’s a dash.

Well, to me that “dash” is really your life.

My question to you today is what are you going to do with your dash?

What do you want your life story to be?

What do you want the legacy, impression, influence or impact to be with your dash?

We all think that our last day’s not coming, but we all know in our heart of hearts and mind of minds that our last day is coming.

My challenge to you today is to start living in your dash.

by Scott Ballard , June 6, 2021

A Hill to Climb

When there is a hill to climb, don’t think waiting will make it smaller.

What I’m talking about here is the fact that we all have hills to climb. We all have challenges and obstacles, hard things, difficult choices and work that we have to do.

But what I want you to know is that there is nothing to be benefited by waiting. Other than to make the hill seem bigger or the challenge harder.

You need to build on your bravery! When it comes to those hills, what I want you to do is to put on your bravery, put on your best courage and commitment. Challenge that hill and attack it immediately. Do not put it off.

Today really is about the hills in your life and the bravery and the muscle that you’re gaining by heading straight for the hill.

Remember: when there’s a hill to climb, don’t think waiting will make it smaller. Take it on. You’ve got this!

by Scott Ballard , May 30, 2021

The Gratitude Game

The gratitude game is a way to continually be thankful, grateful and appreciate all that you are experiencing and that is going on in your life.

I’d like to encourage you to be experiencing gratitude in all areas of your life, whether that’s in your personal life, business life, family life, friends, or with your faith. You can even go back to your childhood, think about your adult life or the many other areas of your life, but that’s what we’re talking about here today,

My wife and I often practice the gratitude game on a long drive or a long flight (now that we are flying and traveling again). We also use it when we end the day or maybe when we are heading home from a workshop or coaching session. It helps us to gain a better perspective on all the amazing things that we’re thankful and grateful for. We note all the things that we can appreciate during a day, during a workshop, during a coaching session, with our family, with our children, with our friends, whether we are traveling or at home.

It’s a great way to end a trip or event too. Instead of saying “Oh, my gosh, we’ve got to go home now” or “I’m so sad this is over.” Turn that around and focus on the positive. Talk about the things that went right and celebrate the positive experiences that happened during that time, day or season.

This is what we call the gratitude game and we play it spontaneously all the time!

We encourage you and challenge you to do the same. Play the gratitude game and see how it changes your perspective, your feelings, your emotions, your energy and your life.

At Confidence Coach we offer business owners a place to reconnect and rebuild their confidence; which leads to their better future in the days and years ahead. Reach out today and schedule a free call if you’d like to talk. What are you grateful for today?

by Scott Ballard , May 23, 2021

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