portland business coaching Archives « Page 2 of 6

A Good Reminder that Someday Never Comes

Are you in the habit of putting off things until “someday”? With all that has gone on the last few months, most of us realize just how precious life is and maybe there are certain things that we shouldn’t put off until someday.

Do you know why I am saying this?

Because “someday” never comes. We only have today and what we make of it. Yes, we can plan and we can schedule things out, but as most of us have seen, some things are out of our hands when it comes to how we operate our business or make choices for our families.

So, the important thing is to make the very best of today. If there is something that you can do today to build your business to the next level or help someone out, do it now. There’s no guarantee that you have tomorrow to do it.

I’ve given this illustration before of how fast a life goes by. Let me give it to you again.

I want you to do an exercise for me using a tape measure.

Take the tape measure, set it on the floor, and mark that very first notch as the day you were born.

The next few dashes – mark graduation, marriage, birth of kids, etc.

Also put a mark down for the day you started your business.

Then the inevitable question becomes this: How long is that tape measure?

How long do you think you’re going to live?

Have you thought about what’s outside of that tape measure — what is your legacy going to be?

Or have you forgotten why you’re doing this business? Did you start it so that you and your family would have the freedom to do the things that were important to you?

Maybe you’re just drifting, inch by inch, year by year along your life and in your business. Or you feel like Covid has changed your trajectory.

Let’s get back on the path; back on the horse so to speak.

If you’re looking for the mark on the tape measure that says “Someday,” it’s not there.

This isn’t a dress rehearsal. Your life is represented in this tape measure. It has a beginning, it has a messy middle, and it has an end.

Are you ready to face the truth?

Someday NEVER comes!

Reach out and schedule a free coaching session with us today if you’d like help getting back on track to start doing things now, instead of tomorrow. Each day is a gift to be thankful for. Don’t waste it.

by Scott Ballard , August 27, 2020

What are You Creating in Your Business?

Can you answer the question “What are you creating in your business” in a sentence?

Or, could you write it out on a napkin?

Can you draw it out for me?

This may seem like an incredibly simple question, but you’d be surprised how many people struggle to answer it when I have asked them this question.

What are you creating?

Are you creating something that is going to require 80 hours a week for the rest of your life in your business?

Or are you creating something that is actually serving you, your life, your family, your friends,

your hopes, dreams and aspirations?

So I want you to really think about this. By what you are doing right now, what are you creating?

Is what you’re doing right now getting you closer to the goals, dreams and aspirations you have for your business?

Are you stuck or are you going backwards?

Does your business own you or do you own your business?

When was the last time you actually seriously thought about your actions, your choices or your decisions?

When did you last think about the results you were getting in your business and changed what you were doing so that you could actually achieve the results that you wanted?

I’d love to have that conversation with you about this. Reach out and let me know.

by Scott Ballard , July 26, 2020

What Are You Hiding From?

What are you hiding from in your business that is a small problem now?

There’s a chance that if you don’t deal with this small problem today it will grow into a huge problem tomorrow.

And, this could jeopardize the future of your business a year from now as a business owner.

You often times know about these problems, but because of these three things:

you don’t have a boss;
nobody is holding you accountable; and
you don’t have somebody that is asking you the difficult questions

— you hide from these problem areas that are in your business (whether it be problems with your employees, customers or vendors or something entirely different).

My thought to you today is to stop doing that.

My challenge to you is to quit hiding and to take the first step towards tackling that challenge in your business.

If you need help, someone to hold you accountable or to ask you those tough questions, that’s what we do at Confidence Coach. Reach out and schedule a free consultation today.

by Scott Ballard , July 12, 2020

Are You Alone?

Did you know that business owners are the loneliest people in the world?

When you ask yourself why it’s because nobody else really understands the choices, decisions, work, sacrifice and effort that you’ve put into your business. Nor do they have the dream or vision that you have.

Sometimes it can feel like you are doing this all by yourself.

Nobody understands.

Nobody really cares.

Nobody really wants to celebrate with you when you have a victory or wants to listen when you’re in the middle of a struggle.

This is where I come into play as your coach!

My job is to be there for you; to listen intently and fiercely to your situation.

I’m there to hear about your struggles as well as your dreams and goals.

Then, to turn around and ask you the tough questions that everybody else is afraid to ask.

So my question to you is are you feeling lonely?

Do you feel isolated?

This is beyond COVID.

This is something unique to business owners.

If you’re feeling lonely and isolated, let’s talk. I’d love to listen and hear where you’re at, and then I’d love to ask you the questions that will take you to the next level.

Reach out today and schedule a free call.

by Scott Ballard , July 5, 2020

What Did You Learn?

Last week’s blog was about making choices and how your perspective of what you think about affects you and your business. During this season I know that a lot of us have been either doing things differently, learning new things and/or have had to pivot to keep our businesses going.

These were a couple of questions that I asked you last week.

What did you learn during this season that you want to keep doing in your business?
What did you learn that you are going to omit or get rid of?

Make two lists and submit them to us. We’d love to hear what you are going to keep and do more of and what you are going to get rid of.

Reach out today and schedule a free call if you’d like to talk. We are here to encourage and help you build a better future.

by Scott Ballard , June 7, 2020

Your Why and Your Vision

During this pandemic season many things have changed and/or shifted in our lives, including some of our goals. Maybe it just hasn’t been possible to pursue them or they are now obsolete.

Just because your goals may have changed, the vision for your life doesn’t have to.

I want you to review each of your goals but instead of asking yourself “Can I still achieve this?”, reconnect with your why. Review your top three reasons why you chose that goal and ask:

What am I really trying to accomplish here?
What’s my motivation?

It’s absolutely true that some of our goals may not survive, but the vision for your life will. Go back and get in touch with your Why. When you do this, you will find new ways to achieve your vision and the way forward will reveal itself!

When you think you have lost your Way, go back and deeply connect with your Big Why!!!

We have been working with business owners to help them create a clear written vision for their future which can help them discern between opportunities and distractions. Vision is an act of seeing what the future could be, then articulating that potential in an inspiring, clear, practical and attractive way. As a leader, you can create a compelling vision and engage others around it. If you’d like help doing this for yourself and your business, reach out today and schedule a free call. We’d love to help you reconnect with your why and create a clear vision for the future.

by Scott Ballard , May 17, 2020

Be Productive

Do you feel that you’ve been productive through this difficult season? The pandemic has changed the way we do things and go about life. Many of us are working remotely from home, and almost everyone now uses Zoom or Skype to meet with their team, customers and even family members.

In some ways, we have more time than we are used to. However, how are you using your time? As people are slowly going back to work and some companies are opening back up for business, I want you to look at your life and evaluate your productivity. Here are a few questions to ask yourself and really think about:

What have you been doing to better yourself during this time?
What new things have you learned?
Will some of the things that you have learned make life better when the pandemic is over and we have kind of turned the corner of COVID-19?
What has this difficult time made possible that wasn’t possible before?
Have you created a new company (whether on or off line), had to reinvent your business or pivot in any way?

As you start to think about these things, I hope you realize that you have made a lot of changes and you’ve been extremely productive during this time. You have been flexing and adapting to our changing times.

I just wanted to tell you Great Job! Be kind to yourself.

Be present!

Be positive!

Be productive!

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. We are here to help and encourage you.

by Scott Ballard , May 6, 2020

Be Positive

I would like to encourage you to be positive during this crisis. Have you been protecting your attitude?

This has been an extremely difficult time for everyone in the world. But even in these hard times we have seen many of our clients come up with incredibly creative solutions to finding new business, new opportunities, new innovation, and ways to maintain their team in the midst of this.

There is a seed of opportunity in every adversity.

We celebrate and are deeply encouraged by our clients that are finding these seeds and are creating new opportunities in this season.

We would encourage you to do the same. Look for the seeds, the opportunities, and the breakthroughs everyday that can be made now.

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 or share a story with us of any new opportunity or innovation that you have created during this time.

by Scott Ballard , May 3, 2020

Be Present

With all that’s going on in this difficult time, are you really being “present” and in the moment? Or, do you feel like you are spending most of your time worrying about the future and what’s going to happen tomorrow? Are you trying to figure out when and if things will get back to normal?

One thing I know for sure is that all we really have is today.

I encourage you not to miss what’s happening today — in your family life, in your business, with your customers.

Don’t miss the people you are with. Maybe you are chaffing at the social distancing and not able to get out of your home. In that case, you still need to be connecting with people although it may look differently via zoom or Skype. Or in some cases, your children are at home while you are working remotely. Are you actually spending more time with them or setting aside time just for them?

Decide today that you are going to be present.

Experience all today has to offer. You can never get this day back once it’s over. Once it’s gone; it’s gone forever.

Tell people that you love them.

Pass on joy to somebody whether it be a family member, customer or an employee.

There are a lot of things to learn during this difficult season. We all have a lot of areas to grow. There are lots of new things to experience.

Are you actually thinking about what new things you are learning today? Are you actually thinking about things this way? Is this your mindset at this time?

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. Let us help you make progress and really be present today.

by Scott Ballard , April 29, 2020

Focus on Your Gratitude

When times get tough, everyone has to make a fundamental decision: to complain or to be grateful. What do you choose?

In an environment where negative sentiment is rampant, the consequences of this decision are much greater. Complaining only attracts negative thoughts and people.

Gratitude, on the other hand, creates the opportunity for the best thinking, actions, and results to emerge. Focus on everything you’re grateful for, communicate this, and open yourself each day to the best possible consequences.

What are 3 things you are grateful for today? Start with the small things and then you will build on your gratitude muscle.

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. Let us help you make progress.

by Scott Ballard , April 19, 2020