This is a feature called Friday LiFT where I write about everyday people (I mean non-celebrity people like you and I) who inspire me to grow, change or do life better.

Today I want to send a LiFT out to Linda Hedberg of LifeStories Coaching. Linda has been quietly impacting lives for many years as she stays true to her calling, trusts God, and believes the best about her clients.

I admire Linda because her heart beats for the perfect coaching question which she has asked of me more than once. I know the same is true for many others. She is intuitive, intelligent and creative.

In addition to being a fantastic coach, she supports many new coaches with her Christian Coaching Resources website and her Christian Coach Training ebook.

Linda is a super mom, a loyal friend and a loving daughter.

Thank you for the many ways you have LiFTed me, Linda. Hope this small note of gratitude LiFTS you, too.

by Beth Cole

As long as a candle has plenty of wick and air it will keep flickering and giving off light. But watch out. Too much air too fast will blow it out. So will not enough. And even a sprinkle of water will quench it fast.

Your business is kinda like that precious light and I want you to protect your flicker from going out from too much to do, not enough boundaries, or too many Debbie Downers.

It can happen to anybody.

Grab a piece of paper and a cup of joe and give yourself a small break from your day to interact with these questions to help you keep that flame alive.

1. Think back to the time before you launched your business, remember the excitement? What was motivating you to start your new adventure? How can you keep it in sight?
2. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “What do you do?” If you have trouble answering that question, what does that tell you?
3. Is there one client (or more) you wish you didn’t have? Why is that? Make a list of the attributes you don’t like about this client. Then thinking of opposites, make a list of what you are looking for in your ideal client. Remember, you’re the boss! Give yourself permission to say “no” to clients like this, so you can say “yes” to your ideal clients.
4. Take a look at your surroundings. Do you like what you see? If not, what would you change?
5. Make a list of all the things that are sucking your energy dry right now. I you could eliminate just one, what would it be? What would that do for you?
6. Make a list of the tasks you are doing in your business right now. On a new piece of paper create three columns: Marketing; Finance; Products/Services. Now categorize everything from the master list into one of these columns. This will help you get a sense of what is taking the most of your time. Is there anyone else you can involve in your business to help carry the load? (Think Virtual Assistant or Accountant).
7. Think about what it takes to deliver your product/service to your clients. Write down all the steps from the beginning agreement to when you cross the finish line. This is your process. Are you satisfied with it? Can anything be automated or improved?
8. How did you arrive at the price for your services? How is that working for you?
9. Think of the last time you felt really joyful and energetic. What was giving you that feeling? Is there a way to tap into that energy every day?
10. Who is the one person who will always be in your corner, you know the one who will have a good word no matter what? Is there a way to interact with this person more?

There will always be pressure and difficult circumstances in your business. Finding ways to cope with these pressures will help you grow as a person and enjoy the benefits of being your own boss.

So can you keep your flame alive? I think you can — I believe it and I’m with you all the way.

What are your thoughts?

Photo: Flickr Ezioman

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Beth Cole is a web consultant and business coach specializing in small business launches. Tweet with her @websrvnt,  comment on her blog or say hello on Facebook.

This is a new feature called Friday LiFT where I write about everyday people (I mean non-celebrity people like you and I) who inspire me to grow, change or do life better.

The doorbell rang yesterday and it was the florist. Imagine my surprise when she handed me the cheeriest bundle of bright pink, green and cute flower balloons —– with curly ribbons aplenty.

I was so surprised.

This Friday LiFT goes out to the person who was responsible — my daughter Laura who continually LiFTs me in small ways like that balloon bouquet.

I am inspired by her because she is on a quest to live a story that can be remembered and retold…..because she loves adventure and isn’t afraid…..and because she has a knack for pushing and pulling random elements until something beautiful emerges.

There is so much more I can say but for now, my heart is grateful and LiFTed.

Thank you, Laura.

Hope you are LiFTed, too.

BUT.

I hate to clean.

I have had cleaning help off and on so I get the RESULTS I want without any effort, but you know what? I think I enjoy my clean house that much more when I do the cleaning myself.

I have a love/hate relationship with exercise, too.

I don’t like the plank pose, and the treadmill is boring. But I love the RESULTS of exercise. I feel better, I have more energy, and my pants aren’t too tight. Hooray! It’s enough to keep me going.

So for me, doing the hard things like exercise and cleaning are all about RESULTS.  I think this mindset of getting through hard things applies to almost anything in life, especially your business.

Launching a business is EXCITING, but not every part of launching your business will be fun. Much of it is hard.

For example, many of our clients want a steady flow of prospects from a well-written, compelling website, along with vibrant Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook spaces, but most dislike claiming a specialty (niche), writing website content, or figuring out how to tweet, link and face with people.

What if you could focus on the RESULTS of pushing through these things? Would it be easier to create awesome content, unique services, and a marketing presence online?

What do you think, are you motivated by RESULTS? What helps you push through the hard things?

Look forward to your comments.

[Flickr: Pink Sherbet]

This is a new feature called Friday LiFT where I write about everyday people (I mean non-celebrity people like you and I) who inspire me to grow, change or do life better.

This week I want to write about Allison Johnson, author and professional coach, owner of Resurrected Girl Life Coaching.

Allison inspires me because in addition to managing a busy family and coaching practice, I see her pouring sunshine into so many people’s lives on Facebook, asking powerful questions on conference calls, tweeting lots of goodness, and modeling what it means to live authentically.

I admire her because her cup is half full. That attitude spills over instantly when you rub shoulders with her. I also admire the goals she is achieving as a runner, a writer and a coach. Though I have never met her in person, I am privileged to consider her a long-distance friend.

Allison’s new book, Waking Up in the Middle of Nowhere, will be released next month and will be available on Amazon.

Love all your good stuff, Allison, thanks for the LiFT!

There are so many people that fit into this category, it’s hard to know where to start (and I will want more Fridays for all the cool people I have met), but I’m going to jump in and start today with coach Kara Burian, @Karabu_9.

Kara is a rock solid leadership coach who is fully present, asks the best questions, and will take you further than you thought possible. She coaches in her local community and with various online tools.

I never realized the depth of her coaching talent until I hosted her in a workshop on making good decisions recently in our community. Her questions were so penetrating and intuitive. I am thankful she has found a niche in coaching, because she has been gifted with the heart of a coach.

Kara has been a wonderful supporter to me and to many others. I appreciate her for how she is always learning and listening to other people.

I am a better person for knowing her.

You can find her on Twitter, LinkedIn, and her website.

Thank you for the LiFT, Kara!

by Beth Cole

“I don’t want to be a Christian dork.”

This is one fear that prevents many believers (myself included)  from stepping into the life and the identity God has prepared for us.

The Vertical Self, by Mark Sayers, is about recognizing this identity and owning it in a way that is the total opposite of dorkiness, a new level of  “cool.”  It is about accepting no substitutes for the best life God intends for you.

This book held me captive from the beginning. I felt like I was sitting at the feet of a gentle story teller as the author gave example after example of what it means to seek an identity from culture or other people’s opinions. I could definitely relate to the evidence of this identity crisis that I see all around me and in myself.

This book gave me a biblical wake up call of who I am in Christ. It made me think. I gained a fresh perspective on what I can hold on to and what I will let go of. I will definitely recommend this book to others.

Read it if you are ready to be challenged and changed.

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Anyone can apply to be a book reviewer, after acceptance you will be able to choose a book to review and in exchange you agree to write a short review on your blog.

The books I will be reviewing may be business related, but they will more likely pertain to the bigger picture of life. I am hoping these reviews will be an encouragement to you, much like I have been encouraged by other people’s reviews.

My first review will be The Vertical Self, by Mark Sayers, and I am looking forward to sharing it with you. I may review other books that aren’t part of the BookSneeze program, too.

What do you think, are you going to become a book reviewer, too?

I am hunkered down over my keyboard click clacking away and I hear this bumping sound which I can’t quite put my finger on.  There isn’t a word to describe how it sounds (think bird beak on glass) but maybe kinda like shlack, shlack….shlack.

I go back to clacking and pretty soon, there is the shlack, shlack, shlack again and this time it is really close and I see this little bird head, black with a yellow beak, and he is shlacking my office window, trying to fly through the glass for pete’s sake.

He started at the bedroom window, worked his way around the house to the laundry room window, now he’s at my office window – trying to flying through the glass. Lack of success doesn’t stop him. He gets a run at it and tries again at least two or three times.

This has been happening intermittently for at least the last two months. I don’t know if it’s the same bird but you would think after so many fails he would find a new game.

I can relate to this bird in a strange sort of way. Because there are so many times in my life where I have tried to fly through the window over and over again, of course, going nowhere. Sometimes I just change windows. Like the bird.

I read somewhere this is the definition of insanity — doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

The beautiful lesson here is that as business owners and wives and husbands and moms and dads and sons and daughters we don’t have to fly into the same window. We can change marketing language, service offers, conversations, boundaries and quality time spent together. We CAN change. Unlike that little bird. Think of the possibilities.

So what windows are you flying into? What can you change to get a better result?

Tell me about it.

[Image Flickr Chefranden]

This training will be delivered by the coaching experts at CACC, also known as the Center for Coaching Excellence (new website still in progress) and will be held in Broken Bow, Nebraska, if we can get a core group of 8 people. We have 5 so far. If you are interested or know of someone who might be interested, please spread the word!

Please contact Mary Verstraete at 612.293.4496 or you can call me at 308.646.0530 if you would like to participate in the call.

What a great opportunity to explore your options and find out more about becoming coach!