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Issue 6.9.B September 15, 2017
What's in this issue?
Hello Kathy,
I know, you just got an email from me last week. But I have something important to share. This is actual part 2 of 3 that I will be sending. So pay attention.
In last week's newsletter I started to tell you the story about Jenn Wenzke, my champion. We talked about our value- yours and mine. The three questions Jenn asked me on our very first meeting were...
- Do you know your value?
- Do you offer value to those in your world?
- Are you getting paid what you are worth?
(If you want to be refreshed on the story, click here.)
But when my answers to those questions were weak at best, the next thing she said to me was,
"When you are done making excuses, you can get down to your business."
(View Blog Part 3: More of the Story )
Yep! That was the bottom line! I was making excuses about why I wasn't being successful or seeing the kind of difference I wanted to see.
Are you doing that? Making excuses instead of doing the things you really want to do?
We often struggle with our value– or the value we offer. Much of that is because we keep comparing ourselves to others. Or we try to live up to their expectations of us. (Probably more what we expect them to expect of us, but it still affects us.)
But also we tend to replay some messages from our past that we think are behind us. For instance, I have noticed that I often find myself throwing up my hands and walking away whenever I hear anything that resembles "You're not good enough!"
When I finally stopped to reflect on where that came from in my journey, I discovered it was from Mrs. Jett, one of my favorite teachers. Our 2nd grade class was preparing to be part of the school pageant in the spring I quickly realized there were solo parts in the musical. I begged and pleaded with Mrs. Jett to let me have a solo line. I would stay in at recess and pester her a zillion times in hopes that she would let me have a part. I know that every time she would graciously answer me and explain that the 3rd & 4th graders got the parts, that they were already handed out, and other very sensible answers. But finally on the 'zillionth' time of me begging, she took me by the shoulders and in a very sweet voice said, "Kathy, you are just not good enough!"
I threw up my hands and walked away. Oh, not good enough, that's a whole different thing. I even threw up all over my bus driver the morning of the musical because I was afraid that I might not be 'good enough' to sing in the choir either. Did Mrs. Jett mean to hurt me? Absolutely not! She stayed a favorite teacher her whole life.
But that message followed me through much of my life. I came to believe those words and they became part of my excuse whenever I sensed that someone thought I might not be 'good enough'.
Now in my role as coach & entrepreneur, those words resound loudly whenever I try to take a step forward in my own business. You are not good enough. I had started to believe that.
Jenn caught that instead of being honest and dealing with the issue that I was afraid I might not be 'good enough", I was making up lot’s of excuses for why my business wasn’t working. It was other people who didn’t see their value enough to pay a coach what she’s worth. Hmm?
LESSONS FROM MY COACH
What I haven't told you about Jennifer is that she had ALS: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In the United States, ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, named after a Yankees baseball player who died of it in 1941.
When I came to know Jenn nearly 3 years ago, she was still walking quite well with a cane. But a year later, in 2016 when Jenn joined the GHC POWER HOUR groups that we hosted over the phone most Wednesday's at noon, she was confined to a wheel chair and dependent on her gracious, doctor, husband Bob and others to care for her and the things important to her.
These POWER HOUR groups were designed to support women and hold them accountable as they accomplished their goals for the month. I got to listen as Jenn took her big next steps in life and business. Each month, our POWER HOUR group would decide on the ONE THING that we wanted to accomplish during the next 30 days. Each week we would declare to the group the ONE ACTION that we would take to move us closer to our goal. Then we would hold each other accountable to those goals when we met the next week.
At one point, I challenged Jenn about the BIG-ness of her goal.
"That's a lot to do in one week, can we break that down into more manageable pieces?"
Her answer took our breath away.
"Kathy, while I have a mind to think it, and hands to do it, I must take on the BIG things."
Each one of us in the group took another look over our goals- and replayed the 'excuses' we had made as to why we couldn't do more. We each took a deep breath and made a decision to add some BIG to our vision and our commitment to it. If Jenn can do it, so can we!
My conversation with Jenn reminded me to get after it!
- Quit making excuses
- Quit making plans
- Do it!
- Now!
- before you can't do it anymore.
How about you?
- What excuses are you making?
- What are those excuses keeping your from doing?
- What are you putting on hold until life is right?
- What are you hanging onto from your past that keeps you from moving forward?
- What keeps you from breaking that chain and 'getting after it'--whatever IT is!
What if we rose above the excuses, and the messages, and the emotions- and did IT? What would that look like? How would that feel?
Well that's part of what we will be discussing in our next ONLINE GROUP opportunity beginning September 25th called BE INSPIRED: Make Your Authentic Difference by using Your Voice, Your Message, Your Influence NOW!
You will want to check out the details below.
This isn't the end of my Jenn story. She had much more to teach me. Keep watching. I will post more in a few days.
Here at GHC this fall, in memory of Jenn, we are going to be talking more about You and IT: Your Authentic Difference.
INTRODUCING GHC's first ONLINE GROUP-
Do you know what your voice sounds like when you are truly authentic to you?
Are you aware of the message you share that is unique to you??
What are the platforms that you are given to use your voice to speak your message?
And no, a platform doesn't have to be a stage.
BE INSPIRED Group will be Monday nights at 8:00pm (Eastern)
starts Monday, September 25th.
Structure includes:
- weekly training video from Kathy
- one hour “Let’s Talk About it” Community Time
- membership in the Be Inspired Facebook Community
You just need the internet and a webcam or smart phone. Instructions will be given on how to get started.
Registration is open now, but space is very limited. We want to be sure we can invest in Your Authentic Difference and help you find your voice, your message, your difference.
Register here!
Cost is $50 per session, but if you sign up before midnight (Eastern), Monday, September 18th, you can save $50. That is 8 sessions for the price of 7. That is only until the midnight on the 18th or the group fills up- which ever comes first.
Want to know more? Click here!
ACTION STEPS:
- Take a look at the questions above related to your excuses and get honest with yourself.
- Consider how the BE INSPIRED opportunity would help you confidently take your best next step forward- big or small.
Here's to you Being Inspired to Be YOU:
Making Your Authentic Difference with Your Voice, Your Message and Your Influence!
Kathy
P.S. Perhaps you know someone you could benefit from this also. Forward the email or send them to http://greenhopecoaching.com
419-306-8311
Green Hope Coaching with Kathy Burrus
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