The dictionary defines self-determination as, “determination of one’s own fate or a course of action without compulsion; free will.”

Free will is “the power or discretion to choose; free choice.” It is the belief that man’s choices ultimately are or can be voluntary, not determined by external causes.

So, what do we need to cultivate to achieve self- determination?

I think it takes:

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When making a big business decision, I’ve found it helpful to write out the answers to these questions:

• What is the financial cost of NOT doing this?

• What is the emotional cost of NOT doing it?

• What is the energetic cost of NOT doing it?

Then I ask myself these questions:

• What is the financial reward of doing this?

• The emotional reward?

• The energetic reward?

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The video below is pretty funny…it cracks my wife and I up every time we see it!

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With so much emphasis on list building and building social media networks, it may seem counter-intuitive to suggest purging a list and losing your bottom 10%.

The philosophy is this: lose your bottom 10% and you’ll feel an incredible surge in your business.

It’s scary to think about, but I just experienced this and wanted to share honestly about what’s happening, what freaked me out, and what the gifts are.

What’s Happening

I have a wonderful new program coming up, Discover Your Profitable Essence, which teaches heart based service professionals (coaches, healers, consultants, et al) how to break out of anonymity and place their mark on the world with a successful business.

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http://www.greatsmallbusinessadvice.com/: Got a challenge in business right now? Here are some thoughts on a critical shift we must make to immediately blast through challenges and begin to see the results we want. http://tinyurl.com/yewpxmj

Have you seen the movie Planes, Trains and Automobiles?  Mark, my husband, had a similar experience on his flight home from getting certified as a business and marketing coach in Tucson, Arizona.  He had decided to take an overnight flight to get back sooner…well, let’s just say things didn’t go as planned.

He left Tucson at 7 pm and rather than arriving at 9 am, he arrived at 10 pm the next day.  A snowstorm arrived in Atlanta.  You can imagine what followed when thousands of flights were canceled- people freaking out, car rentals sold out, and the scrambling to locate a car he could share with a couple of new-found friends to get to Durham.

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Have you noticed that a lot of people are talking about celebrity lately? Maybe it’s just my reticular activating system (RAS) sparking up ever since I recently started talking about how to “raise your celebrity profile.” (No, I didn’t make up the “RAS” – it just means that I’m just hyper-aware of this particular language right now.) My use of the word “celebrity” is sparking some interesting and juicy conversations with people lately.

For me, raising your celebrity profile is NOT about:

• A huge ego

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While walking one of my dogs this morning, we stopped at the usual big pile of brush by the firepit to “look for bunnies” (they live inside).

Sasha was SO focused on looking in this one spot, that she neglected to see bunnies running out from every other conceivable exit and so missed the opportunities to see bunnies running all around her.

Meanwhile, my shepherd Sheba was so intent on watching Sasha so she “didn’t miss anything” that she missed everything as well.

Now while this is cute when we’re talking about dogs and bunnies, it’s not cute when we’re talking about you and your business.

Are you so focused on a certain goal or project that you’re missing other opportunities?

Take time each day to reflect on what’s going on all around you — even if it’s 5 minutes before you shut down for the evening — your business will thank you!

The hard work of being an entrepreneur isn’t building a list, developing a website, becoming adept at sales, or any of the other day to day tasks involved in running a business.

The true challenge is dealing with the inner issues that get triggered as you step into the new identity required to lead a thriving 6- and 7-figure service-based business. This is not a playground for sissies, I’ll tell you. The name-calling, the back-stabbing, the insults – and that’s just from our own Inner Critic!

I’ve said for years that your business will only grow as fast and as far as you do. And I sincerely believe that. It’s just one of those things that’s easier said than done.

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