Teresia's Blog

Now is the time to begin creating exactly what you want in 2012! What I want for you is for 2012 to be your best year yet.  Watch our short video to find out how.

TLC Coaches challenge:

1. Block a chunk of time for you over the holidays to begin designing your ideal 2012.

2. Email us at celebrate2011@teresia.com for your complimentary worksheet.

3. Read the article below to learn more about the power of setting value based goals.

4. Check out our New Approach to Goal Setting ebook now at special holiday pricing of only $19.99 (Reg. $29.97)

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and safe holiday season!

With gratitude,

Set Valued Based Goals!

I want to share with you a topic that I am very passionate about – setting goals based on your true values.  Every January, I share this message with the communities I am associated with, if you have heard it from me before stay with me – it’s worth reading again

When I first became a coach 17 years ago, I was all about goal setting. I would say to my clients “Goal setting is the key to creating what you want in your life; you must be clear of your goals and write them down”. Through my personal journey of consciously creating a life I love and supporting thousands of individuals to do the same, I have discovered that yes, goal setting is important BUT fruitless unless those goals are set on a foundation of your true values.

To live a life you love and achieve what your heart desires, you must first be clear on your values. Let me explain what I mean by that:

Values are the things you do that you find very attractive, an emotional state that you feel is very important.  When engaged in these activities you feel most like yourself:  in touch with whom you are, glowing, and life is effortless. Values are the essence of who you are.

While we like these things, most of us lead lives which do not grant us the chance to just do these things. Most people set goals based on ‘have to’, ‘should’ and ‘need’ and are generally too busy with ‘responsibilities’ or ‘incompletions’ to pursue the life they truly desire.

Your values are the intangible aspects of your life that make you feel in alignment, complete, on track, and functioning at a high level. Examples include adventure, fun, service, creativity, connection, and hundreds more. A life that aligns with one’s core values will feel satisfying, even in difficult times.

When we live a life aligned with our values there are many gifts to be experienced:

• Our cup is full and we have so much more to give others.
• We live our life from a place of “attraction” vs. force. We begin to attract like minded individuals and opportunities in our life.
• We do not spend as much time on making decisions – when you are clear of your values it is easy to decide the next best step.
• We create results in our life with less effort.
• We live from a place of joy and gratitude.
• When challenges come our way – we can still be happy. (Have you ever met someone who just got fired from their job, going through a divorce, or experiencing a health challenge and they still exude joy. Now that is living a successful life.)

When we consciously design our life aligned with our values, life gets immeasurably richer – and easier.

OK, have I enrolled you in living a life aligned with your true values? So how do we do that? First you have to get clear on what your values are. Gaining clarity of your values and designing your life around them is a process.

It does not happen over night. I first heard about the concept of values in 1995 when I had my first stint with the Anthony Robbins group and even though I was eager to live life at this new level of passion of fulfillment, it took me many years before I achieved it. When we commit to living a life aligned with our values, really commit, there is a journey of self transformation that happens.

Here is what happens (if you like it or not

• You begin on a path of self exploration and self discovery.
• you must first get your personal needs met (needs in this context is simply put, the things you require on a regular basis in order to do your best work and feel good about yourself.)
• You must be open to healing any unhealed emotional wounds.
• You must become comfortable with the concept of “selfishness before success”.

Begin this journey now – give yourself and those around you the gift of a more joyful and satisfying life.

TLC Coaches challenge:

As you go through the next month, think about how you would complete this sentence:

“If I had plenty of free time and all the money I could ever want, then I would be free to (action) and that would let me experience more (value).”

Continue to practice this exercise over and over to help you identify the aspects of your life that you value most. Keep track of your answers… they’re the roadmap to your life!

For a self coaching guide on setting values based goals check out our ebook on A New Approach to Goal Setting at a discounted rate until the end of January. This is a self-coaching e-book that helps you identify what’s most important to you, and teaches you how to design your life according to your values. It just might be the fastest, easiest way to boost your life to a whole new level, and it will certainly give you a fresh new perspective on your New Year’s Resolutions!

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We live in a world where we’re expected to be available all the time for almost any reason. Worse, we expect it from ourselves. With easy access to technology 24/7, being accessible has become a way of life. According to the 2010 iPass Mobile Workforce Report, over 94% of workers do not completely unplug while on vacation. How many of those people do you think are risking a total burn out? Are you one of them?

Before you contemplate unplugging strategies it is equally, if not more, important to make a mental shift. Focus on “why” you want to have a “work free” holiday and the how will naturally follow.

So what are the benefits to completely unplugging?

When you completely unplug:

• You Sleep Better – Need I say more?
• You Tap Into Your Creative Mind – It could be one of the best strategic business choices you’ll make. When you separate yourself from your day to day responsibilities, you create an environment where your mind is free to think creatively without restraint. I have had many clients who identified their most profitable business ideas and/or sustainable solutions to an ongoing problem while on vacation.
• You Recharge and Tap Into the Vacation Mindset – which is that energy, enthusiasm and feeling of renewal that comes with an unplugged vacation. As an entrepreneur you are your business – the better you feel, the more productive you will be.
• Your family – Your vacation may be the longest stretch of quality time you get to spend with your family… ever! Is your business worth that compromise? A better question is what lifestyle do you want to be modelling for your children?
• You deserve it! – As an entrepreneur it is easy to always be “on” and it takes good hard work to maintain and grow a successful business. Reward yourself. Chances are that no one else will.

OK are you convinced on the benefits? Not completely? Let’s move on to the next step and outline some strategies to show you how manageable unplugging for your vacation actually is.

1. 30 days before your vacation educate your clients, team members, and vendors that you will be away and will be completely disconnected. If there is something urgent they can contact your assistant directly. If you do not have an assistant – for those of you who have been following me for a while, you know what I am going to say – hire an assistant now! If you are spending more than 10% of your business hours on admin type activities, it is success critical to have an assistant in your corner. If you are going on vacation it is well-being critical! Period. Get one in place before you go on holidays. She/he can start dealing with urgent matters. Your clients will appreciate a friendly, empathic voice and if a crisis hits, it will make a difference.

2. The day before you leave put an “out of office” auto responder message on your email. (An auto responder is an email that is sent out automatically whenever an incoming email is received). Change your voice mail to say you are away and if they need immediate help they can contact your assistant. Don’t forget to include his/her phone number. Be sure to give yourself an extra day on the back end to get organized and catch up on emails and voice mails.

3. As a back-up arrange for a colleague to step in and help during your absence if urgent action is required. There are many advantages to working with colleagues including collaborating, expanding your team, and letting go of the lone ranger mentality. I had a wonderful experience of not doing it alone with my colleague and partner  Cheryl Cran of our  Triplemmastermind program when I was on maternity leave.

4. I used to recommend having your cell phone with you as an emergency tool BUT in our world of iPhones and Blackberries you MUST leave ALL digital devices at home. I know this is a tough one, but can you really unplug if you have your communication devices with you?

5. If you cannot leave your phone at home, and you know that you will be tempted to access email or call your assistant and innocently ask “how is it going?” book your vacation in a remote area with no access. Hey, a holiday on an island in the Caribbean or a log cabin nestled in the midst of the mountains sounds pretty cool to me.

For those of you who are going into a full blown panic attack with the anxiety of just not knowing what is happening during your absence – I have an option for you, but you have to promise that you will not abuse it.

If you REALLY REALLY REALLY MUST – Schedule Plug-In Times.

If you vouch for this option, when you get back from your holidays your next step is to hire me! We need to break through this pattern. It is costing you your quality of life and compromising your greatest business resource: YOU. (I am sure it is also impacting some of the relationships in your life). A client’s daughter recently said to him “Daddy do you like the people at your office more than you like me?” Ouch… We can transform this in 1 to 3 sessions or your money back!

OK I digress… When you schedule a plug-in choose a specified time — and timeframe — when you will plug in.

For example: block out a 3 hour window to “work” 3 days into your vacation from 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. By doing this you are making a conscious choice when to work, and also setting aside the rest of the time not to work. (Warning: many clients with the best intentions have attempted to use used this strategy in the past and it has not worked well for them, as self proclaimed recovering workaholics, when there was something left undone it was challenging for them to let it go and it seeped poison into their holiday).

In addition, set up an accountability system. Share your schedule with your husband and kids. Ask them to call you on it if you do not stick to the allotted time. Agree to a consequence if you don’t follow through.

Give this option some serious thought. Ask yourself if it will really serve you. The immediate gratification rarely trumps the long-term benefits of deciding to be completely unplugged.

It’s your choice, but having the courage to completely unplug could be the most productive and healthy decision you’ll make this year. Hey, there might even be a benefit to your sex life! And that’s never a bad thing.

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Hello fellow self employed professionals,

We are on a roll here at TLC! The count down is on before the start of our next Passion into Profit (PIP) program begins on May 5th. Today 20 committed, motivated, fearless coaches participated in our business Q&A conference call.

We covered some key business building principals. Listen here (please scroll part way down the page and note the call is listed on the right side of the page) and learn more about:

• How to position yourself as an expert.
• The steps you need to take to increase your confidence and belief in the value you have to offer.
• The four critical activities of a successful entrepreneur.
• The first thing you need to do when you decide to become an entrepreneur.
• Strategies and processes to effortlessly get the financial commitment from your IDEAL client.
• Steps to launch your speaking career.

If these points resonate with you, you may want to book a personal consultation with me to see if the PIP program is the next best step for you. Email us at info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com

As an entrepreneur, the sky is the limit! Cheers to creating a life we love!

www.passionintoprofitforcoaches.com

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There is a saying that people won’t make a change in their life unless they feel enough pain to make the change. Consider that someone may live an unhealthy life and then are told they have a life threatening illness- typically at that point they decide to make big changes.

Or consider someone who has been in an unhappy relationship for years and finally they realize that they are ’settling’ and they make a decision to transform or leave the relationship.

There is a turning point in everyone’s life and business or a fork in the road that we all encounter. One of the major signs that you are ready for a business breakthrough is that you are no longer willing to settle!

You will not settle for:

• Making less money than you know you are able to create
• Struggling to keep up with work without support
• Doing it all alone and feeling stressed or frustrated
• Trying to figure things out without an overall plan or strategy
• Feeling stuck or in a rut with the success you have created

If any of these ‘no settle’ items resonate with you then congratulations you have the first symptom of being ready for a major business breakthrough!

The good news here is that when you recognize that you are no longer willing to tolerate or settle you are now ready to do something in a new or different way in order to create a new and different result.

So if you know what you will not settle for the fun part is to decide what you want to create. Usually what you want to create is the opposite to what you will no longer tolerate. 

It might look like this:

• Rather than settle for less money you wish to create abundance with ease
• Rather than struggling to keep up with your work you attract the right support
• Rather than doing it all alone you envision yourself supported and joyful
• Rather than trying to figure things out on your own you have a strategy team
• Rather than feeling stuck you feel energetic and re-energized about the future
• Deciding not to settle or tolerate takes courage BUT it is a key step in living your best life.

TLC coaches challenge:

List 5 things you are tolerating in your business. It may include not having the proper equipment or technology, a messy desk, struggling with your marketing activities etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

List 5 things you are tolerating in your relationships. It may include lack of communication, not enough support, poor follow up, not working with your ideal clients, late payments etc
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

List 5 things you are tolerating about yourself. It may include procrastination, sleeping in, not setting boundaries, not committing to an exercise program etc.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

By simply making this list you will notice your tolerations will begin to disappear. By acting on your list and deciding to be ‘toleration free’, your life and busienss will transform.

Fasten your seatbelt and get ready for a business breakthrough! 

P.S Check out our Triple M Mastermind Ebook: 6 Signs That You Are Ready for a Major Business Breakthrough and 6 Steps to Cut Through the BS!

Valued at $29.99 – Buy now for $19.99!

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It takes courage and commitment to confront problem behaviours. Dealing with conflict is not easy; in fact, it requires hard work and skill. For about 10 or 20 per cent of the population, confronting problem behaviours is a no-brainer, the rest of us feel some stress and discomfort in conflict situations. Check out my article in the coaches corner in The Province for some immediate tips to ease the stress.

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“Sometimes it takes an expert to point out the obvious”

~ Scott Allen

I have been riding the wave of the enthusiastic, committed group of self-employed professionals who are presently taking the Passion into Profit Program . Nothing inspires me more (except Kenny’s smiles and funny faces:) then when an individual has the courage and commitment to step up to their true heart desires and create a life they love. I have to say that each week I spend 1 ½ hours with 9 individuals who are doing just that! Lucky me!

This past month, we have been discussing embracing the entrepreneurial mindset and how important it is to be clear of who you are as a business person and what you have to offer.

When someone asks you what do you do? What do you say? More importantly, how do you feel? This is a pivotal moment; it is a chance to communicate your business to a captive audience that could very well become a paying client or a referral source. 

Almost every self employed professional I have worked with has shared that they love what they do but dislikes the marketing aspect of their business. It is part of my mission to help entrepreneurs move from discomfort to embracing the unrevealed joy and possibilities of effective marketing. 

The more confidence and conviction we have of the value we offer, the more attractive we become. When we embrace our expertise a shift happens, instead of feeling like we are selling something we step into being of service. 

Hmm being of service vs. selling – which one appeals to you more? 

To enjoy marketing, to be of service, it starts with knowing without a doubt what results we deliver.    

When someone asks you “what do you do?” What do you say? This is the beginning of your marketing plan. Your answer either sets you up as credible or not. Ever hear the expression you have one chance to make a first impression? 

A well-developed and practiced credo is a critical component of any marketing plan. What is a “credo”? The word was originally used to signify a statement of religious beliefs; the Latin definition is literally “I believe.” In the modern world, the term has been adopted by businesses to state the fundamental components of the business. The longer versions might include a company’s mission, who it serves, its values and ambitions… in other words, everything the company stands for. 

Your credo is the heart of how you represent your work to prospects – both in print and in face-to-face interactions. If you find networking a bit uncomfortable, it’s probably because you don’t have a strong credo to leverage in conversations with strangers.

What I want for you is to feel excited to share who you are, what you do, who you love to work with, and how you make a difference, this is the beginning of attracting business, the business you want. We like to say that a strong credo is the window to the soul of a business. When said with clarity and conviction, you engage people right away by telling them about the difference you make to other people. You also give them much of what they need in order to determine whether you’re a fit for their needs. In that one minute (more or less), you stand in the gateway to more clients, more business, more profit and more success.                                         

Do you have a credo? How strong is your credo? Do you own it with every cell in your body? This week, work on or re-work your credo.

Section 1:  Who am I?

In very simple terms, introduce yourself and/or your company.

Section 2:  Who are my customers?

This is a very straightforward description of whom you want to do business with. The clearer you are the better.

Section 3:  What do I do?

In this section, you want to describe your primary product and/or service. Do you have a clear, confident and compelling answer?

Section 4:  How do they benefit (from their perspective)?

We find that this is the trickiest section to get down clearly. You want to focus on the benefits of your work, not the features, nor the advantages.  Ask yourself, what are your clients’ urgent needs (what are they moving away from)? Also ask, what are their compelling desires (what would they like to move towards)? Bottom-line, what are the deep-rooted benefits your clients will experience as a result of your services?

To help you wrap your mind around this concept, here’s an example of one of my credos and my team coach partner Cheryl Cran’s credo: 

• My name is Teresia LaRocque http://Teresia.com and I am a business coach. I work with entrepreneurs who have been in business for several years and are feeling like a servant to their business, they’re spinning their wheels and are overwhelmed by all their responsibilities. Together we look at ways to leverage their business, and increase their bottom line so that they have less stress and more balance.
• I am Cheryl Cran http://www.yourkeynotecoach.com/ a keynoter and also known as the keynote coach. I work with entrepreneurs that have been in business for over five years and are ready to add speaking/keynoting to help promote their business. I help my clients bust through their barriers, get clear on their message, and increase their speaking and influencing skills.  As a result of working with me entrepreneurs make big leaps in their ability to speak with focus and increase their profile and profitability.

TLC Coach Challenge:

Make a commitment to yourself to devote time this month to developing or improving your credo.  Having a credo that resonates with your soul and captures the essence of your business is the first step in creating an effortless and fun marketing campaign. 

Next Passion into Profit (PIP) program is starting May 5th. Email info@passionintoprofitforcoaches.com to book your consultation and see if the PIP program is the next best step for you. 

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