Just Keep Digging :)

     This week is more a success tip than a marketing tip. I was catching up with my sister who just got back from a HR seminar in Las Vegas and she shared with me the newest research about how our brains work. I shared that I didn’t think I could ever be a coach because I get so frustrated when people don’t just do what they are supposed to do. She said, “It’s not that simple.” Peoples brains are wired or programmed or whatever term you want to use. This hard wiring forms pathways in the brain that are entrenched the older we get. So the older we get the harder it is to set up new pathways, new habits, different choices. We start down the new path enthusiastic, with loads of energy but when the going gets tough, many people give up and go back to the path that is entrenched in their brain, the easy path. I know this from personal experience and I’m sure everyone that has learned something new has had the same challenge.

      Many of you know I am a runner. But what you might not know is I started running at 48. I had cleaned up my diet and knew that was only half the battle to wellness. I knew I had to get exercise and I knew I could run anywhere without an expensive gym membership. I started interval training running literally sixty seconds, then walking, running walking and gradually built up my times. Sometimes I had to count in two thirties to get there, sixty was too big a number in my head. Then I found a program a tool, on ITunes called Podrunner that had free downloads for runners. So much easier than trying to keep track in my head. Now I set an alarm every morning to run and if I don’t run in the morning, I run before I go to bed. New pathway. Burned in my brain over and over. I get up and do it. Point is everything we start that is new starts a new pathway, a new trench. We have to dig deep, be persistent and consistent to make headway. So maybe coaching is not about telling but about picking up a shovel and helping to dig.

      Don't get frustrated and give up. Find someone or something to help you dig. Whether it’s an accountability partner, a mentor or a few good books and cd’s. I listen to or read motivational materials every day. It’s like bathing for me, I stink if I don’t. So on this holiday and the anniversary of one remarkable year of Nail Talk Radio blazing new trails set your sites on a few new paths.
Commit to 2 hours at least per week to market yourself and your salon. Reach out to like minded individuals in your town or in cyberspace that can help you dig. Remember the path of least resistance will never guarantee you to go any further than your own front door. Take off your limits, allow yourself to soar.
(This blog post is a reprint from July 2011)