Money & Dreaming: a resource list

Money & Dreaming: a resource list

While here in Italy, in between museum-ing, eating, networking, and learning… I have put together a special resource list for you, each with a brief synopsis and handy link to the wealth of topics explored during my April ‘Money & Dreaming’ series.

Whether you have plenty of money and really don’t worry about it…

Or you feel like you’re barely scraping by and need to budget every dime…

Or you find yourself somewhere in between…

The way we each $pend money is a form of expression: an investment in our values, priorities, freedoms – and hopefully your dreams too!

So, here it is! Your ‘Money & Dreaming’ resource list, in no particular order. Enjoy!

“But what do I get for my coaching investment?”
At one of my book signing events, a woman came up to me and asked, “I really want to work with a coach. But what do I GET for my coaching investment, you know?” In one breath, she expressed interest in coaching and skepticism in coaching. A valid question! My answer might surprise you. To read “But what do I get for my coaching investment?”, click here.

That time I lost $18,000
Determined to get SOME value out of a bad financial decision I made a few years back (an experience that felt not only like a financial failure but also a painful and costly loss of time), there were two really valuable lessons learned. Get the full scoop here. 

I’m not a magician, but I do spark some magic
As responsible grown-up humans who get to decide such things, the exchange my clients and I agree on, is one of value. This piece explores client experiences and their results. A power punch of inspiration, it’s available to you here.

How to recession-proof your dreams
When rumors of recession fester and some decide that danger is lurking around the next corner and that they therefore need to put their dreams on hold, stay put, don’t do anything new or uncertain …my clients decide something very different. Read what it is that sets them apart, here.

Another way to pay yourself
Financial advisers recommend: “pay yourself first.” In other words, put money into some version of a savings account; good practical advice. There is another way to Pay Yourself First, one that you won’t have to wait years to reap the benefits of. Learn what it is, here.

Policy, with personality
Someone asked me recently WHY I make a point to share my company policies and WHY they have so much “personality.” 😀 While I could simply state “payment before services” and let that be it, that’s not how I do it. So, why DO I share my policies? And why are they the way they ARE? I pull back the curtain and share my reasons here.

I hope you find value in each one!

Love and biscotti,

 

I love my coaching clients. I don’t love the coaching industry.

I love my coaching clients. I don’t love the coaching industry.

I love my coaching clients.  I don’t love the coaching industry.
More than 16 years as a coach, I see so much in my industry that is problematic, unethical, or just plain false … all of which makes it incredibly hard for a prospective client to discern who the heck can actually help them.
This is deeply concerning to me.
But this article isn’t about that.
One common standard for success and measure of results-orientened coaching is dollars.
One problem with this is that true wealth is NOT measured in dollars. You don’t have to look far to find unhappy, stressed-out people with money. And more money is not their solution.
I coach my clients to create a no-vacation-needed life.
In doing this, I hold firm to the big picture dreams for their life. I remind us both periodically that a goal without a dream is a recipe for dissatisfaction, and that money alone does not a dream make.
This said, when money comes through aligned action – yeh!
Earning money doing work you love is cause for celebration – woot!
Successfully working smarter not harder is reason for a happy dance hoedown.
Two of my clients this week had big wins in this department and I am so friggin’ proud of them.
One client hired me to help her turn something she loves and “would do for free” into a business.
Yesterday was our kick-off session.
Step one in this realm requires understanding that the fact that you love doing something doesn’t in any way minimize the value it provides for others. By the end of our call, she had prices for her services and a plan to tell people about it.
Less than 24 hours later, she has two paying clients. Woot!
She said saying her price out loud was hard.  It’ll get easier…
Another client of mine and I have been strategizing about how she can work smarter not harder in her business. The goal around building her business is to intentionally allow her more time-freedom. Yesterday we celebrated that AFTER paying a new team member, her business made $2240 off of that team member’s effort, with little to no time required from my client. Go girl!
We’re now putting wheels in motion for her to bring on yet another contractor and do it again, x2. Repeat, repeat, repeat, scaling her business by building her team so that my client can focus on bringing in new contracts and customer care, while her team does the bulk of the work.
One more …
Last week, another client wrote to me with this realization: “My business HAS provided me with the time and money freedom to pour into my family and to be the mother I want to be for my daughter. This makes me very, very happy, proud, and grateful.”
This is wealth.  >>> Doing work you love, leveraging your time through team building, and feeling supported and able to really pour yourself into family and the people that mean the most to you.
Now, to be very clear, my clients created these results.
I merely coached them.
Their results are THEIRS.
Too often, I see coaches claim responsibility for their clients results. This is not only an act of hubris, it’s wrong. Especially when those very same coaches are first to say that they are not responsible for the lack of results that other clients of theirs received.
Anyway, I am really friggin’ proud of my clients and so honored to be able to contribute and serve and play a supporting role in their progress and success — as defined by them.