Terri and Brian skiing
Skiing has been on my vision board for what has felt like forever. I grew up skiing and it is one of my favorite things to do, but for one reason or another we haven’t gone for 8 years. Last week, I was so excited my husband, Brian, and I were able to go!
On our first run I was scared; my legs were shaking, and I wanted to quit. My husband said, “One more run.”
The chairlift girl said, “You’re just warming up.”
And, with that encouragement, up the chairlift we went.
The next run it all came back. I felt that natural groove on the slopes. I felt at home again on the mountains, on the slopes.
When we’re scared and shaking it’s difficult to give our best. We’re tense and the value we bring our customers doesn’t flow naturally. Once that happens, the money doesn’t flow either. I get it, this money thing can be psychologically tough. The best thing we can do when facing the money obstacles is to take the emotion out and follow your “get into action” rules:
- Tell the Truth: When our kids were young, we’d say “Tell the truth quickly.” This is great advice in life and with our money. Know your value, tell your client, and invoice accurately. This means tracking the time you spend with clients, knowing the market value of your services, and invoicing consistently. If there is a discrepancy with money, either you can tell your clients aren’t fully on board with what you’re charging, or you aren’t charging enough. Honesty is your best bet. The truth brings peace of mind and that will free you up to serve your clients with the unique value you bring.
- Time Block: Know your financial goal and where you are most valuable. Determine how many money making time blocks you need to achieve that and schedule/prioritize those time blocks ahead of time. Use your Perfect Day and Week tool from the LifePoint Strategy book. (Email me if you don’t have one.) When you know what you are going to do Monday morning, it takes the emotion out of it. You get to hit the ground running, no questions asked.
- Use a Budget: When my husband and I were first married, this was our biggest point of contention…the budget. Even now, 30 years later, agreeing on what we will spend our money on is tough. When we start with knowing how much we have (not will have), then move on to our fixed expenses (ones that don’t change and must be paid), we are left with variable expenses. This helps us prioritize how we choose to spend the rest of our money. Create a budget and refer back to it as you spend money and as money comes in to your business.
Enjoy today!
Terri
