The ultimate entrepreneur, Mother Teresa

When I do my Believe in You seminar, my example for “Express your true goals” is Mother Teresa. She exemplifies:  

• express what you truly want to accomplish
• listen to your inner guide
• be open to possibilities not in your original plan

All Mother Teresa wanted to do was become a nun and teach. She achieved that. But when she rode the school bus to chaperone students picked up at their homes, her world changed. On those early morning rides, she saw poor families waking up on the streets of Calcutta. What really grabbed her heart were the trucks scooping up those who had died during the night. She felt compelled to do something. She asked her Mother Superior, but the answer was no. Their convent and school were set up to teach, with limited funding. They could not care for the poor, too. Mother Teresa understood but was frustrated.

She pondered, prayed and visualized what she could do. Then went to Mother Superior again. She was told that if she wanted to work with the poor she’d have to leave their nunnery because that was not their mission. She continued teaching, with the people of the streets on her mind. One day traveling by train, the little voice within her (we all have one) said clearly and directly that she had to care for them.

She resigned, not a simple thing to do. Left the comfort of her nunnery. With one white sari and one coin in her pocket, she walked out to the streets she had traveled by school bus. Her reputation spread as she tended to those dying in the streets where they lived. She begged at homes and businesses for money and supplies. She truly cared, could be trusted, had no hidden agenda. Soon, a few former students gave up what they had and worked alongside her. Thus began the Missionaries of Charity.

Mother Teresa became an international phenomenon caring for the poorest of the poor so they could die with dignity. She was the little nun that could. A humble powerhouse, with a vision brought to life.

The ultimate entrepreneur: she saw a need, visualized possibilities, believed she could make a difference, took action despite the odds.

We all have thoughts, ideas, visions we want to act on. You don’t have to give up all you have and live on the streets (unless that’s in your heart to do), but what could happen if you took action on what is in your heart to accomplish at work and at home?

Visualize it.
Express your true goals.
Listen to your inner guide.
If the thought is in you, you can do it.

Hold a plank

I held a plank position for 1 minute today. That doesn't sound like much, but it's hard! My goal for April is to increase it to 2 minutes daily. It will strengthen my shoulders, wrists, core, legs and mental state. And that's what I'm after. To make sure I do it, I've put it on my calendar and have an accountability partner, my friend Sooz. She's committed to do it daily, too. We'll email each other each day after it's done. These built in reminders will help me stick to it. I know I'll be stronger on April 30!      

No, that's not me...yet. It's from http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/diet-fitness/exercise/core-abdominal-and-lower-back-exercises10.htm

 

Around the bend

I took this while driving through Ashley National Forest in Utah. It reminded me of what we face every day: beauty and vibrant life all around us, but we don't know what's around the bend. All we can do is prepare and do our best. 

I met with a woman whose 16 year old son died recently from bone cancer. Diagnosed when he was 12. What a shock for him, his family and friends. But she made the best of it, opening their home to his friends whenever they wanted to visit, day or night. And they came. Often. People from church and school (many she did not know) delivered meals, ran errands, mowed the lawn, walked his dog (the gift he asked for from Make a Wish Foundation), whatever would help when he was going through chemo or in the hospital again.  She said the day he died there must have been a couple of hundred people in and out of their house all day. He stayed as upbeat as he could til the end.

We talked about the benefits of the long goodbye. It almost makes the end easier because it's been coming for so long. I experienced that with my mom with Alzheimer's for 10 years. After doing everything you can to deal with the situation, you have to trust you will be ready for what's ahead.

When we took this long-awaited vacation out west, I thought it would bring wide-open thinking about what I want to do with my business and the rest of my life. I realized I don't have to be out in big sky country to think possibilities and listen to my inner guide. I can do that just as well sitting in our Florida room looking at the beauty of our backyard filled with trees, plants and birds.

The way to prepare for the curves ahead is to connect with our inner guide each day, reflect on what has happened and what is possible. Visualize ourselves handling it well. We never know for sure what will happen, but I believe this strengthens us for the challenges and delightful surprises that are just around the bend.

Customer Service

This was supposed to be the view from our hotel the first night of our vacation on the northern California coast. But when I called to confirm arrival time while we were driving that afternoon, we learned we did not have a reservation. The hotel was overbooked. What? My husband had reserved a room months ahead.

Reminded us of the Seinfeld episode - You know how to make reservations, but you don't know how to keep reservations!

The owner could tell my husband was upset and assured us he did not normally do business this way. Someone new had overbooked the hotel by four rooms that night. To make up for it, he reserved a room for us in another hotel in town. That's not what where we wanted to be, but when he said he had already paid for it and we would be staying the night free, we knew we were dealing with someone who cared about customer service.

I took this photo the next morning when we went over to thank him in person for our night at the other hotel. We saw why his hotel was booked solid. Excellent customer service and a beautiful ocean view. A winning combination.  

Setting Visible Goals

When I was growing up in New York, my father would make “going to Miami” and staying at the Fontainbleu where Prudential held its annual conference a goal each year. He would do all he could to sell enough life insurance policies to make that goal. Sometimes I was recruited to help him stuff envelopes or put packets together to take to potential policyholders. I remember his MIAMI and SELL SELL SELL signs around his office in the basement, sometimes hanging from the ceiling right near his desk chair so he couldn’t miss them. He was a real advocate of positive thinking making a difference in your life. (I guess I didn't fall far from that tree!) 

We never stayed at the Fontainbleu, but I knew what the hotel looked like and all of its fantastic features from the brochures. The few times we went to Miami with him as a family, we stayed at a small less expensive hotel nearby, Ocean Horizon, while he went back and forth to the conference. I loved that place, the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves and the swaying palm tress. A few times he arranged for my sister, brother and me to spend the evening in one of his buddies' Fountainbleu rooms while he and my mother went to an event in the ballroom. We three were thrilled to lay on the big bed with lots of pillows watching TV!

He was happy when he made his goals come true, and it psyched him to achieve more next time. He was a great example of always working on improving himself. As I sit here working on my Outlook 2010 book, I'm thinking maybe I should hang some signs. 

This works

When I'm feeling stuck about something, want to move forward but something holds me back, I use these 5 steps to get my thoughts in order and get energized about what has to be done. I call it VW PAR. I've used this process for years, for myself and my clients, but gave it a name only last year. I'm passing it on so that you can benefit from it, too.   

VWPAR

1) Visualize: Picture what you want to have happen, the result, not the problem. Picture yourself blasting past the challenge to a fantastic finish. See yourself finishing successfully, being the real you. What does that finish look like, feel like, sound like, taste like, smell like? Picture it in detail.

2) Write what you pictured. Start your sentences with "I am..." to put it in present tense, or "I have..." as if you already accomplished it. If you have a hard time starting, particularly if you don’t like to write, then write whatever comes to mind to get the junk out of your head. Once the surface stuff is out, you will be surprised at what comes to mind. Thoughts you would not have had otherwise will bubble up.

3) Prioritize: Write the actions you will take, then number them. Often it's not what you write first that has to be done first. 

4) Act: Do what you prioritized.

5) Reflect: Think about what you accomplished. What went well, what you will do again or differently next time. Visualize yourself doing an outstanding job with it. Then start VWPAR for your next goal!

VWPAR has worked for my clients and for me for years. For big and little things. I hope it helps you, too.