“you can, you should, and if you’re brave enough to start, you will.”
Stephen King
Here is the audio version of this post. Snoring compliments of Zen Louis Kovner. Thank you so much for listening.
The beginning of creating awesome or anything really worthwhile is scary, in life and in business. But it can also be empowering and thrilling.
What is the real difference between someone who is living their passion and one who is not? The first one simply got started. Can it really be that simple? Yes. Is it easy? No.
Turn Your Fears Into Fuel
The main reason many never get started is fear. Fear of failure. Fear of uncertainty. Fear of money. Fear of judgement. As one who lives with anxiety on a daily basis, I can tell you this, the fears in our head are far less powerful than the passion in our heart. We just have to make a decision to turn our fears into fuel. Empowerment and awesomeness come when we kick fears in the face. Each step we take towards living our passion fuels the fire within. But we must take the all important first step and get started.
What Are You Waiting For?
If you are waiting for the stars to align and there to be no chaos in your life to get started you never will. You see, life is not designed for perfection. Life is perfectly imperfect, and so are each of us. Life is beautifully messy. There is so much freedom and empowerment that comes we accept this fact.
My buddies Randy & Gerard at Hairbrained did not wait. Neither did my beautiful girls Erin & Carrie of The Hair Nerds. Matt Beck did not wait to create Gratitude Education. Douglas McCoy did not wait to create the incredible House of POp. The beautiful Suzy Tryall did not wait to create Systems of Sage. So I ask, what are you waiting for?
Today is the best day to get started. Yesterday was even better. Tomorrow is third best, but never guaranteed.
“Stop pointing fingers and placing blame on others. Your life can only change to the degree that you accept responsibility for it.”
Steve Maraboli
(image via Google)
Here is the audio version of this post. Thank you so much for listening. Enjoy.
Many of us are guilty at one time or another of pointing the finger. I know I have.
The same energy that goes into blaming the world for our problems can also be used to take responsibility, make different choices and make a difference. Yes, I know, it seems a little tough love ish and it is.
As the awesome Jim Rohn famously said, “If you don’t like how things are, change it. You are not a tree.”
When we blame others, we give up our power. When we take responsibility & action, we become empowered.
If you do not have the clients you wish you had, instead of blaming the owner, the location, the manager, or the economy, use that energy to learn, build and grow.
If you are not happy with the performance of your team; educate them, inspire them, coach them, love them or remove them.
If you are not as profitable as you want to be, take the time to look at your P & L, your biz model, your marketing plan and your culture. Blaming the salon down the street, or even worse, the industry as a whole, is a waste of time and energy.
Blaming an industry, a company or a generation for your problems is not going to get you any closer to your dreams. Just as blaming your boss for your unhappiness or lack of clients is not going to bring you more clients or make you happier.
As the dreamy Don Draper (of Mad Men) said, “If you don’t like what’s being said, change the conversation.” Life becomes so much more awesome when we realize that we have the power to choose our realities.
We can choose to point the finger or create awesome. The best news of all, it’s a choice.
The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.
Here is the audio version of the post. Thanks so much for listening. Enjoy.
My religion is love. My life is love. My passion is love. And this does not mean that I do not get worked up, angry or grumpy. I am all of those things at times, but choose to focus on what’s good.
So what gets my blood boiling? Glad you asked. Lame leadership. Here’s the deal. Not everyone is meant to be a leader. And that is OK. We need followers too. Followers are very important, without them, we cannot create awesome in our business.
I continue to see frustrated owners, resentful team members and turnover continues to be a huge challenge in the salon biz. One of the reasons for this is leadership. And before you get all worked up, I am not saying team members cannot be jerks, they can, we all can. But at the end of the day, as a leader, its your job to create an environment for growth, to hire the right people and more importantly, to fire the right people.
If you are unhappy with your culture, the energy in your business or a team member, look in the mirror first, then begin to determine who you want on your bus. If you have a team member who is holding you hostage, you have a choice. If you have a team member who is not up to par technically, you have a choice. So it all comes back to you, the leader, and the choices you make.
How do you lead with love + awesomeness?
1. Love Yourself
One of the biggest challenges I see in leaders is their deep insecurities and ego driven leadership style. Guess what guys, this may have worked for you in the past, but in today’s world, it just wont cut it anymore. Love begins with us. Love is an inside job. If you want to be an effective leader, it starts with you. Do the work.
2. Care
OK, so this one may be obvious, but I am talking about really caring. Not just saying you care, but showing it in your actions. If you are not a people lover, you are not a leader. You know the old saying, actions speak louder than words.
3. A Servant’s Heart
The role of a leader is to create an environment for growth. To get the best out of your team. To provide the tools they need to create awesome. And the best way to do this is to have a servant’s heart. Your job is to be of service to your team.
4. Show Up
This one is big. And by showing up, I don’t just mean physically. Be present, be aware, be available, return calls, texts and emails. Spend quality time with your team. They chose you as their leader. Are you showing up for them?
5. Courage
It takes a ton of courage to take responsibility for the lives and careers of others. It takes courage to be able to take ownership of mistakes. It takes courage to have those super tough discussions with people, you know the ones I am talking about. It takes courage to be honest. But all of these things are part of leading with love + awesomeness.
How do you lead with love + awesomeness? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments or click here to share them with me privately, I’m listening.
(image via Google)
