Spring Has Arrived

Spring has finally arrived and with the vibrant spring flowers, longer days and warming sunshine brings on a habit that is so ingrained in my being that it is now instinctual. As many of our habits are formed, this one began during childhood with my mother’s own ritual of what we called the “Day of Transfer-mation.”  It was our Saturday of spring cleaning, transferring our winter clothes into the walk in cedar closet and bringing out our summer clothes.

Once all nine children’s summer clothes were removed from the closet, we hung them in the back yard on the laundry lines for the entire day. I remember thinking how happy my clothes must be soaking up the sun’s rays and breathing in the outdoors’ fresh air. In the midst of our play time on this beautiful spring day, we would run through the rows of clothes with arms outstretched moving each garment to check on our clothes and encourage the flowing air and sunshine to visit every piece and every fiber.

Before we put our freshened and enlivened clothes away, we inventoried what we had and separated the clothes that no longer fit (and could not be worn by a sister next in line) to take to Goodwill or discard them. It was great to hold onto the clothes that still fit or could be handed down from my sisters. Some of my favorite clothes, though, were a little hard to say goodbye to; but I had outgrown them. My mom would advise me that holding onto clothes that no longer fit could hold me back from the adventure of finding new styles, colors and clothes that were a perfect fit for me now.

So I shed the old and outdated clothes; opening the door to the real fun part – SHOPPING! We each wrote a list of the new items we wanted to add to our collection over the summer. Our parents purchased some of the necessities, some we worked for by doing chores or odd jobs and some we received as gifts. Do you guess where I’m going with this theme and how this is going to turn into a coaching moment??

Transforming/Transfer-ring habits

My childhood habit is so ingrained in me that it was revealing and fun to see how the Spring Cleaning process transferred into my coaching business and personal thinking. I find myself applying a similar spring cleaning/transfer-mation ritual to my life and business and the results are just as my mom wisely guided me as a child; if I hold on to old ways of being and thinking that are outdated, I won’t leave room for new growth and opportunities to enter.

I clear out the closet of my mind by going through personal and business files, reviewing my yearly and quarterly plan, quantifying and celebrating the things that are working. I identify thoughts and actions that could be reused or improved upon; I then I get very clear about what is outdated or what is holding me back, There are usually some strategies that are not working around marketing and often there are opportunities to get rid of old beliefs and thinking; and then I go SHOPPING! And so it goes for my clients as well. We follow a process that allows the shedding of old thinking to welcome in newness.

A Special Offer

In honor of my favorite time of year, I am offering you a special offer for my SlowDown/SpeedUP Coaching program. Imagine a slow down zone in your business and life. During this slow down moment, you will review where you are, adjust where needed and refocus as you jump back into life. And, the results are that you accelerate your success in life and business. Open the doors and windows to new life, fresh ideas and re-energized momentum with Now & Next’s SlowDown/SpeedUP Program. This Transfer-mation program consists of three coaching sessions.

Session 1 – Review what is going on in your life and business

  • Celebrate the areas of your work and life that that you know are working well.
  • Uncover the aspects that are simply not working the way you had planned.
  • Get clear on areas of opportunities for improvements within your thinking and actions.

Session 2 Brainstorm and plan

  • The path is now clear for new ideas and opportunities. We will brainstorm and develop a plan to freshen up the good stuff and pack up the old outdated stuff and send it to the dumpster.
  • You will create an action plan to move forward into the rest of the year revived, renewed and motivated to move ahead!

Session 3 – Keep the Plan Alive

  • A check in to see how you are progressing
  • Celebrate successes
  • Review areas of challenge
  • Adjust