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A Prescription from the Dying that will Revitalize your Life & Private Practice Business

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Balancing your intentional life and your intentional holistic business…

As practitioners, we all care deeply about our clients and running a thriving, holistic business. But are you letting your business and client needs erode your own wellbeing, leaving your fuel tank on empty? Left unchecked over time, this is the recipe that practitioner burnout is made of. But we often don’t notice the signs indicating our lack of balance or our growing need for revitalization. Our busy practice has us looking in many directions, failing to notice that our own “out of fuel  light that has been flashing for months or years.

People naturally change over time, but we don’t necessarily change our vision accordingly. If we don’t regularly check out our internal compass, we can find ourselves asking how we ended up where we are – out of gas on the side of the road, living on overdrive or just plain burned out with no SPARK in our daily lives and our holistic business suffering.

Want a Prescription that will give you fresh perspective? Listen to the dying!

Bonnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Excerpts below.

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

“This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realize, until they no longer have it.”

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

“This came from EVERY male patient that I nursed. They missed their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence.”

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

“Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result.”

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

“Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.”

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

“This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realize until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again.”

We find that many practitioners are both inspired and tired. They are on purpose and yet overwhelmed. They are sometimes ashamed to find themselves too burned out to love their work or small business, even when they feel it is their life purpose.

We provide on line programs and coaching, specifically for practitioners that are about creating an intentional life balanced with an intentional private practice business. We recognize that as much as momentum and traction are important in business and life, that process is best balanced with quiet perspective, self audit, rest, extreme self-care and clarity before and while forging forward.

If you find yourself unsure about how to balance your intentional life and your intentional holistic business, or if you have lost that vital spark of vibrant purpose, heed the wisdom of the dying. It’s never too late to self prescribe a life or business “revamp”. It´s never too late to, find your balance and bliss, and create a life and business with renewed vitality!

For a FRESH perspective and some hands on help, just ask us for a free 30 minute consultation by emailinginfo@globalalignmentcoaching.com .

Social Media and Your Private Practice Business: Keeping It Professional

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Top tips for your small business on social media

Social media allows us to connect with our clients like never before. With just a click on Facebook, Twitter, G+, or Youtube, we are able to speak directly to our market, chat with clients, and hear feedback almost about our business instantly.

But the quick and fast connections can definitely have a dark side. Unprofessional, hurtful, and even derogatory tweets, or lack of professional boundaries/conduct can negatively impact your clients and business, greatly influencing your reputation and your liability online and off. And it s not just small businesses that feel the online backlash of unfortunate social media actions. Many large companies, like Kitchen Aid and StubHub, have made major public and embarrassing social
media snafus. We recommend you get you “Standards of Practice Guidelines” from your licensing body and get clear before even setting up your accounts to better understand your limitations.

Fortunately, with a good social media plan, industry consideration and conscious minded business foresight, it is easy to keep your social media activity professionally appropriate and respectful to both your clients and your industry. We’ve gathered a few social media tips to help make your
Private Practice online networking a breeze!

1. Don’t be too promotional or too sales oriented. We are NOT selling, we are helping. Social media isn’t the place to do a hard sell, and in authentic marketing, you likely wont have to do a “hard sell” at all. The goal of connecting online through social media is to do just that: connect! Engage, and share relevant information with your audience (aim for about 70% to 30% promotional content). These posts can include infographic charts, retweets, and other people’s content. You can do this with your business goal in mind, and without your professional boundaries as spelled out in your unique Standards of Practice guidelines.

2. Accept criticism with grace and humility. People are likely to say something negative about you or your business at some point along your social media career. Treat these complains like you would face-to-face and be gracious, professional, and kind. It’s easy to forget that real people are behind the screen, especially when you are facing criticism for your work or Private Practice. It’s also a good place to practice your own leadership and be accountable as appropriate. This is how we achieve self mastery and learn!

3. Separate the personal from the professional. This may seem obvious as a practitioner, but many practitioners fail to properly divide their accounts. You may be the face of your Private Practice business, but that doesn’t mean the business is YOU. Be professional and remain a Practitioner at all times. Fans and followers for your business don’t need to hear about your hangover, your new relationship, your child’s toilet training, or what you had for breakfast. But they do want to hear your opinion on important events in the industry or world, and advice or personal experience you have on pertinent topics that relate to your areas of expertise, philosophy, products and services or niches. Before you post, ask yourself if it is related to your business or target audience. Ask yourself if you are acting in your “practitioner” role when you post and if not, don’t post it.

4. Have a goal to be CURIOUS, SUPPORT, ENGAGE, INFORM and RELATE as the first step and doorway to building rapport. There is no value in talking just to talk or posting just to fill up blank space. 93% of communication is non-verbal. Clients or fans will know when your posts are “hollow,” if you are motivated to just “SELL, SELL, SELL.” They want to know if you are authentically interested in their life and their problems. You want to relate in a way that shows that your services may actually be a bridge to helping their current life issues. Your entire practice is about improving quality of life, and letting people know how your services may be uniquely positioned to do assist them, should they desire help and if it is an authentic fit.

5. But, it’s critical you start with recognizing that social media should be only one spoke within the wheel of a larger marketing plan, and can’t function properly if it doesn’t actually carry out your larger networking and marketing goals. If you as a practitioner and business owner are not
clear on what your specific goals are, you are likely wasting your time. Additionally, if you are leaning too hard on your social media, as a safe and somewhat indirect means of reaching your target audience, often at the cost of other marketing or networking efforts, you may very well be avoiding the larger marketing picture and crucial need to diversify your efforts.

6. If your business is more than just you, designate one TRAINED person to operate your social media, under your guidance. Take time to create criteria for your social media activity and conduct. Ultimately you are responsible and it is your creditability, rapport and reputation that will be impacted if there is inappropriate conduct on your social media platforms. Too many chefs in the kitchen can spell disaster, and the same thing goes for your social media accounts.

Social media for Private Practice small business can truly be a great way to meet your target audience or alliances as well as strengthen these relationships. By following these guidelines and MANY others tips that our programs teach to Mental Health and Wellness Practitioners, you’ll be
engaging and networking like a pro!

Learn more conscious minded Social Media and Marketing ideas for your Private Practice Business byvisiting our website or email our team of Private Practice Business experts for a free consult atinfo@globalalignmentcoaching.com

The 5 Best Tax Tips: An Ethical and Mindful Approach to Taxes & Money

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Getting ready for tax season

Yup, its TAX time!

We find that this season typically creates one of two responses: “absolute dread” and a desire to put our heads in the sand, or “excitement” in knowing a check is coming and you can preplan where that money will be spent.

If you find your normal approach isn’t helping you to get the tax results you want, and if learning and navigating through ever changing tax rules and deductions isn’t your cup of tea, let us get you started. Here are a few great tax tips to point you in the right direction this tax season, especially if you are a small business owner looking to embrace a mindful relationship with money and taxes.

1. Keep track of ALL your business expenses, even the little ones because they all add up. Be aware that it’s critical to keep every receipt, even if it doesn’t occur to you that it could even be an expense. There are a variety of expenses that you could be using that you likely don’t know about. So ask for and keep ALL receipts- ALL THE TIME!

2. If you are collecting GST/HST on sales, make sure you have copies of expense receipts that show the GST/HST . . . not just the transaction slip that shows money was taken out of your account.

3. If it is not really obvious what the receipt is for, write clearly on the top or back so that it isn’t a guessing game when it’s time to tally up your expenses.  If the printer ink has run dry, ask the establishment to print your receipt again. Keep receipts in the best condition as possible because if they are not readable, they are not usable.

4. If you take a client or team member to lunch, write their name on the back of the receipt.  It is easy to do that when you are waiting for the server to bring the payment machine.  The reality is, no name means it’s not a legitimate expense. Additionally, there are different expense rates based on what that person’s relationship is to your business.

5. Find out about more the legitimate and often overlooked expenses you can claim and use that to your advantage.  Consider keeping last year’s tax return to review with someone knowledgeable, to determine if there are potentially overlooked deductions that you can carry forward and use this year. Every business has very unique (and often overlooked) expense related to it. Every expense you can claim reduces your business net income. This total is what you are taxed on so, more expenses means paying less tax remittance. Having a ethical and mindful approach to Taxes and Monday isn’t at all about paying more!

Doing your own taxes may seem like in industrious way to save money, right? Not likely! The reality is that times change, practices change and deductions are constantly changing. Unless you are keeping on top of these ongoing changes, you are very likely missing crucial opportunities.

Like in all business dealings, you may not even realize where you are short changing yourself and letting money slip right through your fingers. Using the appropriate professional services will actually save you time and money. Additionally, we can teach you how to create and use a basic system throughout the year, making your taxes preparation a breeze.

It’s empowering to get involved in tax season, so that you can learn more about your money the tax process. Every year is a chance to start fresh, gain knowledge and become more conscious about your money and business dealings. In fact, even though we may need to pay money in our tax remittance, in some way we are keeping the healthy flow of money moving in and out, rather than it becoming stagnant. Pause and consider, that you would not even have to pay out if you didn’t receive income in the first place. When considering the big picture, isn’t that something we can in part, feel grateful for? So when doing your taxes, we feel knowledgeable prevention is the best cure while gratitude is the best energy.

Let Global Alignment’s “Tax Guru” services help you take the stress out of tax time. Equally important, she will approach your personal or business taxes from a place of integrity, helping you to cultivate a “mindful money” mentality. For more information, MANY more tax tips and a great tax experience, contact us atinfo@globalalignmentcoaching.com

Is “Business” A Four Letter Word to Practitioners?

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How to stop neglecting a vital part of our success…

Somewhere along my journey as a practitioner, I felt an internal calling to heal myself and others. The idea of becoming healthy and happy fascinated me, and still does. This internal calling or gravitational pull is something many practitioners experience in the mental health and wellness industry. We answer this call by rolling up our sleeves and investing our heart, time, soul, and money into learning our wellness craft. We invest in our goal and envision ourselves as practioners who help others.

But how many of us spend any time being excited about learning the ins and outs of being a small business owner? I understand – I don´t get an adrenaline rush thinking about policies, spreadsheets, budgets, and other aspects of small business management, either. Because of this lack of calling, so much more of our time, attention, and financial investments are spent on preparation to be a practitioner, rather than on preparation for becoming a business owner.
Many pracitioners tend to look over the important details of running a small business, minimizing its importance and believing it´s somehow a less meaningful part of their practice. Frankly, most practitioners would rather eat gun powder for breakfast than think about small business management!

We practitioners find ourselves frustrated and even annoyed that our business actually requires ongoing financial resources and our time to stay alive and grow. Knowing that success requires that we wear both the “business” and “practitioner” hats, why do we get stuck in these extreme polarities, and neglect a vital part of our success? Is business really a four letter word to practitioners in the wellness world?

I always say, if your practice is the spirit of what you do, then your business is the body that houses it. It´s a structure that supports the function of your practice. We often can´t see how detaching from our business manifests our own disease within our private practice.  It may be partly because we naturally dislike the discomfort and vulnerability of learning something new in an area where we feel less confident. Like anyone else, we would rather focus our time and energy on what we do best.

When I talk about business, the images that often come to the minds of practitioners are: Corporate America, Walmart, excess consumerism, disregard for community, capitalism, profit at any cost, and a snake-oil slick “all mighty dollar” mentality. Fair enough, these things unfortunately exist. But why imagine that your business could or would somehow be clumped in with the Walmarts of the world? It´s as though we are somehow more “enlightened” as a practitioner and “less enlightened” in our role of a small business owner. Where on earth did we get those judgments? Is that really who we are as leaders in the wellness world? In our view, business itself is a blank slate that is neither negative or positive. What drives the energy of any business (whether it is big or small, profit or not-for-profit) are the purpose, values and intention of those running the business. This is what makes a small business what it is, and what it isn´t. The power lies with you!

Between charity work/martyred poverty and greed there are many options that equal a healthy financial balance in a private practice. If you don´t want to be a slick snake oil business person when you are marketing – DON´T DO IT! Find an authentic voice in how you speak of the services you offer, or the work you do, or wellness itself as a goal. If you don´t want to have a business that completely disregards community impact and your ethics, find a way to extend good will through your small business. If you are not invested in or engaged with your business, then who else will be? Instead, ask yourself if there is a way you can come to understand what you and your business stand for. Be proud of your business and share your practice through it boldly!

Is it possible to LOVE your private practice business? My answer is yes – absolutely! And if you do embrace all the parts of your private practice in balance, you will see how it loves you back.

If you are a practitioner and want to love your business as much as your practice, fasten your seat belt because we can help! Contact us at info@globalalignmentcoaching.com to begin the journey.

The Evils of Money and Other Myths

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Cindi´s Take: Counsellor & Wellness Practice Business Development

What does the concept of money mean to you and your Practice Building? What does the concept of money mean to you and your Practice Building?

What about the word ´money´? Instead of a sense of feeling empowered, inspired, and at peace, did you reactively shrink back with flickering judgments about commercialism, greed, scarcity, or excessive materialism? We have to ask ourselves, why is it that so many of us identify with one polarized view over the other?

Abundance is Essential to Practice Building & an Intentional Life

As a Life Counselor and Mental Health and Wellness Business Coach, the idea of abundance is a necessary part of creating a balanced business and intentional life. But there are many kinds of commodities in which we can experience abundance that often fall off of our perception charts. Many of these actually hold more importance to us than money. For example, we can have an abundance of vitality, time, health, kindness, friends, love, creativity, faith, clients, ideas, family, integrity, opportunities, purpose, and yes, there can be an abundance of ´money´. So why is there such controversy around this topic of money?

Well, our family system, our culture, our perceived social and economic status, our country, the media, and our interpretation of our faith also teach us how we have come to see and experience this concept of money. It is understandable that we should be confused in a society that inundates us with messages that ´desire´ somehow equals an actual ´need´ and that also teaches that money can purchase the object of most of our desires.

As I work with Private Practice Practitioners, we often need to peel down ways in which association and intention are side-swiping our lives. This word ´money´ and other words such as “business” often have a nice list of judgments plastered all over them. People can come to simply believe that our current experience is our likely future reality. Past experiences often do create present day judgments. Concepts like shame, hierarchy, conquest, oppression, scarcity, insecurity, greed, avoidance, competition, materialism, and isolation, the concepts of fear, judgments and failure start to immediately surface. These feelings and views leave people feeling so constricted and in anxious, that they get put on a shelf to address at “later”. We would rather put on pink glasses and try to think of things that create a sense of connection, support, encouragement, confidence, power, clarity, value, compassion, inspiration, and peace. As such, we resolve to leave things somewhat buried, hoping that out of site is out of mind. But the fragrance of “lack” lingers in the air, with a polluting stench that would bother the best of us “avoiders”. How do we unravel this?

Lets start here. What if I told you that money had no more power than a Pop-tart? What if money was neither a positive or negative commodity on its own, but carried the energy of YOUR intention with it? What if you were not at the influence of money, but rather that it was effect of your beliefs? Plainly put, our intentions are a mirrored extension of our beliefs.

If you have found yourself in polarities of judgment that money is either good or evil, perhaps allow yourself pause. It is a common false assumption that poor people are sad, and rich people happy. Some people may appear to not have much financially, but are living a balanced, meaningful and enriched live, and not lacking or struggling either. They are rich in a willingness to share what they have. Meanwhile, some people have a great deal but share little and have less balanced abundance in the rest of the categories in their life and struggle in other ways. Consider the energy you are projecting on money. Regardless of the side of the fence you sit on, if you perceive money brings “greed or isolation”, or “happiness and peace”, and given that you have the choice, do you want those energies to be tied to your relationship with money? Do you want to be in addiction or reaction to something that actually has the same power as a Pop-tart? How might your views be impacting your practice building?

Let´s get clear: such things as happiness, security, peace, confidence, and the ability to truly know our authentic identity is an inside job and are internal decisions, regardless of the circumstances we live in. For each of us, what might life look like if we aligned with money (and all forms of abundance we value) and have it work FOR us, to assist us rather than define us. What if we arrived at a sense of balance between need and want, and between giving and receiving, between lack and excess, and between our inner and outer world. With this balance, with money or without money, our internal sense of self, peace, image, or happiness would remain fully intact regardless of our external challenges. We might discover the middle road of true sustenance!

We all know that if we change our beliefs and intention, a domino effect will actually begin to occur. Any belief can be intentionally shifted so if we falsely believe it is money that will somehow bring us a positive experience like peace, confidence, self-identity, or respect, essentially, we are agreeing to hand over our internal power to something outside of ourselves. Bugger is, we are also often confused about what is best for us or we have illusions about what will make us happy. And, god forbid, should circumstances change (which they always do) and we are then left powerless over things we believe we “need” that are outside of us to control and keep. If we are at the affect of an external thing to miraculously bring us happiness, we are perpetually in a place of needing more, to fill that internal belief of “lacking.” How might life look if we also learned the skills of finding happiness in who we already are and in what we already have? It makes me think of the movie, “Its a Wonderful Life”. What if everything else beyond what we already are and have was simply icing on the cake!!

The Biology of Belief is a best selling book that revolutionizes the idea that it is our thoughts primarily manifest the state of our physical body and the assumption that predetermined DNA is the key manifestor is a fallacy. Additionally, “The Dark Side of the Light Chasers” is another amazing bestselling book that has the capacity to blow your mind and transform our lives by dismantling our own “judgments” that keep us stuck. Together, these two books can jumpstart internal shifts so that outer shifts can begin to manifest in your life. When you use your perception to unlock your potential, you will access your true internal and endless power source! You will have found your authentic and REAL YOU! Do what you love, and strive to be someone that you adore and I guarantee that abundance of all sorts of balanced abundance will meet you there!