“No asky, no getty!”
— my pal Cynthia
During one of my business-building workshops, a participant shared a great story on a follow-up coaching call.
She was at the dentist’s office, lying in the chair and thinking about one of the action items she had committed to in her short-term marketing plan: asking for referrals. It wasn’t exactly the most obvious setting to do that, but she stayed open to the possibility.
When the dentist came in, he asked if she had given any more thought to an expensive procedure they had discussed during a previous visit. She explained that she’d probably need to wait until her new business got off the ground since cash flow was a bit tight. Naturally, he asked what kind of business she was starting. As she explained it, the hygienist, who was also in the room, chimed in. She mentioned knowing a couple of people who could probably use those services and asked for a few business cards to pass along.
To keep the momentum going, the woman asked the hygienist if she could follow up later in the week to explore the best next steps. This was a huge shift in her usual behavior.
This is a perfect example of what happens when we focus on what we want and stay open to how it shows up. Sometimes opportunities come in unexpected packages—and if we dismiss them because they don’t look the way we imagined, we might miss something great.
Instead of thinking, “That won’t work,” try welcoming the moment. The more we practice this mindset, the more skilled we become at spotting and seizing opportunities we might have overlooked before. And we build new habits by taking new kinds of action.
This week, keep your focus on what you want to create. If you catch yourself thinking something that contradicts your goals, gently pause and replace that thought with one that supports your vision.
It might take time to turn this into a habit, but it will serve you well in business and in life.
Wishing you clear focus, unexpected opportunities, and powerful results!
Cheri