January 19th, 2010 - Is Money the Only Motivator in Your Business?

“Do what you love and the money will follow.” - Marsha Sinetar

Do what you love and the money will follow” principle sounds simple, but it’s not always effortless to do. It is really easy to get off track in your business while travelling the road to success.

For example, a while back I was lamenting to my coach about how my business had become a struggle. I was working myself to death and not reaping the monetary rewards that I thought I should be. Familiar story, right?

Then I had a personal “A-Ha!” moment and realized something I hadn’t thought of before that I want to share with you. She then asked me the big question which turned out to be my “Wake Up Alice" moment which was: Have you ever noticed how much of what you do is directly linked to the thoughts of money and success? Talk about getting hit by a two by four. And then came the process I had to instigate to change my way of thinking and get back on track in my business.

What a revelation that moment was for me! I realized that I wasn’t having fun anymore and I was burned out! My passion had gotten replaced by the almighty bottom line. Hey, don’t get me wrong as that line is very important, because let’s face it - we’re not in business for the practice, even though at times it may feel like it.  

Instead of always making decisions based on the question, “Will this make me money or not?” I had to start asking different ones when making choices to put the zing back into my business.

Here are the top 3 questions I had to answer in order to put the fun back into my practice:  

1. Is it in keeping with my core values? Does it match my integrity and purpose in life which is why I originally became a coach in the first place? If the answer is a resounding “NO” then let the idea go. If the decision to move forward on a particular idea makes you break out in a cold sweat or squirm in your chair, then it’s not right for you.
   
   
2. Does it fill me up and am I having fun? When I reflected back on my career, I realized that when I was doing exactly what I love to do, I was making money at the same time. Imagine that. Since I was sending out good vibrations to the Universe about how happy and contented I was, I was living in a state of abundance, and according to the Law of Attraction, I was consequently receiving exactly what I was putting out – more happiness and joy. No wonder the money flowed in. If you want more money, then do what makes you feel fulfilled and adds joy to your life.
   
   
3. How much of my decision is based on “Will it make money?” If 90% of your thoughts are focused around the outcome from this one statement, then you’re not coming from a place of integrity. And guess what – your clients are going to sense that they’re just a dollar figure and that you don’t really care about them. This will create a snowball effect and clients will start leaving you for someone who genuinely cares about their welfare and not just their wallet.

Nobody wants to be a ‘statistic’ in someone else’s business. Clients want to be treated with respect, dignity and valued as an individual.

If you find that you’ve become more obsessed with your bank balance than your clients, then it’s time for you to get back to the basics of why you went into business in the first place. For if you don’t have any clients, you won’t be in business for long, will you?

Need help reviving your passion in your business and life? Want to jumpstart your joy? Then email me at Cookie@CookieTuminello.com and I’ll be glad to get you to your contented place and still have you making all the money you need.