By: Michelle Armstrong

Welcome to 2016! So it is a new year and it’s the time to make our resolutions. Better health. Better business. Better whatever else you have on your list. After more than a decade as a coach, I have learned a great deal, so I thought I would share some resolutions to consider to help you grow your coaching business confidently!

Resolve to:

1. Trust your gut instinct: When you have a client that you know in your gut that they will be more of a burden on your business than a blessing, don’t try to “get them” to be your client. If you feel like you have to force the business in some way or work extra hard to convince them even though your gut is saying let them go, listen and let them go.

2. Charge confidently: New coaches especially have a tough time charging for their coaching forgetting that they have had experience in the peer coaching to justify SOME payment. Maybe not $250/hr off the bat, but free doesn’t pay the bills and can leave you desperate and deflated.

3. Give freely: Resolve to give anywhere and in any way you can. An open hand to give is just as open to receive so donate your time, talents, resources, and your time when you are able. The blessings will return to you.

4. Embrace Social Media: No single marketing method is perfect but so much of social media is free or low cost that to ignore it is to miss out on so much. Embrace, like, tweet, share, and post all that you can! Your presence online can be a present to your next best client.

5. Take care of yourself: Know when to work hard with incredible focus and drive, and know when to turn the lights off for the weekend and recharge. It’s easy to constantly be “doing” and never stop to just be. The time will pass at the same speed it always has, how you spend it will determine your success while you are here.

6. Be deliberate: Successful people and successful businesses take time to strategize and take deliberate action. Choose to focus on what matters and let everything else go. For those things that matter, give it all you have!

7. Feed your mind: Commit to reading the great books (hint: you can get most books via Audible and there is a free app). What you feed, succeeds. Feed your business and passions and they will succeed. Feed your fears and you are stuck.

8. Understand money: We have all heard the expression that money is the root of all evil. No. Money is neutral it is how a person uses it that determines its positive/negative. Learn about money and how it works. Become comfortable discussing finances and make some commitments towards your financial wellbeing.

9. Figure out a system that works for you and stick to it: As much as I love technology when it comes to my calendar I am “old school” paper and pencil, but that’s not the end of my system. I also use index cards for my daily to do list (sets realistic goals for my daily accomplishments and is easy to transport) and for important items (such as a call I have to make to the doctor between clients) or boring stuff (like taking out the trash the night before pickup) I set a reminder on my phone. It’s a system that works for me and has worked for years. Figure what works for you and stick to that.

10. Clean up your act: Most people live and work in such cluttered spaces that they don’t realize the impact of all that stuff has on their lives. Commit to a MAP day! Massive Accumulation Purge Day. I recently threw out/donated about a dozen large trash bags worth of stuff. I felt great and energized to throw out more. I have another MAP day planned. Plan yours SOON!! You will feel better.

Most of all, resolve to live fully and enjoy your life and your business. Wishing you an amazing year of success, abundance, and peace.

Michelle

is a Board Certified Wellness, Life, and Business Coach through the Center for Credentialing and Education and a Holistic Health Coach with a Master’s degrees in Education. She received her professional training through theInstitute For Life Coach Training (ILCT) and the Institute for Integrative Nutrition (IIN). She is also a certified Wellness Inventory® facilitator, PeopleMap™ trainer, Texas Certified Health Teacher and an expert in online course development.