I have been working now for a while at getting a business started, my new source of livelihood. It is a coaching business, where I schedule paid coaching sessions with people who need my help. My best work is with people who need clarity about something in their lives – a direction, a decision, a way to move forward from where they are in the moment. They come to me and I help them find the clarity they are seeking.

I have been doing this for a long time. Literally, as long as I can remember in one form or another, but it is only recently that I decided to use this gift as the source of my livelihood. In part, that decision came because I love doing this work. And in part I chose this path because I wanted to do more of this kind of work, full-time, not part-time, so I could be of service to more people.

The idea is solid. There are many successful coaches in the world. My skill at this work is also solid – at least this is what those I have helped in the past have said. But up until now, I have let fear stop me from really making this work. Actually, I should say that a little differently. The truth is that I have been using fear as a motivator – fear of failure, fear of going broke, fear of not getting “it” right (whatever “it” might be), etc. But what is stopping me is that fear is not the best source of energy for this kind of livelihood.

This work is grounded in love. I know this and when I am with someone who needs my help, I am grounded in love and speaking from that source. It is an amazing place to be and in those moments, there is no fear – only love for the person I am helping, for myself as I am in service to them, and for the world that together we are making better by doing this work. But when I am not in that space of helping someone, when I am working on how to market my services or thinking about what to charge or drafting language for flyers, websites, etc. – in that space fear enters in and I start to worry.

Since thoughts or more accurately beliefs create reality, and my thoughts and beliefs are grounded in the fear that I will not succeed at my business, I am not succeeding. I provide service without payment (often) and I don’t speak up and tell people what I do, so I don’t have very many clients. So today I decided to address my fear, to look at what was really driving it, and to move beyond its limitations and on to a more positive path. Essentially, I applied my skill at helping others find clarity (grounded in love) to myself! After doing this, I feel different. More hopeful, more energized, more confident. I am stepping forward onto this more positive path, and from this perspective, I am looking forward with great anticipation to what the new year will bring.

If your reality isn’t what you want it to be right now, are your thoughts and beliefs grounded in fear, confusion, or worry? It doesn’t help! I can clearly testify to that. Seek out joy instead. Find a way to get past your fears. If it seems overwhelming, find someone to help you do it. The sooner, the better! And if you’re not sure that it will work, then keep reading this blog. I’ll report in on how it is going and let you know. I believe it will make a difference. And I will let you know when it does. Enjoy!