Quicksand Syndrome
You are excited, exhilarated! You have found yourself THE best Virtual Assistant!
You have done your due diligence; you and your new VA talked in length about your requirements and how you both are going to design your partnership. You read and responded to her Welcome Packet and started sharing your workload with your VA.
Then, all of a sudden, panic sets in. You now not only have to organize your own work, it’s also your VA’s work, for this week, this month. You experience a sense of overwhelm. “How do I decide what work to give her?” Or “Will she be able to do this? What if it doesn’t work out?”
We all know and dislike the “What if’s.”
The little devil on your shoulder is laughing; he is winning again as he has managed to instill doubts in you.
I call this the Quicksand Syndrome. This is the phase where, as quickly as sand runs through the hourglass, you experience another fear.
This a crucial time in the client relationship; open and honest communication on both sides is most important. It’s here that your VA can gently coach you through the rising feeling of panic. You are a team, and as team mates you talk about your feelings, your concerns, your fears. Being able to voice your anxiety helps you sort through it; it helps you build trust, and it helps your VA understand you better; she is able to show you that she is there for you and can ease your pain. It’s a win-win situation when done properly.
This happened recently, again, with one of my clients. When I realized the Quicksand Syndrome, I encouraged her to talk about her thoughts, and listened with an open mind. At the end of our conversation, she was at ease, her questions had been answered, and we had worked out how to proceed in our working relationship without her feeling overwhelmed.
When a VA is committed to great client relationships, it’s not only the physical work that she does for the client that is important; it’s very much about caring, about being compassionate, loyal, and honest. It shows in little things, such as an email to say “I am thinking of you” when she hands over her children to her ex-husband for the week and feels lost; or it’s the unexpected snail mail card reading “Just saying Hi” that pops up in her mailbox.
Great, long-lasting client relationships are created by having the clients’ best well-being in mind at all times, and through working from the heart!
Are you working with a VA? How did she help you through the Quicksand Syndrome and what makes your relationship with her special?
The Fear Factor
Have you ever done anything that scared you out of your wits? Do you ever get out of your comfort zone and step deeply into the fear factor?
A few weeks ago I was one of nine women who rented a chalet for some well-deserved R&R.
We had a full and enticing program: hot-tubbing, zip-lining, Le Scandinave Spa experience, dinner in town, massages, and lots of R&R. The weather was perfect.
Highlight on the agenda was zip lining! Wow. We arrived at our starting point and were thoroughly instructed in how to wear our gear, and what to expect. After we were all dressed and ready to go, we went for a little walk, then arrived at what is called the “tree walk.”
Imagine something like a hammock, only it doesn’t have a nice and soft cushion-like bottom that you lie on. There is a narrow board, just wide enough to stand on, about 20-30 feet above the ground. Every step you take makes the board swing, up and down, side to side.
Tree-walking is a thrilling exercise. Safely clipped to two big overhead wires, you need to concentrate on maneuvering the narrow board, and on circumventing 15 trees!
Arriving at tree #16 there were steps leading down to …. nothing! My heart was fluttering and I was scared. One more step and I would be in the air.
Then I made a decision. I was here, I had signed up, there was no way back. I let go!
I flew through the air, shouting in joy: I was flying! What an experience! I was f-r-e-e!
What did I learn from this experience?
- Challenge yourself, and take actions that I would not easily want to do.
- Angst could keep you from moving on.
- Once you overcome the fear factor, you might consequently have an exhilarating experience .
Apply my experience to your business, and push yourself to go into the unknown. Widen the horizon, and deepen your knowledge; you will have fun doing it.
Whatever the action is that you fear, take your heart in your hands and dare to dare! You might find totally unexpected, absolute joy, and thrill.
What are your fears, dear reader?
Out Of My Comfort Zone
Out of the blue, an invitation arrives for something that you have never done. Do you run? What are the thoughts whirling through your head, are you panicky, are you welcoming this chance?
I was invited to such an opportunity, to leap out of my comfort zone. I took it and agreed to be co-presenter in an interactive workshop. Together with Louise Veres, coach and founder of Living Your Best we will be talking about “Organizing Solutions For Your Well-Being.” We will show concrete tools and solutions to make changes that will have an impact on your whole life giving you space for what matters most.
Most of today’s business owners are stressed and don’t have enough time to do everything they need to do; there is no time for fun and play. Louise and I have put together easy to implement suggestions and solutions that help you create a more balanced life.
The event will be held at e-Spot in Oakville, ON on June 1, 2011. For details and registration please click here.
We are looking forward to seeing you.
A Visioning Structure
Where is your business headed this year? What are your goals, and how are you planning to achieve them?
I attended a networking event at e-Spot the other day. These events usually attract anywhere from 4 to around 20 people. I love such small group events, which allow us to learn so much about each other’s business. Every time Grace Attard, coach, owner and proud founder of e-Spot, comes prepared with an exercise for us.
This time we were asked to do a ‘Visioning Structure.’ The exercise left me with a strong vision of my business, and my goals. Grace has graciously allowed me to share the visioning structure with you.
Think about each of the following sentences and fill in the blanks (not every sentence is necessarily applicable to your business.)
- …my company is known for
- …my organization is doing
- …my clients are saying
- …my suppliers are saying
- …the market the company serves counts on my company for
- …my company is changing lives by
Once you have completed the sentences, choose ONE business action that you have not been doing, and which would help you realize our vision. Then, commit to doing this one action repeatedly.
My action for this year is to invest in continuous education.
What is your ONE action that would bring your business close to your vision?
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