Taming the Inner Critic to Bring Out More Joy

Today I am pleased to share a guest blog post from my colleague, Sheevaun Moran, who is also a fellow member of the Evolutionary Business Council http://ebcouncil.com/

 Taming the Inner Critic to Bring Out More Joy

Our world is filled with many words and many of those are actually critical. These critical thoughts and words are  brought down by our parents and their parents. These energies and thoughts live within us so much so that they manifest easily when someone is around us who is critical.

For many years I’ve heard from my clients that they want peace and joy. I always say that unless you have a model, on a regular basis, for joy and peace that you won’t get there. You will only wish and long for something that sounds good – too good to be true.

It is possible but you must fill your home, office, energy, life and all surroundings with things that bring you joy. You must be informed or inform yourself when you are out of alignment with the things that bring you joy.

There is a quote in my book Shotgun Shopping-Materializing What You Want Without Ever Shopping that says “Never bring into your home anything that you don’t absolutely love. If you do your mind will start having little pangs of doubt. It will be just like a slow leak in a tire that eventually will burst and create chaos.”

The same thing applies to having joy in your life. it is at your fingertips, if only you will allow it. Rather, it is on the tip of your tongue and all you need to do is allow it.

I learned many years ago from a mentor of mine that there’s joy around me and ready to jump in and take place at my whim. The word that he used when sharing this concept is “ananda”.

While this is not a common word today we are still affected by the energy of this word – ananda. Try it.

Sheevaun Moran is an author, keynote speaker, transformation expert and uses energy to help CEO’s and entrepreneurs achieve their dreams and goals. Fifteen years and thousands of clients are out there living their dreams as a result of Sheevaun’s work. She can be found at http://sheevaunmoran.com

Cutting off the Rut

The other evening Tabitha Takes Over was on, and I caught the business owner’s expression of exhaustion and lack of passion. It drew me to the TV to listen. The owner of a salon looked exhausted, worn down and defeated. It was clear she had given up on her business, and, her team had given up on her...and the business. As Tabitha went about her masterful Takeover process, she expressed shock at the degree of complacency that had developed in this business and team. Not only had the team given up, they had become complacent, settling for low to no standards on cleanliest, reputation (their own included), and customer service.

What disturbed me the most was what happened at the renovation and the subsequent “reveal day”. During the renovations the team collaborated to do a spring cleaning on the salon. When Tabitha pointed out the filth in the salon and their workstations, each staff blamed someone else on the team and the owner. No one took any ownership or responsibility for their work area and said things like “not my job!” and “why should I have to help clean this place?”. WOW! And then, after Tabitha’s team remodelled the business and gave it an extreme makeover inside and out, there was not one smile, other than from the owner. They walked through their newly renovated, spotless and modernized salon with no enthusiasm, and what looked like a lack of interest. Immediately the team members commented on all they did not like “I think there are too many colours” and “I wouldn’t have picked this type of chair” or “they should have chosen new toys for the waiting area, kids won’t like these.”

To bring the team back to a more healthy level of performance and to stop the complacency, the following steps help raise the energy and passion:

-          A policy manual and procedural expectations were set, documented and staff were advised that these must be adhered to

-          The team was held accountable to the new standards

-          The owner was also held accountable to uphold the standards

-          Training and coaching was made available for the team

-          The owner was more present, spent more time in the business

If your team is struggling and has become complacent, revisit the tips that Tabitha offers. Ensure people know their roles, and the roles of others, and ensure that issues are addressed and dealt with immediately. Don’t allow them to build, and grow complacency with them.