In a previous article I share with you a method for how you can be a client magnet and I want to expand on that basic idea in this week’s article to talk more about how what you focus on is what you attract and what you spend time thinking about is what will expand. And today I am going to teach you a pro-tip for how to use what irritates you to inspire you based on this same theory of focal attraction.
It’s absolutely HUMAN for all of us to feel annoyed or irritated by things, circumstances, noises, personality traits of others, smells, messy sights… Oh, that list could go on and on, right? So, let me share a way to take all that irritation and turn it into inspiration.
3 steps to use what irritates you to inspire you. . .
- Make a list. Get out that handy dandy notebook. Draw a line down the middle of the page. Look around your office, glance over your schedule, think about your daily routine and start writing down everything you notice that irritates you in the left column on the page. Toggle back up to the top and in the right hand column right down what the OPPOSITE of that irritant would be or look like. You will be using irritants to inform and inspire you.
- Let the opposites of irritants guide you. Let’s say you realize that you are really irritated by the way the mail piles up on the table and the opposite would be a neat and tidy table with a system for mail to be seen, read and filed without piling up. NOW… it’s time to feel inspired. First, spend a few seconds envisioning that neat, tidy table and imagine how it will feel to have an efficient system for reviewing the mail and dealing with it right away so it does not accumulate. Feel lighter? Feel relief? Take a moment with eyes closed to just FEEL that sensation. THEN, start getting creative. Maybe a cute vertical basket hung on the wall can be where the unread mail can be neatly deposited and a sweet little recycling bucket can tuck under the table so as you read the mail and need to dispose of envelopes or other unneeded items, voila. Look for solution that feeds the desired feeling and result.
- Do not settle rather strive to find creative solution. Too often we become so accustomed to feeling irritated we fall into a chronic state of grumbling dissatisfaction. Those little irritants left unaddressed become our new normal and we simply end up unknowingly attracting more of the same. Make a decision not to settle! As soon as you notice an irritant, identify its opposite and DECIDE to creatively seek solution. Make it a game! Playfully seek out what you can do to bring change. Simply make a choice that you are going to get into the habit of using what bothers you to serve as a pointer to what you DO want in your life and career. You can USE what irritates you to inspire you!
“Be proactive not reactive, for an apparently insignificant issue ignored today
can spawn tomorrow’s catastrophe.” ~Ken Poirot
It never ceases to amaze me as to how powerful it is to utilize the information we receive through out minds, emotions and senses to consciously CHOOSE what we want in our careers and lives. When you decided you wanted to go into business for yourself, you make a conscious choice but that process is not a light switch. Not a one time thing. It’s a matter of every day, every moment as you move through your life taking in information and allowing it to guide you on a path of ongoing conscious choice. You get to choose. You can CHOOSE to use what irritates you to inspire you.
You get to choose!
So, let’s imagine you accept a new client and along the way of working with this particular client you find yourself having some irritated reactions internally. You notice the client is not receptive to any of your guidance or is always late for appointments or never completes assignments you provide between sessions. You can train yourself to notice this irritation and not only get curious about what is happening for the client but also determine you have some choice in how you use this information in the future. You may decide to tighten up your screening process with potential clients and be sure you are accepting clients who are receptive and willing to do their own work. You might decide to change up the way you are going about your work with clients to create more enticing methods.
The fact is, you always have choice. There is no need to stay stuck in the mire. You can use what irritates you to inspire you to develop your ideal life and career with conscious choice and creative solution seeking along with a dash of optimistic perspective.