by Dianneahh on March 5, 2010
Day before yesterday, an article I wrote for More Magazine was posted for the day.
Yesterday, I received a delightful surprise – a request for the first three chapters of my book from one of the agents I queried.
Coincidentally, I had just attended an online conference from Writer’s Digest critiquing first pages submitted by aspiring novelists like myself. The critique for mine was an aha! moment. It came just in time to tweak before sending out those three chapters.
Could the Universe be on my team?
by Dianneahh on March 4, 2010
Yep. Don’t you do that too? Set goals, feel wonderful about them, then slowly let them sink into the pool of unexecuted plans?
My coach Barbara has given me an assignment. I made a confession to her. I feel quilty about taking money for coaching other people. That is sort of crazy, because I have helped several people start successful businesses, and many others to resolve a particularly challenging problem in their life. This was worth a lot to them. So what is my reluctance?
Just writing it down has made me see the answer. I’m afraid of rejection. I’m afraid people will say, ‘oh no, I can’t afford to spend that much on just talk sessions’.
So, if I can’t even convince myself that my services are worth money, then how am I going to convince others?
Well, the first thing I am going to do is look at the hourly rate for my existing business. It’s pretty hefty. I’m not going to share it with you. I know that my customers think I earn every nickel. Why? Because I deal on a daily basis with government bureaucracy.
In most cases, the people I deal with are not the problem. It’s just the layers of unnecessary precautions that are the result of a) government taking responsibility for what should be the venue of individuals, and b) bulwarks against law suits.
In one case, the people are the problem. In this case, leadership is failing from the very top all the way down to the bottom. This is an organization where no one gets praise, no one takes the blame, very few CARE if the job gets done. This is the one that makes me take blood pressure pills.
My coaching self wants so badly to go in there and FIX it. That’s a good bit of confidence, isn’t it? Thinking you can fix a large governmental department of several hundred people? But I am sure I could, given the opportunity.
The first thing I would do would be to unite them, give them pride in working as a team and lots of praise when they do well. I would also check to see whether or not they are working a job that matches their aptitudes. I would set up accountability and FOLLOW THROUGH.
What does that tell you? I have a lot of confidence in my ability to coach. I have enthusiasm for it. So, why do I feel that it’s wrong to ask money for it?
Hmmm. I think it has to do with the Christian ethic by which I was raised. That is, that it is my responsibility to help others, not my vocation.
I’ve made some progress. Anyone got any suggestions on how I might solve this dilemma? I have to do it, you know, because there are a lot of people out there who would love to pay me to help them determine how to develop a new course for their life. I know this, because they have done it before.
