I want to share a concept that came to me not too long ago, and it’s really made a difference.
There were certain aspects of my business that had been feeling a bit stale… or it just felt like certain things weren’t working no matter how much effort I put in, how well-researched I was, how much time I spent, or how creative I got with my approach. We’re talking about many months of “trying.”
Nothing bad was happening – it just felt like things weren’t moving forward in these areas. The fighter in me wanted to persevere and prove that I could solve the mystery.
However, I recently got my latest in-your-face sign that these ideas were just NOT working.
(Can you think of something you’ve been putting effort into that just hasn’t felt totally right, or that you’re getting resistance with?)
What to do next?
I sat with it for a few days trying to calculate what I wanted to do next. I sat in the void and tried to retrace my steps or detect a pattern. All of my action steps for many months had been so spot on. What could be the issue? Why could I not get this one piece of the puzzle to fit?!
The answer came clearly:
It’s time to shake the apple tree.
I had a coaching client a few years ago who came to me REALLY frustrated. She bought into the premium program of a guru, she followed every task and step flawlessly (she really did, I checked!), and yet, she was not getting the results she thought she’d get.
We had to shake the apple tree. For her, I suggested we survey her following and find out who she had attracted in. Turns out, she had built a program that was too advanced for the actual audience she had. She would have done better by selling an “entry level” training program. She went back to the creation process, refined her product and the rest unfolded MUCH more easily.
Shaking the apple tree can mean something different to each person asked. To me, it means it’s time to face reality and try something different.
You don’t have to do anything drastic. (Or maybe you do.) If you clear the noise, the voice inside will tell you what ‘shaking the apple tree’ means for you.
I also think of the proverb, Leap and the net will appear.
It’s time to go back to your roots, to get creative, to give in a more meaningful way, to return to joy.
