I remember reading a book years ago called Bags to Riches. It was full of strategies to grow your business but there was one strategy that really scared the life out of me. It sort of punched me in the gut and I knew then that it was something that I needed to work on. I knew that if I could conquer this, anything was possible.

The strategy was not a marketing tool or team building or other business building tool. It was a mindset shift and it had to do with “taking a leap of faith”. The author talked about the importance of getting out of your comfort zone and moving forward in spite of your fear and I knew that she was right- in spite of the fact that I was nice and cushy in my comfort zone, thank you!

I have seen how this mindset shift has helped me to grow in my life and in my business. It helped me to believe in myself when I was leaving a secure job to focus solely on building my staging business. It helped me when I decided to grow my coaching practice in spite of the fact that I didn’t yet have all of the “hows” figured out. It helped me to challenge myself to do speaking gigs in spite of my fear, etc.

Make no mistake, taking a leap of faith takes enormous courage. When we confront our fears, all of our saboteurs come up. Our saboteurs are the voices in our head that tells us why we can’t do something. Their job is to keep us cozy and safe and secure and they are fierce in their resolve. And if we don’t call them out and defy them, they will stop us in our tracks!

And the bigger the end game, the louder they become. So if you are taking on a large, life changing goal, get ready for personal push back from these tricky little devils.

But here’s the thing.

If you want to grow your business, you have to grow as a person. If you challenge your fears and decide to have faith in YOU, faith to know in your core that you have everything it takes to move forward, then taking a leap of faith is actually empowering. It empowers you to stretch beyond your current reality into something far better.

And along the way you are growing the faith muscle-that inner power that knows that you’ve got this. The power that knows that you have everything it takes to figure out what you need and take inspired action in the direction of your dreams.

You will not necessarily know what steps to take right away and how you will go from where you are to where you want to be. That is the murky part-the part where many give up or get stuck.

Faith in YOU and your ability to listen to your inner guidance as it reveals each next step is most important. If you listen to your inner voice you will hear what you need to learn, do or be and where you need to put your focus. Trust in the process. Trust that you are creative and resourceful and have everything you need inside to figure this out!

I liken this process to when I create a piece of art. Sometimes in the middle of the project all my fears come up. I start to doubt that it will come out as great as I thought it would. Or I get stuck on what to do next. If I trust myself and “play” I always figure it out-sometimes by trial and error. I have to take a leap of faith and know that sometimes I have to follow a path that may or may not bring the results I want but will eventually lead me to them. And I have to be patient as I move through this experience.

This is the same for building a staging or design business-it is a process-a marathon, not a sprint!

I also think about the time where I hired my first coach at $1000 a month when I was leaving my secure job and incredibly afraid that I might not be able to pay my bills. I took that leap of faith based on my intuition and it was the bravest and most beneficial thing that I have ever done. It was a game changer for me. I did everything that she suggested and most of the work was mindset and it truly changed the way that I look at everything and empowered me to grow 2 successful businesses.

So how do you determine whether or not fear is holding you back?

• If you have a goal that you really want but you are immobilized-fear is holding you back
• If you hold back from investing money and/or time in your business when you know that it would propel you forward-fear is holding you back
• If you keep hearing yourself making up excuses about why you haven’t taken inspired action-fear is holding you back
• If you feel as though you are overwhelmed and it stops you in your tracks-fear is holding you back
• If you keep chasing bright shining objects instead of fully committing to doing the “tough stuff ” that you know that you need to do to grow your business -fear is holding you back

Remember-YOU get to create your reality. YOU drive the ship!

So tell me-Will fear be your guide or faith?????

Cheers to you and your success,

P.S. Want to see a short video on faith based thinking about money? Watch here.

_____________________________________________________________

It is not too late to sign up for my new affordable Group Coaching program (starting Monday at 1:00 EST). All sessions will be recorded so no worries if you are a little late to the party.

We already have some awesome stagers who have joined and I am excited about helping them move their business forward like never before!

Go here if you are interested in learning more or signing up.

If you are still unsure, I am doing a live Q&A on Monday about this group coaching program, July 2 at 8:30 EST here.

__________________________________________________________________

Marianne Cherico is a trained personal and professional development coach. She has also owned and operated a successful Home Staging Business since 2005. Her background includes 27 years in Real Estate Sales and Marketing and for 17 of those years she was on a Top Producing New England Real Estate team.

Marianne has coached many home stagers throughout the country on how to up level their business by developing both mindset skills and savvy business strategies. Helping these home stagers own their magnificence and create a life and business that sets their soul on fire is Marianne’s sweet spot!

Marianne has been a featured speaker for the Real Estate Staging Association on both a National and local level as well as numerous podcasts and radio shows. She is also a co author of the Amazon best seller- Marketing for the Home Staging and Design Industry

Her work has been featured in Southern New England Magazine and Builder Architect Magazine.

If you are looking for a coach who will help you grow your business, Marianne is your gal!