Rhegina exclaimed as she bent down to pick up something shiny at her feet. Right there on the sidewalk. In plain view. On this perfectly ordinary Thursday morning.
Three shiny new pennies.
One for each of us. :)
Two friends and I were walking into a mastermind retreat with other entrepreneurs, and our senses were already on high alert. New strategies. Revamped goals. Clearer intentions.
Abundant mindsets.
So of course we picked them up, with a laugh and sense of celebration – because we knew what those little pennies meant.
Sparkling in the early morning sun, they were a wink from the Universe, a tiny gift to let us know that we were seen, that life was good, that money was literally everywhere…
…if we looked.
That might seem silly, and yet – managing our energy is one of the most powerful tools we have as entrepreneurs. So what we see, how we feel, and what we notice matters.
Here’s why.
You get what you expect.
Our beliefs – about money, success, about ourselves – are essentially a series of thoughts that we keep on thinking. And those thoughts create well worn grooves in our brain.
Over time, thoughts become beliefs, settling in to a pattern that is often so subtle, you don’t even notice it.
I caught one of my own just today!
I realized that a certain phrase pops into my head whenever I experience lack of any kind.
“Of of course”, I say to myself. “Of course that didn’t work…that opportunity didn’t materialize, that money didn’t come, that launch didn’t work, the talk didn’t happen…
(Substitute the negative phrase of your choice.)
Only, I don’t actually say it, or even think it.
I feel it.
And the kicker is this.
What you feel, becomes what you expect.
What you expect becomes what you look for.
And what you look for, you find.
Ugh.
But here’s the good news.
Once you recognize a pattern, you can attend to it – and shift it.
Because with practice, you can also create new pathways, by re-training your brain.
You can write about it in a journal, or talk about it with a coach. You can ask colleagues to help you to be more aware. You can pay attention to your emotions and watch your self talk.
You can train yourself to feel good.
You have the power to shift what you expect.
So what would happen if you expected to find moments that brought surprise and delight?
Remember what I said a moment ago?
What you expect becomes what you look for.
And what you look for, you find.
With just the smallest shift in attention, you will notice dozens of tiny joys that happen around you every day.
The clouds that look like wispy wings all across the sky as you walk your dog.
The friend who buys your dinner, just because she loves you.
The perfect parking spot that appears right as you pull in.
The new client who happily hires you and pays your full fee.
Or finding three shiny pennies on the sidewalk. :)
Once you start looking, you’ll see it everywhere.
And your outcomes will change too.
Because now something new is happening. Your energy has changed, your mood has shifted, the air around you will seem different. It’s almost a shift you can feel.
And your business will start to flow again.
Here’s what I’ve experienced just in the past couple of weeks, as I’ve watched what I feel, and consciously shifted my energy.
- Opened the mail expecting a bill, and found a refund. (Twice.)
- Found an old envelope while cleaning out my office with a $20 bill in it.
- Had several new clients showing up on my calendar all at once.
- Got a brand new kitchen faucet from a major store for free (without asking).
- Invited to speak at two new venues and a potential third.
And I could keep going.
When you shift your energy and you’ll shift your outcome.
It sounds simplistic, doesn’t it?
But when you can find a way to focus on feeling good, your business will begin to move forward again.
Train yourself to see, enjoy, and celebrate even the smallest victories in your life AND business.
And shiny new things will come your way too.
“You are what you think. So just think big, believe big, act big, work big, give big, forgive big, laugh big, love big, and live big.”
-Andrew Carnegie, Industrialist and Philanthropist.
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