Did you ever feel that you lost your sense of vitality for your business? Have you ever felt that if you coached your signature program one more time that you would scream? Have you ever felt like “OMG, I’ve spent so much time, money, and energy into this coaching thing – could it have been a mistake?” If you can say yes to any (or all) of these questions, then keep reading – I’d like to share my insight with you.
I can easily say I’ve never felt that becoming a coach was a mistake. But I most certainly can say that I have struggled with coaching products. Either I was tired of selling them or I was stuck trying to create one. I’ve even had completed products that simply didn’t excite me. And when you are in ANY of those places, your marketing can easily be off because your efforts will reproduce the energy you feel around your business. When you lose your creative spark, everything in your business suffers. So what do you do? It’s nice if you can wait until your moon is in Taurus and there is a new moon 6 days later (and it just happens to fall on a Tuesday). But most of us don’t have time to wait for our stars to align. And while rest and mediation can work wonders, sometimes…we need something more.
Are you ready to try something new that can lead you to new products and an increasingly thriving business? If your answer is yes, keep reading as I share ways to get your creative spark back.
Step 1 - Let go of everything you believe to be true
The first step in getting your creative spark back is to let go of everything you believe to be true. Yes, everything. Here is why I say that. I love all types of office supplies (don’t ask – I don’t know why). I love blank notebooks. They make all kinds, all sizes, all colors, etc. But what’s cool is knowing that it will become whatever I decide. Will I draw in it? Will I doodle, will it be a diary. The choice is MINE. When you let go of what you believe to be true – you remove yourself from any preconceived boundary that keeps you focused in one particular way. Things like:
- I MUST post something every day
- I MUST coach on the subject of_______
- I MUST make _____ a month or I’m slacking
- I must ___________
See where I’m going with this? I’m not saying that these things aren’t true. What I am saying is they may not be true for you. Or, if they were and they are no longer working – maybe they no longer hold true for the place you are and the direction you are going. Stop doing the same thing and expecting a different result! Use your magic eraser and put those barriers aside.
Step 2 - Embrace your current truth
The next step in getting your creative spark back is to embrace your current truth. This is an extension of the first step but we are taking it a bit further. Here is what I want you to do. Think of what you love about your business and what you don’t. Write this down so you can see it. Use your laptop, a notebook, post-it notes – it doesn’t matter. What matters is you get it all out. After that list, create another list of what you would like to do with your business. Think BIG, think DIFFERENT – there is no wrong idea. Just put it all out there. For me – I’m looking forward to the pandemic ending so I can travel and coach small groups in beautiful locations. What makes you SPARK?
Don’t do anything with this yet, just keep it there for a moment. This exercise may take days (or weeks) for some…just do it. You have nothing to lose.
Step 3 - Put it all together
The third step in getting your creative spark back is figuring out how to put it all together. I consider this the fun part because this is where you become F R E E. The point of this exercise is to recreate your business. This is not the time to fall into your normal routine. Take a good look at what you have written and cross out anything that is no longer necessary or working. These things are done. Now circle what is necessary but you don’t want to do it. These are the things that you MUST find a way to delegate. Whether you hire someone, barter, get a volunteer. It doesn’t matter. If you do not enjoy these things, you need to find another way to get them accomplished.
My mom taught me to bake from scratch. This was back in the day when we didn’t even have a hand mixer. Now, we all know that to bake a cake, you have to mix the ingredients right? Well, guess what was delegated to me? Yup – my little 10-year-old arms used to count the number of times I beat the cake batter. Soon I was able to tell if it was mixed enough by looking at the texture and seeing how smooth it was. Mom didn’t like that part – I enjoyed it. We baked pretty well together. Learn how to delegate.
The next part of this step is to take all of the things you want to do and decide which of these you can add to your business now and HOW you will do it. Again, this should excite you. The new ideas, the things you have had in the back of your mind – they get to come to life and light up your business. Talk about creating new energy! Wherever you find yourself leaning is the place to go. I ask this often – Why create a business that you don’t like? It just doesn’t make sense. Don’t rain on your flame! So go ahead – change your business name, step into a new niche, use new tools, create a digital download, partner with someone, move in a different direction, be unapologetically authentic, and fully step into your business. I believe that spark will be sensed through everything you touch and that it will draw great things to you.
Step 4 - JUST DO IT!
The last step in getting your creative spark back is simple. JUST DO IT! There is a time to think and a time to move. Now is your time to move. Share your spark everywhere. Write, talk, make videos, create your own opportunities to share your renewed passion. Now is not the time to sit back and hope for a miracle. Your new creative spark IS the miracle someone is waiting for – but they cannot enjoy it if your flame is only lit in your house.
I do believe that many of us are conditioned to try and avoid failure. But I believe the failed idea is the one you have but never try! Who thought that cayenne pepper should be mixed with chocolate? And who was the first person that put peanut butter and jelly together on bread?
I recall one of the best cakes my mom made. My mom makes a great butter pound cake. The kind you always find at a Southern Baptist Church meal. It has lots of eggs, lots of butter, and lots of high-calorie goodness. Baking from scratch takes a lot of time. You have to measure each ingredient and even the slightest shift can alter everything. Anyway, she made the cake one Holliday and it fell. UGH…so she started all over. While the new cake was in the oven, we sliced the failed cake. It was SOOOO GOOD! The failure became a success – we Saved the second cake for the next day.
We are living in a time when the next new idea pops up about every ten seconds. Some of them are ideas that you had but didn’t act on. So don’t be shy. Get out there and show off your spark to everyone that will listen. If it doesn’t seem to work right away, don’t drop it if you have passion for it – just tweak the ingredients. Some things just take a bit more time to come out just right.
Kimberly Horvath
Kimberly Horvath has been coaching since 2007. Her passion is helping people discover their Spiritual DNA.
Kimberly Horvath
Kimberly Horvath has been coaching since 2007. Her passion is helping people discover their Spiritual DNA.
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