If you’ve been reading my posts on Facebook you know that I’m in the process of selling my house. It’s been an interesting process to say the least but also eye opening experience.  We bought a cute character home about six years ago. It’s a three bedroom rancher about 1,400 square feet. We have 1,000 square feet of attic space which to my surprise over the years has been packed full of clutter.

My husband Brian and I have been married over thirteen years and together fifteen. When we got together we merged our stuff and never tossed anything out. Both my parents passed away and more stuff arrived at our doorstep. Brian lost a few grandparents along the way and even more bits and pieces were delivered from Ontario. All of these items had some sentimental value even if the pinwheel crystal glasses and tea cups weren’t exactly our taste. So we packed and schlepped these items from various apartments to their final resting place in our house and up in the attic they went.

We were pretty adamant that we weren’t going to be moving non-essential items into our new home. We both wanted to clear the clutter and start fresh. After two hours of hauling stuff down from the attic we had hardly made a dent in the pile. We opened box after box of what I considered to be garage sale items and wondered how on earth we had accumulated all this stuff? Why had we moved it from place to place and even more importantly why did we ever hang onto to any of it?

We took a few trips down memory lane while going through the clutter. Yes, I was tempted to put all my stuffed animals back into a box and keep them for old time sake, but I persevered and placed Boo Boo into a box for good will. I opened up one box and it was full of fitness magazines dating back to the early nineties. Good grief why was I keeping those? Did I actually think I was going to read them again? Don’t laugh. I know a lot of you are keeping the same things in your closets.

Later in the evening I couldn’t help but feel a sense a relief coupled with a feeling of uneasiness. I was relieved to be clearing the clutter. Spring cleaning always feels so good. It’s a time to start fresh again so I was glad that we were doing it. However, I still had this sense of uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. Maybe it was because of the move, or going through all our stuff gave me a sense of nostalgia. Or perhaps it was because I was getting rid of a lot of things that I felt a sense of loss. I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

Waking up this morning I actually felt a little lighter. It was like I could sense that the house had more space in it. Getting rid of things from the past that were being unused had freed my mind for what is to come in our future. I vowed that we wouldn’t buy anything new unless we absolutely needed it. If we did bring new things into the house then that meant we would have to get rid of something else. As they saying goes, out with the old and in with the new.

We still have hours of cleaning left to do in our attic. There’s much more stuff to go through but I’m looking forward to keeping only those items that I know we’re going to use and tossing things that haven’t been touched in almost a decade.

This exercise has inspired me to do the same in my business. I’m thinking about all the programs and workshops I offer and considering tossing out the old and starting again with fresh eyes. I’m scanning the business environment for innovation and creativity in the fitness industry and to be honest I’m not seeing much new. How about you?

To be honest I’m not sure exactly where this new found clutter clearing clarity will take me. But what I do know is that clutter creeps into our lives. It’s subtle, sneaky and accumulative. Before you know it you’re bogged down with piles of unwanted junk and you may feel suffocated and smothered by it all. Break free from the clutter of your home, your business and your mind and enjoy making room for new and exciting adventures to come.

Do you or someone you know suffer from IPS?

Doctors from across North America agree that this Syndrome is real and brought about by today’s fast paced, multi-tasking society. They’re seeing more patients with symptoms of;

• Excessive grumpiness
• Irrational requests
• Short fuses
• Erratic behaviour
• Inability to concentrate properly

The symptoms of IPS to watch out for have been compared to being on a low-carbohydrate, low calorie diet or a detoxifying cleanse. People who suffer from IPS are everywhere. You’ve probably run into them at your local Starbucks and grocery store. They look normal at first glance. That is until they have to wait a little too long for their non-fat, decaf, extra hot, vanilla, half-sweet latae. Then the evidence of their IPS really presents itself as individuals become agitated. You may even hear audible sounds such as “grrr”, “ugh” or “tsk”. Loud exhalations are often part of the problem as they try to suppress their short fuse.

Until recently, researchers could not find the cause of the problem. But after extensive studies and millions of dollars of government funding, scientists have finally come up with an answer.

I’m sure you’re curious about the cure. But before I share it with you does this sound like you or someone you know? If it does then chances are you’re suffering from IPS too. The causes could be that you’re working too hard, not taking enough breaks, eating crappy food or not getting enough exercise.

The cure is simple in theory but difficult in practice. People with IPS need to chill out and take a break. They need to concentrate on bringing balance into their lives, not running around doing fifty million things and leaving themselves last on the list.

By now you’ve probably realized that this article is a satire. But guess what? you believed IPS was real because you’ve seen people get pretty worked up over small stuff. You’ve probably wondered why they make such a big fuss. Or maybe you’ve had days where you’ve been working really hard and you feel like you just want to rip someone’s head off. (not literally of course).

While IPS may not have a true medical diagnosis there are people out there that suffer from it. So my advice, don’t push yourself too hard, find work-life balance and most importantly don’t take yourself too seriously. Life is short so enjoy it in a good mood. Trust me, the people around you will thank you for it.

As an entrepreneur you probably work long hours and have little work-life balance. Did you know that as a result you could be on the verge of business burn-out? Take this quick test and see if you’re heading down that path.

1)     Do you work ten to twelve hour days?

2)     Do you have a hard time getting your brain to slow down at night?

3)     Do you find your passion for your business waning?

4)     Are you starting to think it would be easier to work for some else instead?

5)     Are you dreaming of taking a holiday and getting away from it all?

Do any of these symptoms sound familiar? If they do, then you could be headed for business burn-out.

Business burn-out is like overtraining your body except it’s overtraining your mind. When we over train our body our performance suffers, we feel tired and worn out. We lose our appetite and may even fall into a bit of a depression. Sleep patterns are disrupted and where you were once passionate about working out you just don’t have the same enthusiasm.

When you work too much you could actually be experiencing some of the same symptoms as if you were overtraining your body. The remedy for both is the same.

• Take time off to recharge your batteries. Maybe it would be a good idea to go on holiday or take four to five days off.
• Restrict the number of hours you work in a day and take lots of breaks.
• Set aside time for yourself. Do something you enjoy doing.
• Make time for friends and family. Get out and be social.
• Get some help. Hire a virtual assistant to ease the burden of tasks you probably don’t need to be doing.
• Get more help. Hire a business coach to help you with difficult projects. There’s no need for you to do everything on your own.
• Set realistic goals about what you can accomplish in a day.
• Focus on tasks that give you the best return for your time and drop any projects that drain your energy.

Running a business is not easy. There’s always work to be done, processes to tweak and things to worry about. But that doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself to make your business successful. If the business is you and you are the business then you have to take very good care of both. You can start by first recognizing the symptoms of business burn-out and preventing a full blown attack from happening.

A Business Fable….about shedding the three fears that sabotage client loyalty.

Written by: Patrick Lencioni

I love to read and my two favorite subjects are fitness and business. So my library is full of both types of books. When I like an author I usually buy all of their books. I feel like I get to know the author that way and their ideas. Patrick Lencioni has been one of my favorites for a long time. His latest book entitled Getting Naked is a true delight. Like all his other books he tells the reader a tale to illustrate his points. At the end of the book he summarizes the lessons and they have always proven to be enlightening and useful.

Getting Naked is about allowing yourself to be vulnerable and by doing so you can overcome some common fears that unknowingly sabotage your ability to build trust and loyalty with your clients.

The fears Patrick addresses are;

1)      Fear of losing the business

I’m sure many personal trainers can identify with the first fear. We can get so wrapped up in trying to get a client to sign up for sessions that we may not take the time to ensure a proper fit. Or we push too hard to close the sale and the client feels put-off. When you do what’s right for the client which may include referring business to someone else, this demonstrates that you are acting in their best interest and establishes trust. Don’t be afraid to lose business. Do the right thing for the client and you will develop a kind of loyalty that will last.

2)      Fear of being embarrassed

We all make mistakes and that’s natural. When you make a mistake instead of trying to cover it up, be straight with people and you’ll earn their trust and respect. We also can’t know everything so don’t worry about asking your client questions if you don’t understand something they’re saying or even admitting that you don’t know something. It’s okay. People will understand that you’re not a walking encyclopedia and respect you more for just being honest.

3)      Fear of feeling inferior

We all want to feel important. Some of us have really big egos and like the idea that we know more than our clients. Some even like to flaunt that a bit. However, keep in mind that you are in a service industry and it’s all about the client. In reality there’s nothing you shouldn’t want to provide help to a client.

Patrick shares a few tips for shedding the three fears.

• Always consult instead of sell
• Give away the business
• Tell the kind truth
• Enter the danger
• Ask dumb questions
• Make dumb suggestions
• Celebrate your mistakes
• Take a bullet for the client
• Make everything about the client
• Honor the client’s work
• Do the dirty work
• Admit your weaknesses and limitations

 To find out more about each of these tips I suggest you pick up a copy of his book. It’s a very short read and full in insight. I believe it will make offering your services as a personal trainer a lot easier for some of you once you realize that you don’t have to do the hard sell to get people to train with you. For more information on how you can improve your customer service and client retention check out Go Forth and Serve – Creating the “WOW” factor for service excellence.