Written by: Michelle Clarke, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
As a business coach, you might expect me to write about something like the three steps to engaging social media content or the five ways to increase your revenue now, and I could write on all of those things. But, the biggest difference you can make to expand your wealth is to step into joy so that you can become magnetic to your clients.
I find that entrepreneurs hold back from experiencing joy because they get caught in the hustle cycle. They don’t know which actions to take, so they take all of them. The real key to moving your business forward is actually doing less but having the actions you do to be aligned.
This is the part where I tell you why I am writing about joy. When you are living in joy, you have more brain space, and it will be relaxing. When you have this space and relaxation, the aligned ideas will come to you automatically. The secret to expand your wealth is to find joy. So let’s dive into, shall we?
In this short article, we take a look at joy, what it really is, and how you can capture a big bright bubble of it for yourself and get on with being magnetic to your soulmate clients and therefore expand your wealth, and the difference you are making in the world.
Before we begin, I want you to take a wee moment to stop right now. Really stop; relax all your limbs, let your brow unfurrow, and your eyes relax, then take a deep breath. All the way down to your toes, really fill up the lower part of your lungs and then let the breath out fully and completely. Feel better? I am guessing your reply is a resounding yes, but why does that simple exercise make you feel better? Mindfulness.
Arghh, that catchphrase, mindfulness, I know I feel the same way!
Mindfulness is just a trendy word for something which has always been around, the sabbath day for reflection, the 60s ‘living for this moment’, yogis in caves. I am sure you can add at least 20 other examples too. It has literally been around for decades, espoused by every guru on the circuit, and is included in nearly every health and lifestyle book on the bookshelf today.
Yet, there is a valid reason we chase this elusive and fleeting mindfulness moment. It is because that moment of true awareness and connection is where the joy is. Real joy. Not a moment of satisfaction, a feeling of contentment, or a warm glow. I am talking full wattage glee. You know what I mean, right? That feeling that you are a helium balloon that might just spontaneously combust at any moment.
Yet even with all these new ways to obtain mindfulness, why oh why is it so hard to capture and implement? What if we are trying too hard and missing the point? What if we are trying to be perfect — seeking the next best tool, finding a secret key to power us forward, looking for the one little pill that will cure us indefinitely? Can we finally experience joy? What if mindfulness is really just the first step on the highway to joy? Now that could be exciting, right? The missing puzzle piece? I propose that joy is just a few steps away, and the best news is you don’t need the next shiny new thing because;
“You already have everything you need inside you right now to be full of joy, to be whole, perfect, and complete.”
Now go back and read that again. It is important. You already have everything you need. You are enough.
Are you ready to take mindfulness to the next step — pure joy? If you are ready to experience joy, then read on. I have some easy ideas for you that might be just what you have been waiting for. They have worked for hundreds of my clients too.
Note: A person may experience joy at any moment. It is a moment; embrace that moment for what it is. Emotions and states of being, flux and flow, and that is all part of life — remember to count your blessings of joy where they find you.
It was really tricky to settle on just three things for you to try. There are so many great ideas that will take you beyond mindfulness and into joy. But ultimately, my clients experience the most intense joy when they find themselves in one of these states — contribution, connection, authenticity, and so these are the foundation for the following joy exercises.
Joy Exercises
Contribution. There is nothing as euphoric as the feeling that you have made a deep difference in the world. But it is not necessarily what you might think. When we think of contributing, our minds might flit to serving others, giving things, money, time, love. Looking deeper, contribution makes a real difference in the world, and giving is only a fragment of that.
Let’s look at ‘teaching a person to fish’ — are we contributing to the person by gifting them fish or by empowering them to provide for themselves? What would make the biggest difference to that person? Okay, your turn. What can you do today to empower someone to show up more powerfully and authentically? Could you let your two-year-old make their bed, so they feel a sense of pride? Could you make an offer to your tribe for a brand new challenge to empower them? Give it a try, and I bet you get to a state of joy!
Connection. Connecting to another person is powerful stuff, and real connection requires understanding. I am not talking about empathy, empathy can mean taking on others' feelings, and that won’t necessarily lead you to joy. I am talking about ‘understanding,’ really ‘hearing’ a person. Bear with me because you need to understand this to make this work. What you give a person by hearing them, really understanding them, is a sense of validation. Wouldn’t that be nice? To feel validated? YES PLEASE! So how can you make another person feel validated today? Could you put a thank you note in a lunch box? Could you write the 3 things you love most about a person on their mirror for them to find later?
Authenticity. Joy is knowing who you are and loving all parts of yourself. Sounds really hard, doesn't it? And it is! But we can make the steps small. When you show up as you, bald-faced, real you, you feel powerful, you feel alive, and you will experience joy. But how can you be authentic? How can you be truer to yourself? Could you share your secret life goal with a friend today? How about saying no to an event that really isn’t you? How about saying yes to work that floats your boat?
If you would like to explore the energetics of sales and stepping fully into client magnetism, then aligned action is where it is all at — and luckily for you, you are now one step closer to that place.
If you would like to hear more about aligned actions, I would love to join Inspiration From Sparkle Nation, a free weekly newsletter that expands on systems for success, the energetics of sales, and success mindsets.
Michelle Clarke, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Michelle is an energy maverick, public speaker, author, and coach who is obsessed with empowering soul-led entrepreneurs to make more money doing only what they love. She says "we have been led to believe that we must follow the normal way of doing things to succeed in business and life, but this just isn't true". She believes that the fastest road to success and living a hell yes life on your terms is to break free from the mould, unleash your true self and sparkle like the leader you are born to be.
Michelle is committed to working with women especially who have a fear of being visible, feel anxiety about ‘making it’ in case they cannot cope with a booming business and other commitments, and also have deep-rooted fears around allowing money into their lives even though they desire it. The work she does is deeply rooted in Outing Imposter Syndrome, Creating Success Structures, and Changing Your Relationship With Money. Michelle says "The results of what I do lead to FREEDOM. Underneath it all, that is what my tribe seeks, the freedom to be real them, the time freedom, and the money freedom and they get it!"
Michelle gets amazing results by helping soul-led entrepreneurs to dive into quantum energetics + success mindsets + powerful systems & then empowering them to show up as their truest version self to call in their soul clients magnetically.
