Shining a Light in the Dark Places

I often speak about shining a light in the dark places: in my yoga and mindfulness teachings and certainly in my business coaching. In yoga, we talk about noticing and acknowledging the whole of the human experience: the good, the bad and the habitual. We talk about vulnerability, and as the Queen (Brene Brown) says, “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” The same is true for your business.

It’s funny how the universe works, because this week in my life coaching course, we’re talking about using metaphor as a healing tool.

I often speak about shining a light in the dark places: in my yoga and mindfulness teachings and certainly in my business coaching. In yoga, we talk about noticing and acknowledging the whole of the human experience: the good, the bad and the habitual. We talk about vulnerability, and as the Queen (Brene Brown) says, “Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” The same is true for your business.

There’s a certain amount of vulnerability required of an entrepreneur — you have to go there. Into the places where you don’t want to look, and into the limiting beliefs that keep you from taking the type of action that will move you toward your goals.

Motivation is often what I like to refer to as a “surface level” issue for a business owner. I’ll often hear things like, “I just don’t have the time for \[insert challenging task\].” When we peel back the layers a bit, time isn’t usually the issue. Ready for a truth bomb? The issue is usually a deeply-rooted feeling of inadequacy.

Let’s take an example: tracking metrics. This is a task that the vast, VAST majority of yoga studio owners have little to no experience with. Most of use came to this role with a sincere passion for movement and mindfulness, a hope and a prayer, and that’s about it. We didn’t come from worlds where acronyms like KPI, ROI, LTV, and CTR are commonplace. We have no idea what retention metrics or conversion percentages mean. But instead of acknowledging that we need support, we beat ourselves down for not having it all figured out, then revert to habit: we ignore it because we’re too ashamed to admit that we don’t know.

Let’s look at another common ‘dark place’: social media. The old story goes, “I don’t have time to post everyday.” I’m not buying it. I’d bet my life that the thought (and yes, it’s just a thought) that lives underneath this one is more like, “I have nothing interesting to say',” “no one wants to hear from me” or “ I just don’t know what to post.”

You see, we tend to be really, really hard on ourselves. I should know; I’m the President of the Unrealistic Expectations Club. PUEC over here. We tell ourselves the story that we have to be good at everything, that we should have it all together, and the silliest one: that we’re supposed to know what we’ve never been taught.

It takes real guts to run a business. If you want any hope of growth, you MUST ask for help. No, you have to invest in help, which is really the practice of investing in yourself. It takes a high level of belief in oneself to do that. It could be from someone like me, from a bookkeeper, from a marketing agency — but you can’t go it alone. At least not for long. Ask yourself the big questions like, “What’s really beneath this resistance?” Shine a light in the dark. I think you’ll like what you find there.

If you’re ready to back yourself and would like to learn more about the ways I help Yoga Studio Owners grow, book a Free 60 Minute Studio Strategy Session, no strings attached.