It’s not every day that a business owner turns down business, but that’s exactly what Robin Horton did recently. She had completed graphic design work, the bread and butter part of her company, for a client who proceeded to compromise their agreement and cause her hesitation about moving forward on the next project.
She was relaying her situation to me on the phone this week when I called her to discuss a Mastermind Group of mine she’ll be joining. During our conversation she told me about the client who attacked her value of feeling appreciated. Because of Lesson #6* (see below) in my book, Soul Proprietor, which she had recently read, Robin said she kept thinking about that story. This gentleman’s lack of respect and arguing was belittling her and caused her to re-evaluate their working relationship. She politely excused herself from future work. “I felt liberated!” Robin told me with a lightness that was palpable.
Robin is passionate about urban gardens and writes an award-winning blog in her ‘spare’ time. Freeing up the energy that becomes constricted with a burdensome client allows the natural flow of the universe to move freely. In the same way that a rising tide lifts all boats, so a positive self-image attracts opportunities and people to your door.
*Lesson #6 – Truly understanding your core values make some choices easier to refuse. [My core values are: time for friends and family, feeling valued for what I do; keeping my life uncomplicated.]
Kudos to Robin and another example of the ripple effect of the wisdom in your wonderful book, Jane! I’m going to send Robin and email to see if she’ll do a guest post on my Heartspoken blog on the “Connect with Nature” theme — folks who live in the city forget that they can have gardens and connect with Nature in that wonderful way.
I forgot to mention that when my husband retired and I decided to “reinvent myself” and do more of the things I loved instead of being a slave to what I had been doing for 20 years, I “fired” a couple of my customers too. I didn’t have Robin’s courage though…I just used my husband’s retirement as an excuse to “scaling back” — it still was wonderfully liberating!
@Elizabeth (2)
The wisdom is yours now. Thanks for sharing your experience with it. I hope you and Robin have a great interview.
Jane, I missed you at the last 341 Roundtable…decided to check your blog to see what you are thinking aabout lately, and this was EXACTLY what I needed to read. Funny how those things work.
I need to get your book:) Hope to see you soon
Rhonda
@Rhonda
Love that synchronicity!
You can order my book on amazon, which is the best way to get it. Here’s a link:
http://www.amazon.com/Soul-Proprietor-Lessons-Lifestyle-Entrepreneur/dp/0974622516/ref=sr_1_fkmr3_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1275397419&sr=1-1-fkmr3
…Or at a future 341 event.