Today we celebrate 14 years of writing a weekly thought and we haven’t missed one single week in all that time.
I am very proud of this achievement.
I am very proud of my commitment.
As I reflect back over the years, having started my business in October 2006, both the business and the Weekly Thoughts have evolved.
When I first started my business and attended networking events, people would ask me who I worked for.
I didn’t know what to say, so I said, “myself”.
That wasn’t a great answer.
They asked what I did.
I told them, “I help business owners streamline their systems and processes”.
They would reply, “Oh, you’re an IT person.”
“No.”
What I found was that when I finished a project and left the business to continue, the new systems often fell over.
Why was this?
It was because the owners and managers didn’t know how to lead and manage their people.
Evolution number 1 – I started coaching them one to one.
Evolution number 2 – I invested in more leadership training and offered small intimate intensive Leading Yourself and Leading Others experiences.
Evolution number 3 – as I learned more about mindset and neuroscience, we included Possibility into our framework of People and Process.
Evolution number 4 – changing the name Possibility to Potential.
Evolution number 5 – realizing that my clients are wanting High Performing Businesses with high performing people, high performing processes and high performance potential.
Over the years, most of my work has been word of mouth.
People would say to their colleagues, “You need to speak to Shirley”.
Speaking to some clients recently, asking them why they work with me and what benefits do they get, they all answered with a similar answer:
“I came to you because I was stuck. I didn’t know which way to turn. I didn’t know what to do. You listened to me. You didn’t interrupt. You allowed me to speak and then you reflected back what I had told you. Much like a mirror. When I heard myself through your voice I could easily evaluate what was going on. I found the answers and if I didn’t find the answers, you gave me the tools to find the answers.”
I just love that I can help you find your answers. You have them inside of you.
Sometimes we just can’t see the label from inside the jar.
So this week, I want to thank you.
Thank you for being part of our community.
Thank you for allowing me to help you find your answers.
Thank you for being open to grow and develop.
Thank you for being you.
Thank you for being on this journey with me.
Happy anniversary!
P. S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thoughts delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/weekly-thoughts.
