Here is the 2nd draft. Hopefully, it fits in-line with what Shannon was suggesting.

How Do You Change a Successful Habit?

I was working w/ a long-time, 40-something client the other day. Let’s call him Sam. He has created an amazing start-up and works 2-3X harder than anyone I know. Looking over his To-Do List makes me tired.

And yet, this brilliant ability of his is showing its’ imperfections. Sam is a micro-manager, runs on anxiety, and spends less time w/ his family than he would like. Recently, we improved his decision-making about where to put his attention, so he can work even smarter, and have a bit more family time.

Yet, a problem remains, just like many of the successful entrepreneurs he knows, and reads about, Sam is beginning to realize that he can no longer hover over his staff, get involved in every detail, and try and manage everything himself. He has to learn to step back, delegate, and leave others on their own to complete certain tasks.

Having worked with Sam for a bit, I have a bunch of information to use to ask questions, tell stories and create metaphors that are specific, and in some cases even unique to his history, personality & beliefs to help create new ways of thinking & operating. I love helping people change their lives for the better, and I find there is something beautiful about experiencing those moments when the client has made a change in their thinking. Often, they will give you an unconscious signal that something new is taking hold; a head nod, a shift in breath, movement, posture, or a change in their voice tone that they don’t even realize they’re making.

Last week, after Sam gave me one of those head nods, and started building on one of the metaphors I had offered, I was excited to find out what changes might occur this week.

And of course, life intervened to test the work we did. LOL! Sam has a project he absolutely has to complete this week where there is little room for delegation, and he has to relentlessly focus on doing even more than usual to bring all the pieces together.

And yet, even with his need to sharpen his focus this week, I could point out to Sam, that when he was describing his situation, he was making some new, very clean, and very clear distinctions between his old way of thinking, the micro-managing, and a new more expansive way of running the business. Signs that change is taking place, even if the results are not dramatic & immediate. So, once again, I’m looking forward to seeing what the following weeks bring, what changes will Sam continue to make on his own, and where might I add to the mix.

I’m wondering, if any of you, have a successful strategy that has worked really well for you for years, it’s your go-to, perhaps it made your career & life successful, and yet it is fraying around the edges. Places where it is causing trouble or confusion, directly or in some other aspect of your life.

Or if you have changed a really useful habit, I’m wondering if you would share what motivated you, and how you did it?

If you would like to chat about how hypnosis & coaching might help you make a change, please DM me.