In preparation for my Marketing and Mindset Breakthroughs Workshop, I asked a few people to be part of my R&D team to find out what stopped them from getting out there in a BIG way to get clients. I also asked them to tell me the MOST they could see themselves making being self-employed. Honestly, I was saddened by the answers that rolled in, and their answers were right in line with what I hear from many other people I've talked to about this.

You see, most people have very LOW expectations on what can be made in self-employment. The average from my polling was between $50,000 and $75,000, and the highest amount I heard was about $150,000. Using SYSTEMS and LEVERAGE techniques in marketing and running your business, you can totally change that to create an income that is FAR beyond what you've ever thought was attainable for yourself. (I know that it may not seem possible as you read this, but I promise you, it IS possible for you too. I've done it for myself and I've done it for countless clients.)

To help you change your mindset around that, I wanted to share a paragraph in Louise Hay's book 'You Can Heal Your Life,' which has stayed with me since the very first time I read it years ago. Here's what she writes:

"I love the visualization of standing at the seashore looking out at the vast ocean and knowing that this ocean is the abundance that is available to me. Look down at your hands and see what sort of container you are holding. Is it a teaspoon, a thimble with a hole in it, a paper cup, a glass, a tumbler, a pitcher, a bucket, a wash tub, or perhaps you have a pipeline connected to this ocean of abundance? Look around you and notice that no matter how many people there are and no matter what kind of container they have, there is plenty for everyone. You cannot rob another, and they cannot rob you. And in no way can you drain the ocean dry. Your container is your consciousness, and it can always be exchanged for a larger container."

I was totally floored when I first read this. I remember "looking down at my hands" and seeing a very large bucket, one bigger than I could carry by myself, thinking that was a LOT. But when I read about the possibility of having a PIPELINE connected to this ocean of abundance, I was struck by the very small thinking I was doing. And frankly, I was upset with myself for having thought so small before.

It hit me like a ton of bricks that I wasn't asking the Universe for nearly as much as I could. So, I started "asking" for a bigger income, little by little, every year by adding about $50,000 to the previous year's revenue goals, believing that I COULD achieve it. And at the end of every year, I did achieve it, sometimes by a lot more.

Now, each year, I ask to DOUBLE my income, and my ability to help twice as many people attract more clients, and I either reach it, or come pretty close each time. Knowing that you can always trade in your container for a bigger one, and that you cannot "rob another" because there is an unlimited supply of what you want, what are YOU asking for and going after?

YOUR ASSIGNMENT:

Close your eyes and imagine yourself standing on the sand, toes in the water, looking out into the vast ocean of abundance. Yes, even if it feels corny or goofy, just DO it, no one's watching you! Besides, how you do anything is how you do everything, in business and in life. (If you're not willing to do THIS, then you're probably not willing to do much to change your mindset or what it takes to grow your business.)

Imagine that you cannot ask for too much because you can never exhaust the supply that is available to you and everyone else. No matter what you've thought up to now, know this:

There will never be a shortage of clients you can attract. There will always be enough people who will pay you what you want to be paid and more. There will never be a cap on how many clients you can help. There will never be a cap on how many products you can sell. There will never be a cap on how many attendees will attend your workshop or teleclass. There is an inexhaustible supply of ways you can offer what you offer that your competitors don't offer. The only person who sets that limit is you. The good news about that is you can break your current paradigm and situation at any time you choose. You can find a way to innovate and break the mold. You do not need to be tied down to what you have thought up to now.

Heck, if you're gonna dream, well darn it, dream BIG! Look back at your list of wants. Were you playing small? Were you playing too safe? Were you afraid to ask for a lot more? What came up for you? Now, tweak the list to think BIGGER. You deserve it and once you believe it is possible for yourself, you can indeed have it (that's what's been happening with me, so it can happen to you too.)

That being said, you might be having trouble imagining yourself achieving a BIGGER goal in your business. It's probably a fear of overwhelm, fear of success, or fear of failure, a fear of rejection, or perhaps a question of whether you DESERVE that much abundance and success. Not sure if you'll be able to actually HANDLE the success?

Many entrepreneurs stop themselves from having more because of limiting beliefs, self-doubt, and self-sabotaging behavior or procrastination and this currently keeps them from having what they say they want. I see this DAILY and it's got to stop. The good news is, it's easy to stop, when you know how.

Copyright (c) 2007 Fabienne Fredrickson