A couple of months ago, I was in search of a coach to help me work through a very specific limiting belief I had just uncovered. I began by making a list of what was most important to me. I quickly realized that these are the values in which I run my own business.
That inspired me to create this post to share my promises with all of you. I hope you find it useful and it inspires you to create your own list of promises.
Here are 10 things I look for and it’s also my promise to you.
#10 – I promise to create products and content for all income levels.
At the end of the day, this is a business and that means it needs to make money. In addition, I’ve experienced firsthand how important it is for people to have skin in the game. However, there are times throughout our lives when we don’t have a lot of skin to give. During the leanest times of my life, I benefitted greatly from free content and events that generous entrepreneurs made available to me.
When it comes to investing in yourself, I believe that the best bang for your buck is investing in one on one coaching. You might not be in a financial position to do that right now. Or you might be in a flow where you don’t need a coach. No matter where you are, I’ll continue to create products that fit a variety of budgets and move you closer to your goal.
#9 – I promise to stay true to my values.
I wrote a post a while back about how to define your priorities in life. The idea is to use these values as your guiding principles in your work and personal life. For example, the two things I am unwilling to compromise are my health and my marriage. When I had “real job” and was told to work more and sacrifice these values, I knew exactly how I needed to respond.
It’s not always easy to stand by your priorities. That’s why it’s so important to create a foundation that allows you to uphold your values and pursue your dreams. I believe that foundation includes health, relationships, growth, and career and finances. You have my word that I will not stray from this foundation as long as it’s serving my family and yours.
#8 – I promise to stay humble.
I’m imperfect. I will always be imperfect because perfection doesn’t exist. As a recovering perfectionist, this has been hard to accept.
I’m going to screw up. I’m going to have spelling errors. I’m going to share my thoughts and ideas before I fully understand them sometimes. And guess what, my favorite mentors make mistakes too.
We’re all on a journey of learning and improving. I hope to never claim to be perfect because that means my journey is done. And if my journey is done, I’m not sure that I’ll have anything to offer you.
#7 – I promise to be open to your feedback and suggestions.
This is the perfect addendum to #8. I’m not always going to communicate things perfectly. For example, I shared a post a while ago that rubbed a reader the wrong way. We saw the message through two very different lenses and I’m so happy they had the courage to share their perspective. The next time I shared something on the topic, I was able to better communicate how it relates to my message and my readers.
The better I know you, the better I can serve you. I am always open to feedback, questions, and suggestions.
Oh, and P.S., I love success stories too.
#6 – I promise to be honest and transparent.
The longer I live, the faker I feel the world around me becomes. I was getting my hair cut recently and I shared how I sometimes feel insecure because I don’t have beautiful, thick, flowing hair. My stylist shared with me that she had extensions and that most of the women who work there do too. That conversation got me thinking about how much of what I compare myself too is actually real.
I’ve been on this journey to create my best life for close to a decade and the one thing I know for sure is that there’s no magic pill. Anyone who tells you different is likely selling extensions. They look good but don’t address the root of the problem.
My husband and I started with nothing and built the lives we have today through hope, support, and hard work. My goal is to share as much of that journey as I can. It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.
#5 – I promise to serve with compassion.
I had a conversation earlier this year with someone who said, “I need tough love and a kick in the pants.” I thought to myself, not me, I totally shrink in those situations. I agree that honesty is important, but I need to hear it with a whole lot of love and compassion. I’m hard enough on myself I don’t need someone who makes me feel worse.
Over the last two decades, I’ve coached hundreds of people and in my experience, it’s rare that someone responds well to “tough love.” It’s possible that my experience with this is tied to how I’m wired. But I truly believe that real change is the result of love and compassion. So I promise to serve up honesty with a large side of compassion.
#4 – I promise to walk this journey with you.
Have you ever had a boss who expected you to work 16 hours a day, seven days a week, while he was at home playing with his kids? I have and I assure you that I am not that boss.
We are all at different points on our journey. But I promise that I will never ask you to do something I wouldn’t do myself. And remember that I’m on my own journey to be better each day—I’m doing it with you.
#3 – I promise to value trust.
If you asked my husband what I most value in relationships, he would likely tell you trust. Trust has always been a big deal for me. I was devastated when I discovered the truth about Santa Clause. Not because he isn’t real, but because I felt I was lied to.
I promise to never make you feel like you’re being manipulated to think or feel a certain way. I’ll share my experiences and I encourage you to filter that through your own beliefs. I will follow through on promises and consider your trust in everything I create.
#2 – I promise to create content that gets results.
Motivational quotes are great. I love it when I find one that aligns with where I am in life and makes me think. But I want to provide you with something more. I want to provide content that is actionable and gets results. I promise to raise questions and suggest actions that if implemented, will get you closer to your goal.
#1 – I promise to remind you that you’re already enough.
Personal growth can be a slippery slope. I want you to be here because you’re trying to improve for you, not because you feel like you’re fundamentally flawed. I want you to focus on loving yourself, not fixing yourself.
You’re good enough just as you are. Please know that I never want to imply that you should change who you are. I want to encourage you to maximize your God-given strengths and talents to become the person YOU want to be. I want you to be more of your unique and wonderful self.
This is how I promise to serve you as a coach, mentor, and guide. I’d love to hear how it resonates with you.
I encourage you to make your own list of promises to the people you serve. It could be your family, your employees, or even yourself. Getting clear on what you value will ensure you’re providing the best you have to offer.
