The Desert of Arizona
Dark 26 Degrees
I’ve attracted some interesting folks over the years as clients. Some larger than life personalities… some with big time insecurities… some with serious ethics issues… Fortunately, things have been far better the past few years.
It seems that the more I get myself together the more I attract people who have themselves together.
Coincidence?
We’ve all got issues. But when you’re dealing with clients, you need to stuff yours in the drawer.
The biggest reason is because they already have their own. And dealing with two people’s issues is just way too much funk for any one relationship. Especially when there’s the whole added dynamic of money involved.
Your client might be insecure…
They might be unbalanced…
They might be so scared of success (even if they’re successful!) that they dig in for dear life when you propose something bold.
I’m sure you can fill in the blanks with many more examples.
Looking back over the years, I’m pretty sure I had no idea what my issues were when I was working with clients.
I was pretty much “stuck” in my movie. I didn’t have the awareness to see that it was a movie, that I was a character and that I actually had a choice about how I wanted to act in response to things. Oops.
These days, I can see the movie screen much better. I get caught up in it far less. This means that I’m more aware of what’s actually happening in reality.
It also means I’m able to better catch myself before I let my issues affect my actions/responses/words with clients. As a result, I do fewer really stupid things.
Everyone is better off because of this 🙂
Seriously, I don’t know of a better course in personal development than to open up a business working with clients.
In my experience, you end up attracting clients who are working on some of the very same issues you are!
It’s up to you whether you see that as a gift… or a burden. I’d recommend you take the gift.
You’re here to do one thing: you’re here to leave your client in a better position than they were in before they found you.
The better you learn how to do that, the more everyone wins.