Biashara Coach: 9 tips towards changing disempowering habits

By Virginia Mburu

Habits......

Repeated behaviour.....cue, routine and reward... Yes something/ situation/circumstance triggers a certain routine and a specific reward is earned after the routine. Repeat this behavior a number of times and it turns into a habit.

Mwakazi thinks about our famous marathoners. A gunshot ... quite some run... and several million shillings reward on touching the finish line tape. Who would not want this behaviour repeated myriad times? What a nice habit!  

Our passionate entrepreneur Mr. Mwakazi has noted some habits that are seriously hindering goal achievement at work and even at the home front. Pendo his wife is on his case- he is sleeping late and waking up late courtesy of working late into the night.

This has to stop! In one of the evening rides, he happens to listen in to a discussion regarding cleansing of the temple found in John 2; 13-17, and Mark 11:15-18. On reaching home, he reviewed the reading again and suddenly he realized he could generously benefit from some tips found here to assist him break some of the habits he was struggling with.

Tip 1.....Identify that insidious and debilitating habit that is hindering your progress

John 2:16... “.... and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.”

Cue...John 2:13 records that “The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.” Passover....A major festival in the Jewish calendar where every male Jew above 12 years had to participate in and offer a sacrifice and pay temple tax in Jewish currency.

A bit of a problem here--- they traveled from far and usually dealt with Roman currency which needed to be changed to Jewish currency.

Routine....Set up a market to sell the animals to be sacrificed and run a money exchange bureau. No problem here as this was quite convenient for the visiting sojourners.

Reward...huge profits as they were charging exorbitant prices for these must have requirements.

Now it’s time for you to dissect that habit... what is your cue, routine and reward?

Tip 2.....Get a super appreciation of where you are at and what it’s costing you

The market place was set up in the court of gentiles.  For a moment, imagine the huge crowd, loud bickering, haggling etc. in a place which was meant for solemn worship! 

Luke was categorical in Luke 2: 46 that “It is written,” he said to them, “My house will be a house of prayer; but you have made it ‘a den of robbers.”

Jesus acknowledges that the merchants were robbing the worshipers. Furthermore, this market was run by the priests and their henchmen which means that the priests not concentrating on their core duty.   Moreover they denied the gentiles (non-Jews) a place to worship.

Take a deep breath and appreciate how deep this habit has sunk you. What are the financial, health, relationship, spiritual, personal etc. costs that you are now bearing? 

What else could go wrong in case you do not arrest it NOW? How does you future look like if you continue with the habit?

Tip 3.....Get a mega appreciation of where you want to be and the benefits you are missing

In Mark 11; 17 , Jesus is  crystal clear on what the temple is supposed to be..  “And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS’? But you have made it a ROBBERS’ DEN.”

The temple was a place of worship for all including the gentiles who were to worship in the gentile court now turned into a market place. And they missed out on huge financial, health, relationship, spiritual etc. blessings.

Back to your habit, how would you rather behaved contrary to what is happening currently? What new behaviour would you have to replace the current one? Now get a list of all the pluses, the financial, health, relationship, spiritual, personal etc. benefits that you will gain on adapting this new habit. 

Looking at others who have this empowering habit, what have they achieved that still is eluding you? Make it a long list.

Tip 4....Get mad, mad ...really mad at you

Seriously mad- at what you have been losing all this time you have allowed this habit to continue hindering your progress. And for allowing that small voice to whisper to you that it is easier to maintain the current situation, after all you have survived so far-question is at what cost to you, your business and significant others. Jesus was mad- at the desecration of the temple and no wonder the next is.......

Tip 5.....Fashion your war weapons

John records what Jesus did next in verse 15... “And He made a scourge of cords....” He made his weapon of choice, fit for the battle at hand.  As for you, this is a battle you cannot afford to lose- the stakes are way too high. You will need to come up with waterproof strategies that will get you to throw out the debilitating habit.

Get out all available tools to support the new habit and disable the old one. Do your research on what works best and then suit it your needs. Remember, you have to own these weapons and be comfortable using them. 

Tip 6.....Go public

Make your intention to change known to supportive people who have your interest at heart. Request them to hold you accountable. You have a better chance of success now that you have a name to protect when you go public unlike when you only had YOU to account to YOU.  Jesus made his intentions known. He spoke the intentions to the crowds following him and those in the temple.

Tip 7.....Turn the tables

It is recorded in John 2: 15 that Jesus “.....drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables;” Get the robbers out and the worshipers in!

It’s now time to disrupt every   trigger, routine and reward connected to the old habit. Turn the tables upside down. Make sure the environment is entirely conducive to the new habit and completely unfriendly to the old one.

Tip 8.....Celebrate progress

Keep track of the progress you are making and make it known to those you have chosen as your accountability partners. Sometimes you make great progress and at times you may find that you are where you were yesterday. 

You may even find that you have actually slid back. Just like those merchants at the temple---they still came back. John records his episode at the beginning of Jesus’s ministry whereas Mark, Luke and Matthew records the temple cleansing at the end of the ministry.

When you do slide and fall on those tables, get back on your feet, dust yourself and keep on with the journey. The future is bright given all those expected benefits. Remember that no child takes the first step and runs without taking a few falls in between! 

When you are down though not out, your choice of accountability partners now kicks in... will they encourage or discourage you? Have they gone through similar process so that they can assist you with success tips?

Tip 9....Be ready for the backlash

Yes... some people will not be entirely happy with the change; more so if they were the beneficiaries of the process.  In chapter 21: 15 Matthew tells us that “...... when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.”

Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;

What steps do you take to overcome dis-empowering habits?

Share your experiences, suggestions or questions in the comments section below. Who knows- You could probably be the one to benefit from a changed habit!

Whatever you do, make sure it results in less work, more money and positive impact.

Update

Do you know that you can be assisted to improve your performance in “My Productivity Optimization Formula” program? Click here for more details

Virginia Mburu

Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach

Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money and positively impact within one year.  Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons onbiasharacoach.blospot.co.ke

Biashara Coach: 7 tips to seizing sudden opportunities

By Virginia  Mburu

Opportunities....

Mwakazi-the Passionate Entrepreneur and owner; Makao Interior Designers was still pondering over the tips on how to change those habits that were limiting his progress. 

He thought about the many opportunities he had missed like the contract he lost when he did not submit his proposal in time...ouch! Well, he needed a few tips in this area and Mark came in handy through his writing in Mark 10: 46-52. By the end of this reading, he had enough tips to get him back on course as under;

Tip 1.....Have an eagle vision...

A super clarity on what you want will enable you recognize an opportunity in your market. Bartimaeus - who was blind from birth had suffered greatly as a result of his blindness. We see him begging along the streets of Jericho. You can therefore imagine how much he longed to “see”. 

The gift of sight would relieve him of the shame of begging, restore his dignity, land him a noble way of earning an income, a family etc. What about being able to enjoy the many sights he could hear people talking about? 

His need was clear and he was categorical about it in verse 50-51; -“Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. "What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see." 

He longed to see all his life and that made it easy to recognize when an opportunity presented itself. As for you, are you clearly and certainly aware what you really want? Do you seriously yearn for it from the deep depth of your heart? You had better be otherwise you will not be able to....

Tip 2.....Be on the look-out.....

for the opportunity that can move you towards your vision. In verse 46 and part of 47, we are told that...

“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging”. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth,.....”  

For Bartimaeus, this was an opportunity that had presented itself. He had heard of other people who received sight through the miracles that Jesus performed in places he visited.This was his life-changing moment!

What about you Passionate Entrepreneur? Are you on the lookout for an opportunity or are you concentrating on the many problems you are going through and missing the bus?  

Or possibly you are just waiting for the opportunity to come knocking in which case Milton Berle has a perfect solution- “If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.” 

Move out of your comfort zone and build the opportunities! If you have an offline store, what about building an online store, or another branch or agent in another location etc.?

Tip 3.....Curiosity is your friend

Blind Bartimaeus listened and possibly asked about what was going on not only in Jericho but in the vicinity.  THat is how he  knew thatit was none other than Jesus the Miracle Worker coming towards him. 

What about you?  Are you asking, listening and gathering information as to what is happening in your industry and market? What does it means to you and your business?  Unlike Blind Bartimaeus, you can observe the changes in the environment you are operating in.

What is happening in the political, economic, social, technological (PEST scan) arenas that you can take advantage of? 

Create a huge network of relevant information sources- people, events, training material etc. such that you realize when a shift is about to occur. You will them be well positioned to know the right time  to act , the right decision  to make, the right resources, the right support you need etc.

Tip 4....Be a risk taker and a quick planner....

Blind Bartimaeus had never seen Jesus. He had only heard about him and his fame and now he had to take a risk that Jesus was truly the one passing by.

He also was not even certain that he was to be the recipient of a miracle... but he took the risk and in verse 47, “...he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"

He must have done a quick SWOT analysis!

He identified his strengths (his voice which he had honed as he begged), his opportunity (Jesus), his weaknesses (blindness, fear of the crowd or his cloak which could hinder his speed) and his threat (his competitors comprising of all those others who wanted a miracle or the crowd that wanted to hang around Jesus).  

 He then drew a quick action plan... Keep shouting above everybody else!

Tip 5.....Get to work... quickly...

After that quick SWOT analysis, Bartimaeus swung into action and boldly made his intentions known to the right person who could heal him of his  blindness. No hesitation... no over-analyzing..... as he knew this window of opportunity was only open for a short time and the competition stiff. 

Opportunities are open to many. Slow down a little and another person will take advantage of it.  Mind you, you will have to work extra hard, shout more etc.  not forgetting that you still have other work on your hands.  
 
 At times, some people miss the boat here as Thomas Edison reminds us that “Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work”.

Tip 6.....Have faith, be bold and courageous

In Verse 48, we are told that “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"  Wow, don’t we all need that tenacity that will get us to the finish line despite all the frustrations and discouragement?

Someone did take note of Bartimaues' efforts and responded for in verse 49, we are told that “Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you."  Yes, the very same people who were rebuking him were now giving him way to meet his opportunity! 

So will your naysayers once you persist and start progressing. While at it , have great faith that this is your opportune moment!

Tip 7.....Be ready for a change.....

Bartimaeus received the long awaited miracle as recorded in verse 52- "Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.”  Did you also note that he changed career from Blind Beggar Bartimaeus to Jesus Follower Bartimaeus? 

As you do your quick SWOT analysis, factor in how the realization of the opportunity may change your lifestyle. Are you ready for the change?

Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;

• How do you take advantage of sudden opportunities?
• How did you miss others?

Share your experiences, suggestions or questions in the comments section below. Who knows- You could probably be the beneficiary of the next successful opportunity!

Whatever you do, make sure it results in less work, more money and positive impact.

Update

Do you know that you can be assisted to successful achieve your goals through “My Goal Setting and Achievement system"? Click here for more details

Virginia Mburu

Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach

Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money and positively impact within one year.  Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on biasharacoach.blospot.co.ke

Biashara Coach: 13 sales process considerations before sending your sales team to the field

By Virginia  Mburu

Mwakazi- the Passionate Entrepreneur and owner; Makao Interior Designers  wants to expand his   customer base. He recently hired several Sales Representatives  and it is now time to send them to the market.

As he prepares to do so, he comes across this reading in  Luke  chapter nine where Jesus is  sending out the  twelve disciples. On deeper analysis, he picks some important points to consider as he readies his team for “Project expand”.

1. Let there be an agreement

Luke 9: 1 "When Jesus had called the Twelve together......"

And the agreement is reached by people who come together and deliberate on the issues at hand. No wonder Jesus calls the twelve together and  proceeds to.....

2. Give them power and authority

Luke 9: 1  “...he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,....”

Jesus delegated Power and authority together not separately.  He equipped the twelve with the power (ability) to perform the necessary tasks and the authority (right) to do so. You can be sure the demons would have given them a tough time if the disciples did not have the authority (right) over them. 

Mwakazi   noted that he needed to define the powers and authority to delegate to his representatives. Which ones? To what extent? How were they to exercise the power and authority? But then,  he also noted that it was paramount to......

3. Define the business mission

Luke 9: 2 ...and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Jesus was sending the disciples out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal which was in line with his mission which was to “preach the good news of the kingdom of God” as spelt in Luke 4: 43. 

Mwakazi realized that he had not yet defined the sales mission for his business. He observed that as he crafted one, it had to be in alignment with the business mission. With a clear mission, he could then....

4. Craft the sales message

Mark 6: 12 “They went out and preached that people should repent.....” Mwakazi referenced other authors of this incident and noted that according to Mark, the message all the disciples preached was similar, clear and simple. He was to have a clear message and understood by all Reps before they started to..... 

5. Prospect

 Matthew 10; 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.

While referencing other authors, Mwakazi noted that Matthew records that the twelve were to search for a worthy place to lodge in. The disciples had to make the right choice of the home. Once they chose, they were stuck there till they left that town!  

This was particularly important as it impacted on the next step in the process. Mwakazi needed to  set up a system on how to prospect for worthy prospects who were most likely to quickly turn into customers.

6. Build and maintain relationships

In Luke 9: 3-4  Jesus told the disciples to "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.”

The twelve were to travel light and stay in the same home they chose which meant that they had to develop and maintain relationships with the people they were sent to as they were to depend on them for shelter and food.

This got Mwakazi thinking on how he was to get the reps to build great customer relationships as it was the customers who paid their salaries. As they built the relationships, the Reps were to.....

7. Expect and quickly get over rejection

Luke 9: 5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." Some would reject the disciples or the message. Get over it and move on to the next customer while keeping in mind that.....

8.  Teamwork wins

Mark 6:7-12 7 “Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two....”  Did someone say that two is better than one since when one falls, the other lifts him up? Enough said as Mwakazi noted that he needed to......

9. Immediately Execute

Luke 9:6 So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere. The disciples immediately took their message to the customers in the villages. Hit the road when the message is still very hot and enthusiasm high and for sure...... 

11. Expect reaction from the  market

Luke 9:7-9 “Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who,   then, is this I hear such things about?" And he tried to see him.”

The Representatives presence in the market will be felt and the various stakeholders in the market  will certainly react. Will they be perplexed, curious, indignant, worried etc.? All the same, Mwakazi decided that he would identify in advance the various stakeholders, the expected reaction and his next course of action. 

He was not to be caught napping! All the more reason why it was paramount to.....

12. Set up a reporting structure

Luke 9: 10 “When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done.”    How will the performance reports reach the business? How will these reports be analysed and integrated into the business to move it to the next level?  With the expected successful results, Mwakazi also needed to plan on....    
                                      

13. Where to retreat to

Luke 9:10 “........Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida,....” Jesus and his disciples withdrew to Bethsaida possibly to review the plans, processes, areas of improvement etc. as well as celebrate results. Where would Mwakazi and his successful team retreat to? Mwakazi picked up his phone......

Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur;

• How do you prepare your sales Reps before sending them out to the field?
• What else could Mr. Mwakazi do to prepare his Reps?

Share your experiences, suggestions or questions in the comments section below. Who knows- You could probably be one of the beneficiaries of one of the miracles resulting from the next sales expedition!

Whatever you do, make sure it results in less work, more money and positive impact.

Update

 For more strategies that will turn your business into a selling machine, enroll in “My World Class Sales System ” program. Click here for more details

Virginia Mburu

Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach

Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money and positively impact within one year.  Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke

Biashara coach: Paul’s 15 healthy lifestyle design virtues

By Virginia Mburu

Mwakazi the Passionate Entrepreneur and owner of Makao Interiors Ltd is intent on enjoying every second the New Year affords him.  He happens to be an ardent seeker and in one of the readings, he happened to come across some lessons in 1 Thessalonians 5:11-22.

He realized that he was already applying some, others he could easily apply while others called for serious determination and commitment. Possibly, he may need your encouragement and wise counsel on some areas. The lessons are as under;

1.Be the encourager

Verse 11...Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Let us be  part of  great support system... a network of encouragers that builds  a person, be it intellectually, emotionally, physiologically, spiritually, socially, careers, business etc.

2.Hard  work is to be respected

Verse 12 and 13.... Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work.

Wow...  Do I get it that working hard, leading and respect are birds of the same feather?

3.Live in Harmony

Verse 13 continues.... Live in peace with each other.

Peace... that is what the human race is forever seeking. Paul says.... just live it, practice it.....daily. And St. Francis of Asisi prays- “Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love.”

4.Be the light-house - warn the idle

Verse 14...And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle,

We surely cannot warn the idle when we are their compatriots in crime! You certainly will have to be amongst the lot practicing virtue 2- the hard workers who are respected!

5.The  timid look up to you

Verse 14 continues....encourage the timid,

Think of any behavior that is opposite of bold—nervous, shy, fearful, faint-hearted, cowardly, apprehensive, hesitant, etc. Anyone who exhibits such behavior does not call for bashing. It is a cry for help!

6.The weak need your help

Verse 14 continues... help the weak,

Sometimes we see them as feeble, delicate, vulnerable, exposed, fragile, frail, faint, tired, drained, shaky etc. They could be weak courtesy of their genes, or as a result of the experiences they have waded through resulting in a dis-empowering belief system. The weakness could be intellectual, emotional, physiological, spiritual, social, work, business etc. What are you doing about it? Can you hold their hand?

7.Endure discomfort without getting upset.....Be Patient

Verse 14 continues...be patient with everyone.

While holding that hand, pray for the patience to be patient. This includes being patient with your own self as you metamorphose.... You need it! Mark this advice by Arnold  Glasow- “The  key to everything is patience. You get a chicken  by  hatching the  egg, not  by smashing it

8.Tit for Tat is not a  fair game, kindness is

Verse 15...Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

You do not repay evil with evil nor do you watch as someone else does it, full stop!

9.Don’t Worry, Be Happy Always!  

Verse 16 ......Be joyful always;

Can you imagine that the person who was writing this was a former bigwig now happily in prison? Where are you now that you are downcast?

10.Follow the doctor’s orders---Take  your prayer dose- without fail

Verse 17.....Pray continually;

When life happens-be it  positive or negative, make prayer the first item on the set of actions to take. When we sincerely pray, we do get connected to almighty powers that enable us to make the right decisions leading to a divinely suitable solution.

11.Have  a Grateful Attitude (gratitude) no matter the circumstance

Verse 18.... Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Easier said than done- don’t you think? But then again, are the results of the other option preferable?

12.Keep the fire burning

Verse 19.... Do not put out the Spirit's fire;

There is already a spirit’s fire (passion) burning inside us. And each one of us has the responsibility of feeding it with the right nutrients and fanning it to keep it alive. Will you?

13.Take  wise counsel

Verse 20.....do not treat prophecies with contempt.

An African proverb comes to mind which when directly translated goes like “No one repents when going as when coming back”. Take note of the wise counsel whether it be divine or acquired from various life experiences.

14.ABT (Always Be Testing)

Verse 21....Test everything. Hold on to the good.

Test people before trusting them with your life, your loved ones or possessions, test ideas,  test products, test services, test words, test theories, test philosophies, test behaviours, test beliefs.....basically everything and then hold on to the good whilst tossing out what is not beneficial......

15.Remember the TO DO’s and NOT TO DO’s

Verse 22.... Avoid every kind of evil.

Whether we like it or not, at times evil will come knocking on our doors- be still and send virtues 1 to 14 to answer that door.

Over to you Passionate Entrepreneur

• Which is the easiest to apply?
• Which one is the hardest to apply?

Share your experiences, suggestions or questions in the comments section below. Who knows- You will be the one benefiting from the many encouragements shared herein!

Whatever you do, make sure it results in less work, more money and positive impact.

Update

Do youknow that you can be assisted to improve your performance in “My Inside Out Lifestyle Design Formula” program? Click here for more details

 Virginia Mburu

Passionate Entrepreneurs Coach

Virginia empowers and motivates Passionate Entrepreneurs to realize their purpose and pursue it. She then assists the entrepreneurs to clarify, prioritise and focus on management and marketing strategies and action plans that will get them to work less, make more money and positively impact within one year.  Access some of her gifts- absolutely free lessons on biasharacoach.blogspot.co.ke