Step Away From It All and Watch What Happens

In my last article, "Have You Uncovered Your Theme for 2013?" I gave you six steps you can take to uncover your theme for the year ahead. You can take these steps as an individual and also as a company or team.

Let me tell you about something very powerful that happened to me just a few weeks ago, while creating my own theme for 2013.

There was a "calling" of sorts that had been whispering in my ear. "Take time off and step away from it all, Alan," is what I kept hearing, over and over again. So I decided to listen to this calling and did something I had never done before. I rescheduled all business appointments and took the entire week off with the intent not to do any business whatsoever.

Yes, you heard right - an entire week. Not a half-day retreat or even a two-day retreat (one of my great clients calls these "advances").

It was a time for me to step back and practice the six steps of creating my own theme. It's amazing what can show up when you go to your "third place." [Lisa, hyperlink to this article, too] This precious, uninterrupted, solitary time surfaced so much it would be difficult to list it all, so here is just a taste:

First, a lesso
I learned a very long time ago seemingly popped up out of nowhere. It says there are three types of people: those that sink you, those that float you, and those that rocket you.

"Sinkers" are people who drag you down, hold you back and get in your way. You want to eliminate these relationships in your business and/or personal life.

"Floaters" are those relationships that are just kind of okay, sort of "floating" out there. They aren't really dragging you down, however they may not be rocketing you, either. You can accept these floater relationships as is, or - and this is important - you can invite them to come along on your "rocket" journey.

They may or may not join you, but at least you have drawn the boundaries with them. And even though they may not accept your invitation today, they may get on board later when they see where your ride is taking you. Or they may drift out of your life completely.

Then, there are the people who rocket you! These may be people who are already successful, and you catch the excitement just being around them; you want a piece of who they are and what they have accomplished. You also get a charge being around people who are on their way up, and who are excited about being around you.

The rocket people in your life are those who are forward thinking and have like-minded values. They tend to have vertical rather than horizontal conversations - interactions that dig deeper rather than stay on the surface. These people support you and encourage where you want to go.

When you are caught up in the middle of things it's difficult to look objectively at your relationships and spot the sinkers, floaters and rocket people. In my week off, I saw this more clearly tha
I ever had.

Since then, I've made some difficult decisions. I eliminated a sinker relationship and have drawn boundaries in a floater relationship.

Additionally, that sacred "third place" time had me thinking about my business - where I've been and where I want to go next. The result was creating a new profit center that is already creating passive income for me.

On the personal side, I had been getting a bit off track on my eating habits. When I was in the middle of it all, I didn't realize just how far. In the few weeks since then, I have been eating healthier again and I'm fitting into a few pairs of jeans I haven't worn in quite awhile.

I am feeling incredibly excited about my life and my business, and my enthusiasm is contagious. My new attitude is already attracting more money, more clients, more opportunities and better relationships!

As a result of taking dedicated time away from work and practicing the six steps, I now have my 2013 themes, intentions and goals in writing. I have eliminated one sinker relationship and drew boundaries around a floater relationship. I have a new profit center that is bringing in passive income, and I am eating healthier and feeling spectacular!

My theme for this year is "2013 IS the best year of my life so far." I say, "so far" rather than, "the best year ever" because I want to make room for even better results in the future.

Take a week off and try this. (You need the break, anyway.) Let me know what shows up for you.