All posts by Amira Alvarez

When You Realize You Need To Course Correct

By Amira Alvarez I'm entitling this... "what to do when you realize you need to course correct?" I'm just back from a quick trip to Flor-eee-da! It was gorgeous–warm breezes, lots of beach time, and hanging out with my hub's family. Floating in the salt water of the gulf was delightful and oh so…
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Inspiration

I’m entitling this… “what to do when you realize you need to course correct?”

I’m just back from a quick trip to Flor-eee-da! It was gorgeous–warm breezes, lots of beach time, and hanging out with my hub’s family. Floating in the salt water of the gulf was delightful and oh so good for my soul. I highly recommend this.

And now I’m back home… and I’ve realized some things. Distance from your business does this, which is another great reason to build in times you step away. This is the power of changing perspective in action.

What did I realize?

That I’m off course in a few ways. Not hugely, not so far that I can’t course correct. (Actually, I believe you can always course correct.) But enough that I needed to have a big come to Jesus meeting with myself and figure a few things out.

First, I needed to figure out what was off. I knew something was off because I didn’t feel good. This is a huge sign, but one that we often ignore and blow off. (Hint: don’t ignore this!)

I always look to my state of being, my energy first. What’s my state? If I’m not fully plugged into my confident enthusiasm for what I’m doing, I know something is off. If I’m wobbling between confidence and doubt, that is also a concern. If you’ve gone off into anxiety and worry, stop everything NOW and pay attention.

Next, I dig into and ask myself what’s causing me to feel this way? What am I thinking about my circumstances that’s throwing me out of heaven? What am I uncertain about?

What keeps circling in my head as something I need to attend to? (For me I need to write all of this down, because my mind has a way of distracting me and changing the subject. Then I’m just left with my original state. Nothing changes.)

Your answers, if you’re not attentive to the process, can make you feel more overwhelmed. You can start thinking that there’s just so much that needs to be fixed and done differently… and panic. This is not helpful. I’d advise against this.

Instead, put together a very simple course correction plan. This looks like 3-5 things you can do differently.

Pick one thing. Do that. Don’t sweat which one – avoid analysis paralysis.

We can only do one thing at a time. You’ll feel better simply being in action. Pick your one thing and do it. And while you’re doing it? Don’t think of the trillion other things that need to be done. Just focus on your one thing. Feel the energy of completion. Move onto the next step.

One of the things on my course correction plan is always…

Who can I turn to for help?

For me, even though I’m a coach and mentor others, I always have a mentor to turn to. ALWAYS. So the first thing I do is turn to that person. This isn’t a substitute for doing my own work or taking the action I need to take. It’s guidance, a double-check on my mindset and plan, and a plugging into the knowledge that I’m supported and not alone. All three of these are so important.

Access that support.

Amira

 

 

Own your desire… make things happen…

By Amira Alvarez I recently had an interesting experience. I realized I wanted something that costs $100,000. I really want it. Whoa. This was making me all tight in my heart as I sat, somewhat pitifully, on the dog bed waiting for the coffee to brew. I very quickly figured out why. I…
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Life Stories

I recently had an interesting experience. I realized I wanted something that costs $100,000.

I really want it. Whoa.

This was making me all tight in my heart as I sat, somewhat pitifully, on the dog bed waiting for the coffee to brew.

I very quickly figured out why. I was telling myself it was not okay to want this, that this desire was bad, not good, not for me, foolish and frivolous.

BUT, and this is really important, it wasn’t the DESIRE that was making me feel bad. It was the DENYING of that desire that was making me feel bad.

When I decided to own that desire, in that moment when I said “yes, I want this,” my heart opened up and all the yucks went away. Instantaneously. Everything calmed down. There was just peace and knowing.

No fear, doubt, or worry. All of that goes away. There is just knowing. Yes. This is what I want.

I may not know yet how I’m going to make this happen yet, but now that I’ve owned my desire, the wheels have been set in motion.

I am unstoppable when I really want something and I’m going to make this happen for myself. You are too!

Amira

 

 

Shark Tank Ah Ha You Need to Know (About Doubt and Paranoia)

By Amira Alvarez Last night I was watching SHARK TANK. It was an old episode that I had recorded. An already successful entrepreneur pitched and was extraordinarily optimistic about even further success. She was putting 20x current valuation on her company. Every time they asked her about what deals she actually had in…
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Inspiration

Last night I was watching SHARK TANK. It was an old episode that I had recorded.

An already successful entrepreneur pitched and was extraordinarily optimistic about even further success. She was putting 20x current valuation on her company. Every time they asked her about what deals she actually had in place, what her numbers actually were, she talked about all the wonderful companies and distributors who *want* to do business with her, all the interest she was getting.

This is enthusiastic. This is believing. All of that is positive and critical to running a successful business. BUT she couldn’t actually point to the orders. She couldn’t back up her claims of turning into a $10million dollar business next year, much less a $20 million company. She was doing well, making money, all of that great and nothing to sneeze at. Yet, when asked to substantiate her projections, she couldn’t.

You know what Barbara Corcoran said? “She’s missing the doubt card.” That woke me up!

Barbara said when she was in her twenties and building her real estate empire she ALWAYS questioned herself. ALWAYS. She always doubted and that served her. That helped her make good business decisions.

In an instant, Robert Herjavec chimed in with, “All entrepreneurs are paranoid.” (His words clearly influenced by his IT security background.) But still…

Doubt?? Paranoia??

After picking my jaw up off the ground and having an ah-ha moment with my man, I felt that delighted feeling wash over me.

There was something so comforting in having confirmation that even über, über, UBER successful (and seemingly confident) entrepreneurs have this same experience.

This was a complete re-frame on doubt and paranoia and how they serve us.

  • Instead of pushing doubt away, let it serve you.
  • Instead of resisting your doubt, appreciate what it’s telling you.
  • Instead of saying “it’s bad” or “I need to feel more confident”, allow it to help you right now.
  • Instead of thinking that doubt and confidence are mutually exclusive, hold them both as necessary components.

These are not new messages. The coin simply dropped in a different way.

These two ultra successful folks didn’t let the doubt or paranoia stop them.

They used it as part of their discernment practice. They integrated it in as a tool to building their empires. Duuuuude! I love that.

Amira

 

 

 

P.S. The quotes of Barbara Corcoran and Robert Herjavec are NOT actual quotes, but are paraphrased.

You’ve got to step into a new paradigm of feminine leadership

By Amira Alvarez One of the things I've really learned (and continue to learn) is how to run a successful business from both my masculine and feminine energies. This weekend was a lot of action on my business. I loved every minute of it. (Well, almost every minute of it.) I was in…
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Business, Growth, Inspiration, Life Stories

One of the things I’ve really learned (and continue to learn) is how to run a successful business from both my masculine and feminine energies.

This weekend was a lot of action on my business. I loved every minute of it. (Well, almost every minute of it.) I was in jam mode, preparing to launch my new goodness into the world.

There was a lot of action-oriented, masculine energy. I needed that to get what I needed to get done, done. Nothing wrong with that. Not one bit.

The reason this works for me now, and I can continue to stay open to source and I don’t get bogged down by overdoing and over striving…

Is that I’ve learned how to source myself and plug into my creative, connecting, receiving feminine side *while* taking action.

This is most definitely part of the trick to having ambition and goals, and going for them without letting them lead to overwhelm and burnout.

It’s important to step into this new paradigm of feminine entrepreneurship and leadership.

It’s important to stay connected, creative, and open to receiving while taking action. If you don’t, you cut yourself off from much of your power as a woman.

Men have to plug in this way too, however there’s a different balance or emphasis of these energies.

As women, we need to be deeply reverential to how we work best. This is about acknowledging and utilizing all aspects of ourselves and not over doing our masculine aspects at expense of our feminine aspects.

It’s not one at the expense of the other. We’re not rejecting either side. We’re asking both sides to show up and support us.

This is a high vibration way of leading and creating a successful business.

I invite you to step into this way of leading by noticing if you’re overdoing the push mode to the point that it’s cutting you off from where your true power is?

When you’re plugged into your true power, taking action doesn’t feel like a struggle or uphill battle. It feels energizing, life-giving, and fun.

Amira

Owning your value

By Amira Alvarez "The fastest path to cash is owning your value." I said this to a client yesterday. Think about what's stops you from charging more, from creating a new product or service, bringing it to more people, from stepping into more? Honestly, lots of things. There's fear of rejection, there's knowledge…
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Tips of the Trade

“The fastest path to cash is owning your value.”

I said this to a client yesterday.

Think about what’s stops you from charging more, from creating a new product or service, bringing it to more people, from stepping into more?

Honestly, lots of things. There’s fear of rejection, there’s knowledge and skills, there are deep seeded beliefs and patterns.

Yet one of the biggest things that really puts a limit on income generation for business owners is a sense that either what you’re offering is not worth it or, even more insidious if you are the face of your business, that *you* are not worth it.

This will stop you in your tracks.

For instance, if you think…

“I’ve only been in business for 6 months, how could I charge more than the industry standard or someone who’s been doing it for years?” 

You’re valuing yourself compared to the industry or hierarchy, rather than the value you uniquely provide. (Maybe your value is at this level, BUT maybe it’s higher? What value do YOU bring?)

If you think…

“I can’t charge that, then my hourly rate would be astronomical.”

You’re not only valuing your service in a “trading time for money” way, you’re not truly valuing your knowledge and expertise. Value your knowledge and expertise and raise your prices accordingly.

If you think…

“I have this idea for a product or service, but I’d only pay x for it.”

And if this amount wouldn’t get you out of bed to work on it, then you have value problem. Could this product and service actually be worth more? If you valued it higher, would you take action on it? (This doesn’t mean you don’t need to solve a problem that others value too or understand your market. You do.)

How are you actually valuing your product or service? Is that the true value of the problem you solve?

Go look and adjust accordingly.

Over and out.

Amira

 

 

The Shadow Side Of Drive And Ambition

By Amira Alvarez Do you have drive and ambition? I do and I think this is something that all women who are successful in business have. Personally, I love my drive and ambition. We're on good terms now... but that wasn't always the case. I used to drive myself so hard that I caused myself…
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Classic Post, Inspiration

Do you have drive and ambition? I do and I think this is something that all women who are successful in business have.

Personally, I love my drive and ambition. We’re on good terms now… but that wasn’t always the case.

I used to drive myself so hard that I caused myself intense physical pain–neck pain, back pain, even numb fingertips.

Worse yet, and this is something I’m really not proud of, in this single focus to achieve, I put my relationship with my husband at risk.

How’d I do that?

I did that by defining my success as only what I had achieved… what I had done lately, today, right now.

This is seemingly great for getting things done and moving your business (and your life) forward, but it puts you on the hamster wheel of never enough. You always have to do the next thing, and the next, and the next. (Do you feel me?)

Plus, if you do that 100% in your business and your life, you cut yourself off from your “beingness”. You cut yourself off from and lose sight of who you essentially are.

And this is what I was doing. (Not completely, of course, but to a degree that was pushing our relationship to the brink.)

I was out of touch with what made me “me”, my essential self, and to be honest, my feminine side.

By feminine side, I mean my sense of openness and vulnerability. My softness, my allowing, my ability to receive. My intuition, my sense of connection and collaboration.

[Of course these traits exist in both men and women. Just like drive and ambition exist in both men and women. And that’s a good thing. For me, it’s about what’s taking the lead role in how you’re showing up, and for how much of the time.]

This is the shadow side of drive and ambition. This is the shadow side to our intense desire to live out our purpose in the world and achieve great things.

There is nothing wrong with ambition, action, and going after our goals.

Let me repeat. There is nothing wrong with ambition, action, and going after our goals and putting the effort into your life and business.

We need the masculine elements of doing business like… project plans, goals and metrics, sales funnels, operating manuals, financial systems, solid structures to our businesses, etc.. We need to be action-oriented.

Without action, we’re just hanging out in our day dreams.

I love me a good day dream. This is where some of my best ideas have come from, the most juicy and creative concepts come from this receiving mode.

And that’s just it…

We need to be in touch with both sides of our nature.

The “New Feminine Leader” cherishes both sides of herself and holds them both as scared.

We can neither reject our masculine elements or our feminine elements and expect to get ahead with ease and grace.

When you over-emphasize the action-oriented, masculine side of your nature, the shadow side comes out…this looks like overwhelm, stress, burnout.

This so important to recognize.

In order to step into a new paradigm of feminine leadership–one that prioritizes ease and grace–you must release the beliefs that drive you to show up in ways that aren’t truly serving you.

Enough of the patterns that lead to over-striving, over-doing, and overwhelm. Enough of the beliefs that cause worry and the grind-it-out-push-style of building a business.

This is not how you bring your work and your message to the world. It’s no longer effective and is counter to your energy as a woman.

It’s time to release the thoughts and habits that are holding you back and transcend the old models for achieving success.

I invite you to stand in your power with no apologies and bring all of YOU to the world in a bigger way. Start now. This is so important. This is how you get the wholeness, peace, and joy that you really want.

And this is how you build a success business that is soul satisfying and financially rewarding.

Amira