How the Law of Attraction Really Works

I want to tell you a secret - I've never read "The Secret" though I've been practicing my own understanding of the Law of Attraction for years.

My version of the Law of Attraction is a combination of setting clear and specific goals, taking consistent action and being persistent. It's not woo-woo at all.

The Law of Attraction is often described as a technique to visualize and affirm the reality you want to create in your life. Things like "I am happy and healthy", "My business is fulfilling and profitable,"and "I am loved" etc.. There are some definite benefits from using positive affirmations and visualizations to shape your thoughts and shift your outlook. These chosen thoughts can help you train your mind to be more loving, positive and upbeat. This works great for shifting your mood and feeling more empowered and excited about life.

However, if you rely on these affirmations to grow your business without combining them with goal setting, consistent actions and persistence in following through with what needs to get done, not a whole lot is going to happen except you sitting around talking to yourself.

I absolutely believe there is a role for affirmations and visualizations, and I teach my clients exactly how and when to use them. But we also combine the mental outlook shaped by these exercises with down to earth strategies and action plans that produce results. For example, in last night's Mastermind call, we looked at what, specifically, would need to happen for the practitioners on the call to achieve their long term goals of making a profit in their business.

For one practitioner, the first baby step was to set a goal of booking 2 clients next month. The actions she needs to take in order to do that are not just speaking an affirmation every morning, though affirmations are helpful to keep you on track. She needs to get really specific about who she wants to help and flesh out a character profile of this person in her mind so she recognizes when she comes across this person.

She also needs to carry around her business cards, talk with everyone she meets about what she does, listen carefully to what people tell her about their own problems and goals, and finally to confidently let the people she talks with know that she can help them with their problems and invite them for a session. She can't just hand them her business card and tell them to call her either, she needs to offer specific session times in her invitation - so she needs to be aware of her schedule and availability too.

To make her goal happen, she needs to be proactive like this every day as if it's her job (it really is her job!), and keep up with it until she meets her goals. She also needs to be persistent and not take it personally when her invitations are declined. She needs to be confident enough in herself and her offering that she knows in her heart the right people will jump on the opportunity. This means wishing those who say no the best and moving on to the next person. She might need to seek out new venues to meet people if she is not encountering the people who fit her profile and tweak who she is talking to in order to hone in on her ideal client.

With consistent action, persistence and determination, I am positive that she will meet her goals. This is the "secret" I use to meet my goals every month, and you can use it too!

Do you need guidance and support in identifying your ideal client, crafting your offer and creating action plans? Join us for the Summer Apprenticeship for Heart-Centered Entrepreneurs. Or if you prefer one-on-one guidance, the Heartsick Employee to Heart-centered Entrepreneur program may be for you.

Be True to Yourself

I hope this finds you rested and relaxed after a long Memorial Day weekend!

This holiday is about remembering the people who fought for our freedoms, and it's a good reminder to pause for a moment in gratitude for all that we have. We have so much opportunity to be true to ourselves here in the US, and yet so many of us are too afraid or stuck to live our lives from a heart-centered authentic place. In my article below, I share a technique I use to stay true to myself and my dreams every week. I hope you enjoy!

A dear client of mine found this old email exchange between us in her archives last week from when she was first in a coaching program with me in 2009.

It was a good reminder for both of us about saying Yes to ourselves and No to others in order to be true to ourselves and our businesses. I thought it would be nice to share it with you as well.

By the way, I still do use this technique to stay true to myself, and after a lot of practice ~ I'm pretty good at it now! I hope you block off some time for yourself over this long weekend, too!

Enjoy!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Joanna!!

This e-mail is another one of what I would like to call your 4As: Amazing Advice As Always!!!

I want to print it and tape it to my planner...

From the heart...

Carving out 3 things: Self-care, On my practice and In my practice...I love it.

Say YES to me and my practice and NO to other people.

Much love and gratitude,

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear ,

If it's from your heart, it will touch people and they will pay attention. People respond to things they resonate with, and when you reach out from your heart you connect with their hearts.

Remember that this is YOUR practice, and you can take all the time you need. In fact, it's crucial to take all the self-care time you need.

I know that a rigid schedule isn't for you, and it's not for me either. Let me tell you a bit about what I do and how it helps me. I think I mentioned this at our mastermind last time. I create my schedule weekly based on what's going on and what's available - who's in town, what kind of events are happening, holidays, clients, personal needs etc..

What I have is a commitment to myself each week to do three things: self-care, working ON my practice, and working IN my practice.

When and how I do this changes each week based on what's happening, but it keeps me focused and on track while also allowing the fluidity that I need with my schedule.

This means that each week, on Sunday for example, I sit down with my schedule and carve out these 3 blocks of time for my practice. (Whether it's an evening after work, a few hours on weekend day, etc..)

So here's how this could work for you.

Make a decision to designate 3 blocks of time each week on growing your practice.

• One block is strictly for self-care,
• Another is for working ON your practice (writing newsletter, reaching out to new clients, designing programs/packages, learning new skills, networking etc..)
• The last block is for being IN your practice at your office space with clients or just visualizing, brainstorming and being creative if you don't have any bookings.

This means that sometimes you are going to have to say No to other people and let people down.

But this kind of commitment to yourself is necessary to make the changes and growth in your life so that you can lead the kind of life you want to lead.

It does take a bit of discipline to say Yes to yourself and your practice and say No to other people every week, but it pays off in the end. You're less frazzled, and there is less stress about trying to meet deadlines for yourself.

This is something I am still perfecting, but it has helped me get where I am today.

I hope you have a wonderful vacation! And when you get back, sit down with your calendar and block off some time for YOU.

Warmly,

Joanna

Do you have the keys and confidence to succeed?

Do you have the confidence, clarity and courage to shape your holistic health, bodywork or wellness practice into the type of business that brings you the clients income and opportunities that support and fulfill you every single day?

A thriving, successful, practice that is filled with clients you love to work with requires a commitment that you stay true to yourself in every way.

I've learned - and now teach - that the real secret of a thriving practice lies in your confidence, clarity, and courage to be yourself. When you operate and market your business from this place, the clients who need your help will find you.

If you are determined to see your holistic health, bodywork or wellness practice bring in the type of clients, income and opportunities that support and fulfill you every single day, this Apprenticeship is perfect for you.

The 12 week Apprenticeship will guide you in creating a sustainable, personalized foundation for your business so your practice will grow and thrive. It will take you step by step through the most important discoveries and decisions you need to make for a profitable and fulfilling practice. It will provide you with the inner and outer tools you need to become a successful heart-centered entrepreneur and practitioner.

Is this Apprenticeship right for you?

You are passionate about being of service and helping people feel better and change their lives. You are determined to make a difference in others lives and in your community by teaching and modeling what you know about how to live well and experience abundance.You are committed to working for yourself and making a comfortable living doing so. You arededicated to growing and maintaining an authentic business that is in alignment with your values and integrates seamlessly into your chosen lifestyle. You are enthusiastic about creative collaboration with other like minded professionals.

But you

• just opened your practice in the last six months (or are about to)
• are struggling to find clients or aren't totally sure how to attract the clients you need for your practice to be fulfilling and profitable
• aren't confident that you know the most affordable, effective, and yet compassionate way to promote your services
• want or need to grow your practice to full time so you can leave your day job and/or support yourself but don't quite know how to do so
• don't want to (or can't afford to) work alone in a private office and cover the expenses all by yourself
• are seeing clients at home which feels awkward at times
• sometimes your clients don't take you as seriously as you'd like
• are tired of the "Cycle of Despair" where you're always looking for new clients because your current clients aren't rebooking

This program is for those who are truly committed to offering their gifts and skills to help people heal and become well, and who are committed to creating a successful, sustainable business.

"I recommend this program because this is what WE all need. We need to look at the irrational obstacles we've created for ourselves. We need someone willing to genuinely help guide us and give us a supportive, structured opportunity to provide the best practice we possibly can have."- Jennifer C. (Read Jennifer's Success Story here.)

What's included in the Heart-Centered Entrepreneur Apprenticeship?

This Apprenticeship will help you get clear on how to create and shape a successful Heart-Centered business for your practice. You will discover how to envision and create an authentic practice that supports your lifestyle, develop a soulful professionalism and communication style for interacting with your clients, and learn the best heart-centered business practices for your business. You will also experience the benefits of collaborating with like-minded professionals in the online community for inspiration, encouragement and accountability.

This includes:

• Your unique practice: your vision, your ideal clients, your gifts
• Authentic marketing strategies: your niche, tagline, and marketing materials that feel sincere and compassionate instead of "sales-y"
• Business strategies: work/life balance, finances, budgeting, business collaborations, building long term relationships, agreements, etc..
• Effective heart-centered communication with clients that encourages relationships
• Abundance and appreciation as strategies for growing your business

"I think the most valuable insight was realizing that I am holding myself back and no one else. I am able to dream bigger and I am more confident in the success of my business. It feels great not have to compromise between what I want to do and what I think will fetch me the most money. I have the confidence to do what I feel is best for me and I know that I will be provided for." - Olga T. (Read Olga's Success Story here.)

Our Mission to help practitioners thrive!

The mission of The Healing Center is to provide excellent, heart-centered healing and personal growth opportunities to the Beverly and greater North Shore communities through exceptional services and classes. The Healing Center is a collaborative association of talented teachers and practitioners that strives to offer the neighboring communities a diverse assortment of wellness services and learning experiences. We want to be the wellness center established in on the North Shore as the place to go to experience healing and personal growth.

In addition to our commitment to quality services and classes, The Healing Center is devoted to supporting it's practitioners. Our practitioners feel called to bring love, compassion, healing and peace into the world through values-based businesses and sustainable lifestyles. The Healing Center was founded by mentor and coach, Joanna Scaparotti, RMT whose passion is to help

practitioners thrive and succeed as heart-centered entrepreneurs. The Healing Center offers an Apprenticeship to each practitioner to guide him or her in creating a solid, sustainable foundation for his or her practice. The Apprenticeship provides the practitioner with all the inner and outer tools needed to become a successful Service-oriented, heart-centered, entrepreneur and practitioner.

This Apprenticeship is for anyone who feels called to be of Service and is excited and enthusiastic about offering healing and wellness opportunities to people on the North Shore. It's for those who are truly committed to offering their gifts and skills to help people heal and become well, and who are committed to creating a successful, sustainable business. Other support provided for practitioners includes a monthly support group, Your Profitable Practice, for local practitioners. There is also a Vibrant Business ~ Vibrant Life online support group with a monthly group coaching call.

Why join us?

There are many benefits to having your practice at The Healing Center. The Healing Center provides most of the things you need to run a professional practice. We provide all of the ambiance and little extras that make a difference for your clients. At The Healing Center, we take care of all the overhead of maintaining an office, so all you have to do is show up. We manage the rent, utilities, beverage supplies, cleaning and dealing with the property management company.

The Healing Center is located in an elegant 1920's building right downtown in Beverly on Cabot Street. 234 Cabot's front doors are open during business hours, and for evening and weekend appointments your clients can call up on the intercom system for you to buzz them in. As your clients enter through the double doors, they first notice the high ceiling and marble staircase leading them up to the second floor.

The Healing Center is located in Suite 2, to the right at the top of the staircase. Our suite has high ceilings and some of the original wood molding that gives it a warm charm and comfortable feeling. Your clients enter into our cozy waiting room and are greeted with relaxing music, soothing lighting, and beverages. To the left is the treatment room which is equipped with soft lighting, an adjustable massage & reiki table, and simple, sophisticated décor. Ahead of you is our larger, sunny office which is used for small group classes, private consultations, Reiki classes, and occasionally for bodywork treatments. Here a mini-fridge, microwave, and other dining items are available for your use. We also provide a desk, printer, office supplies, and unlimited wi-fi internet access; as well as local and long distance phone calling from our office land line.

Other benefits of joining The Healing Center include your listing on our website, promoting your services on our Facebook Fan Page and email newsletter, cross promotion and referrals with other practitioners at The Healing Center, associate membership in the local Chamber of Commerce via The Healing Center, and client appointments generated through The Healing Center's own promotional activities. There is more to come! In 2011, we will be adding linen service, online scheduling and gift certificate purchasing through MindBodyOnline.com, credit card processing, and access to health insurance for practitioners.

Is The Healing Center right for you?

The practitioners at The Healing Center are passionate about being of service and helping people feel better and change their lives. They are determined to make a difference in the community by teaching and modeling what they know about how to live well and experience abundance. Our practitioners are committed to working for themselves and making a comfortable living doing so. They are dedicated to growing and maintaining authentic businesses that are in alignment with their values and integrate seamlessly with their chosen wellness lifestyles. Our practitioners are enthusiastic about creative collaboration with other like minded professionals. They are excited to come to work each day because they have wonderful clients and feel fulfilled by the difference they are making in the world.

Does this sound like something you'd like to do?