Ep #113: Living Into Your Future Self in 2022

You are listening to The Life Coach Business Podcast with Amanda Karlstad episode number 113.

Welcome to The Life Coach Business Podcast, a show for coaches who are ready to up-level their business and take their impact, leadership, and results to a whole new level. If you’re ready to start taking powerful action and become the leader your business needs in order to grow and thrive, this show is for you. I’m your host, Amanda Karlstad, certified life and business coach, and entrepreneurial leadership expert. Now, let’s get down to business.

Hello and welcome everyone. Welcome to the show. I hope you’re doing amazing. It is snowing here. We are officially in winter. It’s a beautiful time. It’s a beautiful snowfall right now. I love being able to watch the snowfall. It’s just a beautiful time of year.

The holidays, I hope you’re all having a great time with your family. I know for me, I always love to take some extra time during this time of year to reflect and plan for the upcoming year. I have to tell you when I look back on this year, when I look back on 2021, it’s been a really great year. It has in so many ways been a really transformational year.

Not only has my business grown this year, but I also feel like I’ve also grown so much this year. I’m really proud when I look at what I’ve been able to create in my programs, the level results that my clients are getting inside my programs, the work that they’re doing in the world. Really the overall impact that I get to make on a daily basis, and the ripple effect that this has.

It’s truly an honor to be able to do this work and to work with such amazing clients and to help them achieve extraordinary success and extraordinary things in this world and ultimately really live out their dream. I know I shared this before, but every week one of my rituals is to take some time to debrief the week. To look back and see what I’ve accomplished, to look at the wins. By the way, I want to say it doesn’t always have to be a big win. Sometimes it’s those micro wins that are really, really important.

When I do this, one of the things that I also look at is I look at the client wins that my clients are having each and every week. When I look back over these past few weeks, I am just so proud of the work that they’re doing. I’m so proud of the level of growth that they’re experiencing in their business, but also personally and who they’re truly becoming as they’re stepping into bigger and more expanded versions of themselves.

I think this is just a really important practice that I would recommend to all of you if you’re building your business. To be really taking stock of your wins, be really looking at not just your big overall goal, but be celebrating those micro wins. I talked about this in episode 110, the importance of celebrating and really acknowledging these micro wins just as much as those big wins. This is really, really important.

So when I reflect on this and when I, again, look at my clients wins each week and I look at the growth, just the shifts that they’re making, we have one client who has literally landed one of her dream speaking gigs. We have another client who landed a TV appearance. Yes, a TV appearance. We have clients who are creating more momentum than ever before. I’m just truly in awe when I step back and when I look at what they’re creating in their business. And the level of growth and momentum that is happening in this process. It’s truly amazing.

I wanted to share with you all that one of my clients in my high level coaching program. So this is my coaching program for more established coaches, for more established business owners who are scaling their business. Not only did she have her highest revenue day ever in the life of her business. She just created the biggest month of revenue in her business. So for her, this was just under $40,000 cash received, which is so, so exciting and so fantastic. I’m just so proud of her. It’s so much fun to be able to celebrate these wins with my clients.

So when I look at my clients and literally look at what they’re creating on a weekly, monthly, yearly basis, I’m literally blown away. The truth is that they are all becoming examples of what is possible in their own ways. For all of you listening, this has been my goal from the beginning.

From the beginning of my business when I decided to do this work, my goal has really been to help my clients do this. To become examples of what is possible. I have so many right now that are doing it, and it is so fun to witness it and to see them make these huge quantum leaps in their business. So I love being able to share these examples with you all because I know that if you’re listening, you too have a desire to become an example of what is possible.

If you haven’t yet, I’d really encourage you to apply and give yourself the gift in this new year, especially as we move into 2022. To set yourself up for success, to really put yourself in a container of success, to really decide to make 2022 your breakthrough year in your business and to really take things to the next level.

So whether that is building to that first $100,000 or whether that is taking your business to your first million and beyond, I would love to help you do that. So go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com. We’re going to put the links in the show notes as well, but my friends now is the time.

I have decided that 2022 is going to be the best year. It’s going to be the best year for my clients, the best year for my business. To do that, I have so many things planned. I have so many resources and tools and additional support that I am offering to clients in my program.

So we’re going to be kicking things off officially in my Mastermind program, my six month business accelerator program for coaches who are building to that first $100K. We’re officially kicking things off right after the new year. So if you’re a coach and you are ready to go to the next level, now is the time my friends because this program is only offered a couple times a year. So this is your chance to get in.

So if you are serious about getting to that level in your business, if you are serious about making 2022 the best year ever for your business, then that is where you need to be. So go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com. Again, we’re going to put links in the show notes as well.

If you’re a more established coach and you’re already at that six figure mark or maybe you’re trending towards six figures. You might be averaging six figures or maybe even beyond. Maybe you’re even in the multiple six figure range or high six figures and you’re looking to scale. Then I want to invite you to apply to my High Level Mastermind. This is where we take everything to the next level. This is truly where we build your million dollar business.

I know I mentioned this on last week’s podcast, but as I observe the growth and the level of results that my clients are achieving in this program, I have to tell you this container and the work that we’re doing in this process is the place for you to create your million dollar business. For you to create million dollar results, and for you to create your million dollar future self.

I’m so, so excited for those of you that are in this process and for all of those of you that will be coming along. I highly encourage you to get started and to apply before those spots are filled. So go to amandakarlstadcoaching.com. Again we will link that up in the show notes. Let’s drive in my friends.

All right. I want to talk to you all today about something that when you understand it, when you understand it and step into it can change everything for you. I’ve talked a little bit about this before, but I’m thinking about all of you as I was thinking about this episode and what I wanted to bring to you today. I know you all want to build a highly successful business. I know that you all have big goals. I know that so many of you want to really take your business to the next level, especially in the New Year.

So I decided that it was really important that I talk to you all today about the importance of your future self. Not only that but also supporting yourself in that journey towards your desired future self.

So I’ve been doing a lot of my own reflection work as well on this lately and working with my clients on this topic. When I’m looking at my own journey and the things that have really lead me to success. By far one of the most important elements to this concept, to all of this is who you decide you want your future self to be.

The reason why this is so important, why being clear about who you want to become is so, so important is because that is what actually creates your present. What? I’m going to say that again. Who you want to become, who you see yourself to be especially in the future, so your future self, is what will create your present. Let me explain why.

In psychology, there’s a concept. It’s called perspection. It’s actually a psychological concept that states that we are being driven by our future in the present. So depending on how we see that future version of ourselves, depending on how we see our future self will influence how we operate in the present.

So if you have a clear picture of who you want to be and if you are clear on what you want to create, if you are clear on how you want to show up in your business and in certain situations, what you want to be able to bring to the table on a daily basis. What happens is this greatly influences your present. It influences your present because it’s the lens by which you make your decisions in the present. The lens by how you choose to perceive things in your present.

Versus when you don’t have a level of clarity on your future self. When you are not clear on who that is or haven’t taken the time to develop your future self and who you want that to be, you’re going to operate so much differently than if you have that clear picture. Than if you have a clear vision of who you want to become, of who you want to be in your life, in your business. There’s a lot of research around this. It shows us that whatever view we have of our future, this will actually be the driver of our present.

So obviously this is a really important element to your success as a business owner, to your success as a coach. Especially when you’re scaling a business.

One of the reasons that I have found this to be so important when you’re in that process is because when you have that clear picture of where you’re going, when you have that clear picture of who you’re becoming, when you have the ability and choose to focus on this on a daily basis, what I have found is it gives you such a greater sense of purpose. It gives you such a greater sense of your mission both in the work that you’re doing and for what you’re building. For what you’re creating and for what you’re working towards.

So if, for example, you’re a coach and you’re helping your clients overcome and solve a major life problem, which as coaches that is what we do, right. Let’s say that you’re helping your clients solve a problem, a painful problem that they’ve been dealing with for quite some time and it’s really effecting their quality of life. Let’s say that you have a goal of helping as many clients as possible solve that problem, and that you desire to be an industry leader. That you want to really make a dent in your industry and lead the industry with your solution.

The reality is that there are certain things that you will need to do in order to achieve that. There is a certain way that you’re going to need to show up in your business. There is a certain way that you’re going to need to work with your clients. There’s going to be a certain way that you deliver valuable content, that you deliver value consistently. That will shape what you do today.

So this gives you so much of a greater sense of purpose to what you’re doing. It helps you make better decisions in the present that help you align with that future version of yourself, and your mission becomes so much more clearer. It allows you to focus so much more clearly on the things that actually matter and not get distracted by things that take you off course.

So what I want to offer to all of you is that the bigger your vision for your future self, the bigger your present will be. I love this so much. This is one of the things that I love most about this concept is that by making your future bigger than your present, you’re by default actually making your present bigger by default. This is so powerful.

So the next reason or the byproduct of why creating and grounding yourself into your future self is so important to your success is because it forces you to focus on the things that are most important to you in achieving that desired future vision, in becoming that desired future self.

So one of the recommendations that I have for all of you as you’re doing this work is to identify what are your top three priorities in terms of achieving, in terms of you becoming your desired future self. Meaning what are those top three priorities? What are those three biggest priorities that if you focus solely on those priorities and you went all in on those priorities would ensure that you met your goal? Would ensure that you became your future self? That you accomplished that big purpose, that big mission that you’re here to do?

This one is really important because the truth is one of the reasons that I see so many coaches struggle for so much and in so many cases for so long at much longer than I believe they need to is because they aren’t clear on the things that I’m teaching you today. They aren’t clear on their main priorities. They don’t have full clarity on their future self, on their bigger purpose, on their mission.

What ends up happening is instead they start to make short term decisions. Short term decisions that are not sustainable, short term decisions that don’t support the true missions. Short term decisions that don’t actually lead to the level of growth that they want. Because they end up focusing on so many different directions. Instead of going all in on one direction and being extremely clear what these priorities are in order to achieve those goals in that direction, they tend to do what I call off roading. I see this happen over and over and over again.

The result is that quite frankly so many coaches are spinning their wheels on things that don’t matter. They’re spinning their wheels in their business on things and doing things, their time, their energy on things that aren’t mattering to their big long-term vision. The consequence of this is when you’re in that place, so if you’re feeling like you’re in this place right now. The truth is it’s very hard to build momentum from this place. It’s very hard to be able to move beyond that place.

So in so many ways not being clear on your future self, not being clear on your top three main priorities is actually slowing your business growth down. I really want you to consider that. I want you to ask yourself some questions.

I want you to number one, ask yourself whether or not you’re truly making decisions in your business with the long term in mind. I want you to consider if you’re making decisions from that long term perspective, from that long term purpose, and from that mission. Are you even clear on what that is? Or are you making decisions and as a result placing your energy and your focus on areas that aren’t aligned with that long-term vision?

This is a really, really important set of questions to answer. So I want you all to consider this because here is what I know. When it comes to growing and scaling a business, your energy as the business owner, your time, your focus is the most precious asset that you have. So by ensuring that your energy, your time, your focus is being placed on those right priorities is really essential. It’s going to be required if you want to take your business to the next level.

Once you’ve identified what those main priorities are, then the next step is to ensure that you’re moving towards your future self and to take those three core priorities and to decide what your specific, your measurable goals are that relate to those priorities. I talk about this a lot with my clients in terms of what those needle movers are in your business.

For example, one of the things that I have discovered is that when you understand your priorities, when you understand what those true needle movers are in your business and you commit to focusing on those priorities, you commit to focusing on those specific goals that are related to your priorities, you actually gain so much more traction that way.

You’ll actually be able to create so much more momentum when your focus isn’t fragmented. When it isn’t split between 10 different things, but when it’s focused on your top no more than three priorities that line up with and support your business growth.

Again, it’s really common for a coach, and I see this happen a lot where they want to offer several different programs, or they want to work with several different types of clients. They want to create new programs when they feel inspired or maybe when they see a need for it. What ends up happening is that this doesn’t leave a space for a level of mastery. It’s not conducive to helping you actually go deep with your content, to go deep with your program, and to create and deliver a program at a high level.

In order to sell all these different programs, it also requires so much more marketing. It actually requires a lot more manual marketing that having one specific program. One program where you’re going deep with your clients, one program that you’re offering to one specific group of clients.

So the idea, the concept, of not only being clear on your future self but also the priorities and the goals that support that future self are really everything. So if you’re listening to this right now, I want you to ask yourself what is the purpose that I want to accomplish right now? What is my life, what is my business demanding of me and asking of me right now? What is it that you really feel called to or feel impressed upon that you want to accomplish your focus back to?

Here’s what I know. When you have a sense of purpose, when you have a sense of meaning, of hope, of courage to not only handle the challenges that you have in the present and to be able to focus and to find better and more effective strategies that not only help you create momentum in your present but also support your future self. The quality of your priorities, the qualities of your goals is going to be based on this clear future self, this clear future business that you’re creating and having that connection to that sense of purpose, to the meaning that you’ve decided you want to have is everything.

So I want you to as yourself what are the three core areas? What are the three core priorities in your business, in your life that truly embody your sense of purpose? What are the three most important things that you want to be focusing on, that you want to be investing in in your business? This is really important?

I want to share with you a great quote that I recently heard, and I just love. It’s by Robert Brault and he said, “We’re kept from our goals not by obstacles but by a clear path to a lesser goal.” I think there is so much truth in that. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately, just how easy it is. Something I observe happens so often when we’re in this process how easy it is to become distracted, how easy it is to lose your focus and to start doing what I call off roading when things especially don’t go as planned.

I liken it to if you were a pilot, if you were flying a plane from L.A. to New York and if you were in charge of flying that plan from L.A. to New York safely. The truth is that even just one or two degrees off the charted path, off that planned route. Even just a slight degree of difference literally has the potential to land that plane in a completely different place. So I want you to really think about that. The same is true in your business my friends.

What I’m talking about here will make a huge difference. As these distractions come up, as things come at you, I want you to know that one of your jobs as the CEO of your business is to continually be looking at, to continually be getting yourself back on track, to continually be planting and investing in the things that actually matter and getting support in that. Being able to optimize for your priorities, optimize for your goals, and being very intentional while you’re doing this.

So lastly you have to make sure that you’re scheduling time in your calendar to work on your priorities, to work on your goals that matter. As a coach and as a business owner, you have two very distinct roles in your business. I did a podcast about this a while back. It was episode number 61, The Difference Between Being a Business Owner and Coach. I’d highly recommend you go back and listen to that.

One of the things that I’ve learned and that I teach all of my clients is that when you are building your calendar, when you are looking at your week, when you are looking at your business, you need to make sure that you’re deciding ahead of time and you’re scheduling in your calendar times that you are going to coach, times that you are operating as the coach in your business, and times also that you are going to be the business owner. Times that you’re going to be the CEO and work on your business. This is very, very important.

So I want to invite you, this time that your scheduling, make sure that it’s time with and it’s for your future self. It’s for your future business, and for the future clients that you’re going to serve. Really take the time. Do the work. Your future self and your business will thank you. All right my friends. Have an amazing week. I’ll talk to you all again soon. Take care. Bye, bye.

Thank you for listening to this episode of The Life Coach Business Podcast. If you want to learn more about how to build, grow, and scale your business and accelerate your results visit amandakarlstadcoaching.com.