"The Light on the Dashboard" A Story for Financial Due Diligence & Healing

For most of my life, I’ve had a tendency to numb away difficult feelings.

And I must say, over the years of life and everything that comes with it, I got really good at ‘not feeling’ and 'powering through'.

That allowed for a lot of good things, in all honesty.

But in recent years, I realized that not being in touch with these feelings also comes with a cost (affecting my relationships and my own well-being).

As I began to develop my emotional literacy, I literally had to train myself “how to feel,” as strange as that may sound.

Somatic experiencing, a method for learning how to self-regulate our emotional and nervous system responses, has helped me more readily catch when there are feelings that need tending.

This level of self-awareness has also helped me in my role as a client with my health practitioners.? I’m better able to communicate the challenges I face mentally and emotionally, which allows them to make better recommendations for me.

I’m of the belief that we don’t need to be broken to see a Therapist, Naturopathic Doctor or any other Integrative Health practitioner.?

I believe in a proactive approach to health and wellness (at all levels).?

Indeed, I seek help in times when I feel broken…

…and also in times when a tune-up is all I need.

It just so happens that I was recently consulting with my Ayurvedic doctor about how to heal my lacerated and broken toe most effectively and efficiently.? And in the course of doing so, we were able to address some other imbalances that had become apparent.

She recommended that I find an Ayurveda body worker in my area to do an Ayurvedic oil massage (abhyanga) and shirodhara (which is an exquisite body therapy using medicated oils to stimulate the pineal gland and deeply soothe the nervous system).

So there I was, rushing out of the house on Friday afternoon to drive 2 hours north to my nearest Ayurveda bodyworker here in Oregon.

Oh, the laughable irony…

…scrambling around on my way to get a treatment to soothe my nervous system!

As I drove off, I noticed the tire light on the dashboard?

?? cue the scary Jaws music ?? ???

I said to myself, “Ok, I’ll check the tires when I stop to get the mail.”

Arriving at the post office, the mail I fetched…

…but the tires I did not check! (...more scary Jaws music)

As I continued down the county highway, the tire light again I saw. I rationalized to myself, “It’s come on like this before and it was just a little low on pressure, no big deal, no rush.”??

“I think it should start blinking or making dinging sounds if it’s really important.? After all, I don’t think I have time to stop if I’m going to be on time for the treatment.”?

?? ??? Jaws music getting louder ??? ??

Oh, my mind!

Now cruising down the interstate, and the light still in my awareness, a thought whispers “I should keep my ears alert.”?

?? ?? ?? the ominous music is now telling us Jaws is VERY CLOSE! ?? ?? ??

Not sure how much time passed after that thought, but suddenly I began to hear an unusual loud humming sound.

“Huh…what is that?? Is that my car?”

…and it got louder.

…and then I could feel a rhythmic friction in the wheels.

Darting a glance to the rearview mirror I could see splinters of rubber dusting the highway in my wake.

“Aww man, that’s not good.”

I slowed my roll and found my way to the shoulder of the highway as the sound got progressively worse and disintegrated rubber debris continued to dance on the pavement behind me in even larger quantities. It seemed only moments before I stopped that the wheel rim had now been rolling without any padding of air propping it up from the pavement.

Shock…

…and shock compounded when I realized I had forgotten my cell phone at home! And now you well know, I was feeling the burn about the scramble that began this journey.

“What now?” “Wave down help?”

I couldn’t actually remember if I knew how to change a tire, amidst vague memories that gave me only a hazy sense of familiarity.

“Was 4th grade boy scouts really the last time I saw this done?!”

I pulled out the manual from the glove compartment, assessed if this would even be possible.? The position where my car had rolled to a stop was on a curvy mountain pass with a slight incline (not an ideal position for a tire change, to say the least)...

Large semis sent walls of wind across my face as they zipped by 7 feet away at 75 MPH. So much for a relaxing afternoon - ha! I suppose what I needed was an adventure ;-)

But my humor hadn’t yet returned at that point. Managing the shock and anxious air, I realized I needed to slow everything way down and measure each move.

I read the steps in the manual from start to finish, and then one step at a time, multiple times.? And I then picked through the puzzle of my wheel locks and spare tire equipment for the first time in my relationship with this car.

Pushing through the visceral discomfort, realizing there wasn’t an easy way around this one, it took me an hour to complete the task.

Lo and behold, I was back on the road.? Phew! And the treatment?

Fortunately, my Ayurveda practitioner was very understanding when I finally made it to the next town to give her a call (which was well after our appointed time).? Next stop, I found a local tire shop and got my car in the garage an hour before they closed.

Man, what a day!

I drove home realizing how lucky I was to be driving home. ???

Interesting side note: I saw today that Vedic Astrologers are indicating these days to be more prone to accidents…be safe out there.

*

So this was a lesson for me in vehicle maintenance.??

I went too long without having my tires checked (...the tire shop guy, who was a kind man, suggested getting tires checked on the same cadence as my oil change, as a best practice). And you bet I’m gonna check that dashboard light right away next time it comes on! Clearly, there are several lessons here…and some translate to business as well. There’s something to be said about being able to orient our surroundings (and our equipment!)

Just like a vehicle, well-run businesses also have dashboards in one form or another.

Effective business dashboards show indicators of performance, and also throw up warning signs when things are off.

And many of these indicators are financial indicators. Some folks use fancy business words and might refer to these as KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators). Many of these indicators (KPI’s) can be read on financial statements like the Profit and Loss statement.

Unfortunately, most small business owners never develop a solid orientation to the financial side of their business.? And statistics show that high business failure rates are mostly due to poor financial management.

I wish it were otherwise, but I come across very few businesses that have a clean Profit and Loss statement or clean Balance Sheet (“clean” meaning statements that are up-to-date, accurate, complete and render a clear view into what’s going on within the business). What that means is most small businesses are driving down the highway without a fully functional dashboard to let them know if something’s up.??

Not to be dramatic, but that’s the reality I see as a financial consultant. Of course, there are other more obvious signs that indicate something ain’t right, like not enough money in the bank account, or credit card bills with increasing balances and interest charges each month. But tracking financial metrics (and marketing metrics for that matter) alongside a clearly laid out strategic plan, with clearly articulated and time-specific financial goals, are what help a business grow through developmental phases and ensure a business remains running smoothly once it finds its stride.

Sometimes, there are emotional blocks that make it difficult to even look at finances.

In all empathy, I get it.? There are a lot of reasons for this.

Money tends to be a major blind spot for folks in our society.?

I’ll be the first to admit that I woke up to the realities of money late in life.

In spite of being such a money-driven society, very few formally learn financial skills, and even fewer learn how to navigate the emotional nuances that surround finances.

This softer side of money is an area where I’ve seen Somatic Experiencing work really shine with my clients. A client who took me up on my Somatic Experiencing scholarship offer last month had a wonderful breakthrough during our session, allowing them to now approach their business finances with new confidence.

If you're feeling stuck in your business...

...or stifled in your relationship with money...

...or if you're wrestling with other challenges like anxiety, frustrations or burnout relating to your business...

I’m extending my offer from last month again for the month of August.

I would be happy to offer a scholarship rate coaching session to do some Somatic work around a topic of your choice (with my pay-in-full hourly rate at $250, scholarship rates typically range from $100-150 per hour).

With that said, if you can't find yourself in that range, feel free to name your price. Simply reply to this email if you’d like to take me up on that offer.

Have a lovely (and safe) August!

-Bill

#ayurveda

#naturopathicdoctor

#somaticexperiencing

#smallbusinessfinances