The *pray while you smoke* approach to get what you want

There’s a scene in "The Two Popes" where Cardinal Bergoglio tells Pope Benedict a story about two seminarians who like to smoke.

The first one went to his spiritual director and asked if it’s permitted to smoke while praying.

The reply was, "no, of course not."

The second seminarian asked slightly differently. “Is it permitted to pray while smoking?”

(Ba dum tsss!)

That. ????

Think about how often we run into a situation head first.

Seeking answers.

And then growing annoyed because we don’t get what we want.

Especially as more seasoned business owners because we've been doing things the way we do them for a long while.

{Take it from the woman who went on a writing strike last year because I'd been doing it the same way for 17 years and it "felt heavy."}

But it's the second, “pray while you smoke” approach that's the game changer for us.

Because it’s the difference between being puzzled by a situation…

or creating a solution that the largest employer in your state is hungry to buy from you.

It’s the difference between earning a little bit more year over year…

or booking an extra $180,000 in 30 days with a few hours of work each month.

It’s the difference between growing stale by what we do…

or becoming a national spokesperson and putting you in the limelight as the go-to expert.

{Or, in my case, now having a blast writing for you every week!}

(^^ Yes, real results from real humans. ^^ )

It comes down to approaching the situation from different angles.

It’s about asking different questions.

Tossing out old rules we’ve imposed on ourselves.

And granting ourselves the freedom to explore and experiment.

Because when we can’t seem to solve a situation, it’s because we keep coming at the problem from our old way of thinking.

Asking the same questions, the same way. The same questions, the same way. The same quest…

You get the point.

I recently spoke with a woman who wants to franchise her business.

She’s done quite a bit of research on the topic and really believed this was the way to make a significant change in her financial fortune.

I asked questions to understand if it would be worth pursuing — and poked around to see how open she is to other possibilities. (You’re looking at a range of $50-100k+ to franchise your business. It’s not cheap!)

By the end of our conversation, she recognized there are countless ways to achieve the financial goals she has for herself.

But not because I told her so.

It’s because we took a creative approach to the situation. No preaching or lobbying one way or another. But by simply showing up as her thought partner and asking questions that opened her eyes to plenty of other options.

That doesn’t mean she won’t franchise. But she won’t do it without more careful consideration. And when and if she does, she’ll be 100% certain that’s the right path vs. second-guessing her decision to invest over $50,000 in that expansion.

Her final words as we hung up the phone were, "Just with this convo, I feel like a couple of bricks were lifted off my shoulders. I realize I don’t have to franchise in order to make more money. That alone eased my mind. Worth every dollar."

Each of us needs a thought partner in our business when it's time for change.

Because sometimes you need someone who sees all of you.

Understands your vision.

And helps you find the answers to your prayers. (Even if you don't smoke.)

Who’s in your corner?