Virtual Moxie - The Cure For The Common Virtual Assistance Practice

Put your eggs in one basket

I have coaching clients who sometimes ask me to help them with understanding their own clients. Over the years I've noticed the tendency some of those people have to never focus on one or two things and do them wonderfully well. Instead, they are always in motion—on a business-oriented gerbil wheel, looking for the next thing, the bigger/better thing that, in their opinion, is going to really propel them to success and financial greatness. They head toward something, put it in play, and if it doesn't pan out hugely in a short time, they can it, and move on to the next thing. Or, they don't can it, but keep adding other offerings to the mix. Unfortunately, no one can do it all and do it well. Certainly the McRib sandwich taught the world that, no?

VAs aren't immune to this way of behaving, either. That's why I think that the only people who really ought to be VAs are the ones who can say that being VAs light them up inside. It doesn't have to light them up forever, but while it does, that's where the focus should be.

Bit O’Moxie: Doing more things isn't the same as doing the right things. Right actions trump everything else, ten times over. Get good at recognizing what you're doing that's just busy work, and what you're doing that's purposeful and/or meaningful. Then only do what's purposeful and/or meaningful. Put all your eggs in one basket and focus on it. See what happens to your success.

Life is like a teacup

Dawn wrote to me today to tell me that something she'd read had been powerful for her. It was something I contributed to a newsletter that VANA sends out. Thinking that it would be perfect for today's Bit O’Moxie, here it is:

Life is like a teacup. There's only so much "stuff" that will fit into it. If you fill your cup with the wrong things and the wrong people, you won't have time for the right things and right people. The wrong things and people bring stress. The right people and things bring joy and contentment. Carefully choose who and what gets your time and attention.

Who, me??

One of the things I do at AssistU is coach our trainees. Twice each month, those with something to coach about--either a challenge they're facing, or a possibility they want to take advantage of in the best way--spend an hour with me and other students also getting coached. It's great fun and we get a lot accomplished.

Yesterday, I spent time with them, and later spent some time with a few of my private coaching clients--all of whom were VAs. A theme appeared in several of the conversations...a "who me" or "why me" sort of quandary. This played out in a couple of ways:

* I feel like a fraud. I have no experience yet, so how in the world will I ever get a client to believe I can create any value at all, much less $60/hour of it?
* None of my friends get what I'm doing. They don't understand why I think I can own my own business and be successful.

Let me tell you something. You are, each of you, better than you think you are. You are more gifted, more savvy, more beautiful (inside and out), and more deserving of every good thing under the stars. All you need to do is believe the deserving piece, and the rest will fall into place.

And so I offer you something fabulous from Marianne Williamson as today's Bit O’Moxie:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

So.... the next time you're stuck wondering why you or something else like that, turn it upside down and ask yourself boldly(and the naysayers if you like!), why not you. I bet you don't have a good answer ;)

My favorite quotation

I'm often asked what best piece of advice I would offer to Virtual Assistants, regardless of their experience or lack thereof. Over the years, that's changed. But for the past several, it's been exactly the same.

Bit O’Moxie: Your standards can always be higher.

And they can. And they should be. As soon as you reach one level, you need to be looking to see what's next. What's higher. Where you need to take things up a notch.

As a practical matter, an example would be around fees. When you first start, maybe you work with a PAYG (pay as you go) structure. But soon enough, you realize that doesn't really serve you, and you raise your standard and only work on retainer. Then you really get the power behind working with a client on retainer, and you raise your standard again, to only work with clients willing to put you on a higher retainer. Ultimately, you'd raise your standards so much that it would pour over into other aspects of your work with clients...it couldn't help but happen.

And it's not that any of this has to happen overnight. It's an ongoing process. Just be aware of the need for it, and make sure that you take steps toward it on a regular basis. Once you begin, you'll never look back, and the raising of standards will become as natural as breathing.