Your Holistic Practice: How To Embrace Abundance

“So how's it going?”

Whenever I put this question to Sasha, one of my one-on-one clients, I always get a bright and bubbly answer. But two weeks ago during her session, her response was less than enthusiastic.

“I don't know, Elizabeth... I just don't know," she said. "People are canceling their Christmas parties. It's freaking me out.”

Sasha is a Tarot consultant. In addition to a large private clientele, she works with New York City event planners and hosts who want to provide an incredible experience for their guests. Until this moment, Sasha had been really excited about going for bigger and better opportunities in her practice. But now she wasn't so sure.

“If people are canceling, maybe I should pull back a little,” said Sasha. “Maybe it's not the right time to be really putting myself out there.”

Sound familiar? Whether the facts on the ground or the collective fear are taking their toll (or both), it's practically impossible not to be affected in some way or other by what's going on with the economy right now. (Personally, I'm one of those folks who feels anxious energy in a big way. That’s why I’ve been on a media diet for the past few months.)

When things start to go wrong, what's the first instinct you feel? If you're anything like many of my clients and students, there's this overwhelming urge to pull back, scale back, or otherwise reel it in. Doubt and negative thoughts start to creep in and take over. “I need to be careful.” “I can't afford to put myself out there right now.” Or worst of all, “Why bother?”

Now, don't get me wrong - I am not dismissing the economic situation as all in our heads, of course. But here's what I know to be true, regardless of what the economy is doing:

1. People still have problems that need solutions. In other words, they still need you! (In fact, in times of stress, people need holistic practitioners and “soul-preneurs” more, not less.)

2. People are still spending money. (I've often heard that the entertainment industry does more business in bear markets than bull markets. I believe it.)

3. Pulling back, shrinking, and constricting won't change anything, and won't lead to anything but more pulling back, shrinking, constriction... and lack. This isn't just attraction-speak – it’s physics. (And as that wise guy on Star Trek used to say, “You cannot change the laws of physics!”)

4. The ONLY way to get more clients is by getting out there and marketing your business. (You knew it was coming!)

“Sasha, you know that the path you're on is the right one for you, right?” I asked. “The only way to get where you're going is to keep going. You've got to put yourself out there to get more clients. Pulling back will just put more distance between you and what you really want... and that's true no matter what the external circumstances are.”

I also asked Sasha to look at what was really affecting her business - not just what she was imagining or projecting. Yes, one of her clients cancelled a gig. The rest of the cancellations were really speculations, heard through the grapevine from other (panicked) folks. Yes, they may have been true... but she had no hard evidence. So they may have been just rumors. Why should she hold herself back based on something that may not have any basis in fact?

My husband has a favorite saying that you may have heard before: The only way out is through. When you feel like pulling back and hiding under the covers, the real solution is just the opposite. Instead of less, think more. When you feel like scaling back on your marketing, that's exactly the time to step it up.

Abundance invites more abundance. The only way out is through. If you've committed to a plan of action for your business, the ONLY thing to do is keep going. Find someone to support you and keep you accountable to your vision. Take time to rest and recharge. Celebrate every success, and reward yourself along the way.

That's exactly what Sasha did. She stuck to her plan... and not even a week later, she emailed me with some fabulous news. “I've just for the first time hit my weekly business goal. Just called in for a last minute party tomorrow. That makes 6 new clients and one party gig in one week!” Not bad for “this economy,” don’t you think?

One final tip, one that I learned from Dr. Sharon Melnick, a success coach who honed her techniques over 10 years at Harvard. When that resistance feels overwhelming, think of the finish line - not just what's waiting for you, but how it's going to feel. Imagine yourself a month or two from now, signing on new clients when everyone else said it couldn't be done “in this economy.” How will that feel? Pretty amazing, I'll bet. Soak it in now, imagine it happening now... and go for it!

(Many thanks to my client Sasha Graham, who generously gave me permission to share her story with you.)

Elizabeth Genco Purvis, “The Marketing Goddess,” is a writer and marketing strategist based in Brooklyn, NY. She teaches holistic practitioners, metaphysical consultants and “soul-preneurs” how to grow their practices, make more money and take more time off - all while staying in integrity and not sounding like a pushy salesperson. To claim your free 90-minute interview on getting all the clients you need while staying true to your calling, visit MarketingGoddess.com.