a8e732d35f5a47ce869b0726949679dd

Setting Intentions and Creating a Vision Board for 2022

183:860766308 (Sarah Agar-Brennan) — Mon, 14 Feb 2022 11:33:28 GMT

As we say goodbye to January, you might also be saying goodbye to the new year’s resolutions you set so optimistically.

Having a vision of who and what we want to become and achieve is crucial to growth, happiness, and success. We imagine a better way of life and believe in its possibility, so why do so many of us fail to realise that vision?

I’ve worked as a visioning coach with individuals and teams for more than 15 years. Here’s the thing: we all make the same mistakes. The bad news is that these mistakes are holding so many people back. The good news is, through simple changes to your mindset and approach, the path to achieving your vision becomes smoother, happier, and will actually end at the right destination.

By setting intentions and creating a vision board, using visioning techniques you can improve your health, wellbeing, livelihood and financial success. So, what is a vision board? A vision board is a representation of your goals and aspirations; a visual of the life you are working towards. But creating it is more than cutting and sticking. We have to give ourselves time to understand who and where we are, and what we are willing to let go of to attract something new.

�� Vision Board Checklist ��

✔️Setting intentions

Consider your intentions carefully and think big. This isn’t a to do list, it’s our hopes and dreams laid bare. Don’t end the thought at ‘I want to be financially secure’. That’s a great aspiration, but what will it mean for you in reality? How will financial security enhance your life? Perhaps you’ll be able to spend more time with your family, travel more, invest in your relationships more fully, give to others. Think about the end result – the part that will make you happy – not just the barriers to this happiness.

There are many moving parts involved in creating a vision board, but by consciously setting intentions regularly we can exert some control over our own circumstances and create our own happiness, peace, and security.

✔️Bring your vision to life with images

Find images that reflect these intentions. For example: take pictures of your house if you want to do house improvements or sell it. Pictures of your loved ones if you are manifesting something that involves them, love, holidays, health and happiness. Or maybe you want the dream wardrobe or body – hunt down the images that inspire you.

Dig deep into what you really, truly want to attract, don’t hold back! You don’t need to share this vision board with anybody, it’s just for you, and you need to trust that you can achieve exactly what you want. Be bold, be brave, believe!

✔️Create positive statements to accompany your images

Now it’s time to bring those images to life! Write a series of positive statements as if you’ve already achieved them. It might say ‘My life is filled with abundance. I earn more than £X doing a job I love surrounded by a team that supports me in my role’. Be as specific as you can and don’t limit your thoughts.

✔️Let go and trust

You’ve taken stock of where you are, and where you’d like to be. You’ve visioned yourself exactly where you hope to be.

Now, let go.

This is the hardest part of creating a vision board and setting your intentions. This is where most people fall down. We’ve been conditioned to think that we must constantly ‘take action!’. Our instinct is to go hell for leather to make our dreams come true.

Stop. Slow down. Trust.

Yes, of course, we have to make some changes, we do need to take some action – but it’s a fine balance. The mistake we most commonly make is to push too hard, searching for every opportunity to derive the dream. We fixate on the result, and when this result doesn’t materialise we worry, stress, and succumb to unhappiness. The dream alludes us.

✔️Align yourself, less is more

So, get on with your life and prioritise happiness. Take time out to do what makes your heart sing. Spend time with friends and family. Indulge or explore a hobby. Enjoy sports. Volunteer. Do anything that will relax you and connect you with joy. When we are happy, we attract success into our lives. I recommend reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Anchor to understand this fully. Based on the largest ever study of happiness and human potential, the book explains how happiness fuels success and performance by ensuring we are creative, engaged, resilient and productive. Do what you need to do to make yourself happy, even if it goes against your instinct to ‘grind’ or ‘hustle’. Choose the happy route, resist burnout.

✔️Express gratitude

Following the same principle, the final step is to take the time to express gratitude for every day. Reflect on each day as it draws to a close and be mindful of the things that you are appreciative of, big or small. It all counts, being thankful that someone made you a cup of tea or held the door open for you is a brilliant habit.

A grateful mind boosts serotonin production in our brain. We absorb those feel-good hormones, we cultivate our own happiness, we attract success.

Sound do-able? It is! This approach to achieving your vision is infinitely more powerful than the new year’s resolution trap. The goal is happiness from day one, not ‘eventually, when I’ve slogged and slogged and worked until my dream came true.’ Follow these steps and watch your dreams come to life effortlessly, while you enjoy the ride.

Final thought

Of all the sessions I deliver - helping clients to understand how businesses grow and implement practical, strategic business growth advice - this is my favourite. Watching others break free from the restrictive mindset that’s been holding them back is simply the best feeling in the world. With less stress, more clarity, and trust in the process, my clients are able to move forward and embrace their dreams.

Feel free to get in touch with me at sarah@themapleagency.co.uk if you’d like me to run a vision board workshop for you or your team.

Expectation versus reality when starting a business

183:860766308 (Sarah Agar-Brennan) — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 23:43:26 GMT

When we first start a business we have all these ideas about what we are going to achieve. Creating the business, market research, MVP, when we are going to trade, how quickly we are going to grow- the list is endless. And it is never how we imagined. Curve balls are thrown at each and every stage. The Maple Agency asked some of our younger business enterprise clients about their expectation’s of starting a new business versus the reality.

Expectation: "I can do it all by myself"

Many of our clients had the expectation they could do it all by themselves, but throughout the process they realised they had totally underestimated how much work entrepreneurial activities actually involved. One client said; " there always seems to appear new complications that need to be tackled for the process to be efficiently operating .”

Expectation: "I'll have a lot more free time"

Another common expectation was that clients running their own businesses would have a lot more free time. The reality was that people underestimated the effort and skills required at each stage of a business. One client told us that they quickly realised; "one person simply cannot possess all the needed abilities suggesting external support is often/always necessary.”

Expectation: "I have an idea, so I'll just make that product and sell it"

A third expectation was that clients thought it would be simple to have an idea, make a product and then sell it, but the reality was much different. A client said; “ as time went on I realised that I had a lot of gaps in the information and I wanted to fill them in before selling my products .”

Why are we telling you this?

At The Maple Agency, we believe that if you go into business with your eyes wide open managing your expectations, you are more prepared and stand a greater chance of succeeding. Below are some of our top tips for getting started in business.

Set SMART objectives

With a clear strategy you can achieve success. Set SMART objectives then execute your plan with targeted actions, every step you take adds up. However, be prepared for when these timescales shift, nothing is set in stone. You need to go into your project fully aware of what could go wrong and allow for delays where possible. Evaluate progress at every stage and clearly communicate your expectations throughout the chain.

Less is more

Be gentle on yourself. So much of running a start-up business is YOU so take time out, recharge mentally, emotionally and physically. Loose those ‘got to do’ and ‘should’ scripts and replace them with ‘I matter’, ‘it can wait’. Some of our greatest eureka moments come when we are relaxed and enjoying ourselves.

Tell your story

Be real, share your thoughts about your journey, your highs and lows. Impart some knowledge by creating a blog and vlog where you can bring your business ideas to life and share top tips and things you have learnt with an audience. It’s more likely to build a committed community, people will share their insight along the way and you will empower others.

You are brilliant

Having a positive mindset in those early years of running a business is crucial. Celebrate your successes every day, no matter how small they are. Focus on what you want to attract into your life. It’s easy to be hard on yourself when something doesn’t go the way you expect. You have to let it go, if you find yourself telling the story more than once STOP. The more you tell the story the more you attach to it. YOU are the creator of your story so switch it up!

We have yet to meet a business that hasn’t experienced a setback. It’s normal to be derailed – almost obligatory as a start-up! It makes us stronger, more resilient and able to cope with the journey ahead.

As Kierhardy from Skate It Yourself once said: " Things are fluid, almost unpredictable at times. This can be a good thing, if you can operate flexibly you can meet extra demand fast and adapt to the climate. There are opportunities in these moments if you can stop long enough to appreciate them ."

Always look for the rainbow!

Let us help you manage your business expectations.

Book your Discovery Call >>

How do you start your own business?

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 11:17:44 GMT

According to the UK Start-up Appetite Report 2021 a fifth of all UK adults want to start their own business. The question is, why don’t they? The Maple Agency founder, Sarah Agar-Brennan, knows only too well what it feels like to jump in with both feet and start your own business.

Below, Sarah discusses the common barriers to getting started, provides tips for aspiring entrepreneurs and discusses those critical first steps:

Find yourself a shining light to guide you

I was twenty, and in my final year at Teesside University and thought it’s now or never! I had met an inspiring entrepreneur who was mentoring me and believed in my idea. They actively encouraged me to take the plunge, so Popcorn – Cinema Store was born in 1994. I think I would have definitely started my journey earlier if I hadn’t come up against so many barriers though.

Block out the noise and negative chatter

I was my biggest barrier from about the age of 16-20 - well my head was. Is it the right time? Will I make money? What if I fail? I didn’t have a huge amount of confidence back then. I feel like there are so many easier routes into establishing a start-up business in 2021 compared with the 1990’s. You have to drown out the thoughts of self-doubt and actively stop yourself going down that path by focusing on where you are going. And don’t be distracted by other's judgement, opinions, what if’s.

Be agile and respond to your customer's needs

I had to learn fast; build my internal and external confidence. My initial idea wasn’t working so I had to change direction quickly. You need to be agile in those early days and respond to the needs of your customer audience, so don’t be afraid to try and get it wrong - everything can be tweaked!

Build a reputation that's ahead of the crowd

Intuitively, I got creative and ran a series of shoe string marketing campaigns. I wanted to let people know what I was doing. I sourced the must-have products, developing ranges that responded to the needs of my customers. I built a reputation on being ahead of the crowd. I was also an early adopter in technology – setting up Popcorn's first website in the early 2000’s. I was prepared to take a risk and face my fears.

Trade first and then reach for perfection

I remember there were a lot of people who were quick to tell me they had the idea before me, and it was more developed, however, I was prepared to still do it and take the risk! I realised that, that was my strength. I got stuff done, I acted, and that seeking perfection was a barrier.

It's a marathon not a sprint

Lastly, I learnt it was a marathon not a sprint and not to compare myself to others. You are on your own unique journey. Some days you will take baby steps towards your goal, and other days, gigantic leaps. The key is to consider every step is a step in the right direction, and not look over your shoulder at what others are doing. This is your moment!

Sarah's advice for starting your own business:

Market research – find out if there is anyone else out there doing what you plan to do, and if people actually want what you plan to offer.

Find support – check in with local authorities, Universities you have attended, banks, and private companies like ourselves, to find out what start-up programmes they are running.

Be strategic – create clear objectives that are measurable, a plan to bring these to life, and actionable goals to help you achieve them.

Keep a journal – it helps you with those early stresses and fears. I write in one journal about all the positives from the day, and keep a separate one for any negatives - which I eventually throw away!

Find out more about how The Maple Agency can help you develop your business idea here

Watch Sarah now speaking with Professor Parik Goswami from the University of Huddersfield about all things start-up business!