I was so jealous to see her on stage....

Just a few weeks back, I saw that a woman I used to know was giving a talk on a big stage. I hadn't seen her in a while and I had wondered what she was up to now. As I read the flyer I felt myself experiencing jealousy and resentment. She appeared so confident on that stage. I didn't like the way I was feeling - we both came from humble beginnings and look at her now!!!!!

"HEY, HEY, HEY WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?'

I'm jolted out of my negative thoughts about her by my internal policing agent - the voice inside me that has common sense and the storehouse for all that I have learned about unconscious bias. She's the voice who takes over when conditioned thinking messes things up for me. I love it when she shows up to shake me out of my conditioning.

Education has been my saving grace - when I know better I do better and I'm grateful that I can challenge those conditioned thoughts with common sense and logic. What I learned as a child no longer serves me. It has not been like the flicking of a switch. 

I prefer to liken it to dusting a hardwood floor - those dust bunnies can be pretty sneaky. every now and then a giant one will show up even after I thought I had them all. 

So I looked at that flyer again - my friend making it onto that big stage. "Well, way to go girl. I will tip my hat to ya.  I am proud of you for taking new ground."

I also took it easy on myself - it's been a lot of work to get here. I'm proud of that work. 

Unconscious bias can really hurt your money maker. Challenging those assumptions that may have served to keep you stuck is hard work and every now and then you've got to do a little tune up when you start to slip. It is worth it. 

I love collaborations!!!

I regularly collaborate privately with one particular person. I believe we work very well together because we communicate well. We bring up the taboo items; we talk about the elephant in the room.

It's one of the best collaborations I've had and it gets better each time we work together.

I'd love to hear what makes your collaborations a success.

Join us in our FREE FB Group if you're interested in profitability.

You should have seen me at the gym

There's a reason why I coach entrepreneurship and not fitness. I joined a gym lately and I'm still trying to find my comfort zone there. The vision thing makes it tough at times. If you go to the gym you'll see me there looking like a female version of Magoo feeling my way around the room. 

Alma Taylor 

"You should see me at the gym!"

I was forced into entrepreneurship and learned to love it and I've got my fingers crossed that the same thing will happen at the gym. Did I mention that I am not a gym person.

I have noticed that my upper body strength is not what it used to be. I blame it on the sedentary lifestyle. A couple of days ago I went online and found an exercise that would work my arms. Next time I went to the gym I found the machine and got set up.

I set the weight at 10 lbs and sat down with the intention of doing 12 reps (I'm getting the lingo). Well, I couldn't even get to four and before I continued, I took the 10 lbs off and did it with the bar alone. Here I was trying to remember how to breath, where to position my feet, making sure I had the right form - all the while hearing the reel of my mantra STRONG BODY, STRONG BODY playing in my mind.

I was shocked that I was having such difficultly with this machine - I did a quick check over the shoulder to make sure no one was watching. This was bloody hard and I was getting slightly pissed.

Next day I'm at the gym and determined to get back on that machine. I walk over and there's a fella on the machine and you can tell that it's not his first time in a gym. You know what I'm saying? This man was buff. I watched how he managed with a lot of weight on the machine. He made it look easy. There was also something else that I noticed.

Before he got on the machine he brought this handle over the top and grasped them on the bottom. It's hard to write about here but can  you get the picture? The handle is flipped up and then when you sit down, you flip it down. I DIDN'T DO THAT FLIPPING DOWN PART the first day.

There's the reason why I couldn't do any reps. I took a second to laugh at myself and then I took over the machine when he was finished. Moved that weight to 20 lbs and I had no trouble at all.
I could have burst out laughing as I watched him flip this handle around and then start the exercise - I didn't use the machine the right way. No wonder it felt so awful. Thank goodness I can laugh at myself.

Here's the deal - if you are a perfectionist, you'll never try new things. Learn to laugh at yourself. Embrace the incompetence that you feel when you try new things. You've got to crawl before you walk and you have to make it fun.

Find out more about our new Membership Program for Entrepreneurs here.

When you're hiring a Virtual Assistant, these are the things to consider.

What a view!!

I'm blessed to have an awesome Virtual Assistant (VA) but it took a couple of tries to find one that would work well for me. Here is what I discovered as I was going along.

1. They don't need to know it all but they do have to be teachable. This is a must for me. I have to have things a certain way to work with my systems. It takes time to teach someone and there's nothing worse than someone who is set in their ways and don't want to learn anything new.

2. It helps if they're real comfy with technology especially if you're like me - low tech in all that I do. I hire to my weakness and I also want her to take over some of my duties which leads me to the next thing that is essential.

3. They have to appreciate that when you have a process that works, they need to follow that process or have a darn good reason why they won't use your tried and true.

4. Pay them what they're worth - the range that they charge is anybodies guess. But you know the value in what they're providing - pay them what they are worth. I've got a hangup about taking advantage of people. Probably comes from being taken advantage of. Pay them what they are worth.

5. For entrepreneurs with disabilities - an awesome VA can really make or break your business. After all, they can help us scale the extra barriers.

Benefits of Membership in Profitable Entrepreneurs

Over the years I have paid to belong to at least 8 membership groups. Each of them had an attraction for some time but there are two that I remain faithful to. One is the The Canadian Coach and the other is Women Who Wow founded and nurtured by Michelle Pippin who is an amazing and might I add courageous business coach. 

When it became evident that it was time to host my own membership group with consistent content I looked to all of the groups that I was part of and took the best practices from each one. I am delighted to offer Profitable Entrepreneurs membership group starting on September 1st and we will start with 25 people. 

Why this magic number:

I believe that if our virtual groups are going to take the place of real life groups, we have to have the option to mingle and grow our own lists. Not a lot of groups do this well - I plan on making it part of the Profitable Entrepreneurs group. 

With every group that I have joined, I come away with new relationships that are beneficial to business, new leads and opportunities for cross marketing our products and services. I know that this is not the case for all business people. Not everyone knows how to work a virtual room. I am going to teach you how to do this. 

The group will have a strong emphasis on money mindset and unconscious bias - two essentials to business success. 

What I have learned teaching for more than 10 years is that when adults come together there are many teachers in the room. This group takes this into consideration. I will bring my knowledge about growing a profitable business and that information will expand when it interacts with what you know. 

Maybe you want to start your own group one day - I can show you how as well. Here's the link to more infoand if you want more info, please email me at info@peoplecan.ca

Have an amazing day.

Unconscious bias - how it hurts a business owner.

Having been on the receiving end of bias a time or two, I have learned more than one lesson where the rubber hits the road.

A woman in trades, a law student living with a disability and the wrong heritage, being fat, a single mama, outspoken, not knowing my place - I have stood toe to toe with prejudice and witnessed first hand what it feels like to have someone treat you like you don't belong.  I once took a case of discrimination to the human rights commission. 

Bias - conscious or unconscious, does not feel good.

I had a fellow disabled law student tell me that he did not disclose his disability when he applied to law school. He did however disclose the fact that his dad was a superior court judge....oh but I digress.

I've taken the bold step this past year to talk about discrimination from a new perspective - unconscious bias and how those biases hurt us as business owners. It hurts everyone when people show prejudice against us - but have you given any thought to your own deep seated prejudices and how they might be hurting you?

When you come from a place like I did, where we didn't have a lot of money, it's possible that we carry prejudices. Let's not talk about camels fitting through the eye of a needle but do you get what I'm sayin?

I can sit here and talk about how I've been a victim but the reality is - all of those experiences have informed the work that I now do. People have mistreated me - I have no control over their biases. My own biases - now that is another story.  Our own biases can hurt us in business unlesss we nip them in the bud.

That's what I'm doing now and will continue to do. My experiences have shaped who I am. I'm all about owning my background, learning from it and definitely changing what does not serve me in business.

Unconscious bias against making money - it harms our business. Call it out, challenge the assumptions that keep it alive.

Give someone a hand up.

Now that you have gotten over the most recent hurdle. turn back and help someone else do the same.

Success is so much more enjoyable when shared.

Unconscious Bias Can Impact Your Money Maker - Small Group Coaching

Friday  June 15th, 2018

Small Group Coaching Topic

Unconscious bias - what is it? Do you have it? How does it impact your business? What can you do about it?

Want to know more? PM for details.

Preparing to pitch a book deal to a traditional publisher

I have self published and I am proud of it. Actually I've doe so 3 times now with each one being a little better than the last. Each time it got easier as my written word was well received and I became clear and more confident in what I wanted to say.

Now I'm taking it to a new level - I want to be published by a traditional publisher and I feel that same nervousness that I felt with that first book in 2011.

Here are the steps that I took to prepare.

1. Research - find a publisher who actually publishes the genre you're writing. It will save you a lot of grief.

2. Hire an editor who has actually been successful in helping other authors get published. They tend to know what the publisher will expect in a submission. Have a well prepared submission.

3. Speak to other published authors and ask them for tips - this is a wonderful asset.

4. Acknowledge the fear but do it anyway!!!!

I'm really doing this.

Take a Skill - Monetize It and Create a Better Life

It's not easy to make the mind shift to the "profit motive" especially when being seen as nice, kind and generous is your currency of choice.

But monetizing something that you know how to do is not going to make people not like you. On the contrary - no one likes a door mat.

It will, however, help you to put a roof over your hear, enjoy affordable housing and enjoy work that you love doing.

Exchange value - my services for your money. That's commerce and it's a great way to make a living and many more of us can become entrepreneurs if we are willing to get over the money bit.

Where were you conditioned to believe that money was bad? What's stopping you from charging what you're worth? A first step is to acknowledge that you've got issues. It's amazing what happens when you just admit that.

Don't wait for the knight in shining armour to rescue you, get out there and be your own knight.

You've always been manifesting - but how do you manifest the good stuff?

I've had a lot of experience with "manifesting" but I don't spend a ton of time breaking down why that is. Let's get something straight here -- all of us are great at manifesting.

But not all of us can manifest the good stuff or have really given it much thought.

It's life altering when you realize that you actually have control over getting what you want in life. I kid you not. I've developed a fondness for studying and teaching the Law of Attraction and I am particularly interested in teaching it to folks like me.

Folk who have never really enjoyed the really good life. Oh we may splurge now and again on an all inclusive when we get our tax return but I am not talking about that.

I'm talking about having what you want in life - even the stuff you can't really afford right now. Even the statement freaks you out doesn't it? It used to freak me out as well.

I watched a video by Kathy Eckhardt Your Genius Zone Guru yesterday and she breaks it down nicely.

What we need to do to bring about what we think about is get really good at attaching the RIGHT EMOTION to our thoughts and words. This message resonated with me when I watched her video.

When I went bankrupt in 2010, I spent a full year worrying that I might go bankrupt. It consumed my thinking and my griping and I didn't spend much time dragging my thoughts away from the anxiety around that prospect. And....the proof is in the pudding as they say. I went bankrupt.

When I manifest good things in my life like when I opened my business in 2015, I spent a ton of time dreaming and thinking about that before it ever happened. I would get so excited about it that when I showed up at that place, it was like deja-vu.

Get this - when I went bankrupt, it was like deja-vu as well.

I want to chew on this for a while. Where do you spend your mental energy? Are you building up or tearing down. Are you filled with joy or filled with worry? Is there synchronicity between your thoughts and your real world? I bet there is.

Let's start the dialogue. What are your thoughts on this topic? We all manifest a life but are we manifesting the life we want?

Men have been doing this for centuries.

Having someone say "You're like a man." isn't a bad thing unless of course they're referring to your face hair. 

This is exactly what a man said to me this week - I have learned over time that it is best not to react to odd statements. Instead I asked whether he wanted to chat about this a bit. and we did.

I knew he didn't mean it as an insult even though at first glance, it could be taken as one. I knew this because he is someone that I respect quite a bit and I know that he respects me - so we had THE TALK.

1. LEARNING ON THE FLY

Apparently for years the entrepreneurial space was dominated by men and they had certain characteristics that helped them to fast track success. For example, there is this tendency for men to jump in with both feet without having all the ducks lined up. Apparently this is something that women aren't known for. I hate to speak in broad terms or "extrapolate from a sample of one" but I have noticed that women do procrastinate more before taking action. Maybe I learned to "act like a man" from all of the years that I worked with men in the army - I do have a reputation for learning on the fly. Personally, I think that this is the way we need to roll in business - course correcting as we go as opposed to playing it too safe. 

Don't get me wrong or read into this more than there is - it's great to be prepared but there comes a time when you must take the plunge. Done is better than perfect folks. 

2. CHANGING THE SCOPE MEANS CHANGING THE PRICE

Ever had one of those contracts that changes halfway through? It's fair to say that we don't know what we don't know. We can get into a project and have the client want things done differently as time goes on. When this happens in business "when the scope changes" halfway through, you need to get the parties back to the drawing board and look at the cost again. When the scope changes, the hard (and soft) costs often change and that means that the price has to change. I have this discussion early with clients. That way it comes as no surprise when the time comes to up the price. This ensures that the client gets the value they were promised while I get paid what my service is worth. 

We discussed many other examples including things like the tendency for women to charge the right price and then throw in so many extras that they watered down the price and value. This looks like hidden money mindset issues. 

Apparently there are variations in how men and women do business. I have a few pretty savvy business women in my corner who are just like me so I hadn't noticed until he mentioned it.

So here's the upshot - I told him that I didn't think that I was acting like a man as much as I was behaving like a business woman who took this gig seriously. What about you? How do you act? 

Be careful what you ask for - you just might get it!!!

Mindset is everything in business. You can ask "How can I make a nickel?" or you can ask "How can I make $25,000?" and your mind will find the answer. Where is it that you're playing safe in your business - holding back on what you're asking for?

The right kind of thinking makes a ton of difference everywhere in life. This isn't a new age way of thinking - books like The Little Engine that Could demonstrated that we need to think we can before we ever get out there and make it happen.

Ask for what you want and do be specific. I mean down to the very detail - what is it that you want? Don't settle for a nickel. Ask!!! I know it's a foreign concept for a lot of people but believe me when I tell you that this stuff works. 

As adults - we don't know what we don't know and once you learn something, you can't go back - you have that nugget of information forever - I was taught how to pay attention to what I was thinking and what words were coming out of my mouth. Monitoring what I say and understanding how what I think will impact the results I get matters a great deal - we generally bring about what we think about. If you want to know what you are thinking about, listen to what you are saying. 

Are you always complaining or what I like to call defining the problem or have you learned to focus on the solution.  I'm not talking about playing ostrich - sticking your head in the sand has no value. Things don't get better if you ignore them. 

I'm talking about creating a compelling vision of where it is that you're headed - you see that's what we're doing already - except that most of us are not paying attention. The compelling vision that you're creating on autopilot could be taking you to a bad place. 

What if we reframed our language for example instead of 

"We're a have not province" becomes "We're on our way to becoming a province of abundance." Pay attention to the energy that each statement brings. 

This new way of thinking feels foreign when we first start out. But most things do when we are new at it. 

Where do you begin you may ask? 

Suspend your disbelief for a moment. You have nothing to lose - open your mind to the possibility that there are things you don't know yet - and you don't know what you don't know. 

Changing what you think about is a two part process. The first step is to become aware of what you're thinking. Do this with a friend - for one day - monitor what you say to one another - is it positive or negative? Learn to tell the difference. 

That's step one. 

I'll talk about this in more detail in the 30 Day Sales Challenge in June. Hope you will join us. 

When I feel frazzled, I write...

I've been writing for more than 50 years - as long as I can remember, I've put crayon to paper (not the pack of 64 that the guy sitting next to me had). We're talking little inch long nibs of crayon that I had to peel the paper off of first. Then I put lead to paper - sharpened with a pocket knife, edges uneven.

Then I put pen to paper and later on that turned into finger to key

...all in an effort to get my thoughts out there.

I'm not all that strategic with my blog - there's a ton of advice around getting people to sign up and have it delivered to their inbox - that would take too much work. I guess I write for me and when I do, it's a little more authentic but it always strikes a cord with a reader so that must count for something.

I've had the best conversations with people as a result of something that I have written. So I guess that when I'm asked whether my blog is working for me, the answer is - ya, of course it is.

Self care has been front of mind for me lately because I have been feeling a little frazzled. I find that when this happens, I also notice that others are feeling the same way. I'll come across a tweet for example about overwhelm and it jumps out. It's the universe holding a mirror up for me.

Writing has been my go to tool for self care and lately I haven't been writing as much. I purchased a nice calligraphy pen lately - mindful writing there especially for a beginner.

I'm curious, what do you do for self care? 

3 Simple Steps to an Awesome Life

Life is what you make it. Here are three suggestions for making life a little easier.

1. Forgive quickly. Holding onto a grudge takes energy. Energy that is better used somewhere else. Learn from each negative experience. Accept that the other person was likely doing the best they could at the time. Forgive quickly. Common sense says that you don't need to invite that person back into your life if you don't feel it's right - it's ok to let them go.

2. Stop worrying about what others will think. It's a given that there will be people who will judge you. Let them. While they're sitting at home judging, you can be out there living it up. There is so much life to live and if you're waiting for permission, you'll never get there. Think about a time when you have talked about someone else - it was a time when you were unhappy. Send them loving thoughts and get on with your life. They only have control over you if you let their opinion determine your next step.

3. Be kind. Randomly, be good to other people. There's a distinction between being a doormat and being kind. Know the difference and get out there and be kind. A simple test is to ask if you're doing this act of kindness to get something back, That's unhealthy. If you're doing it because you can and you want to, that's great. Another test - if you're being kind so that someone will be anchored to you - it's the wrong type of kindness. .Be kind.

Enjoy life!!!

Claim the space - Expert in...

My 'word" for the year is "spotlight". I've been holding back and not claiming my space. A few years back I worked with a coach who encouraged me to claim an expert space. 

I dabbled in it...

Expert in New Entrepreneurship

Small Business Expert

or ....what

This year, when we were encouraged to select a word that would capture what this year would look like, I chose "spotlight". No more shying away from the spotlight, I chose to claim my space and step into it once and for all. 

Debbie Adams - Entrepreneurship Expert

Oh, people will chafe at the thought and some may even want to challenge me. 

Expert - really? 

Let's look at what it means to be an expert in any field. 

Dictionary definition of expert is "A person who has a comprehensive and authoritative knowledge of or skill in a particular area." Yep, I have that in the area of entrepreneurship and I'm stepping into that space.  I've always resented it when people claimed the space in business just because they had the education but had never really done the grind. 

Back when I was a tradeswoman, I used to meet other women who were holding themselves out as expert on "women in trades" but they had never spent one hour on tools. They could not possibly have been an expert - they had never used toothpaste to get the grime out of their hands. How could they be expert? Expert is about learning and doing - knowledge and wisdom. 

I love it when #tradescontractors come in and ask me how to double their revenue. I love it when I get asked to develop a partnership agreement for two guys who are coming together to bid on a job. I especially enjoy it when I get asked to speak on a topic and share what I have learned where the rubber hits the road. 

Here's a question - what are you expert in? Where are you holding back and waiting for someone to invite you into the spotlight. What body of knowledge do you hold comprehensive and authoritative knowledge or skill in? Think about it - are you an expert?

What you focus on expands!!!

I've always enjoyed Dr. Wayne Dyer and his profound teachings. We miss you Dr. Dyer. 

What you focus upon expands he said. 

I've had times in my life when I have had runaway thoughts - about how crappy the day is, how bored I am or other things that were going wrong at the time. All or nothing thinking was another common favourite. Nothing is going right. Everyone is mad at me. The list goes on. 

Does any of this resonate with you?

There's a whole body of study out there that says that if we learn to visualize what we want in life, we will see more of it. If we could just drag our minds away from what isn't going well and purposefully think about what is going well - then what is going well will expand. I like to use the analogy of a spot light. Take that big old spotlight and move it away from the negative and toward what is going well. Don't ruminate on things that are not going well. There is no benefit in this. 

This week in our chapter one of Pam Grout's E Squared, we're learning to ask the universe or God or whatever you want to call that power greater than ourselves to show us that it is actually listening to little old me. Yep, you matter and he/she/it will respond if you look for that sign. 

It's tough to change your mind. Set your stopwatch/timer to nudge you at any given time during the day and check in to tell us what you are thinking about. Will you be thinking about that thing that you wish would show up or are you thinking about that thing that is pissing you off right now. 

Which is it?

What you focus upon expands - worth thinking about.

Let the Play Come to You

Every now and then someone uses a line and I think to myself "I'm soooo using that line."

Pastor Larry Levy of the Vineyard in Lower Sackville (fondly referred to as The Ice Cream Church in the local area) dropped in for a little visit today. Truth be told it's more of a banter with a belly laugh or two thrown into our existential musings - no kidding, this guy could do stand up.

Larry, with his gift of encouragement loves to hear how I'm doing in biz. I shared with him that I had planted so many seeds lately and I was feeling that my internal guides were telling me to relax a bit. It's as if I needed to just hold back....I stumbled for the right word to describe the unique feeling I was experiencing but I  knew that what I needed to do was ........ NOTHING.

"Ah" Larry quipped. "Let the play come to you!!"

I love this term. He went on to explain how during a game of hockey, players often hustle hard to get to the puck. I love analogies. I never watch hockey but I trust the guy. I could see it.

Tony, a seasoned player going flat out skating down the ice, his throat raw from playing hard. All of a sudden the puck goes flying by his head just missing him. He puts the brakes on but can't stop in time and he smacks into the boards. He's riled up now! All of a sudden Larry skates up preceded by a fan of snow crystals as he comes to a dead stop and leans in. Hey Tony "Let the play come to you."

Yes.........that's it.

Think about it for a second though. Haven't you worked your ass off at times and still can't seem to gain any traction? Is it possible at times like this that what you really need is ease up on the pedal a little. "Hey, let the play come to you".

Decision Making 101

When I have a tough decision to make, I struggle like everyone else - after all, it's called a tough decision for a reason. There are pros and cons to each side of the issue. When I get to that place where, I am tempted, very tempted to stick with the status quo just because making a decision is tough - I kick it into overdrive - I journal!!!

My tried and true system for decision making. It goes like this.

With pen poised to write, I ask myself:

1. What is it about the current state of affairs (CSA) that isn't working?

Many of us depend on the lure of the future state of affairs (FSA) to keep us motivated. But the reality is, it's much easier to stay stuck than it is to make a change even when making the change is attractive.  Change is hard. That's why there are so few really successful people - successful people make the real tough decisions quicker and more often. Don't gloss over this one  - dig deep in every corner to really look at what is not working with the current state of affairs that caused you to look at changing things up. We can often convince ourselves things are not really as bad as they seem. Now write.

Here's how Zoey, a seamstress with a storefront, answered the question when she was faced with the option to renew her lease.

I rushed into this lease without taking into account that the location wasn't perfect. The building is beautiful but there is no walk by traffic and it's difficult to get people into the store. The monthly bills are piling up and I'm regularly two months behind. In the months when I could be taking money out of my business, I have to worry about cash flow. I have always wanted to be in retail but this is very painful. I'm starting to resent the place. My husband doesn't get it - we took out a line of credit to start this business and we thought I would make more money here. When I was a home based business, I brought in a lot less money but I didn't have all these expenses. I don't like the bickering about money.

2. If you choose to make the change, what are you giving up?

There are benefits and burdens in both the CSA and the FSA. Dig deep and look at the benefit of not changing. There is a payoff. Take it out and look at it. This is why I love to journal. You can bull shite other people but you do not want to do it to yourself.  There's a reason you want things to stay they way they are. Get it down on paper. What is it that you feel you will have to let go of?

3. What is it about the FSA that is so attractive?

You've got this vision of what the future will look like if you take the leap. Paint a picture of how wildly attractive this can be. Let's say you made the decision. You're going for it. What is the IT that you're going for? Get detailed in this one. Leave nothing out.

4. What do you need to learn to make #3 happen?

Are you ready to roll? Do you need to take training? Do you need to stop doing that one thing that keeps you stuck? No one knows you like you know you. What do you need to learn to make it happen for you?

5. Make the decision. 

Congratulations!!! You're ready to make the decision. There are benefits and burdens in each decision - but you still have a decision to make. There's also work to be done to get over the middle space - the terrain between here to there. You won't mind doing what needs to be done when the decision is made. There's nothing as effective as a mind made up.

Now you try it. What decision are you putting off making?

Meet Debbie

Debbie Adams is the owner of PeopleCan Training in Lower Sackville, NS. She's legally blind but has a tremendous amount of vision in her business. She is a 3 time published author including the book Money Mindset as well as contributing author in Dreaming Big, Being Bold. Although she is a reluctant entrepreneur, she has won awards for entrepreneurship. She loves helping others move from misery to magic in Entrepreneurship. Debbie is originally from Newfoundland and she makes her home in Nova Scotia. 

Law of Attraction - it's for everyone but it sure does feel weird in the beginning!!

Photo by Emily Murphy

My world turned upside down in  2009, I went from frying pan to fire after 6 years of trying to make a better life. I was a mess as I sat there on the step watching the truck pull away with all of my belongings. I had sold my home. 

Truth was, I got served with a notice to foreclose in the morning and an offer to purchase in the afternoon which meant that they didn't foreclose. 

I sold my house because I couldn't afford to live there. Not because I wanted to upsize or downsize but because I hadn't paid my mortgage in months - I needed a new place to live. It was a shit year.

Someone had mentioned the Law of Attraction stuff to me. It sounded a lot like blaming the victim - "You're responsible for the world you're creating - you've brought this on yourself." That was a tough pill to swallow - vision loss, loss of career, failed marriage and eventually bankruptcy didn't feel like things that I had a ton of control over at the time. 

It took me two more years before I got into practising the universal laws of attraction full time. I needed to go down that tragic road a bit further before I decided that I had nothing to lose and a lot to learn.

Invited to listen to Nova Scotia's Own Eddie Lemoine speak about his new book "Bring About What You Think About" opened the door a crack. His own story of loss and reinvention and the role that a positive mindset played in his journey inspired me to want to learn more about the topic. Hard luck is relative - I didn't think that his bottom and my bottom had anything in common but he definitely took a hit or two in life. I liked the dude and so I decided I needed to know more about the concept. I started studying other people who were writing on this topic.

I read everything I could get my hands on about Law of Attraction. I started reading books by Joe Vitale, Napoleon Hill and listening to Norman Vincent Peale. I was in pain and nothing that I was doing was working so I felt that I had nothing to lose. 

It was tough but I was determined. I took baby steps - gave up complaining, took up gratitude even when there was nothing to be grateful for.  (Read my blog on how grateful I was that the cat pissed in the litter box ). It was a slow start at first but eventually I gained momentum. 

Truth was, it took a lot of energy to gain some traction. I limited my time with folks who would gossip and did a lot of journal work. I surrounded myself with people who had already enjoyed success with this new way of looking at things. Sometimes I was inspired. Other times I was jealous and frustrated by my own lack of progress but I didn't give up. I was a work in progress and I knew it took time.

Oh, the rest is history - but it isn't really history. I went from there to owning a business, writing 3 books, travelling to teach and now I'm here mentoring other entrepreneurs who want to learn this stuff. What seemed like foo foo in the beginning has turned into a staple in my life. 

Recently I had a setback - something I hadn't planned for that I would have considered a piece of bad luck in the past. I was pissed for about a day and then I reminded myself of how all of the bad luck that I have experienced have transformed into blessings. Yep!! You heard me say it. It is true and I'm sure that this event will also have value in my life. A different mindset helps  me to have a healthier attitude about setbacks. I've learned to put things into perspective and I will more quickly get back to healthy thinking. This is where the magic happens. 

Know what? What you focus on expands. It's so true!!! It isn't reserved for the chosen few. Just as the sun sets for each of us - this way of thinking is available to everyone. What are you focusing on?

Meet Debbie

Debbie Adams is the owner of PeopleCan Training in Lower Sackville, NS. She's legally blind but has a tremendous amount of the kind of vision that you need to be successful. She is a 3 time published author including the book Money Mindset as well as contributing author in Dreaming Big, Being Bold. Although she is a reluctant entrepreneur, she has won awards for entrepreneurship. She loves helping others move from misery to magic in Entrepreneurship. Debbie is originally from Newfoundland but makes her home in Nova Scotia. 

Website: www.peoplecan.ca