We’ve all met the client who wants to have a different life (whether it’s health, happiness, relationships, money or whatever) but is reluctant to change. If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got. It’s not entirely clear who said it. Albert Einstein, Henry Ford and Tony Robbins to name a few are credited with this piece of wisdom. But whoever it was, it speaks to a truth about needing to make changes in what we do, think or believe if we want to make changes in our lives.

One useful way of marketing your practice is through networking, talking to people who might themselves be potential clients, or who might know and refer potential clients. However, most people underestimate the number of people they need to talk to and the frequency with which they need to connect, in order to generate a sufficient flow of clients.

When was the last time you made contact with someone new? When was the last time you followed up with someone you met at a workshop? When was the last time you approached a stranger whose work interested you?

It’s uncomfortable isn’t it, to reach out. I imagine you can all relate to my desire to be the one who is reached out to, the one who is sought. There’s a comfort in someone approaching me, that they have chosen me. If I am the one doing the reaching, I take the risk. The risk that I might be rejected or ignored or that I might be judged in some way.

I still remember the pain of the early days of This Business of Therapy when, fuelled by my huge enthusiasm for my subject and the potential it could offer, I reached out to loads of organisations that I thought might benefit. The result? Nothing. Nada. Silence. In many ways that was so much worse than a refusal, or even an outrage. Painful!! I know from that experience (and others) that it takes courage to pick myself up and start again with a new plan. These days I am more philosophical about my message meeting with those who are ready to hear it, but my ego is still tender from those early bruises!!

The dilemma is knowing how much risk is risk enough. We need to risk enough so that it’s effective, but not so much that it sends us running back into our caves vowing never to risk again! I call this stretching at a 3 not at a 10!

We can’t allow new people into our lives if we are unwilling to talk to anyone outside of our own circle. We need to interact with new people. New people help us to meet new parts of ourselves. Which helps us to grow. And helps to spread the word about what we do.

Take a risk today and talk to someone new. It might be only the person in front of you at the supermarket. It doesn’t matter. Even a very small risk brings us into contact with our resistance and gives us an opportunity to grow beyond our current limits.

If you struggle with taking risks, you might like to try out this video about panic around making changes in our practices. And if I can help you at all with any aspect of your practice, please contact me here to make an appointment or avail of a free 20 minute consultation.