I mentor people to discover their desires and courageously commit to them. Been doing it for the greater part of two and a half decades. It’s why I’m here. It’s my purpose. To know me is to know this. But what you may not understand is my approach. I’m inspired this morning to invite you to see it.
I created a coaching business four years ago so I could inspire people more often and get better at it. To make a true difference for people I must become very good at what I do. Mastery is important to me. I always want to be learning and growing.
The creation of my coaching business (Bliss Champions) led me to put on retreats around the world. This led to me eventually purchasing my own retreat compound/home (Bliss Island in Hawaii), a desire I had since I was nineteen.
The lessons I learned from state and federal government shutdowns due to Covid led me to begin building a custom floating retreat compound. It’s almost ready. It will have the same number of guest bedrooms as Bliss Island - nine. Lori and I plan to launch it in Austin, Texas on Lake Travis next summer. Think of it as downside protection in case Hawaii decides to shut down again for prolonged periods in the future. Clearly, I’m committed to my desire of inspiring people through retreats in beautiful places and want more certainty than the last two years have provided!
But what difference am I actually making? What need am I filling? And what is my approach?
It may surprise you to learn that my main accomplishment these past four years hasn’t been pumping out successful bliss journeys or 10x’ing entrepreneurs performance. It has been helping self-described “unhappy” successful individuals and entrepreneurs get unstuck and re-prioritize their lives for more joy.
You see, most people misdiagnose themselves as unhappy. But, a lack of happiness isn’t their issue. It just feels that way. It is actually a lack of joy. These are two different things and understandably, they often get confused. That being said, it is very difficult to heal (translation: get unstuck) if you are focusing on the wrong thing. Imagine a doctor doing surgery on a hernia when you have a slipped disc in your back. No bueno!
You may be wondering why I’m always touting the word bliss then. Why not just say joy? By definition bliss actually means perfect happiness and great joy, so I am using the right word. Both happiness and joy are important. You WANT both in your lives.
However, the overwhelming evidence learned from 173 customers as a coach and thousands as a mentor over 25 years, is that joy is the missing ingredient, not happiness. People are actually pretty accomplished at finding effective ways to increase their own happiness when desired.
Joy is much harder to attain. First, you have to become self-aware of its incredible value and its deficiency in your life. Second, you need to figure out how best to invite more joy in ( this is hard for many due to entrenched patterns & habits). Third, you must re-prioritize joy as your highest value to keep it around and abundant. It takes work! By comparison, happiness is a cake walk.
What purpose does a Bliss Journey play in the pursuit of joy? Well, selecting a desire and making a commitment to pursue it leads a person to experience aliveness in a profound and meaningful way. This is where joy resides. Think of this place as a magical playground with a secret doorway.
My job, as I see it, is NOT to get people to accomplish particular results. There are plenty of coaches out there that focus on this. My job is to get a person to believe that magic doorways exist for them, even if they feel unworthy. It’s then to help them overcome their limiting beliefs and find the courage to step through its arches. And finally, to embrace joy as their highest value right alongside love. Bliss is simply the conduit Patrick Combs and I use to help them experience more joy.
So you see, I’m a problem solver. It’s WAY harder than it sounds. Don’t even get me started on how hard it is to market this type of coaching. But it’s the most worthwhile work I have ever done and I’m glad that I’ve dedicated my life to it. It brings me immense joy. Nothing beats the experience of seeing a loved one (notice I didn’t say customer) astound themselves. Their reward being unbridled joy and aliveness. I get goosebumps on my soul every time! This is one of my favorite ways of getting paid.
The luxurious retreat properties in beautiful locations are simply - my choice of office space and one way I like to be paid (by beauty).
Do you see it? Maybe some day you’ll allow me to tinker with your joy meter! I’m getting pretty darn good at it after 25 years! 😎
