What can a burger teach you about business?

When my husband, his family and I recently went out for supper to The Works restaurant in Ottawa, Canada, it was the real deal: We were presented with a selection of close to 70 different hamburgers, and eight different meats that we could choose from. If you love hamburgers, I highly recommend this hamburger heaven! Brad took the prize for being our table’s top entertainer because his hamburger was the messiest: Caramelized onions and BBQ sauce came oozing out every which way from his hamburger with each bite that he took. He tried to maintain his composure as he ate. But no matter what, he could not keep up with and fully control his hamburg (*LOL*). So, your burger may be well dressed but the process of eating it can be messy. The same goes for life: Every step of the way, you have the choice to resist or embrace the internal and external messiness. Resistance includes two types of energies:

- Holding Back Energy: For example, you procrastinate making an important decision and taking the necessary action steps.
- Pushing On Energy: For instance, you keep moving forward, for fear that something negative will happen if you stop and take stock.

So, the next time you are tempted to procrastinate or rush facing the real deal – that is, the messy burger of your life – just remember: Your perception of this messy burger, including the emotions your perception elicits, will consequently determine how much ease or struggle you experience as you face it. To help illustrate, whatever parts of your business you may construe as messy, you will tend to experience internal and external difficulty (or ease) to the degree that you believe it will be difficult or easy to carry out these actions. Messy for you may include collecting money, enforcing rules and regulations, and anything else that makes you feel less than a good person, as in performing these activities live on the spot:

- Announcing and sticking with, instead of negotiating, your fees
- Asking for the sale... if your prospect has expressed a high level of interest in your product
- Requesting that your new client sign an agreement before you start working with her

Let us look at this messiness another way: Have you ever noticed that some people look better as they grow older? Why is that? Well... nutritious food, regular exercise, adequate sleep, fresh air, and even using chemical-free products can make a noticeable difference. So can your beliefs, values and attitude! If you believe that a certain age represents being over the hill, then your thoughts, feelings and actions will follow your beliefs. You will start going downhill, as in thinking, feeling and acting older. (Note: In this context, older is different from more mature).

- So, what important decision and action steps have you potentially been procrastinating facing? Is your reason for procrastinating constructive, or holding you back in a negative way?
- Is your constant moving forwards in life making you miss out... on quality time with family, friends, or yourself, or on an opportunity you are too busy or blind to see?

Just remember, if any of the above questions make you feel emotionally messy, know that you are onto a good thing. Give yourself the gift of allowing these emotions to flow out within what you would consider a safe space for you. And within just minutes, your perception will shift for the better, and you will begin seeing more clearly and thinking more constructively than before the tears, anger, etc. Trust that staying in the present with the messy burger of your life will eventually bring you delicious moments and outcomes.