Part of the reason I am so excited to do this work right now is because there is a lot of exciting stuff brewing over here at Coach with Clarity HQ. I just wrapped up a successful launch of From Couch to Coach, which was my first ever group program that I launched all the way back in 2018. I brought it back now for 2023 and I am so excited to work with this incredible group of coaches to support them in building out and growing their coaching practice. So From Couch to Coach is underway. Things with the Coach with Clarity Collective are moving right along. I'm so excited about the slate of guest experts that we have on tap for the next several months. And y'all this is really big news. I have been waiting and waiting for months to share this with you and finally, I can announce that the Certified Clarity Coach Training Program has passed accreditation as both a level one and level two training program for the International Coaching Federation. I wish I had an air horn or a siren or something that could go off right now because because this is just such exciting news. Many of you know that ICF changed their accreditation standards for initial training programs in 2021 and 2022. So those of us with existing programs that were already accredited under the old system had to complete a transition application process which was actually quite rigorous and took a fair amount of time. And then we needed to be re-accredited under the new standards. I completed that process in September and it took six months for me to get the word that yes, I meet all of the new accreditation standards, and my program is good to go. So I will be talking more about this in the months to come, because my hope is to launch the next cohort of the certification program in May or June of 2023. So much more to come on that. But in the meantime, if you are interested in learning more about the Certified Clarity Coach training program, then please get in touch with me, you can send me an email at info@coachwithclarity.com or you can send me a DM. I'm @CoachWithClarity on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, on LinkedIn you'll find me at LC McDonough. But go ahead and send me a message and let me know that you are interested in learning more about the Certified Clarity Coach training program, I'll reach out with some basic information, even an application link if that's something that you'd like to pursue, because when I launch this program in a few months, spaces will be extremely limited. For this next cohort, I am capping it at no more than 15 students. And I already have about 200 people on a waitlist who have expressed interest. Now I know how waitlists go, not all 200 people are going to want to sign up. But what that tells me is there is interest and there is demand. So it would not surprise me if these 15 spaces go fairly quickly. So if you are interested in one of them, if you are interested in becoming a Certified Clarity Coach and working towards an ICF credential, then go ahead and email me info@coachwithclarity.com or send me a DM @CoachWithClarity and I can share some more information with you. 

Okay, so all of that, all of that is why I am so excited to revisit my goals and my timeline for 2023. Because now that my program has been officially re-accredited, I can move forward with integrity in launching another cohort of the Certified Clarity Coach training program. And I have been thinking about all sorts of fun things I could do in the lead up to launching this program. In the past, I've done challenges, workshops, webinars, all sorts of things. And my mind has been moving a million miles a minute, thinking about all of the things I could do for this launch. And that got me thinking that perhaps it would be helpful to share the process I use when inspiration strikes and I have this amazing idea that I don't want to forget, and I definitely want to take action on. And I know myself well enough that if I don't have some sort of process to follow, I may lose that idea. Or I may lose the energy or drive or motivation to bring it to life. And that's happened to me enough times to know that it doesn't feel very good. 

So I have a five step process I use to take action on my inspiration and I wanted to share that with you today in the hopes that maybe it's a system you can use or modify. So the next time inspiration visits you, you are ready to take action. So step one, the very first thing I do when I get an idea, and it feels exciting and juicy, and I can't wait to take action on it, I document it. So step one is document, get that idea out of your head and into reality. Now, that could look different based on what works best for you. I know I need to write it down, I don't need to write a full essay, I don't necessarily need to have a whole plan of action right there. But I need to at least get the idea out of my head and onto the page. Once it's on the page, number one, I know I'm not going to forget what that great idea was. Number two, the act of writing it down gets me into a flow state and often I'm able to expand on that idea and come up with even more innovative strategies and ideas for bringing it to life. And then number three, I've got a working document that I can use as the basis of an outline or a project plan, or whatever I need to have in order to bring this idea to life. I have found through trial and error that writing it down is an integral part of my process. However, it is not the only way to document an idea and get it out in the world. One of my clients is a verbal processor and she finds that talking it through either with me as her coach or with a trusted friend, or even into a voice memo on her phone is enough for her to start taking action on that idea. So if you are not someone for whom writing or journaling is effective, maybe you just want to speak your thoughts into a voice memo app, you can even leave yourself a Voxer or another type of voice recording. But just get that idea out of your head, get it recorded somewhere so that you don't lose it. The nice thing about recording it using a voice memo or other kind of program is that not only do you see the words, you can also hear and almost feel the energy. And so when you go back and listen to yourself talking about the idea, you're not only listening for content, you're listening for the energy. You'll notice that if there's a certain component of your idea that really draws you, that might be something to pay attention to. Whereas there may be another aspect to your idea for which you don't feel as energetically connected, that's important to pay attention to as well. You can certainly do that as you are writing things down and you can kind of make notes in the margins around your energy and where you're feeling drawn. But when you do a voice recording, you can really hear that in your voice. And so that's another advantage of maybe looking at speaking through or recording your idea as well. But whether you write it down, whether you do an audio recording, even a video recording, whatever works best for you, the first step is to document this inspired idea, get it out of your head and into the world. 

Once it's documented, then it's time to move on to step number two, which is give it a date. Now is the time to start thinking about a timeframe in which you want to bring this idea to life. Now, we're still early in the process. So I want this date to be as flexible or as firm as you need it to be. If you want this to be a working deadline, or a flexible deadline, that's totally fine. Or if this is something that you feel so strongly needs to be done and in the world by a certain date, you can absolutely set that date now too. But I want you to start thinking about how long you might need to bring this idea to life and then put a date on it. Because what I have found is that things happen when I give them a deadline. If I don't have some sort of date attached to my idea, oftentimes it gets put on the backburner, it gets put on the to do list, and it doesn't get done. And honestly, if I were to show you my to do list right now, I'm a little embarrassed to admit that there are things on that list that I haven't put a date on and so they just get cycled forth to the next month's to do list and then the next month to do list. And I have a couple things on that list that have probably been there for almost a year. And it's because I haven't prioritized them. I haven't put a date on them and I haven't created a time based plan to make it happen. So if this inspired idea is something you feel strongly about, and you know, it needs to be out in the world, then do yourself a favor and do your idea a favor, give it a date now. It's okay, if you need to flex that date because things happen, life happens and things change. But go ahead and honor this idea by putting a date of completion on it now and then you can work backwards. Then you can decide, okay, knowing that I want this to happen in one month or three months, however long, what mini milestones will I need to hit along the way? And by when do I need to hit them in order to stay on track? So you can reverse engineer a timeline and an action plan based on the deadline you've given yourself for this idea. So please do not skip this part. Once you have documented your idea, then give it a date, because that is how things happen. 

Okay, so once you've documented the idea, and once you've given it a date, then step three is to declare your action. This is where I invite you to tell one person you trust about your idea and your proposed deadline for it. The reason I'm asking you to do this is because when you share your idea with someone, it builds in a sense of accountability. You've told someone you're going to do this, so now you have to do it. Now I will readily admit that there are people in the world who are solely internally motivated. The only person they need to make a commitment to is themselves and that is enough to take action and get things done. So if you know you are that kind of person, then perhaps you don't need to bring in someone else as an accountability strategy. Again, what matters most to me is that you find a process that works for you. What I have learned through my own personal experience is that I am far more likely to take action when someone else knows that I'm going to do this and when I have that built in accountability. That's why I'm so careful about who I choose to share my idea with, and why I really try to keep it to just one person. When an idea is in the early stage, and it's still forming, and I'm still working on it, I don't necessarily want a lot of people to know what I'm up to, because I don't necessarily want all of that input and all of their ideas. As helpful as they may intend to be and as good as their ideas may be, I'm not yet at the stage where I'm ready to receive that. So that's why when I share an idea with one person, it's someone I trust, I know that they will hold my confidence. I also know that they're not going to provide unsolicited feedback or advice. Certainly, if I ask for their opinion, they'll provide it. But if I don't ask for it, they know their role is simply to hold space with me for this idea, and to serve as an accountability partner to the extent that I asked them to. So often this person is my own coach, sometimes it's a trusted colleague, sometimes it is my husband. It honestly depends on what the idea is, how long it will take me to get it done, and the energy behind it. So I really trust my intuition when it comes to deciding who I will declare my intentions to. But I'm pretty clear that it needs to just be one person at the start so that I don't get overwhelmed. And sometimes merely the act of telling them is enough to hold me accountable. Other times, I might ask them to check in with me, just to see how things are going. I really encourage you to think about what this step could look like for you, what type and level of support you might need from another person, and also the type of accountability that works best for you. And I mean it, if you are someone who is solely intrinsically motivated, and you don't need that external checkpoint, you might not need that step. But it may also be worth a try to see what it feels like when you bring one person into your idea and allow them to support you along the way by providing accountability, and also a little bit of cheerleading and support. That never hurts. Okay, so we've gone through three of the five steps. First you need to document, then you need to give it a date, then you declare your intentions to one person. 

Once you've done that, it's time to move on to step four, which is divulge your idea. Okay, so let me explain what I mean by that, because, at first glance, it might look like I'm contradicting myself, because in step three, I told you to just tell one person. And now in step four, I'm telling you to divulge your idea to everyone. And that's not exactly what I mean, I don't think you need to share all of the details and everything you're working on with your audience, with your people, with everyone you know. However, it can be helpful to start leaving little hints or breadcrumbs for your audience around this idea. So for example, if you have a really exciting concept for a small group program, you may want to send an email to your list, or create a post on Facebook or Instagram, letting people know that you have something in the works. And you can share just a little bit of information, maybe it's the topic of your idea. Maybe it's the format, just enough to get people interested. So we are leaving that little clue. And then we're inviting them to connect with you, if they want to learn more. This is a great way to start building interest and buzz around this idea, which is also a great accountability strategy. But we're not yet at the point where we're sharing it globally with everyone, that’s still just for that one person. But leaving breadcrumbs and assessing the interest level of your audience can be really helpful as you start to take action on your idea. So step four is to divulge your idea. But again, we're not talking 100% access, we're talking about leaving some hints, some clues, and inviting people who are intrigued to connect with you and learn more. 

Once you've done those four steps, document, date, declare, and divulge. Then my friend you are set up for the fifth and final step which is getting it done. Now it's time to do the work. It's time to not just create the action plan, but implement it. So here's a little hard truth about implementation. At least this is what I have found in my experience. When inspiration initially strikes and I get this bold, exciting idea for something new. My energy level is so high I am so motivated. I can't wait to take action to bring this to life, I am just on cloud nine. And then once I move from that initial concept into implementation mode, it can be really easy for me to start to lose energy, even lose interest. Because implementation takes work. It takes consistency and dedication. It takes a willingness to put in the time and energy and effort and sometimes the money to bring that idea to life. And this is when that shiny new idea starts to lose some of its luster. It doesn't look as shiny anymore, because it's familiar, it's something we have plans and metrics around. And that initial excitement can wane. This is often the point at which I see people give up on that inspired idea, because it just doesn't feel as exciting or thrilling or fun, as it did at the very beginning. And that's an experience I've had myself, I'll be honest with you, I have countless projects that are still on the shelf, because I kind of lost interest, and I kind of got bored. And for some of those projects, that's probably not a bad thing. It's possible that those projects came into my life at a time where it wasn't the right moment to take action, either because I was working on something else, or it simply wasn't in alignment with my goals and my plan for that year. In fact, my coach Julie Chanel has, in the past, referred to these types of inspired ideas as demon babies, because if we're not careful, they can detract us from the work at hand, from seeing existing projects through. So maybe we need to add another step in here. Another D word, if you will, this is where we need to discern whether or not now is the right time to take action on this idea. And I think that connects back to step number two, which is giving it a date. The date you give your inspired idea does not need to be today, or next week or next month or even next year. If that idea is going to interfere with your ability to see your current projects through. I still think giving it a date is important but now we use the process of discernment to decide when in your grand timeline, it makes sense to take action on this idea. And I think that's really the key to making sure our demon baby ideas don't overwhelm us, don't get us off track. And that can help us fight shiny object syndrome, especially when the shine on our current projects gets a little dull. It's also why it's so important that you have a process in place to support you during implementation. Maybe that looks like regularly checking in with your coach or with someone you trust. Maybe it looks like creating mini celebrations so that as you hit milestones on the path to fully implementing this inspired idea, you are maintaining your drive and motivation and interest, because you've got something to celebrate along the way. Whatever works best for you, it's important to plan ahead of time how you will ensure you stay on track with bringing this idea to life and you don't get pulled away by other ideas that may be just as inspired, but now is not necessarily the right time to take action on them. Because when you stay committed to your process, when you see this through, it is the most rewarding feeling in the world to remember back to the moment you had that inspired idea. And now today, you have a fully fledged program or offer or book or whatever it is, whatever it is you've created, it's done. It's in the world. And it's because you took action when inspiration hit. That is one of the best feelings in the world and I want you to have that experience as well. So that's why today I shared with you my five steps for taking action on your inspired ideas. 

As a summary, those five steps are: number one, document your idea. Number two, give it a date. Number three, declare your idea to one person. Number four, divulge a little bit about your idea to your people. And number five, get it done. And of course that other D, discernment, really gets woven in throughout the process to make sure that not only is this an idea we want to take action on but also to figure out when the best time to take action will be for you and for your coaching practice. I want to give a special shout out right now to my extraordinary Operations Manager, Robyn, because I came up with these five steps, but she was the creative force behind coming up with the D words to describe them. So document, date, declare, divulge and done, that was Robyn’s inspiration. She really took my five step concept and brought it to life in such a creative way. And so Robyn, I just want to say thank you, and to give you credit where credit is due. And I hope you have found this breakdown of the five simple steps to take action on your inspired idea to be helpful. And I would love to know more about how this process works for you. And if you modified it at all, so that it works for you and your business. So let me know what you think. Come find me over on Facebook or Instagram or TikTok @CoachWithClarity, or shoot me an email info@coachwithclarity.com and let me know how this process works for you. 

All right, my friend. That is it for me this week. But don't worry, I will be right back in your feed next week with another brand new episode of the Coach with Clarity podcast. In fact, next week,

I am so excited to introduce you to one of my friends Danielle Clem. I've known Danielle for several years. In fact, she was the first person I ever worked with around Facebook ads. And since the time where we first met, Danielle has really expanded her approach so that it's not just about Facebook ads and it's really about creating a strong sales funnel that supports your business. And I know sometimes when we hear the word sales, or especially sales and funnel together, some of us do a bit of an internal cringe like, “Oh, I don't know about sales and funneling people into something that doesn't feel very good.” Well, I promise you, once you hear Danielle's approach to this work, it's not going to feel cringy anymore. In fact, I suspect you are going to feel so motivated to start building out your own sales funnel. So you're definitely going to want to take a listen to our conversation next week on the Coach with Clarity podcast. And to ensure you don't miss it, go ahead and follow or subscribe to the show now. It's free to do wherever you listen to your podcasts and then you will never have to worry about missing an episode of the Coach of Clarity podcast. And if you've already subscribed to the show, well, I just want to say thank you so much. I cannot tell you how much that means to me and I am honored to have you as a longtime listener of the show. And if you know another coach who might really enjoy what we talk about here on the Coach with Clarity podcast, I would be grateful if you shared the show with them. That is the best way that we can grow our community of ethical, intuitive coaches. So thank you in advance for sharing the show. Alright, friend, I'll see you next week. And until then, my name is Lee Chaix McDonough, reminding you to get out there and show the world what it means to be a Coach with Clarity.