Inspiring Business Success

Taking Care of Business 
a guest blog from Guy Millar of The Millar Method

Left Brain Right Mind 

With everything that is happening in business and the economy it is obvious that radical change is required.  The problem is that we are not changing our way of thinking.  

In the past our attitude in business has been driven mainly by left brain processes. Left brain thinking is all about rationale, logic and analysis. It is about action, getting busy, meeting targets – and uses the masculine approach to getting business done. Right brain processing is about feelings, emotion, intuition, creativity, listening, inspiration – what are traditionally known as more feminine characteristics.  


Just like when a car is skidding out of control, turning the wheel in the opposite direction will stop the spin, so we as individuals are being asked to look at things another way. Whilst it seems counter-intuitive to turn the wheel the other way, it is the only thing that can stop the crash.

A client with a successful business, and many of the symbols of success, came to see me because he felt he was struggling.  He did not feel successful.  He felt that something was missing; running the business seemed like hard work and home life just seemed to echo the feelings of heaviness and exhaustion he felt at work.

Journey without end.
I know a lot of people, men in particular, who are caught in this pattern. They have achieved a level of success and yet don’t feel successful, nor are they able to enjoy the trappings of their success.  

In fact, after years of work the only thing they feel is trapped by it all.  They know there must be more to life than this and they want things to change, but they do not know how to go about it.   Often the only way to get some kind of excitement back into their lives is to either create a situation that gets them feeling alive again by bringing their business to the brink of collapse, or have a change of career, an affair, buy a motorbike.  Reckless decisions are made with little or no thought to the long-term consequences.

Stopping the tailspin

With coaching my client was able to do the counter-intuitive thing.  Instead of working on how to increase productivity, create bigger sales targets (which would only increase his dissatisfaction and misery), we worked on addressing the feelings and beliefs he had around his business and, more importantly, himself.  

He realized that he felt resentful of having to work so hard, of feeling unappreciated by his family, for having to be the provider.  We explored where these feelings and beliefs came from and discovered that he had been working hard all his life to avoid feelings of failure and inadequacy. 

With new awareness he began to apply a new level of thinking which changed his attitude and relationship not only to his work, but to his sense of identity. He began to feel less burdened by his business and felt inspired, motivated and creative – he even gave himself time off to pursue a long forgotten love of fishing.  He now feels able to give himself wholeheartedly to his life, family and work. 

And his staff and loved ones feel the difference too!

“You cannot solve a problem with the same level of thinking that caused it”.  

Albert Einstein

The open road
To be successful in the 21st century business needs a new level of thinking. I believe the only way business can achieve this is by rethinking itself, its purpose, its possibilities and conduct, and start leading the way forward in this time of huge uncertainty. Only when we are able to bring right-minded thinking to problems will solutions start to present themselves.

When my client accessed feelings underneath exhaustion and inertia, he was he also able to reconnect with his more creative side.  With access to this part of his mind was he able to uncover possibilities and find answers that he had been seeking previously so desperately through hard work and exhaustion.  

Business is good – and so is life. 

If you would like to explore a revolutionary new level of thinking about your business, contact Guy at info@themillarmethod.co.uk

www.themillarmethod.co.uk

Where there's a Will, there's a way.

Family Matters.

Putting our affairs in order is something that can be helpful to those we leave behind, but being able to talk about our intentions with those we love is also an important part of the process.  I have invited Susan Shaw to share her expertise with us.

Why Write a Will? 

Oscar Wilde said “The opposite of love is not hate it is indifference.”

Deciding not to bother to write a Will can leave loved ones with shocking problems and major tax bills.

It is estimated that in excess of 60 % of the population do not have Wills. In such cases the State will distribute assets and a family may be left in bitter disagreement.

·      It is commonly thought that a legally married spouse inherits everything in all circumstances. This is not true.

·      It is commonly thought that orphaned children are handed over to next of kin. This is not true either. They become the responsibility of the Local Authority unless there is a Will which appoints guardians.

·      It is commonly thought that a ‘common law spouse’ or long term partner inherits. This is not true. That person has no inheritance rights.

A Will demonstrates lifetime care for others.

With the correct expert advice it can also ensure that children do not inherit when they are too young, and that loss is not caused by Tax or Care Fees.

Having children radically changes the way we view life.

Most people have life assurance, and many families also have health insurance.

 For all this protection we pay quite a lot of money every month but even in these hard times we keep up with these payments if we possibly can.

A Will is essential family protection and you only have to pay for it once. It may cost less than one month’s outlay for the rest of your family protection.

Radical changes to the law of Inheritance Tax occurred in 2007. If the Wills of a married couple predate 2007 they should be checked now as they may not be fully tax effective.

Specialist advice is essential and may save a great deal of money. For example:

·      The inheritance of children of a former marriage can be protected.

·      The surviving spouse’s interests can be provided for and trusts can be put in place guaranteeing the inheritance of the next generation.

·      If any member of the family is in receipt of social benefits their entitlement can be protected.

·      Using Trusts within your Will can preserve assets from Care Fees and prevent young beneficiaries from squandering their inheritance.

·      If you own business property or agricultural property then a trust can also save a great deal of inheritance tax.

Wills are not expensive and they are not a recurring cost.

If you would like to know more, contact:

Susan Shaw LL.M.

www.Shawswills.com     01428 712856

Member of the Surrey Law Society, Institute of Professional Will Writers.

Affiliate of the Society of Trusts and Estate Practitioners.

This article is necessarily brief. Specialist advice should always be sought.

The Heart of the Home

We are in the process of having our old kitchen ripped out and a new one installed.  Not having a kitchen is an interesting experience for us a family – its like the heart of the home is missing.  We love to cook and eat together and have missed not being able to express ourselves through the creative process of making a meal. 

The project will be finished by the end of the week and we are all beginning to plan what each of us wants to make in our beautiful new kitchen.  The lovely people at Anthony Edwards Kitchens www.anthonyedwards.co.uk who are helping us create this new space have a saying: “What will you make in yours?” 

Family Times!!