You are called to serve – but serve whom?

But how does your unique purpose relate to your practice?

If you aren’t in alignment with your unique purpose, you may find that you are attracting (or accepting) clients with whom you are simply aren’t a good fit. My colleague Byron taught me this. He saw twice the clients that I did and was always refreshed and energized. I asked him his secret. He smiled a shy grin and softly said “Casey, I choose better than you do.”

It isn’t necessarily about choosing “easier” clients – it is about choosing the clients who are a really good match with you.

Just like in mate selection, just like in purchasing a home – not every option is right for each person. When you are clearer on your purpose and those you are called to serve, you might find – like I did – that the work is easier and more rewarding. Frustration is less – and you may find yourself more often , “in the flow” of the process of the work. It can be truly joyful.

When you are following your purpose, you are thrilled to see your clients.

Take a moment and let that settle in. Imagine being clearer on your gifts and your purpose. What would your life be like? For me, being clearer on my purpose – helping people to be clearer on their gifts and translate that for those who need them – brings me great joy. My relationships are happier. My work is perfectly aligned with this purpose so it brings me great joy – and prosperity – every day.

Imagine if you woke up every day – clear on your gifts and whom you wanted to attract.

Imagine marketing your practice "on purpose."

When you attract the clients that are aligned with your purpose, there is even greater joy in the work itself You feel more appreciated by them because they are “your people.” You might find yourself less frustrated with some clients that really aren’t “your” clients. You can recognize that perhaps another therapist would be a better fit.

More than once I stubbornly “held on” to a client – mistakenly believing that, although we were really struggling, I was the best option for this client. Through excellent supervision, I learned when to let go and help the client move on to a therapist better suited for him or her. These clients did better when they found a therapist perfectly suited for them. In fact, when I spoke to a therapist who made remarkable progress with one of my (former) most difficult clients, he said “I LOVE working with her. She is exactly why I became a therapist.”

You deserve to be thrilled to look at your appointment book each day. Yes, there will be “those days” but for the most part, we need to expect that every day will be energizing, rewarding and well, fun!

When you are following your purpose, you feel more successful.

When you work with the people you are called to help, it becomes very easy do your best work. That feeling – the connection you feel with your ideal client – can feel simply amazing. You know you are working “on purpose.”

If not now, when?

When you are following your purpose, marketing your practice becomes easier.

When you come from clarity of purpose, your marketing becomes much more effortless. You can easily decide which marketing activities make the most sense. The ideal client exercise is easier and more meaningful. You know (or can figure out) where they hang out, who else services them – and what words they will respond to in your marketing. Marketing becomes less of a struggle and the marketing process – your focus – is one that some describe as “being in the flow.” It is easier because now you are clearer on the clients who need you.

“So, Casey, why are you bringing this up now?”

Excellent question. For the past several years, I have taught therapists, coaches and healers to identify their ideal client. Once the ideal client is identified, the “marketing language” one uses is easy to create. This means website copy, business card “tag lines” and way one answers the question “So, what do you do for a living?” are all created to appeal to the ideal client

When I first started teaching this, my clients and I spent time looking at the therapist’s (or healer’s) purpose before we dove into the ideal client exercise. Over time, I found that instead of spending time on this important step, we jumped right into creating the the ideal client and marketing materials. The amount we spend exploring or reaffirming the healer’s purpose became less and less.

And what happened? Instead of coming from a place of joy and ease, the ideal client discussion became a “pressured assignment.” We weren’t coming from a place of centered-ness and “knowing.” We were guessing about the ideal client and it was tough to do. It took a lot of effort. Ugh. Clearly this was a problem.

Then in a quiet moment it came to me. My purpose (or gift or blessing as some call it) is to help people translate their gifts to the world. And in the rush to help my clients “get on” with their marketing, I was skipping the very step that helped them get clearer on their own gift!

So, now I invite you to come with me and revisit this important step.

It is time to explore or rediscover your unique purpose?

I think it would be great fun to share with you the exercises I’ve done and taught to find one’s purpose or gift. Maybe it will reaffirm what you already know. Maybe it will take you into a deeper place. Or maybe it will help to clarify this whole “ideal client” issue for you as you become clearer on whom you are called to help and serve.

Before I go on, I should let you in what we have in store for you in 2010. We have planned an amazing “How To Fill Your Appointment Book with Speaking” program next year that I expect will be one of our best programs yet.

And in preparation for this, and as we end this year – I want to start at the beginning – at the center of all that is important – exploring your purpose.

This is your chance, for a quick-start method, to explore your purpose so you can take that into your 2010 planning. With more clarity of purpose, you can move forward to create the marketing language on your website to attract your ideal client. You can create your signature talk that will attract “your people.” Your marketing plan will be focused – and I expect – a lot easier than in past years.

Please get your copy of:

Find Your Unique Purpose – Whom are you called to serve?

Once you are clear on your purpose, you can find clients you LOVE working with and who truly appreciate you.

This is a 2-part audio series plus a bonus Q&A call

About the Series