Yesterday afternoon, about mid-afternoon, I got home from the National Guild of Hypnotists (NGH) convention in Marlborough MA. Gwyn picked me up from the airport - and she was definitely a sight for sore eyes. I had been traveling for three weekends in a row, now. The last weekend of it, the Guild is always an intense weekend. Seeing my dear wife's face as she waited for me at luggage claim was a delight.
We stopped for lunch and then returned home - to be greeted by the other two ladies in my life - Libby and Stormy. It's nice to be home.
After getting home and unpacking, I went in to work for a few hours, time at the Explore with Hypnosis office, which turned out to be quite a few hours. I spent quite some time dealing with technology issues, reading through about 180 e-mails and other back-from-traveling things that await you on your desk. The biggest of these is a three-mile-long to-do list.
One of the biggest things I bring home from NGH each year is that big to-do list. NGH is full of practical hints, tips and tricks on how to conduct your healing practice. I learned a lot about marketing - including some things I seem to be doing correctly and a few areas of "opportunity." I also learned quite a few things about how to set up automation for my storefront, how to plan and schedule clients, how to give and get referrals, etc. All in all, it was an action-packed weekend and gave me the sense of trying to drink from a firehose.
All tolled, I think I'm doing things pretty well. I think I've learned a few things in 15 years as a hypnotists, and I think I have a whole lot more things to learn. I connected with a lot of old friends and made some really great new ones. I came away with a lot of things to do, and I also learned a few things that I didn't need to do after all. And just as in every year, this time, I get a full charge of inspiration by the end of the weekend - and a very long to-do list.
Today, I spent most of the day doing paperwork, including a fair amount of time and money ordering new inventory of my CDs and books. I booked a couple of new trade shows and prepared a workshop for tomorrow evening at the Circle of Healing Arts. And like any coop, the Circle is reaching its stride. We have an open house tomorrow with mini-sessions during the day. In the evening I am teaching a stress-management workshop. So that was another thing I was busy putting together.
Each year, as I'm sitting on the airplane returning from NGH, I find myself taking stock of what's happened and how it's gone so far. This year has been one of getting my feet on the ground as a full-time entrepreneur. It is a time when I am getting my hypnosis practice going full-boar and starting to see quite a few clients. So, in the end, I feel blessed - blessed that I can be of service to those around me, and that those around me see value in what I have to offer.
All in all, it's been a busy day, and a very positive one. It's also been typical of those moments after I unpack the suitcase, clear out the paperwork and dig through the e-mails. Like any other trip, business or pleasure (when you love what you do, it tends to be both at the same time), today was definitely the day after.
