Sitting at dinner at a delicious restaurant in California's Sonoma Wine Country with my long-time client and great friend, Dr. John Buzza and his wife, Martha, we were discussing the recent increase in new business and success he's currently enjoying in his dental practice of almost 20 years.  In an almost off-handed comment, he said, "My new patient count has literally doubled this last quarter.  Like everyone over the last 19 months, we tightened up our belt, put our heads down, and made it through the best we could.  But one great decision we made was to sink all of our marketing efforts into internet and social media positioning over the last few years and now that this recession is finally over, it's really paying off huge for us.  We had three new patients just today, all from internet searches, one of them citing that reading so many great reviews, we were head and shoulders above the rest!"  With a huge smile on his face he exclaimed, "So glad it's finally over!"

  

Interesting.  I hadn't realized it was.  You probably didn't either.  Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.  But I'm hearing more and more that business is definitely "picking up" and in some cases like John's... not just a little.  A lot.

  

John's finding no lack of evidence to support his belief that the recession is finally over.  And if the only place you get your information is the nightly news, you likely have no lack of evidence to support the belief that it's not and the future looks grim.

  

My challenge for you this week is to observe and question the beliefs you are holding about your success or lack of it and look for evidence that there are more possibilities than what the nightly news affords you.  There is equal evidence to support that success is available in John's experience, in the increase in requests we are getting for Lion Camp Leadership Team Retreats from around the country, in my new LA client who is thrilled by the three best months in the history of her practice (including nearly 50 new patients a month coming from the same internet-focused marketing... certainly the topic of next week's Stretch!) and many others such as my collaborative attorney friend in Michigan whose business is so good she has now limited her practice to solely collaborative cases.  My hair dresser, my vet, my favorite winery - all exclaiming the same beautiful chorus of prosperity.

  

So stop worrying and start expecting, eagerly anticipating, and gratefully embracing that you may have weathered the worst and...  it just may finally be over!