Success and Strategy

May 26, 2016 By

BLOG letters on corkboardIn this blog, I’d like to share with you a couple of ways for you to bring about accomplishment and success.

A startling opportunity to your monumental success
Early on in my business I had no idea what I was doing so I tried doing what other “successful” business owners were doing. I was pretty good at copying what they were doing, but I wasn’t getting the results I wanted (or that they had). It was only after much ado (lots of frustration, overwhelm and tears) that I knew why I wasn’t getting the results that I wanted. I wasn’t them. Click to read more…

 

There is more to getting things accomplished than just having a strategy
Do you like to strategize? To plan? I love to do both, it’s the execution I can get stuck on. What I have come to realize is that sometimes I don’t have the right tactics or the step by step action map that I need in order to execute to completion. And in business execution is paramount to having things completed. Click to read more…

Did one of these blogs resonate with you?  If so, I’d love to hear from you. Post to one of the blogs above or email me personally!

Filed Under: Business Mastery, Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: , , ,

Just What The Heck Are You Waiting For?

May 12, 2016 By

Recently I was on a group training call and my coach (I work with her privately too) said to me something that was sweet to my ears.  She said: “Kim, you always show up.” I was the only one who did. Because I showed up, I was able to have additional coaching as if it were a private 1/1 session. I walked away with new knowledge and a plan about how I can take my business to a new level that I wouldn’t have gotten had I not shown up.

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Why was I so happy to hear her say that? Well…I never used to show up! I used to be that person who would say I wanted to do something then not do it, I’d sign up for programs and classes and either not show up (hey, I was busy) or show up but not do the work (I was busy, remember)! I hate to admit it but it is true. I let myself down all the time.

I’d say I wanted to do x, y and z and then I wouldn’t do it. I’d let other things get in my way, other people, other priorities (other people’s priorities), you name it, I did it.

One day though it hit me (think 2×4 across the head — ouch), I was only letting myself down and that was no longer ok with me. It definitely had something to do with the dwindling bank account and wondering how I was going to pay my bills for my business and live my life but it also had something to do with seeing other people be successful in business.

I stopped and asked myself what they were doing differently than I – lots of things I know, but one thing that I kept seeing is that they weren’t waiting for anything, they just kept showing up and so I decided that’s what I’d do.

To this day, I’m constantly in awe of the way people let themselves down. Let’s take business. Are you someone who signed up for things, a program, a coach, a class yet don’t get the results you want?

If you said yes, ask yourself if you are showing up and by showing up I don’t mean to the class/call, etc. I mean fully, participating, doing the homework, the next actions, asking questions.

And if you aren’t, keep in mind that when you don’t show up you simply cannot get the results you want.

“Want results? Ya gotta show up.” –Kim Ravida

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As someone wanting to be successful in your business, tell me:

  • Why would you let other things constantly get in your way if you are serious about getting results?
  • Why if you sign up for a program that would help you and that you paid for, wouldn’t you make it a top priority to show up?
  • Why would you sabotage yourself that way?

The funky thing is that when people do this they complain or are pissed off that they aren’t getting (or didn’t get) the results they wanted and will blame others. Come on, if you don’t want to show up for whatever reason, that’s on you. I show up because I’m all about being at the cause of change and my success (and because one 2×4 across the head was enough for me to get it).

What will it take for you to get it?

I’d love to hear your comments on this, pop over to my Facebook page and answer me this: what the heck are you waiting for?

Feel free to share as much or as little as you’d like! And if you want to share privately, I’d love that too. Email me at kim@kimravida.com

Filed Under: Business Mastery, Empowerment, Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: , , ,

It’s all about the plan

May 5, 2016 By

Do you remember when you were younger and getting together with your friends you’d ask “hey, so what’s the plan?” And usually there wasn’t one but you’d all come up with something.

It’s not a bad strategy when you are a teenager but it’s a terrible one if you are a business owner. No plan, no success. I should know, I spent a lot of time doing things with no real plan. Oh sure, I thought I had a plan, I would do a little social media, blogging, networking and other business building tasks but that was only because that was what I thought I should do because others either said to do it or were doing it. (Gee, as I write this I’m realizing I wasn’t that far removed from what goes on in high school.)

Then one day it hit me, I wasn’t getting where I wanted to go because I didn’t have a plan. I didn’t have a step by step plan of the things I would do that would bring me what I wanted. When I think of the elite athletes and successful business owners and businesses each one had a plan that laid out what to do first, second and so on.

I realized that building a business was much like building a brick and mortar building. There are separate contributions from many areas and they all need to fit together as one. And to do that, each has to be executed precisely in coordination. In some cases, in order to reach a goal there are certain pieces that need to be done before others.

Once I realized this, that everything comes together to make the whole the results start happening. Oh and another thing I learned was that I wasn’t necessarily the best person for all of the jobs. In order to reach my goals I needed to delegate, sometimes delete and always be open to course correcting.

Now, to this day, before I do anything in my business I either get out a checklist (if it’s something I’ve already done) or I create a step by step plan (and turn that into a checklist) so that I always know what to do and when to do it. This helps me reach my end result faster and with a lot less stress.

It’s become a game of sorts, I love to plan so I get to do what I love and then I love to see results of that plan, so by taking the steps in between (the meat of the matter so to speak), I work my plan and see my results!

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail” …Winston Churchill

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Where are you failing to plan? And more importantly, what do you want to do so that you succeed? As Winston Churchill said, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. I know you don’t want that. So hop on over to my Facebook page and tell me your tips for planning or what one step you will commit to after reading this.

 

Filed Under: Business Mastery, Empowerment, Reaching Goals, Structure Tagged With: , ,

Are you disappointing yourself?

April 28, 2016 By

It’s an interesting thing we do. We disappoint ourselves all the time. Are you thinking “no I don’t” right now?

Let me ask you, have you said to yourself “I’ll do that today” (whatever “that” is)? And then do you end up NOT doing it? Or even making an excuse as to why you didn’t do it or weren’t able to do it? Well, that’s disappointing yourself.

A disappointed monster in front of a wooden signage

Your true self knows that you are lying to avoid the disappointment of saying you didn’t do it or didn’t do what you said you’d do so you are truly only hurting yourself. Why do we do it? (Yes, I’ve done it too.) Well, to feel successful, we want to look good and so we tend to say things that aren’t necessarily accurate even to ourselves.

But that’s where we end up disappointing ourselves and it’s a downward spiral from there. So then, I’d like to offer you a couple of ways in which you can start to be honest with yourself.

  1.  Write down everything you plan to do. This will give you a touch point to refer to so that you remember what you told yourself you were going to do so you can go and do it.
  2. Cross it off ONLY when you complete it. This may seem silly but this action will show you without a doubt what you did get done. You must be honest (no futzing/fibbing) though and not cross things off if you did not do it.
Be true to and with yourself and you will never let yourself down – Kim Ravida

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By doing these two steps you’ll be able to truly and honestly see yourself in the best light, and you’ll be in the best light! You’ll be on the road to trustworthiness with yourself. The days of disappointing yourself will be over and you’ll find you are more successful as well as happy!

Your turn, how can you see using the above steps to move from disappointing yourself to seeing yourself shine? Hop over to my Facebook page to share.

 

Filed Under: Empowerment, Personal Development, Reaching Goals, Self Worth Tagged With: , , , , ,

Yes, there are some things you should do when it comes to your health & fitness

April 14, 2016 By

I know, you probably don’t want to be told what you should be doing. I get that. However, what if it were something that would add to your business and your life success? Would you be open to listening? Being healthy & fit is an important component for you to have in your business.

Health & fitness is another one of my specialties.  I’m a huge advocate of being healthy and fit. It helps us stay focused, gives us more energy and even brain power. Recently a client came to one of her sessions asking for “help getting healthier”. I’m qualified to help her with this too as I am a Certified Personal Trainer and have many years of both personal and professional experience and success in this arena.

A lot of people struggle with their health when they have their own business. True, it can be a challenge to run a business and be healthy but it isn’t impossible. Often, we talk about setting aside time for business related tasks and appointments so we can use time here as it pertains to your health & fitness.  Here are a few to get your started:

happy

  • Make time for movement. Take a short walk, get up and stretch, go up and down a couple of flights of stairs a few times. Simple movement will bring oxygen into your body and will give you a boost in energy and mood.
  • Make time to plan, shop for and eat healthy meals. Plan and shop for what you will eat for the week, this will cut down on you just grabbing something unhealthy. When you know what you’ll be eating it is easier to just eat it.
  • Make time for sleep. Yes, sleep plays a hugely important role to your health & fitness. Just think about the time you didn’t get enough sleep and how hard it was for you to do the simplest tasks the next day, enough said!

That’s it, very simple “shoulds” right? Yes, absolutely. I’ll expand on them in later blog posts but for now, contemplate how it is you will fit these key three into your life so that you have optimal health & fitness!

As Nike says: “Just Do It!”

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I’d love for you to share your experience with your own health & fitness. Feel free to post a comment here.

If you would like to set up a free Strategic Plan of Action Call to get clear on how you can bring more health & fitness into your life, simply email me at kim@kimravida.com with the subject line of I want to be fit and I’ll email you back to get set up!

Filed Under: Business Mastery, Empowerment, Health & Fitness, Personal Development, Reaching Goals, Wellness Tagged With: , , , ,

Are you negatively or positively motivated?

April 7, 2016 By

There are two types of people in the world. Negative and positive. Which one are you?

Negative people say things like “I don’t want …” and positive people say “I want …” Let me give you an example.

Let’s take health & fitness. The negative person will say things such as:

  • I don’t want to be fat.
  • I don’t want to eat rabbit food.
  • I don’t want to go to the gym.

The positive person will say things such as:

  • I want to look healthy.
  • I want to eat nutritious foods that make me feel great.
  • I want to exercise and add movement to my life.
Positive people say “I want…”

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Can you see the difference? Yes, sometimes you do need to know what it is you don’t want so that you can know what you do want, however, if you constantly are saying I don’t want…well, my friend, then that is exactly what you will be getting.

Quote - Success =

Now don’t despair if you are saying to yourself, “oh gosh, I’m so that don’t person” – I was too,  how else do you think I can help you. Simply take a look at what it is you are saying that you don’t want and turn it around to what you do want. You may feel free to use the examples I gave above.

One thing I have found that helps more people be more successful is to share what it is you do want, so find a trusted friend or if you’d like I’d be honored if you shared what you want with me. Reply here to this blog or email me privately at kim@kimravida.com.

If you find you would like some additional support in getting clear on what you do want and/or help getting there, I have opened my schedule up to offer you a FREE Strategic Plan of Action Strategy Session where you’ll be able to lay out exactly what you want and what you will do to get it. Email me privately at kim@kimravida.com, put in the subject line SPA and I’ll be in touch with you to schedule your session!

You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, clarity, insight and action steps to having exactly what it is you want. And not to worry, if you are still in the place of “I don’t want…” you’ll definitely walk away knowing what you do want!

Filed Under: Empowerment, Personal Development, Reaching Goals Tagged With: ,

Are you a vacation-taker?

March 29, 2016 By

A vacation-taker is someone who takes a vacation. Is that you?

I never was.  Most of my early working years was spent well, working. Why would I want to go on vacation?

Good thing I know better now. I didn’t grow up with my family going on vacations so I didn’t know any better. We always stayed home. My dad taught elementary school so he was off the whole summer. There was a few trips here and there but nothing major.

I just saw an interesting infographic on stats and facts about vacation travel from 2015 and couldn’t agree more with their facts.

Quote - The time to relax is when you don't have time for it. Sydney J. Harris

Vacations allow us to unwind, recharge and best of all have a fresh perspective on our lives when we return. Yet many solopreneurs and small business owners forgo taking any time off from their business let alone vacation. It’s an interesting mindset to say the least and one that will not have you coming out ahead.

No, more work is not what you need to create business success. You truly need to put the smart phone/laptop/electronics down and step away from the business in order to create business success.

In order to create business success you sometimes you need to step away from the business.

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I could write so much more here but I’ll end with if you haven’t taken time off in the last year, it is time for you to do so. In order for you to optimally work in and on your business you need to have a fresh mind, open space to think, health and wellness (think mind, body and spirit).

So your action item it to get out your calendar and choose right now when you will be taking time off and where you will go! Here is a hint: go somewhere where the cell service is spotty that way you can truly disengage. Take a few moments now and take this action step then pop on over to share with me where you are going at kim@kimravida.com.

 

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Let’s see if we can’t meet in the middle.

March 24, 2016 By

There is a syndrome going on out there among a lot of business women. It’s called the I have to get it all done and if I can’t then I might as not even try syndrome.

It plagues so many women. So instead of just getting a few things accomplished or moved forward, they wait and wait until they have all the time in the world to get the whole project complete. And of course we all know that that isn’t going to happen any time soon. So why bother anyway?

Quote - Kim Ravida

So what if we could meet in the middle? What I mean is what if we could look at what we had to accomplish and set aside time regularly to move the project forward a little bit each day? The trick is to actually set the time aside for doing what you want to do.

I remember when I first started to implement this concept. Yes, I used to have the all or nothing mindset and feel that I never got anything accomplished, well, how could I if I never started things in the first place?

If you find that you are in an all or nothing mindset, what if you were to take one thing at a time, determine what actions steps you need to take in order to get your project complete and then schedule the time into your calendar and actually do the work when the time comes?

Would you say that you would find yourself accomplishing a lot more and feeling really good about yourself? I bet you would!

But don’t take my word for it, go for it yourself and then let me know! Feel free to comment here or email me privately at kim@kimravida.com.

There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.” –Norman Vincent Peale

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There is more to getting things accomplished than just having a strategy

March 22, 2016 By

Do you like to strategize? To plan? I love to do both, it’s the execution I can get stuck on. What I have come to realize is that sometimes I don’t have the right tactics or the step by step action map that I need in order to execute to completion. And in business execution is paramount to having things completed.

Early in my career as a business coach I struggled with completing things for my business. I never had a problem working with clients, that was easy it was the bits and pieces that went into creating a successful business structure that I got hung up on.

That was until I realized that while I had a fabulous plan, I didn’t necessarily have the tactics (the methods I was going to use) or the steps in which I would do the right things at the right time that would equal the results I wanted.

Once I realized this, boy was it easy to execute and actually complete things so that I got the results I wanted. A lot of organization and structure went into getting there and I’d love to share with you several steps that I used to go from planning to execution to completion!

© Studio Dream | Dreamstime Stock Photos

  • Make the plan realistic. Look at your plan and ask yourself honestly, “is what I’m saying I’m going to do, realistic, is there something that I need to look at differently?”
  • Keep it simple. Once you determine your realistic plan, ask “how can I get this done in a simple manner?”
  • Lay out your tactics on paper. By doing so you will be able to see if the approach is realistic and simple. Here you can determine what it is you will do and how you will do it.
  • Create a step by step detailed action map. After you have completed the above, this step will encompass what to do and when including who is to do it and any materials needed to complete it.

When I work with my clients, I help them create a do-able Strategic Plan of Action so that they have confidence to commit, execute and complete everything on their list that will lead them to reaching their results.

If you would like to set up a free Strategic Plan of Action Call simply email me at kim@kimravida.com.

© Studio Dream | Dreamstime Stock Photos

Filed Under: Business Mastery, Empowerment, Personal Development, Reaching Goals, Structure Tagged With: , ,

Do you feel like you are in a rut?

March 17, 2016 By

Quote - Wayne DyerIn February I undertook a challenge; a blog challenge in that I would write every day. You may have read some of my blogs (if not, feel free to go to www.kimravida.com/blog).

What I discovered was that I loved writing every day and it was fun to post to my blog daily, receive and respond to comments, and interact with people. What I also discovered was that coming down to the end of the month, I was looking forward to it being over.

Kind of strange, right? I started out enjoying the challenge and finding something new that was fun to do, but after a while it was not as gratifying. It felt as if I got in a rut. Hmph. What is that about?

Well, I realized that while I love to write, there are other things I love to do, too. And because it took time out of my workday to blog, I had to let other things go by the wayside (to say ‘yes’ to one thing sometimes is to say ‘no’ to something else). Therefore, when the blog challenge came to an end, I had time open up in my day again to do the other things I missed doing.

Now, after thinking this over more I saw that the rut I got into was a routine I didn’t change up. Take exercise for example. Many of my readers know that I also am a group exercise instructor.  Some of you come to my group classes and know that I never do the same class twice. That’s because I like variety. I have a structure and a foundation, but I like to vary my actions.

Diversity is what keeps me motivated and energized. So if you feel you have gotten into a rut here are a few tips to get you going again:

  • Change up your routine. Instead of doing the same thing at the same time every day, reverse your activities.
  • Look for ways to do what you are doing differently. Using exercise as an example; if you regularly walk on the treadmill, try walking outdoors or use a different piece of equipment.
  • Switch your environment. If you work from home, go to the library or local coffee shop once in a while.
  • Set a revolving schedule. Every 10-15 days switch up your activities, where you work and what you are working on. You will keep your existing structure but instead of doing the same things at the same time and getting in a rut, you’ll be able to keep it fresh and new.

Often what happens is that our energy gets stagnant and flat. Changing things up is a great way to keep things light and airy and fresh.

Maybe you’ve noticed that this month my blogging schedule has changed; it’s how I can add a little bit of variety to the mix of things I love to do during my work day.

Your turn! I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter, please post to my blog or email me personally at kim@kimravida.com to share.

Filed Under: Personal Development, Reaching Goals, Structure Tagged With: , , , ,
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