The Secret Behind Big Success

January 30, 2014 By

child with gold medal (428x640)What’s behind the big successes of our lives?  Do you know?  If you said “lots of little ones” then you are likely on the right track to your success.  Whoohoo to you!

There is an awesome commercial on television that features U.S. Olympian Snowboarder Louie Vito, the current Gold Medalist of the 2013 Winter X Games Europe. It runs videos of his life from winning medals backwards to when he was very little.  It ends with “Behind every big moment, there are lots of little ones.”  My point, exactly.

However, when we are running our businesses we tend to think of the next big thing.  The big client we sign that pays in full, selling out your latest awesome program in one day and so on.  I’d like to remind you that before every big success, there are lots and lots of little ones that happen first.  So all those little clients are preparing you for the big one and having any people in your first program is preparing you for the sell-out later on.

While we do not necessarily celebrate the small achievements, they are the backbone to us reaching our goals.  They have to be.  I have yet to meet or hear of someone who is successful who did not have any small accomplishments!

Along with those successes are some small and big struggles, too.  I live by the mantra, “There Are No Mistakes.”  One of my mentor’s says that no matter what happens, there are only opportunities for breakthroughs.  She says:  “You didn’t meet your goal, opportunity for a breakthrough.”  “You didn’t get the client, opportunity for a breakthrough.”  The lesson in that moment is I have the choice to look within and see what I can do differently to move forward toward my goal; I have the opportunity to do something different.  And let me tell you, it’s an amazing feeling to have.

Did Louie Vito get to where he is now by not taking advantage of the little moments, both successes and struggles?  Of course not!  He got there by taking advantage of the opportunities along the way – the good ones and the not so good ones.

I invite you to look at everything happens in your life as opportunity to learn and grow and to mold your life into exactly what you want.  Remember that you are the only one responsible for your successes and your struggles…because there are no mistakes.

Filed Under: Reaching Goals, Self Worth Tagged With: ,

Thoughts – Exactly What Do They Do?

January 22, 2014 By

happyA penny for your thoughts.  Have you ever heard that phrase?  My mom used to say that when I was little…  and being quiet.  Some people still ask that whenever someone they are with is being silent and reflective.  Maybe they use it as a conversation starter.

Did you know that our thoughts create our destiny?  Well, they do.  Are you are positive or negative thinker by default?  If you are a negative thinker, you more than likely see all the things that are wrong with your life.  On the flip side, if you are a positive thinker you probably see all the good things.

You know all about the optimist and the pessimist thing.  The glass is half full or half empty.  But be that as it may, it is true you are what you think.  If you think you are stupid, well then… and if you think you are smart, well then…

There’s a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “A man is but the product of his thoughts – what he thinks, he becomes.” It’s a great example to make my point.

If you do not like where you are going in your life and would like to change it, begin with changing your thoughts.  Oh, easier said than done, right?  Only because you think it is.  So let’s start there.

In a recent movie I watched The Iron Lady, with Merrill Streep playing Margaret Thatcher, she quotes:

“Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words, they become actions.
Watch your actions, they become habits.
Watch your habits, they become your character.
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.”

Here are four steps to change your thoughts for good!

  1. Change your thoughts.  Where our thoughts go, our energy flows.  If you are in constant negative self-talk—telling yourself I can’t do it, I don’t have time, I don’t know what to do or there is too much to handle—that is where your energy will be.  If you turn those thoughts around to positive ones—I can do this, I have plenty of time (secret: this is my #1 go-to phrase that I use myself and teach my clients – and it works!), I know exactly what to do, I can figure out what I don’t know, it’s no big deal or I can handle whatever comes my way—you shift your thoughts and subsequently shift your energy.  Once you start using positive words you will begin to see that forward movement you want.  There is much to be said about the power of positive thinking!
  2. New words lead to new action.  Once you have shifted your thoughts, you will notice how easy it is to get into action.  You will have the confidence to figure out what you need to do to reach your goals.  You will be able to make powerful decisions and choices that support what you want in your life.
  3. New action leads to new habits.  After you make decisions and things start moving on fast and furiously, you will no longer be negatively-focused.  You will have created a healthy habit of being positive and believing you are positively-minded.  These traits will    move you forward on your journey to having the life you want.
  4. New habits lead to an empowered character… and we know where that leads!  Finally, once you are in the practice of using positive self-talk, taking action quickly and forming positive habits, your character not only will be much improved, but others will notice the new you.  You will be well on your way to your destiny and all that you want to have is at your fingertips!

See how just having a new thought can change your destiny?  How cool is that?!  Before reading this you were thinking that life was hard and you felt stuck.  But now you can see how to get into the swing of things to run a profitable business and lead a fabulous life.  When you change the way you think, you create a domino effect in your life.  Again, I repeat, how cool is that?!

I would love for you to share one thing that you experienced by choosing to think positively, please share below!

Filed Under: Self Worth Tagged With: , , , ,

It Matters To Be On Top Of Money Matters For Your Wealth Success

January 16, 2014 By

money guyMoney, one of my favorite topics!  Yet it wasn’t always like that.  I used to ignore it because I really didn’t understand it well.  I knew I liked to save money and not spend it once it was saved… but if it wasn’t saved, well, I liked to spend it!  Kind of contradictory right?

Well, no it really isn’t.

See, once I came to understand my money archetype, I realized my pattern wasn’t abnormal.  It was actually the way I ‘did’ money.  While sometimes I did money really well, other times I did not.  And when I wasn’t doing it well, that was when I became frustrated with not being on top of my money matters.

Here is a secret—and I’m sure I already shared this with you – how you do money is how you do everything.

Think about it.  Are there other areas in your life where you maintain really well for a while, and then one day just fall off the wagon (so to speak)?  Like with weight loss; you’re really good about watching what you eat and exercising, then once you slip up suddenly it’s all downhill.  Or you get on a roll attracting clients, then one day you realize they’re not lining up anymore and you’re wondering where did they all go.

It’s kind of like a psychological twist.  We have these patterns… and we often don’t even realize we have them!  Sometimes they work for us and sometimes they work against us.  Yet, once we know what they are, it is easy to get them to work for us on a regular basis.

So, why is it important to your wealth success to be on top of money?  Well, if you pay your utilities late, how does that help you?  If you don’t know what you have in your bank account and you overdraw, how does that help you?  If you can’t pay a creditor or vendor, how does that help you?  The answer is (and you don’t need me to tell you this), it doesn’t.

If you aren’t on top of your money, you can’t effectively build and lead your business to success… can you?  No, you can’t.

However, when you do money well, you live a healthy and wealthy life of joy and success, you feel good about yourself, and because of that you find more great things will come to you.

What are you doing to get on top of your money matters?

 

Filed Under: Money Habits Tagged With: , , ,

How to Use Time to Your Advantage

January 2, 2014 By

hour glassHave you heard the saying, time is money?  It is true in one sense, but you can make more money, you cannot make more time.  Time is elusive and we can be masters at wasting it or maximizing it.

As a business owner, are you wasting time or maximizing it?  Are you like Goldilocks and using it ‘just right’?  I work with many clients who are trying to do everything themselves on time management because when you are a one-person show, you better use your time wisely.  Remember, time is not like money, there is no opportunity to get more of it or make more of it.  Once gone, it’s gone.

So how do you learn to use time to your advantage?

There are many time management books, articles, and tools out there but most of them miss the boat.  (I should know, I’ve tried more than I can name!)  But why?

Because I’ve learned that the single most important thing you need to use your time wisely is to know how you work.

  • Do you have energy in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
  • Do you like to work on the computer or handwrite your ideas?
  • Are you visual, auditory, kinetic or a blend?

Once you know this, then you can implement time management tools and tricks that make sense for you.  Stop trying so hard to fit a square peg into a round hole and maximize your time like you never imagined!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With:

Your Ticket To Having A Joyful Holiday Season

December 19, 2013 By

blowing bubblesAh, it’s the time of year that is supposed to be joyful.  Are you joyful?  If you are, please, stop reading and send me your tips.

If you aren’t, I’m going to share with you a couple ways that you can find joy.

First, decide that you want to have joy in your life.  Yes, you want this!

Next, make a list of things that make you feel joy: playing with your kids, going on a date with your spouse, spending time with your pets, being with friends, exercising, reading, going to the movies.  Write down everything that comes to mind (but wait until you’re done reading this).

This next one, my friends, is your ticket to having a joyful holiday season.  What might it be?  Take time to do those things you’ve written down! It’s really that simple!

I don’t want to hear “I don’t have the energy”.  Here’s why. Energy is elusive.  It is hard to describe, yet we feel it pretty much daily… minute to minute actually.  If your energy is low, guess what?  There isn’t a whole lot of joy happening either.  If your energy is high, however, you almost can’t help feeling joyful and having fun. Yet one feeds the other! Joy feeds your energy and energy feeds your joy.  So if you take time to do those things that bring you joy, the energy will come to you.

Remembering this can lead you into January feeling fresh, energized and happy.

I try to live my life with joy in it every day.  Now that is not to say I’m happy every second of every day – but I try to see the joy in things.  The small and the large.  It makes my life rewarding and fulfilling.

I’m willing to be truthful with you; it wasn’t always this way – I was an outward optimist but an inward pessimist.  I was so darn hard on myself… I was a joy-sucker!  (If you have never heard that term before, I’ll be writing about that more soon.)  Anyway, I couldn’t find joy in anything because there was always more to do and have and be.  Boo-hoo.

Things didn’t change until I realized that my negative energy of being the joy-sucker was the cause.  Once I started to raise my energy (simply seeing the small things that brought me joy), I had more peace of mind, success and yes, joy!  And that to me translates into a whole lot of fun!

So stop what you are doing, get out a pen and paper (or slide our your keyboard) and write down the things that make your life joyful, make you smile and make you feel amazing – those are what will lift your energy and bring you what you want!

Filed Under: Personal Development, Self Worth Tagged With: , , ,

Top 5 Tips for Eating, Drinking and Being Merry!

December 11, 2013 By

cookiesThe number one habit to “go south” this time of year is health.  Suddenly there is no time to do your exercise program yet plenty of time to eat, drink and be merry.  While eating, drinking and being merry are fun and exciting, it often reverses all of the hard work that has taken place over the course of the year.  Whether you celebrate or not this holiday season, use my five tips below to keep all the success you have had so far from going down the drain.

  1. Make a Plan.  Planning is the number one secret to staying on your fitness plan, not gaining weight and not having to start over come January.  Plan your workouts.  Put your workouts in your calendar.  Even though you have a standing class or training session, when you see it in your calendar you will be more likely to keep them.  Plan your eating.  If you have ever have said “I shouldn’t have eaten all of that” you know it has the potential to happen again. So before you hit any party (or sweet tray), plan to do it differently and it will be different.
  2. Write down and share with a trusted friend (or even your fitness instructor) what your plan or goal is for the holiday season.  Whether it’s deciding to eat festive foods in moderation or not at all, or cutting your exercise routine down by half instead of discarding it entirely, when you commit to something and share it with others, you are more likely to follow through.
  3. Know your serving sizes.  You know what you like to eat—and therefore might overindulge upon.  Instead, plan to eat a healthy serving size.  When at a party or even at home, before you fill your snack, dinner and dessert plates, look at the choices first and then choose wisely.  Use http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate to look up what a healthy serving size is if you are not sure.  Being aware of what and how much you eat is key to staying on target.
  4. Drink non-alcoholic beverages.  When you overindulge in alcohol, all bets are off as you almost always will eat more.  Drink a healthy non-alcoholic beverage while you enjoy your favorite food.  If you wish for an alcoholic beverage, have it after you have eaten and drink it slowly and mindfully.  This keeps your mind aware of your actions and easier for you to ‘be good’.
  5. Prepare ahead of time.  Before heading out to a function, party or even the grocery store, have a small healthy meal first.  This can make sure that you are not starving when you arrive and therefore you will not dive into the bowl of chips, eat a tray of cookies or buy junk food.

This time of year there are extra temptations to lure you away from your regular healthy diet and fitness routine.  Do not be one of the millions of people who every year say “I need to lose the weight I gained from the holidays” or “Next year will be different”.  This is your year to do things differently!

Also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below… you know I love hearing from you!

Filed Under: Self Worth, Weight loss Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Want to be productive? Understand your work style!

December 5, 2013 By

ClockAs an entrepreneur or small business owner it is important that you understand your work style.  If you work from home it is especially important to understand this as your day can easily be filled up with things that aren’t directly related to your business, but things that you want to get done.  Like the dishes, the laundry, sweeping the floor, reading the newspaper, making that one quick phone call, etc.

When I first started my business I fell prey to all of those things I felt I just had to do before I went into my office.  I admit, I still do many of those things but it’s because I realize that I need a neat environment in order to feel productive.   I know how important it is for me to get the dishes done and neaten up the house before beginning work…I just put a time limit on it now.

That being said, my work style today is far different from what it was when I started my business because in the beginning I didn’t have a style.  Now my style is to get up early, have my coffee and plan out my day.  I then like to get ready slow; I eat and get dressed at a leisurely pace and then I pick up my house before heading into my office.  No longer do I have the hour long commute to stress me out so I enjoy getting into my office calm and ready to be productive.

And just like my morning routine, I like to start my work day at a slow pace and then gear up to full production levels.  What I mean is that I have more energy at the end of my day than at the beginning.  I know I don’t have to be in my office at the crack of dawn and I can work until later in the day because that is when I am most productive (just ask my assistant when, at the end of the day her inbox is full and mine in empty).  This was a learning experience in my work style too!  I wanted to get in and get out, but it didn’t work for me and left me feeling frustrated.  Knowing my style makes it easier.

So you see, when you understand your work style—when and how you like to work—you become happier and more productive.  Just like your life style supports your life, your work style supports your work.

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

Three Steps to Chill Out and Be Present

November 27, 2013 By

spilled coffeeThere are so many things we have to… and need to do… and want to do… that it is easy to jam pack our to-do list, our schedule and our life with busy-work.  BUT it is necessary to do so?  You may be saying “Yes, of course it is.  How else am I going to get things done?”  Well, that depends on what you have to get done.

If you are a do-er and an action-taker—and dare I say ‘perfectionist’—it is very easy to get caught up in the doing of it all.  But where does living your life like you want it fit in?  It really doesn’t because you are so busy being in the future about what you have to get done and feel you should be doing that you forget to live in the here and now.

My dad had a saying, well he actually had two that are relevant to share with you: “One day at a time” and “One thing at a time”.  He was good at saying “I’ll be with you in a moment, right now I’m finishing this.”  Meanwhile my mother and I are racing around doing (and not finishing) ten things to his finished one.  I know for sure, by my own experience and those of my friends and clients, that when your attention is not in one place, neither are you.   You simply cannot give whatever you are doing justice if you are not fully present.

Have you ever spilled a beverage, dropped something, banged into the corner of your desk, or stubbed your toe while you were trying to do something else?  That’s being in the future (or the past).  And oh yes, the spilled beverage on your carpet, the shattered screen on your dropped smart phone or the stubbed toe absolutely brings you into the present in a very fast way!  It’s a rude reminder that you need to slow down, take a breath and maybe take a break.

I had a client who woke up one morning, got out her cereal bowl and her juice glass, and before she realized what she was doing the bowl was full of cider.  She was upset and beating herself up over this.  It actually threw off her entire day and when I asked her what was going on the moment before she poured the cider, she said she was thinking about her day and all that she had to do and what she wasn’t going to finish.  And so there you have it:  when we are not present, we can’t fully be mindful of what we are doing.

Would you like to experience fewer mishaps and mistakes throughout your day?  Do you want to accomplish things and have them done right the first time?  Be with yourself and not 10 steps ahead.

Here are three quick and easy ways for you to check in with how you feel and be more mindful and present in the moment:

  • Take a breath.  Do you feel frazzled?  Simply stop moving.  Sit or stand still and breathe in to the count of 5 (slowly), then hold for a count of 2 and let your breath out for a count of 5, pausing for another count of 2.  Try it right now – don’t you feel better?
  • Look around you.  Are you jumpy and anxious?  Look at where you are and what’s near you.  Name what comes into your vision and give it a moment’s thought.  The dog, “Oh, he’s actually snoring in his sleep”; the knickknack you picked up on vacation and what a fun time you had; the clouds in the sky and the shape they appear to you.  Small distractions will settle your thoughts.
  • Change your view.  Do you need to get out of your office?  Do you need to go outside?  Sometimes stopping what you are doing and taking a break is essential to help you be more mindful.  Whatever it is, do it.  Just five minutes can do wonders for your focus.

Follow the above tips and you’ll be mindful and in the present moment in no time (without stubbing your toe).  You’ll be happier, more productive and relaxed too.  And the next time you feel on the edge…go ahead and try one or all of them all and let me know how it works out for you.  Also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , , ,

3 Steps to Reach Your Outcomes

November 21, 2013 By

footsteps in sand

In my Be Clear on Your Outcomes blog post, I talked about having a specific outcome so that you can begin implementing a plan.  Hopefully you did that.  But did you create a plan including all of the steps that you need to follow in that plan?  If you did… great!  Congratulations!  I’m happy you took the initiative.  However, if you didn’t, no worries, because that’s what we’ll talk about here.

Let’s say you have your outcome: Make more money.  Now you need to lay out your step-by-step action plan of what you will do and when you will do it.  While this part could seem really tedious, it can also be fun and exhilarating and leave you with eager anticipation of what is to come.  Ahhh, doesn’t that feel better than “Ugh, this is going to be crummy”?  I think so!

Your goal of make more money is valid, so let’s just break it down just a bit.

How much money do you want to make and by when?  This is called being specific and time oriented.  Do that first. 

Okay, next ask yourself what do you want to do in order to reach that goal?  Notice I did not say what will you do – that’s because it must be something that you want to do.  Otherwise, and trust me on this one, you won’t do it.  Do you want to do one-on-one networking?  Join a weekly networking group?  Speak and make an offer from the stage?  Do you want to cut down on some expenses (that’s a fast way to make more money) or even raise your rates?

Once you know what it is you want to do, then think about how you will do that.  Where will you go to do your networking or speaking?  What expenses will you cut back?  By how much will you raise your rates?  Will you raise your rates with your current clients or only new clients?

This is not an exclusive list of what to do, obviously, just a small insight on how creating a step-by-step action plan will help you reach your outcomes and goals faster and with less frustration.

If you are finding you can’t seem to figure it out on your own and nail this step, I’m happy to help!

Filed Under: Reaching Goals Tagged With: , ,

Handling What Life Throws Your Way

November 13, 2013 By

Change ahead stampChange is inevitable – after all, nothing really stays the same.  But in today’s challenging times, it seems like we’re on “uncertainty” overload, never knowing what will happen from one moment to the next. Here today, gone tomorrow – or, at the least, very different tomorrow.

Uncertainty brings stress and confusion, and while most of us would be quick to say that we want less stress and more certainty in our lives, what we really want is less of a stress reaction to what life is throwing our way.

We can’t choose what happens to us – but we can choose our responses to the situations we encounter.  Let’s take a look at five different responses that people have to stressful situations. As you read through these five responses, you may want to think of a recent stressful event or news that you may have received, and see what your reaction to that event can teach you about how you habitually respond.  You may have one type of response at work, and another at home, or you may react differently depending on who else is involved.

  • The first, and unfortunately all too common response to stressful events is to suffer and be a victim to it. People who respond this way don’t take action. Things happen TO them – and though they may complain and be generally miserable about it, they don’t take any steps to do anything. They allow life to control them, instead of the other way around. This way of responding is certainly not recommended, and eventually, it will take its toll on one’s physical and mental health.
  • The second type of response is to accept the situation, and to get some perspective on it.  Someone with this response may say “so what,” or perhaps get some perspective on the situation by asking if it will it matter in a year – or a week – or even in a day.
  • The third way to respond is to actually take steps to change the situation – taking action to bring it to resolution (or at least move toward resolution). This is a very powerful response, and one that many effective leaders employ.
  • The fourth way to respond is to avoid the situation. People responding this way make a decision not to get involved in a situation that they don’t see as concerning them, or upon which they can’t make an impact. For example, someone may choose not to get involved in a dispute going on within their office if it doesn’t directly involve them.
  • The fifth and final way that people generally respond to stress is to alter the experience of the situation. When we look at a situation differently, the experience itself changes. Changing perceptions is probably the most challenging of the responses, because we tend to be stuck in our own interpretations and assumptions about what’s happening, but it is also perhaps the most powerful of all.

It’s your world, and you can create it as you wish. Remember, what one person sees as stressful, another person barely notices, or sees as exciting and full of opportunity. How are you going to choose today?

I’d love to hear how you respond to change or how you are going to now choose to respond.  Also, feel free to share your thoughts, insights and revelations below!

Filed Under: Personal Development Tagged With: , , , , ,
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