It's Wednesday and I've accomplished absolutely nothing this week. I just can't seem to get motivated. I guess it's time to check my alignment once again.
What's that? Check my alignment? Why whatever do you mean?
Let me explain. About eight years ago, I was in the same situation. I had lost all motivation. I just couldn't find the excitement and the passion for my work that I'd had in the past. I actually dreaded having to go to work each day. Then I read an amazing article. It said that just as your car will squeak and make unpleasant sounds when it is not in alignment, so too will your soul when your business tasks are not in alignment with your vision, mission and values.
Before investing more time and efforts to take your business or organization to a fascinating new level, you must re-evaluate first what your primary values are, how you prioritize them inside you, and, see if your business activities support and are in alignment with the priority of your values.
For example, eight years ago my father, who had Alzheimer's, moved in with me. At the time, I used to travel quite a bit to speak to specific groups of people to market the business for the company I worked for. To be successful and get promoted, I needed to travel and speak and network more frequently. There were lots of late nights and long weeks and too many weekends when I was not at home.
But, family life is on the very top of my priority list, in a place higher than business or career success. So, whenever my work required that I travel for an extensive amount of time, my inner self experienced a misalignment. I still went ahead and did what my “head” told me I was supposed to do, but my heart was centered to my values. When the head pulls the whole body to do what it dictates it to do, the heart starts to send out signals to you that if you don’t make adjustments, you will not stay in wholesome health any longer. The heart sends out signals by decreasing your enthusiasm, motivation and self-esteem. You start seeing yourself get down more easily, you feel lonely, not understood and you feel that you get angry easily or you get blamed for shutting your emotions. And that is exactly what happened. Whereas I once enjoyed traveling and meeting with our clients, now I simply wanted to get the trip over with so I could get home. I started making excuses to cut trips short or to send someone else. And when I had to go I was sick and depressed most of the time. I did not give clients the attention they had come to expect. I knew I had to do something or instead of getting that promotion, I would be looking for a different job!
In the article, it said that one of the easiest ways to figure out what your values are and in what priority they are in is to make a “Desire List.” Ask yourself , “What do you want?” Then, begin to jot down your list of answers. Don’t judge yourself for your wants. You need to create a safe and open environment for yourself so that your true self gets uncovered. Don’t be ashamed to say, “I want to own a house by the lake with an amazing view to the mountains and a dock for launching your very own boat.” Or, “I want to be the most influential leader and the expert of experts of my field.” Or, “I want to be a famous dancer!” Just let things flow. Let the same question come at you for 10 to 15 minutes. You may start getting bored of the same question, but you may start seeing what is hiding under those wants. Your initial “wants” are really saying, “I want to be recognized.” “I want to be trusted and respected.” “I wanted to be loved by my family members.’ “I want to be understood and loved for the real me.” “I want to make a difference in this world.”
Your wants and desires express your values.
Take your top 5 values and complete the following questions to get an inner alignment:
1. What are you doing on a daily basis to support these values?
2. What are you doing on a daily basis that does not support these values or that are in conflict with these values?
3. How can you modify your business life so that you support your most important values? How can you eliminate or start eliminating business activities that are in conflict with your values? If these business activities are important to the growth of your business, what else is out there for you to consider for the replacement of such activities. Take the example above; ask yourself if you can find out ways to market the same audience through the phone, internet and other ways? Hold a teleseminar? For me, the answer was fairly simple - and terribly scary! I decided to quit my job and start a business that I could run from home at least part time.
If you are a busy business owner or organizational leader, you will have many activities and to-do’s everyday. Form the habit to run your business tasks through these results-proven questions and get your alignment checked periodically. It's the best way to keep yourself headed for success. So, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to Starbucks for a lube job with a Grande White Chocolate Mocha and an alignment. Once I get myself straightened out, I'll run much more efficiently!
Showing posts with label business skills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label business skills. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
You've Got To Do Something!
Do you wonder why some people are successful and others aren't? I recently had this discussion with someone who is part of my Fortune Hi-Tech Marketing downline. He wanted to know why I had lied to him. Lied to him about what? He joined Fortune. He paid his $299, switched his cell phone to AT&T through Fortune, bought some vitamins, and sat back and waited. One year later he had made $21.00 and had no one in his own downline. He wanted to know why he wasn't making the money everyone else was claiming to make. Why? Because first you actually have to DO something.
Over the years, I've discovered there are 3 steps you must take to become successful at anything. First you have to be willing to make a decision. My team member had trouble with this. He would agonize forever about who to talk to, how to present the business plan, whether or not to ask someone to be a customer. These were all fairly simple decisions to make and yet he never could make one and stick with it. I'd hate to see how long it took him to make decisions that actually required some thought!
Second, once you make a decision to do something, you have to actually DO it. I asked this person how many people he had actually shown the business plan to in the past year. His answer - one! Then I asked him how many people he had shown our products and services to and asked them to become his customers. The answer - zip, zero, zilch! Did he go to any training? No. Listen to any conference calls? No. And he reaped the rewards of his inaction - nothing.
The third thing you must do is surround yourself with the people who ARE doing it. Instead of coming to training meetings or business presentations or even listening in on the conference calls where he would be with people who were successfully building their Fortune businesses and were positive and uplifting about their experience, he hung out with others who continually reinforced his belief that he had been taken advantage of, that network marketing was nothing more than a scam, and that it would never work for him.
If you buy a McDonald's franchise and then keep the door locked, you will not make any money. If you say you want to get in shape and continue to sit on the couch every day, you will not see any difference. If you get involved with a network marketing business and then don't talk to anyone, you will fail!
"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But these are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction" John F. Kennedy
"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. " Theodore Roosevelt
Make decisions!
Take massive action!
Surround yourself with successful people!
Let's make the next year amazing!
Over the years, I've discovered there are 3 steps you must take to become successful at anything. First you have to be willing to make a decision. My team member had trouble with this. He would agonize forever about who to talk to, how to present the business plan, whether or not to ask someone to be a customer. These were all fairly simple decisions to make and yet he never could make one and stick with it. I'd hate to see how long it took him to make decisions that actually required some thought!
Second, once you make a decision to do something, you have to actually DO it. I asked this person how many people he had actually shown the business plan to in the past year. His answer - one! Then I asked him how many people he had shown our products and services to and asked them to become his customers. The answer - zip, zero, zilch! Did he go to any training? No. Listen to any conference calls? No. And he reaped the rewards of his inaction - nothing.
The third thing you must do is surround yourself with the people who ARE doing it. Instead of coming to training meetings or business presentations or even listening in on the conference calls where he would be with people who were successfully building their Fortune businesses and were positive and uplifting about their experience, he hung out with others who continually reinforced his belief that he had been taken advantage of, that network marketing was nothing more than a scam, and that it would never work for him.
If you buy a McDonald's franchise and then keep the door locked, you will not make any money. If you say you want to get in shape and continue to sit on the couch every day, you will not see any difference. If you get involved with a network marketing business and then don't talk to anyone, you will fail!
"There are risks and costs to a program of action. But these are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction" John F. Kennedy
"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." Henry C. Link
"In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. " Theodore Roosevelt
Make decisions!
Take massive action!
Surround yourself with successful people!
Let's make the next year amazing!
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
I Asked Some Women Business Owner Friends of Mine
I can give you all the tools in the world and some of you will still not be as successful as you like. Why? What will make the difference between you and another reader of this blog? I recently participated in a program for Girl Scouts that taught girls business skills and how to become an entrepreneur. During that program we looked at being a business owner from many different aspects.
What does it take to be a successful business owner? What skills and personality traits are necessary? I asked some friends of mine who are all women business owners this question, so I could share them with the girls in the Girl Scout program. Their answers were very enlightening. Valuable enough, in fact, that I thought I'd also share them with you.
My friend Anna Campbell founded and runs Women Business Owners, http://www.womenbizowners.org, a non-profit that works with you to make your business work. She says you need to be confident, understanding, responsible, willing to learn, willing to fail, willing to learn again. You need to understand that you spend money to make money. You need to know how to communicate with others and how to delegate. Confidence, understanding, responsibility - these were mentioned by several of the women. I've heard "fake it till you make it" repeatedly. That phrase always bothered me until I understood that what they meant was to exhibit confidence when dealing with customers and clients. How can you expect them to have faith in your abilities if you don't have faith in yourself?
Caryn Isaacs expresses this need for confidence another way. Caryn is a patient advocate at Resource Evaluation Leaders, Inc. http://reli.com/. She says that belief in your dream is key. You can be afraid that you don't have what it takes, but the dream should be bigger than you. Once you take the first step, the business develops a life of its own. You just need to jump on for the ride. She states that she has never known anyone who succeded, if the goal was just to make money. The driving force is finding your passion, learning everything you can about the history of that field and then just get up and do at least one thing everyday, make a call, read an article or just think about your next move. Finally, reward yourself for a job well done.
Gazelle Simmons, Virtual Assistant/Owner of Admin Services, http://www.admnsrvcs.com, also lists belief as a key factor. Persistence, determination, ambition, honesty, courage and belief in yourself as well as your abilities - these are all part of Gazelle's list of necessary traits.
According to Ingrid Gonzalez, you need to have an entrepreneurial spirit. Now what exactly is that? How about all of the factors we already listed! According to Ingrid, you must be willing to take risks, be organized, be a leader, learn how to handle rejections as it's part of the package, work well under pressure, be a decision-maker, be up to date with technology. She should know. She successfully runs two business: Alco Consultants, LLC http://www.alcoconsultants.com and Dainty Beads http://www.daintybeads.com.
Kristine Sheehan, The Merry Bird, http://www.themerrybird.com, listed many of the same traits - sanity, patience, kindness, perserverance, and desire to succeed.
I really like the way my friend Dawna Jones put it. Dawna calls herself an Evolutionary Provocateur and her company is InSight Out Consulting, Inc. http://www.frominsighttoaction.com/. As you can see, Dawna looks at things in a more unique and creative fashion. When asked what personality traits were needed for business success, she stated "heart of a wolf; strength of a bear; self-discipline (is what horses have that keeps them from betting on people); see like a spider...the interconnections and relationship between everything you do and its impact on others: suppliers, customers, key relations. Wolves are family; Bear is introspection and goals ..the capacity to focus...oh and a great sense of humor helps. There is no such thing as failure. "
Do you see a common theme here? It's not just about the money. If that's all you're focusing on, you're doomed to be less successful than you could be. In order to really succeed you have to have passion for your work. Then be willing to learn all you can about your chosen business. If you stumble (notice I did not say fail. As Dawna said, there is no such thing as failure), learn from the mistake and keep going. Have courage! Take a risk and be prepared to spend a little money to make money. Anyone who tells you that you can start a business for free is dreaming or a scam artist. You make not have to spend $1000s but you will have to spend some. Be responsible. Remember, everything you do will impact your business either positively or negatively. Be disciplined. You can't work two hours a week and expect to have a prosperous business. Just because many of these women work from their homes does not mean they do not work as many hours or more than you do. If you can, set aside some space that is solely dedicated to your business. If you have a room you can turn into an office, that's great. But even a corner of the kitchen will work. Then every morning, get up, get dressed, and go to work. While you are at work, don't let anything else interfere. Dishes can wait. Tape your favorite soap. Don't answer the door. You are at work. Set a goal for what you want to accomplish that day before you can "go home." I was taught to use a point system. I must earn 4 points each day before I can stop working. Each of the activities I do that are business related have been assigned a point value. When I have 4 points, I can stop. Of course, once I've earned my 4 points for the day, I'm usually so excited about my work that I stay a little longer.
I think I'll end by sharing what my friend Marilyn Jenet, founder of Feel Free to Prosper, http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com, said when she responded to the question.
"These great minds said it best (these are from my memoir, "Feel Free to Prosper: an Entrepreneurial Memoir of Synchronicity and Guidance")
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Haven’t you heard of the "entrepreneur’s creed?" It was drafted by Patrick Henry in 1775…
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
~ Patrick Henry
Okay, I know he wasn’t referring to entrepreneurship, but it’s still the same idea to those of us who listen to our own drummer. So maybe Thoreau was a bit closer to the truth."
~ Marilyn
What does it take to be a successful business owner? What skills and personality traits are necessary? I asked some friends of mine who are all women business owners this question, so I could share them with the girls in the Girl Scout program. Their answers were very enlightening. Valuable enough, in fact, that I thought I'd also share them with you.
My friend Anna Campbell founded and runs Women Business Owners, http://www.womenbizowners.org, a non-profit that works with you to make your business work. She says you need to be confident, understanding, responsible, willing to learn, willing to fail, willing to learn again. You need to understand that you spend money to make money. You need to know how to communicate with others and how to delegate. Confidence, understanding, responsibility - these were mentioned by several of the women. I've heard "fake it till you make it" repeatedly. That phrase always bothered me until I understood that what they meant was to exhibit confidence when dealing with customers and clients. How can you expect them to have faith in your abilities if you don't have faith in yourself?
Caryn Isaacs expresses this need for confidence another way. Caryn is a patient advocate at Resource Evaluation Leaders, Inc. http://reli.com/. She says that belief in your dream is key. You can be afraid that you don't have what it takes, but the dream should be bigger than you. Once you take the first step, the business develops a life of its own. You just need to jump on for the ride. She states that she has never known anyone who succeded, if the goal was just to make money. The driving force is finding your passion, learning everything you can about the history of that field and then just get up and do at least one thing everyday, make a call, read an article or just think about your next move. Finally, reward yourself for a job well done.
Gazelle Simmons, Virtual Assistant/Owner of Admin Services, http://www.admnsrvcs.com, also lists belief as a key factor. Persistence, determination, ambition, honesty, courage and belief in yourself as well as your abilities - these are all part of Gazelle's list of necessary traits.
According to Ingrid Gonzalez, you need to have an entrepreneurial spirit. Now what exactly is that? How about all of the factors we already listed! According to Ingrid, you must be willing to take risks, be organized, be a leader, learn how to handle rejections as it's part of the package, work well under pressure, be a decision-maker, be up to date with technology. She should know. She successfully runs two business: Alco Consultants, LLC http://www.alcoconsultants.com and Dainty Beads http://www.daintybeads.com.
Kristine Sheehan, The Merry Bird, http://www.themerrybird.com, listed many of the same traits - sanity, patience, kindness, perserverance, and desire to succeed.
I really like the way my friend Dawna Jones put it. Dawna calls herself an Evolutionary Provocateur and her company is InSight Out Consulting, Inc. http://www.frominsighttoaction.com/. As you can see, Dawna looks at things in a more unique and creative fashion. When asked what personality traits were needed for business success, she stated "heart of a wolf; strength of a bear; self-discipline (is what horses have that keeps them from betting on people); see like a spider...the interconnections and relationship between everything you do and its impact on others: suppliers, customers, key relations. Wolves are family; Bear is introspection and goals ..the capacity to focus...oh and a great sense of humor helps. There is no such thing as failure. "
Do you see a common theme here? It's not just about the money. If that's all you're focusing on, you're doomed to be less successful than you could be. In order to really succeed you have to have passion for your work. Then be willing to learn all you can about your chosen business. If you stumble (notice I did not say fail. As Dawna said, there is no such thing as failure), learn from the mistake and keep going. Have courage! Take a risk and be prepared to spend a little money to make money. Anyone who tells you that you can start a business for free is dreaming or a scam artist. You make not have to spend $1000s but you will have to spend some. Be responsible. Remember, everything you do will impact your business either positively or negatively. Be disciplined. You can't work two hours a week and expect to have a prosperous business. Just because many of these women work from their homes does not mean they do not work as many hours or more than you do. If you can, set aside some space that is solely dedicated to your business. If you have a room you can turn into an office, that's great. But even a corner of the kitchen will work. Then every morning, get up, get dressed, and go to work. While you are at work, don't let anything else interfere. Dishes can wait. Tape your favorite soap. Don't answer the door. You are at work. Set a goal for what you want to accomplish that day before you can "go home." I was taught to use a point system. I must earn 4 points each day before I can stop working. Each of the activities I do that are business related have been assigned a point value. When I have 4 points, I can stop. Of course, once I've earned my 4 points for the day, I'm usually so excited about my work that I stay a little longer.
I think I'll end by sharing what my friend Marilyn Jenet, founder of Feel Free to Prosper, http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com, said when she responded to the question.
"These great minds said it best (these are from my memoir, "Feel Free to Prosper: an Entrepreneurial Memoir of Synchronicity and Guidance")
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.
~ Henry David Thoreau
Haven’t you heard of the "entrepreneur’s creed?" It was drafted by Patrick Henry in 1775…
I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!
~ Patrick Henry
Okay, I know he wasn’t referring to entrepreneurship, but it’s still the same idea to those of us who listen to our own drummer. So maybe Thoreau was a bit closer to the truth."
~ Marilyn
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