Archive for the ‘Personal Success’ Category

“…And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud

was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

Anais Nin, author

“In all realms of life it takes courage to stretch your limits,

express your power, and fulfill your potential.”

Suze Orman, financial advisor, author, motivational speaker, and television host

“I just want you to be yourself. Be a bigger yourself.”

Tyra Banks, model, media personality, actress, entrepreneur

There’s a huge difference between doing something well and doing it perfectly.

Attempting to be perfect ushers in lots of lost time, frustration, feelings of inadequacy and can even interfere with completing important projects.

The problem with perfection is that it can never be truly attained. So, in pursuing perfection, you are bound to end up with less to show for your efforts.

Think about it: A poorly written but complete book can still be published (and can still be bought or sold).

But a perfectly composed book that’s only half finished is essentially worthless!

Of course, there’s a middle ground between poor and perfect…and that terrain includes excellence.

Excellence in this context means more than good enough. It means that a task whether completed by you or outsourced is completed at a high enough level that there’s no cause for concern. Pursuit of excellence begins with deciding what level you wish to attain before getting started  on a project.

Everything you do should have standards that you strive for. Once you have set the bar, you now have a target – a goal that’s been chosen with some thought and intelligence.  Thereafter, simply perform the task to that level and stop. Consider it done and move on to something else.

By choosing excellence over perfection, you can be more productive, feel more of a sense of accomplishment, and maintain your sanity much more easily as you work hard to meet critical benchmarks and deadlines.

The choice is clear…strive for the pursuit of excellence and thrive!

Chances are pursuit of perfection isn’t the only thing that slows you down from achieving what you want for your business. If you are ready to get out of your own way, stop self sabotage and uncover other hidden barriers and challenges, click here for a complimentary, limited time offer, I Want to Launch & Grow My Business Breakthrough Session.

“Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozey,

and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.”

Billie Jean King, former professional tennis player

“Life-fulfilling work is never about the money –

when you feel true passion for something, you instinctively find

ways to nurture it.

~Eileen Fisher, fashion designer

It’s the beginning of a new quarter…a good time to assess where you are in meeting your most important goals and measuring your progress relative to the same time last year.

You may be wondering how to do this quickly and easily. It’s not as hard as you may think.

Use these three questions to get a handle on where things stand now and where to focus next:

1. What is working for your business? There is no need to fix what’s not broken. Keep doing what works and brainstorm how you can achieve even MORE with the strategies that get you good results.

2. What is not working for your business? If there are any tasks, activities, or strategies you have been using that do not serve your business, you must either stop doing it completely or do it differently in some shape, form, or fashion. Doing things the same way you’ve always done them and expecting change simply won’t happen. One small tweak can make a BIG difference in your business.

3. What can you improve upon to get better, faster results?

In business ownership there is always room for improvement. Reflect on mistakes, missteps, and what you need to do better in the future. Take some time today to create your list of if I: coulda, woulda, shoulda and gain new perspective on how to best move forward.

Also pinpoint where you’re stuck. The only way you can get past this place is to be honest with yourself, and admit where you’re falling short. What are you in need of: More training? More support (personally or for your business)? More information, resources, tools to get to the next level?

Last but not least, take action. It’s not enough to have awareness. You must also act to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Tired of trying to figure out what’s next all on your own? Struggling to overcome the obstacles that seem to keep showing up and getting in the way of making forward consistent progress in your business? There’s a better way…

Spring has sprung!! For a limited time, I am giving away complimentary I Want to Launch & Grow My Business breakthrough sessions. These sessions are designed to uncover the challenges that keep getting in the way, slowing you down or stopping you from reaching your most important goals, and more! Learn more & grab your session here.

Each weekend is filled with wrestling matches and tournaments, as this is the winter sport for both my boys.  It’s one of the hardest sports around — just you and your opponent, one-on-one.  There’s no one to blame but yourself if things don’t go well.

It occurred to me the other day as I was watching them just how much the sport reminded me of business, which similarly isn’t easy to do.

The following are 5 instructions I typically hear my son’s coach yelling from the corner during a wrestling match that I couldn’t help to relate to success in business:

“Get to your feet.” In wresting one thing that is critically important is to stay on your feet because this is where you are strongest.

In a business sense, this is a lot like staying true to core:  your business vision, mission, what you do really well, and niche focused.

There is so much competition in the marketplace. When things don’t happen for your business as quickly as you would like, it’s tempting to change your course and become something else for whomever is willing to hear, listen, and respond to your message.

However this “make it up as you go along” approach leaves you scattered with no sense of purpose or direction.  And as a result you will struggle to establish your brand and jeopardize your position in the marketplace.

Although there are times when you feel “lost in the wilderness” with aimless pursuits, you can always find center and get back on track when you stay grounded and “get to your feet.”

“Pop your head out.” Sometimes when a wrestler gets tangled up, their head can get trapped in an awkward, downward position.  This keeps the wrestler from executing other moves because their eyes are focused in the wrong place – down at the mat.

In business it’s important to keep your head up and eyes open to new possibilities, and pay attention to new trends in your industry and/or niche. With this global perspective coupled with your own knowledge and expertise, will not only elevate your expert status, but also position you as a thought leader and the one to watch in your niche.

Rising to a level of prominence and influence sets you apart from all the rest, as well as attracts other potential JV partners and prospective clients too.  So stop looking down – pop your head out!

“Shoot.” This is when both wrestlers are standing in neutral and one reaches or drops low with the intent to grab the leg of their opponent for the take down. What’s critically important about shooting successfully is focus, speed, and precision; otherwise you end up in a vulnerable position for your opponent to score points.

It’s so important as a business owner to take risks and be decisive. Seeing an opportunity and going for it (even if you’re not 100% sure it will pan out) is an important success trait to adopt.

Sometimes you can self sabotage by over thinking and over analyzing a situation.  Meanwhile, as you sit and ponder, should I or shouldn’t I, the opportunity could pass you by.

Focus on what it is you want and make the decision to go after it.  Realize of course your aim should always be calculated; but once you’ve determined that it’s the right thing for you and your business, trust it, and go for it – full throttle, no hesitation.  Shoot now!

“Circle, circle.”  Whether on your feet or down on your knees, you’ve got to move constantly or risk getting called for staling.

Long term sustainable business success requires stamina, consistent devotion of time and attention to avoid stagnation. Remember small consistent steps can sometimes get you to where you want to be faster overtime than bigger, more sporadic activity.

The small wins you experience every step of the way are what affirm yes over and over again, and provide you with  the motivation to keep moving forward toward your goals and executing your action plan without fail.   It’s time to achieve more of what you really want for your business – circle, circle!

“Grab a wrist.” This is what allows a wrestler to get control of their opponent so that they can “set up” their next move.

The fatal mistake for so many new solopreneurs is spending so much time on preparation and planning of an upcoming teleseminar, webinar, launch of program, etc. (the set up), but failing to focus on the backend  (what comes next).

The objective should always be to keep the sales dialog going so that you retain subscribers, and foster loyal customers and clients over the life of your business.

Before you finish planning your next event or program, remember these three steps: begin with the end in mind, offer next steps that your target market wants, needs, desires; create calls to action that will lead them down your sales funnel.   So “grab a wrist” and lead them to YES over and over again over the life of your business.

Wondering what else you can do to improve your bottom line, stop sabotaging your success, attract more clients, earn the revenue you really want, and build a better business in 2012?  Join me for teleseminar, Ready to Launch 2012. http://www.launchwhileyouwork.com/readytolaunch2012

Take chances, make mistakes. That’s how you grow.

Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.

~Mary Tyler Moore

If you are less than satisfied with what you were able to accomplish last year, feeling lost and misdirected, struggling to develop a real plan of action to get better results for 2012 and still asking the question, “Now What?”  you are in the right place.

Discover How to Remove Barriers to Finding the Clients You Desire Most, Earning The Revenue You Really Want, And Building a Better Business in 2012… Without Tears

Please join me Wednesday for this FREE teleseminar, Ready to Launch 2012! Click here to learn more and to register: http://bit.ly/zLRUan