Setting a task

"How often, even before we began, have we declared a task "impossible"?

And how often have we construed a picture of ourselves as being inadequate? ...

A great deal depends upon the thought patterns we choose and on the persistence with which we affirm them"

~ Piero Ferrucci 

There is so much more to things than just 'setting the tasks' and sometimes we tend to get lost or sidetracked by our constantly growing 'to-do lists' .... simplify things!

Break your tasks down to small doable steps and align each task with an action.

Each action you take is a step in achievement!

Trust Yourself ...

One of our recent sessions was all about Trusting in yourself and surrounding yourself with like minded people who support, encourage and respect you.  

Trusting yourself can be the hardest step sometimes, as we allow fear to side track us from our purpose and sometimes we even talk ourselves out of our dreams. 

Follow your instinct and believe in you!

This is a great article that was shared by John Assaraf.

Enjoy

"We've all had challenging situations that leave us feeling tired or discouraged. Here is something neat to ponder during those times. Take a look at this report and reflect on this man's record of failure. It is a testament to how humans can learn, grow, and win despite the losses and defeats. 

Failed in business--------------1831 

Defeated for legislature---------1832 

Failed in business again---------1833 

Elected to legislature-----------1834 

Sweetheart died---------------1835 

Nervous breakdown-------------1836 

Defeated for speaker-----------1838 

Defeated for land officer---------1843 

Defeated for congress-----------1843 

Elected to congress-------------1846 

Defeated for re-election---------1848 

Defeated for senate-------------1855 

Defeated for vice president-------1856 

Defeated for senate-------------1858 

Elected President---------------1860 

Who was this person? Abraham Lincoln. 

He picked himself up no matter what and kept on going after his dream. He educated himself and did whatever it took to keep moving in the direction of his passions. 

If you reflect back on your life, you can find patterns of the times you grew the most. Many of those times were probably a result of some kind of previous 'failure,' maybe even a series of them. Each failure is a learning experience. 

With this in mind, choose the one thing that may not be going exactly as you wish right now and do one thing to move you closer to achieving the result you want. And remember, life is about learning and growing."

Source:  John Assaraf

Energy Flows and Dreams are real

"There is a vitality, a life force, an energy,

A quickening, that is translated through you 

into action, 

and because there is only one of you in all time,

this expression is unique"

Martha Graham

This last week has seen an amazing flow of creativity energy and the flow on effect has shifted this energy into actions that have resulted in milestones being achieved and dreams becoming a reality.

To follow your heart, to live your dreams, to focus your attention on your reaching them, is a beautiful thing!

To stand on the side lines and watch has been a privilege and we are so grateful to have had this opportunity.

Shine your light on all you meet and enjoy this moment ~ you deserve it!

Take the leap... even a small one!

Should I dream?  Should I take the step?  Can I do this?  Am I ready to make this move?  Do I really want this? ...

Great questions?  maybe ... Helpful questions?  Not really!

Maybe ask yourself: Am I using these questions as an excuse to talk myself out of doing what you love?  Most answer Yes.

If you take the time to work through your dreams, understand your goals and break these down into small, achievable steps .... yes you can do it!

Being realistic is just one step in the process, and yes it is a process.  First you have to understand who you are, what you are about and how that translates to your business.  Ask yourself:  Are these things in alignment?  Do they make sense to me?  Do I understand how it all fits together?  Am I able to explain this to my clients?

Think big picture - definitely put it all out there so that you can see it, understand and know what it's all about.  Then work backwards and put the steps in place, follow these steps to move in the direction of your goals and dreams.  Ask for help when you feel it ... and you will feel it .... trust in your gut!

If you believe in you and surround yourself with like minded people who encourage and support you ... you can take that leap.... it might be a baby leap at first however it is still a leap ... a confident leap in the direction of your dreams.

Move past your fears .... they are blocking you and cloud the way you see things.... fear also leads to procrastination and we all know it's so much easier to sit in your comfort zone than to push past it.

Dream a little dream for you, trust in yourself and then act on it ... The net will be there to catch you if you need it!

Article: Small business & the Web

Our team has been involved in many a discussion lately regarding the use of social media platforms. 

The effectiveness of them, how to work with the various mediums and the importance of really taking advantage of using your website, blog and other platforms in social media.  

This article is a great read and covers the importance of being present and updating your platforms regularly.

http://www.readwriteweb.com/biz/2011/02/how-small-businesses-are-missing-huge-web-traffic-opportunities.php

Many thanks to Wendy Moore for sharing this article.

What's in a Name?

How important is the name? There are many names we use in business;  business name, product name, event name, to list just a few

Take your time and think long and hard before making your final decision.

When choosing your business name, there are many factors to consider. Above all else; keep your target market in mind, your name must appeal to your ideal client.  

Think about who your clients are and how you will attract them, or how they will find you. Are you appealing to males of females? Which age group? All of these factors will help you be recognised and remembered.

It is important to check the availability of your domain name, Twitter address, Linked In, and Facebook pages, especially if your strategy is to use social media to drive traffic to your website.

The majority of businesses go for the straightforward or obvious names. What message does that send about your business? You will be far better placed to win repeat business if you are creative and select a more memorable, unusual name.

The better business names give you a clear picture of what they are about, what they do, or what they sell concisely in their name.  For example; Roses Only, Mortgage Choice. You know exactly what to expect.

Sometimes it is better to be different if you want your business to stand out.  Avoid the standard, ho-hum names, have some fun, be clever or creative and show your personality.

People are more likely to remember your business if your name is thoughtful, unique and catchy.

Image: What's in a Name  Photographer:  Jack Dorsey 

Walking the Talk ... Innovation & revolutionary thinking

Although it is rare for me to re-post some one else’s blog post, this is such a great example of practicing what you preach, I just had to share it. Seth Godin regularly talks about looking after the clients you already have, and in his blog post below he is doing just that. His thinking is quite revolutionary.

The Domino Project is the brain child of Seth Godin. “We are reinventing what it means to be a publisher”

Although the blog is about inviting his blog followers to subscribe to the newsletter for The Domino Project, there is no obligation to buy anything. This is an awesome example of thinking outside the box; doing something for your clients and creating a win-win.

What is even more impressive is the core principles that the project is founded upon. One of these principles is; “Permission at the heart of the model. Ideas for our readers, not more readers for our ideas.”

I invite you to have a look…

Treating best customers better

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the way you treat your best customers is a fork in the road. You either treat them better or worse than everyone else.

To launch my first book with Amazon and the Domino Project, we're trying a neat experiment that rewards our biggest fans.

We're going to set the launch price of the Kindle edition (which is also readable on any computer or iPad) based on the number of people who subscribe to our free newsletter. It started at $9.99 and we've already lowered it two dollars.

For every 5,000 people who sign up for the newsletter this week, we're going to lower the price of the ebook a dollar, until (we hope) we reach a dollar. On the 21st of February, all our subscribers will get a link to the URL that lets them pre-order the Kindle edition at a reduced price until the official publication date.

You get it first and you get it for less.

Details are here... Thanks for being a best customer.
[It's sort of a twist on Kickstarter. In the case of that site, the creator says, "if enough people put in some money, I'll be able to make something." In this case, I'm saying, "If enough people put in some attention, I'll be able to bring you something on a regular basis." Once again, attention is truly valuable.]
Here is the link to the blog:
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2011/02/treating-best-customers-better.html

As you can see it’s all about the client, in this case the reader. Seth is focused on creating a product or a solution with his client at the forefront.

What can you do for your current clients?