Dallas is a beautiful town, I think.  I wouldn’t know because I’ve been in a  hotel conference boardroom with a speaker client doing a 2 Day Turnaround session to clarify her business message and clear her head.  We’re knee deep in “stuff” and it’s a blast getting everything organized into a plan.

Just as I thought we were finished, she looked over at me, her eyes softening and said “Let me ask you a question.  When you really want something, I mean REALLY want it, and you’ve tried everything to get it – visualization, inner work, negative beliefs, when do you know it’s just not going to happen and you give up?”

“I mean, I read your story about going to Alcatraz,” she continued.  “You were in San Francisco for a very short time for a speech and you really wanted to see Alcatraz.  You’d never been there.”

“Yes, I remember” I giggled, since she was telling me my own story, straight from the pages of The Accidental Millionaire.

“You only had one afternoon open so you decided to go to Alcatraz.  When you got to the ticket booth, they were sold out for a week.  Then, out of the blue, someone magically appeared with two tickets to Alcatraz and you got to go – that afternoon!  I really, REALLY, want to make this happen for me.”  she continued. “But every time I see a little bit of success, it just slips away.   I know what I want, but it always seems to elude me.   I’m really over the Law of Attraction – it just doesn’t work.”

“Hold on there,” I interrupted her  The Law of Attraction works REALLY well, IF you understand one fundamentally important and very crucial distinction.  Knowing what you want is only the beginning.  Nothing happens until you DECIDE to have what you want.”

“Huh?”  she said, cocking her head.

“Go back to Alcatraz.  You see, I didn’t just want to go to Alcatraz, I DECIDED to go to Alcatraz.  I did the most obvious thing to make that happen – buy tickets.  When they were sold out, I used the Law of Attraction to find a different way.  I never would have said to myself the way to get to Alcatraz is to walk into a T-shirt shop, notice a booth selling timeshares that was giving away two free tickets to Alcatraz if I viewed the presentation.  Which is exactly what I did, by the way.  Because I made the DECISION, possibilities opened up to me that I would not have noticed.”

“Waiting around for the Universe to deliver what you want is a waste of time.  Using the Law of Attraction to attract things to you requires that you stop waiting around and DECIDE to HAVE the thing you want.  Only then do you notice all of the abundance and possibility around you that will help you to reach that objective.”

“So wait a minute,” she continued, “I really want new hardwood floors.  I’ve picked them out, found someone to install them, even saved up the money.  Then something happened and I spent the money on something I probably didn’t even need.  What happened?  Why don’t I have the floors.  I really want them!”  she exclaimed loudly.

I smiled.  “Because you didn’t decide to have hardwood floors.  You had fun picking out the flooring, finding the people and saving the money.  But you still had never said to yourself  ‘I’m installing hardwood floors next year.’  Therefore, when something else came up and sounded good, you DECIDED to do that instead.”

“It’s like this,” I continued, her mouth now hanging open “If you’ve decided to lose weight and are presented with a plate of doughnuts, you’d probably choose something different.  But if you hadn’t made the decision to lose weight, you might not give eating the doughnut a second thought.”

“WOW!”  she exclaimed, jumping up from her seat, “I GET IT!  THIS IS HUGE!”

“Yes, it is” I said quietly, allowing the moment to fully unfold.

“I didn’t make the decision to have the floors.  I didn’t make the decision to be successful in my business.  I was just waiting around for opportunities to present themselves, waiting for IT to happen and never defining IT!”  she was on a roll.  “From now on, I will make DECISIONS to have what I want.  Thank you!.”

She hugged me tightly and it dawned on me that maybe I could revisit some decisions of my own (or maybe some non-decisions).  Always learning and growing, I’ve made some new decisions recently and almost magically, quickly and effortlessly, the object of my decision has shown up in my face.

So what decisions do you need to make to have the things you want?

More money?  DECIDE NOW to be a good money manager, salesperson, whatever.

More time?  DECIDE NOW to spend your time wisely and evaluate every action before you jump in.

Better relationships?  DECIDE NOW to have what you want in your relationship.  Get real if it’s not working.

I think you get the idea.  Leave a comment and let us know what you will DECIDE to have now.

Isn’t this fun?

 

Stephanie Frank
Founder and President of SuccessIQ University
Best Selling Author, The Accidental Millionaire

Book Stephanie to Speak or read what she has to say about achieving goals, leadership, peak performance, personal empowerment, persuasion and influence, productivity, creating systems, and time mastery on her blog web site: http://www.stephaniefrank.com

What is your Success IQ? Take our short quiz and find out. www.SuccessIQQuiz.com
 
Claim your free gift, The 13 Vital Traits of Super Effective People here: http://successiqu.com/gift/

 

It was a room filled with about 300 networking engineers.  True geeks, that’s for sure.  I was there in the room to deliver a training to these high-level engineers about a subject they all loved – TCP/IP.

As the training went on, I discussed protocol, troubleshooting, hacking (oh excuse me, I meant to say “breaking down patterns to achieve entry into a network”) ARP, RARP, PING and a hundred other protocols.  We talked hexadecimal and binary numbering systems, packet loss and router tables.   Exciting stuff when you’re a geeky engineer.

But something was missing.

You could see it in their eyes.

While they were excited about the material, I could just tell that there were bigger things going on for these stoic (mostly) men and women.  They were in pain.  They were dealing with big things in life – divorce, stress, fear, worry and doubt about keeping their job, staying up on technology and running their businesses and departments.

So I read them a story.

Picking up a Chicken Soup for the Soul book, I quietly read a humorous and inspirational story with as much animation as I could muster.  The message hit them squarely in the heart – without hope, there is no life.   It was that small spark of hope in their eyes  from that tiny little story that my life changed that day.

Fast forward to today.

The Accidental Millionaire is currently experiencing a new surge of activity.  Why?  People want hope, purpose and passion in their lives.  We crave it.  But we don’t know how to get it.  It’s not taught in school, and I think that’s a shame.  That’s why I wrote the book.

You are here to learn and grow, to give your gifts to the world and become the authentic, beautiful you that you are. We all are.  I’m so glad to be on the journey with you.   (Sometimes it feels more like a roller coaster though, right?)

So tell me this:  as we head into the new year, what hopes and dreams do YOU have that you are ready to fulfill?  For me, it’s a much bigger platform and I’m ready to receive that.  What are YOU ready to receive?  Leave a comment below and let’s discuss..

Stephanie Frank
Founder and President of SuccessIQ University
Best Selling Author, The Accidental Millionaire

Book Stephanie to Speak or read what she has to say about achieving goals, leadership, peak performance, personal empowerment, persuasion and influence, productivity, creating systems, and time mastery on her blog web site: http://www.stephaniefrank.com

What is your Success IQ? Take our short quiz and find out. www.SuccessIQQuiz.com
 
Claim your free gift, The 13 Vital Traits of Super Effective People here: http://successiqu.com/gift/
 

It was 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, and I was walking out of the movie theater with a giant knot in the pit of my stomach.  I had just seen the movie “2012″.

After going in with much anticipation and knowing that I would need to keep a strong mind to be able to stay positive in the midst of so much chaos and negativity, I was astonished to find that in my own mind, I had created a massive dose of anxiety and fear in my mind and body.   How could that be?  After all, aren’t I some kind of new thought guru that understands how thoughts can create emotion?  Don’t I have control of my own thoughts?

Apparently not.

The “what if” monster got me good.   I found myself sitting in the theater, watching the Earth destruct in 2012 and thinking:

• What if it’s true?
• What if there is scientific data and I have been ignoring it?
• What if everything I’m doing is for nothing?
• What if the belief I have about 2012 being a spiritual new world is wrong?
• What if I don’t see my family before then?

And the biggest (and honestly most selfish) thought of all:

What if I’m not one of the survivors?

I needed to come back to the present moment and I needed to do it now.  But I couldn’t.  I decided to check it out a little more on the internet, just to calm my nerves.  Conspiracy theorists, propaganda, predictions galore.  (What was I expecting?)  My nerves got worse as I surfed.  I really wanted to stop, but I almost couldn’t.  It was kind of like picking a scab and expecting a cut to heal.  Finally, the anxiety got to a point where I couldn’t ignore it.

And I did this to MYSELF!

“Get away from the Internet”, my own voice told me.  “There is only this moment.  The future hasn’t happened.”

“Yes, I know,” I said to myself “but what if…”

“STOP IT!”

Leaning back in my chair, I felt powerful just clicking the little X to close the window on my browser.  Predictions be gone.  Whatever is going to happen is going to happen (or not happen) and that’s just the way it is.   Have you ever felt anxiety over a situation and obsessed about the negative outcome?  Of course you have.  But when you come back into the present moment, set up a step by step plan and get into action, there is no “what if”.  There is only NOW.

What do you need stop worrying about and get into the present about right now?  Leave me a comment and let’s stay present together.

All is ok.

Over the years, I’ve been doing a lot more life coaching (which I absolutely LOVE) helping people over panic, anxiety, worry, fear and self-confidence challenges, along with a host of other emotional and mental challenges that keep you stuck and feeling alone.

I used to think that getting things done was all “mind over matter”, but not now.  You see, you already have inside of you all of the resources you need to get what you want, change what you want and be who you want.  (I know, it’s sometimes hard to believe, but it’s true).

I’m on my way to Dallas in a couple of weeks to do two 2-Day Turnarounds with a man and a woman who are both having mental and emotional challenges around what’s next in their life and their career.  Helping them to see things in a different way, using a different perspective is essential to be able to get out of the rut.

So what’s keeping you in the rut?  Is it a consistent, persistent negative thought pattern, negative emotion, physical or emotional pain?  Is it doing the same things that don’t work over and over instead of admitting it’s not working and finding a new way?  If you’re saying to yourself “I know there’s something stopping me but I don’t know what it is”, then there are a couple of things you need to do:

1.  Know that you’re in charge. Yep, only YOU can control how you feel, think and act.

2.  Consider a different perspective. What would you problem seem like from a “fly on the wall” perspective?

3.  Rewrite your life. At some point, you made a decision to have these problems, because you’re in charge.  Go back to the first time you can remember having it and ask yourself why you needed it then and how it was serving you.  (because it does have a purpose, even if it feels negative).

4.  Get help. It’s difficult to see the problem when you’re in the problem.  Ask someone else for help.

So how have you been in charge of your emotional states and what have you done to break yourself free from negativity?  Leave a comment below and let me know.


Stephanie Frank
Founder and President of SuccessIQ University
Best Selling Author, The Accidental Millionaire

Book Stephanie to Speak or read what she has to say about achieving goals, leadership, peak performance, personal empowerment, persuasion and influence, productivity, creating systems, and time mastery on her blog web site: http://www.stephaniefrank.com

What is your Success IQ? Take our short quiz and find out. www.SuccessIQQuiz.com
 
Claim your free gift, The 13 Vital Traits of Super Effective People here: http://successiqu.com/gift/

 

Every year about this time, I start thinking about what my theme word will be for next year.  Then, in December, I will take the last 2 weeks and reflect, review and clean up whatever I need to in order to keep thing rolling.
 

This year has definately been a year of high-impact change.  (Funny, when I added that to our mission statement to help others create high-impact change in the shortest amount of time, I guess I was really talking to myself.  Oh well, glad you’re here along for the ride!)
 

Coming out on the other side of massive changes in my life this year has been a really wonderful, exciting and sometimes downright terrifying experience.  I’ve learned to love through breakups, illness and course correction.  I’ve learned to surrender and be in the moment, listen to the Universal messages and be okay “being in the GOO” (as my friend Sarah Robinson says).
 

Recently, I called several of our clients and asked “why did you hire us?”  Every one of them, from Executives to solo entrepreneurs, said “Because something had to change and I didn’t know how”.
 

So why are we so afraid of change – even positive change?  Here are some thoughts:
 

1.  We don’t know for certain what the endpoint will be. When new territory is crossed, we can only go one step at a time.  Many people find that very unsettling – not knowing the destination.  Yet step by step is the ONLY way to make progress.
 

2. Paralysis from fear.  Trying to peek into the future with certainty is a clear formula for anxiety, fear and failure.  No one is certain of the future.  Tomorrow may not come.  I mean, you don’t go to bed every night terrified that the sun won’t come up tomorrow, do you?  Probably not.  Yet, there is no guarantee.
 

3. We think it’s going to hurt. Making positive change in your life is the only way to ensure success and happiness.  If you don’t make that change, you will be stuck in an unfulfilling, purposeless life filled with regret at the end.  No one wants that.  Your purpose is to make choices that make you happy, so if you’ve got too much or too little of something in your life – something’s got to change.

 

Have you started thinking about the changes you want to make – in your relationships, health, career, life?  What might your one word theme be for next year?  Mine is going to be FLOW  (Follow, Love, One, Wisdom)

Leave a comment and let me know what you would like to change – it will start you on your way!
 

Peace and love,

Stephanie

What is a million dollar thinker, anyway?

Million dollar thinkers think about things like money and making decisions in a different way from the average person, using both the conscious and the subconscious mind.

As an example: suppose you were $10,000 in debt. The average person would focus on the debt, how to pay it, how to get out of it. They may take on a second job to pay the debt.  The focus, no matter what, would be on the debt.

A million dollar thinker, on the other hand, would take that same situation and look at it 180 degrees differently. The million dollar thinker would look at the $10,000 debt, and immediately come up with a plan to earn $20,000. Focusing on solving a problem and strategizing how to make more money is infinitely more interesting, thought provoking and ultimately more prosperous than focusing on the negativity of debt.

Right now, make a choice to understand how your mind and thoughts work. The exploration of the subconscious mind and belief systems that keep us from realizing our biggest dreams is a fascinating study – and one that is well worth the time and effort to anyone who wants to be successful.

First, take a look at your belief systems – you know, the ones that everybody talks about but never really digs into?  Do you have thoughts like…

“I’m not good enough”

“I could do better”

“Money doesn’t grow on trees”

“There’s not enough to go around.”

“Money is tight”

“I don’t have enough”

Or even “if I have more than my share, someone else will suffer.”

These are beliefs that infiltrate the conscious mind; ones that people hold onto very tightly, unaware of the damage that they do. Of course, none of those self defeating thoughts is true but they feel very real when you’re thinking them.

It’s important to learn more about the mind and how these beliefs work. – especially, how the mind can create exactly the circumstances or situations we are thinking about. Even the bad ones. This is powerful stuff.

The subconscious mind is a subset of our entire brain system.  There are really three types of processing controls in the brain.  First is the unconscious mind.  It controls things like breathing.  Next is the conscious mind.  It is the part of the brain you are using to process the words on this page, to think thoughts, meditate, create and sort information.  It is the part of your brain that gets very busy, congested and filled with information and random bits of thinking, songs and entire paragraphs of text.  It is that little monster or angel on your shoulder that tells you great things or hurtful things about yourself.

Last is the subconscious mind. The subconscious mind is kind of like a factory, processing the thoughts that your conscious mind gives it. It has no control or discerning capabilities to determine whether a thought is productive and serves you well, or tears you down and makes you cry. Either way, it just goes about its business, carrying out the thoughts you send to it.

If you can, picture the subconscious mind like a bunch of little workers, running around to make sure your thoughts are carried out. When you say to yourself “This is hard work,” then the subconscious goes to work, making sure your thoughts are carried out and the result is “This is hard.”  The subconscious mind has no line between good and bad, it simply works to the logical conclusion, which is the ability to make your thoughts come to fruition.

The subconscious mind does not understand things like “can’t,” and it is unable to comprehend the difference between what you want and don’t want.  Like a picture in your mind, it only sees the end result, and goes about achieving that end result. The subconscious mind has a lot to do with what actually shows up in your life, based on the pictures, words and language you use to describe what you want.

For instance, consider what it takes to train a dog to sit. Many dog trainers use a praise method to show the dog when they did something agreeable. Using the mind, they are able to create a picture of a desired result – in this case getting a dog to sit. Most people, however, think very hard about what they don’t want. In the case of the dog, they may concentrate not on sitting, but on not having the dog run away. In the mind, the picture of the dog running away — which is the exact image of what you do not want — is clear. The subconscious goes to work to make sure the end result is achieved and presto! the dog runs away.

The idea is to break negative subconscious beliefs. There is a Process to enable you to do exactly that. Here it is –

First, think. What beliefs are holding you back? Do you feel not worthy of success? Not smart enough? Not lucky enough? What originally led you to believe the thought(s) that is/are holding you back? Take one, for a start –

Say you grew up in a family where money was tight. You remember hearing your parents say, “We’ll never get ahead. To get ahead I this life, you have to have breaks. We just don’t have that kind of luck.” You listened to that and internalized it, growing up to believe that the deck is stacked against you. That, no matter how hard you work, the Universe is predisposed to keeping you in a state of lack. And so your work habits keep you sabotaging yourself – a way for your subconscious mind to stop you from being successful, and therefore disloyal to your family, who never achieved any great measure of success.

Now, close your eyes.  Take a few deep breaths and get very comfortable. Imagine being in a very beautiful place, a safe place – somewhere where you feel completely at ease and relaxed. Perhaps at the beach? The sand is white and perfect, with waves crashing up onto it at frequent and even intervals. The sky is a perfect and beautiful blue, and the sound of the surf is soothing and comforting. Sit down in the sand and relax.

Now, bring your parents into your mind’s eye picture, and have them sit down with you.  When you’ve done that, say these words. “Folks,” say to them in your mind, “I have an opportunity to be successful beyond my wildest dreams.  I’m holding myself back out of loyalty to you and I don’t want to do that anymore. I am choosing to be very successful in my personal, professional and financial life. I love you very much and respect everything that you are, and I want you to support me in this choice.”

In your mind’s eye, see your parents smiling, and speaking words of comfort and encouragement, such as —  “Darling, don’t you dare follow in our footsteps. You are a smart, wise woman and we want you to have anything you dream of. We love you too, and support you in your decisions.”

Now, don’t you suddenly feel lighter, freer? The monsters in your mind quieted? Open your eyes slowly. Know that you can use this new tool any time you feel concern for your well-being.

Beliefs such as “I’m not good enough” that can haunt your conscious mind, need close scrutiny.  Believing the “I’m not good enough” part can be easy, but where does it come from? Somebody gave you the belief!  But who?  When? If not your parents or other close family members, perhaps important people in your childhood? Perhaps a teacher once said to you, “You’re smart, but you don’t try hard enough. You could do better.” Your conscious mind will then repeat the teacher’s belief, telling you that you can do better.  Soon, the “I can do better” belief is firmly implanted in your brain, pervasive in your conscious thoughts.

Once you recognize that this was someone else’s belief and not your own (and not necessarily true!), you can begin to let go of it. Using the tool you were given above, have a meditation session with yourself to remove the mental file that holds the “I can do better” belief.  Replace it with a new file in your mind called, “I do things well the first time.” What a difference it can make in your thinking.

Then continue, taking a close look at many of the self defeating beliefs you’ve held, eliminating them one by one from your life, your vocabulary and your conscious thought. Once you bring your beliefs to the surface and determine the source, letting go of them is the next step to help you evolve as the successful person you want to be.

Can you identify your self defeating beliefs?

You know where you want to go, but how do you get there? You may find that making some decisions is easier than others. What do you do first? How long will it take? Will you need help getting there? How do you decide what’s right for you?

It helps if you understand what makes you tick; your personal value system. These values are the ones you live with, not necessarily every day, but over the course of your life, that enable you to live with your decisions.

First, sit down and make a list of the top 20 or 30 values that are important to you:

• family
• personal time
• fun
  
  

—- you get the idea. Narrow that list to10, and then five. Next, rank those five in numeric order, one against the other, until you have your top three.

When making choices, ask yourself if the decision would honor your top three values. If not, it’s the wrong choice for you at the time.

Setting the right goals for you is almost as important as having goals in the first place. They have to be realistic and coincide with your value system. How does your vision mesh with your goals? You may experience fear, feel overwhelmed or confused because you don’t know how to go about setting goals effectively, but it’s a straightforward process and you will overcome the emotions as you go, as you feel more in control.

The Five-Step Goal-Setting Process

1. What do you want, specifically — This is the first thing to ask yourself in your goal planning process. What is your vision? Your dream? Without being clear as to your explicit desires, no other steps can be taken, and no progress made.
   
   
2. Why do you want it (what value does it serve) — The pivotal question in your goal-setting process and a prime motivator. You must reflect on your values list in order to answer it. Does your desire reflect your values? If so, you’ve accomplished the second step and are on your way to goal setting success.
   
   
3. When do you want it – Determining specific dates for completion of tasks is a crucial part of your goal setting procedure. Knowing that you have committed yourself to achieving a certain thing by a certain date will enable you to plan your time and thus maximize your efforts.
   
   
4. What will you give up or overcome to get it – Confusion? Fear? Procrastination? Insecurity? Make sure you keep in mind why you want your goal. It will give you all the courage you need to push through your fears and move forward.
   
   
5. Create a detailed plan to get there — We are not born knowing how to do anything, really, except eat, sleep and breathe.  The rest we learn as we go along, and creating a detailed plan to achieve your goals is no different. 
   
   Brainstorm things you can do, actions you can take. Bounce ideas off of friends, relatives. Throw out ideas (none are too insignificant or crazy). After you get the first few implausible or facetious ideas out of the way, more creative, clever and valuable ideas will surface. Brainstorm until you are able to get your ideas down to very specific, measurable tasks that you can then cross off a list when you’ve finished them.
   
   

In order to reach a key goal, you’ll need to set interim goals – multiple short-term goals. Broken down into bite-sized pieces, the objectives are less intimidating. If you get stuck trying to create a plan, ask yourself more questions! Keep asking questions until there are no more questions, only actions left.

Prioritize your plan according to your most important goal, approach each goal individually and set a date for completion. You’ll be amazed at the progress you make!

Do you think this plan may work for you?

There’s only one thing I hate worse than mopping the floors…

…and that’s dealing with the endless emails that come into my inbox.

I’m not talking about the stupid once-in-a-lifetime-do-it-right-now-or-die kinds of emails, I’m talking about the legitimate things you need to deal with. Things like requests from vendors, employees and contractors. Or “what do you want for your birthday” emails from Mom.


If you know anyone that sends email (and I’m sure you do), you are dealing with this too. So here are a couple of tips I’ve developed that can help you attack and process your email with ease.

Email attack strategy #1 – Turn off Send/Receive. Let’s get real. You don’t really need to check your email the second it comes in. Not even a little bit. Turn off your automatic send/receive and check your email manually several times a day. You will feel more in control, people will stop assuming that the second you receive an email you will respond and you finally get a chance to breathe.

Email attack strategy #2 – Maintain multiple email addresses. Want to instantly clean up your inbox? Get an email address just for specific areas of your life. For example, I have an email just for newsletters, one for internal communications with my team (that nobody else knows), one for use with clients, and one for my friends and family. It’s a total breeze to know which emails to look at first.

Email attack strategy #3 – Auto-sort into folders. Now that you have all those extra email addresses, why have a big fat inbox when you can auto-sort them into folders. This is an especially useful feature of Outlook (Entourage if you have a Mac). Just set up a rule for incoming mail and it will automatically go into the appropriate folder. Now newsletters won’t be mixed up with really important email.

Email attack strategy #4 – Color code it. Some email programs have a color coding feature that makes email fun and easy to work with. You can color code emails from a particular person, through a specific account or with specific words in them.

Email attack strategy #5 – Sort by name or subject before you look at it. This is probably the biggest distraction that people have with email. You look at the first email, and it’s about subject #1. You start to think about that subject and then go on to the next email. It’s about subject #2. And on and on until you have so many thoughts filling your head, you’re exhausted. Sorting by the person’s name or subject before you process your email will keep you thinking about the person or subject until the entire set of messages is gone. This one is a real brain saver!

Email attack strategy #6 – The Preview Procrastination. What is the biggest enemy of email programs? If you’re using Outlook, it’s called the “reading pane”. Yep, it’s a “pain” alright. It allows you to preview your email before you reply. Most of us scan the email, put together a reply in our head and never actually get around to doing the actual reply. Then we carry all that “have to” information in our head and procrastinate about responding to email because we think we’re doing it twice! Turn off preview and reading pane now.

Email attack strategy #7 – Reply, Schedule, File or Delete. Now that the reading pane is off and your email is sorted, you’re ready to go. Get the email in front of you, and do one of the following: reply, schedule a task or appointment, file it or delete it. NEVER move on and say “I’ll get back to this one.” You won’t. If you don’t know what to do with it, put it in an I Don’t Know folder but don’t leave it in your inbox.

Email attack strategy #8 – Early or Late, but NEVER before bed. Email before bed? Uggghhh! Don’t do it. Enough said.

Email attack strategy #9 – Set a timer and get it done! If email procrastination is running your life, set a timer before you start. With your sorting done and process in hand, getting through the email in chunks is better than leaving it for later. Later never comes. Instead, set your timer for 30 minutes. When the timer goes off, you’re done. Do it again later in the day if you have to. You’ll feel a certain sense of relief.

Technology is supposed to be your friend – not your enemy. Don’t let it get you – let it work FOR you!

Do you have any other Attack Strategies I can add to my list?

“So what are your plans for next year?”, I asked a student the other day. He looked down, sighed, looked back up and said “Well, I’m going to work on a book, finish my real estate education, keep attending your teleclasses, work on my marketing plan, and – “

…I’d heard it a hundred thousand times, mostly from the creative, attention deficit entrepreneurs and small business owners I work with on a regular basis.

“WAIT!” I interrupted. How can you focus on so many things at one time? Multitasking without a common reason is NOT the answer.” “Oh, but I’m a really good multitasker!” he replied. I took a deep breath. If he was such a great multitasker, then why wasn’t he achieving the level of success he wanted?

All successful people know this – FOCUS is the key to success. One thing at a time. One purpose at a time. Finish one and go on to the next.   That kind of focus is almost impossible in today’s hectic, information-overloaded world.

Instead, we work ourselves so hard and don’t give ourselves the time or effort it takes to really be successful. So many people get just to the TIP of success and then WHAM! – fall right down the mountain, exhausted, convinced that the principles of success somehow aren’t meant for them.

It’s not fair.

And it doesn’t have to be that way.  If you’re creative and have multiple irons in the fire, so to speak, multiple projects and things you’re working on – you can gain great momentum and success with those projects IF you follow one simple rule.

Here’s the secret – all of your projects and plans will work well ONLY if you have one overarching reason for doing them.  You can do this in a big way by looking at all of your projects and considering “WHY” you do each of them.  For me, the practice of communication keeps me excited about talking with people, writing and networking.   That’s a big reason why I do certain projects.

Another method that I like to use is a theme-focused approach.  You can have a theme for a year, for a month, a day and even for an hour.  That keeps you focused tasks that are congruent with the current theme.

For example, if your theme for the year is to increase your income by 50%, then all of your activities better have specific, money-making results.    Place your theme word (or words) right there on your desk and look at it every day.  If you ever get off track or wonder what to do next, look up at your theme and do what it says.

Simple, and VERY effective for information-overloaded people!

What will your theme be this year?  Write it down right now and get going!

Q: Tony asks, “What is your best method of keeping your plate from getting so full, you feel frazzled?”

A: That is a great question. There are a lot of different ways to simplify your systems so you don’t feel frazzled, but let me give you a really quick method to manage everything that’s on your plate.

The thing is we are living in the information age. Which means, we are living in the age of opportunity, where if you are an opportunity kind of thinker, everywhere you look you get a new idea. You think of new opportunities, new things that could happen, and pretty soon your plate is either literally full or more importantly, sometimes your brain is just so full that it feels like your plate is full!

Here is the best way to keep your plate from getting too full, and to keep yourself from feeling frazzled:

1. Identify your top three values.
   
   Maybe it’s independence, maybe it’s wealth, maybe it’s responsibility, maybe it’s relationships, creativity, spirituality, etc. While you may know what your top ten values are, take the time to get really clear and identify your top three.
   
   
2. Examine whether or not your opportunity aligns with your top three values.
   
   As you go through your opportunities or ideas, take your top three values and ask yourself if this thing you are considering, or is on your plate already, is in alignment with your value number 1, value number 2 and value number 3.
   
   

Whether you know it or not, we live our lives and make decisions based on our values. When we make decisions that are not in alignment with our values, it creates a glitch in the system, if you will, that leads to irritation, frustration, overwhelm, uncertainty and conflict.

When we make decisions that are in alignment with our top three values, we are making decisions that are supportive and that lead to ease, enthusiasm and confidence.

If you use this simple system, and you look at it every three months or so, you will be able to easily take a look at what’s on your plate to see what you said yes to that needs to come off and make a plan to get it off your plate.  I guarantee that you will be more focused, more productive and you will have so much less stress that you’ve ever had before.

Do you know what your 3 top values are?

Have you ever stopped, I mean really stopped for a minute to listen, hear, smell and feel the sounds of the wild animals around you?

They’re everywhere…in the city, in the suburbs, in the skies and underground.

And they have something to say to you…can you hear them?

If there is something on your mind, a problem you’re trying to solve, a situation that needs a resolution or an unanswered question in your head, chances are the answer is right in front of you.  Animals are a symbol, a secret society that has a vast and amazing collection of communication, strategy and survival techniques that are as important in our everyday lives as they are in the wild.

Animals use their natural abilities to get what they want.  After all, you’ll never see a skunk trying to reach the tall tree leaves so easily accessible to a giraffe!  Yet, we humans spend so much time looking elsewhere and making things harder than they need to be.

Here are 3 things you can learn from animals in the wild:

1.   Find new ways to get what you want.

I live in a 3-acre ranch in the desert foothills in Arizona.  It’s surrounded by a block fence and a gate, and features a large pond filled with fish on the front acre of the land.  Our home is a sanctuary for us and also represents comfort and safety to a variety of wild animals.  Outside the fence, every night, is a group of coyotes.  In the middle of the summer, they get thirsty.

Very thirsty.

They want the water that’s in the pond.  And a fish might taste good too.

Now, when the gate is open, sometimes the coyotes just help themselves, coming right in through the front, going directly to the pond and enjoying themselves.  They might even go for the easy prey.  But mostly the gate is closed.   They still want the water.

We now have one very enterprising (and fearless) coyote who has figured out how to get to the water with very little effort, even when the gate is closed.  You see, coyotes can jump quite a few feet in the air, even with a lame leg (which this one has).  So Mr. Coyote has found the point on the fence lowest to the ground, and simply jumps up and over the block wall at that exact point to get to the water.

How many times have you jumped over, gone through, around, under or just plain broken through an obstacle to get what you want?  Animals do it all the time and never think twice about stopping because of the obstacle.   What’s stopping you?  How can you be like Mr. Coyote and get to what you want using another method?

2. A simple, repeatable strategy always gets you closer to your goal.

Sitting poolside at a hotel recently, I had the pleasure of interacting with a wild squirrel.  I’d love to say that the squirrel was hanging around because of my wonderful, magnetic and charming way with animals, but I’d be lying.

He wanted my bag of pretzels.

I watched carefully as the squirrel calculated different ways to get at the bag of  pretzels, laying wide open on a low table between two pool chaise lounges.  First, he sat up on the fence far away.  Then he moved in a little closer…and closer…and closer to get a good look.   Then he scampered away to reevaluate his strategies and options.

If he could talk, he probably would have said “Let’s see.  I could run up and grab the pretzels, but the human would probably try to catch me.  I could try sneaking in when she isn’t looking, but that’s too risky.  Wait a minute – I know!  I’ll use the patience strategy – works every time”.

And sure enough, the little guy sat down, just out of my reach, and waited.

He didn’t wait long.  I threw him a piece of pretzel within 5 minutes.

The little squirrel grabbed the pretzel, held it with both hands and ate it right there, on the spot.  I swear he was grinning.

Next, I held a piece of pretzel in my hand, just to see if he’d come closer.  Again, he played the patience game and won.  And again, and again and again.  Finally, with his full stomach, he left to take a nap.

How many times have you found something that works, only to change the strategy to something that seems “better” or “faster” or “different”?  Changing strategies constantly will only serve to cause false starts, delays and frustration.  Use a strategy to grow your business that works for you, not against you.  Who cares if it’s not the most recent, most popular or most unique?  Do what works and you’ll never go wrong.

3. Act in spite of fear

Rabbits are notoriously fearful.  They run away at the slightest movement, sometimes even afraid of the wind.  But have you ever seen rabbits work together to accomplish a goal?  They do, and it’s pretty amazing.

On our ranch, we have bunches of rabbits.  Spring is always a time for new, little furry bundles to show up with their brother and sister bunnies and begin to explore the world.

In their world, there are juicy, tasty hibiscus and desert flowers available, but they are hidden behind a retaining wall.  It’s a “no rabbit” zone.  Or so I thought.

Yesterday, I went out to my rabbit free zone to find – yes – a rabbit!  A very small one at that, casually grazing on my off-limits flowers.  A quick check outside the area and I saw 4 more full grown rabbits waiting patiently on the other side of the wall, presumably for the little one to come back with its report.

Well, report he did, because today I have full grown rabbits eating the hibiscus in my no rabbit zone.  Overcoming their fear, they have figured out a way to get in (I’m still not sure how they did it) to get at the really good stuff.

If a rabbit can overcome its fear to get good food, what can you do?  Is that fear of failure really so bad?  What’s the worst that can happen?  What’s the best that can happen?  Is it worth it to you to really truly face your fear head-on in exchange for success?  I hope so.

I recently faced my fear of heights for the final time.  For years, I was unable to even go into a glass building for fear that I would fall out.  To overcome it, I began riding roller coasters all around the country.  A few months ago, I faced the biggest one – the one that goes off the edge of the Stratosphere in Las Vegas – 100 stories in the sky – and lived to tell about it.

So next time you’re outside, look around.  The animals have something to say to you.  Are you listening?

Manifesting has become a popular buzzword within the metaphysical community and with “The Secret” being so popular, it has made its way into more of the mainstream. What does it mean to you? Making your dream a reality? Yes, absolutely. But, how – that’s the question. Lots of people would like to find the answer.

We aren’t all born knowing exactly how to achieve results in our lives.  We do have the ability, however, to consider how we want our lives to look, the lifestyle we wish to live, the amount of money we bring into our lives and the exact outcomes we wish to accomplish.
 

What I’m going to tell you right now is a big secret of successful people.  Successful people know that if they make a very specific request of what some call the Universe, the Universe will respond with the “how to” information.  It will do this by placing the right people, circumstances or information into our view and it will be up to us to receive that information.
 

How do you make such a request? You can start by saying (out loud): “Today I am very powerful and deliberate in my requests for help in manifesting and bringing into reality whatever I want in my life. “ Then state what it is you want. Be specific.  Don’t forget to feel the passion you have for the thing you want, as you’re stating your desire. Why should the universe give you something you’re not really sure you want?
 

Then, end your communication with the universe by releasing your request. If you write a letter, put it in an envelope, put a stamp on it and then never put it in the mailbox, it will never be received. What good is that? Releasing your desire, asking for “this or better, for the greater good of all” (or words to that effect),  and then leaving it up to the universe to take care of how your wish is delivered, is the key to this kind of manifestation.
 

Whatever you do, don’t dictate to the universe how you want your dream dispensed to you. That would be, after a fashion, tying the hands of Santa Claus. Let the universe worry about how something is provided to you. It knows best.
 

The truth is you and I have a very limited knowledge of “how” things are actually done.  If it was completely left up to us to figure it out, we would not be learning new methods, but instead having to draw upon our own limited experiences, which could make success take a very long time.
 

For this reason, I leave my ego at the door and make specific requests of the Universe often. Not all my requests are fulfilled, and I have come to understand, as I hope you will too, that when my requests are unanswered, it is always for a reason that has my best interests in mind.
 

So how does it work, in detail? There are basically six steps to manifesting what you want:
 

Step 1.  Make a decision to have what you want, when you want it.

This is deceptively simple.  It would seem that making the decision to have whatever you want would be easy, but most people are tentative when it comes to being specific.  People say things like “It would be nice if…” and “We’ll see what happens when….”  That won’t work.  First, you must state that “I am in the process of…” or “I will be” when making a decision.  Make sure you’re clear on when you will receive the results. You must be resolute, and allow no one (not even yourself) to undermine your confidence in your decision.
 

So, what do you want?  Start thinking and practicing now.  Here are a couple of practice sentences to get you started.
 

I am in the process of becoming a millionaire by the time I am 50.
 

I will be living a life of personal and financial freedom on or before my 45^th birthday.
 

I am going to have a weeklong Italian vacation next year.
 

Start small. “I’m having chicken for lunch today” is a very decisive statement. “I am going on vacation in Los Angeles for a week in June” is also decisive. Once you have practiced and mastered this decisive language and know exactly what you want, you are ready to move on to step 2.
 

2. Be clear about the outcome.

The next step is to be extremely clear about the details of the outcome. This is done in the context of what you DO want, not what you don’t want. Practice visualizing yourself in the situation you want to create. How do you do this? Once again, the simplest way is to start small.
 

Think about this: when ordering a salad in a restaurant, you choose the type of lettuce, vegetables, cheese and dressing. You visualize how the salad will look when it arrives at your table.  You are clear about what you want.  After all, when you’re thinking about the salad, you don’t have a visual picture of a chicken sandwich in your mind, do you? Of course not! You have a visual image of the salad you wish to eat.  It works the same with bigger items, like financial freedom. You must visualize the money, the bank statements, investments or just plain truckloads of money arriving into your life.
 

3.  Detach from the process.

One thing that holds many people back is not knowing “how” to do something.  Forget it.  The “how to do it” instructions will appear after you have clearly defined what you want.
 

Take the example of ordering the salad. After you order, you don’t have to worry about how the salad will take shape. Every restaurant prepares salad differently, but the outcome is the same – it arrives at your table ready to eat. It is the same with all other events in your life.
 

4.  Expect that it will happen.

Just as you expect the salad to arrive at your table ready to eat, you can do the same with other things in your life.
 

Once you are decisive and clear about what you want and not trying to control the process, set an expectation that what you want will in fact appear.  It may not appear in the way you thought or at the precise time. In fact, it may not appear at all! Possibilities you thought were a sure thing may disappear.  You may even experience frustration, anxiety or impatience trying to control the outcome.  Ask yourself “What lesson could I learn from this experience?” and turn it into a personal growth opportunity.
 

5. Be Open To Possibility

As I mentioned in the last step, the path to the outcome may (and probably will) show up in ways you never imagined before. It is your job to explore possibility. Suspend judgment of how things should be done based on your past experiences and ask yourself “Is the situation, person or resource that is in front of me supposed to help me on my journey?”   “If so, how?”  When you ask the question, you will be given the answers – one step at a time.
 

6.  Practice Gratitude.

Are you thankful for the things you have in your life right now? Do you look at your challenges as opportunities to grow or burdens that need to be eliminated? When you practice being thankful for specific events in your life, including the burdens, even when you don’t understand why they appear in your life, your ability to manifest accelerates almost to the speed of thought.
 

It isn’t always necessary or advisable to try to change every challenge in your life. Some are there as lessons for you. If all efforts to change something seem to be ineffective, try asking, “How does this situation benefit me?” It is not only a much more positive way to approach a challenge, but a much more insightful one as well.  Many times, the answer at the moment is just to trust. Say, “I don’t know, but the situation will serve a purpose in the future.” Chances are it will.
 

Practicing these steps means taking action, being consistent and being open to change. Getting what you want is not always easy.  Challenges occur. Emotions, other people’s negative views and comments set you back. But in the end, it all comes back down to your choice. Choose to get what you want, believe that your strong will can contribute to it manifesting and it will happen for you.

Did you discover any lessons for you in Manifesting in this article?
 

Made you blink, didn’t I?

Yes, it’s true. I have been trained as a professional (although now “former”) hacker.  I used to spend my days with huge computer systems, using ninja-like tools to solve the most complex of problems.

So what is a hacker, really?  Well, the truth is the true definition of a hacker is one who takes delight in solving problems and overcoming limits.

Huh?

If you thought hackers were the bad guys, think again.  Hackers actually have a code a set of rules they live by to do their work.  It’s the “crackers” (like safe-cracker) that you have to watch out for.
If you are a creative, smart and big picture thinker, you’re probably a hacker too. Welcome to the club – I’d like to share the Hacker code with you. It’s simple, and it only has 5 rules:

Hackers solve problems and build things, and they believe in freedom and voluntary mutual help. (Sound familiar?) To be accepted as a hacker, you have to behave as though you have this kind of attitude yourself. And to behave as though you have the attitude, you have to really believe the attitude.

Still want to join the club?  Okay, here are the rules:

1. The world is full of fascinating problems waiting to be solved.

Being a hacker is lots of fun, but it’s a kind of fun that takes lots of effort. The effort takes motivation. Successful athletes get their motivation from a kind of physical delight in making their bodies perform, in pushing themselves past their own physical limits. Similarly, to be a hacker you have to get a basic thrill from solving problems, sharpening your skills, and exercising your intelligence.

(You also have to develop a kind of faith in your own learning capacity — a belief that even though you may not know all of what you need to solve a problem, if you tackle just a piece of it and learn from that, you’ll learn enough to solve the next piece — and so on, until you’re done.)

2. No problem should ever have to be solved twice.

Creative brains are a valuable, limited resource. They shouldn’t be wasted on re-inventing the wheel when there are so many fascinating new problems waiting out there.

To behave like a hacker, you have to believe that the thinking time of other hackers is precious — so much so that it’s almost a moral duty for you to share information, solve problems and then give the solutions away just so other hackers can solve new problems instead of having to perpetually re-address old ones.

(You don’t have to believe that you’re obligated to give all your creative product away, though the hackers that do are the ones that get most respect from other hackers. It’s consistent with hacker values to sell enough of it to keep you in food and rent and computers. It’s fine to use your hacking skills to support a family or even get rich, as long as you don’t forget your loyalty to your art and your fellow hackers while doing it.)

3. Boredom and drudgery are evil.

Hackers (and creative people in general) should never be bored or have to drudge at stupid repetitive work, because when this happens it means they aren’t doing what only they can do — solve new problems. This wastefulness hurts everybody. Therefore boredom and drudgery are not just unpleasant but actually evil.

To behave like a hacker, you have to believe this enough to want to automate away the boring bits as much as possible, not just for yourself but for everybody else (especially other hackers).

(There is one apparent exception to this. Hackers will sometimes do things that may seem repetitive or boring to an observer as a mind-clearing exercise, or in order to acquire a skill or have some particular kind of experience you can’t have otherwise. But this is by choice — nobody who can think should ever be forced into a situation that bores them.)

4. Freedom is good.

Hackers are naturally anti-authoritarian. Anyone who can give you orders can stop you from solving whatever problem you’re being fascinated by — and, given the way authoritarian minds work, will generally find some appallingly stupid reason to do so. So the authoritarian attitude has to be fought wherever you find it, lest it smother you and other hackers.

5. Attitude is no substitute for competence.

To be a hacker, you have to develop some of these attitudes. But copping an attitude alone won’t make you a hacker, any more than it will make you a champion athlete or a rock star. Becoming a hacker will take intelligence, practice, dedication, and hard work.

Therefore, you have to learn to distrust attitude and respect competence of every kind. Hackers won’t let posers waste their time, but they worship competence — especially competence at hacking, but competence at anything is good. Competence at demanding skills that few can master is especially good, and competence at demanding skills that involve mental acuteness, craft, and concentration is best.

If you revere competence, you’ll enjoy developing it in yourself — the hard work and dedication will become a kind of intense play rather than drudgery. That attitude is vital to becoming a hacker.

If this makes sense to you, you just might be a hacker too!  Live it, love it and let it grow.

Welcome to the club – it’s great in here, isn’t it?

When it comes to getting things done in your business, do you find yourself drowning in overwhelm?

Do you feel frustrated or confused by trying to figure out where to start or what comes next? 

Is procrastination the default for handling your stress?

It doesn’t have to be that way.

There ARE ways to get more done – with less stress, every day. The question is, do you want to stay stuck where you are, or take the leap and bring more joy and triumph of accomplishment into your day?

Here are 10 simple things you can do today to breathe deeper, be more focused and more productive – with less stress!

1.  Visual Clarity

Is visual clutter causing your mind to be cluttered?  Stop shuffling papers around and start your day by taking 10 minutes to clear your desk.  Think of it as a personal gift to yourself and create space for you.  You will feel immediately refreshed and ready to get things done.

2.  Free Yourself from Procrastination

You’ve got your “to do” list for the day.  Take 2 minutes and prioritize the “have to” tasks you don’t like to do.  First determine what you can delegate to others and give them what they need to do it.  Next, knock your “have to’s” out first thing in the morning and before you can thin about procrastinating you’ll already be done!

3. Show Me the Money

Schedule one (1) uninterrupted hour every day to focus only on high payoff activities.  I said un-interrupted.  Turn off the phone.  Close the door.  Tell others you are not to be interrupted for the next 60 minutes – unless the tsunami is at your door or Oprah is on the phone.

4. Take Control of Your Email – Part 1

Turn OFF the automatic send/receive on your email so YOU are in control.  Schedule time in your day to check and respond to email at specific times, instead of reacting every time one comes flying in your inbox.

If you absolutely cannot turn it off, eliminate the sound and visual notification for a distraction-free computer session.

5. Take Control of Your Email – Part 2

Create an email account just for subscriptions to online newsletters.  If your email program supports it, automatically file incoming mail so you can keep your inbox full of more urgent items.

6. Supercharge Your Environment for Focus

Some people work better with some kind of external stimulation.  If that’s you, turn on soft music or a soothing waterfall to stimulate your auditory system, light a scented candle to stimulate your olfactory system, and set a timer to create urgency.  Then get to work!

7. Get It Done

Are you getting stuck in procrastination?  Maybe the project is too big.  If you have a list where the task is not immediately evident, it needs to be broken down.  Ask yourself “What is the exact next step I need to take to get this task done?”  Keep breaking it down until the answer is “Do it!”

8. Spark Your Creativity

If you’re still having trouble getting something done, and you’ve broken the list down – it’s time for a change.  When you absolutely have to get something done and you’re just stuck, change your environment.  Go outside, get some fresh air, change rooms, turn on a fun song that makes you get up and dance.  The change of scenery creates a change of your state and is an instant creativity spark.

9. Simplify Travel

Do you travel frequently?  Are you still going into your suitcase (even though you returned last week) to pull out your toothpaste and shampoo?  First, go unpack and put away your suitcase.  Next, buy two sets of toiletries and store one in your suitcase so you stop stealing form your medicine cabinet and you’re always ready to go!

10. Give Yourself Permission

Take at least one day a week and give yourself permission to do whatever you want, whenever you want for that day.  If the mere thought of giving yourself a day creates panic and overwhelm, start small, but take at least an hour.  that way, when you make the choice to get something done, it’s much easier )and often more fun) than being in the mental state of “have to” do.

Putting these simple systems into place means taking action, being consistent and being willing to do things differently.  If you implement these tips, you will fuel your productivity, have more fun in your business and put more money in your bank account.  Guaranteed.


Do you see the value in this simple list of 10 things you can do right now to minimize stress in your life?

It’s a brand new day.  You wake up after a great night’s sleep and get ready for work. 

You have objectives to meet, deadlines approaching and meetings scheduled which will make for a very full day. 
After a quick breakfast and a cup of your favorite morning beverage, you head to work.

Then your day goes haywire.



Traffic jams make you cranky.  Nothing on the news you wish to hear.  The parking lot is full and it is hot outside.  You finally make it to the office already tired and sweaty from the commute.  You walk in to find your employees, the same ones who are supposed to be helping you move forward, stuck in permanent water-cooler chatter.  They scurry back to work just as you arrive.

Mistakes, apologies, Internet surfing and just plain goofing off are ruining your productivity and the productivity and profitability of your company.   In short, you have C.R.A.P. – Confusion, Resistance, Apathy and Procrastination in the driver’s seat.  It’s time for a new approach to getting things done!

Before we go any further, let’s get real here for a minute.  Do you really believe that people come to work saying to themselves “I wonder how I can mess up this company and get paid for it?”  Probably not.  Down deep, every human being wants to be a part of something they can be proud of.  The rampant “what’s in it for me” apathetic approach to work cannot be tolerated.  At the same time, it’s an almost insurmountable job for an organization or individual to be responsible for changing the attitude of every employee individually.  While simple steps can be taken to reprimand bad employees, the root of the problem must be addressed as an organization before real change is to take place.

The root of the solution to the problem is a simple formula called F.A.S.T.  In short, your employees need to have the right Focus, take the right Action, have the right Systems, and be on the right Team in order to provide your company with the most profitable return on investment.

So how does this formula work?  Let’s take a look:

1. The Right Focus – Bad employee behavior is rampant when employees or managers are isolated and do not know the “bigger picture.”  People need to know what is expected of them and why.  With downsizing happening, many employees have taken on the job of others and have lost sight of this original focus.  They are unsure how their job fits in with the company objectives, which can lead to resistance and procrastination.

Additionally, employees need to know the actual requirements of their job and what is considered success.  For example, a bank teller may be required to process a particular type of transaction in a specified amount of time, or may be required to process x number of customers in an hour.  This sets a guideline for both employees and management/leadership of the organization by which success or failure can be measured.

2. The Right Action – Time productivity is a primary component of success, yet we are all bombarded with daily distractions, interruptions and “can you just fit this in now?” requests. Ill-equipped to handle the ever-increasing amount of information, email and phone messages, many employees are simply overwhelmed by the amount of work required and goof off because they can’t handle it all.

In order to set people up for success, allow them to have an hour a day of  “focus time” where they are not allowed to be interrupted.  They will use this time to tackle those high priority items on their list of tasks to complete.  This promotes a feeling of accomplishment and success and demotes the frustration of having too much to do.

3.The Right Systems – Take a look at how things are being done – do employees take the simplest and cleanest route to accomplishment or are they stuck in the process maze?  The harder it is to get things done, the more your employees are apt to be confused, nervous or just plain resistant to going through the pre-established systems.

It may be time to do an internal systems check.  Ask your employees which systems make it difficult to do their job in an efficient and timely manner.  Prioritize those which are most often reported, and fix it.  Create new and more streamlined systems that do the work with less effort, and employees will step up to be more productive

4.The Right Team – We all know how important it is to have the right person for the job, and the right team to make it happen.  Yet all too often, people are asked to step into doing jobs that have been vacated with disastrous results.  Simple tasks to some people may be daunting to others, which leads to decline of the organization.

It may be time for an internal individual audit of each of your team members.  Schedule a private interview with each one and ask them what they believe they contribute to the team, what is working for them and what is not working for them.  Then ask them what they need to be completely successful in their position.  The results may shock you, and when you take corrective action, they will also take corrective action, and profitability (not to mention productivity) will grow to new heights.

People have always been, and probably will always be the single most important asset to any organization.  At the same time, those same people can be the biggest problem in any organization.  By putting this formula into place, you will immediately see where you or your organization can create a structure that enhances both employee happiness and productivity which eliminates confusion, resistance, apathy and procrastination – and all those wasted trips to the water cooler.

Can you see the value of putting this formula into place in your business?

Much has been written on what it takes to win the game of life.

A lifetime of experience says it’s not as complicated as most people make it. Here’s my list. Take what you want.

1. You can’t succeed alone. Every story of success is a story of people working together, each contributing their own unique talents, skillsets and abilities. Do what you do best. And let others fill in the gaps.

2. Perseverance always wins. You can’t fail if you don’t quit. Find yet another way to make it work. Whatever *it* is for you. As Winston Churchill said in Britain’s darkest hour, “Never, never, never give up.”

3. Take time from your busi-ness every day – even if only 10 or 15 minutes – to center yourself. Some call it meditation. It’ll make you more effective and you’ll accomplish much more.

4. If you don’t like where you are today, don’t expect tomorrow to be any different without change. Change your attitude, your priorities, your activities. Change from being rea-c-tive to being c-rea-tive.

5. You are a product of your thoughts. It’s true that ‘thoughts are things’. Whatever you think about most of the time is what you create in your life. Hint: If you want more than you think you have now, don’t *ever* give energy to thoughts of lack.

6. You always receive what you give. Consequently, if you want help, be helpful. If you want honest relationships, be truthful. If you want success, help others get what they want. If you want love, be loving. The corollary is that you always find what you’re looking for.

7. Life really is like a movie. You write the script. You’re the star, director & critic. And like a movie, it ends. What’s important in life is not just the journey, but the quality of the journey. That’s why it’s important to make every day the best it can be, ‘cuz now is all you have.

What the heck. You might as well enjoy life. None of us are gettin’ out alive.


Have you learned to change something in your life if you don't like where you are today?

I sat among a pile of papers and cried.

Everywhere I looked, I saw more work to do, and the longer I looked at it, the more overwhelmed I became.


Finally, I burst into tears. “Why can’t I just figure out a system for all of this paper?” I said to myself. Here I was, an intelligent woman, and I could not figure out how to set up a filing system. I felt stupid.

Really stupid.

So I got up and tried again. And again. And again. Each time I attempted to set up a new system, something wouldn’t work, something I hadn’t thought of, and I’d have to start all over again. I sat holding one single piece of paper, trying to figure out what to do with it, when the phone rang.

It was an old friend – actually, an old assistant who had moved away to another state across the country.

“What’cha doin?” she asked.

“Trying to figure out how to file all of these @#$@#$ papers!” I exclaimed loudly.

She took a long pause and then said to me. “What are you doing that for? You’re a speaker – you don’t have the energy to spend on that kind of detail work – you’re a PEOPLE person!”  Plus, you have ADD!

Well, duh. Yes, I am a people person and here I was, taking a lot of time to do something that frankly, I’m not so good at doing.

BUT THEY DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT IN SCHOOL!! Remember back in school when you weren’t so good in a subject? What did they tell you to do? Try harder, right? Well, I say WRONG! We only have so many strengths and weaknesses, why focus on the weakness!

It makes a lot of sense to me to focus on strengths. When you focus on what you CAN do instead of what you CANNOT do, opportunities arise and people flow into your life to help you. I’ve experienced this time and time again in my own life, and always when I was working on what I do well.

So my papers? They are all nice and neat in a new filing system which I did not create, but I do follow. Someone else had strengths in organization and helped me out – truly a prosperous and profitable exchange of services.

How about you? What are you focusing on today? What you do well or what you do NOT do well? I challenge you to work your strengths for a month and see what progress you make.

Let me know!

While some have said I’m some kind of Twitter expert, let me tell you a little secret:  a few months ago I had zero plans (yes ZERO) to use social media.  I found it to be confusing, overwhelming and frankly not much fun.  While I may have figured a few things out, in no way do I see myself as a guru of any kind.  That’s why I wanted to share with you today some of the things I learned on the way to my first 10,000 followers:
 

Like I said, I had zero intention of using any social media until my good friend Melanie Strick (@melcoach if you want to follow her) kind of gave me a challenge.
 

One night we were having dinner at a local restaurant and unknown to me, she tweeted an innocent message.  It said: “My friend Stephanie Frank won’t do web 2.0.  C’mon tweeps, let get her on here!”   (Tweeps?  What’s a Tweep?) Now of course, I knew nothing about this.  The next day, another friend Janet Switzer told me about this really cool tool called Addict-O-Matic http://www.addictomatic.com.  She told me to type in my name.
 

I did.
 

And up popped my friend’s tweet telling me to get with the program.  It was war.  So on December 11, 2008 I officially joined the ranks of the Twitter uninformed.  The first thing:  Call my friend to figure out what to do next.   From there, I’ve used that same strategy (asking people for tips) and started sending information.  Today, July 31, I hit 10,000 followers.  Thought you might like a few pointers and things I’ve learned along the way:
 

Tip #1 – NEVER answer the question “What are you doing?” directly. Nobody cares if you’re eating ice cream, preparing a proposal or tying your shoes unless there’s some value in it for them.
 

Tip #2 – Have a  beginning strategy.  I started out doing 3 things:  a) Asking a few friends to “show me around” by telling people I was on Twitter.  That got the first qualified followers.  b) Engaging with people directly and c) Sending quotes.  That’s all I knew how to do and it worked to get started.
 

Tip #3 – Continuously develop your strategy.  Today, there are 5 kinds of tweets that I do regularly:  a) My own Daily Do It (tips on personal peak performance) b) Retweet things I personally like or are helpful to others c) Engage with others personally d) Links to blog posts and e) Quotes or one-liners.
 

Tip #4 – Remember the “social” part.  The worst tweeters are the ones who tweet constantly about buying their stuff.  You wouldn’t walk into a party, shove a business card in someone’s hand and say “wanna buy a widget?”  Don’t do it here.  Show your personality and be (primarily) transparent.
 

Tip #5 – Everything you tweet goes out into the Internet Universe.  So if you don’t want everyone to know, don’t tweet it.  Enough said.
 

Tip #6 – Follow wisely.  At the beginning, I used tools to automatically follow anyone who followed me.  Then came the spammers, the porn people and the stalkers, so I turned that off.  Now I follow people who are interesting, who are recommended by friends and only those who have a picture.
 

Tip #7 – Remember your purpose. Twitter is like going to a party – you’re there to meet interesting people.  With this type of networking, you are also there to meet people who can connect you with (or you can directly connect with) that will help you in your career search, business endeavors or other goals.  It’s easy to get caught in a comfort zone and not reach out.
 

Tip #8 – Your tools may need adjustment. When I reached almost 9,000 followers, my tool of choice, TweetDeck, came to almost a standstill.  I lost people, friends, the columns weren’t moving, etc.  Turns out I had overtaxed the software and it needed adjustment.  Thank goodness for Twitter friends who helped me in a time of need.
 

Tip #9 – Ask Questions.  Referring to Tip 8 above, when I got stuck, the first thing I did was send a general tweet to anyone who might respond.  You can also use this to ask questions about any project you’re working on, research, getting help or if you’re just plain curious about people’s likes and dislikes.  People on Twitter seem to be great at answering questions and helping folks in need.  Just don’t overuse.
 

Tip #10 – If you get overwhelmed, stop.  Sometimes Twitter can be like a never-ending sea of people all shouting out into the ethers.  As human beings, we all need some time to take a break, unplug, relax and rewind.  Twitter can be very addictive but if you feel yourself feeling like you can’t disconnect or are overwhelmed, shut it down.  People will still be there when you get back.
 

I don’t know what else is in store for the social media scene and there are gobs of experts out there who are far better than me at this stuff.  But from a performance and leverage standpoint, being able to connect with so many people, in so many countries, send traffic to my websites and create strong new relationships in such a personal way is an authentic, real and much-needed resource.
 

Bring it on!

What has your journey to 10,000 on Twitter been like?

When it comes to getting things done in your business, do you find yourself drowning in overwhelm? 

Do you feel frustrated or confused by trying to figure outwhere to start or what comes next? 

Is procrastination the default for handling your stress?

It doesn’t have to be that way.

There ARE ways to get more done – with less stress, every day. The question is, do you want to stay stuck where you are, or take the leap and bring more joy and triumph of accomplishment into your day?

Here are 10 simple things you can do today to breathe deeper, be more focused and more productive – with less stress!

1.  Visual Clarity

Is visual clutter causing your mind to be cluttered?  Stop shuffling papers around and start your day by taking 10 minutes to clear your desk.  Think of it as a personal gift to yourself and create space for you.  You will feel immediately refreshed and ready to get things done.

2.  Free Yourself from Procrastination

You’ve got your “to do” list for the day.  Take 2 minutes and prioritize the “have to” tasks you don’t like to do.  First determine what you can delegate to others and give them what they need to do it.  Next, knock your “have to’s” out first thing in the morning and before you can thin about procrastinating you’ll already be done!

3. Show Me the Money

Schedule one (1) uninterrupted hour every day to focus only on high payoff activities.  I said un-interrupted.  Turn off the phone.  Close the door.  Tell others you are not to be interrupted for the next 60 minutes – unless the tsunami is at your door or Oprah is on the phone.

4. Take Control of Your Email – Part 1

Turn OFF the automatic send/receive on your email so YOU are in control.  Schedule time in your day to check and respond to email at specific times, instead of reacting every time one comes flying in your inbox.

If you absolutely cannot turn it off, eliminate the sound and visual notification for a distraction-free computer session.

5. Take Control of Your Email – Part 2

Create an email account just for subscriptions to online newsletters.  If your email program supports it, automatically file incoming mail so you can keep your inbox full of more urgent items.

6. Supercharge Your Environment for Focus

Some people work better with some kind of external stimulation.  If that’s you, turn on soft music or a soothing waterfall to stimulate your auditory system, light a scented candle to stimulate your olfactory system, and set a timer to create urgency.  Then get to work!

7. Get It Done

Are you getting stuck in procrastination?  Maybe the project is too big.  If you have a list where the task is not immediately evident, it needs to be broken down.  Ask yourself “What is the exact next step I need to take to get this task done?”  Keep breaking it down until the answer is “Do it!”

8. Spark Your Creativity

If you’re still having trouble getting something done, and you’ve broken the list down – it’s time for a change.  When you absolutely have to get something done and you’re just stuck, change your environment.  Go outside, get some fresh air, change rooms, turn on a fun song that makes you get up and dance.  The change of scenery creates a change of your state and is an instant creativity spark.

9. Simplify Travel

Do you travel frequently?  Are you still going into your suitcase (even though you returned last week) to pull out your toothpaste and shampoo?  First, go unpack and put away your suitcase.  Next, buy two sets of toiletries and store one in your suitcase so you stop stealing form your medicine cabinet and you’re always ready to go!

10. Give Yourself Permission

Take at least one day a week and give yourself permission to do whatever you want, whenever you want for that day.  If the mere thought of giving yourself a day creates panic and overwhelm, start small, but take at least an hour.  that way, when you make the choice to get something done, it’s much easier )and often more fun) than being in the mental state of “have to” do.

Putting these simple systems into place means taking action, being consistent and being willing to do things differently.  If you implement these tips, you will fuel your productivity, have more fun in your business and put more money in your bank account.  Guaranteed.

These are very interesting times.  The world seems to be polarized – truly feast or famine.  Businesses are going under and the cries of “the economic crisis” ripple through the planet like waves ripple out when you drop a rock in the water.  Fear, failure and the world’s obsession with dramatic events blanket the airwaves. 

It’s almost impossible to ignore.

But there’s something else going on – something nobody’s talking about.

On the other side of the fear and failure are people and organizations that are experiencing massive success.  Reality television shows make instant celebrities.  Business owners with “hot” ideas are growing faster than they ever have before.  One in 8 couples are now meeting online.
 

And they are getting crushed under the pressure of sudden success.
 

While most people think they want fame, fortune or something bigger, they are wholly unprepared for the emotional, mental and physical skills they will need to manage newfound success.  Celebrities deal with this all the time.  The late Michael Jackson, undeniably the King of Pop (whether you like him or not) lived a life of emotional trauma, lost youth and low self-esteem.  Shia LaBeouf: “I don’t handle fame well,” LaBeouf says. “Most actors on most days don’t think they’re worthy. I have no idea where this insecurity comes from, but it’s a God-sized hole. If I knew, I’d fill it, and I’d be on my way.”

Now you don’t have to be a celebrity to experience the demands of sudden success.  Take the business owner who suddenly finds himself or herself leading an organization for which they are ill-equipped to run.  They lack the people skills, the leadership skills and emotional intelligence to make things work smoothly.  Working hours increase.  Productivity decreases.  Frustration and overwhelm take over.  Anxiety becomes normal.  Then personal criticism starts, which begins a never ending cycle of self-doubt and lowered self-confidence.

It doesn’t have to be that way.   Here are 5 things you must know if you are experiencing sudden success in any area of your life.

1.  Sudden Success Brings out the Weirdos. When you become more visible in your company, publicly or even in your family, weird things can happen.  It’s like the old story of the crabs in the pot – whenever one crab almost reaches the top of the pot and newfound freedom, the other crabs pull him back in to die.  Expect opportunities to arise, communications to increase and watch out for people who want to use you or ride your coattails.  You will need some trusted advisors to put together a system to discern your good opportunities and weed out the dream stealers.

2.  You will need to learn emotional intelligence. When success demands more of you, it will demand more of your emotional energy as well.  You will have days where you wonder if it’s all worth it, and begin the cycle of self-defeat.  Don’t go there.  Likewise, you will need to learn to manage your emotional state in every situation to be able to think clearly and react appropriately to things coming at you fast.  People will begin to judge you, have opinions about you, and that can make you feel bad if they are negative.  With a high level of emotional intelligence, you will understand that people’s opinions of you have nothing to do with you, and everything to do with whatever they are experiencing at the time (if you don’t understand this now, you will.  I’ll explain in another post about perception).

3.  People skills become VERY important. Most people aren’t trained in understanding others’ personal style, filters, values and perspective.  Therefore, communication breakdown occurs more often as teams grow and you need more people around you to handle daily activities.  It is imperative that you become a student of people and behavior to be able to hire the right staff, understand their needs and get people to their most productive level.  Once of the biggest mistakes people make when hiring people to work for them is the “warm body” approach.  They take a person with a certain skillset and try to make them do a job they aren’t good at, and then wonder why it isn’t working.  Proactive understanding of people matching to skillsets is a must.

4.  You MUST become a better leader. When more demands are placed on you as you grow, the general tendency is to be like a rat in a cage, trying to run faster and faster on the wheel. Worry that things won’t get done, anxiety over whether people are actually doing the work, when will it get done cause many sleepless nights for fast-growing business owners.

Recently, I was hired by a small business owner to help with this exact issue.  She was working almost 20 hour days, losing sleep over details and she had people she wanted to work with to build a team but didn’t know how.  We restructured her time, I taught her communication and people skills, but most of all, I taught her how to let go without losing control.  As a result, we engaged a team of 5 amazing people to help her.  She reclaimed 47 hours per month.  Doing things right, she hit ALL of her revenue goals within 30 days.

I tell you this because as a small business owner, you don’t always get to see what the big companies do to develop their people.  Big companies spend millions on leadership training, communication training and the like just to help people get along and be more productive and have better performance overall.  Small business owners struggle, not knowing that a different way is so close.

5.  You will learn to say “No”.  Decision-making skills are imperative in helping you deal with success.  Information, requests, communication will all increase, and your ability to say no to time-wasters, distraction, guilt, frustration and overwhelm will become a skill you’ll wish you had a long time ago.  Your goals will become more clear, and so your ability to weed out potentially unproductive opportunities will be heightened as you truly go to that next level.

While there are many other things that go along with sudden success, these are some of the most important.  When your focus turns inward to making yourself a better leader, communicator, influencer and visionary, your entire world will change.  Your success will be sweet, exciting and manageable.

To get started, download the free audio program called The 13 Vital Traits of Super Effective People.  It will open your eyes to getting started on the calm road of success.

 
Have you experienced sudden success? How has your world changed?