Jan 24

Don’t let analysis paralysis stop you from achieving your goals

Did you achieve everything you wanted in the last 12 months?

– did you achieve your business goals?
– did you achieve your personal goals?
– did your net worth grow or shrink?
– did you have more free time?
– did you spend more time with family and friends?
– did you take good care of your body, mind and soul?
– was there an improvement or a decline in your quality of life?

Now is the time to honestly answer these questions. Take the time to reflect on your past achievements and struggles. What can you learn right now, before you take action on this year’s plans? For each answer, ask yourself…

– what did I do right?
– what did I do wrong?

(It’s important to ask “what did I do wrong” even when you succeeded, because there is always room for improvement)

For the areas which saw no improvement or even a decline, ask yourself,

– what did you KNOW you should have done but did not do?
– WHY?

Waiting for the “perfect time” to take action is a terrible way to let a year go by: “I can’t take action now because… stars-aren’t-aligned, I don’t have enough time/money/skills, I won’t do it right…” all that does is NOTHING.

Don’t let perfection be your enemy. Don’t be scared to do the wrong thing. Make a plan of action and DO first. Apologize later if you must, because some of the directions you choose will be nothing more than helpful lessons.

Just don’t throw the year away waiting for “permission” from yourself to take action. Learn from the past, improve on it with a better plan of action.

Put one foot in front of the other. Repeat as needed.

Inspired by vlogs at:

http://www.lifetosuccess.com/

Aug 13

Love0

Focus on Growth Using the GROW Model

By James Short Blogpost, Goals

The business world is dynamic, to say the least. Think back to how simple things were a century and a half ago: you could count on a traditional business model to work, and keep working, probably for as long as you owned your business. Not so much anymore.

Technology and the global marketplace are rendering old business models obsolete. And if you don’t keep up, you’ll be left behind.

To learn to focus on what is truly important in terms of where to focus your energies, use the GROW Model: a personal and professional development model. This way you can identify what you are doing right and expand on it – and what you are doing wrong, and modify it.

G: Goal. What’s the objective? If you are a sole proprietor with no employees, you still have to be clear on what you want. And if you’ve got people to deal with, effectively communicating your goals will ensure that everyone is on board and working toward the same vision. Questions to ask: “What do I want?”

R: Reality. What’s the current situation? What contributed to this situation – or, how did we get here? This involves taking personal responsibility for everything that’s going on, good and bad (and if you have employees, they also have to understand the value of personal responsibility). Questions to ask: “The current situation is what it is. What did I (we) do right? What could I (we) have done differently to… (prevent this or move this forward)?”

O: Options. Don’t bother looking at options or solutions until you’ve identified the goal and the current situation. Questions to ask, once you’ve identified the goal and the current situation: “What can I (we) do differently starting right now? What would be the consequences of Action A or Action B?”

W: Way Forward. It’s decision time, followed immediately by action.

This model applies to all goals, both in your personal and business life:
● A goal of solving a problem
● Reaching a milestone
● Achieving your ultimate vision

The GROW Model helps you make changes in thinking, behaviours, systems and protocols. All of these changes will move your business in the right direction.

Inspired by Dr. Maynard Brusman’s blog on www.workingresourceblog.com

Jul 23

Love0

Build Relationships, Create Customers

By James Short Blogpost, Success

Many business owners approach sales from the perspective of what the customer can do for the business – in other words, the dollar value of each customer and “closing the sale.” That is common, but it’s also a completely backwards approach.

Without customers, your business is nothing.

If you approach your customers from the perspective of what you can do for them, you will succeed. Your marketing strategy and your sales process must revolve around “how may I serve you?”

That is the essence of relationship marketing and relationship-based customer service. How do you do this? By making each prospect feel comfortable; being trustworthy; providing a solution to their problem.

1. What does your customer need? Demonstrate a genuine interest in helping them solve their problem and you will create a relationships no matter if they purchase from you or not:
● Listen: when you’re focused on closing the deal, you are focused on yourself, not the customer. Give your customer 100% attention and really listen to what they are saying. Every person is unique and every problem is unique. To provide the best solution, you must know exactly what the situation is. AVOID scripted or canned replies. These transparently say to the customer, “I want to make the sale so would you hurry up and say yes!” – canned replies do NOT say, “I care about helping you.”
● Based on what the customer needs, offer information, resources, options, solutions and ideas. They will remember your integrity and the care that you took in helping them and that you went the extra mile to do research and offer innovative solutions. Be HONEST! If your offering doesn’t meet the customer’s needs, say so. False claims will come back to haunt you! Be honest, and they’ll be back – and/or they will refer friends.
● Treat everyone with respect… especially when there’s a problem. Put yourself in their shoes – how would you feel, and what would your expectations be? Always remember that helping the customer solve their problem is your #1 priority!

2. Be easy to reach. Don’t make your customers hunt you down. They won’t. If you have a small business and cannot afford a receptionist, make sure you answer ALL phone messages or emails in the same business day if at all possible; or the next day at the latest. When people decide they want something, they want it NOW. Don’t get left behind because somebody else was available!

3. Stay in touch and show them you care. Customers LOVE hand-written thank you notes and birthday/holiday wishes. There’s nothing like a small gesture like this to make a customer feel special and it takes almost no time to do. Who doesn’t love a personalized thank-you? Don’t let “out of sight, out of mind” ruin a relationship. Customer appreciation goodies like special discounts, incentives and prizes for loyal customers are a great way to show you care. Many companies offer new-customer bonuses, but neglect their old customers. Keep existing customers happy by showing your gratitude!

4. Offer ongoing support. Even if a product doesn’t ever need repair or replacing, the customer may have questions. If you offer a service, the same applies: people forget things and they always have questions. Rule #1 is to never treat ANY question as a dumb question. To the person asking, it’s perfectly valid and reasonable.

Focus on adding value to your customer. They will notice. They will appreciate it. And they will reciprocate with loyalty and referrals!

Inspired by a blog on http://blog.ideacafe.com/

Jul 08

Love0

Self-Leadership and Your Goals

By James Short Blogpost, Leadership

We love the message of the Olympics: “never give up, believe in yourself, follow your heart, live your dreams…”

But most of us also feel a bit (or a lot) skeptical about the realism of that message – only because our own dreams haven’t been achieved and our thoughts center on “I can’t.”

A lot goes into making a dream come true: self-belief, persistence, ACTION… and the demons of low self-confidence, fear and doubt are very quick to make their presence felt – causing us to lose that self-belief, slow our momentum and ultimately quit. The reality is, we have to LEAD ourselves until we believe wholeheartedly in our dreams. Only then will our thoughts, speech and actions match up seamlessly. Only when we BELIEVE, will we SEE.

How can you self-lead? One method is to set goals, and stick to them. Action creates forward progress; forward progress leads to motivation and overcoming fears. Create a workable plan of small, manageable and persistent actions and DO NOT allow yourself to not take action. Being your own leader means being a strict disciplinarian at times. When you encounter uncomfortable actions, you must take them. Anything less will cause you to self-sabotage.

In the business world, your real focus is on the customer. It’s a “we” mentality (as opposed to the “I” mentality of athletics). You have to be sure that your dream and the needs of your audience are aligned; meaning that your offering meets their needs and solves their problems. So get to know your audience, and then take that information and use it as a point of focus.

You build self-belief and confidence when you wholeheartedly approach your dream from the perspective of helping others. In other words, take the focus off yourself and put it on your audience. This immediately takes away your self-centered emotions of fear and doubt. Think about the last time you helped a friend through a crisis. Did you once think for a second that you couldn’t help him or her? Of course not. You were 100% focused on your friend’s need, and you simply did your best to meet that need.

Not giving up is easier when you remain focused on helping others because it’s not all about YOU anymore. It’s about US. That is powerful!

You’ve just learnt two components of self-leadership: setting goals (and holding yourself accountable); and focusing on your audience. Challenge yourself: take the leadership role and make sure these two are aligned – and make your dreams happen!

Inspired by a blog on www.integrallife.com

Jun 26

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Build Your Business With Specific Goals

By James Short Blogpost, Goals

“The most difficult thing about being a musician these days is not talent. It’s sustainability.”
–Robert Sirota, President, Manhattan School of Music

This great quote applies to more than just the music scene (or any other profession “it’s really hard to make a living at” such as photography or art). You can certainly make a fabulous living doing what you love – and that includes absolutely anything – but you have to marry your passions with some common horse sense and business savvy.

Setting specific goals in business is essential. You can’t approach your business with a goal like “I am a successful…” or “I make $20,000 a month.” While those are great goals, they are not specific enough as commands to your brain. Your brain is much like a heat-seeking missile; it lasers in on anything you tell it to, and it will hunt relentlessly until it has found it.

Remember the last time you bought a car? You picked out the car you wanted, and suddenly you noticed it everywhere. That is no coincidence. You gave a command – “this is what I want” and almost magically, you started noticing that particular car, where you had barely noticed it before. It works the same way with business goals.

Here are some business-oriented goals that will take any passion from hobby to profession. Each of the following can be made into goals with a deadline – and they are the foundation of your business. Don’t neglect any of these even if you think it may not apply to your industry (somebody has to be the first… why not you?)

1. Learn about the industry, the market and your audience. Read about your business; find out everything you can about your competition; study up on the latest cutting edge trends and above all, learn about your audience (potential clients). You have a talent and a skill – and knowing how, where and to whom to present it to, is essential. Using the musician example, you may consider teaching in addition to performing – but you’ll have to learn how to teach (not everyone is a natural!).

2. Consider internships or apprenticeships to learn more about your craft; and if your industry doesn’t commonly offer these (as in the arts) then find someone to mentor you.

3. Find innovative ways to connect with audiences. No matter your niche, personal networking is GOLD. Be highly attuned to what people want, and you’ll notice opportunities that your more traditional competitors might miss. For example, a personal trainer might sponsor a local cycling club (traditional)… and through one of the members, get a lead on a bird-watching club – these are usually older folks (most people don’t associate bird watching with fitness)… and don’t overlook collaboration with people in industries that complement yours. Finding innovative ways to connect with new audiences means becoming tech-savvy. Are you? Remember to think in terms of global marketplace now. ANY industry can reach a wider audience if you’re creative about it.

4. Develop multiple streams of income. Going back to the musician example, if you limit yourself to performing and teaching in person, you won’t be as successful as you would if you blog, offer workshops or seminars; do workshops; create an online instructional series; write an e-book or two or twelve…

5. Become a leader. Anytime you offer workshops, seminars or find a way to engage the community, you become a leader. Great goals in this area include organising fundraising functions in your community. Get yourself out there; be noticed and be a leader!

6. Make it a goal to learn something new about your craft, constantly. You can never stay at the cutting edge if you don’t stretch yourself through learning. Don’t be yesterday’s news – stay fresh, stay interesting to your clientele, through constant self-improvement and learning.

So whatever your niche, make each of the above into specific goals that you build your business on. Most importantly is of course identifying what your audience wants (or thinks they want – you can influence this); and go about it with an intent to meet their needs.

Inspired by a post by Gerald Kickstein on www.musiciansway.com

Jun 07

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Lessons From Sir Richard Branson

By James Short Blogpost, Success

Talk about the epitome of the “Success Mindset”! Sir Richard Branson is living every entrepreneur’s dream. So what is it about him that made him so… beyond successful?

Branson embodies the fearless, believe-in-yourself attitude essential for success. Here is a list of traits he personifies; you may recognise some in yourself – and work on developing those you currently lack:

1. Mindset:

– Purpose: have a clear sense of why you’re here and what you can contribute. What is your real gift to the world and how can you share it?
– Values: family, fun, integrity, adventure, contribution, honesty, teamwork, being the best, quality of life, respect, leadership by example, responsibility, challenge.
– Beliefs: unlimited, open, creative… anything is possible and everything is negotiable
– No real line between work and play; passion for everything
– Fascination and curiosity about everything

2. Skills:

– Flexible thinking; open-minded
– Negotiation and persuasion
– Communication, including listening and painting a clear picture of a desired future.
– Building relationships

3. Behaviours:

– Takes calculated risks
– Takes time to learn
– Visioning, dreaming, planning
– Being surrounded by positive, uplifting, forward-thinking people including mentors
– Journals (always carries notebook to write down ideas
– Constantly hunting for new opportunities; or creating them
– Making it a habit to step out of the comfort zone
– Challenge current ways of thinking; seeing from alternate perspectives
– Enjoys trying new things

Will you end up as wildly successful as Richard Branson if you adopt all of these traits? Maybe. You might just surpass him. But don’t measure yourself against him or anyone else – learn from them, but remember that you will be as successful as YOU want to be, according to your definition of success and within the parameters of who you are – a unique individual with a unique and needed gift. Start today by choosing one trait to develop in yourself and go do it!

Inspired by an IQ Matrix Mind Map by Adam Sicinski at www.iqmatrix.com

May 27

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Perfectionism and Struggle

By James Short Blogpost, perfectionism

Are you a perfectionist business owner?

Understandable. But did you know that perfectionism can backfire and have you spinning your wheels trying to make everything perfect instead of moving forward?

Without any realization that it’s happening, it’s easy to get so absorbed in trying to make everything perfect in one area that you neglect everything else. It’s called perfectionism-paralysis, where you’re so obsessed with making one thing perfect that all forward momentum comes to a grinding halt.

It’s easy to get caught up in trying to make the WRONG things perfect. Know which ones those are? Most often, perfectionism-paralysis affects the activities ones ones you should be outsourcing so you can focus on what YOU do best.

Basically, if something isn’t generating revenue, then don’t worry about making it perfect. It does not need THAT level of focus. Sure, it’s nice to have an ideal to shoot for: the perfect filing system, for example, but does the filing system have to be perfect when the sales process has gaping holes? Of course you want everything to run smoothly and efficiently, and absolutely, it makes sense to streamline and improve your processes. But if you’re spending more mental effort on that than on creating and presenting a great product or service to your clients, then you may as well relegate yourself to the position of office manager and not the company visionary.

Practice letting go of things that don’t generate revenue or don’t move the business forward. Outsource where you can – the payoff is HUGE when you consider the time and energy savings on your part. And don’t sweat the small stuff.

Perfectionism is admirable in that it pushes you to greater efforts and it makes you want to create your absolute best product or provide your absolute best service. However, perfectionism is a completely unrealistic goal. Nothing is perfect, except that your mind makes it so. Even the most finely ground optical glass in a space telescope has slight imperfections. Even the most finely honed, sharp surgical instrument has tiny nicks and waves in the steel. Even the most delicious cake and the most gorgeous painting have imperfections either in slightly (we’re talking a few grains of flour) imperfect measurements or a teeny mistake with the brush. Nothing in Nature is perfect either.

Try your best, but let go of the stuff that you can outsource, and if you can’t outsource it, prioritize and focus your energies on what makes you money and brings you the most happiness.

Inspired by a post by Anilia at www.motivatedsista.com

May 10

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We All Start With Nothing

By James Short Attitude, Blogpost

Have you ever looked at a successful person and resentfully thought, “They were at the right place at the right time” or something similar, you are sabotaging your own success.

That attitude gives your power away to external factors. But you can shift that mindset:

1. Everyone starts with nothing

We are born naked, helpless, with no skills, money or knowledge (think about it – whatever anyone has accomplished, everyone starts from scratch, knowing nothing about it!). We all start with ONE amazing tool: a mind.

This means the playing field is level at the start. We all start with creativity, imagination, desire, intellect… over time, external factors come into play and we develop a belief system that either supports or hinders our aspirations – but these beliefs are changeable too!

When you use your mind to its greatest potential – as a tool – you mobilize your assets to get everything you desire.

2. Think of your glass as FULL

Half of your glass is full of water, so that’s what you see. Depending on your conditioning, you see the glass as either half empty or half full. But guess what – it’s FULL! Half is water, the other half is air. You can’t see the air. Which means, you haven’t been looking at the possibility! You are only seeing “what is”!

Think of your glass as half full of what you have and the other half as full of potential. How cool is that? Your glass can potentially be filled with anything! It’s waiting to be filled!

If you’re seeing your glass as half-something, you are focused on what you have now, not on what you can potentially have. Shift your mindset to seeing the possibilities, and your glass will always be full!

3. Improve yourself

Throw yourself into mastering your craft. It takes 10,000 hours – or about a year and a half of 24/7 learning and hands-on skill building to master something. But then add to that the simple daily things like eating, sleeping and all of the other stuff you want to do and have to do… you’d better get busy! That is how you will unleash your assets and put them to use! Only by improving and expanding on what you already have, will you ever achieve what you want. Learn. Experience. Fail. Learn. Enjoy. Learn. Achieve.

Don’t let “what is” stop you. Live a life based on potential, not limitations!

Inspired by a post by Celestine Chua, www.celestinechua.com

Apr 29

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How Setting Goals Can Get Away From You

By James Short Blogpost, Goals

Goal-setting is a great thing when it comes to pointing your business in the right direction and motivating yourself to step outside your comfort zone to accomplish those goals. But, done improperly, goal-setting can become another form of procrastination.

It’s like spending your time planning, without actually doing any of the stuff you’ve planned out so carefully! That’s procrastination at its sneakiest! It sure looks like you’re doing something meaningful, but unless you take your plan from concept to action…

… you’re really not doing anything except thinking about what to think about next.

There’s a huge difference between setting goals, breaking them down into manageable tasks, planning the when and how’s… and actually doing something (because there’s always tomorrow, right?).

Goal-setting can be the thing that teaches you time management and productivity. Or, it can be the sneaky procrastination devil that makes you feel like you’re doing something worthwhile, when all you’re really doing is delaying the one thing that is going to get your goals accomplished. You know what it is. Action!

Ultimately, you have to be disciplined enough to take action on your master plan. That’s why it really is beneficial to break everything down into small steps that don’t overwhelm you and make taking action on goals something that you can fit into your daily routine. This is important. Doing anything new is uncomfortable, scary and even difficult. Any worthwhile goal is going to challenge you and force you to evolve into a better version of you.

So of course it’s more fun to plan it (and get all excited) than it is to DO it. Unless you’ve created a plan that makes it easy.

Let’s face it. Getting better at anything is hard! A good plan can make the process easier but only if you implement it.

I know. It sounds obvious! But still, you’re incorporating NEW actions into your day, and most of us resist that with the same level of anxious trepidation as making the appointment for the dentist… and so we spend vast amounts of time carefully crafting the perfect plan.

The best thing you can do is to work with a goals coach who will:

Help you create a workable plan
Hold you accountable

Your business can go from “okay” to “spectacular” if you take action on all of the things you are avoiding. A good plan will make those tasks easy. Even fun. And you’ll be on the road to achievement of your business dreams!

Inspired by a post by Merlin Mann at www.43folders.com

Apr 19

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The Magnificent Seven: 7 Ways to Success

By James Short Blogpost, Success

Is there a secret to success? No. Well, actually there is. It has nothing to do with luck. It has something to do with visualization and clearing out limiting beliefs. But ultimately, the secret to success is so ordinary that it seems impossible. Go get what you want. Here’s how:

1. Stop worrying about what you “should do” or about what other people want and get clear on what you really, really, really want. Anything other than what you really want is somebody else’s idea of what’s right and good for you! You’re not here to play out their agendas.

2. Take responsibility for your life. You created whatever situation you’re in right now. Life is all about choices, and the choices you’ve made over the course of your life have led you… right here. Most of these choices are made based on your beliefs (that’s why changing your limiting beliefs is important) so don’t be too upset if you don’t like your life and now you’re supposed to own it. Think of it as empowerment. You’re taking back control of your life.

3. Be willing to be confused and scared – and keep pushing on anyway. At first, confusion will reign; doubt will be strong; clarity might be hard to find; and you will feel fear. All you have to do is take the next step, the one right in front of you. Don’t worry about the big picture, just keep on moving with determination, toward your objective.

4. Get help. Humans aren’t made to go it alone. Sure, there are intrepid souls who brave the unknown completely on their own; but realistically, most of us aren’t like that. We need teachers; suppliers; role models; supporters; fellow dreamers; naysayers; customers… We need people to guide us, push us, redirect us, challenge us and annoy the hell out of us (because without discomfort and annoyance, nothing would ever change).

5. Commit to it and do something! What’s your next smallest step? Take it! Just focus on what you need to do next and DO IT, despite whatever temptations or distractions come your way. Nothing manifests magically. You have to go get what you want. Make taking action more fun and appealing than NOT taking action. How? By falling in love with your dream, day after day after day, and creating a habit of daily action to move you toward your goal.

6. Set the right expectations, persevere and HAVE FUN. In this day of instant gratification, it’s really hard to wait for results. And it’s very easy to give up before you see any real signs of forward progress or success. But how many dreams end up forgotten because nothing seemed to be happening and you got frustrated or bored? Be realistic in your expectations – avoid the marketing hype, because things take time. They just do. So roll with it and enjoy the process as much as you enjoy the achievement. If you’re having fun along the way, who cares how long actual manifestation takes?

7. Be the boss. Manage your excuses. Drive yourself through the temptation of procrastination. Push yourself through inaction. Motivate yourself to do your best. You might have heard the saying, “If you don’t want something, you’ll find a million excuses why you can’t; and if you want something, you only need one reason why you can.” Throw out the excuses. Hold yourself accountable (and if you can’t, a coach will do that for you!).

Basically, you are changing your mindset from settling for what is, to expecting and going after what you really want. That’s the mindset of success.

Sadly, most people never get what they want. They have the opportunity but they let it slip away and at the end of it all, they have a lot of regrets and no real joy. The secret to success lies within you. YOU have to decide, “yes or no.” You have to do the work. There’s no magic pill so don’t bother looking. YOU are the magic pill. That is, your desire, willingness and determination are the combination of forces that will make your greatest goals come true.

Inspired by Henri Junttila’s blog at www.pickthebrain.com

Blogpost

Don’t let analysis paralysis stop you from achieving your goals

Focus on Growth Using the GROW Model

Build Relationships, Create Customers

Self-Leadership and Your Goals

Build Your Business With Specific Goals

Lessons From Sir Richard Branson

Perfectionism and Struggle

We All Start With Nothing

How Setting Goals Can Get Away From You

The Magnificent Seven: 7 Ways to Success

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