Archive for December, 2010

Right now there are people all over this great land are talking about setting goals and making the most of 2011!  But don’t let all the talk of goal setting throw you off track from what is really important about this process.  It’s about making sure that you are doing the right things at the right time and in the right order.

It’s about being as productive as you can be with your time, talent and energy!  Here are seven “must implement right away strategies” so you can move your business forward!

Throw Away The Old To Do List

Get rid of the old to do list because it’s missing a critical element – an end time.  Simple fix isn’t it?  The problem and the solution are simple.  Most entrepreneur to-do-lists have the start time but no end time built into them.  By scheduling in the due date or end time it helps you get focused and completing the project by that specified date.  Without it, it can stay on that list and never get crossed off .

Create A Schedule and Stick to It

I keep a schedule and I rarely let anything bump the time that I have allocated in my schedule for things that MUST happen like writing, creating new programs and services and marketing tasks.  So here is what you must do:  create a schedule and purposefully plan out your top priorities for the day and then don’t allow anything to come between you and your schedule.

This schedule should include things  you must do each day until you have established a routine and even then I wouldn’t take it off your schedule.  I schedule everything this way I don’t miss anything important.  My schedule is tied to my 90 day goals that I have established and these two systems allow me to accomplish a great deal each day, month, quarter and year.

Whatever system you develop make sure that it works for you!

Time:  Once It’s Gone, It’s Gone

Time is something that once it’s gone you can’t get it back.  That’s why it is so important to always be conscientious with your time and how you spend it.  For those moments when you have not scheduled your time according to your plan ask yourself this question:  What is the most effective use of my time right now? Think about it and then use your time wisely knowing that you are using your time effectively, efficiently and on the tasks that are guaranteed to reach your goals.

Post Your Goals

I have my three year plan posted right in front of my desk where I can always refer to it!  It is a constant reminder to me of why I am doing what I am doing!  Additionally, I have my vision board where I can see all the things that I am working towards…the new car, the beach front property, etc.  Seeing the reason behind doing what you’re doing is a great subconscious motivator for you to get the job done so you can proudly say, “I reached my goal.”

How Much Are You Worth?

Do you know the answer to that question?  If not I suggest you do the following exercise.  If you want to make $50,000 next year and assuming you will work 8 hours each day, then you know that each hour you work has a value of $25.61 and every minute is worth $0.427. Double it if you want to make $100,000 next year.  The reverse if that for every hour that you waste and let’s say you waste one hour a day each week you are losing $6,658.60 on a $50,000 income and double that on a $100,000 income.  My point:  wasted, unfocused time is a loss of revenue…and a big one at that.

Delegate and Follow Up

There are some tasks that I really hate doing and then there are tasks that I like to do but understand is not a good use of my time.  Whether its tasks you hate or ones you love, remember that delegating is an effective tool and strategy when trying to make the most of the time that YOU have.

But along with effective delegation is also the responsibility to follow up and not leave issues hanging out there with no resolution.  Make sure you check in to make sure things stay on track and according to schedule.

Celebrate Your Success

Each time I reach a goal and complete a project I do a little celebration dance!  I know it sounds corny and who knows what I look like when I do my “dance of joy”, but I love to celebrate my wins and success and you should too.  Find a system that feels right for you even if it simply jotting down on paper in a journal.

Keeping on track and focused can be a daunting task if you don’t have a system.  Follow these simple tips here to make it simple and easy.   And remember, time cannot be replaced.  Once it’s gone, it’s gone so use it wisely.

Those who know me well know that I don’t buy a lot of Christmas gifts. Instead, I prefer to have friends and family to my home and to spend an evening laughing, sharing, and honoring the people that mean the most to me. Gift giving is wonderful and I certainly love to receive, but the gifts from the heart are the ones that matter the most to me. Here is my favorite list of gifts that you can give this Christmas that won’t cost a dime but will certainly fill your soul!

The Gift of Listening – When you engage in the task of listening… truly listening, you are connecting with that other person in a way that lets them know how much they matter to you. While you sit there intently listening – not daydreaming, planning or interrupting – you are connecting at a deep place where two souls join together for the betterment of each other. As the listener, you gain something too: the deep fulfillment of lending yourself to another in friendship and love.

The Gift of Laughter – “Laughter is the best medicine” is how the quote is known and I couldn’t agree more. Nothing makes me feel better than to share a good laugh with a friend. It lifts my spirits and the other person’s too. Share a joke, funny story, or a cartoon and share the gift of laughter with others.

The Gift of Kindness – I realized the other day that it is just as easy to be kind to someone as it is to be nasty…almost easier because one leaves you feeling good about yourself while the other leaves you feeling empty. Be kind to others by sharing simple gestures of yourself. This could be opening a door for someone, being a good driver on the roadways, sharing a kind word or a simple smile. Watch how these gestures of kindness fill you up and help you be a better person.

The Gift of Affection – Nothing feels better than a hug! I love to give hugs and I love to get them, too. And, I love to pair it with a kiss on the cheek! Maybe it’s the Italian in me, I’m not quite sure. But what I am sure about is how much those little gestures of affection let me express to my family and friends how much they mean to me.

The Gift of Service – I believe that we are on this earth to be of service to others. Giving of your time and talents to the benefit of someone else is the most wonderful gift you can ever give. Service comes in many forms but can include giving blood to help save a life, feeding the hungry, volunteering for a local charity, or helping an elderly neighbor with household chores. The list is endless. But one thing is certain – helping others fills the heart and soul in ways that nothing else can.

The Gift of Solitude – Sometimes we need to be alone. Maybe we need time to sort through a problem or time to re-energize ourselves. Others need this time as well. This Christmas, learn to respect other people’s need and give the gift of solitude by leaving them the time they need for self reflection and privacy.

The Gift of Courage – This gift allows you to be courageous, to speak your truth always and to stand in your power as a person. Give this gift to yourself. Be honest with yourself about what you want and don’t want in your life. Take good care of yourself…this is not about being selfish. It’s about taking time to care for you!

The Gift of Appreciation – Mother Theresa said, “There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” Take a moment to think about your family and friends. Make a list of all the things that you appreciate about them. Keep this list in a safe place, maybe in your journal or with your will. Just imagine what this gift of appreciation will mean to people after you’ve gone. Your last words to them will be a heartfelt treasure they will never forget. You will show clearly how you recognized, admired and valued their unique qualities. You will acknowledge with gratitude what they meant to you. This gift of appreciation will be the memory of your heart and will live on. This Christmas, don’t delay in giving the Gift of Appreciation. Share your feelings this holiday with the ones you love.

May this Christmas Season fill your home with Joy, your heart with Love, and your life with Peace.

Being willing to look at the situation and telling the truth were the first steps in helping you move towards a big Money Breakthrough.  But we still have some emotional work to do before we start down the road to taking the kind of action that will help you create new money habits.

In keeping with our goal of preventing you from getting caught up in the buying frenzy this holiday season, I want to examine the fears that motivate us to shop till we drop.

What Are You Afraid Of If You Don’t Spend Like Crazy?

Boy, do I remember vividly the day I had to tell my daughter I didn’t have the money to have the usual Christmas.  Our “usual” consisted of my daughter giving me a list of things she just “had to have” and me going out and getting her all of it.  You read it right, ALL OF IT!

Pictures speak a thousand words so I’ve included one so you fully get the idea.  Every gift under that tree is for my daughter!

There was a time when I would look at those photos and feel sick.  Thank goodness I can look at them now and not feel those same feelings of dread, despair, and nausea.

So when I started to delve into my own money habits, fears, beliefs and mindsets I knew I had to answer the biggest question of them all: “What am I afraid of if I don’t spend like crazy?”

Fear motivates us to do all sorts of things.  In this case, fear was driving my need to shop my life away.  But in the beginning I wasn’t sure what I was afraid of.  It took some time and digging before the fear revealed the truth of the situation.

Our fears are motivated by underlying needs. Maybe you over spend because you have an underlying need to be loved. Or, maybe your shopping fills the need to gain status or recognition.  No matter what the underlying need, trust me, there is one to your over shopping and over spending.

Now is the time to evaluate it and determine, “what need am I trying to fill?”

This part of the process takes some real self-reflection because at first the need may not be very clear to you or possibly you may feel like you have competing needs that must be fulfilled.

This exercise isn’t for the faint of heart.  This type of self-recrimination pushes us past our feeling of complacency and pain and moves us forward towards the life we really want. The alternative is to be stuck in the same place with the same fears for the rest of our lives.  If that’s what you want, then heck, don’t bother reading anymore and go out and keep on spending, feeling guilty, and being in debt.

Here’s my suggestion:  get out a notebook and pen and start journaling your thoughts and feelings about what‘s coming up for you.  Review it from time to time and see if you can identify a pattern in your thoughts.

You more than likely will start to see a clear picture of where you have been deluding yourself and the actions steps may clearly begin to form in your mind.

Action – that six letter word that changes everything.

Our first responsibility when tackling our money demons lies in the importance of being willing to look at your money beliefs and habits. Wasn’t being willing to look at this issue as liberating as I told you it would be?

Being willing to face your Money BS is an important first step.  But in order to have the kind of Money Breakthroughs that will keep you moving in the right direction it’s imperative that you tell yourself the truth about what you are examining.

Make Sure You Tell Yourself the Truth

Thinking back, I realize that I didn’t always tell the clear and simple truth about my money habits.    Oh, I had been honest about the situation but that is very different than telling the truth about something.

When you are honest you share your thoughts, feelings, emotions, judgments and even how it made your feel in your body. For example, “when I saw all that I had purchased at the store today I was thinking, you fool, you did it again.  I was literally sick to my stomach.”  That’s an honest statement.

The truth would sound something like this, “I purchased four blouses at a total cost of $200, two pairs of pants for $120, and two pairs of shoes for $175.  It was $400 more than I said I would pay.”

No emotions, no judgments, just the plain and simple truth.

Now I want to be clear. I am not saying you shouldn’t be honest in your assessment of the situation.  Honesty is a very necessary step; it clears the way for the truth to be revealed.

What I am saying is just revealing the honesty of your predicament isn’t’ enough.  But here’s the thing – it’s easier said than done.

Our first reaction is to reveal the honesty; to spew out all the emotions, the feelings and thoughts, the rationalizations and justifications.  They come pouring out when we are honest; it’s human nature.  The situation is emotionally charged and that’s why we behave this way.

But peel back the honesty and what’s left is the truth of our behavior. The truth is our responsibility in the mess we have created.  And that my female friend is much harder to disclose.

Remember my story about creating a huge amount of credit card debt and my possible bankruptcy?  I had many honest moments discussing what had occurred in that financial disaster. But when I got truthful I realized no one else made me buy those clothes and shoes and home goods and gosh knows what else.  It was me, it was all me.  That was the truth.

So I want you to get truthful about your past Christmas spending.  A word of caution – do it with a big dose of compassion.

Being willing to look at the situation and being truthful are two very important steps in helping you move towards an even bigger breakthrough. In that breakthrough you will be able to take the kind of action that will help you create new money habits.

What will those actions be?  What are you afraid of if you don’t spend like crazy?  We’ll explore this next time.

I stopped buying Christmas gifts many years ago when I was facing the possibility of bankruptcy.  Like many other American women, I had over charged, over spent and was now unemployed and feeling guilty, desperate and felt like a complete failure.

Sound familiar?

Before you get caught up in the buying frenzy, I want to suggest some practical ways that you can get a handle on your money BS before it does you in this holiday season.

Be Willing To Face Your Money BS

I remember that first year I had to tell my daughter I couldn’t afford to buy her any Christmas gifts.  Just as vivid was that Christmas morning opening up the most beautiful coat she had purchased for me and the feeling of unworthiness I felt at her generous offering.

I knew in that moment that I needed to face my Money BS head on or it would be the end of my financial security.

And that’s what I did.

Although I didn’t really want to look at all the ways I sabotaged myself with money, how messed up my belief systems where around money, and how poorly I handled money, I was willing.

Being willing to look at these issues was quite liberating.  Because in that moment of saying, “yes, I am willing to look at this and figure it out” I became completely energized, motivated, and powerful.  I was a woman standing in my power around money and I hadn’t done that in a long time.  What I came to realize was the more I was willing to go deeper and deeper, to peel back the layers of my Money BS, the greater the transformation was.

So, here’s the question.  Are you willing to look at your relationship with money?  Are you willing to peel back the layers to see what motivates you to spend like crazy during the holidays?  Are you willing to do something different this year so that when January comes you’re not flooded with guilt and shame because your debt is cranked up to a ridiculous level?

The answer is either yes or no — not maybe, not probably, not possibly, not let me think about it.  You must decide right now if you are willing or not.

Will you stand in your power or not?  “Yes” will give you that power.

Once you’ve said “yes,” I want you to think about what you’re afraid of if you don’t buy like crazy.  Write it down and comment in the blog section; let’s get a discussion going about what all our crazy fears are if we don’t spend like gazillionaires.

I would love to hear your stories and help you face your fears and Break Through your Money BS.

Once you’ve identified what you’re afraid of, we’ll start working on figuring out what drives that fear in you to purchase beyond your abilities.  But first we need to delve a little deeper, so look for next week’s article as we continue the discussion and Break Through Your Money BS.