Business Success Strategies from Michele PW

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” – Diane Ackerman

Hello Fabulous Women!

 

As a business coach for women entrepreneurs, I am always looking for great new resources and sources of inspiration.  I’m happy to share this one with you all — below is a terrific article by writer and woman entrepreneur Michele Pariza Wacek.  Her three strategic steps are so important to creating true, lasting life and business success.  Enjoy!

–Ann

 

 

Business success strategies — Get Beyond The Lies to Recovery

As a recovering workaholic/perfectionist, not to mention having delusions-of-superhero syndrome, I’m first to tell you the road to recovery isn’t easy. It’s fraught with obstacles and U-turns just waiting to send you right back to where you started.

 

But I’m also here to tell you that it DOES get easier. And the rewards of staying on the path are well worth it.

 

So, what are some steps you can take to get yourself on the road to recovery? Here are 3 to get you started.

 

1. Value your time off. Because if you don’t value it, it won’t happen.

It’s kind of like exercise. We all know we should exercise regularly, but what sets apart the people who actually DO it versus talk about it? It’s their mindset.

People who don’t exercise regularly say things like “I really should start” or “Tomorrow I’ll start my exercise program.” People who do exercise regularly don’t talk about it, they’re out there doing it.

I used to not exercise regularly. I used to spend my time talking about how I should start exercising rather then actually getting off the couch and working up a sweat. But for the last 18 months or so, I’ve been exercising between 5 and 7 days a week, every week (except when I’m traveling, but I get myself back into my routine as quickly as possible).

What changed? My attitude.

I decided this was something I needed to do for myself. Once I started valuing it, then I started doing it.

So if you find yourself saying “Yeah, I really should take a weekend off” or “One of these days I need to take a vacation” then I can tell you right now it’s not going to happen. Because it’s not something you value.

 

2. Treat yourself well — You deserve it. Ladies, you’re going to know what I’m talking about, I’m not sure about my gentleman readers. For years, I used to buy the cheapest disposable razors to shave my legs. And for years I used to constantly nick my legs with those razors. My legs would start stinging in the shower, and then I would have to dredge up a Kleenex to sop up the blood before I got it all over the floor or on my towel.

Needless to say, shaving was one of my least favorite activities.

Then, about a year and a half ago, I got a razor in the mail. One of those name brand ones. The company sent it to me as promotional stunt.

So I decided to try it. And what a difference. No cuts, no nicks, no stinging and (best yet) no blood.

Now you’re probably wondering where on earth I’m going with this. I’ll tell you.

The reason why I bought those cheap razors was because I didn’t think it mattered. Even though I hated them, hated shaving, hurt myself constantly, I told myself the cheap cost of the razors was worth it. Why pay that extra few bucks for a name brand razor? I could suffer through a few cuts and burns. It wasn’t a big deal.

But really what I was telling myself (and the universe) was that I wasn’t worth an extra couple bucks for a name brand razor. I wasn’t worth an extra couple of bucks to not hurt myself.

So how do you think the universe responded? Simple — I wasn’t attracting the kind of money I wanted because I wasn’t worth it. And what I WAS attracting was more sickness, exhaustion, burnout, stress, etc. Because it was “okay” for me to suffer.

In the last couple of years, I have completely changed my attitude about how I treat myself. But (and this is an important but) it’s not just about spending money on myself — it’s also about taking time for myself. The razors are just one part of it. I also get regular massages each month. Why? Because when I didn’t, I was in pain a lot. Spending hours hunched over my computer writing is murder on my back and chest.

But I also take time each day to exercise and stretch. Those don’t cost me anything except time. And again, by doing this, I feel better and look better.

So what are YOU denying yourself? I’m not talking about spending money you don’t have or putting yourself in debt or avoiding the tasks you really need to do. I’m talking about the little indulgences we tell ourselves we don’t need when, in truth, they’re exactly what we need.

Maybe you love real cream in your coffee, but you constantly buy that white powder junk because it’s cheaper. And you tell yourself it doesn’t matter.

But it does matter.

How much money are you REALLY saving by not buying real cream for your coffee? Is it enough to suffer the consequences of telling yourself and the universe you aren’t worth the real stuff?

Or maybe your indulgence is putting that coffee into a pretty cup, not a chipped mug with that ugly corporate logo on it. Or maybe it’s allowing yourself 10 minutes to sit outside and enjoy that coffee, rather than gulping it down while you get ready for work.

(And I have a secret to share. When I started treating myself better directly coincides with my income going up.)

 

3. Hire a coach. If, as you’re reading this, you’re seeing a little too much of yourself, and worse yet, you don’t know how to fix it, then it might be time to hire a coach.

A coach can help you shift your mindset so you DO start to value yourself and your time off. The right coach can also help you when your business starts taking off.

But above all, remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you’re used to always putting yourself second, changing your perspective isn’t going to be easy. So be kind to yourself. Allow yourself to take baby steps. A few indulgences here and there. Eventually it will get easier.

 

Michele PW (Michele Pariza Wacek) owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting LLC, a copywriting, marketing communications and creativity agency. She helps people become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. To find out how she can help you take your business to the next level, visit her site at http://www.michelepw.com.

Copyright 2006 Michele Pariza Wacek.

 

 

On Track and On Purpose, Business Coaching for Women Entrepreneurs, Business Woman Coach

Great Blogging Resource for Women

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“You are the only one who can use your ability. It is an awesome responsibility.” – Zig Ziglar

Hello Fabulous Women!

I want to let you know about a great resource for women for creating a blog or promoting an existing blog.  It’s a high traffic, high ranking (Google PR of 7!) women’s blog directory called BlogHer.

I have heard of BlogHer before, but I only recently really checked it out, and I’m very impressed with this as a resource for business women as well as for helping women to connect internationally on a whole host of topics.  I just wish I had explored it sooner!

It’s very easy to list your blog on BlogHer, if you already have one.  You just create a free account and they walk you right through the process.  I just listed mine today.  (There is, of course, an approval process, so you won’t see it there yet, but it will be up in a few days).

The advantage of this is both that your blog will now be available to a much larger group of people – primarily women – and that you will have new incoming links to your blog or website from a highly ranked website – more and more inbound links every time you post on your blog!

If you don’t have a blog already but have been wanting to explore that option, you can also create a blog very easily on this site, without even having a website of your own. 

As a business woman coach, I am always looking for ways to reach out to women who are committed to creating more in their lives and careers, and I am excited to have found such a great and simple way to do it.  One of the keys to success is leverage – finding ways to get the most out of everything you are already doing.  With my blog listed on BlogHer, and I am leveraging the time and effort I put into blogging – doing the same amount of work and getting more results from it.

If you are already blogging or want to get started, I invite you to join me on BlogHer!

On Track and On Purpose, Business Coaching for Women Entrepreneurs, Business Woman Coach

75 Days to Go!

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

 “Most of us serve our ideals by fits and starts.  The person who makes a success of living is one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly.  That’s dedication.” –– Cecil B. DeMille

Hello Fabulous Women!

There are 75 days to go until the end of 2008.  Can you believe it? 

This is a great time to ask yourself what your goals are – how do you want to end this year? 

What do you want to be celebrating on New Year’s Eve?

Imagine yourself at the end of this year, toasting your achievements, making plans for the upcoming year – what will that look like?

If you are anything like me, between your business and your personal life you have so many goals it’s hard to keep track of them all, and at times it seems as though you are making no headway at all. 

This is one of the many reasons why it’s so important to take time to write down your goals and review them regularly.  Haven’t you ever had the experience of finding an old goals list and going over it, and seeing with delight how many of those goals you had set have now been accomplished?  It’s a great feeling! 

If you made a list of goals earlier this year, make sure you pull it out now and go over it and take time to acknowledge yourself for all you have accomplished this year.  It’s probably a lot more than you think!

Then look at the goals you did not accomplish or complete, and add any new ones that have arisen since then. 

Now the tough part, the part that requires some discipline and clarity:  Ask yourself which of those goals are the most important.  If you could only accomplish three of those goals before the end of the year, which three would they be?  Really think about it – what matters the most to you?  Make sure you think about what I wrote in my last post – ask yourself what areas of your life are draining you of energy, and include those in deciding what are your most important, most impactful goals.

Now that you have identified the most important priorities, pull out your calendar and make plans for making them happen.  Don’t get distracted by all the other goals – you have decided which ones are the most important, take a deep breath and focus on those.

As you accomplish each of your top goals, by all means start taking on the next most important ones on your list.  Making priorities does not mean we are giving up on our other goals, it simply means we have the courage and clarity to take a stand on what matters to us the most. 

So, what matters the most to you?  What will you be toasting yourself for on December 31^st?  Go for it!

On Track and On Purpose, Business Coaching for Women Entrepreneurs, Business Woman Coach

For Women Entrepreneurs – A New Look at Goals

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“There is no happiness except in the realization that we have accomplished something.”    Henry Ford

 

 

Hello Fabulous Women!

As business women, we all have goals, and we have all made lists of our goals.  Many times, right?  I know for myself that my relationship to goals and goal setting can change a lot at different times in my life – even from one day to the next! 

Sometimes I get to have the thrill of crossing a great big one off that list, finally accomplished, and then other times I don’t even want to look at that list because I don’t feel I’ve accomplished anything on it.

Sometimes I am all excited and inspired and can’t wait to sit down and make a new list of goals and get started on them, and other times the last thing I want to do is set another goal.

There is a particular way to think about goals that I want to share with you.  Think about your life and your business.  Think about any particular projects or areas or problems that you may have goals around. 

Now, instead of simply asking yourself which ones are most important, please ask yourself this question:

Which of these areas is draining energy from me on a daily basis?   

Here’s what I mean by draining energy – what areas of your business or your house or your life do you tend to have negative thoughts about on a regular basis?  Thoughts such as, “That’s so disorganized, I really need to fix that,” or “I hate the way that looks, what if someone sees that,” or “This is overwhelming, I don’t even know where to start,” or “I don’t know what to do, what do I do about this.”

Over and over again in your head, like a hamster on a wheel, right? 

Please consider that the effect of this on our lives is profound and very negative.  In your business and at home, that disorganized closet, that non-existent marketing strategy, that cluttered room or desk – they sap our energy, leaving us feeling as though we haven’t accomplished anything, and even worse, as though nothing we do accomplish will ever be enough.

A short while ago, I made a goals list with this in mind, and I identified three areas in my house that were just sucking the life out of me.  They were: the desk in the hall, the bathroom closet and the pantry closet.  Every time I looked at any one of them, I would find myself thinking how awful they looked, how disorganized they were, how I couldn’t find what I needed there, how I wouldn’t want anyone else to see them.  Those may not be extremely negative thoughts, but they add up all day long, day after day, every time I walked by or went to any of those places in my house.

And while my results-oriented mind was telling me that there were other, higher priorities for me to work on, I realized that the toll these unfinished areas were taking on me and my energy was not something to ignore any longer, and I made a new and high priority goal of cleaning and organizing and recreating them the way I wanted them.

I took on the desk in the hall first, and now every time I walk in the door, there it is, organized and clean and functional, helping to keep all the communication in our household happening smoothly, and what used to make me cringe now makes me smile.

Last week, I took on the bathroom closet – emptied it, cleaned it, threw out a ton of old health and beauty stuff I don’t want or need and put everything back in nice and organized, with space for each person in the house to keep their stuff and plenty of space somehow left over. 

And once again, what used to make me frown and feel overwhelmed now makes me smile and feel a great sense of accomplishment.

Now the only one left is the pantry closet, and I have that scheduled to take on soon.  And here’s something great – right now, when I look in that pantry closet, instead of feeling negative, I already feel positive about it, because I know I’m going to handle it. 

So invite you all to do the same.  Look at those areas of your life or business that you keep thinking are not a high enough priority to deal with, but which in fact are draining you of your energy and pulling you down. 

You don’t need to take them all on at once, but be real with yourself about the effect these areas are having on your life and your business.  Identify what you are willing to take on, and get started!

Have a fabulous, energized day!