What’s on Your To Do List? Does It Make You Smile?

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“I’ve lived through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened.” ~ Mark Twain

Hello Fabulous Women!

I suspect I am not alone in having a long list of “things to do.”  From little things like folding the laundry to much more ambitious items, like writing a grant proposal or creating a marketing strategy, our lists seem never ending, don’t they? 

Don’t get me wrong, I love lists.  I love that visceral thrill of crossing a finally completed item off that sucker (although nowadays it’s usually clicking “Complete” in Outlook rather than the thick line drawn through on the paper.  I miss that line…)

And I love making new lists, thinking of new goals, pushing myself to think bigger, get organized and get in action!

And have you ever done this – you find an old “to do list” from a year or more ago, in a pocket maybe, and you look over the old items, and then instead of just throwing it out you take the time to find a pen and cross out all the things you’ve since done on that old list?  I have, many times.  No way I’m throwing that old list out until I’ve had the pleasure of crossing things out!

I’ve been looking at my own lists, and noticing that there are certain items that I keep pushing forward, never quite getting to them, while others get checked off quickly.  I also notice that sometimes my lists are full of things I don’t really want to do but feel I need to do.  Not all of the time, by any means, but sometimes there really isn’t a single thing on there that makes me smile.

I have thought about this quite a bit, and I have decided to make a new rule about my lists.  The rule is this: For every one thing on my list that I am not excited about doing (like, say, reorganizing my files and tax records) there must be at least two things that I love to do (like, for instance, working in my garden or calling a friend to catch up and reconnect).

That’s right, it’s a minimum two to one ratio, and I suspect after awhile I’m going to wonder why it’s only two to one.  In fact, I’m wondering already!  Forget two to one, the NEW new rule is three to one.  For every single “have to” on my list there will be three “want to’s.” 

Life is too short to spend a lot of time doing things that don’t make you smile.  I challenge you all to take a look at your own lists and make sure you have more than enough on there that will light you up and make today great.  And tomorrow.  And so on! 

Have a Fabulous Day!

–Ann

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

Meg Levine Design: Highly Recommended Resource for Branding and Design

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“Life isn’t about finding yourself.  Life’s about creating yourself.”  –George Bernard Shaw

Hello Fabulous Women!

Excellent branding and design give your business power, effectiveness and reach that it cannot achieve any other way.  Never underestimate the impact of your logo, a great website design and a powerfully presented brand. Whether you are presenting a product, service, or person, branding is a powerful key that can unlock doors.

As I’ve talked about many times, one of the pitfalls of entrepreneurs and business owners is falling into the trap of thinking they can do everything themselves. Well, let me just say it straight right now: You can’t. And, you shouldn’t. Unless you are an expert in design and branding, be smart and don’t try to do it alone. Work with an expert.

For your design, website and branding success, I highly recommend Meg Levine.

Specializing in branding, logos and web sites

Meg is an award-winning Graphic Designer with over 20 years of corporate branding experience. She finds visual ways to capture your brand’s distinct promise and personality and convert these into ownable and memorable branding hallmarks that will differentiate your product, your service and you from your competition.

As an entrepreneur Meg appreciates the demands of other women in business and excels at designing for them, projects ranging from logos and web sites through advertising campaigns. She approaches each project as a partner, giving you the direct, senior-level talent and attention you deserve—but would rarely get from a big agency.

Web resume sites / efolios

For individuals in the job market or consultants marketing their services Meg is now creating web resume efolio sites. In today’s competitive job market, candidates need to differentiate and elevate themselves from other equally qualified people. An efolio designed by Meg Levine, a branding expert, expands the resume and can include items such as testimonials, case studies and photographs. Efolios help visually streamline a prospective employer’s/client’s understanding of an applicant’s value, experience and goals. Combined with a well-written resume, efolio resume sites are powerful online tools that can help a candidate get noticed and hired.

Samples can be viewed online @www.meglevinedesign.com

I look forward to working with Meg on rebranding my coaching business and from our talks so far I find her design expertise and commitment to excellence invaluable in this process. Having a fresh eye, and a designer with 20 years branding experience, is making a huge difference for me. It will for you too.

Special 10% discount offer for you!

As a special offer to all of you, Meg has agreed to give a 10% discounted rate for any project of any size, from logos to an entire website, when referred from me. Isn’t that great?

Contact Meg to discuss your creative and design needs, and mention my name to get your 10% discount.   

Have a fabulous day!

–Ann

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

Stevie Awards for Women in Business – Accepting Nominations

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.” – Benjamin Disraeli 

Hello Fabulous Women!

The 2009 Stevie Awards for Women in Business are now accepting nominations.  This is an amazing opportunity for business women and entrepreneurs to get the recognition they deserve – who do you know that you would like to nominate?

Not familiar with the Stevies?  Read here about the Stevie Award for Women in Business, including past winners, the categories for nominations for individuals and companies and more.  Truly inspiring to see what women around the world are accomplishing to make a difference in so many ways!

If you already know you have someone to nominate, it’s easy, here is the link to the Entry Kit. 

How about yourself or your company?  If you want to be nominated for the Stevie Awards, go ahead, nominate yourself or your company – yes, you can do that!  And why shouldn’t you?  Go for it!

Please spread the word – and the Entry Kit link – to others.  Who knows who will win this year!

–Ann

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

Your Very Best

 

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“What would you attempt to do if you knew you would not fail?” – Robert Schuller

 

 

Hello Fabulous Women!

We all have days (or weeks, or longer!) when we just don’t think we can do it.  When the problems seem way bigger than we are.  When the last thing we feel is that we are powerful or effective.  When even surviving seems in question, and thriving seems like a fantasy we can’t even relate to.

It’s not always that way, but maybe some of you are even having that kind of day today. 

If you are, I urge you to remember two things:

You are bigger than you think you are.

You don’t have to do it alone.

Those two things really are the essence of coaching, and why I am a coach.  I know, from my own life, that coaching allows me to step outside my own limited vision of myself and what I’m capable of.  And it forces me to stop trying to do it all on my own – something I should know by now, but it’s been a hard habit to break.  (I was always the queen of “It’s all up to me,” and “I’ve got it handled.”)  But coaching takes me out of that old pattern and frees me to see both how big and unstoppable I really am, and how much help and support is there if I’ll only be open to it.

I recently came across a fabulous clip from a movie, “Facing the Giants,” that captures, in a few minutes, the power of coaching and what becomes possible when you stop believing in the limits you’ve created and start to give it all your very best.

If you do nothing else today, watch this video: Your Very Best   

Give yourself permission to be inspired.And then ask yourself where in your life would coaching make a difference.  Consider scheduling a free coaching session with me, and see what coaching makes possible.  I passionately believe in the power of coaching to change lives, businesses, and the world.  Call me and find out why for yourself.

Have a fabulous day and give it your very best!

–Ann

Seven Powerful Steps to Boost Self-Confidence

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“ ‘I can’t do it’ never yet accomplished anything; ‘I will try’ has performed wonders.” – George P. Burnham

 

Hello Fabulous Women!

Some people struggle with self-confidence regularly, missing opportunities for fear they won’t succeed.  Never taking action on what may be great idea for fear they just aren’t good enough/smart enough/strong enough.  And even those of us who are pretty confident in general have areas of life where we get stopped cold, where we don’t believe we have what it takes to create what we want.

Sometimes all it takes is a little push, a new way to look at things, to get us moving and help us to build more confidence in a particular area of our lives or our businesses. We all need that “little help from our friends” at times!

With that in mind, I want to share with you a great article from a Twitter friend of mine, Dorothy Neddermeyer:  Seven Powerful Steps to Increase Self-Confidence

These seven steps are great tools to use when you get stopped or find yourself doubting yourself or your ability.  They are so good, you probably won’t ever even need to use more than two or three of them at a time, and many times even one of them will get you back in action!

Keep them posted where you can see them, and use them, use them, use them!

Have fabulous day!

–Ann

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

Great Teleseminar on Twitter for Business

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“Nothing is to be rated higher than the value of the day.” –Goethe

Hello Fabulous Women!

You have all probably heard about Twitter by now, the “micro-blogging” website that has taken the social media world by storm over the past year. 

I got myself going on Twitter a few months ago, and I will tell you that it is a lot of fun and I can see why some people find it addictive!

I will be blogging more about Twitter and my own experience with it over the next few weeks, but for today I just wanted to let you all know about a great free video you can watch that walks you through how to use Twitter, including how to set up a Twitter account, and most especially how you can use it to promote and grow your business.

This teleseminar was recorded back in November 2008 and you can watch it for free anytime you want.  I definitely recommend that you do so.

When you do set up your Twitter account, be sure to follow me on Twitter (you’ll know how that works after you watch the video) and I will follow you back!

Here’s the link to the video: http://www.women-unlimited.co.uk/free-1-hour-teleseminar-twitter-for-business/

And here’s the link for me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/annhession

Have a fabulous day!

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

For Women Entrepreneurs – Here’s Looking at You!

Entrepreneurial Quote of the Day:

“Now is the time.  Needs are great, but your possibilities are greater.”  – Bill Blackman

 

Hello Fabulous Women!

Here’s a great tip I found on BlogHer from Karen Walrond, woman entrepreneur and professional photographer.  She has some great practical advice on how to take your own self portrait for your website or business cards – or any other purpose – which I am going to try for myself!  While I love the “feel” of the picture of me I have on my website, it could be more professional and it’s definitely out of date (my hair is about a foot longer than that by now).

And since I happen to know that I will be getting a digital camera for Christmas, I’ll be trying her tips out for myself later this month.  Having read through her process, I feel pretty confident that I can come up with a great new picture!

If you have been wanting a new or better professional picture of yourself, but have not wanted the expense of a professional photographer, I suggest you check out Karen’s advice and try out her tips and see what you come up with.  I’ll let you know how her method and advice work for me, and hopefully you’ll see a new picture of me on my site early in the new year. 

Have a fabulous day!

–Ann

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

Need a Marketing Makeover?

Hello Fabulous Women!

Here’s a great opportunity for you from my friend and marketing expert, Susan Payton of Egg Marketing.  Egg Marketing is sponsoring a contest for a FREE marketing makeover for your business! 

Here is the press release announcing the contest:

Need a Marketing Makeover? Enter Eating Cereal with a Fork Contest

May 1, 2008 – Orlando, FL – Marketing in a recession got you down? Egg Marketing & Public Relations is here to help. The company announces its “Eating Cereal with a Fork” Marketing Makeover contest, which launched this week.

Entrants are asked to submit creative videos of why they need marketing help. Business owners can sign up at www.eatingcerealwithafork.com/contest.

“We wanted to get creative and help people find a way to market their products, despite the economy,” said Susan Payton, owner of Egg Marketing & Public Relations. “Marketing doesn’t have to be expensive, and we have some great sponsors that will help the winners learn techniques they can do themselves,” she stated.

Payton recently wrote the ebook, Eating Cereal with a Fork: Maximize Marketing in a Recession, which helps business owners get the most out of their marketing without overspending. In fact, she said, “By implementing these seven marketing techniques, businesses will actually save money on marketing while increasing sales.”

Entries will be accepted until May 30, and winners will be announced June 6. For more information, visit www.eatingcerealwithafork.com/contest.

About Egg Marketing & Public Relations

Egg Marketing is the Orlando marketing firm that hatches good ideas. Susan Payton and her team assist businesses in promoting their products and services through internet marketing and public relations. Egg offers a range of services, from marketing strategy to press release writing and email marketing campaigns.

Egg’s blog, The Marketing Eggspert (www.sparkplugging.com/marketing ), offers free advice for marketing in a Web 2.0 world.

For more information on Egg, visit www.eggmarketingpr.com or call 407.895.7296.

Purpose – Being Clear about the Why Behind It All

Hello Fabulous Women!

Busy busy busy — running, creating, building your business, your family, your home, your life?  Feels like a hamster wheel sometimes, doesn’t it?

As human beings, especially in our culture, we are so focused on doing doing doing all the time that we sometimes lose track of Why we are doing all this!  And without that sense of why – our sense of purpose – all the doing in the world just never seems to get us where we want to go, does it?

I’ve been on the hamster wheel of doing doing doing without much sense of purpose myself lately.  Yes, me, the On Track and On Purpose woman, the women’s business coach, the one who says, “You could wake me up from a sound sleep at 3AM and ask me what my purpose is, and I could tell you without missing a beat.”  Well, that’s true, I could, but the fact is I haven’t exactly been feeling it lately all day long.  What’s the point of being able to speak my purpose at 3AM (like that’s ever going to happen!) if I’m not connecting to it at 3PM, or most of the rest of the day either? 

My purpose is to inspire and empower people to discover and fulfill their purpose in life, and to do it with passion, ease and joy.

For the past couple of days, I have to admit I have not been much connected to that purpose.  I’ve been running around doing this, that and the other thing – and instead of feeling purposeful and effective and happy, instead I’ve been feeling overwhelmed, disconnected and, well, unhappy. 

Any of you relating to this?

You’d think I’d know better, wouldn’t you?

Well, I do know better, and enough of this!  Everything I’ve been doing these past couple of days could have been done with a sense of purpose, so why wasn’t it?  I was caring for my children, dealing with tenants (I’m a landlord, too), coaching current and prospective clients, taking care of my house, etc.  These are all important and valuable things that are totally consistent with my purpose.  And to give myself credit, all of the time I was coaching clients and at least some of the time I spent with my kids was filled with a sense of purpose and therefore was inspiring and fulfilling for me. 

But that’s just not enough. 

Today, I have plenty of things to do, believe me.  Business coaching clients, marketing, yardwork and housework, a couple of tenant issues to deal with, calls to make – and so on.  I’ve been relating to all of them as simply things to do, without stopping to think Why I am doing them.  So today that stops, and I’m taking the time to connect to the Why.

I can do yardwork because it needs to get done – or I can do it because I enjoy creating beauty and order, and because connecting with green and growing things allows me to feel connected to everything around me.

I can work on marketing my business coaching practice because I have to – or because I love talking with people about what matters most to them, creating clarity and connections and knowing I’ve helped someone move forward in their lives.

I can talk to that troublesome tenant because it’s my responsibility – or because I care about what’s going on in her life, and because I take pride in providing people with a safe and pleasant place to live.

The more I start looking at it from Why instead of What, the easier – and the more fun! – it all sounds.  Amazing what a little sense of purpose will do to a busy day!

I invite you to do the same – take a look at that list of things to do and ask yourself Why you are doing them.  What purpose could be behind everything you do today?  You get to say.

Have a purposeful and inspiring and fun day today. 

–Ann

 

 

 

How You Can Make Money with Ebooks

Hello Fabulous Women!

I love to pass on opportunities for you all, and this is a great one!

David Riklan, founder of SelfGrowth.com, is offering a FREE teleseminar on how he has made hundreds of thousands of dollars creating E-Books.  David is a master of this – in fact, he made $108,142.00 in 24 hours from just one of his E-Books!  Sounds unbelievable, but it’s true and he will tell you all about exactly how he did it during this free teleseminar.

Just a few years ago, E-Books were barely heard of and pretty much irrelevant to business success online.  Today they have emerged as one of the most powerful tools to build and market your business.  If you have any interest at all in generating income, generating leads for your business, creating a huge email list, driving traffic to your website, getting your ideas and message out to the world, you owe it to yourself to join David for this FREE teleseminar.

Here’s is where you can sign up now:

http://www.selfgrowth.com/ebooks/bonusseminar.html.

 

You’ll have at least two different times to choose from, or can opt to receive a recorded version if you can’t make any of the scheduled calls.  Don’t delay, register now for this great free seminar!

http://www.selfgrowth.com/ebooks/bonusseminar.html.