The past few weeks we’ve had the pleasure of my 92 year old father-in-law staying with us. He wanted to be here for his son’s B-day, (my husband) which was yesterday. We surprised my husband Joe with a skydiving experience- yikes!

Having a guest for 2 weeks straight, especially an elderly one,  is not something we are used to, and pushes routine out the window. This experience made me thoughtfully prioritize my days and take into account how to spend my time, as we wanted to be able to spend many quality moments with him, yet we both have a business to manage. 

I learned a lot from Bob’s visit; how to sit and be still, the power of quiet conversations, and to appreciate every moment life offers us. Read on for a powerful thought on a way of life: 

“This is the beginning of a new day.

You have been given this day to use as you will.

You can waste it or use it for good.

What you do today is important, because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, in its place is something that you have left behind….let it be something good.”

I’m working with a group of small business owners and new entrepreneurs going into business for themselves.  As they develop their business plan with me, I can sense their excitement as well as fear.

Because I have years of experience, I am able to quickly pinpoint what their strengths are.  I can also spot areas where they will struggle. 

I ran across a self assessment test for small business owners titled “Is Self Employment for You?” by Paul Casey. It’s a quick test to see how many skills you have that generally point toward being a successful entrepreneur. I scored 94; this is the “good to very good” scale. It also pointed out the areas where I need improvement.

Personally, I need to work on making decisions more quickly and easily, including executing tasks and organization. One message I consistently give to my clients is to focus on their strengths, outsource what they don’t do well, and improve on the core business competences they are missing. I’ll take my own advice and work on the areas where I need to improve. 

Take the test yourself here (it takes just a few minutes) and let me know how you did.  I would love to hear your comments and feedback on what you discover. 

Jane Morrison, Certified Coach & Trainer, teaches success programs to women entrepreneurs. She empowers women to live their passion and effectively promote themselves. With their improved sales and marketing skills, they become the success they deserve. Let her help you make your dreams come true with confidence, courage and clarity of vision.

Look for her signature program “The Ultimate Step by Step Business Building Success Guide for Women Entrepreneurs” on her website, www.janemorrison.com

No matter what you are trying to accomplish, such as getting a job promotion, selling a product, convincing your mate to see your side, being “real” will more likely help you get the job done better.

Being “real” means a few different things.

1)    It means being honest and open with your emotions and communication. It means using the old familiar “I” statements.  For example, “I think I really deserve this raise. I’ve taken the extra training to advance my skills, I’ve taken on extra assignments, and I’ve gotten rave reviews on my reports.” It’s not always easy to speak up for yourself, but you need to be a strong advocate for yourself. 

2)    Being  “real” also means having the courage to sing your own praises.  For example, telling a client prospect about the success your clients have working with you, or mentioning the length of time they stay a customer does not make you a braggart.  Instead, it demonstrates the confidence and success you have.  It shows that your clients see the high return of investment that your services brings to them, and will impress your prospect also.
 
3)    Being “real” also means being able to share the good and “not so good” moments with others.  Being  “real” also means that you can make mistakes.  One of my most embarrassing moments was when a new client showed up at my home, early in the morning, for her coaching session.  I was waiting for her phone call in my office.  I had to answer the door in my robe and face her square on, taking responsibility for the mix up about the location of our meeting.

Not exactly the way I wanted to present myself to her!

Being “real” will have you kicking yourself at times, but people like when they know you are authentic.  That means they can relate to you, allowing them to trust you more.
 
So don’t be afraid to show your true colors.  You will attract those who relate to you and that’s your perfect customer!

Jane Morrison, Certified Coach & Trainer, teaches success programs to women entrepreneurs. She empowers women to live their passion and effectively promote themselves. With their improved sales and marketing skills, they become the success they deserve. Let her help you make your dreams come true with confidence, courage and clarity of vision.

Look for her signature program “The Ultimate Step by Step Business Building Success Guide for Women Entrepreneurs” on her website, www.janemorrison.com

Jane Morrison, Certified Coach & Trainer, teaches success programs to women entrepreneurs. She empowers women to live their passion and effectively promote themselves. With their improved sales and marketing skills, they become the success they deserve. Let her help you make your dreams come true with confidence, courage and clarity of vision.

Look for her signature program “The Ultimate Step by Step Business Building Success Guide for Women Entrepreneurs” on her website, www.janemorrison.com

“I feel like I have ping pong balls bouncing around inside my head” said my coaching client the other day.  “I just don’t know what to do first or where to start, so I just keep bouncing from one thing to another, and never feel caught up”.

Her experience of overwhelm is very typical of people these days with so much going on. It’s a stressful and uncomfortable place to be.

Lack of focus is very distracting, and is a huge time robber. With lack of focus comes chaos, clutter, disorganization and negative and frustration feelings about oneself or obligations.

Here’s a little exercise I do with my clients to help them regain focus, prioritize and feel more at ease, less stressed and excited once again about their projects.

1)    Do a “brain dump”. On a blank sheet of paper, write a list of everything that “needs to get done”.  You’ll find that some of it is work related (change my website copy) and some is personal related (take the dog to the vet for his shots).  No worries,  just get is all down on paper. With it on paper, you can begin to let go of the sense of urgency and overwhelm that storing all these “to-do’s” in your head has caused.  You’ll feel more in control and can breathe easier.

2)    Now that you can see what’s on your plate, take a look at the list.  I like to separate personal from business, and then begin to prioritize.

3)    What tasks are “URGENT” and need to get done right away – by urgent I mean that there are huge negative consequences to them, (financially, legally, etc).  Mark those with an asterisk. 

4)    Note what’s left on your list. You’ll notice that there aren’t as many URGENT tasks as you thought.  Now you can see the reality of your list, and put the other items in order of importance, from “important” to “nice to do’s but not so important”.

Your list might tell you that you’re a creative thinker, and you’ve placed more on your plate than you really have time to tackle.  It’s OK to let some things go, in fact, I advise it.

Your list will also show you how you may be involved in too many activates, and you need to learn to say “no” or set better boundaries.

My last piece of advice to you is to remember that YOU are the foundation of your success, and if you stop taking care of yourself, body, mind, and spirit, you’ll feel overwhelmed more easily.  So even though you “might not feel like you have time”, be sure to put YOUR NEEDS on that list of things to get done.

Sometimes I find myself running from task to task, trying to get a lot done, trying to make the most of my time. It’s easy to forget to enjoy every moment of life, and to live in the now.

I had the opportunity to attend a gala fundraising event Friday night. Dressed up more than usual, I enjoyed this black tie affair aimed at celebrating life for cancer survivors, celebrating life for those who have passed from cancer, and fundraising to build a holistic center for women undergoing cancer treatments.

I’m so impressed with the courage and strength of women (and their loved ones) who have been touched by this disease.

This motivational message I received last week from the Universe reminds me to enjoy every moment of everyday and live in gratitude. Life is a gift not to take for granted.

"I’m often asked, "Being the Universe and all, "What’s the purpose of life?" But truthfully, no matter who or what you are that’s a pretty daunting question. So daunting, I’m invariably compelled to reply with a few questions of my own:

"Do you mean besides having fun? Besides learning that the world has always spun in the palm of your hand? Besides bicycles, long walks, and hot chocolate? Besides holding hands, giving hugs, and drying tears? Besides having a dream and making it come true? Besides February, Fridays, and Polar Bears? Besides witnessing miracles that only you are privy to? Besides sunrises, sunsets, and every rare and fleeting moment in between?"

Daunting is an understatement.
The Universe

Thoughts become things… choose the good ones!
(c) www.tut.com (r)

Hi, 

It’s very early morning here in Big Lake Minnesota. I’ve let the new puppy Tucker out to do his business and fed the cats. My daily affirmations are said, I’ve taken my supplements with a big glass of water.

I’ve spent some moments in prayer and gratitude for all my blessings, I’ve revved up my positive energy, visualizing what I want and I’ve snuck a cup from the new pot of coffee barely finished brewing. 

All the things I’ve done so far this morning have been conscious decisions. And that’s how to accomplish your dreams.

No matter what you want to do with your life, whether it’s to make a lot of money, find a career you love, start your own business, take your business to the next level or be in the best shape ever, you have choices and decisions to make that will lead you up to The Accomplishment (or not) of those goals.

1) Tiny baby everyday conscious decisions that add up over time.   It’s the tiny baby decisions like “do I return that phone call right now?” or “what should I wear to the meeting?” or “should I eat that 2nd helping?” that prove to you how dedicated and mindful you are to your goal.

2) Then there’s the big scary decisions that make you stretch. "Do I apply for that job?" of "Do I join that health club? or "Do I raise my rates?" or "Do I leave the job I hate and start my own business?" The decisions that bring up feelings of inadequacy that makes you feel uncomfortable” or “I’m not good enough" or “what if I fail???”

It all has to do with your mindset. Mastering your mindset takes discipline. It takes awareness of what’s holding you back, of how you are getting in your own way. It takes courage, and it takes "feeling the fear and doing it anyway."

I have a passion to help people achieve their dreams. Here are seven simple tips.

Remember to:  

1) Keep your eye (and mind) on the prize.

2) Say yes to yourself….You are worth it.

3) You are good enough. You can make it happen.

4) Take baby steps to just get started, this will give you momentum.

5) Tell someone out loud this is what you’ve decided to do.

6) Decide to spend time on it…what you focus on expands. 

7) Get a buddy, a coach, a group to share with and keep you inspired.

Write to me to share your dream. Putting it out in the universe allows magical things to happen. What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Warmly,

Jane Morrison, Coach, Author and Consultant

CEO, Morrison Business Solutions

Motivating & Teaching Women Smart Savvy Success, Because it’s your Turn to Shine.  

I like what Jack has to say below so I wanted to share it with you.

Jane

 Anything Is Possible If You Dare To Ask

Good things come to those who ask! Asking for what you need is probably the most underutilized tool for people. And yet, amazing requests have been granted to people simply because they’ve asked for it!

Whether its money, information, support, assistance, or time, most people are afraid to ask for what they need in order to make their dreams come true.

They might be afraid of looking needy, ignorant, helpless, or even greedy. More than likely though, it is the fear of rejection that is holding them back. Even though they are afraid to hear the word no, they’re already saying it to themselves by not asking!

Do you ask for what you want or are you afraid of rejection?

Consider this: Rejection is just a concept. There is really no such thing as rejection! You’re not any worse off by hearing no than you were before you asked. You didn’t have what you asked for before you asked and you still don’t, so what did you lose?

Being rejected doesn’t hold you back from anything. Only YOU hold yourself back. When you realize that there’s no merit to rejection, you’ll feel more comfortable asking for things. You may just need a bit of help learning how to ask for what you want.

How to Ask for What You Want
There’s a specific science to asking for and getting what you want or need in life. And while I recommend you learn more by studying The Aladdin Factor, here are some quick tips to get you started:

1. Ask as if you expect to get it. Ask with a positive expectation. Ask from the place that you have already been given it. It is a done deal. Ask as if you expect to get a “yes.”

2. Assume you can. Don’t start with the assumption that you can’t get it. If you are going to assume, assume you can get an upgrade. Assume you can get a table by the window. Assume that you can return it without a sales slip. Assume that you can get a scholarship, that you can get a raise, that you can get tickets at this late date. Don’t ever assume against yourself.

3. Ask someone who can give it to you. Qualify the person. Who would I have to speak to to get…Who is authorized to make a decision about…What would have to happen for me to get…

4. Be clear and specific. In my seminars, I often ask, “Who wants more money in their life?” I’ll pick someone who raised their hand and give them a quarter, asking, “Is that enough for you?” “No? Well, how would I know how much you want. How would anybody know?”

You need to ask for a specific number. Too many people are walking around wanting more of something, but not being specific enough to obtain it.

5. Ask repeatedly. One of the most important Success Principles is the commitment to not give up.

Whenever we’re asking others to participate in the fulfillment of our goals, some people are going to say “no.” They may have other priorities, commitments and reasons not to participate. It’s no reflection on you.

Just get used to the idea that there’s going to be a lot of rejection along the way to the brass ring. The key is to not give up. When someone says “No”– you say “NEXT!” Why?
Because when you keep on asking, even the same person again and again…they might say “yes”…

•    on a different day
•    when they are in a better mood
•    when you have new data to present
•    after you’ve proven your commitment to them
•    when circumstances have changed
•    when you’ve learned how to close better
•    when you’ve established better rapport
•    when they trust you more
•    when you have paid your dues
•    when the economy is better
•    and so on.

Kids know this Success Principle better than anyone. They will ask the same person over and over again without any hesitation (can you relate!).

Getting a good perspective on rejection and learning how to ask will make a world of difference for you as you work toward your goals. Practice asking and you’ll get very good at it! You’ll even speed your progress by getting what you need, or improving yourself in order to get it later.

Make a list of what you need to ask for in all areas of your life, and start asking.

Remember, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE… if you dare to ask!

About the author:
Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: http://FreeSuccessStrategies.com