Are you thinking, “It is September and before I know it we will be making our plans for 2011 and what have I accomplished this year?

Let’s celebrate our 2010 accomplishments, broken promises and lessons learned!

A little exercise?

• Take out a piece of paper and pen.
• Make three columns.
• Write in the different columns your accomplishments, broken promises, and lessons learned.
• Review the list.
• Choose one item from each list.
• Focus on the items you have choosen and answer the following questions:
  • How are you going to celebrate your accomplishment?
  • What action steps are you going to take during 2010 to achieve your broken promise and lessons learned?
• Create and implement an action plan taking into consideration ways to achieve your borken promises and lessons learned.  Also include when and how you are going to celebrate your accomplishments.

It is very important to create a support group so you will be accountable.  The Love Yourself  – It Matters! Community is here to support you in anyway we can.   Together we will create prosperous businesses.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Helen

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At this time the struggle with my business is how to organize my time so I have larger blocks of time to work. I have so many distractions: husband, son, mom, training, household responsibilities, meals, telephone calls, e-mails, client meetings, networking, and personal care. I find myself in the office very late at night when the family wants me to be with them or early in the morning when I should be organizing my day.

Thank you for your support!
Signed, A Frustrated (and very Tired) Entrepreneur

Dear Entrepreneur:

Welcome to the world of a being business owner!

I wish I could wave my magic wand and grant you extra hours in your 24 hour day!

Many clients I have worked with, myself included, had the same issue. It comes down to organizing your time. Sounds so simple and hard to accomplish.

What could we do differently? Many years ago I took a Franklin Covey training on organizing your time. Since taking the training, I have been using the same simple tools successfully, on a daily basis:

• After getting out of bed in the morning with a cup of coffee, write down every activity you want to accomplish during the day.
• Analyze the list and determine which activities require your focus during the day. Limit the activities to those that you can accomplish in only 8 hours. Remember you are not Superman/Superwoman and cannot accomplish things in record time.
• On a calendar block time out for your family and personal time. Make a commitment to yourself that you will never deviate from this blocked out timeframe. By keeping this commitment you are honoring yourself and family.
• Schedule the activities that require your focus in the time slots remaining.
• Leave unfilled timeframes for unexpected situations.
• Remember to schedule breaks during the day to eat, go for a short walk or close your eyes for 10 minutes. After a break you feel energized and in the long run are more productive.

This exercise should only take you between 20 to 30 minutes.

Follow this plan for a week and see if you feel more organized. Please be gentle with yourself if you revert back to your old habits. The important thing is to STOP and start following your planned schedule. Remember it takes 21 days for a habit to become routine.

Special Request:
Love Yourself Community Members please post ideas for organizing your day in the Love Yourself – It Matters! Blog.  Virginia please put a link to the blog.  Together we will create different suggested schedules that will help us all.

Share your Business Challenge Today!
Want Free Business Advice? In the comment section write-in your business challenges that drive you crazy just like a pesky fly or mosquito. One dose of Love Yourself Coaching Biz Insight, could be all it takes to get you motivated and achieving your goals.

“The main thing that keeps an objective out of reach is your assumption that you cannot reach it. You’re able to do precisely what you expect to be able to do.”

~Ralph Marston

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 Today is my daughter’s birthday.  To celebrate her birthday for many years she has been sending me either flowers or a fruit basket saying, “Thank you for being my mom and bringing me into this world.”

 This special gift means more to me than words can express.

 What can you do today to thank your business?

Some thoughts:

• Leave a voicemail on your phone thanking your business for helping others and giving you the sense of fulfillment.
• Write an email to your business thanking it for allowing you to pursue your passion.  Make sure you address the email to yourself.
• Send your business flowers or a fruit basket and just say, “Thank You.”
• Acknowledge yourself for all your hard work and the accomplishments you have achieved over the years.
• What other steps can you take to say, “Thank You.”

Please share your action steps with the Love Yourself Community and how you felt when you took them.

 I am looking forward to hearing from you.

 Helen

P.S. Mindi, Happy Birthday!!

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Do you wake-up in the morning with the idea you are going to accomplish certain tasks?  Then as the day proceeds you never take action towards any of these projects.

Welcome to the world of the entrepreneur!

This morning getting out of bed, I started thinking about my to-do list.  My day started walking with my neighbor, straightening the house, answering emails, coaching clients and all of a sudden I looked at the clock and it was noon.  To my utter surprise I did not start any of the projects that were on my to-do list.  This pattern happens a lot.

What is a person to do?

Thinking about this challenge, all of a sudden the “Smart Goal” Model popped into my head.  Below is the model:

S = Be very specific
Example: My goals were write an article, research different writing groups, coach clients, food shop, take time to just relax and the list goes on and on. 
M = Measure your progress
Example: My measurement would be completion of the different projects. 
A = Achievable
Example: This plan was not achievable, no way could I accomplish everything in one day.
R = Reasonable
Example: Since all the items were not easily accomplished in one day, I would create a realistic
plan. This plan would be produced by reviewing my goals and choosing which items could be accomplished in a reasonable amount of time.
T = Time Table
Example: Today’s Schedule:
1:00pm – Write Article
3:00pm – Food Shop
4:00pm – Spent time with Jeffrey, my grandson relaxing
6:00pm – Coach last client for the day.

Tomorrow:
8:00am – Research writing groups
10:00am – Create a new plan

 This arrangement sounded realistic.    

Please share with the Love Yourself – It Matters! Community your challenges about creating a reasonable daily plan.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

 Helen

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Reading this quote what comes to mind, by changing our thoughts and hoping things will be different will not necessary alter our situations. Sorry guys we have to do the work!

What could we do differently?

Let me tell you a little story.  Jane was having a difficult time enrolling new clients.  She thought by changing her negative thoughts to positive ones a miracle would happen and clients would start calling.  Jane worked hard on thinking positive and repeating affirmations all day. She started to feel more positive and in spite of her new behavior one or 2 clients appeared.

One day during our coaching session we were discussing positive thinking plus taking action. Jane decided to continue thinking positively and take action at the same time.

She continued focusing on positive thinking, saying affirmations and now taking action.  Attended networking events, writing articles and facilitated an Abundant Workshop.

Low and behold, Jane started building a following and her business started to grow.

The moral of the story is by thinking positively, feeling good about yourself and taking action miracles start to happen.

Please share with the Love Yourself – It Matters Community your thoughts regarding the combination of thinking positively and taking action vs. just thinking positively.  I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Helen

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How many times have we heard that we have to change this or that about our thinking.  It is easier said than done.

Let’s get real here!

I heard the comment recently, “We are a society of thinking we have to think positively all the time.”  This really struck me as crazy.  We are human beings and life happens.  We have reactions and sometimes they are not positive.

I have come up with a new way of thinking to let my feelings flow and if I need to cry it is permissible.  It is amazing giving myself permission the feelings change and I feel better.

Recently, I had a hard time being creative.  My days were spent responding to emails.  I was taking to a friend and during the conversation it dawned on her that I was feeling very sad and had no energy to be creative.

Once I realized why the creative juices were not flowing a miracle happened and I started to experience my energy returning.

Moral of story if you feel your feelings we move forward quicker.

Please share your experiences with the Love Yourself – It Matters Community so we do not feel alone on our journeys.

Helen

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~ George Bernard Shaw

Do you sometimes wonder if your business will ever reach the level of success you have dreamed about? Welcome to the world of the small business owner!!

Many of us struggle day after day to finally see our businesses become self-sufficient. Everyone has to start some place.

I was reading the May 2009 issue of Inc. Magazine and there was an article about how the successful businesses got started. Below is a list of some companies and their humble beginnings. There is hope for us.

• Reed Hastings contemplates lying to his wife about a misplaced video. Had an idea and started Netflick.
• Pierre Omidyar launches eBay from his apartment.
• Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield started their business Ben and Jerry’s in a converted gas station.
• Robert Stephens started Geek Squad with a bicycle and insane knowledge of computers. His uniform of white shirt and black clip-on tie made the picture perfect.
• Ted Waitt and Mike Hammond ran Gateway in Waitt’s dad’s farmhouse. In lieu of paying rent they loaded cattle trucks.

There is no difference between the business people listed above and ourselves.  We all have the passion and drive to make our businesses succeed.  

As George Bernard Shaw said, “Look for the circumstances you want, and if you can’t find them, make them.”    

Need support in getting your business launched or feel stuck or have ideas you would like to share.  Leave a comment and as a community we will work together to brainstorm easy ideas for getting you started or take your business to the next level.  

Helen

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~ Alfred A Montapert

As a holiday present to my daughter and son-in-law I am watching Jeffrey, my grandson, and Charlie a 100 pound Lab for a week.

Yesterday morning started out very calmly and got ready to leave for school. One of the things we do before leaving for school is walk Charlie. Let me correct myself, Charlie walks us.

The walk was a bit of a struggle and we arrived home a little tired. Jeffrey removed Charlie’s leash and before we knew it the dog ran away. Both of us started running after Charlie and had no luck capturing him.

At one point we were very close to him and before we could grab him he took off again. At that point I lost sight of Jeffrey and Charlie.

Franticly I started running around the blocks yelling for Jeffrey and Charlie. While yelling I was asking God to help me.

I turned a corner and there was Jeffrey walking with a woman who had Charlie on a tight leash. My heart stopped for a moment and relief flooded my body.

When I regained my composure, I could not thank her enough for bringing Jeffrey and Charlie home. We brought Charlie into the house and put him into his cage where he slept for most of the day.

Jeffrey and I were a total mess. We sat and thanked God for sending us an Angel.

The important lessons we learned were to always close the garage door before taking Charlie’s leash off and how to walk Charlie so we are in control not him.

During this experience I looked fear in the face and kept moving forward. If for a second I let the fear take over I would not have been able to keep my hope alive.

Praying is a form of meditation that clams you down and restores your faith that things will work out.

What experiences have you had in which prayers restored your faith that things will work out for the best.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Helen

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~ gandhi

I was thinking before writing on my blog today, “Holidays can be a very painful time.” Having expectations the holidays will be fun, relaxing and receive the love and support we crave from others.

Hello, guess again. What reality usually dictates is that we are busy shopping, running around to beat the clock and annoyed with people in general.

What happened to our holiday expectations? Down the drain!

We don’t realize that not having our expectations become reality we subconsciously become angry and instead of enjoying the holidays they become a burden.

As Gandhi says,” Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Take a step back and rearrange your thinking and schedule.

Let me tell you a little story.

I was out shopping for gifts the other night and everything I picked up was just not right for the person I was thinking about. After walking around the mall for over an hour I decided to stop for a cup of coffee and go home.

Listening to the people on line behind me complaining about the holidays made me realize I was doing the same thing.

I started to think of what could I do differently?

I found a bench and just rested for awhile drinking my coffee. The idea popped into my head to ask my grandchildren for a wish list. Then I could have some direction and buy what they really wanted.

I went home, called each grandchild and asked them to give me a wish list of only 3 things. The older ones wanted to spend a day in NYC with me or just go out for dinner. The others gave me their choices. It made my life so much easier and I had a happy memory speaking with each and everyone of them about the holiday season.

What can you do to make this season a little easier, create memories and enjoy yourself?

Please share your ideas with the Love Yourself – It Matters! Community. I look forward to reading your comments.

Helen

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…not always the easiest course of action
when confronting difficulties.
If, however, we can remain focused
on keeping hope strong and
not succumbing to negative influences,
we will meet with success
in dealing with anything
life may throw in our path.”

 ~ Hiram Rogers Lloyd

Truer words have not been spoken, staying positive is not the easiest thing to do. The feelings of fear and sadness overwhelm us in a flash.

What are we to do?

My old stand-by is to let them come and know the feelings are temporary moments. You will make it through and the feelings will fade.

The other day I was writing an article and all of a sudden the pain of loss returned in such intensity that I could not breathe. My initial reaction was to do something that would make me feel better.

I ran out to my car and went to the local Duncan Donuts for coffee. To my surprise the pain remained. Coming home the tears started flowing and I was once again consumed by my sadness and fears.

I then tried affirmations and wrapped myself in a blanket. Nothing worked. Just sitting there with my coffee and not moving the pain started to lessen. Within time I was starting to feel better.

What I learned from this experience was not to fight my emotions, be with them and within time my mood brightened. I was then able to function again and complete the article.

Nothing in this world will take our feelings of fear and sadness away. Our only line of defense is to experience the moment and have hope things will get better.

Please share with the Unemployed Community what fears and sadness you are experiencing. Letting others know your true feelings will take the pain away and together we will create a positive journey for us all.

I am looking forward to hearing from you.

Helen

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