|
Yes, there is a real face behind the e-mail!
|
|
It's Time
To Get Off The Hamster Wheel!
Just being in motion will never get you to your Big. To do that, you need to be sure you're doing the right things, in the right order, for the right reasons.
This seven-step system clarifies the activities that are mission-critical to your success. It then walks you through a process for creating step-by-step action plans to implement those key activities.
The result? You get off the hamster wheel of motion-without-progress and get on a more direct route to more clients and more money.
Forget about being busy; start getting focused by downloading your no-charge PDF version of the Take Action Now System (tm) today. |
|
Want More
Than Just a
Little Nibble?
If you're interested in exploring more ideas on how to step into your particular Big, just sign up for our RSS feed. There are enough blog posts and comments to be of value, but not so many that your head will explode. I promise.
|
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
As we continue getting our house into shape, I've experienced many "firsts" - including my first black eye. I'd taken one step off the back porch to see what our dogs were up to. Then, instead of turning around to walk back up, I simply backed up - into a shovel. The handle swung around, hit my glasses, which slammed into my eye socket, which proceeded to blossom into an impressive shiner. This happened just a couple of days before I fell off a ladder. The good news is that I was only on the second-lowest tread, so I didn't drop far, and I didn't fall down the steps of the landing I was painting. I merely crashed into a window sill and gave myself an impressive butt bruise (it actually kind of color-coordinates with the black eye). In addition to feeling sorry for myself, I also felt kind of sheepish; I knew that my injuries were the result of not paying enough attention to my surroundings and trying to take the easy way out. In mulling it over, I realized that entrepreneurs can get themselves into a world of business hurt the same way. If you find you need some help in staying focused and doing things the right way, take advantage of the following tools. |
|
Tip of the Week
Look far enough ahead to know what's facing you, but not so far ahead that you paralyze yourself with fear and uncertainty.
I could have avoided my colorful injuries if I had simply paid more attention and been more present to what I was doing. In a similar fashion, a good way to avoid hurting your business is to resist the temptation to take shortcuts or be distracted from important activities.
|
A Really Good Resource
Despite some discomfort from my injuries, I often thought how very lucky I was: The shovel did not damage my eyesight, and I didn't break any bones falling off the ladder. It was easy to look on the bright side.
Maybe that's because of what I've learned from a book by Martin Seligman, called Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life . Seligman's basic premise, based on decades of clinical research, is that we can learn how to choose to view situations optimistically. If you're prone to viewing difficult situations as energy-sucking and overwhelming, you can actually train your brain to view them instead in a non-threatening light, as temporary challenges to be overcome. What would it be worth to you to stay feeling confident and powerful, even when your business takes a hit of some sort?
|
|
|
How's This for Success?
One aspect of optimism is the ability to stay calm in the face of challenges and to trust that, one way or another, they'll work out. Barbara Szucs is a master at this.
Barbara (who happens to be one of my fabulous big sisters) learned that it would cost nearly two thousand dollars to fix a leak in her roof. Based on past experience, she anticipated getting a tax refund, which she figured would cover a big chunk of the repair cost. So it was a nasty jolt when her tax preparer told Barbara she was likely to owe money, instead. Rather than freak out or get depressed, Barbara took a few deep breaths and started to mentally adjust to the news. As she did this, the tax preparer continued to work. A few minutes later, the preparer apologized for making a mistake: Barbara would not owe money, but instead would likely get a small refund. More breathing and mental readjusting followed. Then came the bottom line: Barbara would get a significant refund - one that would, indeed, cover most of the roof-repair costs.
By choosing to believe that she'd be able to handle whatever resulted, Barbara saved herself a great deal of unnecessary stress and anxiety. That's a darn good ROI on simply choosing to view things with optimism. |
Thanks to my friend Flickr.
Here are this week's heroes who graciously allowed me to use their images, posted in the Creative Commons area of Flickr, in this issue of Stepping Into Big:
hamster on her wheel by Heindraus light bulb by aloshbennett
trophy by Longs and Shorts
|
|
|
