Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I hope you’ve enjoyed my quotes and insights over the past 12 days. Here are a few more of my favourite inspirational quotes to inspire you in 2012.

To your success….

Martha Stewart:
Life is too complicated not to be orderly.

Henry J. Kaiser:
Live daringly, boldly, fearlessly. Taste the relish to be found in competition – in having put forth the best within you.

Doug Evelyn:
Long-range planning works best in the short term

John W. Gardner:
The cynic says, “One man can’t do anything”. I say, “Only one man can do anything.”

Laurence Sterne:
The desire of knowledge, like the thirst for riches, increases ever with the acquisition of it.

Motivation Injection #1

George Van Valkenburg:
Leadership is doing what is right when no one is watching.

Dwight Eisenhower:
Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.

James Thurber:
Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.

“When your competence is low, you need direction..

“When your competence is low, you need direction; when your commitment is low, you need support”

From Ken Blanchard’s “Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager”

Competence is about skill. An amateur practices till he gets it right, the professional practices until he cannot get it wrong. Being a committed professional business owner requires not only practice but perseverance; the ability to see and hold a vision where others can not, and the strength to pick yourself up and keep going when all looks bleak. It’s a commitment of both doing and being – and at times is just hard work! As a coach I can not only help you clarify your ‘being’ but also assist you in holding a space for your vision when the going gets tough.

“Success is not to be pursued; it is to be attracted by the person you become”

“Success is not to be pursued;
it is to be attracted by the person you become”

Jim Rohn

The principle of attraction has been touted over the last couple of years in movies such as “The Secret” and Ms Ophrah Winfrey herself. It’s nothing new; it’s the “what goes round comes round”, type of wisdom we are all familiar with. Success means different things to different people. What is YOUR definition of success; and who do YOU need to BE to attract the success you want to HAVE? Having trouble with your BE? Look at people around you who are achieving what you vision for yourself and be curious about their BE… not the how, not the strategy, but who they have had to become to attract the success they have achieved.

What Do I Need to Let Go Of?

What Do I Need to Let Go Of?

Two Buddhist monks return to their monastery after the rains. They reach a swollen river and in front of them is an extremely beautiful lady in a delicate silk kimono, distressed because she is unable to cross the river by herself. So, the older monk scoops her up, carries her safely to the other side and the two monks continue on their way in silence. Five hours later, as the two monks reach their destination, the younger monk, literally fuming, bursts out, “How could you do it? You touched a woman; you know we’re not allowed to do that!” The older monk replies, “I put her down 5 hours ago, but you are still carrying her with you.”

• The things we hold onto, bear grudges or perhaps feel angry and hurt about cloud our mind and prevent us from being the best we can be.
• Letting go usually involves some form of forgiveness or acceptance – whether it’s yourself, someone else, a situation or even an unknown third party. The irony is that whatever you’re holding onto, it’s probably hurting or bothering you much more than it does anyone else.
• Letting go doesn’t mean we condone a situation or behavior, it’s about lightening OUR load. Because when we let go of whatever is bothering us we set ourselves free and get to reclaim that energy for ourselves.
• You don’t need to know HOW to let go, you just need to be WILLING. You can’t change the past, but you can learn from it and change how you feel going forwards.
• And remember – whatever you find it hardest to let go of is probably what you need to let go of the most…

INSTRUCTIONS: While you may not wish to do anything about these right now, just listing what you need to let go of here will raise your level of awareness and you’ll naturally begin to loosen your grip. So, simply list below what you’re holding onto, what slows you down, what riles you up and anything that gets in the way of you being the best you can be…

What do I need to let go of? How I benefit by ‘holding on’ *

1. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
2. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
3. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
4. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
5. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
6. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
7. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
8. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
9. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….
10. ………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………….

Just for a second, imagine letting go of everything on this list. How does it feel? ………………………………
What have I learned about myself from doing this exercise? ………………………………………………………

* If you’re struggling with identifying a benefit (there must be something or you wouldn’t be holding on to it) ask yourself, “What do I gain by keeping hold of this?” Perhaps by holding on to resentments, anger, hurt you don’t need to accept your part in the situation, or perhaps it stops you from feeling how hurt you really were, maybe you get to stay in ‘the right’ or avoid dealing with someone.

TIP: If you need to let go of something YOU’VE done, simply ask, “What is required of me that will allow me to let go of this?” Perhaps you need to make notes somewhere of what you’ve learned; perhaps you need to make some kind of amends, apology or find a meaningful way to make it up to yourself or someone else. While we can’t change the past, we can make amends and learn from it.

Protect Your Focus or Face the Consequences

I am amazed at the number of business owners who are saying that they are too busy –‘doing things’- to find 1½ hours to start looking at ways to improve their business or enhance their lifestyle. -CoachLisaO

Strangely, almost every business we have come in contact with recently, falls into one of two categories:

1) Business is slow, customer’s are scarce, competition is fierce and the margins are getting slimmer by the day
OR
2) The business is flat out, they have more customers than they can deal with, the competition makes no difference, margins are good and they don’t need to advertise but the owners are working way to many hours a week.

The important issue for businesses in group 1) is of course lack of cash flow and or profit while the challenge for group 2) is that the owners don’t have any TIME for anything else!

DISC Profiling is a concept you may be familiar with…

DISC Profiling is a concept you may be familiar with, as it is becoming increasingly popular in the workplace environment.

According to the creators, DISC profiling is a tool used to identify behavioural style by measuring attributes or qualities of a person and aspects of his or her personality. DISC is an acronym for the four primary dimensions of behaviour:

Dominance – direct, results-oriented, strong-willed and forceful.

Influence – outgoing, enthusiastic, optimistic and lively.

Steadiness – even-tempered, accommodating, patient and humble.

Conscientiousness – analytical, reserved, precise and systematic.

Ever wondered why people do not change even after training? The following article highlights both the strengths of the DISC, but most interesting discusses the reasons why no amount of profiling or lessons can alter a person without a significant change in their mindset.

http://ow.ly/81b12

What do you think about profiling in the workplace?

Lessons from a shirtless nut..

I love this video!

Something to think about if you are a leader OR a follower (aren’t we all both, in our multifaceted lives?)

http://ow.ly/81aQn

School’s out for the year, but in for you, smartypants!

I know your brain probably hurts a little at the end of the year, but I know you’re probably also full of momentum and the drive and desire to achieve in 2012. Want some extra inspiration? Comment below or send me an email for your complementary access code to 10X business school.

It’s a fantastic resource, available for you whenever the urge to be a Business Mogul, Inspirational Figure or the like takes hold. Business School also has the edge on a textbook because it’s with you wherever you can get online and is intereactive.. and did I mention it’s pretty good fun? Give Mills and Boon and Dan Brown the flick on the sand this summer and take the first step towards your best year yet.

Its easy to get started: comment below to open a secret portal to the dimension of ridiculously successful business strategies.

On the second day of Christmas my Biz Coach talked to me.. about stress management strategy.

As the year draws to a close, many of us are probably mentally and physically exhausted; hanging on by the skin of our teeth, waiting for a break before we dive back into business in 2012. We’re all familiar with the physical health effects stress has on us including: sleeplessness & fatigue, frequent cold & flu-like symptoms, back pain, appetite changes and anxiety. However, the hidden effects of stress impact not only our health and wellbeing, but also our business profits.

Are you one crisis away from the foetal position?!

Emotional intelligence and quick yet well thought out decision-making skills are crucial for business leaders. Knowing this, imagine the implications to your business when you as a leader (or your staff) are unable to maintain a rational and positive mindset due to stress levels. (Some call it ‘sea gull’ management, and trust me; it’s not a good look!)

When we experience stress we’re not able to process information in the frontal brain as quickly and easily as when we’re not stressed. Adrenal stress hormones constrict the blood vessels in the frontal brain and they activate the hindbrain, which most effectively controls our “fight or flight” responses.
With the frontal brain being responsible for motor functions, higher order functions, planning, reasoning, judgment, impulse control and memory, it’s easy to understand why we need to have it functioning well!

Ponder for a moment the implications this has in your businesses. If you are stressed, your memory, judgment and reasoning skills are all affected. No matter how hard you exert your will power and self-control, your physiological processes just won’t allow you to be as thoughtful and considered as you would like!

Do you have trouble concentrating, make short-sighted and biased judgments, and have difficulty accurately assessing the potential risks and gains associated with different courses of action? Consider what impact is this having on your business profits? Are your decisions as clear and focused as they could be? Would they be more effective if you were less stressed?

Are you creating more fires than you are putting out because you are stressed?

Regular stress management will “bullet-proof” us against stress, however the key to success is that you must do it regularly – not just when the stress is spiraling out of control.

Studies into the effects of various stress management techniques have found that the results will last longer if they’re practiced every day. Stress management techniques include mindfulness-training, exercise, taking time for a hobby or being with friends and family (and of course you didn’t hear this from me, but a little “Christmas cheer” doesn’t hurt if done responsibly).

All successful stress management techniques have one thing in common; they keep us “in the present moment”, and help us work out what we can and can’t control in our lives and our business. Vashti Wallace, an Organisational Psychologist recommends employing the four-pronged “GOES” strategy –

Gratitude – for what you’ve achieved and for your opportunities
Optimism – positive visualizations of the future
Engagement – do what you love and what makes you happy
Strengths – play to your skills rather than struggling with things that you find impossible. If you’ve never worked out what your strengths are, here’s a free tool for you as recommended by Vashti.
http://www.viame.org

By actively managing your stress you will not only improve your health and wellbeing but your business will go along for the ride.

As a busy business owner scrambling to finish off 2011 and struggling with competing and shifting priorities, tell me, what’s your favourite way to de-stress?