‘Procrastination is like a credit card: it’s a lot of fun until you get the bill.’
Christopher Parker

Do you suffer from distractibility? I do. I have been meaning to write this for ages. My problem? Did I have a crisis so that I couldn’t do it? No. Did I find the topic uninteresting? On the contrary, I found it fascinating. It was because I had contracted that dreadful disease that afflicts many of us – procrastination!

Why do we procrastinate? For many and different reasons. Disorganization, forgetfulness, fear – of failure and of success, worry about others’ opinions, boredom with the task to be done, or by being a perfectionist, so not willing to start because we expect not to be able to achieve our own high standards. We think about the task for so long that we never start! We become busy with other things. We allow ourselves to be distracted. ‘I’ll just watch TV for 5 minutes..’ Something else comes up. ‘I don’t know where to start!’

For a day, pretend that you are a well organized non-procrastinator. Become someone who gets started and then perseveres. Has the task been imposed on or assigned to you? Take personal responsibility and make it your own. Are your standards realistic or are you using them as an excuse not to get started? Identify what diversions you use, when and where you use them and then plan to overcome them. What are you gaining from procrastinating?

Avoiding something will not make it go away. Don’t waste time talking – start doing! What are you afraid of? Get a sense of the entire project and what is required to complete it. Break down tasks into manageable steps, estimate the amount of time you think it will take, increase by 50%, and set appropriate deadlines. Put them in a diary. Check them off as you do them. Reassess time commitments regularly.

Choose a regular time each day to work towards your goal. Get the files out! Or whatever it is that you need to start working. Start with the most unpleasant task. Stay with it, if only for 5 minutes. You may find that once you’ve actually started, you’ll want to carry on. Reduce distractions by making your work place conducive to actually working! Get organized. You’re not sure how to proceed or what exactly you’re expected to do? Ask someone. Are your skills and abilities adequate for the task? Do you need more training? If you have started, then get bogged down in the middle, try changing location or position. Reward yourself for a task achieved. Remember, it is better to do something rather than nothing. Find a way that works for you and keep at it.

Procrastinators can become bad tempered and stressed. They often miss opportunities. Working to overcome our distractibility brings with it peace of mind, a feeling of strength and purpose, and a healthy feeling of being in charge of your life, of being strong, competent and capable. And look, I managed to get this written! What a feeling of achievement. If I can do it, so can you!

Kate Harper is based in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland.

She works with people who are fed up with moaning about their lives and have decided to do something about it. If that is you, please see her here at http://www.harpercoaching.com.

She is happy to work with people from any part of the world.

“The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” Madame Marie du Deffand

Take your first step today and contact Kate.

Many people live in clutter, emotionally eat themselves into overweight, live in debt, hate their jobs and otherwise live unhappy lives, unable and seemingly unwilling to change. Why? What do these have in common? What is the core issue?

Fear, or rather an absence of love.

Fear, and not hate, is the “dark side” or opposite/absence of love, the way darkness is the opposite/absence of light.

Whether your self image is controlled by unhealthy or uncontrolled overweight or fanatic perfection, both stem from fear. In the first, food is used to comfort upset emotions and to retreat into – a true friend that never lets you down. In the latter (and sometimes the former), control over the body supplants a loss of control elsewhere in life, eventually taking over that life.

Clutter is almost always fear-based – fear of not having something and needing it, fear of getting rid of something important, fear of leaving oneself open to new experiences (which can’t come in because your house – and by extension your life – is already full) and fear of being alone with oneself and one’s thoughts (clutter requires so much of our energy to deal with and work around, it can serve as a sort of mental static to keep us too busy to think about important things).

Debt is another symptom of fear – people get into debt for many fear-based reasons (like needing stuff to make themselves feel better, or for fear of not keeping up with the Jones’ and being socially outcast). Another part to this equation is that many people will not get rid of their access to credit (cut up cards, etc) because there is always that “what if an emergency happens and we don’t have cash on hand to pay for it?” which is made moot by the fact that most of their credit cards are maxed out anyway. Debt is also a symptom of the fear of doing without, even when carried to extremes. The fear of going without and the feelings of “being without” fancy clothes or expensive meals out is no less than the fear and experience of going without basic clothing and food, although the reality is different.

Working at a job you hate is nothing but fear – fear of not having enough, fear of quitting and not being able to find other work (or finding it and being stuck with something even worse), fear of not being to keep up with your “stuff habit” or your debt, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of relying on yourself, fear of doing things differently or out-of-the-box (running your own business, running off to Mexico, etc), fear of letting the family down, fear of “wasting” your education, fear of what other will say, think, fear that your mom/dad/sister/evil art teacher were right and so on.

Fear is the basis for pretty much all human suffering, not counting natural disasters and other acts of God. And the opposite of fear is love. Love creates an ecosphere of calm and plenty, because you know there is enough (if only just enough) and so feel no need to “get mine before someone else does.” Nor do you feel the need to hoard (clutter) or gather in more than you can afford (debt) to assure yourself of plenty. In a world of love, all are accepted and loved for their own personal strengths and forgiven their faults, therefore negating the need for drowning in the comfort of stuff and food (debt and overweight), or worrying about what others will think if you quit your job to become a Mexican portrait painter (toxic job). And on and on.

Learn to live with love, for yourself and for others, even when they don’t meet your standards (even the rich and awful deserve your love, for they serve their purpose, too). Creating a world of love is up to each of us. We cannot wait to see if others take the first step. They are waiting for us.

(c) Soni Pitts

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Soni Pitts is the Chief Visionary Butt-Kicker of SoniPitts.Com. She specializes in helping others reclaim “soul proprietorship” in their lives and to begin living the life their Creator always intended for them.

She is the author of the free e-book “50 Ways To Reach Your Goals” and over 100 self-help and inspirational articles, as well as other products and resources designed to facilitate this process of personal growth and spiritual development.

Nothing gets done without motivation. Goals would not be achieved. Great achievements would be out of the question. We need motivation like we need air to breathe. We need regular motivation to keep us going when our inspiration and enthusiasm dwindle.

On the Tuesday before Christmas 2005, I learned five lessons about kick butt motivation from a visit to the dentist.

In the first place, I needed motivation to get to the surgery as my teeth were currently pain free. The motivation came from my sister who had developed a gap in her front teeth. I had to give her a lift there and could not, with honour, turn down a session with the hygienist and a check up with the dentist while I was there.

The first motivational lesson was, therefore, to put oneself in a situation where it would appear cowardly to turn down a challenge however painful it might be!

I saw the hygienist first while my sister had her teeth fixed. The hygienist does not believe in using the latest pain free lazer treatment for the removal of plaque.

Instead she uses the ancient instruments of torture that might have extracted the names of his fellow conspirators from Guy Fawkes. However, he was much tougher than me and they had to use the rack on him in the end.

I asked her if she had sent off all her Christmas cards. She had. Had she bought all her presents? She had not only bought them; she had wrapped them up! I, on the other hand, had not. What had motivated her to get all this done? Lists.

She loved making lists for everything. Here ends the second lesson. Make lists for everything you have to do and you are much more likely to be motivated to get them done. Your subconscious mind will also aid you in getting them done.

Enlightened, I moved on the dentist who was having a cup of black coffee. I asked if this was to remove his stress. He agreed that it was. While he sipped his coffee we went on to discuss my website on motivation.

I said that I had written some motivational books which could be found on my website mainly to motivate myself. He pointed out that his patients kept him motivated. He had to sort out their problems on a daily basis. Lesson three: deal with other living beings. They will keep you motivated by their needs and demands. Do not become a recluse.

He mentioned that he went to some kind of a fitness class to improve his fitness. He found gyms a waste of time. Training on his own did not work. He needed an environment in which other human beings would help him stay on track. Lesson four: become a member of a group of people who will encourage you to train properly and regularly.

I confessed that I had not done the flossing which I should have done to keep my gums in peak condition. Suddenly he thumped me on my right arm and said in a loud voice “DO IT”. We both laughed. He explained that we all need another human being at times to tell us forcefully what we must do.

Lesson five, then, is to hire a mentor or life coach to give you clear and powerful guidance. A metaphorical or even literal punch or kick might just get you to take the action necessary to make progress in your life.

Failing that, as mentors can be expensive, give yourself a good kick up the butt every now and then by telling yourself things like: DO IT NOW! JUST DO IT! GET ON WITH IT! If necessary, bang your head against a wall.

My visit to the dentist then was well worth the pain and effort. My teeth are in good shape for all that food coming my way this Christmas and my knowledge of what motivates human beings has been confirmed by both the dentist and the hygienist. The five lessons that came up are well worth a second look.

Firstly, put yourself in a situation where you will be embarrassed not to meet the challenge. I once attended a seminar where attendees had to break an arrow with their throats. The sharp end was in our throats and the tail end was against a piece of wood. We had to take a bold step forward and break the arrow.

I was amazed to see my fellow attendees embrace the task even though some of them looked terrified. Some were young women who weighed little. I weighed about 18 stone and had been a martial artist for years. I thought the whole exercise was stupid as the arrow might well have killed someone.

However, I was shamed into going ahead with the exercise by the courage of these young women. I didn’t really care too much at the time as my mother had died recently and I felt like joining her in the next life. The arrow broke easily. I asked if it was a real arrow. Apparently it was. The others were shocked by my scepticism!

Secondly, motivate yourself like my hygienist by making lists of what you have to do. These allow your subconscious mind to go to work on what you must do. Some would even argue that making lists links your mind with the energies of the universe which can help you perform miracles. You can also have fun ticking off the items on your list when you have completed them.

Thirdly, keep in touch with other human beings. They will motivate by their needs and problems. Even animals, like a cat, provide constant motivation to get up and feed them or let them out to take a leak.

Our neighbours’ cat, Lizzie, has taken up squatters’ rights in our house and is the one creature on earth who can get my sister out of bed on a regular basis both night and day. Her miaows are ear piercing and highly motivating!

When I retired from teaching religious studies, I still kept on teaching my martial arts students. I realised, intuitively, that I still needed regular contact with other human beings.

They would keep me focused on teaching and improving my martial arts knowledge. They would help me take a break from my computer. People who retire and then lose contact with the world of work and regular contact with other human beings often die soon after their retirement.

Fourthly, join a class rather than trying to work on your own. My former girlfriend and I once joined a cartoon class. We rapidly made progress and were amazed at how easy it was to copy cartoons accurately.

However, we became arrogant and dropped out of the class thinking we no longer needed it. Our cartooning skill lapsed at once and we made no further progress. We could have progressed by working on our own but now lacked the motivation of the class environment.

Fifthly, hire a mentor to give you regular guidance. I have a web designer who sees me once a week at least. Without him, I would have given up on my dream of making money on the internet long ago.

However, if you cannot afford a mentor or teacher, get tough with yourself and demand regular daily effort from yourself. As you begin to succeed, your motivation will increase.

About the author

John Watson is an award winning teacher and fifth degree black belt martial arts instructor. He has recently written several books about achieving your goals and dreams.

One of them can be found at

http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

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There is someone calling to you right now – who is it?

It’s the person you want to become. Who is that person? Is this person happier? Wealthier? Thinner? More energetic? More powerful? Whoever this person is, this person is inside you. This person IS you.

What prevents you from becoming this person?

I once knew a young man who wanted to become an actor. He studied acting and participated in many plays at his college and in his community. A director recommended that he study dance, so he did. He even took voice lessons.

Today, he still lives in his hometown. He’s married and has two kids. He frequently says “You know, I could have been an actor.” When asked why he didn’t pursue his acting career, he shrugs and says it just wasn’t practical. Besides, it’s too late now.

One day, his wife decided to push him on the topic. He explained that in order to pursue acting, he’d need to relocate to a big city, like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, and that just wasn’t practical.

“Even though it wasn’t practical, why didn’t you do it anyway?” his wife pushed.

“Because I wanted to marry you,” he said, teasingly, trying to get her off the topic.

“You don’t think I would have moved to a big city with you?” she asked. “Did you even ask me?”

“Well, I didn’t have a job lined up. Besides, what would I do in a big city? I wouldn’t know anyone. And it’s not that easy to break into acting. There are a million starving actors waiting tables in big cities.”

“But you wouldn’t have starved if I were working,” she persisted.

After more conversation along this line, he finally admitted the truth. He was terrified of failure. All through high school and college, everyone assured him that he had the makings of a great actor. What would they think if he failed? What would he think of himself? It was just easier to let everyone think (including himself) that he chose love over fortune.

He had never admitted his fear of failure to anyone before. Naming this fear made it seem less threatening, and even a little ridiculous. He wondered why he had let his fear of what other people might think deter him from following his passion.

He now says that if he had been more honest with himself, he may have been able to face his fears. He may not have become the great actor everyone had predicted, but he would have had a chance to follow his passion.

If you can name the fear, you can face it.

Sometimes you have to ask yourself tough questions to get there. When you ask yourself “What’s holding me back?”, don’t settle for answers like “I don’t have enough time” or “I don’t have enough money,” or “It’s not practical.” Press yourself until you discover the real reason.

When you discover the true reason for holding yourself back, you can address it and even move past it, if you choose.

Holly Zenith started out as something lower than a file clerk, and then launched the career of her dreams. She recently authored “Emerging From the Pink Collar Ghetto,” which you can learn more about here: http://hollyzenith.com/Resources/PCG/pcgad.html

Research shows that at any one time more than half of us are dreaming of a new life overseas, but few actually succeed in making the transition from fantasy to reality.

To completely turn everything on its head and start your life all over again in a foreign country is an incredible undertaking and one that many dream of but most ultimately shy away from.

If you would like to make your dream a reality this article will help you find the courage and strength you need to: -

- Define your new life

- Find your motivation for making your new life a reality

- Overcome any fears or uncertainty

- Practically work to find your ideal destination

- And avoid some of the more common pitfalls

What is it about your current life that you would like to change?

This will be the most important step on your road to getting a new life – finding out whether you really do want a new life or whether you simply need to make adjustments to your current life – it’s all about finding your motivation!

Take a look at the following areas of your life. Write down honestly and exactly why you are dissatisfied or disillusioned with them, or how you would like to change them. Then write down if and how moving abroad will bring you closer to satisfaction in these areas.

Hopefully there are areas of your life that you are perfectly happy with, if that’s the case, make a note of how these areas of your life will be affected if you move overseas – either positively or negatively.

a) Your work/job/career.

b) Your living environment/your home/your home town.

c) Your personal/family life.

d) Your social life.

The point of this exercise is getting a reality check and ultimately defining your motivation for seeking a new life.

You can keep coming back to what’s important to keep and what’s important to change as you progress with your planning. This will make sure you stay on track and aren’t running away from something negative only for it to follow you, and you aren’t leaving behind something important.

Once you have your motivation defined this will guide the rest of your journey.

Step Two – Stop thinking “what have I got to lose” – instead, start asking yourself “what have I got to gain?”

Time to be utterly selfish – and time for another list!

You and your important people – i.e., anyone else you want to move overseas with (partner, children) – need to sit down and make a ‘life wish list.’

What is it you want out of life…?

Write down everything, no matter how trivial or how incredible…
Now compare lists!

Find common ground, find compromise and ultimately see how the dreams you’ve all now defined will be reconciled with the reality of a new life abroad.

Again, as you progress with your planning you can keep these dreams in mind and make sure you’re progressing in the right direction to achieve them.

Step Three – Honesty and self knowledge.

You and your family now need to be honest with yourselves about the type of people you are.

Are new beginnings a thrill and challenge for you or does the thought truly scare you?

If you go into a blind panic at the thought, are you certain that you want to uproot yourself and go through the stress that does go with any new start?

Yes, the rewards are there but you do have to battle through some stresses to get there.

If you know that as a family unit you will survive, or you’re considering making the move alone and you know that you’re strong enough to keep going through the unknown to establish a life for yourself, then all you now need to do is go back to your motivation for choosing a new life abroad and hold on to that…it will get you through.

Step Four – Choosing the right country.

You may already have a country in mind; somewhere you’ve holidayed and fallen in love with, somewhere you already have family or friends or somewhere you’ve seen on the TV or in movies and where you dream of making a new life…

Some people do have very definite plans about where in the world they’d like to be this time next year, but it seems that just as many people are a little overwhelmed at the choice and have yet to make a final destination decision.

So, how do you decide?

Well, everyone has different desires but as a general guide, the following are some of the main areas you should consider and research before you make your ultimate choice. They’ll help your head keep your heart in check when you visit and fall in love with a property or pace of life!

Demographics
Population statistics
Immigration policy
Cost of living
School rankings & quality of education
Career & job prospects
Law & order
Accessibility & transportation
Health care services
Weather & climate
Ease of relocation
Lifestyle & entertainment

Step Five – Visit the countries you’ve short listed as dream destinations.

This may sound so obvious to many people, but unfortunately in my time as an expatriate in 5 very different countries I’ve met many people who have made the move based on house prices or photographs alone and seriously regret their decision.

You have to get a feel for a country before you make a commitment to it.

First impressions do count but they are not the be all and end all – when you spend longer in a place you begin to see both the cracks and the hidden treasures.

Step Six – Remember that you can’t run away from your problems or who you are.

Problems, issues, debts and emotional baggage will follow you around the world!

You’ll still react to upsets the same way whether you’re at home or abroad.

Self knowledge is the key to success in life. Problems always crop up, but if you can learn to live or deal with them before you go, you are far more likely to survive life abroad.

Step Seven – Ready, steadily, go!

If you’ve done your homework, covered all the considerations and suggestions I’ve made, and researched all your options you will have found your motivation, found the inner stoicism to see this through, and you will ultimately have your new life mapped out in your mind.

You are now ready to make the whole thing happen!

It’s time to move steadily through the practicalities of sorting out your old life and preparing your new life.

And if you spend time dealing with the necessary organisation and arrangements, the time to go will come around so quickly, you’ll soon find you’re living your new life abroad and never looking back.

Rhiannon Williamson is a publisher with specialist knowledge covering literally every single aspect of moving & living abroad.
From offshore investment and offshore banking to international living and buying property abroad.

Check out her site Shelter Offshore to find out how you can escape from the rat race, relocate overseas, and profit from your move!

What should I do respond or react? Responding is positive and reacting is negative. When you choose to respond to situation you stop and think what your next move should be. When you react, you make a quick judgment and sometimes choose wrong thing to do. Now which do you think you should use more often, responding or reacting?

When you stop and think about it responding is much more effective and shall give you more positive results than negative ones. If you choose to react to situation you’ll find that you get more negative results than positive, why because you don’t take time to think you just react. Someone pulls out in front of you in a car, and you start to beep your horn, not knowing if this will make that person mad or not, and we all know that in this day and age road rage is very common.

Now if we would have chosen to do nothing and just sit back and take a deep breath and think about the situation. Then decide that we were not going to get mad and that we where just going to let it go, and this entire move saves our life because the guy driving the other car would have gotten so mad he could chase us down and killed you.

I know this is in extreme example but it does happen, and people are killed every day for far less. That is one example why we should respond instead of react. Reacting breeds anger, hate, and feelings that are negative, responding may not always breed love but by what it does do, it gives us a chance to think about the situation and then decide what makes the most sense and what we have really wanted to do.

This will in turn help us to make the right decision. So now which do you think, you should choose responding or reacting the choice IS yours. That is one example of why you should respond instead of react. Responding breeds love and happiness, and the people that choose responding shall by far be the happier more loving person and shall go farther in this world.

People that choose reacting have less control over themselves and the judgments that they make, and will surely end up paying for it with the roadblocks in this life. How do I learn to respond? Good question, when something happens to you any kind of stuff that makes you mad, stop take a deep breath and try to understand what you think you should do and take each action that you so choose.

What can be the possible outcomes of all your choices, and then with a clear head choose the one that best fits your situation and choose it. You will find that doing this helps to make the right decision many more times than reacting ever could. Is this easier learned or said then done? It Is very hard when someone makes you mad or someone pulls out right in front of you in your car, it’s hard to learn not to respond instead of react, but with practice you can stop and think about your decision and how it makes you feel and act accordingly.

This just takes practice, is very achievable, and in the end shall make you a much happier person and that is what we are trying to achieve. What should I choose responding or reacting? I can tell you from experience that your life will be much more difficult if you choose reacting instead of responding, you will have a lot less fun and that you will have trouble at every corner possible.

You will not stop and think about your decisions, you would just go ahead and react, and this breeds negativity, which is always bad. Do you want to make your life tougher, than it needs to be, or would you like happiness calmness and peace, love, happiness, and joy? I can tell you and can assure you that responding instead of reacting will help you to reach your goals quicker and you will have far fewer setbacks and this is what we want in our quest in Building The Perfect You.

So which are you like? Responding or reacting the choice IS yours you decide what best fits your life and what will further your life and make it better, easier, and more fun to enjoy what is going on around you.

The choice is up to you decide which is that you want responding, which is positive, or reacting, which is negative. I would surely hope that you would choose responding because the benefits are endless and you shall never be happier than when you will ever be in the responding mode, so please choose responding because reacting only breeds negativity pain hurting and the wrong decisions.

To respond is positive, to react is negative, and I believe if you look around today, you will clearly see that most people react, and you see the shape that the world is in. I must also point out that the people that are successful and make a mark in this world are the kind that respond and will go farther and succeed more often than the people that react.

So if you are not where you want to be in this life stop the and look and see if you are responding or reacting, because if you are not where you want to be, it could be just because you have been reacting instead of responding. So now is the time to start responding and throw away your old self, hide the reacting, put it is far back in your mind as you can and push responding to the front. You will find that your life is much more successful and it is much more meaningful this way and I am sure that you can see that responding not reacting is a way to go, don’t you agree?

Motivation. It’s a complicated subject that is studied by
many and understood by few. Virtually every aspect of
human life — from the mundane to the life-changing — is
guided, swayed and altered by motivating factors.

For instance, what to have for dinner may be motivated by a
desire to lose or gain weight. Whether or not to attend a
business seminar may be motivated by the speakers,
location and cost. When and where to buy new clothing may
be motivated by a long list of personal preferences as well
as the changing seasons and weather conditions.

Even reading this article is a motivated behavior. Do you
like the style of writing? Are you curious about the subject
matter? Do you have a desire to learn new information? Do
you have enough time to finish reading? If the answers are
no, you probably won’t continue reading!

But since you have continued, you are obviously motivated.
You want to learn more about how to get and stay
motivated, and how this motivation can help you become a
better business owner.

THE BUSINESS OF MOTIVATION
Motivation is one of the most powerful driving forces in the
workplace. It can mean the difference between tremendous
success and failure.

Motivation stems from two sources. The first part of
motivation is external or extrinsic (outside the person)
sources. Other motivating factors come from internal
forces, which are mainly your thoughts, patterns and
collective experiences.

However, humans are unique, so what motivates Jack will
not necessarily motivate Jill. You — and only you — will be
able to determine what works.

Take the time to examine what internal and external factors
are motivating you as a business owner. What can you do
to enhance and refine your motivation to make yourself
more productive and more fulfilled?

Here are seven keys to motivation that may prove helpful.

1. INSPIRATION
Inspiration is critical to getting and staying motivated. If you
are not interested in your business, your motivation level will
never be high and you won’t be able to sustain interest for
very long.

On the flip side, if you are energized and excited about the
work you are doing, you will have more persistence, energy
and intensity.

Take an honest look at your inspiration level. Are you
excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You would
be surprised at the number of people who choose a
business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not
interest them in the least. These individuals will grow
weary
and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no
inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult
times they will encounter as a small business owner.

If you don’t really enjoy your work, then think how you can
re-focus your small business to better match your needs.
Or consider making a change entirely. That’s pretty drastic
advice, but inspiration is that important.

2. SETTING GOALS
Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business
owner. If you didn’t set goals, you would be adrift with
nothing to strive for and no charted course to follow.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure
about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan
may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than
goals, strategies, implementation and a budget. Write your
own business plan and update it at least annually. Include
“mini-goals” that can be accomplished in a matter of hours,
days or weeks as well as the more ambitious “grand-goals”
that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan
throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Yes!
Written goals will make you feel more professional and
certainly more connected to your business. It will also free
you from having to reinvent your business goals every single
day.

3. NETWORKING
Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is
networking with other small business owners. One person
can’t move huge mountains. However, when a number of
people begin working together the mountains are suddenly
only small hills — simply challenges waiting to be
surmounted.

In fact, the isolation of working alone is of one the most
difficult parts of being an entrepreneur. Mutual support is
motivating. So, make it easier on yourself by connecting
with others either in your community or online. Even when
businesses are not related, you will often find common
ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right
networking group was a turning point in the growth of the
business. Working together, a networking group can help
its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve
problems faster and more efficiently. Sharing ideas,
expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of
networking groups. And, don’t forget about sharing costs,
possibly by buying in bulk or with joint marketing projects.

Your own personal team of business owners will help
re-energize you when the burdens of running your own
business seem too much. With your networking team to
rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably
have more fun in the process. Certainly, you will feel less
alone.

4. REWARD YOURSELF
Small business owners will always have to work hard, but
all work and no play is a huge mistake. Your motivation will
soon begin to fall if you never take any time away from the
demands of running the business.

So, plan frequent rewards for yourself. No, it doesn’t need
to be a trip to Hawaii (although this is a great idea). Your
reward can be as simple as a lunch out with an old friend, a
matinee with your significant other, an afternoon of
shopping or a relaxing massage.

If your budget and time will allow, take a few days off for a
short trip or simply schedule a vacation from work for a few
days. Make it a real vacation — even if you don’t leave town —
so no checking email, voice mail or the fax machine. You
need to get away, unwind and renew yourself. This “down”
time to regenerate will help improve your attitude and
perspective. It sounds corny, but you will come back to your
business with a new sense of motivation.

5. EXERCISE
While it isn’t always immediately apparent, there is a
powerful connection between the mind and the body. It is
vital for every small business owner to take breaks and
exercise — everyday. If your body isn’t healthy, your
motivation will certainly suffer.

These exercise breaks don’t have to be huge blocks of time,
and you needn’t spend money joining a gym or hiring a
personal trainer. Start by walking briskly for 30 minutes
before, during or after work. After you have incorporated a
walk each day, then try doubling the time or doing two walks
each day.

Whatever works for you is best, but the important thing is to
start. You will begin to feel better.

After the walking is part of your routine, add some basic light
weights. Buy a tape or go online to find out how to properly
use the weights so you won’t injure yourself.

You can keep the weights under your desk, and use them
for just a few minutes at a time. Buy a timer the next time
you are at the grocery store. Set the timer for for three
minutes to start and then add a minute or two until you’re up
to 10 or 15 minutes each day.

Some small business owners have a television at work and
they schedule a CNN break along with their weights. This
way, they are catching up with world and local news while
simultaneously getting some moderate exercise.

8. ORGANIZE
Organization is critical to motivation. How can you feel good
about your work, when you can’t find important papers or
you are constantly late returning messages? Your
business will falter and your motivation will suffer.

Some people just can’t get organized. If you are one of
them, then consider bringing in someone — a business
friend, family member or professional — to help you get the
clutter and mess cleaned up. You will be amazed at how
this one important step will help you get back on the
organizational track. Don’t stop there. Now really get
organized by creating business systems that will help you
streamline your operations.

The real challenge will be keeping yourself on track by
maintaining these systems. For many, it is a daily
challenge, but if you use your organizational systems you’ll
be free to think about other important issues.

7. MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKERS AND AUTHORS
As small business owners, it seems we are bombarded
with motivational ideas and materials– tapes, books, CD’s,
seminars, workbooks, videos and more. Why are there so
many different motivational products, authors and
speakers? Because people are buying these materials.
Used effectively, they are effective and therefore they sell!

However, there are so many different motivational gurus that
it is often difficult to see through the clutter to find someone
that makes sense for you — someone who can get you “fired
up” about working and improving your business.

Try talking to your mentor or networking group members to
see who they might recommend. Start being aware of the
motivational industry and how it might help you become
more enthused and positive about your business. Do some
light research of your own to find some authors and
speakers that interest you.

Before you invest in motivational materials, you can probably
find some inexpensive ways to obtain the materials. Check
out your local library, tune into your local PBS station, buy
materials with a networking friend, visit used bookstores or
buy used materials online. Don’t make a huge investment,
because you will probably want to sample many different
viewpoints.

But do these materials really work? Yes, but only if you
make the effort. Just like exercise, you have to work the
muscles — in this case your mind muscles.

It is up to you to take that information and apply it to your own
life and business. Really use the motivational ideas over a
period of time and you will begin to see results.

KEEP THE MOMENTUM GOING
Motivation is what moves us forward in our daily and
business lives. Take the time to examine your motivating
factors and use some of these keys to improve your focus
and renew your enthusiasm. If you keep on track, the
motivation momentum can’t help but carry you forward.

Nancy Wurtzel is the founder and of All About Baby, an
ecommerce company that offers personalized and
memorable gifts for children. In addition to a wide product
selection, All About Baby also featured helpful and
interesting site content. In addition to running her own
business, Nancy consults with other small business
owners providing advice about growing their ecommerce
sites.

Looking for a summer project? How about working on who you are, and what kind of life you really want to live? Here’s some ideas.

1. Focus on the “who”, not the “what”.

If you find that you’ve been stuck in a goal for a while, try restating it in “who” terms instead of what. For example, instead of saying “I want to lose 10 lbs.”, say “I want to be someone who is at a healthier weight for my age.” Instead of “I want to spend time with my kids”, say “I want to be someone who is a devoted parent.” Then ask yourself what actions would be fit with your desire to “be” instead of “get”.

2. Control-ability.

Get clear on what you can really control and what is out of your control. You can’t control world politics, but you can vote. You can’t control terrorism, but you can be prepared in your own home. You can’t control the construction crews on the freeway, but you can control how much time you allot for a trip. Knowing what you can control and exercising that, and letting go of what you can’t, reduces stress related feelings immensely.

3. Be Generous.

You know you haven’t worn that shirt in 2 years. Someone needs that shirt to keep warm on the streets this winter, don’t let it just sit idle in your closet. Live from abundance, not lack. You’ll have other shirts. Share. Feel good about yourself for helping others less fortunate.

4. Give it a home.

The biggest culprit for chronically lost items in the home or office — keys, remote, phone, scissors, batteries — are that they don’t have a home. Just like teenagers, if you know where they are going to be, you don’t have to waste time looking for them!

5. Establish routines.

While they sound boring and confining, routines are actually freeing. Instead of being worried and anxious on Monday morning wondering if your credit-card bill is late again, you’ll feel calm knowing that you always pay bills on Wed. evening, so you have nothing to be concerned about. Routines take the stress out!

6. Analyze it.

Did you know that a full 80% of your problems come from 20% of your life? It’s true! Determine what that 20% is that’s affecting so much of your life, and start working to make it more efficient and orderly.

7. Consolidate.

Consolidate means to “merge, combine, unite, join”. Look for something in your life that is scattered and consolidate — group of small bills, hand lotions, hobby supplies. I’m using consolidate in this case to mean either to literally combine as all into one container, but also in collecting like items together. Instead of spreading your collectibles all over the house, combine them into one beautiful cabinet for impact. Consolidate toys or reading material/bills/papers by type. You’ll be able to see the duplicates easily and free up some time and space.

8. Do the opposite.

If you find that you’re constantly having to run to the next room to retrieve a pair of (for example) scissors, that’s a clue that you need to *add* a pair where you need them. This is the opposite of consolidate. Just be careful with this one, and make sure that you really use the item enough to make it worthy of taking up the valuable real-estate in your home or office or closet.

9. Predictability

We can’t know the future. No one can. But about everyday things, it’s usually pretty easy to make a fairly accurate prediction of what consequences of your actions will be. A first ‘mistake’ is simply a learning experience, finding out information that you didn’t have originally. A second ‘mistake’ is not exercising your skill of predicting. Practice predicting, and make informed choices to go in a direction you want to.

10. Assign Value.

A big mistake I see in my coaching clients is not assigning a true value to your time, to your energy, to your money, and to the “real estate” (space) of your home or office. Realize that for each thing you say Yes to — from a pair of shoes to watching a movie — you have said No to something else. Always ask yourself – is this *valuable* enough to me to bump something else from my closet, my schedule, my money?

Make Summer 2005 your best yet!

Professional Life Coach Kathy Gates specializes in helping people who are ready to create a simpler, less stressful, more joyful and meaningful lifestyle. Visit http://www.reallifecoach.com for information, products and services, and sign up for a free newsletter.

For the umteenth time I picked up and started reading my favorite book of inspiration, “Light From Many Lamps.” Whenever I need a boost I reach for this book. When my first wife was battling cancer 25 years ago, I fell asleep every night after reading the words of inspiration by the many authors included in this book.

One author, James Lane Allen, in particular has a message especially appropriate for salespeople and entrepreneurs, so I thought I would share it with you today.

Here’s what James Allen, author of, “As A Man Thinketh” has to say about the power of your thoughts . . .

“A man is literally what he thinks, his character being a complete sum of all his thoughts.

As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them . . . act is the blossom of thought, and joy and suffering are its fruits; thus does a man garner in the sweet and bitter fruitage of his own husbandry.

A man’s mind may be likened to a garden, which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild: but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein; and will continue to produce their kind.

Just as the gardener cultivates his plots, keeping it free from weeds, and growing the flowers and fruits which he requires, so may a man tend the garden of his mind, weeding out all the wrong, useless, and impure thoughts, and cultivating toward perfection the flowers and fruits of right, useful, and pure thoughts.

By pursuing this process, a man sooner or later discovers that he is the master-gardner of his soul, the direction of his life. He also reveals, within himself, the laws of thoughts, and understands, with ever increasing accuracy, how the thought forces operate in the shaping of his character and destiny.

Man is buffeted by circumstances so long as he believes himself to be the creature of outside conditions, but when he realizes that he is a creative power, and that he may command the hidden soil and seeds of his being out of which circumstances grow, he then becomes the rightful master of himself.

Good thoughts bear good fruit, bad thoughts bad fruit.

A man will find that as he alters his thoughts towards things and other people, things and other people will alter towards him. Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. All that any man achieves
or fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.

Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. What ever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as you’re controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration!

The thoughtless, the ignorance, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves, talk of luck, of fortune, and chance. Seeing a man grow rich, they say, “How lucky he is!”

They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily
encountered in order to gain their experience, have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable and realize the vision of their heart.

In all human affairs there are efforts, and there are results, and the strength of effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not! “Gifts,” Powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions on the fruits of efforts; they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.

The vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you enthrone in your heart – this you will build your life by. This you will become.

Keep your goal for ever in your mind . . . because as a man thinketh., so is he!”

Isn’t that some powerful stuff? I suggest you print it and save it.

Actions do follow thoughts. So think right and do it right!

Start selling more . . .

Jim Meisenheimer publishes The No-Brainer Selling Tips
Newsletter, a fresh and high content newsletter dedicated
to helping you grow your business and multiply your income.

Use this link to sign-up for Jim’s F-R-E-E No-Brainer Selling Tips Newsletter and to get your copy of his Special Report titled, “The 12 Dumbest Things Salespeople Do.”
http://www.meisenheimer.com

Yesterday my teenage son Matt came home with a less than stellar report card. (Yes, even peak performance experts sometimes have trouble motivating others.) Now Matt is by no means stupid. The reason he got poor grades is because he did not do the work that was required for some of his classes. Why didn’t he do the work? According to him, he didn’t feel motivated to do it. After having a loud discussion with him (translation: I was ranting and raving), I realized that Matt is no different than many people in his erroneous idea about motivation and success.

The impact of motivation on success is highly overrated. Motivation has very little to do with success. Successful people do not wait to feel motivated to do things that need to be done. They take action whether or not they feel like it, and this continuous action towards a goal is what results in success.

Realize What You Are Losing

If you are not doing what you need to do, you are paying a price for it. It could be the constant stress of knowing you should be doing something but not doing it. It could be the subtle feeling of realizing that by your inactivity you are not achieving what you know you can achieve. Many people have a vague idea of what their inactivity is costing them, but they try to push away these thoughts because they are very uncomfortable. I am suggesting that you not only don’t push away these thoughts, but that you experience them fully.

Think about what your lack of action is costing you and notice how miserable this feels. Am I telling you this because I am sadistic and want you to feel bad? No, I am urging you to do this so you connect with this discomfort. Feeling this pain will often spur you to give up your excuses and move. Most people will do more to avoid pain then they will to move forward towards pleasure. Recently, my toe has been causing me some problems. This has been going on for several weeks. I know I should have gone to the doctor to get it checked out, but I didn’t want to take the time to do it. However, the pain has been getting worse and is now preventing me from participating in some activities that I enjoy, so I finally made an appointment to see him. Pain catches your attention.

Are you experiencing the pain of mediocre revenues in your business because you are not doing enough marketing and selling? Have you been having conflict with your team because you have not effectively dealt with a difficult employee? When you experience enough pain, you will be surprised how motivated you will be to take action.

Focus on the Pay Off

If you don’t particularly like the task that you have to do, don’t focus on how miserable you might feel at the moment. Instead, focus on the pay off that you will receive as a result of your work. People who are successful in any area of their lives usually focus on what they will get out of their activity.

I have been a size four since I was 15. Most people who have problems with their weight will often comment that I am lucky to be so thin. I tell them that I exercise a minimum of one hour at least five days a week. Their next remark is usually, “You must love to exercise.” No, I don’t love to exercise. I would much rather get up and make a pot of coffee. To me there is almost no greater delight in life than enjoying a cup of freshly brewed coffee first thing in the morning. That’s my exercise pay off. As I am in the process of exercising, I count the minutes left that I have to do it before I can have my cup of coffee. Does this sound simplistic? Maybe, but it works. This simple strategy has motivated me to work out consistently for many years.

What is your pay off? Is there something that you really enjoy? Tie it into the task that you know you should do, but that you have been putting off. Make the pay off be the carrot that drives you to action.

Don’t Worry About Perfection

One of my biggest blocks in getting started with doing something is that I’m afraid I won’t do it right. This is usually in connection with something new that I don’t have a lot of experience with. I want to do a good job and I don’t want to mess it up. So what happens? Nothing. I focus so much on my fear of making a mistake that I often do nothing at all.

When you are starting a new project, don’t worry about doing it right initially. Just do something. There is a common principle in physics that states, ‘A body at rest tends to stay at rest, a body in motion tends to stay in motion.’ Get moving. Recognize that you will need to make adjustments along the way. Making adjustments is part of the process of learning how to be successful in any new endeavor. As you begin to do the new task, you will find out what else you need to know. You will discover additional information that will help you achieve your outcome. Don’t focus on the success or failure of each step. Be concerned with taking the most intelligent action at any particular moment and make whatever changes that are necessary. Action, not perfection, creates results.

Develop a Plan

Sometimes we have a new idea but it seems so overwhelming that we do nothing. Create an action plan for a project and then just do one step at a time. I wanted to create an electronic newsletter for more than two years. On a regular basis, I felt the guilt and self-recrimination that comes from knowing that I should do it but not taking action. I am technologically challenged so the entire project seemed more than I could handle. Finally, I decided to create an action plan. I would find other successful electronic newsletters and see how they were put together. I would determine ways to distribute the newsletter to subscribers. I would find ways to let others know about my newsletter. I focused on completing each step and within two weeks, I sent out my premiere issue of Peak Performance Pointers. When I finally broke the task down into simple action steps, I was able to get it done.

Motivation Comes From Action

An interesting thing about lack of motivation is that when we begin a project that we have been putting off, we finally start to feel motivated. Motivation often comes from the doing. When we start something and see it begin to take shape, it becomes exciting. Once we get started, we often find it difficult to stop until the project is completed. As we work on accomplishing a new idea, it is easier to focus on the end result and this creates even more motivation to get it finished. So recognize that if you are waiting to feel motivated to do something, start to do it and then the motivation will kick in.

Many people erroneously believe that successful people are super motivated individuals. Nothing could be further from the truth. While it is wonderful to feel motivated to do something before you begin it, don’t let motivation cause you to fail. Take action towards your goal and you’ll be filled with more motivation than you can handle.

Della Menechella is a speaker, author, and trainer who inspires to achieve great success from the inside out. She is a contributing author to Thriving in the Midst of Change and the author of the videotape The Twelve Commandments of Goal Setting. She can be reached at della@dellamenechella.com. Subscribe to free Peak Performance Pointers e-zine – send blank e-mail to mailto:subscribe@dellamenechella.com.