The Business of YOU!

Break Free From Habit Hypnosis

We are such creatures of habit. Sometimes we get caught up in what I call “habit hypnosis.”

Think about your morning routine. How much of what you do is consciously decided versus done out of habit? Think about the way you take your shower, the way you brush your teeth, or what you eat for breakfast.

Think about your business routine. How much of what you do in your business actually serves your ultimate goal – to grow the business? Think about how you market your business, the way you serve your clients, or the way you schedule your day.

Now, I am not saying that having a system or a habitual way of doing things is all bad. In fact, having a great system allows you to do more and get better results.

We create our lives around systems that generally serve us. However, what tends to happen after some time is that we get so caught up with our system, our way of doing things, that it takes a jolt to snap us out of this “habit hypnosis” state.

Wanna Get Married?

Yesterday, I had a fabulous guest on my monthly Success Chat, Lara Galloway. During our fun-filled and content driven call, our chat was centered around how we can all figure out what our clients really want from us.

In her work, Lara has eloquently coined the phrase, Engagement Marketing.

I just love how she defined these words to us during our chat. What she explained was how getting married and going through the engagement process is very similar to a successful marketing process.

Brilliant!

 Think about it. When we first start dating a person, a firm commitment to being life partners or even dating exclusively has not been made. No loyalty. The truth is, we are still feeling things out and assessing the person to see if they meet our needs.  We are seeing if this person is right for us and if they will be “the one” for life. We think…there are still other ‘fish in the sea’ who might be a better catch.

If Only I Had More Hours in the Day!

Have you ever said to yourself, ‘If I only had more hours in the day!’?

We don’t need more time. We have plenty of time.

What we need is to fill our time with the things that matter the most; those things that will get us where we want to go and eliminate the rest.

Recently, I had a “reality check” of my own about this very subject. 

I found myself caught up in the busy-work and not being very effective.

On the surface it looked like I was working very hard trying to grow my business and increase cash flow; along with taking of my family; taking the kids to school, cooking dinner – well most nights – helping with homework and chauffeuring each kid to their various activities.

As a business owner, mother and wife, I often times feel the mountain of responsibilities begin to weigh me down and exhaust my energy – leaving me ineffective for anyone, especially myself.

My Priority Plan

Some time ago, I wrote about steps to reduce overwhelm. It was wonderful to hear from so many of you about how the tips I shared was encouraging to you and helped you reduce your overwhelm. I love that! My goal behind everything I do is to provide value to all who receive it and have what I do positively affect others. Thank you for the feedback!

If you missed that article, you can grab it here.

Today, I want to talk about going a bit further with dealing with your daily tasks. You see, many of us have a TON of tasks to complete in any given day. We know that we are busy and getting stuff done, but sometimes, at the end of the day we feel like we haven’t made a dent. We handled the “urgent” things and realized we have not done anything toward growing or expanding our business.

How do we decide on what to do first? How, with all the daily tasks to do IN our business, do we still make a point to work ON our business?   

How an Amateur Profits from Social Media Marketing

 

I have to admit, I was not too keen on getting on the social media train when I first began to get wind of it back in early 2008. In fact, I resisted it for quite some time.

I was having decent success with my existing strategy of networking, speaking engagements and client referrals.

As social media has been rapidly gaining momentum, it has become an important part of many small businesses’s marketing strategy. More and more businesses small and large, are actively engaging many social media platforms as a way to reach new and existing customers.

After doing some research myself, watching others participate and learning a little more about how to go about using it, I began to open myself to joining in at the end of 2008.

Now, in early 2010, it has become a significant part of my overall marketing strategy. Not only that, it has been one of the most effective strategies I use to gain new business, build joint venture opportunities and make some really cool friends.

The beauty of it is that I am still stumbling around and finding my way and still seeing great results.

If you want to connect with me, my Twitter handle is @jodellapenna and you can find me on Facebook at /JoDellaPenna. I would love to hear from you!

I wanted to share how I have been able to profit from my amateur skill level in the social media world.

Magnetize Your Social Media Marketing

How To Build a Loyal Following of Ready-to-Buy Fans

By Nancy Marmolejo
http://www.VivaVisibilityBlog.com

Social networking gives entrepreneurs the unprecedented opportunity to get in front of big audiences in relatively short amounts of time. With such easy access to prospects and leads, you must have a firm understanding of why you're there and how you'll accomplish your goals.

When you take time to focus on relationships, you’ll magnetize your marketing and create a loyal following of ready-to-buy fans!

Understand Why You're There

Interestingly enough, many professionals haven't clearly defined why they are getting on social networking sites. "Because everyone else is" isn't a good enough reason. There's nothing wrong with signing up on several sites and learning as you go along, but it's more important than ever to understand your reasons for showing up.

Here are a few examples of why professionals use social networking.

Are You Leaving Money On The Table?

  I don’t have to tell you how important networking is to building your business.

I know you know the values of building relationships and how those connections can open up doors of opportunities that would not have otherwise been open.

But, are you are leaving money on the table?

You attend a variety of events to grow your business and to meet and network with new people, and that is great.

You have a bit of a conversation, get their card and chat about how it would be great to connect later.

Only to get back to your office, return to your hectic agenda and the cards end up getting set aside and later forgotten about. You may be able to send out a quick email reaching out, but that’s where it ends.

The value of connecting with new people is not what happens at that event; although, I know of some major business that has happened at live events. I have even had that happen for me, but it is not the norm.

How to Create Your Successful Breakthrough in Love, Health and Wealth

with special guest, Joe Nunziata, Top Notch Training

REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS *NO-COST* EVENT  -Thursday, February 18th

http://www.TheBusinessofYou.com/SuccessChat.html

 

You are only inches and a few adjustments away from the success and happiness you desire.

 

Join me as Joe Nunziata shares how you can...

• Gain Awareness of Your Blocks and Learn How to Identify and Resolve Issues much Faster 
• Learn How You Must Go Beyond Your Conscious Mind to Make Lasting Changes
• Find Out How Your Unconscious Feelings Sabotage and Stop Your Progress and What to Do About it
• Discover How to Get Unstuck and Out of Old Patterns so You Can Step into Your Entrepreneurial Brilliance
  
  Joe Nunziata is an internationally known speaker and bestselling author of Spiritual Selling, Finding Your Purpose and No More 9 to 5. He has been delivering his life changing message at seminars and events since 1992. His unique blend of psychology, philosophy, spirituality and the power of energy resulted in a revolutionary new programs and seminars. Joe specializes in helping people breakthrough the unconscious barriers that are holding them back. He is dedicated to helping you become empowered in all areas of your life.

 

See you on the call, February 18th!

 

 

http://www.TheBusinessofYou.com/SuccessChat.html

 

Success and Joy,

 
Jo A. Della Penna

P.S.  Even if you cannot make the live call, register to receive the mp3 recording.

http://www.TheBusinessofYou.com/SuccessChat.html

with special guest, Joe Nunziata, Top Notch Training

REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS *NO-COST* EVENT  -Thursday, February 18th

http://www.TheBusinessofYou.com/SuccessChat.html

 

Join me as Joe Nunziata shares how you can...

Why I Don't Want Balance!

 

Balancing your life is not an easy task, is it?

We are super busy with growing and managing our business. We have our personal lives to attend to, as well. If you have growing kids, like I do, you know it takes creative time management to fit in all the extracurricular activities on top of everything else.

Over the years, I have found that the idea of creating balance in my life was unrealistic. The more I tried to balance my life, the more it felt out of reach.

It then dawned on me…  

You know the scales that have a dish on each side?

When the weight is the same on both sides, the dishes are even. When one side is heavier than the other, one side moves up while the other moves down.

Think about it.

The only time the scale is in motion is when the scale is out of balance. When things are balanced, nothing moves.

Putting Yourself First Without The Baggage Of Guilt

Putting yourself first without feeling guilty is one of the most challenging for many busy entrepreneurs.

We women are notorious for putting other’s needs continuously before our own. You have responsibilities to your business, to your customers, to your family, and on and on.

Having the time to nourish and take care of ourselves has a tendency to take a back seat to all the other responsibilities we juggle. We naturally want to serve and be available to those we love.

However, it often leaves us drained, tired and sometimes sick when we don’t stop to recharge our own battery.

As a mother of 3, a wife, and business owner I, too, struggle with carving “me” time into my very full life. After hitting the proverbial “wall” a few too many times, I have learned that the more I “unplug” and take time for me, the better my whole world flows.

You are like a coffee cup.

Look at your life like a coffee cup and saucer. You are the coffee cup. Taking time for you equates to the yummy coffee (or tea) that fills that cup. The saucer represents your world and the people you serve in it; your kids, your special someone, your clients, your friends, etc. When you take time to fill yourself up with what nurtures you, you begin to fill that cup up to a point that it eventually overflows. The saucer catches your overflow. This is the ‘juice’ that you serve your world with.

When you don’t regularly fill your cup up, yet still serve your world, you use up the wrong ‘juice.’ This drains you of what is left in the cup and gradually it becomes empty. You end up out of ‘juice’ for everyone; you and your world.

Carve out “me” time without the guilt.

Guilt is a common demon for many women entrepreneurs.

We feel guilty for not bringing in the income we desire for our family; and we feel guilty for the business taking time away from our family. It is a never ending, self-sabotaging cycle.

Any thought of taking time out for “me” begins to seem like a fantasy.

It doesn’t require a lot of time, nor money to re-fill your cup.

The thing to realize and understand is that the best thing you can do for your family and your business is to be the best “YOU” you can be.

It does not serve anyone if you are exhausted, frustrated, unhappy, and/or sick from the lack of self-care. Remind yourself that by taking time for you, everyone wins – guilt free!

Vacation is NOT vacation for Mom!

From the time I was a child, I always loved vacations. I loved getting away from home and work and being with family. It was always a great way for me to relax, unwind and have fun. I would come back from vacations refreshed, reenergized and ready to get back into my life.

I have come to realize after several family vacations, that, as a mother, vacations are not vacations for me. While yes—I get away from work and my home—I am still a mom. It is not always relaxing and reenergizing for me.

John is a very “hands-on” dad—but let’s face it; most of the cooking, cleaning up, organization of the family care-taking and activities, etc. lies on Mom.

While I still love to vacation with my family; family vacations are not my type of “recharging” activity that fills my cup.

So, I have learned to design several “me” treats that I incorporate in my schedule that continue to nurture me while I balance my world of family, finances and business.

Now, as you know, time will not just appear available for you. You MUST schedule it in your day. However, you do not have to chunk out large amounts of time. Some treats may only take a few minutes.

The key is to do things that YOU enjoy, that nurture YOU and re-fill your cup. Remember, the little things count.

Here are a few ideas that work for me.

• Grab breakfast/coffee with a good friend before I start my work-day.
• Take the afternoon off and see a movie.
• Write a note or send a card to a dear friend or loved one.
• Get a manicure/pedicure – splurge on the deluxe service.
• Take an hour or so in my day to read a good book.
• Call a friend I haven’t talked to in a while.
• Take a nap during the day – especially when tired. ;-)
• Dance to inspirational music – play it loud!
• Not opening my computer for the ENTIRE weekend.
• Buy a bouquet of flowers and put on my desk.
• Have lunch at a park – sit and swing for a while. 

You do not have to do something extravagant or expensive to create moments of “me” time. The secret is in doing something.

Decide what will bring a bit of joy in your day, schedule it and do it – regularly.

© 2008-2010 The Business Of You, Inc.

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