April 9th, 2008
“How do you know if you can’t do it, unless you try?” This is what Pablo, our adventure guide on a recent trip to Mexico said to me, as he looked me straight in the eyes. I was poised to repel down 40 feet in the air into a Mayan sink hole that was 39 feet deep. I was all harnessed up in my gear and my husband and two kids were already swimming in the water with the rest of our group of 8. All that was left was Susan from Texas, me, and our guide, Pablo. Susan decided she couldn’t do it and left me facing Pablo. He repeated, “How do you know you can’t do it, unless you try?”
This is actually an excellent question! My palms were sweating and waves of anxiety went through me. I decided to feel my fear and do it anyway! Pablo calmly encouraged me, “You can do it, chica!” I got into place and scaled the stone wall down into the cave, all the while white-knuckling it, as I lowered my rope slowly but surely. My confidence began to override my fear as I came closer and closer to achieving my goal. I did it!
Soon I was swimming in this ancient and sacred water hole. There is something quite marvelous, exhilarating and empowering, to dare yourself to do what scares your socks off! I’m so glad that I felt my fear and did it anyway! What scares you? Where could you take a big step forward in your business and/or your personal life? Perhaps you could:
1) Quit talking about a good idea and actually take massive action on that idea!
2) Take on more opportunities to be more visible in the marketplace
3) Go ahead and enroll in a high-end coaching program for 1st class mentoring from an expert
4) Perhaps it’s your time to do more public speaking?
My coaching challenge to you this week is to choose something BIG that you’d like to do, be or have in your business or in your personal life and make a commitment to do it. Be smart and line up support. Without wise Pablo on my side, I probably wouldn’t have dared to go beyond my comfort zone. So go for it! I encourage you to take on a challenging goal. Carpe Diem!
Posted in Inspiration | 1 Comment »
March 27th, 2008
As the famous Paul Harvey used to say, “Here’s the rest of the story.” My last posting was all about how smart it is to invest in yourself and your business by learning and getting inspired and motivated by attending live workshops.
In conversations with successful business owners I have made this observation:
Successful people are always interested in learning! They are naturally curious people who ask a lot of questions, will be quick to jot down the name of that book you just recommended them (if they haven’t already read it?), etc. and in general, approach life and business with enthusiasm and interest. In other words, they are not “Know it Alls” even though they are clearly doing well in their personal and business lives!
When I mention the amount of money I have invested in myself and my business, some of the folks I tell are shocked! They wouldn’t dream of paying that much money or taking the time off to travel out of their city to attend a seminar. They tell me they couldn’t possibly do this because: It’s too much trouble, too much effort, too much money, not enough time, etc. In fact, they are just too busy with their business to “play around” at some conference.
I understand the logic, but it’s a bit short-sighted. What I know to be true is that those who make learning a priority in their lives, will reap the benefits!
So tell me, what seminar are you planning to attend and what do you expect to learn? If you recently attended an amazing workshop, please share!
Diana
PS. Jim Rohn, who is known as the “Father of Personal Development” and who has worked with Anthony Robbins (another personal development expert), says that at a minimum you should invest as much money in yourself as you do your car!
Posted in Business Coaching, Inspiration | No Comments »
March 24th, 2008
One of the best things that you can do for yourself BAR NONE, is to make the commitment to yourself to “grow” yourself as a human being. By this, I mean, be the best person you can become and develop yourself as a business owner by becoming a master of your line of work, while upgrading your marketing and business skills. This “priceless decision” will give you big returns by investing in yourself and your business. I promise you that!
One of my own personal values is a commitment to continuous life-long learning. I believe that a commitment to personal and professional development is a crucial factor to designing and executing a business that is profitable and on “purpose”.
What key players in any industry know is that there’s always more to learn. It makes good common sense to learn from the “Masters” in your field or related industries. By being the best in your field, being privy to the most current information and being a “progressive” business person, you and your business will stand out from the crowd!
Are you taking the initiative to learn and grow? Is it in your business budget? If not, it needs to be! Attending live events should definitely be a part of your marketing strategy. I advance my “business skill set” with a minimum investment of well over $15,000 a year by attending a wide variety of business, marketing and advanced success strategy seminars, as well as my participation in a Mastermind group.
This practice of investing in my personal and professional development has paid me HUGE dividends. By attending live events, I have the opportunity to network with like-minded individuals and make valuable connections that help me to achieve my business goals. I also advance my knowledge base and skill set, which allows me to stand out in a field where there is a lot of “competition”.
I’m curious to hear from you. How has investing in yourself, both personally and professionally helped you to be more successful?
Diana
PS. Speaking of great opportunities, I’d LOVE for you to attend the Vision for Success workshop, on April 25th, 2008. Click here to learn all about it and to register for this live event.
Posted in Inspiration, Life Coaching | No Comments »
March 19th, 2008
Have you heard about this unprecedented Internet event? Oprah’s Weekly Webinar featuring Eckert Tolle and his most recent book, A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose is being attended “virtually” by over 1.8 million people from countries all around the world, including India, Afghanistan, and Africa.
What is significant about this live Webinar event is the “in real time” demonstration of Internet technology globally uniting so many individuals of diverse backgrounds to come together. It’s really powerful!
The material that Eckert teaches is enlightening, expansive, uplifting, and inspirational. It has been an impact source of personal development and evolution for myself (and 1.8 million people). I highly recommend you pick up your own copy of the book and join the class.
If you haven’t heard about this yet, go to Oprah.com to enroll. You can attend this ongoing class for no charge (watch it live, every Monday @ 9PM (EST) or download the MP3 recording each week. I’d love to hear your feedback. Are you one of the 1.8 + million who are a part of this class?
Posted in Events, Inspiration | No Comments »
March 5th, 2008
If you are like a lot of people I meet, you probably have too much on your plate. Your Blackberry is jam-packed with all the commitments you have to keep. At the end of the day, do you find yourself wondering, “Where did the time go?”, AND are you frustrated because there’s so much more that you want to accomplish?!
Here are 5 tips to help you “button up” your life so it’s a lot less hectic and more streamlined. Follow these guidelines and I guarantee that life will easier and you’ll get your life back!
5 Top Ways to Systemize and Simplify
Stop Recreating the Wheel - Document your processes. Write down each step you take to accomplish certain tasks, such as online-billings, telephone sales-scripts, standard email responses, or new client intake procedures. This way you don’t waste your valuable time looking for what you need and re-doing your process every time. All you need to do is create a document with a list of the steps clearly defined and save it. The next time you need to do x, y or z, you’ve got the template or list of steps you need to take right at your fingertips. Doing this will help you to be a lot more efficient with your time by allowing you to do more of what is important to you.
Create a Master List of PassCodes - Ok, this tip alone is worth it’s weight in gold. How many times have you been unable to complete an online transaction, log into your favorite site, etc., all because you can’t remember your User Name and PassCode? You tie up your valuable time either, A) Going through the process of creating an all new log-in OR B) You spend your precious time hunting for this information. What to do? Create a Master List of all of your Usernames and Passcodes and Save it on your Desktop for easy access. Problem solved.
Delegate, Delegate, Delegate - Are you using your “Core Genius?” What I mean by this is, are you doing those things in which you excel that are your strengths and talents? The bottom line is that you cannot make a Million Dollars spending time doing $20/hour jobs! Hire a Virtual and/or Personal Assistant so that all the pieces and parts of your personal and business life are taken care of so that you can use your time doing those things which are meaningful and/or profitable for you.
“Batching” Your Schedule - Plan your schedule so that you do similar types of tasks or projects that are similar in nature. Some of our work may require our analytical or our creative brain. You save yourself so much time if you do things that are in keeping with the state of mind that you are in, instead of switching back and forth which can be a real time waster. So “bunch” your tasks together based on what type of task they are. A huge time saver!
Add More “Wiggle Room” to Your Calendar - Be kind and reasonable with yourself! Are you your own slavedriver? Most people tend to “underestimate how much time they actually need to complete a task or project. The result? Half-baked concepts, incomplete work, projects that take FOREVER to finish, not to mention the inner frustration you feel because you feel like you just aren’t getting anywhere. It’s easy to get out of this mode and be more realistic when you plan and set your schedule. Give yourself extra time and space to do what you need to do. A great way to get better at this is to actually keep a time log, so that you know exactly how much time you need to do certain kinds of activities. This works great!
So there you have it! 5 top ways to claim more control of your schedule so that you are able to do what matters in your life and in your business. Go forth, be your brilliant self and have some fun while you are doing it!
