Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

Sometimes it pays to just "go away"

I've been traveling a lot more than usual this year -- to conferences, for business retreats, scouting locations for my next workshop, a whole myriad of things.

And just last week I was in Chicago for a leadership workshop (it's about constant learning and evolution) when I realized that I hadn't finished a project that's been on my list for longer than necessary.

I came home, ready to get the project done.  I'd set aside the time, got fresh flowers for my desk and went through my routine to get "in the zone".

5 minutes, 10, 30, and hour...zone never achieved.

So rather than work on other projects when I really wanted to get this one done, I called a girlfriend, booked a flight and am now writing to you from sunny Charleston, South Carolina -- with said project 90% done and plenty of time catching up on her farmer's porch.

As much as I adore my home and my home office, sometimes it pays to just "go away".

Take a few minutes to recognize what might be holding you back and whether a brief change of scenery may be just the thing you're needing.  :-)

7 + 1 Summer Resources To Keep/Get You on Track

Despite the rain, wind and chilling temperatures today, it's officially the first day of summer here in Massachusetts.

As you prepare to have the kids home from school and determine your own summer projects, here are a few resources -- both business and personal -- which may make things easier:

For the kids as they start hanging around the house (and your office) asking "What can I do? There's nothing to do, I'm bored", etc. -- free guide on 50 Easy Ways Your Kids Can Make Money

Okay, now that they're taken care of, on to you. . .

1.  If you've been struggling to get your first ebook out, I recommend Connie Ragen Green's Ebook Writing & Technology Home Study Course 

2.  If you've been wanting to get your first teleseminar under your belt, but have been unsure of how to pull it all together, I recommend my own "How to Host Your Own Teleseminar: The Tools to Make It Happen...without fear

3.  If you're looking to clean up your eating habits some, summer is a perfect time to do it and I recommend Karen Knowler's ebooks on incorporating more raw foods into your meals (note that you don't have to be a total raw foodie to get tons of ideas and recipes from Karen's stuff!)

4.  If summer's the time you're going to get your article marketing in gear, my favorite places include: Ezine Articles, Best Article Marketer and Submit Your Article. Submit Your Article charges about $37/month, but they'll forward your article out to several other sites for you which makes it a bargain (cheaper than doing yourself or hiring someone to do it for you)

5.  If you're thinking about turning your knowledge into product, but need a little nudge, here's a free (no opt-in required) video for you. . .

6.  And if you're planning on hanging out and manifesting some great things, here are two of my favorite manifesting tools: Magnetize Absolutely Anything audio and workbook and Wildly Wealthy book and workbook

7.  Or if you're looking for some organizing tips, tools and assistance, you'll want to check out my two favorite organizers: the MomMentor, Debbye Cannon and Elizabeth Hagen

My best wishes for a VERY Happy AND Productive Summer!

 

 

Blog Tag: 10 Honest Traits About Me...

Hey Everyone,

I've been tagged in a "blog tag" by my friend and Mastermind buddy Nancy Marmolejo of Viva Visibility.  These are so much fun and will give you a little more info on bloggers you like to follow.

The name of the game is for me to share 10 honest things about myself and then invite more people to do the same.

Here goes...

1. I'm a first generation American -- my Dad was from Italy (RIP Dad, I miss you SOOO much!) and my Mom is from England.
2. My friends are constantly telling me I have a career in stand-up comedy if I ever want to go there.
3. My hobbies consist of swimming, gardening, reading, volunteering and learning what I can about Atlantis. 
4. The plane that crashed onto the White House South Lawn on Sept 12, 1994 came close to ruining a Presidential event I had spent months planning and that was to be held later that day -- we held it on the North Lawn instead (AmeriCorps).
5. I inherited my keen intuition, strategic mind and common sense from my Dad -- whenever in doubt, I ask myself "What would Dad do?".
6. Languages come easily to me and I've learned Chinese on a bet, Turkish for a guy, Russian to fight the Cold War (I'm dating myself here), French because no one had ever studied two languages at my high school before and Italian to survive family gatherings (in Italy).
7. I've never eaten a pickle (the smell turns me off) and get sick when in the vicinity of tuna fish.
8. A PETA poster of chickens in the D.C. Metro sytem is what turned me into a vegetarian.
9. One of my goals is to run, and finish, the Boston Marathon.
10. Over the course of 5 years, I had 7 jobs (and turned down 3 others), but only applied for 2 -- the rest were offered to me as a result of my ability to get things done, no matter what.

I now tag the following friends and ask for their 10 honest traits.  They'll then tag 7-10 other people:

Baeth Davis www.handanalyst.com/blog

Adam Urbanski www.themarketingmentors.com

Fabienne Fredrickson  www.clientattractionsystem.com/blog

Elizabeth Potts Weinstein www.thewealthspa.com

Shama Hyder http://clicktoclient.com/blog/

Mari Smith www.marismith.com/blog

Sandy Grason www.theroadtofabulous.com

Wendy Y. Bailey www.wendyy.com

And I'm looking forward to reading Karen Knowler's, Anese Cavanaugh's, Helen Grave's and Kendall SummerHawk's!  :-)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN and a little something about DST

A quick reminder that at 2 a.m. on November 2nd (that's late Saturday/early Sunday), groggy Americans will turn their clocks back one hour, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time (DST).

The federal law that established "daylight time" in the U.S. does not require any area to observe daylight saving time. But if a state chooses to observe DST, it must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law. From 1986 to 2006 this has been the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, but starting in 2007, it is observed from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, adding about a month to daylight saving time and meaning the children get an extra hour of daylight for Trick or Treating! :-)

~~~ New Federal Law—Springing Forward in March, Back in November ~~~

In August 2005, Congress passed an energy bill that included extending Daylight Saving Time by about a month.

Beginning in 2007, DST began the second Sunday of March and ended on the first Sunday of November.

~~~ Comparisons Around the World ~~~

More than one billion people in about 70 countries around the world observe DST in some form. Here are interesting facts about some of these countries:

* Most of Canada uses Daylight Saving Time. Some exceptions include the majority of Saskatchewan and parts of northeastern British Columbia. In the fall of 2005, Manitoba and Ontario announced that like the United States, they would extend daylight time starting in 2007.

* Mexico adopted DST in 1996 and now all three Mexican time zones are on the same schedule as the United States.

* Also in 1996, members of the European Union agreed to observe a "summer-time period" from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.

* Most countries near the equator don't deviate from standard time.

* In the Southern Hemisphere, where summer arrives in what we in the Northern Hemisphere consider the winter months, DST is observed from late October to late March.

* Three large regions in Australia do not participate in DST. Western Australia, the Northern Territory, and Queensland stay on standard time all year. The remaining south- central and southeastern sections of the continent (which is where Sydney and Melbourne are found) make the switch. This results in both vertical and horizontal time zones Down Under during the summer months.

* China, which spans five time zones, is always eight hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time and it does not observe DST.

* In Japan, DST was implemented after World War II by the U.S. occupation. It was abandoned in 1952 as a result of strong opposition by Japanese farmers.

Tortoise or hare -- which describes you? And why "neither" is the *right* answer!

We've all heard the famous story of the tortoise and the hare and their legendary race.  Not knowing the outcome, who would have ever put their bet on the tortoise?

When it comes to managing and marketing your business, it's more important to pick a few things to do consistently rather than flitter about doing the latest, "greatest" or sexiest things out there.  You'll be a whole lot more effective this way.

So does that make you a tortoise or a hare in your marketing?

Actually, neither are ideal.

Let me explain. . .

A hare spends her time racing here and there, taking shortcuts whereever possible and ends up with a foundation build on wobbly ground.

A tortoise spends her time analyzing each move, ensuring it's the best one to do "right now" when, by the time she implements, "right now" is often several weeks or months later.

Instead, you want to incorporate the best aspects of both:

Before beginning any new endeavor (whether creating a new product or service or signing up for a new social networking site), take a few minutes to determine how this will fit into your business AND whether you can commit the time to CONSISTENTLY work on it (whether you do yourself or delegate to a team).

Then, MAKE THE DECISION (here's where hares often falter).

If "yes", create space in your calendar to consistently do, go forth and implement!

If "no", let it go and get back to business!

Always remember, DONE is more important than perfect!

A new look is on its way...

I've been masterminding in Tucson with Kendall SummerHawk, Helen Graves and Anese Cavanaugh for the last several days and some amazing things have come out of our time together.

In addition to all the incredible business plans we're putting together, I had my "colors" done by the fabulous Kailash Sozzani (a truly amazing woman!).  Imagine my surprise when I found that my personal style was almost completely "off" in terms of what I wear, but my website was absolutely perfect in its colors as a reflection of me.

So you've seen the last of me in black (look for more "springy" colors) as I let the "true" Sandy show.

The same "true Sandy" that so effortlessly comes through in my business.  :-)

When things don’t go as planned...

This past weekend was supposed to be one of resting and retreating – hanging out at Nauset Beach with my sister and her fiance and just enjoying the waves (they have one of those campers which go on the back of a truck and stay about 20 ft. from the waves).

We went out to dinner Thursday night...had a great time, kept it lowkey.

Then came Friday morning...I was going to go buy my new camera (thanks for your thoughts on which would be best!), finish packing for the beach and off I'd go.

I woke up with horrible chest area pains and, soon after, the vomiting started. How could this be? I was supposed to be having a resting retreat weekend on THE OCEAN -- my favorite place!

Instead, I spoke with my assistant around 2:30pm who diligently typed my symptoms into the comptuer and made me call my doctor...I described the symptoms to him and it was "get to the ER...I'm calling them to let them know you're coming".

I called my Mum and off we went...

After about 6 hours of waiting and IV drips for fluids and pain meds, I had an ultrasound and they admitted me for emergency gall bladder surgery.

Turns out it was "acutely enflamed" which means it's now sitting in a jar on a shelf somewhere rather than in me.

I came home yesterday to the "relaxation" of 3 dogs wanting to know where mommy has been for two nights (after all, there were no suitcases packed so there was no warning) and the most fragrant flowers I've received in a long time -- and they were for my being down a size and sent from someone who had no idea about my surgery sidetrip.

My only hope is that the gall bladder was heavy so the scale will finally move and if not from that, then the 3 days of not eating will help it along. :-(

My postings will be a little erratic this week as I hang out and rest some. Enjoy your week!

Blackberry and PDA: Are you addicted?

Years ago when I was still working in a corporate environment, it was a requirement that I had my Blackberry with me at all times.  It actually became a joke among my friends and family and my Dad was convinced it was an extension of my hand.

When I left corporate and formed my own business, the first thing I did was…you guessed it…ran out and bought a Blackberry.

I’m happy to say that over the years, I’ve come to regard my Blackberry as something which gives me a sense of freedom rather than as something I “must do”.

While swimming the other day, I noticed one guy furiously doing his laps and every two laps stopping and hovering over the side of the pool.  Want to guess what he was doing?

Yep. . .he was checking his Blackberry.  Turns out he had it in a Ziploc baggy and would check and type emails every couple of laps. 

I was torn between wanting to swim over and give him a gentle “whap” on the head and ask him to let it go for just a little bit or give him a hug and my card for some coaching on how NOT to be addicted – from a former Blackberry addict.

Take some time every day to go SOMEWHERE without your Blackberry, PDA, Treo, Palm, etc. and just BE!

What's up with Sandy: A Different Look Behind the Curtain

It seems there's a trend lately for my clients to be asking me some questions about myself -- how I support and treat myself outside the business so I'm so successful IN my business.

As a result, I've created a somewhat more personal blog -- this one isn't going anywhere and will continue to focus more on business.  :-)

If you're interested in knowing more about my non-business life (as much as any entrepreneur isn't living her business), please visit my personal blog at http://sandymartini.blogspot.com (someone has beaten me to http://sandramartini.blogspot.com -- she seems like an interesting person).

*See* you on the blogs, in my ezine and in my teleseminars and workshops!

With love and abundance,

Sandy :-)

Eric Lindell, fresh from the Conan O'Brien show and a Lesson in Repurposing

DH (darling hubby) and I went out with a few members of his band the other night and saw a PHENOMENAL performance by Eric Lindell and his band.  They were on the Conan O'Brien show the night before and the crowd was really pumped up.

I had never heard them before and instantly fell in love with their New Orleans bluesy style of rock and soul -- most of their songs are original and it's amazing to watch a group who so obviously love what they do. I'm mentioning this for two reasons...

1. The location of the concert was The Narrows in Fall River, Mass.  The Narrows is a converted (a.k.a. "repurposed/repackaged") waterfront mill building which now serves as a non-profit center for art and performances.  What a beautiful job they did in repurposing an otherwise cold and empty building by adding plants, stenciling and other neat effects!

There were several artist shops (all open with the artists creating) in addition to the performance area which seated 280 in church-style pews -- all with great views of the band and incredible acoustics. 

2. Always be prepared.  I had brought my camera "just in case" I could get a shot with Eric Lindell.  I took several photos of the band playing (see below) and was lucky enough to grab him on his way to the men's room (gotta be enterprising!).  My DH took the shot only to later learn that my batteries were 90% dead by that point so we have a blurry picture of his and my head (shown below as a lesson to all).  You can bet there are now extra batteries in my purse!

Takeaway lessons...

1. When thinking of your business and how to repurpose/repackage your work, keep an open mind.  Don't simply think outside the box, remove the box altogether.

2. When you are doing what you love, people can't help but be awed by you.  Your entire being and energy changes.

3. Always have extra batteries or some other type of backup.  :-) 

Best wishes,