Sandra Martini's Success Strategies

Can Freedom Really Be This Simple?

 
Have you ever put something in the oven, only to get distracted and end up overcooking it?

I used to do it all the time -- especially once I started my business.  In the oven went dinner, then I was off to check emails or write.

An hour later there was a burning smell (and "yes", baking potatoes CAN explode in your oven!).  

Then I discovered the freedom that a simple timer could bring.  Set it, off to do whatever and come back when it beeps.

I employ the same principle in my business using a Polder Digital Timer (it's the visual of digital "sand" that makes this far and above other timers):

When Clarity Costs. . .

We all want clarity -- clarity of purpose, clarity of knowing who we are, clarity around the offers we make in sharing our gifts with others.

There comes a certain point, however, when clarity costs:

• Clarity costs time -- we often spend so much time thinking about how to get clarity that little else happens
• Clarity costs energy -- we often spend so much time analyzing and reanalyzing what we're doing (or not doing) that we have no energy left for other pursuits
• Clarity costs money -- spending so much time thinking and analyzing means little time for producing programs, products and services and less time for sharing them with others

For today, take pleasure in being unsure. Revel in the muddle. Embrace the gray.

And as you sit unclear about your life purpose, choose one thing you can to do generate extra revenue this month.

You don't have to love it.  You don't have to want to do it forever. By doing it, you'll learn if you enjoy it. . .or not.  And then move on to the next thing.

Gaining clarity around what you do comes from DOING, not thinking about doing.

Generate more revenue by hiring a support team

Is your "to do" list longer than your arm? Are you so busy taking care of the urgent that you never get to the important? Do you consider the thought of getting some help but then think "I can't afford it" or "No one can do it as well as I can"?

If so, you've got a lot in common with most other small business owners.

Owning your own business is a great achievement and requires you to wear a lot of hats: owner, marketer, finance manager, widget maker/service provider, etc.

Wearing all these hats eventually leads to a state of burnout or overwhelm and the love, the passion for what made you start your own business in the first place drowns in all the details.

Right Left Why BOTH Sides of Your Brain are Critical to Business Success

After chatting with a colleague for about 30 minutes last week, he said to me "Thanks for this call -- I feel like both my left and right brains were satisfied."

I laughed, told him that I felt the exact same way and forgot about it until walking the dogs this morning.

It dawned on me then that one of the secrets of success is to be able to tap into both sides of our brain as needed.

And while I generally think of myself as "left brained", that's not entirely true and the same goes for those who believe themselves to be largely "right brained".

The SIMPLEST Way to Get More of the RIGHT Things Done

It's become a routine with me, and I'm guessing millions of others, that every New Year, I reassess how I'm spending my time and if I'm "getting the most out of each day" -- in quotes since the definition of that phrase is different for each of us.

It could be the most productive work towards a certain goal, it could be spending quality time with friends and family, it could be self-care or, more commonly, a combination of all and more.

As the demands on our time continually increase, it's time to make a stand for what's important in our lives.

We're always talking about "getting more done" or "getting things done" when what's really important is "getting the RIGHT things done" at any given time.

Results, Not Resolutions in 2010

Every year millions of us diligently work on our New Year's Goals or Resolutions, determined that this year will be *THE* year, somehow different from all the rest which preceded it.

 

We labor over writing the goals, create Vision Boards, and start the year bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (like children on Christmas morning when they see a tree loaded with presents).

 

And yet within a week, maybe two or three, reality sets in. We're the same people we were before midnight on January 1st and, likely have the same habits. . .good and bad.

AHA moment while walking my dog this morning

It all started by my shutting down earlier than usual yesterday and not going through my regular process of setting things up for the next day -- what am I doing, when am I doing it, how much time will it take, etc....

As Sasha (big lab/rotti mix) and I went for our "Mommy and Me" morning walk this morning (Sasha's MUCH less demanding than my shepherd or llasa apso and so I'm sure to get this focused time in with her), I was thinking about everything that I "had to do today":

• Grocery shopping after being gone for over 2 weeks (thank heavens for PeaPod!)
• Finishing information page for new group program
• Sending "CONGRATS" gifts to everyone who completed 30 Day Blogging Challenge (gifts just arrived from Amazon!) -- this is something I wanted to do myself given the great accomplishment
• Planning menu (& get ingredients) for band's practice tomorrow night (something more than appetizers, but not as much as a dinner)
• Creating affiliate materials for upcoming program launch
• Complete and send "Online Essentials" info page to Team to get up on site
• Hosting Nancy Marmolejo's Women of Impact Implementation call this afternoon

There are several more, but you get the idea...

And as a slight feeling of overwhelm started to creep in from the "had to do today", I tweaked the words a bit to "wanted to get done today" and instantly felt a sense of relief.

I wasn't "doing", I was "done'ing" -- these things were going to be completed and I WANTED to do them, I didn't HAVE to do them.

That shift in verbiage created a HUGE shift in how I felt about the day.

The next time you feel a little overwhelmed, check out which words you're using to describe what you're doing and see if you can't tweak them a bit.

MAKE it a great day! :-)

Instantly Boost Your Creativity -- AND Your Happiness

It wasn't long ago when a friend asked me what I was tolerating in my life.  

Tolerating? Me? I have a husband I adore and who adores me, 5 fabulous pets, a house we're comfortable in, supportive friends and family and a business which fulfills me while allowing me to help others. What could I possibly be tolerating?

97 equals 58, or is it really 12?

The first time I heard the term "money loves speed", I was in Ali Brown's Platinum Mastermind group. 

And boy did the phrase hit home.

I've altered it slightly for me to "success loves speed" and with success defined as "achieving a goal", whether it be personal, business, revenue-related, etc.

That said, the calendar shows we have 97 days left in 2009.  Or do we?

Read BEFORE leaving for your next conference or wksp

With conference and workshop season fast upon us, I wanted to share some steps for getting the most from them and reading this BEFORE you go will put you in the right mindset for when you get home.

Once you return home from a conference or workshop, it's easy to forget all the things you learned and promised yourself you'd implement.

After all, you're back in your regular environment: your family needs attention after you've been gone, work tasks have piled up, personal items need handling. How are you to "catch up" and incorporate all the new things as well?

Here's my simple process for ensuring I implement and put new ideas into action as soon as I return from a conference or workshop: