Welcome to March!!! WooHoo!

Your Recipe For Success – Know Your Formula And Keep Moving Forward

Did you know that you have a pattern for learning new things successfully? It’s most often unconscious, but we each have a personal recipe for success. It is the ritual that we go through in order to move forward. It can be learning a new language, taking up dance lessons, mastering marketing, or simply finding more balance in our lives. Think about the last skill, lesson or behavior that you had success with. How did you do it? Now think of something else, and how you did that. When you look at the series of new skills or behaviors that you have done successfully throughout your life, what do you notice that links them all together?

When we change our habits or learn something new we tend to do it the same way. We do it the way that works for us, often without paying attention to the steps or details. For me, I make small (or big) changes by being aware and making a choice to change or learn something new. Then, I do research, read or take a class for more information, and finally I practice again and again until I can call it a victory. I sometimes experience a victory and then fall back into old habits or forget my new skill, but when it is important to me, I pick up and do it again. How about you, what is your ritual for success?

I have some clients who observe others and then just jump in and give it a try with no training, or others who read  and absorb new information and then map out one or two action steps to implement right away. There are usually similarities, but everyone has a unique twist that makes it work for them. Spend some time thinking about your past successes and look for your your recipe. Don’t get caught up in matching up your successes. How you do anything is how you do everything. Your recipe for success is valid for everything you do, not just similar skills.

I have found that there are a few key ingredients for any recipe. One is the determination to make the change in the first place. Another words, you can’t ask yourself whether you feel like taking action or not. You make a commitment and then you keep moving forward on that commitment. Also, you want to treat yourself with the same kindness, love and respect you would have for a dear friend. When you mess up or make a mistake (and you will if you are human), you can’t be hard on yourself or say nasty things. It is okay to fail, it is okay to make progress and then fall back into old habits. What counts is that you dust yourself off and get back in the game.

The biggest majority of people are overly focused on information and advice that comes from others (some of those others don’t even walk their own talk!). This can hold us back from really knowing what we would do and what action we would take if it were only up to us. Your recipe for success is very much your own, take notice of what has worked for you in the past and what works for you in the present and the future. Look for the pattern that emerges as you make changes or learn new behaviors/skills. You now can use that recipe again and again, as many times as you like for any endeavor that you choose to create or accomplish. This is YOUR recipe for success!

Stop Procrastination – Get Things Done With A Spoonful Of Sugar

A few months ago, I saw Mary Poppins in New York with a friend and client. We just loved the song, “Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” It is a very catchy tune and an excellent idea to bring into our everyday lives. It is all about pairing something sweet and fun with the not so fun or unpleasant stuff that we need to do. For example, running errands with a friend in the car, working out in the gym while watching TV, cleaning off your desk with your favorite concert playing in the background.

When you feel like your goals are a big list of things that do not seem like any fun, think about how you could Continue reading »

Get What You Want – Change Your Habits

Is there something in your life that you want to be different? Something perhaps that you know needs to change in order for you to stand taller and be the best you can be? I think we all have something that, if we played a bit bigger, would improve our life in a way that we could be really exciyed about. Change isn’t easy, even the change that we know is good for us, even the change that must be made in order to accomplish what we truly want.

We can have the best intentions in the world, and still fall short of our potential. I don’t know if you feel the same way, but it’s a huge frustration when I know I am capable of more, but not measuring up. It is the tale of our brain saying one thing and our actions saying another. We want them to Continue reading »

Top 5 Habits For Business Success in 2012

As an entrepreneur you probably know better than to fall into the trap of setting resolutions. You are thinking bigger than that and planning out what you will accomplish in the new year. Goals and step by step actions are the mindset you have here at the start of 2012. Good habits are always in style, but with a focus on business success, here are my top 5 picks for the best habits to have in the new year.

#1 Stay focused on a priority project. I am sure you have plenty on your list of goals and accomplishments, but in order to excel in the achievement department, my experience has shown that you’ll move forward in a much bigger way if you Continue reading »

Power Of Intention – First Steps To Success

What are your intentions this year? If you could write the script (and you can, ya know?) for how this year would turn out, what would it include? There are many choices and I can share from personal experience, that too many choices can stop you in your tracks and put a halt on your progress. So take a minute to pause and then Continue reading »

Taking Action – Do Things Differently

It is a New Year and we are off to a strong start. You may be excited about what 2012 holds for you, and you also may be thinking about doing things a bit differently in the New Year in order to end up with some different results.

If you are serious about success then YOU need to Continue reading »

Happy New Year – 2012 The Year Of GREAT Ideas!

This is the time of year where we start to get excited about a fresh clean start. The first step to getting what you want in the new year is to be very clear and decide what exactly it is that you really really want! Continue reading »

Focus On What Works – Keep Moving Forward

It can be so easy to get stuck with inaction. So many choices that you can stop dead in your tracks and lose momentum. You probably get and see great ideas and opportunities all around you. But, too much information is the quickest path to halting your progress. If this is something you can relate with it is a sign that you have lost your focus. You are running around more then you need to and nothing is getting accomplished.

Focus is about knowing exactly what you want and having a clear and decisive plan to get there. If you are not moving forward full throttle, it could mean that you are not as sure about what you want to accomplish as you thought. With the clarity of knowing what you want to create, you can work toward Continue reading »

Fear Of Failure -OR- The Price Of Success?

What is it exactly that stops people from taking action? I get this question all the time. I have been there myself, in a place where I have been stuck and not making progress. Although there are many small reason that sound pretty good, one reason stands out above all else. Fear is the reason to blame 9 out of 10 times when someone does not take action. It can be fear of success or fear of failure, but either way, fear is at the top of the list when it comes to people holding themselves back from taking the action that will help them achieve the success or Continue reading »

Grow My Business – What Things Should I Be Doing Each Day?

This is a question that I hear a lot, “What should I be doing in my business each day?” An important part of being productive is knowing what to do. And, just because you have it all figured out at one point or stage of your business, does not mean that you are all set for the long haul. I have been thinking about this and I have 3 things to share with you that will help you lay out what your daily plan of attack should include. These are 3 big things, the day to day actions will then fall into the details of these ideas.

No matter what industry you are in, your most consistent role is as a marketer. You have products for sale or a service to sell, no matter what business model you are following, you need to Continue reading »

Welcome To December – Be Present Every Moment!

Welcome to my Blog! Each month I make a static post that will stay at the top for the month to introduce myself and what my blog is about. You can look around and find out plenty about me and my blog, but this month I want to talk about December.

This month is filled with so much joy, love and also with some stress or even depression. December is a special, crazy and sometimes unpredictable month. It goes faster than most months and can go by in a blur if you don’t make a conscious choice to Continue reading »

Better Your Best – What Does It Take?

I have read many articles and books about the topic of being a ‘winner’, of what it takes to be successful and the differences between those who dream vs those who take action to make their dreams come true. It is a topic that I have been interested in since I was a young teenager. It’s both educational as well as inspirational to read the success stories and triumphs of those who have traveled down a road we wish to go. I now have a tale of my own that I’d like to share with you.

At the start of the year I entered a contest called ‘Better Your Best’, it is a well know contest within the Internet community hosted by Armand Morin and his AM2 team. The contest is open to Continue reading »

What Would You Do With $25,000?

This past weekend I won $25,000 in a very special and elite contest called “Better your Best”, hosted by Armand Morin and the AM2 Network. (Yes, woohoo and yippee!!!!) To enter was easy, to do everything required, follow through and keep the commitment all the way through to the end was a little bit tougher. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and to date, the most memorable! I’ll share all the contest details in the next few days, but right now I want to talk about the prize money.

After I won first place in the contest, the question that I was asked most often was “How are you going to spend the money?” Certainly a valid question, but I was a little surprised that it was the most common question and that only a few people asked what I did to win and be successful in the contest. Anyway, I thought it would be fun to Continue reading »

What Are You Doing To Better Your Best?

Some Of My AM2 Family Members

Today I am leaving for San Francisco (in about 60 minutes) for an Armand Morin Live event. This is my online mentor and the coaching program that I belong to. I go to several events a year and Armand Live is always one of my favorites. This weekend, the event is extra special and important to me. Once a year Armand holds a ‘Better Your Best’ contest. This is a very big deal in the Internet community and a big commitment to participate in as well. I am telling you about it, because I am in the contest this weekend.

The contest is open to members of his coaching program and there are two categories to compete in. One is increasing your income and the second is improving your business and marketing systems. There are many factors involved throughout the year, such as Continue reading »