I’ve been writing a lot lately about focus, intention, overwhelm, and managing your time.

Staying with these same Self Mastery topics, I want to share with this week a few random success tips that I have recently shared with a some colleagues and [...]]]> Change is vital, improvement the logical form of change.  ~James Cash Penney

I’ve been writing a lot lately about focus, intention, overwhelm, and managing your time.

Staying with these same Self Mastery topics, I want to share with this week a few random success tips that I have recently shared with a some colleagues and friends (in person and on their blogs).

These are in no particular order. All of them will help you have more joy, more time, and make more money while enjoying the process more and more.

Don’t get overwhelmed with thinking there is too much to do.
Each day, determine to do even one important task or take one important step towards a goal. If you aim to simply get one key thing done each day, and you get a rhythm going, before you know it you’ll be completing more every day, and it will happen almost effortlessly and fluently. Just get that daily rhythm going first!

Look at why and how you procrastinate.
So often we “busy” ourselves to avoid something that intimidates us in some way. “Busyness” becomes a distraction. Does calling interested prospects or marketing your business make you uncomfortable in some way? Look within. The answers are there. Face them and deal with the root issue so you can put the avoidance tactics behind you.

If something you’re doing in your life or business drains you, it may be time to give it up (or delegate it).
In my own business, I had a monthly service/product that I made good money on, but it totally drained me. I dreaded it every time it came around. I finally realized that it was draining me and causing me to lose focus, and I knew I had to restructure it, delegate some of it out, and eventually look at getting rid of that program altogether. The decision to phase it out meant I could continue to be on top of my game for myself and my clients. Making that decision was not easy. It was actually a little scary because I made money from that program, but sometimes letting go of what does not feel right can and will open new, more peaceful, and more profitable doors.

Realize that honesty in life and business is about you being empowered!
When we feel we have to lie to others, we are giving up our power, and we are not being authentic and we’re likely not being happy either. It is almost an epidemic how so many people undervalue being loving and truthful to themselves. I think we often fail to see how lying can hurt our lives long term! No one should cause you to make up a little white lie so you don’t have to face their disapproval or disappointment. Fooey! Be who you are, no apologies. If you are doing your best and living with good intentions, there is no reason to lie. There is no “fooling” source and there is no “fooling” self.  Deep down inside we know what is right and we know what to do.

No matter how successful you are, life has tradeoffs, so choose wisely!
I talk so often with my clients about Lifestyle Design! In every income bracket, people have to trade off something for something else they want more.  What do you you’re your lifestyle to be? What does it include? What is worth giving up so you can have it? Decide in advance what those tradeoffs will be so you are not being pulled around by the nose, and so you can make your choices with confidence (because you have a plan). Living an amazing life is about deciding what matters to you and going about the business of designing a way to have it. It always involves some amount of trading off.

For fool-proof time management in your workday, ask yourself two vital questions about every work related task you do.
1) Is what I am doing right now the best use of my time?
2) Is this task really necessary for my business success?
When you have the answer you can then continue with the task, drop it altogether, or delegate it.

Another time management tip I share with my clients is BATCHING.
During your workweek, find chunks of time to set aside (two hours, a half day, or even a full work day) to tackle tasks of a similar nature (such as creating marketing materials, making phone calls, or doing social media marketing). Batching works because you get in an “assembly line” mode, and you also get into the mindset of a particular type of task, so you can really be productive and “crank out the work”! It also works because it is the “start” and “stop” of each task that really slows you down, but with “batched” tasks, you start and stop much less frequently.

So there you have some great ways to quickly and easily improve your life and business. I gave you a few mindset tips and several time mastery tips since I know things can quickly get out of hand in your business.

Speaking of mastering your time, have you ever wondered how to deal with ALL of the SOCIAL MEDIA TASKS you have to do for your business?

Social media is important, of course, but it often feels like it is taking over our lives: blogs, Facebook profile, Facebook pages, Linkein, Twitter, Pinterst. Do we need them all? If not, which do we choose? How often should we interact? How do we manage it all?

Have you ever just wanted a simple schedule to follow to make it all systematic and easy?

Well I have THAT for you!

On March 1st at 10am Central time, I will be bringing you a powerful tele-class, Creating a SIMPLE Social Media Schedule that WORKS!  Get control of your life and business. I will also have on the line with me my good friend and Social Media Expert Nika Stewart.

Together we will share all of our wonderful tips, tricks, and easy scheduling strategies to help you create a fabulous system to manage your social media simply and effectively while still keeping it real and FUN!

Don’t miss this 75 minute session. I’ll send more info soon, or SIGN UP HERE NOW!

The first 15 to sign up get a FREE Surprise BONUS!

Margo

You know by now I am all about looking for lessons within my daily experiences and life circumstances to create a better life and business for myself and for the amazing clients I coach.

So here is another such happening.

I [...]]]> I have a story to tell you, and I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!

You know by now I am all about looking for lessons within my daily experiences and life circumstances to create a better life and business for myself and for the amazing clients I coach.

So here is another such happening.

I got up early this morning, and instead of having a healthy breakfast like I normally do (such as eggs with lots of spinach), I rushed out of the house for a meeting WHILE on the phone with another meeting!

By 20 minutes before 11am I was famished. I had this weird CRAVING for a fajita soft taco (I know, it’s odd)!

So I walked into a local Taco Cabana. As I entered, the place was empty. No one else was at the counter or the drive through. A lady who looked painfully unhappy with her life stood just a few feet from me in the food prep area, sporting thin white rubber gloves and sharpening a knife as she looked right at me and then quickly turned her eyes away (so she could pretend she did not see me). I waited patiently for at least a minute as she “let me know who was boss” by not waiting on me right away. She finally came over, gloves and all, to take my order, with an “I could really care less about you” look on her face.

I told her what I wanted, and without a personality, smile, or “give a damn”, she went on to press the buttons on the register while wearing the “multi-purpose” gloves! I calmly and politely said, “Never mind, since you didn’t even take your gloves off”, and then I walked out (customer LOST). I was starving, but I walked out anyway! (In case you are not following me here, she was prepared to touch a dirty cash register, handle money, and go on to prepare my food with those same dirty gloves, instead of removing them to take the order, and putting on a new pair before she made the food. Cash and food prep do not mix, and what I saw made me question what else she had done with those same gloves).

You know me! I am a nice gal. I am helpful and kind. I am not looking for problems. I am supportive, but I am no idiot (and NO, I am not a germophobe)! Now, if I had been on the mission field and was served raunchy food, I’d eat it with a smile and a thank you, but that’s not the case today. Today I am PAYING for a PRODUCT with the money I EARNED! I want you to HEAR what I am saying because you will learn something about YOUR business AND about your CLIENTS if you do.

So the story continues. As I head to my car, I still have the raging hunger and the God-forsaken craving for a fajita taco. It is so strong I MUST obey!  So I head to a chain restaurant called Casa Ole’ (which is located in the mall). I figured I could get a little work done and sit down to my taco.

I enter Casa Ole’ through the side “public” entrance. It is now 4 minutes until 11 and once inside I see that I am THE FIRST customer of the day, and that the restaurant gate (door) that faces the mall entrance is still locked! So the hostess unlocked the doors then sat me at my table.

Immediately after I was seated I set my things down and got up to use the restroom. Inside, I went from stall to stall to stall (3 in all) looking for a toilet that did not have bright yellow urine and accompanying used T.P. in it. It did not happen. They were all beaming with filth. I flushed with my foot and without sitting down did what I came to do, then washed my hands (thank God someone does) and left to go ask to speak with the manager.

She came to my table and half-way listened as I politely told her my concern that there were NO customers in the store before me, so dirty bathrooms were just inexcusable. As quickly as you can say “gross”, and before I finished talking, she began to defend herself as if this were about HER), saying that some of the workers simply used the rest room before the store opened (OH, that makes me feel WAAAYYYYY better knowing that you didn’t leave filth from the night before, that it is just that at least 3 of your workers have no hygiene, and are not clean enough or aware enough to flush the toilets).

She rambled on in a nonchalant fashion as if restaurant filth was normal, and I asked her if she could understand my concern that if her workers were not grown up enough to flush the toilets, then it is likely they are not washing their hands, which means they are serving food and cooking food with dirty hands. It was like pulling teeth to get her to take responsibility, so I politely left. I was starving, but I walked out anyway!

I finally settled on the drive thought at Taco Bell as a last resort!

If you go back through this story, you will see SO MANY things on so many levels that were wrong with the service I received, and the problems came from workers AND management. There are scores of lessons here to be learned about why people buy, what makes them change their minds, and what they expect when they PAY for a product or service.

At the very least they expect the very least. They expect what any reasonable person would expect to expect. Today though, they also expect a little more. A little more friendliness, a little more courtesy, a little more cleanliness, a little more “I am so glad you are my customer”, because there are so many other places the customer can go. Today, at the absolute minimum a business owner MUST cover the basics or they don’t stand a chance of even surviving for very long, and if by some chance they do, profits will be minimal. To THRIVE into the future, a business MUST be fabulous and DEMONSTRATE sincere appreciation for each and every customer at every station of the sale.

The title of this story is worth repeating: I was starving, but I walked out anyway! I had a craving (desire), I was hungry (pain), I had money (the means), I had the time (access), and I went to the place that served the type of food I wanted to order (niche opportunity). All of the necessary components were there on my end to buy, yet I LEFT without the PRODUCT even though I had ALREADY made the DECISION to buy before I got to either place.

A few more takeaways for YOU no matter your industry:

•Be happy to see your customer even if you have to fake it at first.

•Take your “gloves” off at the appropriate time (your gloves can be your defensive attitude, your “uppity” demeanor, your 8 layers of customer avoidance, or your “system” that does not “fit” the circumstance. YOU figure out what your gloves are).

•Flush your toilets and wash your hands. Symbolic of course for training your staff to function from the same mission you wrote down one day when you were on a roll (no pun intended).

•As a leader, (manager, business owner) LISTEN to your clients without defensiveness. Listen without thinking (as the client is talking) of the excuses you will make.
Listen with an attitude that a customer concern is a HUGE opportunity.
Listen attentively, since someone is right in front of you telling you how to improve in a way your customers want you to (talk about targeted information).

That’s it, and that’s a big mouth full (as big as a Texas fajita). Take the lessons to heart and serve that STARVING client while being the BEST at what you do.

Margo

First and foremost, I want to be bold right now and say that TODAY, STARTING NOW,  how about making the LOVE of YOUR LIFE a PRIORITY, meaning YOU!

You Must Value YOU!

YES! You should be the love of your life, [...]]]> STOP being a TEASE to Your Business: Love Morsels for Real Satisfaction & Nourishment!

First and foremost, I want to be bold right now and say that TODAY, STARTING NOW,  how about making the LOVE of YOUR LIFE a PRIORITY, meaning YOU!

You Must Value YOU!

YES! You should be the love of your life, and yet to some people that sounds selfish, but it is anything but. If YOU don’t value YOU, the one who is with you all the time, the one that you have been commissioned to take care of, the one that has been put in YOUR care, then how in the world can you take care of anyone else! Seriously!

“Love your neighbor as yourself”, means that you have to love yourself in a true and real way (not just in “theory”) in order to love your neighbor. I cannot understand why anyone would think it is selfish to love yourself!

Loving Yourself Means Loving Your Business!

So how does this tie into business? Well, IF you have a business THEN it only makes sense that your business should be profitable. It should flourish, not perish. It should succeed, not struggle. It should leap, not limp. It should help others, not be a burden to you or anyone else!

If your business is part of your life (which it is), then you cannot love yourself if you do not love your business, and loving your business means providing for it, investing in it, helping it to grow, and nurturing it so at some point it can stand fully on its own as a self-supporting entity (sort of the same intent you have when raising a child). If your business is not there yet, you are likely not making yourself enough of a priority!

This week I am giving you some BUSINESS LOVE MORSELS (think of them as luscious business truffles) to chew on, so that you can create a better business for yourself, and if you are REALLY serious about loving yourself and your business, and if you are through putting yourself and your business last place, then join me for my next 12 Steps Go Build A Biz Program so you can quickly create a thriving and profitable business that gives you love (money love) on a regular, profitable basis!

It’s time to STOP BEING A TEASE to YOURSELF in YOUR BUSINESS! Do something substantial and delicious for yourself and your business to bring Real Satisfaction & Nourishment! Get on the LOVE TRAIN NOW.  Seats are very limited!

BUSINESS LOVE MORSELS!

Love Morsel #1
Market EVERY day your business is open! Invest 50% of your work time each week marketing (and selling) which will include (but is not limited to) such activities as phone calling, consultations, social media & blogging (with a clear schedule & objectives), creating sales pages and articles, creating videos, and doing promotional events like seminars,trunk shows, webinars and teleseminars.

Love Morsel #2
Invest 25% of your work time each week creating your products, programs, and services (or making them more amazing).

Love Morsel #3
Invest at least 10% of your work time each week in additional training for yourself and your team! In an 8 hour day that amounts to about 48 minutes to better yourself through research, reading, studying, attending webinars, etc, or you can accrue some of that time to attend trade shows, events, and conferences.

Love Morsel #4
Tie what you offer to a better life for your clients! Today, people with discretionary income want to make meaningful buying decisions. Always focus on the value & benefits of your products and services, and the improved quality of life they offer your potential clients. In your marketing materials, find a clear way to tie what you offer to a better life for others with a payoff for a brighter future.

Love Morsel #5
Marketing well for the small business owner is no big mystery and it does not take gobs of money. Simply know who you most want to sell to (likely a small group of specific prospects) and why they need and want to buy. Know what emotionally causes them to purchase and say that in your marketing materials and in your offer (a very targeted message). Then get that message in front of them both online and off, depending on where large numbers of them can be found. Finally, repeat the message to them over and over again!

Love Morsel #6
You will know you have a good product or service focus and you are marketing well if your business makes a profit and if that profit increases each year. The more you focus and get really good within that focus, the easier it will be to be profitable. Don’t get sidetracked. Focus and profit!

Love Morsel #7
Success is in the follow-through. Marketing is not selling. Marketing is creating the awareness that makes the potential client “perk up” and show interest in doing business with you. You still have to make the sale. The follow-through is where you make it or break it. Follow up when anyone shows even the slightest interest, follow up after each sale, and follow up with new and better (and often more expensive) programs and products for existing clients. Also follow-through with referrals and a referral program to start building relationships with friends of your friends (potential clients), because each and every customer and client is attached to yet another network of potential buyers.

So there are your Business Love Morsels for the week. Savor them, and in the meantime give YOURSELF some SERIOUS LOVE by signing up for the next 12 Steps Go Build A Biz Session (starts March 1st with a 1-on-1 call with me in Feb).

Work with Me, Love! 

Quickly create a thriving and profitable business, the one that you long for and deserve! Get on the LOVE TRAIN Right Here Right Now!  Seats are limited!

Margo

Technology is the friendly pet we want hanging around our desk at work and sitting obediently by our side at home, until it unexpectedly takes a big hunk of meat out of our lives!

Technology’s lure is evident [...]]]> Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense. ~Gertrude Stein

Technology is the friendly pet we want hanging around our desk at work and sitting obediently by our side at home, until it unexpectedly takes a big hunk of meat out of our lives!

Technology’s lure is evident and clear: It can do almost whatever we want it to and it makes us feel empowered much of the time. Its bite however, is much more subtle, because it’s not a bite that brings immediate pain. Instead it’s a bite that erodes the meat of our lives little by little without us noticing, until we are weak, not able to function well, and all but overcome, with no real quality of living.

A BIG Promise

Technology came to us with the promise of making our lives easier and helping us to do things with less effort and hassle. It also intoxicated us with the knowledge that through it we could do amazing things we never could do before.

The simple technological tools we use everyday appear to be (and in many ways are) miracles. Personally, I have had the thought many times that “computers are just like MAGIC”!  They are! You can copy and paste, undo, and redo in a snap, and through easy to set up applications you can “do” so many unbelievable things that “seem” to make life easier. This is thrilling to us, so we buy “the dog” hoping to make our lives better, simpler, more fun, and more joyful!

A Dog-Gone Trap

The truth is, in a lot of ways, technology has complicated things because it allows us to be uber-productive.

We are able to ATTEMPT to do more than our brains were really meant to do in a single day while still having what we THINK is a semblance of a high quality existence!

It’s getting to be ridiculous how we all just assume that because the technology is there and someone (a colleague or competitor) uses it, WE must use it also. So 10 colleagues and competitors each use 2 or 3 apps or widgets, and we feel we must use them as well. So now we are managing 20-30 whatamadinkets that can break, malfunction, get “bugs”, call us to come play, and generally distract us!

I was talking to my husband Joseph today on our coffee break (we both work from home offices). We really make it a point to live a simple, lovely, high quality life and not get sucked into the spell of technology, but sometimes we take the bait, especially since both our careers involve using online tools and technology. Today Joe said, “I am hammered! There’s still so much to do”.  My reply was, “I know, there are times when you start out with one thing to do and so much comes up that before you know it, instead of being at the same place just a little later in the day, you are way BEHIND at the end of the day!”

Of course this is a time management issue, and it involves knowing how to deal with distractions and periodically re-evaluating to make certain no new adjustments are needed, but it is also a technology issue. We must manage and even say “NO” to the massive amounts of technology that we let in. Then once we do, from time to time we have to look at it again and re-assess.

Others Think They Can Sniff us Down

Technology has also allowed us to foolishly think we are SUPER PEOPLE who can and should get more and more done in a day. Yet because of this widespread and popular mindset that goes unchallenged, MORE is exactly what is often required of us by self and by others.

Technological advances mean that other people (customers, clients, colleagues, bosses, spouses, and friends) can have access to us at any time of the day or night. The real truth though, is that people (including ourselves) can only require MORE of us and access us without prior notice if we let them.

We Need BOUNDARIES!

So often we start off with our agenda of our three most important things to do for the day. Then what happens? We get a text, an email, a tweet, a post, an IM, a DM, a comment, a phone call, or an emergency conference call (or a combination), ALL possible because of our modern technology that promised to make our lives easier.

Those who have no respect for your time or agenda can hunt you down like a dog!  There is no place to hide, and everyone knows it, and just because they CAN, people think they have a right (and they DON’T) to barge in, “I sent you a text and called you but you didn’t reply”!  As if you were obligated to!

We don’t have to, but we give in, because we feel guilty. After all, they did text, post, and call!  SO WHAT! Draw your boundaries and let them wait.

Check email once a day. Do social media at scheduled times, and either get a receptionist or return calls the next day. Only read a small, relevant selection of feeds. If an app breaks, delegate the task or let it wait (no one will die because their avatar is not showing up on your blog comments). You do not have to be a slave to technology no matter HOW much guilt others try to lay on you!

Yes, you have to run a business, BUT you also have to live a life of quality, too.

Draw your boundaries and let the mad dogs bark away!

Have a Wild Week of Controlled Technology!

Margo

Aren’t we TIRED yet? Aren’t we so freaking tired of taking ourselves too seriously, of getting on our soap boxes, of judging the world and putting everyone else straight?

Can’t we just be ourselves and have [...]]]> I want to talk to you ladies for a bit (O.K. men, you can read it too)!

Aren’t we TIRED yet? Aren’t we so freaking tired of taking ourselves too seriously, of getting on our soap boxes, of judging the world and putting everyone else straight?

Can’t we just be ourselves and have some FUN for crying out loud (and crying in the bathroom at the restaurant, and crying while our partner is trying to fall asleep, and crying as we make eggs in the morning because deep down we are simply miserable)?

Time to Loosen Up Ladies!

FUN!  It’s the meds of life!  FUN! It’s the icing on the cake we think we are not supposed to  have!  FUN! FUN FUN!

NO, I don’t mean you have to rent a convertible and hike your skirt up several inches (although that might be a possibility if that’s your thing), but you can start with not taking yourself so seriously!

You can start with not thinking EVERYTHNG falls on YOUR shoulders, or not insisting that you have to take care of it ALL!  You can start by loosening your grip, unscrewing your mental tension-rod, and taking a breath of fresh air for once. You can have some fun by letting your beautiful hair down for cripes sake (and there’s no excuses—short hair can be fluffed)!

DECIDE!

When was the last time you DECIDED to be TRULY happy for someone else? Huh? Try it. It is all part of not taking yourself too seriously. OH, what’s that? You CAN’T do that?

Do you REALLY want to let go of the heavy burdens, or not? Do you REALLY want to lighten up and be happy instead of PRETENDING to be happy while your misery drips around inside your brain? Of course you do. So just do it!

Today I posted on the blog of a competitor. Her post was good–really good, so I told her and her online world that I thought so. I did not hold back. I gave her a thumbs up because she deserved it. I know there are many other great peeps and business owners out there. I can enjoy them and it won’t hurt me one bit. It will actually help me!

I recently tweeted about something hilarious someone said online. It was a woman who is doing a project that is very similar to a project I am working on. So stinking what! So WHAT! She was hilarious, and I LOVED it. She said something so great and so funny, so I shared it. I love this lady. She is talented and she has a message for others. Who am I to stop up the flow of  goodness? The more goodness the merrier, I say!

Don’t take YOU too seriously. LAUGH! SHARE! Be HAPPY for OTHERS!

There is SOOOOOOOOO much pie to go around, so much so that all of us (competitors, rivals, siblings, enemies and all) could sit in a room together and share pie after pie after pie as we become loving friends and laugh at each other’s jokes, and there would still be enough pie for many, many more peeps. So lighten up! It’s O.K. to be really happy for the success of other pie-eating maniacs like yourself.

What Else?

Do MORE of what you love. Do less of what you despise and dread. Do something you used to do but haven’t done in a long while. Do whatever the heck you feel like doing for one day, or one hour. Jump in the tub with your clothes on, or when everyone leaves the house, jump naked into the living room and do some Jumba. Just get OVER YOURSELF!

Do something wonderful for someone else that you don’t feel THE LEAST bit obligated to do, and do it with no strings. Do something that makes you laugh or fills your heart with total joy. Do something just because you can!

This is IT!

THIS, THIS, THIS is the life!

This is THE life!

This is the LIFE!

This is the ONE life you get that you KNOW for SURE that you get.

Don’t waste it being an uptight, unhappy critical person who wishes she were not that way.

We ALL Have Moments!

HEY! There are times when every one of us is tempted to be ugly, unhappy, jealous, competitive, uptight, controlling, mean, whatever. So didly what? SO WHAT? You just don’t have to make a life out of it!

Temptation is one thing. INTENTION is another. As soon as that ugly thought comes, align with what you really want for your life. Align with a better intention, an intention to be happy yourself and happy for others, no matter what!

Lighten up! Give it up. Have some FUN. Let go of control so you can really ENJOY!

Now go have a belly laugh or at the very least, one less headache or ulcer, and remember, LAUGHTER is the medicine of life!

I love ya!

Margo

If you’re out there growing, learning, and improving, you have likely come upon the topic of INTENTION. [...]]]> Let your intentions be good – embodied in good thoughts, cheerful words, and unselfish deeds – and the world will be to you a bright and happy place in which to work and play and serve.  ~Grenville Kleiser

If you’re out there growing, learning, and improving, you have likely come upon the topic of INTENTION. Often the word pops up in conversations relating to getting what you want in life by setting an intention to have a particular “thing” or “happening” show up for you. In such discussions, intention is usually tied to someone else’s definition of “success”, or at least the idea that reaching success has a great deal to do with possessions, money and wealth.

I believe that when you are HAPPY, you are SUCCESSFUL. Now, what makes you HAPPY is another discussion entirely, but as human beings with great potential for depth and purpose, it is not likely we will ever be HAPPY, and therefore successful, without setting the right intentions in our lives, no matter how much money or wealth we accumulate.

This is why I know the CORRECT concept of INTENTION must be addressed and embraced if we want to be fulfilled in life. So today, let’s look at the concept of INTENTION a bit differently than you may have looked at it in the past.

According to the online Merriam Webster Dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intention), the definition of INTENTION is:

1: a determination to act in a certain way
2: significance
3: what one intends to do or bring about

These are three great definitions, but the first is of primary importance, because without a determination to act in a certain way (one that is authentic to you AND good towards others), you will likely bring about what you DO NOT WANT in your life instead of what you do.

Intention is a Law of Motives and Related Outcomes!

Your intentions determine your outcomes. Your intention IS what creates the effect. What you put into life comes out. How you treat yourself and others determines your happiness. What you are thinking, wishing, believing, holding to, and intending (being motivated toward) in all of life’s scenarios will determine what you get in your life (what you experience).

Intention is not about eyeballing something and setting your mind to getting it. It has nothing to do with material things. Intention is about acting in a right way AND with good MOTIVES (or MOTIVATION) in life’s situations. Right intention brings happiness and success.

You can act in a “wrong” way and get undesirable results, and you can also act in a “right” way but with wrong motives and still get an undesirable result.

Just because we go to the right workshops, follow the right marketing strategies, have clever success goals, join the right mastermind groups, and gain plenty of money, does not mean we interact, act, and respond from good intentions or motives, and with the Law of Intention, your motives count!

Rotten Motives

You know what I mean! Have you ever done the right thing but with a rotten motive, or done the right thing but with unkind feelings in your heart as you did? Let’s say hypothetically you are asked to introduce the speaker at an event, but this is a person you are jealous of. You know introducing her will make you look good, so you accept the challenge, and with a smile on your face in front of others, and at the same time with jealousy and ill-will in your thoughts, you introduce her, and you secretly hope that she messes up during her speech. You think you acted right by your career and you think this will help you gain success, but the Law of Intention says otherwise. This behavior and motivation will NEVER bring you to your authentic self, and will never lead to your happiness (success), no matter how much your career explodes!

A better way is to take a moment before the introduction and get your intention and motives right. Speak to yourself that holding these feelings is detrimental to your happiness and will work against you being your full, authentic self. Once you align with good intention, you are open to happiness and true success.

You Have More Power Than You Know!

If you knew how powerful and creative you really are, I think you would never fear or stress again!  You would never be jealous or worry about what others think of you, and you would jump boldly out of bed each morning just so you can live another day being fully authentic, fully YOU. You would be happy, really happy. This is true empowerment, which comes to you in large part through the gift of intention.

Your Happiness Level Today is from Your Intentions!

Everything we have, are, do, experience, and become goes back to intention. The results you see in your life right now are directly tied to the actions and motives that you have put out there. If you are frustrated, annoyed, jealous, resentful, stuck in emotional pain, keeping company with contentious, unhappy, negative people, it is because you have set that intention in your life, and focused on the wrong things. Perhaps you have set the cart before the horse and sought material success without aligning your intentions first, thinking that would make you happy. It won’t!

It’s sobering, I know, but it is also the best news you have ever heard! It means you can re-set your intentions starting now!

My Power to be Intentional

When I think about my own power to be intentional, it’s not to manipulate some big “cosmic waitress” to get me what I want, or to conjure up and collect a bunch of material things (although I do enjoy material things).

For me being intentional is about who I am at my core, and what kind of person I want to “be” in every moment and every area of my life. My power to be intentional is more about living a truth that makes me feel alive and connected to life, to self, and to others everyday. Raking in piles of money can’t hold a candle to that kind of net worth. Intention to me means I meet the world with kindness and gentleness, with no intent to harm or undermine the success of others. Just the opposite! I want to fully support and serve others so they can live their authentic lives too! What a grand trip that is!

Not Always Easy, So Here’s What to do:

Having good intention is not always easy, and staying aligned takes awareness and determination. Of course there are times we will feel annoyed, defensive, fearful, or envious, and it is easy to react.

Here’s a simple formula to help you practice good intention. In every moment, and particularly in those moments when we are tempted to react from our raw feelings, we need to:

1. Be Courageous

Have courage to look inside, to look outward, to not be swayed, to not live in ego, to not abuse or misuse your authority, and to always be kind to others!  Be brave enough to listen to YOUR heart, to live YOUR truth when it’s not cool or popular, to say no to the rat-race, to define success on YOUR terms, and to be utterly authentic!

It takes courage to walk YOUR path and to help others! Yet there is no other way to happiness!

2. Be Aware

Live your life as an active participant, but at the same time as an astute observer. Don’t be so caught up in your emotions and so tied to every circumstance that you lose your objectivity and your ability to be fully aware.

3. Allow Space to Align with Desirable Intentions

Don’t ever act on something without giving yourself the space to consider your intention before acting or reacting.  When someone accuses, annoys, or offends you, or when you want to react negatively to something, give yourself some space between what just happened and your reaction to it. You may need four seconds, twenty seconds or more, but give yourself that space to align with good intentions.

It may feel awkward, uncomfortable, or painful to take that space, but if you don’t, the consequences of reacting will be even more painful.

I once had a family member get mad at me for taking about ten seconds before I reacted to them. I needed this space so I could align and be in a more loving mindset, but this person wanted me to react. When I didn’t take the bait they got very angry and accused me of bad motives, but my motives were actually to be more loving! Can you imagine how angry they would have been if I had just reacted?

Even if people around you are up in arms, give yourself that space. If you don’t, you will say things that hurt and speak from wrong intentions, which will attract more undesirable results.

4. Act with Authentic Intention

So much of what we “want” is really what we think we need to be happy, but what makes for happiness is living a fully authentic life that resonates in the heart.

Ego is all about “me”.  Authentic living is about aligning with good intention, showing kindness, enjoying simple abundance, and respecting the gifts and lives of others.

When you are in a good place, get still and set your life intentions. These have to do with how you treat others and how you live in the world. Decide in advance the person you want to be.  Then, in life’s happenings and circumstances, with space allowed, you can act from the most loving, caring place, from the intention that will result in your very best life!

Have a Wildly Intentional Week!

Margo

I’ve done a lot of business talks over the past 20 years [...]]]> As a Business & Lifestyle Empowerment Coach, with a background in interior design, I see the tremendous value in creating workplace environments that empower us and help us to focus, feel calm and happy, and allow us to be clear and productive.

I’ve done a lot of business talks over the past 20 years on creating interior environments for peak productivity. When I do, even the most successful and distinguished entrepreneurs and CEO types perk up and listen because it’s a topic that really matters! A great environment can be a game changer, and can motivate us and drive us to positive action.

In particular, whenever I do a speech or write an article on the topic of color, I get a tremendous response. Most of us have a lot of questions and even become a little anxious when choosing colors for our home and workplace interiors (paint, furniture, fabrics, window treatments, or accessories). The color anxiety doesn’t stop there. Sometimes in our businesses and jobs we can stress out when we have to choose colors for marketing materials such as logos, e-book covers, websites & sales pages, and promotional materials.

Choosing colors for your workplace and home environments and for your marketing projects doesn’t have to be a shot in the dark. Although color is often chosen strictly on what appeals to an individual personally, deliberate choices can serve to improve the quality of your life and work, and can even help you towards achieving important goals (for example being more creative, staying calm, or selling a particular product).

We know that colors affect us emotionally and physically, consciously and unconsciously. In addition, there are certain common stereotypes and associations attached to specific colors. Some come from our own experiences, and some are conditioned by society. Some are common among all classes of people, while others are very personal. Although the interpretation of colors can be very subjective depending on the one interpreting, colors hold deep meanings to each of us. Color associations are not necessarily right or wrong, they are just our associations.

Having a basic understanding of the meaning and common associations related to general colors will help you make better decisions, regardless of whether those decisions involve your environment or your marketing!

Following are some of the general associations and meanings people have historically given to specific colors in American society. I have also listed some general physiological responses the body has to certain colors, based on scientific research.

Blue

Blue is associated with peace, safety, tranquility, recreation, and calm. It symbolizes loyalty, trust, and productivity. It represents justice, strength, and perseverance. It is also associated with public servants and service (uniforms). Pale blue is associated with insecurity and introspection, as well as imagination. It causes the body to produce chemicals that are calming. It can increase productivity and sometimes even physical strength. Of all the colors, blue is the one most likely to produce the lowest pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and eye blink frequency. Blue is relaxing to the body. If overused, this color can be depressing and a bit cold. It is the least appetizing (blue food is a turn off).

Purple

Purple is associated with royalty dignity, and wealth. It is theatrical, majestic, magical, sophisticated, serious, intellectual, romantic, and spiritual. It can be considered artificial and decadent, especially when overused. Lighter shades reflect sweetness, innocence, imagination, femininity, and a love for the aesthetic. It reduces hunger. It helps develop the imagination in children. It stimulates the bones, spleen, and upper brain. It depresses heart muscles and motor nerves. It can be calming in cases of mental illness. It helps to maintain ionic balance and increases the power of meditation.

Green

Green is also associated with being calm and safe, as well as friendly and comfortable. It is used in hospitals to relax patients. It represents order, frankness, honesty, and practicality. Dark green is conservative and solid and is associated with wealth, security, success, tenacity, and good judgment. Lighter greens represent youth, new growth, and inexperience. Green can be associated with money in general (don’t wear a green suit if you are a salesman since it can makes you come off as greedy). Green is physically easy on the eyes compared to all other colors and can actually improve vision. It is calming and refreshing to the mind. It helps build tissue cells like muscle and bone. It relieves tension, lowers the blood pressure, dilates the capillaries, produces a feeling of warmth, stimulates the pituitary, and helps even out the emotions. Green acts as a hypnotic upon the sympathetic nervous system. Vibrations of green can disinfect certain germs as well as bacteria and viruses.

Black

Black is associated with power and authority, as well as violence. It is sleek and sophisticated, and the color of drama. It enlivens other colors. In small quantities it stimulates. In large quantities it is oppressive. It is also the color of submission and mourning. It can quickly bring on a feeling of depression if used in large amounts. It is a great accent color.

White

White symbolizes purity, innocence, light, crispness, and coolness. It represents sterility, cleanliness, sharpness, and openness. It causes a lower pulse rate, blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and eye blink frequency than almost all colors except blue.

Red

Red is associated with arousal, anger, aggression, passion, love, mental energy, control, excitability, as well as danger. It also represents valor and courage. The richer the red (dark or dull), the more respected and sophisticated. Rich red also denotes compassion. Adrenaline is released in the presence of red. It stimulates appetite, heightens the sense of smell, raises the pulse, and increases blood pressure, respiration, and heart rate. It is highly visible and causes an increase in eye blink frequency.

Pink

Pink is associated with fun, music, celebration, and excitement. Lighter shades are associated with sweetness and can be calming. Very pale pink is sometimes associated with lethargy—mental and sometimes physical loss of energy.

Orange

Orange is associated with excitement and fulfillment of the senses, affection, radiance, and heat. It is warm, stimulating, friendly, lively, and inviting. It also denotes commonality, comfort, and a sense of home. Deep oranges are associated with dependability, the earth, and harvest as well as strength and rich beauty. Rich shades are also associated with wealth and fame, and lighter hues represent comfort and the relieving of stress. Orange increases appetite, induces relaxation, slows down the rates of blood flow, increases the potential for sleep, stimulates the thyroid glands, depresses the parathyroid, increases the pulse rate, but does not effect the blood pressure. It helps assimilation and circulation and helps relieve muscle cramps.

Gold

Gold is associated with affluence, prestige, power, wealth, distinction, and thirst.

Yellow

Yellow, in its rich true form, is the sunny color of happiness, cheerfulness, optimism, energy, and life. It represents renewal, intensity, talkativeness, prestige, love, and intellectual stimulation. It is associated with warning. Paler shades denote intelligence, wisdom, enlightenment, goodness, freshness, inexperience, youth, happiness, cleanliness, and clarity. Vision takes place relatively quickly in the presence of yellow compared to other colors. It is hard on the eyes (use in moderation), speeds metabolism, and can make us emotionally uneasy and argumentative. Paler shades enhance concentration and clear thinking (yellow note pads). Yellow rooms cause babies to cry more often, and cause allergies to flare up more frequently in people of all ages.

Brown

Brown is associated with the earth. It implies sincerity and genuineness, and being solid and reliable. It reduces irritability and mental tension, promotes the synthesis of serotonin (a neurotransmitter), eliminates chronic fatigue, stimulates the formation of prostaglandin E1 (which has many functions and it factors into the actions for the womb, brain, lungs, and kidneys), and increases tryptophan amino acid levels that influence sleep, migraine, immunity and moods.

Now you have a better understanding of color meanings and common color associations. Going forward, allow color to truly serve you in your home and in your work by choosing it with a specific intent or purpose in mind.

This week, as promised, I want to address the concept of FOCUS in terms of Your Energy and Thinking (so [...]]]> When I chased after money, I never had enough. When I got my life on purpose and focused on giving of myself and everything that arrived into my life, then I was prosperous.   ~Wayne Dyer

This week, as promised, I want to address the concept of FOCUS in terms of Your Energy and Thinking (so you attract what you want into your life)!

You may not see a direct connection between what I address this week and what will bring more profits into your business, but believe me there is a connection, and at the very least, how we live each day, whether we make money or not, matters enormously!

We all want to build a great business, but we are not guaranteed tomorrow, so make today and everyday count for more than just money and wealth!

I want to begin by asking you three very important questions (answer them TO YOURSELF very honestly. They are for your reflection over the next weeks or even months, as I will not attempt to answer them here):

1. What matters to you most?
2. What do you spend most of your energy thinking about?
3. Is what matters to you most the same thing as what you spend most of your time and energy thinking about?

Personally, I decided long ago (and still live by this mission) that my FOCUS in life is to uplift and inspire others, to help and to give, and to enjoy every moment of my life. I am still a student and still learning everyday, but I am getting better at it.

I have been through times of wonderful abundance in my life and business, and like every business owner, I have also experienced tough times where sales were not nearly where they needed to be, but I have ALWAYS been wealthy!

A mind that is FOCUSED on true abundance is a mind that will more easily attract material riches because the focus is on contribution to life and to people. With an abundant mindset you engage in business from a position of strength, and so much more than money is exchanged, and society is all the better for it.

In your business (and your life) quit stressing over how much you make or don’t make, and stop trying to do everything. Instead, PLUG in and FOCU. Find the gift that makes you come alive and makes you connect sincerely and authentically with other people. Do more of that and COMBINE it with the right MENTAL FOCUS, and you will be rich starting tomorrow!

Here are 10 truths to reflect on this week to quickly change your life and business for the better:

1. All thoughts are energy. Some thoughts are positive and some are negative, but all thoughts are a form of energy. Energy attracts like energy. The energy you focus on and allow to hang around in your mind (and essentially your body) will attract more of that same kind of energy. If your thoughts (and words) are positive, you will get more of that. If you are fearful and negative you will get more of that. Negative energy holds us in mediocrity, makes us feel bad, makes us sick, makes others not want to be around us, and keeps us stuck. Every thought you dwell on is energy that drives action and produces some kind of result in your life. Whether the results are positive or negative will depend largely on where your thoughts are focused.

2. A lifestyle of abundance is not about money but about seeing and appreciating what you have. If your focus is on material “goods” (grabbing more money, things, fame and success) instead of on spiritual “good” (being at peace, being thankful for what you have now, making real connections, noticing the blessings and people that make life worth living), then when or if you do get the material goods, you will likely not fully enjoy them. Take some time to think about why you desire more money in the first place and what it is you think money will give you in terms of how you will feel and “be” in the world, then decide to live those feelings now! In each moment, be aware and focused on what life is really all about, and see and take notice of the abundance you have now!

3. You attract more of what you focus on. A mind focused on abundance will say “I have” rather than “I don’t have”.  An abundant mind will also be happy for the success of others because it means success IS possible! It is all about FOCUS, and you get what you focus on! If you FOCUS on negative, “not enough for all” thoughts like being angry over another’s success, you get lack. If you FOCUS on being happy for others, you become part of that abundant energy! When you focus your thoughts on what you love, what you do have, and you are glad for the goodness that has come to others, more can come to you, and that means more that you can share with others!

4. You are a creator and what you choose to focus on creates the life you live each day. From a spiritual perspective, simple abundances (a kiss on the cheek from a child, a cup of coffee shared in peace with your partner, helping a client overcome a crippling belief, sitting beside a friend who is sick and who is comforted by your presence) are just as meaningful, and often more so, than what we often think of as profound abundances, such as a new home, a vacation in Hawaii, or a membership to the country club.

5. You are responsible for the energy (good or bad) that you allow in your life. You are also responsible for the energy (good or bad) that you bring to others.  Finally, if your energy is getting sucked out or drained by others, you have allowed that because you have not set proper limits (then you likely obsess over the people and things that drain you). If your friends, business associates, colleagues, or the people you date drain you, add drama to your life, or cause you to stumble and lose focus, walk away if you can or limit your exposure to them. Be responsible for your energy at all times!

6. Don’t expect a successful business to be the big goal of life! Of course we want to succeed in business and in our careers, but we know that building a successful business takes TIME. Yet, we are not guaranteed another day. What we do have now though is this moment, so in this moment focus on thoughts that are good and profitable, and not simply in a money sort of way!

7. Focusing on fear is a selfish and controlling act! Fear is about YOU, and it means you are still trying to be in control. YOU always being in control takes from the lives of others. Faith and belief are ways of letting go of control and trusting the natural process of abundance. The good news is that each fear that crops up holds a hidden desire at its root, and that desire is likely something pure and good, so FOCUS on that desire. If your fear is that you think you cannot pay your bills, your true desire is that you want to provide a good lifestyle for yourself and your family. Change the focus away from you and towards the bigger world that also includes others! FOCUS your thoughts on that good desire (with thankfulness)!

8. Practice gratitude. Each night write down 5 things you are thankful for from that day (they can be big or small). This gets your focus on being thankful. Also, begin EVERY event, interaction, meeting, transaction, appointment, activity, and encounter with thankfulness and with expectancy (of a good AND specific thing).

9. Appreciate your success at every stage. Be grateful for where you are at all times by accepting and loving what is as you look forward to greater success along the path. Focus less on striving to produce the physical project, event, or object and focus more on the abundance that is the foundation.

10. Sometimes you have to STOP, RE-FOCUS, and put things into perspective. Living a FOCUSED, happy, and abundant life, and running a profitable business doesn’t just happen. You must purpose it into existence. This starts with each intention and each thought everyday, but the reality is we have a lot on our plates (hopefully we are fixing some of that now). Business and life can get really crazy sometimes. You will get off track on occasion. When you notice it, just stop and re-orient yourself and focus on what really matters most!
An abundant and happy life is ALL about where you FOCUS!

Margo

I spent several days last week considering [...]]]> That’s been one of my mantras – focus & simplicity. Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains. ~Steve Jobs

I spent several days last week considering where my focus should be right now in terms of my marketing efforts. I thought about quite a few things I would like to promote since I have a lot of products, events, and courses. Each one is exceptional and offers tremendous value to my clients, so I want everyone to know about all of them.

The trouble is, if I tried to promote all of them at once, or several of them within a small time frame, the message of each one, no matter how good, would get watered down. As a result, less people would benefit because without focus and a concentrated message, fewer people would discover or understand clearly what I am offering!

My Best Successes

In my business, the times I focused on marketing a single product or event for a designated time frame were the times I had the best returns and the most success (80/20 rule).

In YOUR business, if you want to make significant sales and introduce many people to the products and services you know will really help them, you have to FOCUS, and by focus I mean focus on marketing just one thing at a time and leave the others for a later date (I know it hurts to read that)!

One Thing at a Time, Just for a Time!

If you are like me, you have many interest areas and many skills, and you want to move within your business with true, authentic power, and be fully who you are in all areas. What you have to know though, is that focusing on one thing does not mean you have to give up anything! You don’t.  You just focus on one thing at a time!  Talk about EMPOWERMENT!

Why Don’t We Focus?

When you have a lot of interests (related or not) it’s easy to want to be involved in all of them at once, so you don’t miss anything, and so others will think of you as a multi-faceted expert.

I think sometimes we are afraid to focus. We fear we will get bored, or we fear someone else will do the thing we set aside for a time, or we fear we will be labeled by what we are focusing on at the time, or we fear focusing will limit us. The alterative though, is to be fragmented and ineffective, with poor results in our marketing, sales, and influence.  Not focusing can leave us confused and frustrated, and often, broke!

Again, having a focus for a time does not mean you drop forever the rest of the things you love. NO. Instead, you do one thing at a time with clarity, simplicity, and power.

Think About an Actor Who Plays Many Roles

Consider an actor who plays an enormous variety of roles over his or her career (or even in a 2-5 year period). What a mess it would be if in just one single year, that actor tried to master all of the skills and take on all of the personas needed for every part he would normally play in his lifetime!  Or what if in a single movie that actor played out all of the roles? There would be no character development at all. It would be a hodgepodge of messages and personalities, none of which would make any sense.  It would be utter confusion for both the actor and the audience.

However, if that same actor took 6 months or one year to develop and refine the skills and the personality of each character, and then played each role one movie at a time, both the audience and the actor would be much more likely to benefit. The audience would attend one movie, and excitedly anticipate the next movie and the next role, knowing they come one at a time!

It’s the same in business. We can have a lot of interests, products, and ideas, but we can only focus on one at a time if we want the quality and the audience connection to be there. We must give each thing enough time to develop. Then we must play it out, and allow our audience time to understand and enjoy it and to look forward to what’s comfortably coming next!

What to Focus on

It’s really not rocket science to know what you should be focusing on RIGHT NOW. Listen to your gut or to that “still, small voice” within you! What’s the one predominant event, product, or idea that keeps coming to your mind over and over and over again, or that comes to your mind and then eventually comes back to your mind in a way that makes you take notice? Or, if you don’t have one of those, what one event, product, or idea has brought you your greatest success (or a good amount of success) in the recent past? Pick one, and focus there (and once you pick, don’t second guess yourself)!

A Challenge for YOU!

Once you discover that one thing that is burning in your heart (or just tapping at your heart’s door), focus on it for 4 weeks, 8 weeks, or 12 weeks, or however long it will take to be productive, effective, or successful with that product, goal or endeavor (and make the decision about “how long” in advance, and then stick to it). You may also want to give yourself a few more weeks (or months) than you think you will need so you can fully capitalize on the project, event, or marketing (or all three if they relate to one thing).

So for example you can promote your newest product or package over the next 2 months. Or take the next 4 months to plan, create, and market your next live event (with related “sneak preview” tele-seminars or online events in the interim).

You create the plan and then take action on it for a predetermined, designated amount of time, with your main focus on that one thing! Once you are successful in that, you can then move on to the next product, promotion, project, program, event, niche, or activity (phew, you see why we have to focus)!

Take it from someone whose brain jumps around like fireworks on the fourth of July, FOCUS is necessary, FOCUS brings clarity, FOCUS empowers, and FOCUS WORKS!

Have a Wild Week of Focus!

Margo