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1. Prioritise – make a ‘must do’ list each day. If it doesn’t need to be done by the time you get into bed tonight, leave it until tomorrow / next week. When you have extra free time, then you can focus on getting ahead.
2. Focus on today –keep your focus on today’s tasks. Worrying about tomorrow or the future is futile and simply distracts you from maximising your efficiency in the present moment.
3. Learn to say no – be realistic about what you can achieve in a day / week. Over scheduling leads to stress, inefficiency and exhaustion which is counter-productive to getting things done.
4. Learn to delegate – you do not have to do everything yourself. Find ways to delegate tasks to AT’s, partners, office assistant, virtual assistant, members.
5. Preserve your greatest asset – YOU – Schedule in breaks and make sure you take time out for yourself. A short break every now and then let’s you refresh and recharge your batteries and helps clear your head.
6. Chunk time – Time chunking has been shown to be an effective time management technique. Time chunking is about setting yourself chunks of time throughout your day to focus on one particular task or set of tasks.
7. Close down or silence distractions– Turn off Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Even checking emails every time you hear the incoming message sound can distract from your efficiency while trying to complete other tasks.

Quite speechless….. but more than anything proud to say I can now add the “Best Selling Author” feather to my cap. WOW! Open, honest, real and inspiring stories by women, for women, all about beliefs and how they have shaped our lives.

There comes a time in life where we start to question the things we have long believed in. Are they our beliefs? Are they ones imposed by others? Do they honour who we really are? How do we change the beliefs that no longer serve us? These and many more questions have been answered by 25 amazing and inspiring women from all over the world.

Until May 12th you can download your FREE copy on Amazon.com

If you’re unhappy that someone else isn’t doing something for you…

If you’re unhappy when someone does something for you but it’s not as you wanted…

If you’re unhappy because someone else isn’t helping you the way you expected…

If you’re unhappy when someone does help you but tells you something you don’t want to hear…

If you’re unhappy because things aren’t working out for you as well as for other people…

If you’re unhappy because others around you don’t seem to be meeting your expectations…

If you’re unhappy that you’re not getting the results you want but you’re still blaming others…

Perhaps it’s time to realise that there is one common theme to all your unhappiness!

Perspective – a particular attitude towards or way of regarding something; a point of view.

Life is full of experiences.

Why is it that the same experience can happen to two different people yet one becomes upset and agitated by the experience while the other sees it as a positive result?

Perspective.

Why can two different people with the same skills and ability look at the same opportunity, and one of them takes the opportunity and makes the most of it while the other passes it by?

Perspective.

Why do some people learn from their mistakes while others simply want to blame others for the same mistake?

Perspective.

Why is it that given the same level of support, one business owner takes advice and rises to the challenge while the other shirks their responsibility and makes dozens of excuses?

Perspective.

You can work towards achieving the things that you want to experience in life but in the end, there are certain things you simply can’t change. It’s not what happens to you that determines the outcome but rather the way in which you view it that matters.

If there’s one thing I’ve learnt about business in the past decade, it’s that doing business is not about the price.

It’s about value.

The customer must feel that the value they are getting is greater or equal to the dollar amount exchanged.

Value is personal and it varies between different people. That’s why some people will become a customer and some will not.

Value is related to the present time only, and at any point in time, value can change, even if the product or service does not.

This is because value is based on need.

To be successful in business, be clear on the value of what you are selling, and then find customers who’s needs are fulfilled by the value of what you are selling.

Learning what it takes to turn your passions into income is tricky. There are a number of different ways to come up new business ideas. Here are six suggestions to get you started:

1. Find your niche – specialise in a crowded market or refine what you have to offer towards a specific demographic.

2. Solve your own problem – it’s highly likely many other people will be looking for the answer to the same problem that you have had to solve.

3. Mash ideas – take two popular ideas and bring them together.

4. Interview people –what are the common problems people are facing?

5. Create a ‘How to…’.

6. Take something complicated and make it easy.

Today’s post is for Sharon.  Thank you for the inspiration Sharon and all the best facing your fear!

Most people are afraid of something.  And that’s ok.  What you do with your fear could cripple you for life or launch you beyond all your wildest dreams.  Fear gets in the way of success.  If you wish to move forward, if you wish to be successful, if you wish to grow, if you wish to be the best version of yourself that you hope to be, if you wish to find your passion and design your best life, you must face your fears.

So what are you afraid of?

Fear of failure? Fear of success? Fear of being exposed as a fraud? Fear of being hurt? Fear of being abandoned? Fear of not being good enough? Fear of not being able to live up to expectations? Fear of heights? Fear of enclosed spaces? Fear of being rejected? Fear of hard work? Fear of not making the right decision? Fear of regret? Fear of criticism?

Your fear has probably established itself through something that has happened to you in your life.  Whatever that thing was, it was obviously very valid in your mind at the time and therefore, the fear was real.  In the past, the fear served to protect you from something.  You may believe it’s still serving its purpose.  But what if you are stronger now? What if you now have the tools to face your fear and overcome it?  What if you have reached a point in your life where you now have the skills to be better than your fear?  What if you could do it?

Could you try?  How would you try?

If you are ready to face your fear, here are some steps you can take:

1. You must analyse the fear and acknowledge it.  Where did it come from?  What purpose did it serve me in the past?  Do I still need to be protected from that?  Can it still hurt me?

2. You must try and face your fear.  Start with small steps.  Small exposure to your fear gradually desensitises you to it and the more you see that it can’t hurt you anymore, the stronger you become against it.  When you feel strong enough, face your fear head on.

3. Step outside of your fear and rationalise it.  See your fear through the eyes of someone who is not afraid.

4. Seek support from friends, family, support networks dealing with your fear, depending on what it is there is likely to be a huge army of people you can surround yourself with to help.

5. Keep taking small steps.  If your fear has taken a lifetime to develop and establish itself, it’s not going to go away in an instant.  But by taking one small step every day, you will eventually see massive progress and who knows what the future may hold for you, sans fear.

One of my favourite radio segments at the moment is one delivered by two guys called Will and Woody on 101.9 FoxFM in Melbourne. It’s a segment where they celebrate the smallest and silliest “Fist Pump moments” in your day.  Fist Pump moments are of course any small, usually insignificant moments in your day where you have cause to ‘pump your fist’ in celebration.
Callers call in with moments such as – “I was sitting at my desk, I had a piece of paper to throw in the bin.  I decided to take a shot at the bin from my desk and from about 3 metres away I sunk the shot!”

Will and Woody then take great delight in playing the song ‘You’re the best around’ by Joe Esposito, the theme song from The Karate Kid movie.

I love it because it forces people to think about the small victories, about the positive moments and encourages people to be grateful for the little things.  I think we should all celebrate our daily ‘Fist pump moments’.  And the next time you have a fist pump moment to celebrate, I want you to play this song in your head.  It’s annoyingly catchy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fWvub_WBho

Hands up if you have ever started something with a clear goal of what you wanted to achieve, but then you’ve given up because it all got a bit too hard or the prospect of reaching your goal seemed too far away?

What if success was just one step beyond the point in which you chose to give up? 

How could you know success wasn’t possible? How will ever you ever know what you missed out on? The problem is you will never know.  Each time you choose to give up on something, you will never know what is beyond that next step.  You will never know what you are potentially missing out on.  That’s what potential means… It’s the promise of something, the prospect of achieving more. But unless you choose to keep trying, to never give up, to persevere, you will never know.

Personally, I believe success is found within the effort to achieve something as much as, sometimes more so than the end result.  What is your definition of success when embarking on a goal?  Is success in only achieving the ultimate end result or could success mean growing and learning new skills along the way?

Is success a destination or a journey?

These are some critical things to think about when you set yourself your next goal.  How will you measure how you’re going?  How will you decide if and when you are no longer successful?  Will you rely on your own judgment or will you take advice from others?

I am purposefully asking questions and not giving you answers because frankly I can’t answer these questions for you.  You may not know it yet, but you actually have these answers already.  My job is to ask you the hard questions so that you can find the answers within yourself.  Each person is different and every situation and every opportunity for growth for each person will require a different assessment.

The next time you set yourself a goal, no matter how big or small and if you reach a point where you feel like giving up, ask yourself “What if success is just one step further away?”

Here are some words I encourage you to get familiar with –  Persistence, momentum, determination, courage.

I’d love to hear your stories of when you’ve achieved success after persisting through a challenge even though you felt like you wanted to give up.

What would you do today if you didn’t have to worry about money, time or getting leave from work?

If cost wasn’t an issue, what would you do?

If time wasn’t an issue and you didn’t have to worry about when or how long it would take, what would be your ideal day / weekend?

If you were given paid leave from work immediately and given the week off, how would you like to spend the week?

These things are of course unrealistic for the majority of us but this kind of thinking is extremely powerful in starting to understand what is important to you. It’s ok to dream sometimes. It’s actually a good way to learn things about yourself and to start to get a better insight into your values. These things are the foundations for finding your passion in life!

What would I do? I would grab my kids and go to Disneyland!

**update – In September 2014, I had the opportunity to fulfil my dream of taking my kids to the USA including Disneyland and New York.  We had a ball!