www.youtube.com/watch?v=4C12s0HlRQo

My inspiration came after a friend reached out to me on facebook. She had a baby in all her photos, so naturally my mind raced to, “What the heck? Who is this little person? When did this happen?” Surely, not that much time had passed since we worked together. Wow, guess so…two years apparently, and her little Lily is nine months old this week.

It made me consider all the newborns around me at the moment. I’ve reached the age where my girlfriend’s daughters are having babies. Deanna’s grandson, Bradley, was born just hours ago, and I held Lisa’s three-month old grandson, Marcus, just last night.

What’s really exciting is they are our future entrepreneurs. They will grow up knowing they can fulfill their potential…simply because it is their desire. How fabulous is that?

They will hit the ground running. One of these babies could go to a place in space and time we’ve yet to glimpse into. They will create things even our older children cannot conceive of.  It is not ours to know. It is for these future entrepreneurs, teachers, inventors, and creators.

We can only set the stage for them, and teach them things our educational system and our society failed to teach us. We now know better than to lean on tired, worn-out excuses. The choices we make today impact the world our future entrepreneurs will inherit.  We have advanced enough to fully realize we must be responsibile for our own selves, our actions, our planet, and our babies’ future well-being.

Fortunately, these little blessed bundles arrive to us innocent, sweet, and all-knowing.  We believe they came through us with everything yet to learn. They know more than we do.

What gifts have they come into this world knowing they will teach and share with the rest of humanity?

What will they be doing 20 years from now that we will be amazed, and so proud of their accomplishments? We will incredulously respond by saying, “Wow, isn’t it remarkable what these kids can do these days?” (Yes, shockingly, we will speak like that because, well, we’ll be 20 years older, too. Personally, I plan to be 74 years young! Yay.)

How grateful we are right now to be blessed with these joyful infant souls in our lives.  Consider how free they are, and know the only thing infant about them is their size.

You may watch one beautiful infant make his entrance into this world. His mom, Nancy, is a bold, young lady who I had the good fortune to sit beside for a whole day. This was only two weeks ago at a conference in LA. Nancy shares her experience and coaches other moms who want to have a natural childbirth. It had been so many years since I held a baby, and it was pure bliss.

Imagine how much more powerful these newborns will become…as they take their rightful place at the center of their world as deliberate creators…ah, our future entrepreneurs. Today, they melt our hearts. Tomorrow they will rule their universe.

There was a 50/20 rule mentioned in an earlier blog on here, which I’ve since discovered it is called the 50-minute focus technique, and credit goes to marketing guru, Dean Jackson.

Do you ever wonder about coincidences in the timing of events? You pick up the cellphone to call, email, text, or even twitter someone, only to realize your friend, or business colleague, was just thinking about you.

Imagine you are so connected to others that your energetic thought waves produce a vibration within your emotional system, and that energy transcends time and space as you know it on an intellectual level. You are a telepathic being, and rather than it being a coincidence, it is an intricately designed system of communication. As with the phone call, you were literally on the same wave length as your friend or colleague.

When you set your intention to attract your ideal clients, friends, and colleagues to you, you are deliberately creating your life. You are calling forth those people who you resonate with you on a deep level, and the events that seemingly make your life effortless. The resources show up. You meet a business person who becomes your best buddy, your co-author, or your mentor. They are the people whom you text in the same moment they text you.

I wrote previously about creating a list of your life goals…it could possibly be the most critical list you ever write. As an entrepreneur, there are many distractions in your every day. Your list of must-do items throughout your life keep you focused on your game.

And, damn, this is a game. Your game plan should be filled with moments that make your life matter to you and your family. Your life should be fun. Earning money should be a blast. Going on business trips should be enjoyable. Laughing on family vacations should be a highly sought after activity. Are they on your list?

Do you take the time to go on a real vacation where you vacate your life? No laptop, no cell, no connection to your ‘real’ life back home? You become connected instead to this glorious being inside you that sees the beauty in the distance, the mountains you never imagined would be there, the sunset, the sunrise. You become intimate again with your Self, and your loved ones, who share this remarkable space with you. This, my friend, is your ‘real’ life. These are the moments that matter. The ones where you see the grandness of life, and the beauty before you…the wild kingdom, the vastness of the ocean, and the most incredible perfect little moments that marks the memories as you reflect upon your life.

May your moment by moment be blissful. This includes the work you do as an entrepreneur. Create the events in your life, and be found in play, not lost in work.

What are your top 10 goals that you’d like to achieve between now and the end of your life? Please comment below.

Alternatively, you simply don’t know you have the opportunity to seize hold of your life, or don’t know how to get it, and life happens to you. 

My friend, choose to be the creator of your life, and let 2012 rock for you. 

WHY?

As a coach and entrepreneur, I have my own awesome coach. He keeps me on track, helps me clarify my business values and goals, and brings me back to the crucial question: WHY? When I look back at the end of my life, who do I want to be? What I do I want to do? What do I want to have? Why do I want these things? When we can answer these tough questions, we gain clarity, and the clearer we are about ourselves, the better we can serve others. I’m here to do ask the same questions of you.

Dream Big.

Step 1 – Allocate time to design your life
You are about to design your life, so make a plan, and take action. This takes a couple of hours, so you may want to set aside two hours in your schedule. Imagine what your life can look like at the end of your life, because you took this challenge and you took inspired action. It took me about an hour to think about my lifetime dreams and write down what I wanted to be, do and have. And then another hour to finish the process.

Step 2 – Write Your Lifetime Goals
Write a list of what you want to be, do, and have in your lifetime. Yes, that’s your lifetime. Think about it. What do you want to accomplish by the end of your life? Dream big.

The first time I went through this process, I wrote a story. As any good coach would do, I was sent back to my iPad to create a list…a very long list.

Why a list works best.

1. Once you start jotting down what you want to do, be, and have in your lifetime, the ideas flow.

2. Later you can group ideas together that are related to your relationships, life work, and health and wellness. Wait until you see all of the things that will become your personal accomplishments. You will be so excited.

3. It’s easier to see your amazing list when you put it up on your bulletin later, and be inspired.

4. It’s a simple copy and paste process when you create your lists for year three and one.  

Add Clarity

Step 3 – Three Year Goals
Yup you got it. Create a list for where you want to be three years from now. As your future becomes closer, you become clearer. This should be quick as everything is on your first list. You may find things pop into your head, so add them to both lists…your three year list and your lifetime goals.

Step 4 – What do you want to be, do, have this year?
Repeat the process for what you want to accomplish this year. Again, add in any new ideas you have to all three lists.  

Step 5 – Immediate Focus
Now, what are you going to do immediately: this month, week, today?
What can you focus on right now that will help you get from where you are today to where you want to be at the end of your lifetime? Keep writing.

Take Inspired Action

End your day by celebrating your wins, big wins and small ones, too!  Write your top six tasks to accomplish tomorrow on an Action Sheet. You will wake up tomorrow morning ready to take inspired action.

Wake up declaring ‘I love my life’.

When you wake up in the morning, throw your hands up in the air and declare, ‘I love my life’. Trust me, it’s an amazing way to start your day.

Even though I just started my list on Friday, my end date is still December 12, 2012. Once you have gone through this process, the following year will be a breeze. Celebrate your accomplishments, and add new goals into your timelines.

New to my one-year list today…I want to have ‘a Mac BookPro’. DONE (as in added to my list…not delivered to my door)

I jumped up and down and practically kissed the FedEx guy when he delivered my laptop today. He was laughing and my new client on the phone was practically as excited as I was. Yahoo!!  Four weeks to the day from when I left my Mac Book Pro in the gray bin at LAX. They really do find the stuff we leave find, and return it to use. As I put my iPad down and do all the work that couldn’t be done, I am so grateful to all the people that played a hand in its safe return.

Day 4 and still no word about my laptop left in LAX security.  It was a holiday Monday, Martin Luthur King Jr. Day. I’m hoping that’s why it’s taking so long to hear back. As an Entrepreneur, can you imagine how long that would feel? Three days without your computer would feel like three weeks, don’t you think? It does for me.

Why is the popular silver Mac the exact same colour as those bins? Does this occur to you every time you travel, as it does to me? As a Business Attraction Coach I can only chuckle, send my request out for its return, and know it will find its way back to me.  My Fellow Traveler be aware!

I know it’s there. Someone else, who later saw me at customs in Vancouver, Canada, heard my name being paged back in LAX. Did you know there’s a special phone number to call…just for laptops left behind in security? The amazing crew on WestJet did everything they could to track it down, although information can only be released to the owner. Having a number to call, their heart-felt sympathy and suggestions, gave me hope.

As you can imagine, I spent the first couple of days recovering, not only from shock and inertia without a computer, but from participating in two intense conferences in LA over 11 days. This “downtime” turned into a blessing, as I absorbed my latest experience on the support squad at Click and Be Free’s ‘Ultimate Membership Site Seminar’.

Finally, waking up energized and realizing this was a great opportunity to jump back into the game challenged…I took advantage of the time to write out my life goals, clean up my office, clear out my file cabinet to create space for new files for my ideal clients, and start to write my new book. Who knew a day without a computer could be so productive.

2012 is going to be an awesome year…do you feel it too?

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Day 9 without my laptop. Working from an iPad, and I’ll remind you it is version 1, is better than having nothing to work from, so I’ll count my blessings. I am discovering little tricks, like tapping the shift key twice…it locks in the uppercase key. And after twice deleting a long message in Notes, I searched and discovered you can shake the iPad and the undo selection appears. It works in other applications too. Magically the whole message came back. That’s about the only magical thing about this…so far.

While on a coaching call the other day, my client asked me if I’d received my laptop back yet. My response, as you can guess, was no, although I had put a command out to the Universal Manager to find my MAC and return it to me. She asked me by when? I’ve been writing it down on my list and handing it over to the Universe, but totally didn’t think to assign a date. Who knew? Monday, January 30, 2012 is the date FedEx will be knocking on my door with my silver MAC in hand. First thing this highly productive Entrepreneur will do is write to you. Do you think the FedEx guy will be ok with me hugging him?

Friday, January 27, 2012

The expected call came at 1:55pm just 5 minutes before I was heading out the door to go to my son’s hockey tournament inTrail, BC.
I was 30 minutes late in picking him up, although he understood when he received a text reading, ‘Just on phone with LAX, found my MacBook. Will be delayed.’ YAHOO!!! What a great feeling.

January 30, 2012

You cannot work only on an iPad. You must have a real computer to be productive at work at a job or as an entrepreneur.

What I discovered working only on an iPad (since leaving Mac in LA).
- shake the pad to receive command to UNDO
- double tap the shift button to lock in UPPERCASE
- you can easily convert an attachment from email by saving it to Pages, and then you can fill in the form. Learned to do this in order to fill out the form to send to LAX lost and found to get my laptop back!
- tip when working in Pages to add, delete a row or copy a chart. Tap on the edge of the table, and a thick border appears which will allows you to change the table.

Downloaded Numbers (excel)
Downloaded Pages (word doc)
Charge with extension cord, but not using a double outlet plugged into the wall with an extension cord plugged into it. Go direct with the extension cord to the iPad.

Limitations
Can’t join webinar on www.join2webinar.com
Couldn’t find app for creating a simple banner
No flash…prevents watching some video content
Doesn’t charge using an double jack plugged into the wall and an extension cord, although just an extension cord is fine.
Cannot upload image banner to my WordPress web platform.
Cannot download fb app – safari cannot read file
Cannot change profile information, including password (had to borrow my son’s PC
Cannot link to audio file to sample music
Cannot configure twitter acct from youtube
Lose map on google maps if you leave the page to write notes
Had to add Tweetdeck.com app in order to add a contact to my list
Cannot enter username/pwd within systemso
Cannot get ‘AddThis for Safari’

Ah, you ask how am I surviving and still doing business…my baby tech toy…the iPad. Will let you know when my computer makes its way back to me and just know much business can be accomplished on version one of the iPad. Just don’t ask me to print or fax something to you, or watch a video. It’s definitely not the best path to being a productive entrepreneur!

There is this great story about appreciating what we have, and I apologize for not knowing where this originated from. Its truth resonated for me, as I hope it will for you: “If everyone was to throw their stuff into a great big pile, and we looked at what everyone else had to deal with, we’d quickly see ours wasn’t so bad and would gladly pull our own stuff back out of the pile”. We know there is always someone else worse off than ourselves. The opposite is also true: there are others better off than ourselves. That’s the way it is. The magic comes from being grateful for what we have and for who we are.  Every single one of us is unique, and has a gift to share with the world. As we learn to look within to examine our inner self, our heart, we see and feel the joy that already exists within us. Happiness is not something that comes if, or when, this happens or that happens. It is already present within ourselves. Ask yourself, “In this very moment, what is truly right with my world?” Breathe it in, listen for your joy. I believe it is already there for you, just as it is for me, and just as it is for all those unhappy people who compare themselves with others.

We have no idea what is going on inside the mind and spirit of another human being. Appearances are often far from reality. In other words, what people show and say to the world (their outer reality) is actually in conflict with what’s going on inside (their inner reality).  I can personally attest to this, as I once told myself the biggest lies…about myself, to my self. Our work on ourselves is never done. When we start to realize that we do create our own reality by looking inside, we begin to make the shift to living in joy. There was much inner work that I needed to do to realize this.

One shift for me came when I re-read my notes after hearing Dr. John Demartini speak for the first time. ‘Our outer world is a reflection of our inner world’. We already “know” this, although hearing someone else say it seems profound. Sometimes it needs to be explained. Our inner world is what’s going on inside of us: what we think, how we feel, our beliefs, our mindsets, etc. Our thoughts trigger our feelings which make us respond and become our actions. This leads to our results.  Simply put: thoughts + feelings + actions = results.  The results of our thoughts and feelings (our inner self) appear as actions reflected in our outer world.  Another critical point here is that we have the ability to choose our thoughts. We need to train ourselves to pay attention to the thoughts we have running through our head. We may give ourselves permission to change those thoughts that don’t serve us (and actually work against us). A shift in our inner thoughts, mindsets, and recognizing our true feelings will guide us to our inner desires. And, what we truly desire we can manifest in our physical, outer world.

May 2012 be your year…where your inner desires match your outer reality.

“Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.” ~ Albert Schweitzer

If you’d like to comment below, I’d love to hear from you and what your plans are to take yourself to the next level in 2012. Merry Christmas to you. Wshing you much joy, love, and laughter this holiday season.

To become an entrepreneur: Be present. Be focused. Be very kind to yourself. And do whatever it takes.

To successfully work at home, and to become an entrepreneur, you may need to acquire some new habits or new ways of thinking. You may need to start new daily rituals to improve qualities like self-discipline, willpower, focus, and persistence. And new mind-sets such as working in a home office instead of a corporate office, and shifting from an employee  mind-set to an entrepreneur. Remember, you can acquire any skill, improve any quality, and introduce a new ritual to change your habits. If something is not working right for you, it just means you are missing a key piece of knowledge. It doesn’t matter what IT is; you can learn it. We are all leaders. Even if we don’t believe we are, perhaps a shift in our mind-set is needed.  Maybe we haven’t found our thing…our joy. Once we do what’s in our heart, we will be able to lead in that field. Okay, so this is a little bit deeper than some simple tips for working in your home office…

First, it is helpful to understand the meaning behind these special qualities and character traits, and online dictionary resources and blog sources are great references.  There’s so much great content out there, and you’ll find a couple of bonus urls to some more fabulous resources.

Self-Discipline
Wiki – Self-discipline can be defined as the ability to motivate oneself in spite of a negative emotional state. Qualities associated with self-discipline include willpower, hard work, and persistence.
Dictionary.reference.com – “discipline and training of oneself, usually for improvement: Acquiring the habit of promptness requires self-discipline.”
In Steve Pavlina’s blog he uses the acronym A WHIP to describe the five qualities needed to “whip yourself into shape’. These are: Acceptance, Willpower, Hard Work, Industry, and Persistence.

Some great ways to practice self-discipline techniques to concentrate and bring focus into your life are to do the following while you work:

• do one major task before you turn your phone on or check your email
  These bring you into other people’s priorities, and you can easily be distracted from your important day’s work
• set a timer (preferably a real timer, not your cell phone as the texts and email alerts may distract you). Use the timer to block out concentrated efforts on tasks. I use 60/60/30 I set the timer for 50 minutes and work; a 10 minute break; repeat; and then I have a 30 minute break. I leave my office and make tea, go for a walk, or read.  Some people find they work better in 30 minute blocks, so you’d work for 30 minutes, take a five minute break, and repeat until your 30 minute meal break.   Do whatever works for you, but it’s very productive, so give it a whirl.
• turn off your phone, or put it on vibrate
• close browser windows, including email
• chunk your social media, email, phone calls together and give yourself an hour twice a day to do these tasks. 11:30-12:30 and 4:00-5:00 are good times for me. Everyone’s day flows differently, so find your flow
• write out your actions/tasks you want to accomplish the night before, assign a point (1 point per hour it will take you).  When you start your day, you can jump right in, and then at the end of the day count up your points and celebrate!! (If you didn’t accomplish something it becomes a -1.) Say you have five items on your list, and you completed four of them +4-1=3
  Celebrate all that you did accomplish!! Physically pat on the back.

Willpower
Willpower is your ability to concentrate. Whether you are challenging your willpower to exercise your body or mind, it is through concentration that you succeed to strengthen those muscles. And when it comes to our spiritual growth, it is again through concentration and mediation that we exercise our will to raise our vibration.

Hard Work
What does it actually mean to work hard? The majority of us have worked “hard” all day but many accomplish little by the end of the day.  Perhaps a better term might be to work smart and learn to be more productive…to get more done in the least amount of time

Focus
Wiki – selectively concentrating on one aspect of the environment while ignoring other things
thefreedictionary.com – To focus one’s attention on a specific person, proposal, issue, or other matter; to aim at; to set one’s sights on. To concentrate attention or energy: a campaign that focused on economic issues.

Persistence
Dictionary.reference.com – “continued existence or occurrence: the persistence of smallpox.” and “the continuance of an effect after its cause is removed.”

Perseverance
Dictionary.reference.com – steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.

Productive
Wiki – Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production. It is a measure of the efficiency of production. The qualitative aspects of labor productivity such as creativity, innovation, teamwork, improved quality of work and the effects on other areas in a company are difficult to measure.
Dictionary.reference.com – “having the power of producing;  generative; creative: a productive effort.”

And, now, how to be productive in your home office:

I worked out of my home for nine years, and my job posting content on the corporate website was right out there for everyone to see. It was immediately evident if I wasn’t doing my job. I became very disciplined, dedicated, and loyal. My job was front end, in your face, out there in public…either my work was getting done or everyone knew it wasn’t. It kept me focused on the task at hand, working until the job was done. Along the way, I learned what works and what to avoid.

1. Ambience

Set yourself up to enjoy your space, and love being in the room.

You spend at least a quarter of your day here, (try not be make if half), and you should feel fabulous while in your office. The energy in the room should be light, bright, and you truly should feel good when you walk it. Your energy should match your office. Whatever your style, make it you. Add photos, pictures, books, whatever adds charm, but keep it simple, clean, and definitely uncluttered.

Clear off your desk at night in order to walk in to a clear, fresh space the next day. Seeing the clutter from the day before will immediately have you jumping in to a task that might not be your most important job first thing.  The same thing with your screen. If you’ve added files and screen shots to your desk top, file them away into folders. This keeps your screen uncluttered. One less distraction. I love Howard’s suggestion to keep your email inbox empty. Brilliant. (Okay, this is productivity knowledge, and it’s excellent. Thanks, Howard.)

Lighting is so important, particularly if you are regularly creating videos. Have a bright ceiling light, desk light, and for videos you need one bright one behind you on the floor. (If someone has the specific lighting set up, shoot me a message to share. Otherwise, I’ll research it later for you.)

Designate a room, with a door, in your home for your office. It is imperative that you create a space that is uniquely yours, absolutely your own, and a place you love being in.  The door comes in handy. First, you can close the door to alert others that you are working and should not be disturbed. Second, you can close the door behind you when you “leave” work at the end of your day.

Your office, your computer. Do not share your office or computer with another family member. This is your livelihood, and in order to be productive you need the office and your computer to be exclusively yours. Consider the hardware (computer, printer, phone, etc.) your companies exclusive property to be used expressly for company use. If anything was to happen to your computer, how would you run your business?

2. Be Present

As in anything you do, be present.

Dedicate your attention to that one thing you are doing. When you are working, work. When you are writing your blog, write your blog. When you are tweeting, tweet.  whatever you are doing to being the only thing you are doing. Establish a routine. “Arrive” at work at the same time every day, and close that door behind you at a time when you would physically leave your office if you worked outside the home.  “Leave” your work in your office at the end of the day. Take plenty of breaks and set a timer (I’ll cover this in next week’s tips about productivity).

Don’t Play During Work Hours.

I live in a destination spot, and remember the first time a friend called me on a Tuesday afternoon to go boating. It was hard to say no, but I knew I must or it would be so easy to slide the slippery slope into a fun summer off.

This may sound very zen-like but it’s vital, in all areas of your life. Work when you are working. Play when you are playing. Be with whomever you are with when you are with them. When you are speaking on the phone, be present with that person. Turn your computer off, or turn away from it unless you need to refer to something intrinsic to your conversation with the person on the phone.

3. Separate Your Office and Your Home

Keep your office contained. Do not bring your computer, papers, or reports out into the “home” area to do work. Social media, okay, as long as it’s not business SM. This way you won’t have your “work” spread throughout the house. This makes you unproductive, looking for papers later on. Besides, harmony is a beautiful thing, and a home

Dr. Demartini has an incredible story, and was first inspired by Paul Bragg who said, “We have a body, we have a mind, and we have a soul, and the body must the guided by the mind, and the mind must be directed by the soul to maximize our potential and live an amazing life.  You must set goals for yourself, your family, your community, your city, your state, your nation, your world, and beyond for 100-120 years.”

One of Dr. Demartini’s daily declarations, which he’s said for 39 years, is: “I am a genius, and I apply my wisdom.” It is evident that he is a genius and has generously shared his wisdom, despite being told by his elementary school teacher that he will never learn to read, or write, or ever amount to anything. He shares that your declarations, or affirmations, must be congruent with your highest values.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPpiaSYtIxI