Happy New Year!

2011 is officially here.  I love the turn of the page to the new year. In some years it feels more like the beginning of a new chapter as opposed to a new page. In either case, it’s a new beginning. How wonderful! I hope that your new beginning is off to a great start and I wish you everything that you dream of in 2011… times ten!!!

Business – The #1 saboteur of dreams

You’ve created your vision and plan and now it’s time to put them into play but you are hesitating… there’s something holding you back from jumping all in. Likely, fear and doubt have been awakened creating many what- if scenarios and getting in your way toward progress. How do you scale this hurdle?  In my book Incredible Business: Expert Advice to Accelerate Your Success, I state that even if you have a good clear vision and plan, the following five (5) beliefs are necessary for you to materialize your goals. A weakness in any one of these beliefs will cause you to continue to struggle.

1. Belief in yourself. This sounds like a simple thing to do, but it is the number-one reason why people fail. You must believe in your ability to serve your clients’ needs. Doubts can lead to failure. Pursue the training you need to gain your confidence.
   
2. Belief in your product or service. You must believe in your product. If you do, it will show in your nonverbal communication. Your prospect will discern your belief through your body language, which comprises more than half of your communication.
   
3. Belief in your market. There are people who need YOU to deliver your product or service. These are the people who value your unique value. They will not be happy or have nearly the same experience with someone else. They will stop shopping around when they encounter you, and you will be the one to get the call back. Your market will find you based on your unique value. 
4.  Belief in your vision for your business and your life. A clear vision helps you to focus on materializing that which you desire. It is critically important that you have two visions, one for your business and one for your life, and that they intersect; otherwise, you will be consumed by one or the other.
   
5. Belief that you can achieve it! The belief that you can achieve something is the force that sets it in motion. With the belief that you are worthy of materializing your vision, you will.

“Believe in your dreams and they may come true;
believe in yourself and they will come true”
—Author Unknown

Need help completing your vision and plan? Download my Business Vision and Plan Template for only $19.97.

Want help creating your business strategy? Take advantage of my new year’s discount on a One Hour Business Strategy Session. Only $97. Regular price $197. Read more…

Life – Refresh, Renew and Recharge… Recapture Your Joie de Vivre (Joy for Life)!

•  My life is so overwhelming.
• I feel like I am fighting with everyone including myself.
•  I don’t remember what happy feels like.

Do you have any of these thoughts and feelings?  These sentiments, which intensify in midlife to the level where they can no longer be ignored, are common for women. But what do you do when you are so frustrated and completely out of touch with joy? You recapture it!

Not everyone has the wonderful opportunity to transform their life by stepping out of the routine of it and into picturesque Provence as I did.  Listen in as I share some of the lessons learned from Provence that helped me to recapture my joie de vivre. They can help you too!

If you are experiencing similar feelings join me for a free tele-class Recapturing Your Joie de Vivre (joy for life)! on Thursday, January 6^th at 8:00pm EST. Register even if you can’t attend. The session will be recorded and sent to you so you can listen in at your leisure.  Read more…

I hope that your dreams come true in 2011… times ten!!!

The New Year brings the opportunity for reflection. As you reflect, ask yourself the following questions:

1. What can I celebrate from 2010? What am I am proud of?
2. What are my dreams for 2011 in my business and my life?
3. In what areas am I feeling pain and need relief in? These are the areas that must be addressed and not put off. They tend to grow with time rather than dissipate.

I am celebrating many things that I am proud of…
- My family, friends and good health
- Many new and wonderful professional relationships including clients, business referral partners, niche mates and mentors
- Living passionately and purposefully
- The founding of the Connecticut Women’s Alliance, Inc., a soon to be non-profit benefitting the advancement of women
- The release of my first book Incredible Business…

My dreams for 2011 in my business…
- Become a speaker for the American Heart Association and the Go Red for Women Campaign sharing my personal story
- Be featured regularly on a CT TV program about passionately following your dreams
- Continue to expand my influence throughout the US
- Help as many people as I can to passionately follow their dreams
- Finish writing my first solo book Lessons From Provence: My purposeful path to authenticity

My dreams for 2011 in my life…
- Continue to support my family in living passionately and thriving through their transitions
- Continue to improve my health and vitality
- Go on an adventurous vacation with my family
- Laugh a lot!

I am feeling pain and need relief in…
- Creating fluid systems in my business to make doing business easier. 2010 was a year of creating programs and 2011 will focus on implementing them easily.

Business – Does your Business need a Check up?

As does your health, each year your business needs a check up. A review of the four areas of a thriving, rewarding and profitable business (your foundation, message, marketing and sales) is essential for creating your vision and plan for 2011.

Business Check-Up and Strategy Session New Year Special

During this fast-paced, value packed 60-minute call with me, I promise to deliver insightful feedback, innovative solutions and guidance that will get you moving in the right direction for a true business breakthrough.
 
Prior to our time together, I will ask you to take a quick assessment and answer a few important questions about what you want to happen in your business in the next year. This way, we can focus on:

• Designing a plan that turns up the volume on what has worked in the past.
• Finding additional opportunities you may have missed.
• Getting clear and focused on the next essential steps for having your best year yet.

Everyone needs to invest in a business coach who helps them see pitfalls and opportunities they cannot see. Stop trying to figure it out on your own and allow me—in just one hour—to help you find the guidance you need, gain clarity and focus and re-ignite your passion! Special Price through January 15^th!  Register Now

Life – Do you need to re-connect to your passion and joy?

I know first hand how it feels to be disconnected from passion and joy. It doesn’t usually present in that way rather it is felt as frustration and overwhelm combined with sadness and anxiety. These feelings must be addressed and honored to open the door for moving beyond them to reconnecting with your passion and joy and living the life you dream of. I call this process Recapturing Your Joie de Vivre (joy for life)!

If you are experiencing similar feelings join me for a free tele-class titled Recapturing Your Joie de Vivre (joy for life)! on Thursday, January 6^th at 8:00pm EST. Register even if you can’t attend. The session will be recorded and sent to you so you can listen in at your leisure.  Read more…

I hope that your dreams come true in 2011!

In business, December has always been a slower month for me. I take advantage of this time to plan my business for the next year. In the book Incredible Business, Expert Advice to Accelerate Your Success you’ll learn that the biggest obstacles to your success are lack of a vision and plan for your business and a compromised mindset. When you create a vision and plan your strategy and steps to achieve it, you must have a strong belief system in order to make it all happen. Vision, plan and belief are the holy trinity of business success. With all three components are fully engaged, you will experience sustained success. Without any one of them, you will continue to struggle.

First, we’ll focus on your business vision.

1.  Create a clear vision of how you want your business to look one year from now. Ask yourself the following questions:

• What do I want to have happened in my business a year from now?
• What accolades do I want to receive?
• What do I want for total revenues?
• What do I want for net income?
• What do I want my days to look like?
• What do I want my relationships to look like?
• Etc.

Want the comprehensive yet easy and effective workbook? Download Business Vision & Plan Workbook

2.  Check in. With this vision in mind, look at where your business is currently and ask yourself these questions:

• What do I need to continue to do to drive business?
• What new initiatives do I need to put in place in order to meet my revenue goal?
• What business/buying cycles do I need to be aware of to set my monthly revenue targets? For example, December is always a slow month for me and others are busier than most so I adjust my revenue targets for those months accordingly instead of setting static monthly goals.

Are you ready to complete the workbook? Download Business Vision & Plan Workbook

3.  Create your plan.  Refer to Step 2 and break down what needs to be continued into practices and projects and repeat this process for your new initiatives.

Practices are recurring activities such as attending networking events and board meetings, communicating with your clients and prospects and time allocated for working on your business rather than in your business, etc. Add these practices to your calendar and commit to them. The best way to commit to them is to make them non-negotiable.

Projects should be structured to be completed within 30 days. If a project goes longer than 30 days, you can easily lose your motivation for moving it along. If done well, you’ll have something to celebrate each month! One particular initiative may be comprised of several projects. Once you have defined your projects, the next step is to list the specific tasks associated with each project. Add these tasks to your calendar’s to-do list. Repeat these steps for all of the new initiatives that must be put into place.

Download Business Vision & Plan Workbook

Need expert advice about your business?
Business Check-Up and Strategy Session Year-end Special

During this fast-paced, value packed 60-minute call with me, I promise to deliver insightful feedback, innovative solutions and guidance that will get you moving in the right direction for a true business breakthrough.
 
Prior to our time together, I will ask you to take a quick assessment and answer a few important questions about what you want to happen in your business in the next year. This way, we can focus on:

• Designing a plan that turns up the volume on what has worked in the past.
• Finding additional opportunities you may have missed.
• Getting clear and focused on the next essential steps for having your best year yet.

Everyone needs to invest in a business coach who helps them see pitfalls and opportunities they cannot see. Stop trying to figure it out on your own and allow me—in just one hour—to help you find the guidance you need, gain clarity and focus and re-ignite your passion!  Register Now

In my next post, I’ll share the 5 essential beliefs for business success.