The True Secret To Business Success

Thanksgiving Day is just around the corner and preparations are in full swing. For many people, this is the day to give thanks for what they have and celebrate their blessings with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy… Nothing wrong with that, but I challenge you to take a deep breath and ask yourself:

What are you grateful for RIGHT THIS MOMENT?

When did you last make room for gratitude amidst the chaos and confusion that is the entrepreneurial mind? It’s probably been a while…

If you’re going to ask me about my #1 tip on how to grow a successful business, it’s not a particular software program that I recommend, nor is it a book, a business guru, or a fancy program. It’s much easier and cost-efficient. It’s practicing GRATITUDE!

In today's performance-oriented society, it’s easy to be negative, critical, and pessimistic. Instead of focusing on the blessings that surround us, we focus on what we don't have. And what we focus on expands! This is why the practice of gratitude is so important. When we are grateful, we are in the present moment. We learn to see challenges and mistakes as opportunities for growth.

The power of gratitude is absolutely amazing! When you practice gratitude, you are more energetic, more balanced, and more determined. Practicing gratitude can improve the relationships that you have with existing clients or customers. An attitude of gratitude will make you a magnet to opportunities and abundance. You will be amazed at how things just FLOW to you.

It is impossible to be negative, sad, or critical when you feel grateful. Counting your blessings reminds you of all of the wonderful things and people in your life. And it makes you aware of what matters most in your life.

Gratitude opens up your ability to attract more of what you want, because you appreciate what you already have. 

Watch out for part 2 of  "The True Secret To Business Succes."

SOAR!

A New Approach to Visioning to Help You Rise to Your Highest Desires and Destiny for 2015
with Mary Lyn Miller

• Reach for your highest purpose, greatest good and most prosperous life and face an unlimited horizon!

• Learn an entirely innovative approach (no vision boards or goal setting) that actually bypasses your mental blocks and resistance so you can realize your true wishes -  so easy, simple and fun, you won’t forget it all after you leave!

• Connect with people who have used this process over the past several years with results beyond their expectations.

• After 4 hours, you will leave with a plan of easily remembered concrete steps to take you through an inspired year.

 (And, you will have had Brunch!)

  You Don’t Want to Miss This!

  SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2015 
11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

  WORKSHOP – BRUNCH – NETWORKING-MASTERMINDING

  $79.00 - $59.00 Early Bird

  JOIN US AND LET’S TAKE OFF TOGETHER!

  REGISTER NOW!!

 http://bit.ly/1ucvnrA

  
310-378-4417

Are You in the Flow of Success?

Flow is a key to your abundance, good decision making, happiness and peace of mind.  In fact, the word “affluence” which we think of as relating to money, is a derivative of the Latin "affluere” which means “flow forth freely.”

Lao-Tsu, some 3,000 years ago said “To find one’s fountain is to learn the true secret of Heaven and Earth. Life asks only that you flow with it – that you do not resist it bubbling forth, that you do not crawl into dark corners of insufficiency and erect barriers.”

Wow, this is challenging.  I spent a lot of years in feelings of insufficiency and being blocked.

Let’s start with the obvious: ever heard of cash flow?!  Without a strong sense of inner flow, you will always be dealing with sporadic cash flow and financial stress.  When challenged, you may get fearful and resist doing new things, taking risks, doing good bookkeeping, and creating solid goals. Without these in place, we continue to focus on “lack,” which only creates more fear and resistance.

Oh, resistance.  Here's the BIG barrier that blocks your flow.

In my early years of business, I had nothing but resistance and barriers, but didn't know about it until I started exploring my core beliefs learned in my very early years about money, abundance, deserving, etc.

Of course, I tried to “fix” it.  Unfortunately, I was fixing my problem with the exact core beliefs that were creating the problem to begin with!  I learned  “Nothing worthwhile is easy.” ( Oh, yes, let’s go against the flow and make it harder.)  After all, “the harder you work the more successful you’ll be.” Or “sometimes you just have to suck it up and make yourself do terrible things you hate.”

This creates a path of no flow.

Ralph Waldo Emerson commented, “to….flow, you must unlearn the wisdom of the world.”  That means that while business/career planning, strategy development and goal setting are awesome tools, (and I use them all the time), they must be subservient to your inner sense of flow.

The good news is that your flow never goes away; you just lose connection. There is a rhythm that runs through your heart, mind and spirit and body every second, every minute.  When you're quiet, happy, content, you feel it.  It doesn't generally happen at the computer,  on your I Phone, or when you're jammed busy.  You know when a decision feels stressful. (Indicator of Bad decision.)  Sometimes all your programming and core beliefs kick in and tells you to make the bad decision anyway, but if it’s not easy and in the flow, you’ll be dealing with repercussions of that for awhile, and it will erect those barriers to real ease and flow.

That’s why going to the mountains and reconnecting with the flow, getting near nature, taking some deep breaths and re-assessing the need to control vs. the freedom of the flow might be one of the best business decisions one can make. 

Creating a Kick A** Vision

             Are You Ready for a Kick A** Success Year?

                           Vision Kit Now Available

I don’t mean to shock you with my language……but I do plan to shock you with some information about why typical goal setting processes simply do not work for most people – and the reasons may be stunning to you!  And, it is probably affecting you and you don't even realize it.

Does this sound like you?

• You have made sincere commitments to change certain aspects of your life starting January 1, but you were doing the same thing again by February 1?

• You can barely remember your goals last year, but you do know you haven’t made the progress you want this year or gotten the results you were hoping for?

• You are smart, savvy and know how important a structure for the coming future may be, but have trouble pulling all the pieces together?  (It just seems like way too much work.)

• You’re uncertain what you want; it either feels completely unrealistic and overwhelming or too little to be accomplishing much. Do you need a strategy, a tactic, a goal, a vision, and intention? - you may have no idea….oh, help!!

You are not alone, and, for a limited time I am offering a straightforward Vision Kit that is easy to follow, fun to do (no it's not a big goal setting nightmare drag) and will help you set a foundation for a really kick a** year!  

I'm even going to send you an audio to go along with it because there's nothing quite like it.
                                                    

                Buy Now at  bit.ly/1aaCw1m 

    1) You’ll see where the problem is – and it’s not YOU! 
    2) I'll show you what it takes to simplify and streamline it so your intentions fit you perfectly…..
    3) And, you'll learn  a 4 Step Vision process that you will remember on this exact date next year, and you may be amazed at far you have come……almost effortlessly. 
    4)  You will be connected emotionally to what you want rather than it just being words on a page.
    4) I combined the exact forms and notes I used in my 1 day workshop I did last year - and put it in this simple Vision Kit with a workbook and audio for you.

And, on the audio you will hear people who came to that workshop and had one of the best years of their life and business in 2013!

Not to mention it is also the process I used myself this past year, and I had a banner year!

All this for $29 - for a very limited time.

                                       Buy Now at  bit.ly/1aaCw1m 

Don't miss this great opportunity to get started completely connected to a sense of direction that makes sense and experience the success you want.  And, let's talk next year!

You've Accomplished More Than You Think in the Past 12 Months

So, it’s the beginning of 2014, and you are getting ready to set the stage for big business, career and money goals for the New Year.

But, have you taken the step before that? Have you appreciated all your accomplishments from the past year? Until you fully embrace all the good you have already accomplished, you really can’t go on.

Here’s a basic law: you can only build success on a foundation of success. Unfortunately, we try to “succeed” as the antidotes to what we perceive are last year’s failures. “This year I will be more organized; I will make more money than I did last year; I will be better at spending time with the family, or I will be a better networker. The list goes on.

In other words, you feel like you should "fix" those things you did wrong last year. It doesn’t make you feel good about yourself, and in order to succeed, you’ve got to feel great about yourself.

So, here’s one of my favorite fun exercises called “You’ve Accomplished More Than You Think” and addresses areas we often don’t think about when we’re looking at our business and career goals. See if you don’t feel better afterwards.

Then, set your goals and intentions and see what happens!

Mentally check off any area of accomplishment that has taken place in the past year. Add or delete any words you choose. Make note of anything else that comes to mind.

___Showed up when I didn’t want to.
___Took a risk (No matter what the outcome)
___Heightened my creativity
___Achieved a financial goal
___Spoke up for myself
___Found outlet for my passion
___Expanded a gift or talent
___Did something healthy for my body
___Lived in alignment with my purpose
___Left a job
___Got grateful
___Had a healing with my family
___Forgave someone
___Reached out for help/Gave up doing it alone
___Became more heart-centered/stopped thinking so much
___Helped someone in need
___Tried something new
___Overcame a fear ___Managed my money better
___Faced an addiction
___Worked on releasing the past
___Achieved more balance
___Honored my intuition
___Learned a new skill
___Practiced being quiet
___Showed compassion
___Learned more about relaxing
___Deepened my faith

And other things:





What are the 1-3 areas that are significant for you?





What does it say about your values, deeper feelings and passions?  What's important to you?




Let me know what came up for you, and I know you did a lot of great things this past year, and that 2014 will only hold more!

PS:  If you're ready to take this to the next step, be sure to read my "Are Your Ready for a Kick A** Year in 2014?" post.

3 HABITS FOR MORE SUCCESS WITH LESS STRESS

A few weeks ago I wrote about how we all the have the same 24 hours, yet some of us seem to use it better than others.  I talked about the importance of TAKING time for the important things in life.  For those of us starting a new business or even experienced entrepreneurs, we don't know how to begin doing that so here are the 3 habits I think are really important to be more successful - with far less stress!

PRIORITIZE.  This does not mean just prioritizing work projects and what's on your desk.  Prioritize your life!  Include time for the gym, family, Sunday dinner, church, vacation - whatever is also important outside of work.  Many of us (me included in the past) are  terrified to take our eyes off our businesses for fear we will lose money or clients and so your days become completely focused on work. Every other aspect of our life is an “Add-On.”  Work is first, and then we try, often unsuccessfully, to grab a few moments petting the dog or being a spouse, or taking a walk – and we think this is trying to be balanced!!  And, we tell ourselves we have to do it in order to make money.  Untrue!

Prioritizing means you have several aspects of your life, and when you work, you work a prescribed number of hours, and then YOU TAKE TIME for other parts of your life!  It’s crucial to your success to “Take” time for activities other than work. I know this is uncomfortable because this lack of balance is very common pattern with entrepreneurs, and it’s hard to give up.

But, here’s the kicker: if you have more balance, you will be far more efficient at work, the work you do will be higher quality, you will be much less exhausted, and your business will thrive. TAKE the time for the important things outside of work, and you will be surprised how positively it affects your bottom line.
                
DELEGATE. This is another giant topic.  You say you can't delegate because you can’t afford it, but generally it’s because you don’t want to let go of control.  Also, delegating does not necessarily mean adding a ton of staff.  I had a client who recently realized that hiring a maid for $50 a month to do her laundry and run some errands would dramatically impact the quality of her life.  Sometimes you can trade services. Do you think Oprah and Bill Gates do everything themselves?  Yes, it is a risk, but my experience is that every client who started seriously delegating saw their business skyrocket -  and had much less stress.  Start making notes where someone else could do the tasks you do or where you could expand your services using other professionals.

TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF.  Many entrepreneurs wouldn’t know what to do with themselves if they stopped working like maniacs.  It’s not unusual for entrepreneurs to lack the skills of ongoing physical fitness, personal growth, connection to family, contribution to the community, and a commitment to mental, emotional and spiritual wellness.  These are the skills I personally believe are crucial to real success in life. Taking care of yourself is a critical personal responsibility.  Eating properly, getting sleep and exercise, feeling good and having fun is an absolute necessity if you want to make money.

Of course there are more, but these 3 are pretty darned important. Got other thoughts? Be sure to post them (http://firedupforsuccess.blogspot.com) or e-mail me at mlm@firedupforsuccess.com.

Meanwhile, remember, you are not a victim of some mysterious time-robber.  Every minute of every day you make decisions as to what you are going to CHOOSE to do with your time, and what you TAKE your time for.

DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME? CHANGE WHAT YOU SAY... by Mary Lyn Miller

Have you ever heard this?

“I’d _______________(fill in the blank:  exercise more – (or exercise at all) – spend time with my family – take a class – pursue a passion – take a short vacation – join a club,) but  I don’t have the time!”   Aw, c'mon, have you ever said words like this?

These words imply that is that there is some invisible time bandit stealing time behind your back and you didn’t get your fair allotment of time today and there’s just nothing, absolutely nothing, you can do about it. 

I know it sounds funny, and I still struggle with time management from time to time, but I have learned that when you say the phrase, “I don’t have the time,” you are really saying:  “I am not taking the time.”

For instance, have you ever said anything like this? 
 “I’d like to spend more time with my friend, John, but I just don’t have the time.”  No, you do have the time; you’re not taking the time.  If you don’t make plans to be away from work to see John, if you don’t set up a date with him,  if you don't spend tine with him, you are choosing to do something else.

I can hear you explaining to me how your industry needs you to be super-dedicated; how it's the "accepted culture" of your workplace; how being an entrepreneur requires you to work more than normal people. There are always a million reasons not to live the life you were meant to live.

“Lack of time” doesn’t just happen to you.   You and I and Oprah and Donald Trump and Bill Gates all have the exact same 24 hours every day.  Even Barack Obama doesn’t get extra hours for being a president. Time is the great equalizer; we all get exactly the same number of hours.  But don't you ever wonder why some of these people seem to be doing so much more, achieving so much, yet having richer more balanced lives, and making way more money?

You are responsible for what you do with every minute of your time. 

The truth is that the more balanced you are, the more multi-dimensional your are, you will be far more efficient at work, the work you do will be higher quality, you will be much less exhausted, and your business and income will thrive.

It is up to you to TAKE the time for the important things outside of work, live a full life and allow yourself to be as successful as you can possibly be.

If you find yourself not having enough time to do the important things in life, remember how you manage your time and what you put into it is your responsibility.  This is the first step in starting to create a more passionate profitable business and life.

Want some more steps?  Watch for my next article.  
And let me know how this relates to YOUR life by commenting!