Allstate -yes the insurance company – started in 1931. It was the depression, not exactly the best time to be starting a new business. Since then, the company has gone through 12 recessions. Their view was, keep it simple, serve people and look at the basics to running a business. The message from Allstate was, when people get over the fear of the situation, and the magnitude of the effect, they tend to go back to the basics as well. They look at what’s in front of them, they cut back on all the “fluff” and start to enjoy the simpler things in life.
Who says that hard times have to be, well, HARD? What if we all took on the attitude of “enjoy the simpler things in life”? We have been so used to keeping up with the Jones’. We have been in the mode of “want” and “get” whatever is out there, from the latest technology to the newest trends in fashion. We spend with very little thought. Well, now is the time to put a little more thought into what is going on around us. The thought being, like Allstate, how can we keep it simple and go back to the basics.
We can have just as much fun as before, just in a more down to earth, simpler way. Getting back to basics does not have to mean lack. As a matter of fact it carries great joy and abundance because there is no price tag attached to it. That means, no stress when the bills come.
What does getting back to basics mean for you? Here are a few “back to basics: ideas:
- Rent a movie at home, break out the popcorn and have a few friends join you.
- Pick your favorite game and have a game night.
- Big, extravagant vacations…why not enjoy what is going on in your back yard. Museums, parks…
- Go camping and get back to nature. No tv, no cell phone.
- Talking! Sit down and start a great conversation.
We can also go back to basics in our business by:
- Giving our customers real service, with real people.
- Knowing what your customer is having a problem with – and then help them find a solution.
- Find the right people for the job – don’t just fill the space. Fill the position with a person truly qualified and who LOVES what they do.
- Make the call! When you get a message, call them back A.S.A.P yourself – don’t give the message to your assistant.
When we change the way we think, the things around us change. As Napoleon Hill stated, when we have a positive mental attitude, we can go from thoughts of stress, complication, and lack, to a way of life that thrives on enjoying the basic things in life.
What are you going to do to go back to the basics?
Since the inception of my business ( and the other previous ventures ), I have lived and worked based one of my most powerful core values – Authenticity! I have not always lived by this GOLDEN core value. When I was younger ( early corporate years ) I wanted to “fit in” and find a piece of the magic that I thought “they” had. What I found was that I was not carrying on genuine conversations with people – too much small talk , which is SO NOT ME! And I did myself a terrible disservice because I was not creating my career based on my passion and my true unique gifts and talents.
When I tapped back into my AUTHENTIC CORE, wow, I felt like I was home! I sailed into meaningful conversations. I connected with people who were like-minded. And, I created a success that I really did not think I had in me. Then, the icing on the cake, I was able to share wisdom, tools and resources to help other tap into their authentic core and be WHO they have desired to be!
What brought all this together? I have been a student of personal ( and professional) development since I can remember. ( You can read about my How to Win Friends and Influence People – Dale Carnegie - experience in my bio) There have been so many teachers and mentors that have contributed to my learning and my success, from Spiritual teachers like Wayne Dyer, Carolyn Myss, and Plato to business teacher such as Harvey McKay, Dale Carnegie and Dr. Ken Blanchard. But, the one person that had a greater impact on me, more than all the others put together, was 
Napoleon Hill. I know everyone is talking about Think and Grow Rich these days, but for good reason. He was a man before his time! He married undeniable business success practices with spiritual principles. I remember reading the book back in the 80’s, but it didn’t have the impact then as it has now. People are the middle of a shift in consciousness, whether they know it or not. People are looking for, not necessarily “more”, but more meaningful and deeper wisdom that will create a lasting impact on life – and business.
Authenticity! Creating business based on true authenticity is the new paradigm! Think of business based on authenticity. Customer service would be real customer service – people knowing their product and helping others use it with great success. Leaders would guide their people with new insight and teach them the in’s and out’s of the business rather than leaving them to “figure it out” or “ask Joe it IT.”
Deep down, not only do we want to be successful in whatever venture we set out to do, we want to feel good about doing it – and FEEL GOOD about WHO we are when we are doing it! It’s time for a shift. It’s time to discover your Soul-Purpose and to rediscover the AUTHENTICITY that is within you!
Are You a Jack-of-all-Trades? Stop – Love The One Thing You are Great At and Create Your Alliances
As much as we want to believe that we have all the answers (at least in business), or show prospects that “we have all the answers”, it really does not help us or our business to be a jack-of-all trades.
I became a coach back I 2007. I had been a personal development and business “consultant” starting back in 1989. I am a person that likes to help people feel better in their lives, to grow and evolve and to live a life they really WANT! I was a jack-of-all trades because I wanted to make everyone happy. OY! What a job! I felt worn out, disorganized and overwhelmed – not to mention I didn’t have nearly the kind of business ( or the kind of clients) I WANTED!
So, I decided it was time to evolve. I was aware that I needed to make a new choice, to make a change and to go back to WHO I was and what I truly loved to do. I mean the kind of “love to do” that you lose track of time, forget to eat lunch and don’t realize it’s dark outside when 20 minutes ago you could have sworn it was sunny. You know this kind of passion – don’t you?
I went BIG by condensing, by going back to doing the ONE thing I love to do! No more Jack-of-all trades. I love being different and unique. I love showing people that finding their soul-purpose and being unique is a gift. And that YES, it is OK to make money doing what you love to do! To all those healer, energy workers and spiritual entrepreneur… The Universe DOES want you to make money using your unique talents – it’s your ego that gets in the way!
I love showing people how to find their “IT”! I love helping people realize that they do not need to feel intimidated by success – or the people who radiate the “IT” factor! I am true to what I LOVE TO DO! I have a list of resources – of people that love what they do – so I can create alliances and share the wealth of ideal clients.
Let me use this example – all you women entrepreneurs can appreciate this! There is a process to doing laundry…sort…wash…dry…fold…put away. You are a laundry Jack-of-all-Trades. But what if you just LOVE sorting, you are really good at it, but don’t love the rest, you just do it. What if you could create alliances with your family members? One may wash, one may dry, the other fold. What would that do to the whole process? Everyone would love what they do. Each would have a part in the success of the process. No one person would feel overwhelmed and the succcess of the process is in the hands of the alliance.
So, I want to share my alliances, my resources and my “laundry partners”, because the success of our ideal clients creates our success!
Turn Your Unique Talents into GOLD! – Transforming your soul-purpose into prosperity! – Me… http://www.ChristineLaureanoCoaching.com
Owning the Room – Career Architect and Change Agent … http://www.CindyYantis.com
Marketing To Your World – The Energizer Bonnie … http://www.MarketingToYourWorld.com
Viva Visibility – Social Media and Online Visibility … Nancy Marmolejo http://vivavisibilityblog.com/
And of course we all need to take care of ourselves and create a wellness plan that is as unique as we are…
Midlife Women’s Weightloss …made Easier with Gregory Ann Cox http://easymidlifeweightloss.com/home/
Who is in YOUR alliance?
Your business is your soul-inspired creation. You live it, breath it, celebrate your successes
and mull over the things that haven’t turned out the way you expected. It’s effortless to live in
the moment of your first big order or your first commercial contract. Woohoo for you!!
What I do want to share with you are the 4 Essential Elements to Honor Your Soul-Esteem.
When the going gets tough, it’s easy to feel off center. Doubts and fears rush in, self-criticism
arises and overwhelm parks in your space. That effortless feeling seems out of reach.
I’m sure you’re asking what the difference is between self-esteem and soul-esteem? Soul-
esteem encompasses the elements of self-esteem; however, it is the deeper, soul-inspired
inner strength that comes to you when you need it most. It is the inspiration that arises from
your core – no judgement. Many times we question our self-esteem, or confidence, thinking
that it gets stronger from outside sources. We rely on other’s words – compliments,
judgements, feedback – to influence how we “should” feel about ourselves. Soul-Esteem is the
inner-knowing of who you are, your unique gifts, your talents and your value.
When things don’t go as planned, red flags go up. You can question your intentions and even
think “why am I doing this in the first place?” This is when your esteem needs nurturing. Let’s
look at those 4 essential elements.
1. Remember WHO you are. You are a mother, entrepreneur, handmade expert, yes, but
let’s go deeper. The WHO you are is your core being. It’s what makes you uniquely YOU!
It’s why you do what you do and it’s the passion and purpose that you live by.
2. Celebrate Your Value. Not how much money you are making in your business – YOUR
value as YOU. You are a gifted and talented person and offer those gifts to people that
need it. You inspire! You teach! You honor yourself! So…what is YOUR Value?
3. Doubts and Fears are Powerful Teachers. This is my favorite! How can doubts and fears
teach us anything? You may be thinking that they are negative, get you down and throw you
off. Sound about right? When doubts and fears arise it is a signal to you that you are on the
right track. Doubts and fears are part of the ego, which tries to keep everything status quo.
The ego stays in the comfort zone and does not like change. So, when you step out of your
comfort zone and really start to move forward, doubts and fears will rush in. You may hear
“what makes you think you can do that?”, or “you are not nearly good enough, smart enough,
________(insert your own here) enough to do that!” Have you heard these before? If so, stay
on track, keep moving forward and honor your courage to evolve to the next “great” version
of you.
4. Believe, Affirm, Live. This is a wonderful mantra to repeat every day – or whenever you
want to give yourself a boost.
Believe in your gifts, talent, unique purpose and vision.
Affirm your beliefs with your heart and soul!
Live as if you already have everything you desire.
From a soul-esteem level, you are always “good enough”. Whenever you feel a doubt, fear,
negative thought or criticism come up, look at these 4 Essential Elements of Soul-Esteem
to tap into your inner strength, understand the lesson that may be presenting itself and
re-align yourself to your purpose and passion. When you apply this in your personal life,
just watch how it supports you in growing your business and moving you forward.
It’s not every day that you find someone that is motivated, ready to heal, and honesty, so tired of the crap that is going on that they are ready to do something different to change. I mean really change!
My closest friend from high school ( I’m her life coach) has embarked on an incredibly courageous journey. She is doing a 365 day detox. She is ready to heal her body by detoxing it from the foods that do not work for her. She is ready to detox her emotional being from the trauma and overwhelmed that she has carried for many years. And she is ready to detox her spirit and really connect with her intuition, guidance and higher source. And, not only is she entering into this 365 commitment, she is doing it online! Think of is as a Julia/Jules 365 Detox. Join me in her journey, cheer her on, give her guidance and…let her shed a little light on your life.
Follower her at http://www.365detox.blogspot.com/
Love ya Jules!!!!!
I just spent the last hour drinking my Chai ( my drink of choice) and reading Inc. and Succcess – and having the best time! What does that say about me?
I have two children that keep me busy – and laughing – a 6 month old Chocolate Lab named Cole, a thriving business, and an active workout schedule ( training for my first duathlon), so I have a lot of other interests. But what I discovered this morning is that I really, really enjoy my “quiet time” reading the “how-to’s”, success strategies, marketing triumphs and entrepreneur accolades. I made gluten -free chocolate chip
muffins at 8am for the troops ( sleepovers last night ) and am planning to take my kids to see Avatar this afternoon, but the draw of the comfy chair in the living room and the “Five Years of Start-Up Insanity – Was It Worth It?” page 102 did make my morning worth it!
Someone asked me once what I do for fun for “me”. I do a lot of fun things; doing things with my children, biking, running, writing, hiking, visualization, hanging at the beach in summer. But, when I got out of the comfy chair this morning, I embraced the fact that I had FUN! It gave me fuel for thought and inspirations in how I can better serve clients, be a better friend and parent, and go into the world continuing to turn my unique talents into GOLD.
Integrity – honesty, sincerity, honor, soundness, stability. Integrity also relates to the strength of a building’s foundation.
Check YOUR foundation lately?
I was reading an article by Donald Trump in the latest issues of Success Magzine, which got me to thinking about business, success, life, passion soul-purpose and all the thoughts in between. And, just being after the holidays, I started thinking about how stress-filled, ingenuine and artificial the holidays can feel if you do not have a strong foundation that holds you to your traditions, and creates the space to honor your beliefs and move you forward to the new year with joy, eagerness and heart-felt goodwill. Integrity, your strong foundation, is essential in your personal and professional life!
Your values and integrity are paramount in creating your success – whether your business accomplishments or life joy and achievements. When people see that you can be trusted, they CHOOSE you! When you stand in your passion and brilliance, they CHOOSE you!
If your clients get the slightest sense that you are trying to “sell” them, your integrity level doesn’t wobble…It CRUMBLES! And, how hard is it to repair a crumbled foundation? It never stands at full stength again. The very same applies to your life, your friendships and your realtionships with all those that you touch.
Relationships are built on trust and integrity. Remember when you were a teen and your best friend decided to “hang” with a different group because they were “IT”? How did you feel? And, how about when that friend came back to you, realizing that the IT group really didn’t have the IT that they were looking for, what happened? We all need to walk our own paths, make our own mistakes and learn by our errors. When a relationship has a strong foundation, it doesn’t crumble. If the relationship is built on trust and integrity, the structure can survive the rockiest of times because you built a strong foundation.
Look at your foundation – business and life. What is your foundation build upon? If built on your core philosophy – your values, integrity and purpose, you will be able to stay true to your path and create the success your desire! (And your clients and prospects…well they will CHOOSE you!)
Life…think about how good it is when you are the reason someone feels inspired. And, how incredible you feel when YOU are inspired by someone.
It’s when you decide that you are “too tired” to make an effort and sit down in your “easy chair”, that life turns ordinary. You have surrendered to having an extra-ordinary life. We are the ones that make our extraordinary moments! The moments don’t have to be grand is scheme or make a huge gesture or be Orpah-like, they just have to be the moments when you have listened to your heart (your direct link to Spirit), stepped out of your comfort zone just a little bit and made a choice to be different than you were in the last moment.
Years ago while my children were young, and being a stay-at-home mom, I wanted to do things that would be creative, keep my mind active, keep me close to home and be unique. I wanted to learn about things I knew absolutely nothing about! One of those things was to become a certified aromatherapist ( not candles and soap) and the other was a professional chocolatier.
I believe in always expanding my knowledge and also being a resource for people. So at the time when I was home with my children, I learned to do some extraordinary things. It took me 6 months, 25 case studies and a research paper to earn my certification in Aromatherapy. With that knowledge I was able to help people find natural remedies, using essential oils, for some of what was ailing them…from hard working hands, to uplifting moods and even relieving radiated skin for breast cancer patients. The knowledge I learned helped others FEEL GOOD.
Who doesn’t love chocolate? Rich, aromatic chocolate with a velvety smooth texture and a taste that only the Gods could create! I wanted to learn to make decadent chocolates. Not the supermarket chocolate bars, but mind-altering, palette pleasing chocolate truffles that could make a person’s bad day turn to extraordinary with one bite. ( Hey…I’m a big thinker) I found an instructor, purchased my couverture and away I went, tempering by tableur, infusing with different flavors …lavender, Habanero pepper and of course Cointreau. Friends and family were at the receiving end of my creativity and enjoyed delicate bites of heaven when ever I worked at my marble tablet.
My extraordinary moments have come when I have had an idea and then made the choice to make it happen. Climbing Mt Everest is extraordinary. Healing wounded souls and sick bodies – extraordinary. Making gazillion gig silicon chips that run the machine I am writing on is amazingly extraordinary. Talking with a friend who feels lost and confused – extraordinarily priceless. Those extraordinary moments come from the ordinary moments in your life that you use to make a difference, create a smile and do something from your heart that makes you feel good. My chocolates … didn’t create world peace, but did give friends a little joy in a crazy world.
Now, I am using my extraordinary moments to help others find theirs! Take Your Life from ordinary to Extraordinary!
My dear friend Bonnie Dubrow and I were having a conversation about all the information out there available to us. So that sparked the thoughts of …is information what we need, or do we need the interaction of a trusted source, guide, mentor, to helps us use the info in a way that creates a TRUE Transformation in our lives? From that conversation, Bonnie wrote this article that I want to share with you. Keep reading!
Do You and Your Prospects and Clients Want More Information or More Interaction? by Bonnie Dubrow
Every single time I download email I get one or more opportunities to get more information. Sometimes it’s in the form of an e-book, sometimes an audio, sometimes a video. It may be a webinar or a teleseminar (talking heads only these days – no interaction please – it may reduce the quality of the recording, you know. Sometimes the information is right there in the email.
I don’t know about you. I know more than enough to accomplish everything on my project and my task lists. And anything I don’t know, I can find out by picking up the phone, sending an email or an email blast to my own network, or getting on Google. And I’ll bet the same is true for your prospects and clients, too.
What I do want and need is more interaction.
I want to talk about my ideas and hear about yours. I want to commit to you what I’ll do today or this week and I want you to feel free to do the same. I want support and encouragement when I’m facing a challenge, sorting out what I believe from what I was taught to believe, and especially when a light is dawning within about a pattern of thinking, feeling, and/or behaving that’s limiting my joy, my inner peace, and my success. And I offer you the same.
I want interaction because interaction leads to collaboration.
More important, I want interaction because interaction leads to transformation.
I believe with continued transformation, I create more inner peace, love and joy. I create energy and momentum. I create space for being more creative and innovative.
Truth be told, through interaction, I can admit to a trusted friend or adviser that my quest for more information is in part fueled by my fears and insecurities. In part, it’s fueled by my hopes that in this next offer I’ll find the key that shuts of my negative self-talk and delivers that missing piece so I can quickly, easily, yes, and finally achieve the success I dream of and work toward.
I sure wish more information could do all that for me. Yet I’ve gone down that path enough times to know it’s a delay, a detour, maybe even a dead end. Still I know more information isn’t the key to my success. So during my interaction, I can agree to gently and lovingly set aside my quest for the holy grail and spend the time and energy I’ve freed up to do something that will contribute to my joyfully making progress on my journey toward success.
Now, from my new perspective, the information I already have within or is already at my fingertips may become useful. I can see it in a new light, use it in a new way. If I need something new, I’ve got the juice, the motivation to find, experience, and integrate and apply it.
So, if you’re in information overload and you are looking for relief, do an experiment, take a risk, and delete all your new emails offering you, promising you your missing keys. Take that time to tackle the project or task that’s been standing in your way blocking your progress. Take that time to be still and connect with your Source, or to exercise, or to spend quality time interacting with that someone in your life who is there for you and you for them, that you might move beyond information into transformation. The treasures that await you will delight you.
And who knows, you may serendipitously pick up a gem of information or two along the way. Happy journeying!
P.S. I hope you find this blog post isn’t just another bit of information. I hope it inspires you to interact with someone close to you, or to interact with your prospects and clients instead of ‘just’ offering the more information.
And if you’d like to participate in some juicy interaction, I encourage you to join Christine Laureano (http://www.ChristineLaureanoCoaching.com) and myself on Wednesday, December 23, 2009, at 12 noon Eastern. I’ll be her guest on her Internet radio show, Coach in the Moment. You can listen at www.blogtalkradio.com/Coach-in-the-Moment or on your phone at (347) 215-8095. That’s the same number you’ll dial to talk with Christine and me. I hope you’ll join us.
Guess what we’ll be talking about? You got it. Does Information vs. Interaction Lead to True Transformation?
If you miss the call, I’ll post a link to the recording in a few places including my blog at http://MarketingToYOURworld.com/blog, so ‘ya all come back now.’
