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How to Drop Fear

on August 2, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Education, Women in Business

Guest Post by Pragito Dove, Discover Meditation Training, Inc.

Fear is the absence of love. And the problem with something that is absent is that you cannot do anything with it directly. Fear is like darkness, which is the absence of light. There is nothing you can do with darkness directly, because it is an absence of something — which leaves you nothing to work with. But you can bring in more light.

Switch on the light. If you want darkness, switch off the light again. You work directly with the light, not with the darkness. The same is true with fear and love. Don’t bother with the fear—focus on love. You can do something with love immediately. Start loving.

Love is born within us, it is an intrinsic quality. We can just start giving love, sharing it, allowing it to flow out of us. As we do that, it grows. Don’t hold back; don’t be miserly with your love. If we don’t use our natural qualities they become blocked, grow stagnant, and wither away. That’s what happens to embittered people—they become frozen by their refusal to share their love.

When we give love, in the very giving we become richer because our love starts radiating outward. And then our fear starts to naturally disappear. It simply cannot exist in the face of so much love.

So it is not a question of dropping fear; it is a question of sharing your love, and then the fear vanishes of its own accord.

MEDITATION: Start Loving!

BENEFITS
The more you do this technique, over time you feel the joy in your heart expanding and your fear dissolving.

Become more and more loving, and you become more and more joyful. Don’t worry about whether or not your love is returned; that is not the point. Joy follows love automatically, and fear is dissolved automatically. The beauty of love is that its result, its value, are intrinsic. Love does not depend on the response of another, because it is totally yours.

Choose a person or pet to be loving toward. It makes no difference to whom you are loving—a dog, a tree, a stranger in the grocery store. Smile at people in the street, be more loving toward yourself.

Join Pragito Dove on Success Institute,  August 9, 2011 at 1:30pm CST, to Revitalize your Entrepreneurial Enterprise with the Power of Laughter Meditation.  Learn how to revitalize your entrepreneurial enterprise while discovering inner calm!


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How to Avoid Some of the Critical Mistakes Small Business Owners Make

on May 21, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Education, Success Institute, Uncategorized, Women in Business

Most small business owners focus on attracting more clients and making more money, however, they often struggle due to lack of step-by-step guidance when starting and growing their businesses.  To gain some insights about how to avoid some of the Critical Mistakes Small Business Owners Make, here are tips from eWomenNetwork Premier Success Coaches Katrina Sawa and Margot Morgan:
 

Tips from Katrina Sawa, Premier Success Coach and owner of Jump Start Your Marketing

 

Tips from Margot Morgan, Premier Success Coach and Business Coach at Executive Coaching Group

Katrina Sawa, Margot Morgan and Pat Perkins will be discussing 5 Critical Mistakes 95% of Small Business Owners Make and How to Avoid Them on the eWomenNetwork Success Institute, May 24, 2011.  Join these Premier Success Coaches who specialize in helping you achieve your business goals and discover how to develop and market your business with action and accountability!

 

 

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The Woodpecker’s Secret to Getting What You Want

on April 11, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Motivation & Inspiration, Women in Business

Guest Post by Premier Success Coach Kim Griffith, MA,  Parenting & Wellness Coach/Educator

Everyone seems to be teaching the secret to realizing our dreams. The main ingredients are usually:

  1. Vision work
  2. Positive thinking
  3. Taking action

But if it were that easy, wouldn’t we all have what we want?

These ingredients are great, and I use them in my coaching and personal life. But why is it there are times that amazing opportunities and unexpected collaborations open up for me with no effort, then there are other times when I am clear about my vision yet find myself struggling, pushing hard to make forward progress and getting nowhere?

As I was considering this dichotomy, I noticed a woodpecker working diligently on building his home. I’d seen him earlier in the week, but today he was about to reinforce a simple (but not so easy) lesson.

This determined woodpecker seemed to know exactly what he wanted. He was working hard, that’s for sure. But there appeared to be no urgency in his actions even though his project was taking what I thought was a long time to complete.

If he experienced any type of obstacle, I was not aware of it. He just continued on, accepting exactly where he was at every moment. I knew he wasn’t thinking “I have so much to do, and how in the world am I going to get it all done?” or “I don’t know if I can reach my goal.”

Our capacity as humans to feel emotions and question our process is unique to our species. It can come in handy at times, but it can also cause us to struggle, force, worry and control when there’s something we want but don’t have. Resistance is the opposite of acceptance. When you truly accept what is without judgment, you have no resistance. When you have no resistance, a space opens for creative solutions, and your inspired action step will appear.

You can ask yourself — on a scale from 1-10, how much energy am I spending resisting or trying to control my outcome? Acknowledging the truth, the reality of our situation, often brings up uncomfortable feelings, which is the main reason we find ourselves in denial, resisting or pretending we are somewhere else. But avoiding our feelings just creates more resistance, which pushes us further away from realizing our dreams.

Accepting where we are allows us to relax, which naturally creates a pause in our attempts to control. That’s when the magic happens; when “invisible doors” to what’s next are revealed with ease.

I’m sharing my lesson from the woodpecker with you, what I am calling The Woodpecker’s Secret to Getting What You Want:

  1. Know what you want (you may find that it is already hard-wired in you)
  2. Accept exactly where you are right now (don’t judge it, just accept it)
  3. The next door opens naturally (an inspiration, idea, phone call, person)
  4. Then you take action …

Simply continue to repeat these steps from your new vantage point. And just like the woodpecker, knowing what you want and feeling acceptance with where you are assures that what you want is coming your way.

Connect with Kim Griffith at eWomenNetwork or

The Wellness Way

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7 Quick & Easy Money Making Activities to Do Every Day in Your Small Business That Only Take 10 Minutes or Less to Do!

on March 1, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Marketing, Relationship Networking, Social Media, Women in Business

Guest Post by Premier Success Coach Katrina Sawa, Social Media and Online Marketing Coach

Money-Making activities are the #1 thing you should be spending time on in your day-to-day of the running of your business.

Don’t get caught up doing administrative tasks or time-sucking tasks that will never bring you customers.

Instead sprinkle in some of these quick and easy money-making activities among your big picture marketing plan and watch how more prospects come your way!

#1. Add (and send a personal message to) 25 people in Facebook or LinkedIn to your profile or fan page.

#2.  Make 5 follow up phone calls to connect with people in your database, previous clients for referrals or upsells, prospects for new business and more.

#3.  Email 3 people asking them if you can speak at one of their upcoming events, include creative ideas so they email you back.

#4.  Write a quick, ‘how to’ blog post or article for your blog, ezine or fan page.

#5.  Connect via email, facebook or phone with 2 people who you could do an article swap with you who have complimentary businesses to yours and a list.

#6.  Record a video tip about your expertise or something you teach in your coaching/business along with a call to action and get it up on YouTube, linking it out to your social sites and blog too.

#7.  Create a new freebie or free teleclass that will be of interest to your target audience and start promoting it for list building.

About the Author: Katrina Sawa is known as The JumpStart Your Biz Coach because she literally kicks her female entrepreneur clients into high gear when they work with her.  She is one of the eWomenNetwork Premier Coaches and works with women entrepreneurs worldwide on starting, growing and marketing their businesses.  You can find out more about Kat and get some Free Gifts at www.JumpstartYourMarketing.com/gifts.

Connect with Katrina Sawa at eWomenNetwork or

at JumpStart Your Marketing

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Finding Balance in Chaos

on February 21, 2011 in Coaching Corner, Education, Women in Business

Guest Post by Premier Success Coach Kim Griffith, MA,        Co-Active Parenting and Wellness Coach

Does this sound familiar?

I had a plan … I was organized and in the flow. I had a deadline to write an article on trauma for a parenting magazine and write this blog post, so set aside 2 full days to complete them. I felt confident and in control of my time. 

And then, the biggest ice storm hit Dallas and all my plans came to a screeching halt.  My daughter’s school closed so she was home.  Then came our power outages, and finally, my husband wrecked his car trying to get out of the driveway!  I had to take and pick him up from work (he’s a doctor and babies don’t wait to be delivered)!  Although this is an extreme scenario, it expresses how crazy life can get as we are juggling being a mom, wife and running a business.  When we love all of them, HOW DO WE FIND OUR BALANCE?

I have found that getting REGULATED (calm and centered) is of the utmost importance.  When we are stressed and run by thought patterns that keep us in “survival mode,” our brain is limited to fight, flight or freeze, which shows up as anxiety, fear, frustration, anger etc.  No one is getting their needs met in this state of mind, not to mention the toll it begins to take on our physical well-being.  When we can take a few deep, conscious breaths and find a sense of calm, we give our brain a chance to tap into creative solutions, increase our energy and have the space to ask some important questions.  

Ask yourself, what is the most important thing to me right now in this moment?  What do I value the most in my life?  VALUES are our road map to making good decisions and living a truly happy life.  After getting regulated and asking myself these questions, I was able to regain my sense of calm, and be present in what I was doing.  My energy was amazing and I wrote this post in 20 minutes!  I felt productive, with my creative juices flowing. 

I found my personal balance in this extreme set of circumstances by honoring and being in tune with my values and priorities. And this, I believe, is the first step in balancing meeting our own needs with the needs of our family. What is of highest value and priority to you?   Live in alignment with them and your business will flourish!

In summary….1) Breath  2) Regulate 3) Accept  4) Ask what is most important (Values, Priorities) 5) Be Present in what your doing 6) Trust and allow your creativity to flow!

Connect with Kim Griffith at eWomenNetwork or The Wellness Way

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CEO FOCUS: Executive Perspective

on February 18, 2011 in Coaching Corner, eWomenNetwork Members, Women in Business

Guest Post by Premier Success Coach Sharon L. Hardy, MA, PCC, Executive Leadership Coach

As CEO of your business, are you spending more time focused on your business priorities, or fighting fires and caught in the daily grind?  This CEO FOCUS blog post will give you strategies to develop an Executive Perspective.

I work with company executives who run business units or functions within a larger organization.  They usually have a large staff, departments and infrastructure in place to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.

As a small business owner, you may not have the large staff, but you still have the need to think like an executive. You are in charge of vision and profitability as well ensuring effective sales, marketing, product development and service delivery.  How can you think like a CEO?

An Executive Perspective means a 30,000 foot view – seeing the big picture and how the parts fit into the whole of your business (and life!).  The first key to success is:

PLANNING!  Annually, quarterly, weekly and daily. This puts you squarely in the CEO mindset, supporting your business growth.

Three tips from executive pros will make your planning more effective:

  • Annually:  Every October, re-set your goals and objectives (What & Why); in November, develop strategies and projects (How & When), and finalize your budget in December. Ensure that staff are part of the process and goals are written and assigned.
  • Quarterly:  Review the plans with those accountable and adjust projections as needed.  Glean the learning – what went well, what did not, what did you learn and what will you do differently?
  • Monthly and Weekly, review your goals and make sure action steps are on your daily schedule. Use a planner system that works for you.

Making planning a habit brings clarity, peace and balance – isn’t that why you wanted to be a CEO in the first place?

Connect with Sharon Hardy at eWomenNetwork

Original Post @ SharonLHardy.com

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At Home Businesses for Women: Soapbox Warning

on February 17, 2011 in Branding, Coaching Corner, Motivation & Inspiration, Women in Business

Guest Post by Premiere Success Coaches Aly Calvo and Andrea Kulberg, M. Ed., Branding Specialists Coaches

We get it.  You work  from home, so you have a free pass to spend the day in your pajamas behind the computer while juggling loads of laundry and dishes, right? Wrong.  Fair warning, we are about to be on our soapbox and hold you accountable for the way you operate your business.  If that makes you uncomfortable…. read on, anyway because we’re calling you out and that means you need it. (Yes, English teacher, we are using the word YOU today.)

With the evolution of the office (thank you, technology), so has come the evolution of opportunities for women, particularly moms, entering the workforce.  Put that in a blender with the recent economy, and find for the first time ever that more women are beginning entrepreneurial endeavors than men.  The fact is, we really can bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan… and do the family taxi-driving, chef duty, housekeeping, bookkeeping, teacher, tear-wiper, nose-wiper, and you get-the-idea-all-at-the-same-time.  BUT, if you want to be more than just slightly successful in the bank account department, you must define boundaries for your work space.  Physically and emotionally.

If you are working to serve your purpose (and you should), protect that.  We are guessing that most you you are not energized or empowered by laundry or scheduling the garage door repair.  We also know that if you really are working to your highest potential, your hourly rate is likely higher than the cost of outsourcing house management tasks.  Plus, you can feed the economy by employing another person who IS asking for that kind of work.  Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should.  That is applicable in both your personal life, and your business.

We are calling it like it is here.  There is no excuse for you to be doing anything in your personal life or your professional career that does not serve your strengths, talents, personal joy, or legacy.  We coach in detail about how to do this, but suffice it to say, if you are truly ready to be successful, joyful, and fulfilled, we know this is true.

And another thing!  Since we are on our soapbox, we have to say it that way.  If you want to be successful, you must ACT successful.  Expect it.  You wouldn’t go to a corporate sales meeting in sweats, so why go to your Starbucks meeting, or even Skype meeting like that?  If you are networking, Get UP, dress the part, and put on a little lip gloss!

Our encouragement to you today is to respect yourself first, so you have the authority to demand that respect from others.  If you want your family, friends, colleagues, prospective bosses, or potential customers to take you seriously, act like you work.  Because you do.

Stepping down now….

Connect with Aly and Andrea at eWomenNetwork

Original Post @ Rock Star U

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What is Coaching?

on November 11, 2010 in Coaching Corner, Women in Business

coaching

Coaching is a jointly-designed partnership that supports you and forwards your actions toward the achievement of your goals and vision of your business, career, or personal life.  Success means different things to each of us, and this partnership allows you to reach greater personal and business success. Strategic coaching principles and tools are used to empower you and restore a dynamic state of balance in the key areas of your life.

Throughout the coaching relationship, your coach will engage in direct and potent questioning, and may, on occasion, be directive.  You can count on your coach to ask honest and straightforward questions designed to open new thought processes, to make inquiries that offer inner discovery, and to make requests that lead to action and achievement.

Why does eWomenNetwork think that it is important to include two complimentary Coaching sessions as a Member Benefit?  Sandra Yancey, CEO of eWomenNetwork, believes that entrepreneurs and solopreneurs need a way to break through the isolation that comes from doing it all on their own.  “I would have never made it without help.  It was a pivotal turning point in my business.  Coaching represents an honest and objective  third party who can help you with your challenges and conflicting demands.   It’s similar to why you may hire an exercise trainer or join a weight loss group.  You know what you need to do, you just want someone to guide, support and hold you accountable.”  I asked Sandra how to select the appropriate coach.  “If you have several challenges and not sure which one to focus on first, think about the one thing that keeps you up at night,” she said.  “It can be either your greatest pain-point or that single burning idea you are so excited about.”

Coaching provides  an opportunity to gain clarity, translate your dreams and ideas into achievable goals, change old beliefs and patterns that hold you back, develop and maintain focus, design structures and systems to support your journey, and choose how you are going to live the rest of your life in a whole new way!  To learn more about coaching, go to  http://www.ewomennetwork.com/coaches.html.

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Optimism is Growing Among Women Business Owners

on June 29, 2010 in Coaching Corner, eWomenNetwork Partners, Motivation & Inspiration

Guest Post by Maria Coyne @Key4Women

Maria CoyneThe third Key4Women Confidence Index is hot off the press, and results point to increased optimism about the economy. Women business owners who responded to our twice-a-year survey by the Center for Women’s Business Research said they are seeing signs of an upturn. Look at these comparisons with surveys taken in the spring and fall of 2009: Sales are up. Selling prices are up. Planned hiring is up. These improvements seem to be boosting positive outlooks. In our latest research, nearly 60 percent said they believe business conditions will improve over the next six months, compared with 48 percent a year ago. Similarly, the number of women business owners who believe the economy will worsen in the next six months dropped by half.

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Stand Out & Be Juicy

on June 14, 2010 in Coaching Corner, Events

Lisa Cherney6/17/10 Tele-Insights with Lisa Cherney

Magnetize Your Marketing

to Attract Your Ideal Clients

Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to stand out in the crowd of competition. There are hundreds of businesses that sound like they offer the same services or products as you, and have the same certifications, degrees and title as you. Clients can’t tell the difference!

In this session you will learn:

  • The critical difference between a target and an Ideal Client that can add thousands of dollars to your bottom line.
  • A step-by-step method for finding the perfect words to communicate your unique approach.
  • Powerful marketing strategies that will attract tons of your Ideal Clients and fit any budget.
  • How to maximize the impact of all your marketing investments and get results fast.
  • A simple system you can use over and over to market any product, service or business you ever have!

For more information and to register: https://events.ewomennetwork.com/event/details.php?eid=13252

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