Stop Making Excuses, Confront Your Fear and Take Action

Fear and anxiety can sabotage you when you least expect it. You may not even realize that fear and anxiety are holding you back. You think you want something but then you don’t pursue it. You find yourself making excuses on why you are not finishing the task or project. We can sit all day long at our computers and tweak a website, sales copy, or proposal for a client but never actually complete the task. We say we are not finished with it because it is not perfect. We make excuses on why it isn’t finished. Now is the time to stop making excuses and take action.

When working with clients I often see them having great ideas that they never bring to fruition. They are afraid of failure. We have become a society that rewards good behavior and performance and we ridicule those who do not perform well. This learned behavior does not help the small business owner become successful.

The small business owner must be willing to take a risk. He or she must complete tasks and quit striving for perfection. He or she must stay focused on the desired outcome. Many small business owners do not like to follow up with prospective clients because of the fear of rejection. People often become small business owners not realizing that he or she will need to learn to sell his or her own product or service. Fear of rejection and fear of selling keep the business owner from growing his or her own business.

As a small business owner, you must do some self-reflection. Ask yourself why you are not finishing projects. Why are you not following up on leads from networking events? Why are you not asking people to purchase your product or service? What are you afraid of? Are you afraid they will say “no”? Are you afraid the person will hang up the phone on you? I doubt anyone has actually died from embarrassment so I challenge you to pick one thing that you keep putting off and finish it.

If your unfinished task is following up with prospective clients I challenge you design a script that you can read when calling or emailing prospective clients. You must know your intended outcome from the conversation and design your follow up system.

If you are procrastinating on completing a project, break the project into manageable chunks and design a schedule on when you will finish each item.

Stop trying to predict the future. Design a plan for success. Envision your business running smoothly and design the necessary systems and procedures needed so you can turn your dreams into reality. Next, hold yourself accountable for your actions. Take responsibility for your lack of action.  Confide in your coach so he or she can hold you accountable and challenge you so you can turn your dreams into reality.

Don’t make me take off my shoes and beat you!

 

STOP TALKING AND START DOING! Coach Jaynine is a business coach who gets people to take action. She will get you to move from talking about what you want to do- to doing what you want to do. Jaynine has over 20 years experience as a United States Marine, psychotherapist, and business owner. If you are ready to take action, increase your revenue and take your business to the next level contact Jaynine today at www.coachjaynine.com or 910-539-2810.

Twitter Tip Thursday – Jott

Jott

http://jott.com/jott/jott-links.html

Post your Twitter updates with your voice and a simple phone call.

How does it work? With Jott Assistant and Jott for Salesforce, you just call a simple phone number, speak your notes, messages, or updates and hang up. Jott Voicemail works the same way, but your friends, family, and colleagues are the ones leaving the messages when they call your number. Then, Jott takes the spoken messages, turns them into text, and sends them to the right destination via email, text message, or web update.

I have NOT used this service.

Are you networking or wasting your time?

I have written on this topic before but it is time to revisit it. We all love going to events. However, honestly, they all cost money. Even if there is no initial cost of attending an event you still will probably be required to purchase a meal or at a minimum a beverage at the event. There are also hidden costs associated with attending networking events. You will be spending your time in the car commuting and while at the event. Your time is a very precious resource. You will also be spending money on gas to get you to and from the event. Do not forget you may also catch yourself wanting to splurge on a new outfit or visiting your favorite hair or nail salon prior to the event.

Now, I am not saying do not attend events but I am going to tell you to be selective. If your target niche is not going to attend then why are you going to go? Do not say that everyone is your target niche. We all know that not everyone is our ideal client. I think it is very appropriate to call the organizer of the event and ask the demographics of the attendees. Evaluate the event with the same scrutiny you would use when evaluate where to spend your marketing dollars. After all, you will be there marketing you and your business.

After you have attended the event, do not let the contacts you made fade away. You will want to have a system in place for following up with the people you met. You may want to send them a hand written note or an email letting them know you enjoyed meeting them at the event. I often hear my clients complain that they attended events and met great people but no one followed up with them. This is because the other person did not know how to effectively network.

Networking effectively requires that you have a plan to evaluate what networking events are for you. You must have a system in place to follow up with people you met at the events. You can learn how to networking effectively by completing my free ecourse My 5 Secrets to Networking Success.

 

STOP TALKING AND START DOING! Coach Jaynine is a business coach who gets people to take action. She will get you to move from talking about what you want to do- to doing what you want to do. Jaynine has over 20 years experience as a United States Marine, psychotherapist, and business owner. If you are ready to take action, increase your revenue and take your business to the next level contact Jaynine today at www.coachjaynine.com or 910-539-2810. You can sign up for Networking Detox: My 5 Secrets to Networking Success at www.coachjaynine.com.

 

Twitter Tip Thursday –

Twittercal

http://twittercal.com/

Twittercal allows you to post  an event to your Google Calendar. You must follow gcal which you can do at the above link. After that you can send a direct message to gcal with your event details and it will post to your Google Calendar.

Happy Tweeting!

Learn to feel satisfied and bring a project to fruition: Stop being a butterfly.

Are you like a butterfly? Starting one task and then before it is completed you are flying off to start another task? Is your mind buzzing with new ideas and projects? Yet, you have a pile of unfinished projects?

We all the love the feeling we get when we get a new idea or inspiration. However, when was the last time you felt satisfaction in bringing a project to fruition? My five tips below will provide you the feeling of satisfaction of bringing a project to fruition.

1. Know Yourself. What time of day do you perform at your best? Are you a morning person? Are you a night owl? When you know when you perform at your best or are most creative you will be able to plan your schedule accordingly to use your most precious resource wisely; YOU!

2. Examine Your Environment. Who is sabotaging your efforts? Is it you? Is it fear? Is it your belief system? Is it family, friends, coworkers, or the office mascot? You must identify who is sabotaging your efforts and why. Do you not like working on the project? What does completing the project symbolize? Do your family and friends not respect your boundaries? Do family and friends not realize you are busy working? Let them know your office hours and ask them to respect your office hours and the need to get your project completed. Examine your belief system. Do you feel you are not supposed to be successful? Do you feel guilty charging customers and clients because you are doing what you love? Do you fear success? Take time to examine your environment and identify who is sabotaging your success.

3. Focus. Designate a time to complete or work on the project. Set an appointment with yourself if you must. Put the project in your day planner. Turn off all distractions before you begin your project. This can be the television, radio, cell phone, or telephone. You may want to post a note on your front door or office door that says “In Conference – Do NOT Disturb”.

4. Time Your Self. Just as a lawyer, doctor, dentist or other professional allows a certain amount of time for an appointment you need to do that also. Estimate how long the project or task will take or how long you will work on it during your allotted time. Set a timer and see how much you accomplish before the timer buzzes. After the timer goes off reward yourself with a small break. This will also clear your mind and eliminate tension in your body. If the task is not completed, schedule in your day planner another appointment for working on the project. This will ensure you do not get burned out or forget to return to the task or project.

5. Reward Your Self. It is hard work being the boss or being a solopreneur. There is no one around to give you a pat on the back or say “Great Job”. You need to recognize your accomplishments and reward yourself. The reward does not have to cost a lot of money. It may be as simple as taking a walk around the block to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine. It may be going to lunch with friends or buying yourself some fresh flowers for your office. Record your accomplishments in a journal so that you can self reflect at a later date and time. Use positive self-talk to remind yourself how great you truly are.

You are your most precious resource. You must respect and honor your time. You must finish your projects or eliminate the ones that no longer bring you joy. Eliminating the clutter and having a plan will ensure that you are more productive. When you enlist my five tips, you will no longer be the social butterfly. You will be the respected and profit earning head of your business or organization. You will feel satisfaction that you have completed a project and you will ready to focus on your next moneymaking idea.