October 31, 2011 at 4:12 pm
At this point summer seems more like a distant memory as we fall into autumn. I love New England Autumns. Leaves changing color then falling and a gazillion and a half activities to get into. In South Florida it’s a lot different. Rain, rain, rain and then more rain. That’s what we’ve had these recent weeks. When the sun doesn’t seem to shine as long and the days a dark and dreary, it can get difficult to get up and be motivated to stay on target. Here are a few tools that can help.
Start your day powerfully. Make everything that you do in the morning have a purpose that contributes to what you want to achieve. Whether you are following steps on a routine job, are in a position that requires you to be self-directed, or worse –> you are self employed, your every step in the morning need to matter. From the music that you wake up to, to the breakfast that you eat. This is a great time to get some of the fresh fruits and veggies that are still out and freeze them so that deep into the winter you can still have these bright colorful meals. And the music needs to be upbeat- the more of the words you know the better. Sing along no matter how bad you think your voice is. Set your music to start your chosen playlist at your rising time, and set the volume loud enough to invigorate and so you can hear in your room, bathroom, and kitchen(without disrupting neighbors). This may mean that you have to take it with you as you change rooms. I love my carnival, and some good African music when I need wake, but there are also some great gospel praise songs that do the job. As long as you’re dancing a little by the time you’re done getting ready.
Dress the part. When the days seem gloomy, the tendency is to throw something on and go. If you look at fall colors, they are the darker colors. They may be wholesome and go with the season, but they don’t inspire. So your first step is to add a splash of color. Whether it’s shoes, shirt, tie, belt, something you wear needs to have nice bright colors. Dress in power attire. We all know about the power suits that are worn to interviews or when going in to land a big time client. That power suit makes you feel and act different. Stronger, more powerful, more confident, ready to scale any mountain. Not everyday is a suit day, so instead of wearing a power suit everyday for a month, you can wear articles of clothing that together give the same results. The important thing is that you dress like you have an important job that you need to complete. Even if you are working from home, get dressed and walk to your desk like you were going to the office and there’s a chance organizational leaders will be in the building. When you look like you have an important job to do, your mind will work it out with your body and they’ll work together to keep you in work mode.
Keep a tight schedule- No idle hands. Nothing makes you more tire than doing nothing. Whether your day is overwhelmingly packed or you are just not in the mood for work, when you are not actively engaged in work, you have time to think and realize how much you don’t feel like working. The solution is to have a plan. If you have an outline of tasks and the schedule for completing them you can move in a more regimented fashion. When you are busy and more importantly productive, you don’t have time to worry about gloomy days as you are more focused on getting things done. Schedule breaks so that you can relax and refuel, and do something with your break time. Whether you go out and chit chat or go for get some gloomy fresh air, step out of work mode, with a scheduled time to return. Set your alarm to remind you when break is over. Avoid idle times. Eliminate the gaps where you have nothing to do or are trying to figure out where to go next, because those are the moments that can suck you back into non-productive mode. If you find a gap that was not scheduled, use it productively, respond to emails, voice messages or even begin your to create your agenda for the next day.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
October 17, 2011 at 9:23 am
One of the best marketing tools of small businesses is the feedback from previous clients. Especially when providing services, your clients’ results are your greatest assets. When these assets are confidential it makes it difficult to promote your services based on success rates. But hey difficult does not mean impossible. There are a few things that you can do to get word out without breaching confidentiality. You can always aggregate numbers and provide percentages but that only goes so far. People like to hear from and about people; not numbers.
The first and easiest tool that I am certainly guilty of failing to use in getting testimonials. After you have provided services to your clients it’s ok to let them know that testimonials are valuable to your business. It’s ok to ask them, as long as it is not made to sound like an obligatory demand. One of the best entrées to the conversation is when they thank you for your service. Satisfied clients have a tendency to extend the invitation to reach out if they can assist you in the future; this is the perfect time to remind them that you would appreciate a testimonial or make a request that pass along your information to others that can use it. As you prepare to make your request remember the following:
Make it a serious request: When they are not comfortable making a request, people tend to use crutches, like asking jokingly. It’s not a joke and it’s not something that is done in passing where the client misses your request. You value your client’s feedback and the time they would take to provide you with a testimonial. That should be reflected in your request.
Avoid ambivalent requests: In order to avoid seeming pushy you may make your request in a way that leaves the client wondering if you were serious. You want the client to be clear that you meant to ask, and that they have a choice as to whether or not they fulfill your request.
Jump on offers for testimonials: You already know that’s the first one. Even a client who far beyond satisfied does not always offer a testimonial. On a rare occasion I’ve had clients who have seen others on my site offer to write one. When a client offers “Yes. Thanks” should be your first response. Make sure the client knows that you are both interested and appreciative of their offer.
Avoid Paying for testimonials: A testimonial that you pay for is a service that you are buying. Does not assure your potential clients of your skills. If you offer to pay a client for testimonials it devalues the other ones you have obtained. The client is thinking that if you pay him, you’ve paid others. [Maybe you’re not that great and they just lucked out.]
At the end of the day, your work matters and you are making a difference for your clients. The best way for potential clients to know, is to hear (read) it from previous clients. Don’t be afraid to ask, as long as your clients know that they can decline.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
October 10, 2011 at 2:11 pm
There are many things that we should do, must achieve, ought to complete… The truth is that if desire is a missing element in that journey, you may encounter difficulty making progress. Forcing yourself to do something you don’t want to do is about as effective as making teenagers do something they don’t want to do. This is still not a reason to just pack up and walk away, because even the things you don’t wan to do can have immeasurable value toward other things that you want. What you need to figure out is if you will get something that could make you want to go even things you did not want at first.
You’ve taken the first step of setting the goal but can’t seem to move past to move forward. If every time you set out to take the next step you find a thousand ways to be distracted and procrastinate, then something is wrong. When you find yourself in a cycle of no results take out a piece of paper to answer the following questions. While you can easily complete this exercise on a compute or tablet, it is best to use pen and paper because there is no delete there. You can keep a running tab or your thoughts no matter how many times you change direction.
1. What my hang-up?
Something is obviously holding you back and it often is beyond the scope of just doing the work. This could be the result of many things ranging from fear of failing, fear of judgment from others, or just a lack of gain- The carrot is not big enough. Not moving forward is safety net. You may make excuses such as not knowing what you’re doing or what to do. What it really boils down to is this: As long as you don’t go ahead all those things that you may fear or worry about will not happen. The draw back is that all those things that you hope and wish for also will not happen. Take the time to figure out what it is that you are attempting to avoid by not following through to the finish line.
2. What’s my prize?
The best case scenario is what you ultimately would like to result from your investment. While your hang-up is focused on all the possible negative outcomes, the prize is about the positives that you seek. Your pie in the sky. What makes the journey worth starting? Answer this honestly. What will happen if you follow through with this journey? What will you be getting out of it? If it’s something you are doing to get money, how much will you get and what will that meant to you? Not all prizes are monetary so dig deep to uncover what you stand to gain and what that really means to you. Once you know what the prize is, you also have to decide if it’s something you can handle. You need to be able to picture yourself 30 pounds lighter or moving upward in your career so that you can determine if this would really make a difference in your life.
3. Is the potential gain worth the potential risk?
Once you’ve answer the first two questions, then you get to pick one. There is no right or wrong selection. If you decide that the risks are too great to be worthy of the prize that’s just fine. This decision will free you from wasting time avoiding something you don’t really want: A prize that does not hold enough value for you. If you decide that the reward is worth the risk then that is just as great. Once you know what you stand to gain and that the potential of getting the reward outweighs the risks, you are no longer being held back by the risks. At that point it is no longer about the task as the focus shifts to the prize. Instead of avoidant procrastination you can spend your time in pursuit of your goal.
Use visualizations to get you in the winning moment. As much as you can, be concrete– Use vision boards and affirmations to remind you of what you are working toward. These tools will be useful, especially when your hang-up tries to rear its ugly head again. You can do anything as long as you want it enough.
I’m just saying though…
Dream Big… Live Bigger…
DrJudiC
www.DrJudiC.com
