Have you ever noticed that there is no shortage of people willing to give you advice, whether or not you asked for it? I’ve developed some simple rules about from whom I will accept advice and suggestions.
I do not ask for heath advice from people who are sick, I do not ask for financial advice from people who are broke and I do not ask for business advice from people who are not in their own business.
Over the years I’ve watched hundreds of people go into a business venture and excitedly tell their family and friends about their new enterprise. Big mistake! How many of your friends and relatives own their own business? Probably few or none.
While they may be well intentioned and have your best interests at heart, their lack of knowledge and their own fears can sabotage your new venture.
If you want advice or input about a business, find someone who is successfully running their own business and ask them. Ask several people so you can obtain an objective view. When your choosing mentors or role models, be sure to seek out those people who have been there. Chose people who have “walked the walk” and have succeeded in doing what you want to do.
This applies as much to health, finance, education, relationships and pretty much any area of your life. If you want to be fit and healthy, do not seek advice from someone who is overweight, a smoker, and sick all the time.
Find a fit and healthy person and model them. I know this sounds overly simple and obvious, but it never ceases to amaze me how many people are listening to and even following the advice of people who do not know what they are talking about.
They are sadly listening to the person who is stuck in a dead-end job telling them why a business idea will not work.
They are listening to an overweight, sick person who is telling them that taking vitamins is a waste of money and they are listening to the person who is living paycheck to paycheck telling them how to become wealthy.
To ensure your success, make sure your role models are demonstrating in their own lives, the qualities you seek to develop.
You’re probably asking yourself, “Why would anyone want to push their goals away?” After all, goals represent what we want in our lives, right? It would seem so but in reality, we often set ourselves up to fail every time we think about a goal or something we want to have or do in our lives.
Mary thinks to herself, “I would really like to write my book” (the goal). Then, instead of basking in the good feelings associated with that worthy ideal, the very next thought that comes into her mind is “How will I ever do it? I have to take care of the kids and all. I barely have time to eat much less write a book.”
She has literally pushed the goal away in her mind even before it had a chance to settle in.
Fred thinks, “I’d really like to drop a few pounds and get in better shape” (the goal). Then, before his sub-conscious has a chance to work on attracting the goal to him, he thinks, “That will be hard and will take up even more of my time. I don’t have enough time as it is now.”
The two cases above are typical examples of how we often push our goals away, usually before they even have time to germinate.
You think to yourself, “I’d like a new car.” The very next thought is, “That’s ridiculous! I can’t even afford the car I have now.” If you want to live a magical life, attract your goals to you and have everything you want in life, you must change this reaction.
Whenever the little voice in your head rears its ugly head, tell it to sit down and be quiet. You must silence the negative, limiting thoughts in your mind. Even if your goal is totally outrageous, you must remain open to the possibilities of achieving it if you intend to succeed. There will be plenty of time for a “reality check” later.
Exercise – Goal Attraction
When you have a thought about something you want to have, be or do, write it in your journal, in the form of a question. For example, in the case of writing your book, you might write: “What can I do, right now, to begin working on my book?” or in the case of an exercise program, “What can I do, starting today, to begin to get in better shape, reach my ideal weight and enjoy the process?”
Do It Daily
Invest fifteen or twenty minutes each day thinking about your goal and asking yourself how you might accomplish it. Jot down whatever pops up into your mind. Even if an idea seems absurd, write it down anyway.
This simple technique has been used successfully by some of the greatest achievers throughout history. People like Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford used this simple technique.
They called it, “sitting for ideas.” Whatever you choose to call it, it is well worth the time you spend doing it. You will find that the first couple of days are easy. You come up with al the logical ways to do what it is you want to accomplish. After about the third or fourth day, however, you may begin to run out of ideas.
Don’t Give Up
Don’t quit. Just sit for your allotted time period and let your sub-conscious mind feed you ideas. You may have a thought “pop into” your consciousness. You will surely uncover creative ways to accomplish your goal.
If you do this simple exercise for thirty days, you’ll have an arsenal of creative ideas from which to draw and you’ll be on your way to attracting your most cherished goal.
It has been said that a person will not reach their full potential unless coached. While this may or may not be entirely true, it does hit on a key benefit to coaching, especially for small and solo business owners.
Typically, a small business owner, particularly a solo practitioner, works in a vacuum. They rarely have someone to share ideas with, much less talk about their fears or concerns. Aside from the few who belong to a mastermind group, most have no objective help to expand their ideas or as a way to gain a different perceptive on their business.
Small business people who are not working with someone in the capacity of a coach are missing out on one of their greatest opportunities for growth. Those savvy people who do engage the services of a coach who specializes in working with small businesses have a distinctive advantage over their competition.
Choosing Your Coach With some many people entering the field choosing your ideal coach can be a daunting task. The single most important characteristic, in my opinion, is that you and the coach have rapport first as people, then as client and coach. I don’t care how many certifications someone has, if you don’t feel good about working with them, it will never work.
Next, I would suggest that if it’s your business that you want help with you choose a coach who specializes in working with small businesses.
I was once hired to coach a high-level sales executive and when I asked why he chose me out of the several people he interviewed; his reply was “because you’re the only one who actually has had sales experience.”
Personally, I feel that a coach who has business experience will bring more value to the relationship then one who has not.
Conversely, I would not choose a business coach to help me with a fitness or a relationship challenge.
The field of personal coaching has evolved over the years from the “life” coaches who worked with a variety of clients, to more specialized ones who choose to work in a specific niche, typically chosen because of the coaches experience in that niche.
Over the years, coach training schools have focused their programs on niches and offer additional training, beyond the basics, in business, health, and relationship coaching.
A really top coach, however, will get involved in several areas of your business and life. If for example, all your time is spent at work and you’re neglecting your health and family relationships, your coach, hopefully, will work with you to bring that back into balance. There is little point in having a successful business if the rest of your life is falling apart.
It is my heart felt suggestion, based on a decade of coaching small business owners and two decades of being in my own business, that if you really want to reach your full potential, you need a coach who can help you step out of your comfort zone and grow your business or professional practice.
How coaching works
Typically, a coach works one-on-one with clients or in a small group setting. For the most part, coaching is conducted by telephone although some of us like in-person meetings when the situation lends itself and, with the advent of video conferencing services like Skype, it’s possible to combine the two.
Coaching relationships last an average of six months although many continue much longer. If the reason for the relationship is a specific task, like publishing a book for example, the relationship may only last until the project is completed.
What does it cost? While coaching fees vary widely most coaches are open to creating a program that will fit the needs and budget of the client. If finances are what’s preventing someone from hiring a coach, exploring group programs may be the answer, however, the experience of group coaching, while valuable, is not the same as having your own coach. It’s less personal, your time is shared with others, and it lacks the confidentiality of individual sessions.
Group coaching programs are well suited if everyone in the group is working on a similar task or project. A group geared toward people starting their own business, for example, would be quite valuable since group members can share ideas and knowledge.
Whatever method best suits your present circumstances, hiring your own coach is one of the best investments you can make in the future success of your business and will go a long way toward your realizing your full potential.
Last night, I had the pleasure of sharing my “Best Life Seminar” with the Huntingdon Valley Rotary group. As always, I had a great time, met some terrific people, had a nice meal (always a good thing) and got to share ideas with the group. Here’s what the group had to say:
“Tonight our guest speaker was Jim Donovan who lives in Upper Bucks County and is a best-selling author and inspiring motivational speaker.
Jim spoke about his recent book titled, “Don’t let an Old Person move into Your Body” which shares the recipe for living a long purpose filled life. Jim shared numerous real life people who started new careers while in their 80’s, 90’s and even at 106 years young.
Jim cites the importance that passion plays in beginning a new career or life regardless of one’s age. Jim discussed the simple things one can do each day to help yourself feel better spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. We found him to be informative and motivating. Please visit our website to learn more about our club and community experiences.
With the current economic challenges we’re all facing, too many small business owners are finding their business moving in the wrong direction.
In many cases, what were once growing, thriving businesses are now heading into a downward spiral of cutbacks, layoffs, and, in too many cases, bankruptcies. Owners are watching as their customers dwindle and revenues drop.
So, what can a small business owner who is trying to prosper in today’s climate do to turn things around?
While you may not be able to do much about the nation’s economy as a whole, there are proactive steps you can take, regardless of outside circumstances.
Following are three steps you can use to get started turning your business around and moving, once again, in the direction of growth and prosperity:
1. Change Your Focus Beginning immediately, stop talking about anything that is not working. Stop defending and justifying why you’re not doing better. Stop blaming the economy or whatever else you deem to be the cause of your troubles. If something is not working, continuing to talk about it will cause you to start seeing more things going wrong and continue the downward spiral.
Ask only, “What’s working?” and continue asking every day. Make a list of what is working and have your team do the same, individually and as a group. Change the tone of your meetings. If you understand that you get more of whatever you focus upon, it’s obvious why you’ll want to do this.
2. Mine the Gold That’s Already in Your Business Every business has “hidden” opportunities which can be mined, usually by either developing new markets for your products, creating new products, leveraging the relationships you’ve built, and joint venturing with colleagues, suppliers, customers and, yes, even competitors.
Ask yourself what new opportunities you could tap into if you expanded your e-commerce offerings and maximized the technology that’s available today. Does your Web site give visitors a compelling reason to subscribe to your mailing list? Are you utilizing email marketing and auto responders to their fullest? What about social media, social bookmarking, video, podcasting, blogging, and other “Web 2.0″ tools?
Your greatest opportunity for business growth, regardless of the economy, are the assets you already have in your business. From personnel, customers – past and present – relationships with colleagues and suppliers, and other “people” assets, to your investment in equipment and technology, the assets you’ve already built represent your greatest opportunity.
And the really good news is they will require the least in either time or money.
Of these “hidden” assets, your customers are the easiest and most obvious place to begin. Do you know who they are and why they do business with you?
This may seem like an obvious question, however, many businesses do not know who is buying from them or why. Once you’ve ascertained this, you’re in a position to explore how else you might serve them.
One of my favorite questions has always been, “is there anything else I can help you with?” This simple question can increase your business tenfold.
A friend of mine is a graphic designer and print broker. One day she asked her client this question to which the client replied, “Yes there is. Can you help us get some of those imprinted jackets with our logo on them?” She happily replied that she could and took the order. (hint: if you own a small business, the answer, within reason, is always, “Yes.” You can figure out later how to deliver.)
Don’t fall into the trap if thinking just because you’ve been around a while that people know everything you do. Often we “ass-u-me” that our customers know what we do.
Leverage
You can grow your business by leveraging your relationships with colleagues, suppliers, distributors and yes, even your competitors.
Several years ago I attended a demonstration at a local copier supplier. It was a huge success as a herd of people roamed throughout the building seeing live demos of the latest in office copiers.
While the local business hosted the event, their supplier provided the factory trained experts on hand to answer people’s questions.
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks have regular “trunk shows” and make-up events to attract customers, again with the expertise provided by the manufacturers.
Faith Popcorn pointed out in her landmark book “The Popcorn Report” that people like entertainment while they shop.
What about your colleagues? Could a carpet or home cleaning company team up with a caterer and offer a holiday special?
Might a lawyer, accountant and banker put together a free event for their business customers? What could you do to leverage your business?
Do you have underused equipment sitting around? Many local newspapers whose presses are only used for a few hours a day, will take on outside printing jobs. Your typical weekly paper is most likely being printed on a daily newspaper’s presses.
Opportunities on the internet. I’ve saved the best for last. If there is one area that is underutilized by small businesses, it’s your website. Ninety percent or more of local business websites that I’ve visited are nothing more than online brochures. I call them “Tombstones in Cyberspace.”
Contrast this against the sites used by internet marketers. Internet marketers, people whose business profits entirely or in part online, engage the customer with an array of techniques designed to keep them coming back, refer them to friends and leave them wanting more.
The typical offline business gets little if any internet traffic, mainly because their sites have not been setup properly or not even optimized for search engines.
What is even sadder is that if someone does manage to stubble upon their site, they have no way to connect with the visitor and develop an ongoing relationship.
Other than SEO, the easiest thing that you can do is set up some sort of “capture mechanism.” A simple subscription box connected to an auto responder will enable you to begin building a database of your customers and potential customers.
As my friend Vic Johnson, a highly successful Internet marketer who sells personal development information, said, “He who has the biggest list, wins! Or, as every online marketer knows, “the money is in the list.”
The really good part Once you have put in place your strategy for developing your customer database, you can communicate with them at virtually no cost.
Compare this to the costs of direct mail, display advertising, radio, or TV and the advantages to email and other types of online communication are obvious.
A heating oil company, with a database of 600 prior customers, can blast an offer for a spring special to jump-start sales during their slow season, at practically no cost.
The restaurant owner who’s experiencing a slow Wednesday lunch business, can test offers for specials early that morning by sending to their database. Chances are, they’ll see an increase in business almost immediately. All at little or out of pocket expense.
If you can’t go into your business tomorrow morning at 7:30, create a special offer to jump start sales, and have it out to a list of several hundred or thousand customers by 9:00, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. Go here if you want to learn how you can grow your offline business with online strategies.
3. Develop Systems and Follow Through Hire a business coach or appoint someone in your organization to be your team’s “accountability partner” to ensure your renewed vision is being carried out and that you are steadily moving in the right direction.
A business coach provides a fresh viewpoint and can often help by not being bogged down in the day-to-day running of the business. They are objective and not invested in the politics if your company. The best business coaches contribute knowledge acquired from a variety of situations in any number of industries and employs specific strategies to help you make quantum leaps beyond what you may have thought possible.
Regardless of the specific actions you take, it is important that you do something proactive. Don’t just sit there complaining about the economy with the rest of the crowd. Above all, don’t wait for it to turn around by itself or, worse yet, expect the government to fix it. You have within you the power to change your life and your business, so go and do it.
It saddens and frustrates me when I see people in their fifties or sixties moping around talking about how “it’s not easy getting old.” On the other hand, I am inspired when I see an older person, someone in their eighties or nineties, living a vibrant and productive life. It gives me hope and further proves my theory that there is a huge difference between aging and getting old.
So what’s the difference between these two groups of people? Why are some, still in mid-life, seeming to be on their last legs while others, old enough to be the parents of the first group, still going strong?
The answer really boils down to a couple of key differences, as outlined in the “Ageless Living Method” to mak the rest of your life, the best of your life.
1. Challenge the myths of aging
“You’re getting on in years — you’d better slow down,” “At my age, I’d better be careful,” “Act your age,” “We’ll all wind-up in a nursing home sooner or later,” “I’m just having a senior moment.”
All of the above statements are nonsense. There’s no biological connection between age and poor health. If you want to break down these beliefs, find references of older people living vibrant, productive lives. They’re all around us. People like Hulda Crooks who became the oldest person to climb Mt. Fuji in Japan at 91 years of age. Author Phyliss Whitney, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 104, said in an Associated Press interview when she was 85 that “I’ve slowed down in that I only write one book a year. A writer is what I am.”
2. Ignite your passion
Older people who are living vibrantly are passionate about their life. Their outlook is positive and they are motivated by something outside themselves. They have a purpose. They are engaged in life and are pursuing something that matters to them. Whether a career, a hobby, a cause, or something in between, they have dreams and goals and are living life to it fullest.
3. Create your vision
If you were living your ideal life, what would it look like? In your journal, write a vivid description the life you dream of living. For now, don’t be concerned with how you will do this. What are you doing and with whom? Where do you live? Where are you vacationing? What type of work are you engaged in? Who are your friends?
Write your vision in as much detail as possible, making sure to include the feelings you are experiencing and engaging as many senses as possible. Smell the ocean if you’re at the shore. Hear the sounds of the people in the city where you’re visiting, and so on. If it’s a dream home you desire, see each room in vivid detail. What do you see when you look out the windows?
4. Change your beliefs
The only thing stopping you from having whatever you desire is your belief about your ability to achieve it. What beliefs are standing in your way? Do you tell yourself, “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” “I’m not smart enough,” or some other variation on this theme?
Challenge those beliefs that are not serving you. Find references of someone just like you doing whatever it is you want to do. Override your limiting beliefs with positive affirmations.
5. Reclaim your power
Spiritual Power: A regular practice of prayer and meditation, the former, talking to God and the latter listening, will help you create and maintain a strong connection with your Creator.
Emotional Power: You can strengthen your emotional power by devoting some time each day visualizing your ideal life. Sit quietly, close your eyes (assuming you’re not driving), and create a “mind movie” in which you’re living your ideal life.
Mental Power: You can strengthen your mental power by paying attention to your self-talk and replacing any disempowering thoughts with positive affirmations. Read positive and uplifting information daily to maintain a more productive state of mind.
Physical Power: Of course, without physical power and energy you’re not going very far. It is essential, as we age, to take an active part in maintaining our health. Invest the time to learn about health and nutrition. Of course, exercise is important too. As a society, we do not move enough. Our high-tech lifestyles have enabled most of us to expend the minimal amount of physical energy in our day-to-day life.
Martin Luther King said “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyhow.” What would you do if you knew you would not fail? So many people have a dream, something they have always wanted to do, but do not even attempt it because they are afraid they may not successful.
Others have put their dreams on hold in order to pursue raising a family or having a career. Fortunately, as we age, we reach a point we’re realizing our dreams become something we can do.
Many people I know have left their big corporate careers either taking an early retirement, by being downsized and tossed out against their will, or by just deciding, they’re not going to take it anymore and just quitting. My wife Georgia left her executive career in telecommunications to follow her own passions. Having a life long love of fashion and style and wanting to do something fun, she took a position as a makeup artist for the top makeup company in the world.
Instead of spending her days in endless company meetings running to catch yet another plane, she counsels other women and helps them take better care of themselves and look their best, a job that gives her tremendous personal satisfaction.
Have you abandoned your dream because it hasn’t happened yet? Remember the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, “Never give up on a dream just because of the time it will take to accomplish it.”
Recommit to your dream, start seeing it as having happened and, one day, sooner than you think, you will realize it is in your life.
Study your prospective target carefully Sometimes, I’ll sit and watch one of our cats tracking its prey. Since they’re indoor cats, it’s usually a bug that found its way into the house. The cat will sit and watch, tracking the bug’s every move, studying it carefully; waiting. We can do the same thing and learn everything we can about our prospect before making a move. This has become a fairly simple task using the Internet and social media. Look at the person’s Web site, read and follow their blog and connect with them on Facebook or Linkedin. Follow them on Twitter.
Wait for the perfect moment The cat will wait until all the conditions are just right then, and only then, it will make its move. Too often, we go in shooting from the hip and blow our only opportunity. Before you make the first contact, make sure you have everything you need and are armed with the necessary facts about your prospects business.
Make your first shot count Cats rarely get a second chance at their target and neither do we. A cat stalking a bird or mouse either gets it on the first try or goes hungry that day. We usually get only one chance to make the right impression. Make it count. Sometimes it’s simply a matter of asking the person if now is a good time to talk. If the telephone people who call during dinner learned this, they’d make a lot more sales.
Learn to relax You never see a cat frantically running around looking for something to eat. Why then do you fuss and worry about where your next client or customer is coming from? Set your goals, plan your work and take consistent, inspired action. The rest will fall into place.
Expect the best In ancient Egypt, cats were considered royalty. Cats have not forgotten this. They expect to be treated like kings and queens. They expect the best. We should expect the best too and expect things will work out favorably for us.
Stretch yourself daily Stretching keeps a cat limber and quick. We can stretch ourselves too. Make a habit of doing something each day that causes you to stretch out of your comfort zone. Maybe it’s making a cold call. Perhaps it’s going up to a stranger and getting to know them. Whatever makes you stretch, go and do it. Everything you desire is out of your comfort zone. If it was not, you’d already have it.
Ignore rejection Have you ever told a cat no? If you have, you know it’s a waste of time and energy. Cats have mastered the art of ignoring people. When you hear a no from a prospect, just say, “Next” and move on to the next person. Pay no attention to it. It’s part of the game. If you can overcome the fear of rejection, you’ll be on your way to success in business.
Stay alert to new opportunities Cats are always hunting, looking out for whatever might be around the next turn. You can do the same. Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Learn to listen to what people are telling you. You never know where an opportunity is going to come from.
Remember, sometimes you need to just sit in the sun and rest.
Several years ago, I began the practice of writing my accomplishments at the end of the year. I borrowed the idea from the corporate world. In most companies, managers are required to submit a list of their accomplishments and objectives annually. This information is used as the basis for performance reviews, raises, and promotions.
I thought, “If it works for them, maybe it will help me.” The sense of personal satisfaction and encouragement I received after doing this once was so great that it has become a regular practice and something I look forward to doing at the start of each new year.
We take so much of what we do for granted, or just shrug it off, saying, “It’s no big deal.” We point to the successes, contributions, and accomplishments of others while overlooking all that we, ourselves, have done.
Only after taking the time to list our own accomplishments and activities do we see that we, too, are making a difference. We realize how much we have actually done in our lives, and this serves to encourage and motivate us to even greater heights.
In your journal, make a list of what you have done in the past year. Include everything you can think of. Where have you vacationed? What plays, movies, or concerts have you seen or attended? What books have you read? What have you done for and with your family? What have you accomplished in your business? What about personal goals? What have you done for yourself? What about your health? Have you lost weight, began exercising, or played a sport? Did you start a business, write a book, or give a speech?
Write down everything you can think of. The more you list, the better. Be sure to list even the seemingly small things.
Seeing all you have done will raise your self-esteem and increase the likelihood that you will accomplish even more in the future. You have probably done much more than you realize, and writing it down will enable you to see just how much you have accomplished.
(Excerpt, 52 Ways to a Happier Life, by Jim Donovan, early 2010 release)
It’s been said that an actor should not play scenes with animals or small children because they’ll steal the scene. Well, I’m not an actor so I thought I was safe.
I was asked to see if I could inspire a dog – not just any dog but “Todd,” the star of It’sTodd Show, to change his bad habits.
Well, as you’ll see in this video, he’s a tough nut to crack. The segment with me starts about 1:45 into it, right after the “Bark Hollywood” segment which I think you’ll enjoy too.
I’m not discouraged though. They promised me another shot and next time, I’ll be ready for him. This dog’s tougher than he looks.
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