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If you happened to watch the New Year’s Eve festivities from New York’s Times Square, you may have seen Mayor Michael Bloomberg being interviewed and heard him say, as far as he is concerned, the operative word for 2009 is “Optimism,” which according to Wikipedia, is an outlook on life such that one maintains a view of the world as a positive place.
I’m with him. It’s about time we had optimistic talk being spread over the airwaves. We’ve certainly had our fill of the other kind.
As with anything else, if we believe this and begin affirming it, we will make it so. It would be really great if the majority of people followed the sentiment of “Mayor Mike,” however, what’s even more important is that each of us affirm it for ourselves.
In truth we can only create our own experience, not the experience of others so, regardless of what the masses choose to do we can start seeing this coming year through a lens of optimism and act accordingly.
No one but you can create your life experience. Not the government, not your employer, not even your spouse. What occurs in your life is totally within your control and is a result of your thoughts, feelings and actions.
If you choose to join with me and Mayor Bloomberg and see this year optimistically, as a year of opportunity and positive expectations, you will, in fact, create your best year ever.
While optimism is a great outlook on life and a key ingredient for success, it’s not all there is. You’ll need a vision of what you want your life to become, specific and measurable goals, an action plan to follow and, hopefully, a mentor or coach to keep you on track.
If you have a coach, great. If not, now would be a good time to get one. Or, if you cannot afford a coach right now, “buddy up”with someone and hold each other accountable. Find someone you feel comfortable sharing your dreams and goals with and arrange to meet with them regularly. This is an important component for success. No one does it alone.
With all the change in the air and the general feelings of hope and possibility being expressed by people from all walks of life, it’s looking like 2009 is going to be a banner year.
As with everything else in nature, there’s an ebb and flow to our life. After last year, I think you’ll agree we’re all ready for the flow to begin. Bring it on!
If you really want to make 2009 your best year ever and are ready to play full out, check out my new tele-seminar program “Live Your Destiny 2009.”
Over the course of the next few days, I’ll be posting a series of articles specifically written to help you start your year off right. If you miss any, or if you’re new to personal development, you can always find the entire series in the “Starting Out” category.
By the way, if you are planning on working one-on-one with a coach, I have an opening. You can learn more here
Georgia and I have used ebay.com, on and off, as a way to create some fast cash since 1999 and, as I’ve said over and over, I believe it’s something everyone can do whenever they want some extra money.
And, of course, you can do it as a full time business if that’s what you’re looking for.
Take a minute and watch this a short video, taken from one of my live seminar’s and learn some of my simple tips for making money on ebay.
It’s not very often I write a product review, however, the other day I received something from a trusted friend and I just had to check it out.
What caught my attention, aside from the fact it was from someone who’s opinion I trust, is that with all the hype these days about now you can make millions of dollars working from home just a few hours a day, this offer was promising, not untold riches, but the ability to add $100 a day or more to your income.
Since I already know what that could mean to the ordinary working woman or man I had to take a look.
I was amazed and, to tell you the truth quite impressed, when I realized this is a very comprehensive product with detailed, step-by-step information that almost anyone can use to make an additional hundred dollars (or more) per day, working from home in their spare time.
Of course, there are no guarantees but this contained so many different ways you can earn extra money, twenty to be exact, written by regular people who have been doing what they’re teaching for years.
The one thing that really impressed me was that, even with all the ways I know how to make money online, having been doing it for over a decade, I still learned new ideas and new ways to improve and enhance the things I’ve been doing all along.
If you want to kick off 2009 by adding another income stream to your household, check this out.
With so many people worrying about losing their jobs, this can provide a nice fall back plan should that occur.
Several years ago, I began a 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, Hey, 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.
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
- Where have you vacationed?
- What plays, movies, or concerts have you seen?
- 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, the better.
Seeing all you have done will raise your self-esteem and increase the likelihood that you will accomplish even more in the coming year. You have probably done much more than you realize, and writing it down will enable you to see just how much you have accomplished.
Reading self-help and listening to personal development audio programs transformed my life from one of desperation to a life beyond anything I ever expected. And they continue to do so today.
One of the major contributors to the achievements and successes I enjoy today is the fact that I have developed the habit of reading inspiring books and listening to personal development programs regularly.
With so many people uncertain about the economy, job losses mounting and financial news worsening each day, I want to make a special offer on what I believe is an ideal Holiday gift.
I have 14 copies of the CD version of my Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck audio program remaining. These are the one’s in the big vinyl binder.
When they’re gone, I will be changing the packaging to something smaller.
Since they make an impressive looking gift, not to mention the life changing information they contain, I want to offer you the chance to order one or more at a special “clearance” price.
Unless you’ve been living in a cave or just dropped in from Pluto, you already know that we’re experiencing challenging economic times. The US in particular, along with many other countries, is in a recession and there is no end in sight.
There are a lot of people who are going to give you lots of good reasons why this is the absolute worst time you can start your own business.
They’ll explain how, with the economy slow and money tight, businesses and individuals are cutting back on spending.
They’ll tell you about the tight money and credit situation and how banks are not lending money, which by the way, is not true.
They’ll pile on reason after reason until, feeling utterly defeated, you give up on your dreams.
I know. I received the exact same advice when I started my first business in 1974!
I heard it again in 1987 when I started my life over on my road to recovery, and I heard it in 1983, when I began a magazine for small businesses and, again, in 1996 when I published my first book.
As a matter of fact, every time I started anything new in my business, I heard essentially the same reasons why it was a bad idea, usually from the same sources.
The truth is, it’s all in your head, really.
If you expect to struggle and fail, you will. If you expect to have fun and thrive, you will.
It’s been said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right!”
Whatever you believe is the deciding factor in your endeavor. Not what’s going on around you.
Like the little mints that are both “a candy and a breath mint,” it’s always a good time to begin your own business and it’s always the worst time.
Both the positive and negative polarities are there in any situation. The good news is that you get to choose which one you will believe.
What is important, especially in challenging economic times, it that you have more than one income stream. Additionally, having your own business part or full time is one of the best wealth building strategies that you can employ.
Today, you can begin your own business right from your home, with little more than a computer, an internet connection, a cell phone and some business cards. Follow this link to know more about some of the specific ways that you can start your own home-based business.
With the ability to outsource, create virtual teams and join venture, you can keep your overhead down and still grow your business. It’s important to understand that the business you start today will most likely look very different from what it will become in the future.
Stay flexible and ready to respond to changes in the marketplace rather than react.
A good example of the difference between the two is the comparison between the Japanese and the American car manufactures.
The Japanese companies, particularly Toyota, responded to market conditions by producing hybrids and smaller cars that use less gas. They shifted away from the big truck initiative as people’s needs and wants changed.
General Motors, Chrysler and Ford on the other hand, held to their position as though it were somehow sacred until they were forced look to the government to bail them out.
By waiting, they were forced to react rather than respond to market conditions. Perhaps the Ford, Chrysler and General Motors executives were busy flying around in their company jets.
WIth all the challenges people are having with money, especially this time of year, I felt these powerful affirmations would help. Speak, write, and/or sing them to help you change your money consciousness.
You can grow your business by leverage 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 published in 198?, people like entertainment while they shop.
Could your supplier help you create an event and fill your business with customers?
By the way, if you want to learn more about a huge untapped market, namely women, read Popcorn’s latest book Eveolution.
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.
One smart auto repairperson I knew would rent out his extra repair bay to hobbyists who wanted to do their own work. Do you have additional capacity from your equipment that would be of interest to someone else?
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 of personal development information said, “He who has the biggest list, wins! Or, as every online marketer knows, the money is in the list.
Once you’ve started building your online database, you have the ability to contact your customers whenever you want and at virtually no cost.
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.
Well, it’s that time of year again, at least here in the US, when everyone starts talking about being thankful and grateful. Personally, I think that’s great, especially since “like attracts like,” so feeling thankful is a great way to attract more situations and experiences to feel thankful for.
What if you don’t feel particularly thankful right now? What if, like so many people, you’re having a difficult time and are feeling a bit of self pity? Now, along comes Thanksgiving with all if its added pressures and family obligations and you’re faced with all those “grateful” people telling you to count your blessings.
“Bah, humbug!” you say, if you felt like I do, you wouldn’t be so darned smiley.
So just how can you change how you feel even when you’re feeling down and would rather just sit and have a pity party?
Let’s face it, we’ve all been there at one time or another and will probably be there again. We’ve all experienced times when we just did not feel very thankful. I know I have. We have all experienced times when life just seemed to be singling us out for difficulties. What do we do then?
The fastest and most effective way I know to change how you’re feeling about yourself is to get out of yourself. Get out of your own problems and concerns. Go out and do something for someone else. I guarantee you will feel better after doing this.
You could do anything from volunteering to help feed the homeless at a soup kitchen, like President Elect, Barak Obama and his family did, to delivering a bag of groceries to someone in need, or donating some of your unwanted, good condition, clothing, visiting someone in a hospital or nursing home, or any number of things that will enable you to step out of yourself long enough for your perspective to change. You’ll be amazed how much your “problems” have changed when you’re finished.
Following are a couple of other things you can do to make this a happier, more enjoyable holiday season:
Write a list of everything that is good in your life. What’s working? What are you grateful for? Be sure to list every little thing you can think of, the more the better. It’s a fact that a person cannot feel gratitude and be in self pity at the same time.
Refuse to take part in gossip Gossip serves no one. Remember what you give out comes back,. Besides who do you think the gossips are talking about when you’re not there? If you want to be happier and more at peace, choose not to partake. A great practice for family gatherings.
Relax and enjoy your holiday Contrary to what retailers would like you to believe, there’s still lots of time to shop before Christmas. You don’t have to rush to the stores at 5:00 am the day after Thanksgiving just because some companies choose to open at that time.
How I went from being on welfare to becoming a world class author I have created an in-depth home study program, based on the steps I took to change my life. They worked for me and thousands of others and they’ll work for you too
Are you worried about your financial future?
In these uncertain times, it’s more important than ever for each of us to take charge of our financial well being. Learn several ways you can increase your income and how to keep more of what you earn:
(Editors note: This is the unedited version. I figured with so many small business people under pressure, rather than wait until I finish writing the entire article and proof and edit, I’d just start posting. Hey, it’s a blog, right:-)
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.
Jim Donovan's business seminar in Perkasie, Pa
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.
Back when I had a marketing and advertising business, I did a lot of business with a local printer. They had been printing a newsletter for one of the high schools for 25 years. One month, they asked the school to pick up their order since the delivery person was out sick.
I happened to be standing there, watching the woman from the school reading the sign behind the counter as she waited for her order. The one listing all the various items the printer had available.
“Oh,” she exclaimed, “I didn’t know you printed letterhead and envelopes too. We’ve been going somewhere else for them but if you can do that it would be easier for us!”
For more than 25 years the printer did business with the school and never bothered to make sure the customer knew everything they could do for them. This can be a very costly mistake.
Are all of your employees, regardless of their job title, trained in the basics of sales and taught to look for opportunities to present your products and services to your customer? Are they compensated for making the extra effort?
Ms. Jones walks into the bank one day and, as she approaches Fred the teller, he notices she’s not her usual joyous self. Fred inquires if everything is okay, only to have Ms. Jones tell him about how her car keeps having problems. Being a trained representative of the bank, Fred sees the opportunity and, casually, mentions to Ms. Jones that the bank has a special on new car loans and offers to walk her over to a bank officer to learn more.
Not only did Fred help his company by recognizing the new business opportunity but, equally important, he solved a problem for the customer.
Are your people like Fred or would they have said, “Gee, Ms. Jones, that’s too bad about your car,” and gone on performing their job.
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