Goal Setting & Achievement Podcast: Business|Productivity

Today we are going to talk about 8 Ideas to Help You Work Smarter and Not Harder. Do you think working harder will get you farther? Not necessarily. In this fast-paced society, many professionals are already running at full tilt, so going faster may lead to burn-out, or worse, complete physical and emotional shutdown. So how do you get more done without working harder? This is key to work life balance success. Let’s take a look at these 8 ideas for working smarter, not harder. 1. Leverage Your Strengths, Delegate the Rest For optimal results, focus on the tasks that leverage your strengths. The goal with any successful business or project is to assign the team member that can deliver the best results with the least effort and greatest effectiveness. If you want to make an easier go at it, know your strengths and focus on performing only the tasks that leverage those strengths. TIP: To download a Free Delegation List Sample to help you identify more activities to delegate, go to https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/delegation-list-sample/. 2. Filter Your Info Intake On any given day, you are bombarded with mass amounts of information that can significantly drag down your productivity and cause confusion, overwhelm, and procrastination. Data is essential for making informed decisions, but beware of information overload. Only take in the information that is vital to achieving your goals and the goals of your firm – everything else is superfluous. TIP: Delegate the biggest information sources (email, research, data collection, data entry, etc.) to a team member or a consulting firm. Limit your information exposure to only the pertinent sources, while the team takes on the responsibility of flagging important information for your select review and firm growth. 3. Streamline Your Daily Duties Do not try to do it all yourself. The ability to focus your energy on the most important tasks of the day has a direct effect on the quality of the results. Therefore, it’s vital that you streamline your daily duties to only the most important tasks that require your focused attention, and those things that only you can do and can’t be done by someone else. TIP: Create a daily schedule of the most important and highest payoff tasks of the day – and stick to it (not always easy but critical to your success). Reduce and eliminate the non-essential duties (the tasks that are either not in alignment with your core values and/or are not income-generating) from your daily schedule. Take advantage of the high-content Free Webinars to help you be even more effective at time management and more by going to: https://www.accountabilitycoach.com/free-articles/free-webinars/. 4. Recognize Stress Signals The mind and body require rest and nutrition for peak performance. While many of us convince ourselves that working harder is the only way to get ahead, it may not produce the desired results. Take breaks, enjoy personal time, and tend to your well-being is important to overall life success. Sometimes a little rest can significantly increase productivity. TIP: Listen to your body. Pay attention to your energy level. Pushing harder to make things happen may only make the process more frustrating and even exhausting. If working harder doesn’t feel right, give yourself permission to take a break. Be it 15 minutes or 1 hour, recognizing your stress signals can help you know when your body and mind need rest. You will perform better and more effectively when you have all your positive energy flowing. 5. Create Just Enough Pressure How many times have you procrastinated on getting something done only to cram the day or night before it was due? Creating just enough pressure may be the “tipping point” that you believe creates the focus you need to reach peak-productivity. TIP: Pay attention to what drives you to complete a task. Does it require a non-pressured, open-space environment with lots of time? Or some-what of a high-pressured environment to

Today we are going to talk about 5 Tips for Exploring Your Life Purpose. If you’ve ever wondered if there was more to life than what you’re currently experiencing, you’ll find this discussion helpful. First, let’s clarify that identifying your life purpose isn’t the end all - you still have find a way to integrate it into a life, that for most of us, has been built on necessity or security. Yes, we all have bills to pay; but selling your soul (so to speak) in the name of security isn’t necessarily the way it has to be. I’m all for fueling your passions, but I’m also a firm believer in smart and strategic business decisions. My advice is to take this process slowly. If you love what you do, find a way to work your life purpose into your career or business. If you don’t love what you do, then explore other avenues that support a solid business foundation and purpose. These 5 tips will help you explore your life purpose and find more meaning in your life as well as your profession. 1. What Fuels You? What in your life gives you energy? Most of us know what it feels like to be drained (by personal dramas, professional conflicts, too many obligations, financial stress, etc.), but do you know what fuels you? Perhaps you already know you just don’t have time for it. Pay attention to the things that give you life as they are clues to what you really love to do (and you may be able to monetize them). 2. Play the What-If Game The “What-if” Game is where you ask a series of questions starting with “What if?” What-if I didn’t have to work - how would I choose to spend my time? What-if I could make money any way I wanted - what would that look like? What-if I didn’t have to ________________ - what would I want to do? What-if I could live anywhere in the world - where would I live? What-if I followed my dreams…what would that look like? What-if I went back to school - what would I like to study? What-if I created a new program and/or service, what would it look like? What-if I had a board of Ideal Clients for my firm, what impact would they have on my business and life? You get the idea…. What is really important to you in life? What are your core values? To explore what your core values are, download my complimentary exercise by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/values-clarification/. 3. Prophesying a Legend At the end of your life, if you could leave a legend - a contribution to the human race - what would it be? In this exercise, imagine what you would like people to say about you, say in a eulogy? What would be the biggest gift you could pass on? What do you want to leave this world? Your response is very likely part of your life purpose. 4. Observe Your Challenges Life is filled with many challenges, but each of us has a unique set of challenges which are often tied to our life purpose. Going back through your life, identify three challenges that seem to recur in your life. Perhaps you don’t face them any longer because you finally discovered the hidden lessons, but everyone has challenges they are either dealing with or have resolved. Whether those challenges were related to intimate relationships, self-worth, financial, physical, emotional, etc. you will find great lessons directly tied to your life purpose. Take what you’ve learned by facing and overcoming your challenges to teach others how they can do the same. 5. Take Note of What Comes Easily Not everyone is cut out to be an accountant for the same reason that not everyone is cut out to be a doctor, a teacher, an actor, a dentist, or a professional athlete: each of us is born with a unique set of gifts that can be utilized for personal fulfillment as well as contribution. When exploring your life purpose, pay special attention to the skills that come easily to you. Whether it’s calculating numbers, counseling a troubled soul or mending a broken bone - those gifts are special clues to your life purpose. The kicker here is that what comes easily to you i

Today we are going to talk about 5 Tips for Exploring Your Life Purpose. If you’ve ever wondered if there was more to life than what you’re currently experiencing, you’ll find this discussion helpful. First, let’s clarify that identifying your life purpose isn’t the end all - you still have find a way to integrate it into a life, that for most of us, has been built on necessity or security. Yes, we all have bills to pay; but selling your soul (so to speak) in the name of security isn’t necessarily the way it has to be. I’m all for fueling your passions, but I’m also a firm believer in smart and strategic business decisions. My advice is to take this process slowly. If you love what you do, find a way to work your life purpose into your career or business. If you don’t love what you do, then explore other avenues that support a solid business foundation and purpose. These 5 tips will help you explore your life purpose and find more meaning in your life as well as your profession. 1. What Fuels You? What in your life gives you energy? Most of us know what it feels like to be drained (by personal dramas, professional conflicts, too many obligations, financial stress, etc.), but do you know what fuels you? Perhaps you already know you just don’t have time for it. Pay attention to the things that give you life as they are clues to what you really love to do (and you may be able to monetize them). 2. Play the What-If Game The “What-if” Game is where you ask a series of questions starting with “What if?” What-if I didn’t have to work - how would I choose to spend my time? What-if I could make money any way I wanted - what would that look like? What-if I didn’t have to ________________ - what would I want to do? What-if I could live anywhere in the world - where would I live? What-if I followed my dreams…what would that look like? What-if I went back to school - what would I like to study? What-if I created a new program and/or service, what would it look like? What-if I had a board of Ideal Clients for my firm, what impact would they have on my business and life? You get the idea…. What is really important to you in life? What are your core values? To explore what your core values are, download my complimentary exercise by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/values-clarification/. 3. Prophesying a Legend At the end of your life, if you could leave a legend - a contribution to the human race - what would it be? In this exercise, imagine what you would like people to say about you, say in a eulogy? What would be the biggest gift you could pass on? What do you want to leave this world? Your response is very likely part of your life purpose. 4. Observe Your Challenges Life is filled with many challenges, but each of us has a unique set of challenges which are often tied to our life purpose. Going back through your life, identify three challenges that seem to recur in your life. Perhaps you don’t face them any longer because you finally discovered the hidden lessons, but everyone has challenges they are either dealing with or have resolved. Whether those challenges were related to intimate relationships, self-worth, financial, physical, emotional, etc. you will find great lessons directly tied to your life purpose. Take what you’ve learned by facing and overcoming your challenges to teach others how they can do the same. 5. Take Note of What Comes Easily Not everyone is cut out to be an accountant for the same reason that not everyone is cut out to be a doctor, a teacher, an actor, a dentist, or a professional athlete: each of us is born with a unique set of gifts that can be utilized for personal fulfillment as well as contribution. When exploring your life purpose, pay special attention to the skills that come easily to you. Whether it’s calculating numbers, counseling a troubled soul or mending a broken bone - those gifts are special clues to your life purpose. The kicker here is that what comes easily to you i

Today we are going to talk about 5 Tips for Exploring Your Life Purpose. If you’ve ever wondered if there was more to life than what you’re currently experiencing, you’ll find this discussion helpful. First, let’s clarify that identifying your life purpose isn’t the end all - you still have find a way to integrate it into a life, that for most of us, has been built on necessity or security. Yes, we all have bills to pay; but selling your soul (so to speak) in the name of security isn’t necessarily the way it has to be. I’m all for fueling your passions, but I’m also a firm believer in smart and strategic business decisions. My advice is to take this process slowly. If you love what you do, find a way to work your life purpose into your career or business. If you don’t love what you do, then explore other avenues that support a solid business foundation and purpose. These 5 tips will help you explore your life purpose and find more meaning in your life as well as your profession. 1. What Fuels You? What in your life gives you energy? Most of us know what it feels like to be drained (by personal dramas, professional conflicts, too many obligations, financial stress, etc.), but do you know what fuels you? Perhaps you already know you just don’t have time for it. Pay attention to the things that give you life as they are clues to what you really love to do (and you may be able to monetize them). 2. Play the What-If Game The “What-if” Game is where you ask a series of questions starting with “What if?” What-if I didn’t have to work - how would I choose to spend my time? What-if I could make money any way I wanted - what would that look like? What-if I didn’t have to ________________ - what would I want to do? What-if I could live anywhere in the world - where would I live? What-if I followed my dreams…what would that look like? What-if I went back to school - what would I like to study? What-if I created a new program and/or service, what would it look like? What-if I had a board of Ideal Clients for my firm, what impact would they have on my business and life? You get the idea…. What is really important to you in life? What are your core values? To explore what your core values are, download my complimentary exercise by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/values-clarification/. 3. Prophesying a Legend At the end of your life, if you could leave a legend - a contribution to the human race - what would it be? In this exercise, imagine what you would like people to say about you, say in a eulogy? What would be the biggest gift you could pass on? What do you want to leave this world? Your response is very likely part of your life purpose. 4. Observe Your Challenges Life is filled with many challenges, but each of us has a unique set of challenges which are often tied to our life purpose. Going back through your life, identify three challenges that seem to recur in your life. Perhaps you don’t face them any longer because you finally discovered the hidden lessons, but everyone has challenges they are either dealing with or have resolved. Whether those challenges were related to intimate relationships, self-worth, financial, physical, emotional, etc. you will find great lessons directly tied to your life purpose. Take what you’ve learned by facing and overcoming your challenges to teach others how they can do the same. 5. Take Note of What Comes Easily Not everyone is cut out to be an accountant for the same reason that not everyone is cut out to be a doctor, a teacher, an actor, a dentist, or a professional athlete: each of us is born with a unique set of gifts that can be utilized for personal fulfillment as well as contribution. When exploring your life purpose, pay special attention to the skills that come easily to you. Whether it’s calculating numbers, counseling a troubled soul or mending a broken bone - those gifts are special clues to your life purpose. The kicker here is that what comes easily to you i

Today we are going to talk about 5 Tips for Exploring Your Life Purpose. If you’ve ever wondered if there was more to life than what you’re currently experiencing, you’ll find this discussion helpful. First, let’s clarify that identifying your life purpose isn’t the end all - you still have find a way to integrate it into a life, that for most of us, has been built on necessity or security. Yes, we all have bills to pay; but selling your soul (so to speak) in the name of security isn’t necessarily the way it has to be. I’m all for fueling your passions, but I’m also a firm believer in smart and strategic business decisions. My advice is to take this process slowly. If you love what you do, find a way to work your life purpose into your career or business. If you don’t love what you do, then explore other avenues that support a solid business foundation and purpose. These 5 tips will help you explore your life purpose and find more meaning in your life as well as your profession. 1. What Fuels You? What in your life gives you energy? Most of us know what it feels like to be drained (by personal dramas, professional conflicts, too many obligations, financial stress, etc.), but do you know what fuels you? Perhaps you already know you just don’t have time for it. Pay attention to the things that give you life as they are clues to what you really love to do (and you may be able to monetize them). 2. Play the What-If Game The “What-if” Game is where you ask a series of questions starting with “What if?” What-if I didn’t have to work - how would I choose to spend my time? What-if I could make money any way I wanted - what would that look like? What-if I didn’t have to ________________ - what would I want to do? What-if I could live anywhere in the world - where would I live? What-if I followed my dreams…what would that look like? What-if I went back to school - what would I like to study? What-if I created a new program and/or service, what would it look like? What-if I had a board of Ideal Clients for my firm, what impact would they have on my business and life? You get the idea…. What is really important to you in life? What are your core values? To explore what your core values are, download my complimentary exercise by going to http://www.accountabilitycoach.com/values-clarification/. 3. Prophesying a Legend At the end of your life, if you could leave a legend - a contribution to the human race - what would it be? In this exercise, imagine what you would like people to say about you, say in a eulogy? What would be the biggest gift you could pass on? What do you want to leave this world? Your response is very likely part of your life purpose. 4. Observe Your Challenges Life is filled with many challenges, but each of us has a unique set of challenges which are often tied to our life purpose. Going back through your life, identify three challenges that seem to recur in your life. Perhaps you don’t face them any longer because you finally discovered the hidden lessons, but everyone has challenges they are either dealing with or have resolved. Whether those challenges were related to intimate relationships, self-worth, financial, physical, emotional, etc. you will find great lessons directly tied to your life purpose. Take what you’ve learned by facing and overcoming your challenges to teach others how they can do the same. 5. Take Note of What Comes Easily Not everyone is cut out to be an accountant for the same reason that not everyone is cut out to be a doctor, a teacher, an actor, a dentist, or a professional athlete: each of us is born with a unique set of gifts that can be utilized for personal fulfillment as well as contribution. When exploring your life purpose, pay special attention to the skills that come easily to you. Whether it’s calculating numbers, counseling a troubled soul or mending a broken bone - those gifts are special clues to your life purpose. The kicker here is that what comes easily to you i

We all have fears that stop us from stepping into our potential. It’s what we’ve come to call the comfort zone - the place where fear is minimized to allow for daily life functioning. But we don’t always realize just how much we give up for the sake of comfort. In an effort to minimize our greatest fears we can be sacrificing our heart’s deepest desires. In the name of comfort we sacrifice potential. It reminds me of a quote by Tony Robbins that says (paraphrasing), the dance of life happens between our greatest fears and our greatest potential, which translates into life happens outside your comfort zone. Sounds good in theory, but how do we move through our terrifying fears to break free of limitations and embrace our true potential? Here are a few of my thoughts around 3 tips to master life outside your comfort zone. Tip #1: Every Person Experiences the Same Human Struggle With every person born there is a basic human struggle between ego and potential. The ego operates much like a computer operating system - it has a set of rules and programs that is the basis of its function. That’s great if it’s operating from an effective set of rules and programs - but it doesn’t always do so. It’s no secret we are a product of our environment: the beliefs we are exposed to as children often set the tone of a lifetime of experiences. In other words, the operating system most of us are functioning from was created long before we had conscious choice to reject the limiting beliefs that came from other people. (That’s the kicker - Most people don’t even realize their limiting beliefs aren’t theirs!) The struggle comes in when we’re operating on limiting beliefs that tell us one thing, when we crave another. We crave individual expression and expansion, yet our operating system tells us it’s dangerous - or we’ll fail - or we’ll face rejection or criticism. We crave something better, but the fears that make up the boundaries of our comfort zone stop us from going for it. I believe this is the struggle that every single human faces to some degree or another. We all have fears. Yet, only the ones who have achieved great things have decided that their potential (life outside the comfort zone) was more important than listening to the fears (life inside the comfort zone). Tip #2: To Change the Results You Must Change the Actions If you’re not operating from possibilities, you’re operating from limitations - there is no in between. If the results you’re currently seeing are not pleasing or satisfying then you must change the actions to bring about different results. This often means you must begin making choices from outside your comfort zone. Think of it this way - everything you have already experienced (and may not like) is the result of making decisions from inside your comfort zone. You’ve been there, done that and the results may be disappointing. To create different results, you must do something different. Remember, the comfort zone is based on limited beliefs. To create a different experience, you must take action from different beliefs…the beliefs that exist outside your comfort zone. Tip #3: It’s About Learning to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Let’s go back to expanding on the struggle that every human being experiences: it’s the struggle between ego and potential. The ego only wants to have experiences that it knows how to deal with because its main concern is to keep you safe, healthy and whole. Your true potential, which is limitless, is the contrast of the ego. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything great has done so with great risk. Not necessarily physical or emotional danger, but at great risk as far as the ego is concerned. See, the ego doesn’t know how to deal with new situations based on new beliefs - it only knows how to handle situations it’s experienced. The process of doing something you haven’t done before is the great risk because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into you

We all have fears that stop us from stepping into our potential. It’s what we’ve come to call the comfort zone - the place where fear is minimized to allow for daily life functioning. But we don’t always realize just how much we give up for the sake of comfort. In an effort to minimize our greatest fears we can be sacrificing our heart’s deepest desires. In the name of comfort we sacrifice potential. It reminds me of a quote by Tony Robbins that says (paraphrasing), the dance of life happens between our greatest fears and our greatest potential, which translates into life happens outside your comfort zone. Sounds good in theory, but how do we move through our terrifying fears to break free of limitations and embrace our true potential? Here are a few of my thoughts around 3 tips to master life outside your comfort zone. Tip #1: Every Person Experiences the Same Human Struggle With every person born there is a basic human struggle between ego and potential. The ego operates much like a computer operating system - it has a set of rules and programs that is the basis of its function. That’s great if it’s operating from an effective set of rules and programs - but it doesn’t always do so. It’s no secret we are a product of our environment: the beliefs we are exposed to as children often set the tone of a lifetime of experiences. In other words, the operating system most of us are functioning from was created long before we had conscious choice to reject the limiting beliefs that came from other people. (That’s the kicker - Most people don’t even realize their limiting beliefs aren’t theirs!) The struggle comes in when we’re operating on limiting beliefs that tell us one thing, when we crave another. We crave individual expression and expansion, yet our operating system tells us it’s dangerous - or we’ll fail - or we’ll face rejection or criticism. We crave something better, but the fears that make up the boundaries of our comfort zone stop us from going for it. I believe this is the struggle that every single human faces to some degree or another. We all have fears. Yet, only the ones who have achieved great things have decided that their potential (life outside the comfort zone) was more important than listening to the fears (life inside the comfort zone). Tip #2: To Change the Results You Must Change the Actions If you’re not operating from possibilities, you’re operating from limitations - there is no in between. If the results you’re currently seeing are not pleasing or satisfying then you must change the actions to bring about different results. This often means you must begin making choices from outside your comfort zone. Think of it this way - everything you have already experienced (and may not like) is the result of making decisions from inside your comfort zone. You’ve been there, done that and the results may be disappointing. To create different results, you must do something different. Remember, the comfort zone is based on limited beliefs. To create a different experience, you must take action from different beliefs…the beliefs that exist outside your comfort zone. Tip #3: It’s About Learning to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Let’s go back to expanding on the struggle that every human being experiences: it’s the struggle between ego and potential. The ego only wants to have experiences that it knows how to deal with because its main concern is to keep you safe, healthy and whole. Your true potential, which is limitless, is the contrast of the ego. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything great has done so with great risk. Not necessarily physical or emotional danger, but at great risk as far as the ego is concerned. See, the ego doesn’t know how to deal with new situations based on new beliefs - it only knows how to handle situations it’s experienced. The process of doing something you haven’t done before is the great risk because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into you

We all have fears that stop us from stepping into our potential. It’s what we’ve come to call the comfort zone - the place where fear is minimized to allow for daily life functioning. But we don’t always realize just how much we give up for the sake of comfort. In an effort to minimize our greatest fears we can be sacrificing our heart’s deepest desires. In the name of comfort we sacrifice potential. It reminds me of a quote by Tony Robbins that says (paraphrasing), the dance of life happens between our greatest fears and our greatest potential, which translates into life happens outside your comfort zone. Sounds good in theory, but how do we move through our terrifying fears to break free of limitations and embrace our true potential? Here are a few of my thoughts around 3 tips to master life outside your comfort zone. Tip #1: Every Person Experiences the Same Human Struggle With every person born there is a basic human struggle between ego and potential. The ego operates much like a computer operating system - it has a set of rules and programs that is the basis of its function. That’s great if it’s operating from an effective set of rules and programs - but it doesn’t always do so. It’s no secret we are a product of our environment: the beliefs we are exposed to as children often set the tone of a lifetime of experiences. In other words, the operating system most of us are functioning from was created long before we had conscious choice to reject the limiting beliefs that came from other people. (That’s the kicker - Most people don’t even realize their limiting beliefs aren’t theirs!) The struggle comes in when we’re operating on limiting beliefs that tell us one thing, when we crave another. We crave individual expression and expansion, yet our operating system tells us it’s dangerous - or we’ll fail - or we’ll face rejection or criticism. We crave something better, but the fears that make up the boundaries of our comfort zone stop us from going for it. I believe this is the struggle that every single human faces to some degree or another. We all have fears. Yet, only the ones who have achieved great things have decided that their potential (life outside the comfort zone) was more important than listening to the fears (life inside the comfort zone). Tip #2: To Change the Results You Must Change the Actions If you’re not operating from possibilities, you’re operating from limitations - there is no in between. If the results you’re currently seeing are not pleasing or satisfying then you must change the actions to bring about different results. This often means you must begin making choices from outside your comfort zone. Think of it this way - everything you have already experienced (and may not like) is the result of making decisions from inside your comfort zone. You’ve been there, done that and the results may be disappointing. To create different results, you must do something different. Remember, the comfort zone is based on limited beliefs. To create a different experience, you must take action from different beliefs…the beliefs that exist outside your comfort zone. Tip #3: It’s About Learning to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Let’s go back to expanding on the struggle that every human being experiences: it’s the struggle between ego and potential. The ego only wants to have experiences that it knows how to deal with because its main concern is to keep you safe, healthy and whole. Your true potential, which is limitless, is the contrast of the ego. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything great has done so with great risk. Not necessarily physical or emotional danger, but at great risk as far as the ego is concerned. See, the ego doesn’t know how to deal with new situations based on new beliefs - it only knows how to handle situations it’s experienced. The process of doing something you haven’t done before is the great risk because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into you

We all have fears that stop us from stepping into our potential. It’s what we’ve come to call the comfort zone - the place where fear is minimized to allow for daily life functioning. But we don’t always realize just how much we give up for the sake of comfort. In an effort to minimize our greatest fears we can be sacrificing our heart’s deepest desires. In the name of comfort we sacrifice potential. It reminds me of a quote by Tony Robbins that says (paraphrasing), the dance of life happens between our greatest fears and our greatest potential, which translates into life happens outside your comfort zone. Sounds good in theory, but how do we move through our terrifying fears to break free of limitations and embrace our true potential? Here are a few of my thoughts around 3 tips to master life outside your comfort zone. Tip #1: Every Person Experiences the Same Human Struggle With every person born there is a basic human struggle between ego and potential. The ego operates much like a computer operating system - it has a set of rules and programs that is the basis of its function. That’s great if it’s operating from an effective set of rules and programs - but it doesn’t always do so. It’s no secret we are a product of our environment: the beliefs we are exposed to as children often set the tone of a lifetime of experiences. In other words, the operating system most of us are functioning from was created long before we had conscious choice to reject the limiting beliefs that came from other people. (That’s the kicker - Most people don’t even realize their limiting beliefs aren’t theirs!) The struggle comes in when we’re operating on limiting beliefs that tell us one thing, when we crave another. We crave individual expression and expansion, yet our operating system tells us it’s dangerous - or we’ll fail - or we’ll face rejection or criticism. We crave something better, but the fears that make up the boundaries of our comfort zone stop us from going for it. I believe this is the struggle that every single human faces to some degree or another. We all have fears. Yet, only the ones who have achieved great things have decided that their potential (life outside the comfort zone) was more important than listening to the fears (life inside the comfort zone). Tip #2: To Change the Results You Must Change the Actions If you’re not operating from possibilities, you’re operating from limitations - there is no in between. If the results you’re currently seeing are not pleasing or satisfying then you must change the actions to bring about different results. This often means you must begin making choices from outside your comfort zone. Think of it this way - everything you have already experienced (and may not like) is the result of making decisions from inside your comfort zone. You’ve been there, done that and the results may be disappointing. To create different results, you must do something different. Remember, the comfort zone is based on limited beliefs. To create a different experience, you must take action from different beliefs…the beliefs that exist outside your comfort zone. Tip #3: It’s About Learning to Be Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable Let’s go back to expanding on the struggle that every human being experiences: it’s the struggle between ego and potential. The ego only wants to have experiences that it knows how to deal with because its main concern is to keep you safe, healthy and whole. Your true potential, which is limitless, is the contrast of the ego. Anyone who has ever accomplished anything great has done so with great risk. Not necessarily physical or emotional danger, but at great risk as far as the ego is concerned. See, the ego doesn’t know how to deal with new situations based on new beliefs - it only knows how to handle situations it’s experienced. The process of doing something you haven’t done before is the great risk because you are stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into you

As a business owner, it’s important to recognize how valuable your time is - and how you choose to spend it. Yes, the bookkeeping is important, and so is voice-mail and email, but those tasks are not directly responsible for generating revenue, and are better left to be managed by someone else. Are you guilty of focusing on the less important (low-payoff) tasks when you should be actively engaged with the most important (high-payoff) tasks? If you have ever been guilty of this, continue listening to discover four common self-sabotaging habits that keep business owners from the revenue and success they want and deserve. 1. Wasting Time on Low-Payoff Tasks As the business owner, you are a valuable piece of the revenue-generating and business development puzzle. If you are sitting at a desk spending the majority of your time on low-payoff tasks, you don’t have the time to focus upon the most important part of your business: generating revenue. Would you hire a $100-an-hour team member to do a $20-an-hour task? Not likely. This is the same reasoning behind why you shouldn’t be the company bookkeeper or receptionist. (This is not to say that these tasks are not important, but they are not directly related to driving immediate revenue; hence, they are low-payoff tasks). Your sole focus should be upon the high-payoff tasks, aka. the revenue-generating tasks. All low-payoff tasks should be completely removed from your schedule and delegated to a virtual assistant or team member so you can focus your energy on the high-payoff tasks. TIP: Doing low payoff activities are what I call revenue generating avoidance activities. You may not like doing some revenue generation and business development activities, but you may be the best and maybe the only person to do it and get it done. 2. Ignoring High-Payoff Tasks Do you know what you need to be doing to boost revenue - but you’re not doing it or doing it on a consistent basis? Perhaps the fear of doing tasks outside your comfort zone is stopping you from doing the very thing that will make all the difference in your business revenue and ultimate success? Let’s be clear: if you own your own business, you must become very astute at recognizing, and completing, the high-payoff tasks or you will soon be out of business. Let’s say you’re the creative genius type; the sales part of your business isn’t your thing. You could hire a sales team to help drive in some sales, but at some point you’re going to have to tackle the very thing that scares you. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and conquer the things that scare you, but you can do it. To help conquer the fear, focus on the process of learning how to master your craft. Just as you mastered the creative genius, you can master the business development and revenue generation, too. TIP: Mastering your high-payoff tasks is more important than you think because once you master the high-payoff tasks; you are in a much higher probability position to achieve your goals in the time frame you have set. 3. Lacking Intimate Knowledge of Your Business In this case, ignorance is not bliss. In order to create a successful, profitable business, you must have intimate knowledge of your business (including where the majority of your revenue originates or could originate). If you don’t - you’re going to continue to struggle with generating the level of revenue you want and deserve. Get to know your business as intimately as you would a partner, learning its quirks, perks, strengths and weaknesses. Accentuate the strengths, while committing to work on the weaknesses. Commit to continual learning so you are on top of potential opportunities. Technology advancements move fast and you need to keep up to stay in the game. TIP: Think of your business as a valuable partner: the more you know about it, the better you can maintain a healthy relationship. Explore what makes it tick, where it could use some extra help or counseling, and com

As a business owner, it’s important to recognize how valuable your time is - and how you choose to spend it. Yes, the bookkeeping is important, and so is voice-mail and email, but those tasks are not directly responsible for generating revenue, and are better left to be managed by someone else. Are you guilty of focusing on the less important (low-payoff) tasks when you should be actively engaged with the most important (high-payoff) tasks? If you have ever been guilty of this, continue listening to discover four common self-sabotaging habits that keep business owners from the revenue and success they want and deserve. 1. Wasting Time on Low-Payoff Tasks As the business owner, you are a valuable piece of the revenue-generating and business development puzzle. If you are sitting at a desk spending the majority of your time on low-payoff tasks, you don’t have the time to focus upon the most important part of your business: generating revenue. Would you hire a $100-an-hour team member to do a $20-an-hour task? Not likely. This is the same reasoning behind why you shouldn’t be the company bookkeeper or receptionist. (This is not to say that these tasks are not important, but they are not directly related to driving immediate revenue; hence, they are low-payoff tasks). Your sole focus should be upon the high-payoff tasks, aka. the revenue-generating tasks. All low-payoff tasks should be completely removed from your schedule and delegated to a virtual assistant or team member so you can focus your energy on the high-payoff tasks. TIP: Doing low payoff activities are what I call revenue generating avoidance activities. You may not like doing some revenue generation and business development activities, but you may be the best and maybe the only person to do it and get it done. 2. Ignoring High-Payoff Tasks Do you know what you need to be doing to boost revenue - but you’re not doing it or doing it on a consistent basis? Perhaps the fear of doing tasks outside your comfort zone is stopping you from doing the very thing that will make all the difference in your business revenue and ultimate success? Let’s be clear: if you own your own business, you must become very astute at recognizing, and completing, the high-payoff tasks or you will soon be out of business. Let’s say you’re the creative genius type; the sales part of your business isn’t your thing. You could hire a sales team to help drive in some sales, but at some point you’re going to have to tackle the very thing that scares you. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and conquer the things that scare you, but you can do it. To help conquer the fear, focus on the process of learning how to master your craft. Just as you mastered the creative genius, you can master the business development and revenue generation, too. TIP: Mastering your high-payoff tasks is more important than you think because once you master the high-payoff tasks; you are in a much higher probability position to achieve your goals in the time frame you have set. 3. Lacking Intimate Knowledge of Your Business In this case, ignorance is not bliss. In order to create a successful, profitable business, you must have intimate knowledge of your business (including where the majority of your revenue originates or could originate). If you don’t - you’re going to continue to struggle with generating the level of revenue you want and deserve. Get to know your business as intimately as you would a partner, learning its quirks, perks, strengths and weaknesses. Accentuate the strengths, while committing to work on the weaknesses. Commit to continual learning so you are on top of potential opportunities. Technology advancements move fast and you need to keep up to stay in the game. TIP: Think of your business as a valuable partner: the more you know about it, the better you can maintain a healthy relationship. Explore what makes it tick, where it could use some extra help or counseling, and com

As a business owner, it’s important to recognize how valuable your time is - and how you choose to spend it. Yes, the bookkeeping is important, and so is voice-mail and email, but those tasks are not directly responsible for generating revenue, and are better left to be managed by someone else. Are you guilty of focusing on the less important (low-payoff) tasks when you should be actively engaged with the most important (high-payoff) tasks? If you have ever been guilty of this, continue listening to discover four common self-sabotaging habits that keep business owners from the revenue and success they want and deserve. 1. Wasting Time on Low-Payoff Tasks As the business owner, you are a valuable piece of the revenue-generating and business development puzzle. If you are sitting at a desk spending the majority of your time on low-payoff tasks, you don’t have the time to focus upon the most important part of your business: generating revenue. Would you hire a $100-an-hour team member to do a $20-an-hour task? Not likely. This is the same reasoning behind why you shouldn’t be the company bookkeeper or receptionist. (This is not to say that these tasks are not important, but they are not directly related to driving immediate revenue; hence, they are low-payoff tasks). Your sole focus should be upon the high-payoff tasks, aka. the revenue-generating tasks. All low-payoff tasks should be completely removed from your schedule and delegated to a virtual assistant or team member so you can focus your energy on the high-payoff tasks. TIP: Doing low payoff activities are what I call revenue generating avoidance activities. You may not like doing some revenue generation and business development activities, but you may be the best and maybe the only person to do it and get it done. 2. Ignoring High-Payoff Tasks Do you know what you need to be doing to boost revenue - but you’re not doing it or doing it on a consistent basis? Perhaps the fear of doing tasks outside your comfort zone is stopping you from doing the very thing that will make all the difference in your business revenue and ultimate success? Let’s be clear: if you own your own business, you must become very astute at recognizing, and completing, the high-payoff tasks or you will soon be out of business. Let’s say you’re the creative genius type; the sales part of your business isn’t your thing. You could hire a sales team to help drive in some sales, but at some point you’re going to have to tackle the very thing that scares you. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and conquer the things that scare you, but you can do it. To help conquer the fear, focus on the process of learning how to master your craft. Just as you mastered the creative genius, you can master the business development and revenue generation, too. TIP: Mastering your high-payoff tasks is more important than you think because once you master the high-payoff tasks; you are in a much higher probability position to achieve your goals in the time frame you have set. 3. Lacking Intimate Knowledge of Your Business In this case, ignorance is not bliss. In order to create a successful, profitable business, you must have intimate knowledge of your business (including where the majority of your revenue originates or could originate). If you don’t - you’re going to continue to struggle with generating the level of revenue you want and deserve. Get to know your business as intimately as you would a partner, learning its quirks, perks, strengths and weaknesses. Accentuate the strengths, while committing to work on the weaknesses. Commit to continual learning so you are on top of potential opportunities. Technology advancements move fast and you need to keep up to stay in the game. TIP: Think of your business as a valuable partner: the more you know about it, the better you can maintain a healthy relationship. Explore what makes it tick, where it could use some extra help or counseling, and com

As a business owner, it’s important to recognize how valuable your time is - and how you choose to spend it. Yes, the bookkeeping is important, and so is voice-mail and email, but those tasks are not directly responsible for generating revenue, and are better left to be managed by someone else. Are you guilty of focusing on the less important (low-payoff) tasks when you should be actively engaged with the most important (high-payoff) tasks? If you have ever been guilty of this, continue listening to discover four common self-sabotaging habits that keep business owners from the revenue and success they want and deserve. 1. Wasting Time on Low-Payoff Tasks As the business owner, you are a valuable piece of the revenue-generating and business development puzzle. If you are sitting at a desk spending the majority of your time on low-payoff tasks, you don’t have the time to focus upon the most important part of your business: generating revenue. Would you hire a $100-an-hour team member to do a $20-an-hour task? Not likely. This is the same reasoning behind why you shouldn’t be the company bookkeeper or receptionist. (This is not to say that these tasks are not important, but they are not directly related to driving immediate revenue; hence, they are low-payoff tasks). Your sole focus should be upon the high-payoff tasks, aka. the revenue-generating tasks. All low-payoff tasks should be completely removed from your schedule and delegated to a virtual assistant or team member so you can focus your energy on the high-payoff tasks. TIP: Doing low payoff activities are what I call revenue generating avoidance activities. You may not like doing some revenue generation and business development activities, but you may be the best and maybe the only person to do it and get it done. 2. Ignoring High-Payoff Tasks Do you know what you need to be doing to boost revenue - but you’re not doing it or doing it on a consistent basis? Perhaps the fear of doing tasks outside your comfort zone is stopping you from doing the very thing that will make all the difference in your business revenue and ultimate success? Let’s be clear: if you own your own business, you must become very astute at recognizing, and completing, the high-payoff tasks or you will soon be out of business. Let’s say you’re the creative genius type; the sales part of your business isn’t your thing. You could hire a sales team to help drive in some sales, but at some point you’re going to have to tackle the very thing that scares you. It takes courage to step out of your comfort zone and conquer the things that scare you, but you can do it. To help conquer the fear, focus on the process of learning how to master your craft. Just as you mastered the creative genius, you can master the business development and revenue generation, too. TIP: Mastering your high-payoff tasks is more important than you think because once you master the high-payoff tasks; you are in a much higher probability position to achieve your goals in the time frame you have set. 3. Lacking Intimate Knowledge of Your Business In this case, ignorance is not bliss. In order to create a successful, profitable business, you must have intimate knowledge of your business (including where the majority of your revenue originates or could originate). If you don’t - you’re going to continue to struggle with generating the level of revenue you want and deserve. Get to know your business as intimately as you would a partner, learning its quirks, perks, strengths and weaknesses. Accentuate the strengths, while committing to work on the weaknesses. Commit to continual learning so you are on top of potential opportunities. Technology advancements move fast and you need to keep up to stay in the game. TIP: Think of your business as a valuable partner: the more you know about it, the better you can maintain a healthy relationship. Explore what makes it tick, where it could use some extra help or counseling, and com

There’s no doubt about it, handling negative client feedback can be downright uncomfortable. No one likes to listen to complaints and no one wants to be criticized or rejected by anyone; even by a client. We’re human; it stings when we fall short of a goal or when we don’t receive the approval we crave. But what if you could get past the discomfort of negative client feedback to discover the benefits that will make your business even better? Okay, let’s get to the 6 Ways Negative Client Feedback Makes Your Business Better… Way #1. It Shows You’re Committed to Your Clients Dealing with less than glowing client feedback, head on and objectively, shows you are committed to ensuring your clients have a positive experience. It’s this commitment to serve them to the best of your ability that attracts more clients. When you’re committed to your clients, they’re committed to your business. Way #2. It’s Not Personal; It’s Perception Instead of getting defensive about what went wrong in the client experience, you learn that it doesn’t have anything to do with you. Negative client feedback isn’t a reflection of how you failed or fell short; rather it’s a reflection on the client’s perception of the experience. Client perception is everything. When you can identify the breakdown in the process that changed the client’s perception from positive to negative, you just identified the kink in the system. Remove the kink, improve the system, change the perception. Way #3. Find Out What They Want When a client offers feedback (negative or positive) it’s a prime opportunity to learn what they really want. When Ideal Clients offer less than favorable feedback, identify what they really want - and deliver it. One word of caution: don’t go changing effective policy to please just one. The goal here is to pay attention to the feedback you receive from Ideal Clients - because they are your target market. Receive all feedback with an open mind, keeping in mind that your goal is to serve Ideal Clients to the best of your ability. Way #4. Brainstorm Creative Solutions Client feedback also allows a “springboard” from which creative solutions can be brainstormed. Don’t be afraid to be innovative and forward-thinking. If an Ideal Client is seeking a service or product that you’re not currently offering (and it will attract more Ideal Clients) - how can you implement it? Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to effectively do it. Listening to what your clients want and need is an invitation to get creative and implement innovative products and services that will serve your clients and grow your business. Way #5. Solicit Client Feedback Before Launching New Products & Services It happens every day; businesses all over the world solicit client feedback before expending time and money on new product and service launches. Instead of waiting for negative client feedback, ask them what they think about new products and/or service ideas. Send out a quick survey that takes no more than a few moments to complete - with an incentive for filling it out. Here are a few examples: • free PDF of an upcoming book (either the entire book or free chapter) • free online access to beta-product or program (full or limited access) • free digital download of a beta-product • discounted or early-bird pricing on a beta-product or program Way #6. Make it Easy for Clients to Submit Feedback Clients can spot a reluctant client-feedback business from a mile away - and it instantly reduces the trust factor. As you well know, when you lose the trust of your clients - you lose business. Make it easy for them to submit feedback by providing contact information that’s easily visible on your business cards, website and marketing materials. You’ll likely find when you provide an easily-accessible feedback system the amount of positive feedback increases. Some firms utilize a board of existing ideal clients to regularly provide feedback and ideas.

There’s no doubt about it, handling negative client feedback can be downright uncomfortable. No one likes to listen to complaints and no one wants to be criticized or rejected by anyone; even by a client. We’re human; it stings when we fall short of a goal or when we don’t receive the approval we crave. But what if you could get past the discomfort of negative client feedback to discover the benefits that will make your business even better? Okay, let’s get to the 6 Ways Negative Client Feedback Makes Your Business Better… Way #1. It Shows You’re Committed to Your Clients Dealing with less than glowing client feedback, head on and objectively, shows you are committed to ensuring your clients have a positive experience. It’s this commitment to serve them to the best of your ability that attracts more clients. When you’re committed to your clients, they’re committed to your business. Way #2. It’s Not Personal; It’s Perception Instead of getting defensive about what went wrong in the client experience, you learn that it doesn’t have anything to do with you. Negative client feedback isn’t a reflection of how you failed or fell short; rather it’s a reflection on the client’s perception of the experience. Client perception is everything. When you can identify the breakdown in the process that changed the client’s perception from positive to negative, you just identified the kink in the system. Remove the kink, improve the system, change the perception. Way #3. Find Out What They Want When a client offers feedback (negative or positive) it’s a prime opportunity to learn what they really want. When Ideal Clients offer less than favorable feedback, identify what they really want - and deliver it. One word of caution: don’t go changing effective policy to please just one. The goal here is to pay attention to the feedback you receive from Ideal Clients - because they are your target market. Receive all feedback with an open mind, keeping in mind that your goal is to serve Ideal Clients to the best of your ability. Way #4. Brainstorm Creative Solutions Client feedback also allows a “springboard” from which creative solutions can be brainstormed. Don’t be afraid to be innovative and forward-thinking. If an Ideal Client is seeking a service or product that you’re not currently offering (and it will attract more Ideal Clients) - how can you implement it? Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean there isn’t a way to effectively do it. Listening to what your clients want and need is an invitation to get creative and implement innovative products and services that will serve your clients and grow your business. Way #5. Solicit Client Feedback Before Launching New Products & Services It happens every day; businesses all over the world solicit client feedback before expending time and money on new product and service launches. Instead of waiting for negative client feedback, ask them what they think about new products and/or service ideas. Send out a quick survey that takes no more than a few moments to complete - with an incentive for filling it out. Here are a few examples: • free PDF of an upcoming book (either the entire book or free chapter) • free online access to beta-product or program (full or limited access) • free digital download of a beta-product • discounted or early-bird pricing on a beta-product or program Way #6. Make it Easy for Clients to Submit Feedback Clients can spot a reluctant client-feedback business from a mile away - and it instantly reduces the trust factor. As you well know, when you lose the trust of your clients - you lose business. Make it easy for them to submit feedback by providing contact information that’s easily visible on your business cards, website and marketing materials. You’ll likely find when you provide an easily-accessible feedback system the amount of positive feedback increases. Some firms utilize a board of existing ideal clients to regularly provide feedback and ideas.