I had this urge to type up a recap of what we talked about during week one of the blitz–or at least start with some of the mindset and foundational pieces, which actually ended up reminding a lot of that really cool book The Power of Full Engagement with a twist. I quickly lost that typing urge and talked off the cuff about some of the highlights for about 7 minutes instead.

So feel free to listen in, and I hope you can join us live tomorrow where we will talk all about the technology that helps us streamline our businesses and save oh so much time. The details, including the other topics we’ve covered and will cover, dial-in and date/times can be found by visiting this link: http://budurl.com/21DayBlitz

*Those who trust the process during their entrepreneurial journeys even when things look a little weird at times!

Take Sheryl for example. She wrote:

“I work fulltime in a day job and then part time trying to get my home based business profitable.  With the amount of training with my new business and running a household and a day job, I find myself scattered all over the place and not progressing as fast as I need to – help!”

Hi Sheryl,

I’ve been there and it is indeed an interesting balancing act. When we are stressed, it is so easy become scattered and unfocused. I haven’t met anyone who has been 100% immune to this dilemma.

Some of the strategies that have helped me and my clients when we get into that space is to remind our loved ones–especially the ones we live with–of our vision. Stating our requirements and boundaries in a loving but decisive way is another “must communicate.”

Ask them to give you the space and time you need to realize that vision daily but also include giving them your undivided attention as a gift to all of you. Open communication and supportive environments are so important.

If you can take some conscious “Sheryl” time for at least an hour a day–even if you don’t think you have time, just doing something you love, whether if it’s being out in nature, reading a good book, journaling (one of my favorites!), exercise (I get so many ideas when I’m exercising!), etc., it will make all the difference because down time is still productive time as you’re recharging your batteries.

Also, be patient with the process and yourself (I know–easier said than done!), and have faith that as you’re consistently doing something every day moving you toward you goals, the baby steps will add up, and the freedom and autonomy you seek will be the reality rather than the wish.  Celebrate the small wins daily!

And remember: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.” -Mark Twain

* * *

Next Thursday I will address another submitted challenge so stay tuned!

If you’d like to hear the call we did, click here to get the download of the MP3. You’ll be glad you did!

Wendy’s process appeared as a special resource highly recommended and used by the author of the recent bestseller: Bank on Yourself:The Life-Changing Secret to Growing and Protecting Your Financial Future, a book about taking back control of your financial future, which is on the best seller list for Amazon, Wall Street Journal and USA Today.

Here’s what the author of the book had to say:

“JOY – For No Apparent Reason at ALL????

I’d like to ask you a personal question, if I may.

How often do you experience joy. for no apparent reason at all?

I’m not just talking about “contentment,” or feeling “okay” about
your life.  I’m talking about pure, unadulterated feeling-like-
you’re-three-feet-off-the-ground joy!     Perhaps you don’t even
believe it’s possible. or that you deserve it.

If so, I can relate.  Despite love and success, parts of my life
still felt like a grind.   I often procrastinated on critical
things I needed to do for my business.  I felt stressed much of
the time.  My “perfectionism” would make projects drag out much
longer than I planned or expected. I wasn’t fully enjoying all I
had achieved.

All the strategies I used to try to break through these blocks
worked – to a degree.  But, deep in my heart, I knew I could be
more, do more, and enjoy my life more.  I just couldn’t seem to
figure out how to get there.  Maybe you can relate.

But friends were raving about the nearly instant breakthroughs
they were having in their lives, using an extraordinary
technology.  And, frankly, I was jealous!  I was also skeptical,
but decided to give it a try. The shifts I experienced in so many
different areas of my business and personal life were dramatic.
and immediate.

Here are just a few: Within just one day, some things that had
seemed difficult and painful started feeling easy.  Even
effortless. Situations that would normally stress me out suddenly
simply stopped having that effect.   Physical pain I had for more
than a decade vanished. Perhaps the most unexpected benefit of
all was the feeling of pure joy I began experiencing – even doing
things I used to like least!

Are you ready to blast through obstacles that lie between you
and your full potential? If you are, I’ve arranged for you to get
access to the internationally acclaimed expert in this
technology.”

I’m looking forward to my copy of the book and am appreciative of Wendy who so generously shared this very process on the call. Even though the call has taken place already, you can still click here to get the recording!

Despite my thoughts about playing to your passions no matter what, I have found great value in the Strengthsfinder 2.0 assessment. Truth be told, I’m a big fan of assessments because of the value they add to our self-awareness even as we are self-reporting in our responses. We can gain insights on our behaviorial styles (DiSC), personality preferences ( MBTI® ), and in the case of the Strengthsfinder, our top five themes of talent.

If you have conversations with each of the experts in those respective fields about your results and then synthesize that data, it can be a really powerful tool to enhance your productivity levels not only in business or professionally but in your daily lives.

My friend and colleague, Kim Beasley and I started talking about benefits of the Strengthsfinder again last month and we were both driven to write about how it plays a role in our lives–particularly in business. After reading about my top five talents which are the Learner, Input, Activator, Ideation, Maximizer themes, I realized consciously what could benefit me even more as well as consciously thinking about my own communication and productivity styles as I live my life and run my business. My report also showed how my talents might relate to one another.

So I encourage you to buy Tom Rath’s book, and find out about your top five and see how you can also consciously benefit in your business and in life. I could end the post here. It’s certainly long enough as blog posts go but in the spirit of transparency, I thought I’d share excerpts of my own results to show the assessment’s power.

In fact, how about I break this down into parts and use myself as a Strengthsfinder case study as described in my report. The following are brief definitions and Carol-specific Personalized Strengths Insights excerpts from each of my top five themes:

Those with the Learner theme talent are on a continuous learning and improvement path and love the journey. “By nature, you have little difficulty giving intense effort to projects, problems, or opportunities that capture and keep your attention.”

People who have the Input theme love to know more and archive all kinds of information. “Driven by your talents, you can simplify the most complex, convoluted, or intricate procedure. People usually rely on you to offer clear and easy-to-comprehend explanations.”

Those with the Activator talent can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. “Your forthcoming nature might enable some people to share their thoughts and feelings with you. By nature, you are somewhat comfortable talking about yourself. You may also enjoy listening to people describe their talents, limitations, goals, worries, or successes. Perhaps these insights help you discover what someone thinks or feels. Maybe you acquire information about the individual’s style of thinking, learning, working, playing, problem solving, or studying. Because of your strengths, you periodically stir people’s emotions by motivating them to take action.”

People who have talent in the Ideation theme are able to find connections between seemingly varied phenomena. “Instinctively, you might channel some of your energy toward what you can accomplish in the coming months, years, or decades. Periodically your mind churns out new and inventive ways of reaching your desired goals… Driven by your talents, you regard yourself as logical and reasonable. You spontaneously reduce mechanisms, processes, proposals, ideas, or formulas to their basic parts. You figure out how the pieces interrelate. Your discoveries tell you why something does or does not function the way it should.”

And last but certainly not least, the Maximizer theme folks seek to transform something strong into something superb. “Instinctively, you customarily figure out what makes each person special. You talk to, observe, or study individuals who produce nothing less than excellence to identify what inspires them… You strive to honor everyone’s uniqueness and preferences. Understanding a person’s ambitions gives you insights into the type of support, training, experiences, partnerships, and nurturing he or she needs to thrive.”

So there you have it! If you have read this far, picture me cheering and thanking you profusely! I recognize that this post is longer than usual. And I hope my case study will inspire you to check out the tool for yourself so you can consciously focus on what you know makes you shine!

Says who?

If you are perpetually stuck in inertia because the stars just don’t seem to be aligned for you in particular, you might want to check your perception. Or hey, you might know someone who continuously shows up that way even if it doesn’t apply to you.

Draining, isn’t it?

Look: I’m not unsympathetic to those who get stuck–heck, I get stuck at times; I’m certainly not unfamiliar with self-pity, self-doubt, grumpiness [Really, just insert any garden variety “low vibration” emotion and I could testify!].

And even in the midst of my internal drama, I know it will pass. I use the tools available to me so I don’t STAY there. AND, I always take responsibility for my action (or inaction as the case may be).

When I asked Twitterverse the above question (take this informal assessment to see where you stand), I got the following feedback:

• From Stephen Carter AKA @TheHomeSavor: Listen to the story, identify why they are the way they are, Grab them by the arm, and show them that other options exist… http://www.homesavors.com/
• From Beverly Jackson AKA @drbev: External locus of control people are living life while being outside of their bodies. Denial like ignorance is time consuming. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/drbev
• From Karen McMillan AKA @LifeCoachKaren: Breathe.  Don’t take it personally.  Remember, it’s about their stuff–not yours. Give love.  http://www.kdmcmillan.com/

We’re in the midst of an Economic Catharsis, and if you or someone you know is allowing their skills, gifts, and talents to remain a secret because of the wrong mindset, a lot is being left on the table (not just money).  Something to think about.

Since your locus of control tends to determine your outlook on life–regardless of your circumstances, you can see that it is much healthier to have an internal locus of control.  If you have an internal LOC, it will help you in other areas of your life–not just in business. Own your “stuff”, then use the tools available to you to move forward when your “stuff” feels a bit too overwhelming.

If you want to know the tools I use to move out of inertia, just ask me in the comments section!

If you want to share the tools you use, please list them in the comments section!

]]> https://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=168 5 https://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?p=144 https://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?p=144#comments Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:41:13 +0000 Carol Dickson-Carr http://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?p=144 I don’t believe that it does.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing Rod Alan Richardson, Business Consultant and Trainer. He supported what I believe and what so many other successful entrepreneurs have proven: That the time it takes to deliver value and the amount of money received for that value don’t necessarily have a direct relationship. Expediency and quality is a powerful combination. By the way, some of Rod’s cool deliverables include the following:

• Escalated an equipment manufacturer from $5 Million to $12 Million in 9 months
• Built an Ecommerce business from idea to $30 Million in 18 months creating partnerships and leading strategies that attracted 3 million visitors per month
• Designed a marketing strategy that attracted a $20 million capitalization into an Internet Technology company

He shared some great strategies that will help you not only increase your business productivity in less time but also create more value in the process.

I was so energized and inspired by his wisdom, and I hope you will be too. Click here, and give it a listen!

I could relate so well to the personal stories of struggle that JoLynn shared but what really got me was how she has come to live the process of effortless weight loss. Now you might wonder what weight loss, health, and fitness has to do with productivity…well, that’s what our call was about! So if you’d like to learn how you can be more productive and leverage your greatest resources (time, money, and energy) better in 2009 then you can listen to the recording of my call with JoLynn Braley.

To get the details on how to listen in just register here and you’ll be on your way to getting fitter and more productive in 2009.

(Be sure to register now because she told me that the recording will only be available until Tuesday, Jan 20 at 6pm EST!)

Here’s an update! I had the opportunity to interview her again on my Productivity Talk show on the 21st, so you can listen to her strategies by clicking HERE! Enjoy!

What!??!

Okay, let me explain what I mean by that and you are welcome to disagree! Many who know me have heard me say that you should outsource those tasks that you hate to do and don’t do well (or even those tasks you do well but hate to do).

But what if something you’re really passionate about doesn’t turn into a strength until you give it the discipline, effort, and devotion to turn it into something you’re eventually great at? After all, many people like this quote:

“People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most people succeed because they are determined to.”

–George E. Allen

While I applaud the Strengthsfinder 2.0 assessment–the first one that was outlined in Now Discover Your Strengths was great, but this one is much better!–I read something in the accompanying book by Tom Rath that actually hit a nerve.

Do you remember the story of Rudy Ruettiger, the young, groundskeeper at Notre Dame’s stadium? His physique wasn’t quite the football flavor, and he certainly didn’t have a natural talent for football. He spent most of his days overcoming a weakness by practicing and practicing and practicing and eventually triumphed.

Rath implies that those days could’ve been better spent focusing on strengthening a strength rather than overcoming a weakness. His maxim is: “You cannot be anything you want to be–but you can be a lot more of who you already are” versus the familiar, “You can be anything you want to be if you just try hard enough.”

But what about the psychological benefits during the journey–especially if you’re passionate about the end result?

Here’s why what Rath said hit a nerve with me: The entrepreneurial bug hit me at 10 years old and I had a ball and made some cash doing all sorts of fun activities using my “kid charm” to get it done, and then took a hiatus in terms of true implementation until 2003.  I didn’t make a ton of money as a 10 year old, but I was having the time of my life!

Truth be told, when I got back into the entrepreneurial fold in 2003, I made more mistakes than money and didn’t really get into a groove until after I hired a coach in 2004 to show me where I was blocked (one big culprit was the “M” word…no, not ‘marriage,’ silly, ‘marketing’! ).

I was always awesome at academics, technology, teaching, and creating.

Marketing? Not so much. 

But marketing is such a pivotal part of being an entrepreneur. And I’m still not a master at marketing compared to some, but I do know it’s something I have to have my fingers in even if I would prefer to outsource that task.

There were other things my coach and I discovered together back then that was making my road to entrepreneurial success a real challenge–despite entrepreneurialism being a huge passion of mine–and those things are worthy of another blog post some other time.

But let me ask these two questions for now: Should you detach completely from something that is not a natural strength in the overall scheme of things even if you’re really passionate about it (my lack of entrepreneurial mojo in 2003 as an example) or go for it anyway because you’re so determined to succeed at your passion?

And if you decide to go for it (i.e., being an entrepreneur) and find out that the weakness you have is something many experts say you should be a part of anyway–marketing in this case–do you farm it out completely, or do you have a role in it?

What say you?

]]> https://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?feed=rss2&p=89 5 https://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?p=80 https://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?p=80#comments Wed, 17 Dec 2008 17:07:58 +0000 Carol Dickson-Carr http://ultimateleveragesuccess.com/blog/?p=80 I truly wasn’t in the mood to read another “Business How To” book, but when Scott Bradley sent me a review copy of Mike Michalowicz’s The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, I was honored. When people take the time and money to send out a complimentary book, I will not let it sit on the shelf. I will most definitely read it. I figure a guy younger than me who’d already founded three multi-million dollar companies could probably teach me a thing or two.

Mike’s Target audience is actually young (age 18-26ish) entrepreneurs or aspiring entrepreneurs (with a sense of humor!) who are at the beginning stages of getting their businesses off the ground, but even as a Gen-Xer who has been in business for five years as a productivity and small business coach, I was engaged from start to finish.

Mike’s tell-it-like-it is approach cuts out the fat and gets right to the meat regarding your passions, belief systems, vision, mission, purpose, funding (and how to hang on to your equity!), accountability, and team without having to shell out a lot of upfront cash or create an elaborate business plan. His calls-to-action at the end of each chapter are quite appealing as well.

He discusses in depth the only “Three Sheets” you’ll ever need to succeed in business if and ONLY IF you implement and be consistent in your efforts (and he even shares the templates in Word format for these three documents on his site http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/ in the resource section).

Have an open mind if you’re not one for bathroom humor and metaphors because you will completely miss the point if you don’t, I promise you. Even if you’re not a beer drinker or a party animal, there is an immense amount of wisdom joined with all sorts of practical strategies and tactics to go with the suggested tech tools (many of them free) to get you off and running or improving on your existing business.

And if you’d like to listen to him share some of his strategies today (12/17) at 3pm ET, please feel free to listen live and participate in the chat at http://blogtalkradio.com/Productivity-Talk. If you can’t be there live, it’s okay. Just grab the MP3 from the archive whenever you get a chance.

Hope to see you there, and I hope you buy the book!

Carol Dickson-Carr
The Productivity 3.0 Professor