Can't Make a Change Unless You Slow Down - and Meditate
I'm not a big fan of meditating - I bet you're shocked with this statement. It's not the meditating, it's the sitting still. I suffer from ADD and used to get in a lot of trouble in class when I was younger.
I would learn the material and then fidget in class. So, when a coach told me to meditate I thought I would scream - it's so not me to sit still.
However, I discovered that there were various types of meditating so if you were like me and couldn't sit still, there was hope. Guided meditation (where you listen to a tape or MP3 of someone talking with music in the background) is the best way to calm down and focus if you're a distracted thinker. Another type of meditation is - 'Seeing Meditation' which I describe in the 2 Minute Tuesday Excerpt below.
Enjoy and visit the link at: Lisa's Two Minute Tuesdays Excerpt - Seeing Meditation.
Showing posts with label slow down and relax. Show all posts
Showing posts with label slow down and relax. Show all posts
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Sunday, June 01, 2008
Today I Will Make A Difference
by Max Lucado, author of: From on the Anvil
I found this in my email box and printed out a copy. This could be the most important little printout you have. Place it where you can see it every day. Enjoy!
Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of their thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.
I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.
I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble - I will get up. It's OK to fail - I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.
I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.
Today I will make a difference.
I think this says it all - I have no more useful words to add to this.
Max Lucado
From On The Anvil
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
The Learning Curve
Are you in a state of overwhelm because of all the new things you must learn? Did your company install yet another software program you need to learn pronto? Do you have a stack of emails to answer, new systems to learn and put in place?
It's easy to feel stressed as we get barraged by a sea of information and learning another thing can make you want to scream. There's also that temptation to quit learning something because it's too daunting or takes too long to comprehend.
It's key to remember certain rules when learning new.
Rule #1: Everything new looks exciting and filled with possibilites when you first learn - this is the way it should be so you want to keep learning.
Rule #2: Expect a slow down period or backstepping. As you assimilate more information, you may forget things, get confused or feel like you can't remember another thing. This is normal.
Rule #3: Apathy and frustration may hit you - this is a test. If you're truly committed to learning a new skill, you'll see this as an opportunity. You may want to 'throw in the towel,' and forget learning something new. However, if you're smart, you'll either get help or push through the pain.
Rule #4: You're past the plateau: This is a powerful place to be as rule #3 is where most people quit. If you make it to this point, your skills get stronger and your confidence level grows.
Rule #5: You're in the 'zone.' If you learn the material and feel confident and deliver it well, you're on the road to becoming a master.
I am learning to play guitar and have been taking half hour lessons for 7 months. I remember being excited about learning in the beginning, feeling apathy at about month 4 (and wanting to quit because everything I learned seemed to be forgotten and the more I learned, the less I knew) I asked my teacher how long people stayed with him and he said it was four months and then they quit.
I didn't want to be a statistic and wanted to 'master' an instrument although I know a lifetime of playing guitar wouldn't necessarily make me an expert. No, I wouldn't be quitting my day job and hitting the road, but I wanted to be able to hear a song, pick up my guitar and play along. To me, it's worth pushing past the plateau.
Lisa Rickwood 'Business Stress Buster'
Are you in a state of overwhelm because of all the new things you must learn? Did your company install yet another software program you need to learn pronto? Do you have a stack of emails to answer, new systems to learn and put in place?
It's easy to feel stressed as we get barraged by a sea of information and learning another thing can make you want to scream. There's also that temptation to quit learning something because it's too daunting or takes too long to comprehend.
It's key to remember certain rules when learning new.
Rule #1: Everything new looks exciting and filled with possibilites when you first learn - this is the way it should be so you want to keep learning.
Rule #2: Expect a slow down period or backstepping. As you assimilate more information, you may forget things, get confused or feel like you can't remember another thing. This is normal.
Rule #3: Apathy and frustration may hit you - this is a test. If you're truly committed to learning a new skill, you'll see this as an opportunity. You may want to 'throw in the towel,' and forget learning something new. However, if you're smart, you'll either get help or push through the pain.
Rule #4: You're past the plateau: This is a powerful place to be as rule #3 is where most people quit. If you make it to this point, your skills get stronger and your confidence level grows.
Rule #5: You're in the 'zone.' If you learn the material and feel confident and deliver it well, you're on the road to becoming a master.
I am learning to play guitar and have been taking half hour lessons for 7 months. I remember being excited about learning in the beginning, feeling apathy at about month 4 (and wanting to quit because everything I learned seemed to be forgotten and the more I learned, the less I knew) I asked my teacher how long people stayed with him and he said it was four months and then they quit.
I didn't want to be a statistic and wanted to 'master' an instrument although I know a lifetime of playing guitar wouldn't necessarily make me an expert. No, I wouldn't be quitting my day job and hitting the road, but I wanted to be able to hear a song, pick up my guitar and play along. To me, it's worth pushing past the plateau.
Lisa Rickwood 'Business Stress Buster'
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Why No News is Good News - Why a Media Fast is Beneficial
Lately, every time I turn on the news, the big "R" (recession) is mentioned. I have a theory about this - the news helps to create a big "R." People watch the news, dwell on it and then get scared. Once they're scared, the beliefs take over and then they watch their actions - cut back on their spending, run around with a fear mentality and then the economy does slow down.
The news is also frustrating because over 95% of it is about things you can't do anything about.
Finally, if you watch the news a lot, you lose a lot of time you could spend doing other things - things that might make you feel happier, not more stressed out.
A media fast is good when you're feeling overwhelmed, want more time in your day, want to ignore negativity, etc. Because so many people get caught up in the news, you'll always know what's happening whether you immerse yourself in it or not.
Here's the benefits to a media fast:
1. Time: You can claim up to two hours a day when you bypass news for a day
2. Attitude: You'll be more positive as you won't dwell on the 95% of news that's negative
3. Control: You'll have more control because you can pick and choose what you want in your life
4. Productivity: You'll be more productive and inspired because you won't have your energy scattered dwelling on the news.
While you can still watch the news, the secret is to curb the time to minimize overwhelm.
Lately, every time I turn on the news, the big "R" (recession) is mentioned. I have a theory about this - the news helps to create a big "R." People watch the news, dwell on it and then get scared. Once they're scared, the beliefs take over and then they watch their actions - cut back on their spending, run around with a fear mentality and then the economy does slow down.
The news is also frustrating because over 95% of it is about things you can't do anything about.
Finally, if you watch the news a lot, you lose a lot of time you could spend doing other things - things that might make you feel happier, not more stressed out.
A media fast is good when you're feeling overwhelmed, want more time in your day, want to ignore negativity, etc. Because so many people get caught up in the news, you'll always know what's happening whether you immerse yourself in it or not.
Here's the benefits to a media fast:
1. Time: You can claim up to two hours a day when you bypass news for a day
2. Attitude: You'll be more positive as you won't dwell on the 95% of news that's negative
3. Control: You'll have more control because you can pick and choose what you want in your life
4. Productivity: You'll be more productive and inspired because you won't have your energy scattered dwelling on the news.
While you can still watch the news, the secret is to curb the time to minimize overwhelm.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
There's No Such Thing as a Balanced Life
If you're a coach, a business person, a busy person, an overwhelmed person, you're probably seeking what the 'experts' call - balance.
While this sounds great, it's an unrealistic term that sets you up for failure.
I know I'll probably get a lot of heat from people out there (and especially coaches) because I should know better as I'm a coach, but I'm tired of hearing the word balance. Frankly, we use it too much and it only makes us feel worse about our lives.
Here are the fallacies with using the word:
1. What does balance mean to you? Here's where the first problem starts. Everyone's idea of balance is different, therefore a guru telling you what looks 'normal' in your life has no idea. They may work 60 hours a week and feel healthy, happy and secure. You may work 40 and think you're working too much because you have another job and six children.
2. Nothing in life is static: It's impossible to have a total balance in your life. Just when your finances are improving, your relationship with your significant other may be going through a challenge. You may have one area of your life shine, and another area needs work. As a coach, I work on all areas to improve them and while most areas may be great, life happens.
You may have everything appearing to be in balance and then you get laid off at work. Your finances, career, relationships may be great and then your father passes away. There is no permanent balance - life is constantly growing and changing. In fact, the universe is still continuing to expand.
Life is like that - unpredicatable, uncontrollable...all you can do is control your beliefs and actions.
3. Being caught up in the word 'balance' can make you feel depressed, frustrated and downright miserable. As mentioned earlier, there will always be one area of your life that's weaker than the rest - if only for a short time. This word should only be used to mention credits and debits, scales, what's left of something or a weighing device.
4. Use a different word for your life: Instead of balance, you should be focusing on a word that mentions how you are constantly changing and growing to create the life and world you desire.
5. Be more accepting of life: We spend a lot of time fighting and complaining about our situation in life. In Buddhism, the teachings talk about accepting and making peace with your life, no matter how good or bad. This isn't easy, but a softer heart and lack of cynicism will make your life more enjoyable and you will have a chance to positively affect the lives of others.
6. It's about prioritizing: Forget balance, life is a smorgasboard of choices. It's about what you decide to believe in, who you hang out with, what you do for work, how you spend your time. If you're not sure what your priorities are, simply open your calendar and study the time and activities that fill your book. Is your time spent shopping, being with family, working, playing, creating, loving, making a difference?
As a last note to help you in 2008, skip the word balance, and go for passion!
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com
If you're a coach, a business person, a busy person, an overwhelmed person, you're probably seeking what the 'experts' call - balance.
While this sounds great, it's an unrealistic term that sets you up for failure.
I know I'll probably get a lot of heat from people out there (and especially coaches) because I should know better as I'm a coach, but I'm tired of hearing the word balance. Frankly, we use it too much and it only makes us feel worse about our lives.
Here are the fallacies with using the word:
1. What does balance mean to you? Here's where the first problem starts. Everyone's idea of balance is different, therefore a guru telling you what looks 'normal' in your life has no idea. They may work 60 hours a week and feel healthy, happy and secure. You may work 40 and think you're working too much because you have another job and six children.
2. Nothing in life is static: It's impossible to have a total balance in your life. Just when your finances are improving, your relationship with your significant other may be going through a challenge. You may have one area of your life shine, and another area needs work. As a coach, I work on all areas to improve them and while most areas may be great, life happens.
You may have everything appearing to be in balance and then you get laid off at work. Your finances, career, relationships may be great and then your father passes away. There is no permanent balance - life is constantly growing and changing. In fact, the universe is still continuing to expand.
Life is like that - unpredicatable, uncontrollable...all you can do is control your beliefs and actions.
3. Being caught up in the word 'balance' can make you feel depressed, frustrated and downright miserable. As mentioned earlier, there will always be one area of your life that's weaker than the rest - if only for a short time. This word should only be used to mention credits and debits, scales, what's left of something or a weighing device.
4. Use a different word for your life: Instead of balance, you should be focusing on a word that mentions how you are constantly changing and growing to create the life and world you desire.
5. Be more accepting of life: We spend a lot of time fighting and complaining about our situation in life. In Buddhism, the teachings talk about accepting and making peace with your life, no matter how good or bad. This isn't easy, but a softer heart and lack of cynicism will make your life more enjoyable and you will have a chance to positively affect the lives of others.
6. It's about prioritizing: Forget balance, life is a smorgasboard of choices. It's about what you decide to believe in, who you hang out with, what you do for work, how you spend your time. If you're not sure what your priorities are, simply open your calendar and study the time and activities that fill your book. Is your time spent shopping, being with family, working, playing, creating, loving, making a difference?
As a last note to help you in 2008, skip the word balance, and go for passion!
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com
Monday, November 12, 2007
To Sit or Not to Sit - This is the Question...
Has this happened to you? You rush around all week and then make BIG plans for the weekend and the weekend arrives and you're out of steam.
All those HUGE ideas for getting things done are replaced by fatigue and the temptation to sit on the couch all day and watch every stupid reality T.V. show and movie that happens to be on the tube.
All of a sudden, you're filled with 'guilt' because you should be doing something worthwhile even though there's gale force winds outside and trees are bending over backward.
This happened to me the other day. I didn't want to call anyone, just barely got out of my PJs (put on sweats) and didn't put on makeup. Whee whoo!
It was pouring rain outside and it was Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in the U.S.) and it felt great to 'do nothing an ignore the world.'
Do you have days like this? If you don't, you should. Because I feel absolutely revitalized after this weekend of not traveling, not visiting people and not looking at email more than once a day. Yes, I felt a little 'funny' but I shouldn't feel guilty as I wrote a book about slowing down. If I can't relax without feeling bad, no one stands a chance.
So your assignment this week is to pick a day or a couple of hours during the week to do absolutely nothing. That's right - no T.V., no exercise, no errands. Just take a nap, doodle in a sketchbook, learn an instrument, go for a long walk, visit a friend or start a new hobby.
Let me know how you do - drop me a line and tell me how you 'escaped.'
Lisa
Has this happened to you? You rush around all week and then make BIG plans for the weekend and the weekend arrives and you're out of steam.
All those HUGE ideas for getting things done are replaced by fatigue and the temptation to sit on the couch all day and watch every stupid reality T.V. show and movie that happens to be on the tube.
All of a sudden, you're filled with 'guilt' because you should be doing something worthwhile even though there's gale force winds outside and trees are bending over backward.
This happened to me the other day. I didn't want to call anyone, just barely got out of my PJs (put on sweats) and didn't put on makeup. Whee whoo!
It was pouring rain outside and it was Remembrance Day (Veterans Day in the U.S.) and it felt great to 'do nothing an ignore the world.'
Do you have days like this? If you don't, you should. Because I feel absolutely revitalized after this weekend of not traveling, not visiting people and not looking at email more than once a day. Yes, I felt a little 'funny' but I shouldn't feel guilty as I wrote a book about slowing down. If I can't relax without feeling bad, no one stands a chance.
So your assignment this week is to pick a day or a couple of hours during the week to do absolutely nothing. That's right - no T.V., no exercise, no errands. Just take a nap, doodle in a sketchbook, learn an instrument, go for a long walk, visit a friend or start a new hobby.
Let me know how you do - drop me a line and tell me how you 'escaped.'
Lisa
Friday, October 19, 2007
Keep It Simple, Stupid (K.I.S.S.)
Most of us have heard this term before but it's so easy to forget what it really means, especially in business.
When I worked as an advertising representative for a magazine, my publisher told me to design ads using the K.I.S.S. formula (keep it simple, stupid) This method worked well; I quickly created clean, crisp, successful ads for my clients. But, when I forgot the formula, I would struggle.
Are you struggling in your life of business? Maybe your business or life just needs a kiss.
Where can you apply the formula? Maybe you can simplify your sales technique, closing the sale, administrative work, marketing plan, email communications, financial plan...
Take this week and see what's complicating your life. Make a goal of using the K.I.S.S. formula and see how it saves you time, energy and your sanity and yes, even money.
Feel free to email me on how this works for you. I'd love to hear how this works.
Take care and happy escaping,
Lisa Rickwood - "Small Biz Stres Buster"
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Are You in a Dip?
Is your business or life in a dip?
If you're not sure, you should read Seth Godin's new book, The Dip: The Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
I bought this book because my business, like my life, reached a dip. I felt frustrated and not sure what direction to take my business until I read the book. What fascinated me about the book was that he talked about quitting. Yes, that's right, quitting.
He said the difference between people who succeed and those who don't has to do with knowing when to quit.
We're taught in school and life to 'keep on going,' and that 'winners never quit and quitters never win.' Then, when we get out in life and continue to struggle with something, we feel defeated and want to quit but we're afraid.
How do you know when to quit? That's as individual as your genes, but one thing is true: if you have no passion, you've reached the glass ceiling, you're not passionate or if you're not growing and learning and you're only mediocre, it may be time to throw in the towel and quit with pride.
Yes, quit and move on to something you can excel at - something that makes you better than mediocre. The world rewards the top people at what they do and they don't just get rewarded a little, they get rewarded a lot.
For example, Vanilla ice cream is the most popular selling ice cream in the world and most people know that chocolate is second. What they don't know is that because Vanilla is the best, it demands not just a bit more sales, but tons more sales. Chocolate may be second but it's in the distant second and not too far in front of Butter Pecan, Neopolitan, etc.
So...if you're trudging away in life or business and not feeling the best at something, it may be time to quit and move on to something else. If pride is in your way, give it a quick, swift boot. After all, most highly successful people quit many things.
Many A-List actors were enrolled in college and quit to pursue their love - acting. Premed students quit their profession to pursue something else because they didn't really love the idea of being a doctor. (Thank goodness they did - who wants a surgeon who hates their job, operating on them?)
So...instead of feeling like a failure for quitting, think about the time and resources you save, the frustration and lack of interest, and direct your energy to things you're good at - things you excell at and things the world needs.
Happy quitting....
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Lisa
Is your business or life in a dip?
If you're not sure, you should read Seth Godin's new book, The Dip: The Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
I bought this book because my business, like my life, reached a dip. I felt frustrated and not sure what direction to take my business until I read the book. What fascinated me about the book was that he talked about quitting. Yes, that's right, quitting.
He said the difference between people who succeed and those who don't has to do with knowing when to quit.
We're taught in school and life to 'keep on going,' and that 'winners never quit and quitters never win.' Then, when we get out in life and continue to struggle with something, we feel defeated and want to quit but we're afraid.
How do you know when to quit? That's as individual as your genes, but one thing is true: if you have no passion, you've reached the glass ceiling, you're not passionate or if you're not growing and learning and you're only mediocre, it may be time to throw in the towel and quit with pride.
Yes, quit and move on to something you can excel at - something that makes you better than mediocre. The world rewards the top people at what they do and they don't just get rewarded a little, they get rewarded a lot.
For example, Vanilla ice cream is the most popular selling ice cream in the world and most people know that chocolate is second. What they don't know is that because Vanilla is the best, it demands not just a bit more sales, but tons more sales. Chocolate may be second but it's in the distant second and not too far in front of Butter Pecan, Neopolitan, etc.
So...if you're trudging away in life or business and not feeling the best at something, it may be time to quit and move on to something else. If pride is in your way, give it a quick, swift boot. After all, most highly successful people quit many things.
Many A-List actors were enrolled in college and quit to pursue their love - acting. Premed students quit their profession to pursue something else because they didn't really love the idea of being a doctor. (Thank goodness they did - who wants a surgeon who hates their job, operating on them?)
So...instead of feeling like a failure for quitting, think about the time and resources you save, the frustration and lack of interest, and direct your energy to things you're good at - things you excell at and things the world needs.
Happy quitting....
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Lisa
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
'The More People I Meet, The More I Like My Dog." (Bumper Sticker)
I'm not sure where I first saw that bumper sticker, but being a dog lover, I thought it was funny although I internally disagreed with it. (I like people)
Fast forward about 20 years...20 years of advertising sales, retail sales and working with the general public. Okay...I still like people but I really like my dog -
What you can learn about a dog and how to apply it to business:
1. Dogs are reliable: You can count on them - they're loyal. Is your staff dependable, do they treat customers with respect? Do your staff arrive on time, do their job well? Or, are there problems? How does reliability fit in your business? Can you deliver your product or service on time and to the best of your ability?
2. Dogs like to have fun: If your business isn't any fun, why do it? Okay...some of you have to for the moment - there's no quick alternative. But when you get the chance, see how you can infuse some fun into your workplace.
For example, even after the 'politically correct' way of being emerged in the corporate world, my former boss at a newspaper, downloaded un-politically correct comics and we laughed our heads off on Monday mornings. What a great way to start the week!
3. Dogs know when to play hard and go for a nap: If you're 'burning the candle at both ends,' you're not going to be having fun, and you're not going to be F-U-N. After you complete a huge project, you owe it to yourself to 'goof off' and do something fun.
Go for that hike, bikeride, swim - read, do yoga, hit the spa, have a night out with the guys...do something to blow off steam. We're all too serious and it hurts our bodies, minds and spirits.
4. Dogs like exploring: Stuck on a project, feeling 'in a slump,' or stressed out? Go exploring. You can travel out of town, visit another city or armchair travel online. Get out of your head and environment and see what others are doing.
My dog, Ricker, is 'an escape artist,' and loves to run away so he can see new things in the neighbourhood (and chase cats). When he comes back home he's happy, exercised and ready to do whatever a dog needs to do.
5. Dogs are creative: If a dog wants a bone, to chase a cat or to escape, he'll find a way. When you consider that the average dog has the intelligence of a five year old, that's pretty smart - quiet a bit of knowledge in that doggie brain.
Creativity is fast becoming something that innovative companies are looking for. If you or your company are creative, you can stand out and attract more customers or clients. How to be creative? Put a creativity box in your business. Ask employees to post ideas based on a company challenge;read a book on creativity, keep a notepad nearby, write in a journal, surf the Net, take photographs, do a crossword puzzle, create the title for a hit song, write a poem, play an instrument. The point is - get your creativity juices flowing. Everyone is creative in a certain way - i't's about thinking differently, solving old problems new ways.
Have fun and remember: 'It's a dog's life.'
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
I'm not sure where I first saw that bumper sticker, but being a dog lover, I thought it was funny although I internally disagreed with it. (I like people)
Fast forward about 20 years...20 years of advertising sales, retail sales and working with the general public. Okay...I still like people but I really like my dog -
What you can learn about a dog and how to apply it to business:
1. Dogs are reliable: You can count on them - they're loyal. Is your staff dependable, do they treat customers with respect? Do your staff arrive on time, do their job well? Or, are there problems? How does reliability fit in your business? Can you deliver your product or service on time and to the best of your ability?
2. Dogs like to have fun: If your business isn't any fun, why do it? Okay...some of you have to for the moment - there's no quick alternative. But when you get the chance, see how you can infuse some fun into your workplace.
For example, even after the 'politically correct' way of being emerged in the corporate world, my former boss at a newspaper, downloaded un-politically correct comics and we laughed our heads off on Monday mornings. What a great way to start the week!
3. Dogs know when to play hard and go for a nap: If you're 'burning the candle at both ends,' you're not going to be having fun, and you're not going to be F-U-N. After you complete a huge project, you owe it to yourself to 'goof off' and do something fun.
Go for that hike, bikeride, swim - read, do yoga, hit the spa, have a night out with the guys...do something to blow off steam. We're all too serious and it hurts our bodies, minds and spirits.
4. Dogs like exploring: Stuck on a project, feeling 'in a slump,' or stressed out? Go exploring. You can travel out of town, visit another city or armchair travel online. Get out of your head and environment and see what others are doing.
My dog, Ricker, is 'an escape artist,' and loves to run away so he can see new things in the neighbourhood (and chase cats). When he comes back home he's happy, exercised and ready to do whatever a dog needs to do.
5. Dogs are creative: If a dog wants a bone, to chase a cat or to escape, he'll find a way. When you consider that the average dog has the intelligence of a five year old, that's pretty smart - quiet a bit of knowledge in that doggie brain.
Creativity is fast becoming something that innovative companies are looking for. If you or your company are creative, you can stand out and attract more customers or clients. How to be creative? Put a creativity box in your business. Ask employees to post ideas based on a company challenge;read a book on creativity, keep a notepad nearby, write in a journal, surf the Net, take photographs, do a crossword puzzle, create the title for a hit song, write a poem, play an instrument. The point is - get your creativity juices flowing. Everyone is creative in a certain way - i't's about thinking differently, solving old problems new ways.
Have fun and remember: 'It's a dog's life.'
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Thursday, June 21, 2007
When Your Plans Go Up in Smoke...
Picture this...you're on a 17 1/2 foot speedboat with your family, it's a beautiful, sunny day and you're getting ready to head over to a floating pub for a family dinner. As you cruise the ocean at 5 knots, you get ready to up the throttle and go for speed once you're out of the harbour. Ahhh, you can taste the steaks already.
As you get your boat up to 20 knots, the sudden sqeel of a warning bell goes off to alert you of a problem. Great, you think...those steaks will have to wait. As you look back at your engine, the smoke is billowing out of the engine and it's not looking good.
You turn your boat around and start heading back to your marina and then the engine dies. Great...now you'll have to have someone rescue you. Since many boaters are good samaritans and as any boater knows, there will come a time they break down, a saviour comes to your rescues. Yes, this person has rescued 5 sailboats, 7 speedboats and has been rescued once.
What's the point of this story? Sometimes the best made plans of mice and men go astray - yes, you can plan, you can use the Law of Attraction, but sometimes the boat's motor needs a new waterpump.
So what are you going to do? Stop whining and change your plans.
This story was true, it happened to me and after our boat got towed to shore, we got in our truck and headed to a restaurant that we'd never tried before. We sat outside (like we wanted to do at the floating pub) and instead of watching boats go by, we watched cars. The food was good, the view was okay and the company was great.
In short, when business or life doesn't go as planned, have a backup plan - an alternative plan. And, try to see the bigger picture; sometimes seemingly annoying bad things are blessings in disguise.
I'm glad we had a problem with boat when we did; we were close to shore and weren't way out to sea when this happened. Had we been out far away, who knows how long it would've taken to find a good samaritan.
By the way, we finally did get over to that floating pub - The Dingy Dock Restaurant, and the food was awesome. So...sometimes your plans have to wait.
Take care and happy escaping,
Lisa Rickwood - "Small Biz Stress Buster"
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Picture this...you're on a 17 1/2 foot speedboat with your family, it's a beautiful, sunny day and you're getting ready to head over to a floating pub for a family dinner. As you cruise the ocean at 5 knots, you get ready to up the throttle and go for speed once you're out of the harbour. Ahhh, you can taste the steaks already.
As you get your boat up to 20 knots, the sudden sqeel of a warning bell goes off to alert you of a problem. Great, you think...those steaks will have to wait. As you look back at your engine, the smoke is billowing out of the engine and it's not looking good.
You turn your boat around and start heading back to your marina and then the engine dies. Great...now you'll have to have someone rescue you. Since many boaters are good samaritans and as any boater knows, there will come a time they break down, a saviour comes to your rescues. Yes, this person has rescued 5 sailboats, 7 speedboats and has been rescued once.
What's the point of this story? Sometimes the best made plans of mice and men go astray - yes, you can plan, you can use the Law of Attraction, but sometimes the boat's motor needs a new waterpump.
So what are you going to do? Stop whining and change your plans.
This story was true, it happened to me and after our boat got towed to shore, we got in our truck and headed to a restaurant that we'd never tried before. We sat outside (like we wanted to do at the floating pub) and instead of watching boats go by, we watched cars. The food was good, the view was okay and the company was great.
In short, when business or life doesn't go as planned, have a backup plan - an alternative plan. And, try to see the bigger picture; sometimes seemingly annoying bad things are blessings in disguise.
I'm glad we had a problem with boat when we did; we were close to shore and weren't way out to sea when this happened. Had we been out far away, who knows how long it would've taken to find a good samaritan.
By the way, we finally did get over to that floating pub - The Dingy Dock Restaurant, and the food was awesome. So...sometimes your plans have to wait.
Take care and happy escaping,
Lisa Rickwood - "Small Biz Stress Buster"
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Monday, June 04, 2007
Butterflies and Business
"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." ~Rabindranath Tagore
If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, you know all too well about the TIME game. What's that? Basically, it's that feeling of trying to cross off every single thing on your to-do list before the end of the day.
So what do you do if you're trapped in the 'too much to do, too little time' game? Get smart.
Here's the thing - don't do everything on your list. That's right, life's too short. Yes, you may need to send that proposal to a prospective client, finish a report, write a letter, do some consulting, etc. but do you need to do everything on your list? How do you know what to do and not to do? This will vary depending on your business and lifestyle but there are some things you can do to simplify your day.
Try this:
- Every day, start out with a plan. Be sure to have 3 key high-payoff things you'd like to achieve. This will keep you focused and you won't have to have a to-do list a mile long.
- Take at least 30 minutes every day and work undisturbed. Have your assistant answer calls, or turn on your answering machine.
- Every day say this phrase, "Is this the best use of my time at this moment?" This phrase will keep you focused. Sometimes you will use your time to work on business, sometimes the best use of your time might be to take a walk or relax.
- Write down your high pay-off activities on paper. Every day, try to focus on these most and let the other things be dealt with minimally. ex. high payoff activities might include: consulting, selling products, phoning past customers or current customers, etc. High pay-off usually means activities that generate the most revenue.
- Hire experts to do jobs that aren't your forte. This will free you up to do what you're good at. ex. if you don't enjoy doing websites, why waste your time? Get someone to do this so you can focus on your real skills.
Our time on this earth is fleeting, much like the life of a butterfly. When we really think about this, we need to make the best use of our time in our business and life.
I invite you to think about your day today as you read this. How are you spending your time? Are there things you can eliminate? Can you add more fun to your life? How can you make your life better?
"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." ~Rabindranath Tagore
If you're an entrepreneur or small business owner, you know all too well about the TIME game. What's that? Basically, it's that feeling of trying to cross off every single thing on your to-do list before the end of the day.
So what do you do if you're trapped in the 'too much to do, too little time' game? Get smart.
Here's the thing - don't do everything on your list. That's right, life's too short. Yes, you may need to send that proposal to a prospective client, finish a report, write a letter, do some consulting, etc. but do you need to do everything on your list? How do you know what to do and not to do? This will vary depending on your business and lifestyle but there are some things you can do to simplify your day.
Try this:
- Every day, start out with a plan. Be sure to have 3 key high-payoff things you'd like to achieve. This will keep you focused and you won't have to have a to-do list a mile long.
- Take at least 30 minutes every day and work undisturbed. Have your assistant answer calls, or turn on your answering machine.
- Every day say this phrase, "Is this the best use of my time at this moment?" This phrase will keep you focused. Sometimes you will use your time to work on business, sometimes the best use of your time might be to take a walk or relax.
- Write down your high pay-off activities on paper. Every day, try to focus on these most and let the other things be dealt with minimally. ex. high payoff activities might include: consulting, selling products, phoning past customers or current customers, etc. High pay-off usually means activities that generate the most revenue.
- Hire experts to do jobs that aren't your forte. This will free you up to do what you're good at. ex. if you don't enjoy doing websites, why waste your time? Get someone to do this so you can focus on your real skills.
Our time on this earth is fleeting, much like the life of a butterfly. When we really think about this, we need to make the best use of our time in our business and life.
I invite you to think about your day today as you read this. How are you spending your time? Are there things you can eliminate? Can you add more fun to your life? How can you make your life better?
Take care and happy escaping,
Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Buster," is a small business coach, visual artist and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life and co-author of Power & Soul: 42 Successful Entrepreneurs Share their Secrets for Creating the Business and Life of Their Dreams. She helps small business owners ‘master stress for professional and personal success.’ Get your FREE e-book, 5 Critical Actions That Hurt Your Business and Add Stress to Your Life…and How to Escape Them by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com/
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Does anyone want what you have to offer?
Has this happened to you? You have a temporary lack of confidence and ask someone who's very successful about your business and they say something that 'temporarily crushes your confidence?'
Last week I asked a highly successful Internet marketer about my business. I appreciated the honesty (really I did) and the constructive criticism but...and here's the but - I was told no one wants what I have.
I have polled people, asked my subscriber list, read articles for five years and I know people are stressed. I also know as a retailer and small business person, that stress keeps us from truly being successful; think how much more you could accomplish if you were organized, unstressed and focused.
Anyway, this marketer said small business people are 'ONLY TRYING TO SURVIVE AND DON'T WANT WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER...'
I disagree - I BELIEVE SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE WANT TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE BUT THRIVE! And, if I can help them do this by eliminating stress, I believe there's enough people who value this service.
What do you think? DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WANT TO MASTER STRESS FOR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SUCCESS?
If they don't, I'd love to know because I really thought I had something of value... :-(
Lisa - "Small Biz Stress Buster"
www.escapethepace.com
Get your One Hour Stress Buster Power Hour Here! Guaranteed to help you succeed.
Has this happened to you? You have a temporary lack of confidence and ask someone who's very successful about your business and they say something that 'temporarily crushes your confidence?'
Last week I asked a highly successful Internet marketer about my business. I appreciated the honesty (really I did) and the constructive criticism but...and here's the but - I was told no one wants what I have.
I have polled people, asked my subscriber list, read articles for five years and I know people are stressed. I also know as a retailer and small business person, that stress keeps us from truly being successful; think how much more you could accomplish if you were organized, unstressed and focused.
Anyway, this marketer said small business people are 'ONLY TRYING TO SURVIVE AND DON'T WANT WHAT I HAVE TO OFFER...'
I disagree - I BELIEVE SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE WANT TO NOT ONLY SURVIVE BUT THRIVE! And, if I can help them do this by eliminating stress, I believe there's enough people who value this service.
What do you think? DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WANT TO MASTER STRESS FOR PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL SUCCESS?
If they don't, I'd love to know because I really thought I had something of value... :-(
Lisa - "Small Biz Stress Buster"
www.escapethepace.com
Get your One Hour Stress Buster Power Hour Here! Guaranteed to help you succeed.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Feb. 14, 2007
Welcome to Escape the Pace - a blog filled with simple and quick ideas to pull you out of overwhelm.
If you're a small biz owner or entrepreneur, you're no stranger to overwhelm. In fact you've probably battled having to pay taxes when money is tight, too many emails, tele-marketers, too many unfinished project and not enough time...
I have an idea - take this week and do something you love to do. Don't just tell yourself you're going to do it, add it to your calendar or Palm Pilot like an appointment. When people phone, don't cancel it - simply say, "I'm booked up at that time. What other times would work?"
Next, decide what you love to do and write it down, better yet - write down your top 100 things you love to do.
For example, you might like traveling, drinking Mochas at Starbucks, playing raquetball, watching sports on T.V., getting a massage, exercising, getting outside...It really doesn't matter what you love, just that you STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND PUT YOURSELF FIRST.
If you take care of your needs, you'll have energy and motivation to help others.
If you need some ideas for the top 1oo things to love, email me at: info@escapethepace.com and I'll send you my PDF sampler list to get you going.
Happy escaping,
Lisa Rickwood - "Small Biz Stress Buster"
P.S. Here's something I love to do - go to the beach with my two sons...
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