It is NEVER to late to live the life you were meant to live and impact the people you are meant to impact.  Is it your time to start living a life with vision, of no regrets and of no excuse living? Susan shares one of her favorite quotes accompanied by descriptions of 3 words to live by – PERSEVERE, PURPOSE and POWER – that can help you to reach this level of impact in your life and the lives of others.

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Are you ready to take your life (your story) right now as it stands and write a new chapter? Susan’s explains that you can establish personal RHYTHMS OF RENEWAL, and this article is just the beginning…over the next few weeks she will be sharing tools that you may want to put in your TOOLKIT for RENEWAL.  A Toolkit on HOW TO THRIVE!

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(Editor’s note: You don’t have to be an “Apple” junkie to appreciate this wonderful column compliments of Therese Skelly.  I receive her newsletter and just had to pass this along.  Enjoy and do register for her complimentary special report.  Bonnie

Building Your Business and Making Sales the Steve Jobs Way

Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”~Steve Jobs

Don’t you love that quote? This is why I’m so passionate about working with and empowering entrepreneurs to get out of their own way and break free from limitations that hold them back from being the change. Those of us who have heard the call and said yes to its whisper are the ones courageous enough to leave our jobs, step away from the perception of security, risk falling and failing, and ultimately undergo huge personal transformation….all in service of that deep dream that lives inside.

But it takes courage to play at this level. Courage to keep going when those around you chide you for being so ‘crazy’ as to wanting to do it on your own. And more courage yet to stay strong when the cash flow is weak and you might be swimming in fear and doubt, or can’t find the way to take your business to the next level. And it often takes even bigger amounts of courage to step up and sell your services and ask for rates that you really deserve.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of other’s opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ~Steve Jobs

Let me clarify what I mean by entrepreneurial courage. I define it as your ability to BOLDY express who you are in your business, sell your services, make decisions based on your strengths and gifts, and the willingness to go against the grain – to stand out and listen to your own inner voice and vision versus following along with what everyone else is doing.

And that takes guts, let me tell ya! If you are to be a successful business owner you must be a leader! This is where the courage comes in. As an employee, it is very likely that you were given work or told what to do. But when it’s your own business, you are responsible for creating all of it. While you may have a team, ultimately, the success or failure you experience is on your shoulders.

That’s why this entrepreneurial journey is not for the faint of heart!

If you talk with anyone who has been on the path for a while, they’ll likely share with you the steps they took and what they bumped into to finally own their brilliance and build a business around it. You’ve likely heard my story….I had a master’s degree in counseling, practiced for 25 years, yet felt that was a liability as a business coach! I had coaching training and certification and coached and trained with some of the industries finest to integrate the business building, marketing, sales, branding, copywriting that I know today, but because I had been a therapist I still felt like it wasn’t enough, so I had a really hard time selling my services.

The journey for me to really decide to build my brand and my business on the fact that I am an expert in this mindset and inner game area was a painful one to be sure. Why? Because as I often say….“Your Brilliance Lives In Your Blind Spot.” So in my case all my mentors and business girlfriends could clearly see where my business positioning needed to be, but I, 1) didn’t value it, 2) couldn’t figure out how to market it, and 3) had no idea how to weave it through my business model. And that experience has lead me to the path I am on today, and formed the foundation for the Serving Without Selling program and all the work I do with clients.

The craziest part? Just as in life, very often the thing we struggle with the most is where our gifts are and what we are actually here to teach. So guess what I’m teaching now? Yeah! How to get that brilliance out of your blind spot and own your value! How to have the courage to let YOU show up in your business, and how to make money doing what you love, and are good at.

“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” ~Steve Jobs

But how do you get courage? How do you risk putting yourself out there when it’s new or it’s scary? The #1 thing – get support! Truly. The issue lies in that you can’t see what you can’t see.

That’s why it’s my theory that your brilliance lives in your blind spot. Here’s what happens when it’s living there:

• · You can’t believe anyone would pay for it, so you can’t sell your services
• · You can’t charge appropriately for it because it “comes so easy” to you
• · You think everyone has it or can do it, so why do they need you?
• · You can’t figure out how to make it a business that makes money

I have worked with loads of business owners who were not loving their businesses because they weren’t marketing and selling the thing they should have been. They were listening to what someone else told them they should do, ‘selling out’ on their dream or chickening out and just taking the easy money.

And there’s nothing wrong with doing things to get some cash in the door! But is it costing you? If you are working with people that are costing you energy, it’s not worth it! Sometime we just have to make choices based on revenue, but if you are to have a satisfying and fulfilling business, it has to weave YOU in it.

But what kind of support do you want? Not just someone who rubber stamps your ideas. No, find someone who will challenge you to show up BIGGER than you are currently comfortable with. Find someone who will call you on your ‘stuff’ when you start backing down, and someone who takes the time with you to discover what you should be marketing and selling based on your unique gifts and talents and values.

The next step to get more courage is to create an empowering environment. Reading Steve Jobs quotes are inspiring and stimulating. Reading the Enquirer not so much! Listen to fellow entrepreneurs who have blazed the trail to show you that it’s possible. You must keep as much positivity in your environment as you can as you make the transition from just having a business to being the kind of business owner who’s making a difference in the world. It’s a big shift, so set yourself up for success by having an environment that pulls you forward. This is where vision boards and inspiring books, goal setting or affirmations, and coaching work well.

And once you make the commitment to have a business you love, based on your gift and unique talents, it’s a whole lot more rewarding.

“Almost everything–all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure–these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” ~Steve Jobs

I couldn’t have said it better. Thanks Steve and thank YOU my readers for showing up and doing the great work you do in the world.

Therese Skelly is a business catalyst and mindset mentor, helping service based entrepreneurs create businesses they will love.  Visit her site at www.HappyinBusiness.com, and for a free special report on how to get your brilliance out of your blindspot and into your profit spot, go to www.Happyinbusiness.com/Innermarketingebook

These Joy of Connecting networking events are coming up in May.

Find one near you and start connecting!

In 1999, a friend gave me a gift – the following booklet on empowering one’s soul.  I recently came across it and thought you, too, would appreciate this simple wisdom..  Sometimes, even the basic lessons of life can have the most profound effect.  Consider beginning today to enhance and enrich your life and the lives of those you touch.

Ten Ways to Empower Your Soul by The Himalayan Institute

            One:  Simplify!  Simplify!  Overcome by clutter?  Overweight?  Mind and senses on overload?  Uncomplicate your life by remembering this simple adage:  “Less is more.”  Drop the unnecessary and nonessential.  Avoid gossip, useless clutter, overindulgence.  Cultivate cheerfulness, neatness and a positive attitude.  Dress simply, eat simply and practice simplicity in thought, speech and action.  Simplify, simplify as you seek a higher purpose in life.

TWO: Choose a Direction – Racing from one commitment to another, overscheduling, trying out one self-improvement method after another, can leave you tired, confused and unsure of what to do next.  It’s time to decide what’s important.  Slow down!  Let your mind become clear as you refocus your intentions.  Make conscious choices.  Always choose the best possible option.  Be unwavering as you choose a direction for your spiritual and worldly life and let life’s distractions pass you by.

THREE: Transcend the Ordinary. If your life lacks spontaneity and surprise, your zest for life has probably fizzled.  Unleash the power of your imagination!  Walk down a different street.  Transform frustration by cultivating patience and kindness.  Smile at a stranger.  Experience the world with a beginner’s mind.  Remember that life is a gift and enjoy each moment.

FOUR:  See the Light.  Do you feel like you’re existing rather than living?  On the brink of boredom?  Expand your inner and outer vision to look for beauty and delight in yourself and the world.  Choose to be cheerful.  Practice being positive.  Share your energy by reaching out to help others.  Respect and love yourself, your companions and your world.  Let your inner self shine and radiate light.

FIVE:  Meditate.  Mind full of scattered thoughts?  Feeling disconnected from your self?  Meditation is the answer.  Give yourself a few minutes each day to sit quietly.  Calm the body and mind.  Take notice as you become less affected by the turmoil of life.  Through meditation you can return again and again to the center of your being.  Meditation gives you the best of life.  Love your practice.  Doesn’t your spiritual life deserve a few minutes every day?

SIX:  Be Fearless.  When you’re full of anxiety and fear, be bold!   Watch your emotions and breathe deeply as you release tension, anxiety and fear and let them float away.  Without condemning yourself or others, correct your misstates and move on.  Life in the present moment rather than in past of future thoughts.  Avoid procrastination – do what needs to be done at the moment it needs to be done.  Become fearless and happy.

SEVEN:  Wake Up!  If you’re walking blindly through life and have tunnel vision, it’s time to wake up!  Our habits deplete or enhance vital, creative energy. Start now to cultivate good habits.  Practice breath awareness daily.  Take a brisk walk to invigorate body and mind.  Set aside time for relaxation.  Stretch.  Laugh with your loved ones.  Learn to see every moment as a chance for new and refreshing opportunities.

EIGHT:  Eat for Life.  We live in an overfed and under-exercised society.  A simple, balanced diet keeps us healthy.  Choose whole foods.  Prepare them with love.  Eat slowly. Chew food thoroughly.  Take time to taste the food you’re eating.  Whenever possible, eat your main meal at noon and a light meal for dinner.  Don’t eat between 7 pm and 7 am.  Give thanks for your food and your life.

NINE:  Keep Good Company.  Just as good food makes you healthy, good company makes you cheerful and uplifts your spirit.  The greatest blessing on the spiritual path is the company o fellow aspirants.  Cultivate the friendship of those you aspire to emulate.  Keep good company to become good company.

TEN:  Be Flexible.  Backaches, headaches and indigestion can be signs of being stressed out and uptight.  Don’t sweat little things.  Compromise when possible.  Exercise your body – consider yoga, dance, hiking, bike riding, swimming.  Exercise your mind – read, reflect, expand.  Watch your life change.

Want to learn how you can do life on your terms and conquer a condition threatening your success and well-being? Start here by reading Susan Brown’s article, where you will discover one SIMPLE habit that will help you better manage the overwhelming demands and pace of 21st century life.

….I was recently shocked when a client told me that she wanted 100 items on her DAILY To Do list in order to feel successful.  I felt overwhelmed and it wasn’t even my list.

Overwhelmed is a state of feeling upset, overpowered, engulfed, swamped and crushed and if it is left unchecked, it threatens your well-being and your success.   It is normal at times to feel that way given our current and unstable economy; rapid change; information overload and proliferation of choice in our world.  But it is dangerous to fall into the trap of thinking that this is just the way things are and continue to live your life in a state of unrest and anxiety.

You can do life on your terms.  You really can.  It will just take some adjustments and training.

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Every now and then it doesn’t hurt to be reminded of those simple gestures that can change a relationship, bring hope and healing and make a difference.  I came across this posting in a local Atlanta publication:  Gary Hill Business Directory – and thought it worth the time to send out a gentle reminder.

10 Commandments of Human Relations –

Compliments of the Historical News

• Speak to people.  There is nothing so nice as a cheerful word of greeting.
• Smile at people.  It takes 72 muscles to frown – only 14 to smile.
• Call people by name.  the sweetest music to anyone’s ears is the sound of his or her own name.
• Be friendly and helpful.  If you want friends, be friendly.
• Be cordial.  Speak and act as if everything you do is a genuine pleasure.
• Be genuinely interested in people.  You can like anybody if you try.
• Be generous with praise and cautious with criticism.
• Be considerate with the feelings of others.  It will be appreciated.
• Be thoughtful of the opinions of others.  There are three sides to the controversy – yours, the other person’s and the right one.

Be alert to give service.  What counts most in life is what we do for others

by Joan Penfold

Setting goals? What do these 2 words mean to you? Do you cringe and run the other way? Do you think you can do it all and forget what intentions you set for yourself? It is easy to say you are going to set goals but most of us ignore them, beginning with your New Year’s resolutions!

So you say, where is it I fail? How do I keep these intentions I have set for myself or biz? What does goal setting mean to you?

Learn how to dump your mental sandbags that weigh you down in this informative article by Susan Brown.   Susan shows you why getting rid of your burdensome thoughts will not only make you feel instantly LIGHTER but increase your JOY and SUCCESS.

…When it comes to living an elevated life – one that feels free and light – how high are you flying most of the time?

I can guarantee that if you’re flying at low altitudes,  it’s because you’re most likely resisting the reality of your circumstances by thinking things like: if only s/he had…. or why me or s/he should not have … or you’re thinking about the future with fear by thinking what if……..

Before you know it, you’ve lost elevation as you spiral downwards.  The result will always be the same: you’ll feel physically terrible and you’ll typically not make the wisest decisions to regain your sense of well-being.

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These Joy of Connecting networking events are coming up in April. Find one near you and start connecting!