Posts Tagged ‘success plan’

What is in your business tool kit? No, I’m not encouraging you to become a carpenter or a plumber. What tools do you currently possess and use in your business tool kit? Yes, the key words in the prior sentence are “possess” “and” “use.” You can’t use the tools if you do not possess them and there is very little value in possessing the tools if you do not use them.

How many of you have ever attended a conference? Sometimes we even paid a significant amount of money to attend the conference. We paid attention and even took notes. Fess up – how many of you have a stack of notebooks with notes from various conferences? How many of you have never opened those notebooks since the conference and consequently have never read those notes? There are various statistics out there saying over 80% of the people never read the notes after they left a conference. Granted it is difficult to obtain accurate statistics since many who did not read their notes either did not want to admit it or did not read the email asking for feedback.

My point? Attending the conference, taking notes and possessing the tools of success are of minimal value unless you USE the information. Without taking action on those ideas, they are one more thing to dust.

As a business development coach and mentor, I see many individuals who profess the goal of becoming a self made millionaire. Unfortunately, a far smaller percentage develops a success plan and takes the focused action to follow through to victory.

Good intentions are an excellent beginning; however, they are only a beginning.

In 1985 when I first conceived the idea of a property management company specializing in single family homes, the discouraging remarks, the emotional ice water, flowed freely. The goal became more powerful than the discouragement. Mt. Castles was born due to the focused action following the formation of the idea. Without the action, that idea would have died. That beautiful fledgling idea would have been one more item in the stack of conference notebooks; never seeing the light of day or the massive success it became. What was the most productive and profitable, the idea or the action? Without the idea, the action would not have been implemented. Without the implementation, the idea would not have generated any results. Remember the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this case, the idea absolutely came first.

Your success plan begins with an idea and comes to fruition with focused action. Your business tool kit contains knowledge. Until you implement that knowledge with focused action, it is of virtually no value. How many ideas do you have stacked away in those dusty notebooks? You probably have a fortune waiting for you at your fingertips. Your idea may be crying out to you for action right now.

Jim Rohn, noted business philosopher, reminds us,”Lack of money is not the problem. The problem is lack of an idea to create money.” I agree. Lets take it one step further and consider that you may already have the idea; you must take focused action to bring that idea to life. As a business development coach, I implore you to revisit your flashes of genius ideas. We can work together to assist you in taking your idea to the development of a success plan. Implement the success plan and start realizing your dream of becoming a self made millionaire.

Hire Elaine Love to speak at your next conference. Hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Join me at www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com

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The path from entrepreneurial dream to success is only partially paved. Just as a solid structure begins with a substantial foundation, a solid business begins with a sturdy foundation. You would not consider building a million dollar home directly on the sand of a beach. Why do people start businesses with a wing and a prayer – no foundation or success plan? Granted you can analyze a situation to death. There is a compromise between being blinded with dollar signs and plunging headlong into a new venture with no research and analyzing for months or years.

An entrepreneurial dream must me accompanied by an entrepreneurial mindset. What do I mean by an entrepreneurial mindset? Know that the path to success is only partially paved. You will have stretches of rocky roads, hills, obstacles and even construction delays. You will have gaps in the road where you are uncertain which direction to turn. You will have cracks in the foundation which require mending before proceeding. An entrepreneur may not exactly anticipate these with jubilant excitement, but the entrepreneurial mindset knows they will occur. The road will not always be smooth sailing at the speed of the autobahn or autostrade.

One of the obstacles, guaranteed, will be emotional ice water. Everyone loves to give advice; much of that advice comes from folks who have not done what you are doing and yet they know all of the answers about what you should do. The very idea of being an entrepreneur guarantees that you will face discouraging remarks. This discouragement, emotional ice water, may come from friends, co-workers or even your relatives. Part of being the entrepreneur means you will be making the decisions. You may be deciding because of them or in spite of their remarks but you will be make decisions. Final responsibility for decisions rests on your shoulders.

When I owned Mountain Castles Property Management in Steamboat, all of the bad news and uncomfortable decisions landed on the threshold to my office. One day I asked the staff, “Why don’t I ever get to hear the good news?” “Oh, good news is easy for us to handle, we don’t need to bother you with that.” Hmmm. They did have a point, but I would have enjoyed hearing some of the accolades as well as the “Oh, no” issues. Ah, once again that is part of the entrepreneurial mindset; accept the fact that you will hear more challenges than praise.

As long as you are prepared mentally with the entrepreneurial mindset to persevere through whatever happens and you have a well constructed foundation in the form of a success plan, you are well on your way to success. The next step is implement the success plan with focused action and continue moving forward. Success will be on the threshold of your office.

The thrill of success is worth every minute of the challenges to your entrepreneurial mindset. Be prepared to repair the cracks in your success plan just as you repair cracks in a foundation. It is all part of the success journey. Enjoy the ride.

Hire Elaine Love to speak and inspire your group. Hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. If you truly desire success, associate with one who walks the talk. Join me at www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com.

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Is your business a ghost or a reality? So many people start a business with dollar signs in their eyes but no plan to make their success a reality. They attend calls, think positive thoughts and maybe even dream of success. Sometimes they even attend live events and take notes. All of this sounds as if they are on the right track. Right? Yes, all of these moves are excellent IF they are followed with action.

Hate to break it to you, but dreaming is just that, dreaming. Nothing really propels the profit except focused action. The entrepreneurial mindset accepts reality. A successful, profitable, business requires focused time, effort and money. Ok, I know that you do not want to hear the “m” word or the “w” word, but every successful person will confirm the facts. Whether you are choosing to excel in arts, sports or business, you will exert focused time, effort and money.

I heard a professional golfer once say, “Stop buying new clubs and start taking lessons and practicing.” Hmmm. We are back to focused time and effort. Money? Professional lessons are not free; however, they are time well spent. Taking lessons without practicing is exactly the same as attending calls and live events without reading the notes and acting on the information.

Robert Ringer’s book is titled “Action!: Nothing Happens Until Something Moves.” This theme is echoed by David W. Langford in his blog titled, “Nothing happens without an action plan.” I agree with both; design an action plan and implement the plan.

You have heard about the 3 birds sitting on the split rail fence. One decided to fly away. How many are left on the fence? 3. Deciding is great; deciding is the first step. Nothing happens until you get off the fence and take action.

An entrepreneurial mindset is exactly the same as a success mindset. We know that success requires action. Sitting on the fence wishing, dreaming, and whistling into the wind may pass the time but they won’t pass your bank account from the red to the black. (Red in accounting terms means you do not have enough money to cover your bills.)

Dreaming, even deciding, without backing it with action is as elusive as trying to take hold of a ghost. Your fingers pass right through the ghost just like the money passes right through your hands with nothing to show as positive tangible results.

Whether you are daydreaming, chasing a ghost or sitting on the fence, your results are the same. Successful people start with an entrepreneurial mindset, a success mindset, decide on the goal, devise a success plan to achieve it and implement the plan. Success requires all of these steps. Focused time, effort and action yield success.

Where are you right now in your success journey? If you are not where you desire to be, check in with your mindset. Are you exhibiting the characteristics of entrepreneur behavior or dreamer behavior? Decide, form a success plan and take focused action.

Hire Elaine Love to inspire your group. Hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. If you truly desire success, associate with one who walks the talk. Join me at www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com.

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97% of all businesses fail. Brutal statistic but true. Are you struggling with your cash flow? More businesses fail with positive assets and negative cash flow.

Take heart. Unlike the talking heads who are spouting verbal “doom and gloom,” there is good news. No you can not go into retrograde and put the money back in your house, if you used your house as an ATM. You probably already spent that money. Nor can you go back and reverse the maxed out credit cards. You can start making wise decisions going forward.

There is a marvelous piece of software called the “Wealth Accelerator” which allows you to get a grip on your finances. Even if your financial foundation is built on shifting sand, it can start taking a firmer hold.

Start by taking an honest look at all of your income, expenses and Oh no, credit card accounts. Now before you go into a deep depression and start fearing financial doom and gloom, create a success plan. Create a success plan you will actually follow through to the goal of being debt free.

If you are an instant gratification person, as many of us are, you will probably want to start with a small bill. For example we will choose a credit card where you only owe $100. It may not be the highest interest credit card, but it is the smallest balance. Paying off that card allows you to check one off the list. It is like losing weight, seeing progress encourages you to keep going with the success plan.

Another school of thought is to start paying down the credit card with the highest interest rate. Paying off the card with the highest rate sounds like an excellent idea; however, if it is a large balance it may take months to accomplish the goal. Far too many become discouraged and quit when the process drags on and on.

Take the example of weight again. If you look at the scales and say you need to lose 100 pounds, the number seems overwhelming and you give up before you start. If you set a goal of losing 10 pounds in 30 days or a pound every 3 days, the number seems manageable. When you lose the pound in 2 days, you are elated at being ahead of schedule and even more pumped to continue on your success plan.

Another technique which helps is to carry a small notebook and write down absolutely every penny you spend. You will probably find yourself passing on some expenditures just to avoid having to take out that notebook and write it down.

A third technique is to ask yourself every time you are ready to spend “do I really NEED this or do I just WANT it.” (Actually that works as well for food intake as it does for spending money.) This technique exposes habits of spending which could possibly be eliminated. Caution: this is not intended to drive you into an “I can’t afford that expense” mode as much as “Do I really need to make that purchase” mode. A feeling of lack creates more lack where a feeling of choice creates more positives choices.

In tough economic times such as these for the nation, the state or our individual change purse, taking a fresh look at habits and purchases can prove beneficial.

Hire Elaine Love as the speaker for your group and as your personal business coach. Ask about the Wealth Accelerator as a financial management tool. Let Elaine help you put yourself back on a firm financial foundation. Go to www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net to receive more information or to book Elaine Love.

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2011 is knocking at the door.  People are making New Years Resolutions and perhaps breaking them as fast as they are making them.  Earlier we spoke about making a resolution you really care enough about to follow through.  Motivation is a significant factor in achievement.  Inertia is also a mitigating factor.

Newton defined inertia as the tendency of an object in motion to remain in motion and an object at rest to remain at rest unless acted upon by a force.

It takes 21 days to form a new habit and 3 days to break a habit.  Unfortunately, that is the law of inertia.  It takes time to build up momentum.  In far too many cases, all it takes is a bump in the road, not even a very big bump, to halt the progress and derail the good intentions.  Your success plan is frequently derailed with minimal resistance.

Examine the resolution to lose weight – a frequent resolution since the majority of Americans are at least slightly overweight.  At the time of the resolution many may think they “should” lose weight and they may even “want” to lose weight.  Unfortunately the power of the temptation of holiday beverages, holiday treats or television snacks looms more irresistible than the resolve to avoid such delights.  Hence the resolve disappears into indulge.

Think about pushing a large rock off the top of a hill.  Getting the rock to start moving requires tremendous effort.  Once the rock is rolling downhill, it picks up speed.  Standing in front of a large rock rapidly rolling downhill would be a flattening experience.  Picture yourself as a paper thin cartoon character.  Unwise at best.

Relate these scenarios to starting a new business.  Many start a new business as they start a diet.  “I should make more money” and “I want to make more money.”  They may even invest $50, a few hundred dollars or even a few thousand dollars.  The intentions are good and there are visions of dollar signs in their eyes.  Delusions of “This should be easy.  All I do is start the business and money will come rolling in the door” dance through their brains.  Crazy, right?  No one who has ever operated a successful business would expound such a ‘pie in the sky’ ‘get rich quick” idea.

A true entrepreneurial mindset would never expect income without effort.  Just like pushing that rock, it takes tremendous effort to get the rock to budge in the first place.  Once it starts to move, keep pushing.  If you stop at that point, you will need to start all over from the beginning.  Most new business owners, particularly those who start with a few dollars, give up before they start the rock to move even the smallest amount.  It takes more effort to start a successful business than they are willing to invest.

A business owner with an entrepreneurial mindset would start by designing a success plan.  Setting attainable goals which stretch the boundaries of current knowledge and easy access requires effort to achieve.  This stretch requires the entrepreneur to think and design a creative but potentially possible success plan.  The entrepreneurial mindset knows that stretching, creating and persisting are major steps toward the achievement of the success plan.  Having a plan is great but until that plan is implemented on a consistent and persistent basis, it will fail.

Just as the rock will not move and start rolling without effort, so the business will not go from inception to profit without creative persistent and consistent action.  Refer back to the diet.  The goal of weight loss will not occur without consistent and persistent action.

Inertia is present in all things.  It takes effort to begin the process and consistent and persistent effort to keep the process moving until it reaches momentum on its own.

Hire Elaine Love to speak to your group.  Hire Elaine Love to inspire and empower you to overcome inertia and accomplish your goals.  Go to www.Elaine4Success.com.

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New Years resolutions are looming just around the corner. The practice of making new years resolutions has become a common practice with so many Americans. We resolve to lose weight, exercise more, make more money, make better decisions with our money, spend more time with the family and eat more healthy foods. All of these sound like excellent ideas at the time. In most cases we actually intend to follow through. Most Americans make their resolutions and within 3 months, 3 days, or sometimes 3 hours they break those same resolutions.

Why oh why do they break them within such a short time period? Your “why” is your motivation for doing or not doing anything. The bottom line comes down to the reason or “why” we make those resolutions in the first place. If you make new years resolutions, why do you make them? How have those resolutions worked out for you so far?

The reason most people break those resolutions so quickly is that they do not have a workable success plan. For instance if you have a goal to lose weight, you may decide to go on one of those fad “fasting” diets. Many people refer to them as a cleansing. This may sound like a great idea on the morning of day 1 but by noon, you are really hungry.

Recently I needed to visit the Dracula center (blood lab) for some tests. As you probably know, it is advised that you fast (not eat or drink anything except water) for 12 hours prior to having your blood drawn. As I sat in the blood lab waiting for my turn, one of the other patients calmly remarked, “This paper is starting to look rather tasty, I am so hungry.” Obviously she was joking; however, if you are at home near the refrigerator or pantry, that temptation becomes real. With good intentions you may rationalize that orange juice is healthy or an apple is good for you. By evening you are looking wistfully at a sandwich. The next day you may even have an irresistible urge for a burger and French fries. The fasting or water only diet has a short duration of workability. In the case of the blood lab, you can fast for 12 hours because you know the time frame is short. In the case of a 3 to 5 day fasting diet, very few achieve success. It simply is not a realistic success plan for most folks.

The second reason why such a radical departure from your normal routine is unsuccessful is that you selected something you feel you should do rather than something you are strongly committed to achieving. If it is a matter of life or death that you follow a certain diet or lose x number of pounds, you have a stronger motivation to achieve the goal. Your success plan is firmly rooted in your very survival. Fighting for your life provides a powerful motivation – a powerful “why” to succeed.

Starting a new business follows the same principles as the diet. If you invest $50 and you are going to give the business a “try,” the success plan is about as likely to reach its goal as the 3 to 5 day fasting diet. Giving it a “try” is exactly the same as the unrealistic diet. You gave the diet a try and gave up within a few days or a few hours. By saying you are giving something a try means you are giving yourself permission to fail.

With a $50 investment you have very little money to lose and no “life threatening” motivation to succeed. Remember that the purpose of a business is to provide value and earn an income. You are not starting a business for the practice; you are starting a business to help people and make money. Look deep within yourself to the motivation for starting the business. Why are you starting the business? How strong is your motivation to succeed? Just like the diet, unless you have a powerful reason to achieve your goals, you have handicapped yourself. In order to realize your goals you must have a strong “why.” Your motivation to accomplish your success plan must be clear, concise and powerful.

Only with a strong “why” will you accomplish your goal.

For more tips and techniques for success, hire Elaine Love as the speaker for your next meeting and hire Elaine Love as you personal coach and mentor. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net to leave your request for Elaine’s services.

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Are you dumping buckets of emotional ice water on yourself?  Of course we do not intend to provide massive quantities of negative input to ourselves, but that is exactly what we do when we commit the 3 deadly sins: making excuses, blaming others or being the victim.

Be careful which thoughts you are allowing free rent in your head?  The more you think, feel and speak negative ideas, the more negatives you will attract.  It is commonly accepted that we receive more of whatever we give our time, energy and focus.  Think about it.  When was the last time you were in a real funk and had your negative “Debbie or David Downer” thoughts perk up your attitude?  Unless you are a sadist or a masochist, that answer is probably NEVER.

Logic says if you want to feel good, and most of us do, then you must think and feel positive.  Creating and maintaining a positive mental attitude is essential to your success plan.

Dr. Wayne Dyer, noted philosopher and personal development guru, started his career as a college professor and therapist.  In one of his lectures he said, “If you have my cell phone number, and I hope you don’t, you will hear the following message, ‘You have reached the cell phone of Dr. Wayne Dyer. If your message is designed to do anything other than make me feel good, hang up and call Dr. Phil.’”

Many times I have been tempted to place that message on my voice mail.  We all want to feel good.  My mission statement declares the intention of “…improving the lives of everyone I touch.”  The goal is not only to feel good personally but to make others feel good as well.

The best way to feel good personally is to remove all of the excuses.  Remove all of the “yeah, but . . . “statements from your life.  The “I can’t do that because . . .” or the “Well, that will never work for me” statements are simply dumping buckets of emotional ice water on ourselves.  Self defeating statements or limiting beliefs pour in the doubts and remove all hope of success through a positive mental attitude.  Self limiting statements drag you down and undermine confidence.

The second deadly sin against ourselves is blaming others.  “It was my parents fault; they didn’t love me.”  “I was the oldest child or the youngest or even the middle child.”  “It’s not my fault I was born in a depression.”  Blaming your parents, your siblings, your boss, the economy or even the dog catcher does absolutely nothing positive to restore your confidence or self esteem.  Get over it.  Take responsibility for your past, your present and your future.

The third deadly sin against your self is playing the role of victim.  “Look what my parents, my boss, my spouse, or society did to me.”  Seeing yourself as a victim of circumstances will dump bucket after bucket of emotional ice water on your head.

Look deeply into your self talk, your feelings and your words.  Are you committing emotional self destruction?  The devastation caused by excuses, blame and victimization is 100% within your control.  You control your thoughts, feelings and words, or at least you can control them.  Make a decision today, RIGHT NOW, to start saying only positive things to yourself.  Develop and maintain a positive mental attitude.

Create a success plan based on positive, empowering statements to yourself and about yourself.  You are the only one who can create and continue only positive thoughts and feelings for yourself.  You may not be able to control the world economy, but you can certainly control yourself.

Book Elaine Love to speak to your next group meeting or book Elaine Love as your personal coach.  Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com.  You can purchase products or join my workshops at www.ElaineSpeaks.com.  Think positive.  Remove all excuses, blame and victim thinking.  Create an effective success plan.

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Your attitude is your key to wealth creation

Financial challenges abound in this turbulent economy.  As individuals, we can not control Ireland’s default of $100 billion or the impending crisis for Portugal, Italy, Spain and the other countries in the European Union.  Far too many of us are holding our chin high to keep our head above our personal rising financial waters.

Stop!  Breathe! There is an excellent segment in every economy.  There is hope!  No matter how bleak it may appear on our financial horizon, stop and look at what we do have instead of what we might not have.

Step 1 in any success plan is to employ entrepreneurial thinking.  An entrepreneur is by nature an optimist and a visionary.  We, yes I am an entrepreneur, see opportunity rather than disaster.  Over half of the companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average started in an economic downturn.  Yes, there is hope in this economy right now.

Control what you can!  The one thing you absolutely have in your control is your attitude.  No one controls your thoughts, feelings and words except you.  When you maintain a positive attitude and speak with genuine positive expectation, positive things happen.  Wealth creation strategies start with your own thoughts, feelings and attitude.

In an earlier article, I wrote about the “Gold Dust Attitude.”  Even though the economy was drowning, going down for the third time, one salesman maintained a “Gold Dust Attitude.”  When asked, ”How is Business?” he always replied, Business is Great.  There is gold dust in the air.”  Amazingly, for him, business improved constantly and there was indeed gold dust in the air for him.  It all started with his “positive mental attitude” and expectation of positive results.

Even if things are not golden for you at the moment, what do you have to lose by changing to a positive mental attitude and deciding to establish a gold dust attitude?

Whether you are viewing your personal life, your career or your tennis game, a positive mental attitude gives you a significant advantage.

You can not control the financial situation of other countries; however, you can control yourself.

Your subconscious does not know if you are telling it the truth or fiction.  Keep telling it positive thoughts long enough and you will start acting in a positive manner as well.  A positive mental attitude coupled with positive actions will always product positive results.

The contrast is also true.  Negative thoughts and lack of action produce negative results.  You choose.

For myself, I have chosen a “gold dust in the air attitude” and I expect golden results.  Come join me.

Book Elaine Love to speak to your next group meeting or book Elaine Love as your personal coach.  Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com.  You can purchase products or join my workshops at www.ElaineSpeaks.com.  Think positive.  Think “Gold Dust in the Air” as your success plan.

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“Man was created as a being who should constantly keep improving, who on reaching one goal sets a higher one” stated Ralph Ransom. With that in mind, I am currently attending a conference to improve my knowledge. Constant learning is an essential part of my success plan.

Jim Rohn, noted business philosopher, stated that “formal education will make you a living but self education will make you a fortune.” Whose words are you giving free rent in your head?

Explore different points of view. One of my father’s words of wisdom was to listen more than speak. His logic revolved around the theory that people seldom learn something new by listening to themselves. By the same token, you will be far more likely to receive a new point of view or new facts unless you spend time with different individuals. Only having conversations with a select few in your comfort zone rarely produces a variety of new information.

Before you go screaming from the room in protest that you must abandon all of your “comfort zone” buddies, take a deep breath. In the 1900’s and even through 1950’s most parents told their children to get a good education, get a good job, work hard and the company would take care of you. Advice which worked at that point in time no longer applies as the standard rule. The economy changes, people are more mobile and knowledge is expanding. The internet has brought more resources within easy and immediate access.

Knowledge is expanding at an astronomical rate. In a July 21, 2007 article by Newsfan in the UK, he believed that human knowledge doubled every 5 years. By 2010, Anthony J. D’Angelo sated “Never stop learning; knowledge doubles every fourteen months.” You choose to keep learning or risk being left behind.

Re-reading the same books may give a glimmer of new insight but rarely an “ah ha” moment. Success magazine book summaries or any of a variety of other services which review and condense books for rapid perusal increase our exposure to information as well as enhance time efficiency. When one of the summaries really connects with you, you can always purchase the complete book; read it in its entirety or keep it for future reference.

Attending live events provides another source of intellectual stimulation. In addition to the speakers on the platform, the networking opportunities with other like-minded attendees enhance mental stimulation. Seeking knowledge has been touted as a success plan since the beginning of time. The first was Eve and the apple. In her case it caused havoc for eternity. Other examples have produced much more socially favorable results. Scientists and inventors have experimented, tested ideas and advanced society. All of these marvelous improvements have advanced our standard of living. Celebrate the quest for knowledge.

In the pursuit of new knowledge, guard carefully the sources of that input. Interview successful people in a wide variety of industries. Reach for information from forward-thinking, progress minded individuals. Be aware of whose ideas you allow to have free rent in your head.

Keeping an open millionaire mindset will escalate your success plan. Keep reaching out for new sources and new information. Process it within your mind and implement as you see best for you. Always keep learning and growing,

For more inspiration, new ideas and stimulation, book Elaine Love at www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com. Have a prosperous and invigorating success plan. Keep stimulating your millionaire mindset.

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Are you living on Someday Isle? Someday I’ll do this or someday I’ll do that. Palm trees waving in the breeze and the gentle lap of the waves against your bare feet in the warm tropical sand sounds like paradise. Sitting in the sunshine in the sand may be paradise for a vacation but unless you are independently wealthy or enjoy being a vagrant, it is not a long term solution.

Wake up! Work smart and focused right now and you can enjoy a life of paradise later. You have heard the old expression of “pay me now or pay me later.” Equally applicable is “work now and enjoy later” or you will be working longer and enjoying less in your senior years.

What is the problem? What is holding you back from achieving everything you desire and deserve? Are you afraid? Afraid of failure? Afraid of rejection? Afraid of success?

Just as the annoying pop up advertisements appear on your computer screen, fear pops up in our lives. The question is not IF fear will pop up but HOW WILL WE HANDLE IT?

1. Use the ostrich method and hide your head in the sand and pretend that it doesn’t exist. Denial (I remember the first time my son Doug said, “de Nile is not just a river in Egypt.”) Far too many people use Budweiser, Merlot or Jack Daniels to hide from their fears. Others choose Cocaine, marijuana or whatever is the latest and greatest mind numbing chemical. Even though the ostrich is the lesser of the avoidance methods, none are solutions. Don’t take my word for it, ask anyone in NA, AA or a multitude of other 12 step programs.

2. Blame someone else. The blame game tears at you from the inside out. Relationships become endangered species or even become as extinct as Tyrannosaurus Rex. Blaming someone else for your woes not only never solves a problem but it also causes more problems. Jim Rohm, famous business philosopher, declared that when you take full responsibility for your life is when you graduate from childhood to adulthood. Blaming others ranks high on the “poor me, feel sorry for me” scale but does not even exist on the success scale.

3. Taking responsibility for every thing you do and every thing you did not do becomes step one toward a solution. I’m not saying to beat yourself up over past actions or omissions; face them, accept them and resolve to do better in the future.

4. Be solution focused. Ask solution oriented questions.
What can I start doing now to make the situation better?
What factors are in my control to start making improvements?
What do I need to start doing or stop doing?
What am I ready, willing and able to do to start the recovery process?
Be honest with yourself. Take action.

Someone challenged me once to hike the Inca trail in Peru with a backpack. Even though I had never been backpacking in my life, it was an intriguing challenge. The fact that my entire back was fused plates and screws was another challenge. Walking and climbing did not seem like a major obstacle, until I was faced with a rope bridge. This bridge appeared to be about the length of a football field. Several hundred feet down was rushing water and major boulders. The foot bed of the bridge was strands of rope a few inches between strands and one single rope on each side for a hand hold. Tipping the heavy back pack could easily result in losing balance and tumbling down into the certain death below. Oh, did I mention that I am uncomfortable with heights. The time had come to choose – move forward over the bridge or retreat to the safety of solid ground and quit. Face the fear, conquer it by crossing the bridge and continue the journey or admit failure and quit. Step by trembling step I crossed.

Your challenge may be starting a business, getting married or overcoming an addiction. Regardless of the challenge or incident you are facing, you have choices. You may not be able to change what has happened to create this dilemma or the fear it caused, but you can do something positive about your fear.

At this moment the United States economy and most of the world economy is in turmoil. We can’t change the past or what others do to manipulate events beyond our control but we can make wise choices on how we choose to handle our personal present situation and thus our future. We can take responsibility for our past and future. We can make wise choices going forward. We can act in spite of fear.

http://www.erie.gov/health/mentalhealth/mental_health_services.asp is a link for additional help in handling fear. Taking solution focused action is always preferable.

Book Elaine Love to bring a positive hopeful message to your organization. If you are seeking a more solution focused attitude for yourself, book Elaine Love as your coach. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net and leave me a message. Visit www.Elaine4Success.com for solutions.

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