Archive for the ‘Motivation’ Category

Take Action To Get Results In Business
Wednesday, September 9th, 2009

Are you an action taker, or a procrastinator?

What is the main focus of your business? No matter what your market, the goal is to make money. In order to do that, some planning is needed.

Sadly, many people don’t take action because they don’t know what to do. That is in business as well as life. You know where you want to go but without a roadmap, you aren’t going to get to square one, let alone the destination.

Knowledge is one of the great equalizers in our society. It’s who you know but also what you know that counts. But even more important, it’s what you do with what you know that counts. Sometimes, you can outsmart someone with better contacts by simply using your noodle.

If you want to be an entrepreneur, learn all that you can about the ins and outs of business, including:

* Business start-up
* Writing a business plan
* Website set-up
* Advertising
* Marketing
* Product branding

The more that you understand on the front end, the easier it is to formulate positive actions you can take to get results in your business.

So, what’s next? Well, since you are armed with the knowledge, it’s time to put that knowledge to good use. Most businesses need money to get started, even Internet businesses. The start-up costs are quite low with the latter, but you’ll still have to have some funds.

Nothing in business will just fall into your lap, so a bit of pro-action is needed. Go in search of what you need. Make a list. If it’s money, calculate exactly how much you will need plus a cushion to see you through to the first client payment. If it’s equipment, list that also.

Now, you have a place to begin. Talk to family and friends about your business venture. Host a gathering to present your business enterprise and see if they want to invest. If it’s a smaller venture, it could be as simple as asking your spouse if the family can spare the start-up funds.

Scour the Internet. There are tons of sites that offer free content and eBooks on various aspects of marketing. If you want to create a business website, check out reviews on website hosts and blog hosts. Join forums and business groups with similar interests and ask questions. A large part of the information you need to get your business off the ground comes at no charge - you just have to be willing to ask for it.

Before going further, consider what you have accomplished so far. Your business idea has taken shape in your mind and been translated into tangible efforts. You have your starting money, equipment, and resources to set up a website and begin marketing your product or service.

Now, implement what you have learned. That’s right - TAKE ACTION. You’ll encounter glitches along the way, but you have established relationships with other businesspeople to help you overcome them. Success in business comes in small steps. With every piece of knowledge and contact you make, another opportunity is born to help you move a step closer to your goal.

So, to get the results that you want in your business, you must take the necessary action.
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Filed under: Business Tips, Motivation — Tags: , , , — Danette Hibberd @ 8:05 am
Failure Should Be Deleted From The Dictionary
Friday, March 27th, 2009

In my opinion, failure should be deleted from all of the dictionaries today.

We are surrounded by people who, because of the economy, have lost money, have lost their jobs, are perhaps not as well off as they were 12 months ago, thinking they have failed.

Does the word failure bring up negative thoughts for you? Have you ever held back on doing something because you were afraid of failure? Don’t be afraid to admit, because most people have! Let’s face it; no one likes to fail. None of us likes to feel that we’re ineffective, weak or lacking in any way, and that’s exactly how failure makes us feel.

However, you may be surprised to know that failure doesn’t exist – until YOU say it does.

In the dictionary, failure has several definitions:

1) a failing to do or perform
2) a state of inability to perform a normal function adequately
3) a fracturing or giving way under stress
4) a lack of success.

Look carefully at those definitions and you’ll probably realise they have one thing in common when it comes to goal achievement: failure is a PERCEPTION.

If you believe you have failed, then perhaps you have. If you believe you don’t have the ability to succeed, then, sadly, you don’t. If you believe you can’t handle the pressure of achieving your goals, well you can’t. If you believe you’re not successful, then guess what? You aren’t.

What would you do, if you knew you couldn’t fail? How would that make a difference to the way you approached things from now on?

Failure only exists in your own mind! The moment you decide to give up or stop working toward your goals, failure is born.

But what if you never do that? What if you continue working toward your goals, one step at a time for as long as it takes? There’s no failure then, is there?

This insight should be very encouraging if you’ve been working toward goals and not yet seeing positive results. Simply keep going and you cannot fail!

Here are three tips to help you stay strong and focused on your goals:

1) Never give yourself an out. Most people do this without even realising it. They are willing to work hard on achieving their goals, until the going gets tough or their motivation dwindles. Don’t do that! Commit to making your goals happen, no matter what! Never quit, never contemplate admitting defeat, and never lose your inner determination.

2) Don’t get hooked on a specific timeframe for completion, but be flexible. It’s great to set a general timeline, but be aware that sometimes circumstances will be beyond your control, so you can’t say for sure when your goal will be achieved. If you’re too rigid, you’re just setting yourself up for failure! Instead, get a general idea of when you’d like your goal to be completed, but then take it a day at a time and focus on making progress, not reaching the finish line in as little time as possible.

3) Finally, be sure that you don’t view obstacles and setbacks as failures. The two are completely different. An obstacle, setback or delay means only one thing: it’s not time for your goal to be completed yet. That’s it! It doesn’t mean you failed; it doesn’t mean you’re weak; it doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve your goals. It simply means you’re not done yet. You’ve got to keep moving forward and find a way around or through the obstacle.

Remember that there is no such thing as failure - it simply doesn’t exist.

What do we have instead?

Feedback!

That’s right. We are simply being made aware that what we are doing, or how we are doing something isn’t working and we therefore need to try something different.

Sometimes it may be necessary to speak to a buddy, a mentor or someone to give you some support as you try to figure out the different route to take when those times get tough.

Always remember to replace your thoughts of failure with the seeds of feedback and you will always be successful.

Danette Hibberd

Filed under: Motivation, Pers. Empowerment — Tags: , — Danette Hibberd @ 7:41 pm