Debra Kasowski

Change Your Habits by Making The Decision

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Habits are those practices that we put in place that help to serve us in some shape or form. Whether it be smoking cigarettes, overeating, undereating, gambling, or overspending, the habits you and I form are there for emotional support.As Dr. Phil would say, “How is that working for you?” Why not channel the emotions you have into leading a healthy business lifestyle in order to create the life you want. Women have asked me how can they change or transform into the woman they want to be. The answer is simple! You need to make a decision!!!

Making a decision is one of the most powerful things you can do. It is almost as if a road is cleared and opened for you to drive on saying, ” Lead the way”. People, places, and possibilities come into your life because you have made room for them. I know when I have developed clarity in the direction I wanted for areas of my life and business – God and the universe provided me with the tools and resources. “Here you are!”

Change starts with a decision. Decision is where the action begins. If you want to create or make a change in your life, make a decision to do so. The following changes can start the shift to help you make the change.

  • Track the behaviour you want to change. Look for ways you can streamline or improve your progress.
  •  Stop watching television into the wee hours of the night instead read a book or magazine related to your industry or play a board game with your kids.
  • Idenitfy what is currently working and what is not working. What do you need to stop doing?
  • Send  thank you cards to people who have made a difference in your life
  • Stop checking email in the morning and concentrate on revenue generating activities. They give you the biggest bang for your buck!
  • Reflect on your day – are there areas you could have improved your conversations or handled situations or tasks differently.

Every change you make, makes a difference. Some changes you will notice overtime and some you may notice almost immediately. Trust me the people around you will also notice and see your shift. The greatest forms of change are incremetal and the most powerful. When you bring your actions and thoughts into clarity and become more aware of what you are doing, change will occur.

Make a plan to support the change by having an accountability buddy, coach, or both. Write down the action steps you will take to create sustainable change. execution is the key!!! Nothing happens without action!

What is one change you know you need to make to get the results that you want?

How to Stay Motivated as an Entrepreneur

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There are many people out in the world who marvel at the life of an entrepreneur and think it is so grand to have all this freedom and flexibility but  the more you have of anything, the more you have to manage it or you will have nothing. If you accumulate many things, you could have a lot of clutter or become a hoarder. If you have lots of money, you could go out of control with spending and not have anything. You need to become more aware of what you choose to accumulate and what you choose to spend your money on so you can live in abundance and grow your assets. The same is true with staying motivated. You need to stay motivated to get the results you want.

Image Courtesy of Photostock – Freedigitalphotos.net

There are 9 ways you can do this:

  1. Build and grow a business you are absolutely passionate about.
  2. Focus on serving and helping people achieve what they want – step outside of yourself and make a mark in the world.
  3. Block off time to do what you want to based on your priorities.
  4. Learn to say “no” to what does not makes you happy. Choose to live in happiness. Yes, I know that taking out the trash may not be desirable but a necessary evil. Otherwise, if not done – you could be very unhappy with the smell.
  5. Surround yourself with people who get what you are about and your mission. They “get it” you do not have to explain.
  6. Ensure that you practice self care. You cannot serve anyone when you are not looking after yourself. Rest, sleep, eat healthy, and get regular exercise.
  7. Work in a location you are most inspired but get out from behind the computer and connect LIVE & IN PERSON. The connection and the experience of you builds trust and rapport. There is something to be said when you can make that first eye to eye impression. Discover and investigate networking events in your area. Get out there and get known.
  8. Spend your time on your brilliance. Delegate what you are not so good at and so-so good at, so you can focus on being great on what you are best at.
  9. Reward yourself. Every goal you set you need to set a reward so you can strive to achieve. Added self care – initiative!!!

Staying motivated when there are so many tasks that need to get done can be draining but if you focus on serving the needs of the people you serve, your income will continue to grow.  Go out and serve the world.

How do you stay motivated – Comment below.

If you like this post, go ahead and comment and share it so entrepreneurs can be motivated to live out their mission.

Can You Transform Your Business in the Next 30 Days?

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Image Courtesy of Stuart Miles/ FreeDigitalPhotos.net

You probably have heard that it takes at least 21 days to change a habit and that only 3% of people actually write out goals and these are the top achievers. It all depends on how bad you want to make the change. Change may mean you have to be more disciplined, more dedicated to planning your business strategy, and self-motivated and focused to create results. You need to devise a business strategy.

Here are 5 steps to help create the transformation:

  1. What are two of your top business goals that you would like to achieve in the next 30 days? Write them down.
  2. Break these goals into manageable pieces. What do you need to be, do, or have to make this happen? Ink it on paper. You may choose mind-mapping or the traditional to-do list.
  3. Look at your list or mind-map. Is there anything on it that you could delegate to a team member? Consider hiring a virtual assistant then do it. Imagine if there are 2-3 or three people helping you do what you do. What could you achieve if you freed up some time?
  4. Print out a blank calendar template. Write out what small steps you will take for the next 30 days. Remember to be consistent. Avoid saving your steps for one big day as you may become overwhelmed and lose your motivation.If your plan is a social media strategy, pre-load a dashboard program like www.hootsuite.com to increase your productivity and save yourself some time.
  5. Share your goals with individuals you trust and who would be willing to help hold you accountable when they see yougoing off track. When you need to check in with someone, you tend to be more committed to following through. You may find a mentor or hire a coach to help you maintain focus and achieve your goals.

Remember when you focus on revenue generating activities, you should be tracking the return on your investment of time, money, and resources. You need to evaluate and see if your tasks are getting you closer to what you want to achieve. If not, where do you need to redirect you attention to? Identify this and you will be back on track in no time flat!

 

Are You Waiting to Be Rescued?

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Oprah once said, “One thing I know for sure is that we all want a better life.” We are all trying to get ahead and trying to create that better life but I see and hear so many people weighed down by excuses and expectations that someone else is going to save or rescue them and take them to the life of their dreams. You know what? The life of your dreams needs to be created by you. You can not wait for others to pull through for you and create it for you – THEY ARE NOT YOU! They do not have the same hunger and desire you do for what you want. Honestly, if you want something bad enough you are going to do what it takes to get it.If you want to run your own business, take a course, or even hire a coach, you will find the way to gain the knowledge or raise the funds to have what you want. If you were stranded on a desert island, would you find ways to create a fire to signal someone for help or would you just kick back and suntan hoping someone will notice you are missing? What are the chances you will be rescued in these scenarios?

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You can create a better life by dropping excuses, quit blaming others for your misfortunes, and skip the complaining – who knows who is even listening. Take 100% responsibility for what you want. You will continue to get the results you are getting because you are not ready to change. You already have what you need to be successful; you need to do things differently. Create a new plan of action and ACT! Action is the only way you will get closer to creating the life of your dreams.

I know you cannot do it all with only 24 hours in a day so there will be some delegation required. When you delegate, ensure you are working with people who support your mission and what to help you reach your target market or audience. Follow up with them to ensure that they are on track or if they have any questions. Remind them of the mission and how they plan an important role of making this happen. Your team is essential to your success.

Don’t wait to be rescued! Create a PLAN  and ACT on it!

 

3 Surefire Strategies You Should Consider When Giving Your Website a Facelift

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Thinking about freshening things up on your website? There is nothing worse than going to someone’s website and learning that they have not done anything since 2009. When there is no activity on your website, it looks like you’re not in business. The Internet, especially Google, is one of the number one places that people learn more about products and services and your competition. Don’t get me wrong, there is an abundant world out there but if people have to choose, they will choose someone who is current and up-to-date. Quit being the best kept secret – you are serving no one. What a tragedy for the person who is awaiting your content and can’t move forward with their business until they get it!

When considering giving your website a face lift, you want to consider the following questions:

  •  What experience do you want your customers and prospects to have what they had to your site ?
  •  Do you have an irresistible offer for your visitors?
  •  What do you want to your customers or prospects to  know, do, or purchase what they come to your site ?

As you gain a clearer perspective of what you want your end result to be, you will be able to create a website that is congruent with your brand as the best represents you.  You will also save yourself time and money by targeting your website and the voice of your content to the audience you wish to serve. Take some time to do some research about what you like on other sites that you have visited . Incorporate the things that you like I make you unique in the marketplace .

 The three surefire strategies you should consider  are:

  1.  Video  and Pictures.  People are attracted to interaction as visual information.  They are looking to be educated and  entertained  as well as engaged.   Video is one way in which you can build credibility and trust with your viewers. People comment more on Facebook when there is a visual image versus just text.  You should have a welcome video on your homepage explaining why people should be spending some time on your site and give them a call to action which can be adopted e-zine at the free special report, tele-class, or webinar.   This is the information age after all and people want valuable content and if you deliver they will come in droves.
  2. Opt-In.  The opt in box is your call to action . This is the location of which they can share their name and e-mail and grab an incentive or irresistible offer to continue the relationship with you. Remember to sign up for the Success Secrets newsletter so you can claim your free gift located of the right hand of the page.This will give you an example of something that you too can create for your site. It is all about creating value and offering a solution.
  3.  Social  Media  Share Ability. Your visitors need a way to share your great content. Make it easy for people to share your content with others  by having links to Facebook, Twitter, Google plus, and even LinkedIn. Create a blogging platform where you can share posts of 250-400 words offering great tips or tools that others can use.

Not only will be strategies help drive traffic to your website but they will help you get known, remembered and seen as an authority in your area of expertise.  One bonus tip:  Keep your head shots current and update your photos at least every 2 to 5 years and more often if you change your look or no longer look like your picture. Be Real!

 Share this blog with others who might need a face lift !