Archive for Make Today Matter
Enthusiasm is Key to Home Business Success
Posted by: | CommentsOne of the most important traits for successfully managing a home business is ENTHUSIASM. Where do you fit on the Enthusometer – dead in bed or leaping to greet the day?
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Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Posted by: | CommentsEven when times are tough set aside some funds for personal and professional development. Conferences and seminars provide a way to meet people you probably wouldn’t meet in any other venue, allow you to meet face-to-face with people you’ve only met electronically previously and gives you the opportunity to rub shoulders with leaders in your industry.
Creating the Right Conditions for Entrepreneurial Success
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I was devouring a recent issue of Discover magazine (yep, I’m a bit of a nerd) when I ran across an article about how the U.S. government is spending $4 billion to launch an expedition to Europa – one of Jupiter’s moons. This is “quest for life” stuff, and NASA seems to think that this icebound moon could be the best place to find life in our solar system. There are two theories: one that makes it highly likely conditions are ripe on Europa for the beginnings of life and one that would make it highly UNLIKELY that we’ll find life there. It’s all about having the right conditions.
In the case of Europa, the “right conditions” hinge on the thickness of the ice that makes up its fractured and frozen surface and the amount of heat generated beneath that ice by its unusual orbit. If the heat is intense enough and the ice thin enough, the ice might be melted almost to the surface – allowing sunlight and organic matter to penetrate to the oceans below and create a very promising biological soup. If the heat is less intense, we might find a thick layer of warm ice that would behave much like glaciers here on Earth and that would provide a much harsher environment for beginnings of life.
Probes will begin launching in 2020, so it’ll be a while before we get our answers.
What’s a Moon Got to Do With My Business?
Ok, you say. What does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Or, better yet, how can this help my business?
It has to do with the ability to influence your environment.
The conditions on Europa are what they are – and will either promote life or not. YOU, on the other hand, have much more control over the conditions impacting your business efforts. But are you exercising that control? Are you treating your business like a business or just an expensive hobby? Are you constantly learning and seeking the advice of more experienced business leaders in your industry? Do you have a business plan or are you just flying by the seat of your pants? Are you enthusiastic about your business – and do you convey that enthusiasm to your customers or clients?
Europa will reveal her secrets in due course. YOU can make changes on a daily basis – and for considerably less than $4 billion – to improve your business prospects. Are you following through on your “quest” for a business life?
Bye for now!
~ Deborah
Hard Times Give Birth to Healthy Entrepreneurs
Posted by: | CommentsAre hard times good for our health? According to a recent article by Christopher Ruhm that may well be the case. Ruhm tells us that a one point increase in the unemployment rate sees a corresponding drop in total deaths of up to half a point. Assuming this is correct, WHY does it happen?
Some theories suggest that with fewer people working there are fewer people on the road to be involved in car crashes. Apparently a one point uptick in the jobless rate results in up to a 3% decrease in traffic deaths. Would you believe that there is also a significant decrease in heart attacks during hard times? Lifestyle changes designed to stop or curtail spending may be part of the reason. During an economic bust period we tend to exercise more, cook at home more, and spend less (and therefore consume less) on alcohol and tobacco.
Rules for Success and Health
I have a different – albeit unscientific – take on the situation.
In many ways, getting laid off is a very freeing experience. Suddenly your time is your own and you decide how to spend it. You have more time to spend with family and friends. You can spend more time on hobbies you enjoy – or take up new ones. You can give back to your community in a very personal way instead of just by writing a check.
Have a Talk With Your Inner Entrepreneur
You also now have the time to have a good long chat with your inner entrepreneur. Is this the right time to finally strike out on your own instead of looking for another 9-5 grind? Could this be how you continue to have time for all the personal pursuits you’ve recently rediscovered?
It can be. You CAN create the lifestyle you want by working smarter, not harder. You CAN set your own schedule – doing something that you love. You CAN have all the advantages (and then some!) of people with J-O-Bs without the down side. You CAN have it all: the money, the time, family and community involvement. You CAN have the freedom.
And when you are in control of a situation, isn’t it less stressful – even if you’re working hard?
So, if you’ve been hit by the unemployment ax – or even if you only think it’s headed your way – view this as the opportunity it is to change the direction of your life. Not only may you be happier; you could end up healthier as well!
Bye for now!
~ Deborah
Blah to Bodacious: Be That Person People Remember And Seek Out
Posted by: | Comments“How are you?”
It’s a question we all hear every day, right? (In some circles here in the South you might hear “How’s your Mama and all them?” instead of the plain vanilla “How are you?” – but the meaning is the same. 
) And most of us typically provide an automatic and standard response – something along the line of “Fine” or “Good,” along with the requisite “And you?”
Generally speaking, do you really care what their response is to your rejoinder? Do you think THEY care about YOUR response? Probably not. It’s an automatic gesture, like saying “please” and “thank you.” Or maybe it’s being used as an icebreaker to get a conversation started when you don’t want to bring up the weather.
Are You A Leader?
Now, here’s another question: Do you want people to remember you and want to spend time with you? If so, you have to come up with a better answer than “Fine” or “Good” – and you absolutely must emphasize the positive.
Having a bad day? Did that business deal fall through at the last minute? Dog just died? Things generally not going your way? No one wants to hear about it except, maybe, your family and close friends. (And they don’t REALLY want to hear it either, but it’s in the “family/friend” contract.) If you are a pessimistic wet blanket, people may remember you but they certainly won’t want to spend time with you. Or hire you. Or conduct business with you.
Help Yourself With A “Perfect”ly Productive Response
I’ve heard a few pretty good responses to the “how are you” question. My personal favorite: “Best day of my life!” A very upbeat answer that people will probably remember, but is it totally honest and accurate? Not really, especially if your dog just died. But it certainly says something about your attitude toward life if you respond this way and actually mean it.
Perhaps a better answer is simply “Perfect.” No need for an exclamation point. “Perfect” is honest, positive and always accurate. No matter what is going on, isn’t your life always “accurate, exact, or correct in every detail?” Mine is – even when things aren’t necessarily going the way I want.
I think “Perfect” will be MY new response to this age old question – at least until I come up with a MORE perfect way to be both memorable and remarkable!
Bye for now!
~ Deborah
Patience, Persistence, Endurance Win The Day For Entrepreneurs
Posted by: | CommentsBye for now!
~ Deborah
Entrepreneurs Persist To The End
Posted by: | CommentsSlow and steady wins the race. All the way back to that story about the slow tortoise beating the quick bunny, we’ve been taught that patience and persistence pays off in the end – especially when it comes to entrepreneurs and their businesses.
And you know what? “They” were right!
We see a very fine example of it in nature with the Chinese bamboo tree. Plant a baby bamboo tree and for the first four years water it and fertilize it – and see absolutely no outward results from your efforts. Nada. Then, in year five, water and fertilize just like you have for the previous four years. In five weeks you have a 90-foot tree! Here’s the real proof in the pudding, though. Had you NOT watered and fertilized for those first four years that tree would have died and never lived up to that 90-foot potential.
A work from home business is like that; heck, life is like that. Just as you think your dream is not going to pan out, just as you think it’s time to throw in the towel and quit – that’s the time to redouble your efforts, put that Internet marketing plan into place – whatever it takes to see things through. It really is darkest just before the dawn, and if you don’t stick around just a little bit longer you’ll never see the sunrise. I, for one, like sunrises – a lot.
See the race through to the end and never give up on your dreams. Hold on tight just like a bulldog whose nose is slanted backwards so it can keep a grip and continue to breathe. Develop the habits of persistence and patience. And they ARE habits that can be developed and nurtured or allowed to wither and die. It’s all up to you.
Bye for now!
~ Deborah
Develop a “Decided Heart” for Business and Personal Success
Posted by: | CommentsBye for now!
~ Deborah
Entrepreneurs Instinctively Find Solutions for Business Issues
Posted by: | CommentsBye for now!
~ Deborah
Savvy Entrepreneurs Visualize Goals for Home Business Success
Posted by: | CommentsVisualizing your goals every morning and every evening brings you one step closer to achieving them. The trick is figuring out what your goal should be.
