Own Your Power

by Own Your Power Member, ChaChanna Simpson

I know there is a dream inside of you that you can’t wait for the world to see, but for some reason you believe you are not ready. So, your dream goes nowhere, because you are not taking any action. You’re on the sidelines waiting … for the right time … the right circumstances … before you go after your dream. If it doesn’t go exactly the way you want … if you can’t see every detail … then you’re not even going to start.

But, then that does lead to the question of when exactly is the right time going to be?

Today, I want to expose the top three reasons why you believe “the time is not right,” so you can stop holding yourself back and putting your dreams on hold.

Waiting … just waiting

You’re waiting on a perfect set of circumstances, the right time to get started, when the moon is in the seventh house, when you have thought of every single contingency, when you have it all planned out in your head, and you are absolutely positively sure it will work out. Then and only then will you’ll get started.

This train of thought will always allow you to create a reason to wait.

How long have you been waiting anyway?

Quick tip: Stop waiting and start doing, something: make a phone call, set up an informational meeting with someone who can help you, etc. Take that first step.

You’re a little bit of a control freak

You’re too focused on how it will happen. If it is not going to happen the way you want, then you don’t want anything to do with it. It makes sense, many people don’t like not knowing or not being able to plan every step so they can be prepared, so you’re not alone there. However, unless you have a crystal ball, you will never know exactly what is going to happen next.

Owning your own business is a gamble, because you can plan every detail, but you’ll never know how your product or service will be received until you actually present it to the world.

How much longer are you going to let that stellar idea collect dust?

Quick tip: Relax and realize it doesn’t have to be perfect right out the gate. You can make changes along the way, even change directions, but the important thing is that you start taking action.

Fear

You may be afraid to step out, because if you don’t start, then you can’t fail, right? If you never put those plans into action, you don’t have to risk looking stupid if that idea doesn’t pan out and all those in your “hater committee” feel validated.

It can be scary to put yourself out there, but if you don’t take risk, fear wins and you lose. Be a winner and risk everything and realize your greatness.

How long are you going to let fear rule your world?

Quick tip: The only solution I know to conquer fear is to act in spite of it. So, if you are feeling fear, just go for it anyway. Start small and take baby steps. Start with one thing you can do now that will get your closer to your dream business. After you do it, celebrate! You will honestly feel so proud of yourself for taking a step towards your dream.

So, I’m sure you’ve noticed a theme here. The way to make your dreams a reality is to actually start doing stuff. Sitting on the sidelines plotting and planning is okay for a little bit but eventually, if you want this business, and want it to actually succeed and grow, you have to go out and get your hands dirty!

ChaChannaSimpson is a certified life and business coach, motivational speaker, and founder of YourStellarStar  where she helps women start and grow their side business while holding down a full time job. Sign up for her StellarMomentsNewsletterto download your simple business plan workbook.

I’m came across this article that really drives home why ME TIME is so important. We take so much in on a daily basis that we need to regroup and get back to what really counts. Read this article about why you should turn off the TV and then I challenge you all to take my FLINTSTONE Challenge I created a while back and see just how good it feels.  A MIND CLEANSE IN NEEDED, give your brain a break today!

Own Your power,

Simone

By Jesse Richardson

If there is too much of anything in this world, it’s the abundance distractions. The ubiquitous nature of technology provides people with the option to plug in at any moment. And while this certainly has its benefits, there are some clear drawbacks (like a seriously exacerbated case of procrastination). Only to worsen the situation, poor lifestyles can negatively impact our ability to focus in the first place.

Is all lost? Not quite.

Here are five idea to hone your mental focus. They’ll help keep you on track with your projects and free up some mental space for more important information. Plus, they’ll boost your mental health as a whole!

Number 1. Turn off the TV

The first thing I did when I decided I needed to spend more time focusing is turn off the TV. Well, to be honest, I stopped paying for cable and got rid of any game systems I had – without those there isn’t much use to having a TV at all.

Although you do miss out on some information, time without the TV on is time to think for yourself. They call it programming for a reason, after all! With less TV comes more time to talk to friends, read, write, play music, exercise, fall in love, cook, or whatever else you’d like to do.

Number 2. Unplug the Phone

I realize how dated this suggestion sounds (who has a wired phone anymore?), but I think it carries the right idea. For 2-3 hours out of the day, try leaving your phone in the other room. Don’t worry about calls or texts, and instead focus on what you’re doing. This is probably the hardest thing to do, but time without a phone is like time without a lease.

Number 3. Get Plenty of Rest and Schedule

To operate your brain with peak performance, it’s got to be well rested and ready to go. This, in…

REA FULL STORY HERE…

Steve Jobs’ impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect — computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs’ greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I’ve become a student of sorts of Jobs’ career and life. Here’s my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our “inner Steve Jobs.”

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, “People with passion can change the world for the better.” Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, “I’d get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about.” That’s how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, “Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?” Don’t lose sight of the big vision.

Related: Why Entrepreneurs Love Steve Jobs

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn’t have any practical use in his life — until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don’t live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the “A-Team” on each product. What are you saying “no” to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

Related: 10 Things to Thank Steve Jobs For

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can’t communicate your ideas, it doesn’t matter. Jobs was the world’s greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.
Read full story here…

URL: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220515

We’re so connected, we’re DISCONNECTED! I wrote about our society’s cell phone addiction a couple of years ago in a post called, Talk to Me, Not Your Cell. Its about my observation of just how much we DON’T interact because of technology.

 It’s two years later and of course it’s only gotten worse. Own Your Power Member, Tamisa Covington is an etiquette expert who has something to say about the addition to cell phones…Take a minute to check it out some definite cell phone no-nos.

Own Your Power,

Simone

Cell Phone-Schmell Phone, Stop the Mobile Madness!

By Tamisa Covington

I can’t believe after all these years (since 1973 when Motorola created the very first mobile phone) we don’t get that we are being rude with the incessant yammering on our mobile phones. Now, I live in the NYC Metropolitan area so, I have a pretty high tolerance for noise pollution.

It’s  beyond my comprehension why people don’t take a moment to turn their phone off or at least be courteous enough to put it on manner mode (vibrate). Am I the only person that cringes when you hear someone’s loud inappropriate ring-tone in a movie theater, at weddings, or even funerals? As if the Nicki Minaj’s SuperBass ringtone isn’t enough, you dare answer it and have an inappropriate conversation? Tisk, tisk… Shameful. I really don’t want to know the details about the argument you had with you husband regarding his mother or any other intimate things that are creeping me out, but of course now I’m forced to endure it because, you didn’t consider me or the others around you.

I’m sure we can all agree that life would be difficult without our mobile phones. If I ever misplaced mine you can bet that I would be reduced to a pile of ashes because, my mobile phone houses a bunch of important information that quite frankly I’m too lazy to memorize. At any rate, we should at least take the time to mind our manners and be serious about public cell phone use. As a side note, can we have our pre-teen and teenage counterparts take part in this movement for “Model Mobile Manners”?

Please, for the sanity of the folks who try really hard to be considerate, here are some rules of thumb:

1. Please observe the 10 foot rule if you must make or take a call out in public.  Make sure you have a 10 foot radius around you so, folks don’t have to hear the content of your conversation.
2. I don’t want to pick on anyone’s ringtone, (especially because I really like my Bollywood inspired one) but if you must use an unusual one, keep it at a barely audible volume. Otherwise you may choose to keep it on vibrate.
3. These are the following places you shouldn’t hold a conversation on your cell: an elevator (unless you are alone), trains or buses, restaurants,the theater, weddings, funerals, places of worship, in the doctor’s office, or in any enclosed spaces. Unless of course it is an emergent matter.
4. When driving, please remember to use your bluetooth or hands-free kit so as to not present a hazard to the other drivers on the road. Plus, in most states it’s illegal to not use a hands-free kit and if caught without one you can incur a hefty fine.
5. Do not, I repeat, do not answer your phone and have a conversation during a meeting with your boss and colleagues, interviewing for a job, etc. Unless you mention in the beginning that you are expecting an important phone call that you have to take. In which case if you receive the call, quietly excuse yourself from the meeting with minimal disruption.

Can we talk briefly about texting? Texting in front of others while they are trying to hold a conversation with you is considered rude. There are however a few exceptions. Most companies are moving forward with the latest technology and find it acceptable to text and email during business meetings. This is acceptable if this is the norm. If not, I would advise you put you mobile phone away until after the meeting.

Also, PLEASE don’t text and drive. I cannot emphasize this point enough. This has nothing at all to do with etiquette; it has to do with safety. For the safety of yourself, other drivers, and pedestrians, please refrain from texting while driving. If you absolutely have to text, pull over.

For more information about Tamisa Covington and to schedule your own Etiquette coaching session, contact her here: http://www.apropos-etiquette.com/index.html

Nothing is more important in realizing your dreams than self-discipline.  Nothing. 

Commitment is meaningless without discipline. Vision is useless without discipline.

Without discipline, all the systems, information, management plans, financial reports, databases, financial resources, and staff you may have at your disposal don’t matter.

You may have the best of intentions and the outward image of a successful business and still not have a successful business.  You may be working harder, longer, and more intensely than anyone else in your organization, but if you equate this with self-discipline, you’re deluding yourself.

Because, as the owner of your company, you’re probably doing the wrong work.

It was your vision – your dream – that started this company to begin with. Shouldn’t it be your vision that drives it forward?

It’s up to you, the leader, to determine the goals for the business and the strategy for how you will get there.  It’s not an easy role, and it takes discipline to stay with it – especially when there are lots of other things that you may feel more comfortable doing.

It is absolutely essential that you embrace your role as owner, dreamer and “Chief Vision Officer” if you are to manifest something truly unique and special in the world.

“Fine,” you say, “but there are so many other critical things that demand my attention.”

No doubt.

You’re  probably the lead salesperson, the chief financial officer, general manager or field supervisor, and director of marketing.  What else?  Receptionist?  Customer service representative?  Buyer?  Installer?  Trainer? HR?  I.T.?

Taking on all these roles may have been required in the beginning.  But there comes a point in the life of every business where, if it is going to grow and give you what you want, it is going to outstrip your capacity to do it all yourself.  In the beginning, you hope you’ll have more business than you could handle. When that becomes a reality, if you haven’t laid the groundwork, things will inevitably fall apart.

You can’t always be the salesperson and still deliver on your promises.  You can’t always be the lead technician while you’re struggling to keep warm leads in the pipeline.  You can’t just focus on balancing these two activities while ignoring your financial management. Even if you were able to achieve a balance between these three critical pieces, you’ve run out of time to recruit, hire, and train people to cover everything else!

It’s About Balance

So, you need to find a balance between all the roles you have in your business.  You need to find a balance that works for you.  And that’s true whether you’re wearing only three hats in your business, or thirty.  To find that balance, to develop that self-discipline, you need to cultivate the ability to choose – to discriminate and prioritize.

Read full story here…