Successful Blog

How-To Find Success: Believing in Yourself!

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Ben Newman

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How-To Find Success: Believing in Yourself!

The world is moving at an ever faster pace, and it can be a challenge just to keep up, let alone get ahead. Where do your dreams fit in when you put everything into keeping a job or running a business? Is success just about the bottom line? What do you do when you have the big house and the fancy cars but your life is still stressful and empty? How do you have meaningful relationships when your success depends on you being in control?

No one makes a conscious choice to wake up one day completely overwhelmed and disconnected from the things that matter most — but, it happens to many of us. Often we don’t even realize we’ve gotten off course until we crash and burn, a spouse leaves, a business fails, an illness strikes, and we’re forced to re-examine our priorities. The good news is, it’s never too late to make a change, and you don’t have to wait for the sky to fall before you make it.

With all the noise about the economy, elections, and what is happening around the world, it is easy to fall into the trap of trying to believe two contradictory points:

a) that everything is beyond your control, and
b) in order to succeed you have to control everything.

The truth is actually the opposite.

a)You always have control over the only thing that matters: yourself. That is to say, you have total control over how you choose to act and what you choose to believe in any given moment, in any given circumstance, and
b) in order to succeed, you have to let go of controlling others and of controlling the outcome.

Five Key Factors for Attaining Belief in Yourself

The place to start is with a belief in yourself and I’ve outlined the Five Key Factors for Attaining Belief in Yourself in my book, “Own YOUR Success”:

  1. Accept the truth. Acknowledging the person you are today is the key to becoming the person you want to be and ultimately, attaining belief in yourself. There is a big difference between failing and not getting the results we want. Instead of seeing failure, see opportunities for growth and change.
  2. Speak the truth. Be honest about your past behaviors and habits. While it may be difficult to acknowledge them, burying those parts of our lives makes us feel like victims, amplifying our fear and pain. Shedding light on the past, by talking with a trusted friend or professional, frees us.
  3. Breathe through the truth. Avoid reacting from a place of pain or anger — no matter how much you believe you are right. Be open to changing your perspective. Treat yourself lovingly. Do not self-destruct.
  4. Process the truth. Give yourself time and space to find your equilibrium. Developing belief in yourself means gaining confidence that will lead to a stronger foundation.
  5. Create a plan based on the truth. Changing entrenched behaviors and mindsets takes time, and sometimes they return. Stay strong. Continue to believe and actively engage in this process. Define how you want to live your life from where you are right now.

If you can master these Five Key Factors for Attaining Belief in Yourself, you will be well on your way to achieving the kind of success you really dream of success that incorporates balance in all areas of your life.

Author’s Bio:
Ben Newman writes and speaks to inspire and motivate people to take actionable steps in their personal and professional lives to achieve the success they dream of. He is the author of “Own YOUR Success.” View his website at http://bennewman.net/ and connect with him on Twitter as @ContinuedFight

Thank you for adding to the conversation! So with you on that, Ben!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Beach Notes: A Time to Be Thankful

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by Guest Writers Suzie Cheel and Des Walsh

Happy Thanksgiving to all out USA friends. We do not celebrate Thanksgiving down under . We were thinking of you at the beach. So much to give thanks for: the sun, the sea, the sky, the revitalising water on one’s skin and the freedom we have.
What did you give thanks for today? Share 5 things in the comments

I would love to share with you A gift of Gratitude that I made on Thanksgiving too.

Thank you.

– Suzie Cheel

Suzie Cheel & Des Walsh

3 Ways to Recharge Your Business Creativity

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Stephen Key

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Why Letting Your Inner Child Out Can Benefit Your Business

How many times have you watched your son or daughter’s imagination shine as they play with their friends or by themselves? Children are incredible dreamers and creators who have no inhibitions about letting creativity dictate their actions. To me, entrepreneurship is synonymous with creativity. People often talk about business and art as if the two couldn’t be more separate, but both celebrate the value of looking at the world a little differently than everyone else. The best entrepreneurs see possibility and opportunity where others have failed to, because they’re able to spot unique and powerful ideas that will resonate with consumers. Developing and celebrating your creative energy can benefit your business in countless ways.

I’ve spent the past twenty years bringing my product ideas to life. Thinking creatively has helped me invent and innovate, but even more importantly, I’d argue, it has helped me problem solve. Business owners are constantly surprised by new and different conflicts to overcome. You’ll never be able to predict them all. The more comfortable you become with quickly brainstorming solutions, the better your business will be. There’s never just one answer. And that’s why being able to think outside the box when your business is faced with a seemingly impenetrable roadblock is important. Somewhere along the way most of lose the ability to dream and imagine as easily as we did as children; being able rekindle these skills will help your business.

3 Ways to Recharge Your Business Creativity

I don’t believe that certain individuals are inherently more creative than others. The belief that ‘you’re just not creative’ is an excuse. We’re all creative! As children, we’re all able to dream and imagine with abandon. But like any other skill, creativity requires practice, commitment, and inspiration. I’ve found that playing games helps recharge my creativity.

The first one is, ‘What If?’ When I try to imagine new product ideas or encounter a problem in my daily life, I allow myself to ask any question I want to. What if we lived in a world that __? What if I were able to __? There are no right or wrong questions (nor answers!). I remember my own three children asking me question after question when they were little. Questions lead to answers, answers lead to more questions, and creative juices flow during the process!

The second game I play I call, ‘Mix and Match’. I combine several ideas together, even if they don’t seem to make immediate sense. Someone really hit the nail on the head when they matched a camera and phone, after all…. Some of the best ideas actually combine existing concepts or products in interesting ways. Think about all the times you’ve watched your son or daughter play with their toys in unique ways. They are no strangers to mixing and matching to make things new and exciting.


The third creative game I use is called ‘Solve It’. What do you wish was made better? What would you do to change it? Some products and services have been around for so long, we no longer even think about what it would be like if they were different. Don’t take any assumptions for granted, and stop subconsciously assuming what is and isn’t possible.


And finally, don’t forget to get inspired. Seek out friends, family, and peers who, like loved and empowered children, believe that anything’s possible and embrace the alternative. Some people are more receptive to new ideas than others. At the least, find someone whose first word isn’t always ‘no’.

Break out of your normal mold and schedule. How can you imagine something different and unique if you always do and see the exact same things? Change your route to work. Try a new restaurant instead of your neighborhood favorite. I know your schedule is hectic, but make time to read a new book or magazine, or watch an interesting film. Exposing yourself to new ideas and ways of thinking will jumpstart your own creativity.

Above all, allow your creative inner child to emerge to help bring your business to new heights.

What do you do to inspire your creativity?

Author’s Bio:
Stephen Key writes about licensing and small business at www.inventornotes.com. He is also author of One Simple Idea and One Simple Idea for Startups and Entrepreneurs. You can find Stephen on Twitter as @inventright ()

Thank you, Steven. Love your thoughts on inspiring creativity!

–Me “Liz” Strauss

How to Be More Productive While You Commute to Work

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Paul Ellett

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Some days there just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day to finish all the work you have to do. On top of tasks, both short-term and long-term, things crop up which have to be dealt with there and then, which push you back even further. Deadlines coming up which have to be reached can mean several nights staying late at the office, or spending your evening and weekend working. All of this can mean missing out on the things you would rather be doing with your family and friends.

How Can We Be More Productive On the Commute To Work?

The thing is, those of us who commute to work, whether by car or public transport, spend a long time traveling. This can be up to an hour or even more doing one of the following rather wasteful activities:

  • Listening to the same music as the day before
  • Browsing Facebook on your phone
  • when everyone you know is either still in bed, also traveling or simply not doing anything interesting
  • Stuck trying not to make awkward direct eye-contact with the person in front of you
  • Staring out of your window at the same sights you see everyday
  • Catching up on sleep which only makes you feel more tired when you arrive, or being jerked awake each time your head hits the back of your seat.

Rather than passing the time, we could be using it.

How to Be More Productive While You Commute to Work

We can do so much more with this time. We can get rid of those troublesome smaller tasks that hold us back once we arrive at work. We can also use commute time to help get ahead in other ways through research and learning. Here are some ways to make commuting time more useful and productive.

1: Plan Your Day

Though you sometimes have to wait and see what is on the agenda before you can plan your day (and even this might change as the day goes on), you can get a rough idea of what you have to do. Make a list of these things, starting with the easy things which will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something by the middle of the morning. This might also include firing off some emails so you can get quick replies when those people check their email first thing; this way you’ll be their main priority to get back to rather than your message being one of ten they receive come 9am.

2: Research Through People-Watching

If you work in advertising or marketing, keep your ears and eyes open. It seems a little redundant if you work in these areas, to be surrounded by tens to hundreds of people (from a variety of backgrounds, ages etc) each day and ignore them. This can be valuable research which can help you with projects you’re working on. By simply keeping your eyes and ears open while you travel, you can get a grasp of what people are reading/wearing/listening to. If you overhear their conversations, listen to what they say and how they convey this. This kind of rough insight can also help your approach if you work in sales, simply by giving you tips for conversation to break the ice.

3: Listen to Podcasts

Many are seeing podcasts as a revolution that will deal a further death nail into the heart of the morning commuter’s favourite, radio. Let’s face it: most radio is useless. The music playlists are often the same each day, and the conversation is hardly ground-breaking. For those still waking up who don’t anything too heavy, this is fine; but for those with long journeys who wish to make the most of this time, you should look into podcasts. There is just so much to choose from, depending on your taste. While you can subscribe to comedy or entertainment podcasts, you might find it more useful to research and download a series of motivational podcasts or those which teach something, like a new language. You’ll probably be able to find a series of podcasts relevant to your industry so you can get the latest news through another medium.

Of course, most of these are best to utilize when on public transport. If you drive to work, you can still listen to podcasts, though people-watching may distract you from driving, so be wary of this. Being productive while you travel to work won’t mean much in the grand scheme of things if you receive a driving ban (whether temporary or permanent). It’s always more important that you make it to your destination safely without harming anyone else on the road, than not at all.

Author’s Bio:
Paul has just started to travel to work via public transport, and has been trying to use this time more usefully, as this commute is quite long each day. This experience has helped him in his work with a firm of drink driving solicitors whose clients include those caught for multi-tasking while driving.

Make the Most of SEO in Adobe Muse

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Anita Brady

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The recent release of Adobe Muse in May 2012 has many print designers scrambling to figure out just how to take advantage of this powerful new software. Adobe has created a product that allows almost anyone (assuming you have a marginal amount of design experience) to create websites with little or zero knowledge of web development or HTML code. Although there are quite a few limitations (and some heavy industry criticism;), using the right knowledge and a little help from third-party apps, you can get the most in terms of functionality and SEO from this new software.

Make the Most of SEO in Adobe Muse

With the proper considerations and a little bit of leg-work, you can easily create a functional and interactive site with all the Search Engine Optimization necessary to rank well in searches. However this is not a set requirement for new sites, and will only happen if you take the initiative to add descriptions and tags in the right places. Here are a few tips to help you optimize your first build with Adobe Muse.

Include Extensive Metadata

In Muse (and with any web design platform), including extensive Metadata is a sure-fire way to help your site rank well on searches. Include not just a description of your site and business (which will be directly under your search results), but include details like locations, zip codes, phone numbers, and employee names to boost your site to the top of search engines on less germane topics.

Tags

Be sure to add tags to every relevant object within your new site. A tag is a keyword or term that is assigned to a specific item within a website. These keywords help describe the item and allow, specifically, images to be found again by browsing or searching. You can even add Geotags (or geographical identification metadata) to various media such as photographs and smart objects, which will allow users to find your site just because of your geographic location – cool!

Social Media Plugins

Most likely, social media will be a big part of your marketing campaign. Take the time to sign up for popular social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ and then create extensive descriptions (including keywords) within each. The more back-linked content you can create on the web for your site, the better. Consider including an RSS feed signup for new content on your page, or add a Facebook widget on Muse to direct traffic across platforms and increase your search engine appeal.

Searchable, Useful, and Relevant Content and Adobe Muse

Of course, there is no substitute for building a high-quality site with high-quality content. Be sure to include persuasive, original copy on your main pages and all subpages. SEO tags and metadata tricks cannot replace the value of a legitimate, content-heavy site, and ultimately it is the search engine’s job to rank the most relevant sites at the top, regardless of how much SEO went into your design. So keep this in mind and strive to create a site that not only searches well, but also is genuinely useful and relevant to your potential customers.

Despite the inherent limitations and controversy surrounding Adobe Muse, it’s likely that this new software will be a success in the world of digital design. Muse can be a great tool for competent designers who are not ready to leap into CSS or PHP programming. Although it will never replace a database driven or serious hand-coded site made by a professional web developer, for most small, static sites, Muse has everything you need. Be sure to consider adding extensive SEO and third-party apps to help you get the most out of your new site. Good luck and have fun designing!

Author’s Bio:
Anita Brady leads the team at www.123Print.com – customizable print products for business and life situations. The website offers everything needed to make your own business cards and to design other promotional items that combine high quality and customization with an affordable price.

Setting Up Your Business for Long-Term Success

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Robert Cordray

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Setting Up Your Business for Long-Term Success

Start-up business owners learn two things very quickly. First, the idea that launches an entrepreneurship is invaluable. The seed of a business, or the initial idea, provides a source of motivation and initial direction.

However, the second notion often comes as an unpleasant discovery. The grand idea by itself is not enough to sustain long-term growth and success. No matter how great the business idea is, many other factors influence success and determine whether a business will flourish or fail.

The key to being successful in business is learning to make good business decisions. While success cannot be guaranteed, you can start your business with attention to a few important areas and increase your chances of achieving your goals.

Avoid the most common missteps entrepreneurs tend to make by following these suggestions:

Have a Business Plan

A business plan is an opportunity for business owners to understand their market, as it relates to their product or service, and map out their capabilities. Compiling a thorough business plan requires a bit of effort, but as it will serve as a guideline for your financial expectations and keep you on track, it is an essential part of any new business.

The business plan will also help you in the key area of setting realistic goals for when you will achieve profitability. Know how much time, effort and capital it will reasonably take to reach your goal of being profitable. Conservatively scaling your expectations to match reality will keep you on track and save you from disappointment if your hopes of becoming an overnight success are not realized.

Balance Your Capital

Having enough capital to launch your business is crucial, but you will want to avoid the mistake of taking on sizable loans at the outset. Use your business plan to ensure you have enough resources to see you through until you achieve profitability.

Understand Your Market

As a new business owner, you need to understand who your customers are. How large is your market? Who are your competitors? You will need to know what alternatives to your business are already available to consumers or if you are creating a new market. This will help you in your decisions on strategy.

Choose a Go-to Market Strategy

Having a focus on one strategy for your business will enable you to market your business effectively. Without a focus, you are likely to flounder, but attempting to pursue multiple strategies at once will also doom you to failure. Understand your business and choose one as your goal.

In general, there are three go-to market strategies that businesses use. The first is a focus on operational excellence. These businesses emphasize efficiency in their processes to lower their costs and provide consistency to a wide range of customers.

Another strategy is to develop customer intimacy by establishing strong relationships and fostering repeat business through customer care.

Third, businesses can seek an advantage through product innovation. This aspect depends upon the creation of a new and desirable product or service and founding a business where there are little to no existing competitors. This may be the most difficult of the three for a new entrepreneur to achieve.

Build an Effective Team

The path to becoming a successful entrepreneur should not be a lonely journey. Many businesses fail because the owner tried to manage too many decisions and responsibilities that could have been delegated to others. Find good support for your business such as those you can trust with general tasks while you focus on your role as an executive.

Seeking advice will be necessary, and finding a reliable source for information and direction may seem intimidating. However, there are several people who specialize in guidance and helping entrepreneurs maintain their focus. Through their services, you can rest assured that your business will profit from your well-directed efforts.

Author’s Bio:

Robert Cordray writes about business, entrepreneurship, and living better at noomii.com. He has acquired over 20 years of entrepreneurship and business consulting. You can find him on Twitter @RobertCordray