Successful Blog

How to not get burned out

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by Patty Azzarello

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Business is Hard

Sometimes business opportunities, challenges, activities, and responsiblities become overwhelming. You get tired.

And as your business grows, things don’t tend to get easier or less busy!

Pick your pace

It’s important to find a pace that you can maintain, so you can keep making forward progress and not get burned out.

I am a cyclist.Â

There are some tough hills that can challenge a rider to the point of total system failure — you can’t breath, your heart races, your legs are on fire.  The only problem is that that happens after 10 minutes, and it may take 30-60 minutes to ride up the thing!

“I can do this all day”

So I force myself to pick a pace, one where even though it is still really hard, I can say to myself “I can do this all day”.Â

When I get my thinking, my legs, and my heart rate and lungs calibrated to “all day”, when I finally reach the top I have accomplished the task, and I am still not at the absolute end of my energy.Â

If you know the how long the hill is, you can push yourself to get to the top faster. But you don’t always know how long the hill is.

So you need a strategy to make sure you don’t burn out on the way.

What is your pace that you “can do all day”

If there is no end in sight to the craziness or turmoil, how much physical and mental energy can you invest over an indefinite amount of time so that you can make it to the top no matter how long the hill is? and still have energy to go forward after you get there?

Get ahead of the competition

When the market gets easier and there are more opportunities, you want to have the energy and the resources to use another cycling term “jump”— to go really fast, right away — while the competition has burned out, given up, or failed along the way.Â

Don’t let you head give up before your legs

Part of the “I could do this all day pace” it to make sure you don’t talk yourself into stopping before you really need to.

I compare this to miserable tough jobs I have had. It is always interesting to note how much of the misery I put on myself, compared to that which was strictly imposed or required by the job.Â

You can actually make a pretty big change in how you feel about your job, by deciding how YOU will manage your energy, and not letting your head give in.

Some ways to get up the hill:

It is your job to keep making forward progress in uncertain and challenging times.  Otherwise you end up just working really hard, and not really moving the business forward, or getting anywhere personally.Â

  • List all the things you are worried about.  Are they all equally worthy of worry?  Budget your worry.  Don’t burn yourself out worrying about things that are not worth it.
  • Stop something. Identify at least one thing you will negotiate “away” and stop doing.
  • Pick a single area to ensure success. Choose one thing that you won’t fail at no matter what – and don’t let the uncertainty throw you off course.  Complete that, then do the next one.
  • Talk to your team. Let them tell you what they think is hard about the current state.  Don’t underestimate the value of letting them talk about this.  Acknowledge the difficulty openly, then focus everyone on something they feel they can control and do well.
  • Build your Personal Brand.  How you act in difficult times does a lot to show the world your brand.  Are you positive and in control, or are you changing your mind all the time, uncertain, all over the place? When you are stressed, are you treating people with respect or are you nasty?
  • Don’t give up on your aggressive brilliant plans.  I do some of my best problem solving on a long hill.  Keep learning, keep thinking, keep building so that you are ready to jump when the obstacles clear.
  • Think. No matter how over-scheduled you may be, schedule some time to think every day.

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Patty Azzarello is an executive, best-selling author, speaker and CEO-advisor. She works with executives where leadership and business challenges meet. Patty has held leadership roles in General Management, Marketing, Software Product Development and Sales, and has been successful in running large and small businesses. She writes at Patty Azzarello’s Business Leadership Blog. You’ll find her on Twitter as @PattyAzzarello. Also, check out her new book Rise…

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The Book List: #MYBRANDtweet & What Color is Your Parachute

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The Book List: a weekly series by Teresa Morrow

I’m Teresa Morrow, aka The Author’s Cheerleader and I work with authors & writers to help them with their online book promotion and marketing. As part of my job I read a lot of books (I love to read anyway!). The books in The Book List series will cover a range of topics such as social media, product development, marketing, blogging, business, organization, career building, finance, networking, writing, self development, and inspiration.

‘#MYBRAND tweet’ by Laura Lowell

Here are a couple of tweets on personal branding I enjoyed:

#3 A brand is a promise you make—a promise of value, consistency, and expectations.

#10 You can mess up once or twice, but by the third time what is consistent is that you messed up.

#19 Remember to focus on what you’re good at and what you love to do—chances are you will do it well and enjoy the process.

#29 #MyBrand has a strategy because you can’t afford to create your brand by accident!

#42 Go to the source and learn about what your audience is learning.

#55 #MyBrand needs a value proposition that puts you in context of the competition.

About the Book:
For anyone new to personal branding, or who needs to take their career to the next level, #MyBrand tweet is your first step toward differentiating yourself in a very crowded environment. From defining the idea of personal branding and the mechanics of building yours, to getting your brand out there and keeping it alive, #MyBrand tweet helps readers define their identity and build awareness for their unique value in the marketplace.

The idea behind personal branding has taken on a life of its own. The idea that everyone stands for something isn’t new. But the fact that you have a way to communicate your unique value to millions of people all at once certainly is. Before jumping in and creating your personal brand, it is vital to understand what you mean, what the market thinks you mean, and where the gaps are.

About Laura:
During her 20+ year career, Laura worked for Hewlett-Packard where she was the Director of Worldwide Consumer Marketing Communications with responsibility for planning and implementing integrating marketing campaigns across all HP consumer product lines. Earlier in her career, Laura spent several years at Intel Corporation where she was on the start-up team that developed and implemented the Intel Inside branding program. A degree in International Relations prepared her for work assignments in Hong Kong and London, after which she received her MBA from UC Berkeley, Haas School of Business with an emphasis on marketing and entrepreneurship.

Laura has been featured on Oprah & Friends, ABC, The Huffington Post, and more. Laura is also an active blogger authoring The Rules…According to You about branding and marketing for entrepreneurs. A dynamic speaker, Laura has been a keynote speaker at conferences around the world.

You can pick up your copy of ‘#MYBRAND tweet’ at Happy About.com, the publisher’s site

Another book that is on my Book List is ‘What Color is Your Parachute:A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers’

‘What Color is Your Parachute:A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers’ by Richard Bolles

“Ideally, everyone should read What Color Is Your Parachute? in the tenth grade and again every year thereafter.”
–Anne Fisher, Fortune

“There’s Parachute, and then there’s all the rest. . . . A life-changing book.”
–Career Planning and Adult Development Journal

“Parachute is still a top seller and it remains the go-to guide for everyone from midlife-crisis boomers looking to change their careers to college students looking to start one.”
–New York Post

About the Book*

These are some of the questions at the forefront of the modern job-searcher’s mind. And they are thoroughly and thoughtfully answered with all-new chapters in the 2011 edition of What Color Is Your Parachute?, the best-selling job-hunting book in the world for more than three decades–in good times and bad. A longtime fixture on best-seller lists, What Color Is Your Parachute? features life-saving information that is updated each year to cater to the specific requirements of today’s job market.

Career guru Richard N. Bolles leads job-searchers to find meaningful work. He asks, WHAT skills do you most love to use? WHERE–in what field–would you most love to use them? And HOW do you find such jobs without depending on agencies, ads, and online postings?

This book is not only about finding a job in hard times, it’s also about finding your passion. In the words of Fortune magazine:

“Parachute remains the gold standard of career guides.”

What Color Is Your Parachute? is the world’s most popular job-hunting guide, with 10 million copies sold, in more than 20 languages. Written by career guru Richard N. Bolles–who coined the terms “informational interviewing” and “transferable skills”–this New York Times and BusinessWeek best seller answers such questions as:

“What are the five best–and worst–ways to search for a job?” See chapter 3 (starting on page 31).

“What are the most helpful job sites on the Internet, out of the thousands that are out there?” See pages 53-54.

“What interview questions can I expect to be asked, and how do I answer them?” See chapter 6 (starting on page 93).

“I want to use a resume. What should I include?” See chapter 5 (starting on page 71).

“I haven’t a clue how to do salary negotiation. Help!” See chapter 7 (starting on page 121)

About Richard*:
RICHARD N. BOLLES has been a leader in the career development field for more than thirty-five years. He was trained in chemical engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude in physics from Harvard University and a master’s in sacred theology from General Theological (Episcopal) Seminary in New York City. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Marci.

You can pick up your copy of ‘What Color is Your Parachute’ at Amazon.com.

*Information and picture provided by and/or located on Amazon.com

Hunter S. Thompson and Which Is Easier: Learning the Tools or Leading the Team

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Writing and Leadership

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A couple of weeks ago in a meeting with Tim Sanders, (@SandersSays) Carol Roth (@CarolJSRoth) and Mark Carter (@MJCarter), Tim brought up a writer I hadn’t thought about in the longest while — Hunter S. Thompson, the King of Gonzo Journalism.

Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson, Miami Book Fair, 1988

Hunter S Thompson has been haunting me since.
In 2005, I wrote about the night my husband and I watch a television rerun of an interview with Hunter S. Thompson. . . .

It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. That someone says something so profound. So true. That it’s your own truth. Even though you’ve never put the words together, you’ve known their meaning deeply for what seems all of your life. I can’t tell you anything about the interview with Mr. Thompson, except one question and his answer.

The interviewer, who sat off camera, asked the reporter/writer which he thought was easier — writing or researching?Thompson, sitting on the back porch in what was his work area and speaking in a writer’s frugality with words, said without hesitation, “Researching is much easier, because no one can help you write.”

I’ve spent years working with young writers. I could coach them. I could say what wasn’t working. I could make suggestions on how to approach the problem. But at the end of the day, I couldn’t help them write. I had to stand back and watch them struggle.

A writer is a batter standing at home plate waiting for the pitch, a tennis player waiting for serve to come over the net. A coach can watch and report, but the coach can’t hit the ball. Comments marked in whatever color I choose are meaningless if a writer can’t interpret or internalize them. I can suggest technique, but I can’t teach heart. I can’t fix the writing. If I do, I become the writer.

It takes heart, soul, intuition, understanding, and flexibility to be a writer. It takes practice, persistence, and patience. It takes trust. It takes an artistic ability to blend structure with expression in the way a composer brings notes together to move people to feeling. It takes tears. Writing is hearing the music of the language and the nuance of how words come together to make meaning. Writing is talent teamed with trial and error. Writing is more than putting words on paper. It is experience and problem solving. It takes life to make a writer.

I wonder at how we have the same experience with so many things, yet we reach a faulty conclusion about writing. We drew in school, yet few of us say we are artists. We played ball, yet few of us say we are athletes. We did mathematics, yet few of us say we are mathematicians. Still so many of us say we are writers.

It’s no wonder that I am so aware of my differences.

I know that no one can help me write.

No one else can be the writer I am.

As I sit here today, reflecting on this, I realize that precisely same is true of leadership.

It takes heart, soul, intuition, understanding, and flexibility to be a leader. It takes practice, persistence, and patience. It takes takes trust. It takes an artistic ability to blend competence with compassion in the way a composer brings notes together to move people to feeling. It takes years.

Leadership is hearing the music of work that reaches into people’s hearts and the nuance of work that reaches out to make meaning in the world. Leadership is talent teamed with trial and error. Leadership is more than pulling people together. It is experience and problem solving. It takes life to make a leader.

I keep thinking that Hunter S. Thompson were asked which he thought was easier learning the tools or leading the team, he might have said,

“Learning the tools is much easier, because no one can help you lead.”

Do you see what that means?
No one else can be the leader you can be.

Be irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Why You Aren’t “You Living the Dream”

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What is between you and your dreams? Probably one of the toughest questions to ask yourself is, “why am I not living the dream?” Do you foresee yourself starting a business or living a harmonious life in a dream city, what is stopping you? Is it lack of money? Are you waiting for next big break? I have heard every excuse in the book from people who complain about life and out of every 100 complaints, about only 1 of them was valid enough for me to not argue with them.

Nike says it, all successful entrepreneurs live it, and you are avoiding it. Stop hiding from the future and “just do it.” Stop waiting for the moment for everything to be perfect, drop your books and set up an action plan to live your dream. It may take a bit of luck along the way, but hey, the journey is what makes the goal in mind worthwhile. If things came easily, we wouldn’t appreciate anything.

Ask any entrepreneur if they waited for the opportunity to start a business or if they created the opportunity. I bet 99% of them created an opportunity from something they loved. Getting on the bike is the hardest part. Dick Costolo, founder of Feed Buner says, “the key is to just get on the bike, and the key to getting on the bike… is to stop thinking about ‘there are a bunch of reasons I might fall off’ and just hop on and peddle the thing.”

Fear of Sacrifice
We all have to give up something to get to where we want. My entrepreneurial endeavors have taken a major toll on my personal life. Instead of working 8-5 and being able to spend time with friends, I work 8am-1am on my startup. Are you afraid of working hard? I don’t believe in failures, I do believe there are people who aren’t motivated because they haven’t found their calling in life. Putting everything into something we love is worth it… if we truly love it.

Fear of Failure
Are you scared of your dream project failing? If you don’t get behind the wheel you will never give yourself a chance to fail. Michael Jordan was once quoted saying, “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” Putting yourself out there is the sauce to the stew.

Waiting For Everything to be Perfect?
The worst excuses I’ve ever heard are “the time isn’t right.” I hate to break it to you all, but the time will never be 100% perfect. There will not be a solar eclipse moment in time where the planets align, and set your business rolling. To get a successful dream accomplished, takes grind out work in inopportune times.

Keep the dream alive. Whether you are a 40 year-old mother wanting to blog or a an 18 year old college kid with hopes for Mars, the barriers to achieving our dreams are often high, but learning how to overcome barriers, truly changes the world. Our time is precious, so you shouldn’t wait. Draft up an action plan today highlighting what you are doing to live the dream.

Image Credit: Armenian Now

Matt Krautstrunk is a writer and social entrepreneur, touching on topics ranging from social media marketing to postage meters for Resource Nation; and online resource providing purchasing advice for small business owners and entrepreneurs.

How to Speak or Write for Beginners, Experts and Forgetters Alike

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An airplane traveling from New York to Chicago is off course 98% of the time. Still it gets there. Why? The pilot is always adjusting with the destination in mind.

For a writer, a speaker, a teacher, or a presenter, the audience is the destination. Connect with your readers and you’ll be home free. It may sound obvious, but it’s worth stating — if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re not going to get there.

How to Speak or Write for Beginners, Experts and Forgetters Alike

Ever loved a blog one day and didn’t know why you went there the next? That’s a blogger who hasn’t picked an audience? Ever sit through a presentation in which the speaker brought a canned speech written widely and given to every group? That’s a speaker who doesn’t realize that different groups come to listen for different reasons.

It’s always important first to know what we want to say.
Without that, our ideas will be unfocused — like an airplane off its flight plan.

Equally important, we need to know who is tuning in what we’re saying.
Without that, the message sent may not be the message they receive.

So before you write, speak, teach, pr present, take time to reflect on the people who’ll be listening to what you have to say. Here are some questions to help with that. Take a shot at answering them all in a single sentence.

  • Who am I writing for?
  • What do they want to know?
  • Why are they tuning into what I have to say?

Write down your audience profile. Revisit it every now and then as you write. Revisit every time you speak to a group. Adjust it as your readership grows or as the group you’re speaking to grows and changes. Use it as a guide to choose your ideas, your presentation style, and the stories and examples you use.

See if you can describe your audience in one sentence every time. Fine tune the sentence by considering the group and how they’re like you.

Most audiences are mixed with beginners and experts. Most of us are beginners on some things and experts on others. And we have forgotten some of what we once knew.

Our audience is likely to be a lot like we are — people tend to be attracted to people whose minds work alike. (We think people who think as we do are intelligent and and to think of those who don’t ,as not so intelligent or being difficult.) So as think about your text or live audience — beginners, experts, and forgetters alike — see them as intelligent people who simply need a refresher on what you are sharing.

With a clear destination — a message and an audience in mind — the minor decisions of communicating get a whole lot easier. It’s a matter of adjusting direction and timing to land it safely where you want it to be.

How do you know when you write or speak that you’ve chosen right for the audience you’re trying to reach?

–ME “Liz” Strauss