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Nov 29 2015

3 Tips To Get The Most Out of The Holidays!

It’s that time of the year where there is a lot going on that could so easily compete for our attention, or stress us out. Here are three tips to help you get the most out of the holidays and enjoy it as well.

Set the Intention

Decide on what you would like to get out of the holidays; is it to spend more time with family and friends, is it to be stress free, is it to ensure you don’t overspend going into the New Year, or is it to reflect and plan for the year ahead. Whatever it may be, visualise what it is you want and create a clear mental picture of it. In “My Book on Mindset”, I talk about ‘Picture’ and the Power of Visualisation; the more we are able to clearly picture what we want, the more it becomes reality as our actions and thought process begin to align to the image we are holding.

Stay Focused

Once you’ve set the intention on what you want out of the holiday, it’s time to plan and focus. With a lot of what I’m going to call holiday fanfare, one can very easily get distracted – family and friends wanting your time, giving of gifts, Christmas events, and retailers working double hard to lure you – hence the need to stay focused and have a plan.

Create a list of the top three items you want to accomplish, and constantly refer to it to keep you focused.

If your goal is to not overspend this season, set a financial budget and avoid the temptation to buy unplanned or expensive gifts, sales events, or splurge on outings.

If your plan is for a stress-free holiday, define what that means to you, identify those things that would usually stress you, and plan on how to avoid them.

Plan to Enjoy the Season

I believe this is a season of love, joy, and good tidings. Make a decision to fill your mind and heart with gratitude, and choose to enjoy the season. Choose an attitude that in spite of what may be going on, and all of the hustle and bustle, you will be thankful and grateful for what you have. The more gratitude we have, the more we open ourselves for more – the simple Law of Attraction – what we are, we attract. Allow yourself to take in the Christmas music, the movies, and the good cheer.

The decision is yours to make on what you get out of the season. Set your mind on what you want, focus on what you set your mind to do, and open yourself to enjoy the season. Your mindset determines your attitude, your attitude determines your choices, and your choices determine what you get out of the holidays.

To learn about Yvonne’s latest book on Changing your Mindset for greater results, visit http://www.oliveblue.com/changeyourmindset/

Yvonne is an Author, Speaker, Change Consultant & John Maxwell Leadership Coach who is passionate about working with Individuals, Entrepreneurs and Organisations to help implement change they want and achieve their goals.

She can be reached at: http://www.oliveblue.com/ . https://www.facebook.com/oliveblueinc . https://twitter.com/oliveblueinc. https://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeYouWantTV

Apr 28 2015

A Simple Reminder.

The hardest thing for us female entrepreneurs is having to come to terms with the notion that work-life balance is a figment of our imagination. Like a majestic flying unicorn – although fun to imagine, it really doesn’t do much for us.

As entrepreneurs, we shouldn’t be ashamed to say how truly ‘unbalanced’ life is. Sugar-coating work/life on social media, and in conversation with others, can only do us so much good. After a while, it all just catches up with you.

This is why the theory of ‘Leaning In’ – proposed by Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, which suggests women should lean into leadership roles in order to create greater structural organizational changes to positively impact and improve work-life balance – makes working gals like us shake our heads a little bit. Not because Sandberg’s theory isn’t valuable – but because it’s a theory, and theories don’t always hold up when applied to real-life situations with varying degrees of socio-economic factors.

Real-life disequilibrium is:

Fluctuating eating schedules tied to your latest project milestones.
Having virtually non-existent sleeping routines and habits.
Social outings that are veiled in euphoric desperation.

Add a couple of children / spouses / relatives into the mix, and work-life balance is officially out the window.

As all-round doers, it easy for us to internalize frustration, anxiety, sadness and believe we are not ‘measuring up’. This is why we’re writing you this simple reminder: Do things your way.

Make your own work-life rules and stand by them when family and friends make unwanted suggestions as to how you ‘should’ live your life (whether at work or at home). Be kind with other female entrepreneurs – we might not all face the same struggles and/or barriers to entry, however, we are all willing to incur significant risks, possible rewards and daily setbacks in order for our businesses to stay afloat. That in itself deserves acknowledgement, respect and admiration.

But most importantly, be compassionate with yourself. After all, you’re doing the best you can with the circumstances presented before you – don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. When you acknowledge how far you have come and take pride in your business, you will see that by not succumbing to the pressures of ‘having it all’, you will come out of this process standing tall and proud.

Written by Marisol and Silvia Fornoni, Founders of JDC.

JDC supports socially conscious organizations with finding sustainable ways to tell their stories using visual design, engaging content and non-traditional media. We help you with anything from organizing fundraising campaigns to web design and social media management.

http://www.joint-development.com

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Jan 04 2015

15 Inspirational Quotes for 2015

Happy New Year! A new year is a chance for all of us to wipe the slate clean and get a fresh start! A time to get rid of everything and everyone that was a bad or negative influence in our lives and move forward. It’s also a chance for us to have new experiences and make new friends. 2015 gives us all an opportunity to be better people; people who lift others up instead of bringing them down. Here are 15 inspirational quotes to help you have a prosperous and positive 2015 :

“For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.For poise, walk with the knowledge that you will never walk alone” – Sam Levenson
“ Be yourself everyone else is already taken “ – Oscar Wilde
“Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible !” – Audrey Hepburn
“ A lady’s worth is not measured by wealth or social status, but in the way she treats others” – Praveeni Perera
“Don’t follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you” – Margaret Thatcher
“ Let no man pull you low enough to hate him “ – Martin Luther King
“Always be a first rate version of yourself instead of a second rate version of someone else” – Judy Garland
“Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren’t ” – Margaret Thatcher
“Success isn’t about how much money you make, it’s about the difference you make in people’s lives” – Michelle Obama
“Don’t waste time putting others down when you could be building yourself up “ – Praveeni Perera
“ A girl should be two things : classy and fabulous” – Coco Chanel

“The attributes of a great lady may still be found in the rule of the four S’s: Sincerity, Simplicity, Sympathy, and Serenity” – Emily Post
“Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness” – Oprah Winfrey
“Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman” – Coco Chanel
“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much” – Oscar Wilde

Praveeni Perera is the CEO and co-founder of Professional Edge Consulting a corporate training company based in Ottawa offering training and coaching services to clients around the world. She can be reached via Website, Twitter, Facebook or her Blog.

Dec 04 2014

Four People Entrepreneurs Should Thank At Christmas

Christmas is the time to be thankful for the year that passed and look forward to the year ahead. As an entrepreneur you have many people that help and assist you in both your professional and personal life. It’s important to show your appreciation to those that support you. Here are 4 people entrepreneurs should thank at Christmas :

Clients

You wouldn’t be in business without your clients so show them you appreciate their business. A card wishing them well for the holiday season and thanking them for their business is a nice gesture. Sending a handwritten card as opposed to a generic printed card is better as it adds a more personal touch. If you wish you can send your clients a corporate gift such as a calendar, paperweight or even chocolates with your company logo on them. Make sure your gift is addressed to your client and try to avoid non-addressed generic messages.

Your team

Most entrepreneurs don’t go it alone, there’s always a few people you rely on to make your business work. Whether it’s your web designer or your intern you still have people to thank for helping you run your business. Thanking your team by sending a card or gift will show them you appreciate the work that they do and help strengthen your business relationship. If you work very closely with your team on a daily basis you can opt for a more personal gift such as a favourite bottle of wine or some home baked cookies, the important thing is to let them know they are valued.

Suppliers

Suppliers provide you with products or services that help you run your business. Christmas is a good time to thank them for their services. Although you are a customer to them, finding suppliers that provide top quality products and services isn’t always easy so you should show your appreciation of their work. This will encourage them to continue to provide you with good quality products and services. Suppliers will also remember you and be more willing to go the extra mile for you if you’ve shown your appreciation. As an entrepreneur you should always strive to maintain a good relationship with your suppliers.

Supporters

Every entrepreneur has supporters that provide encouragement and motivate you to keep going. Supporters are people who are not directly affiliated with your business but are a part of your network. They can be friends, mentors, former teachers or even family members. As an entrepreneur you should show appreciation for the people that keep you going throughout the year. Opt for a more personal gift for your supporters and make it clear that your are thankful for their encouragement of your entrepreneurial endeavours.

Dec 11 2013

Christmas is The Time for Reflecting

Our home is full of Christmas! The tree is decorated with beautiful loving ornaments chosen with love from all our family and friends. As I place each ornament on the tree I remember the story behind the gift. The final two ornaments in hand and they are the most special of all. They are handmade and over 25 years old. My children made them for me when they were in kindergarten. They are the most simple and yet most precious gifts I have ever received.

Each year I reflect on what I have completed and where I want to go. I look back on my year on a business and personal level. I look at the great accomplishments of my year. I begin to analyze my business in all respects. The hardest part is being objective. Taking out the emotions is the most difficult part of being a business owner.

What is your business doing? Are you being successful? Are you actually making money?

Here are some ideas to ponder when looking at your business plan for the upcoming year:

Take a look at all your revenue streams. Which have made you money? What are you going to do about those revenue streams that lost money?
Take a look at your marketing/promotions and advertising. Which methods worked?
Take a look at the sales targets you set for the previous year and even more importantly take a look at the actual data. Have you been successful??? Do you see a trend?

Setting the plan for the upcoming year is a great way to ensure your success. Take the time to see what has and has not worked and focus on the business plan you have revised.

On a personal note I want to thank you all for reading my notes. I hope that I have informed you or given you some reason to reflect.

Anna Ottaviani is a Board Certified NLP Master Practitioner & Master Coach, Board Certified Master Hypnotherapist,Creating Your Future® , Time Line® Therapist Practitioner and Reiki Master. Her methods are unique and tailored to each individual client. She can be reached at www.sucessfullyyou.ca or by phone at 289-221-5772. You can follow her on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/successfullyyou?ref=ts&fref=ts

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