new year | | Canadian Small Business Women

Dec 21 2016

Is your business ready for 2017? 5 Social Media Predictions for the New Year

Wow! 2016 has flown past, and the changes in Social Media have been absolutely mind-blowing! Live video streaming has completely exploded, new apps have come and gone while Facebook has grown to over 1.7 Billion users worldwide and is now thinking far beyond the “like” with multiple “reactions” available now to respond to posts on your newsfeed.

Keeping an eye on the trends can really help us pinpoint where the world of social media marketing is headed as we get ready for 2017. Below are my top 5 things to keep in mind as you are planning out your social media strategy and budget for the next year.

1. Video

Don’t ignore the rise of video as the world continues to get smaller, information is being consumed faster and in visual formats. Find new ways to engage your followers with exciting videos featuring behind-the scenes interviews or previews. Most video is watched without sound, so take the time to add captions to your videos (either yourself pre-upload, or using the built-in caption tools from Facebook or YouTube.

2. Private Messaging

Consumers want direct access to brands and they want it now! Keep an eye on evolving options on private messaging apps to help you business connect directly with your followers. Facebook Messenger is becoming increasingly popular with both customers and brands for on-demand customer services. Twitter and Instagram also have direct messaging features that allow followers to ask questions. Keep in mind that social media users expect a reply in less than an hour – so make sure you have someone on-call to answer those inquiries when they come in!

3. Mobile First

With over 76% of Canadians owning a smartphone and over 50% of Google searches happening on these devices, make sure your website and social media are mobile friendly! If you aren’t sure if your website is mobile-ready, you can run a quick check at https://search.google.com/search-console/mobile-friendly . For social media, you will want to make sure your links and images show up nicely on mobile phones. On mobile, videos are usually viewed without sound, so be sure to add captions!

4. Pay-to-Play

Advertising space online is limited, and organic reach on all social media platforms is decreasing daily. Be prepared to spend more $$ to get your products and services in front of the right audiences. Social networks are meant to be social, so it makes sense that promotional content needs to be paid for, just as it is on any media publication. Small businesses can still afford to pay-to-play on social though, providing enough time is spent to set up proper targeting and content for social ads.

5. Focus & Plan

Don’t try to do everything. Focus on where your target market is most likely to consume your content and engage with your brand. Spend your time developing content that reflects your brand message and adds value to the social network where you spend your time. If social media plays a large role in your marketing plans, it may make sense to outsource the community management or advertising on social to an expert that can achieve higher results in less time, thus leaving you with more time to do what you love!

To learn more about how to maximize the effectiveness of your Facebook marketing efforts, schedule a complimentary consultation with Teach Me Social. Teach Me Social owner Kelly Farrell has been helping empower Canadian Small Businesses through social media since 2012. Teach Me Social offers effective social media services which include training sessions and consulting as well as full-service social media account management.

Dec 15 2016

Planning for success in 2017

sandra

We’re just a couple weeks shy of the end of 2016. Even if the year wasn’t everything you imagined it would be; the New Year brings with it the opportunity for a fresh start. The question is: what are you going to do with yours?

If you didn’t accomplish everything you wanted to this year, it may be about more than just poor planning. Just like a house built on an unstable foundation won’t stay standing, we need to make sure that we have a solid mindset before pursuing our goals. If you pursue 2017 goals with 2016’s mindset, don’t be surprised when you get similar results!

Consider the beliefs or thoughts that held you back from doing things you knew were going to help your business. What would you need to do to shift them so that you can take those leaps of faith in the upcoming year? Whether it’s hiring a coach, attending a workshop or reading a book, there are many ways to work on your limiting beliefs.

Sometimes we’re not conscious of the beliefs that are holding us back because we’ve believed them for a very long time. Many of the limiting beliefs that we have were passed on to us by well-meaning family and friends. They too are unconscious of the fact that what they’ve shared with us causes limitations. It’s only when we start to question whether or not our beliefs truly serve us that we can identify the ones that need shifting.

If we don’t work on our mindset, we will struggle with the plan. If you are limited in your belief about what’s possible, it will undoubtedly affect the plans you put in place. Maybe you’re playing small when it comes to your goals because you don’t think you’re capable of achieving the amazing things you really want for your life. Whatever’s holding you back, know that it doesn’t have to be your reality. I truly believe that where there’s a will, there is always a way!

What are you going to do differently in 2017? What beliefs do you need to shift in order to make those changes happen? Who or where can you go to for the help you need so that you don’t sabotage your success and you can really make the New Year your best year yet? Whatever it is you need to do, write it down, give yourself a deadline and take action to make it happen!

If you’d like help with identifying your limiting beliefs so that you can pursue your 2017 goals with a mindset for success, book a complimentary, no-obligation 30 minute Clarity Session with me today!

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Want to plan your 2017? Enhance your planning with a Leonie Dawson Workbook

2017-workbook

Nov 15 2016

5 Ways to Prepare for 2017

sandra

It’s hard to believe that there’s only about six weeks left in 2016! While many use this time heading into the holidays to wind things down in their business, I find it one of the busiest times of the year. For me, it’s the time to start working on the plan for the New Year as well as work with clients developing their own plans. Here are 5 ways to prepare for 2017:

Celebrate your accomplishments

Taking the time to review the current year’s accomplishments is a great way to start the New Year. We often focus on the things that didn’t go according to plan or the mistakes made along the way. If we direct our energy on the negative we set ourselves up for more of the same. No matter how much went wrong this year, there are always things that went right. Find time to reflect on what those things are.

Review what’s working and what isn’t

You know the saying that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. The interesting thing is that many of us keep doing things the way we’ve always done them expecting that if we do more of it that the results will be different. When we don’t get the expected results, we find ourselves frustrated and disillusioned. Of course there are things that we’re doing that do work for us. We need to identify them and see how we can leverage them moving into the New Year.

Identify required resources

We all need help of some sort to make our goals a reality. If things didn’t go according to plan, then it’s time to think about who or what you need in your business to get you where you want to be. What help our resources would have made life easier for you in 2016? Make a list of what you need and make a plan to obtain it.

Set 1 or 2 primary goals

We often don’t achieve the things we wanted to in a year because we overestimate what can be done. We end up feeling overwhelmed with all the things we want to do and the result is that we do even less than we planned. Instead of having 10 goals that you want to achieve in 2017, pick one or two major goals that you want to focus on. Consider what goals if met, will make it easier to achieve other smaller goals. It’s all about finding that goose who lays the golden eggs!

Schedule time off

All work and no play doesn’t just make us dull, it sets up fertile ground for burnout! Make sure that you schedule time away from your business or work so that you can relax and recharge. Achieving work/life balance doesn’t have to be mission impossible. Remember, you didn’t start your business to spend all your time working; you did it because you wanted freedom. Hard work does pay off, but we all need to take a step back so we can come back with fresh eyes and rested brains!

It’s never too late or too early to start planning your year. It’s important to give yourself the time to reflect on the year that has passed and consider what you want to achieve in the one coming. It’s about preparing a foundation to plant seeds that have no choice but to flourish. What are your plans for 2017?

Connect:

www.embraceyourdestiny.ca

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook

www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Dec 29 2015

New Year – Renew

yvonne

Looking for your New Year resolution of 2016 and wanting new changes to your life?

Simple… do things differently.

Every year many of us set new year resolutions, goals or mentally think of how we would like to do things differently, and come end of the year we find ourselves in the same spot.

And this is often not for lack of trying; we set out with best intentions, we update our resumes, we join the gym or renew our memberships, we start writing our business plan… but somehow, along the way things don’t always pan out as planned.

Until we get to the root cause, come 2017, we may still have the same goals, and still be making the same New Year Resolutions.

If you want to see different results this year, you need to first ask yourself: What do I need to change about the way I think in order to set myself up for success?

Perhaps you are sticking to old thinking and yet want new results, which may make your quest very difficult to perhaps even impossible. You may achieve some success with your old ways of thinking, but you will find yourself back at the beginning again if you have not dealt with changing your mindset. – Change Your Mindset and Change Your Life How can you ensure 2016 is different! Albert Einstein put it aptly when he said insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

One other area worth noting that may be hindering us is our surroundings . . The people we surround ourselves with, and what we expose our eyes and mind to can so easily have an impact in the way we think and actions we take. When your mindset is interrupted with negative thoughts or contrary energy to your goals, it will affect the way you react to life, which gradually will affect your goals as well. We must find what hinders our way of thinking and change it to a positive mindset to experience positive results.

To renew our mind is to recondition our mind. We start by recognising negative thought patterns and purposefully replacing them with new and positive thoughts. – Change Your Mindset and Change Your Life

To get different results we have to start doing things differently. How do we get to the root cause of what is holding us back to start get the results we want? This is where reflecting, shaping our mindset, planning and taking action, all come together to create the perfect recipe for success and a more wholesome lifestyle that will change our world.

Like one of my favourite quotes says : Change your thoughts and you change your world- Norman Vincent Peale

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

Nov 29 2015

3 Tips To Get The Most Out of The Holidays!

yvonne

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/

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

Jan 15 2015

5 Ways to Make 2015 Your Best Year Yet!

It’s the start of a New Year. Time for goal setting, setting intentions and putting a plan into action! I love the New Year because I always feel like it’s a fresh start, a clean slate to do things differently, better, than the year before. I would love to hear your tips to make this year better than the last. Here are my 5 suggestions to make 2015 your best year yet.

Celebrate your accomplishments from the previous year

This is something that I started to do several years ago. On New Year’s Eve, before any festivities begin, I grab my journal and list all of the things that I accomplished during the current year. They don’t all have to be monumental goals, but you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by all that you’ve done, even if you think you didn’t have such a stellar year.

Review what worked and what didn’t

We’ve all heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. If we don’t take the time to look at the systems and strategies that worked and evaluate the ones that didn’t we might end up making the same mistakes again next year. Don’t beat yourself up about the failures, but do learn from them. What can you do differently next time?

Identify at least 3 things you intend to accomplish this year

What would an article about the New Year be without talking about setting goals? They don’t all have to be about your business. Throw some personal goals in the mix too. When we’re at our best, we do our best. Achieving personal goals can help you be more effective in your business as well so don’t forget to take care of yourself when setting your intentions for 2015.

Choose at least one skill to upgrade or learn

If we’re not learning, we’re not growing. I’m a firm believer and strong supporter of continuing education. We can never possibly know all there is to know, even in areas that we’ve mastered. Whether it has to do with your business or not, learning a new skill or learning how to do something you already know in a different way, expands our minds and opens us up to new opportunities that we might not have known existed otherwise. My 9 year-old lab/border collie mix is a constant reminder that you’re never too old to learn and you actually can teach an old dog new tricks! 😉

Create a 90-day action plan

If you work out regularly, I’m sure you’ve witnessed the popularity of your local work out spot in January and the decline in attendance as we head into February. It’s why I no longer believe in New Year’s Resolutions. We can’t just say we’re going to start doing, or stop doing something; we have to figure out how we’re going to do it. In addition to that, we have to make sure we’re committed to our goals and make sure that it’s a goal that is important to us, and not something someone else wants us to do. The action plan doesn’t have to be perfect, but it definitely helps to have one. If you want to increase the effectiveness of the plan, share it with someone you know will hold you accountable.

Reflecting on the previous year can be a bittersweet time for many of us. It’s easy to focus on the things that didn’t go the way we hoped or expected rather than on the things that worked out, sometimes even better than we had planned. Whether last year was phenomenal or lack-lustre, celebrate the fact that you survived another year and know that this year can always be better, it’s all up to you!

Sandra Dawes is a certified life coach specializing in helping women who feel unfulfilled with their 9-5 follow their dreams and pursue their passions. She holds an Honours BA, an MBA as well as a certificate in Dispute Resolution.She has completed her first book,Embrace Your Destiny: 12 Steps to Living the Life You Deserve!
Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Dec 27 2014

Before you make your resolutions and set your goals, DO THIS first!

So, 2014 is about to come to a close, and I’m sure many of you have been thinking about resolutions you want to set in the New Year. I’m one for planning and setting goals, but late last year, I discovered something that I thought was just genius and I wanted to share it with you today. It may be the ticket that actually guarantees that you strive for the right goals; ones that you will actually enjoy pursuing.

So, what is this new method I’m talking about? Well, it’s from one of my mentors, Danielle Laporte, author of The Desire Map. The Desire Map’s core concept is that, because we set a goal in order to feel a certain way, we need to start from there (the feeling place). She says, “You’re not chasing the goal itself; you’re actually chasing the feeling that you hope achieving that goal will give you.” She calls these feelings, your core desired feeling. When we take this approach, we then set our goals based on how we want to feel. If you take a look at past goals you’ve set for yourself and your business, if asked, “why did you want it”, it really boils down to a feeling. Let’s take a goal to get 10 new clients for your business. It really isn’t just about the 10 new clients, but more about how getting those new clients will make you feel: the desire to reach more people with your product or service, feel accomplished, productive, and of service. Those are the goals you’re really going after, not just the number of clients.

Let’s take another example of a resolution many people have which is to lose weight, say 20lbs. It really isn’t just about the number 20, but really about how losing 20lbs would make you feel: the desire to feel fit, strong, healthy, confident and sexy. So, before you set your resolutions and goals this year, it is critical to establish your core desire feelings first!

Next year, my biggest focus is on my core desire feelings. My specific tangible goals, which are important to have, is now based on my core desired feeling not the other way around. So many times, we subscribe to society’s definition of success and achievement. We then strive to reach it, even though reaching it does not evoke feeling of success for us! You need to understand what success feels like for you, and then align your goals to those feelings. If we take the example of losing 20lbs, and focused on the core desire feelings of being strong, fit, confident and sexy, you can set goals to strength train and work out 3-5x/week, because that’s what it will take to feel that way versus just having a goal to lose 20lbs. Even buying that cute little black dress that hugs all the right places will give you the same feeling! How great is that?!

Another great thing about this is that it allows you to evaluate opportunities that come up through the year. So many times we lose focus on our goals or have the “shiny object” syndrome. However, if you have something to compare the opportunities against, it makes it much easier to decide what is best for you. You are then able to make decisions that are aligned to your values and missions.

When you’re clear on your core desired feelings, you become an “intentional creator” of your life as Danielle puts it. As we all know, we start of the year with great intentions. However, along the way, we may hit some roadblocks. When we focus on our core desires, we are able to recognize when we’re not on it. We can’t control what happens, but we can control our reaction and experience of what happens. Focusing on your core desires allows you in those moments to take back your control and ask yourself; “what can I do to generate my core desire feelings”. This allows you to not be a victim to your circumstances.

Check out my two of my favourite gals in this video (Marie Forleo and Danielle Laporte) talking about the steps to match your goals to your core desired feelings here.

So when setting your goals this year, be clear on why you’re setting your goals and look to match them to your soul’s desires.

Uchechi Ezurike-Bosse is a Business & Lifestyle Strategist, Speaker and Writer, but most importantly, a proud Mother and Wife. Uchechi is Founder of My Empowered Living (http://www.myempoweredliving.com) a website aimed at helping women shift their mindset and live their passion! Whether it’s starting and building their dream business, or helping them create a lifestyle they crave, Uchechi is the modern woman’s secret to success! Visit Uchechi at www.myempoweredliving.com to get her FREE online video training series The 4 Keys to your Business Success! This free 4-day business training reveals her 4 key strategies needed to build a profitable and successful business, and how to put them to work in your business!

Dec 15 2014

The year in review…

Several years ago I started the New Year’s Eve ritual of celebrating my accomplishments. I find it’s a great way to end the year off on a positive note and carry over that positivity into the New Year. Last year, in addition to celebrating my accomplishments and setting my intentions for the upcoming year, I also took stock of the habits that contributed to my success, and those that kept me from making the year an even more productive and successful one.

We’ve all heard it said that the definition of insanity is doing the same things and expecting different results. It was with this in mind that I started to take a look at the habits that served me and those that didn’t. It was especially important for me to review these things at the end of last year, since the second half of the year was the start of my journey as a full-time entrepreneur.

Along with reviewing our habits, the end of the year is also a great time to consider what worked and what didn’t, both personally and in your business. We want to continue to do the things that worked, yet we shouldn’t hesitate to question whether or not we could do those things even better, more effectively. We also need to review the things that didn’t work and figure out why. Not to beat ourselves up about our failures, but to learn from them, and figure out what we need to do next time so that we don’t end up with the same results.

Obviously we don’t have to wait until the end of the year to do these things, but the New Year is a great time for new beginnings. For many of us it’s also the start of a new fiscal year, so making changes and improvements in January will allow you to measure your growth year over year as you continue to build and grow your business.

Whether 2014 was an awesome year or just so-so, there is always room for improvement. Taking stock of the current year provides you with the opportunity to celebrate the progress you’ve made and tweak the plan to make the upcoming year an even better one. It’s about a constant evolution. If you had a great year, the next one can be even better. If you didn’t achieve as much as you wanted to do this year, know that there’s always room for improvement, it’s just a matter of retooling the strategy and your mental game.

Make a commitment to learn a new skill, release the habits (and anything else) that doesn’t serve you and develop the habits that are helping you get closer to your goals! If we want to achieve the best we can in our respective businesses, we have to be at our best. Take the time to evaluate the game plan and make the changes necessary to knock it out the park in the New Year!

May the New year be one of great health, peace and abundance!

Jan 15 2014

Time To Take Inventory

When we think of inventory, we often think of a storage room or warehouse full of merchandise to be sold. The inventory I want talk about today is our personal inventory. It’s January – the time for New Year’s resolutions, revised business plans and targets, and a fresh start!

I did an exercise with the youth at the shelter I volunteer at and wanted to share it with you:

Make a list of your habits.
Divide them into two categories, those that serve you (aka good habits) and those that hinder your progress (aka bad habits).

It’s helpful to look at this exercise from a personal and business standpoint. Often the two overlap for entrepreneurs anyway! This exercise should be done as part of your “what’s working/what isn’t” review that should be a part of your 2013 recap. Whether it’s spending too much time on Facebook or not enough time getting leads and referrals, we have to be honest with ourselves about the things we’re doing (or not doing) that are hindering our progress.

We all know that habits are hard to break, but when those habits are hindering your personal and professional/business growth, it’s time to take notice and take action! It’s said that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. That’s it. 21 days of consistent effort will get you closer to opening up the channels that contain all the good stuff that’s going to help you be a better entrepreneur, mate, friend or parent. There are going to be challenges. Don’t beat yourself up if you fall back into old habits. Acknowledge the slip up and why it happened and move on.

The habits we want to release took time to become a part of our daily routine. It’s going to take time and commitment to let them go and develop new ones that will help you to take your life to the next level. Try not to overwhelm yourself. When we’re making the list of our habits, it can be easy to get carried away focusing on all of our negative habits. We’re not going to change all of them at once. Focus on one or two that you feel are manageable and work your way up to the bigger ones. Remember that small successes will build momentum.

If you need help, ask for it. An accountability partner is a great help when you’re working on making changes in your life. Surround yourself with positive people. We all have changes we want to make; we might as well support one another to ensure that we all achieve success!

Connect:
www.embraceyourdestiny.ca
www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestiny

www.facebook.com/embraceyourdestinythebook
www.twitter.com/sandradawes

Jan 10 2014

New Beginnings

It’s that time of year upon when many of us decide to begin anew. We make ourselves and other promises of change. Some of us attack weight loss, others set goals for our career or business path. In essence we start with the best of intentions. We move into the new year with such wonderful expectations, full of vigor!

AND…, in some cases we hit the brick wall! Our first main obstacle occurs and we start to teeter. Then we begin to question our ability and this turns into disappointment and soon we begin to wonder what we were thinking in making this goal to begin with.

Does this formula sound familiar??? How many of you have already it your first impasse?

I am here to help with these feelings. I would like you to know that over 80% of goals set have been hindered by the feelings of inability. The question we all want answered is why we allow the plan to alter at the first sign of trouble.

The will to want to make a change is a huge part of success however we need to do the follow through. Here are some steps to ensure that you are successful:

Once your goal is set, you need to make a plan. Make steps to your plan with appropriate time lines!
Revise and edit your plan if you find that portions of your steps aren’t working with the outcome you desire. Making a change in the plan isn’t quitting; it is merely allowing you to tweak your plan to ensure your success.
Look for help! If you find that things aren’t coming together seek the advice of a good friend or more importantly a professional. Seek a business councillor for your business needs or the expert in the field of your goal.
Don’t quit!!!! You have the ability to become anything you want or achieve any success you desire. It is all your choice!

Here is wishing you a great start to your goals in 2014! Feel free to contact me if you need any help ensuring your success.

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

Dec 27 2013

Help! Where’s My Work-Life Balance?

New business owners start out on their own for many reasons; one of them may be having more control over one’s time, that work-life balance.

According to a recent radio segment by Calgary’s News Talk 770 and interview with successful entrepreneur, philanthropist, and former Dragons Den ‘dragon’ W. Brett Wilson, work-life balance no longer exists. Wilson, a self-declared workaholic, explains his new approach: “I blend my work and play. I’ll be working every day while I’m in Australia but that allows me to be in Australia.”

One could argue that work-life balance has not become extinct, it has merely evolved. With technology having reached new heights, most business and communication now takes place via Internet and e-mail and the proverbial 9-to-5 job has become a relic. Business owners can and do take their work wherever they go: the golf course, home, and on vacation. The rapidly growing number of solopreneurs working from their home-based offices or dining-room tables, with 24/7 access to and tempting/distracting visibility of their workspace, has further blurred any lines of separation between work and life.

As Wilson points out though, the balance is there for the taking – it just requires more self-discipline and boundaries than in the past. In an article in The Art of Magazine, Fall 2013, Mitch Joel, author of the book Ctrl Alt Delete – Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It, uses the metaphor of a three-legged stool. Without the right blend of the three legs – family and friends, profession, community – Joel says the stool (aka life) will topple.

Business owners and solopreneurs therefore have to take charge of balancing their work hours with their personal lives to stay physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy and maintain good relationships all around. Just as Justitia’s scales need to stay in balance in the judicial system, so do our life scales. Piling tons of work onto one side, and only a few ounces of personal time on the opposite will otherwise have us hitting the ground and rock bottom in no time.

To improve your ‘balance’ and work-life blend, try implementing the following:

Schedule breaks: Set an alarm on your cellphone or computer. When it rings, step away from your desk/workspace for at least 5-10 minutes every couple of hours.
Turn off your cell phone and laptop during your downtime: Vibrating phones and flashing indicator lights are too great a temptation!
Don’t procrastinate exercise and workouts: Schedule them, just like any business meeting! Arrange a date and time to meet a friend at the gym, yoga class [insert your preferred exercise here]. Whether you work out together or not, this makes you accountable to show up.
Take your personal time just as seriously as your work. Well, maybe don’t be serious when you’re off work but see it as important as anything else you do.

So in the New Year, take charge of your personal time and tip the work-life scales in your, your health’s, and your family’s favour. Happy New Year!

Martina Rowley is the founder and operator of Beach Business Hub – THE coworking space east of the Don Valley. She combined her passion and experience in the environmental sector with her community engagement side to create a local work environment where space and resources are shared. She fosters and facilitates collaboration, networking, and learning for and with small business owners and new startups. Contact her at:http://www.beachbusinesshub.ca, on Facebook and on Twitter

Nov 18 2013

Dreams vs. Goals

Can you believe that there are just over 5 weeks left in 2013? I don’t know about you, but time seems to just keep speeding up. It feels like just a few months ago I was ringing in the New Year with friends and loved ones! As we head into the final stretch, now’s as good a time as any to review our accomplishments for the year.

Do you have a long list of things you wanted to achieve back in January that still remain undone? If so, then it’s time to consider why you didn’t make the progress you wanted to this year. Many of us make New Year’s resolutions, but we lose focus as the year continues. Think about how packed gyms are in January and how the numbers start dwindling in February. Why do we lose momentum so quickly?

One of the reasons is because we don’t see the immediate results we desire. We live in a world where instant gratification has become the norm. When we don’t see the results we want as quickly as we want, we become discouraged. Another reason is the fact that we haven’t put a plan in place to achieve our goals. I’m sure we’ve all heard it said that a goal without a plan is just a dream. Without a strategy to achieve our goals, it is easy to get distracted and/or discouraged.

Plans don’t have to be static. The most effective plans evolve as we put them into action. When we take action on the goals we want to achieve, we learn new things and often encounter unexpected outcomes and challenges. The plan needs to be flexible if our goals are to become a reality. Remember to focus on what you want to achieve and not be too stuck on how you think it should happen. It’s impossible to know all of the avenues that exist to take you to the realization of your goal. Keep an open mind and you’ll be amazed at the opportunities that present themselves to you!

As we get closer to the end of the year, now is a great time to start thinking about your goals for the New Year and develop the plan to make them a reality. Consider what you want to achieve in all areas of your life: personal, career & education, health & wellness, relationships, financial, and contribution (charity/giving back). Break them down into short, medium and long-term goals and keep track of your progress at regular intervals throughout the year. As you see the progress you are making, you will be more motivated to keep going. Your goals can become a reality; you just have to be committed to making them happen!

If you’d like to get a head start on 2014, join me for my Jump Start Your Year workshop on December 1^st.

Here’s to making 2014 your best year yet!

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