Life and Business Planning

Zen Garden

If you don’t design your life or business someone else will. This past week I made a renewed effort to engage in business planning. It is amazing me every time I set aside time to engage in life and business planning, distractions come flying at me.

These are the strategies I employ that you might want to add in your planning process:

1. Thinking place. Where do you go to think, plan and dream? I have a few spots. The key in picking a spot is that you turn away from and turn off distractions. Perhaps some classical music would help calm you as it has been identified to increase brain activity. This helps me when I need to really focus.
2. Put it on your calendar. Years ago I took a management consulting course and the instructor stressed the practice of scheduling time to plan each month. In that planning time working on your life and business plan makes sense as it gives you time to reflect on your goals, purpose and values.
3. Just start writing. If you haven’t created a business plan in the past and feel a bit intimidated the secret is to just start writing. That is the whole purpose. You can change edit, add, and subtract from your document it is your plan. You are designing your life and business.
4. Break it up. By chunking the process you will feel motivated to tackle one thing and the momentum will breed tackling the next step. Before you know it your plan will be drafted.
5. Remember this is a living document. Once you have it completed and even while drafting keep in mind that it is not set in stone. Circumstances change, markets expand and contract. This plan is a guide and the navigational tool for success.

Your goals, objectives and dreams are possible when you put some focus and energy into planning. The next step: working the plan.

Linda’s Tip: Positive First Impressions

What is the first impression you give others? Is it the positive first impression that you desire? This week’s tip provide suggestions on how to get feedback about your first impressions. Your first impression could be a last impression – you have the power to craft what that can be.

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The benefits of being Positive

smiley face

This past week I read an article from my church’s monthly magazine about a woman that was struggling with a life trial. As I read this article the benefits of being positive when everything around you seems negative came to my mind. Being positive is a state of mind. Turning a frown upside down into a smile may seem difficult but it is possible.

Today I thought I would list out the benefits of being positive. Perhaps this list will help you when you feel discouraged or down.

1. Troubles seem lighter
2. Attract more positive happenings
3. Attract more positive individuals into your life
4. Less stress
5. More money
6. Healthier relationships
7. Fulfillment
8. Better health
9. Clarity of mind
10. Possibility mindset

These benefits are immediate once you choose to embrace positivity. The power is within each one of us. We have the ability to be positive. The benefits of being positive impact us in every facet, stage and season of life. Positivity equates to abundance. Isn’t abundance and happiness what we all are seeking?

Linda’s Tip: Impact of Thank You Notes

Want to leave a lasting impression? The impact of the Thank You note will leave the receiver with a positive lasting impression of you. Thank you notes are the little details that pull a lot of punch in helping you build your brand.

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Linda’s Tip: Why Mission Statements are Important

What’s your mission? Have you identified it? If not, get a piece of paper and draft out what your purpose is in business, family and your individual life. Why are mission statements important? If you don’t design your life, someone else will. www.lhyatesconsulting.com

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Mistakes and Big Oops

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Have you ever made a big mistake? My Mom would occasionally make a salad that consisted of a pear, scoop of cottage cheese and Miracle Whip on top. This may sound unappetizing to some but it is actually tasty. Sometimes when I am longing for my home I will make this concoction.

One day I made this for lunch and went to put a little paprika on it and I goofed! Instead of opening the lid with the sprinkles I opened the larger lid that you pour from. This was a big oops – see picture! No matter what we may do to prevent making mistakes, they will come.
mistakes
The trick is to laugh at them, learn from them and sometimes start over. That is exactly what I did with this little salad. What mistakes do you need to move on from? Start today and enjoy the fruit of your labor.

3,000 Different Theories

3,000 Different Theories

Thomas Edison constructed 3,000 different theories in connection with the electric light. If he had given up at failure 100 what would have happened? Failure can be a gift along with the perspective gained when something needs to be changed or tweaked.

“If at first you don’t succeed try, try, try again.” This quote from William E. Hickson has been around a long time, since 1857 in fact. Many times we let the fear of failure hold us back, and we forget that persistence pays off. As we take a look at some of the most famous individuals such as Thomas Edison or Abraham Lincoln, these gentlemen had several failures before they were ever able to have a win or success.

As I learn about the different setbacks and disappointments that Abraham Lincoln encountered it provides me hope and humility. It doesn’t matter if we fail, it only matters if we pick ourselves back up and keep trying.

Sometimes the fear of failure is our greatest stumbling block. We have to look at the word fear and change its meaning to an acronym: False Evidence Appearing Real (FEAR). Faith and fear cannot reside together at the same time. So having faith and a strong belief that whatever the outcome, the journey and process of trying are where the opportunities lie.

As I look back over my life and think about the “failures” I have had I realize that they were actually gifts. Those times that I fell down and had to pick myself up again were the times I came to understand what I was made of discovered my strengths. In strength building we need opposition in order to grow and expand so to can we apply this to life. Instead of being afraid of failure turn it around and use it to move you forward.

In our economic climate, many individuals and companies are having a rough time. Each individual has a choice. The choice is to let the stumble flatten them or the choice to explore new methods. Even if you have historically been a person that when knocked down struggles to get up, whether physically, emotionally or financially, you can change right now and BREAK the pattern. Don’t let the setback stop you! Here are some suggested ways to keep moving:

1. Write out possible scenarios of how you can conquer your trial.
2. Then go to work on your plan. Work is a gift. You don’t need a job to go to work.
3. Avoid any negativity. Do what you have to do to keep yourself in a positive place.
4. Write out all that is positive in your life. Staying in the mind set of plenty will help give you momentum.
5. Do something consistently everyday to work on your plan.
6. Don’t give up – keep trying. If something is not working then make adjustments.
7. Record your progress. Keeping a journal will help you measure and analyze what you may be missing.
8. Reach out to others – serve. By focusing on others’ needs it gives us a fuller perspective and doing good will comes back to us tenfold.

When you feel overwhelmed, find stories or experiences of individuals who have overcome their obstacles. I love this quote and in fact it is a mantra in my life: “Failure is not an option.” This was the tag line for the movie about APOLLO 13. They went to the moon and so can you with whatever that moon symbolizes to you.

Universal Gravity

universal gravity

Universal gravity is a physical law. How do you expect to grow, profit or succeed if you don’t ask for what you want? Many years ago I was pregnant with my second child and towards the end of my pregnancy I had to be confined to bed rest. That was hard! I love to go, go, go like the energizer bunny and all of the sudden I had to stop, put on the brakes, and take care of my baby. I learned an important lesson through that experience. The only way I was going to be able to continue working and running a home was to ask for help.

The same holds true in business. How do we expect our businesses to take-off if we don’t put it out in the universe that our business even exists; and ask for what we need for it to be successful? Sometimes all it comes down to is asking for what we want and the principles of universal gravity take effect. The universe is neutral.

There is a strategy to determining who and when is the right combination. By taking time to clearly define what we want, then identifying those individuals that can help us we will be well on our way to achieving success.

I have found that when I start the momentum, the energy of that momentum builds and it takes a life of its own. It will often take time, but the secret is too START.

By following these steps, the treasure will be yours to enjoy and build upon for the future. Remember: you reap what you sow.

1. Clearly lay out your vision and define what it is your are seeking
2. Identify those groups of individuals that can use the service or business you are providing
3. Contact them often. Use the power of the internet, the phone and face to face interaction to remain top of mind.
4. Vary your messages but remain in contact
5. Always ask what they need.

Remember that often you have to give before you can get. Looking for ways to help others achieve their goals and objectives will come back to you in the most amazing and inspiring ways. The universe is neutral – all you have to do is ask.

Uncover the Incredible You!

uncover the incredible you

Do you realize how incredible you are? Perhaps you have forgotten. Just for a few minutes we are going to focus on you. All 75 trillion cells that make up the “incredible you.” Let’s UNCOVER!

When you hold a child for the first time aren’t you astounded at the beauty and possibility in that tiny body? Why is it that when we are children we have no limits on our imaginations of what we can do or who we will be?

As adults, we must acquire those childlike attributes again if we are to ever accomplish our deepest dreams and desires.

Words, such as faith, confidence and vision are all powerful words. They are only words if we don’t put them into action.

How many of you set goals at the beginning of a new year? How many of you have accomplished some of those goals already?

Often times, our past impacts our future steps.

There was a young girl born into poverty to a single mother. This young girl was raped at age nine and became pregnant at age 14 and the baby died in infancy. This woman could have let her past records of being a victim and succumbing to the attitude of “this must be my lot in life.” But she did not. In fact, this woman is worth over 2.7 billion dollars today. This woman, if you haven’t already guessed is Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah could have let her past impact what she could have potentially become. She didn’t just survive life she put it behind her and thrived. She is an incredible example of uncovering her potential.

What is your potential? Have you given up on it? Are you exploring what exactly “it” is?

There is a scripture in the New Testament of the Holy Bible in 2nd Timothy Chapter 1 verse 7 which reads: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear but of power, and of love and of a sound mind.”

We have it within each one of us the potential to do and be an incredible power and force for good. You may have already begun to see that in your life. I truly hope so.

Each of us is born beautiful. We are! Remember when you see and hold a newborn – what it is you feel? As life unwinds for each of us, we may forget about the beauty within.

I have a wonderful friend that I knew many years ago named Susan. One evening we were together with a bunch of other beautiful and incredible women at a book club sleepover in the mountains at one of the member’s cabin in the high mountains of Utah. The conversation turned to how we viewed ourselves individually. I remember Susan declaring that she was not beautiful nor did she think she was and was “ok” with that. One of the other women made the comment about Susan’s daughters and how beautiful they are. She asked Susan “don’t you think your daughters are beautiful?” Susan answered “absolutely” – they look just like her. Even with all the convincing we tried, we could not get Susan to see the beauty that she has.

This experience haunted me. It made me realize that what we think or perceive is very important to our ability to experience joy, happiness and success. We have the power within our mind to change our reality. Our perception is our reality. What do you perceive about you? If you want to change your reality – then change your perception.

Some of you may be happy with the way your lives are going. That is wonderful! Think about why that is. What do you find about your life that gives you joy? Is it your family? How about your health? Could it be your work? Those avenues in your life that create a foundation for you to thrive such as an Oprah Winfrey are those anchors that you can hold on to when waves of disappointment, frustration or trial occur. When you look at others who you think have uncovered their full potential you may believe that they have it made and don’t experience any problems.

One thing that I continue to learn as each year passes is that we all have our own individual set of problems and issues. We have a choice, whether or not to let them define us or to greet them head on.

A very dear friend was telling me about an exercise that he recently went through. He mapped out where and what he wanted to be not in five years from now but started from the potential end of his life. He started at age 100 then worked back to the age he is now. This exercise was powerful because it puts into focus what is most important. Whether or not we achieve what we lay out is not as important as the process itself.

We may have a tendency to let life just happen to us rather than taking life by the steering wheel and driving the journey to where we want to go.

This potential is in each one of us.

You are each incredible individuals. You are destined for greatness. You each have a mission that only you can perform.

Any time you forget about how incredible you are – think about your why, think about your legacy; then go and do the impossible. For your journey is the possible just waiting to happen.

Straddling the Fence

Straddling the Fence

I was raised on beautiful farmland in southeastern Idaho, I had many occasions where I found myself straddling a fence. We had a couple of different types of fencing on our large farm and ranch.

We had electric barb-wire fences on our property. It was pretty tricky jumping over them and not getting shocked. I learned pretty fast how not to touch the fence. Then as I got older, my parents invested in these beautiful white wood fences. They were tall enough that the horses couldn’t jump over and low enough that the calves from the cows couldn’t crawl under.

When climbing over that white fence I could straddle or sit on it. This gave me a higher perspective. I could watch what was happening in the corral.

Like the fence, there are moments in our personal and business lives where we are indecisive. We may question whether to “cross” the fence, sit on the fence or go back the way we came. There is a saying that is true, “you’re either sliding or climbing but never standing still.”

Once you have decided to head down a particular path, you have begun the commitment process. If we make a commitment and pursue that course of action we will feel like we are climbing because we took the action. When we stop and take no action then we begin to slide. We can always change course but the beauty of that is we are still climbing because of the action.

In my office hangs a picture with the word commitment on it. The quote, “determination is often the first chapter in the book of excellence” is under the word commitment. The picture is one of a runner in the early hours of the morning and set in a wooded rough terrain.

The reason I selected this picture was that I knew there may be days that are tough or hard. There would be days I would want to quit. But the runner in the picture reminds me of a goal I had and completed several years ago of running in every state of the country. Not only does the picture remind me of that goal I accomplished, it inspires me to stay focused on my new goal.

Sometimes I may try to straddle the fence but when I do I feel like my confidence is diminishing and my power as well. Taking action and striving for improvement has produced positive results.

All you have to do is climb the fence and explore the other side.