Two major opportunities that I’m looking at involve coaching and another stream of revenue.  Although there are significant differences in what these two things are, they do have similarities.  And that’s what I wanted to share with you today.

Both of these opportunities are going to cost me very little up front, but have the potential to bring me greatness in my business; both are things that I believe in without a doubt; and both will require a great deal of work on my part.  But the biggest similarity is that the contact I needed to make to begin the process didn’t come to me.  Let me say that again, in both cases, the contact I needed to make didn’t come to me.  I saw the opportunity and, in both cases, am familiar with someone involved, but I had to go to them, make the contact and will need to follow through.

That is huge and I think many who start businesses (myself included) forget that.  So one of my primary goals for the rest of this year will be to put myself out there and really work hard to make the connections I need to put my business and my life where I want it to be.  I hope you’ll join me on that journey and put yourself out there.  Let me know how it’s working for you.  I’ll keep you posted too.

So, today I’ve decided that I am going to post at least once how absolutely fabulous I am at what I do.  We may look at our strengths and think, “Anybody can this.  It really isn’t that special.”  Guess what?  It really is.  I have found that I am great at, and love, creating digital products for myself (Life Forms) and my clients.  The entire process whether I’m transcribing the authors words, creating forms to include or formatting the pages is awesome.  I love it and I do it well.  There are other things that I rock at and love doing, but that was the first that came to mind.

Look for things that you do well and enjoy, no matter how small you think they are, and start writing them down.  But today, publicly post at least one thing that you know you do well and give yourself credit for it.

When I organize my own space, I don’t necessarily do it in one huge leap. I plan, I think, I work in between planning and thinking, and I do a little at a time; that’s why it takes me close to two days. Eventually everything (and I mean everything) comes out of every file folder and I purge. Not everyone is good at purging and that’s okay. You don’t have to be great at tossing things to be organized.

My favorite part of the process is the first morning I get up and walk into a completed space. That feeling is fabulous! And that’s one of the best parts of my job…I get to help other people feel that way. Woohoo, bring on the order.

I simply don’t.  I function on feeling and if an email isn’t bringing me that ‘can’t wait to read that’ feeling, it doesn’t bring me value.  So if I filter it, I end up with folders full of emails that I won’t read and another chore when it comes time to cleaning out all those folders.  Not a great use of my time.  However, like I said, I’m sure many people benefit from filtering and that is something that I’ve set up for clients.

And that is one of the most important messages that I hope clients and potential clients take away from consultations.  Everyone  has different ways of processing information.  I happen to be very analytical with my files and folders.  I am a firm believer in everything in it’s place.  But I also need that place to make me feel productive and creative when I’m there.  That is exactly why I do what I do.  Business owners, regardless of the field they’re in, love the work they do.  They should have a place where they love to work and processes that make it easy.

Does your space affect the way you work?  What’s your style?

What ends up happening is that the information isn’t quite relevant or it’s the same trendy information I read from hundreds of other people.  Do I unsubscribe quickly?   Well, maybe not quickly, but I do unsubscribe.  As I mentioned in a recent post, I cannot deal with “stuff” in my way and my inbox is no exception.

My guidelines for dealing with email overload are actually very simple and anyone should be able to do it.  I have three categories of newsletter, blog or ezine.  The first is the newsletter that at first glance, makes my mind scream, “Crap, I don’t have time to read that.”  This is a clear indication that the content isn’t moving me.  These go immediately.

Some newsletters and ezines stay in rotation a little longer.  Maybe they speak to me on some level and I get some information from them.  These are the ones that I do save and read during my allotted “read blogs and newsletters” time each day or week.  As soon as I’ve read through and taken what I want from them, I delete them.  Most of the ones that I do let into my mailbox fall into this category.

The last category I have are the newsletters, ezines and blogs that I absolutely love reading.  As soon as I see the subject line I get excited and can’t wait until that sacred allotted time and I can read, read, read.  I always get tons of great information.  These newsletters are read daily, without fail.  As an example, some of my favorites are Daily Worth, The Inspired Office, and Virtual Moxie for business, and Beading Daily for my personal enjoyment.

The one thing that runs through my decisions when it comes to what I let in, what I read and what makes me head straight to the unsubscribe button, is how the content and delivery make me feel.  Do you do a lot of unsubscribing?  Do you have any favorites that you can’t live without?

It hasn’t always been like this for me.  I could get so caught up in work that I wouldn’t even take a break, much less go outside to do it.  I’m fairly positive that I’m not alone.  It is much too easy to just keep working.  How often have you said, “I’ll just finish this one thing.  It won’t take too long.”   We get so engrossed that we don’t get outside for even a few minutes to give our minds a break and enjoy a little fresh air.  It is absolutely necessary to do that.  When I worked for someone else, I didn’t do it.  Now that I work in my office, for myself, I do it everyday (my dog helps make sure I do).  Do you know what I’ve found?  When I come back in I am more creative, have more energy, and my body feels better.

That time is scheduled into my day now.  Once in the morning and once in the afternoon, I schedule myself about 30 minutes to do nothing.  I might take a quick walk to the mailbox, work on my Kumihimo, get myself a snack and drink, or just stretch.  Try it for a few days.  Regardless of the amount of time, I bet you will start seeing a big difference in the way you feel.

I am frequently (read at least quarterly) compelled to go through my electronic folders and files and re-organize what I may have dropped in the wrong place or delete what I can.  Once a year I do a major clean up and archive files I don’t need on my computer.  As crazy as it might sound, I love opening my file manager and seeing such an organized space.

Obviously the process does take time but in the end I have freed up space on my computer (even if only a small space) and when I keep my electronic filing organized I keep my mind free to create and I can work within a structure that suits the way I think, function and work.

Do you organize your electronic files on a regular basis?  What systems do you have in place to make your electronic filing as easy as possible?  Or is this an area where you could use the help of an administrative professional?

Whether you work virtually or in the corporate arena, we all need community of some kind to expand, to learn and to grow.  Most industries change, some more rapidly than others, but most on a fairly regular basis.  There is a lot of learning that needs to be done; new ideas, new software, new regulations, you get the idea.

I was very fortunate that I found AssistU early in my exploration of the virtual assistance field.  Not only did I get fabulous training, but I now belong to what I consider to be the best online community for virtual assistants out there.  AssistU is truly a community of my peers and the support and knowledge base available there has been crucial for my growth.

Community is comforting.  Not only do I receive great training opportunities, but I also have a comfortable and safe place to share and discuss ideas, learn about new and valuable tools, and get direct and honest feedback to problems or concerns.

Most business owners have the option of both virtual and in-person communities or organizations and, no matter how you work, both can have a place in your business.  There are two very simple things to keep in mind when choosing your communities.

1. You have to take action and participate for any organization or group to be effective.  If you don’t put yourself out there, you won’t get anything back.
2. You absolutely need to make sure that the communities you participate in have the same values and ideals that you have and are organizations that you want to align with.

So, no matter how you choose to stay connected to the people and technologies in your field, staying connected and informed is an important part of moving your business forward…doing it in an environment that is supportive and value-based for you is critical.

What I have learned more about recently is that I’m not so good at giving myself credit.  Sure, I can accept responsibility, and do so openly for all areas of my life and business, but I don’t give myself nearly enough credit for all the wonderful things I’ve accomplished or how far I’ve come.

We can’t and shouldn’t celebrate our successes but blame circumstance for not moving forward, and we can’t and shouldn’t just take responsibility for where we are without celebrating the successes that got us there.  The two go hand in hand.  One without the other is crazy.

Today I am going to take some time to celebrate me; how far I’ve come and how much I’ve learned over the last few years.  I hope you’ll join me.  Just take 30 minutes and think about some wonderful things you’ve accomplished whether personally or professionally and let yourself take credit for it.  We deserve it!

I had FUN!  And I had fun all weekend.

I went with a group of about 100 Girls Scouts and their leaders and chaperones to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia.  We played in the water park, sat in the hot tub, toured Williamsburg and, in general, spent an entire weekend not working…and having fun.  Now, I did take my laptop with me and did a little Facebooking, but did not work for even one second.  It was a great time and I needed it more than I thought.

As business owners, we do tend to work a lot of hours, even on weekends.  I do it because I enjoy my business and, like I said, I can do it when and how I want so it doesn’t interfere with my family time.  However, it is extremely important that as a business owner you take some time to focus on you.  Spend a couple days not working and give yourself the gift of rest, relaxation and fun you deserve.

What fun are you getting into this month?