Intention: Check-in (3 Questions) 

Ebony, you are just about half-way through the 21-day e-Course.  How is it going for you and your organizational goal?  Are you still feeling motivated?  Accomplishing those 15-minutes of focused action each day?  What else is showing up on this journey? 
This is not a test, just a check-in.  So, take a breath and take a non-judgmental look at how you are doing with this goal.  See where you are and how you are really feeling about this place in relation to your chosen organizational goal. 
 
 
Conscious Questions-to-Self
• Am I still aligned with the goal I chose for organizing?• Have I created steps so that I can achieve organization without overwhelm, i.e., the 15-minute focused actions?• Three questions to ask yourself to re-align and create next steps after answering the above questions?​◦ What do I want to stop thinking, feeling or doing?◦ What do I want to start thinking, feeling or doing?◦ What do I want to change thinking, feeling or doing? 
Tips on focused action (revisit, as repetition is key to learning):• Focus your activity in 15-20 minute daily activities - from de-cluttering to meditation• Write it/them down - to help you remember and to keep you on track• Keep the activity list focused and achievable - so overwhelm does not set in and distract you• Create an environment (maybe add music) to make the space your in more attractive - then you are less likely to be distracted Affirmation: I manage my time to increase my
energy.

I believe you can,
Karen McMillan, ACC
The Conscious Leadership and Retreat Coach
karen@kdmcmillan.com 

We’ve all suffered from procrastination at one time or another. Probably the worst part about procrastination its uncanny ability to rob us of time, while simultaneously making us feel miserable about it. As much as we may dread the task we’re avoiding, putting it off rarely provides much relief. We know we’re just delaying the inevitable - sometimes with serious consequences.



One of the major challenges with overcoming procrastination is that there’s no single cause, and therefore no single solution. The key to moving beyond procrastination is learning how to clearly identify what particular type of procrastination is plaguing you. That way you can focus on the appropriate remedy.

 Below I have listed 5 common causes of procrastination and strategies for conquering them:



1. Repulsive Tasks: Let’s face it; some tasks just aren’t any fun. Paying bills, cleaning the garage, washing dishes are all activities that rank pretty low on my list of favorite things to do. But that doesn’t matter - some things just have to be done.

 One strategy I’ve found particularly useful for completing “dreaded” tasks is learning to get the most difficult tasks done first. When you find yourself with a backlog of difficult asks, chose just one per day and knock it out as your first order of business. Why first? Because saving dreaded tasks until last is great incentive to never get all the way through your list. Plus, knocking out a difficult task first, keeps them from taunting you the rest of the day.

 2. Mental Mountains: Complex projects or tasks that have many steps can be especially overwhelming. Not to mention the mind’s unfortunate knack of making “mountains” out of “mole hills.” Even tasks that aren’t particularly difficult sometime “seem” that way when you try juggling all the steps in your head. The key to moving past mental mountains is breaking larger projects into smaller, more manageable steps.


Try using the “Mind Maintenance” strategy. First, grab a sheet of paper and start listing all of the steps necessary for completing the project. Then identify JUST THE NEXT step. Finally, begin with that step. Keep in mind, every marathon begins with the first step. If you focus on the whole process it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Remember one step at a time!


3. Emotional Avoidance: Gaining traction on emotionally charged tasks is particularly difficult. Whether its fear, grief, resentment, or whatever, emotional obstacles are barriers that will always hold you back, until you decided to cross them. All decisions cannot be made based on emotion, use logic and look at “The Big Picture”


4. Lack of Energy: Probably the most under appreciated, but very real reason many people fail get started on projects is that they’re just too tired. Life in the modern world can be exhausting. There’s so much going on, so much to do, so many things vying for your attention, that some days it just drains you.


That’s why, rest, exercise, and nutrition is more important than ever before. If you want to run at full capacity, you have to be well rested. Trying to tackle projects when you’re mentally or physically fatigued is a bad idea. The one time procrastination is actually appropriate is when you consciously decide putting off a project for the sole purpose of getting some extra rest. That way you can attack your project with a recharged body and mind.


5. Help is Needed:  Some tasks are just too large for you to handle by yourself; others require expertise you don’t posses. If that’s the case, don’t kid yourself - it’s time to get help from someone who can delegate your tasks.. As admirable as the pioneering spirit is, it’s not always possible to go it alone. Whether the job’s too big, you don’t know what you’re doing, or you’re just not any good at it, asking for help is sometimes the only way to get some things done. Remember, no one person good at everything, and there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. Sometimes it’s the only way to get unstuck.


If you acknowledge what procrastination is, what’s causing you to procrastinate and take actions to complete those unfinished accomplishments; you are well on your way to Overcoming Procrastination.




Credits: (Savvy Entrepreneur, Virtual Consultant and CEO of Purpose By Design Consulting- Ebony Curry is devoted to creating Insight and  strategies for women preneurs globally through the power of  Providing Virtual Solutions and administrative services for Women in business by  helping delegate day to day business operations.  To learn how to delegate tasks and create the freedom to be able to focus soely in your business visit: http://www.supersavvyassistant.blogspot.com/)

Everyone wants to attract affluent clients for their business – why not sell to those who have the money to spend? But not everyone knows how to gain these clients successfully. Moving from a general clientele to a wealthier client base requires a shift in your mindset, but it's a shift that can pay off tremendously for you and your business. Here are a few basic tips on how to appeal to affluent customers.





Look the part and be confident. Before you approach affluent clients, you'll want to review all your marketing materials and website to ensure that it portrays you and your business as a high-caliber enterprise. No business cards on cheap, flimsy paper. No cheesy clip art. Put your best foot forward so you'll look and feel confident. That also means how you personally look and feel too! Is it time to update your wardrobe? The last thing you want when you're rubbing elbows with wealthy prospects is to appear needy or insecure, so don't gush or oversell yourself. And never show signs of intimidation. Even if that feeling creeps in on occasion, keep a brave face.




Build your network. Wealthy customers tend to buy from people they know or businesses that have been recommended to them. So, get out there and start planting the seed by attending charity dinners, golf tournaments, and the like. Chatting with people and being seen at these types of events will build your trust and credibility. Think of networking as a long-term investment, rather than a short-term project. You may not see results immediately, but it can pay off months or even years into the future.



Give them the VIP treatment. The kind of clients who are willing to pay top dollar are used to being treated extremely well. The Algonquin Hotel in New York City is legendary for noting each guests' preferences so the staff can make sure that the room is exactly to the guests' liking the next time they visit. Do your research so you can customize your interactions to that client. When you're talking to an affluent client, they should feel as if they're your first priority. They should never feel rushed to finish a transaction or pressured to sign on the dotted line. Instead, ask how you can meet their needs and listen for clues.




Make it about value, not about price. Wealthy customers don't check the price tag before they try on that gorgeous, hand-embroidered dress. Their eyes don't hover over the menu prices at that exclusive oceanfront restaurant. They buy or order want they want, because of the beauty, enjoyment, or other value it brings to their life. They have high standards, but appealing to their desire to save money or using the hard sell just won't work. Instead, demonstrate the value that your product or service offers. Create a narrative about the positive feelings it will create. Price should be secondary to the product, but once you start talking dollars and cents, a higher price point can actually be attractive because it reinforces the idea that yours is a higher quality product or service.





 
 
CREDITS:
(Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur and Inc. 500 CEO Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at http://www.alibrown.com/)

"The man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides."
~Henri Frederic Amiel~


As defined in the dictionary : Indecisiveness is doubt concerning two or more possible alternatives or courses of action.


The most failed attempt in decision making is expecting and looking for our circumstances to be in perfect alignment. Yes, In retrospect, things should be in alignment but they will never be in perfect alignment; so if we base our opportunity to make a sound decision upon that we will never decide. If you are reading this and you realize these are the barriers that are keeping you from taking action; Have no fear, there are ways to "Overcome Indecisiveness"

1. Set Clear But Realistic Goals: A common roadblock that most people stumble upon is not reaching their goals because they are too far fetched. "The American Dream" is to set a goal today and reach it tomorrow; yes there are certain things that can be accomplished in one day but then you have those that take much patience, consistency, and strategic planning. To set the record straight, this is not to say stop having high expectations, by all means continue to set very high goals; my point is to not beat yourself across the head if you do not meet those expectations instantaniously! It is not the "Goal" that would make it far fetched, its the expecting "Overnight" results that would make it far fetched. Give yourself time to reach those goals that may require a little more hard work and dedication. Write down your goals so that what you are expecting is very clear; Research so that you have an idea of what it may take reach it; Move on to your next step.


2. Goal Maintenance & Reconstruction: Just like when we buy a "Brand New" car or a car that is new to us; we make sure everything is functioning right on the inside and looking right on the outside. Once all of that is taking care of we are god to go right? wrong; we still have to get occasional maintenace on the vehicle to make sure it remains in the good consition it was in when we first purchased it.
The same goes for our "Goals", Setting them is the fairly easy part and reaching them can be fairly easy as well; but the difficult part is keeping them active after we have activated them. (E.g) You make a goal to start a business, you start the business, but what then? You have to set a business plan in action, set up marketing campaigns, attract clientele, and othe strategies in building your business.
With that being said, occasionally review goals you have set and reached. The goals you have set, go back and add to them or edit them according to knowlege you have obtained that may not have been present when you originally wrote it. The goals you have already reached, find ways to update them attract more attention to them; After that is complete, move on to your final step.


3. Shift Your Mindset: Happiness is a mindset and not an outside circumstance. Be happy and confident in the decisions that you make; Yes we will make some not so smart decisions, but its a part of the living and learning process. Take what you learn, apply it and watch how the results differ the second time around. Regardless of the circumstances Indecisiveness must be overcome by Action.




  Signed, sealed, delivered

"The Savvy Coaches Assistant"
  To Inspire, Empower, Assist

What is Life Coaching?

Professional Life Coaching is an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance the overall quality of their life.


In each session, the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and empowering, thought provoking questions. This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates the client’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice. Life Coaching concentrates on where clients are today and what they are willing to do to get where they want to be tomorrow.

Why I Chose Assisting Coaches As My Niche Market:

For starters, personal development is something i am very passionante about. Acknowledging where youve been,  where you are now and where you are trying to be is an essential part of living your best life. Your true life purpose begins the moment you decide to do something greater than the day before. As we assume, personal development should be an automatic stage in everyones life right? wrong; Not everyone is able to immediately move into action to produce the results they seek. This is where a coach comes into play.

Coaches give so much of themselves daily and even though they love what they do, it can be a little draining; That's where i come in, as a coaches assistant my goal is to delegate those day to day tasks that they should not be handling themselves. Yes as a business owner their are times when you have to do things on your own, but there is a limit. Eventually as the coaching business grows so will the workload and that means more time focusing on the business instead of the client. The biggest rule of thumb in a service-based business is to provide clients a quality service. Having an assistant to handle those day to day aministrative tasks gives coaches more time to focus on the client and the quality of the service they are expected to deliver.

It prides me to be able to assist in a client's progress; although i am not the direct provider, allowing the coach time to focus soely "In" their business as opposed to "On" their business by providing my services and assistance makes me apart of the vision or "Big Picture"

So there you have it! The purpose behind my passion......I hope this post has inspired you in some way

   Signed, sealed, delivered
"The Savvy Coaches Assistant"
 To Inspire, Empower, Assist

Using the power of decision gives you the capacity to get past any excuse to change any and every part of your life in an instant. ~Anthony Robbins
Are you seeing the results you would like in your business or personal life?

Results are what happens when a firm decision is made and action is taken to implement that decision. Even though most of us already know this inside, many of us still struggle with making decisions. A true leader can make the call on what actions need to be taken at any given moment.

So if you are a leader, what’s the fast track to better decision making?

1. Get Clear On The Decision



That may seem pretty obvious, but a leader always enters a situation with clarity and a keen sense of the outcome they desire. Get clear on the decision to remove the clutter that would cloud your decision making process. KNOW what you want.



2. Do Your Homework



Do a little research to define the essential elements you will need. You might try a simple pro vs con style sheet in those moments where you need a quick decision. For example, if you know you have a conference call where there will be some decisions made around marketing strategy, or product or service launches, do your homework and become aware of the benefits or drawbacks beforehand.. This helps act as a reference point for decisions.



3. Avoid The Snowball Effect



Procrastination is your enemy. The tiniest decision that you put off today can quite easily build up (at least in your mind) from a snowball into an avalanche when you procrastinate. Don’t let the small stuff become big stuff by procrastinating.



4. Decide, Act and Tweak



How many times have you made the decision, acted on it and fell flat on your face (or were at least let down) from the results? NEVER consider that a failure! You are a leader that took the steps necessary, now you pick yourself up and learn from it. Why do you think Google launches so many Beta programs before they finally release the actual product? Remember what your mom always used to tell you “practice makes perfect”. I could probably write the whole article around this one principal it is so important. Tweak your actions and try it again. You only fail when you stop trying.



Making firm decisions is the core element that should lead you into taking actions that produce results. Start today to begin trusting your decisions and stop second guessing yourself. You’ll never swim to the other side if you don’t first get wet. So what do you need to do to be a better decision maker and achieve better results?



To Your Success,

Hoping that everyone had a Motivational Monday, today is Turn Around Tuesday. Do not let your past and where you have been determine your future and where you are going! Cherish and live for today instead of worrying about yesterday and tomorrow. This is your day to do incredible and extraordinary things!

Virtual Assistance is a fantastic solution for business owners seeking ongoing, continuous, collaborative-style administrative support--as long as the right understandings and expectations are in place. It's not the miracle cure for
everyone and every business. Indeed, there are some businesses and clients that are not a good fit for the Virtual Assistance solution.

Today, I want to talk a little about those who are best suited to work with a Virtual Assistant. The Virtual Assistant and client dynamic works best if the client has the following traits:

1. Somewhat technically savvy. You don’t have to be an expert on every program out there; but, you should
at least be proficient with email and have a basic understanding of the Internet. You should also be willing to
learn and grow in your computer knowledge as needed.

2. Able to communicate well. You will be in close contact with your Virtual Assistant (usually through email)
so it is important to be able to state your expectations, deadlines, and other matters clearly. If you are
unable or unwilling to talk about your needs and desires for your business, how will you expect your Virtual
Assistant to assist you effectively?

3. Willing to let go. If you are controlling, arrogant or have a strong need to micromanage, there is no way a
Virtual Assistant will be able to support you. She needs the freedom to do her work without the constant
“mother hen” or “big brother” over her shoulder checking her work.

4. Willing to trust. Along the same lines, the Virtual Assistant/client partnership will prove to be difficult if you
have trust issues. Trust is essential when dealing with any relationship; however, it is critical in virtual
relationships. You are not there to see her as she works, so you must be willing to believe that she will do
what she says she will.

5. Willing to delegate. If you are always thinking that you have to do this or that yourself, you will defeat the
purpose of partnering with a Virtual Assistant. There are many, many things that you can pass on to a Virtual
Assistant (or other expert, as the case may be). If you aren’t sure if something can be delegated, just ask. A
top-notch Virtual Assistant will have her own systems for the delegation process and will make suggestions
on how she can support you--listen!

6. Willing to put systems in place. The Virtual Assistant/client relationship does not work well if you are in a
constant state of emergency/stress/chaos and have constant urgent deadlines. Virtual Assistants aren’t
always readily available. They usually have more than one client and need to organize their work so as to be
the most efficient and effective as possible. It is important for you to communicate well, give ample time for
turnaround when delegating projects, and allow your Virtual Assistant to put systems in place

7. Respects and appreciates the partnership. If you only view Virtual Assistants as employees or slave
labor, the relationship will not thrive. Virtual Assistants are business owners and experts in administrative
assisting. They are NOT low-end employees and should not be treated as such.

There are really essentially two kinds of people. First you have those who were born with the organization gene; second are those who were not. Do you fall in the second group? Fear not! You can still keep your small business organized.

The advantages are great. An organized business person is able to get more work done in less amount of time. They remember important events and meetings. They are more relaxed and feel in control of their day. This article will give you some realistic techniques to stay organized even if you feel you are a hopeless cause:

Don’t Let The Sun Set on a Mess

Don’t head out the door in the evening without taking a short amount of time to straighten your desk. Put office supplies such as stapler and pens in a central location so you are ready to go in the morning. Check the trash can and empty it if necessary, and remove any empty cups or other dishes that are cluttering your desk.

A key component to this step is to “organize” your paperwork generally into the order you want to handle it in the morning. At the same time, you can quickly prepare an action plan (also known as “to-do list”) for the next day, and rank each task in order of importance.

The ten minutes these simple tasks take each night will be rewarded by your ability to jump in and start the day running each morning.

Organize Work Product Using the Rule of 3

There are those who have a file folder for everything and know immediately where anything is. Then, there are the rest of us. I have found the best way to organize my working papers so that I can actually find something when I need it is to use the rule of 3.

It is a simple concept. Maintain only three stacks of paperwork at any one time. The first stack is your most pressing business that you hope to get through during the day. The second stack should hold those that need to be handled within the week, and finally those within the month. You may need to dedicate some time up front to get these three stacks organized, but the time will be ultimately saved as you are able to find needed paperwork much more quickly without digging through everything on your desk.

Don’t Wait

Ultimately, the longer you wait to find an organization system that works for you and your small business, the more opportunities you miss for your small business. A larger part of your day can be spent on making your small business succeed when you are organized. And keep in mind, what works for one person is a disaster for another. So find the system that works for you and make sure you can commit to using it every day.

What is a Virtual Assistant?


With today's technology, a Virtual Assistant (VA) can be a creative and economical answer to your business needs. A Virtual Assistant (VA), offers a range of administrative services and is trained in the use of the internet and various software products, which means they can work for you from anywhere.


If your small business is like most, you operate with a very limited staff and often find yourself trying to balance daily operations management with behind-the-scenes administrative tasks. You don't have the staffing resources or personal expertise to handle everything that goes into running a successful business, you are forced to take time away from your customers to handle administrative work.

Who Needs A Virtual Assistant? Does This Sound Familiar?


You’re the owner of a small but growing business. You’re passionate about your original vision, but lately you’ve been so busy with the details of running the business that you never find time to do the big-picture stuff. You’ve thought about hiring a part-time employee, but the legal hassles just aren’t worth it — and besides, you’d rather not have another person in your small office, taking up space and needing to be kept occupied during certain hours. So you keep doing it all yourself, even though you’re missing out on the things that inspired you to start the business in the first place.


But what if you had a smart, capable “right hand” who could get to know your business almost as well as you do, and take much of the background work off your desk — without ever setting foot in your office, and for only as many hours each month as you need? You could do more networking and marketing, or increase your billable hours, or get your work/life balance back and spend more time with family and friends. And what if your “right hand” not only pitched in with practical help, but also acted as a sounding board and resource, helping you find new ways to streamline your work and grow your business?


This is the kind of productive, inspiring business relationship that great Virtual Assistants share with their clients.


If this sounds like you—Purpose By design Consulting could be the perfect solution for you!


Contact Us Today For Your Consultation and Lets Devise A Plan To Take Your Business To The Next Level.


Contact:

Ebony Curry

www.purposebydesignconsulting.com
purposebydesignconsulting@gmail.com
www.twitter.com/Purpose2Assist
www.companies.to/purposebydesignconsulting/