OK… so I did it. I’ve started writing my book. I wrote the first pages last weekend and umm… gulp.

While I’ve been sitting with the desire to write another book for some time – it’s been a recent series of nudges that pushed me into action. That and the inner voice saying… it’s time Jane, it’s time!

So I’ll be using my occasional blog posts as a place to share the evolution of what I’m anticipating will be some pretty cool and innovative thoughts around helping solo entrepreneurs experience more joy, more fun and oh yes… higher revenues along the way.

So in an effort to keep the Inner Critic at bay I’ll begin with WHY. Why embark upon this journey of putting my thoughts about growing a successful business in a book?

First – not only are entrepreneurs my favorite people on the planet, I am also one of you. Having founded four successful businesses over the last 24 years, I know the feelings of excitement when you reach a milestone, close a deal or make a difference while making a profit. It’s sweet.

Second – I believe that there is a deeper conversation that needs to be had around this journey of building a business. Through my own experience and now my work with clients I see the light side as well as the dark side of entrepreneurship.  I know how it feels when it gets lonely, uncomfortable and downright scary. I get it.

So let’s start to have an honest conversation about how you can step into your role as an entrepreneur with more joy, greater commitment and better results.

A few things I want you to know about your journey as an entrepreneur.

• I want you to know you are not alone on your journey as an entrepreneur. You are accompanied by a band of courageous brother and sister entrepreneurs who are also striving to make a difference in the world. They share your desire for the journey to building a business to be more profitable and peaceful.
• I want you to know there are new enlightened answers to the challenges you face in growing your business. New ways of seeing your business, new ways of being in business and perhaps more important –new methods for expanding your business that are in alignment with your values and the way you are uniquely wired.
• I want you to know you’re off the hook. No longer do you have to force yourself to take steps to grow your business that are so out of alignment with your character that it causes unrest.  This is not to say that you won’t have to take steps beyond your comfort zone, sorry, that’s still part of the process. What it does mean is that in building your business you never have to compromise your integrity or do something that goes against the person you are meant to be.
• I want you to know that when you attempt to grow your business using methods that are out of alignment with your values and personality, not only will you fail, you will also repel the very results you are seeking because the vibration you are moving in is out of alignment with who you want to be.
• I want you to know that only when your business is built on a foundation of your personal values and the principles of service and contribution will you remain connected to your higher self and thereby be empowered to attract the people and opportunities that will bring your business into your reality.

So that’s what I want you to know today. Let me know how this lands – let’s have a dialogue about how these thoughts resonate with what you are feeling about your journey of growing your business. It will be fun.

Maintaining Mindset, Personal Growth inspiration, productivity, progress

OK, it’s time for some true confessions. How many emails are in your Inbox right now? I don’t mean just the bolded emails that have not been looked at. I’m referring to all of them – opened and unopened. Over the years, I’ve heard it all, from a few dozen to over ten thousand! Yikes. Here are a few questions to see if you are suffering from inbox overwhelm.

• Are you keeping any emails in your inbox as a reminder of an action step you need to take?
• Do you have emails in your inbox simply because you don’t want to lose the information or forget a point?
• When you open your email do you have a “not-so-good” feeling when you see the mass of emails screaming for your attention?
• Have you ever felt like blocking the entire slew of emails and sending them off to the recycle bin?

If you answered YES to any of these questions, you are not alone. Inbox Overwhelm seems to afflict even the most successful entrepreneurs. How about you?

At the risk of tooting my own horn, I’ll share that thankfully organization and time management are two skills I have gotten a handle over my 24 years in business. In fact, I’d say personal management and an ability to manage my mindset are the two things that support me in getting so much done in so little time.  And while technology allows me to streamline communication and leverage my work it can also be a bone of contention, with information – and emails – coming at me at breakneck speed.  So I set out to find ways to conquer my inbox overwhelm. It took me about three months to create the system and form the habits that now support me in keeping my inbox under control. On a daily basis I average no more than 5 to 8 emails in my inbox and on a good day when I power down, I’m free and clear of emails all together.

So here you go…. I’m including six of my 20 simple strategies for Conquering Inbox Overwhelm.

While it’s not my entire system, I think you’ll find them to be some great first steps to nailing this sometimes overwhelming aspect of the entrepreneurial experience.

1. Decide to be the victor not the victim. Commit to establish an email management system that allows you to control how much time and energy your emails take.
2. Have more than one email account for campaigns and subscriptions. Only use your personal email account for private and high level business dealings.
3. Even if you are a one person show, have two email accounts; one personal and another Service@yourURL.com. Then, as soon as you are able, enlist the support of a virtual assistant to whom you will hand over this account.
4. Don’t be afraid to unsubscribe to email subscriptions you no longer find helpful or interesting. Taking just 30 seconds now will save many minutes over time.
5. Create a “swipe” folder in your email program where you save samples of competitor’s email campaigns.
6. Create an education folder where you save interesting emails that will take some time to review. Often it’s tempting to dive in and check out an email, watch a video or listen to a recording that promises to teach us something we simply must know. I find it better to schedule “Research and Review” time each week when I go to that folder and explore some of the emails that piqued my interest. In short, you are in control of when you “explore” so schedule that time and stick to it.

There is plenty more where that came from. So start with these first six step and then let me know about you progress toward Conquering Inbox Overwhelm. Happy deleting!

Business Vision, Maintaining Mindset, Personal Growth, Uncategorized productivity, progress, strategies

If this is your first visit with me I’ll begin with a nudge to begin not with this entry, but with my last entry – Journey to Wholeness.  Starting there will add depth to what I’m about to share – a background if you will to why Making Choices is a personal celebration of what happens when you take a stance to live the wholeness of your life.

It’s been two weeks since my re-commitment to design my “Work Life” first to serve my personal and spiritual evolution and secondly to meet my financial needs. I’ve spent the better part of those two weeks stepping back and looking at the options before me. Imagine standing on a country road in the middle of nowhere with three possible roads calling out.

There’s the road I’ve recently traveled. That one holds big adventures, personal affirmation and oh yes… lots of doing. I can already feel the adrenalin kick in as I contemplate this road. I feel my heart race and my stomach tighten as I think of big goals, long to-do lists and… the absence of ME. Been there, done that. While this road holds many rewards it also requires a pace so fast that I miss out on the scenery, the simple moments and a connection to myself. No thanks.

This second road beckons to me from a world I’ve moved in for 24 years yet recently stepped away from. It’s a world filled with positive people – each one on a quest to achieve their deepest desires. Curious about what this world still holds for me, I stepped back in just last week.  While certain elements felt familiar and fun, it provided a mirror for me to see just how much I’ve changed in just one year. I may venture down this path now and then for the right client or project, but this road is not the path that honors my promise to do the work that deeply supports my personal and spiritual evolution.

The funny thing I notice about this third road is that I’ve been on it since the first of the year when the profile of my ideal client or project moved into alignment with who I was attracting. The people I am serving are playing a significant role in bringing the planet back to its natural state of contribution, collaboration and abundance. It’s my client Jennifer Hoffman whose book, 30 Days to Everyday Miracles, is changing lives all over the world. It’s Pat Pearson, who has been bringing her psychologically based, life-management strategies to direct selling women for more than 30 years. It’s Carolyn Cooper, a gifted energy intuitive whose heart is as expansive as the impact of her work. It’s Peggy O’Neill, a professional speaker  who has the heart of an angle, the courage of Goliath and stands tall at 3’ 8”. These clients are perfect for me.  As I help them grow their business, my life is changed – nudging me further down my personal path of transformation. Cool… Fun… I love it!

So my nudge to you dear reader is to simply TRUST. To step toward what you want by saying NO more often – no to the project, the job, the client or the request.  Because in the place of letting go of what doesn’t serve you, you are simultaneously moving toward your heart’s desire.

Maintaining Mindset, Personal Growth inspiration

It’s May 28, 2010. If I could, I would put one of those five pointed gold stars on this day – the kind we used to get in school when we finally got it right.

You see, today’s blog entry is a leap of faith for me. It’s not a marketing ploy or a part of some grand scheme to overtly move you into one of my training programs or have you click on a link and take me up on a coaching offer. Nope, I’ve let go of all that and am stepping into TRUST.

Today I am celebrating that I am one year into a personal journey that has changed me at my very core. I’m celebrating that I now see and experience my life and work as one big beautiful journey.  I’m honoring my lean and healthy body at the age of 50. I’m appreciating the depth of connection I have with the people in my life, and I’m acknowledging that while I’ve come so far in these past 12 months, I’ve only just begun.

Today I’m also publically committing to follow through on a promise I made to myself in August of 2009, to take only those projects and clients that serve my personal evolution and help usher me into the work I am supposed to do and the person I am meant to be.

Today I’m stepping into my belief that we all get to have a business that is wildly successful and beautifully fulfilling – all at the same time. I’m calling myself to a higher level – not just for my own evolution but because I sense I’m supposed to figure some things out for all of us who want it all.

Today I am inviting you to join the journey which is actually pretty scary for me because when we extend an invitation, there is always a chance we will be rejected. But that’s OK. This journey is first for me and secondly for those of you who feel discontentment in your experience as an entrepreneur and want some new ways to find joy, peace and success on the way to building your business.

What’s ahead? I have no idea.

But what I can promise you is this…

1. I will write often. No promises of how often but you can count on me to show up and share numerous times a week no matter what’s happening in my life and business.
2. I will write honestly. I’m taking off the mask and putting aside my very real need to look like I’ve got it all together. Been there done that. And while my game face serves me at times, it’s not honoring the fact that who I am today is all I need to be to make a difference in this world.
3. I will look for new solutions. This is where it gets fun for me. You see, I’ve got two big beautiful needs… to create and to contribute. In writing this blog I get to do both. My hope is that the insights and solutions I find for myself will in turn, serve you.
4. I will be authentic. I promise to be me. That means some days I will show up powerfully and full of confidence and other days I will show up wobbly and unsure. I’ll do this because I want you to find comfort in knowing I fight the same demons of doubt and fear on the way to my dreams.
5. I will make it fun. This is a growing edge for me and so I’m calling myself to bring levity and fun to the process. It’s a nudge from my dear friend John Dulworth who has opened my eyes to how much more meaningful the journey is when we don’t take ourselves so seriously.

So how about it?

Will you check in now and then to watch the journey unfold? Will you comment when you are moved or share an insight you’ve gained? I hope so because I’m sensing what will unfold over these next 6 months will be something pretty cool and I’d be honored to have you on the journey with me.

Maintaining Mindset, Personal Growth inspiration, progress, prosperity