I was in church the other day and the message was about busyness. It was pertinent because I have a hard time saying no to projects and in light of some recent health issues, I know that I have to learn to say no.
Do you ever feel your life is overcome with busyness? That you can't find a way to step back and just say "no"? Many entrepreneurs are plagued with the "Yes syndrome." A project comes along and they simply can't step back and turn it down; whether it's because of a fear of losing a project, and therefore income, or whether it's a chronic need to please clients, constantly saying "yes" can lead to burn out.
Have you heard of the Butterfly Effect? The idea that one item or change can set off a cycle of sequences and consequences? The Butterfly Effect is based on the Chaos Theory that explains the butterfly flapping its wings in one part of the world changes the weather pattern in another part.
Whether you believe in the Butterfly Effect, you've likely experienced something akin to it during your work or daily life. Imagine you wake up in a good mood but then the coffee maker is broken so you go to the drive thru and the clerk is surly and they get your order wrong, then you get to work and your boss calls you on the carpet for a mistake with a client. See what I mean... your day spirals downward following the broken coffeemaker and it probably won't get better until your head hits the pillow that night.
Do you wake up in the morning looking forward to your day – both at home and at the office? You should. If you’re living a life of purpose and pursuing a career or entrepreneurial endeavor that you love, happiness will certainly follow.
It’s been shown that humans are at their happiest when they’re “absorbed in an activity or challenge that interests them.” For many people though, they don’t even realize they’re happy because they’re so involved in that particular moment that it never occurs to them simply because they weren’t consciouslyconcentrating on happiness.
The time's they are a changing', right? With Facebook those changes seem to happen from the time I turn my computer off at night to when I get up in the morning. I don't take change well, in fact I keep rejecting Gmail's offer of the "new and improved look" for my inbox. No,thank you. They do keep warning me that eventually I won't have a choice of accepting the new look, sigh.
And now here comes Facebook with its new Timeline feature. I rejected it for my personal page as long as I could but decided to be proactive in changing myFacebook business page. I mean I even have a new cover for it and am playing around with the other features.
I have been attending several meetings in the past few weeks and many of them have had some component or another of "knowing who you are" so you can better function in your business, better function in your life and better serve your clients (yes, this is different than functioning in your business).
While I am not much for self reflection and introspection, I am willing to circle answers of items that appear to pertain to my personality type -- just don't ask me to share that information with you -- that's not my style and I am certain that says something about knowing who I am, but that's for a later post (and a much shorter sentence!).
It's been interesting to learn my "financial type" because it has helped me understand the buyer's remorse I feel at the purchase of even a tube of mascara; and yes I shop at Walgreen's because they will take back both used and unused make-up. I rarely return items but I need the safety net of knowing that I can if I want to.
Is your business going places? If you answered “no” have you considered taking up article marketing techniques to help kick start it? Article marketing offers many benefits and is a great way to jump start your marketing and promotions business plan.
Here are five reasons that you, as an entrepreneur need to add article marketing to your overall promotions plan:
It’s been proven that customers are more likely to make a purchase or do business with someone they “know, like and trust.” Establishing yourself as an authority in your field of expertise is a perfect way to do just that. Potential clients will get to know you through the articles that you write and the wisdom you impart.
