Strategy

Knock down your big goals – it’s easier than you think!

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Small, specific actions, when aligned properly create big results. Start with a plan, make it easy on yourself with the simplest, most leveraged activities, and before you know it, you’ll be slam-dunking goals that seemed impossible.

Don’t believe me? Physics doesn’t lie – enjoy the video*!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y97rBdSYbkg?rel=0&w=350&h=197

* This is the way I work with people – plan, simplify, succeed. Want to find out more, and get started with some clarity? Schedule a Discovery Conversation with me. There’s no charge, and you can start on the road to knocking down your business’s 100 pound domino!

Simple Strategies for Success in the New Year

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Is the month of January historically a slow month for you? If you answered “yes”, then you’re in luck this year! Why? Because you’re reading this article!

The truth is that you are creating your January results right now. Consistent actions you take today will yield results 60-90 days from now. So November is the month to dig in, rather than to let your focus and habits take a holiday.

Here are five simple strategies to make your new year successful from the start:

  1. Review this year’s goals. Maybe there is something on your list that you forgot about, and can use to re-energize the rest of your year. Or perhaps you’ll see that you’ve achieved more than you thought – another great motivator!
  2. Create a three month strategic plan of consistent action. What can you do on a daily basis to make January strong? Write down the plan, and break it into daily action steps.
  3. Take care of yourself! In the season of over-indulgence, take time for yourself to relax and rejuvenate so that when the new year arrives, you’re refreshed and raring to go!
  4. Outline your goals for the upcoming year. Looking ahead can provide perspective on the best actions to take for the remainder of the current year.
  5. Hire a coach. If you don’t have systems, and feel stagnant and totally overwhelmed, hire someone to get you on track. I promise you that it is less expensive to hire a coach than it is to flounder through the end of the year, and to waste the start of the new one.

If you don’t have a resource for #5, schedule a complimentary Strategy Session with me. You’ll get some clarity and we’ll see if and how I can help you. It’s free, so what have you got to lose?

To take me up on this offer, follow this link and fill out my brief questionnaire: http://marycravets.com/bigimpact/

iPhone/Time Management

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The past few months have been all about managing time and energy. However, when I teach and write about time management, I imagine the sighs and eye rolls – “Yes, Mary, we’re all familiar with time management, thanks so much. Why don’t you teach about something exciting, like Social Media or SEO or multiple streams of income?”

What I know for certain is that if you haven’t mastered time management, the rest of the stuff isn’t going to matter much. I have two stories that illustrate my point.

A few months ago, I was on vacation at a beach at Arroyo Grande, CA. I parked across the street, threw my iPhone in my sweatshirt pocket so I could take some photos, and proceeded to jog across the street. Then I heard something crash to the pavement.

Yep, it was my iPhone. It had popped right out of my pocket onto the road, and the back glass shattered.

This is how we often treat our time. Carelessly. Mindlessly. And we are generally unhappy with the results.

In another iPhone-related story (with a happier ending)… Adam and I went to Flagstaff a few weeks back, and rode the ski lift to the top of the mountain, and back down again. The aspens were gorgeous, it was quiet, and the view was phenomenal. Obviously, I wanted to take pictures.

I was fifty feet off the ground, and my trusty iPhone/camera doesn’t have a wrist strap, so I was highly concerned about dropping it. But the view was simply too tempting. So I very deliberately took it out of my purse, took a few photos while handling the phone with extreme care, and then once again deliberately put it back in my purse. The results were beautiful photos and a totally intact iPhone.

See the difference? Careless vs. deliberate.

We toss away the idea of managing our time. Managing those tiny moments seems like too great a task, and not worth it. But the fact is that our lives are made out of those tiny moments, often overlooked and carelessly tossed aside. Ask yourself – what do your moments add up to? A haphazard existence or a fulfilling life created from conscious thought?

I’ve taught several time management classes recently. If you’d like the recordings, just email me and I’ll get you hooked up!

Lesson From a TV Funeral

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I recently gained a new perspective when, of all things, I was watching a TV show.

I saw a program where they showed a military funeral, and I was awed by the absolute precision and care they took to fold the flag. It struck me as a demonstration of profound courtesy, honor and respect.

It made me wonder, “Do I take care to convey the respect I have for my family, friends, and clients?”

And I reluctantly admitted that the answer was, “Usually.”

Until seeing this fictional funeral, I hadn’t associated attention to detail as a way of conveying my respect for others. So I came up with a few ways to outwardly show courtesy, honor and respect:

  • Show up on time for meetings and appointments
  • Respond to email & phone calls in a timely manner
  • Pay attention to details with written communications
  • Dress with care
  • Promptly acknowledge others when they help

Of course, all of the above can also be seen as strategies to demonstrate professionalism, which is how I’ve viewed them for a long time. From my new perspective of taking care to honor others, these actions take on an even more powerful role.

I’d love to hear some other ideas of how to demonstrate respect for others in our daily lives.

Where Greatness Happens, Part 2

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Don’t worry about looking silly… celebrate yourself!

I got to thinking about all of those thankless tasks I mentioned last week, and I realized that they don’t actually have to be thankless. Everyone needs recognition, even for the little things.

So here are four ways to recognize yourself when you’re on track with the critical, unglamorous tasks of running a business:

  1. Make a YIPPEE file. At the end of each day, make a note of what you accomplished and put it in your YIPPEE file. Even the small things – sending a card, completing an article, writing a chapter – be sure to put those small wins in the file. Over time you’ll see that they add up to create big wins!
  2. Brag on Facebook. Facebook is great when you need an atta-boy. All you have to do is post, “Today I got done this tiny task that’s been weighing on me and I just had to publicly pat myself on the back.” People will join in the patting, and it will be a great example for them to also give themselves credit.
  3. Get an accountability partner. Having someone you trust to call and hold you accountable is not only a great way to make sure you get things done, it’s also a perfect solution when you need someone to cheer on your successes.
  4. Get a coach. Most of my coaching clients work on their own, often at home. I get to help make sure they know that every little win counts, and that they’re on track with their goals. Unless they’re off track, and I help them get back in the groove quickly.

I’d love to hear your suggestions of ways to give yourself credit and celebrate yourself!

Where Greatness Happens, Part 1

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While visiting my parents in Reno last week, we settled in for a typical Sunday in front of the TV to watch football. I love the opportunity to watch football (I don’t have cable or dish or anything). But the real treat was watching the commercials. Feel free to ridicule me now…

Scoff if you must, but I was inspired by one of these commercials. In a Gatorade commercial (see below), a concept unexpectedly struck home – greatness happens when people aren’t looking. It’s the habits you establish and actions you take outside the limelight that determine success. It’s the phone calls, the follow up, the workshops, the mistakes, the checklists, the newsletters – the unglamorous, totally thankless stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Wu2DyizWgU?rel=0&w=300&h=169

These behind-the-scenes actions build success, and add invaluable traits to your character: perseverance, consistency, tenacity, resilience. Look at successful people, and these character traits are what make success a consistent presence in their lives, rather than being just a flash in the pan.