How to Reduce Stress

There are many different ways to reduce stress. When you start to feel overwhelmed, take a moment to breathe and do one of the following activities:

• Write down what is bothering you. If someone has made you mad, let your feelings out on paper, then tear up the paper.

• Prioritize and delegate! If you feel like you have too much to do, write down the tasks that need to be completed. Once you have those written down, pick out the most important three and focus on finishing those tasks. The other ones can be delegated to someone else or they can wait until you have more time.

• Allow some alone time for yourself. Use this time to focus on you. Find a place in your home that you can go to and find privacy. You can ask your partner or a friend to take the family out for a few hours while you enjoy your alone time. Do nothing, sleep, read, watch a movie, and just enjoy your solitude.

• Listen to soothing music to help calm you down or your favorite upbeat music to get you pumped up and motivated.

• Stop procrastinating! Procrastination is a major cause of stress. This occurs when someone puts off doing what they need to do, and instead, they sit around and worry about it. Just get it done and over with, and you will feel much better.

I’d love to hear what you do to reduce your stress?

A Simple Challenge for Your Direct Sales Business

Hey there!

Lately I’ve become very interested in simplicity.  I ask myself “What is the simplest way to get from point A to point B?”  Now is a good time to remind everyone, including myself, that simple and easy are NOT the same word:)

I find the question especially helpful when I am feeling that the task in front of me is too big, or too hard or really really scary.

If I can break it down to ridiculously small steps, suddenly the task becomes a bit simpler and I feel better because I am actually in forward motion rather than frozen like a deer in the headlights.

So, here is my challenge to you:

1) Think of the one thing that you know beyond a shadow of a doubt would change to face of your business for the better.  You know, that thing you keep putting off doing because you…I don’t know….need to floss the dogs teeth or something:)

2) Write down 3 very small steps you could take toward accomplishing that thing.  I mean super small - so small that you look at it and say “There is no way I could not NOT do that.”  If you feel any resistance at all, the step is too big and you need to start over.

3) Write down these three small steps and proceed to do them.  Right now. If you can’t do at least one right now, your steps are too big.

4) After you accomplish your three small steps, congratulate yourself and celebrate with a treat  (I love treats!).

5) After your celebration, think of three more small steps you can take - tomorrow  - toward your destination!

Enjoy the feeling of forward motion and accomplishment!

Love & Success!
Sarah

Build A Community Around Your Podcast

If you’re podcasting (or if you’re a pre-podcaster at this point) you want to have an active, responsive listening audience, right?

Of course you do! No one wants their podcast to be a one way conversation. We want interaction!

Jason Van Ordon (Author of Promoting Your Podcast: The Ultimate Guide to Building an Audience of Raving Fans) is creating a series of videos/audios that talk about building a community around your podcast. I’ve watched the first segment and I’m listening to the second segment right now.

It’s good stuff.  He’s sharing what he calls the ‘Laws of Magnetism’ in this audio.

They’re available to you free, just click here to start :)

Creating Homes That Minister

I just took my daughter Sannah Beth, 17, with me on a business trip to Chicago. We stayed in a very large house on an estate built to serve others as a small business conference complex.

What an experience!

The flights there and back were fun and relatively uneventful. But the time we spent with others from all over the country discussing business ideas and learning how to use state-of-the-art technology developed by two very young men was worth making the sacrifice to be there.

The house was very large, modern and open. In the center of the house, there once was an in-ground swimming pool. The owner had remodeled the house to fill it with a small auditorium full of 8-foot tables, chairs, printers, office supplies of all kinds and white boards on the wall for brain storming and presentations.

There were several areas throughout the house where small groups of people could gather to discuss their ideas and sketch their business plans.

Our host kept coffee brewing, the refrigerator stocked full of soft drinks and bottled water and all the guests felt very welcome to get something to drink from it any time they wanted.

It was like staying at a nice hotel with all the comforts of home plus all the business needs you could possibly need right at your fingertips.

When it was time to go to the airport, his assistant drove several of us in a late model Cadillac.

To me, that is a picture of business success.

That is one way we can use our homes to minister life in a business realm to others.

Not many people teach how to have a successful business these days. I personally think it’s because not many of us have experienced true financial business success.

One thing I truly believe is this: once we get the vision that we CAN work from home, and once we get the vision for WHAT we want to do and once we get the education to DO what we have been called to do and once we actually TAKE ACTION to set up systems to get the work done, then we will be back on the “ancient path.”

All of that can be done from home.

And home should be the center for social events, educational events, business events, and activities of all kinds.

I challenge you to make YOUR home a place of ministry for others.

So many books, so little time…
Rhea!
who loves her haven

 

eBay Has Discounted Their Final Value Fees - Limited Time

Cool eBay news… through June 1st you can get 15% off your Final Value Fees when you offer Free Shipping on eBay.com.

If you haven’t tried offering free shipping before - this is a great time. The best way to take advantage of this is to be sure to use the shipping offer to entice your bidders to look at other auctions too! I would put large - bold letters at the top of your listing announcing the shipping special… and then be sure to include a link to your other listings so it is easy for your bidders to see what other auctions you have running.
Here are the details from eBay: http://pages.ebay.com/promo/15FVF0523/

Enjoy!
Jenni

5 Content Quicksand Traps - Don’t let them suck you in!

You’re happily typing. Fresh content is pouring freely from you and onto the page when all of a sudden - schlurp. You’re up to your knees in quicksand. You’ve not watched where you were going and now you’re knee deep in muck.

Don’t squirm - here’s a rope to pull yourself out from the trap you’ve fallen into.

Trap #1 Perhaps you’ve fallen into the “expert” trap. (I do this from time to time.) You’ve forgotten that your audience may not have the basic information to understand what you’re talking about. This includes using jargon, techspeak and forgetting to define the language you’re using - particularly if it is unique to your industry.

Use this branch to pull yourself out - Even when you’re writing on an advanced topic, definitions and examples help clarify industry concepts without detracting from the article.

Trap #2 The opposite of the “expert” trap is the “beginner” trap. This is when your content is so basic, it’s boring - even to you. Give your audience some credit.

Use this technique to pull yourself out - An article for beginners may include basic definitions, processes and information however it can also introduce them to advanced topics. Giving your audience a hint beyond the basics will keep them coming back to you to learn more.

Trap #3 If you’ve fallen into the “Only one right answer” trap - you’re limiting yourself and your content. Yes, tips articles work, yes how to articles work however they’re not the only answer. There is a wealth of information on “How to write content” however what’s ‘right’ may not be what works for you and your target audience.

Pull yourself out with this - Write what works. Write what feels comfortable for you and then test it to see if it works. There are many right answers - find yours.

Trap #4 “Too much data not enough content” trap. Ever hear the Stephen Wright joke -”83% of statistics are made up.”

I love data and statistics. You can find data to support just about any claim (please don’t make it up - there’s no need and it could get you in heaps of trouble). Data adds credibility to content and it adds authority. However, too much data just makes content difficult to read.

Retract yourself with this - Use relevant data where it fits then back it up with explanations and valuable content.

Trap #5 “Personality” trap. This trap catches you in two ways - some push themselves and their personality into an article filling it with personal stories, anecdotes, jokes and the like - others lack confidence in their personality - the result is very dry and boring material.

Grasp this rope and hold on - Let the content flow. Don’t force personality - yours will shine through quite nicely if you simply write an article, book, or post with intention. What is your goal for your content? To educate? To help resolve a situation? To entertain? Don’t hide or force personality. Write your content with your goal in mind and personality will shine through.

Content quicksand is easy to fall into. The good news is, a rope, branch or helping hand are always close by!

Podcasting Alphabet: P, Q & R

Continuing my Podcasting ABC’s from here.

P is for Profit

You know I have to get the issue of making a profit in here.  All podcasters are not in it for a profit but most that I know are.  Have you thought about what your profit goals are?  Think it through and write it down.  Break your numbers down until you have a per episode profit goal - then start building income avenues to get you to that number.

Q is for Quality

You don’t have to use expensive equipment or spend a fortune on high end audio production work to give your audience a quality listening experience.  However, be careful that you don’t go too ’shoestring’.  Little audio annoyances like humm or static from the phone line can wear down a listener and keep them from concentrating on your message.

R is for Repurpose

The interviews and content shared on your podcast could easily be repurposed.  Start by having someone transcribe your program and then see about sorting the text into articles, blog posts, special reports or ebooks.

Enthusiasm versus Joy versus Acceptance - How your attitude affects the quality of your content.

First, I want to thank Mila for inviting me to contribute to such a fantastic blog. The information and knowledge shared here is superior and I’m honored to become part of such a fantastic group.

I’d like to pose a question.

How do you feel when you create content? It doesn’t matter if it’s newsletter or ezine content, blog content, or social marketing content - how do you feel about creating it?

Typically there are four responses:

• “I dread/procrastinate creating content.”
• “I accept that it’s part of what is required to be successful.”
• “I enjoy writing content, but it’s not my passion.”
• “I LOVE creating content and find great satisfaction in the act.”

The first response, while common, often results in content which shows the writer’s feelings about creating it - it lacks enthusiasm and passion for the subject matter.

The more enthusiastic you can be about writing your content, the better it will be. Your personality and enthusiasm will translate. If, as a business owner, you cannot muster even acceptance for the task of writing content - consider finding someone else to take over the responsibility.

One suggestion, if you find your joy or enthusiasm wavering…consider framing your content as a letter to a friend. What knowledge do you have which they will benefit from? What questions do your prospects or customers have (a quick survey will help you better understand your customers’ questions) which you can provide answers to. Often, when we truly feel as if we’re helping others, we find more joy in the act. The result, content which stands above your competition’s. Content which generates traffic and ultimately…profits.

How do you feel about writing content? What do you do to get yourself in the mood, so to speak?

Podcasting Alphabet Soup: M, N & O

Continuing my Podcasting ABC’s from here.

M is for Motivation

A podcast is a powerful motivational tool.  You can and should use some of the time you have in each show to motivate your listeners to take action.

N is for New

Every episode is an opportunity to do something new.  It’s good to have a routine or pattern to follow but it is also sometimes very good to throw your routine out the window and just let your hair down.

O is for Objective

Do you have an objective for your podcast as a whole?  You should.  If you don’t know what you want to achieve by podcasting you will soon falter for a reason to continue.

Do you have an objective for the episode that you are planning right now?  You should!  If you don’t have a purpose for the show - why would anyone want to listen to it?

Put Yourself On Your *To Do* List

Hi there moms!

As you know, life can be hectic. Whether you work at home, work outside of the home or stay at home, life is filled with things to do, people to see and places to go.

We all know that life places many demands on us but it is very important to set aside some time each day where when you can just be alone for a little while, without any interruptions and just focus on you. Be sure that when you are creating your daily or weekly To Do lists that you are adding yourself onto the list.

Personally I use the evening times (right after I put my 8yo son to bed) as my quiet time with myself. I make sure that during my “me time” I am focusing on myself and giving me the time that I need to replenish my mind, body and spirit.

So, if you currently do set aside time for yourself - I’d love to hear what you do. If you dont currently add yourself to your To Do list - I would like to challenge you to do so and let us know how it feels.

Next Page »