In Your Success Zone Blog

Time to Play!

Player Card
Voyagertarot.com

It's early June and it's hot here in Carolina. It's time to go to the beach or retreat to a mountain top to cool down! And most of all, it's time to PLAY!

I don't know about you, but sometimes I get awfully SERIOUS about my work. And that inevitably leads to drudgery. As a Creative Entrepreneur being BORED is definitely not my favorite thing - nor yours either, I'm guessing. What to do about all the heavy businesslike behavior?!? PLAY!?!

I listened to a wonderful podcast* with Bob Dunwoody yesterday. He's in the Financial Services business and has researched the habits of the most successful people in that industry. Bob reports that the top producers approach their work as a game. They let themselves PLAY at work! They're passionate, curious, and energized to see what they can do next to realize their vision (another key to success). They may be serious about their work, but they're not bored.

So here's your PLAY PASS. Do something today that lights you up and puts a "boing" in your business. Have you been thinking about a new offering but think it's too silly? Have you wanted to reach out to a colleague or associate but have been putting it off as too hard? Have you wanted to use your sense of humor in your marketing, but been afraid to look stupid?

Your PLAY PASS gives you permission to be playful today. There's plenty that is serious and boring in this big wonderful world. Add your dose of lightness. Invite your Creative Mind to collude with you to have some fun! You may be surprised at how much energy and spark you create by letting your creativity out to play today. Let me know how you like taking FUN to work!

* You can get Bob Dunwoody's podcast on the "Seven Rules of Success" at the iTunes Store. Once there, do a search for "Dorsey Wright". Bob's podcast is #129 from May 7, 2008. You can get it for free by clicking "Get Episode". Enjoy!

Busting a BS Belief about Blogging

I have been wanting to blog for over two years now. I know it's the right medium for me and that I would love it if I just began.

If you know anything about blogs, you know that it's really easy to set up a blog and that a blog entry is not a master's thesis! You'd think it would be a cinch to get going.

Not really. Seems there was a BS Belief in my SubConscious Mind. Slowly I've been inching my way to blogging - taking classes with Andy Wibbels, reading blogs, reading about blogs, getting my blog set up - blah, blah, blah. Everything except actually blogging!

So yesterday, I thought, "This is crazy!" and sat down to do some Psych-K(tm) to bust through what I figured must be a BS belief. Turns out that I needed to trust my choices more. I did a Psych-K(tm) Balance for the goal of "writing my blog", and, voila! here I am blogging the very next morning!

Amazing? Yes! Unusual? No. Since I began exploring the SubConscious Mind in 1992, I have come to respect its power deeply. I have seen breakthroughs like this happen over and over for myself and my clients when the SubConscious is given the right tools to make shifts.

So if you are a Creative Entrepreneur and are doing the Approach/Avoidance Dance with some aspect of your business, take heart. Your SubConscious Mind has the answers. There are simple and effective ways to connect with it so that you can create a positive change.

You may already know some things that work for you to get past limiting beliefs. Or you may want to check out Psych-K(tm) or other productive BS Belief Busters like Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), Guided Imagery, or Direct Hypnosis. (I'll offer samples of Psych-K soon as well as writing more about how to free yourself from BS Beliefs in coming posts.)

As my friend Lori says, you may have to drag me away from the computer now that I've started blogging - ahhhhh! This feels GOOD!!!

New Girl Talk

At the Chix in Business lunch yesterday, Melissa Richards of New Marketing Mix spoke about how to market on a shoestring. In 25 minutes, Melissa took us on a tour of low or no-cost internet services, including social networking, publicity sites, and surveys to measure customer satisfaction.

Deidre Hughey, of Dancing Elephants Achievement Group (Sales Training) asked a question about tracking web traffic and open page statistics. They then began talking about the nuances of what did and didn't count as unique website visitors. It struck me that I was hearing the "new girl talk". No longer are "geeky" stats the domain of guys. Girls do it too as they run their businesses on- and off-line.

Of course we also do traditional girl talk - family, partners, fashion, the Sex in the City movie, food, and how to juggle it all. Open rate statistics seems a far cry from the recipe swaps and church circles of my mother's generation. But maybe it's just an evolution what we do best - nurture relationships, take the pulse of what's happening in the community, and serve those we care about.

Girls (and Chix) ROCK!!!