Archives for December 2014

15 Actions To Blow 2015 Out Of The Water

December 31, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Every year we try to do better than the last, at least if you are a success-driven entrepreneur like me. Below are my best tips for moving towards your goals in 2015 with joy and ease.

One quick note, all these steps are based on the bedrock of having healthy, nurturing relationships so be sure you prioritize your love lines as you start the new year.

Here we go…

15 Actions to Blow 2015 Out of the Water:

1. Decide what you want and put it in writing.

2. Exercise hard and get your sleep. (and of course, eat good food to fuel your energy)

3. Find an accountability buddy.

4. Put deadlines in your calendar for the entire year NOW.

5. Schedule your down time.

6. Find good help to support your home life.

7. Join a high-level mastermind.

8. Set specific financial goals.

9. Make a list of the least money generating activities you did last year and stop doing them.

10. Make a list of the top 3 money generating things you did last year and triple your effort in those areas.

11. Find or deepen a positive creative pursuit.

12. Connect to at least 3 new people every day either in person or online.

13. Read constantly.

14. Do whatever you need to do to keep a daily positive attitude, books, movies, quotes, friends, exercise etc.

15. Put more of your authentic self on the line in everything you do.

Feel free to add to the list. You can post your thoughts on my Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/ClearVoiceBranding

Until next year, here’s to hitting all your high notes!

xo

 

Filed Under: Success Strategies, Winning Strategies Tagged With: , ,

You’ve got to believe…

December 22, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Ah the holidays…

As much as I moan and groan about the frantic pace of this season, there always comes a wonderful moment that makes it all worth while.

It usually happens when the kids are home playing games, Christmas music is playing and I’m making cookies. I get a warm, fuzzy feeling. It’s the feeling we all long for around this time of year, something magical.

Who knows, maybe it’s an illusion. Maybe I am kidding myself into thinking life is grand when really I have just fallen into a candy-coated haze that is blinding me to harsh reality, but I don’t think so.

I know I worked hard to achieve this moment. The tinsel didn’t hang itself. I did it and now we get to enjoy it.

Sometimes it can feel frantic in our businesses too. We worry we’ll never see the light at the end of the tunnel and wonder if what we’re striving for is an unattainable fantasy. Is all the hard work even worth it?

It is worth it. The sugar-plum ending is possible, but you’ve got to believe, Virginia. You’ve got to BELIEVE!

Most of us stop short of our dreams because we lose faith. Things get difficult, we hit a rough patch and start to doubt ourselves. We don’t see results right away and start to think they will never come.

You’ve got to have faith.

Faith requires us to believe in things we cannot yet see. When you imagine what you desire, your subconscious goes to work on your behalf. Like a kid putting an order in to Santa Claus, your mind releases a minion of tiny elves to make your dreams come true.

However, your dreams are powered by consistent belief. Turn off the belief and you cut the plug to the magic. Think about farmers who plant crops in the spring. If they gave up because they didn’t see immediate results, the seeds would never grow. They have faith in the process however, so they keep watering and tending their fields and end up with a bountiful harvest.

As anyone who has dared face the mall in December will tell you, keeping a positive attitude can be difficult, but don’t give up too quickly. Your dream may not turn up exactly as you had envisioned, but it will still be wonderful. You wished for a pony, but Santa knew you’d never clean the stall. Instead, he brings you a Porsche. Don’t you just love Santa?:)

My dream was and still is to sing at the Met some day. It’s unlikely to happen at this point, but I’m not giving up hope. What has come as result of keeping this wish in my heart has been a deeply fulfilling business and new opportunities to use my voice I could have never anticipated.

What is your dream? Are you holding it fast to your heart? Or do you need a dose of inspiration?

Here is my recipe for a truly magical business:

  1. Think like a kid.
  2. Imagine your dream in vivid detail.
  3. Ask for what you want.
  4. Work your patootie off while you wait.
  5. Believe it will come to you.

*A pinch of eggnog never hurt either:)

Do those things and who knows where you’ll be this time next year!

Until next time, here’s to hitting all your high notes.

xo

Heather

 

Filed Under: Life Lessons, Overcoming challenges, Success Strategies, Uncategorized, Winning mindsets Tagged With: , , ,

Come out, come out wherever you are…

December 11, 2014 By Leave a Comment

I had a very interesting experience recently. I was on the treadmill, my altar of choice, getting into my zen mode when “Shazammmm!” I had an awesome idea. I was going to create a truth-or-dare type business game, a no-lose, profitable venture for anyone who was willing to play. But I was struggling with how to word the copy. How exactly do you sound both high-end, dead-serious and playful all at the same time? Fast forward to the shower…

Kapow! Inspiration strikes again.

I will make it like a carnival game, but with a $100,000 proposition. Yes, yes, this will be fun! Hmmm, can I really do this? Am I sure this is the right tone? Better test it out… “Hey, guys, what do you think of this? Too bold?”

The feedback I got was crazy divided. One person said I was hiding behind a clown mask, another said, “Right on! This is awesome!” Ok, now what? Who else can I ask…

“Hey, Hubby, what do you think of this copy?” (Just the position in which most husbands like to be put.) “Oh, I’m wonderful you say? Phew… thanks Honey.”

I wasn’t really looking for feedback, I was looking for validation. “Is this ok? Am I ok? Will people like me?”

Have you ever had a flash of inspiration, something that totally fired you up? You couldn’t wait to get home to tell someone. But something happens on the way, doesn’t it? Doubt creeps in and you get cold feet. 

Nine times out of ten, your first impulse is the right one. It’s right because it’s your unfiltered power voice talking to you. That’s what the bolt of electricity is you feel surging through your body when a wild idea pops in your head and that is where your profits come from.

When you edit yourself, you water down your authenticity. You play nice in the sandbox in hopes other kids will come and sit next to you, or maybe even in hopes that they won’t beat you up. Either way what usually happens is you sit there alone, waiting to get noticed.

Letting your true voice out can be incredibly scary, I’ll admit it. I was really nervous about my game copy, but what I realized was, I am done keeping quiet. This bird is out of the cage and she’s gonna sing baby!

I ended up posting something that was pretty bold and very tongue in cheek. I got some takers, but honestly, I may have had more people respond if I had toned it down, but I don’t care. It was so incredibly liberating to breathe more of myself into my brand voice that it felt like a massive victory.

As you continue to express yourself more and more, you will lose favor with some people. Wish them well on their journey of self-discovery, but it’s totally cool and actually preferable. Those that stay will get more value and enjoyment from being a part of the community and you will have more fun serving them as you freely express yourself more and more.

I’ve said it before, branding is like dating. You have to find the right match. If you pretend to be something you are not to fill your funnel, you will start resenting your business. On the other hand, if you let your true voice come out, not only will you develop an awesome tribe who loves you, you will most definitely make more money. Now that’s something to sing about:)

If you are having trouble finding your power voice, I invite you at apply for a Complimentary Consultation with me, by clicking here: http://bit.ly/1G9OUNW

Until next time, here’s to hitting you high notes!

xo

 

P.S. If you’d like to know more about the game, shoot me an email at heather@clearvoicebranding.com. I could be worth $100,000 to you:)

 

Filed Under: Bold Branding, Brand Building Tagged With: , , ,