What’s a Niffler, you ask?
Well, if you’ve read Happy Potter and the Goblet of Fire, you might remember that a Niffler is a critter that hunts treasure. Once it finds one treasure, it moves on quickly in search of the next prize.
Do you do the same thing in your business? Meaning, are you a constant gatherer of the things that you think will move your business ahead, but not so much the implementer of them? Do you get distracted by anything and everything that’s new in your industry? Do you come up with one great idea after another, but you never fully commit to completing one of them?
Yes? I hate to break it to you, but there’s probably a bit of Niffler in you! You could also call it distractiblity-disorder or failure-to-follow-through or fear-of-success/failure, or focus-challenged… but personally, I like having a bit of Niffler in me. It means I’m still passionate about what I’m doing, I’m still excited about learning new things, and I’m still interested in what’s happening in my industry, which lends to my ultimate success.
But what can happen is that all those ideas and thoughts and half-completed projects don’t move my business forward. For example, when I started my own business over 10 years ago, there was about half the business-building technology and tools available that there are now. And it’s so easy to want to jump on the cutting-edge bandwagon. But at some point, if I didn’t focus on actually completing things, I’d still be spinning my wheels instead of driving in the fast lane.
So, how do you tame the Niffler in you?
The strategy that has worked the best for me (not 100% of the time, but close enough) has been to keep an Idea Journal. Whenever I have a new idea or thought about something I want to do related to my business, I just jot it down in my Idea Journal. Then I go back to working on my current project that I am commit to completing. I know my ideas are saved there for me so I won’t forget them, and eventually I do go back and refer to what I’ve written and choose some to work on.
What this also does, besides helping me to maintain my focus, is it stops me from wasting time on ideas that ultimately don’t fit into my business. Many ideas end up almost self-selecting themselves out by virtue of time. So by keeping my focus on the ultimate treasure, I don’t get side-tracked by fool’s gold… 🙂
If you think you have a little Niffler in you, try this idea and enjoy a dramatic increase in your own productivity!
At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we’ll focus specifically on creating your detailed plan that will show you exactly what to focus on during each step of your business building so you stay on track to move much more easily from where you are to where you want to be.
You can get your ticket right now for the lowest price available here.
I love to know how this resonates with you – share your thoughts with me below…
My good friend Marney Makridakis (truly, she was the first person to meet my daughter after she was born in 2005) has written an incredible mind-shifting and life-altering book – and I’m honor to share an excerpt of it here with you…
Try this: Imagine who you would be if you didn’t worry about time. How might your life be different? I surveyed fifty-two people, and the results revealed that 90 percent felt “somewhat anxious” to “significantly anxious” about time. What’s even more startling is that these results don’t even seem all that surprising. Anxiety about time is very much a part of most of our lives. Think back to a time when you greeted a casual acquaintance and asked how he was, and he said, “Great! Things are fantastic!” It can be almost jarring when someone responds so positively. Somehow we’re more conditioned to expect to hear people complain that they are tired, or sigh that they are busy.
It’s helpful to dig deeply to figure out what is at the root of our problems with time. Why do we overschedule ourselves? Why do we want to be so busy? Why are we so consumed with time? Why does it seem so “normal” to worry about time so much? Why is it easier to be caught up in a drama about time than it is to be released from it?
In short, what is the payoff for worrying about time?
When I examine this question myself, I can recognize that the more I complain about time, the more I block my ability to accept and express love and connection. Violette Clark shared, “I suppose not having enough time, or the illusion of believing this, makes us feel important. I also realize it keeps me safe. There have been a lot of dreams that I’ve accomplished, including publishing a book, but there have been a lot of balls that I’ve dropped, too, in the name of ‘not having enough time.’ Putting myself out there more fully means more potential for rejection. Sometimes not ‘going for my dreams’ is safer.”
Similarly, artist Peggy Lynn boldly admitted that time complaints are related to ego: “The ‘I’m too busy’ implication does stroke the ego: ‘Oh, look at me — busy, busy, busy!’” A workshop participant shared that her worries about time give her an excuse and an outside source for not following her dreams. She said, “I’ve never been someone who likes to blame, but now I suddenly realize that I’ve actually been blaming time. I don’t have enough time, and so that’s why I don’t go after this dream, or that’s why I haven’t tried this or followed up on that. Then it’s not my fault. This was a big discovery for me!”
Here are some examples of payoffs that people might receive from worrying or complaining about time.
➢ Time is a good catchall: if I can complain about being busy, then I don’t have to look at other areas in my life.
➢ Worrying about time gives me something to talk about with other people.
➢ Worrying about time is a convenient excuse for not following my dreams.
➢ My schedule is wrapped up with my self-esteem. Being “too busy” means that I’m successful.
➢ I don’t plan things that I might enjoy because it is too scary — it just feels safer to be bored.
Do any other payoffs come to mind? Which ones resonate as possibly being true for you? For further reflection, refer to the questions in the sidebar “Exploring Your Time Anxiety.”
Once we can identify the payoffs that we get from worrying about time, we can see them for what they are: illusions that keep us from living our true potential. Simply being aware of what we are getting from our time worries allows us to make a different choice. Choice is one of the nine ARTbundance Principles, which are building blocks to self-awareness. Making new choices is one of the best ways we can explore new layers of freedom with time. Dana Sebastian-Duncan, a trainee in the ACT program, put it nicely: “When I really think of the Principle of Choice as it relates to time, it reminds me that I have the freedom to create my life and my own ‘reality.’ My daily choices add up to my life, and that is empowering.”
Buy your copy here: http://tinyurl.com/marneysbook
Watch the trailer here: http://www.bit.ly/creatingtimetrailer
Marney K. Makridakis is the author of Creating Time. She founded the Artella online community for creators of all kinds and the print magazine Artella. A popular speaker and workshop leader, she created the ARTbundance approach of self-discovery through art. She lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit her online at http://www.artellaland.com.
Excerpted from the book Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life ©2012 by Marney Makridakis. Published with permission of New World Library http://www.newworldlibrary.com
Did you know there’s a super-simple way to leverage your gifts, talent and know-how into lucrative, highly leveraged income streams?
It’s your Signature System, and it’s your step-by-step formula for multiple streams of revenue success.
So, what exactly is a Signature System? It’s the work you’re already doing with clients, packaged into a highly marketable, step-by-step system they’ll want to buy.
If you’re thinking you can’t create a system because every client is different, think again. Every service can be transformed into a simple, repeatable system clients will happily say yes to – yes, even yours!
I figured this out early on in my business and this one signature system has help me create every other offering I’ve made and turned into over a million dollars to date.
Specifically, here are the top 10 reasons why having a Signature System is a must to add to your business model, transition out of 1-on-1 work fast or to even completely replace it.
1. Your clients LOVE systems.
They’re so overloaded, they can’t even stop to think. Your system tells them “I’ve done the work so you don’t have to.”
2. Your clients can practically predict their success.
When they see the results others have achieved, clients feel very reassured… and start to picture the results for themselves.
3. Your Signature System sets you apart.
It’s as unique as your signature, after all – nobody else has it!
4. Instant credibility.
Without a system, your services can appear all over the place. A system instantly elevates you to expert status.
5. Quicker, easier sales.
Your clients “get” what you offer much quicker and are ready to buy much sooner.
6. Your clients get better results…
…when they follow given steps in a given order, instead of blundering around trying to find their way.
7. Your clients get results faster…
… because they’re not wasting time on needless “stuff.”
8. Your clients come back again and again…
…because they’ve had such success with you the first time!
9. You’ll help more people…
…because your Signature System (or key elements of it) can be “bottled and sold” at different investment and commitment points.
10. And best of all, you’ll see just how easy it is to create 3, 4 or even more lucrative income streams that will deliver a steady and predictable flow of cash into your business. And you know what that means? Peace of mind. Priceless.
At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we focus a whole session on creating your signature system. This is one of the most popular sessions because every attendee walks out of OBBW with their own signature system in hand, most of them completely surprised at how simple it was!
If this was the only solid piece of content you got from OBBW, it would still be worth 100xs your small investment.
You can get on our early bird reservation list here to get the lowest ticket price available.
I love to know how this resonates with you – are your thoughts with me below…
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