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Give more to be more…?

Ever have a project due or a deadline looming
that really stresses you out?

Well, that was Chloe’s shark project for her science class.

This girl had a vision, and she made it come alive, but wow – what it took to get there was some serious time reconfiguration, lots of that time spent in the Fabrication Lab at school during lunch, recess, and after school when she wasn’t at musical rehearsal, and lots of support, though she did all the work herself.

This photo is her completed project, and I have to say, from it coming home in many separate pieces to 4 hours later to completion – I’m impressed.

I’m even more impressed that she had a really great attitude about it all – even when she had to go back to store at 7:30pm to get less strong magnets! (Thank you, James, for taking that trip with her.)

But something she said while she was hot glue gunning struck me (I admit, with a tad bit of unease)…

I commented that she didn’t need to do something, that it was fine the way it was, and she just smiled at me because she was going to do it her own way anyway (she is so my daughter) and said, “But Mom, I’m a perfectionist.”

Yikes!

From a recovering (almost) perfectionist, I cringed a little. But I also recognized that part of the reason this project was stressing her out wasn’t just the limited time she had to work on it, but because it’s really important to her to do well.

In this case, she saw clearly what she wanted and she went for it – focused, determined, and yes, it took more because she wanted it to be more.

And that’s not a bad thing at all.

And it made me think, where in my business could I give more so it could be more?

You?

I’d love to know your thoughts…

Cheers,
~ A

Wiping out overwhelm bit by bit

The next two weeks are a bit overwhelming with so much going on, both personally and business-wise, so I took time yesterday to clear the decks.

I boxed up a ton of old binders and notebooks to go to the recycling center. I started filling my ‘summer bin’ mostly of books I want to read over the next few months. And I’m about 75% through my inbox as I head to zero before we leave for the lake.

I walked into my office this morning feeling considerably lighter and more energized to move forward.

I also made a list of exactly what needs to happen when over these next few weeks. Now I just need to focus on that list. 😉

I share more about wiping out overwhelm here:

http://aliciaforest.com/how-to-wipe-out-overwhelm/

Enjoy!

Cheers,
~ A

Turning On Your Money Taps

One of the things I worked on for several years is cleaning up my money issues. That included everything from thinking I have to work really hard to make a lot of money, to taking care of old debt, to having a plan for paying down new debt, to plugging even the slightest money leak.

The truth for me was that I tended to not pay attention to my money as much as I should, so inevitably something happened where money MADE me pay attention. It wasn’t usually a positive experience. 😉

As I made some big strides in this area, I discovered that once I started really paying attention to my money, it started showing up a lot more in a lot more positive ways.

Here are 4 tips that helped me immensely to turn on the flow of money into my business and my life that I know can help you too.

TIP 1. Keep a daily tracking sheet of what comes in…

I track every penny that comes in on one simple sheet each day. When I first started doing this, I had days where I didn’t have any money coming in, but within just one month, it started to become rare if there was even one day that didn’t have some sum attached to it. My clients who use this method of tracking absolutely love it because they can see the results of this simple yet powerful attractor of more money flow into their business so quickly.

TIP 2. Have a purpose for each income stream

I’ve always done this without really thinking about it, but once I started getting crystal clear about the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ for each and every one of my income streams, they turned from trickles to rivers.

TIP 3. Take care of any outstanding money issues

Periodically, I sit down with all the info in hand to cancel memberships I’m not utilizing, get refunds I’m owed, and ask my assistant to send reminders for any overdue invoices. When I do this, inevitably I’ll receive a check or payment to me totaling as much as or more than the amount I just took care of. See, money likes being paid attention to.

TIP 4. Find and plug those money leaks

In every business, there are places where money is leaking out. It could be the webmaster who charges by the hour and takes too long to complete a task. It could be a monthly subscription that you either don’t utilize at all or that you aren’t clear on its return on investment to be sure it’s actually a good one to make. It could be paying monthly for a service you use all year in your business, and that you could save 10% on if you chose the annual payment plan instead.

When you start to pay attention to your money, it will immediately open up the flow of it into your business and your life.

Which one of these tips are you going to start doing today? Share with me below…

At Simplify & Amplify, we work on YOUR money stuff and these 4 tips are the tiniest sample of the kinds of shifts you can start making today to start making and keeping more money in your business.

Find out more about S&A here

You are your own best guide

A few weeks ago, I was trying to make a decision about something in my business.

It wasn’t a huge decision but I wasn’t sure which way I wanted to go, so I asked a couple of respected colleagues for their advice.

While I was leaning one way, they encouraged me (separately) to choose the other path. Because it wasn’t a major decision and what they both said made sense to me, I did choose the other path.

Then I was regretted it. I found myself frustrated because I didn’t listen to my own inner knowing, my own intuition. The results I was getting from choosing the other path were fine, so it wasn’t that it wasn’t working. I just had this strong sense that had I followed my intuition, my results would have been a lot better.

I’ve done this several times over the course of being in business for 16 years. I’ve also had many more occasions when I HAVE listened to my own inner guidance system, on some very big decisions, even when I was very scared to do so, and things have always worked out way better than I had imagined.

This little episode was simply a reminder that while it’s great to ask others for help in making decisions, to take my own advice that I give to clients all the time – check in with yourself before making your final decision.

Where in your business (or life) could you tune in a little more, connect with your own inner knowing, and use that information to move forward much more easily and effortlessly?

I’d love to know – please share below!

Top 10 Reasons You Must Have A Signature System

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 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!

Once I figured this out and added my Signature System into my offerings in multiple ways, I knew I’d found the right strategy that was going to help me create the kind of income I desired.

Specifically, here are the top 10 reasons why having a Signature System is a MUST to quickly transition out of 1-on-1 work fast…

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!


Did you know the foundation of the first 6-figures in my business is all built on my original Signature System?

Creating your own Signature System is always one of the most popular sessions at my annual live event, so if you want to create your first or next signature system, this is your opportunity to do so.

Find out more here