A few weeks ago the KV Style magazine, the paper that I write a column for, asked if they could share some TIDBITS about me. I am always open when it comes to sharing information that allows my readers to feel more connected to me.  In business ultimately people buy from people they like and people they trust.

Here is the article or if you prefer to read the online version check it out here.

One of KV Style’s new columnists is a professional organizer who has lived in Rothesay for 13 years. Married to Jamie (who she met on a blind date), they have three children, now 14, 12 and 10. She likes to read and learn, walk the area’s beautiful streets, cook and entertain, have coffee with friends and play board games.

• I am reading… The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.
• Someone who makes me laugh is … my nine-year-old.
• At home I cook … gourmet meals.
• My first job was … printing T-Shirts at Crazy Tops in Parkway Mall.
• A person I admire is … I would have to say my children; they are my teachers.
• My secret skill is … I have my first degree in Reiki.
• I aspire to … help families to simplify their lives.
• The best invention ever is … The Dymo label Maker.
• My favorite toy as a child was … an Easy Bake Oven.
• The best part of what I do for a living is …help people to take charge and get rid of what’s holding them back.
• I wish I had …the cure for cancer.
• My favorite vacation spot is … with my family any place we can get in a canoe.
• If I could invite three people to dinner, alive or dead, they would be … Jesus, Oprah and Madonna.
• If I could have a super power, it would be … to fly.
• My favorite things about the Kennebecasis Valley are … the beauty of the whole area from the river to the parks, the people and the strong sense of community.

How about sharing a bit about yourself? I would love to know more about YOU.

What don’t you like about your BUSINESS, life, relationships, money…etc?

And how do you plan on making changes to the situation to what you DO WANT?

About five years ago I met Michael Losier best selling Canadian author and Oprah’s Law of Attraction HOW-TO guru right here in my home town of Rothesay New Brunswick Canada.

He shared an amazing secret that day to all of the workshop participants and has been sharing the secrets of attracting more of what you want into your life for the past decade.

Are you ready?

Here is the secret….before you can get more of what you want you need to get past what you don’t want.

Sample Contrast through Clarity worksheet

I have used this Contrast Through Clarity worksheet that is in Michael’s book many times in the past, and it always helps me to get clear about what I am attracting good or bad and how to get more of what I want.

Take a few minutes today to try it out on a situation in your life that is not working for you….you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

I am not sure when it happened but our compasses have lost their polarity….

This past week I have been preparing a workshop for a group of administrative assistants and one of the key concepts that will be delivered will be the classic “Important VS  Urgent” quadrants by Stephen Covey. I have been searching to find the best way to convey this concept, to deliver it in a way that will give the attendees a visual reference for this life changing concept…and frankly I get confused on the quadrants myself and I want it to be crystal clear for this awesome group.

I found this information via wikipedia during my research and it made it all clear…

In the book  First Things First it states ….”The principles provide a “true north” and reference when deciding what activities are most important, so that decisions are guided not merely by the “clock” of scheduling but by the “compass” of purpose and values.”

The Compass of purpose and values…that is it.

How many of us are so clear on our Purpose and Values that we can set a compass by it?

I challenge you today to take 30 minutes and write your purpose…yes your purpose…why the heck are you here!

Next make a list of what you value…hmmm…hard one…

Now go and set your compass I bet you can find True North now.

How can an advertiser get you to fall in love with a product in 30 seconds or less?

Visuals!

Have you ever caught yourself reaching for a hanky during a commercial break… and then wanting to reach out and touch someone…well if you have then you have been Inspired with the power of the visual.

Now my tiny advertising budget, ok non existent budget, does not allow me to hire a production crew to create a touching, visually appealing ad that will make people salivate for my product or service.

So what does the average Joe do to create something visually compelling…. you go to the internet of course and you research…you find a free program…and then you build your own 30 second ad…a Mind Movie.

Just to show you how easy it can be done I produced my own 30 second commercial this week using  Animoto’s free tool.

Kim Eagles and I are preparing for a very exciting mention of our company Organizing Connection in the Financial Post Magazine in May and I wanted a commercial for the visitors to our site. I want them to get caught up in the emotion of the offering and yes…I want them to take action.

Here is what I created…enjoy…now go and make one of your own.

What do you do when the spring rain puts a damper on your motivation?

Staying focused can sometimes be challenging when you are a solopreneur. Working alone in a home office can be lonely at the best of times however when you add some gloomy weather it can be paralyzing.

Time to pull out your TOP 5 and you tackle one thing at a time.

Check out my VLOG today for some great motivational TIPS!

So what does one do when the economy is scraping its belly on the floor of a recession?

You go back to the business basics….the thing that you did when you started…the thing that required your expertise…the thing that started it all.

Over the past month I have been working with 6 amazing women who want to start their own businesses. Now in this economic climate you might think they are a bit bonkers but I am an optimistic.

I think that setting up the foundation of their companies when times are tough will position them for the time when the economy is healthy once again.

While going through the process I have been revisiting all the things that I did 7 years ago when I started my business and I forgot how much fun some of those things can be.

Here are some of the back to business basics I am soooo excited about revisiting:

• Networking with local business owners at events like the International Women’s day event I attended this week.
• Creating attractive flyers to post on local bulletin boards to promote my business.
• Renting a booth at a local market to sell my Home Organizing Videos ,we usually sell these as a download but I think making hard copies and getting out and chatting with people and selling copies locally will be a blast.
• Hands on organizing with people who need to clear the clutter to make way for future possibilities.
• Lunch and learns…these are so much fun, and with small groups of 10 or less you can really get into it.

I hope that I have given you some food for thought and provided some inspiration to get your business flowing in this tough economy.

OK …this is not a post about bicycling….it is another cycle we are talking about here!

***This post will be helpful to all my female readers who wonder why they work differently during the course of the month. For all my male readers this post will shed some light on the amazing ways that women work.***

A very wise woman friend and co-worker of mine shared this productivity secret with me many years ago. She was the most productive person in our office… she met and actually exceeded targets…she was the company superstar.

I asked her how she did this month after month…year after year

The productivity secret wasn’t really a secret…it was something that we all know innately but have forgotten. This gal was aware of herself and her cycle and she applied this to her work and because of it she was able to work circles around all of us. It wasn’t rocket science….

Productivity Secret-There are specific times of the month that certain tasks flow better than others….

I have mentioned this in my presentations before. The room goes quiet, eyebrows are raised….yes…deep thinking is happening.  That aha moment when we realize that there are weeks of the month that we could conquer the world, write 100 proposals, build a school….and there are times of the month when you could bite the head off a small child…ok that may be a bit harsh but there are days when all you want to do is curl up with a good book and a hot cuppa.

So why for heavens sake do you plan strategic meetings on a week where the possibility of hurting your co-workers is pretty high?

Just for fun;

• Figure out where you are in your cycle right now
• Evaluate how your week is going
• Which of your Top 5 items are you accomplishing
• What things are you avoiding
• What would you rather be doing

Now you need to get deliberate about what you do and when you do it. For instance on power week plan all the activities that need your highest energy level, on the introspective week do your deep thinking….etc.

Here are some more great articles and resources that I have found about this Productivity Secret.

Miranda Gray- A 28-day plan to help you Boost  Productivity and Work satisfaction

Honoring the Feminine

Do the cycles of Moon affect us? I found this great resource at Evolving Alchemy

Now if you will excuse me I have to go and curl up in ball, pull the quilt up over my head and have a good cry!

I was warned that this would happen…

People told me to be prepared…

Well that day has come…

I woke up this morning and the creative well is dry, it is shriveled up,  I don’t have one thing that I feel like writing about. The productivity of the past few months is fading fast.

Could it be that I have hit a creative wall?

Did the ups and mostly downs of the past 7 days finally take their toll?

Oh my…will the thrill of writing these posts and feeling the words flow seamlessly out of my fingertips on to the virtual paper come back to me?

I am sure that tomorrow or even later today I will feel inspired…I Hope!

How do you handle creative dry spells? What techniques do you use during the creative times to help with the not so creative days? Please share.

creak….can you hear the video vault being opened?

I have been known to get up on my soapbox as you have seen in the last few weeks and I also love a good rant….

If you are Canadian then you have had the opportunity to see Rick Mercer in action…well…he is the king of rants. For my non Canadian readers you need to bookmark Rick’s youtube channel this guy is funny, smart and he really gets you thinking.

For today you get my rant…I am Ranting on the recession, the election of a new president and overconsumption…Please, ignore the dark sunglasses, the wardrobe gal forgot my other ones…just kidding I don’t have a wardrobe gal..it was Kim and we were just so excited to do this segment we did not think of the glasses…ENJOY!

If you ask anyone that knows me really well… TODAY they will say that I am a Ready, Fire, Aim kinda gal….Well it has not always been that way. They will probably say that I have no fear and really do Take Charge! in my life….

It was not always so…and how does someone go from having a difficult time with decisions, becoming stuck at every turn and letting great things pass you by because you were waiting for the PERFECT time to do something….to someone who jumps at opportunities and loves challenges.

Life happens….and I am sure it happens to everyone at some point or another…mine happened one day when I could not live the life I had and wanted something different…but I did not know that yet.

I had to put the need for perfection into perspective, I had to stop being afraid and lastly I had to stop procrastinating. Procrastination is essentially postponed decisions…the last step in my evolution was to start making decisions, decisions that are right for me…and not being afraid of mistakes….

For more information on Procrastination please read this awesome article by Monica Ricci.

Finally be honest with yourself today….what decisions are you postponing and if you took a stand and made the decision where would that road lead to?