What Makes You A Prodcutive Trail Blazer And Not A Reactive Fire Fighter?
November 9, 2009
Majority of people begin their work day with checking emails and diving into addressing one crisis or another. A typical day at work may feel like you are rushing through tasks and projects and attending to whatever is most urgent and pressing. Goals? Well, those are around too, but many just do not get round to these carefully crafted goals and mission statements.
It is also not uncommon that projects are delayed for months, even years or that they may be pushed out the door in haste in an effort to “go live” with a bang. Sometimes testing has not been done and you go into fire fighting mode when project "goes live". Band aids and quick fixes are applied and you pack in a day’s work for some well deserved rest at the end of a long day – before you drag yourself to another day of fire fighting the next morning.
I have been through this, and it is too painful. It drains you of energy, efficiency, and creativity. You are driven passively to react to patching up instead of proactively creating, planning, implementing, testing, rolling out, tracking and reviewing projects that you are passionate about. Before long, you get de-motivated, exhausted and just “get carried along with the flow”. Alternatively you may decide to do something to break the cycle and go into productive, efficient and stress-free mode.
Fortunately you are your own manager; time manager, resource manager, risk manager, project manager, finance manager, marketing and sales manager, operations manager, business development manager all rolled into one whether you run your own business or not. Yes, you are in control of your own life.
If you want to blaze the trail,
If you are working on getting more leads, more sales, more partners, more products to be created and
If you value ideas and multiple objective expert views from those who have "been there done that" (or "are there and doing that"), then
Reach out and join a mastermind group.
People who are like-minded gather regularly to share and bounce off ideas. If you have the motivation, the mindset that embraces change, and if you are looking for independent views and support then a mastermind group will serve you well.
There is a 70% chance that people will not reach their goals even if they fall within the 10% of the population that has some sort of goals. To be among the top 3% who achieve goals 89% of the time you need more than just having clearly define goals.
Awareness is a good start and desire is another great ingredient but if there is no implementation or if there is no objective external views, projects can get off course or downstream. Casualties arise and projects fail. In a mastermind group you are ready and open to consider others views and you hold yourself accountable to the targets you set. It is rather unlikely that one will show up week after week without working on their goals.
The structures that are built into the mastermind group support you as you work on your goals. You take incremental and small steps every week and you achieve much more by chunking down your goals. You have others collaborating with you and giving you input on how you can enhance your project or what booby traps to watch out for. And most importantly, you are serious about the goals you declare to the group and you work on them during the week.
If you do not want to end up like many who spend 90% of the time fire fighting and you are ready to take action then come join a mastermind group in your area, or one that meets over the phone from the comfort of your home. Blaze the trail with your creativity and intentions instead of being a fire fighter!
A word of caution though, not all mastermind groups are effective and respects your precious time. So if you want to invest your time and business in a mastermind group then find one that is lead by a professional mastermind leader who is trained to facilitate the group and who take care of the logistics so you can concentrate on the content and discussions.
I am opening up a mastermind group for professionals as well as solo entrepreneurs and service providers who are just starting out their home businesses and who want to increase productivity and releases unnecessary stress. If you are working on getting more leads, more sales, more partners, more products to be created then write to Contact@AbundantLivesCoaching.com before 25th Nov.
I am offering a free month of phone mastermind facilitation. You decide if you want to continue with me after the initial month. More details will be given on the free orientation call on the 25th Nov at 8:30am US ET (check out the latest event). You can ask any questions and we will address that on the call. Write in and details of the call will be sent to you/ we will have a conversation on how this mastermind can help you set your blaze.
Coaches Need Input Too
November 7, 2009
Here's what the Tony Robin has to say about why some people achieve success while others do not. Take careful notes of his golden nuggets especially in the first 10 minutes or so. What shapes your destiny? Your state? Your model of the world? Your Long Term Needs?
Whether you are a coach or a corporate professional, whether you work from the home office or the corner office, you are constantly serving and giving. And it is not uncommon that you get burnt out being the provider. At some point, you too need to take care of yourself, you need fresh input, fresh perspective and you need motivation and fuel to carry on.
Imagine what a weekly masterminding group will do to you. You set a time for your self care, to set the intentions and action plans for the things you want to accomplish. You set the pulse for the actions you want to take. You invest one hour a week and you get loads of focus perspectives and suggestions, suggestions for you to check and try out.
In this mastermind group, every one is respected, your time is respected and the meeting will start and end on time. There is focus conversation and you get your alloted 7 minutes to ask your questions and get expert input from the group. You also get accountability, as you declare your SMART goals every week.
To find out a little more about what masterminding is and how Andrew Carnegie would conduct his own mastermind, get a free report here. Andrew was not the richest man by accident, he planned and worked towards it and he tapped into collective wisdom of his mastermind group that meets regularly and in a structured manner.
I like to model the actions of successful people, and the mastermind group that I lead will be modeled upon Carnegie's own construct, using the exact words he used for both the opening and the closing of the mastermind.
Write to Contact@AbundantLivesCoaching.com before 23rd Nov for a spot in the upcoming mastermind. I will be opening up a month of complimentary trial to 7 highly motivated person who is looking to get their solo business off the ground.
If you know what results you want for your business and have not been able to get into the action then tap into the wisdom and minds of 7 other highly motivated persons in the industry who have or are facing similar issues.
Experience how the mastermind can keep the pulse of your business and propel you forward. You can decide if you want to stay on after the initial month and when you do, you will pay only a subsidized fee. The Mastermind Group is due to commence the week of 23rd Nov, so book your spot now.
Done. Next Project Please
November 5, 2009
Couple of years ago when I made up my mind to conquer Mt Kinabalu, I had a plan to work up my stamina and muscles. I did 2 hours of yoga everyday 6 days a week over a year. Sometimes it is nice and easy yin yoga to stretch and open up the joints for flexibility. Other times, I did Harta or Hot yoga, to get the circulation going and to build the core muscles through resistance and repetition.
I can possibly do the routine at home. Yet I hit the studio every day, I like the motivation and the momentum of practising together in a community – and I achieved my goal -as planned.
Fast forward to today, I have stiff shoulders, back pain and I started panting when I climb the stairs. And not only that, I don’t seem to be as grounded nor as sharp in my thinking. You guessed it, I stopped going to the yoga studio.
Time to start the routine again. I must have said that many times. Yet I did not do much about it. Although I can see the benefits of doing exercises and I really wanted to exercise again, I did not. Plus I also knew how to do the routine, I just had not been able to get it going.
I wake up to another day of having yoga practice on my to-do list and transferring that to the next day.
Then I bumped into my yoga teacher twice in the same week. We chattered and he passed me 2 free passes so I have no excuses not to come to class again. The deal was that I would use these 2 classes to evaluate if I would want to restart classes at the studio.
Back to the mat. The instance I stepped into class, and I see others practicing, I feel motivated and I am energize when I am practicing with other practitioners. I also stayed back for a catch up session and enjoyed the discussions on alignment and breathing.
Many times, we have good intentions and we did not get round to doing them; whether it is starting the piano lessons, taking that much needed vacation, uncluttering that wardrobe, drinking more water, having more fruits or finishing that information product. We know what to do and we can do it and we just did not.
But when I pay for a monthly subscription to join the yoga studio, I made that finite commitment to consciously and actively invest in my own health. When that transaction takes place I make it a priority to make this project work. Doing it with a group of practitioners gives it an added dimension. There is group synergy and dynamics, there is accountability and with the instructor leading and facilitating the class there is structures and stability and a safe environment to work in.
This is very much the same in a mastermind group. It is not that you do not know what to do, but being in a group that meets regularly in a structured manner helps bring out the best efforts and creativity in you, to achieve your highest standards.
I am going to open up a master mind group in 2 weeks time (week of 23rd Nov) and would like to invite 7 people who are willing to invest an hour a week in exchange for exponential growth in their personal and business productivity.
If you have wanted to complete more projects, create more products, get more clients, be more organized and maintain a healthy lifestyle then you want to join this mastermind group. You will be with 7 like minded people, who are intent on getting results and supporting each other. You tap into varied and diverse expert views.
By the way, this is different from coaching. This is where you declare your goals, get collective input for your questions, hold yourself accountable for the goals you set and have a community to check in with once a week. It is very much action and result oriented. It sets the pulse and the rhythm for your business.
I now have 7 spots open for 7 highly motivated persons to come join me in my master mind. I am in the process of being certified as a mastermind leader and therefore will not be charging my regular fee for this mastermind group – for a limited time.
If you are interested to explore joining this master mind group for a month of complimentary access, you can write in to Contact@AbundantLivesCoaching.com. Please state your goals for joining this mastermind and your pain/struggles. You will be attending 4 weekly calls, an hour a week and work on your specific goals for the 30 days. You can then decide if you want to carry on with me in the paid mastermind group.
If you are ready to get more projects done, be more efficient, get more leads, more sales, more presence, less stress and be willing to support and be supported then this is the program for you.
Do note that this is not a “training” so relying on listening to replay will not work here. Also note that this is not a cozy catch up "let’s connect" type of call. There is a place for that and I can direct you to that place if you are interested (just write me).
Masterminding is a place for setting clear and focus goals, being accountable to your goals and achieving them systematically, and collectively in the group. You get 7 minutes to do that – you can imagine how "focus" you can get and what that does to your personal and business productivity.
The mastermind group is your pulse, your life line. If you are frustrated and stuck somewhere in your business and you have been trying different tricks to motivate yourself to achieve your goal then write in and we will have a conversation.
By the way, the first mastermind group which I sent out invitation to 3 weeks ago is the answer to my increased productivity. It is amazing how much more I manage to do given the same external circumstances, and I got to know 6 other mastermind partners who bring their valuable input and energy to the call every week. To stay informed of special deals ahead of others, just sign up here – it's free.
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