Your Brain, Your Business, Your Bottom Line...Connecting the Dots for Maximum Results!

Happy April Fools!
Bet you wondered if asking you to think of yourself as an expert was some cruel April Fools trick? No my sweet! Claiming your expert status is critical.

The picture on the right is Kailee. My expert-shoe-eating-dog! She usually goes after only my FAVORITE kicks. She almost lost her residency and was close to getting deported back to the shelter we got her from, when my best ever brown alligator pumps got chewed up. Hey....We all gotta be good at something, right. And isn't she cute!

Now, why do you have to show up as an expert? You may be thinking to yourself, "What about humilty, Therese? Won't people think I'm arrogant? I can't say that I'm better than other people." Whew...you are misunderstanding the concept.

Let me put it to you this way. Imagine if your child had a brain tumor and needed immediate surgery. You have two choices of whom to see: The family practice doc who might have taken a neuro class 15 years ago because they are a GENERALIST, or the Neurologist who has done this surgery a thousand times and is a SPECIALIST? Get my drift? We want experts taking care of us! Your customers and clients want you to know your stuff and convey that confidence to them. Not in an arrogant or condescending manner, but with one of strength and conviction.

Why this topic today? Because I was recently interviewed by my good friends Ray DuGray and Maria Ngo. They are a husband and wife team also known as "The Entrepreneur Doctors."

I used to always say, "I wish I knew what I knew." Do you understand that? For me, having them grill me for an hour about how to "Master Your Psychology So You Can Be the Master of Your Business" was a fabulous experience. I walked away feeling pretty stoked about delivering a great call (and going, "Damn....I really AM an expert in this area!") and they reported being blown away by how much they learned from me. If you want to get the interview, just go to www.interviewanexpert.com and you will find my audio.

Here is just a sample of what I covered:

• What is "Mastering Your Psychology?"
• What does this cost people if they don't take care of this?
• What is the process you teach?
• What do you do with fear?

There's lots more, so please take the time to listen to the audio and let me know if you have any questions. Also, let me know if you have any ideas about how to keep dog's from eating shoes!

Here's to your success!!!


Therese Skelly
www.acceleratingyoursuccess.com
www.moresmallbizsuccess.com
602-369-0091

I just had the priviledge of being on staff at Melanie Strick's "Ultimate Business Breakthrough Intensive" a couple of weeks ago. The workshop was filled with eager entrepreneurs who wanted to invest in themselves and their business by making the commitment to the three day process.

Here is a photo of us at the Redondo Beach Portofino Hotel right on the water! Way cool!!!




We took these folks from the point of defining their vision, removing/releasing blocks around that, creating their one year goal, and then creating a strategic 90-day plan to really nail it down.

That was the interesting part for me, because it hasn't been my normal way of being. I've always been a 'fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants-gal' until now, so working with the step by step plans was an amazing process. How many of us fall into the trap of just doing what's in front of us to do? Or, we may chase other opportunities because we haven't assessed correctly what the costs will be.

One of my favorite parts of the planning process was in having people look at their return on investment filter. I had the clients come up with the questions they needed to ask themselves to determine if the goal/plan/activity had a good "ROI" for them at this time.

Here are some examples of questions you may want to ask yourself.....

• Will this activity save me time or money?
• Will this gain me more credibility/prestige?
• Will this help me leverage my resources better?
• Does this work with my value system or what's important for my lifestyle?
• Does this allow me more freedom?
• How much will this truly cost me in terms of time and money?

This process will be different for everyone, but imagine if you had a way to easily and systematically assess what you would put your time and energy into next. For those of us who tend to have the "Bright-Shiny Object" syndrome, this is a way to insure that the focus of our efforts is intact. So that's my challenge to you...come up with your ROI filter questions.

And here's one more shot of the UBBI staff.... That's Melanie Strick, Matt Brown, and yours truly...having a major bad hair day!



To your success!!

Therese Skelly
www.acceleratingyoursuccess.com
www.moresmallbizsuccess.com
602-369-0091

Dang...
I got into major overwhelm this last week! It was one of those to "practice what I preach and teach" kind of experiences.

My little boy John got pretty sick with the stomach flu, which lead to severe dehydration. What should have been a quick visit to ER turned into 3 days and 2 nights in the hospital! (The funniest part was when they gave him some anti-nausea medicine which made him completely stoned. Nothing like seeing your seven year old high as a kite.)

So three nights of little sleep did not go well with me, aka "The Spunky Coach." I should have been called "The Cranky Coach" as my reserves were depleted and everything seemed hard and overwhelming. Do you know that feeling?

I once heard the Dali Lama say that "fatique is the enemy of compassion," and I totally understand that when in a state of overwhelm. In my case, mostly it's a lack of compassion towards myself, but then those around me may have a different opinion as well.

If you have a business, have a family, and have a pulse, you from time to time have gotten into the state where you are running on fumes, lose your spark, and generally think life sucks!

Here's how to turn it around.....

• Stay in the day. No, it really hasn't been this horrible since the beginning of time, nor will it be this nightmarish hell until time ends. Take it one day at a time. Yea, it may be tough right now, but you can get through anything for one day, or even one hour.
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• Keep perspective. Yes, you may have it bad, but there's always someone worse. Poor me. In a beautiful hospital with my son in a private room, internet access, 24-hour cafe open, and a chance to go home in a few days versus being on a death watch. It's all about counting your blessings even when things seem dark and hard.
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• Go with what grounds you. For some people getting back in to nature refreshes and energizes, while others may find prayer or meditation to be the tonic. Maybe it's going for a run or eating a Krispy Kreme donut. Step back from your life and business. Too often when it gets overwhelming we think we have to do more. To the contrary...the doing more is not getting us the results we need. Give yourself permission to walk away from what's overwhelming you for awhile.
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• Outsource. What can you let go of? This is a biggie, as most biz owners think no one else can do it as good as they can. If you are capable of making $150/hr in your trade, why are you cleaning your house, washing your car, and ironing your shirts? Loral Langemeier (www.liveoutloud.com) says that Millionaire Business Owners don't do this stuff! Hire an admin, barter some services out if you don't have the cash flow yet, or get creative about what else you can let go of.
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• Reconnect with your big vision. Why are you doing what you are doing? If we get so bogged down into the day to day stuff, we forget the BIG why of our work. Often just taking time to see yourself in the future, with all the success you have earned is enough to get you back on track.
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• Do service work. Again, get out of your life and give something to your community. There is no better way to feel good about what you do and who you are than to help someone or some organization you believe in. It doesn't have to even be a lot of time, but you will transcend yourself when you align with something who's mission is bigger than your problems.

Hey... what strategies do you use? I'll share them in future posts.
Hope this was helpful. Want more information about overwhelm? I wrote an e-book on the subject and would love to send it to you. Just shoot me an email at spunkycoach@cox.net and I'll be glad to get you a copy.

Thanks for reading. Focus on the good in your life, and hug the people you love.

All my best,

Therese Skelly
www.MoreSmallBizSuccess.com
www.AcceleratingYourSuccess.com
602-369-0091