Focused Business Action

For many of us entrepreneurial folks, our minds are usually moving at a mile a minute. I call this “busy brain” and it is both a gift and a challenge. It is a gift because it fills your mind with great ideas which make you the creative person you are. It can also be a stumbling block because there’s so many ideas coming at you that you never take the time to implement any of them. Here’s a strategy to manage your ideas and connect them with action items. And, you don’t have to slow your busy brain down to a snail’s pace.

Mindmapping takes advantage of the tendency of the mind to work in short, intense bursts by allowing you to “dump” your ideas and thoughts onto paper in just a few minutes. This process allows information to flow freely out of your busy brain and it is organized into clusters as it flows from your mind to the page. This is brainstorming with a twist.

1. To begin you only need a piece of paper and something to write with.
2. In a box in the center of your paper, write one or two words which capture the essence of the problem you want to solve or the project you want to implement.
3. Then, as ideas start to pour out related to the topic, write down key words of those thoughts and connect them to the focus with lines.It is critical that you use just key words, because you want to capture your thoughts quickly-just enough to stimulate your memory when you go back later to review.
4. As each idea is generated which relates to one of the branches, write the key word(s) and associate it to the branch with a line.
5. Allow yourself to put down everything that comes to your mind. The longer you keep information in play, the more opportunity that information has to make new connections, to bounce off other ideas and information and to score new ideas.

• Business writing – Whether you are organizing material for a report or exploring an idea for a new business venture, mindmapping will help you bring depth and richness to your writing.
• Project Management – Mindmapping is an excellent way to begin “chunking” down a project.
• Managing Meetings – Much of our work time is spent in meetings. Mindmapping gives you a way to make this time more productive.
• To Do Lists – If standard “to do” lists don’t work for you, try this method.
• Presentations - Mindmapping gives you an easy way to prepare for speeches; it helps your audience understand and remember more of what you are presenting.
• Note-taking – This visually interesting method of note taking allows you to organize information as you receive it, add connections, and increase retention.
• Personal growth – Mindmapping taps into your deepest thoughts and provides an effective method of discovering our inner selves.

How might you use mindmapping in your business. Let us know by leaving a comment.

Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it. ~ Jack Canfield

Have you heard of the Law of Attraction which has been getting a lot of press lately? In short, you attract what you think and feel. The law is very clear. If you want good things to come in to your life, you’ve got to be thinking about those things and feeling as if you already have them. If you have things in your life you wish were different, it’s time to take a look at what you’re focusing on.

If you want to know how you’re doing, all you have to do is look at what you’ve been attracting into your life. It is a clear sign of what you are thinking and feeling.

I have a concern though, about how people take on the Law of Attraction. The teachers of LOA talk about action, but many of their students only focus on the attraction part. So much so that they tend to downplay the action part. The Law of Attraction is great AND you can’t take the “action” out of “attraction!” Whether it is due to fear, lack of confidence in marketing or a desire for an easy way out,they don’t act.

Don’t get me wrong. I completely believe in the Law of Attraction. I have seen its results in my life. And (this is an important and), I believe there are other important laws in the universe. The law of gravity for one is vital to our lives. Stopping at red lights is another one that works.

Then there are the laws that directly impact your business such as the Law of Supply and Demand that we learned in Economics class. The following story illustrates another law for your business that I enjoy just as much as The Law of Attraction.

A man finds himself in dire financial trouble. He prays earnestly to God to help him out of his predicament. “God, I’m about to lose my car. Please help me. Let me win the lottery.” Lottery night comes, but sadly he is not the winner.

Things go from bad to worse. Without a car to get to work, he loses his job. Without a job, his mortgage is foreclosed on and he loses his home. Without a home, his wife leaves him taking the kids. After each horrible step in the mounting crisis, he pleads with God to let him win the lottery, but he never does.

Finally, broke, hungry, living on the street, he tries again. “God, please, my life is a wreck. I have no car, no home, no family. Please let me win the lottery just this once so that I can turn my life around. I beg you.”

Suddenly, a flash of light rends the sky and the voice of God echoes down from the heavens.

“Meet me halfway. Buy a ticket.”

Funny and poignant. I love it!

Yes, your thoughts and beliefs have a huge impact on what comes in to your life. And, true progress comes when you meet your beliefs halfway and get into action. I call this the Law of Action.

Virtually anyone who appears to be solely using the Law of Attraction or seems to be enjoying an “effortless” business, is working their butt off behind the scenes (or has done so for many years!). Granted they likely love what they do so it doesn’t feel like work, but when it comes down to it they acted on their passion and are reaping the rewards.

At the risk of hammering this point home until it’s a flat blob 6 feet under, here’s another illustration by Chellie Campbell.

You can learn how to play the piano. You can study music composition and theory, learn to read music and build dexterity in your fingers. You can buy the finest piano money can buy, rent an auditorium, sell tickets and gather an audience.

But if you don’t actually put your fingers on the keyboard and play–nothing will happen. You can sit in front of the piano and think “Ohmmm, I’m playing beautiful music, ohmmm…” but unless you’ve rigged a player piano, no music is going to come out of it.

Let the Law of Attraction meet the Law of Action. When passion meets action, results happen.

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps–we must step up the stairs. ~ Vance Havner

Here are some coaching questions to ponder:

1. What are you waiting for in your business?
2. In what area(s) of your business are you being called to take action?
3. Name 1-3 action steps you can take to move forward in those areas.
4. Who will hold you accountable to your action steps?

Feel free to share a comment below.

There is a principle of improv that says in order to draw an audience into the drama, each actor must take a “Yes, And…” approach. If one actor says that it is a cold day and shivers, then all the other actors must join in and build on that to create a realistic scene, collaboratively, on-the-fly.

For example, in a scene you might be asked, “Do you sell fence posts?” A tempting response might be, “No,we don’t sell anything”. That might get a laugh, but it offers no new directions for the scene to go in and gives your partner nothing to work with.

So just say “Yes” and keep going by adding more concrete detail.

“Yessiree, I’ve got a cow-fence post here that even a 4,000-pound cow was unable to tip over.”

Now something is happening. That could trigger just about anything in your scene partner’s imagination.

“Oh, good! I’ve only got two 2000-pound cows, but they like to team up. Now let’s see, I’ve got them enclosed in half an acre…how many fence posts am I going to need?”

Now, in just two lines, we’ve gone from nothing to the beginnings of a plot.

This can work for you in your business, as well. Whether you are with your employee or a client, “Yes, And…” requires you to listen to what they are saying It gives you practice in valuing and respecting other people’s ideas, taking the time to acknowledge and find some value in each suggestion and opening yourself to other perspectives.

The alternative is “No, But” usually cloaked in a “Yeah, But” even though it’s really a “No, But.” We have been well trained to look for what doesn’t work; therefore, we typically respond to new ideas with “Yeah, But…” not even considering what may be of value in another person’s idea. In the long run, this has the effect of narrowing our world down to only our own ideas and ways of doing things.

Try this: The next time an employee or clients offers you an idea, respond by appreciating at least one aspect of what was offered.

• Use this phrase ‘What I like about your idea is…,” completing it with something you can honestly say you like about the idea.
• After offering your appreciation (which is the “Yes” step), you can say, “And…” Then, add your own idea. (If you really want to play full out, answer as if there are no restrictions whatsoever to limit your response. Budget, practicality, and the laws of physics do not exist.)

Watch what happens.

• What is your experience?
• What effect does this have on the both of you?
• Is it hard to find something you appreciated about your partner’s contributions?
• What effect might a “Yes and…” attitude have on your business relationships?

Here is your homework (for the rest of your life). Whenever you want to say “But…,” stop yourself and begin with “Yes, And…” instead. It might be hard at first to find common ground, and your conversations (and even negotiations) will be more successful if you remove the word “but” from your vocabulary and do your part to build a culture of “yes” in your business.

I have a brand new gift that I’m excited to share with you. Power Productivity: 7 Key Strategies for Getting More Stuff Done is a 7 part mini-course. Every 2 business days you receive an email from me with a tip to work smarter, not harder. Here’s an excerpt from the first message you will get when you sign up. For those who just can’t wait and are ready to sign up now, skip down to the bottom for subscription info.

What is most lacking in your business? The answer I hear most from new members in my program is that they would like more money and more clients. However, you don’t get more money and more clients simply by wishing it were true.

Here’s the key that I really want you to get in this series:

The systems you put in place actually determine the success of your business.

Building a business without systems is like building a house without a frame. You’re just never going to get enough support to hold up the whole structure and the whole house will come tumbling down. When you focus on developing systems for your business, you make it more likely that you will follow through on the stuff that brings you results which then bring in those new clients and grows your business to 6 (or even 7) figures.

Now, I’m not suggesting that by creating systems you’re going to have a complete turnaround overnight in your productivity and in your business. That’s usually a long-term goal for the next, say, 6-12 months.

And just like a small course correction on a ship can make a large change in its destination, I’m here to tell you that you can begin to turn your business in the direction that you want it to go. You do that by creating systems that will help you focus and take action.

It’s the Law of Attraction combined with the Law of Action, coming together to support you in getting in touch with what athletes, artists, salespeople, teachers, all who have experienced being completely focused in a moment know as being in The Zone. I want you to experience being in The Zone with your business by creating systems in the following four areas:

• Mindset (thoughts and beliefs)
• Environment and Organization
• Strategic Planning
• Implementation and Follow-through

I tell you more about these 4 areas in subsequent messages. The first thing you can do right now though is make a decision. There are lots of resources available to help you, but resources won’t make a lick of difference until you decide.

So decide right now that you will work smarter, not harder and sign up for the Power Productivity: 7 Key Strategies for Getting Stuff Done mini-course by filling out the form in the top right hand corner of my website’s Home page. Or send a blank email to fbatips@aweber.com.

Do it now. It will change the way you do business.