Showing posts with label Meditation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meditation. Show all posts

Woo Goals


 


What is woo? And how can you use it to elevate your writing ... and your business? 

Last month, I talked about the business of woo with Christy Maxfield of Purpose First Advisors, Mindset Answer Man Cliff Ravenscraft, and Annie P. Ruggles founder of Quirk Works Consulting and the Non-Sleazy Sales Academy. 

Christy says, "The things you care about are woo!” According to Cliff, "Peace, love, and joy are found within you and by tapping into that higher power." "Woo," Annie believes, "is your personal energy and the energetic world of your business." 

To Tap into Your Woo  

  • Cliff: Try meditation. Dedicate 5-10 minutes a day for starters. 
  • Christy: Practice gratitude and extend blessings to others. Tell the universe that you are open to blessings – be clear, but leave it open. Trust! 
  • Annie: Practice radical self-forgiveness

Woo Goals 

  • Annie: Take the one thing off of your todo list that is nipping at you
  • Christy: Take action on the thing that will make a difference. Invoke the woo and take the energy to act 
  • Cliff: Read a book that will introduce you to new ways of thinking

Watch our conversation.


Final Thoughts 

  • Christy: Trust yourself and trust the universe 
  • Cliff: Whatever you focus on consistently, you will tend to manifest into your life 
  • Annie: Be kind to yourself
When you love what you do, it shows. When you don't love what you do, it really really shows. 

If you are not feeling it, perhaps it's time to take a step back to remind yourself what it is you love about your writing projects and your business. Get back in touch with your purpose and you will discover your woo ... and find ways to share your woo with your audience, prospects, and clients!


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For more inspiration and motivation, follow @TheDEBMethod on Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin! 

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How do you woo? Please share in the comments. 

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Debra Eckerling is the award-winning author of Your Goal Guide: A Roadmap for Setting, Planning and Achieving Your Goals and founder of the D*E*B METHOD, which is her system for goal-setting simplified. A goal-strategist, corporate consultant, and project catalyst, Debra offers personal and professional planning, event strategy, and team building for individuals, businesses, and teams. She is also the author of Write On Blogging and Purple Pencil Adventures; founder of Write On Online; host of  #GoalChatLive aka The DEB Show podcast and Taste Buds with Deb. She speaks on the subjects of writing, networking, goal-setting, and social media.


Are Your Writing and Marketing Efforts Really Productive? (2 productivity strategies to keep you moving forward)

By Karen Cioffi

Sometimes the moons and stars align and information that is relevant to your life bombards your week, directing you onto paths you should take.

Well, this happened to me.

Time management is one of my ongoing struggles, as with probably most of you reading this. So, what do you do? How do you create more hours in the day? How do you accomplish all the writing and marketing tasks you must, aside from keeping up with everything else in your life?

Ah, the $25,000 question.

Productivity Strategy Number One – Keep a List and Stick to It

I found a great site (JamesWedmore.com) that offers some very useful content. Interestingly, the post I read on this site pertained to being productive. This was the fourth article I came across within a few days dealing with time management, prioritizing, and productivity.

Part of the content discussed a $25,000 lesson by public relations and efficiency expert Ivy Ledbetter Lee.

The story (true story, just not sure of the exact account) goes that Charles Schwab, steel magnate, wanted to increase his company’s efficiency, so he contacted Lee. Lee requested 15 minutes with each of Schwab’s managers. Schwab asked how much would it cost. Lee told him that after three months, if he saw productivity improvement he could send Lee whatever he thought the training was worth. Three months later, Schwab sent Lee a $25,000 check. This was back around 100 years ago.

So, the $25,000 lesson?

It’s reported that Lee said to write a list of six must-do items that each manager needed to accomplish the next day, in order of importance. Whatever wasn’t completed that day would go over onto the next day’s list of six must-do items.

According to QuotationsBook.com, Lee instructed:

Write down the most important things you have to do tomorrow. Now, number them in the order of their true importance. The first thing tomorrow morning, start working on an item Number 1, and stay with it until completed. Then take item Number 2 the same way. Then Number 3, and so on. Don't worry if you don't complete everything on the schedule. At least you will have completed the most important projects before getting to the less important ones. (2)  

Pretty simple, right?

Simple and powerful. Having a list of what you need to do gives you focus and that focus helps clear your mind, which in turn boosts productivity, allowing you to get the job done.

One thing James Wedmore said that I thought is also a good idea is to have a “brain dump” folder or notebook. If something pops into your head that you don’t want to forget, put in in the ‘brain dump file.’ This too helps keep your mind clear of clutter.

I call my ‘brain dump file’ My To Do List. If anything pops into my head, I open the file and type it in, leaving my mind free of the worry of remembering it.

Productivity Strategy Number Two – Meditate

If you make time for meditation, you’ll have more time. I read this or something like it recently, but forgot where or by who (if you know the author, please let me know, so I can give attribution). A case in point of information overload.

But, how can you have more time if you take time out of your already hectic day to meditate?

According to Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, the average person has 70,000 thoughts per day. Since there are 1,440 minutes in a day and 86,400 seconds, this means you’re having thoughts almost every second of every day. Is it any wonder many of us have trouble focusing?

Meditation is another mind clearing tool that allows the brain to take a breather. It helps create a calmer you, thus leading to a more focused and productive you.

My acupuncturist, who was a neurologist in China and has been practicing Chinese medicine for over 35 years, says that the number one thing you can do for your health is to meditate.

Give it a Shot – Incorporate these two strategies Into your writing and marketing work week.

Every Sunday, make a list of the top six must-do items for Monday. Don’t just breeze through your list of to-dos, take the time to think whether a particular item is REALLY needed. Will it move your goals forward? Will it earn you money?

At the bottom of your to-do list for each day, add: TAKE 15-30 MINUTES TO MEDITATE.

Do this for 90 days, as Lee instructed, and see what happens. Then let us know – leave a comment!

Note: I also read that Lee sought Schwab out to propose he could increase his company’s productivity. Whether Lee sought out Schwab or Schwab sought out Lee, it worked.
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References:

(1) http://www.jameswedmore.com/how-to-be-productive/
(2) http://quotationsbook.com/quote/39188/#sthash.HWf9P8Dl.dpuf
(3) http://www.loni.ucla.edu/About_Loni/education/brain_trivia.shtml
(4) http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/meditation/HQ01070

Original article source:  http://www.karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com/2013/12/are-your-writing-and-marketing-efforts.html

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Want more followers? Want more subscribers? Want more sales?

If you’re an author or writer, or even home business owner, you had to say YES to all three questions listed above.

You know that in order to succeed in your writing career you need visibility. You need traffic to your website. You need social media followers. You need subscribers to your mailing list. Bottom line, you need to make sales.

So, now that you know what you need, how do you get it?

Well, the number one marketing strategy to increase traffic, build authority, and make sales is blogging.

Check out this new video workshop I have over at Working Writers Club: Blog Your Way to Traffic, Authority, and Sales

It's only $20! You can't go wrong!


Karen Cioffi, the Article Writing Doctor
Prescription for Your Content Marketing Needs
Content Writing Training and Services for Small and Home Businesses

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Writing Rituals: An Invitation to Your Muse


I recently taught a week long online workshop on writer’s block.  I asked the participants to share their writing rituals.  I was surprised (though I probably shouldn't have been) by the number of writers who sit down at their computers to write and first check their email and Facebook.  Responding to your emails and checking Facebook before you write is not a ritual--it is a routine. 

A writing ritual is a type of ceremony or rite.  It helps facilitate the transition between your everyday life and your writing life.  It is a specific set of activities designed to signal your subconscious that this is a special time set aside just for writing.  It is a call to your muse. It might be ringing a bell, putting on soft music, or saying a prayer. It does not have to be elaborate, but it should be something done with intent.

My ritual includes a short meditation and filling my writing coffee cup—my “Do North” coffee cup. So, as I sip my coffee out of my DO North mug, I embrace the action or the Doing of my true North and then I start to write.  It’s simple and quick, but helps me slip into the writer in me.


Do you have a writing ritual or is it a routine?  I’d love to hear how you start your writing sessions.



Mary Jo Guglielmo is writer and intuitive life strategist. She helps clients take the action to live their true north.
For more information check out  www.donorth.biz   

Or follow her at:

Are There Advantages to Traditional Publishing?

  Contributed by Karen Cioffi, Children's Writer While almost everyone is hitting the self-publishing road, including most of my clients...