RENEW YOU!

With spring fast approaching my mind has turned to the new possibilities reflected in trees budding, early blooming flowers pushing their way through the cold hard ground and birds singing with renewed gusto. Fresh opportunities can be seized at any time of year. Unlike nature, who waits for the warmth, sunshine and rain of spring to renew itself, you can renew yourself at any season you choose.

What does it take to renew you? First and foremost you must be committed. Not straight jacket committed (although sometimes it feels that way) but unwavering in your determination. Commitment as defined by Wikepedia means to duty or pledge to something or someone. Personal commitment often refers to a pledge or promise to ones' self for personal growth.

Experience has shown me that solid, unwaivering commitment stems from an intense emotional reward attached to the outsome desired. Review your own history. When you committed full force to achieve something, what was your reward? When you examine your reward you will typically see a strong emotion attached to it.

As we approach spring, the season of renewal, ask yourself these questions.

• What do I want to renew or redesign about myself?
• Why?
• What is my emotional reward for the commitment to change?

With your commitment to renewal and/or redesign remember to draw out your roadmap for success. When life interrupts your commitment draw on your roadmap to keep you steady on your course.

Wishing you success!

OPTIMIZE U

I just received the Optimize U cover for approval and couldn't wait to share it with you. The book is due for release this month. Watch my blog for information about the release of the book and scheduled book signings.

What Are Your PDA's?

At this moment are you thinking public displays of affection or those electronic task masters designed to keep us connected? Nearly everyone has the electronic devices designed to keep us connected and organized. I know if something happens to my “smart phone” I am in a world of hurt. Before my smart phone it was a Palm personal organizer. Before that it was my custom designed organizer. Regardless of which type of system you use to organize your schedule and manage your contacts, if you want to achieve your goals you must include daily PDA’s.

For those who missed last month’s article PDA’s are Purpose-Driven Activities. Those activities which drive you toward your goals and vision. Those activities that fulfill your purpose. Purpose-Driven Activities are derived from your mission, vision, and purpose but how do you determine what your daily PDA’s need to be?

Use your annual goal to determine what you need to do daily. For example, I once gave each member of a consultant team the challenge to increase their customer base by 100 new customers the following year. They looked as though they thought I had lost my mind. I proceeded to explain to them that if they plan to work approximately 50 weeks out of the year, 100 new customers becomes two (2) customers per week. At this point the consultants had a big smile and a can do attitude.

When you know what you need to accomplish each week to achieve your goal then you can implement purpose-driven activities into every day of your week. According to the law of averages I have always heard – if I want two new customers per week I need to talk to at least 10 prospective customers each week. With this information I can schedule my calendar to include 10 prospective customer appointments each week.

What is your goal for this year? Since a goal is measurable you should be able to take your measurable goal and calculate what you need to do weekly to achieve your goal. When you have a weekly goal to obtain, simply determine what purpose-driven activities you need to include in each day to accomplish your weekly goal.

Daily PDA inclusion will help you stay focused and achieve your weekly goals. Achieving your weekly goals consistently will lead to accomplishing your annual goals. Before you know it, your vision will be a reality, all because of your daily PDA’s.

For more information about achieving your goals, contact us via our website www.PurposedSuccess.com

NEW! EMAIL MARKETING & ONLINE SURVEYS!

Purposed Success, LLC joins Constant Contact’s Business Partner Program

Purposed Success, LLC Email Marketing Program Provides Clients with Effective and Affordable Tools to Build Strong, Lasting Customer Relationships

Purposed Success, LLC today announced they have joined Constant Contact’s Business Partner Program. Purposed Success, LLC is able to provide their clients with easy-to-use email marketing and online survey products to help them build strong, lasting customer relationships. Constant Contact®, Inc. (www.constantcontact.com) is a leading provider of email marketing and online survey tools for small organizations.

“Our customers are always looking for effective ways to grow their businesses,” said
Regina. “Constant Contact’s customer communication tools give our clients a valuable addition to our core services. Constant Contact’s ease-of-use and affordability made the partner program a great solution to meet our clients’ marketing needs.”

“Email marketing and online surveys are proven tools that help small businesses connect with their customers and build successful customer relationships,” said Len Bruskiewitz, senior director, Partner Programs, Constant Contact. “We are pleased that Purposed Success, LLC chose Constant Contact to provide their clients with our products and services, and we look forward to working with them to help grow their clients’ businesses.”

As a Constant Contact Business Partner, Purposed Success, LLC is able to provide their clients with email marketing and online survey capabilities. With SpeakUp!^SM Email Marketing, Constant Contact’s email marketing product, Purposed Success, LLC’s clients can quickly and easily create professional-looking emails, manage contact email lists, measure email campaign results from clicks to open rates, and review who joined email lists. With ListenUp!^SM Survey, Constant Contact’s online survey product, Purposed Success, LLC’s clients have an easy-to-use tool to gain insight that will help them meet customer needs, generate new ideas, and grow their business or organization. ListenUp! Survey also helps Purposed Success, LLC’s clients analyze responses quickly, create targeted email lists based on survey responses, take action, and follow-up with relevant email communications.

About Purposed Success, LLC

Launched in April 2008, the mission of Purposed Success, LLC is to empower entrepreneurs, professionals, and small business owners to achieve success through needs assessments, consulting, coaching, training, and tailored solutions. To learn more about how Purposed Success, LLC can help your business, please visit www.PurposedSuccess.com

About Constant Contact, Inc.

Launched in 1998, Constant Contact, Inc. is a leading provider of email marketing and online survey tools for small organizations, including small businesses, associations, and nonprofits. To learn more, please visit www.constantcontact.com or call (781) 472-8100.

Constant Contact and the Constant Contact Logo are registered trademarks of Constant Contact, Inc. All Constant Contact product names and other brand names mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Constant Contact, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners.

New Year - New You

New Year, New You

By Regina Collins, Purposed Success, LLC

Here we are at the beginning of another new year. I love new years. New years are full of hope, possibilities, opportunities, and resolutions. Have you made your New Years Resolution? This year make MVP Planning part of your New Year, New You.

What is MVP Planning? Most of you instantly thought of Most Valuable Person didn’t you? MVP Planning is Mission, Vision, and Purpose Planning. Why is MVP Planning important for your New Year, New You? How often do you make resolutions only to have them fade into the sunset in no time at all? MVP Planning may provide the motivation you need to see your resolution through.

Begin your MVP Planning with your mission. Your mission is at the heart of your endeavors. It is your cause for rising in the morning to greet the day. My mission, what makes my heart beat, is to help others feel successful in their endeavors. It is the end result that I plan each day towards. What is your mission?

Your mission guides your vision. Vision is the human value of your mission. What does your mission do for others? My vision is to empower others to achieve ongoing and sustainable success. What is your vision?

Your mission and vision provide the inspiration for your purpose. Your purpose is to make your vision a reality. Where we tend to get off course is working our vision into our daily lives. That’s where MVP Planning comes in. When you have a clear mission and vision and you realize your purpose is to make them a reality then you can plan each day to that end.

As you put your MVP Plan into action develop a map of where you are and where your vision has you. I relate this to that map at the mall that says “you are here.” Start by creating an image of where you are and where you want to be.

Next establish goals that will help you on your way from here to there. When I am in the mall looking at the map I note stores that are between me and the place I want to be. This helps me know that I am headed the right way and that I am making progress on my journey to my destination. Use your goals the same way. Create goals that measure progress while showing you that you are headed the right direction.

When you have your goals in place, determine what you need to do each day to meet your goals. Schedule daily purpose-driven activities into your calendar. Purpose-Driven Activities (PDAs) are those activities you need to include each day to ensure progress on your journey to your vision. Your PDAs also serve as markers on your journey the same way the stores serve as my markers on my journey through the mall. As you travel from here to your vision, check your goals to make sure you are on the right track and to measure your progress.

I wish you a Happy New Year! As you endeavor to seize the opportunity available to you this year remember to make MVP Planning a part of your New Year, New You.

Wishing You a New Year of Success!

Plan For Success

Why plan for success? Statistics provided by The US Census Bureau's Business Information Tracking Series (BITS) and posted on the Small Business Administration website show approximately 66% of small businesses survive two years or more, only 50% survive four years or more, and just 40% survive six years or more. These statistics confirm that it makes sense for businesses to build a Business Plan to help overcome these percentages. read more...

Master of Efficiency

Are you a Master of Efficiency? If you’re like me it probably depends on the day. Some days it feels as though I’m unstoppable, can’t touch this. Other days it’s like I spent the day on the not-so-merry-go-round. Ever been there?

Just what is the key to earning your Master of Efficiency? For some it is a gift, for others it seems to be a hopeless degree. For those of you who are ready to become more efficient I would like to share with you some steps towards developing your own Master of Efficiency (M.E.) strategies.

The first exercise is the hardest, for me anyway. Stop, sit, and really look at what you do in your 24 hour day. Evaluate where and on what you are spending your time. If you made a list of your most important things (MIT), where would the activities in your day fit in on your MIT list? If you don’t have an MIT list, stop and make one. When you have an MIT list it is a bit easier to say no to the things that don’t help you accomplish those things on your list.

Once you have looked at your schedule and reduced the clutter, you’re ready for your next exercise. Look at your work environment. What things in your work space are creating dead ends? Mine used to be my desktop. You know all those attractive desktop organizer things that promise to keep your desk clear? Not so much for me. For me personally, they created more stress. I would hit a brick wall simply because there was all this neatly organized stuff on my desk staring at me. Since my mind tends to try to average 15 thoughts at once, this was a bit distracting, neat and tidy looking but distracting nonetheless.

My solution was to create files in one of my desk drawers to hold said stuff and create scheduled times to deal with said stuff so as to not forget it was in the drawer. This gave me freedom to work without the distraction of seeing the stuff and no worries that I would forget the stuff.

Another common obstacle is work flow. Is your environment conducive to an efficient flow of work? If you are left handed, as I am, this means my desk needs to be arranged so that I can comfortably write to the left of my workstation. My raw materials and resources need to be to my left and my end products need to be on the right. If you are not in your right brain simply reverse this order to suit your right handed, left brain, needs.

Now that you have de-cluttered your time and space and created flow in your environment, your greatest challenge lies before you.

Like any good diet out there you feel great until you go off the diet. If you want to be a continuing Master of Efficiency you need to build in a maintenance plan. Include regularly scheduled maintenance into your calendar. Review your Most Important Things list. Evaluate if your schedule reflects what you say is important to you. De-clutter your time and space. Check your work flow.

In our every day lives we tend to get so busy living that we skip efficiency. We think we’re too busy for it. The amazing thing about efficiency is that with very little investment you get huge returns. To bad we can’t sell that on Wall Street.

As you work on your Master of Efficiency degree, remember these things: Rome wasn’t built in a day and you don’t become efficient in a day. Mastery of anything involves dedication, determination, and perseverance. You can choose to be your own Master of Efficiency.

Wishing you success!

(This article is a reprint of an article written by Regina Collins, Purposed Success, LLC, for the Jenks Express Community Magazine.)