unknown to IN-Demand

Unblocking Your Financial Flow

2010-06-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

Imagine a stagnant pool of water in your living room. Would you ignore it? Would you step over it to ge to the kitchen or build a bridge to get out the front door? I know this sounds ridiculous. Obviously you would mop it up. A puddle, overflow or stagnant pool of water in our home would literally demand your attention.

Abundance has a natural flow much like water. It comes and... here's the important part, it flows on. Now don't worry I'm not suggesting you give away all your possessions and join a monastery but there is a grey area here I would like to address.

I can pretty much guarantee if you are feeling scarcity in any area of your life that somewhere in your home you are holding onto abundance. It might be an unused gift card in a desk drawer. A bag of fragrance samples, a gift you want to return but never got around to or perhaps a dress you are "saving for best". I used to save lots of things for best. Clothes, candles, food even ideas can be squirreled away like nuts.

If you would like to open up the flow of abundance in your life then loosening your grip on the abundance you already have, the stagnant water in your living room, is a great place to begin.

•Make someone 's day and send them one of those beautiful hand crafted cards you've been saving.

•Light up those candles you've been "saving" and enjoy a candlelit dinner.

•Take your sample bag of make-up to the next party you go to and give it away or have your own girl's night in.

•Host a clothes swap party.

•Use that expensive perfume

Imagine standing in the middle of a river trying to hold onto the water. Even if you built a dam you would stop the flow and miss out on all the fish, passes by and the wonderful sound of flowing water.

Adopting an abundant perspective and opening up to the flow can be extremely gratifying. Think of this exercise as a treasure hunt who knows what you will dig up! So far I have found

•$200 in gift cards

•a brand new tea set

•a set of engraved champagne glasses from our wedding and...

... yesterday I stood naked in front of the TV waiting for a full body mud mask to dry while my husband watched the World Cup. I'd been saving it and it was clogging up my FLOW! It was very amusing. I know, I know TMI but that's me living my life out loud.

If you would like support, accountability and inspiration to guide you and keep you consistent on your journey to success this summer, check out "Breaking Through to Success". Click the link below to find out more and catch the Early Bird Special before it expires http://motivatemyself.com/Breaking_Thru_Sign_Up.html

Breaking Thru to Success is a 90 Day Program designed to fit into YOUR schedule. I offer the program ONCE annually and it is jammed packed with ideas, tools, inspiration and resources as I hold your hand through the process of developing new habits and maintaining consistency so that you can fine tune your success equation. Don't forget...

Clear Vision + Passion + Consistent Action = SUCCESS

Your Success Coach (and biggest fan)

Marianne Emma Jeff

323-222-7950

coach@motivatemyself.com

P.S. If you have been thinking about coaching now is a GREAT time to get started and I have put together an AMAZING one on one Breaking Thru package to get you moving forward even faster. Check it out at http://motivatemyself.com/Breaking_Thru_Packages.html

Creating a Winning Weekly Environment

2010-05-16T14:06:00.000-07:00

This Sunday as always I am doing my usual routine of review the past week and setting intentions and goals for wonderful clean slate of the next seven days that lay ahead ready for me to play in. You can download the sheets I use and follow along at home at http://motivatemyself.com/Success_Circles.html I then realized that there is another part extremely important part of my weekly routine that I want to share with you.

Each Sunday I spend 30 - 60 minutes review and setting goals for the week ahead. After I complete my strategies and planning it's time to lay a foundation for my success. When we think of success we can sometimes lose site of the little things that helped us get there. The foot holes, that empowered us to hoist ourselves up the huge mountains of life that we traverse. When I speak of creating a winning environment it is these success foot holes that I am talking about. So how do we intentionally carve out these foothills?

Abraham Maslow introduced a hierachy of needs in his1943 paper "A Theory of Human Motivation". His theory is that we must attain or fulfill certain needs before we can move forward to higher levels of success.

On the bottom of the pyramid he created are basic psychological needs; food, water, air, shelter, sleep and sex.
Once these needs are satiated his theory shares that we are open to success in the next tier of needs, safety and security.
The higher levels in order are love and belonging and self-esteem.
The last tier of the pyramid is "Self Actualization". This top tier includes morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts. Unlike the needs on the other tiers the top tier is about being. When we tap into the top tier we are energized. They are a direct gas line tapping into our motivation but until we have satiated the other tiers we cannot tap into this gas supply of motivation.

According to Wikipedia "Maslow was a professor of Dr. Wayne Dyer. Dyer suggests that Maslow taught him two ways of understanding self-actualization: 1) to be free of the good opinion of others; 2) to do things not simply for the outcome but because it's the reason you are here on earth". I often refer clients to the books of Wayne Dyer because of his simple way of describing self esteem needs and how to overcome and satiate them."

As fascinating as this is, how does this tie into weekly planning? I realized that on my most successful weeks I have proactively taken care of my basic needs. After my weekly planning I have taken time to meal plan and shop, do laundry so I have clothes that I feel good in, cleared my desk and prepared my environment to fuel me. These simple steps so commonly overlooked because they lack the glamor of some of our more complex needs are essential for us to move forward. So often my clients feel overwhelmed, stuck or frustrated and simply taking care of these basic needs propels them forward and gets them unstuck. On the weeks I do not set myself up for success in this way I am treading water, playing catch up and trying to avoid boob traps rather than concentrating on connection and creation. This week take a few moments, scan your environment for basic needs and set yourself up for success. If you are looking for guidance, accountability and support on your journey to success don't hesitate to contact me, my door is WIDE open. I specialize in empowering YOU to attain the success you so desire.

And the WINNER'S are...

2010-03-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

I had a lot of FUN running this little contest on FUN. For those of you who are just joining now I put a request out there for ideas of what to do for fun. I got some great suggestions and will be keeping you posted on how I implement the ideas.

Click Play below to view a two minute video, starring my four year old daughter, Sofie, as she pulls the winners names.

Did you win?

Prizes include:

$50 Visa gift card
$199 90 MinuteVisibility Strategy Session
One dozen Chocolate Dipped Fortune Cookies

BONUS prize. Even if you did not enter the original contest, watch the video and you will have the opportunity to win...

"How Full is Your Bucket" by Tom Rath and Donald o. Clifton
StrenghtFinder Assesment
45 minute coaching session to go over your results from the Strength Finder Assesment

If you are one of the lucky winners contact me at coach@motivatemyself.com with your phone number and mailing address and I will get the prize off to you ASAP.

Using Vision to add Depth and Excitement to Your Projects

2010-03-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

Your life is not an island, yet often we treat each goal, project or task as if we are reinventing the wheel. Save yourself time, stay focused and connect the dots of your life by using your annual priorities as the necklace on which to place each bead.

This year I am having so much fun tapping into my priorities and keeping the vision I created when I went through The Foundation Course in mind. Each month and each week I set aside a few minutes to create a platform for future success. Get some weekly planning tips at http://unknowntoindemand.blogspot.com/2010/03/using-Sunday-to-springboard-you-into.html

This month I took this a step further as I explored how to attain one of my monthly goals/priorities. My goal is to really fine tune The Foundation Course and make it a kick ass course. Now don't get me wrong it's already pretty amazing but I love making things even better. One of my mantra's for this year that I uncovered when I did The Foundation Course is "What would 100% look like?" Time and energy do not necessarily permit me to always give 100% to everything but it's important to me for whether I do or not to be a conscious decision rather than a compromise I have to make when I try to squeeze in too much or run out of steam.

How I applied my annual priorities to making The Foundation Course even more amazing!

First of all I created my own wish list for The Foundation Course. What would I like to do that would make it 100% amazing. On this list I wrote some great ideas such as recording an orientation and welcome, texting reminders instead of jamming up participants email boxes, put together a list of FAQ's for anyone who is interested, creating a virtual victory board for the participants to post their wins as well as about 15 other items.

Then I pulled out the heavy artillery! I looked at my annual priorities and explored how I could honor them with this project. My priorities are Authenticity, family and success. I discovered some great ways to honor them within The Foundation Course. I realized it was really important to me that the participants leave with a touchstone to guide them. Within the course there are at least three different ways to do this and I decided that guiding and supporting them with this was extremely important to me. It honors authenticity for me because this is the whole point of the program. This was also a new aha moment for me which I would have missed if I hadn't brought in the heavy artillery. I did the same thing with my other two priorities and really fleshed out the possibilities.

As you can see keep focused on your vision and honoring your values and priorities can open up new possibilities and really get your juices flowing. Even projects that on the surface seem mundane and dry can be given a new lease of life when you approach them from this perspective.

If you are interested in The Foundation Course there are a few spots left. You can find our more and sign up at http://motivatemyself.com/The_Foundation_Course.html

Keep the end in mind and your feet in the present and set yourself up for success.

Your Coach and Success Coordinator,

Marianne Emma Jeff

Do you want more results with LESS effort?

2010-03-09T11:08:00.000-08:00

Remember the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? If you aren't seeing progress or your progress isn't fast enough for you then maybe it's time to fine tune your approach. Whether you are trying to build our business, launch your career or enhance your personal life the engine driving everything forward is... YOU!
There is nothing wrong with you, please remember that. You are exactly where you need to be right now. The twists and turns and maybe some of the backward steps all brought you to this moment right now. As long as you are consciously making choices you are moving forward. Your life is full of choice points. Right now as you read this you are at a choice point, you are in control, you always are. I encourage you to exercise your choices today. Take a moment to respond rather than reacting to the opportunities in front of you.

If you want to get to the source instead of putting band aids on the symptoms then make the choice to do that, only you can make that choice. Rewiring doesn't happen over night but I am confident you can shift, I've witnessed dozens of clients doing just that. I can promise you one thing, it won't happen unless you invest time in it and make it a priority. If you need help holding open the space in you life to make changes and the support and guidance to do it you might take advantage of a ridiculously priced workshop I have starting next week. Why the ridiculous price? The more people who are achieving their goals and intentions the more people in the world who are happier, the happier the world will be. Sappy perhaps but it's something I can do to make a difference.
Why not just make it no-cost you ask, if I have such honorable intentions? When you get something for nothing, most of the time that is exactly what you get. It could be the most amazing thing in the world but if you don't invest in it, you won't value it and if you don't value it you won't make it a priority and you will not implement the tools, tips and new ways of operating that we cover in the workshop.
So back to right here, right now. What choice will you make? I'm cheering for you to invest in YOU. If I can support you then raise your hand and sign up for The Foundation Course now http://motivatemyself.com/The_Foundation_Course.html. I will be with you every step of the way.

Your Coach,

Marianne Emma Jeff

coach@motivatemyself.com

http://www.motivatemyself.com/

Using Sunday to Springboard you into a SUCCESSFUL Week!

2010-03-07T11:44:00.000-08:00

Three steps to a strong start and a focused finish to your week.

Set aside the time to prepare! It doesn't have to be hours, even 15 minutes can produce great results. Typically I spend 30 - 60 minutes every Sunday morning after breakfast. make it fun, put on some great music, light some incense, do it in your pajama's and make it part of your ritual. Monday morning works too, but for me Sunday's work best because there is a slower pace which helps me get into the right mindset. Also it's easier to prepare when you are not in the thick of it. If you wait until Monday, it's easy for something to come up or distract you. If you dont' have time to plan, you don't have time for success!
Remind yourself of why you are doing this. Check in with your mission, vision, big picture, long term goals or priorities. This only has to take 60 seconds but it can save you a lot of time and prevent you wasting valuable resources like your precious time, money and energy. This works best if you have a succinct sentence, paragraph or buzz words that encompass what you want. It has to be specific too, "I want a million dollars" or "more customers" or "auditions" will not work, trust me. As much as we say we are motivated by money, we aren't it's what the money allows us to do and be that motivates us. If you are struggling with this you might want to look at the workbook "Discovering Your Intentional & Exceptional Life" or The Foundation Course for a step by step guide, support and accountability to create a powerful and specific vision.
Get your calendar or your iphone out and review the upcoming week. Look at what appointments you have, birthdays, networking events... Is there anything you could delete if it's a packed week. Is everything moving you towards your vision and long term goals or are some of the items detours sending you sideways or even backwards. If you have some openings what could you schedule to move you forward? Keeping in mind that visibility equals profitability how can you get out there more? Whether you are looking for Mr or Mrs Right or the perfect customer or audition you are not going to bump into them behind your computer, get out there and meet people as much as you can.
Step Three B. I know I'm cheating a little. Look at the last seven days. What unfinished business needs your attention? Did you follow up with the people from the networking event you attended? Would it be nice to send a card to someone you met? Were there any cancelled appointments that you still haven't rescheduled. Did you book any gigs, meet some great new people or get some new clients that you need to "welcome"? Unfinished business can get overwhelming and debilitating. We all have it but I want to encourage you to begin to contemplate that you are not behind, you are exactly where you need to be right now! If you get chance you can follow up and complete beyond last week, but start with the last seven days and anything else is gravy or icing depending on your taste preference.

You should now have a good sense of what's important, how to prioritize and how to make the best use of this coming week to springboard you into a successful week. If you have any questions or comments, don't hold back, I love hearing from you. Email or call me, my door is WIDE open.

If you have found this helpful don't keep it to yourself, feel free to forward this email to a friend or send them to www.motivatemyself.com and have them sign up for Momentum themselves, it's the biggest compliment you could give me.

Thanks for letting me live out loud.
Your coach and success coordinator,
Marianne Emma Jeff

What is your equation for success? (Part TWO)

2010-02-21T12:06:00.000-08:00

As we move into a period of growth, do you have your success seeds planted in fertile ground? Using the business model of breaking the year into quarters, I see the first quarter as being all about review, reflection and planting seeds so that you can harvest them later in the year. There is nothing worse than finding yourself with an empty basket at harvest time while all your neighbors are running around picking like crazy. I have found a simple equation that really helps me hone in on success that I wanted to share with you.

Why do you need an equation of formula for success? Life is busy, our minds are busy and it is very easy to get distracted and to take a detour. Having a simple way to check in and keep on point, a lighthouse to guide us to shore and keep us away from the treacherous rocks is paramount to your success. Being clear and knowing your success formula is like plugging in a destination to your GPS system.

How can you begin to uncover your success equation? I say uncover because as always the answer is there already within us, it is simply a matter of taking the time to listen and clear the dust and debris away so that we can see it. One way is to create a list of “success ingredients”; the elements that for you are necessary to do something successfully. Take a few moments to list some of them for yourself right now. Don’t edit yourself at this point, just brainstorm and put together a list of what they might be for you.

Now that you have your list, you can play with stringing them together in an equation to see what your winning formula is.

_______ + _______ + _________ = SUCCESS

Don’t worry about getting it perfect, give yourself permission to try one on for size and wear it for a few days and then come back to the drawing board again. This exercise is a great way to tap into and recognize what makes you tick. This is valuable information on your journey to success.

The equation that works for me and a lot of my clients is…

Clear Vision + Passion + Consistent Action = SUCCESS

Keep in mind here that “success” is very individual, defining that for yourself is very important too.

One of the most important responsibilities of a coach is to hold your vision. What is near and dear to you? What you really want? I take this responsibility very seriously. Having a clear vision, mission and purpose and then aligning that with clear specific goals is paramount to my client’s success. I have built into the structure of how I coach a client’, regular check-ins to keep my clients on track and hold onto their vision as well as touching base with them to see if their vision still resonates. It’s important to know when to change course. As well as clearly defining an agenda at the top of every one of my calls with my clients, I use tools such as the ones below to empower them to clarify their vision.

• 10 goals in 90 days

• Vision boards

• Life purpose exercises

• Assessments

• Visual coaching

• Mission

• Weekly call prep forms

• Client feedback

Passion, it fuels your life and holds the key to motivation. Finding what is at the core of your dreams and goals to tap into your passion makes life easier, more enjoyable and wakes you up to an abundance of opportunities that have been laying dormant, right under your nose. A great tool we are equipped with to guide us is our intuition. You may have a chorus of voices, critics and gremlins but once you clear the channel and eliminate the white noise your intuition is much easier to hear. You still have to choose to listen. As a coach, I listen very carefully for the limiting beliefs, fears, and confidence busters in my client’s life. The great thing about working with a coach is that every time one of them rears their ugly head we have an opportunity to shift your thinking and create new pathways in your mind that forge you forward to success instead of holding you back and sending you on unnecessary detours. It is amazing what a difference the heightened awareness of working with a coach can have on taming your gremlins and turning up the volume of your intuition. Once my clients have the awareness, choose is just round the corner and then they also benefit from increased confidence, clarity, and prioritizing becomes a breeze.

Consistent action is the nuts and bolts holding the equation together. Spurts and bursts of activity can move you forward but it is consistent action just like the tortoise that wins the race. Money talks and my clients value our time together, I function as a partner holding them on track, brainstorming, and of course holding them accountable to consistent action. Nailing the other steps of the equation means the difference between “white knuckling” towards your goals and moving effortlessly towards them. Enjoy the scenery along the way.

If you are struggling to tap into your success formula or would like a partner to inspire, support, and guide you along the path. Do not hesitate to contact me. My door is WIDE open. I would be happy to be your success coordinator, contact me to see up a complimentary consultion.

Marianne Emma Jeff

Professional Success Coach

coach@motivatemyself.com

http://www.motivatemyself.com/

What's Your BIG Game?

2010-02-06T11:11:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well will know I am really stepping out of comfort zone using a sports analogy here but with tomorrow’s big game coming up, the super bowl, it seems quite appropriate to be looking at your own big game. What do I mean by big game? Your big visions and goals all rolled into one. Most people have two or three big games they are playing at any given time, so people have more which usually gets in the way of winning any of them, and some people don't have a big game at all and are instead feeling unfocused as they are tossed around in the surf without a surfboard. Now I'm really getting brave with my imagery!

Big Game Examples:

Open 20 stores
Get book on shelf at Whole Foods
Lose 20 lbs
Make 100 K
Make a living (80 K) playing music
Writing a book
Making every recipe in Julia Childs cookbook
Doing everything on your bucket list

As you probably recognize by some of the examples above movies are full of big games. In my previous career as an actress I learnt the importance of knowing my "super-objective" in the play or movie I was working on. Then and only then could I chunk it down into smaller objectives for each scene. Think of your life as a beautiful necklace and each of the beads is small piece of that. What connects it all is your purpose, your vision and/or your BIG game.

My primary BIG game is "living my life out loud" and sharing my knowledge and journey. I recently had my own aha moment when I realized this. Previously I had thought of the personal development work I enjoy doing so much as necessary to be a great coach and a fun activity. While doing a guided visioning exercise with my good friend and spiritual coach, Jessica Colp, I realized authenticity is my job. It is my job to be translucent, to tear off all the masks and to stand naked. Now that really upped the anti! Now I feel a responsibility and a connection to purpose, vision and my big game I had never felt before. When you really connect with your BIG game it's almost as if you get plugged in to the universe. That can be incredibly powerful. Just like the teams playing at the super bowl though staying on top of your game takes focus and commitment but the prize makes it all worthwhile.

As always if you need support, inspiration or accountability with you BIG game contact me, my door is WIDE open.

Your Coach

Marianne Emma Jeff
323-222-7950
coach@motivatemyself.com

Vision, Voices & Winning Environment

2010-01-30T13:37:00.000-08:00

I am experiencing the most amazing flow in my life right now and I wanted to share some tools that I believe have helped me get to and stay in this place.

Having a clear vision and mission. I know, I know I am sick of hearing about it too but it anchors you and ignites you at the same time. Check out my vision video I had a lot of fun creating it http://motivatemyself.com/ - it's on the bottom left-hand side of the page.
Voices! You know the voices in your head that say "get a glass of water" or "pick-up the phone and call that prospect". At first you may find you have quite the chorus but if you listening carefully you gut will tell you which one is the one to listen too.
Set up a winning environment. Yes this is about clearing space but also much more. Once you have a clear, calm, workspace how can you shift to the next level. How can you create an environment that inspires you to pick up the phone, write on your blog, email a potential client....

These things have been really working for me and my clients. I wish you a year of abundance and joy in 2010. If I can support you in any way let me know.

My door is WIDE open if you have questions about making a living doing what you love or anything else do not hesitate to contact me.
coach@motivatemyself.com
323-222-7950
http://www.motivatemyself.com/

Are you sick and tired of hearing about mission and vision?

2010-01-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

I am devouring "Never Eat Alone" by Keith Ferazzi and even though I am only on Chapter two I highly recommend it. In chapter two he is bringing up the not so new idea of creating a mission. I must admit, even as a coach, there are times when I am sick and tired of thinking about my mission and my vision. Do you know I am especially repulsed by it when I am the foggiest about what it is, when I need it the most. The little child in me stamps her feet and screams "do we have to do this again, aren't we done with this already!". Last week she was stamping pretty hard and jumping up and down giving my four year old a run for her money. I was feeling a little lost and ungrounded as to which direction to steer my ship next.

That's when my guides started nudging me. First it was when I picked up "Creating Your Best Life" by Caroling Adams Miller, Mapp & Dr. Micheal B. Frisch, then in a conversation with a good friend and wonderful life coach Jessica Colp. When I had my call with my coach, there it was again and then in Never Eat Alone here it is again - Mission! The reason it keeps coming up is because it is so important and so necessary in our journey to success.

"The mission is often risky, unconvential, and most likely tough as hell to achieve. But it is possible. The kind of discipline that turns a dream into a mission, and a mission into a reality, really just comes down to a process of setting goals."

-Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferazzi

This weekend I will be reviewing, refining and cutting and pasting together my vision and mission. It's time and I think the weather couldn't be more perfect for it.
If you are looking for guidance with your mission, vision or goals for the new decade I have a few spots left in a THREE part tele-class starting this Monday. Go to http://bestyearyet.eventbrite.com/ for more details and to sign up.

You can also so see me up close and personal on Saturday at
Anatomy LA http://anatomyla.eventbrite.com/
If you prefer the self-study approach but like some structure you can check out my book designed with that purpose in mind at http://motivatemyself.com/Your_Exceptional_LIFE.html

Remember "an unwritten wish is just a dream, In writing, it's a commitment, a goal."

-Never Eat Alone

What is your equation for success?

2010-01-18T16:56:00.000-08:00

One of the top sales reps at Zerox, shared a variation of this with me last year and I have refined it to speak to me. If any of the elements of the equation are neglected it is impossible to succeed. For example to take consistant action without clear vision can lead you off track or to attain a goal that you do not really want. What is your equation for success? Feel free to share mine if it works for you.

Marianne’s Top Ten 2009

2009-12-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

Marianne's Top Ten Resources - 2009

(In no particular order #9 rocks though)

So many amazing resources in 2009, where to begin? I am sure I have missed some but here are 10 to get your teeth into and some links to get you started with some fre*bies too.

NLP In Reality - Making 2010 Your Best Year Ever (Questionnaire) by: Shlomo Vaknin, C.Ht NLPWeekly.com The purpose of this process is self alignment. The results - forgetfulness. Yes, I believe that in order to make significant progress through a time period such as a year, we need to forget all about it - and let it just happen http://nlpweeklymagazine.com/uploads/nlpweekly.com-NLP-In-Reality.pdf .
Back by popular demand… Paperbackswap.com Your source for swapping books online - Read...Swap...Save! I have been swapping up a storm and it is enabling my reading addiction, I think that's a good thing! http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php
Get Clients Now by C.J Hayden (Book) I have been using this myself and with clients and it's fabulous. If you are looking for some extra accountability contact me and we can work on it together. http://www.getclientsnow.com/
Fr*e Play Music a great source to download music at no cost. I have used it to add music to the beginning or end of my podcasts and also for some of my videos. http://freeplaymusic.com/search/
Flat Belly Diet http://flatbellydiet.prevention.com/default.asp?sname=DefaultOffer&mktSSOfferId=FBD24911&mktBKOfferId=PVN24251 I have used it and lost weight BUT more importantly I have enjoyed the food and MUFU's rock.
Aweber This is an email marketing software that I love. You can have multiple lists and the open rate exceeds the competition including Constant Contact. Go to http://motivatemyself.com/Effective_Newsletters.html
Eventbrite Events made easy. A fabulous online solution that tracks attendance and takes money for your events. I use it all the time. https://www.eventbrite.com/r/eventsnow
Twitter Feed connect your blog, facebook and twitter and make your life easier and more efficient. http://twitterfeed.com/
Discovering Your Intentional & Exceptional Life by Marianne Emma Jeff (Book & Interactive Program) Alright I know perhaps I am a little biased on this one but this year I have created an interactive program as a companion to the book. What does that mean? It means I hold your hand and interactive with you weekly as you go through the program, I answer questions, ask questions and help you deepen and clarify the work as you design your year of abundance and joy for 2010. Get started now at http://motivatemyself.com/Your_Exceptional_LIFE.html Come on buy the book already what are you waiting for!
Art Guidance Cards by Karin Bauer. View these beautiful cards and do an interactive session at http://motivatemyself.com/Coaching.html

When will you begin?

2009-12-27T12:30:00.001-08:00

When will you begin? Inevitably at the beginning of a new year people feel the sense of possibility in the air and resolve to change, add habits or elements of their lives. I see it as a blank slate, a covering of virgin snow glistening with opportunity. Over the last 20 years, I have approached the New Year with excitement. Some years I have sat right down after the stroke of midnight with a pen and paper other years I have lingered with the holiday spirit, literally, and began my resolution quest on the 2nd, 3rd or maybe even later in the month. One year I sat on a sled with a bottle of wine, red of course and a pen and paper and a candle until my balance was thrown off and the sled took off down the hill, ditching me and my paper on the way to be rescued by my Step Mum Tess. One year I participated in a New Years time capsule which we dug up the following year to review. Inside the capsule, the following year, I found my request of “to be or not to be” referring to with child or not. I smiled as I read it clutching my four week old child, Sofie.

Every New Year holds this excitement for me but this year especially as we are on the dawn of a new decade. Ten years is a huge chunk of time. Think of all the things you have done and all the changes that have occurred in the last 10 years. Life is change and nothing is more constant than change. This decade began with an even bigger dawn, the dawn of a new century. I remember the anticipation and excitement as we approached 2000. At first, I found myself stumped with how to refer to this new era, but quickly left the fear of end of the world behind us and got into a new stride for the new millennium. I remember my Grandad’s wish to see the turn of the century, unfortunately he didn’t get to see his wish come true. Desires come and go. Some come to fruition, some lay by the roadside forgotten and some always seem to slip elusively through our fingers.

With years and years of dreams and desires behind me, I have developed a system to empower me, keep me focused and enable me to learn from each year as it ticks by. I have refined this process for 10 years and put it all together in one book, “Discovering Your Intentional & Exceptional Life”. For years, I had searched for a system that included all the key elements and came up empty handed. And so I created my own. To me the three key elements are:

1. To review and take stock of the past year. I like to get them down clearly in black and white. This way I can build upon the challenges and opportunities of the past to leverage my progress in the future.

2. To check in with my core values and priorities. This way I am setting goals or intentions in alignment with who I am. By doing this, I achieve my goals easier and enjoy them more when I attain them.

3. To set clear priorities and have systems to remind me of them for the next 12 months. There is no point in setting clear goals if you forget them. I work with priorities as an umbrella for all the goals that are important to me. It is so much easier to keep in mind one to three priorities than a long list of goals. I always surprise myself at the end of the year with how much I have accomplished. What is also important to me is flexibility. As Joseph Campbell said, “If you see your path laid out in front of you, it is not your path.” My theme this last year was to forge my own path using Joseph Campbell’s words as inspiration. This was a challenge for me, the planner, but it allowed me to be flexible and to begin to learn to stop worrying so much about how. After working on myself and with hundreds of clients, I have found that is we are clear about “what” we want and take consistent action towards it the “how” takes care of itself and can surprise us sometimes. Using priorities and keeping them in mind allows for this flexibility of “how”, it allows me to stay focus but not at the same time to let the universe worry about the details.

There is no right way in life. There are lots of different ways of attaining the same thing. Just like when you are driving from Los Angeles to San Francisco. You can take the scenic route or the freeway. The coast route, the scenic route, is beautiful to drive through the coastal cities of Monterey and Carmel. Stopping off to take in the picturesque view and enjoying some of the wonderful food along the way is a treat. If you are heading off on a business trip and need to get to San Francisco fast or perhaps are in a hurry to get back to spend time with your family then the scenic route is not for you. With a reserve of time and money in your pocket meandering down the streets of Cambria or spending the weekend at a romantic bed and breakfast is fun and comfortable but without either you will be anxious and strapped for resources. You will most likely not enjoy the experience. It all boils down to being clear on your priorities. Then you can decide which route would work best. As a coach, I specialize in working with people to take the most direct, efficient route all the time checking in with the client and keeping them on top of their game, moving them forward but not at the expense of their wellbeing.

As the new decade lies ahead I wonder will you take the scenic route or the freeway. If you are looking for a co-pilot, give me a call. But first make sure you decide when to begin, set a date and take the first step. It starts with a thought, then a word then comes the action.

When will you begin?

Your Coach,

Marianne Emma Jeff
coach@motivatemyself.com
http://www.motivatemyself.com/

Creating & Giving Powerful Testimonials

2009-12-09T07:20:00.001-08:00

The road to visibility for you and your business is paved with solid relationships. The days of hard selling and spam tactics have been left behind as we enter the new era of permission marketing and truth telling instead of “selling”. Although they want to develop strong relationships a lot of my clients get stuck on how you actually do that.

“How can I build relationships with people I do not know very well”, “I don’t want to be pushy”, and “I don’t have anything to say” are common topics my one-on-one clients bring to our coaching sessions. One great way to build relationships is solid, compelling and well written testimonials.

As a lot of you know, I am a huge fan of Deepak and his “Seven Spiritual Laws of Success”. Testimonials are a great way to embrace law #2:

The Law of Giving

“In our willingness to give that which we seek, we keep the abundance of the universe circulating in our lives”

It boils down to this; if you want something, then give it.

Do you want people to speak highly of your business and services? Would you like them to point out the benefits that you offer, would you like them to do this in a personal and specific way using examples that other people can really connect with? Then guess what, if you give these wonderful testimonials you will receive them in return (not necessarily from the same people I might add). As always with things I recommend they should be grounded in authenticity: real, heartfelt words not lip service!

The benefits of giving testimonials:

• A reason to get in touch and follow up with someone

• People buy from or hire people they know, like and trust. Not only are you getting to know someone you are helping build their level of trust with their consumers.

• A great way to find out more about that person
• Every time they see that testimonial or someone mentions it they think of YOU

• Your name and contact info get in front of a whole new group of people

What to do with testimonials you receive:

• Add them to your Website, Newsletter, Brochures, Share them in an email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Tweet them
• Place them around your service, products and promotional materials

Before you dash off and start writing and requesting testimonials. STOP. The way they are written is extremely important. Here are a few tips to get you on the right track.

Tips on Creating Powerful Testimonials
Tip 1 Ask the person you are writing the testimonial for what service or product they would like you to highlight.

Tip 2 Find out what the THREE main benefits of this service or product are. This is key information that anyone in business should know about everything they do.

Tip 3 Write it as if you are speaking to their audience not to them

Tip 4 Briefly cover these five key points (I recommend one sentence each)
           a) How are you like the audience (one or two things you have in common with them)?

           b) What problem did you have and what benefit did you want to receive which the audience can relate to?
           c) Express your concerns about what you should do about your problem and how you wondered if anyone could help.

          d) State how the product or service provided the solutions you desired and/or benefits.

          e) Call them to action by recommending what they should do next.
How do you get great testimonials?

• When asking for testimonials request that they use the same key points as above.
• Be very clear and specific about what service or product you would like to highlight.
• Ask them to share the benefits of your service.
• Feel free to send them a link to this article as a reference.

Most importantly be sure to share your gratitude with them. Maybe even send them a hand written card or note. Do you see how this tool quickly begins to develop and strengthen your contacts and relationships?
If you would like to create a personalized strategy to increase your visibility factor than contact me to set up an introductory consultation and take advantage of my end of year special.

P.S. If you are looking to practice your new testimonials skills and have read my annual life analysis book “Discovering Your Intentional & Exceptional Life” than please feel free to send me a testimonial. I am looking to highlight the following four benefits of the book. You would only need to hit on one or two of them.

How it empowered and motivated you to take action?
How it shifted your attitude and uncovered things to celebrate which you had forgotten?
How it gave you clarity for the following month or year?
How easy it was to use and fit into your life?

Please send them to me at coach@motivatemyself.com and include your business name, website address, name as you would like it to appear and a photo of you to publish with it.
P.P.S To give you a sense of how the key points work I have created three real life examples below:

Terrie Silverman – Writing & Performance Lab
http://www.creativerites.com/
I have always loved writing and as an actress was drawn to the idea of creating my own material to perform and being in control of my own content. I began writing some pieces about my life but when I tried to perform them I felt a lack of connection with the audience. I knew there was a specific technique to writing and performing one person show’s but there were little resources to guide me and most of those were written. I wanted to test out my material in a safe environment and learn how to craft it from a professional with experience in this particular arena. Thanks to a friend of mine, I found out about Terrie’s class. In the very first class, I learnt so much about writing and performing and it was wonderful to have a supportive audience to test it out on. Terrie creates a safe space allowing you to trust your creative instincts and ignore your self-sensoring critic. Her teaching style gently draws out more of the story from you giving it depth and unique character. My creativity was stirred up and I wrote more than I had ever before. She also built my confidence and empowered me as I realized I had something valuable to say. Recently, I performed my first one person show “The Zen of Red Wine” to a sold out audience in Los Angeles. The audience loved it but I got so much more than applause out of the whole process. It was a great way to process and learn more about myself, priceless. If you have dreamt about writing your own piece or perhaps a book than sign up for Terrie’s class or better still her Private Coaching now. Don’t let the story die, share it with the world.

Nicola Borland – Professional Photographer
http://www.nicolaborland.com/

After having my daughter Sofie, who is now four, I have put on a few pounds. When I was younger, in my career as an actress, I loved being photographed. Now with the extra weight I feel more self conscious but using my old pictures in my marketing materials on my website embarrassed me. I wanted to look like my picture so when I met clients they would recognize me! I kept thinking that I would wait till I lost the weight but time kept ticking. I met Nicola at a Networking Coffee in South Pasadena. I instantly liked her. She is very fun and easy to talk to. I found her to be extremely professional but at the same time very down to earth which instantly makes you feel comfortable. During my Personal Portrait Session it was obvious that she loves what she does and her passion got me excited about the whole process. I am thrilled with the photos. Now I feel excited to hand out my marketing materials. I am much more confident when I meet clients knowing that I look just like my picture. If you are using outdated photos or have a new look and need new pictures call Nicola to set up a portrait session. I know you will be thrilled too.

Tambra Gutschall - Axis Chiropractic
http://www.axischiro.com/

I care a lot about my family and hate to see them in pain. When my husband hurt his back mowing our lawn, quite a task as we live on a hill! I didn’t want him to be in pain. He tried stretching and iced it but wasn’t getting any relief. Like a lot of men in my life he doesn’t like to seek outside help and I wasn’t sure how to help him. Then I thought of Tambra whom I had met at a networking event. She has a wonderful easy going down to earth manner which I thought my husband might be receptive to. I mentioned her to my husband and still in pain he was open to the idea. When he returned from the appointment, he was in good spirits and from just one session already his back was feeling much better. He was eager to share the experience with me and told me all about his chiropractic adjustment. He was especially impressed with the thoroughness of Dr. Tambra. His back is now pain free. If someone you love is in pain than send them to Dr. Tambra. They will be in great hands!