Would you like a breather from that sometimes?

If you can empty your mind you can give yourself a sense of peace, an emptiness and quiet that allows you to relax.And also to allow space [...]]]> Do you find that your head is constantly full of “stuff”? Things you must remember to do, new ideas, worries……….

Would you like a breather from that sometimes?

If you can empty your mind you can give yourself a sense of peace, an emptiness and quiet that allows you to relax.And also to allow space for new ideas to come. Just stopping can have huge benefits to your well-being, and to whatever projects you are working on.

It is wonderful to be free of the chatter in your brain. And another advantage is the additional clarity you get. This can be especially noticeable if you go outside. Just listen to the birdsong and appreciate the beauty and diversity of nature around you.

It’s a great place to be.

So if you don’t already do this, where do you start?

Well, there are different ways to do this and it is worth finding one that works for you.

Some people choose to meditate, or you can just choose to put yourself into that innocent space you experienced when you were a child.

Don’t know how to meditate? There are no rules to this, put simply it’s just about sitting quietly and allowing your mind to become empty.

“Meditation is not a solution of any problem in particular; it solves nothing. It simply helps you to get rid of the mind, the problem-creator. It simply helps you to slip out of the mind like a snake slips out of the old skin. Once you know you are not the mind the great transcendence has happened. Suddenly all problems become insignificant; slowly, slowly they evaporate. You are left with a profound peace; a great silence prevails. This silence is the solution. This peace is the answer, the answer of all answers”. OSHO

When Sir John was Chairman of [...]]]> You will no doubt be familiar with Sir John Harvey Jones and his reputation as a respected businessman and advisor. Sir John had an elegant secret for deflecting customer interruptions – whilst still making the customers feel as though they were the most important people in the world!

When Sir John was Chairman of ICI and a customer rang to speak to him, his secretary would explain that, although Sir John was doing something else, he had left strict instructions that, wherever he was, he was to be interrupted if a customer wanted him. Most customers would say: “Don’t bother him now. But ask him to call me when he’s finished.” As a result, Sir John was rarely interrupted, and goodwill was always at an optimum. What’s more, his example helped to convince everybody else at ICI that they too needed to live up to the rhetoric of putting customers first.

It really pays to make other people in your life feel respected and important.

How could you apply this to your own business, or your life in general?

By asking “What Do I Love?” or “What would I love?” you bring the attention of your mind to that thing.

So whenever you are faced [...]]]> ..is a question that easily refocuses your mind. We hear so often that focus creates reality and this is a really quick and easy way to shift your focus.

By asking “What Do I Love?” or “What would I love?” you bring the attention of your mind to that thing.

So whenever you are faced with a dilemma or something not quite going as you would like, take a moment to step back and ask yourself “What Would I Love?”, and go with what comes immediately, don’t “think” about it too much. What pops into your head first will be the true answer.

Once you have this consider it, and how you can act so that you move towards it as your target, your end result.

Even if you don’t know “how” it doesn’t matter, focus on what you really want to happen. This is the first step towards creating the outcome that you want.

And it can apply to any aspect of your life and any situation.

1 – Be your unique self

2 – Make decisions from your inner authority

3 – Give up trying to control life

4 – Stop personalising what others think

5 – Allow yourself to make mistakes so [...]]]> Do one of these steps and change your life, do them all and you have revolutionised your life……….

1 – Be your unique self

2 – Make decisions from your inner authority

3 – Give up trying to control life

4 – Stop personalising what others think

5 – Allow yourself to make mistakes so that you can discover what does work

6 – Stop comparing yourself to anyone else

7 – Develop a sense of humour about life’s messy parts

8 – Trust yourself

9 – Be confident that if something happens you have the resources to deal with it

10 – Give yourself time and space to grow and evolve

11 – Love yourself

‘Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is Enlightenment.’
Lao Tsu, Ancient Chinese Philosopher

Where is the time to think of new ideas or creative ways of tackling your problems? And [...]]]> Phone calls to make, e-mails to answers, quotations to get out, outstanding invoices to chase etc etc!! This is the life of a small business owner. Your day is typically filled with all this ‘routine’ and mundane stuff.

Where is the time to think of new ideas or creative ways of tackling your problems? And yet the benefits of coming up with new ideas or ways of solving problems are numerous, it’s just a case of finding the time. I am a great believer in scheduling some ‘thinking time’ into your day. Here’s what to do.

During the day, on a ‘thinking time’ pad, write down some issues or questions you need to find answers to. Don’t attempt to find solutions now, just park the question and carry on with your work. Take your diary or mentally decide what time you are going to start, and mark out 15 to 20 minutes. You may find you are better first thing in the morning, or you may prefer the afternoon when you find things quieter. It doesn’t matter when as along as you commit yourself.

When the allotted time comes, take the phone off the hook and tell everyone you don’t wish to be disturbed. Once you are relaxed let your mind wander and capture all the great ideas and solutions which will flood your mind. Write your thoughts down as a mindmap, using lots of different colours to really stimulate your brain!

When you get into the habit of taking some thinking time you’ll be amazed at not only the number of new ideas and solutions to problems you’ll come up with, but also how relaxed you’ll feel afterwards.

Go on, don’t just think about it, do it!

Thanks to Rob Warlow, Small Business Success, http://www.smallbusinesssuccess.biz

The race to put a man on the moon proves that forgetting the KISS formula can waste a great deal of time and money. In the 60s the US spent millions of dollars perfecting a pen with a built in pump to work in zero gravity. The Russians, on [...]]]> ……..stands for “Keep it simple, stupid!”

The race to put a man on the moon proves that forgetting the KISS formula can waste a great deal of time and money. In the 60s the US spent millions of dollars perfecting a pen with a built in pump to work in zero gravity. The Russians, on the other hand, spent a few roubles on a box of pencils!

The temptation to overcomplicate was also demonstrated by the matchbox company threatened with ruin after a doubling in the cost of the striking strips it used on both sides of its boxes. Its brightest scientists tried to invent a cheaper strip, but failed. Then one of its most junior employees came up with a suggestion that literally cut costs in half… only put a striking strip on one side of the matchbox!

Don’t let your enthusiasm for leading-edge solutions blind you to the obvious. Simple low-tech systems, processes and solutions often work much more effectively. They are also much quicker, easier and cheaper to implement. So, where possible, keep it simple.

When Brian Tracy studied the interviews, speeches, biographies and autobiographies of successful men and women, he found that they all had [...]]]> If you want to be a big success in any area, find out what other successful people in that area are doing and do the same things until you get the same results.

When Brian Tracy studied the interviews, speeches, biographies and autobiographies of successful men and women, he found that they all had one quality in common. They were all described as being extremely well-organized. They used their time very, very well. They were highly productive and they got vastly more done in the same period of time than the average person.

How about you? Do you study successful people?
And do you find being organised works? It certainly does for me

By dividing tasks among people who specialize and do them best, we gain efficiency, expertise and power. By out-sourcing to individuals whose talents [...]]]> There’s an old saying that ‘two heads are better than one’.
Unfortunately, most entrepreneurs, managers, and professionals (almost all of us) try to do far too much on their own, by ourselves.

By dividing tasks among people who specialize and do them best, we gain efficiency, expertise and power. By out-sourcing to individuals whose talents and interests match
the task, we not only benefit from their expertise, we unburden ourselves of work we don’t enjoy. We’re happier, and the job is done better, faster and often, cheaper.

Beyond that, however, is a world of casual partnerships where one-plus-one equals far more than two! A partnership where you have an audience and I have a message, creates a win for you (you bring unexpected benefits to your customers), a win for me (I share my expertise with people I could not have reached) and there is a huge win for your
audience who receives the best from BOTH of us. It’s a win-win-win that is powerful and profitable for everyone concerned.

The opportunities for joint ventures and shared projects are endless.

Think of those fliers in your monthly credit card statements – those are often one-time joint ventures. Ever gone to a store and received a ‘free sample’ of some product? Those are often short-term joint marketing ventures.

Get creative! Think of ways to partner with experts and leaders in your field to increase both your own credibility, and to expand each other’s market. Joint ventures and partnerships can be extremely rewarding!

Philip Humbert

Where there’s no will, there’s no way! When the reason is strong enough you will do what is necessary.

Strong will power is always caused by a strong underlying purpose; a reason to [...]]]> If you are not have the success you would like in achieving one of your goals, perhaps this tip might help….

Where there’s no will, there’s no way! When the reason is strong enough you will do what is necessary.

Strong will power is always caused by a strong underlying purpose; a reason to put in the effort and take action. Focus on one of the areas you are considering making a difference about.

Make a list of the reasons why you want to make this difference. Now, make a list of your reasons for not yet having made the difference. Include excuses you have previously made and any possible obstacles you identified.

Now take the time to assess the two lists and make a note of which reasons are the strongest. This will help you decide what to do with this goal.

Andy Gilbert