You’ve Got To Be In It To Win It!

You’ve Got to be in it to win it!

Wow! What an awesome weekend. I was at Heathrow at the NLP and Coaching conference and I just did something that has really scared me, and I mean really scared me.

Do you want to know what I did? I’m sure you do. I stepped out of my comfort zone.

Yeah I know we’ve all step out of our comfort zone from time to time, so what's the big deal? Why was this occasion so different?

Because it wasn’t just a baby step. I took a huge stride, I stepped miles out of my comfort zone, I’ve stepped (leaped) into another league, now that is really scary.

What made me do it? There are several reasons

1. I want more than I have currently – my business isn’t where I want it to be
2. I want to reach out to more and more female business owners
3. I have high expectations of myself
4. My families financial future
5. I believe in myself


But, do you know what? Taking this HUGE leap of faith is going to be okay. It’s going to be fine. In fact it is going to be an amazing. How can I be so certain? Because it always is.

When you set out to do something that initially makes you anxious or worried and then you ‘do it’ or accomplish it, it will never be as difficult the next time.

I used to believe in taking small baby steps and they have been invaluable along the way, but if you want to realise true success you too will have to get out of your own way and expand your comfort zone. You need to set some big hairy audacious goals.

And when you do you will probably never want to stop – believe me your business will appreciate you for it.


Take the plunge today.


Oh I almost forgot – here’s a picture taken last evening.

Along with 24 other inspirational entrepreneurs I am in the running to own this Jag this time next year. I stepped up and invested in the UK’s Top business mentoring programme.

You have to be in it to Win it.

The Recipe For Success

We've been doing some serious baking in our household this weekend and what a fun
(and messy) time we had.

I was reminded of the 'Recipe for Success' that someone once sent to me. I don't know the origin of this recipe or who to credit but try it out it's rather tasty.

1. Take the strengths you already have
2. Add adose of empowerment
3. Sprinkle generously with creative thinking
4. Stir in accountability, networking and commitment
5. Allow to simmer and watch as a powerful, successful business women emerges

Are You A Fraud?

Mary has officially been running her beauty consultancy business for the past six months ‘….but I feel such a fraud at times – on the surface I appear to be coping well, but under the exterior I often wonder how long I can keep this front up……….everyone else seems to know exactly what they are doing.’

Mary, although an expert in the beauty industry is experiencing a fairly common feeling , when she is working directly with her clients she feels very confident but a lot of her time is spent doing unfamiliar tasks and she often feels outside her comfort zone.

I pointed out to Mary that this was a fairly common experience in the early days of trading and this kind of self talk can quickly lead us to placing self - imposed limits upon on ourselves, it can stop us dead in our tracks if we aren’t quick to identify it.

I invite you to read the article below by Personal Development coach Karen Williams who describes how you can overcome just about anything that is holding you back and shares 20 top tips that will help you celebrate the good you are doing.

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Do you ever think that "I'm no good at this" and expect to be "found out"?

Do you dismiss your accomplishments or successes as a "fluke" or that you were "in the right place at the right time"?

Do you believe that other people think you are more intelligent than you believe you actually are?

Are you waiting for people to reveal that you are a phoney or exposed as a sham?

Do you think that any success you have is due to contacts, luck, good timing, or perseverance?

If you agree with any or all of these statements; don't worry, you're not alone. Studies indicate that up to 70% of people fear that they will be labelled as a phoney. Perhaps you don't feel that you are good enough, or something has happened to you that makes you put a downer on yourself.

Whatever your achievements and how good about something you feel, do you find it difficult to celebrate your successes and go out and shout about what you have achieved or done?

In today's society we are pressurised to do more with less, have higher expectations, and fit more and more into our days. It is no wonder that we feel angst and disappointment rather than euphoria and excitement. Sometimes it can link from the messages and expectations you received as a child and even during your adult life, but often we forget to celebrate our successes.

So, how can you celebrate every small thing that you achieve and have the belief and faith in your own abilities?

1. Don't set yourself impossible standards
2. Learn from your mistakes, brush yourself down and move on
3. Reward yourself for the effort you take to get things done not just for the outcome
4. Keep a success journal outlining all of your achievements and add to it every week, no matter how small you think it is
5. Recognise the times that you doubt yourself and remind yourself that you are good enough
6. Remember that you don't have to be superwoman or superman
7. When you receive a compliment, thank the person giving it to you rather than just brushing it off
8. If you want to appear more confident than you actually are in a situation, 'act as if'. You're not being a phoney, you are promoting yourself in the way you wish to be received
9. Give yourself permission to achieve your greatest potential
10. Take a risk and learn from it - good and bad
11. Recognise your negative inner voice which may tell you that you are not good enough. Acknowledge it, then ignore it or challenge it
12. Remind yourself daily that you are good enough
13. Never undervalue yourself
14. Do one thing each day that you don't want to do to move you closer to your dreams or goals
15. Don't compare yourself with others and remember that you are a unique person
16. Trust your instincts and listen to what your heart is telling you
17. Accept that there will be days when you want to stay under your duvet
18. Do something every day that you love to do
19. Acknowledge your strengths and make them stronger
20. Do a good deed, help someone else or make someone's day

Karen Williams is a personal development coach who helps people to re-find direction in their career. If you want to achieve greater success in your career, download your free tips now at www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk.Karen can also help you on your journey to career success. Register today at http://www.selfdiscoverycoaching.co.uk/onlinecareerprogramme.html.

Maintaining Your Business Mindset

Recently I was interviewed by Karen Williams of Self Discovery coaching, during which we spent considerable time discussing success and how it correlates to ones mindset.
Mindset intrigues me, Earl Nightingale said “We become what we think about”. So understanding how to adopt and maintain a positive business mindset is critical to our success- why? Because its one of the biggest factors that prevents many business women from marketing themselves effectively.

It was about three years ago that I first heard the term ‘business mindset’, mentioned by one of my mentors - it really made me sit up and listen as I heard her explain,
“The difference that really makes the difference between women who run their businesses successfully and those who have some intermittent success is their business mindset……….”
“……..It’s their attitude or approach to running their business that really makes the significant difference.”
She continued to describe this as the difference between those who ‘play at having a business’ and those who go out there and really make it happen. It was the bit about those who ‘play’ at business that struck a chord with me. I was guilty, I hadn’t taken things a seriously as I could’ve up until then, coming from a back ground in education I had little business knowledge and I had hoped that I would meet a few contacts thorough networking, they would refer me to friends and colleagues and my business would take off, I’d do a little bit of advertising (in all the wrong places I might add) and that would be sufficient.

So when my mentor talked about investing time, effort and money right from the start I knew I had to go back to basics, review my business plans, at least I had them! And start over like a professional not an amateur.
Every business decision you make today will affect your business tomorrow, with this in mind let me share with you my top 3 tips for creating a business mindset.

1. Start with the end in mind. You have to know where you are going if you are ever going to get there and to do this you need to think strategically and plan, plan, plan. Ask yourself, what specifically you are trying to create. Yes, you might have a great vision for your business but something I find that frequently gets overlooked is that you are ultimately in business to make a profit. Are you choosing to ‘play’ at being in business and just making a little extra pocket money or are you taking this venture seriously? Jot down your thoughts.

2. Act strategically. Why are you doing precisely what you do? Are you going with the flow just because everyone else appears to be? Or are you deciding what actions to take to bring you the best results? Every action you take needs to be focused.
You need to clearly define the results you are aiming for and question the choices are you making. Don’t just go along to the next networking event because you feel you ‘should’ or ‘ought’ to. Instead go along with a clear objection in mind, think of your actions strategically, otherwise you could be leaving money on the table. Ask yourself these questions.
Is this action good use of my time?
Are the actions I am taking leading to new clients or a financial reward?
Will this activity lead to where I ultimately want to go?

3) Learn from your mistakes. We all make them, take Thomas Edison and his famous experiments to invent the electric light bulb as an example. He didn’t perceive his copious attempts as failures but as advancements towards his ultimate goal.
What a powerful mindset to have?
Model Edison's approach and you will achieve so much more. So make new mistakes, but refrain from making the same mistakes and celebrate your successes.