The Shortcut to Success: Time and Effort

I recently went to Atlanta’s 2017 Small Business Expo at the Cobb Galleria. It was the perfect timing for me because I’ve been wanting to connect with other service providers within the Atlanta community. There were a few things that made this opportunity attractive. One, the venue was enormous, so I knew they expected many business owners to come out. Two, it was an all-day event, so I could go when I wanted and leave when I was ready. Lastly, it was free.  As a small business owner being resourceful is key to growth and staying in business.

What I Found

I went not knowing what to expect. From the parking lot to the bathroom stalls, I met some incredible people who have taken their ideas and turned them into reality.  I was happy to be around the energy of it all.  Every person received a badge, identifying stickers, and then you were left to take it all in: booths, workshops, speed networking and more. I dropped in on one workshop focused on public speaking. It was informative, but of course there was a hook. By the end of the session they were asking you to sign your life away.

Get Rich Quick Scheme or Opportunity

I’ve been in this position before, and probably many of you have as well. Where you’re taking a chance to better yourself through education or an opportunity, just to find out that they want you to invest a large sum of money to take advantage of it.

I may be impulsive when trying something new or with the matters of the heart, but when it comes to money I like to do my due diligence. But in these scenarios they don’t want you to research.  They don’t want you to confer with a trusted advisor. They just want you to ACT.  Act based off emotions and not logic. We’re emotional beings and many of us act based on how we feel, not on what’s right or wrong but how our hearts tell us to respond. This often causes us to do things we regret. When it comes to financial regret, if you don’t have a savings- 66 million Americans do not – making an emotional financial decision can be detrimental to your current circumstance.

Who Are “They” Targeting

Call it get rich quick schemes or call it opportunity, many well intended and hopeful people fall for this lie: You can make a lot of money quickly and without much effort. I see people who desire to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones. Not only do you want to save others, you want someone to save you.  Save you from your struggles and the ups and downs required to be successful.  But here’s the thing, if you look at anyone you truly admire and learn their story, it took two very specific things to get where they are: time and effort- a lot of effort, aka hard work but many don’t like to hear that. There’s no escaping it. As much as we’ve sped up everything else- connections thru social media, dating thru aps, having anything delivered right to our door (now right to our living rooms). We can’t speed up fulfillment, satisfaction or success. Dues must be paid in full every single month.

The Takeaway

I know it’s tempting to believe you can make 6 figures in the matter of months or turn your life from rags to riches. It sounds like a fairytale and that’s where these stories shall stay- in books, in daydreams. But in reality, where you and I both live, you’ve got to put more than just a little skin in the game to have your deepest desires. Don’t let anyone tell you they can make you rich or successful without putting in the time or effort to show you. Don’t run from the time nor the effort. They’re both getting spent, whether it’s to your benefit is up to you.

Feel free,

Mel

Intention vs. Action: How to Automate Your Goals

I’m the kind of person who starts their day feeling like I can conquer the world. I’m 110% positive that nothing can stop me from being amazing and accomplishing everything my heart desires. As many times as I’ve started my morning renewed, excited, and full of the best intentions, there have been more days than not when something got in my way from having the day I wanted.

How come once it turns noon it feels like the day is nearly gone. If I didn’t know any better I would swear seconds double up at 12:01pm

Reality Check: Does the Success You Want Match What You’re Doing?

A lot of us intend to do a lot of things with our lives. We intend to have a loving and fulfilling relationship. We intend to make a lot of money and buy our parents a home or car. We intend to travel the world and experience different cultures. We intend to buy an island, name it The Land of Melissa. Take everyone you love there to drink coconut water all day and do random nothingness. Intentions are cool to say. Point is, despite all of our intentions, our reality often doesn’t reflect what we dream of doing.

Create Actions to Equal What You Want

Truth is, intentions are cheap. They’re nothing but empty promises. There’s no commitment, no plan, no dedication. Intentions don’t have any weight on what you actually do. Your actions on the other hand makes all the difference.

If you took a second to think about what you did last year, you would understand why you are where you are today. In order to leap towards your long term goals, take the time to decide what actions are going to get you there. It’s easy to do a bunch of nothing to say you’re busy working towards something. If you haven’t determined which actions are going to get you where you need to be, how do you know what you’re doing is worth it? How do you know it’s not wasting your time?

Think about it like this, your daily action is the sum of your year. Whatever you want your year to look like, each day should resemble a portion of that.

Set Up a Weekly Routine to Automate Your Goals

Now that we’re both on the same page and you’ve come to the light, what now? So glad you asked. Turn your intentions into actions.

Here’s 5 Steps to Set Up Your Weekly Routine:

1.       Get clear about the goal you want to reach by 2017:

Get oh so very clear on what you want accomplished this year. What would make this year amazing? What would you like to say in 2016 #donethat

2.       List what you need to do to reach that goal: If you would like to get paid 5,000 per month as a speaker your list may look something like this:

• develop 4 talks to memorize
• find a speaking coach
• practice speaking Monday through Friday
• book free speaking engagements
• register with a local toastmasters club
• buy 3 books on how to make a living from speaking

3.       Decide which items you’ll focus on daily:

Out of your list, prioritize them by adding it to your calendar for every week for the rest of the month. Your future has to become just as important as your personal hygiene. Skipping a day of brushing your teeth or showering is out of the question (unless you didn’t leave the house then it’s only you that has to deal with it ) but 2 days is down right gross. You know it. I know it. And the rest of you are way too comfortable with your funk. Each day of the week should have a task assigned.

4.       Start SMALL:

Practice working on the action for only 15 min whichever day you assign it to. Creating a routine in the beginning is not about Go Big or Go Home. It’s about starting and discipline. In order to start, you can’t feel too intimidated. In order to build discipline, you must do it rain or shine, sleet or snow and everyone has 15 min in their day to spare.

5.       Ask Yourself WHO do you need to become to achieve these goals:

Make a list of the kind of person who is able of accomplishing these tasks. They’re probably motivated, disciplined, punctual, passionate, adaptable, willing to take chances.

Determine which qualities you have and which you need to develop. Remind yourself every day that you are the person you are trying to be, but you have to allow it to come out of you. That will take a lot of growth and that’s okay.

You may not like the way growth feels but you’ll like where it takes you.

You should know what you do every Monday through Sunday. Each day should be dedicated to getting you closer to the life you want so when it comes you’re prepared. A lot of people are intimidated by hard work. If you want to live a simple, easy, mundane, practical life then stop making goals all together. Don’t even bother. But if there’s a part of you that wants something a bit more interesting, more authentic, rich and freeing then hard work is in order. But just because it’s hard now doesn’t mean it always will be. You’re becoming more and more prepared for what is ahead. That right there ladies and gentlemen is the power of consistency.

Feel Free,

Mel

***Need help setting up your weekly routine? Schedule your free Goal Routine Strategy Session with me. We’ll break down your goals and set up a simple, fun routine for you to stick to. It’s EASY & FREE! Never have another unproductive week again! Don't Wait, Schedule now.

Do Creative Entrepreneurs Need Credentials?

Whenever someone is being hired to do a job the client usually wants to know their credentials. What makes them qualified to do this job and do it well. In today’s day and age where many people have created careers based on their creative talent, the question still remains: 

What makes you qualified?

So what makes a creative entrepreneur qualified? As a creative entrepreneur myself, I’ve grappled with the reasons behind what makes me qualified to do what I do. I’ve been organizing since the age of 6, but it wasn’t until 2015 that I decided to turn it into a business. I’ve been coaching and motivating people to reach their goals since college, but it wasn’t until 2014 I became a certified business and life coach.

Are my certified coaching skills better than a coach not certified who has coached for 15+ years?

Are my organizing skills that I've developed since childhood less than someone who’s a certified Professional Organizer?

WHAT DETERMINES HOW GOOD YOU ARE IN YOUR INDUSTRY?

It all boils down to what you can deliver. Are you able to produce the results that were intended? When you produce good results, word travels. Whether you’ve been trained in an academic setting or not, if you deliver (especially over deliver) you are sure to get noticed.

WHEN IS CERTIFICATION VALUABLE?

When you're just breaking out in your industry, people may have a hard time believing what you say. Certifications help people pay attention. You wouldn't take this baby seriously, but if he said he was a baby genius and studied at Harvard you'd be all ears wouldn't you? (He hasn't btw..studied at Harvard that is. But he's absolutely a baby genius.)

Now certification is helpful for opening certain doors. When you’re certified, you then become part of a respected community. People look to these communities for referrals. You may have been dancing since the age of 4, but if you graduated from Julliard School of Dance, opportunities may be greater for you initially.

I insisted I needed training in coaching, because there were skills I wasn’t aware of how to use. I didn’t feel confident enough in my abilities to coach someone on their goals. (And your confidence is everything. Let’s be real, it’s confidence that got Trinidad James his 15 seconds of fame) 15 seconds or not,

confidence gets you places doubt cannot.

Certification Builds Respect for Your Industry

When it came to organizing, I felt confident in my abilities to transform someone’s space into a well-oiled haven of order. I didn’t “need” to join NAPO and go through their certification process to call myself a Professional. Buuuuuut the more I learned about the industry, the more I realized how much I didn’t know. The more serious I began to take organizing as a career instead of merely a hobby, the more I began to respect my talent. And the more I wanted to invest in it.

Certification is another word for training

Every industry doesn't have a certification process. How do you become a certified singer? You don't. Certification is another word for training. What training have you done to increase your level of expertise? What classes have you taken? What seminars have you gone to? Who have you been coached or mentored by? Every skill needs some level of training. The more you invest in your skill the more others respect what you do, the more YOU respect what you do.

Needless to say, I started my certification process this year. You can’t become officially certified until you’ve done over 1,500 hours of paid work within three years, taken a couple of tests, completed a few courses, blah blah blah (Interested in becoming a CPO? Click here for the certification process). I’m not certified yet, but I’m well on my way.

Certification Expands Your Network

Everyone has heard, to expand your net-worth, expand your network. As cliche as it sounds, it's true. The more people you know, the more resources you have access to. The more people will think of you when their in need of your product, talent, or service. The more people you can reach out to when you're in need of something outside your industry. 

Since I decided to take this leap, the world of organizing has expanded greatly. I’ve attracted more business and my network & net worth has increased in value.

HOW TO FEEL CONFIDENT NO MATTER WHAT STAGE YOU’RE IN

IV is completely confident he can climb off the bed. I quickly kill his dreams because I'm not ready to see him bust his head. It never stops him trying. 

The more I grow as a Professional the more I respect what I do. The more serious I take my craft, the more serious people take my business.

Although I’m at the beginning stage of my business, I’ve been organizing for YEARS, and  there are some areas I have down pact. Like nurseries/ baby rooms, bedrooms and home offices. It’s important to identify what you do well right now.

Whatever you do great in the present, do more of it until you become great at something else. People can’t turn away from greatness even if they try. No matter where you are in your career, stretch yourself to evolve in other areas. This is how you become great at something else. But never think you have to be great in all areas to start anywhere.  Focus on what you do best right now until you become better. Because you WILL GET BETTER.

HOW DO YOU BECOME AN EXPERT WHETHER YOU’RE CERTIFIED OR NOT

To become more knowledgeable and confident about your craft you have to dive into it. We all have been given a skill, but it wasn’t given to us perfected. If you want to use these skills to make a living you must sharpen them. Meaning you must practice, practice, practice.

 “You can’t pay someone to do your push-ups for you”

Respect your craft, learn your industry, find what you love within it and get to know it like you know the favorite character of your favorite TV show. God knows I know Carry Bradshaw like we grew up together. That's my bestie.

DO ENTREPRENEURS NEED CREDENTIALS OR NOT?

Absolutely, but you can determine what makes you certified. Don't diminish your skill or industry by not taking it serious enough to invest in it. I met a speaker, Marcus Y. Rosier, last week who dedicated 2 1/2 hours each day since October 2010 to developing his skill. If you see him speak, you can tell. He's phenomenal. What you invest in your skill will always show when it comes time to perform. Make sure it's something you're proud of.

Feel Free,

Mel