It feels like overnight the energy changed! People woke up on November 5th and  it felt like a new world!   I received e-mails from people all over the world commenting on how wonderful to have a positive change in the White House.  There was a sense of hope and a positive attitude that I haven’t felt here is a long time.

As we move into 2009 we are looking for significant changes and the possibility of peace and prosperity. However, it all needs to begin right here,  in my own home and my own office. I feel there is a real opportunity to ride the tails of this positive energy and begin the new year with making uplifting changes in my own small business, putting some new supportive systems in place and dealing with problems I have been avoiding. I want to take my own business to a new plateau in 2009 and I am excited about the possibilities.

The end of the year is always a great time to take stock and evaluate what has gone well and to identify goals for the next year. I am looking at my vision board for 2008 that has been on my wall all year. Some things have come in to from and others are still in process but overal it has been a great year.

I want to plan on 2009 to even be more focused and more successful. Partly it’s about personal achievement but it’s also about how many people I can touch and what new amazing relationships I can nurture and grow.

One of my goals is to publish my Create a Map of Your Business program  in paper form. Right now it is available to download.  I feel so excited about this product and how it will help so many people in their own goals during the next year.

It has been a labor of love and helped me immensely. I look forward to it helping way more people to grow their own businesses.

That’s my big goal for the year. What is yours?

I woke up this morning feeling change in the air. Almost like the sweet aroma of the first spring breeze, I could sense it. A new day and filled with promise. I spoke to one of my dearest friends today. Our children grew up together and we have been there for each other through divorces, new relationships as well as the challenges of being an entrepreneur and starting our businesses while being a mom.

She shared her dismay about attitudes of those who feel that the election is “no big deal,” and that it doesn’t really matter anyway because nothing will change. That kind of defeatest attitude is so sad to me.  It can permeate throughout a person’s whole being  and affect every part of one’s life, not just the election.

I am not naive enough to think that a new president will suddenly be able to fix all the horrible problems that feel like a dark cloud over our country. But to have the most liberal senator become president, is a change on the deepest energy levels, and will begin positive ripples of hope immediately. The only thing better, from my point of view, is if it had been Hilary, and I could have seen a woman in that post of leadership.

Emotions are healthy!  It’s absolutely essential to be aware of how you feel. Your feelings help you to be a balanced human being. However, unchecked emotions can keep you from being able to focus productively on your business. Emotions can go hey-wire and turn into monsters.  When that happens you become scattered and foggy.

Anxiety, worry and stress are the common culprits. Often it’s around money but can also be a myriad of other issues that trigger these reactions.  They can side-track you from having a sharp and clear focus. When those feelings surface it’s very easy to get thrown off track and begin to make decisions from those places. Stress decisions will often be poor decisions and could cause more problems. Likewise, when you are anxious your anxiety will cause you to constrict and close off access to solutions.

I tend to be a worrier and it’s usually around money. Even when I have enough I can worry that I might not have enough next month. It is beyond logic but it will totally throw me of balance. For you. it might be something else, but remember being an entrepreneur does not mean you don’t have moments of  getting off track.

The important thing is to know what to do when this happens.  What you want it to keep your focus sharp and on task so you can take steps to fill in the puzzle pieces  easily and keep your business whole and complete.

Here are a three key things you can do when those emotions pop up.

1. Get out of your office and walk somewhere in nature. Breathing in fresh air and moving your body will allow you to come back into a place of calmness where your intuition and clarity will re-surface.

2. Find someone you trust to talk to. This needs to be someone who is positive and someone who believes in you. Someone whose presence will make you feel calm and empowered.

3. Look at your vision board, your mission statement or whatever you have that will remind you why you are doing your business. Remembering can bring you back to that place and put you back on track.

Part of being an entrepreneur is staying at the helm, being a leader and being able to calmly overcome obstacles when they arise. What are some other strategies that you use that have helped you when you really needed it?

The world is certainly in a turmoil these days around the economy.   I work with a woman who has been in a huge fear and panic state as her life savings disappeared. She is barely coping while other people who are upset, seem to be coping more easily.

Another friend has breathed a sigh of relief that she has escaped losing her money.

For many, the loss of money can feel like a loss of identity, self-esteem, and confidence. In these cases it isn’t always the money itself but  it’s what it stands for. It means success and the right to stand tall and fit in.  Or it can mean security, safety or a myriad of other things.

Julia, a 72 year old woman, lost all of her money and her home twelve years ago when her business went bankrupt.  The very next year her husband died and she had to decide what to do. She said,  “There I was suddenly on my own at age 62 with no money, no savings, no resources and no health insurance.  We were hoping to sell our business in a year or two and then retire comfortably and travel to places we’d never been. It was a shock.  I was embarrassed, ashamed and went into a depression - and then I realized I still had choices.”

She realized that if she didn’t do something for herself no one else would. She ended up becoming a distributor for a health products company where she used her entrepreneurial skills to build a successful small business. In the process she reinvented herself. She’s still going strong.

When facing a crisis like this, what makes some people like Julia, wake up to their inner resources while others  just want to give up, unable to cope?

Here are five character traits that seem to be present in people who are able to begin a new venture against all odds. Everyone is born with these qualities but some people have to re-awaken and re-learn them.

1. Mental clarity.  Being able to think through choices and options with intelligence and have the cognitive ability to actually lay out a plan and strategies to achieve.

2. Positive Attitude. Believing you can do it will help you to move mountains and will allow you to see opportunities that you might miss otherwise.

3. Creativity. The ability to see possibilities out of thin air.  Being able to see a sculpture out of a pile of scrap metal and see how to recreate your life into what you want it to be.

4. Support group. The importance of bringing together a mastermind group for yourself. Surround yourself with people who will cheer you on and give you good feedback.

5. Commitment. The absolute decision to not give up and not quit. Instead, it’s about learning how to overcome obstacles as you stay focused on where you are going.

Whether or not you are facing a crisis these are excellent tools for success in any venture.  Maybe you have some others you can add to my list. I would also like to hear from anyone who has survived and began a new business against all odds.

Do you have a full time business, a part time business or a hobby?   This question was raised in my seminar this week and prompted an interesting discussion about choices. Just like the colors in the picture, it has to do with what you want to create for yourself.  It’s all about your intentions. If you intend for your business to be a full time that means that you’ll put out full time energy and your business is your main focus.  Part time business usually means that it’s something you do on the side. Your intention is to keep the business small so your goals will reflect this.  People often have part time businesses that are not their main income stream.  Part time businesses can also change to full time.

example:

John had a full time job as an engineer with a good income but he wanted to get into real estate so he’d have some extra income when he retired in a few years. He ended up having  six or eight deals the first year and he earned an extra $50,000 that year from just working a few hours on the weekends.  After a couple years, when he realized the potential, he decided to make this full time. He quit his job and began to focus full time on his real estate business.

Some people just have a hobby. Their intention is to have fun, help people or be creative.  Money is not important.  They might make some money from their hobby but that’s a side benefit rather than the main  focus.

I have two clients who are both doing their business part time while raising small children. Being with their kids is their main focus and they both see themselves growing the business into a full time venture as their children grow up.

Whether you choose to do your buisness full time or part time there are some important things to remember that will support your success:

1. Be consistent.  Be clear how many hours a week you plan to work and stick to a schedule.

2. Develop goals that reflect the growth you want to accomplish.

3. Give excellent customer service. Whether you have one client or one hundred, it’s important to do what you say you are going to do and give the best service possible.

If you have a hobby, enjoy yourself and the freedom to do what you want to do when you want to do it!   What kind of business do you have and do you struggle with this issue?