Joys of Business Ownership

I never thought I'd ever own a business. Growing up, I kind of always knew I wanted to be a psychologist and help people change their behaviors so they can be healthier and happier. But run a business? Never even on my radar screen.

So when I decided to quit my job as a psychologist at a hospital and start a coaching practice on my own, I faced a steep learning curve. I was attracted by the flexibility of coaching from my home (it's all by telephone), but I never learned how to run the BUSINESS of coaching.

For that matter, I never learned the BUSINESS of running a therapy practice. I had a sucessful one because I was affliated with a busy hospital-based medical practice.

In graduate school, there were no classes on business building, marketing, accounting/money management, and building a web presense. I always thought I'd hang out my shingle as a coach with a Ph.D. and clients would magically flock to pay for my services.

It probably won't shock you when you hear that, in fact, it did not happen that way. I had to do what all of YOU do: learn the basics of internet marketing, learn how invaluable networking is, and learn the importance of "getting yourself out there."

At first, these tasks felt overwhelming. Why couldn't I just concentrate on doing what I do best - partnering with people towards optimal performance??? I even resented having to do all of that other stuff.

Eventually I got over it. And you know what? I've even come to ENJOY much of it. One of the reasons I enjoy it so much is because I get to know so many fascinating people along the way.

Through my various marketing efforts, I've had the enormous pleasure of encountering some of the most talented and interesting folks I have ever met. And in all likelihood, I would not have had that pleasure if I didn't "have" to market myself.

It's funny where I find gifts in life....often times as a direct result of something I'd been resisting.

Here's to the hidden joys!

To Your Continuing Prosperity,
Anita

More Tips to Manage Stress

Still need ways to keep your stress level down?

1. Find ONE stress management tip that you will commit to doing for at least one day. And then follow through.

2. Have trouble following through? Get someone to help you. You are not an island, you don't have to slay the dragons all by yourself. Reach out and tell someone what you are trying to do. Publically stating goals increases your committment to them. Plus you'll have someone to hold you accountable to them.

3. Be honest about managing stress. Sometimes people resist making changes in their lives that will decrease stress because they secretly hope that something external to them will happen, magically making all the problems go away.

Do you fantasize that you wake up tomorrow and the economy will be fixed? That more business will just roll right in, and that your spouse will effortlessly find a better job?

Functionally, this wishful thinking becomes a distraction. You "hope" for things to get better, and then put aside the relative inconvenience of developing a new habit, even if it's one that will help you feel better.

4. Have faith in yourself. Know that you have whatever it takes to pull you and your family through tough times. You may not always know what to do or how to do it. But if you can read these words, then you have what it takes. Just have faith and keep moving forward. You might shock yourself with how far you can go!

5. Change your scenery. Sometimes just a change in your surroundings can lower your perception of stress. Sure, it'd be nice if you could wisk away to some Caribbean island for a weekend. But it doesn't have to be that dramatic. Eat lunch in a different place (especially if you tend to eat at your desk). Take a 5 minute walk right after lunch. Pull yourself out of the space that you associate right now with feeling overwhelmed.

And let me know how it works for you! Post your successes or your struggles, and I'll respond!

A Consistent Message

While there was more news of layoffs this morning, I managed to get two new clients in just one day. I have never confirmed two new clients in the same day before, so it marks an interesting milestone for me.

Then I started thinking - wonder why the economy is sending us mixed messages? I have certainly heard the adage that "fortunes are made during recessions," but this just seems different. People who have nothing to do with traditionally recession-proof businesses continue to do very well.

Without denying the royal mess that major segments of the economy are in, I do have to wonder about how we assess and determine the health and sickness of the economic situation.

Maybe the way in which we view the traditional exchange of goods and services is outdated, or at least incomplete. Could it be that, with our educational system pumping out worker for the industrial age, the breadth and scope of the new economy is being obscured?

So many women now have home based businesses. They may not make tons of money, but it represents dollars that aren't being spent elsewhere.

And, in broad terms, home based businesses require less working capital than brick and mortar stores, reducing their need for bank loans.

Perhaps the message is what this great land of ours has traditionally represented - carve out a niche for yourself, and do it in the most creative, cost effective way that you can.

Drilling that message consistently and continuously may help keep some parts of the economy afloat.

Keep moving forward, the potential within you is great!

To Your Continuing Prosperity,
Anita

Feeling Stressed? Take a Breather....

And I do mean "breathing" in the literal sense!

Listening to bad news all day long, or even for just a few minutes in the morning or evening, can really take a toll on you. It is hard to resist getting pulled into the doom and gloom of what is going on in the world.

But the consequence is that you bring that doom and gloom into your own mindset! It influences how you feel, how you think, and maybe how you act.

Do not give up your personal power to outside influences! First of all, turn off the TV. I promise you that if something really important happens (like that plane that landed on the Hudson), you will hear about it.

I have taken this important step myself. I tend to be a news junkie, but I realized that constantly having that drone in the background plummeted my mood.

It then became a distraction. I was so pulled into whatever issue was being discussed that I failed to work on projects that would BENEFIT me. How crazy is that?

And indeed, I did hear about the plane last week, even though I didn't have the news on. I didn't miss anything! When I chose to turn the news on, the reports were so miraculous - I felt uplifted by watching. Trying to figure out the last time that happened........still thinking......

After you turn off the TV, you'll notice you have much more time, attention, and energy to devote to your own personal life and business. Conduct your life as if nothing unusual is happening, and you will see progress.

Take that breather from the TV. You will not be sorry!

To Your Continued Prosperity,

Anita ( www.dr-anita.com )

Staying Calm in the Troubled Economy

It's been a while since I posted to the blog! Please don't think I have abandoned you, my precious readers.



Rather, I just got really busy, with lots of new clients and opportunities presenting themselves. I had speaking engagements and requests for articles. My clients were pushing to get their goals accomplished before the end of 2008, meaning hard core focusing was going on.



All along, I've been networking and connecting with all kinds of people, including more and more work at home mothers.



Through all of this connecting, I experienced something unexpected: many of the WAHMs I spoke to reported an INCREASE in their businesses during the last two quarters of the year.



What? This didn't make any sense to me, although it mirrored my own business trends. Every day on the news, we were bombarded with proof of the economic slow down.



To be sure, major segments of the economy have slowed considerably, there is no denying this. Among my friends and network connections, their husbands have been laid off or their hours have been reduced.



In trying to process this apparent discrepancy between what people on "Main Street" were saying, versus what the talking heads on TV were saying, it dawned on me.



Traditional measures of economic health rely on traditional retail numbers. That means that all the money I make, and all the money that MLM contractors make, are not captured in the overall economic picture.



No one asked me to report the gift certificates I sold for coaching services over the holidays. But those are dollars that were not spent at Macy's or Walmart.



I see individuals struggling in this economy. But I also see people thriving (including myself, at least up to this point).



The take home message - build your businesses! What is happening in traditional settings does not reflect what is going on in the "new economy."



Let's report our own economic news....

To Your Prosperity,
Anita

P.S. And while you're at it, head on over to www.dr-anita.com and sign up for my newsletter!