Take Smaller Bites

What is a good approach to starting something new? Are you working on creating a new habit or starting something entirely new?

When you think about what you want, it’s easy to get really pumped up about it. Once you start walking out the day-to-day, that can be a different story. Suddenly, there are other people/fire drills/priorities that pull you away or at least distract you. Now, this big, exciting, shiny, new goal you want in your life seems like it’s moving further away and you don’t know how to bring it back. It can be frustrating and disheartening.

Three things to help you with this right now: 1. Prioritize the 2-3 most important, specific tasks you need to accomplish today and write them on a sticky note or dry erase board. 2. Give each of these tasks a time limit that you will spend and set a timer when you start working on them. 3. Do not let yourself do or think of anything else while the timer is running for your important tasks of the day.

While you have many tasks that need to be accomplished each day – some planned and some spur of the moment – when you boil it down, there are usually two or three that MUST happen. Maybe every Monday it’s setting aside time to write your blog or schedule your social media for the week. It may be a spur of the moment task like putting together a pitch for a lead that you just received. Whatever it is, try to prioritize by what is most important for me to do today for the future success of my business. You may want to include 10 things but I’m telling you, pick three at the most. The remainder of your 10 items should go to a second or third tier priority.

I know how easy it is to let an important task consume all of your time. It may end up taking extra time than you planned, but often when you have a deadline, you will do everything in your power to meet it. Setting a timer can help you stay focused and push other distractions away. When it is the sole focus and you don’t have all the time in the world to work on it, you will do more work – and faster. My ebook gets into more detail about how much time you should set aside for each task to keep things manageable.

With 24/7 technology beckoning us, it’s easy to be scatterbrained. When you notice a thought trying to creep into the forefront of your mind that has nothing to do with the task at hand, either push it out and get back to work or jot a short phrase that will remind you of it when you finish. Turn your phone to silent and don’t check email during these bursts of time focused on your priority task.

What do you do to stay on track or get back on track? Click on the video for a critical piece of the puzzle to keep you moving forward and gaining momentum.

To be or not to be...Successful

Why do some people become successful while others do not when they start from the same place?

Even when two people grew up in the same or similar environments, they likely have drastically different thoughts and thought processes going through their minds. We often hear stories of siblings who grew up in an abusive environment and one sibling fell into depression or aggressive behavior that seemed to ruin his/her life while the other sibling thrived and climbed out of it by becoming stronger with everything endured instead of clinging to a victim mentality – because that will get you nowhere fast.

While there are obviously a lot of factors beyond your control, there are many things you can control.

It may not always seem like it but we really can control our thoughts. It begins with an awareness. Initially, it will feel like you are making your brain hurt as you focus on becoming more aware of your thoughts as often as possible. Keep a sticky note near your desk, on a bathroom mirror, or on the end table by the couch with a reminder to pay attention to your thoughts. There are two specific ways you should consider paying attention to when you do this exercise:

1. Pay attention to your thoughts and situations to see what situations, people, conversations, and times of day trigger an emotional response for you like anger, fear, or anxiety.

2. Pay attention to your thoughts to see what learn what thoughts seem to blip through your head just for a second – often unnoticed – but now you’re gonna catch them since you’re paying attention. (I am very curious to know what you discover when you do this, so please add a comment below.) You will find all sorts of interesting things popping up that you previously had no clue about, it’s kinda weird.

Once you do this, you’ll begin to understand what is holding you back. The two keys I’ve found to be most helpful after you’ve done this exercise are focusing on positivity and persistence. Learn what takes you into a negative place and then find ways replace those thoughts and responses with positive thoughts. Plan in advance where you want to be and what will motivate you to get there. I suggest writing it down or having an image somewhere near you to remind you to stay positive.

At that point, the key is persistence. Change may not happen right away but if you keep at it, the change will come. Download my free ebook to learn more about how to harness these to become more successful in business and in life.

To quote my ebook, Step Through Fear into Success, people who succeed… “choose to let their imaginations lead them to heights others no longer believe are possible. This allows them to find opportunities that others overlook or never saw in the first place. They do not stop at obstacles and say, oh well. They find a way over it, under it, or around it.”

Know Your Reason Why

Tweet: Gain power over fear by knowing that the reason why you do your business is stronger than your fear @stellanovastrat. When you have doubts that what you are doing or the fear or pressure are getting to be too much, there is one place you can always go to get you through it. Think about the reason why you do what you do. When your reason for doing it outweighs any hurdle that comes your way, you will succeed. You may do what you do for your kids, for your future, for your health, or for something completely different. Whatever your reason, if it strikes you at your core and triggers a strong emotional response that tells you that you can never go back, then you’ve got what you need.

This can be a powerful way to get through fear.

Common Fears of Entrepreneurs

Starting your own business can be intimidating or scary for a number of reasons. You may be starting the business by yourself and if you don’t bring in the clients, you are left with very little or nothing. It can really do a number on your brain, especially when you’re in it alone. Common fears for entrepreneurs include: failure, success, inadequacy, financial provision, time, others’ opinions, and loss of reputation.

I’m not saying that the only people who battle these fears are those who start their own businesses but at least one of these certainly rings true for those starting or running their own business.

What can you do to prevent your fear from sabotaging you or your business? Click on this 75-second video to learn how to fight back when fear has the upper hand.

The Amazing Power of Negativity

Negativity is a powerful beast. It can kill your dreams before they ever take root, let alone blossom. So, should we use the negativity pesticide and rid it from existence altogether? I say no.

What good can possibly come from allowing it into your fragile chamber of hidden dreams? The secret is to use it to your advantage – which requires careful navigation through murky and potentially treacherous waters. During this process, I recommend working with a coach or friend who can provide a reality check and encouragement, to prevent you from going “to the dark side.”

First, sketch out your idea. Identify how it can truly benefit others.

Two, what makes it grrrrreat, and better than what the competition is already offering!

Three, think through the possibilities – starting with the positive outcomes. Be specific.

Now, if you haven’t identified obstacles, you may not have thought through your idea far enough. That’s ok. Keep going, do your homework, and talk to others who have gone before you in that industry or with a similar project.

After you've mapped out the potential positive outcomes, pick apart the possible negative outcomes, individually. As you walk through what could go wrong, let your mind run completely free, thinking of any and every possible way to avoid or overcome the obstacles, as well as ways to flip them on their heads. Jot these down, even if some seem completely wacko – you especially want to write down those ideas!

Once these are identified, utilize a coach or friend to make sure you’re not going too deep into the rabbit hole that you forget come up for air and clear thinking.

Before you start to lose hope or have a panic attack, remember what the benefits are to others. Others need the help that you offer. Keeping this in mind all the way through execution is key because it gives you purpose, and that can provide the persistence needed to see your plan through from start to finish. Also, remember the possible positive outcomes for YOU.

When you have completed this exercise, your planning process and idea will be stronger, and you will walk with greater confidence as you execute your plan.

If you have already gone through this exercise with your project, please post how it went. What were your results?