Empowering Small Office Home Office Business Women to Prosper

Did you know April is “Informed Woman Month”? In the spirit of being informed I thought it fitting to celebrate by injecting a powerful principle into your life that can be applied today. There is a scripture that states “my people perish from a lack of knowledge” Hosea 4:6.

I also believe that business owners perish from a lack of vision. If you don’t know where you want to go in your life or business, then how are you supposed to get there?

Here is a quick assessment to get you actively seeking out your vision…imagine for a moment…what kind of business you would want to have if you knew you could not fail?

• How much income would you make?
• How many employees would you have?
• What kind of lifestyle would you live?
• Where would you live?
• How much spare time would you have and what would you do with it?

It is important to have a vision so that you can create a roadmap to get there. Your goals are a part of that roadmap which leads to your vision. Your vision should be visual but not only that; it should be something that you can emotionally connect with now.

I challenge you to start creating success on your terms today! Start a Vision folder and begin to write out your life at its optimal peak. Write as though you are already living the life you want and deserve. Use the questions above as a warm up then sit quietly and let the words, thoughts and ideas flow from your spirit, to your mind, to your hand, through the pen and onto paper. Don’t edit as you go, just write!! Once you are done keep referencing your vision daily until it becomes your reality.
God says to “…calleth those things which be not as though they were” Romans 4:17. It is your divine right to live a purpose filled and blessings filled life. When we are successful we can use our blessings to help others live out their Vision and Purpose.

Start today informing yourself of your success and before you know it you will be living it.

Personal Effectiveness Exercise:
What is your vision for your business and your life? Write it out in as much detail as possible. Then find visuals and create a life book or vision board that you can post to remind you of where you are going.

By Anita Kirkman

Once again it’s time to build a vision of our new year and get a clean slate. We know our intention is to make our "New Year’s Resolution" Doable and real.

So we began purposefully executing our vision, and we even do great for a while. Then by March (if not earlier)… what happens? The gyms are almost empty, we eat what’s not on the food list, we spend more than the allocated amounts on our spending plan, and that charge card we committed to paying off?… well now the balance has increased!! Hmm, how did we get off track? Did we really make a real resolution with a purpose that can be supported when times got tough? Or, did we make reso-lies?

What are reso-lies? Lies we tell ourselves at the beginning of the year calling them ‘resolutions’. Yes, we start out with the best of intentions… at first… then somewhere along the way we began to lose the vision.

So how do we make this year and decade different? How can we keep the purpose in our vision and resolve to win in 2010?
Here are some simple tips to turn the reso-lies into true resolutions.
 

1. Know the "why" behind the "what"
We like to say – know the purpose behind your vision. The vision is the what, the purpose is the why. The "what" may be "I want to lose weight”. The why is your purpose or reason for why you want to lose weight?

You want your purpose to be strong, real, and effective in order to keep the vision alive. Imagine how you will feel once you’ve lost the weight? What will losing weight mean for you? You may answer, "I want to lose weight so that I can be healthy". Okay, dig deeper, what else? Remember, you are going after a strong purpose to this plan. "I would have more energy", you say. What would more energy do for you? You get the picture.

This is something I love to help clients do, discover the "whys". The portrait or vision of you goes well beyond just a slimmer body. You’ll want to focus on this because your true motivation actually comes from your purpose, the "why", which in turn helps make your ‘what’ sustainable.

2. Measure your goals against your values compass
Creating a values compass is one of the first things I do with new clients. It is a mirror of your purpose and is paramount to starting any plan. The values compass helps to guide you when you are faced with problems, decisions, and especially when creating your vision, setting goals or making your resolutions.

If you aren’t honoring your values in your resolution, it is a reso-lie!

For example, your goal is weight loss (the what), for health reasons (the why) and integrity is important to you (a value).

Then, you do a crash liquid diet to fit into a size 8 dress for your friend’s wedding. What happened?

You dishonored an important value – integrity. Results? The weight comes back with friends and you’re miserable. If you had honored your value of integrity, you would have lost the weight in a healthy way because you said you wanted to lose weight for health reasons. Then you would have not compromised your integrity.

This is why your values compass is so important. If you don’t have a values compass or know how to use one, I am happy to work with you to create this priceless tool so that you use it regularly.

3. Run them through the S.M.A.R.T. filter
You may have heard of setting smart goals, which is what I’m referring to when I say SMART filter. When you’re making a resolution, make sure it meets the following criteria:

S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Reasonable
T – Time oriented

Try these tips for this New Year and let’s see if you make your resolutions a reality that supports your vision, keeps you living within your purpose, and helps you to truly win in 2010!