The most powerful (and often undervalued) resources for increasing income are right under our nose. If you will devote 10 minutes using a few simple strategies, you can add to your meaning, focus, daily actions, and prosperity.
1. Vision = Blueprint = Roadmap
“Strategy is like a business architect who is precisely plotting what steps and actions are going to be executed to be able to achieve your objectives in a business. You are able to know exactly what is in your mind before you start it. That is also the power of visualization, seeing something complete before you actually get it started. Unless you visualize it in your mind and on paper, it's hard to communicate your thoughts and spell out the ‘how to’ part of strategizing.”
— from “Meet Me at the Top!” By Sarina Russo
How is your vision work coming? What attention do you want to give to your vision today?
2. Managing Your Time
Effective time management is a common problem for many business owners. Where are you spending your time? Where is your time going? How many of my current daily habits actually are income-producing practices? How much time do I spend fiddling with my website or Facebook page? How much time do I spend checking and re-checking email or online chat rooms? How many of my daily habits am I hiding behind, so I do not have to put myself out there to perform at a higher level?
For the next week, track where all of your time is going. Know much you sleep, how much time you work, commute, online with family and friends, and, of course, those things called "time-suckers."
To track your time, you can use a calendar on your computer, a day planner, or even a hand-drawn grid of 24 hours x 7 days.
Consider tracking along the following categories:
- Recreation
- Travel
- Commute
- Employment/business
- Family
- Significant other
- Housework/yard work
- Hobbies
- Me time
- Leisure (music/TV, other)
- Sleep
- Other (feel free to include your own categories)
- Time suckers
3. Your Money Story
“So yes, there's money. But before there's money, there's a story. It turns out that once you change the story, the money changes too.”
– from Seth Godin’s Blog: “Your Story about Money”
Tap into your inner money expert several times each day. Many people keep their intuition hidden until the weekends or when difficulty arises. When you decide to awaken and become aware of your inner guidance system (referring to your money archetypes), your business and professional expertise will be at full potential. When you free up and change your money stories, you can access your creative business genius. If you are not familiar with your money archetypes, click here for a free money training call.
4.Creativity Equals Currency
Allowing yourself to experience and tap into our creativity sometimes gets lost in the daily grind. Creativity is an essential skill for career success.
Ask yourself today:
- What is one thing I have always wanted to create and put out into the world?
- What would tapping into my creativity mean to me? Look like for me?
- What would it take to unearth my creative side?
5. Goals and Meaning
"The key to motivation is motive. It's what gives us the energy to stay strong in hard moments. It gives us the strength to say "no" because we connect with a deeper "yes" burning inside. If a goal isn't connected to a deep "why" it may be good, but it usually isn't best. We need to question that goal"
— from “First Things First,” by Stephen R. Covey
Once you have your vision set, a next step is developing key goals. Review your key goals. What is the "deep yes!" behind it?
BONUS:
RDH Presents: Live with RDH Magazine #RDHchat
Shaking the Salary Tree; 5 Simple Steps to Career Health
April 29 at 7 p.m. CST
To your success,
Kristine A. Hodsdon RDH, MSEC
Kristine’s disclosures: Kristine’s free training call, "8 Paths to Flourishing Financially", is at http://bit.ly/1h2PlJS, and she is a consultant and trainer with Pride Institute.
