This post is all about trying to build a business and how being a perfectionist can slow you down.  As much as I’m writing this for you’ll, I’m also writing this for me.

I’m not saying to slap things together, on the contrary, it’s important to provide quality work, but I do believe trying to make something perfect will completely derail your forward progress and be a road-block to your success.

Let me give you an example…

After I discovered Attraction Marketing Sales Funnels, I started to build them myself.  The only problem is that I knew I had to include video in the funnels for them to be more impactful.

The problem: I was never happy with the video.  Well let me restate that.  I was happy initially, but because the funnels would take so long to build, I would circle back around and not like the initial video I did.  So I would re-do that video, and never get back to where I left off.  The Attraction Marketing Sales Funnel would never get finished.

This became common place for me and I would never get anything done.

Starting and not finishing can become contagious if you let it.  It is an ugly desease.  :-(  One that needs to be cured quickly!

Here’s My Initial Attempt For a Cure

Recognizing that I wasn’t getting anywhere a couple of years back ,I decided that, although I needed to produce quality, I shouldn’t allow my obsession with perfection stop my forward progress.

So I established a simple goal.  Before I re-do anything, I first must complete the funnel from start to finish first before I was allowed to go back and improve upon it.  That way I would be able to create congruity with my system.

This helped but it created other issues…

As I was working to completion of the funnel, I found that I was leaving things undone… meaning instead of completing a small task at the time… since it wasn’t ready for the task to be complete, I would leave it with plans on ruturning to add that piece in.  That sounds confusing so I’ll give you an example.

This first example is one that I made all the time.

Basically, when setting up a funnel I would need to set up an autoresponder list.  Not a problem but in doing so I would only add the first message – the one that my subscriber would see right away, once they confirmed their subscription.  I would tell myself, “once I finish the funnel I will come back to this and write a number of sequenced messages so my subscribers would get follow-up emails.

Well what happened… I would get sidetracked and never get back to writing the other messages.

I know stupid right?  :-)

As crazy as that sounds, I would do this ALL THE TIME!

Here’s another example….

How about this one…

Imagine building your Attraction Marketing Sales Funnel and never finsihing it because you never spent time sending it traffic.  Many of us do this all the time.  But getting traffic is easy, even if you have a small budget for it.

If you can relate to this issue and your wondering what to do then I urge you to watch this pre-recorded webinar.  Just click here….(I need More Traffic!)

Bottom-line, my plan to finish the funnel A to Z helped me, but it presented other issues for me such as the examples below.  But I further modified my plan….

One Problem Solved But Here Comes More

I wanted to be perfect, but I realized that doing so was affecting my execution.  I solved that problem…kind of!

However I created an incomplete funnel.  I was leaving money on the table and I didn’t even know it.  And back then I couldn’t afford to leave money on the table.

I wasn’t finishing everything that needed to be finished and the sad part was that I was not finishing revenue getting functions.

My solution was simple and one I use today except I do it digitally…

As I work in my office building my funnel, I keep a notepad next to me.  I simply write down everything that was left unfinished for whatever reason and then circle back around to complete these tasks before I start driving traffic to that funnel.

Simple right?

So simple that I didn’t do it in the past and if I could kick myself I would!  :-)  Now I do it digitally.

From a Hobby To a Business…

Do you want to be successful?

Silly question, I know you do,  I heard a statement several years ago and it rings so true…

“You Will Never Be Successful If You Operate Your Business As a Hobby!”

No matter if your trying to make it online as an Internet Marketer or as an Network Marketer, you need to make sure that you complete your projects.  You need to go back and do quality control.  Test your system and make sure it gives you the customer experience that you were planning for.

I know this is not sexy but there is nothing worse than creating the perfect funnel only to find out that your customers aren’t getting the products they ordered and you’re creating a negative reputation in this industry.

If you treat your business as a hobby, you’ll make hobby income, but if you treat it as a business, you make business profits.

It took me awhile to figure this out.  I “Tinkered” on the Internet, and when I joined my first Network Marketing business, I “Tinkered” with marketing and promoting it.   Anything worthwhile doing, is not easy!  :-)

I can say this… It gets easier the more success you have.

I hope you found this post helpful.  If you did, please leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  Remember this blog has CommentLUV, so when you do leave a comment you also get to promote your latest post from your blog as well.

In addition, get loads of free training simply by joining my fan page – Click here to do that now

To your success!

PS – As a reward for reading all of this I want to give you a special resource… If you need amazing training and sales funnels already set up for you, then you have to check out this Resource! 

I started reading a book the the other day called "The Magic Ladder To Success" by Napoleon Hill and I must say so far it is pretty good.

I'm using an iPad to read the book and one of the great features is the ability to highlight on the fly.  It allows me to keep track of important points that catch my attention.

This morning I went back to review my notes and I had highlighted a phrase that I believe is really important:

"Knowledge, alone is not power.  Great personal power is acquired only through the harmonious cooperation of a number of people who concentrate their efforts upon some definite plan."

I decide to further research this concept because the book dedicated 60 plus pages to this concept out of a total of 160 pages of the book.  Here's more information on the definition:

The Power of the Mastermind « earth shoe

A mastermind group is a support team that meets on a regular basis to provide and christian louboutin outlet receive advice, feedback and ideas. As Napolean Hill discovered, the results that are produced can be far greater than the sum …

Publish Date: 09/12/2010 23:07

http://baldwin.ilikehandbag.com/2010/09/13/the-power-of-the-mastermind/

Here is an old video that explains the purpose and power of the Mastermind principle:

Napoleon Hill Think and Grow Rich Two-Mastermind Principles

www.PrimeauProductions.com – Website www.VideoProductionPrimeau.com – Blog; This is a message on film of Napoleon Hill discussing the power of the mastermind. He begins to discuss Henry Ford and refers to principles of success. Enjoy!!

Follow the 3 Steps as outlined in the video!

If your definition of success has been elusive for you thus far I recommend that you try this concept and see what results you can attain.

To your success!

If you have a vision of what you would like to achieve, it’s of the essence to create an action plan of how and when you’re going to do it. This is the time to set particular goals, assign time-lines and watch as quantifiable results begin to evidence.

Download  Your Free Success Action Plan Report

You’ll break down each and every action item into manageable undertakings, to guard against becoming overwhelmed. And when you fulfill each of your own self-imposed deadlines, plan to give yourself a special reinforcement. This will assist you in following through and staying committed.

You’ll go through an unbelievable sense of relief and achievement when you complete your success action plan. It’s sort of like constructing a dream home, from the beginning blueprint right up to the day you move in. A detailed plan turns into a fantastic reality. There’s no more questioning, “How can I possibly accomplish this?”

An success Action Plan is a uncomplicated list of all of the jobs that you need to carry out to accomplish an objective. It differs from a To Do list in that it concentrates on the accomplishment of a exclusive goal.

Wherever you would like to achieve something important, draw up an success Action Plan. This assists you in thinking about what you need to do to accomplish that matter, and then that you are able to get help where you need it and monitor your forward motion.

To draw up an success Action Plan, merely list the jobs that you need to carry out to accomplish your goal, in the order that you need to accomplish them. This is really simple, but is nevertheless really valuable!

There are a number of advantages to having a success plan to accomplish your goals:

• it can help you to comprehend what tasks you need to do to accomplish your goal
• it can provide you a way to have a clear time-line on each of your jobs so that you are able to track goal progress
• it can give you lucidity for the resources that you need to accomplish your goal

Maybe one of the greatest benefits is that you are able to on a regular basis evaluate your progress and cross off the things that you're doing to achieve your goals.

Remember if you need to accomplish a goal, a success plan of action will help you distinguish what needs to be done, the resources you need, and track your progress towards your goal.

Download  Your Free Success Action Plan Report

To your success,

Greg Meares
 

How many times have you caught yourself saying that there could be no other solution to a problem – and that that problem leads to a dead end? How many times have you felt stumped knowing that the problem laying before you is one you cannot solve. No leads.  No options.  No solutions. 

Did it feel like you had exhausted all possible options and yet are still before the mountain – large, unconquerable, and impregnable? When encountering such enormous problems, you may feel like you're hammering against a steel mountain. The pressure of having to solve such a problem may be overwhelming.

But rejoice! There might be some hope yet!

With some creative problem-solving techniques you may be able to look at your problem in a different light. And that light might just be the end of the tunnel that leads to possible solutions.

First of all, in the light of creative problem-solving, you must be open-minded to the fact that there may be more than just one solution to the problem. And, you must be open to the fact that there may be solutions to problems you thought were unsolvable.

Now, with this optimistic mindset, we can try to be a little bit more creative in solving our problems.

Number one; maybe the reason we cannot solve our problems is that we have not really taken a hard look at what the problem is. Here, trying to understanding the problem and having a concrete understanding of its workings is integral solving the problem. If you know how it works, what the problem is, then you have a better foundation towards solving the problem.

Not trying to make the simple statement of what problem is. Try to identify the participating entities and what their relationships with one another are. Take note of the things you stand to gain any stand to lose from the current problem. Now you have a simple statement of what the problem is.

Number two; try to take note of all of the constraints and assumptions you have the words of problem. Sometimes it is these assumptions that obstruct our view of possible solutions. You have to identify which assumptions are valid, in which assumptions need to be addressed.

Number three; try to solve the problem by parts. Solve it going from general view towards the more detailed parts of the problem. This is called the top-down approach. Write down the question, and then come up with a one-sentence solution to that from them. The solution should be a general statement of what will solve the problem. From here you can develop the solution further, and increase its complexity little by little.

Number four; although it helps to have critical thinking aboard as you solve a problem, you must also keep a creative, analytical voice at the back of your head. When someone comes up with a prospective solution, tried to think how you could make that solution work. Try to be creative. At the same time, look for chinks in the armor of that solution.

Number five; it pays to remember that there may be more than just one solution being developed at one time. Try to keep track of all the solutions and their developments. Remember, there may be more than just one solution to the problem.

Number six; remember that old adage," two heads are better than one." That one is truer than it sounds. Always be open to new ideas. You can only benefit from listening to all the ideas each person has. This is especially true when the person you're talking to has had experience solving problems similar to yours.

You don't have to be a gung-ho, solo hero to solve the problem. If you can organize collective thought on the subject, it would be much better.

Number seven; be patient. As long as you persevere, there is always a chance that a solution will present itself. Remember that no one was able to create an invention the first time around.

Creative thinking exercises can also help you in your quest be a more creative problems solver.

Here is one example.

Take a piece of paper and write any word that comes to mind at the center. Now look at that word then write the first two words that come to your mind. This can go on until you can build a tree of related words. This helps you build analogical skills, and fortify your creative processes.

So, next time you see a problem you think you can not solve, think again. The solution might just be staring you right in the face. All it takes is just a little creative thinking, some planning, and a whole lot of work.

A good leader should be able a good role model so that the people under them will be able to do whatever challenges come their way. If a member of the group is not doing well, that person has to talk to them and find out what is wrong. Since this is something the leader is not born with, they have to learn how to motivate other people.

People need to understand that in order for you to motivate others you have to know how to motivate yourself. Does this sound strange? Not really because it is impossible to let others do what you want unless there is something that makes you want to push forward. This determination will make it easier for you to inspire those who are not inspired.

The best way to motivate others is to come up with a plan. To do that, you have to talk with that person to find out what makes them tick. You can ask them questions like what makes them do what they do on a daily basis, what they enjoy about what they are doing and what improvements they want to see.

It will also be a good idea to make goals which are a bit challenging but are measurable, realistic and specific.

There is a saying that goes “difficult but not impossible.” If your group understands that it will take a certain amount of work but it is doable, they will do their best to accomplish it.

The job of a leader is to lead. This means you have to delegate each person with a certain task. Once everyone knows their part, all you have to do is monitor their progress. By giving people a chance to shine, these people will be encouraged to impress you and also impress themselves.

In a way, it is a learning experience for them because if they can accomplish what they are tasked to do, they will become more confident in the future.

In every goal or task that your people accomplish, it is not enough to say thank you or good job. A more effective way will be to work out a reward system which in short means giving them incentives. If you are the boss in a company, give them a certificate of recognition, a pay raise or maybe even a promotion.

If these people understand what they are doing, there is no doubt that you have succeeded in motivating them.

For people who think motivating people is a one time thing, think again because this is an ongoing process. What you initiated now may only last for a short period of time which is why you always have to check on your group to make sure their morale is high.

Every so often, try to talk with the people you work with about other topics and not only those related with what you are working on. This will show your human side so that whenever there is a problem, they know they can count on you to try and help them.

How to motivate other people is a continuous process. It is will not always be easy but as long as you are able to gain the trust of those around, you will be able to inspire them to do more which is basically what makes a good leader.

Self-motivation is a process wherein a person develop ways on how to keep his or her self motivated at all times despite challenging times and without direct help from other people. Experts say that self-motivation is a very important factor in a person’s life because this will help him or her see things in a positive way. This will also enable him or her to overcome challenges by developing an attitude that could withstand trials and failures.

If one is able to develop a good outlook in life, everything will start falling into their proper places. In fact, he or she might even be surprised of the things that were able to accomplished in that span of time.

THE ABCs OF SELF MOTIVATION

If you are one of those who have just realized the importance of self-motivation and would want to start it but you just don’t know how, here are some of the things that can help you:

1. Re-assess yourself. Many people think that they know themselves already that is why they decline to do self-assessment regularly. Experts say that these people don’t realize that the more that they decline doing self-reassessment, the more that they get stuck to their own routine which leaves them lesser room for improvement. If you want to start with constant self-motivation, it is best that you know yourself very well. If you know yourself well, you will know your weaknesses as well as your strengths.

Once you were able to identify all of these, it will be easier for you to set goals for yourself that are within your reach and your capabilities. Knowing one’s self will also enable you to take note of your weaknesses and find ways on how to overcome, manage, and deal with them. The same works for your strengths because you might even find a way on how to improve them.

2. Start with small and simple goals. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. If you are just starting with self-motivation, it will be best if you start small and simple so you won’t feel defeat when you weren’t able to meet the standards you have set for yourself. If you start with small and simple things, you are giving yourself the chance to accomplish bigger things ahead.

3. Keep track of your progress. Monitoring how well or bad you are doing will help you maneuver things that find ways that would best work for you. For a person who is just starting with his or her self-motivation process, it is best to keep track of how you are doing so you will know where are the areas that you should improve on and what are the things that you should continue doing.

4. Find time to share and help others. Self-motivation is a process that indirectly involves other people for it to be successful. If you think you are doing well at your own pace, it would help if you find time to share the experience as well as the ideas to others so you will influence them. If the people—especially those that matter to you—see that you are doing good and self-motivation is creating a big impact in your life, they would even might want to try the same thing that you are doing.

When you hear the word “coach”, what comes first into your mind? Do you picture a basketball team with a man/woman shouting out directions? Or perhaps a football team with a man/woman pacing to and fro and calling out the names of the players?

Coaching is no longer reserved to sports teams; it is now one of the key concepts in leadership and management. Why is coaching popular?
 
Coaching levels the playing field.

Coaching is one of the six emotional leadership styles proposed by Daniel Goleman. Moreover, it is a behavior or role that leaders enforce in the context of situational leadership. As a leadership style, coaching is used when the members of a group or team are competent and motivated, but do not have an idea of the long-term goals of an organization. This involves two levels of coaching: team and individual. Team coaching makes members work together. In a group of individuals, not everyone may have nor share the same level of competence and commitment to a goal. A group may be a mix of highly competent and moderately competent members with varying levels of commitment. These differences can cause friction among the members. The coaching leader helps the members level their expectations. Also, the coaching leader manages differing perspectives so that the common goal succeeds over personal goals and interests. In a big organization, leaders need to align the staffs’ personal values and goals with that of the organization so that long-term directions can be pursued.

Coaching builds up confidence and competence.

Individual coaching is an example of situational leadership at work. It aims to mentor one-on-one building up the confidence of members by affirming good performance during regular feedbacks; and increase competence by helping the member assess his/her strengths and weaknesses towards career planning and professional development. Depending on the individual’s level of competence and commitment, a leader may exercise more coaching behavior for the less-experienced members. Usually, this happens in the case of new staffs. The direct supervisor gives more defined tasks and holds regular feedbacks for the new staff, and gradually lessens the amount of coaching, directing, and supporting roles to favor delegating as competence and confidence increase.

Coaching promotes individual and team excellence.

Excellence is a product of habitual good practice. The regularity of meetings and constructive feedback is important in establishing habits. Members catch the habit of constantly assessing themselves for their strengths and areas for improvement that they themselves perceive what knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to acquire to attain team goals. In the process, they attain individually excellence as well. An example is in the case of a musical orchestra: each member plays a different instrument. In order to achieve harmony of music from the different instrument, members will polish their part in the piece, aside from practicing as an ensemble. Consequently, they improve individually as an instrument player.

Coaching develops high commitment to common goals.

A coaching leader balances the attainment of immediate targets with long-term goals towards the vision of an organization. As mentioned earlier, with the alignment of personal goals with organizational or team goals, personal interests are kept in check. By constantly communicating the vision through formal and informal conversations, the members are inspired and motivated. Setting short-term team goals aligned with organizational goals; and making an action plan to attain these goals can help sustain the increased motivation and commitment to common goals of the members.

Coaching produces valuable leaders.

Leadership by example is important in coaching. A coaching leader loses credibility when he/she cannot practice what he/she preaches. This means that a coaching leader should be well organized, highly competent is his/her field, communicates openly and encourages feedback, and has a clear idea of the organization’s vision-mission-goals. By vicarious and purposive learning, members catch the same good practices and attitudes from the coaching leader, turning them into coaching leaders themselves. If a member experiences good coaching, he/she is most likely to do the same things when entrusted with formal leadership roles.

Some words of caution though: coaching is just one of the styles of leadership. It can be done in combination with the other five emotional leadership styles depending on the profile of the emerging team. Moreover, coaching as a leadership style requires that you are physically, emotionally, and mentally fit most of the time since it involves two levels of coaching: individual and team. Your members expect you to be the last one to give up or bail out in any situation especially during times of crises. A coaching leader must be conscious that coaching entails investing time on each individual, and on the whole team. Moreover, that the responsibilities are greater since while you are coaching members, you are also developing future coaches as well.