Category — Personal Growth

in·spi·ra·tionNoun/ˌinspəˈrāSHən/

2. The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something: “a moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display”.

When I think about what inspires me on a daily basis and what has inspired me to take decisive action at any point in my life, whether it related to my life or my business, 2 things come to mind…

First of all, I am inspired by the love of my friends and family and the connection that comes with being in relationship with others.  This drives me to do many things, but most of all to love.  Secondly, when I think about the businesses that I have been involved in, the ones that have made the biggest impact on the world have been built out of a passion or an inspirational idea.

Many businesses are born out of inspiration, but if entrepreneurs are not mindful to build a routine out of that inspiration, growing the business can lose it’s sense of passion and become a job.  It is critical to every entrepreneur’s success to build inspiration into your daily schedule so that creativity and passion are fostered. When entrepreneurs are inspired, they are more enthusiastic about their offerings, which means they are more likely to attract happy clients and build a profitable business.

Here are 5 simple steps to build an inspiration practice into your business and life:

1. Make a list of the top 25 things that inspire you.  If you want to build an environment of creativity in your business and/or family, do this exercise with your team and support each other in the next 4 steps.
2. Choose 5 of your top inspirations and write down how you can connect with them in the next week.
3. Block out time (15-30 minutes) in your calendar to actually engage with your top 5 inspirations over the next 5 days.
4. Keep a journal about how connecting with these inspirations feels and how it can help you in your life and business.
5. Commit to this practice for the next 21 days, until it becomes a daily practice that allows you to interact with the things that make your life more enjoyable and more meaningful.

When you take time to regularly seek inspiration, your mind shifts to focus on the success that you are already experiencing so that you can open the potential for more success to come your way.

In this very honest and real episode of the Work Smart Lifestyle Show, Gabby Bernstein shares the story of her evolutionary, entrepreneurial journey that has taken her from the clubs of Manhattan into bookstores across the country and maybe soon to be the television in your living room.

You may have seen her videos about miracles or meditation.

You may have heard her speak at a networking event or on a teleseminar.

She is a thought leader, a motivational speaker, a fashion lover and a believer in miracles.

She is also a former Sex In the City lifestyle girl who has transformed into a Spirit Junkie.

Gabby Bernstein is soon to be a household name as she spreads her message of love, hope and happiness throughout the world.

In her new book, Spirit Junkie (bound to be a New York Times bestseller), Gabby Bernstein tells the story of how she got from the drug couch to the meditation pillow and how you can too.  Her new book goes on sale on September 13, 2011, but you can get a sneak peak of her brilliance in this recording.  Enjoy!

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Social media is like a big networking event, right?  We all meet at the virtual water cooler and share stories, inspiration and resources during brief intermissions as we go about our days.  We also have the opportunity to make the world a better place without leaving the comfort of our very own laptop or iPhone.  You may have heard in the news that social media has been used to organize riots, destroy reputations and cause people to commit crimes, but the truth is that there is a bright side to this amazing medium.  I do believe that just as social media can be used by the dark side, Twitter can be used to create world peace.

It is not uncommon to see people using Twitter, Google+ or Facebook to shower support and sympathy on those who are enduring tough times or to see people congratulating others who have reached a top spot on the bestseller list or been featured in a popular magazine.  However, many people get so caught up in the grind of running their businesses or making ends meet that they forget to let their beautiful human nature shine.

Social media is an amazing tool that provides a way for each one of us to do good in the world.  Here are 7 simple ways that you can make the world a better place through social media.  Please feel free to expand on these 7 ideas in the comments below and let’s turn up the volume on making this world fabulous!

#1: Love Your Neighbor: Be kind.  This is a simple idea, but it is amazing how many people forget this one simple rule in life.  Put a smile on your tweets, always.  Tweet from the loving part of your heart and if you are feeling upset, angry or otherwise not yourself, you may want to find an outlet that will help you get into a better mindset BEFORE you go to social media.  As a general rule of thumb, if you want to leave the world better off for you having been in it, be a nice person online and off.

#2: Put On Your Giver Hat: Be Generous.  Relationships are all about give and take, but if you want people to benefit from the best of you on social media, be a giver.  Retweet more than you broadcast, share and comment on blog posts that you find value in, support your supporters, do amazing things for people when they least expect it and share the love.  no matter how many followers you have, if you want to make the world a better place, lead by example and give to others.  No one is too busy or too important to give and show gratitude.

#3: Empower: Help Others Believe In Themselves.  Social media is a great place to encourage and empower others.  If you see tweets, Facebook updates or Google+ posts where someone talks about a goal he/she is striving for, take a few seconds to send a message of encouragement and praise, share resources or just give a virtual pat on the back.  Be the supportive friend and expect nothing in return.  If you do something to empower a friend or follower on social media once a day, by the end of the year you will have empowered over 300 people!  How cool is that?  Most importantly, do your own personal growth work, so that in your pursuit to encourage others, you can lead by example!

#4: Give Back: If you can’t give money, give tweets! Choose 2-3 charities on social media to support with consistency so you can do your part in helping those in need.  Write a blog post about your favotire charity, include links to donate and information about upcoming events such as fundraisers, walks and sponsorship opportunities.  Send out a tweet or two every day with a link to a charity’s website or links to videos so you can spread awareness about specific causes.  Another great way to support charities online is to give virtual gift cards away during tweet chats that you host, so winners can donate to their favorite charity.  Whatever you choose to do, if you want to make a difference for those in need, supporting charities is a great way to make the world a better place.

#5: Honor Karma: Use Your Influence for Good.  As you build your reputation and presence on social media, your online influence will rise and your ability to reach more people will increase.  Honor and respect the power that lies in the relationships that you create through this medium and remember that by putting good energy out into the “Twitterverse” everyone benefits.  If you are reading this post and thinking of someone you may have wronged or a mistake you have made that has hurt someone else, it is never too late to apologize or make things right.  What comes around goes around.  So if you want to be a happy person, you have to spread happiness to those around you.  (See quote at top of post)

# 6: Don’t Fall into the Hater Trap.  Just as there are so many amazing and positive people to connect with on social media, there are also people who take the time to scrutinize what you say, put you down, break you up and maybe even verbally attack you on social media.  They may take offense to seemingly benign comments, twist your words and attempt to turn you from the amazing person that you are into one of them.  But, you don’t need to go there!  If you want to make the world a better place through your social media efforts, know that people like this exist and IGNORE them.  I believe it is best to immediately block the haters so that they do not disrupt the beauty that you bring to social media.  Refrain from letting your shadow get the best of you and shine the light on the brilliance that is within.

#7: Have Fun: Be the Best You.  We were all put on this earth for a purpose.  Right?  We were also put on this earth to learn, to grow, to help others and to be the best we can be.  Social media is a platform that allows you to have fun and enjoy life while inspiring others.  Social media allows us to connect with people all over the world in the click of a button, so we can all make the world a better place just by being exactly who we are.  So put a smile on and have fun with it.

Now, what other ideas do you have to use social media to make the world a better place?

Over the past few days, the power of social media friendships has literally carried me through one of the most emotionally challenging times of my life.

My mother who is my hero, my role model, one of my closest friends and one of the most important people in my life (and my children’s lives) is battling an ugly disease that is trying it’s hardest to take her down.  My heart and soul are being called to step up and rise to the occasion and I am trying to get there…  But I have to admit that even with a wonderful husband, father, sister, children and friends, social media is a much needed escape, reprieve and support system.

It is a gift.

During this time, I have not been able to speak so much about what is really going on because it is so scary, so sad and so confusing… and at the same time so beautiful.

For the past 3 days, I have held the soft hand of this woman who has tubes coming out of every orifice of her body, her lungs filled with blood and staph infection as she coughs uncontrollably.  We try to do something to make her more comfortable.  More morphine.  Ice chips.  A back rub.  Anything.  And yet she remains calm and at peace.  I sit by her bedside (trying to hold back the tears so she can hang to the hope that “This party will end” and she can go home) and stare in awe of the beauty of this amazing woman who sleeps with a smile on her face.  And I cannot speak.  The words just don’t come…

And I have realized that in those moments when I need to take a step back and do something other than watch one of my favorite people struggle with something so destructive, I find peace in the ability to turn on my iPhone, hit the Twitter or Facebook button and see what inspiration or connection is to be had.  There always seems to be a quote that uplifts my spirits, a friend who is checking in or a DM from someone who knows how hard my day has been and they just want to reach out.

It is a beautiful gift to be able to instantly access someone who cares or someone who has NO CLUE what is going on, just so I can have a moment that is light or completely superficial.  I need breaks from the heaviness that I am facing right now and social media provides that.  Sometimes this irritates my husband because he wants to be the one to comfort me and I need that too, but social media allows me to step outside of this immediate situation and be in the Twitterverse with my #smgirlfriends who have been so wonderful to me during this time (blog post to follow on this soon).  I don’t have to pick up the phone or talk, but I still get the “hugs” I need.

In this way, social media truly can be a positive force in this world that helps people to be the best they can be, to build amazing businesses, to step up as leaders and to connect with other people who want to make the world a better place.

It is with so much gratitude in my heart that I thank all of you who engage on social media for helping me to walk through this time knowing that I am not alone and that poeple in Florida, Maryland, Arizona, Santa Cruz, Pasadena and all over the world are thinking of me and praying for my mother.  Thank you.  I so appreciate all that you do and all that you are.  Your little 140 character tweets are making the world a better place.  So, keep up the good work!  And I will be writing in more detail about the support I have found on this journey on the Social Media Girlfriends blog soon.

Please feel free to share your stories of the power of social media in the comments.  I know you must have a few examples and the more we can show the world how much beauty there is, the easier it is for us to see how blessed we all are.

Being a woman today provides more benefits than ever before in history, but along with those gifts come additional burdens that cause stress. The Women’s Rights movement of the 1960’s gave us many new opportunities to work outside the home; however it didn’t remove any of the old obligations or come with maid service.

Every working mother I know is doing her best to be a Supermom/Martha Stewart combination and it is just not possible. There are things in your everyday life that can drain your energy and cause negativity in your life. Here are a few of these and how to put a positive spin on them:

Family responsibilities: Share the tasks with your spouse and children, everyone lives in the house and can do something of value. Chore charts are very helpful. Add stickers and you are golden. Plan ahead for household tasks and make a schedule. Check out www.flylady.net for some awesome tips.

Meals: Plan your meals for the entire week and shop weekly, not daily. While the occasional trip for milk or bread will always be necessary, knowing you have a plan for dinner is a gift to yourself. If you have a Crockpot, use it! This will reduce stress for you and your family because you know every day at about 5 someone is going to say “What’s for dinner Mom?” I put a post it up in the kitchen with the week’s menu marked with the cookbook and page number.

Work demands: Use your time wisely at work and plan time off for kids activities as early as possible so you don’t miss anything. Give your full attention to your work while you are there and to your family at home. Be present in each moment and try not to let the stress from either cross over and cause guilt. Allow yourself to do the best you can and accept that it is your best. Period.

Health: Being a mother, wife, employer or employee, daughter and sister can get exhausting and overwhelming. Do not neglect your health. Make regular appointments for the doctor for yourself. Try to exercise and eat healthy as a family which is a benefit to you and your children.

Vampire friends or family: Beware of the person who is always in a bad mood or complaining! These people are energy and mood zappers. Moods, whether positive or negative, transfer very easily. Be kind and friendly but move on if necessary.

Lack of sleep: This is a very hard one but maintaining a reasonable sleep schedule is crucial. If you are overtired, you will be grouchy. That is the start of a bad day!  Aim for 8 hours every night, beginning and ending at the same time.

Monitor your schedule for a week or so including sleep schedule, time on chores, driving kids etc. Look for patterns of time that could have been used more efficiently. Planning ahead and scheduling your time will make your life run more smoothly. If you do not already have a large master schedule for the family, start now! Once you tweak your schedule a bit and plan a little bit more you will find you have more things done and maybe even some free time.

A few of the benefits of that you will gain from your new found positivity:  better sleep, better health, feeling better inside and out as well as knowing that you are more in control of your life.

I am a big believer in the power of a smile, you will always get one back. The simple act of smiling at someone can change their day or current outlook. It is the smallest possible thing that you can do with unlimited exponential powers.

Creating more positivity will help you in every aspect of your life. You will be a better YOU not only for everyone in your life but most importantly for yourself.  This is the only instance that I would recommend a “fake it til you make it” attitude, if you wake up and you aren’t feeling the morning, still start with smiles, hugs and wishes of a good morning to your family. The boomerang effect of their positivity can whip your day in the right direction.
Create a positive bubble around you and your friends and family and protect it. You will be happier inside and out!

Guest Post Author Bio:

Peggy Fitzpatrick is the Director of Marketing and Social Media Manager for Kreussler Inc, a wife and mother. All about positivity and connecting, big on tech and conversation, but mostly about building friendship and valued trust. You can find her blog here: www.pegfitzpatrick.com or her fabulous Twylah profile here: http://www.twylah.com/PegFitzpatrick.  She is also the Lifestyle Editor of www.12most.com and you can follow her there at @12MostLifestyle.

Many people go through life working hard, doing things that they would rather not do and in the back of their minds expecting that some day something great will happen.  They will finally hit the big time. Yhey will finally be happy… and THEN they will finally enjoy their life.  They keep their heads down, grinding it out day after day, holding out hope for “someday” when they will finally have the time, the money and the energy to really do what they want to do.

Sound familiar to you or someone you know?

There is definitely merit in working hard and striving for goals, but one of the most important gifts you can give yourself as an entrepreneur (and especially as an entrepreneur who wants to live an amazing life) is to set yourself free to enjoy every moment along the way.  Design and utilize systems in your business that allow you to stay in touch with outside pursuits, hobbies and personal growth, so you can remain a well rounded, inspired person. (FREEDOM)

Of course there will be times when you have to do work that you don’t love doing, but if you build a business around something you are passionate about and pursue interests that inspire you and fill you full with positive energy, you will enjoy the process and you will be happy NOW and NOW and NOW.

You absolutely can enjoy every day and every step along the way, if you set your mind to do so.

Seek out people, activities and pursuits that align with your values and that support your life vision and goals. Spend a few minutes every day being grateful for everything and everyone that you have in your life.  What we focus on grows, so focus on what IS working, what is positive, what is amazing already.  Let the good expand.  Take a few steps each day toward those things that inspire you.

Celebrate your wins.  Celebrate your “failures” as learning opportunities that are bringing you one step closer toward your goals and dreams.  Dream big.  If astronauts can fly to the moon (or Mars)… anything is possible. Really.

Believe in yourself and your vision, but be flexible enough to make adjustments along the way that may be needed to get you where you want to go.

Be the person you admire EVERY day.

Life is short and if you want to leave a legacy, make it a happy one!

In 2011, social media is hands down one of the best ways to grow a business… if you enjoy networking.  It allows you to instantly connect, engage and build relationships with your audience so you can grow your email list, spread your message, increase your revenue and help others to make the best of their day (if you think strategically about every word as an off-shoot of your brand).

Social media truly is every lifestyle entrepreneur’s greatest business building tool.  But… there are some secrets to successfully utilizing Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for maximum effectiveness, a few of which I will share with you in this post.

Tip #1: Be helpful.  People like to engage with others who can answer their questions, offer advice, share their experience and otherwise help them to achieve their goals.  If you want others to help you get what you want… help others to get what they want first!

Tip #2:  Be curious. Ask questions.  This is a great way to do some market research, but it is also a great way to meet new people and see who is listening to you.  If you ask a question to anyone on Twitter and get responses from people you didn’t know were listening, make sure to respond and maybe even RT them!  This let’s them know that you are listening and that you care.  Everyone wants to feel important and as Dale Carnegie said in his book “How to Win Friends And Influence People” when you listen to others, they feel important!

Tip #3: Be consistently available. This doesn’t mean that you need to be on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn all day, every day.  It just means that you need to check into your accounts at least a few times a week.  If you really find that social media is enjoyable and that you get more clients and promotional partners, try to engage for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening.  Different people are online at different times of day and if you want to increase your Klout score… consistency of engagement is key!

Tip #4: Be respectful. Some of you may think that this is an obvious one, but we have all seen the people who get into spats on social media.  It’s not pretty.  Keep in mind that you can’t hear the person’s voice on social media, so there may be some meaning that is lost in the translation of 140 characters (or even email for that matter).  Give people the benefit of the doubt.  Stay FAR away from social media if your energy is low and limit your impulses to engage in controversial topics or negative banter.  You are building a brand that is based on your passions, skills and talents… so why focus on anything that doesn’t support that?

As a general rule of thumb, it is best to stay positive, supportive and respectful on social media as this is your permanent digital footprint and you don’t want to mess with that!

Tip #5: Be generous. The name of the game: social.  There are a lot of high profile people on Twitter who only talk with other high profile people, never RT anything from the many people who consistently support them and who basically ignore all of the above tips because they already have a large following.  This is a big mistake because these tweeps are missing out on a HUGE opportunity to grow and give back to their audience!  Example: Justin Bieber has used social media to develop a loyal fan base that hangs on his every word and rewards him for his interaction by purchasing millions of dollars in merchandise and tickets every single day.  Be a belieber!

Tip #6: Be humble. Need I say more?  It’s really a simple concept and one that will serve you well in life and on social media… if you can master it.

Tip #7:  Have fun! Social media is also referred to as a virtual cocktail party (although tweeting or Facebooking and drinking are not recommended!).  It’s all about having fun!  Mix and mingle.  Grow your network.  Laugh.  Build friendships.  Be the best person you can be and before you know it… you will attract more amazing clients while you are enjoying life.  Sound good?

Let me ask you this… if you want people to spread your message, click on your links and become fans, how would you go about that in real life at a workshop or networking event? Would it be any different than on social media?  How?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments…

Whether you consider yourself to be a lucky person or not, there will come a time (maybe more than once) when you are presented with an opportunity that may look like a failure but that truly can alter your destiny for the better.  The difference between winning and defeat has everything to do with how you see life…

It is with hindsight that we can see clearly that everything happens for a reason.  It is with intuition that we can choose the right path.  It is with trust and self-awareness that we can make decisions that will move us forward.  And it is with focus on our values, strengths, passions and goals that we can live with purpose.

In this video, I share with you a story of how I was presented with an opportunity that ended up completely shutting down what I thought were my dreams… but in truth, what happened was magical.  At the time, I saw this opportunity as failure.  Now, I see it as a gift that I don’t take for granted.

HINT: Measure the validity of an opportunity by your top 5 goals. If it falls short… it is not an opportunity.

Have you ever experienced anything like this?  Were you able to shift your focus and turn inward to find the right answers?  I’d love to hear your stories or just your thoughts in the comments.

Up until about a year ago, I firmly believed that lifestyle business owners didn’t need an exit strategy.  Then, my mom was diagnosed with lung cancer, my father-in-law had a series of strokes and several people we knew passed away leaving their families to sort through businesses that would have to be shut down or sold.  It really got me thinking about businesses and how to set your business up so that if it needed to be sold or if something happened where you weren’t able to run your business… it wouldn’t be a loser of a situation.

In this video, you will learn why being organized, using systems and having a a great team are essential not just for your sanity but for your profitability.  In business, everything is an asset.  You determine whether or not it is a performing one!

Mompreneur, Allana Pratt is an intimacy coach who knows a LOT about how to live your life to the fullest and she shares her findings with us with incredible honesty and transparency in this fantastic episode of the WSL Show.

Come be a fly on the wall and listen to a powerful feminine entrepreneur’s journey to live her dreams.  If you have ever wanted to know why it is so important to be flexible about everything from your target audience to your offerings and your branding, Allana reveals her entertaining stories that are chalk full of important entrepreneurial lessons.  Such a treat!

Don’t forget to check out Allana’s fantastic programs designed to help women and men to tap into the inner glory that lies in their intimate relationships to themselves and others:

For Women:

http://Howtobeandstaysexy.com

http://Redefiningsexuality.com

http://Missinghandbooktomotherhood.com

For Men:

http://Gethertosayyes.com/summerwithallana2011

Thanks for listening and enjoy!