Try this: Imagine who you would be if you didn’t worry about time. How might your life be different? I surveyed fifty-two people, and the results revealed that 90 percent felt “somewhat anxious” to “significantly anxious” about time. What’s even more startling is that these results don’t even seem all that surprising. Anxiety about time is very much a part of most of our lives. Think back to a time when you greeted a casual acquaintance and asked how he was, and he said, “Great! Things are fantastic!” It can be almost jarring when someone responds so positively. Somehow we’re more conditioned to expect to hear people complain that they are tired, or sigh that they are busy.

It’s helpful to dig deeply to figure out what is at the root of our problems with time. Why do we overschedule ourselves? Why do we want to be so busy? Why are we so consumed with time? Why does it seem so “normal” to worry about time so much? Why is it easier to be caught up in a drama about time than it is to be released from it?
In short, what is the payoff for worrying about time?

When I examine this question myself, I can recognize that the more I complain about time, the more I block my ability to accept and express love and connection. Violette Clark shared, “I suppose not having enough time, or the illusion of believing this, makes us feel important. I also realize it keeps me safe. There have been a lot of dreams that I’ve accomplished, including publishing a book, but there have been a lot of balls that I’ve dropped, too, in the name of ‘not having enough time.’ Putting myself out there more fully means more potential for rejection. Sometimes not ‘going for my dreams’ is safer.”

Similarly, artist Peggy Lynn boldly admitted that time complaints are related to ego: “The ‘I’m too busy’ implication does stroke the ego: ‘Oh, look at me — busy, busy, busy!’” A workshop participant shared that her worries about time give her an excuse and an outside source for not following her dreams. She said, “I’ve never been someone who likes to blame, but now I suddenly realize that I’ve actually been blaming time. I don’t have enough time, and so that’s why I don’t go after this dream, or that’s why I haven’t tried this or followed up on that. Then it’s not my fault. This was a big discovery for me!”
Here are some examples of payoffs that people might receive from worrying or complaining about time.

➢ Time is a good catchall: if I can complain about being busy, then I don’t have to look at other areas in my life.
➢ Worrying about time gives me something to talk about with other people.
➢ Worrying about time is a convenient excuse for not following my dreams.
➢ My schedule is wrapped up with my self-esteem. Being “too busy” means that I’m successful.
➢ I don’t plan things that I might enjoy because it is too scary — it just feels safer to be bored.

Do any other payoffs come to mind? Which ones resonate as possibly being true for you? For further reflection, refer to the questions in the sidebar “Exploring Your Time Anxiety.”

Once we can identify the payoffs that we get from worrying about time, we can see them for what they are: illusions that keep us from living our true potential. Simply being aware of what we are getting from our time worries allows us to make a different choice. Choice is one of the nine ARTbundance Principles, which are building blocks to self-awareness. Making new choices is one of the best ways we can explore new layers of freedom with time. Dana Sebastian-Duncan, a trainee in the ACT program, put it nicely: “When I really think of the Principle of Choice as it relates to time, it reminds me that I have the freedom to create my life and my own ‘reality.’ My daily choices add up to my life, and that is empowering.”

Buy your copy here: http://tinyurl.com/marneysbook
Watch the trailer here:  http://www.bit.ly/creatingtimetrailer

Marney K. Makridakis is the author of Creating Time. She founded the Artella online community for creators of all kinds and the print magazine Artella. A popular speaker and workshop leader, she created the ARTbundance approach of self-discovery through art. She lives in Dallas, Texas. Visit her online at http://www.artellaland.com.

Excerpted from the book Creating Time: Using Creativity to Reinvent the Clock and Reclaim Your Life ©2012 by Marney Makridakis. Published with permission of New World Library http://www.newworldlibrary.com

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While the message and the market of your business may be different, there are some stumbling blocks that seem to pop up for even the seasoned entrepreneur.

Here are four of the ones that I frequently coached on with my private clients:

1. Not moving ahead even when they know what to do.

Almost always, this is a fear-based immobility. Whether it’s fear of failure or fear of success (the later seems more prevalent for entrepreneurs, including myself). We come up with all kinds of excuses as to why something isn’t getting done, but most often it has nothing to do with anything other than fear of the possible result of moving forward.

If you’re afraid of failing, remember that in our online world, we get to test things out with very little risk. My favorite strategy is to ‘fail fast’. Put it out there, see what happens, tweak until you get the result you want.

If you’re afraid of success, then you need to take a look at your Big Money Why (BMW – see #4) to see how you can make it more powerful and motivating (tip: money is never enough of a motivator, believe it or not). And you need to put in place a process for how you will handle the abundance that’s too come.

2. Being self-disciplined enough to make and stick to self-imposed deadlines.

The wonderful thing about being an entrepreneur is that you’re your own boss. The tricky thing about that is most, if not all, of our deadlines are self-imposed. Which makes them very easy to move, doesn’t it? I know because I’ve struggled with this one more than once.

If we go back to knowing what your emotionally driven motivator is for the success you desire, you’ll be more likely to stick to those self-imposed deadlines – but only if that BMW is strong enough.

Here’s a simple but very powerful tip for you in sticking to your own deadlines: Make them public. When I launched my first info-product, I told my ezine list that they would be able to buy it on a certain date, which gave me about 3 weeks to get it done. And done it was.

3. Claiming leadership status and fully stepping into the role of the CEO of your business.

Once an entrepreneur gets the foundational pieces in place for their business, it’s actually easy to stay in the start-up phase, because it’s comfortable. And because often they don’t know what the next step is, what the next layer of the business should look like, to take them to the next level.

The sooner they can take on the leadership role, by becoming the CEO of their business (even if they don’t call themselves that), the faster the growth of both the entrepreneur and the business.

One of the ways you can step more fully into that role is by delegating. So if you’ve been in business for a couple of years and you’re still doing too much of the managing of it, and especially if you’re doing all the admin work, and you haven’t hired an assistant yet, it’s time. Start with one small project and add from there,

For every task in your business, ask yourself, “Is this something I should be doing?”

Because remember, even if you CAN do something doesn’t mean you SHOULD.

If the answer is no, then pass it off to a capable assistant.

4. Having an emotionally driven motivator for your Big Money Why (BMW).

This is probably the most important one…

Money is NOT enough of a motivator, no matter how much you want it, or are attached to the ’6-Figure’ or “million-dollar’ mark. There has to be a reason behind wanting it, something that is so strong that it drives you and the business forward, no matter what.

If you find things aren’t moving as quickly as you’d like, or it feels too hard much of the time, or you just aren’t using your time and talent effectively, take a look at your Big Money Why. And if you haven’t done this before, then that’s your coaching homework.

In as much detail as possible, write out why you want the financial success you do. Is it to give to your family, is it to give to others, is it to create a charitable foundation, is it to take care of elderly parents, is it to enable your children to get the best education you can give them, is it to travel and expand your world view, is it to buy a nicer home for your family, is it to give experiences to those you love – they are a thousand reasons why, but you need to be very clear of what they are for YOU before you can make them happen.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we focus a whole session on your Big Money Why, and it’s one of the most powerful for shifting the attendees into passionate action in their business.

You can get your ticket right now for the lowest price available here.

I love to know how this resonates with you – share with me your thoughts below…

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Did you know there’s a super-simple way to leverage your gifts, talent and know-how into lucrative, highly leveraged income streams?

It’s your Signature System, and it’s your step-by-step formula for multiple streams of revenue success.

So, what exactly is a Signature System? It’s the work you’re already doing with clients, packaged into a highly marketable, step-by-step system they’ll want to buy.

If you’re thinking you can’t create a system because every client is different, think again. Every service can be transformed into a simple, repeatable system clients will happily say yes to – yes, even yours!

I figured this out early on in my business and this one signature system has help me create every other offering I’ve made and turned into over a million dollars to date.

Specifically, here are the top 10 reasons why having a Signature System is a must to add to your business model, transition out of 1-on-1 work fast or to even completely replace it.

1. Your clients LOVE systems.

They’re so overloaded, they can’t even stop to think. Your system tells them “I’ve done the work so you don’t have to.”

2. Your clients can practically predict their success.

When they see the results others have achieved, clients feel very reassured… and start to picture the results for themselves.

3. Your Signature System sets you apart.

It’s as unique as your signature, after all – nobody else has it!

4. Instant credibility.

Without a system, your services can appear all over the place. A system instantly elevates you to expert status.

5. Quicker, easier sales.

Your clients “get” what you offer much quicker and are ready to buy much sooner.

6. Your clients get better results…

…when they follow given steps in a given order, instead of blundering around trying to find their way.

7. Your clients get results faster…

… because they’re not wasting time on needless “stuff.”

8. Your clients come back again and again…

…because they’ve had such success with you the first time!

9. You’ll help more people…

…because your Signature System (or key elements of it) can be “bottled and sold” at different investment and commitment points.

10. And best of all, you’ll see just how easy it is to create 3, 4 or even more lucrative income streams that will deliver a steady and predictable flow of cash into your business. And you know what that means? Peace of mind. Priceless.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we focus a whole session on creating your signature system. This is one of the most popular sessions because every attendee walks out of OBBW with their own signature system in hand, most of them completely surprised at how simple it was!

If this was the only solid piece of content you got from OBBW, it would still be worth 100xs your small investment.

You can get your ticket right now for the lowest price available here.

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While I had many shifts, fresh ideas, and validations that I’m on the right track while attending Andrea Lee’s Wealthy Thought Leader event, I wanted to share with you three of the a-ha’s I had during the event’s three days.

1. It’s time to strengthen the underpinnings of my business…

Not one, but two, of the sessions at WTL reminded me that I need to go back to the beginning and strengthen the underpinnings of my business. Hey, we all get complacent with some of the mundane tasks in our business, even when we have a team to implement them, but one of these in particular really made me smack my forehead.

2. Video isn’t all that and a bag of chips…

Tipping my hat to Michele PW for that chuckle… but it validated that while only 50% of your market will actually watch your videos, the fact that I’m offering multiple ways to consume my content is spot-on.

3. Following my intuition will never lead me astray

During a recent program launch, I struggled with the logical sense of ‘repeating what’s worked’ and the intuitive sense that it was time to do something radical. I decided to listen to my intuition and it paid off in spades.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, I’ll be sharing much more about what it’s taking today to bring in revenues, attract new clients and customers, and keep them coming back for more.

You can get your ticket right now for the lowest price available here.

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While I had many shifts, ideas, pauses for thought, and lightbulb moments while attending Andrea Lee’s Wealthy Thought Leader event, I wanted to share with you three of the a-ha’s I had during the event’s three days.

1. I already am a wealthy thought leader…

I just need to embrace it. And I can’t do that until…

2. I’m ready to take a stand…

And I am ready. It’s been forming for a while now, most particularly over the last few months. I started getting really clear on my principles and guideposts for my business as well as how and what I want to teach and share with my clients to enhance their business as well.

And that re-ignited that…

3. I really do love what I do.

How blessed am I that I get to work with such amazing clients, that I’m surrounded with a fabulous group of colleagues that continues to deepen and grow, that I get to be as creative as I want all the time, because this is my business, my life, and my choice.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we’re going to do a session on making a stand in and for your market so you can stand out in an overcrowded marketplace.
Get on the early reservation list here.

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If you want to create more money in your business, you have to know your value and be able to articulate that really well in order to be heard above the din in our loud and overcrowded world today.

You probably have an idea of the value that your clients and customers receive through your work. But what will make what you do far more enjoyable, more marketable, and much easier is to really dig deep into finding out very specifically what the value is that your clients and customers get through your work together or from your products or programs.

So I have a two-part assignment for you:

Part 1: Ask yourself…

“What’s one benefit/value/result that my client gets from working with me?”

Answer that question 30 times.
(here’s the secret: the first 10 will be easy. After that you’ll need to start digging to find the gold nuggets )

Part 2: Ask your clients/customers…

“What’s the value you’re receiving from our work together?” or “What’s the value you’re receiving from this product or program?”

Ask them to answer that question beyond the superficial, to really dig deep, to find the real value they’re receiving.

You may be surprised to find out it has little to do with the actual ‘thing’ they initially invested in you for.

Then take your answers and their answers and work with them to come up with several laser marketing messages that make you and what you do memorable and highly attractive to more and more of your ideal clients and customers.

At my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop, we go deep into this and other exercises so you’ll leave with your unique message and how to articulate that through all of your marketing so you can finally stand out among the sea of others who do what you do.

Get on the early reservation list here

Share your answers with me below…

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Here’s a question I get asked all the time:

“I don’t know you how do it, Alicia…with two little ones to care for and so few hours in the day to actually focus on your work. Somehow you manage to write your weekly ezine, hold a bunch of teleseminars each month, run your group and private coaching programs, AND be creating and promoting new offers and new products all the time. I’m so impressed and inspired by you, but more than that, I want to know how you do it all!?”

To be honest, sometimes I wonder myself! Something I often say to other, especially new, mothers is, “despite what everyone tells you to do, do whatever works for YOU.” In a way, that’s how I started running my business after I had my daughter. I just did whatever worked. I still do.

When she got a bit older, it was easier to manage both being a fulltime mother along with running a successful business. Then enter baby #2 and it was back to square one. It’s not easy but it is possible. And here’s what’s really interesting (mompreneurs, take note): I started making about $3k more each month since having my son – and I’m working LESS.

A client once pointed out to me that it seems the biggest growths in my business have been when I’ve been having babies – and she’s right!

Over time, I’ve figured out how to get the most important things done while still being able to focus the majority of my time on my family (after all, that’s one of the reasons why I went into business for myself in the first place).

Here are just a few of them:

1. Setting my work hours

My typical work day looks like this: I get organized the night before for the next day. This jump-starts my day and makes sure that when I do get those tiny pockets of time to get something done, I know exactly what to do. This makes me feel like I’m accomplishing stuff in-between drop-off and pick-up from school, making crafts, playing trains, making dinner, etc.

When I started my business, I didn’t get any real work done until naptime. I worked for about a total of an hour or so while the kids napped, five days a week. Then I put in some more time after they went to bed at night, whether I was leading a teleseminar or catching up on emails. My biggest block of focused time, usually reserved for writing and product creation, was on Saturdays, when I worked approximately 4 hours.

During a perfect week, that gave me about 12 hours of time dedicated to business. However, there’s never a perfect week (one or the other doesn’t nap, I have some pressing non-business-related task that I can only take care of when they’re sleeping, one of them is sick, etc.), so my best guess is that this gives me about 8-10 productive hours to work on my business each week.

Now that the kids are both in school, my dedicated work time is a couple of hours in the morning until I pick my son up at noon, a little at naptime, and sometimes in the evening (again if I’m hosting a teleseminar) or on a Saturday, if I have a launch going on.

So, although my hours have shifted, the amount of hours is still relatively the same – about 15 hours a week.

So how do I decide what to focus on that will move my business forward the fastest in that limited amount of time each week? I use what I call a Priority Card…

2. Using a Priority Card

A Priority Card will help you organize all your tasks in a way that will SHOW you every day what you should focus on. There are a lot of details that will threaten to take your mind off your priorities (this is where a virtual assistant can be of immense value), but those details are not necessarily what will move you forward in your business. To do that, you need to consistently focus on completing the projects that will move your business ahead big-time.

You can create a system for helping you focus on your priorities in a number of ways, but I’m going to give you mine. Like I said, I only work about 15 hours a week on my business, so adjust your own plan accordingly.

At the beginning of each week, I choose 3 to 5 projects with looming deadlines (self-imposed as they may be) from my master task list (which really is so massive that I write it on a 8.5 x 14 legal pad). For example, at the moment, I am working on my annual Online Business Breakthrough Workshop.

On a colored index card, I write down those projects and prop the card in a standing clip holder, right in front of my computer screen. When I start to feel that sense of overwhelm, or when I find myself getting distracted by new ideas or other tasks (all of which seem important), I remind myself to look at my Priority Card and focus only on what’s written there.

Once I started using my Priority Card, my own business growth leaped forward ten times faster than when I was doing a little of this and a little of that, working on a dozen things, but taking much too long to actually complete just one project.

3. Ignoring the phone

I’m serious when I say that I ignore the phone. Some of my clients get heart palpitations when I tell them that I NEVER jump when the phone rings and suggest they do the same. I don’t even have the ringer turned on on the business line. Does this mean I miss some important calls? Probably. But my virtual assistant checks my messages in a timely manner, takes care of what she can, and forwards the rest to me. I then email or call people back at a more convenient time for me.

4. Quick consults

When a prospective client wanted to speak with me about ‘just a few questions’, I used to gladly schedule a time to talk. But instead of a few questions, I’d be on the phone for at least a half hour, basically giving a free coaching/consulting session, and being frustrated with myself for not valuing my time more.

And up until a few years ago, when a potential client or customer requested to talk with me further about working with me or about one of my products, they could schedule a time to talk for a much smaller fee than my usual hourly rate, and if they decided to go forward with working with me, they could apply the fee they paid towards the program or product they were interested in. This was fair and valued both our time and investment in the process.

Now, however, prospects can talk with my virtual assistant should they need more information about any of my programs or products. If someone is interested in working with me one-on-one, they need to apply for a private coaching spot and if I feel it’s a good fit, we set up an interview to discuss moving forward.

BONUS: Make and use lists

I’d be lost without my lists! I’d never remember to do anything if I didn’t write it down. I keep a bunch of reporter’s notebooks around the house and anytime I think of something I need to do, I write it down in whatever room I’m in – whether it’s business or personal. Then I periodically gather the lists and separate them into three main lists; personal, business, and other (which includes the “someday I’d like to…” stuff; things that aren’t a priority but that I want to remember to do at some point), and check things off in priority order from there.

If you start applying some of these steps now, I guarantee the number of productive hours you spend on your business will increase. And you’ll also feel less overwhelmed and lessed stressed about trying to get it all done!

I’d love to know which one of these resonates the most with you – share with me below…

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I’ve been hearing from many business owners lately that they’re feeling stuck, like they’re spinning their wheels and staying in one place instead of moving forward.

Several things are currently really standing out for me in terms of what may be contributing to the sense of frustration and overwhelm that seems to be prevalent at the moment for some, and especially newer, business owners.

Here are the top 4 ways that I see business owners staying stuck. See if you recognize yourself in any (or all) of these and if so, take the action step I give you to start to get unstuck and moving forward again.

1. Staying in the BS funnel

This was something my very first coach coined and is a place where lots of business owners stay to stay safe – for any number of reasons.

Basically what it means is that instead of spending time and energy in the marketing funnel (or HourGlass in my business model), they are spending time in the BS funnel – re–doing their website, working on their email signature, re-writing a sales page for the 100th time before posting it live, re-designing their business cards, making lists and getting organized, frittering on social media, etc.

Now there is a time and place for all of those things, but not if you’re concerned about cash flow. When you’re concerned about cash flow, you need to focus on making offers and getting clients/customers. Everything else can wait. Once you have your bread and butter cash flow (whatever your minimum is) then you can go rest in the BS funnel for a bit.

ACTION STEP: Be honest and Identify whether or not you’re spinning because you’re in the BS funnel. If you are, commit to getting out of it and staying out of it by being consciously aware of when you are going forward. Make a ‘money list’ (it should be short) of only the tasks that will bring you money and focus on those instead.

2. Knowing they need to build their list but not doing anything consistently to build it

I know list-building is not that sexy or exciting, but it’s an absolute MUST, even more so today than even just a couple of years ago.

So if you’re saying, “I know I need to build my list but…” then you’re NOT building your list. You will not get responses to your offers – free or fee – if you don’t have a substantial audience to make that offer to.

Too many business owners base the success or failure of an offer based off not enough info – meaning not enough people to actually put your offer in front of to have substantial evidence on way or another if what you’re doing is ‘working’ or not.

Just as you want to have a solid number of responses to a survey before you use that information to make decisions, you have to have a decent-sized list before you can make a fact-based decision about whether or not your offers are resonating.

ACTION STEP: Pick two new list-building strategies to add to your consistent marketing calendar and implement them today. Add two new ones every month until you find your list-building has traction and its own momentum.

3. Getting distracted by too many new ideas instead of focusing on one project at a time

I have to admit that sometimes I get exhausted just listening to how many ‘new’ ideas, tools and tactics some business owners are implementing all at once.

You know what happens when your energy is scattered like that? Lots of nothing. Seriously.

ACTION STEP: Pick one project from your ‘money list’ and focus on that through completion. When you get distracted, and you will, ask yourself: “Is this related to my project?” You know what to do if the answer is no.

4. Not truly understanding that it takes time on and IN the business to start creating consistent income

I don’t mean the difference between working on and in your business ala Michael Gerber. What I mean is that it takes time both in terms of dedicated time towards building your business on a daily basis AS WELL AS time to allow the seeds you’re planting now to grow over the months and years to come.

It takes a lot of baby steps to get to where you want to go. We all have moments when it feels too hard, but the successful folks are the ones who continue to put one foot in front of the other no matter what.

“It’s not working” is only true if you quit.

I’d love to know which one of these resonates the most with you – share with me below…

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