Here are a few of the books/audio and video that I’ve read recently and highly recommend. Grab a refreshing drink, one of these books or audios and enjoy!

The Zen of Social Media by Shama Kabani – Shama helps to clarify and help you to handle the “beast” of social media. She gives some really great step by step instruction and strategy as well as highlighting some case studies. Highly recommended.

Flip the Funnel- Joseph Jaffe-This book is not a book about how to aggressively go out & “get more customers” rather the “flip of the funnel” concept that Joseph teaches is to pay more attention to the customers you already have. His key points? Provide beyond excellent customer service and nurture the relationship with them. He addresses the web 2.0 and provides strategies to fully utilize it to serve the customer.

ProBlogger- by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett- A super, primer for all bloggers. Lear what you need to know about everything blog related from technology to content to building your own community.

The Matrix Energetics Experience- Richard Bartlett- I am a huge fan of Sounds True, Tami Simon’s company which provides audio programs from the best of the best in personal and spiritual development. I purchased this program from them. This progam by Dr Bartlett is really fantastic. I have attended Dr Bartlett’s live training, and while I enjoyed his teachings I actually like this recorded program better! It’s packaged beautifully and has a set of 6 audio trainings, 1 DVD training, cards and a manual. It’s really interesting and mind expanding . It’s way out of the box!

Ann Boleyn and The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory- My daughter recommended this book to me and I was completely drawn into the time of England’s KIng Henry the 8th. Around the same time, we discovered the excellent Showtime series, The Tudors. It’s fabulous. Rich with content, visually beautiful, excellent casting of the characters. Just plain great!

On This Journey, We Call Our Life: Living the Questions by James Hollis- I’ve been processing my dreams for almost 2 years now with a Jungian dream analyst. It’s been a most fascinating process. This book is written by a jungian dream expert and the questions he poses and the wisdom he shares is deep and will stir your own transformation.

Women Run with the Wolves by Clarissa P Estes- Also from the genre of jungian influence. Dr Estes is a remarkable story teller. Using her incredible stories to help the reader to connect and identify with that which is hidden in our unconscious. You’ll find yourself relating to the characters and the escapades they have with what you are creating or wanting to stop creating(!) in your own life.

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Post tags: buisness coach, business books, chris garrett, clariss pinkola estes, darren rowse, Dr richard bartlett, flip the funnell, inspiration, joseph jaffe, jungian dream work, life coach, matirx energetics, personal development, problogger, Shama Kabani, Social Media, spirituality, women run with the wolves

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Overwhelmed? Have too many projects floating at the same time that you find you are not able to focus, make progress and get things done?

This is so common!

In coaching my clients, this challenge of “so much to do” and feeling overwhelmed is one of the most important things to address.

If your “to-do list is beginning to look like a never ending list of “shoulds”, you’re probably feeling tired before you get started with your day. Not a great way to live and actually a very poor way to attract more clients, money or opportunities.

It can be easy to get all excited and create blockbuster size big goals so you have the “big results” you dream of. With all the marketing- hype on the internet scene, it can be easy to pulled into program after program, feeling like you need to keep adding to your arsenal of tools and skills. On top of that, most entrepreneurs are highly creative so they find themselves constantly creating new concepts for programs and products.

It’s smart to keep learning and growing. In fact, in this evolutionary, rapidly changing time in our history, you absolutely need to invest in yourself, your business and technology. It’s also a smart business strategy to dedicate time for research, development and innovate with creative, unique products and services.

The problem is that your output of energy is not balanced. What happens is that your energy is directed to too many things and is causing you to “leak” energy. This results in feelings of being tired, discouraged and empty.

Wouldn’t you love to be feel more ease and flow each and every day? To feel that you efforts are focused and that you are inspired to take actions that actually create results you can see (your book is written, your new webinar series is ready to launch, you’ve got 3 new clients & more cash flow)

Here are 3 strategies to dramatically reduce your overwhelm & find your “sweet spot” of productivity & ease:

1. Release- Let go of the “junk”. Adopt a monthly habit of clearing out what no longer serves you. This can be limiting beliefs, broken systems in your business, and all those uncompleted items (do it, delegate it or dump it!)

2. Scatter & Focus- the secret of a professional juggler? Scatter and focus. The spinning plates are tossed up in the air, and with an intent focus on ONE plate at a time, the artist is able to maintain the balance. Try the Scatter & Focus approach:
Write down all of projects on paper. Review your projects list. Which “speak” to you first? What has more energy? Choose to focus on ONE project at a time and commit to following through to it’s completion. Then choose your next focus and repeat. This truly works!

3. Stretch Goals – Bold,juicy goals are truly motivating,but goals that are so huge and so far away from where we are today actually serve sabotage you. Instead of making up goals that freak you out and paralyze you, make a goal that has these qualities: It’s doable, you believe you can have it and it’s a stretch for you. These kinds of goals are so much easier to achieve. What happens next? Now you are on a roll,because the energy of success brings us more success!

© Diana for Diana Long- The Results Expert, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: focus, organize, productivity

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Are you crystal clear on what you truly want for your life and for your business ? Have you put your “stake in the sand” for what you want…. for what you believe in?

Now is the time.

Author-scientist Gregg Braden teaches, we are in an unprecedented time on the planet and that human beings are moving into higher levels of consciousness. Braden calls the shift of higher consciousness a shift to the 4th Level.

Based on extensive research and calculations, Braden teaches that we are ending a cycle of 26,000 years and that the date 12-21-12 is a significant milestone for humanity. He states that the change that accompanies the this remarkable convergence of cycles is the opportunity for all of us to wipe away patterns that we have outgrown from the past and the perfect time for us to set new healthy patterns and decisions. We are at a time in human history that is on the cusp of great change. One doesn’t have to look far to know that this is true. We’ve watched as many old institutions and ways of doing business are crumbling before our eyes. It is a time to let go of what no longer works and to define and act on what will serve all of us.

Gregg is a fascinating, highly educated,prolific author & researcher extraordinaire and I highly recommend his books. His latest, Fractal Time , goes into great depth and detail about these life changing findings.

The stage is set.

We are at a Choice-Point.

The world is ready for all of us to trust ourselves more and to show up with more grace, more courage and strength. What are the desires of your heart? What are you designed for? What will be your legacy gift(s)? What are the desires of your heart? Trust the answers you receive.

There is not a better time than now, to put your stake in the sand and walk your path.

What do you choose?

© Diana for Diana Long- The Results Expert, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 2012, Business Development, Gregg Braden, higher consciousness, prioritizing, strategy, what's your calling?

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We’ve got a beautiful lush planting in my garden called periwinkle. We learned that “periwinkle” grows according to its own rhythm: the first year it “sleeps”, the second year it “creeps”, and the third year it “leaps”. Had we not known and trusted this natural growth process, we would have been frustrated and unhappy with the periwinkle. We might have tried to force growth by aggressively over fertilizing or worse case scenario, rip out the plants complaining that they weren’t good performers, etc. Three patient years later, we experienced a marvelously lush ground cover.

The takeway here? No forcing, rather an approach of perfect timing & action.

Can you relate this metaphor of growth to your own business? Your life?

There’s a trap that entrepreneurs can fall into called “forcing outcomes”. This looks like trying to make things happen,competing, pushing, striving with will-power and our ego.

Think about times when you rushed and forced a result? How did it turn out for you? More often than not, our results are NOT what we intended! Forcing can cost you money, create relationship problems and result in bad timing For example: puny sign ups for your next webinar, strained partnerships, loss of personal energy and confidence and an anemic bank account.

Instead of the exhausting “forcing, always in action & doing mode” try this effortless & elegant “coach approach “and celebrate your results:

1. Vision- Everything you want to accomplish, manifest or bring into your reality starts with your desire, your vision of what you want. Create a strong platform by writing down what your next goal is
2. Design It- Once you are clear on your intentions for your next program, product, or other goal then create your “project plan” What resources do you need, what is your timetable? Who’s responsible for what task? What are the barriers ( internal or external) to achieving this?
3.Implement- Know what you want? Have your plan,strategies & tactics in place? Time to implement. A great way to ensure your success is to have an accountibility partner via your coach, a community or colleague.

© Diana for Diana Long- The Results Expert, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: action, business coach, business growth, coach, increase my business profits, results

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A good friend and colleague of mine, was close to tears when we talked recently. She was feeling overwhelmed and frazzled and with the all the responsibilities of her own business. Her self confidence was sagging. As we talked, a major obstacle was revealed.

She was an E-mail Slave.

The magnitude of e-mails she was reading each day was absolutely mind-boggling. Her belief was that being efficient and productive meant being on call 24/7 with her e-mail, checking and responding to it throughout the day. She also was subscribed to a ridiculous number of e-newsletters, feeling she needed to read them all in order to stay on top of her game,know who was doing what, find out about new offers and programs and know what new trends are. On top of all of this, she starting comparing herself with internet superstars and feeling like she was failing.

This is not an unusual scenerio. I coach ALL of my clients to honor their precious time & energy by creating boundries with their computer time. Here are 3 strategies you can use now for an instant return of one of your most precious assets. Your time!

1. Schedule specific times to check & respond to emails-checking email throughout the day is unproductive, undisciplined, and unfocused. Not exactly what you are aiming for right? Instead, experiment with 2-3 times a day vs. constant hourly check-ins. You’ll be more focused and actually get more done this way. Try it. It works!
2. Set a time limit- Invest in a simple timer and use it. Set a specific time limit, say 30 minutes to handle emails and another 30 minutes to attend to your online social networking. I promise you, you will love how much more energy and time you will have with this approach.
3. Email Housecleaning- Time to review what is actually coming into your inbox. Unsubscribe from ezines that aren’t high priority and value. Registering for a free tele-class which automatically puts you on a “list”? A great way to keep your main email inbox “clean” is to subscribe for tele-calls & newsletters through a secondary email account like Gmail or AOL.

Honor yourself, your sanity and your vision of success by doing these 3 little changes and let me know your successes!

© Diana for Diana Long- The Results Expert, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: email addiction, Entrepreneurs, how to be more productive, life coaching tips, managing email, productivity, time management

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