This is, by far, one of my favorite quotes.  Clearly, Napoleon Hill recognized the greatness in each of us.  Do you see your own greatness?  Everyone is gifted.  Everyone has learned many skills, honed abilities and gained knowledge.  How are you putting yours to use?

There are times when we are dissatisfied with our present career and this flows into the rest of our lives.  Often, this dissatisfaction comes from the inside of use and not from an outside source.  Conversations with clients frequently start with their statements of how much they hate their job because of the boss, or co-workers, the company policies, or some specific change.  The truth is that their unrest lies within themselves and it would not matter what job they moved to, they would still be unhappy.

This sort of discontent comes about when we are not acknowledging and make use of our best qualities and personal traits.  It’s the call from within to do something to change and meet our inner needs.

Next comes a barrage of questions such as:

• Where do I go?
• If I’m unhappy doing what I do now, what should I be doing?
• Will there be work out there that will allow me to be myself?
• What if I can’t make enough money?
• Should I just start my own business?

These are typical questions and will need further exploration.  The biggest roadblocks, however, come when the brain starts to detect this change as risky and your inner dialogue speaks to you by saying you are nuts to even try and you should stay where you are and suffer through.  This negative self talk is exactly what you must fight against.  It’s like giving up before you even get started.

The way to start your shift is to embrace your gifts, talents and your magnitude.  I know some of you are recoiling just a bit as I say this and feeling like the word magnitude is too strong to describe you.  Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not.  You are completely unique and special.  There is no other human being who has developed and had your experiences.  No one else has the perspective on things that you do, and no other human being has been given the same combination of attributes as you.

Your real task in life is to identify your best skills and talents and then put them to use! You are meant to grow and expand in every way that you can.  Door will begin to open for you because you are open to it.  Don’t hold yourself back with unknowns.  Take the time to understand your special working style and explore the possibilities.

We live in an expanding universe.  Join the flow and grasp the opportunities as they arise.  You’ll never regret taking steps toward using your personal power more in your life and work.

In your search for life changes and growth, are you overlooking some obvious resources and opportunities?  Are you reject possibilities because you feel that it’s not exactly what you desire?  The key words here are overlooking and rejecting.

A common mistake people make is sticking in a rut of what they know.  It is difficult to change this pattern when you’ve been doing the same thing for  along time.  I know many clients who are thinking of opening their own business look at their experience and believe that they only know how to do one type of job.  This causes people keep looking under the same ‘rocks’ and thus miss possible opportunities.

Another slip up, is to immediately reject something because it does not meet every parameter, exactly as you had hoped.  As an example, when a new venue or path is suggested, the response is:   “Oh I can’t do that!  I’ve never done that before!”  This immediate rejection is usually based in fear.  Unless you have done some research and truly understand what the undertaking entails, then weight this information against your talents and ability to adapt, then it is an irrational response.  Always do your research before making a decision.

Here are some ideas to help open doors of opportunity you may not have considered:  Be curious.  Enjoy exploration and learn to ask questions.  Asking is the best way to find answers that you can evaluate and really get a clear picture of what would and wound not work for you.

Read things from old resources.  People often look for the latest information.  There is a wealth of knowledge and information in older resources and may older e-books can be downloaded for free.

Meet people outside your field.  Birds of a feather do flock together, but that doesn’t help you to expand.  Expand your social and business network for immediate new opportunities and gain a fresh perspective.  You may find that you could be in greater demand in this new arena.

Be observant.  This is the key to innovation.  Much can be learned by observing people in the world around you.  I can also guarantee you will be highly entertained!  The idea here is to boost your chances of finding opportunities and prospects by listening to what others say and what they do.

Don’t lock yourself into the trap of thinking small.  Be aware to view things a little differently, get input and feedback from others to help you do so, and remember, no transition in life or business has to be permanent, or  all or nothing.  You can always adjust and get a better fit.  Create your own breaks by connecting with others and being flexible.

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Love.  It’s the magical thing that touches us all.  Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not.  Love is such a diverse thing.  I believe it is the strongest emotion, the most powerful force, and the most difficult to understand.  Love is not just romantic, it relates to how we feel about our children and family.  Love is the emotion that causes us to look toward spiritual connection.  We love our pets, our homes, our cars and travel.

Makes me wonder, does spreading this feeling out to all sorts of inanimate things dilute the true essence of love?  I don’t think this is so.  Love is not like a pie which diminishes in size each time a piece is separated from the whole.  It’s more like a candle which, once lit, can light others and share its energy to create more.

I’m philosophical today because yesterday was Valentine’s Day and was on many people’s minds because of the media and social interaction.  I heard some grumble about it, but I hope that they’re grumbling about the pseudo-holiday and not the emotion.  If it is about the emotion, well, that would be sad.

Love can be share with others and bring joy so quickly, that it does not need to be toward a specific, romantic partner.  That is only one small facet of love.  I won’t get into the meaning of love here because I believe that would be a lengthy debate and one without any true answer.  It’s meaning would be wholly different to one person than it is to the next.

In January, I wrote about resolutions and how I don’t think they are useful because they are so quickly forgotten.  Instead, I decided to select a goal for each month and diligently work on it for the next 30-days and then select another to build upon the first.  My January goals were to drink more water and meditate daily.   I’m happy to report that I fulfilled this personal quest and that I will continue on this course and now add a February goal.

Okay, a lot of you are thinking:  “Wait a minute, weren’t we just talking about love and then switched to this goal thing?  What’s up with that?”  Well, there’s are reason for this.  You see, for my February goal, I’ve decided to do more things with from a place of intent to love.  I intend to put forth my efforts at work, in my home and toward myself with love.  This involves being more kind and less judgmental.  It includes forgiveness and curiosity.   I intend to learn more of what is important to those who surround me and attempt to look at the world through their eyes.

This seems like the appropriate second building block this year, because it puts more power and energy into all I do.  It also speaks of the deepest reason I began this goal journey, which is to grow and learn.  How much better of a lesson can there be than to be more loving to myself and others.

This basically boils down to changing my attitude.  My attitude will be to put positive energy, a.k.a. love, into my efforts.  I am unsure of exactly what effect this will have, but I’m excited to find out.  When I feel excited about something like this, is usually turns out really well, so I’ll have to keep you posted!

I’m asking you to join me in this journey, or, if this particular goal does not speak to you, pick another that does.  Build upon January and by the end of this year, we’ll all be way ahead of the game! Enjoy!

I speak a lot about becoming clear on what you truly want in your life and then you can set your focus to achieve it.  But, I often get asked: “How do I do that?  I don’t know for sure what I want.”

We all have dreams and ideas of a perfect life, but sometimes the life we are in doesn’t exactly fit into that description. Clarity is important so steps may be taken and attainable goals set in order to move in the direction of the desired outcome.

But exactly how do you gain that clarity?  My experience has shown that clarity is the most difficult portion of creating a life map and a lot of time needs to be spent gaining insights into what is truly wanted by you.  This is like an archeological dig. The area where a big “find” might be hidden is identified, then preparations are made, excavation begins, but gently.  Finally, once clues begin to show, then the dust is carefully swept away to reveal the treasure.

Remember that life is not like some game that you play a few turns and win.  There is only continued playing – this is all a process and one that will always continue.  The “winning” comes in the form of new insights, openings, and releasing of various personal difficulties.

Begin by looking at a specific facet of your life, such as health, career, finances, relationships, etc.  Begin to note what comes to mind about what you don’t like, or what is not working in your life with regard to that specific facet.

Next, make some notes about what you would like.  Focus on one area at a time.  After you have something written down about your likes and dislikes, think about what steps you can take, immediately if possible, to begin turning things toward what you do want.

For example:  If your finances are not where you want them, list the things that are not working – you have too much debt, your income is lower than you’d like, your expenses are too high.

What would you like to see?  Be specific here, too.  Decrease debt by 30%, increase income by $XX, decrease expenses by $10%, increase savings by $XX per month.

See how having specific desires sets the stage to create goals?  Once you have created some goals on this aspect, go back and look at another.  Continue until you feel you have truly gained some insights into your honest and authentic desires.

Defining your dream life is first and foremost. When you know what you want you will always be able to base your decisions on how the outcome fits into your definition of a perfect life.  You can look at an important fork in the road and determine if it will bring you closer to your dream life, or will it be a detour that slows your progress or even side tracks you completely.

You may already be living some aspects of your dream life and not know it or acknowledge it because there is a lack of clarity. Think of it, you are probably already on your way, but the signs are hidden under a veil of confusion! Spend some time with this project and you will really discover more of what you want and how yo can focus on it to bring it into reality.

The beginning of a CBS television show we watched recently, really got me thinking.  The scene was not integral to the overall plot, but it set the stage.  I was struck because it was so typical.  Two boys of about 12 years of age were hanging out together at the end of a cul-de-sac.  The neighborhood was typical American suburbia, with the vestiges of holidays recently past still on many doors.

As one boy shot hoops, the other slowly made circles on his bike disgusted that this time of year was horrible.  He lamented that junk food was now banned in his house and the other joined in about how they were eating a lot more salads now, for the very same reason.  The first remarked how this sort of thing happened every year with their parent’s new year’s resolutions and all they had to do was wait a few weeks for things to return to normal.  Both laughed in agreement.

This time of year we hear a lot about New Year resolutions and turning over a new leaf.  I completely disagree with this philosophy of make big decisions because it’s a new year, simply because, as you probably already know, they don’t work.  As with the story of the boys, most resolutions are thought of briefly, tried for a few days and then dropped, only to be thought about again when the next New Year rolls around.

This year, I am proposing taking smaller, monthly steps.  In the beginning of each month of 2012, I will write about a specific facet of everyone’s life and assert my intended goals for that month.  As time goes on, I will build on the previous months’ changes and work on improvement in another area of day to day life.

Real change comes from taking steps to making progress.   Sometimes those steps are leaps, but mostly, they are small steps.  All the steps add up.  However, most people will keep going if the steps are manageable.

So, for January, I’ve decided that it all begins with me.  I am starting by laying the foundation of making changes within myself first and building upon this.  As I mentioned, I’m looking at small changes, but these are changes that have great impact. To begin, I have decided that I will meditate every day and increase my daily water intake to the recommended eight glasses.

You may have chuckled when you read these goals, but they are a strong foundation.  First, meditation is something that I hold very high on the list of having strong and positive impact on my life.  When I am diligent about my practice, I am calmer, more creative and feel less stress.  No down-side that that one!

Water is a life source.  It’s good for my body and mind.  Studies have shown that even a small percent of dehydration can cause fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing, along with daytime fatigue.  A well hydrated body keeps joints healthy and runs less risk of developing many cancers.  Once again, I see only benefits.

I invite you to join along this month and those that follow.  For January, select a couple of things that you would like to improve personally.  These are things that only hold meaning to you, but will impact all of your life.  What impacts us personally, will impact us professionally, spiritually, financially and in every other way we can think of.  We are complete packages, no one aspect of life is separate from the rest.  This is why I chose to start at the center, with me.

The beginning of each month, I shall select another facet of life to build upon these beginning January steps and when I look back at the end of December, I will see many ways that I have grown and improved.   What will you choose to improve in your life for today and your future?

Feeling the holiday crunch?  I think we all are.  It doesn’t seem to matter whether you get really involved in holiday celebrations or not, either.  Just making a trip to the grocery store takes more time because of the crowds.  Often, with so many people feeling harried and hurried, we can pick up on the energy and it creates the feeling of  agitation in us also.

How do we stop this type of insanity and stay on an even keel?  Here are few tips:

Don’t carry your “to do list” in your head.  When we have a lot of things on our mind and add in the things to do, we typically run the tape over and over of all that must be done.  This repetitious thinking will make it seem as if our we have a lot more to do than we really do.  Getting the items out of our head and onto paper relieves this and allows for an analytical process to begin.

After listing out all those things from your head, look over your items and mark each one with a “N” for Need to do and a “W” for Want to do.  Be honest here.  You’ll find that, as the proverb says, “your wants are many and your needs are few.”  Take care of those must do items and then you can decide which ‘wants’ you will focus on.

Schedule in down time.  Seriously.  A lot of stress comes from the constant motion of doing.  I know that you are thinking: “I don’t have time to stop and do nothing!”  TAKE the time.  Just sitting quietly for 5-minutes will do wonders to clear your mind and calm you.  This is not time to review your list or make a new one.  This is time to just be.  If you have trouble quieting your mind, then concentrate on gratitude.  Start thinking of a spiral.  Begin with the first thing that comes to mind that you can be grateful for as the center of this spiral.  With each progressive impression of gratitude, work along the coiled spiral in an upward and outward pattern.  You’ll find yourself relaxing into this process more and more as you spend time with it.

The real benefits from these two tips come afterward.  When you are relaxed, you are more energetic, creative, and productive.  All these lead to better decision making and eventually, more profit and joy in you business and your personal life.

The only person in your life who holds the keys to living a life that’s fulfilling and joyful is you.  If you stay running in the wheel and never get off to see where you are and what you have, things will always seem to be overwhelming.  Slow down and  you’ll find that you will go further and faster than you thought.  It’s kind of backwards sounding, but try it, you’ll see it works!

First, it really depends on a lot of various factors.  I always encourage someone interested in entrepreneurship to take some time to honestly analyze their reasons for wanting change and get really clear about what they want to receive and accomplish.  What’s this got to do with opening a business?  Everything.  Entrepreneurship is an entirely different way of working and requires a lot more skills and wherewithal to start and keep going.  If someone is looking to open their own business because they are bored with the job they presently hold, then this is pretty much a recipe for failure.

One of the best pieces of advice I ever received, before starting up my business, was to spend some time working in that business.  If you want to open a store, work in a store.  If you want to open an online business, shadow someone who already does this.  Really learn what kind of life you will lead, what the pitfalls are and, of course, what are the true rewards.

Once you have decided that opening your own business is indeed the right thing for you to do then the next steps to determining whether this is the time to do it, is to look at what type of business you intend to start, what resources and backing you have to help you, and who your target market is.

What is the business you intend to create?  The answer to this question will make a big difference as to whether you are able to start right away or not.  The reason is tied closely into the second part of your needs and that is:  what resources to you have to put into this start-up?  Every business start-up costs something.  There are costs involved in forming your actual business entity and, if you are planning on opening a brick-and-mortar type business, or one that requires building or office space, then obviously the startup costs are greater.

Even a home-based internet business will require you to lay out some cash before you begin to make money, and so, it’s important to take into consideration how will be able to fund these initial costs.

The third major piece of the entrepreneurial pie that must be considered is: who will your customers be?  Your “target market” is the folks or businesses that you will focus your marketing energies on in order to turn them into paying customers.  Don’t take this step lightly.  No business can be all things to all people.  By selecting a specific demographic of people to whom you will market, you will be able to speak their language, know where to reach them and hone

your products or services to meet their needs.  This determination will make growing your business a lot easier.

What about the economy?  Does it make sense to start up in a recession?  While I cannot consult a crystal ball on this one, I can tell you that many very successful business have launched or expanded during recessions.  Some examples are Intuit, Whole Foods, Costco and Applebee’s.  Wal-Mart plans it’s expansions during economic downturns.  Why?  Because these are times of change and there are advantages during disruption.  Here are a few:

• Less competition.  It’s likely that other businesses have faced tough times and some may have closed their doors or tightened their belts.  This opens up markets for new business.
• Consumers seek less expensive alternatives.  During good times, consumers often stick with companies that they know and are comfortable with, but now, they look for alternatives to save on the products or services they need.
• Big companies cut back.  The services that customers have enjoyed receiving from the bigger companies are often slashed and this could be where your smaller company is more appealing, giving back the customers need for courteous attention.
• Innovation is needed.  Because the usual solutions customers look for are often no longer available, they’ll be in a receptive state of mind for something new and less expensive.  Now is the time to create a new mouse trap.

There are always risks involved in a business start-up during any time and it isn’t for the faint of heart.  Taking your talents and adding to them the necessary skills of business know how are the right tools to clear your path to a successful business, both now and in years to come.

First, for those who are unsure, an EIN is an Employer Identification Number or Federal Tax Number which may be obtained from the IRS.

This is an identifying number which is individual to your business.  Whether you need to obtain one depends on a few things, but probably the best way to answer this question is to refer people to the IRS website, which gives a simple test of six questions.

1. Do you have employees?
2. Do you operate your business as a corporation or partnership?
3. Do you file any of these tax returns:  Employment, Excise, or Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms?
4. Do you have a Keogh plan?
5. Are you involved with any of the following types of organizations?

• Trusts, except certain grantor-owned revocable trusts, IRAs, Exempt Organization Business Income Tax Returns
• Estates
• Real estate mortgage investment conduits
• Non-profit organizations
• Farmers’ cooperatives
• Plan administrators

There is no cost to obtain an EIN and it will be necessary to have one in order to open a business checking account.  You will also want to be sure to keep your expenses for your business separate from your personal expenditures.

I hope this helps to clarify another of the important pieces which are necessary to start your business and keep it growing.

Suppose you are traveling by car.  It’s late, you’ve been on the road for a long time and you drank too much coffee while waiting for the next exit, which didn’t come for another half hour.  As you walk inside the rest stop you spot a worker and ask one of the following questions:

1. Hey, does this place even bother to put restrooms in here?
2. Um, restroom?
3. Do you know where the restroom is?
4. Excuse me, where is the nearest restroom?

What do you think could be the outcome from each of these questions?  While all four questions might provide the desired information, one question is clearly better than the others.  One question will obtain the information without opportunity for smart-alec responses or confusion.

Do you sometimes find that you are feeling frustrated and not getting answers that make sense or are of real use to you? The key in better communication or exchange of information, is that you will get better information if you ask a better question.  Like begets like.  So if you are asking questions like the first three above, you will probably get poor answers to match your question.

How can communication be improved through better questions?  The first key is to think about whether a closed, or open ended question is best.  Are you looking for a question  that will open the doors for more conversation, or trying to extract specific information.  For instance, if you ask someone “did you enjoy the movie last night?”  this would likely extract a one word answer.  Whereas if the question were: “what did you enjoy about the movie last night?”  the response would need to be longer and begin a more rounded conversation.

Communication is a two way street, it involves both giving and receiving information. In business, it is important to ask questions that will provide the needed information for you to perform better customer service.  However,  it is also important to understand what you must give back during the exchange, also.  This is where good listening  skills must be applied.  By truly listening to the needs of your client or customer, you are able to develop a response that will address their concerns and let them know that you are hearing what they are saying and will work to improve or correct what is needed.

Start asking powerful questions and mindfully listening to your customers responses.  You’ll find your business growing and word of mouth spreading about your great customer service!