Striving for perfection can keep you from enjoying life, undermine your relationships, severely drain your energy and your self-esteem. For many it's a habit, started early in childhood, and can be difficult to change, but a little bit of effort can go a long way toward changing the pattern of perfectionism.

Here are 8 strategies for stopping the quest for perfection:

1. Weigh the cons and costs. List all of the ways in which your perfectionism is hurting you, your family and friends. This exercise will help motivate you to make a change.

2. Take note. Try to document your perfectionist, negative thoughts throughout the day. If this is impractical, then at the end of the day think back on your day, remember any feelings of failure or inadequacy, and write down your thoughts at the time. That way, you'll become more aware of these detrimental thoughts when they resurface.

3. Think positive. Mitigate your tendency to focus on the negative by making a conscious effort to notice all that is good about your own and others' efforts. If you notice something negative about yourself or your work, find five or so positive qualities to counterbalance those thoughts.

4. Change your inner voice. Silence (or at least muffle) that negative self-talk by taking some concrete steps to change your focus. For example:

* Keep a journal of your thoughts and examine them later
* Stop negative thoughts in their tracks by literally saying "stop" in your head when such a thought arises
* Keep a rubber-band around your wrist and snap it when negative self-talk starts
* Replace negative statements with milder, neutral or positive statements
* Change negative statements to questions - for example, "I can't do this!" could become "How can I do this?"

5. Take baby steps. Instead of setting unreasonable goals as perfectionists tend to do, reduce your big goals into smaller, bite-sized objectives, and reward yourself when you meet them. This will help you forgive your mistakes more easily, helps you to enjoy the process, and actually increases the likelihood that you'll achieve your big goal.

6. Stop and smell the roses. Focus less on results and more on the process of reaching your goals. Some ways to do this might include joining a group working toward the same goal or keeping a journal of your feelings and what you learn along the way. Even if you don't meet your goal, you can look back and see what you have gained in just working toward a goal.

7. Take criticism constructively. Instead of perceiving criticism as an attack and reacting defensively, receive it as a helpful suggestion for improving your performance. Then your less-than-perfect performances can become stepping stones toward achieving excellence.

8. Look at the big picture. Concentrate less on the little imperfections and more on what matters. For example, giving a birthday party for a friend matters much more than the fact that your dishes didn't match your tablecloth.

So give yourself a break, embrace your gifts and talents, and correct those little lies that run through your head. A concerted - but not necessarily perfect! - effort to change your perfectionist habits will go a long way toward achieving your ultimate goal: a happier you.

I'm often asked, "What could an intern do for me and my business?", by the entrepreneurs I meet at networking events and speaking engagements I attend. For many of them, the term "internship" brings to mind images of a young college student making copies, digging through filing cabinets, and sending faxes. While this is may be the stereotype, there are many more things an intern can do to help you reach your marketing goals and further their own learning and skill building.

If you have a business, whether it's full time or part time, run out of your home or an external office, an intern can be a great asset to support your marketing efforts. There are lots of things you can hire an intern to do that will help you out and provide a learning experience for her at the same time.

Here are seven projects that are great for interns:

1. Managing your database - Every business owner should have a place to keep contact information of the prospects, partners, leads, and vendors they know. Imagine going to a networking event, trade show, or speaking engagement and having someone else to do the data entry of that information into your system. They can also:

* Add contacts to a follow-up or drip marketing sequence
* Schedule time on your calendar to make a follow-up phone call
* Complete regular 'maintenance' on your system by removing old email addresses and add missing fields like zip codes
* Call your contacts to get mailing addresses for thank you notes
* Run reports to check on email open rates and bounces

2. Social networking - Interns know how to use social networking tools like Facebook, LinkedIN and Twitter. They can save you a great deal of time by posting and scheduling your status updates, adding or finding new friends, accepting or declining group and event invitations, creating events and inviting guests, uploading photos, keeping your profile up to date, or messaging new friends to encourage them to join your Facebook fan page or email list.

3. Finding reciprocal linking partners - Inbound links are a valuable commodity, and reciprocal linking can get you those links at no cost. But it does take some time to find webmasters of relevant sites who will link to you. Why not get your intern to do it?

4. Managing emails - If reading and answering email from networking partners, prospects, and clients takes you a good deal of time to manage, let your intern help. He can screen the emails that come into your inbox, decide whether it needs action or just to be read, answer the ones you tell them to using a template you write, bring the ones he can't answer to your immediate attention and archive the rest.

5. Running email campaigns - From the nuts and bolts of setting up autoresponders to tracking results, there is much to be learned from an email campaign. Letting your intern work on one will benefit both of you.

6. Setting up shopping carts - A shopping cart is a key component of any Internet marketing site. Allowing your intern to set up shopping carts on new sites will free up your time.

7. Promotion of special events - When you are planning a special event, teleclass, or program launch, it's always nice to have an extra hand. Your intern could handle the promotion aspect of it, freeing you up to do the planning.

If you find you are spending time working "in" your business more than working "on" your business and any of the above tasks keep you from doing the important activities only you can do, hiring an intern is a great way to get help managing the administrative functions of your operation while helping a student get valuable experience at the same time. And that's what I call a win-win.

GPS for Success!

Goals & Proven Strategies from the Industry’s Leading Experts

SEVIERVILLE, TENNESSEE— Deanna Maio, keynote speaker, business coach, and author, has been selected from a nationwide search to be featured in GPS for Success; a highly successful book series from Tennessee based Insight Publishing. The book features best-selling authors Stephen R. Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), Dr. John Gray (Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus), and Les Brown (The Power of Purpose). Deanna Maio, Covey, Gray, and Brown, are joined by other well known authors and speakers, each offering time-tested strategies for success in frank and intimate interviews.

Deanna Maio is the Founder of SavvyGals Coaching & Consulting, LLC in Portland, Oregon. Her specialty is teaching women business owners how to stop wasting time, start making more money, and live the life they deserve and desire.

Known professionally as The SavvyGals Coach, Deanna started coaching in 2005 to help business owners people get the information, systems, support, and accountability they needed to deal with the sometimes overwhelming prospect of growing and running their business while still having a fulfilling personal life.

Prior to starting her own business, Deanna spent over 10 years as a manager, instructional designer and workshop facilitator. An unconditionally supportive coach and sought-after speaker and facilitator, Deanna is known for her passion and dedication to helping her clients create better results faster and easier than ever before. You can learn more about Deanna and her programs, coaching, and do-it-yourself products at her website, http://www.savvygals.com/

For more information on Deanna Maio and to order your copy of GPS for Success, contact:

Deanna Maio
503-922-2688 or email hidden; JavaScript is required

Lesson #1: Life is short. Have fun!

While this lesson may seem cliche, it became so clear for me just after the first few moments of being with my eager young students. Laughing, giggling, joking is innate in kids and isn't something they need to plan for, schedule in, or "make time for." Imagine how challenges, obstacles, or decisions would be easier to manage and handle if we just injected a little bit more fun into our businesses. Here are some ideas on how to have more fun at work, whether you work alone, with others, at home, or in an office.

• Write a joke on a post-it and tell it to those who call you or you call during the day
• Before making a difficult call or one you've been putting off, start laughing for no reason for at least 10 seconds, no matter how forced it may feel, then stop and dial
• Dress up one day in a silly outfit. Be a clown, pirate, hobo, or punk rocker. Look at yourself in the mirror often and remember what it felt like to be a kid
• Color in a coloring book, finger paint, make music on a kazoo, or do a dance when you are feeling stressed. You'll release creativity and energy will flow in a more positive direction

Lesson #2: Practice Makes Progress

Each day at camp, each band (there were four) not only practiced their instruments but, also got together for band rehearsal. In 5 days each band will play 3 new songs, and sing on 2 new ones too. Plus, they'll write one collectively as a group. Whether it's playing music, having sales conversations, or introducing yourself at a networking event, practice is KEY to having a great performance. Repetition is the mother of all learning. The more we do anything, if we practice noticing what worked and what didn't, we will improve.

• Read your 10 second introduction or elevator speech out loud every day in front of the mirror
• Call a friend and ask them to practice being a prospect. Walk through your qualifying questions or "free consultation" process with them
• Get dressed in your networking clothes and go to a new networking event. Set a goal to meet 3 new people and try to connect them with one person within your network that would be a good referral partner for them
• Meet with a colleague to practice overcoming sales objections that you might hear from a prospect. Be realistic and offer each other feedback after each role play.

Lesson #3: Classics Never Go Out of Style

This week the bands are playing some of my favorite rock and roll tunes: Twist and Shout, Joy to the World (Three Dog Night, not the carol,) Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, and Hey Jude. These songs are expertly written and well loved by hundreds of thousands of music lovers. They were chosen for the show because they are songs that would be entertaining and enjoyed by the audience and the bands playing and singing them. How does this apply to your business? 2 things, actually. Give your audience what they want. Here are some thoughts how...

• Ask your favorite clients what they'd like to see from you in terms of new products or services. Survey them as a group, call and ask them three short questions to get their feedback, find trends in their answers, create what they want or find someone to offer it to them
• Don't waste time creating a new product, service, or package and then marketing it if you aren't absolutely sure your target market wants it. (It doesn't count if you think they need it, if they haven't told you they want it too.)
• Remind your target market, current clients, and your past clients of all the services you provide. Send them a note every once in awhile to remind them and make an offer to work with you again. Don't let repeat business fall through the cracks because you've become invisible to them.
• Review the services you provide and find new ways to offer them. Usually work in person, consider working by phone to reach more people. Usually work one on one, consider doing a group program or a one day workshop. See ways to offer the same or similar results and leverage your time by using a different delivery model and you could start reaping the rewards of working smarter in no time.

With these three rock camp lessons, you'll start to feel a new creativity, flow, and rhythm in your business and move closer to being the business rock star you were born to be.

The following are some qualities to look for in your interns:

1. Enthusiasm - Interns who are enthusiastic about working with your company are more likely to produce good results than those who are just trying to fulfill their college requirements, or gain experience any way they can. Including questions in your interview that pertain to why the candidate wants an internship with your company is a good way to reveal her level of enthusiasm.

2. Willingness to learn - An intern who already thinks he knows it all probably won't be much of an asset to your business. Although he should have some training that relates to the position, he must be willing to learn the skills he needs to complete his project successfully.

3. Commitment - This one is important for obvious reasons. Hiring an intern, only to have her leave with the job half done, can put a major strain on your business. You need someone who is committed to seeing her internship through.

4. Good communication skills - Interns need to be able to communicate well with others in order to facilitate teamwork. They too should be able to effectively let you know when they run into problems. You can get a good feel for a candidate's communication skills through open-ended interview questions.

5. Receptiveness to constructive criticism - An intern will not get everything right on the first try, nor should you expect him to. But he should be able to take constructive criticism, and use it to improve his performance.

6. Trustworthiness - This is a very important one, especially if the intern will be dealing with sensitive information or company assets. For these types of positions, it might be worthwhile to utilize personality tests that can reveal potential problems.

7. Ability to prioritize - Whether your intern is working on a specific project or just helping out around the office, prioritizing tasks is important. You can provide some structure, but it's ultimately up to the intern herself to use her time wisely.

8. Problem solving skills - While it's important to be there when your interns need you, there's just not enough time in the day to solve every little problem for them. They should be able to handle minor problems on their own with little guidance once they've been taught the proper procedures.

9. Adaptability - Your intern may or may not be doing exactly what he had hoped to do in an internship, but he should be able to adapt to a variety of tasks. The idea is to gain work experience and skills, not to set himself in one certain position for life. Having an intern who is open to doing various things in your business will make the internship more pleasant and successful for all involved.

10. An appropriate energy level - High-energy candidates are often the most attractive for business owners seeking interns, but they're not always the best choice. High energy works for intense positions, but if your internship opportunity consists of answering phones or making copies all day, high-energy types may become bored quickly. So it's very important to find a candidate that has the right type of energy for the job you need done.

Choosing the right intern varies based on the type of business you own. Knowing these 10 qualities that an intern should have, will help you successfully choose the proper intern for your team.

Deanna Maio, Business Trainer & Coach, teaches business owners simple, powerful processes to stop wasting time and start making more money, and create a business that acts as a vehicle for living the life they desire and deserve. For FREE tips on how to increase your income and use your valuable time more wisely, visit http://www.savvygals.com/

1. Hire someone to balance out your weaknesses. Know and appreciate what these non-strengths are and put a plan in place to hire an employee, contractor, or academic intern to manage these things for you.

2. Whenever you feel a negative thought coming, STOP, THINK, and say is this really important in the grand scheme of things. A lot of the time it isn’t. Many people in life major in minor things!

3. Do you let the words of others affect you? Do you mind what they think of you? Remember that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It’s not what they say to you that’s the problem it’s what you say to yourself after they have stopped talking that’s the problem. Change the way you think.

4. List the words that you use on a consistent basis when you feel let down or annoyed. People use different words to mean the same thing and depending upon the intensity of the word – this will have an effect on your confidence. Instead of saying “I’m enraged about this” say, “I’m a little annoyed”. Make a substitute list for the words that you use. Make sure they are lower in intensity and then use them. You’ll be surprised with the results.

5. At the end of each day list your achievements and successes throughout that day.

6. Be appreciative of what you have to be thankful for in your life right now. Who do you love? Who loves you? Who do you help out?

7. Every morning when you’re in the shower, play over in your head the events in the day as though they have already happened and they were a success. Visualize all of the meetings that you had, the people you talked to, the outcomes you had. Visualize success and confidence and it will be so.

8. Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a massive impact on your confidence levels. Move your body assertively and walk with your head up, shoulders back and as though you’ve got somewhere very important to go. Feeling low in confidence? Change you body language

9. Emotion is created by motion. Make sure you move around consistently. This creates energy and gets the blood pumping around you body – it makes you feel better and more confident.

10. Learn to brag about yourself. Yes, you heard me! Talk about your achievements and successes more than you currently are. It gets easier with practice and can bring you very positive attention with prospects and clients.

And finally – You only live once, so any time that you are down just ask yourself in 10 or 20 years time – will what I am worrying about really matter?

Your assignment: Pick on strategy to try this week. Start each day with the intention of using that strategy and keep a journal of your observations, feelings, and thoughts.

You see, I believe it's a lack of action or support during the implementation process that gets us in trouble. We're trying to get so much done that often we don't get started on the important projects and improvements in our businesses that can make the really big differences:

***More Sales
***Better Relationships
***More Referrals
***Streamlined Processes
***Faster Results

Some people are born doers. Some people are born thinkers. Some think about doing and never get anything done. There are many ways to become a person of action and what works for someone else may not work for you.

Action people are usually people who are organized and seem to know exactly how to proceed from one project to another seamlessly and without effort. Others flounder in a world of disorganization, haplessly moving one piece of paper to another location without knowing why. At the end of the day, the doers typically have more energy than at the beginning as they feed on taking action.

The flounders at the end of the day are still floundering and can’t understand why nothing has been accomplished and they feel exhausted. They step back to assess their day’s accomplishments and deceive themselves into believing progress is being made, when in realty little or nothing has been done.

For these people, organization is an essential key. Whether it’s for your home or business, make a to-do list and prioritize it. Tips for a successful list include:

***Put only the most important tasks on the list
***Each time you complete a goal or project scratch it off
***Feel the satisfaction.
***Don’t mark tasks off until their done.

When everything on the list is finished, reward yourself. Even if you don’t quite complete the list in one day, go ahead and celebrate your victories. This gives you something to look forward to and gives you incentive to accomplish more. Again, be honest with yourself and only accept reward when deserved.

Another plan of action states that you can waste too much time making lists and you should visualize your task at hand until you have the energy to do it. They suggest you sit quietly, clear your mind of all other things and concentrate on your task or goal at hand. See yourself doing the project in vivid detail. Whatever the job entails imagine yourself doing each and every step.

Change the way your think and you will change the way you act and how many results you create.

Hiring an intern is a great way to get extra help for your business but in order for an internship to be successful, you must choose your intern carefully. Understanding the concepts of choosing a member for your support team will greatly benefit you. The following 5 savvy strategies will guide you in your decision.

Treat the process of hiring an intern just like hiring an actual employee.

Request a resume, cover letter, or both. Do an interview, and give the same tests/questions to your potential intern as you would any other applicant for a similar position. Also, treat the intern as you would an employee. Having a solid relationship is key to success. This will give you valuable insight into the intern's capabilities and work habits.

Keep in mind that interns rarely have a great deal of work experience.

It is important not to expect too much right away. Do though, encourage your Intern to ask questions while also encouraging them to find the answer themselves. The usual purpose of an internship is to gain work experience and credits for college. So if you're looking for years of experience in the field, an internship is not going to be the right solution for you.

On the other hand, there are some forms of experience outside the workplace that you could consider. Some potential interns may have volunteer experience that is relevant to your business. And most have done extensive coursework in their fields, giving them knowledge they can apply when working for you.

Look for enthusiastic candidates.

Someone who is excited about the position will try harder than someone who is just in it because she needs an internship to get her degree. And when most candidates are lacking concrete experience, trying hard and wanting the experience is very important.

Think about which candidate can benefit the most

An internship is a two-way street and should be a mutually beneficial experience. You get work done at little or no cost, and the intern gains valuable experience. But if the experience is irrelevant to the intern's goals, she will be less likely to do her best and have a truly valuable experience.  Make sure that your intern is a good fit for the position and that she will leave with new knowledge in her chosen field as well as experience. This will ensure that the internship is a success.

Make sure your intern has realistic expectations regarding the position.

She shouldn't expect this to be an ongoing job, even if you plan on considering an intern for full-time employment. If she gets a paying job out of the deal, that's great, but she should be prepared to look for work once the internship is over.

Just like paid employees, a new member of your support team can be very valuable to your business. Taking the time to choose the right one for the job can pay big dividends. By keeping your expectations realistic, communicating them thoroughly, and looking for some key traits, you can find an intern that is perfect for your purpose and is a good fit for your team.

As a small business owner, finding good help can be a challenge. Qualified candidates are more likely to be attracted to large companies than small businesses because of their high profile and better pay.

If you are very small or just getting started, you probably can't afford to hire someone even part-time but, having office help would free you from the busywork and tasks that get in the way of the stuff that needs to get done to bring in the revenue.

One way that you can get good help is by creating your own free powerful support team by capitalizing on the power of academic internships.

Who Are They?

Most interns are college students (though there are some high school students looking for internships) who need more school credits for graduation, or simply want to get work experience. But some are past students or displaced workers who would like to either build skills and experience or try to break into a new field. Both of these groups can be a key asset to your business. And they are often open to working for little or no pay, so they are less costly than bringing on a regular employee.

Interns Can Help With Everyday Tasks

Most interns have little or no actual experience in their field, so they're best suited to small tasks initially. But, don't relegate them to the role of gopher. They'll just need to work their way up to the more complicated tasks.

Interns can start out doing the busywork and paperwork you dislike Or maybe it's the administrative and clerical work you may put off or ignore. Once they've mastered that, they can grow into tasks that are more complicated. The timing will depend on the intern's skill level and your needs.

Here’s just a short list of what my interns do for me:

***They manage my email and answer my phones
***Keep my calendar organized and confirm my appointments
***Update my website and manage my social networking
***Help me publish my ezine and post articles to my blog
***Keep my database and email list updated and growing
***Develop processes for running my business smarter

Oh, yeah, and did I mention they do it for free? They need and want experience, skill building, and knowledge for the next stage of their career. I get help. They get another resume entry, everyone wins!

Interns Can Help With Short-Term Projects

If you have a short-term project that you need extra help on, or if your company gets seasonal boosts of business, having interns is a super way to acquire the support you need at a low or no cost. They are often willing to put in extra effort to get a good reference or letter of recommendation from you. And because you don't have an employment agreement, they can stay on with you only as long as you need them.

Here are some projects an intern could help with:

***Preparing receipts and records for tax time
***Organizing a file cabinet or creating filing system
***Scanning important documents or photos
***Direct mail campaigns
***Moving or organizing your office

Interns are great for businesses, and small businesses, including solo-business owners, can benefit from hiring them. Whether you need a temporary extra hand around the office or someone to help with a small project, hiring an intern could be just the solution you're looking for. It's a cost-effective way to help others in your community get much-needed career experience and you get the help you need to stay focused on what's most important in your business.

But if you want to use social networking sites to propel your business to the next level, your best bet is a lesser known site called LinkedIn. It’s a social networking site that is designed just for business-minded individuals like you who don’t want to be bothered with all the useless frills and apps that come with other networking sites.

Taking Care of Business Not only is LinkedIn preferable for business users because you don’t have to worry about all the junk, but you also don’t have to worry about all the people that are not relevant to your business. It may be a smaller site, but when it comes to your business contacts and clients, quality is far more important than quantity. Plus, if people are talking to you through LinkedIn, they’re more likely to think you’re a quality contact too.

If you’re starting a viral marketing campaign, LinkedIn can be just the ticket you need to get things going. The best viral products work on already existing networks. LinkedIn is a great network to start your campaign on, especially if your products serve people in business rather than the general public.

Search Engine Happiness LinkedIn can help get you noticed on search engines. These pages actually get pretty high SEO rankings, so taking advantage of that can put you at the top of search engines. When you sign up on LinkedIn, use a name based on your own name, or even keywords that pertain to your business. That way, if someone searches that term, your page will come up.

Find Customers If your clients are regular everyday people, then you might not have huge success using LinkedIn to find customers. But if you cater to people who are in business themselves, then this network is a great place to find new customers. Just check your contact’s networks for people that might be interested in your services and send them a message or a contact request. Just try not to compete with the contacts you’re finding them through; that’s likely to lose you more clients than you make.

Manage Customer Relationships In today’s market, customer service is key, particularly if you do business online. If you don’t provide people with the kind of relationship they want, they can find ten other people who are willing to. LinkedIn is a great way to communicate with your customers and help keep them happy. If they’re happy, you’ll not only keep their business, but they may just recommend it to their friends and business associates.

Promoting Your Business When using social networks to promote your business, it helps to only use one or two instead of spreading yourself too thin. If you only pick one, LinkedIn is a great choice.