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One of my coaches gave the term “mind junk” to that negative, very active voice in your head. It’s chattering away constantly telling you why you can’t reach your goal, live your dreams or even something as simple as writing an article!

I watch people let this mind junk waste tremendous amounts of their energy. Instead, I’d like to invite you to accept that this voice will always be with you AND you can relax and accept it rather than wasting energy trying to change it. You can wallow around in your mind junk or you can shift your attention from it to your goals.

Let’s identify what your mind junk looks like so you can quickly figure out when it’s happening and you can stop paying attention to it. One other interesting thing…the way you handle mind junk in one area of life -say money -you’ll find that the same mind junk runs your relationships, your creativity, your physical vitality, your time and how much you enjoy life. Here are some ways mind junk shows up:

Keeping it vague. I’ll create that blog soon. Right now I don’t have the time. Falling into the either/or trap. Either I can write a book or I can keep making money in my job -I don’t have the energy for both. Comparing yourself to others. Why does it seem that no one struggles with public speaking as much as I do? Making excuses. I was late in meeting my deadline because I had too many interruptions.

Monkey mind has a lot of tenacity. It loves to keep us in the same behaviors even when it’s not working for us. Here’s what you might find yourself saying: It will work if I just try harder, I don’t have time to do it another way. This is just how I am and there’s nothing I can do about it.

So what to do with this craziness? Know that you are not your mind junk. You have amazing ability to observe it. It is only one part of your mind and who you really are is much more magnificent than any curve ball your mind junk throws at you. When you become aware of it and see how it works, you minimize the odds of getting off track as you move towards your goals.

Here’s an action for you. Over the next 2 days, write down at least 3 times your mind junk was shouting load and clear. Did you say it aloud -like “I can’t afford that and never will” or was it an internal dialogue? Note what kind of form it took -was it being vague, comparing yourself to others or some other form?

See if you can catch the mind junk and not get into a full blown attack of it. Observing your mind junk, you may be amazed to discover that 90% or more of the thoughts that your mind junk pops into your head are irrelevant to anything that’s of real value to you!

Would love to hear any tips you have for living in peace with your mind junk. Post yours here.

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What are you convinced of? What do you hold as true for you right now? Are you convinced that work is hard? Are you convinced that you’ll never be able to work from home? Are you convinced that, on some level, it’s wrong to be prosperous? Or are you convinced that you are always at choice and the past has no precedence…you can start right where you are. How unalterably convinced are you? This is your faith.

Think about this. When you think about one of your convictions, does it make you smile inside or shrive? Do you feel bolder, stronger, or do feel small, diminished.

I’m living proof that what you are convinced of is often a lie. I was convinced for a long time that work had to be hard -look at my parents’ life! That was powerful proof to me. I was convinced for years that I was “not smart enough” to be successful in creating my own work in the world…I should of looked around a bit -there are plenty of “not so smart” people who make plenty of money in their own business! Here are three ways to alter those big convictions you have that are keeping you from waking up to your unique gifts, to honoring the human treasure that you truly are and to living a prosperous life, in which you are experiencing peace, health and plenty in your world.

1. Ask yourself if your conviction is really true. Is it true for everyone? Do you know someone who doesn’t hold this conviction and is thriving in an area of life that you are not? If one person can do it, you can too! Play with the idea of “what if this weren’t true about me?”

2. Allow yourself to move forward even if you can’t see the entire “how”. Your inner compass lets you know when you’re on the right track. You’re scared AND excited at the same time. You feel good. What you’re working on will be a positive thing for others. Martin Luther King said “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” So do some planning. Planning leads to action. Action gets you “into the game”. And once you’re in the game, all kinds of unexpected things happen that absolutely couldn’t have happened if you hadn’t jumped in! And then, you might find yourself facing…

3. Doing the thing you think you cannot do. Eleanor Roosevelt said, “you must do the thing you think you cannot do.” If you’re afraid of a certain action that is moving you towards your dream, do it anyway. This will bust through your limiting convictions, maybe causing your family and friends to think you’re nuts, and you might even be rocked by the fact that you are shaking your very identify (albeit limited!) to the core. That’s ok. Do it anyway!

4. Get unstuck. Katie Byron has a masterful technique for getting past your yeah buts. It feels weird at first, but it’s powerful.

First, say what it is you want to do and your “but”. I want to travel to (put your favorite location here), but I can’t afford to.

Now say it as if you are choosing. “I’m choosing not to take a trip to paradise because of the belief that I have to spend a lot of money on this trip. The trip isn’t the problem, my perception that I can’t afford it is.”

Finally, “my true self can find a way to take the trip without going into debt because it knows that not having a lot of money isn’t the problem -my belief about not having enough money is.”

It’s also powerful to take your desire and your obstacle to some supportive people. Tell them what you’ve done up till now, what you want next and what obstacle is in the way. You’ll be amazed at the creative options you haven’t thought of. But look at your convictions first and get clear that they are alterable, otherwise, you’ll drive your friends crazy with yeah buts at every turn!

Would love to hear about a conviction you have that is not supporting you and you are ready to give up. Post  yours here.  It’s a powerful to put your commitment out to the world.

I want to give you a tip that will make it much easier to reach your goals.

At some point, in going after your goal, you are going to be stopped by a lack of information.

Now I honestly don’t like doing a lot of research.  But here are some of the techniques I enjoy using to get information when I’m stuck:

1. Tell people what your wish is and the obstacle you face.  You won’t believe how quickly people (even strangers!) will jump right into problem-solving mode and you’ll be given information or contacts who can give you the solution…try it…really…you’ll be amazed!

2. Go to the library (online).

I love libraries. When I was six years old, a friend took me on my first trip to a library. I was astounded and absolutely delighted to learn that I could take 5 books home and it was free!

Today, I can access mountains of popular magazines, scholarly journals, and databases on everything from history to science to health right from my computer.  All you need is a library card number.  Go to your local public libraries website and find their online databases. You will find information here that will get you unstuck. The only downside (if you want to call it that!) to this method is that you can spend hours happily sifting for gold in this treasure trove!

3. Got to conferences, association meetings and trade shows.

There’s nothing like hanging out with a bunch of people who share your interest.  The Encyclopedia of Associations lists every group and association that meets regularly in the U.S. and even worldwide. 

So, what’s a goal you’d love to achieve? Are you stopped by lack of information?  Try one of my favorite techniques this week and find out how great it is to get just the information you need to keep moving forward.

Drop a line on my blog and let me know how it goes!

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When I first heard of blogging, I said to myself –that looks silly and time consuming and how the heck could it help my business?  And I buried my head in the sand for a couple of years.  And then, one of my coaches started nudging me and showed me some practical reasons to blog.  And now I’m hooked.  Today I ‘m going to share with you the top reasons to blog and how to get started.

1.  Internet interaction is here in a big way and is here to stay.  With the advent of social media (linked in, facebook, twitter) and smart phones, people now expect to be able to interact with you online.  Your website is a one way street.  You give out content. Your readers receive it.  With a blog, people can comment on what you post and a dialogue occurs.

This is great because it builds relationships AND it’s great for driving traffic.  Search engines and blog directories are notified of your updates and they love that!

2.  Google Loves New Content.   In the past, google would find your web pages and if they hadn’t been around for 9 months or so, it was considered too “new” to land high on the search engines list.  Now, fresh content is queen.  Google loves it.  I use “google alerts” to keep an eye on several keywords I’m tracking.  Don’t know what I’m talking about?  I’ll explain!

Go to google and type in “google alerts”.  You will be taken to a google tool that allows you to put in words you want to track that are being picked up on the internet.  For example, I track Ann Ronan, @anncoach (my twitter address), self employment, and Providence, RI (to get new content for my www.providencelover.com site and to see when that site is mentioned).

Each day, google sends me a list of websites and blogs that have used one of my articles, or mentioned my name or keywords.  Often when I post a blog, google picks up the content the very next day.  It’s not so quick at finding my website content. This is powerful for bringing readers to your website/blog.

3.  It’s Easy To Upload Content.   For years, I had to rely on others who were expert at html language (don’t ask!) to update my website content.  Now, I can easily type in what I’m thinking and click a button and it’s done!  I recommend using WordPress (it’s free and powerful). 

I also recommend having an integrated website/blog –don’t worry… I didn’t want to learn the technical aspects…and if you don’t either I have a resource for you.  Thomas Usborne (his dad is my coach on the website projects my husband and I am working on). 

He can be found at http://www.midnightdonkey.com/.  His email address is thomasusborne@gmail.com.  He gives a quick turnaround, a reasonable rate and a high quality product –if you like the looks of my www.authenticlifeinstitute.com site, thank Thomas! 

(I am not an affiliate with Thomas –I just want you to have the resource you need so you don’t put off getting your blog up!)

My current coaching clients are all in the process of becoming self employed. They’re excited (and so am I). And they’re thinking about how to creatively make money doing what they love. Are you considering becoming a “free agent”? If so, here are some questions to ask yourself:

What topics/subjects really interest me?
How could I be paid to inform people about this interest?
How could I be paid to provide people with a service related to this interest?
How could I be paid to perform this interest for other people?
How could I be paid to create products related to this interest?
How could I be paid to assist people who are focused on this interest?
How could I be paid to learn more about this interest?

You may find that you have several interests. And if that’s the case you may want to pursue more than one. Imagine if you could live 5 different lives and in each you get to go deeply into different interests. Here’s my list (you can have more or less than 5 if you like!): I’d be a writer, traveler/tour guide, teacher, sex therapist, and singer. How can you indulge in all your interests in one lifetime? You can pursue your interests sequentially –doing one a time for a period of time. You can do some of them simultaneously. You may work on them in alternate blocks of time -6 months a year on one, 6 months on another. And, sometimes you can combine interests. For example, I may choose to combine my love of travel with writing and be paid for travel articles.

I’ve noticed that my clients tend to focus on their “options” and that these options are limited by their previous experience. Instead, I invite you to ask “What is possible?” You may want to have this conversation with another person to help expand your “possibility” thinking. Please know that you absolutely can earn money by providing value –not time.

As you begin this exploration, fear will most likely creep in. The best antidote for that is to remind yourself that you can only live one day at a time. Don’t try to forecast too far out in the future. You can take a step today towards fulfilling work and that step may lead you to a very unexpected, exciting place that you could never have foreseen. Just keep taking steps and moving forward. AND, get support! As Barbara Sher says, “Dreams Die in Isolation.”

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Getting clients and customers is the #1 need I hear from my clients. If you don’t have your client attraction system in place, you have no business!

Strategy #1. What do you do?

You’ve got to have a short, great answer when someone asks you this question. Start by knowing who your ideal client is so you can identify them with your answer to “what do you do?” You have to know who you are talking to every single time you write an email to your list, or create an ad, or write website copy. Who are you talking to?

Create a composite person who possesses every great quality all your ideal customers have. Then, every time you write or speak or do other marketing activities, you are speaking to that ONE person. This is the most powerful client attraction magnet –so you must master it.

You can start with demographics like age range, income levels, geographical area where they live but then expand it to how they are thinking, what they are feeling, what do they want from you. Write it out. Say it aloud to your coach or trusted buddy. Change your marketing materials if needed to speak directly to this wonderful person who you can’t wait to serve. And watch the calls/emails come in!

Strategy #2. What Makes You Different?

Here are some of the ways I am different from many business coaches. I love my clients and am not afraid to tell them so. I value relationships and it shows -I have long term relationships with many, many clients –many have worked with me for nine years or more.

I have been in my client’s shoes and know what they’re feeling and know how to express that to them while giving them a vision of the possibilities of their future along with practical action steps to take in the present.

I have invested a ton of money and time into learning how to create a portable and prosperous lifestyle and share all that I have learned freely with others.

I bring a consciousness of spiritual principles to all I do –including business.

I am introverted and love working alone from home, AND have challenged myself to bust through perceived limitations and fears to bring my work into the world in a big way through speaking, creating information products and facilitating coaching groups…thus I serve as a role model for others with similar doubts and fears.

So give some thought to all your unique quirks. What makes YOU different? I’d love to know –leave a comment in the blog section so we can all see it!

Strategy #3. What is the Outcome Your Clients Get?

Big, big mistake I see in just about every new business owner (and I did it too!). They talk about the FEATURES of their service or product and not the BENEFIT to the client.

Example –my Success Circle –features include a monthly teleclass including laser coaching with me, audio recordings, weekly audio coaching minutes and a weekly online journal.

Some of the many benefits of the program are that participants take action more consistently and quickly resulting in increased clients and money in their business. They have support and are able to ask those questions that may feel “dumb” in a safe space.

What is the outcome your clients get? Get clear on these 3 things and you are far ahead of most business owners.

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Are public relations a big mystery to you?  Have you avoided creating your PR plan because you just don’t know where to start?  Well the good news is most PR is free and I’m going to show you how to begin. Here are 3 more success tips (see last issue for the first 3 tips) that you can implement RIGHT now to get the exposure you need to be seen as an expert and to become a “go to” person in your field.

Success Tip #1.  Hold a Contest

Everyone loves a contest.  They’re fun, generate client interest and they can get attention from the media.  You can send a press release announcing the contest, keep the media posted throughout and then let them know about the winner(s). 

You can create a contest around your business birthday, when you release a new product or service, or to celebrate holidays.  You can use local celebrities to serve as judges to boost visibility.  Don’t forget to get contact information and email addresses for everyone who enters the contest.  It’s a great way to add to your marketing list.

Success Tip #2.  Use Social Media

I use Linked In, Facebook and Twitter.  The key to success with these tools is to establish relationships with people online –don’t just sell to them-especially when you first meet. 

I have to admit, I resisted Twitter for a long time after I saw that many people would post the trivia of their life –I really didn’t care what time they got up or what they ate for breakfast.

I’m now a convert.  Using social media is a great way to build your list and get noticed (you could also announce your contests here!).  I have had people refer my work to their “friends” (that’s what you’re called when you join someone’s facebook page).  I am reaching people I never would have through these amazing networks. 

No, I don’t fritter away my time.  I spend an average of 15-20 minutes a day nurturing these networks.  AND I don’t have to get dressed and drive anywhere to meet all these nice folks!

Success Tip #3.  Write Press Releases

You can use press releases to announce the launch of your website or blog, to draw attention to a new service offering, your contests, industry groups you’re joining, and pro bono work.  Make press releases a part of your marketing calendar so you don’t forget to do this.   Type “how to write a press release” into Google and you’ll see plenty of samples and formatting tips.

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I can’t remember where I first heard about the 80/20 rule – Pareto’s Principle –a powerful success factor. I do remember that it sure got my attention. True to form, first I researched it to see if there was truly evidence for it. There was. Then I applied it to my business and my personal life. And I saw results. It’s now 2nd nature for me to ask myself routinely –does this activity fit into my 80/20 rule? Maybe you’ve heard of it but forgot all about it…or maybe you’ve never heard of it. Either way, here it is:

About 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. Joseph M. Juran, who studied quality improvement, suggested the principle and named it after Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. Juran found that in quality management, 20 percent of product defects caused 80 percent of product problems.

Turns out this success factor applies in all areas (maybe not always 80/20 but close enough!). Picture your clothes closet. If you’re like most of us, you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time. If you keep files, there’s a good chance you look at 20% of them 80% of the time.

In sales 20% of customers bring in 80% of sales. 80% of delays in schedule arise from 20% of the possible causes of the delays. 80% of customer complaints arise from 20% of your products or services.

Here are 3 tips for applying this rule to your success:

Tip #1:  For a few days, write down everything you do. Then pare down your list to the 20% of things that you see as most important. For example, if you find in the last 3 days, you’ve done 15 different things, which 3 things were most important to reaching your goals, or bringing in money, or serving your best clients? Now focus most of your daily time and energy on those things…when distractions start occurring…remember where to keep your attention…on YOUR success factors.

Tip #2:  Do you sell products? Even if you’re in a service business, I encourage you to have information products! Pay attention to how much of your profit comes from each item. Put your effort into the 20% that give you 80% of your sales. Sometimes it pays to bundle together and discount the others that aren’t bringing in 80% of sales.

Tip #3:  Most of the time, 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers- the ones who make the big purchases and are repeat-buyers. Make that 20% feel special. Give them advance notice of new services/products and offer them discounts. Give them exclusive services, available only to them. If you do business face to face –periodically host a breakfast or lunch for your best clients…don’t ask them for anything in return, just honor them.

For the next week pay close attention to what activities you’re doing. Ask yourself if they fit into your 80/20 success factor rule. This is one of the most powerful ways to moving away from working “hard” to make money to working “smart” to make money.

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The first book I fell in love with as a child was Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery…here’s a quote I could (and still do!) relate to: “There’s such a lot of different Anne’s in me. I sometimes think that is why I’m such a troublesome person. If I was just the one Anne it would be ever so much more comfortable, but then it wouldn’t be half so interesting.”

Working with people who want to start their own home based businesses is pure joy for me –it allows me to use my possibility thinking to the max.  Once you start seeing all kinds of opportunities to make money…you won’t be able to stop!  Start by thinking of possibilities for other people you know…before you know it…you’ll start creating multiple profit centers of your own.

Here’s a roundup of just a few home based business ideas to get you started:

1.  Writing.  I’ve made six figures in a year from writing for the last four years.  There are all kinds of ways to make money through writing: grant writing, technical writing, copywriting, resume writing, travel writing, website copywriting, and creating blogs that attract ads are just a few of the ways you can enjoy your writing skills while bringing in the bacon.

2.  Computer repair.  I’ve often wished I had someone reputable (a good sense of humor would be a bonus) I could call who would make home visits to repair my computer.  You can serve consumers or small businesses or both.

3.  Senior Services.  This industry is exploding.  You can provide all kinds of non-medical services.  You could specialize in one or create different service packages. Some ideas:  caregiver who keeps a person company while doing light housework and maybe cooking, provide transportation to appointments, shopping, yard work, or pet care/grooming/boarding.

4.   Virtual Assistant.  I’ve had the same VA, Pat, for several years.  She lives in Texas and I’m in Southern California…and we work together beautifully.  There are online schools that will provide training, certification and a listing on their websites.  Pat recommends AssistU where she got her training. 

5.  Website/Blog Designer.  This is another fast growing field.  Most people are overwhelmed at the thought of creating a website or blog…if you come in with a “Do It For You” service that keeps it simple for them, you’ll have more business than you can handle alone (not a bad problem to have!).  You might want to team up with a marketing coach who can help the client decide on the overall focus of the website and the copy that describes specific benefits about their products or services.  Or maybe you’re talented in copywriting and can do it all!

Keep on looking for those opportunities that are a great fit for YOU.  They’re endless.

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Every self employed person needs to learn how to write successful sales copy.  Sales copy is a different style of writing. Just as I had to drop the academic boring writing to the more conversational writing you’re reading now…I had to learn to spice up writing when I wanted to sell something. 
For each product/service you would like to deliver to your customers, you’ll need to write a sales letter – start out with about 1,000 words, as you get practice, you can make them longer.

Here are my four best tips to get you started:

1.  You gotta get their attention with the headline: 

Would you bother reading a page about this?  “5 Ideas for Home Based Businesses.”  Maybe.  How about this one?  “Why Home Based Businesses Are Raking In More Money Than Ever Before.”   Or, “Smart Tips When Eating In Airports” compared to “What Never to Eat Before Boarding a Plane.” 

Your headline must get your readers attention.  Then it can get them curious, introduce a compelling idea or make an offer.

You don’t want to “trick” the reader.  Be authentic.  But spice it up with power words.  Here are some to get you started:  “You owe yourself a _____.”  “Straight talk about _____”.  Here are some power words you can use anywhere in your copy:  energizes you, relieves stress, a smart buy, knocks your socks off…are you starting to get a feel for it?

2.  Focus on the readers “pain” or problem that you can solve.  We all make purchases from emotion.  Then we justify them with logic.  A good sales letter moves the reader from emotion to desire to action.  Want proof?  Think about the purchases you’ve made lately, particularly those in response to a sales letter you read.

Even better…start collecting those sales letters that get you to take your credit card out of your pocket and buy.  What is it about the letter that appealed to your emotions?  What pain/problem were you looking to solve?

3.   Why you?

What makes your service/product unique?  What is your Unique Selling Proposition? This is what you will build the sales letter around. You must make the reader know that YOU or your product can solve their pain/problem. 

Maybe you’ve have had a similar pain/problem and have turned it around, perhaps there is strong research evidence available about the product you are selling. 

Testimonials can also boost credibility in your sales letter.  If you use them be sure they are specific, address only one benefit and have a full person’s name, city and state.

4.  It’s All About the Benefits NOT How You Deliver Them

Here’s where most of us trip up.   Many of my clients focus on the features of their products/services rather than benefits.  For example, in a home study kit on “How to Make Money Online”, the features may be a 100 page workbook, 2 audio cds, 5 worksheets and 2 bonuses.  That’s nice but what do I GET if I buy it?  What problem do I solve?

Benefits are the specific advantages your customer/client will receive from your products or services.  In the online home study kit example benefits might include: make money from home with no commute, create passive income that brings in money while you sleep, pay off your debts putting in only 3 hours a week online.

If you can show that your product or service will: make someone money, help them lose weight, get them healthier, make them more popular, improve their appearance, save them time, or make something more convenient for them, you’ll get their attention.

People don’t care how you are going to fix their problem…they just want to know you can.

What service or product are you ready to offer?  Go ahead.  Write your first sales letter.  Sure, it will feel like riding a bike for the first time…you’ll be wobbly…it’ll take time and a few revisions.  But after you’ve written five or so, you’ll be able to crank these out in no time AND you will put money in your pocket while serving others in your unique way!