If you’re in sales or just like being inspired, (yes, there are people out there who love to be miserable, but that’s another post), you’ll want to get your hands on this book.

Greatest Inspirational Quotes, by Dr. Joe Tichio, is one of the most useful motivational tools I’ve used in a long time. It’s easy-to-view and straight forward approach is just the beginning of what’s so great about this book.

Even if you already own a book of quotes from some other source, you won’t regret purchasing this one. It’s available on Amazon and in either print or digital format, with both versions being extremely affordable. What I like most about it is that it has many useful quotes that I’d never heard before, even if I knew of the person quoted.

So why am I targeting salespeople? Because we’re the ones who find ourselves most often in need of self-rallying. You know what I’m talking about. There’s a lot of drama going on around you not to mention the drama you left this morning that is still chattering in your head. You’re on your first call and you’re ready to walk out the door after the first “no thanks, I’m not interested.”  You get back into your car and realize, “wait a minute, these people really need what I’m selling.”

You realize you’ve got to pull yourself together, but where do you turn?  (HINT: (especially for all of you non-salespeople out there) NOT YOUR SALES MANAGER!)  While every company out there will tell you that your manager is your best friend and there to pull you up when you’re feeling down, we all know that they’re actually the first to kick you when you’re down.  I’ve done it myself as a sales manager, so please don’t send me any emails about this!  (I know you’re going to - I’ll just delete them.)

No, the salespeople who last are the ones who realize that all they have in this world is themselves and their own good mind.  You MUST have your own tools, whether it’s a song on your digital device, a certain person that you call just to hear their voice, or a book of words of wisdom from the greatest thinkers of our time, YOU have to find a way to pick yourself up. I strongly suggest that you have a toolkit of all these things to choose from, as any of them will invariably let you down at some point.

On any given day I have a new favorite from this book.  Lately, I keep coming back to #12 from H. Jackson Brown, Jr.:

“Seek Opportunity, not security.  A boat in a harbor is safe, but in time its bottom will rot out.”

For some reason, this continues to get my attention.  I can relate to it, as my bottom is still in repair.

But, (ooh - no pun intended!), that’s a post for another day which I shall get to in time.  In the meantime . . .

Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Depression, Inspiration, Motivation, Success

Being an entrepreneur is very rewarding.  The challenge of pulling together a mastermind and creating something that benefits the world is life-giving in and of itself whether you accomplish your goal or not.

But sometimes, things happen that are out of your control and you just have to roll with the punches.  Having clearly defined values so that you can make split-second decisions in a crisis is an invaluable tool of extreme importance.

Last night, someone very dear to me called and did not sound good.  He has come down with the flu.  I dropped everything, including writing today’s article, (which was going to be lengthy - so you can thank him later), to take care of him.

I was able to do so and not worry about my commitment to my blog or my readers, because the health and welfare of my family and friends comes first.  Yes, this blog is important to me, but not as important as my personal relationships.

Some will be asking, “But what about your commitment to yourself?  Don’t you always say to take care of yourself first, because if you don’t, you won’t have anything to give anyone else?”

Yes.  I do say that and I still do.  So here’s how this works.  (I’m really grateful for the opportunity to explain this in this way.)

By dropping my schedule and running to his side, I was true to myself because I was true to my values.  I was, in that moment, completely selfish, because I chose my own needs, specifically, the need to be authentic, the desire to be authentic, over the need to keep someone else happy.  Taking care of those I care about is who I am, even more so than being a writer.

The best part is, I was able to come home, watch the series finale of Desperate Housewives, and then write this post, which was just as good as the one I had planned.  So staying true to myself led to an even greater lesson to share with all of you.

How was I able to make a decision so quickly?  Because I’ve identified my values and know them by heart.

If you’re not sure that you could make such a split-second decision and feel good about it, perhaps a review of your values is in order.  Determining Your Values is a post I wrote back in 2007 that will be very helpful to you whether you’re writing your first draft of your values, or simply need a review.  Or perhaps it’s time for you to update your values so that you can make better decisions in every moment.

In any case, be sure to commit your values to memory and make sure they represent you completely, so that making split-second decisions comes naturally and intuitively.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

In 1897, an Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto observed a pattern in the distribution of wealth among citizens no matter the country or time period concerned.  He found that the distribution was extremely skewed toward one end:  A small minority of earners always accounted for a large majority of the total wealth.  Pareto’s theory was tested, forgotten, revived, proven, and eventually adopted in the United States and Europe during the 1960’s as the “80/20 rule.”

The 80/20 principle has been applied to many disciplines and basically states this:  80 percent of results come from 20 percent of effort.  While the formula is not 100 percent accurate, it is amazingly close and I have read many examples where it was dead on.  In dentistry, I often talk about “Top 20 patients.”  This refers to that 20 percent or so of patients who are responsible for approximately 80 percent of the practice’s revenue for a given year.   Any business can apply this principle to just about any area of that business.  Eighty percent of the work is completed by twenty percent of the workers.  Eighty percent of your inventory comes from twenty percent of your suppliers. As an average individual, 80% of your productivity, comes from 20% of your time.  Take a minute to think about that.  The average worker, 80% of us, spends 8 hours per day on the job, but less than two hours of that is productive time!   You’d be surprised at how many small business owners I share that statistic with and get the response, “Tell me something I don’t know!”

So how can you become one of the 20% of individuals who accounts for 80% of all success?  Identify what you do best, what makes you the most productive, and what provides the greatest value to you and/or your organization.  What are those tasks?  Now identify the tasks you do that could be performed, probably even better, by someone else.  Are there some things that could be eliminated completely?

I find that a lot of companies have employees doing things just because “we’ve always done it that way.”  We maintain the status quo when we could be setting records because our people are spinning their wheels in low productivity, time-consuming, practically worthless tasks.  When we allow people to focus on their top 20 contributions, their creativity is spurred and we start innovating in our industry.  A company is only as strong as it’s people.  This is true whether you are a small business owner working alone, or a Fortune 500 company.

For an in-depth study on how to become more effective and productive, check out Richard Koch’s Living the 80/20 Way.

Posted under Conscious Creation, Dental Practice Management, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

Recently a client was complaining that he had a difficult time getting his staff to follow check-off lists for important systems that need to be completed in a certain way at specific times throughout the day.

I must say that I am right there with him in his perplexity of what the issue is.  I love lists.  I have a list for just about everything.  I could retire if I had $1 for every time I’ve heard, “Now that’s a shopping list,” at the grocery store.

I have a packing list that I use and keep updated for items I need when traveling.  Everything is on that list.  Being able to follow that list and knowing that absolutely everything I need is on it keeps me calm while I’m packing and helps me get the job completed faster.

The real power of lists, however, comes from what happens in our subconscious minds when we create a list or follow one routinely.  Have you ever had the experience of forgetting your shopping list and yet you remembered everything on it?  Most people just think, “Wow.  I’m good.  See, I didn’t need that list after all.”  So you stop making the list.  Then what happens?  You don’t remember things as well.

Many people, including some psychologists, believe that when we write things down, we’re writing them on our subconscious minds.  Can you think of all the implications this could have?

I, for one, am a firm believer that “writing it down makes it happen.”  And there many other people out there who share my view.  See Write It Down Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser.

In some ways, lists are like pets:  Feed them and they will give you lots of adoration and unconditional love.  (But I can’t remember the last time my cat spouted back to me my top 20 career successes.)

In writing this article, I found 18 reasons to love keeping lists and was inspired to write a poem.  (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, please forgive me.)

Ode to My List

By Debra Moorhead

Oh, list. How do I love thee?  Let me count the ways.

I love how you help me remember my important goals in life and yet, at the same time, how you’re not too full of yourself to remind me of the little things, too.

I love how you always want to go everywhere with me and never complain about how much I put on you.

I love how you sit quietly and patiently until I am ready for you.

I love how you clear my head and organize my thoughts.

I love how you help me make my dreams come true.

I love how you can retrieve so much information at my every whim.

I love how you keep me calm by always making yourself available during trying times – like packing a suitcase – and through thick or thin.

I love how you know my hopes, desires, dreams, likes, dislikes, and accomplishments, and yet you never judge me.

I love how your only concern is with me and my needs.

I love how you are always available to me, morning, noon, night, every day, week, month, season, year and beyond.

I love how the only time you fail me, is when I forget you.  But then you always forgive me, and are willing to stay by my side at all times.

I love how you keep track of all my ideas and never laugh at them.

I love your versatility; you can be personal and professional, static or dynamic.

I love how you can mingle my business and personal lives and yet, at the same time, keep them separate.

I love how you help me create systems that lead to my success.

I love how you always come through for me.

I love how you never get jealous of other lists.

I know there are many other ways that I am leaving out.  Ah, but alas, you will eventually remind me!

Okay, so my poetry writing needs a little work. Other than that, what do you think?  In what ways have lists helped you?  What kind of lists do you keep?  (I am always looking for new lists to try.)

Until next time,

Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Dental Practice Management, Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success, Weight Loss

It is a well-known fact that whatever you dwell upon grows in your reality. You create your entire world by the things you choose to think about and how you choose to think about them.

It just so happens that wealthy, successful people fill their minds with thoughts, words, pictures and images of wealth, affluence, success, productivity and solutions to problems in the marketplace, most of the time. These thoughts trigger the reticular activating cortex, the part of the brain that makes you more alert and sensitive to things that you have decided are important to you.

Today I’d like to share with you four key ways I have found to turn my thoughts consistently toward wealth.

1. Activate Your Reticular Cortex For example, if you decide to invest in a mutual fund, you will start to see news and information about mutual funds everywhere. Mentions in newspapers and magazines will jump out at you. These notices have always been there but now you have sensitized your brain to pick them up and draw them to your attention with far greater frequency and vividness. This is the function and power of your reticular cortex.
2. Avoid Poverty Thinking On the other hand, what do poor people think about most of the time? Unfortunately, poor people fill their minds with thoughts of scarcity, lack, poverty, being unable to afford things. They are always thinking and talking about how little money they have, how much things cost and how they wish things could be better financially. What they think about most of the time is how little money they have.
3. Think Like Wealthy People Think Wealthy people from an early age think about how much they have, how much they want and all the different things they can do to acquire and earn the money and things they desire.
4. Find Out How Rich People Think Here’s a rule for you. If you want to become successful, find out what failures do and don’t do it. If you want to be wealthy, find out what poor people think about, and avoid thinking in those ways. Instead, find out how wealthy people think. Find out what they read. Find out how they spend their time. Study their lives, read their stories and autobiographies and listen to their words when they are interviewed and on tape. The more you find out what financially successful people think and talk about most of the time, and do the same things, the more rapidly you will enjoy the same rewards that they do.  You’ll find this much more interesting than watching the daily news!

Action Exercises
Here are three things you can do to put these concepts into action:

1. Make a decision today that from now on you will think and talk only about the financial success that you desire. At the same time, you will refuse to talk about or dwell upon your financial problems.
2. Instead of saying, “I can’t afford it,” instead ask the question, “How can I afford it?” When you think of something that you want or need that you don’t have the money for at the time, the only question you ask is, “How?” How can you get it? What can you do to achieve it? What are your options? How can you get from where you are to where you want to go? This type of attitude will change your life.
3. Sign up for my free report on “The Science of Getting Rich,” which discusses in further detail how wealthy people think and control their thoughts.  It comes with the original text, written by Wallace D. Wattles, and my 10 best success “secrets.”
   

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Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Law of Attraction, Motivation

I don’t know about you, but two of the biggest challenges I face on a daily basis are procrastination and distraction.  Today, I want to share with you 5 principles that I’ve learned that significantly help with these two issues.

1. Have Everything At Hand - One of the best ways for you to overcome procrastination and get more things done faster is for you to have everything you need at hand before you begin. When you are fully prepared, you are like a cocked gun or an archer with an arrow pulled back taut in the bow. You just need one small mental push to get started on your highest value tasks.
2. Clear Your Workspace - Begin by clearing off your desk or workspace so that you only have one task in front of you. If necessary, put everything on the floor or on the table behind you – out of sight. Gather all the information, reports, details, papers, and work materials that you will require to complete the job. Have them at hand so you can reach them without getting up or moving. Be sure that you have all writing materials, computer disks, access codes, email addresses and everything else you need to start and continue working until the job is done.
3. Make It Comfortable - Set up your work area so that it is comfortable, attractive and conducive to working for long periods. Especially, make sure that you have a comfortable chair that supports your back and allows your feet to sit flat on the floor.  The most productive people take the time to create a work area where they enjoy spending time. The cleaner and neater your work area before you begin, the easier it is for you to get started and keep going.
4. Assume The Position - When you sit down, with everything in front of you, ready to go, assume the body language of high performance. Sit up straight, sit forward and away from the back of the chair. Carry yourself as though you were an efficient, effective high performing personality. Then, pick up the first item and say to yourself, “Let’s get to work!” and plunge in. And once you’ve started, keep going until the job is finished.
5. Dress the Part - Sometimes, if I’m feeling really ornery, it helps to put on a business suit.  Even if I’m working at home and would love to be in sweats, there’s something about that outfit that says, “work!”

Action Exercises
Here are 3 things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

1. Take a good look at your desk or office, both at home and at the office. Ask yourself, “What kind of a person works in an environment like that?”
2. Resolve today to clean up your desk and office completely so that you feel effective, efficient and ready to get going each time you sit down to work.
3. Develop a wardrobe that’s comfortable but serious at the same time.  You know what I’m talking about.  There’s nothing like “putting on the uniform” to get your psyche in gear!

Until next time,
I Invite YOU to Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Leadership, Motivation, Success

Every bit of planning, prioritizing and organizing comes down to this simple concept:  select your most important task and then concentrate on it single-mindedly until it is complete.  This means no multi-tasking, and no tolerance for interruptions.  The most successful people I know apply this key concept routinely, and I know that when I apply it, I always get more done on my most important projects.  Here are some additional concepts to consider.

The Requirement for Every Great Achievement?
Every great achievement of mankind has been preceded by a long period of hard, concentrated work until the job was done. “Single handling” requires that once you begin, you keep working at the task, without diversion or distraction, until the job is 100% complete. You keep urging yourself onward by repeating the words “Back to work!” over and over whenever you are tempted to stop or do something else.

Reduce Your Time By 50%
By concentrating single-mindedly on your most important task, you can reduce the time required to complete it by 50% or more.

It has been estimated that the tendency to start and stop a task, to pick it up, put it down and come back to it can increase the time necessary to complete the task by as much as 500%.

Each time you return to the task, you have to familiarize yourself with where you were when you stopped and what you still have to do. You have to overcome inertia and get yourself going again. You have to develop momentum and get into a productive work rhythm.
Develop Energy and Enthusiasm
But when you prepare thoroughly and then begin, refusing to stop or turn aside until the job is done, you develop energy, enthusiasm and motivation. You get better and better and more productive. You work faster and more effectively.  The Law of Attraction works with you because your attention to any subject draws more of it to you.

Why Waste Your Time?
The truth is that once you have decided on your number one task, anything else that you do other than that is a relative waste of time. Any other activity is just not as valuable or as important as this job, based on your own priorities.  Once you label something a priority, doing something else means that you’re not ready for success.

Action Exercises
Take action! Resolve today to select the most important task or project that you could complete and then launch into it immediately.

Once you start your most important task, discipline yourself to persevere without diversion or distraction until it is 100% complete. See it as a “test” to determine whether you are the kind of person who can make a decision to complete something and then carry it out. Once you begin, refuse to stop until the job is finished.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Leadership, Motivation, Success

“Confidence and enthusiasm are the greatest sales producers in any kind of economy.”

–O.B. Smith, Author

There have never been so many opportunities to build a successful business than there are today.  As many as 80 percent of all the products and services in common use today at home, in business and in organizations large and small, will be obsolete in five years; they will be replaced by new and better products and services. The rapid development of new technology and the desire of people for new or better or cheaper products or services means that you can build your fortune easier today than at any other time in history.

However, we know that 80 to 90 percent of new businesses fail in the first three years due to a variety of factors. One of those factors is managerial incompetence. It is an inability to sell the product or an inability to control costs or both. Another major reason for failure is offering the wrong product at the wrong price to the wrong market at the wrong time, or a combination of these. In which case, even the best marketing efforts and cost controls won’t help you.  I’m going to explore these issues in great depth over the next few months, as I start yet another business with my husband.  In the meantime, here are three factors to consider in ensuring your business success.

1. Determine the Need. The first principle with regard to selecting any new product or service is to determine that it fills a genuine, existing need, that it solves a problem of some kind for the customer, or that it makes the life or work of the customer better in some way. You must be very clear about this.
2. Sell a Quality Product or Service. The second principle for success with a new product or service is that it must be of good quality at a fair price. And if it is in competition with other similar products or services, it must have what is called a unique selling proposition. It must have some beneficial feature or attraction that makes it different from and superior to its competitors.
3. Determine Your Area of Uniqueness. No product or service can succeed unless it is somehow unique and superior to any other product or service like it. There is seldom any real opportunity in what is called a “me too” product - one that is just the same as all the others. At the same time, the safest business strategy is to start off with an accepted product that you can improve. In other words, instead of trying to invent a whole new business or industry, start off with something that people are already doing, people are already buying and using, and find some way to improve it.

What is my big business idea?  I’m tackling one of the toughest problems in dental offices worldwide.  While that in and of itself might not be of any interest to you, (and I don’t expect it to be), how I achieve my success from start to finish is what I’ll be blogging about.  If you own your own business, you’ll definitely want to follow this blog over the next year.

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Motivation, Success

“On the eighth day of Christmas my true love gave to me . . . .”

Okay, I might not be your true love, but I do have 8 gifts for you–

Happy New Year everyone!

In honor of the 8th day of Christmas, I have 8 freebies for you today.  If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a long time, you have likely downloaded these already.  However, in an attempt to get everyone on the same page for 2009, I’m offering all of my free downloads in one fell swoop today.  Who knows – maybe you missed one somewhere along the way!

Here’s the list, once you enter your email address below, you will receive the download links.  (Be sure to check your junk folder because I am sending 8 separate links in one email.)  You can download one or all, depending upon what you want.  Enjoy!

My Top 10 Success Secrets report is my latest offering and includes the beliefs I hold, along with the things I do, that have contributed the most to my success and happiness.  These are the things that motivate me and keep me on track with who I want to become.

My Special Report on “The Science of Getting Rich,” by Wallace Wattles is a summary of the book with my personal approach to Mr. Wattles’ work.  If you like summaries without having to wade through cumbersome material, you’ll like this report.

“The Science of Getting Rich,” download is next, made available by Rebecca Fine.  For those of you who prefer the full-blown version and the original language – here it is!

The 30-Day Food Diary was created by a reader after inspiration from, “How I Lost 25 Pounds in One Month.”  She was so excited about her weight-loss, she shared this with the rest of us!

My Caloric Worksheet is what I used when I was on my diet several years ago and highly recommend to those who are struggling with taking the time to create their own tracking system.  It’s simple, but effective.

My Housekeeping list keeps me sane and clutter-free with a home that sparkles.  I love keeping house and working full-time, but if I didn’t have my list things would get out of hand very quickly.

Speaking of lists, my regular readers know how much I love them – lists that is – oh – and my readers, too – HA!  So for my final two gifts today, I’ve included my Master Packing List, which helps keep me calm and organized even when packing for a big trip, and my Master Shopping List, which helps me have a joyful experience at the super market.

Simply enter your name and email address below and all of these will be in your inbox shortly.  I have many exciting motivational, educational, and inspirational ideas to share with you in the upcoming year, so stay tuned!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Education, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Motivation, Success

Have you ever changed your mind?  Of course you have – we all do.  Why is that?  Because things change.  Circumstances change, things happen, we get new information, we receive more or less money that we had expected from a project and that causes us to change a decision.

If you’ve been reading this blog for very long, you know that I’m a big planner.  I like to plan everything.  I wasn’t always this way, I’ve developed the habit over the past 25 or so years, and it gets stronger all the time.  Why is that?

The reason I like planning so much is because it gives me such a thrill.  Why is that?

As someone who believes in living in the moment and listening to the call of source, and as someone who knows the power of listening to your instincts and that feeling of inspiration, I still whole-heartedly believe in planning.   Here’s how I see it.

Planning is an exercise that makes me use my imagination.  I use planning as a tool to pre-pave my future with my current intentions which makes me think about and utilize the resources I have at my disposal right now.  In many cases, especially when planning a long-term goal, I know that there will be many intermediate steps along the way that I can in no way fill in right now while I’m planning.

However, the important concept to consider is, what am I doing in my now to make my dreams a reality in the future?  Since my only power is in the now, if I don’t do something now toward accomplishing my goals, they will stay forever in my future.

A lot of people confuse planning with procrastination.  You can’t allow a lack of planning to keep you from taking the next logical step, and vice versa.  When you feel inspired to do something, do it.  Don’t over-analyze it.

When you don’t feel inspired, just start planning your future reality and see if anything comes to mind.  You might be surprised – and delighted!

Until next time,
Live Joyfully!

Posted under Conscious Creation, Inspiration, Motivation, Success