Transition: Strategies for Staying Focused

Transition can be an exciting adventure. It can be revitalizing, refreshing and renewing. It can also be stressful, draining and frightening when you are facing uncertainty and confusion about the future. It can be difficult to see opportunities when you are gripped in fear and focused on what is missing or what may go wrong. Finding ways to manage the process can help you feel more in control of your situation and focused to move forward.

Working with clients to reinvent themselves and find new employment in this crazy economy is very rewarding. Helping a former corporate executive take steps to launch a new firm, a former sales professional retool to follow his dream to become a chef, and a mother of three young children leave the rat race to start a business that will allow her to spend more time with family have all been extremely satisfying.

What I'm finding is that, in a world where job security no longer exists, more and more people are looking for alternatives to traditional employment. More people are starting their own business as a way to build something for themselves, to gain control over their financial future, and to create a lifestyle they truly enjoy.
The internet opens a wealth of options for virtual self-employment, connections and business building activities that can help catapult your career to the next level. Home based businesses and network marketing are options that typically have low startup costs and come with proven success systems to follow.

Whether looking for employment, going to the next level in your current job, or starting a new business, here are six tips to help you with your next career move:
1. Be positive. A positive outlook will help you stay motivated and able to see possibilities that you might otherwise miss. Know that something good will happen as long as you are on the path and focusing on the positive.

2. Keep it simple. Put together a plan and begin taking consistent action every day. Stay focused by keeping your eye on the goal and following your plan.

3. Work your network. When a door is unlocked, it is easier to open. You may have a gold mine at your fingertips through existing contacts. Ask them for referrals and introductions.

4. Be open to new ideas. If you are willing to look at new possibilities, you will likely be amazed at what shows up. Be open to ideas that may lead you in the direction of your next career.

5. Make your self-care a priority. Going through change takes energy, clarity and focus. Building time into your schedule for exercise, eating well and getting enough rest is important to your overall stamina and well-being.

6. Express gratitude. Give thanks each morning for the gift of a new day filled with potential new beginnings. Focus on what you can do and appreciate what you have. What we appreciate appreciates.
Schedule your “Discovery Session” now!
Get started right away with an initial session at no charge designed to put you on the path to success. Call to schedule your “Discovery Session” and get started to take yourself and your business to the next level!

Web: www.SmoothSailingSuccess.com

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Blog: www.SmoothSailingSuccess.blogspot.com

Smiles are contagious

Ideas to help make smiling a habit in your world...

1.Create a few positive mental anchors – a visual of your child or spouse, a pet, a joke or a hilarious moment. Give each image a name and write it down. If time allows, pause and reflect on one just before you make contact with someone.

2.Place a mirror labeled with the word "smile" on your desk or in a common area. Use it to remind and check yourself throughout the day or before you make a call or talk with someone.

3.Post or carry actual pictures that make you smile. Change them periodically so their effect remains fresh. Make one the background on your computer.

4.Get a friend or coworker to help by smiling at you – beaming, really – when they see you frowning. It will serve as a silent but effective reminder of what you're trying to accomplish.

5.Just before you make contact with someone, imagine you're about to see an old friend you haven't seen in a long time... remember how lucky you really are.
6.Watch how others begin to reflect and return your smile (encouraging you to smile even more).

Smiles are contagious. It's no myth... it's biology.

Scientists have shown that seeing a smile triggers an automatic response in our brains which causes us to smile, too (a phenomenon known as "facial feedback"). This response in turn creates positive emotions.

—"Facial Efference and the Experience of Emotion," by P.K. Adelman and R.B. Zajonc (1989).

Are you smiling yet?

Are you getting in the way of your success?

Step aside and let success find you. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Often, the biggest roadblock to your success is you. As much as we would like to point to something or someone else for our failure and inability to achieve our most cherished goals, at the end of the day there is really only one place to look if you want to break free and create your best life now.

When you are blaming people or circumstances outside yourself, you become a victim, powerless to make changes that will improve your life. Taking responsibility for your success puts you in the driver’s seat where you can then take action from an empowered position.

Karen is an excellent example of someone standing in the way of her own success. A talented, successful pharmaceutical sales professional with over 10 years of experience, Karen had career aspirations that were going unrealized. Her dream had always been to open her own spa, but the dream had faded as she worked to climb the career ladder and sustain the lifestyle she had created. Old, worn out, limiting beliefs were holding Karen back from creating a life she truly loved.

By the time Karen called me to coach with her, things were rapidly changing in her world. She was losing her job due to downsizing and was concerned about finding another position. Fear was holding her back from moving forward. Blaming the company, the economy and other outside factors for her situation only held her captive and unable to take focused action.

We began with the steps outlined below to support Karen in creating an inspiring future. Rather than remain stuck, we put together a strategy to get into action and make powerful change to move forward.

Here are ideas for getting out of your own way:

1. Take responsibility for your life. Decide that you will take charge of your future and stop blaming outside circumstances. You are the only one who can change your outcomes.

2. Be present in the present moment. Rather than fretting about what is past or worrying about what may happen in the future, focus on being in the present moment and take full advantage of it.

3. Do your best and let it be. Stop overanalyzing your performance and constantly criticizing yourself for not having done better. Trust that you are doing the best you can and acknowledge yourself for that.

4. Express gratitude. Stop focusing on what you lack and be appreciative for what you have. What you appreciate appreciates.

Schedule your “Discovery Session” now!
Get started right away with an initial session at no charge designed to put you on the path to success. Call to schedule your “Discovery Session” and get started to take yourself and your business to the next level!

Resume Workshop: Everything You Need to Make the Right First Impression

Resume Workshop: Everything You Need to Make the Right First Impression

On Thursday, August 6 and 13 from 7-9pm, join me at Paper Emporium in Coral Gables to learn how you can prepare and present an effective resume. In these two sessions, you’ll learn keys for designing a resume that sets you apart from the crowd and attracts the attention of top employers. Discover how to highlight your skills, play to your strengths and brand yourself for success!

All participants will receive Crane’s booklet, Guide to Writing an Effective Resume as well as free layout and proof of your resume. In addition, Paper Emporium will print your resume free of charge with the purchase of Crane’s Resume Kit. Sign Up Today 305-445-7090.

Pat Morgan on Comcast Newsmakers

Tune in to Comcast Newsmakers in South Florida to see my interviews poolside at the Seminole Hardrock with Spero Canton!

Watch the two segments on Coaching and Goal-Setting on Comcast Cable in South Florida and on CNN Headline News.

Click here or go to http://www.smoothsailingsuccess.com/audio.shtml.

Super Size Your Sales!

We are all sales people in some form or fashion. Whether it is selling someone on your favorite restaurant, movie or music – or selling your sweetie on a date, relationship or marriage – we are all selling all the time.

Why then do we get so hung up on marketing our products and services - and making sales? Why are there so many who struggle with sales and so few who seem to reach the highest levels of success?

Did you know that the difference between those who sell a little and those who sell a lot is usually a matter of degrees? Those who super size their sales simply make a few more calls, work a few more minutes each day, and focus a little more on their goals.

What if there was a way for you to make some shifts that would take your sales to the next level? What if there was a way to make selling easier and less stressful? Would you be interested in making some changes?

Jack, a young accountant, is a perfect example of someone who was not a super salesman but was willing to make some changes to grow his business. He and I began coaching together when he contacted me about expanding his portfolio. His objective was clear. He had been given a directive by his management – bring in a specific amount of business by year-end or he would no longer be needed.

Jack was ready to get to work. We began exactly as I do with all my clients, by dealing with the obstacles that were holding him back - things like clutter, papers that need to be filed or shredded, nagging financial pressures, and lack of work/life balance.

Next, Jack defined the goal he wanted to reach. He clarified the goal in specific detail including revenues, type of client, income, position, lifestyle and more.
Then he went to work on his pipeline. It was important for Jack to have a source of contacts for new business. He developed a list of potential clients and together we identified ways he could connect through professional and social networks.

Lastly, Jack and I developed a clear action plan that would keep the focus and attention on generating business even when he was busy and distracted with the myriad of daily activities. Most importantly, coaching gave Jack the accountability to stay focused and on track.

Are you ready to take your sales up a notch? Are you ready to do something differently to generate more sales and take your income to the next level? What will it take for you to reach – or exceed your goals? What if you were to set an outrageous sales goal that stretched your imagination toward new possibilities for yourself and your business?

Here are my top 4 tips to Super Size Your Sales:

1. Get clear on your goal. Until you have defined your goal in detail, it is just a wish. Get specific about what you want to accomplish. What is the end result? Is it a sales figure? An income or commission level? Think about what you want to achieve and write it down in detail.

2. Get your pipeline filled. If your goal is to close business and make sales, you will need to connect with many people. Filling your pipeline is a dynamic and continuous process. Become aware of people and opportunities to connect so that you are continually adding to your pipeline.

3. Get focused on your plan. How will you reach your goal? Without a clear plan of action, it will be difficult to stay focused and on track to move forward. Create a plan, get focused and do something every day for your dream.

4. Get an Accountability Partner. Ask someone to be your success partner to keep you accountable for reaching your goal. Find a mentor, buddy – or hire a coach - to guide, challenge and inspire you. Any journey is easier and more enjoyable when shared with a trusted partner.

Are you ready to super size your sales? Now is the time to go for it.

Schedule your “Super Size My Sales Strategy Session” now!

Get started right away with a strategy session designed to put you on the path to sales success.

Call 305-856-1566 to schedule your “Super Size My Sales Strategy Session” and get moving toward the success you want now!