And How  and What are You Planning for the Turning Economic Tides?

I belong to several social networking sites, among them RYZE.  Today on the forum, Bea Kunz of Sagehill Farms (one of our moderators on the HER Mastermind Network of RYZE ) started the following conversation:

Sometimes I’m a bit confused about our economy.

No one can deny that many businesses and many jobs are going through changing times. This in and of itself isn’t anything new, because it is in our time makes it more important than if it happened on someone else’s watch, and it has and it will again.

I actually think when change isn’t taking place is the time to worry. That can mean no new growth, stagnant thinking and a lazy attitude that comes from a false security of a too perfected plan.

What is your plan of action to move forward regardless of the headlines and the down turn mentality of some?

Do you see a silver lining in the dark cloud of uncertainty, and have you acted on any thought that would possible move your business forward?

Do share…

Bea Kunz

Here are my thoughts on the topic:

When things appear at a standstill it is the BEST time to re-evaluate our lives from our home to our work. Reflection often brings with it incredible insights and as you said, can open the doors to new opportunity.

This year I totally revamped my 3 businesses and am now back to profitability by becoming lean where it was necessary and as the book implies, working smarter instead of harder. I am learning to let go of old habits that have been holding me back including attempting to be perfect. Perfectionism leads to procrastination and now is not the time to procrastinate.  I have also set up systems to help me manage my day and time. One of my favorite devices is the old-fashioned timer to help me stay on task and on track. Every time I reach a milestone I reward myself.  It could be with a piece of chocolate or a new pair of shoes *SMILE.

I also started doing things I had not done in years including revisiting past marketing programs that were successful that I simply stopped doing out of boredom.  One of them is networking. I have gotten so comfortable behind a computer screen that getting out and meeting people in person was becoming less and less a part of my weekly routine. I’m BACK! And again attend 3-5 effective networking meetings a week. And more importantly look for new and exciting opportunities to network.  Yesterday a good friend of mine invited me to a new group called Women Homeowners. I checked them out and found they are the perfect group for my networking style and needs and am joining. I have also told a couple of my circle about the group (and now all of you) so when the word spreads, the group will take off.  Its a new group and as such needs lots of good positive energy to get establishes.

Right now is also a great time to look at all our online activities and see where we get the most return. The return could be in the form of business or new relationships, education or enlightenment. The main thing is to look at those things and see what it is we are passionate about and those we are not. Do more of the first.

Look at where you spend your time and how that time has paid off ~ or not.  I have become a Twitterholic so I visit Twitter at least once a day.  When I am there I see who else is posting and start conversations, post resources and share as much as possible in a limited time frame and space (without spamming the board). Once in a while I offer one of my products or services. People have come to know me, like me and trust me so I am gaining new clients, new friends and yes even business from the time spent. It has been well worth the effort (and it has become my latest passion).

Out with the old ~ I’m not talking relationships (unless they are not working)! What I mean is get organized. In January I moved my offices from a retail location to a home office.  For six months I had boxes stacked and didn’t have the energy to go through them. Nothing like looking for an important document to get motivated to CLEAN. So I did.  What a wonderful freeing feeling that was. Why didn’t I do it sooner? I was surrounded by clutter and it seemed to paralyze me.  And most people will tell you I am extremely organized. When I say clutter I mean CLUTTER!  Clutter is rarely caused by lack of space or time. We pile things on and procrastinate about getting rid of things or organizing them because of our own indecisiveness.  Once we free yourself from the clutter we free our mind to totally focus on the more important things in your life.

Other things I have done include:

Total Redesign of four websites (this one included). I am also in the process of redesigning two other sites with a little help from some very talented women whom I met on RYZE. One of them is actually bringing in a nice monthly income and when the other two are completed I will have a solid core of offerings for my circle of friends and associates.

If you follow astrology (one of the oldest sciences in the universe) then you already know that right now it the perfect time to hop on the Internet bandwagon as there has never been a better time in our lifetime. All the planets are in perfect alignment to take the internet by storm!  In fact, I interviewed Barbara Schermer about Astrology and Business and she had some very interesting things to say about the topic. You can read more and listen to that interview here: http://wemagazineforwomen.com/let-astrology-serve-you-in-business/

So, if you are not in the rediscovery mode, might I suggest you get out your telescope? Many famous (and not so famous) people have turned adversity into opportunity so it’s time to do the same. Waiting until the tides turn could be a big mistake. Think real estate. Those who can find a way to BUY NOW will come out way ahead when the rest of the world starts spending money again. Remember money is energy and if it is not flowing it is will not find its way to our bank accounts.

I am doing my best to keep it flowing and moving forward!

What are YOU doing to keep moving forward?

Here are two other articles you might find beneficial to help you jump start your financial goals:

Note to Self: Out of Site IS out of Mind

Are You Making the Most Profit from Your Processes, Products and People?

To your success… and then some,

Heidi

Get rid of dust!  The computer itself can gather dust over time, which will make it slow down and even break down  – and it usually happens at the worst possible time.  The fan (which keeps the computer from overheating) can be a dust magnet.  Time to get out the canned air – sut down your computer, open up the case, and blow the dust off.  BTW, there are vacuums made specifically for this task, but i have found the canned air works best.  Of course you could also hire someone to do this for you.

Delete unwanted files!  If you have not done so in a while it might be time to check your temporary folder for files.  If there are any, time to delete them.  At one time I had over 500 temp files on my PC. When I deleted them, my computer started running faster.  To delete temp files you go to your Desktop, and open My Computer, right-click your C: drive, select Properties and click the Disk Cleanup button.  Make sure you only check the box marked “Temporary Files” before deleting.

Empty your Recycle Bin!  Your computer may be set to empty the bin at certain intervals however, when you delete a file, it doesn’t disappear right away.  It goes to the Recycle Bin to be retrieved for whatever period of time you set it to.  Items stored in the bin can take up space until you are prompted by Windows to permanently delete thes files.  You can change the settings so the recycle bin takes up less space on your computer (the default is set at 10%) and you can also manueally empty the bin.

While you are at it, clean up Internet Explorer’s history and cache.  You can do this from the start Menu – go to Settings, Controls Panel, Internet Options, and delete those Temporary Internet Files and Clear History. 

Toss your cookies!  If you are frequent browser, you can eliminate unwanted cookies from your cookie folder on your hard drive by deleting the cookies from sites you don’t visit on a regular basis. Here are some tools you can use for Automatic Cleanups (in case you don’t want to do them manually). 

CleanIt version 2.0 from Skylark Industries is an easy-to-use utility that locates and deletes files in your temporary folder.  Here’s the link: 
http://www.skylarkutilities.com/clean-it/home.html.

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool.  It removes unused files from your system – allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space.  It also cleans traces of our online activities such as your Internet history.  But the best part is that it’s fast (normally taking less than a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware!   Get it at: http://www.ccleaner.com/.

If you prefer a commercial product that does more than some of the shareware applications, I recommend Spring Cleaning for Windows.  From deleting duplicates to archiving programs, Spring Cleaning puts a suite of easy-to-use tools and one-click solutions at your fingertips.  With Spring Cleaning for Windows you can find and toss duplicates and other unneeded files, remove internet files that expose your online activities, Monitor program installatiohns automatically, transfer programs preferences, settings and all, to a new PC, Backup and Restore any program.  Check it out at: http://www.allume.com/win/springcleaning/.

And finally, if you don’t want to do all this yourself you can hire an expert to do this for you.  The main thing is to plan to D & C your PC and increase your productivity immediately.