The 3 Words That Can KILL Your Potential

We hear them all the time.  They’re common words, and many have their usefulness when used right.  On the other hand, most are used in a disempowering, negative way most often, and some should never be used at all.  If you want to boost your potential and change your life for the better, work to eliminate the disempowering forms of these words from your vocabulary.

But – You hear this word everywhere, including a lot from entrepreneurs.  Proof can be found in the comments of this or any other blog, where you’ll see things like, “Great post, but…,” or “You make some good points, but….” Unfortunately, you also hear “but” a lot when you’re telling your plans and ideas to others, and it can be discouraging.  The last thing anyone wants to hear is that something they want to do or that they did is good – BUT. And it usually comes from people whose opinions are important to you (friends, family, etc.), but who really don’t know what they’re talking about.  In other cases, we say it to ourselves – “I would start a business, but….”  In all these cases, the word “but” is being used to focus on the negative.  It’s negating the words before “but” and putting the focus on the negativity that comes after.  There’s nothing wrong with not agreeing with something, and it’s important to look at all angles, so different opinions and viewpoints can be valuable.  These can be addressed in a better way though.  How about, “I want to start a business, and I have this challenge, so let me figure out a way to make it happen” or, “That’s a great idea.  Do you know how you’ll handle…?”  These phrases get the thought process started rather than squashing it.  There is a good time to use “but”, and that’s when you intend to downplay the first part of your statement: “It will be a challenge, but I know I can do it!”  Oh, and if you think “however” is an acceptable alternative, think again.  It’s just a “but” in a tuxedo.

Should have – Ok, this is actually a two-word phrase.  The point is, it’s perhaps the most pointless phrase anyone can ever utter.  While it’s important to learn from the past, this phrase is filled with negativity, and until someone makes time travel possible, it serves no purpose, other than to point out a mistake.  Turn this around by focusing on the future.  Instead of saying, “You should have…” change it to, “Next time, try this….”  This simple shift changes the focus from negativity to possibility and helpfulness.

Can’t – Few words, if any, are more disempowering than the word “can’t.”  It’s so final.  When you say “can’t” you’re saying that something is literally impossible.  The thing is, that’s almost never really the case.  You might be up against a very difficult situation, and your challenges might seem insurmountable, but that doesn’t mean something can’t be done.  It just means it’s going to be very difficult.  And because of the level of difficulty, sometimes it makes sense to choose not to follow through with something or to start it in the first place.  Entrepreneurs frequently evaluate a situation and make a decision not to proceed.  This is often a prudent decision, and it shows maturity and professionalism, whereas simply saying it can’t be done is an excuse and not to be taken seriously.  So rather than telling yourself you can’t do something, think in terms of what it would take to make it happen, and then evaluate whether you want to proceed, and make a decision based on the facts.

The language you use really does matter.  Whether it’s internal talk or when you’re speaking to others, words have an affect on your thoughts, therefore your emotions, and therefore your actions.  So choose words well and eliminate those that don’t serve to keep your potential intact.

Which Excuses Are Keeping You From Starting or Growing Your Business?

Are you doing the work you want to do?  Have you started that business you’ve been wanting to launch?  If you have a business, is it as successful as you’d like?  If you answered ‘no’ to any of those questions, what’s holding you back?  What’s keeping you from starting your business or taking your existing business to the next level?  While it’s true some circumstances are outside our control, those are the exceptions.  Chances are, if there’s something holding you back, it’s you and the excuses you’re making to keep you from doing what it takes to get what you want.  Of course no one likes to hear that, but it’s usually the truth.  Read through the list of excuses below and see if anything sounds familiar.  Then keep reading to get the scoop on how to overcome these excuses and get on with the business of being all you can be.

1. I’m afraid I’ll fail. This is the mother of all excuses.  Many other excuses are actually this one in disguise.  People often say that they’re putting off their dreams due to lack of money or time, for example, when if they did some soul searching, they’d find that they’re really just afraid of failing.  The hard part is, there is always a risk of failure in business.  So if you’re hoping to somehow eliminate that possibility before you take the necessary steps toward success, you’ll never take them.  The people who are successful in life are not without fear.  They have fear, just like you.  The difference is, they act anyway.  A useful tool to push through this fear is to ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?”  You’re not going to lose your life, your family or your health by starting or growing your business, so even if the worst does happen, you’ll end up with the most important things in life.  Also, keep in mind that some of the greatest success stories include a lot of failures, so even if you do fail, that’s just one more step toward success.  One thing is true no matter what: If you don’t try at all, you’ve already failed.

2. I don’t have enough money. Another reason to keep up the status quo, this excuse is especially effective these days – what with the economy and all.  The truth is, while a lack of money might keep you from starting big, it doesn’t have to keep you from starting at all.  Any step you can take toward starting or building your business is a step in the right direction and will empower you to do more.  So take the steps that cost little or no money, like researching, networking, social media marketing, and planning.  In the meantime, eliminate things that aren’t as important as building your future and divert the money to your venture. (i.e. cable TV, video games, lattes, lunch out, etc.)

3. I’m too young or too old. This excuse is just silly, but many still use it to hold themselves back.  In reality, people of all ages have started successful businesses.  It’s never to early or too late to begin working toward your dream.  If you’re young, connect with people who are more experienced and ask whatever questions you have.  They’ll appreciate your courage, drive and enthusiasm, and you’ll be surprised how much help you’ll find.  If you’re older, play upon your life experience to drive your success.  Connecting is a key in this case as well.  If there’s something you don’t know or don’t understand, find someone who does, and don’t be shy about asking for help.

4. I don’t have enough time. It’s hard to justify this excuse when you know there are single mothers out there holding down full time jobs while taking on a full college course load.  Chances are, your challenge has more to do with time management than the amount of time you have.  After all, we all have the same amount of time in our day.  The secret to eliminating this excuse is getting rid of all the stuff that isn’t helping you to get where you want to be.  If you watch TV, play video games, or party every weekend, then you have time – you’re just not using it wisely.  Another challenge people have with time is in thinking they need huge blocks of time to accomplish anything.  If your schedule is such that you can only work on your business in bits and pieces, so be it.  Don’t let that keep you from doing what you can.  Again, every small step takes you closer to your goal, so take those steps.

There are a lot more excuses than these that people use to hold them down.  The point is, these really are excuses.  Each can be a legitimate concern, but often what it takes to get what you want is to see all the reasons it can’t be done and to do it anyway.  Remember, action begets action begets results.  In other words, do something in spite of all the excuses, and you might just start a chain of activity that will result in success.  Make ‘someday’ today!

How to Import Your Blog to Your Facebook Page

There’s little doubt that social media is important to most businesses’ marketing efforts these days. But the time it takes to maintain your social media presence is sometimes hard to find, so anything you can automate makes life much easier. Facebook is of course right at the top of the list of social media sites you need to keep up with on a regular basis, and it can be automated in several ways. One such way is to feed your blog posts right to your Facebook page. Here’s how:

Step 1: In the “Account” dropdown on the top menu bar, click “Application Settings”. This will bring up a page with a list of your applications.

Step 2: On the resulting page, click “Notes”. Don’t click on “Edit Settings” or “Profile”. Just click the word “Notes”.

Step 3: The following page will bring up your current notes or state that you don’t have any. On the right side of the page is a box where you will click on “Import a blog”.

Steps 4-6: On the next page, enter the URL for your blog’s feed. Then click the checkbox to accept Facebook’s terms (basically saying that you’re entering your own blog), and hit “Start Importing”.

Important: Facebook is often glitchy at this step.  If you get an error, and you’re sure you’ve entered the right URL, keep trying. You might even have to close out of the process and go back in, but eventually it will work. (Hopefully Facebook is working on this.)

Note: If your entire site is a blog (rather than a page on your site), you can enter the primary URL here too. In other words, we could enter “http://feeds.feedburner.com/blogtrepreneur” or just “http://www.blogtrepreneur.com”.

Step 7: If all goes well with the URL you entered, you’ll be taken to a page showing a preview of your blog posts. Don’t worry that they’re not in order here. It’s because they all show as being loaded on the same day. From this point forward, new posts will show up at the top as you post them. If all looks good, click “Confirm Import”.

Once you’ve confirmed your import, you can view the feed in the “My Notes” tab. That’s it! Your blog posts will now update your Notes page in your Facebook account automatically.

If you have a Fan Page

You can easily accomplish the same thing on your Facebook Fan Page. Everything is the same as a regular Facebook page, except the first step. On your settings page, where all your settings are listed, click “Edit” under “Notes”. From there, everything looks the same as above.

If you have a blog (and everyone should) and you have a Facebook page (and everyone should), this will help you combine those tools to improve your marketing, enhance your SEO efforts, and connect with more readers and customers. All in about 5 minutes of your valuable time!

How To Live The 4 Hour Work Week

Still Doing It All Yourself When it Comes To Blogging? You Need To Read This – And It’s FREE

I recently stumbled across this great little report called Secrets of Outsourcing Experts Revealed – and I had to let you know about it straight away.
You see, I come across SO MANY bloggers who are going out of their mind trying to do everything themselves – from building their blog to customizing their design. They get home from work at around 7.30pm, eat, touch base with the family – and sit down to work on their Internet marketing . . . sound familiar? I know – I’ve been there – and this little gem is specifically for those of you who do it all themselves – and wish you didn’t.

The Secrets of Outsourcing Experts Revealed is not just another report about outsourcing. It melds together leading experts such as Tim Ferriss, Jeff Mills and John Jonas, all of whom have outsourced their entire businesses and live the lifestyle they desire, working as little as 4 hours a week. The report is packed with insights from these leading Internet marketers – they reveal their screwups, and their successes – and what they’d wished they’d done in the beginning. They also wish they’d had the kind of knowledge about outsourcing delivered in this report – and these guys know what they’re on about. One of the things all of them agree on is they wish they’d outsourced more of their businesses earlier – and that struck a chord with me because, like you, I know what it’s like to be drowning in a ‘to-do’ list for my online business.

The report is by Tyrone Shum, a young entrepreneur who has already cracked the secret of outsourcing successfully and now rakes in a cool 6 figures a year while working only 4 hours a week. He has implemented the strategies covered in his report, and knows exactly what (and what NOT) to do.
This is a perfect example of learning from someone else’s mistakes without making them yourself – the report covers the pitfalls and ripoffs people like John Jonas have already experienced – so you don’t have to. Know exactly where to go and how to begin outsourcing from the start – and I recommend doing it as soon as your business can afford it; according to the report, you can begin hiring staff from as little as US$125 a month part time – and think of the time that will get back for you…

I was literally bowled over by the amount of information and knowledge in this report – the more so cause it’s absolutely free. I personally would be happy to pay for this sort of information, so grab it while you can. All of the information you need on outsourcing are in the report, so take a little time right now to download it. After all, if it’s good enough for John Jonas, Tim Ferriss and Jeff Mills, it’s worth your time to look into.

YOUR DOWNLOAD LINK TO THE REPORT

To download your own copy of Secrets of Outsourcing Experts Revealed
report, please visit the following page:

Free Report Click here

For best results, I recommend you print out the report and find a nice and quiet place to sit down and read it from start to finish without being interrupted. That way, you’ll get to enjoy the interviews and have a much better overview of what it takes to outsource your Internet business. You’ll probably get loads of ideas from these Internet marketing experts and start jotting down ideas right away – I know I did. So far I’ve noted dozens of ideas for my own business.

Not everything in the report will apply to all of you, but there’s a lot of information to work with as you grow your online business. As far as I’m concerned, it’s all about leveraging your time. Think about the parts of your business you don’t really like, or that take you far too long (like technical stuff if you’re a copywriter – or content creation if you’re a techie). Do you spend time writing invoices, when you should be strategizing for growth? This is exactly the sort of thing you can outsource – and you’ll get stacks more ideas about leveraging your time in this value-packed report.

If you’re thinking about outsourcing, I recommend you read this report first – doing it the wrong way can cost you a lot in time, money and lost business revenue. Check out this report – you’ll be glad you did.

Free Report Click Here

How to Earn Respect from your Employees

Whether you are brand-new to your position or have been experiencing a difficult time interacting with your employees, you must realize that respect is not something that automatically comes with the position, but it must be earned. This is a mistake that many new managers or bosses make as they think that merely being in the position of supervisor is sufficient to garner the attention and respect of subordinates.

While you must always, fundamentally, protect your ultimate position as a decision-maker, you should engage your employees as much as possible. This can often be a subtle undertaking as you neither want to appear to be too dominant nor too submissive, yet the path to respect lies in the middle.

Always show that you are competent, understand your role and have a good grasp of the business fundamentals. There is nothing worse than a ship adrift at sea and before you can get the respect of your employees you must be able to counter their fears and show them that you are clearly in control of the business destiny.

You must be able to “walk the walk” as well as “talk the talk” and should establish yourself as the role model within the organization. Stand by your convictions and believe in what you say.

Never try and bluff your way through any situation. If you truly do not know, admit to it and move on to the next step, which is to try and find a solution to the issue and to educate yourself appropriately to do so. You can gain a lot of respect by engaging your employees to contribute their knowledge and possible solutions to the situation. This goes a long way to gather respect.

If you are new to your position as employer or supervisor, it is generally a good idea to allocate time to an inclusive meeting with all the staff, during which you may go through a “state of the business” discussion and outline the corporate goals, your goals and invite contributions to determine their goals. If you can establish that success is a joint initiative between all of you and that each employee has his or her significant part to play, then you can engage their support for your overall objectives.

If problems arise and decisions have to be made, understand that there’s a right way and a wrong way to do this. It is often better to suggest rather than to dictate, as this helps to involve the employee and should make for a more enthusiastic approach, as opposed to a mandate. This does not mean that you should be “a pushover,” and must be prepared to make a firm decision if detraction, for one reason or another, would not be in the best interests of the business as a whole.

In short, always be approachable, reasonable, inclusive, appreciative yet firm. You will find that this approach is far more likely to gain employees’ respect and lead to a successful and mutually rewarding relationship.

Speaking from first hand experience, do you have any suggestions?

Matthew Toren

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