“Half the time, or better than half the time, when you think you’ve taken a wrong turn, a door opens that is a better door. It’s a new door you didn’t have access to before, because you were so oriented in the other direction. The majority of things you are beating yourself up about are things that are being answered by the Universe!” ~ Abraham-Hicks, 10-10-99

I just ran across this quote on The Garden Plum. And, it just so happens, I was having a conversation around this exact subject with a client of mine this week.

We were talking about what happens when you are pushing so hard in a certain direction - you’re insisting that this is the way you want to go - but nothing is working out to take you there.

Why is that? Why is it that sometimes, you just push and push and push and nothing moves?

One reason might be that you’re actually not matched to what it is you say you want. In other words, underneath all of that insisting, you’re actually resisting.

Another reason this appears to happen is that we can get so caught up, even obsessed in HOW our circumstances are going to change. When we obsess over the how, we may miss something really great that comes along to help us move forward.  When we obsess, we tend to block out our intuitive guidance - like a child with her hands over her ears who screams “I’m not listening to you ’cause I wanna do it MY way!”

Which of these instances do you resonate with? We’re going to dive deeper into this subject as the week goes on. I would love to hear your thoughts on this, and if you recognize yourself in one of these situations, let us know your thoughts!

Business paralysis occurs when we know what we have to do in our business – we can see the results we want, but we just can’t bring ourselves to take the steps toward it. Either we make up excuses, or we just procrastinate. Sometimes, the reason for feeling paralyzed is clear, and other times, it’s a subtle subconscious block causing the problem.

Business paralysis can happen because you’re lacking the confidence to complete the task, you need more information to finish the task, or you’re comparing yourself to other businesses and feeling like you just don’t measure up. Another cause of business paralysis can be unwelcome negative comments from someone else. Sometimes we have a friend or family member who tells us the exact opposite of what we need to hear. Negativity from other people can undermine your confidence and your efforts, and can keep you stuck.

Here are four ways to banish business paralysis. Sometimes, you’ll be able to banish the paralysis with just one technique. Other times, you may need to employ more than one, or all of the techniques, depending on your reason for being stuck. It’s ok if you can’t break through it right away. Don’t feel pressured to get through it quickly – it can take time.

1. Journaling is a great way to help you look at yourself, the situation, and yourself in the situation. If you’re feeling stuck journal around these questions: what am I trying to accomplish? Why do I want so badly to accomplish this? Am I making excuses, and if so, what are my reasons for not moving forward? Is my confidence feeling low, and if so, what is at the root of that feeling? Can I pin-point how and when my paralysis started? By answering these questions and then taking some time to free-write, you can gain new perspective on your situation.

2. Talking about the situation with someone is another excellent way to break through business paralysis. When you approach someone about the issue, be clear about whether you just want to vent, or if you want their opinion on a solution. It can be frustrating when someone offers solutions or opinions when you don’t necessarily need them. Sometimes, talking about your situation out loud can give you a new perspective.

3. Walking away from the activity that you’re procrastinating can help you gain fresh perspective. Sometimes, taking a walk, going shopping, or just reading for pleasure are great ways to open your mind. When you step away from the task, be sure and stay focused on the present moment – take your mind completely off the situation. Giving your mind a break will help you open up to new ideas, or, it will help you see a new way of proceeding. Also, trying to stick with the situation when you’re feeling stressed or pressured may make the feeling of stress worse. The less pressure you feel, the quicker you’ll become unstuck.

4. If your stuck because your confidence is wavering, or because you’re comparing yourself to someone else, take some time to write down all of the wonderful things you’ve already created in your life. Or, take some time to think about the wonderful things that you’ve already accomplished. You can simply write a list of the great things in your life and your accomplishments, or pick 2 or 3 of them and take some time to relive the memories of those events. If someone close to you is talking to you in a negative way, it’s time to put a stop to it. Tell them that you will no longer engage in negative conversations with them. Remember, they are being negative because they feel they don’t measure up somehow – it actually has nothing to do with you.

Business paralysis happens to all of us from time to time, and it’s not always easy to work through. If you need extra help breaking through business paralysis, check out my Intuitive Business Readings.

I was bouncing around the internet this morning and happened upon this woman’s Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/amma_maw/

One of her photos says:

“Peace… it alone can heal us.”

Wow. That is so true. Peace. That is a powerful word. And, when I let it sink into my being… I feel serene, and calm, and Empowered.

I know for me - this is my sacred word. When I’m feeling overly stressed about something, or I start thinking way too much, I bring myself back to Earth by sitting quietly and just repeating that word into my being.

It immediately brings me into the present moment - where I am in control. I can then come back to vibrational alignment for what I want, and I can move about my day in a more productive manner.

Try it. Sit quietly. And just let the vibration of Peace fill you.

How does your demeanor change? How do your thoughts change? How does your outlook change? Such a sacred word…

I was cleaning up my desk on Friday and I just happened to look at one corner of it - it’s so pretty and girly:

I’m not afraid to say it - I’m a girly girl. As you can see - I LOVE PINK! LOL! I love my flower sticky notes, I love my Pink Phone and my Pink Blue Tooth Headset… Oh, and that mug is new… we got that on our trip to Knoebels - it says “Life is Good” on the front with a pink heart. On the back, it says “Do what you like, like what you do.” Oh and yes - I still use a paper-based planner. I just can’t get into the PDA’s… In this shot, it’s turned to my calendar page - which I can see I hadn’t updated yet… now there’s LOTS on there LOL!

I make it a point to surround myself with things I love.

It’s important to have a work-space that reflects who you are, and includes things that make you feel comfortable, excited about your work, and that make you smile. The parts of my desk that you don’t see include my fairy collection, pictures of my family, and my plants.

What does your desk look like?? Share a photo of your desk on your blog and then post a comment here with a link!

On being organized, my friend Tracey Lawton is a whiz. Tracey says that “I think the single, most important, reason to be organized, is so that you can keep track of your business. After all, if you don’t know where you are in your business how can you grow it? There are several other equally important reasons for being organized though. You need efficient office systems: To quickly and easily find important contact information; To be able to respond to client’s requests straightaway; So that you can immediately submit a proposal; To be able to follow-up with clients and contacts; So that you can stay on track with your projects; To monitor your latest marketing campaign.”

Those are definitely excellent reasons to get yourself organized. Getting organized and clearing clutter also helps improve your energy, lift your mood, and it helps to make room in your life for bigger and better things to enter.

If you’re forcing yourself to look at piles of “stuff” think about the energy you’re expending worrying about what you’re going to do with all that stuff, and when you’re going to do something about it. Also, you have to keep shifting everything from one place to another just to be able to work around it.

Having clutter around can drag down your mood as well. Your space feels heavy, and crowded when the things you need are competing with piles of who-knows-what. If you have to dig for what you need, or you can’t put your hands on important things right away, it can cause stress and frustration.

When you clear out, or get organized, you really do make room for great things to come into your life. For example, when you get rid of the clothes that no longer fit, or are out of style, you free up space in your closet – and you feel great buying replacements.

If you’re looking at and stressing over clutter, where do you begin? Here are three steps to get you started:

1. All of the items causing clutter can either be acted on, put away, or gotten rid of. Take each item and decide what category it fits into. Remember, “gotten rid of” doesn’t mean you have to toss it. You can donate things to churches, daycares, charitable organizations, or your neighbors.

2. Don’t try to tackle it all at once. Start in one corner and work your way around the room piece by piece. Looking at a whole room of stuff can be overwhelming. Break the task into pieces and decide what you’ll tackle first. Once you’ve conquered one small area, take a short break, get refreshed and then come back in and dive into the next area.

3. You don’t have to finish in one day. You can break the job down into several days. Pressuring yourself to get the job done too quickly will cause frustration.

Once you clear the clutter in your space, you will notice a big difference in how the energy moves in your space. Everything will feel so open.

What are your tips for clearing clutter.

I attended an afternoon networking event yesterday at Verbal Networking. The topic of discussion was “How do you handle it when you encounter someone who is just not nice?”

I thought this was a wonderful topic  because as we make our way through entrepreneurship, we’re going to come in contact with people that we just don’t resonate with… or to put it another way - people that just drive us crazy!

We aren’t going to like everyone in the world - and unfortunately, there are people in the world who just aren’t that nice. Without going into too much detail - I’ve been flamed by a couple of people through online networking venues, and I still have to interact with them.

But how do you interact with these people and remain professional?

The way I deal with it is, I allow that person to be who they are, and I honor who I am. If possible, I avoid the person - because I mean really, I’m not a glutton for punishment! For example, if I see them on the same networking group, I’ll just stay away from their posts.

If by chance I cross paths with someone who has been negative toward me, or who I just don’t resonate with, I allow them to be who they are. Because - I’m not going to change them, and I wouldn’t even want to spend the energy trying!

Allowing negative people to be who they are releases you from the responsibility of worrying about what they’re up to, what they’re saying, and what they might be creating in their business.

If you look around at your business and you like what you’re creating - then it’s ok for that negative person to exist and create whatever it is that they are going to create.

How do you deal with negative people?

I’ve seen discussions in quite a few areas about building a business with a small budget. I’d love to talk about that here - because I know what it was like to start out and need to spend almost nothing. I also
talk to many entrepreneurs in this situation.

One option is bartering - now - there are some things with a barter that I think must be taken into account.

First and foremost - make sure you REALLY know the person you’re bartering with. It helps if you already have a relationship of some sort with someone before you enter into the barter.

Also - it’s a good idea to have a written agreement and really go over the details. If you’re going to be exchanging services, you want to make sure that both parties are receiving equal value.

Another good thing to do when approaching bartering is to have a deadline to review the agreement. Maybe barter for 30 days to start and then re-visit the agreement.

I’ve seen a lot of successful bartering - but I’ve also seen it go very wrong and end up hurting both people. So make sure that when you set up an arrangement like that, you have all your ducks in a row and everyone knows the deal.

I would love to hear creative ideas for using money wisely in your business, and also obtaining services on a budget.

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Well, Madd is off to school:

I’m doing ok this morning. I had a couple tears when she got on the bus - but none that anyone else noticed. I had my big emotional release a couple of weeks ago.

Here is a shot of Madd and I waiting at the bus stop:

I can’t wait until she comes home - I’m so excited to hear about her first day!

One of my favorite marketing activities is networking online. Many of my clients engage in this activity as well. But, soon after starting online networking, many people find themselves in a state of overwhelm – so many groups – so little time! This week, I’ll address two questions I get from clients often. First, how do you know which groups are ideal for your business, and second, how do I effectively manage my online networking and avoid becoming overwhelmed with it all?

First, let’s talk about some of the ways that you can networking online. You can participate in online networking groups such as the type you might find at Yahoo, Ryze, or Zaadz. You can also participate in special online events through organizations like WECAI, or Verbal Networking.

It’s important to find networking groups where your niche is hanging out. These are the people that you will be able to help build your business. When you visit sites like Yahoo, do a search on keywords for your niche and see what kinds of groups are out there. For example, if I’m looking for networking groups, I might search on “women entrepreneurs.” Hanging out with your niche will help you gain clients, and it will help you discover what your niche’s needs are as they relate to your business.

You can also join networking groups where your peers congregate. These are great to discuss industry trends, get business questions answered and share ideas. For example, I’m a member of a few groups that are geared toward coaching.

You want to be sure the groups you’re interested in are fairly active. An active group usually has a couple hundred members, and will have at least 15 to 20 messages in a week – some have a lot more than that, but that’s a good number to look for.

When you join a group, spend a few days getting to know what the rules and expectations are. For example, some groups do not allow e-mail signatures, some groups have special days for ads. Also, spend some time reading the discussions and learning about the members.

When you’re ready, post your introduction, and jump into any conversations you feel you’d like to join.

If a group is busy and it seems like the conversations move fast and there are new threads constantly being added, you don’t have to respond to everything. When you visit the online groups, usually there is a message archive that you can browse. All of the threads are usually grouped by topic, so you can choose which discussions you’re interested in following and responding to. It is completely fine to only respond to the threads that you are most interested in. Don’t forget to offer your expertise in discussions where it is warranted. This will help members get to know what you can offer them, and it is a great way to establish yourself as an expert.

Another rule of thumb is to not work a sales pitch into every post you make. That can seem insincere. Save your sales pitch for ad days and for your e-mail signature. The goal of networking in any situation is to build relationships. You may not make sales or get e-zine subscribers the first time you post – and that’s ok. You want the members of the group to get to know you, and you want to get to know them.

Consistency is the key to make online networking work for you. Decide how much time you’re going to devote to this marketing activity and then be consistent. For example, you may decide to visit your online groups three times per week and spend 2 hours responding to posts. Or, you may decide to only visit once per week and spend 3 hours networking. Be organized with your efforts and stick to a schedule. This will make it easier to manage, and it will ensure that you don’t get stuck socializing when you really should be working

In addition to making really great business connections, online networking is a way to make amazing friends and meet fantastic people. Remember, not every single person you meet through networking will become a customer, but they will be a great connection – and you never know where that might lead!