I was having a conversation with a client yesterday. She is attempting something in her business that goes against what “everyone else is doing.” And, I love this, because I very often do this in my own business.

I like to call it - being true to your authentic self!

My client is about to launch a new product, and she was putting together her sales page yesterday. She called me in a panic because she was trying desperately to bang out one of those looooong, drawn out sales pages. She was stuck somewhere in the middle of the page. The words wouldn’t come and her internal mental alarm was screaming that this was absolutely NOT the right thing to do - but she couldn’t figure out exactly why.

Then, she realized that writing these long sales pages was just not “her.” So, she came to the decision that she was not going to do it.

She was a little apprehensive because she saw this system working so well for everyone else - but it just didn’t feel right to her. That’s where I came in. She called because she wanted to bounce this off of me and see what my thoughts were, and how to better approach writing the sales page.

My client actually thought I was going to give her ideas on how to become un-stuck and plow through the rest of the sales page - and just “get it done.”

Nope. I went in a completely different direction. I agreed with her that those pages weren’t “her.” I told her she had permission to create the sales page in a way that felt authentic to her.

I told her, she didn’t have to do what everyone else was doing - and then I asked if everyone else was jumping off a bridge, would she jump too? Ok - I know - that was terrible… but I had to! It added just a tiny bit of humor to the situation, and eased the tension she felt enough that she actually saw that she didn’t have to follow the crowd.

It’s ok to not follow the crowd. It’s ok to do things in a way that is authentic to you. All you need is a goal and a plan.

Have you ever succumbed to business peer pressure? Have you ever done things that didn’t necessarily feel right to you? What have you done to overcome the business peer pressure?

Do you like implementing new systems in your business?

I’m actually implementing a few new things at the moment - it’s hard enough to implement one thing - but a few - OY!

First - I’m having a new web site developed. It should be unveiled very, very soon. The design work has been fun - it’s so cool to see what the designer comes up with - and then to pick out the site and tweak it until it’s all yours… it’s so cool.

But - along with that new design, there comes a new system for updates, and uploading all the information into the site.

Next, I’m implementing a new system for networking offline. I’ve done tons of online networking - and I love the convenience of it. I’ve done a little offline networking, but nothing has ever really “done it” for me. So, I’ve explored some different ways to network offline and I’ll be trying those starting this week.

Finally, I’m implementing two brand new services for clients. I’m almost ready to go live with them - I just need to get the documentation and the curriculum outline finalized.

It’s going to be a busy couple of weeks! What makes it easier is, I have a system in place just for implementing new systems into my business - I know - a system for a system - can you stand it!? LOL!

When I have a new project idea, or I want to re-vamp something, the first thing I do is set a deadline. Then, I work backward in my calendar and develop a task list based on the deadline.

This way - I have everything in the calendar and I can track my progress as I move forward.

How do you implement new systems in your business?

Are there activities during your day that absolutely rob you of time? For me, one of the big ones this morning was dealing with the absolute influx of spam that hit my in-box and my blog this weekend.

I deleted no less than 55 spam comments from my blog, and there were 20 spam messages that made it past my spam filter and into my in-box.

What the heck happen?!? Did all the spam filters in the world go kaput this weekend? Sheesh! My e-mail program is usually so much better about catching that stuff and appropriately putting it in the spam folder. And my blog, well - it’s never seen so much spam.

Anyway - it got me thinking - dealing with all of this definitely steals my time. So today, I’m going to be looking at ways to systematize this stuff and be more efficient when dealing with it.

What are things in your day that rob your time? Do you have systems in place to deal with those things? Have you looked into hiring an assistant to help you with that stuff?

Ok - I know I haven’t been here for two days… but - it’s out of busy-ness, not lazyness.

Tuesday, I accompanied my daughter’s class on their field trip to Longwood Gardens. That was a ton of fun. One of the reasons I love being the boss is, I get to have a flexible schedule and rearrange things so I can be really involved with my daughter.

My mom could never do those things - she was a single mom taking care of two kids. She had to answer to a few bosses, and she had a set amount of time off.

I remember watching how stressed my mom would get about work, and I remember her not being able to attend school plays, or dance recitals because of it. I vowed that I would not let that happen… that’s probably a huge reason I abhor working for someone else…

Let’s talk about what actually happens though, when I take time out of the office. I talk to all sorts of Mom’s out there who work for someone else and think that I can just come and go as I please - that my business is just a cover for sitting around watching soap opera’s and eating bon-bons all day. Though I do enjoy General Hospital… I don’t blow off my work to watch it
Even though I’m a solo-preneur, I still have clients that I work with (and for), and I still have projects and deadlines - my business does move forward… just like a “traditional” job. I cannot do whatever I want, whenever I want… if I do that, my business will stall. So I do need to stick to a plan, be focused and be smart about my time. I think entrepreneurs have it tougher than those in Corporate because, we have to wear ALL of the hats in the business. We decide what to work on, when to work on it, how to work on it… and I know that sounds glamorous… but it can be nerve wracking too. It all falls on our shoulders. If something doesn’t get done - the buck stops here. That’s a lot of pressure!

When I’m not here, work doesn’t get done. I have to make that time up somewhere. And it’s usually in the evenings. After Drew comes home, he can spend time with the Maddster and I can go back into the office for a few hours and catch up.

Even though I get to have a flexible schedule - it doesn’t mean I can take time off willy-nilly. I still have to plan, and shift, and re-focus.

I don’t want to make it sound like it’s a grind - because it isn’t… but it’s just not all the fun and fancy stuff all the time either!

Ok - so that was my day on Tuesday. Yesterday, I was making some changes to my website (I’m about to unveil two NEW services!!!!!!!! Look for that in the coming days!), and, I was prepping for our Law of Attraction Seminar - Allow Your Dreams that took place last night. It was a roof-blowing-off sort of experience. The energy was high, the participants ROCKED and I’m already hearing about the results some people are experiencing!

Yesterday was one of those days where, every hour or so, I would say “ok, I gotta get over to the blog and post…” and then another hour would go by… the next thing I knew, I was hanging up the phone from the seminar and the day was over.

I started to beat myself up when I realized I hadn’t blogged - and it had been two days. I wanted to do this whole Authentic Self Project for the business and blog every day about what it was like to be an entrepreneur… but ya know what? I decided that not blogging for two days WAS authentic. My schedule got a little crazy, and that’s ok.

When you’re balancing a business, a family, a social schedule - it can get crazy. And sometimes, certain things have to wait. It’s ok to (responsibly) let some things slide. If you’re honest with yourself and anyone else that’s involved in the activity you need to let go of, it all turns out just fine.

One of the big things I learned this year is, we can have it all… we just can’t DO it all. It’s ok to ask for help, and it’s ok to release things that no longer serve.

What do you do when you realize certain things keep slipping down your to-do list?

Ok, so sometimes, the day doesn’t go quite as planned…

Last week, I spent some time creating a new plan for my work day, as suggested by my friend Ann - you really must check out the free e-book she gives away…

So anyway, I outline this whole fabulous plan and can’t wait to jump in head first this morning. Sometimes, the best laid plans…

I woke up with a flu-like cold thing going on that has me all foggy. I’ve been trying to focus and stick to my schedule, but my mind is mush… I know, I know - take the day off and relax, right? That would be the easiest thing to do.

Except, my friend Kim and I are giving our second Law Of Attraction Intensive Seminar on Wednesday and I must do some work for that. I had to run to the post office and ship a couple Empowerment Kits- don’t worry, they were packed by my hubby so no icky’s arrive with the Kits I also have to finish my client notes for an Intuitive Business Reading I did. So the day is packed full of things that absolutely have to get done.

I’m finding as I’m working, I’m feeling better though - so that’s a plus!

What do you do when you’re not feeling up to par in your business? How do you handle it when you aren’t 100% on your game?

So today, I’m contemplating a decision in my business. I thought this was perfect for my Authentic Self project!

The decision is whether or not to continue sending a regular weekly e-zine.

I’ve been kicking this around for a while. And the reason I’ve stuck with it is, I felt I “had” to. Any time you feel like you “have” to do something, or you “should” do something - it’s a good indication that the something isn’t serving you and you need to change directions.

So, I’ve felt that “should” for a while now. Why am I considering giving it up? Honestly -because I LOVE to blog. Blogging has been a fabulous way for me to build relationships with you guys. And, between a blog and the Yahoo Group, I really feel like I have open communication lines and the e-zine is starting to feel redundant.

When I first started my e-zine, I LOVED it. But now, we’re well into Web 2.0, so it’s time to try some new media and evolve my business a bit.

Before I completely give up the e-zine, I’d like to hear some feedback from you. I’ve developed a survey:

http://tinyurl.com/2syrvo

If you fill out the survey, you will receive a gift!! I will send you a set of 4 Law of Attraction Inspiration Cards. The cards are part of my Law of Attraction Immersion Kit - in the kit, there are actually 16 cards. You can print out these cards, cut them apart and use them as inspiration throughout your day.

I’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to fill out the survey and then collect your gift!

Making decisions as our business evolves is not always easy. How do you make decisions? In your life, what are the signs that something needs to change? How do you make decisions?

Yesterday, I was working with a client during an Intuitive Business Reading, and she started off our call with this “Jenn, I’m pissed off, and I’ve been trying to work my way out of this vulgar mood all freakin’ day and I just can’t do it!”

I was so proud of her. That is so honest - so authentic! Why is it that as women, we beat ourselves up when we feel awful? Why do we make excuses and try so hard to pull ourselves out of a bad mood? Why do we try and cover up our emotions?

I’m the type of person who is not very good at faking it - so if I’m mad, or sad, or irritated - you’re going to know it! But, I see so many women try to hide these emotions.

Today, for the Authentic Self Project, I want to make a proclomation:

IT’S OKAY TO BE MAD, SAD, ANGRY, JEALOUS, AND HAVE HURT FEELINGS!!!  WE ARE HUMAN!

These emotions are perfectly natural and sometimes, you just gotta feel them - and let them out.

Your emotions are actually awesome tools for you to use. When you are feeling any kind of negative emotion, it’s a signal that you’re thinking about, or that you’re aligned with, something you don’t want.

For example, let’s say, your best friend Jane gets a new car - the EXACT car you have been drooling over for the past year. Your first instinct is to want to scream. You mentally go into a jealous rage… but then you catch yourself. You say “wait, I can’t feel like that toward Jane - she’s my best friend - I should be happy for her!”

The fact that you’re feeling that jealousy is an indication that you are not thinking about having the car… it’s an indication that you are feeling bad because you don’t yet have the car - you’re thinking about the lack of the car.

So what do you do when you feel those negative emotions?

First thing’s first - let it out if you have to! Kick, scream, yell, cry - whatever you want to do to blow off that steam. I’ll admit - I’ve had some WHOPPING hissy fits. I’ve got a 5 year old, so I know how to throw ‘em like a champ! I work from home, so I’m the only one here during the day - I can have my hissy fits in private. If you need somewhere to go, take a drive, go to your parents house if they’re out for the day - get somewhere that you can throw your fit with passion and fervor and get that negativity out of you.

One thing I tell my clients is that they can send me an e-mail about the situation - and they can just type… no need to correct spelling errors or worry about the actual content - just type. Swear, curse, type in all caps if you have to, but type until you feel like it’s all out of you. The other thing I tell them is that they can leave me a voice mail - and they can yell, rant, rave, curse, scream - whatever they need to do to get it out of them. Of course, if I’m not with a client at the time they need to throw the fit, I’m happy to listen live as they get the negativity out of them.

Find a couple of really good friends and make this same deal with them. Tell each other that you can send each other e-mails or voicemails and just yell. It helps to know that someone is on the other end and will hear you, won’t judge you, and can support you.

I’ve also been known to go for a vigorous run, or to put on a song that matches my mood and choreograph a dance to the song. For me - physical activity helps sometimes.

When you’re done getting the negativity out, it’s time to replace it with joy. Take a deep breath, and journal. Think about the things in your life that you are grateful for. Think about the things you’ve already attracted in your life. Think about how far you’ve come on your journey so far.

If you don’t feel like journaling, do something else that makes you happy.  Call a friend, play with your child, go visit the neighbors…

Remember, we are human. We FEEL. It’s okay to feel lousy. You are not part of some Super Alien Nation that feels no emotion. Give yourself permission to feel what you feel. Then, when it’s diffused, come back to your center and get back to joy.

How do you handle it when negative emotions come up? Do you allow yourself that space, or do you stifle it as quickly as you can? What are your processes for coming back to joy?

I love a challenge. Even though, when first faced with a challenge I cower just ever so slightly - that little voice inside of me says “what if I can’t do it…” And then I say “naaah! I’ll get it done!”

I’m one of those “take the bull by the horns” sorts of people, and not very many challenges scare me. When I see something I want, or something I want to do - I have no fear. I’ve always been like that - I just go for it.

Like when I started my first business. I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur. And I knew I wouldn’t fail. Meanwhile, my husband was being the realist and asking all sorts of questions… did I think of this? Did I think of that? Was I prepared in the event of…? Um - no. I just knew I wanted to start a business, so I did!

I rarely get stuck in analysis paralysis. When I want to do something, I do it. When I have a flash of inspiration, I follow it. I do get stuck - usually when creating the details… I want to make sure everything is absolutely just perfect for the recipient of the service or product… I over-edit from time to time, or I get into Perfectionist Mode. I’ve gotten good at recognizing when I’m doing that.

I’ve got two challenges right now. I’m in the process of writing a hard-bound book, and I’m also in the process of developing a membership forum. I’m a little stuck right now on both.

For the forum, I want to make sure I’m providing the most value to my potential clients - and I’m giving them what they want… I think I know - but I can never be sure until I put it in front of some people and see what they think. So, to meet that challenge, I’m going to ask a few people to be on a research committee for me.

For the book, I’m just stuck blocking out enough time in my days to write. That is going to be solved by blocking out an hour every day - no phone, no e-mail, no Skype - no outside contact. I’m going to immerse myself in it.

I’ll let ya know how these solutions work out for me!

So, my Authentic-Self Question to you today is, do you love challenges? What happens inside of you when something unexpected comes up? Do you follow your inspiration, or do you get stuck in Analysis Paralysis?

What challenges are you currently facing? What is stopping you from stepping up, standing out, and moving forward?

please, stop comparing my business to those people. Yes - I market my business on the internet - but there is a big difference between what I do and what they do.

For today’s Authentic Self Project post, I want to address this. The reason I chose this is because over the last week and a half, I have been compared to internet marketers in one way or another - and frankly it’s making me a little crazy. I’m tired of hearing about how effective these hype-ridden sales tactics are.

Remember when I posted my big rant about these so-called marketing gurus? Well, it’s coming time for me to stand my ground, hold my beliefs, and stay firm in my power on this subject.

A few weeks ago, I was in a networking group, and I expressed an opinion - inconsistent to the way internet marketers do things. Someone replied “Yes, but the internet marketers say that This Other way works better…” Yeah - well - I’m NOT an internet marketer. I hang out with my niche daily, I listen to what they say - and they don’t like the sales tactics of the internet marketers. So why on Earth would I use a technique that my niche doesn’t resonate with?

Last week, I was having a conversation with a friend who tried to insist that my business was an internet marketing business - and why wouldn’t I want to replicate those tactics? He asked, “don’t you want to see the same success these guys do? Why wouldn’t you want to place yourself in that category??” He was completely dumbfounded.

Why don’t I consider myself an internet marketer? Two REALLY big reasons:

1. I LOVE to work directly with my clients. I love what I do, and I don’t want to build a business so that I can sit around and not work with clients. Internet marketers will brag about how much money they make and how little they work… my question is - where is the TRUE value in a business like that? Let me get this straight - your customers are going to spend pretty big bucks for your product, but you’re going to be off in Tahiti somewhere if they have questions??

I work with my clients - I love to work WITH my clients. I will not produce a product or service, ask giant amounts of money for it, and then have my assistant handle everything else. I will be in touch with my clients. I love receiving e-mail from them, and I love interacting with them.

2. I will not make promises in my sales pages that are next to impossible for normal entrepreneurs to replicate. If you look at these internet marketers, they will lead you to believe that you can make scads of money in 30 days. Yeah, if you have the right amount of money, the right reach and the right amount of time, you can make scads of money in 30 days. But - if you’re like all of us regular entrepreneurs, it’s going to take a bit of time and a bit of work to build your business. And really - there is nothing wrong with working. I don’t consider “working in my business” a bad thing.

I tell my clients exactly how to be effective in their business, how to break through the mind-set traps that hold them back, and how to build a business that will serve them and their clients. I will not promise pies in the sky, and I will not build gigantic web sales pages - you know - the ones that take 30 minutes to read.

My clients are intelligent people who want to build businesses that serve their clients and customers. They don’t need the hype, they don’t need to read something for 30 minutes, they don’t need automatic audio on a sales page to know that I can help them with what’s keeping their business stuck.

Like I said at the outset, I’m being asked through these conversations to hold my ground. Luckily - I’m in good company. I had a conversation with my friend Ann on Friday and we talked about this very subject. She’s in my boat on this - and I love that… she’s a pretty smart lady so I know I’m in great company!

I remember a time in my life where I would have caved and gone along with the popular voice. No longer. Giving in to what others believe doesn’t serve you. And it doesn’t serve those around you either.

Stand up for what you believe in. Hold your ground - there are other people out there that support your opinion. If you stand up for what you believe in, you will serve your soul, you will increase your confidence, and you will find amazing people that also believe in you and what you say!

So today, think on these questions: are there areas in your business where you feel like you’re going against the popular views? What happens inside  of you when you believe something with your whole heart and soul and the people around you feel completely the opposite way?

Like I said last week, something that keeps coming up for me, is this idea of being able to stand in your power, and truly express your authentic-self in every aspect of your life - in every situation. Authenticity keeps coming up for my clients, my friends, my colleagues… so I thought this was the perfect subject for my own 30 day project on my blog.

As you know, I do a lot of teaching around the Law of Attraction. Part of that is, being able to be in alignment with all of the things that you want. And, one way to be in alignment is to be in touch with your authenticity. In other words, you naturally want certain things in your life - a certain car, a successful business, more money, etc… it’s the fear and the self-doubt and the negativity that rise up and get in your way of having the things that you want - that cover your authentic self. If you can stand in your power, and be in alignment with your authentic self, you will naturally be in alignment with all the things you want in life, and you will naturally attract them.

So, my purpose with this project is two-fold. First, I want to show you how I stand in my authenticity (and sometimes, it’s not easy - especially as an entrepreneur). This is really exciting… well - I’m excited and a little nervous. I’m never afraid to share myself and what goes on in my life - but I don’t know what will come up in this 30 days… I’m going to be letting you in on a daily basis to see how I handle issues that come up, events that happen, and business challenges. I’m hoping that by being authentic - and being public about it - it gives you the opportunity to see real-life examples of authenticity in action. And in turn - gives you ideas about how to handle situations in your own business.

Secondly, I want to show you how easily life flows if you’re authentic and if you stay true to yourself.

Each day, I’m going to be posting about a situation that is happening in my business and/or life. I’m going to discuss how I’m handling the situation authentically, and what the results are in my life.

I’m going to be giving you tools and exercises along the way that you can apply to your own life and business.

Tomorrow, I will post the first situation. I’m excited because it’s going to talk about my views on internet marketing and why I feel some people abuse the privledge.