Words of encouragement
Sometimes a couple of simple words can ecourage a co-worker, employee or even a family member. Below is a list of simple words, that can make a big different.
1. I know you would make it
2. What an amazing improvement
3. You get better and better each day
4. This is the best so far
5. Very well done
6. Excellent, you are a quick learner
7. It is so fun to see your improvements
8. Today you have performed very well
9. Your progress is admirable
10. Now you have succeeded again
Why do I write this simple list with sentences that everybody knows of? Because that very few people use them. Do not forget to encourage people around you.
Mingle Tips
Networking is very important when running a business, and especially if you are just working online it is importan to go out in the real world to meat up with potential customers, competitors and other entrepreneurs. We have got a lot of trade shows and other events aimed to us web entrepreneurs that is absolutely neccesary to attend if you are serious about your business, and want to go big with it.
On these shows and events it is a vital part to mingle, but I know a lot of people are scared of this and think it is nerv wrecking and unpleasent. You got overstep this fear and just do it. Below I present a few tips to make you a better mingler.
1. Do not be shy. Dare to make contact.
2. To calm you down, practice on a few openinign lines to get the conversations started.
3. Talk about things that interest the person you are talking with.
4. Do not forget to listen to the replies.
5. One of the most important parts is to always smile
6. Do talk about your job and company, but do not forget to show your interest in the other persons too.
7. Do not rush the conversation. Give it the time it needs.
8. Do not interrupt the conversation, let it flow naturally.
9. To increase the number of participants in the conversation and to help others network, introduce the person you are talking with to another person before you leve him or her.
10. Another thing to remember is that you should not get to personal if this is a business event. This does not mean that you should not talk about personal stuff, but you got to find a balance here.
Easy Steps To a Calmer Life
Most people know what their weaknesses are, and most of the time that is usually not a big deal. But for those who are having a problem with saying no, a personal weakness can turn into a personal disaster.
Every man and woman is their own individual, with their own needs, musts and problems and by following these few easy steps below you should be able to look forward to a more calmer summer without a lot of musts and demands.
Get to know your boundaries
Listen to the signals your body is giving you. Your body is a perfect tool to measure your mental health.
Be honest
Accept the fact that you can not be loved by everyone.
Say no
Ask yourself the question, “How much can I take?”. Do not be afraid to say no.
Close the door to the world around you
Allow yourself to be by yourself, doe yourself from time to time.
Make your own choices
Think about what things, people and situations that brings out the best in you. Do not surround yourself with people that brings you down and that you do not have anything in common with.
Other perspectives
You got to dare to look at life in other perspectives. Are you doing things for yourself or for others?
Be your own boss
Stand up to everybody that think they know what is best for you. Try to ignore “power maniacs” that is using you to step on to uphold them self.
Do not be too serious
If you take everything in life too serious, you are missing out on a lot of fun life has to offer. Allow yourself to do some crazy stuff.
5 ways to motivate others
This blog post is sponsored by:
Self Help
Motivation is a matter of getting to know the people around you – what drives them, what fires them, what makes them happy, and what makes them willing to put in more than necessary. The fact that you are an entrepreneur means you have found what it is that motivates you – now it’s time to find what it is that can motivate others.
As an entrepreneur of a small business, you are the boss – but being the boss does not mean you should act like a tyrant to get things done to your liking. A tyrant can only inspire fear and resentment – at first, you might find that things are getting done faster than before, but in the long run, the people around you and the people who work for you will grow to hate you and your autocratic ways, and will find subversive ways to thwart your biddings.
A wise entrepreneur knows that his employees constitute the heart of the company, and without a staff that is enthusiastic and motivated, his business is going nowhere.
Your ability to interact with the people on a relational level largely affects how you motivate them to make your business a resounding success.
Be a role model
As a leader, you set the tone for fellow entrepreneurs and other people. Practice what you preach – if you yourself are unmotivated, don’t expect them to be all fired up. Be enthusiastic, be motivated – and inspire the people around you. Arrive on time, wear the proper attire, work happily and hard – be all the things you expect your people to be.
Communicate with your employees
Direct interaction with your people is vital, and must be done on a regular basis. Having regular discussions with employees will improve your relationship – plus it helps you, the entrepreneur, to assess what it is that motivates them to work harder.
Offer incentives
Not all incentives must be money. Sometimes the best incentives are those that demonstrate creativity and thoughtfulness on the employer’s part. Offer concert tickets or restaurant gift certificates for employees who demonstrate outstanding performance and service. To up the excitement, don’t tell your people what the reward will be until the goal has been achieved.
Recognize a job well done
An employee goes the extra mile to complete a major project, or an account has been acquired owing to the superb work of your people. Take the time to celebrate as a company for a spectacular job. It can be simple; it can be grandiose – order pizza or organize a party outside of the office. Show your people how proud you are to have them in your business.
Treat your people with kindness and respect
When employees perceive that you care about their well-being and respect them as valuable members of your business, they are willing to show cooperation, enthusiasm, and loyalty to you and your small business. Kindness and understanding go a long way towards motivating your employees in helping you to achieve your goals as an entrepreneur.
Starting a healthier lifestyle
These days we see constant reminders about our mortality. Hit TV shows that revolve around sickness and death, magazines specially catering to specialty meals, even parts of the news dedicated to the never-ending watch on how one lives. The truth is that this is not a novel thing. It is not a new occurrence. Man has been on the constant quest to find a way to live longer. This article is not necessarily about living longer, but rather, about living healthily. And the three main categories a person must focus on to make this a reality is food, exercise, and managing mental stress.
Experts will tell you it’s never too late to start being healthy. There are many things we can do to get started. And these things are not necessarily hard to do. Simple choices about everyday decisions can go a long way in living healthily.
The first thing is to have a balanced diet. It is tempting to try out all the fad diets out there promising miracle weight loss of a certain number of pounds in record days. But it really is not about the number of pounds lost, although this is very important especially for those who are weighing far above their target weight. The thing is, there really is no perfect weight. Every person’s ideal weight is dependent upon several factors: height, bone structure, age, and genetics. To forget all these factors when getting healthy would be the beginning of successive disappointments. The simplest and easiest way to look at it would be to realize what your ideal weight is, through the help of medical experts if need be, and then to set goals accordingly. Follow the food pyramid and the recommended daily allowance for certain food groups. A person does not necessarily need to stress over white flour, brown sugar, natural rice, or organic vegetables. A balance of everything, including junk every now and then, is actually recommended. Eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of fewer large ones. And always listen to your body. It will tell you when something is just not right.
The next thing to focus on would be exercise. In the frenetic pace of corporate lives, as a lot of people are used to, this may be a luxury. But exercise need not be 6 hours in the gym every day. A simple 20-minute brisk walk to and from work daily will suffice for regular exercise. Do 20 crunches and push ups in the bedroom every other day, carry your laundry up and down the stairs everyday, or even run after your kids when you are in the park for that afternoon treat. These simple, enjoyable activities are great ways to get exercise. The important thins is to get your blood circulating by getting physical activity. Naturally, for those who want to lose weight, a little more effort is required. But a person can incorporate that into their daily schedule eventually. First things first: get moving. The earlier a person starts, the more constant the activity, the easier it will be to get healthy.
And finally, we need to focus on our minds. This is the part most people either don’t realize or just forget to pay attention to. Mental health is a very important component in starting a healthier lifestyle. First, we have to want to be healthy to actually be able to start something achievable. And we have to make sure the daily stresses of life do not take over such that our goal just cannot be realized. For example, a person may want to start being healthier but just cannot find the time to start this what with a 50-55 hour work week. At the end of each day, the mind and consequently the body is just too exhausted to do much more. So compartmentalizing is the key. Set aside hours for work and hours for leisure. Take the weekends off. Spend those days with the family. Or if single, focus on a hobby that is just pure pleasure. A balance in mind will bring about a balance in life.
These three factors are the most important and the easiest things to focus on if one wants to start being healthy. And, as was shown above, the ways to achieve this need not be difficult as well. So, while this article in not about how to live longer, hopefully, that will be an effect anyway.
Find your passion
Starting your own business and making it grow requires the same skills and techniques for both a traditional set-up and an online endeavor. The main difference may lie in the boundaries of the marketplace. For instance, in a traditional business, you are confined to a specific location so customers and suppliers will also be coming from the same area or geography. With an online business, your target market and co-producers may be as geographically-diverse and as limitless as you want them to be.
Deciding on an online business, whether for your major source of income or for additional revenues, your first consideration should be what your passion in life is. It may be something that you’ve wanted to delve into but really never had the time for or it may be an extension of your existing job or traditional business. Whatever the case may be, it has to be something that you enjoy doing. It has to be something that you’re very much interested in that no matter how difficult it becomes, your determination to succeed will never wane.
A successful online entrepreneur is one whose passion for his business drives him to continually learn about new innovations and tricks to improve his products and further his business. There are many venues from which you can educate yourself – different forums, exhibits and conventions and you can even enroll in free courses online. This reinvention of your business allows you to stay on top of your competitors and maintain your foothold in the market.
Naturally, with any successful venture, you will always find and meet people who will put you and your business down. Unfortunately, it is impossible to stay away from them totally so your best bet is to simply disregard them. Your belief in yourself must not waver and though you may find solace and enlightenment in the advice of others, the final call must be yours. You need to be flexible in charting your path but must always keep your eye on the goal. There may be times when you need to slow down or shift in direction but focusing your mind on the big picture will help keep you motivated.
Any online entrepreneur also knows the value of its customers and producers. You find fulfillment in your customers’ satisfaction and you try to strive and constantly exceed their expectations. You believe that happy customers will continue to be regular patrons. You also recognize the importance of keeping your suppliers and producers content and make it a point to keep your relationship mutually beneficial.
Competition is as natural to you as breathing. As a successful entrepreneur you are aware that rivals are always nipping at your heels and you thrive in this challenge. Some even find that toppling the competition is enough motivation to start the day!
Setting Goals
It is interesting to note that when you key in the word Entrepreneur in Google, the word Innovator would pop out. They are defined in a similar manner, as one who recognizes opportunities even when they aren’t obvious and then manages resources to take advantage of the opportunity. And as every entrepreneur goes, they all have motivations.
Motivation is practically the be-all and end-all of everything – without motivation, the most perfect plan will be a failure, and the most feasible design will be a fiasco. Without motivation, we all would be lying in our rooms just waiting for the day to finish, and waiting for the waiting to finish. Thank God for motivation, and more so for entrepreneurs – without them we would all remain immobile, and the world will stop rotating.
But what exactly motivates an entrepreneur? What was it that inspires them to lead, to build, to innovate, to execute, and yes, to inspire others?
The drive to succeed is a strong motivator. Entrepreneurs see the bigger picture and would often commit to their ambitions. They set short-term goals and long-term goals – and they will never let go regardless of the obstacles in their way. The thrill of the chase is as exciting for them as the thrill of success.
Another is their innate passion to make things better. They are always on the lookout for improvement. They endlessly search for the fountain of creation, and they are undaunted with change. If anything, change is simply another bite they could relish. Entrepreneurs recognize the need to change – it is that recognition that keeps them on top. Anything static is doomed to death – he recognizes the need to evolve and so make sure they are updated with the latest trends and technologies, and they employ wisdom in discerning which would last and which will not.
Entrepreneurs also motivate themselves through self-imposed standards. They have such high standards of excellence – they not only compete with rivals, they compete with themselves. And winning on the latter is always the most enriching.
They are also motivated by challenges. Tell them “No” and they will strive to turn it into “Yes”. They will happily prove you wrong, though when the criticism is constructive, they can and will make adjustments – else, they will simply chuck it up to plain old pessimism. The more they are hit, the stronger they become. Entrepreneurs thrive under pressure.
True entrepreneurs are resourceful, passionate and driven to succeed and improve. They’re pioneers and are comfortable fighting on the frontline The great ones are ready to be laughed at and criticized in the beginning because they can see their path ahead and are too busy working towards their dream.
Money is also a motivation, but it is not the ultimate goal. The desire for respect and excellence is what truly drives them the most.
The importance of dreams and goals
Beyond having all the right gimmicks and having all the right moves in your business, there is got to be two things that need to stay alive even when all else dies and fails in the course of your business: dreams and visions.
Just do this simple exercise with me. Close your eyes for a moment, and then imagine what your business would look like a month from now. Take your imagination further. Fast forward your life to 6 months from now and see how your business has fared by then. Finally, imagine yourself and your business a year from now.
What did you see? The answer to that question will pretty much define the very things you want in your business and to be able to plan based on that will surely lead you to a profitable venture. Of course in the midst of your reverie, you may realize that some goals are contradictory. But the trick is in selecting the particular dreams and goals, which had the most impact on you as you did that simple exercise.
Going about a business with no dreams and visions is like driving the best car at the best speed without a known destination. You can never expect to move forward if there is no particular target to move forward to. As you cultivate particular dreams and goals that go together, you are already inching your way to its completion.
Dreams and goals are different in the sense that dreams are merely envisioned, while goals have a plan of action to go with them to attain completion. Goals can come from dreams and more dreams can come from existing goals.
Dreams will remain as mere dreams if you don’t convert it into a goal—something that you can labor on for a given period of time. You call the shots. It’s your business. But make sure that in all of your goals, you must know the strengths and weaknesses, attainability and the costs that it will take you.
For example, you desire to be part of the top five businesses in your region. This may mean more overtime hours on your part, less time to socialize and more precautions to your health and other things that may affect you as you reach your goals. Never bite off more than you can chew. If you have a certain goal or dream that you wish to put in action, make sure that you have what it takes to complete it. Nothing beats momentum than a frustrated goal.
Of course, dreams and goals do not stand-alone or spell S-U-C-C-E-S-S in all your endeavors. There has got to be to hard work factor to back up every dream or goal. These three ingredients work hand in hand together in making you do your best in your business as well as in your life.
Get a mentor - 4 tips when looking for a business mentor
As an entrepreneur you (often) got the urge to start and develop new businesses, and for many people it becomes sort of an obsession, which eventually turns in to a curse.
Especially for us that works for our selves online, where a new business can be started in minutes for a couple of dollars, it gets really hard to not give in to the temptation.
If you are a young entrepreneur with no high level education and no corporate experience and feel that the above statements matches you and your business, I would suggest you to get a business mentor. Below I describe 4 tips that help you get a mentor that fits you and your needs and can help you focus better in your business.
1. No relation
Make sure the person you choose as your mentor has no close relation to you. It is often hard for a family member or close friend to tell you the truth and it is easy for you to lead them in to an all positive route.
2. Corporate experience
If you can get a person that is or has been a leader in a bigger company and has experience from the corporate part of business, this is a big plus. This person does probably see a lot of details you missed all fired up about your new idea and he/she can bring you down to earth again.
3. Search local
Try to contact persons in your town or very near you. I know a lot of people that loves to do this and they almost always feel they get something back from being a mentor. Most do this for free but there are of course also people that charge your for this. Choose what is best for you, put it at the level you want for your business.
It is a big advantage to have your mentor near you so that you can meat up with this person from time to time, but it is not the most important part because as you know, these days we have instant messengers, cell phones and other lovely inventions that helps us communicate.
4. Not for everything
See your mentor as a person to discuss your ideas, concepts and problems with but your mentor should not be someone that makes the big business decisions for you, that is your job. Use your mentor, but use him/her for the right things, or you might loose the value of it.
Your attitude
One of my teachers I had when I was 15 years old changed a lot how I see things in life. He always talked about positive thinking and how your attitude to things forms you.
When I graduated he gave me a sort of diploma for following his advice, and on this piece of paper he had written 9 of the things he thought was the most important.
I agree with him on most of these and though I should share them with you.
1. Do not think you are the best, you may be wrong.
2. Do not just think about your own feelings, you should also think about others.
3. Show appreciation to other people.
4. Do not give up, you always have more to give.
5. If you want something done, do it yourself.
6. Be proud of who you are and what you believe in.
7. Think first, then speak your mind.
8. You can not do better than your best.
9. Respect is nothing you just get, recpect is something you deserve.
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About Andreas Bard
My name is Andreas Bard and I am a web entrepreneur, writer and blogger. On this blog I write motivational articles and aim to help you on your way to success with your business venture.
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