iCoach Magazine Issue 4: FOCUS by iCoachNetwork

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Focusing onEachOther When the word FOCUS came up for this month’s theme, visions of Type A personalities came to my mind -robotic production machines who leave skid marks on the side of the road because they’re getting so much s*#t done. I’m here to tell you that focus has a totally different side... Focus isn’t a dirty word. I can’t even tell you how many conversations I have with my clients about their frustration around this little 5 letter word. But here’s the thing, Focus isn’t something we have to do, that we need to force ourselves into. It’s about paying attention to the things that light us up! In these pages you’ll find techniques and tips to tap into your ability to get stuff done... and I just want to add one non-do tip: Focus on Each Other. Focus on your family and your friends and yourself. Focus your business on the relationships you’re building, your clients, your network, your PEOPLE. It’s the focus that comes from our hearts that counts at the end of the day. Remember that next time you feel like you can’t get anything done... It’s about love. With Love & Light

Stacy Nelson, Founder iCoachNetwork.com

www.iCoachNetwork.com

IN THIS ISSUE... COVER STORY: 1 Simple, Life Changing Secret to Finally Get Your Work Done ... Allison Maslan 4 FEATURE ARTICLE: 7 Steps to Creating Your Client Attraction Blueprint ... PJ Van Hulle

iCoach SUCCESS CORNER: The Power of Clarity ... Stacy Nelson

iCoach Authors

iCoach Spotlight: Rachel Feldman

One Thing, Valerie Sorrentino Where is Your Focus?, Tracy Manu

The State of Flow, Femke Stuut

The Two F Words, Shontaye Hawkins

5 Simple Steps, Sherley Grace

Be Still, Decide, Allow, Linda Rasch

Your Unique Marketing Focus, Kristen Beireis

The Best Advertising On The Planet - It’s Free!, Kendrick Shope

Out in Left Field, Karyn Buggs

Increase Your Focus By Clearing Clutter, Debra Smouse

Build Your Why, Carine Werner

Myths & Truths About Focus, Julia Marie Lloyd

A couple of FYI’s... Yes, it’s the small print! First off - none of the articles in this magazine, including the cover, were paid for. This is not and will never be a Pay-To-Pay because I am dedicated to supporting our membership first by promoting their awesomeness and to our readership second by delivering the best content we can. The advertisements on the other hand are either paid for by our sponsors or are affiliate links that will help offset the expense of publishing this monthly Magazine so we can keep it as free and easily distributable. If you have any comments or concerns, please contact our team at Info@iCoachNetwork.com

“You can do anything for ten minutes so there’s no excuse!”

1 SIMPLE, LIFE CHANGING SECRET TO FINALLY GET YOUR WORK DONE! ‘I am committing to take my big dreams and goals off the back burner and put them into action starting right now.”

To become successful in business and increase your revenue to a much higher trajectory, you have to master the art of ‘getting your stuff done.’ Lets face it….coming up with the business ideas is the easy part, finding the time and sitting yourself down to execute these ideas is no easy feat for most entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are creative spirits, and we can be all over the place chasing one shiny object after the next. I call this EADD, Entrepreneurial ADD. The issue with this is that too many million dollar ideas stay just that, an idea that is never manifested. Yes, I get it. There are only

so many hours in the day and you are busy. No excuse! Managing your time and making a commitment to completing your big goals and dreams is key for true success to happen at any level. Lets take that first step together right now. Repeat after me: ”I am committing to take my big dreams and goals off of the back burner and put them into action starting right now. I am also committing to develop, implement and sell my business build-

ing products, services and/or programs every single day.” Now that we are all on the same page with your commitment, lets focus on completing these goals on a daily basis. One of the greatest business ‘get things done’ strategies I have practiced over the years is breaking the big, lofty projects down into tiny baby steps, I call them ‘Mini Feats.’

MOVIE 1.1 Allison Maslan: How to be More Productive in Your Business 5

Mini feats are the bite-size steps of accomplishment that lead to your Big Picture Vision in your business. I am not talking about daily tasks such as running errands, organizing your desk or feeding your dog. I am talking about the big life changing goals that will ultimately increase the bottom line of your business, and your overall level of life satisfaction. By breaking down these big goals into smaller, more manageable action steps, even the impossible will become possible. Instead of trying to find several available hours to get your projects done, take only three small steps a day in ten minute increments toward these bigger goals. You can do anything for ten minutes, so there is no excuse! Schedule your Mini Feats in your appointment book or smart phone as an actual appointment so you are more likely to show up and follow through. (If you end up spending more than ten minutes, that is totally fine. But you have to do a minimum of three Mini Feats a day.)

Stop waiting for the right time because, frankly, it is not going to arrive. Take your life by the reigns and lead it gracefully to success… one Mini Feat at time. Allison Maslan is a serial entrepreneur of 10 of her own companies. She is a No. 1 Bestselling Author and pres. of Allison Maslan International where she mentors big thinking entrepreneurs to grow high-revenue businesses and healthy and passionate lives in her year long mastermind program, The Pinnacle. Allison has been an expert guest on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox Stations across the US. She is also interviewed in the upcoming 2013 issue of Success Magazine. Grab a copy of her FREE CD, 8 Millionaire Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs HERE

At the end of the week, with little or no stress, you will already be twenty-one steps closer to your goal and ultimately creating a higher revenue for your business. This is exactly how I wrote my No. 1 best selling book, Blast Off! while raising a teenage daughter and running 3 other companies. With baby steps you can become a multi-managing master!

ONE THING saw that my home office was just as scattered as my mind. To get clear, I chose to get my house in order--In order to focus. I began to make space for my mind to rest. I cancelled this and that. I wiped all surfaces and cleared all counter tops. Now I can move to the next most important thing. This article.

Focus: Writing this article is asking me to focus on one thing and get it done. Funny enough, the success of my personal life, my business and the completion of this article all have the same thing in common: Creating a space in which I can FOCUS. Last Monday, before getting into my “READY, SET, WORK” mode I realized I was way out of focus. My intent was clear. My tools and resources; strong and steady, my abilities; proven. But could I focus? Or better question, what was distracting me? Why was I so scattered and what was the best solution? I answer this with a one-step process that I LOVE and invite you to try. Very simply, stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What is the ONE most important thing for me today?” Find the top 3. Pick number one and focus on whatever it takes to get it completed. When you loose track, remind yourself of that ONE THING. Keep your focus there.

Remember, what we focus on expands. Look around you and within yourself to see where your focus lies. It is expanding into your life right now. Valerie is a wholistic wellness expert in the area of energy balancing and healing mind body and spirit and space. She has over 10 years experience teaching deep levels of relaxation, hatha yoga, meditation and the art of manifestation. Valerie has combined the knowledge of 2 decades of study in the field of Feng Shui, yoga, consciousness, quantum physics and healing. It is a joy to assist in the growth and healing of others seeking a deeper understanding of their own true happiness. Learn to get clear, relax and bloom! Feel free to connect: fill out her application by clicking here. To get very clear and connected to your true vision, here is Valerie’s complimentary gift to you: www.valsgift.com

Can it be this simple? For me, I was a bit blurred and my mind was cluttered. I looked around and

WHERE IS YOUR FOCUS? By being aware of your focus and choosing to place your attention on the brighter side of life, you’ll create a positive mindset and add happiness to your life. You’ll experience more satisfaction and success. Present moment living is the key here. When you’re in the present, you have the power to create a beautiful life. Practice these three tasks every day, to enjoy the present and create a fabulous future:

Have you ever taken the time to really notice where you place your attention throughout your day? For instance, when you wake up, what are the first thoughts that come to your mind? Are you excited about your day, feel quite neutral or are you dreading the day ahead? Take some time to close your eyes and visualize how a normal day unfolds for you. This exercise only takes a few minutes. Be a bystander; notice how you feel, what your thoughts are and what words you use as you communicate with those around you. Notice your self-talk. When you make a mistake, do you scold yourself, saying you’re stupid or are you gentle and encouraging? When you look in the mirror, are your thoughts positive or negative? When you daydream, are your dreams uplifting or fear based?

• Write down at least seven things you are grateful for; • Affirm at least seven positive statements about yourself - beginning with “I am …” This is even more powerful if you stand in front of the mirror; • Inject some fun or happiness into your day. As you begin to place your focus on these three simple tasks, you’ll begin to notice a shift; before you know it, you and your life will blossom! Tracy Manu is a life coach, motivational speaker and writer, who loves supporting women to create positive change and lives they love! Find out more at www.blossom.net.nz

Albert Einstein’s quote “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions” explains that what we focus our attention on, we attract.

‘The magic in your business happens the second you tap into the Power of Clarity.’

POWER OF CLARITY “...businesses change overnight when they have that ah-ha moment of clarity and then they’re off to the races with focus & purpose. There’s no more turmoil or fear, no Pretty-Shiny Syndrome -just absolute knowing that they’re on the right path.”

I have always been multi-passionate. I love doing new things and having new adventures. I love creating BIG Dreams. There’s this magic about wanting to serve the world in a bigger way, stepping into your greatness. And there’s a dark side to all this grandeur... pretty shiny syndrome runs high or worse -that the dreams are so vague or so big that we end up trying to carve a masterpiece on the side of the mountain but get as far as an arrowhead before we put down our tools and scratch our head wondering why people aren’t buying tickets to see the masterpiece. I’m getting ahead of myself here... there is very often a missing component to the BIG DREAM, like the perfect chisel to complete the sculpture. The missing piece: Absolute Clarity of Purpose.

See as entrepreneurs we’re BIG IDEA people. As coaches we’re SAVE THE WORLD people. And as women, we’re TAKE CARE OF EVERYONE people. So we set out to conquer the world... and the world looks at us like we’re crazy snake oil salesmen. Why? Because our message lacks FOCUS. If our message is too big, too broad sweeping., here’s what happens: • Our audience checks out because they don’t really understand how THEY fit into what you’re saying, even if some of it sounds pretty good • We see the masterpiece but are actually offering an arrowhead so people don’t ‘get’ it. It’s confusing and unclear • We bounce around from idea to idea which causes us to get overwhelmed and stressed and certainly working herder than we need to for business. • Convincing people to buy from us or hire us becomes work since we always have to justify how we can cure their specific issues • We offer people things we think they’ll want instead of the things they really want because we know how amazing and life changing what we’re offering is. If they don’t know they really want it then they won’t want it.

• We confuse the Universe because we aren’t being specific enough with our cosmic orders. Imagine pulling up to a drive through window and ordering one of everything on the menu and then asking them to remove the lettuce on one of the burgers and add extra pickles to the chicken sandwich and change the meal deal on the first combo to a small and canceling the third order of fries and so on and so on... how sure are you that 1. YOU got the order right and 2. that the poor people behind the counter will get the order right? That’s what happens in your business when you’re not clear about who your ideal client is. Even more important - that’s what happens when you’re not in alignment with HOW you serve your ideal client. Now let’s go to that next drive through window and place a very specific, simple order. A cheese burger, small fries and a medium ice tea with lemon. What are the odds of that waiting for you at the window? Pretty high right? That is clarity. When you know without a doubt who your ideal client is you will • Know where they are • Know what they stress out about and TRULY want • Know how to talk to / with them • Understand how your gifts and talents can help them

• Focus your energy on the simple order over and over again so you’ll need to expend much less brain power in your business

next program or product. The magic happens in your business the second you tap into The Power of Clarity.

• Attract them like a magnet in a mine field because you’ll be authentically resonating with them.

Stacy Nelson is the Founder of iCoach Network, an International circle of life coaches coming together to support and inspire each other on a daily basis. Keeping with the theme of ‘As one rises, we lift each other up”, Stacy also publishes a monthly digital magazine for iCoach Network, highlighting the fabulous coaches within the network. Specifically she in an Intuitive Marketing Coach with Marketing ImPerfect, helping soul-inspired entrepreneurs to market with their hearts and tap into their authentic purpose through their businesses.

I’ve seen my clients’ businesses have overnight changes when they have that ah-ha moment of clarity. And then they’re off to the races with focus and purpose. There’s no more turmoil or fear, no pretty shiny syndrome - just absolute knowing that they’re on the right path. Getting clients is hard when you can’t properly express to them why what you do is important to them. People won’t give you money if they’re not sure what you do.

On May 15, 2013 her course ‘The Power of Clarity; begins for only 12 women. Will you be one?

So take the time to really get intimate with your clients and spend less focus on creating your

clickto register 11

THE STATE OF FLOW

• ance

The teachings of Taoism and Buddhism speak of it as Wu Wei, the art of doing without doing. Abraham Maslow called it a peak experience, Timothy Gallway describes it in “The Inner Game of Tennis”, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls it flow: The state of complete focus and concentration in which you lose yourself in the activity and everything around you drops away. Csikszentmihalyi uncovered the components that make up flow:

•

Clear goals

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Self Forgetfulness

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Distorted sense of time

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Intense concentration

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Sense of personal control

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Intrinsically rewarding

Immediate feedback to adjust perform-

When they all happen in the same exact moment, a new state emerges: the state of flow. How can we bring all of those components together in 1 moment? The answer is through the process of Meta-Stating: the process of bringing one state (thoughts and feelings) to bear upon another state. (Example: being angry about your anger, or calm about your anger). It’s taking a primary state, such as an activity we’re doing and in which we’d like to experience flow, and bringing those components in one-by-one. We access a state of self-forgetfulness and take that feeling to bear upon the activity. As they come together, like hydrogen and oxygen turn into water, something more than the individual parts arises. Let’s practice with one of those components, intrinsically rewarding. What activity would you like to be able to lose yourself in? As you think of that activity, ask yourself: What’s important to you about that? And what else? Take you answers and ask: what’s important to you about that? Continue that process until you find your highest intentions, and feel them fully. Then bring that into your activity. What difference does that make?

• Balance between perceived challenge and abilities

What if you could step in and out of flow at will. Would you like that? Femke Stuut MSc. ACMC, founder of Subscribe to Change, is trainer and encourager of coaches all over the world. She combines a big heart and love for people and their dreams with a passionate, analytical mind and thorough understanding of the science of coaching.

to Change, an online subscription service and coach mentoring program, has been a natural development out of skill and passion. Curious about your next step in becoming a kick-ass, confident coach? Schedule your FREE "Go-For-It" encourager session with Femke here.

Over the years, she's helped many coaches and trainers in their journey to excellence as a MetaCoach and Neuro-Semantics trainer. Subscribe 13

THE TWO F WORDS cus is your ability to concentrate and center your attention. It can also be thought of as a target or desired result. The first reason you may find yourself struggling to focus is fear. If you fear rejection, success or failure, as we all do at some point in time, make sure that you are focusing on the outcome you most desire. Fear has a way of controlling your mind and therefore your decisions and actions, if you allow it. You can still be fearful and not allow it to control your thoughts and actions.

You put your right hand in,   You put your right hand out,   You put your right hand in,   And you shake it all about. You’re probably very familiar with this song. It’s one I remember singing and dancing to as a kid. As I thought about the lyrics to this song I wondered if we might all be doing the hokey pokey in our daily lives, sometimes unconsciously. And other times, intentionally because of a lack of focus and fear. Think about where you are in your business right now. Is a lack of focus driving the results in your business? Do you start a project, then stop, start again then stop usually never to start the project again? Mentally that’s exhausting and it does the mind good when you bring a project to completion. There are a couple of reasons that may be the source of your inability to focus. But, before I share those reasons, let me first define focus. Fo-

The second reason could be the result of being unclear about what it is you truly want in your life and business. What you focus on will eventually show up in your life. Only about 10% of people know what it is they want. That’s pretty scary! So what’s the solution? When it comes to fear, feel it and do it anyway. Don’t allow fear to control your destiny and rob you of your dreams. When it comes to a lack of clarity, ask yourself what it is that you really want and laser focus your thoughts and actions on that which you desire. Shontaye Hawkins, Business Success Coach is the CEO of Emergence Success Solutions, the premier coaching company for entrepreneurs. She worked for Fortune 500 companies like Goldman Sachs to build wealth in excess of $1 billion and attract high net worth clients. She now helps entrepreneurs create massive growth, success and profits in their businesses! Learn more about Shontaye and grab Your Free Audio Gift “The 5 Critical Keys To Emerge, Thrive and Create Breakthrough Results In Your Life And Business” Here. 14

5 SIMPLE STEPS... plish and ensure your actions, decisions and investments are aligned with your goals. 2. Identify the stage of growth your business is in right now. This will help you identify the actions you focus on for greatest results! 3. Create your plan, outline the exact actions you need to take, based on the stage of growth your business is in. The actions when you’re first launching your business are quite different from your focus if you have a full client load.

5 Simple Steps to Bust through Overwhelm and Grow the Business of Your Dreams! Are you feeling overworked? Overwhelmed? Like there just aren’t enough hours in the day? If so, here’s my advice: FREEZE! (and read on.) In working with hundreds of women entrepreneurs, the biggest mistake I see them make is they aren’t focused on the right actions to produce the results they desire. Often, they just don’t know exactly what to do next to move their business to the next level. So, they try everything, chase bright shiny objects, and end up overwhelmed, exhausted and spinning their wheels. Perhaps that’s what’s happening to you in your business? Here are my 5 Simple Steps to Growing Your Business with Confidence and Ease: 1. Identify and track your business vision and goals. Know exactly what you want to accom-

4. Take consistent, focused action and stick to your plan. Having a detailed game plan will keep you focused and out of overwhelm. 5. Surround yourself with the right people: coach, mentor, trainer, buddy, team for accountability and to learn from so you aren’t reinventing the wheel. Growing a business that provides the financial and personal freedom you desire doesn’t have to be a struggle. Sherley Grace, Business Growth and Leverage Expert, empowers women entrepreneurs to bust through overwhelm and grow a thriving business by leveraging their time, team and talents, so they can enjoy massive results in their business without sacrificing their life. Sherley is the founder of DiscoverYourPowerStrategies.com and DiscoverYourPowerTeam.com. She is the creator of the IMPACT Business Freedom ModelTM and the Empowered Entrepreneur’s PathTM. Claim your free instant access to my Business Growth Success Kit to help you identify the stage of growth your business is in and the top 3 actions to take, starting today. Click HERE 15

BE STILL. DECIDE. ALLOW. you are embarking on it, and what contribution you want to make. - Block out your time. Put everything you need to do on the calendar – including vacations. Set aside an appropriate amount of time, being mindful that we often underestimate the time it takes. - Make time just for you. Find a comfortable, quiet place where you feel inspired, and make yourself unavailable to others for that time. - Ask a “focus question.” When faced with a decision about what to do next, ask, “What’s needed now?”

When we think of focus, it’s often something we “have to do.” But what if focus was something we don’t need to make happen, but rather something we allow to happen? What if the best approach is to create conditions for focus to occur? At my first biofeedback session recently, I observed the correlation between my thoughts and my physiological response. And I learned about Open Focus, a practice to develop and foster attention that’s “nonexclusive and nonjudgmental.” The practice has proven useful in relieving stress, managing pain, and setting the stage for peak performance. So I’m curious. What if the next time you are faced with a deadline or one of the many “must do’s” on your list, you simply decided to be mindful and focused on being open to whatever comes up? Try it and these other tips for creating more focus:

- Allow your amazingness to flow. Breathe, listen to what your heart is telling you, and let go. - Stay in the present. Do what is directly in front of you. Take your first focused step now. - Celebrate your first step. Let the joy of being on the right path carry you forward! Linda's passion is helping overachieving women move from feeling burnt out and misaligned to healthy, passionate, and powerful. A certified holistic health and transformation coach, Linda draws on 20 years of corporate branding expertise to draw out her clients' truth -- resulting in a renewed, powerful connection to their essence. iCoach members are invited to a free :30 clarity breakthrough session. Connect with Linda at www.lindarasch.com.

- Begin with the end in mind. Create your vision and remember what’s most important to you, why 16

“The solutions to all these problems is FOCUS and clarity.”

7 STEPS TO CREATING YOUR CLIENT ATTRACTION BLUEPRINT If you’re like most of the coaches I’ve worked with over the last 14 years, you can probably relate to the following:

‘“When I implemented this system in my own business, I got more done in 4 months than I had in the previous 4 years because I knew exactly what to focus on next”

• “I have all these ideas and projects but I’m so busy that I don’t have time to implement anything!” • “I’m so overwhelmed with my marketing. I know I need to do it, but I don’t even know where to start.” • “I know Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and all that stuff is supposed to be the hot new thing, but I don’t have the bandwidth to learn anything new… and can I really make more money from those anyway?” The solution to all of these problems is FOCUS and clarity. When you’re focused on the ONE step you need to take next, time expands and overwhelm melts away.

That’s why I’m going to share with you a system that completely transformed my business (and my life).

Create a free goody (like a special report, a short training video, or a free teleclass) to give potential clients a taste of your services.

First of all, what is a Client Attraction Blueprint?

Step 2: Call to Action

It’s my term for what other people might call a “Marketing Plan,” in which all of the pieces fit together on one simple 8 ½ x 11 piece of paper. I use the words “Client Attraction” because most coaches don’t want “marketing,” they want clients, and they’d like those clients to be naturally drawn to them. I use the word “Blueprint” because a blueprint shows you want you’re building and how everything fits together. You can find some examples here.

What ONE action do your potential clients have to take to get access to your Free Goody? For example:

Why is it important to have Client Attraction Blueprint for your business? Because it will give you a level of focus that most entrepreneurs never experience, which can lead to extraordinary results. When I implemented this system in my own business, I got more done in 4 months than I had in the previous 4 years because I knew exactly what step to focus on next. I also grew my email list from 300 people to over 13,000 in a very short period of time. Here’s how you can create your own Client Attraction Blueprint: Step 1: Free Goody If you don’t know what you want to order at Baskin Robbins ice cream, they give you a free taste on a little pink spoon. What’s your version of a little pink spoon?

A. Call This Number: Example: Call Now for Your FREE 30 Minute Wellness Consultation (800) 555-1212 B. Go to This Website

Example: Get Your FREE Report: “The Top 5 Keys to Financial Success” www.Top5KeystoSuccess.com Step 3: Brainstorm & Gather All Your Ideas in One Place You probably have tons of ideas of what you could do, should do, or are doing to market your business. Get them out of your head and onto paper, where you can deal with them objectively. My favorite way to do this is with a Mind Map (a quick Google search will give you a ton of examples). Step 4: Choose Your Marketing Tactics Now that you have everything out of your head and on paper, decide which of these marketing ideas you actually intend to implement at some point and which ones can wait indefinitely (you can always change your mind later).

This is a great way to free yourself from what I call “marketing guilt.” There are SO MANY different ways to market your business… you don’t have to use them all. Step 5: Map It Out You have all the pieces: Free Goody, Call to Action, and Marketing Tactics. Now it’s time to put them together in one cohesive map to see how the pieces fit together. Your various marketing tactics lead to your Call to Action which leads to your Free Goody. The easiest way to do this is to use the templates I’ve created for you here. Step 6: Build Your Infrastructure You now have your blueprint so you can see which pieces need to be built. Start by imple-

menting this entire system to work for one marketing tactic. Step 7: Add Marketing Tactics One at a Time One of my favorite proverbs goes, “When you chase two rabbits both will escape.” If you try to do everything all at once, you may find yourself not getting anything done. By focusing on implementing one marketing tactic at a time, you will be amazed at how fast it adds up. PJ Van Hulle is an acclaimed international speaker and author who works with coaches, speakers and consultants who love what they do but get frustrated with the marketing part. She is the creator of the List-a-Palooza 90 Day ListBuilding Challenge. Visit PJ at: www.realprosperityinc.com

be brilliant and bad-ass 19

YOUR UNIQUE MARKETING FOCUS

When it comes to marketing, focus is a challenge. As coaches, we’re always using a list of marketing strategies so it feels like we’re going in a million directions at one time. It can be time consuming, overwhelming and totally draining. I had a client who came to me saying “I need to get focused in my marketing”. So, I asked her what made her think she needed focused. She said; “I keep trying different marketing strategies and I bounce around a lot. I never stick with one thing for long”. I totally understand that! If you don’t stick with something, you’ll never know if it will be successful. So, she really did have a focus problem. This client is NOT alone. In fact, most of the coaches I work with come to me with the same challenge. When we dig a little deeper, though, we find the problem is not scatter-brained-itis, insecurity or an ADD issue. The problem is the focus is on the “doing”. When you are focused on

what strategies will work and how to do it “right,” you’re going to jump around a lot. That’s boring! Who wants to focus on technical marketing? Blech!! No wonder so many coaches are losing focus. There comes a point where you’ve learned all you can learn, tested all you can test and tried as much as you can try. At this point, you have to find a unique focus that is yours. All yours! Think about it this way. What’s that ONE thing that has been floating around in the back of your mind that says… “If only I could do this in my marketing!”? “This” is your unique marketing focus. What marketing strategies match? What do you need to do in order to market in “this” new way? Kristen Beireis is the, tie-dye wearing, TrustBuilding in Marketing Expert. Just like a tie-dye shirt has a unique combination of colors and design, Kristen believes that every coach has their own, unique, combination of marketing strategies in them. Her specialty is coaching your uniqueness out of you, supporting you in trusting that uniqueness and applying it to the real-world of marketing. The result is a marketing plan that is so easy it doesn’t even seem like you’re marketing. Find out more and sign up for Kristen’s f r e e T r u s t Ta l k s a t http://www.coachesmarketingsource.com.

THE BEST ADVERTISING ON THE PLANET -IT’S FREE! Recently, I attempted focus on a customer who lives in Boston and was in the middle of launching a program when terror struck Boston. Initially, I sent e-cards, voice memos, and emails to her. On the day Boston was on lockdown, we had a scheduled appointment to tweak support for her launch. Rather than waiting on my customer find my number and contact me, I reached out to her, offering to work through the weekend after things settled down to support her business.

At some point most coaches believe the only thing required to attract customers is to declare to the world, “I’m a coach and I am in the business of changing lives”. Unfortunately it’s not quite that easy for most people to open a business, even though the business is centered on improving the lives of others. All too often coaches find themselves in a “now what” situation with a dream, virtually no clients, little or no income, and a boatload of life changing coaching tools. Let me share five powerful words that can change your coaching practice forever – FOCUS ON YOUR CUSTOMER FIRST. It will create customers who are happy to talk about your coaching services and how you impacted their lives. Word of mouth is the best free advertising ever. We live in a digital world where an unhappy customer can negatively impact in a microsecond what you have spent hours, days, months, even years creating.

FOCUS ON YOUR CUSTOMER FIRST. Know your customer. Make a phone call, send an e card, send a text, record a voice memo, send an email six months after you complete work together. Create raving fans who will share their amazing experience with others. That is the best free advertising on the planet. Kendrick Shope is a sales coach and creator of Authentic Selling, which is a sales process designed to take the “ick” out of selling forever. A Martha Beck trained life coach and former top performing pharmaceutical sales representative, Kendrick saw the need for genuine, pressure free selling in the online community. Kendrick works one on one with business owners to create and implement Authentic Selling strategies into their individual business so they can do more of what you love, reach more people, and make money doing it. You can learn more about Kendrick and Authentic Selling at www.kendrickshope.com

Sweet Tweets: 140 Characters of Wisdom by Candace George Conradi To offer a complete thought in 140 characters is the closest thing in life to renewing our child-like wonder. Simple and concise, the messages remove us from a world that is complex and full of drama, offering short sentiments of wisdom and insight. Get your Copy HERE

The Gift of Focus by Adrienne MacDonald Change your life with the Gift of Focus! Do you know you can use just your focus to free yourself, open up to new opportunities, commit to you, understand who you are, and begin to star in your own life? Get your Copy HERE

A DREAM Comes True: 5 Steps to Planning and Creating Your Personal Success Story NOW! by KishaLynn Elliott This personal development book teaches you to stop simply wishing and start planning a DREAM to create a personal success story! Includes a proven system to stop day dreaming and start living your dreams every day. Get your Copy HERE 22

A Rebel Chick Mysticâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide: Healing Your Spirit with Positive Rebellion by Lisa Marie Selow This is a book for brave, nonconformist women (or for those who aspire to be), written from the heart and soul of a spiritual rocker chick. Get your Copy HERE.

Jump From Impossible to Possible In Your Business By Re-Igniting Your Power Within by Ann Boland All it takes to go from feeling "impossible" to being UNSTOPPABLE is a little motivation. No need to go it alone! I've created the structure, the accountability and all you have to do is decide. Get your Copy HERE

Keys to Living Joyfully by Sheri Kaye Hoff Life Coach Sheri Kaye Hoff's book, Keys to Living Joyfully, gives you tools, techniques, and inspiration for: moving from loss/disappointment to joy; working while inspired; viewing time as a moldable gift; living joyfully no matter what is going on in your life; cultivating gratitude; growing your spiritual life; developing awareness; cultivating thoughts that work for you and not against you; and so much more. . Get your Copy HERE

OUT IN LEFT FIELD

What does all this mean? If you have difficulty focusing, then it's more likely due to your attempt at giving your attention to more than one thing that is not considered routine for you. You are attempting to multitask, which has been proven to be physically impossible. You can never do two things at the same time with 100% focus on both. Your brain was designed to focus on one thing at a time. Imagine that!!

Like many other entrepreneurs, I’m sure your mind never stops coming up with new ideas. After all, the entrepreneurial spirit is all about innovation and being creative, right? Well how do you begin to focus when your mind is constantly brewing up stuff? In order to understand how to fix something, we should understand how it works. So here's some background information about how our brain works, when it comes to focus. Our brain processes information two ways: automatically or controlled. Automatic processing requires very little effort and doesn't interfere with other mental processes. Routine tasks like driving home from work, telling someone your name or giving that workshop that you've done several times are examples of automatic processes. Controlled processing requires attention and relies heavily on our mental resources or working memory. These are activities that aren’t familiar to us and require us to pay close attention. Activities such as reciting the alphabet backwards, developing a new offering or implementing new strategies learned from a recent workshop, require controlled processing.

The next time you find yourself multitasking when you are trying to be productive, try these 5 steps: 1) List all the tasks you are trying to accomplish 2) Establish priority levels 3) Assign each task a priority level 4) Schedule time for the activities assigned as top priority 5) Give the scheduled activity your undivided attention Karyn Buggs is on a mission to help women entrepreneurs who want to break free from the struggle of business mismanagement and step into entrepreneurial freedom. Karyn believes that when women are free from chaos, free from the bondage of lack of time and resources she can focus on her life’s purpose. Check your business health with Karyn’s free self diagnostic toolkit, the Business Management Indicator (BMI). You can get more information about Karyn and her coaching practice, She Knows Biz, here.

MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT FOCUS nothing to do with technology, in the first place. So what is it? Having struggled with this myself, I decided to dig deeper, and figure out the solution. Today, I want to share a couple of my insights that will help you improve your focus, get you to stop wasting your time, and eliminate a lot of the noise and overwhelm. What I’m about to say will probably surprise you…but stay with me. Insight #1:

Having a choice in life is generally a good thing, don’t you think? I do. But too much of a good thing might be just that…too much of a good thing! There comes a point of saturation when we just feel overwhelmed, lost and confused. It becomes much harder to focus our energy on achieving our goals and dreams. What I’m alluding to here is how the internet, and technology in general, are influencing our minds, and our ability to choose what we spend our time on, what we focus on. I’m specifically talking from a perspective of a woman entrepreneur, striving to develop a successful and thriving business. Stay with me for a moment, as I’m going to share some insights here that will point you in the direction of achieving the kind of focus you’re craving. What appears on the surface to be the biggest problem can easily be transformed into your biggest ally. The obvious question is how, since after all, we can’t stop the world from becoming more and more technology dependent, or isolate ourselves completely. I believe the real issue has

Lack of focus is actually a symptom, and not the ‘disease’ itself. Your outer confusion is a reflection of your inner confusion. How you perceive the world is a reflection of who you’re being. What you need to look at first is this: what exactly is the transformation you provide through your work, and which specific group of people you are here to help. As soon as you do this, 90% of your overwhelm and confusion will just disappear. I’m talking about uncovering your Purpose (the ‘big why’) and defining your Target Market (the audience) first, before you can truly focus on achieving any meaningful results. Insight #2: To get to your authentic place of clarity, you first have to sweep away your own B.S., another words, do your own work, or at least be open to change, and start the process. Sorry, but there is just no way around this one. There are many ways of getting there, but the underlying principle is this: your aim is to get your entire being, the physical, the mental and the spiritual into alignment. That’s where your greatest power resides. It’s from this place of harmony and power,

and only from this place, will you be able to achieve the true focus you’re craving. Once you get to this point, technology will actually become your biggest friend, the fantastic tool that it’s supposed to be in the first place.

Julia uses her Radical B.L.I.S.S.™ formula to help women step into their power, and claim their Body, Wisdom and financial Success. She’s the author of the forthcoming book, “Unlocking the B.L.I.S.S. Code”. Get more information on Julia here.

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SIMPLE TIPS FOR BIG DIFFERENCES IN STAYING FOCUSED

your estimation of how long tasks take and that is what is causing the stress at the end of the day.

Let’s see, today I need to finish that article and Powerpoint presentation, send out tweets, and then there are those kids that need to eat. It’s just too much! But is it? Fortunately relief is available and it’s summed up with one word- FOCUS! Being focused allows you to accomplish more and the results of your day show it. Here are tips to focus and get more out of all you do. Tips for focusing and getting the job done: Whenever possible do what you feel most creative doing. There are times you truly feel like writing and other times you crave that social connection and want to network online. Whenever possible, take advantage and do what feels right at the time. Now this isn’t to say you can neglect things you need to get done, but you will discover when you make this a habit, it all gets done.

Focus on one thing & automate & systemize others –Focus on one project at a time. However, in order to do that you often need systems in place for the rest of your tasks. Simply automate whenever possible. Write up blog postings and social media updates together and then schedule them out. Create templates, processes and procedures for things you do regularly. Then when you have a similar request, it’s easier to create. See how easy it is to stay focused. It’s easy to do once you have a plan to do it. Diana Ennen of Virtual Word Publishing. www.virtualwordpublishing.com, specializes in PR and Marketing and PR and Virtual Assistant Coaching for speakers, coaches and entrepreneurs and is the author of 6 books on business start-ups. Email for her free PR Informational Package at diana@virtualwordpublishing.com

Schedule Your Time – Write it Down and Time it Out. Take your to-do list a step further by not only writing your tasks, but the approximate time for completion. This keeps you more focused and you might even discover that you are off on 27

INCREASE YOUR FOCUS BY CLEARING CLUTTER

You deserve to create a life you love and that’s a heck of a lot easier to do when you remove what’s distracting and draining you. What if the answer to better productivity, increasing your energy, and strengthening your focus wasn’t complex at all, but very simple? Do you want to get more done in less time? Do you want to be less distractible and increase your focus? Then my first suggestion is to take a good look at your physical environment. Everything in your world has energy. From the cup from which we drink our coffee, to the outfit we wear to work, to our beautifully made bed. We need the energy in our lives to focus on our work, for our dreams, for challenges and for staying healthy. Every time you sift through a stack of papers on your desk, you lose energy. And, yes. Those dirty dishes in the sink, the crud on your refrigerator shelves, and that pile of magazines on your coffee table all drain your focus and that precious energy of yours.

Clear off your desk, clean out that junk drawer, and ditch anything in your closet that you don’t love. Focus on what really matters: not your stuff - you. Debra Smouse is a life coach & Tarnished Southern Belle who helps people fall in love with their lives. An expert de-tangler, she believes in busting clutter as a path to clarity and that within every woman is vibrant and passionate being just itching to make their inner sex kitten roar. Get ready to roar more here.

When you open a drawer and have to look for something, your mind refocuses. It turns to the task of finding scissors and distracts you from writing that chapter of your book, that blog post, that sales letter or the perfect line of a song.

BUILD YOUR WHY

Have you ever set a goal and then couldn’t stay focused to achieve that goal? When you want something that’s really important, focus doesn’t seem to be a problem. And in an emergency, we propel in to action and don’t take our eyes off the ball. Yet when we have to do mundane or unpleasant tasks, suddenly we lack focus. For me the ADD sets in! There are a million other little things that suddenly have to be done ‘right now.’ Funny, isn’t it… So how do we overcome this lack of focus? When the carrot at the end of the stick is shiny enough and big enough, people act with laserlike precision and do whatever it takes to achieve their goal. The best way to stay focused is to build your ‘why’ big enough. Make a list of the things you need to get done, whether it’s a juicy goal or just today’s ‘to do’ list. Now let’s add an emotional component. Next to each item write how you will feel when you have completed the task. Close your eyes and visualize yourself 15 minutes after the task is completed, as if you are looking at

yourself in a picture. What do you see? What do you hear? What are you saying? How do you feel internally and externally? As you would adjust the picture on the television set, tune the brightness of the picture as bright as you can, and adjust the volume to the crispest sound. The brighter, crisper and more real the picture feels, the more focused you will become to achieve that goal. Studies show that our mind cannot distinguish between reality and visualization. So when we attach an emotional experience to a task, it causes the adrenalin and endorphins to flow… creating a powerful laser beam focus that gets things done. Carine Werner is the founder of Success Infusion and co-founder of Nursing Success Institute. She is a corporate trainer, coach and inspirational speaker who has spent a decade changing outcomes for businesses and individuals. She has achieved her success in two of the most dynamic industries and two of the most demanding markets in the country: the financial services and real estate markets in the Southwest. Carine is a gifted coach, natural entrepreneur and leader as well as being a magnetic public speaker. Her skills include certifications as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) coach, Timeline Therapy® and an Executive Coach to multiple industries. Carine has an infectious enthusiasm for personal and professional growth, and her results are unparalleled. www.successinfusionnow.com and www.nursingsuccessinstitute.com 29

RACHEL FELDMAN

Each month we’ll happily highlight one of our fabulous coaches here... We pick randomly and for no other reason than we know personally that these Coaches are doing amazing work in the world and deserve every inch of space we can spare! Rachel not only helps people ditch the diet mentality but she is also dedicated to helping other Health Coaches build sustainable and profitable businesses through both private coaching and her amazing plug-and-play seasonal detox programs. I help my clients succeed by overcoming digestive issues, realizing weight loss, and overcoming chronic health issues that are negatively affecting their lives. I can help you to lose the inflammation that is causing unwanted weight to hang on to your body. I can create a program specifically for your unique body to properly detox the foods that may be wreaking havoc on your system.

Our goal together is to have you feeling more alive and more passionate about your life. Once you are properly digesting and absorbing all of your nutrients you will be amazed at the transformation. When the body detoxes and gets rid of inflammation, chronic health issues will lessen and often disappear. You will look and feel great. I get it. I once struggled too. But I don’t any more! Here is my story. I have always had an interest in health and wellness. As a child and teenager I was very active, even swimming competitively. I felt that I was taking good care of myself. However, as a typical young woman I was always focused on “dieting” as opposed to appreciating food as way of nourishing myself. I often had digestive issues. As a result, I suffered at different points in my life with an ulcer, asthma, immune issues, anxiety, adrenal problems and food allergies. I was so tired, literally and figuratively, of these health issues causing such havoc in my life. I was so tired of not feeling as good as I thought I should. Of course, to the outside world I appeared healthy. But I knew that

my digestive system was completely out of balance. Finally came my turning point… In my late twenties my full life was moving at full speed. I was a successful businesswoman in Philadelphia, working with the power players in the commercial real estate market. Growing up a child of the city, with a deep appreciation for all that city life has to offer, I felt I was where I belonged. I loved my faced paced world and was managing my blackberry addiction and the non-stop stress of buying and selling real estate. But, I was becoming more and more frustrated that I could not enjoy my life to the fullest because my digestive issues were leaving me out of balance. Slowly, and unknowingly, I was becoming more toxic, allergic and tired. At the age of 28 I discovered that I had mercury poisoning. At this point I was realizing that most of the doctors I visited were not able to help me and I was becoming more and more aggravated that no one seemed able to give me real, long term answers to the questions about my stressed health. I was not sure what to do next. I had already spent so much time and money on tests, specialists and then more tests when all the while my personal health issues were growing increasingly worse. I was getting sicker. I came to discover in addition to the mercury poisoning, I was also suffering from candida, bacteria, h pylori, and parasites to name a few. This was the time that my ever positive attitude channeled into self -preservation mode. I was determined to take control of my own health. This is where my journey truly began.

and how to heal my body from the inside out. I came to realize my gut was out of balance. I knew I needed to heal my digestive system so that I could feel really good again. First I gained an appreciation for the fact that everyone has their own unique digestive systems. I started the process of healing my gut by discovering what foods were right for my body and what foods were causing me inflammation. I removed foods such as wheat, gluten and others. The results were dramatic. I worked toward finding a balance in my life. I realized that so many of my health issues were from this lack of balance. I am a fast paced kind of person by nature. As I said, I enjoy tall buildings, loud street noises, and the hustle and bustle of city life. I had a tough time just being in the moment. To learn how to instill more balance, I took on the challenge of studying Reiki energy healing and become certified as a Reiki Energy Healer. This turning point in my life finally lead me to begin my education at The Institute of Integrative Nutrition where I became a certified Health Coach. The journey to wellness is not just about the food on your plate but also discovering what nourishes you in all areas of your life. For more information on Rachel or her coaching programs please visit her at http://www.RachelsWellness.com

I earnestly started reading, researching, and better understanding the many layers of nutrition 31

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