As entrepreneurs, we pride ourselves on our individualistic natures and the strength it takes for us to show up every day and run our businesses. But once we step into a big role, even we can’t escape those humbling moments where we come face to face with our inherent weaknesses. Some of us are brilliant at motivating our team, but get a little sloppy when tending to little details. Others shine at ironing out inefficiencies, but aren’t so good at big-picture innovating.

These inconsistencies are what make us human. And while it might be hard to fess up to our weaknesses, bringing them to light is exactly what we need to do in order to make sure our businesses succeed.

The quiz below will help you identify your weak spots as a business owner. Pick the best answer, and get ready to learn what lies beneath your personal and professional quirks:

1. You’re most motivated when you are:
a. Following your bliss.
b. Feeling aligned with your short and long-term goals.
c. Following a regimen that you know will get you specific results.

2. You’re deciding a new color palette to represent your brand:
a. You pick out your favorite colors — the ones that make you feel happy.
b. You rely on your designer’s advice. After all, she’s the best in town.
c. You stick to the same color family that best represents your brand.

3. You are about to make a speech and you realize you’ve misplaced your notes. You:
a. Breathe deeply and wing it.
b. Ask for a short postponement and have your office fax your notes over to you.
c. Apologize and switch to another well-remembered speech.

4. What’s your ideal way to brainstorm with your team?
a. You come up with all the ideas, and your team executes.
b. Your team brainstorms, and you pick the winning idea.
c. You brainstorm with your team, and the best idea wins.

5. Your loyal clients would best describe you as:
a. Creative, eccentric, and free-spirited.
b. Warm, personable, and adaptable.
c. Reliable, punctual, and professional.

6. It’s Wednesday morning, and you get an emergency call that requires that you leave town the same night to be gone through the weekend. You:
a. Leave everything right where it is. You’ll deal with work when you get back.
b. Call your team immediately and delegate as many tasks out as you can.
c. Try to crank out as much as you can, and then take the work with you on the plane.

7. Out of the ten great ideas you jotted down in 2010, how many were actually realized:
a. One to two (You had twenty ideas and couldn’t decide).
b. All ten (but you have to check with your team to see the status).
c. Three to five (You were too busy to do all ten).

8. Your employees would describe you as:
a. Fun and unpredictable, but a little possessive.
b. Nurturing and trusting, but a little indecisive.
c. Hard working and reliable, but a little rigid.

Mostly As:
Your strength is: you trust your instincts. This confidence allows you to think on your feet, and it carries you through the inevitable uncertainty that comes with running a business.
Your weak spot is: you let your emotions drive your decision-making, which might feel good in the moment, but could alienate you from your team and your clients. Work on staying focused enough to communicate your ideas properly, and try to engage a bit more to make sure that your projects are on track and things are running as smoothly as they could be.
Keep in check: Your ego, which clouds your judgment often.

Mostly Bs:
Your strength is: you are a natural team player. You probably have a tight-knit team that feels like family, and your sincere nature forges solid client relationships. Your people skills allow you to shine at business development.
Your weak spot is: You second-guess yourself quite often and place important decisions in other people’s hands.  Work on trusting your instincts a bit more, and don’t be afraid to take the reigns in situations where you must lead your team.
Keep in check: Your people-pleasing tendencies, which can undermine your leadership position.

Mostly Cs:
Your strength is: you are highly organized and your business appears flawless. You run a tight ship and aren’t afraid to roll up your sleeves and dig in whenever and wherever necessary.
Your weak spot is: you can’t let go, and it’s likely that you’re tearing your hair out behind the scenes to make sure everything’s running perfectly. Work on delegating a few tasks to someone else, and be patient as you train them to become the right hand you need.
Keep in check: Your inability to handle uncertainty, which is very likely preventing you from moving your business to the next level.

About our guest:
Ali Brown is fast becoming regarded as the voice for women in business and success. After launching her first business from her tiny New York City studio apartment in 1999, she has grown it into what is today Ali International, a multimillion-dollar enterprise with 50,000 members that ranked in 2009’s Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies in the nation. Forbes.com recently ranked Ali as #1 Woman for Entrepreneurs to Follow on Twitter. Ali is dedicated to helping women start and grow their own businesses via her coaching and publishing company the Millionaire Protégé Club; her female-centric Ali Magazine; her online Ali Boutique; and Shine, her annual fall conference where Ali delivers the best in business-building strategies for entrepreneurs of all levels. www.AliBrown.com

Select any category to see more posts.

From this month’s book summary, The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace Wattles offers a different definition. Yes, he’s definitely talking about money, but it’s the purpose or use of the money that may be different from what you are used to hearing.

Wattles defines being rich as having the ability to do the things you want, to develop your talent. “No [woman] can rise to [her] greatest possible height in talent and soul development unless [she] has plenty of money.” The premise is that you must use things in order to develop, learn, grow, become rich, and that you must have money in order to acquire things.

“The object of all life is development, and everything that lives has an inalienable right to all the development it is capable of attaining.”

A person is rich when she owns all she wants for living all the life she is capable of.

The desire for riches is really the desire for a richer, fuller, and more abundant life.

What do you think?

The full book summary is available to members of Personal Growth Princess.
You can join today.

Related posts:

1. The Science of Getting Rich – February self-help summary & bonus content now available

Try these suggestions to change your life today – no strings attached:

1.    Start a blog. It may seem silly, but blogging has changed thousands of lives. Blogging provides you with a platform to be heard and admired, while you make new friends. On your blog, all of your thoughts are heard. Create a blog today by using our sister site BasicBlogSetup.com, or by using one of the many free services available online such as WordPress.com.

•    Snag a theme for your blog that suits your personality. I recommend the themes at iThemes.com, especially Builder, (that’s the theme I use for PersonalGrowthPrincess.com0> I like Builder best because it is the most flexible and you can make it look virtually any way you want, without having to know any special web design skills.

•    Blog about your hobby. Cooking, crafting, decorating, and fashion are all hobbies with a large blogging community. In addition, racing, fantasy football, and self-development are also equally popular in the blogging world.

•    The easiest way to enrich your blog is to add photos. Add photos of your daily life or your hobbies. However, blur out all personal information (e.g. house number in the background of a photo) in pictures to protect your privacy.

2.    Make the cut. Change your life in a matter of minutes by simply removing negative influences from your life. Those who bring negativity into your life, cause harm to you or your family, or make you feel uneasy should be chopped from your mental priority list immediately.

•    Life is too short to wait around for unmotivated people to change their character. Some people only intend to channel negative energy. Keeping them around will only make the burdens, worries, and sadness in your life heavier.  That doesn’t mean you are better than them or should look down on them. Rather, just remove the influence from your life.

•    Choose on a case-by-case basis the best approach to take with each person. Some may benefit from hearing the truth and may hopefully realize your point of view. Others will simply be too stubborn to cooperate. The only person you can control is you. You may have to remove them from your life.

3.    Tend to your health. Maintaining a healthy weight makes you less susceptible to a myriad of health issues. You’ll also look good, feel good, and increase your confidence by maintaining a healthy weight. Start changing your body today by becoming more active.

•    Do it now. Why wait until tomorrow? Changing your life starts with this one simple step. Therefore, refrain from depriving your health the benefits of leading an active lifestyle any longer.

•    Dust off your old shorts and walking shoes and go for a brisk walk around the park. Even if you haven’t been active for quite a long time, a brisk walk is gentle enough, yet potent enough, to make a difference in your weight if followed regularly.

•    Get into the outdoors. It’s far more inspiring and rejuvenating to exercise in the great outdoors when compared to staring at the blank grey walls of a crowded gym.

As you can see, changing your life can require an action as simple as creating an account with WordPress.com or going for a walk in the park. The one thing required in all of the tips mentioned above is consistency.

If you simply start a blog, tell a friend that you’re parting ways, or exercise without any real consistency, you won’t experience a significant change. Start changing your life today and remain consistent for lasting results. If you want it, chase it; taking the first step can change your life forever!

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4. Helping Kids Develop a Positive Outlook on Life

I received a wonderful quote in my email this morning from TUT.com which seems to capture this feeling, but puts it in a positive, can-do light:

Persistence is not about knocking
on one door… until the dang thing finally opens.
It’s about knocking on all of them.

The truth is, while persistence may not always be easy, persistence does pay. Maybe not immediately, but it does pay off in the long run.

If you checked out the December book summary (available in your members area until Jan. 31) you learned more about the three key elements of persistence and why taking action QUICKLY is so essential. In Persistence Pays, Lori Raudnask, gives a new look at persistence and how you can develop a more positive relationship with your own levels of persistence. Because it’s true – persistence isn’t about pounding on a door until it opens, but to keep knocking on all the doors until you find the right one that opens into the right room.

What’s your take on persistence? Challenges? Celebrations? Let us hear what you think in the comments below.

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1. Persistence Pays – December self-help book summary & bonus content now available

Time is a luxury. Each of us only has 1440 minutes per day and they go by quickly, so you surely don’t want to waste any of them! By maximizing your efficiency, you can complete every item on your to-do list with time to spare!

Unfortunately, many of us have a tendency to procrastinate. Make sure you look at Dr. Linda Sapadin’s book on the 6 Styles of Procrastination to help you find ways to make your style work better for you.

Follow these suggestions to help you get more done in less time:

1.    Organization. Organization is the key to successful time management. Take a few moments before completing a task, whether small or large, and create a time-saving game plan. Lay out all of your supplies; know exactly where you’ll start and where you want to finish.

•    Create a checklist and check it twice. When laying out your supplies, place them in the order that they’ll be used. In doing so, you’re able to shave a few seconds off of your project time whenever you reach for supplies.

•    Even if you don’t have supplies, you can still benefit from a checklist. Create milestones. If you’re checking the milestones off as scheduled, you’ll know that you’re on the right track. If you’re checking them later than scheduled, it’s time to speed things up.

2.    Work in spurts. (One of my favorite strategies!) If you have a time consuming task to take on, rather than dreading the hours of work that are ahead, work in spurts. Working in spurts of 25 minutes, with a five-minute break in between, still allows you 50 minutes of work time without feeling worked to the bone.

•    It’s important to focus solely on the task at hand while working in spurts. If you take even a two-minute break, you’ve lost two minutes of work time and increased your break time by 20%.

•    Concentrate on the one task at hand. If you’re painting a room, the only things that you should be doing throughout your 25 minutes is rolling paint onto the wall and reloading your paint roller. No using the restroom, changing the song, or helping your spouse in another room – just painting.

3.    Power-up correctly. In order to be efficient, it’s necessary to start the day off on the right foot. First, get a good night’s rest. If your mornings are dependent on your consumption of coffee, drink a healthy sized cup of coffee accompanied by an equally healthy breakfast.

•    Wake up early. You’ll find that you’re more energized after breakfast and coffee at 7:00am rather than 11:00am. Plus, you’ll add extra hours to your day, which allows you to cross off tasks on your to-do list even sooner. Then, the rest of the day is yours!

4.    Eliminate all distractions. Distractions are a part of life and everyone’s schedule is susceptible. Rather than trying to fight them off, eliminate them completely.

•    Turn off the computer, place your cell phone on silent, and unplug the television and all other things that are known to be a distraction to you. In doing so, you’ll be less likely to channel surf, catch up on your Facebook friends, or chat away when your friend calls.

•    If you need to get something done on the computer in a timely fashion, block the websites that are known distractions by using LeechBlock, a Firefox plugin. This plugin allows you to restrict your visitation to the websites of your choosing.

5.    Invest in time-saving assets. The final, and possibly most important step, is to invest in items or services which permanently shave minutes off of your day. It may be more money upfront, but you can potentially shave hours of chores off of your to-do list each week.

•    For example, you could invest in an automatic floor cleaner to automatically clean the floors each week. Also, a lawn mowing service, purchasing a dishwasher, and opting for carpooling are additional strategies that can shave time off of your to-do list.

Whether you’re hoping to finish a complex task more quickly or simply shave minutes off of your everyday responsibilities, it can be done. Increasing your level of efficiency and focus are the only requirements. To this end, these simple tips will make maximizing your time a breeze.

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This month’s featured summary is the very timely The Six Styles of Procrastination: Appreciating Your Style and Making It Work For You, by Linda Sapadin, Ph.D.

Just as with last month’s summary, Persistence Pays by Lori Raudnask, this information on understanding yourself in relationship to procrastination is particularly useful as you think about setting your goals for 2011.

The Six Styles of Procrastination is an eProgram based on Dr. Sapadin’s book It’s About Time – The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them.
(If you’re interested in the book, you can order the paperback version from Amazon, or you can get an autographed hard copy directly from the author.)

What kind of procrastinator are you?

1. The Perfectionist
2. The Dreamer
3. The Worrier
4. The Crisis-Maker
5. The Defier
6. The Pleaser

In this month’s material, you’ll take a self-assessment quiz to determine your procrastination style, and learn what this means for YOU and why other attempts to eliminate procrastination haven’t worked for you.

Want to see all the content? Become a member!

Related posts:

1. The Science of Getting Rich – February self-help summary & bonus content now available
2. Persistence Pays – December self-help book summary & bonus content now available
3. New Self-Help Book Summary & Content Added for July
4. September self-help book summary added to member page

Perhaps your difficulties lie in the way you’re setting your goals in the first place.

Rather than setting yourself up for success, you may be setting yourself up for failure in your first step!

There are four very common “goal setting traps” that you may be falling into. These are dangerous mistakes that can make it very difficult for you to accomplish whatever you’re setting out to achieve.

Find greater success with your goals by avoiding these goal-setting traps:

1. Your goals are too vague.
If your goals contain uncertainties, you’ll have difficulty attaining them. Strive to create specific goals. Determine exactly what you want to achieve and attach terms to your goals that are certain and measurable.

Another element of getting clarity around your goals is to ensure they are measurable and timely. There should be a specific point when you can tell that you’ve achieved your goal. “Lose weight” is not measurable, but “Lose 10 pounds” is. “Lose 10 lbs in 90 days” is ideal, because it’s clear, concise, measurable, and has a motivation-driving deadline.

2. Your goals aren’t personal enough.
You’re much more likely to reach your goals if they’re your own goals, speaking to your own desires, rather than being inspired by others. While you can model your goals on the achievements of others, they should be goals that are meaningful to YOU in order to drive your success.

3. Your goals are more difficult than you realized.
Setting goals that are way beyond your reach may be inviting failure. Instead, set goals that are a stretch, but that you believe are attainable. Then break them into smaller, bite-sized stepping stones to increase your chances of success. Not only does it make them easier to manage, you also get to celebrate each step along the way, providing even more incentive and positive attitude to carry you through.

At the same time, goals that are too easy can also be detrimental. If you don’t feel motivated or challenged, you may not perceive that the goal is worth your time or effort. Choose goals and aspirations that drive you to achieve them.

4. You’re keeping your goals a secret.
If you keep your goals hidden, you’re more likely to abandon them. Tell everyone you can about your goals and put them out there in the public eye so others can help motivate you to achieve what matters to you most.

Develop a support team of like-minded individuals to get the help and support you need. When you share your goals with others, they can build you up and help you find the drive that you need to fulfill all that you set out to do.

Although these are simple pitfalls, they can have an enormous impact on your ability to achieve what you want. When you avoid these four common traps to effective goal-setting, not only does it make it easier for you to attain your goals, but it also helps you overcome challenges along the way.

At last, your days of struggling to reach your goals can be a thing of the past while your future shines brightly ahead!

Related posts:

1. Got Goals? Inspirational Goaling May Work For You
2. Your mind is not your friend
3. New Year Calls for New…What?
4. Staying Positive When You Don’t Feel Like It

The thing is, a plan is just a dream without action to get the ball rolling towards your desired result. It’s time to put your fears and indecisiveness aside and pursue the reality that you know you deserve!
(Keep an eye out for next month’s summary – The Six Styles of Procrastination – for more on the “Dream Procrastinator” style.)

Try these proven tips to help you achieve your dreams:

1.    Know what you want.
Sounds simple, yet sometimes this is the biggest sticking point. It’s easy to identify what you DON’T want, but when it comes to what you DO want, are you crystal clear? Decisiveness leads to success. If you’re fickle about how you see your life in 5 years, or even just 6 months from now, you’ll keep spinning your wheels. Pick the road that is best for you and stick to it!

•    Ensure that your goal directly affects and benefits you. Let others worry about what’s best for them. For example, if you want your daughter to get into your state university because that’s your alma mater, she’s the one that has to make that call. You’re in charge of your own life, and only the decisions that affect you.

2.    Be practical.
If you’re a big thinking goal setter, you may run the risk of setting goals that are so lofty that you get overwhelmed with all it will take to get there…and so end up procrastinating. The key is to focus on being more realistic. I’m not suggesting you dampen your enthusiasm and optimism, just make sure you’re setting yourself up for success. You’re unlikely to lose 10 pounds in five days, and it’s silly to want to teach yoga before you’ve never even taken a class yourself. Ensure that your plans are practical as a whole and that you allot a reasonable timeframe to their attainment.

3.    Get started.
The first step is by far the most important step in order to enact your plans. Making the initial move will inspire you to follow through with the necessary steps thereafter. Persistence will keep you going, but the first step is essential.

•    Often, the first step is the simplest step. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering to get you going. For example, if you’re determined to impress your mother-in-law with a juicy turkey at the next family dinner, research turkey-cooking techniques online. If you want to tone up your abdomen, enroll in a belly dancing class.

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard,
just keep putting off doing it.
~Olin Miller

4.    Take it step-by-step.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. If you want quality, lasting results, break your process down into small, measurable results that you can surely attain.

•    It’s easier to cut fast food out of your diet than it is to cut every bad food from your life altogether. It’s also easier to jump into the pool before you try to swim a race. Baby steps are vital to your success and self esteem.

5.    Acquire some training.
If you’re attempting to carry out a complicated plan that you lack experience in doing, it’s a smart idea to get training in the field. Anyone enthusiastic about personal growth is sure to embrace this tip!

•    You’ll greatly benefit from downloading an eBook or attending a local class that teaches you how to properly execute your plan. The investment is often free or inexpensive, but the additional information could make the difference between failure and joyous success.

Many plans that we create in our minds remain only a dream. The culprit of this dooming behavior is often procrastination, lack of persistence, complacency, fear of failure, or sheer laziness. But know this: if you truly want something, you stand to gain a lifetime of happiness by chasing it.

If you fail, you can always try again. Being able to say that you’ve given an honest attempt is an honor in itself. You only have one life to live; with decisive action and persistence, you can overcome every obstacle in your way to achieve the reality you desire!

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This month’s featured book summary is the very popular Persistence Pays: How getting what you want is easier than you think, by Lori Raudnask.

As we approach the end of the year, inevitably we turn to thinking about our accomplishments and failures…as well as the soon-to-come New Year’s Resolutions.

Persistence Pays is the perfect resource for this annual journey.

When it comes down to it, most of us know what we want. And we know the actions we can (“should”) be taking to move us toward it, but we just don’t follow-through on a consistent basis.

That’s where Persistence comes in. In her interview, Lori Raudnask shares stories and experiences she has never shared with a group before. It’s these experiences that help you understand why persistence has become so important to her, and how you can tap into your own natural ways of persistence.
(As always, you can listen to the interview, or read the transcript – all in your members area.)

The book was originally written for sales people, to help them with their persistence, but it has quickly become a guidebook for anyone wanting to up-level their own persistence-ability. Ultimately, after all, the biggest sale you have to make is the one you make to yourself.

When you read the book summary, you will gain access to Lori’s strength in persistence as well as:

• know the three elements of persistence
• understand how the learning can be greater than the experience
• know thekeys to adopting persistence
• have a whole new perspective on being “relentless”
• and understand why taking action QUICKLY is important to building persistence.

Included in this month’s material are two bonus items:

1. a resource on Effortless Follow-Through (the BEST way to do follow-through, yes?)
2. and a worksheet to assess your environment to see how and where it is set up to support you in following through effortlessly, and where you need to make some changes so you don’t have to rely on willpower so much.

****

Want a copy of the book summary and the Vision Workshop Workbook but aren’t a member? That’s easily remedied!

Simply go to the Join page and register. You’ll receive IMMEDIATE access to all the resources and tools, as well as be enrolled as a Founding Princess, which means your registration rate at this level is locked in for life, plus you will receive an autographed copy of the best-seller The Think Big Manifesto by our own honorary princess, Michael Port.

*Plus you’ll also receive a very special Princess Welcome Basket – but you’ll have to wait until you get it to see the surprise.

Remember, just click on the Join page and it’s just 1-2-3 and a princess you will be!

Related posts:

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2. The Truth About Persistence
3. The Science of Getting Rich – February self-help summary & bonus content now available
4. New Self-Help Book Summary & Content Added for July

The frustration, of course, is that staying positive is important for so many things in your life.

Here are a few techniques to improve your mood and experience the inner peace:

1.      Start your day with something positive. Decide each morning that you’ll start the day headed in the right direction. Instead of waking up on the wrong side of the bed and setting the stage for a grouchy day, resolve to experience something positive first thing in the morning.
Seriously – be deliberate about it!

• Develop a morning routine that you can repeat daily to ease into your day’s responsibilities. Determine what activities help improve your mood and put you on the path to positive thinking. Find two or three things you can do each morning that will set the stage for a successful day. As these become habit, add to the routine little by little.

• A routine will help your body and mind settle in and focus on what you need to accomplish. Instead of rushing around or forgetting important details, your plan will guide you through a peaceful set of steps that calm your mind and create unstoppable momentum.

2.      Set exciting goals. If you wake up each morning with nothing to look forward to, your mind may quickly latch onto negative feelings that can last throughout the day. And the downward spiral begins…Give your life focus by setting goals that motivate and excite you. Write those goals down and review them every day. Each day, take some small action that brings you closer to attaining your goal.

• Set aside a few minutes this week to write down all the reasons why each goal is important to you. How will you feel when you reach the goal you’ve set? How will your loved ones be affected? How will your quality of life improve?
• Spend a few minutes each day reading through this list. A big enough “why” can help you to overcome obstacles that are in your way.

3.      Surround yourself with positive people. If you want to feel better about your life, hang around people that encourage you and bring out the best in you. Spend more time with people that make you feel good about yourself and less time with those that complain about everything.

• Every cloud has a silver lining and it’s easier to find that silver lining when you hang around people that help you to see it.

4.      Remember that bad days happen. A friend of mine says “Life has mountains, valleys and missiles.” The “missiles” are the really bad days. When you have a bad day, don’t beat yourself up or dwell on it. Remember that tomorrow is another  day with exciting possibilities and challenges. That sounds a bit cliche, I know. But it’s actually true, too. Your next victory is right around the corner if you resolve to start with a fresh perspective.

These suggestions will only help if you put them into practice. Pick one or more of them and decide that your happiness is worth small changes that lead to a big payoff. Begin to experience the happiness you deserve by taking positive steps today that will lead to a bright future.

What are some of the ways you stay positive, or get yourself back in a positive frame of mind?

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