Are You Doing Whatever It Takes?

December 1, 2015 By 1 Comment

Do you have a big dream? What is it? Exactly. Can you articulate it right now in great detail? How does it make you feel when you see your vision in black and white? Pretty awesome I bet, excited and raring to go.

Now let me ask you how do you feel when you think about all the work it’s going to take to bring your vision to fruition? Do you suddenly feel scared or overwhelmed wondering how the heck you are going to get from where you are now to where you want to be?

The next time someone asks you what you do, say “Whatever it takes.”- Lewis Howes.

I’m going to let you in on a little secret, if you want to achieve anything great, you have to learn to love the pain. Now before you shoot darts at me, let me explain.

Entrepreneurship is a battle zone. There are challenges at every corner AND it is the most exhilarating ride of your life. If you only love the highs, you are going to come down crashing, hard, and more than likely quit before you get to paradise. You have to learn to embrace the lows for what they will DO for you in the long run.

Even though I’m not an athlete or in stellar shape, I’m big into exercising. I go at least 5 times a week to the gym. I’m up every morning at 5:00 am and on the treadmill or at the weights by 5:30 am. Do I love getting up in the middle of January when it’s 10 degrees outside and the sky is black? Well…. actually, I don’t mind it. I know I am going to feel way better about my day if I go. I know in an hour, I’m going to be on a runner’s high or feeling tight and pumped after doing double sets.

But it’s not just the “what I’ll get afterwards” that makes me feel good. It makes me feel good to know I am doing whatever it takes to get what I want. When I am sweating, out of breath and my legs are burning, I know I am doing the work that needs to be done.

If staying in shape were easy, everyone would be thin and fit, but it takes work. And if it were easy to build a successful, profitable, meaningful business, everyone would be doing that too. However, it IS possible. There can be a pot of gold at the end of your rainbow, you just have have to keep at it.

You may be thinking, “I am already doing whatever it takes and I’m still not where I want to be.” Well then, I’m sorry to say,  you’re are not doing whatever it takes. I’m not implying you are not working hard, I’m sure you are, but unless you’ve achieved your goal already, what you’re doing either isn’t working or it isn’t working yet. There may be more you have to do.

Before you throw in the towel, here are some tips to keep you on track for success: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Building Strategies, Entrepreneurial Success, Life Lessons, Overcoming challenges, Running a successful business, Success Strategies, Taking a stand, Winning mindsets, Winning Strategies, Women in Business Tagged With: , , , , ,

Want To See Your Name In Lights?

November 19, 2015 By Leave a Comment

From the time I was a very young girl I wanted to be famous. My first dream was to be an Olympic gymnasts, then a concert pianist, then an Olympic volleyball player and finally a singer. (Actually, I think there was a brief stint in college of wanting to be a politician, but when I realized their clothes were kind of boring, I said NO way!:)

Now days I still want to be famous. I want to touch a LOT of people with my message and inspire them to unlock their full potential so they can live out their dreams. I am building my business every day to reach that end leveraging the internet, speaking, writing and very soon launching my podcast. I see it in my mind’s eye. I see reaching thousands, perhaps millions of people and I am on a crash-course with that vision.

And there it is…. VISION.

If you want to achieve anything great in your life, you have to have a clear vision of what you really want. I recently heard a child behavior expert speak and he said one of the things that makes the biggest impact on a child’s success is called “future predicting.” Essentially you talk to the child as if the future goal is a certainty. “Well, Honey, when you start singing at the Met, you’ll want to carry a shawl because I’ve heard back-stage gets pretty drafty…”

As soon as the future predicting is in place, the child starts to see themselves in that realty and the brain reorganizes to search out any link or opportunity to manifest that vision. Pretty cool, huh?

The same is true, of course, for adults. When you speak to yourself as if what you want is already a done deal, it completely changes the game. Suddenly your personal investment shoots through the roof and the results start to line up in your favor.

The problem is, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Goal Setting, Simplicity, Clarity & Focus, Success Strategies, Winning Strategies Tagged With: , , ,

Mind the Gap

March 20, 2015 By Leave a Comment

I need more clients. How am I going to make more money this year? I’m stuck. Maybe I should try calling myself a success coach instead of a brand strategist or a business coach…wait, what I really am is a healer, but what about the money part… got it, people will really like profit strategist…

Gosh, I don’t know. What I do know is everyone else seems to be doing so wwwweellll. What’s wrong with me??????

Have you ever had those feelings? Come on, fess up. If you are an entrepreneur, I’m sure your brain has been flooded with monkey chatter at different times. I know mine sure has. And I know it happens to beginners and veterans alike. “Look at Suzie Q over there, she just crossed the 7-figure line and I’m stuck here at $500K. What wrrroonnggg with me?”

Well, the good news is, there’s nothing wrong with you. You are not broken. There is no mortal defect in you make-up. You are just fine. In fact, you are right where you need to be.

“Yeah, right. I’m stuck and this sucks. Don’t tell me I’m where I need to be.”

Sorry, but it’s true. If you are stuck and feel shitty, that’s great! It means things are working as they should. Life, the universe, your higher-self whatever you call it is telling you it’s time for a change. If you felt fantastic all the time, you would never GROW.

Let me repeat that: g-r-O-W-WW-WWW!

Think back to when you were a young teenager. Things started to feel very uncomfortable. You’d get cranky. Your clothes didn’t fit the same way any more. Your face would break out and your body started erupting in all kinds of crazy ways and places. Let’s face it, it’s not the prettiest time of life. But going through puberty did not mean there was something wrong, it was exactly what was suppose to happen to prepare you for the next phase of development.

It’s so easy to immediately point the finger back at ourselves. We are less-than, not enough. Not smart enough, fast enough, connected enough, thin enough, pretty enough. We’re not with the right coach or in the right networking circles. We’re not writing the right kinds of blog articles or creating the right kinds of products.

Chill out. Just give yourself a break.

What if instead of beating yourself up for not being where you want to be yet, you decided to be kind to yourself? What if you started to honor yourself for being tuned-in enough to know you want something different? What would that look like?

Maybe you would sleep more so you have more energy or find a new mentor to get a fresh outlook. Maybe you would go to a florist to soak up the beautiful fragrances to feed your inner artist. Or just maybe you would just allow yourself to cry into your pillow, grab a bowl of ice-cream and watch Keeping up with the Kardashians. Who cares! You would be listening to your inner voice to see what needs are surfacing. 

The point is to mind the gap from where you are now to where you think you want to be with love. Self-chiding only brings constriction. What you want to do is mine more of yourself. Bring forward more of your gifts. Hone and refine your skills. Why would the genius of your inner child want to come out and play if you are screaming at her all the time?

So here’s your mission should you choose to accept it:

1. Bless the gap. Say a little invocation for feeling so crappy. It’s a sign you are ready for an up-level.

2. Look for the misalignment. What part of you feels like it’s not being expressed at the highest level to support your goals?

3. Make an invitation to play. Create a fun and safe environment to allow for your creativity to surface. Criticism squishes creativity which is where all the answers lie.

4. Get what you need. If you are stuck it’s only because there is something you don’t know or don’t know how to do yet. You can complain about it and stay a victim, or you can advocate for your dreams.

Everything you need is within your reach. You just need to open your hand and accept it.

Thus endeth the lesson:)

xo

 

 

Your feedback is music to my ears!

How do you deal with your inner critic? Would love to hear your strategies!

Post your answers below in the comments or find me on Facebook.

If you would like to use this article on your website or ezine, feel free! Just be sure to include the following:

Heather Poduska is a brand strategist, business coach and opera singer who helps entrepreneurs and small business owners create client attractive brands, polished brand images and brand communication strategies to increase their visibility and impact in the marketplace and grow their businesses.

 

Filed Under: Finding your support, Life Lessons, Success Strategies Tagged With: , , , ,

Do You Have What it Takes to Be a Brand Leader?

December 11, 2013 By Leave a Comment

“What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” — Nelson Mandela nelson mandela photo: nelson mandela nelson_mandela_return_to_cell.jpg

This week marks the loss of one of the world’s greatest leaders, Nelson Mandela. Mandela overcame unthinkable obstacles on his journey to ending apartheid and becoming the first democratically elected president of South Africa. Many a man or woman would not have survived, let alone triumphed over the adversity he faced, but triumph he did.

How many of us face struggle and adversity in our lives or businesses today? How many of us rise to the occasion? My guess is the majority of us admit defeat more often then we’d like. What are we missing? What Nelson Mandela had and what all great leaders share is a strong sense of purpose. We cannot deny even evil dictators have conviction to a cause or mission.

We often describe great leaders as passionate, but [Read more…]

Filed Under: Leadership Tagged With: , , , , ,

When Size Really Matters

October 16, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Let me ask you something, how big is your dream? Do you even know? Although some people aim high when contemplating their goals, most of us stop ourselves from thinking really big. Instead of reaching for the stars, we cut ourselves off before we even leave the ground.

This seems to be especially true for women. Ask a woman entrepreneur what her dream for her business is and often the response will be “Oh, I don’t need much. I just want to make enough to contribute to our family.” While it’s certainly admirable to contribute to the family, it does not exactly evoke a jump-up-and-down feeling. “Yeah, I helped buy groceries this week.” Fizzle…fizzle…

Of course, if you haven’t been able to afford groceries, that may very well be a big goal. However, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business Building Strategies, Entrepreneurial Success, Goal Setting Tagged With: , , ,