Have you ever looked in the mirror and said.....

Have you ever just looked into the mirror and spoken to yourself?  Oh yeah - we all do it at one time or another.  It doesn't mean we are "nuts", (ok, maybe just a little) it just shows though, that we are constantly communicating with ourselves. (Some more often than others!)

Some of us may sing or dance - but often we use the mirror to find the little imperfections.

We go looking for a stray little black chin hair, or we examine our hair loss, freckles, double chin and any other flaw that needs to be fixed.  And we talk to ourselves. 

"You see - you are fat - just look!".  "Who were you to think you could become a famous dancer?"  "Wow, I wish the wrinkles would disappear".  "Now that was a dumb move".  Which one of us has not said at least one of these things to ourselves?

Last week I attended Jack Canfield's 7 day Train the Trainer event in San Diego.  One of the exercises we were tasked with was to look in the mirror every evening and tell ourselves what we appreciated about ourselves.

Sounds easy huh?

The technique may be as old as the hills - but how many of us really do it?  How many of us can look in the mirror and without cracking a smile can tell ourselves that we appreciate ourselves and name the things we appreciate? 

In my world - I was so busy trying to 'one up' myself and always do something bigger and better that I failed to recognize the achievements and the talents I had.  I even refused comments and praise for helping someone on their business journey.   I was never good enough for me.

It took me six days of the feared mirror exercise to realize that I had achieved great things - and then to say them out loud.  In my mind up until that point nothing had been quite good enough.  

My little voice constantly berated my achievements and sabotaged my self image. There were never enough people at the event, or she already had that answer inside her - I really did not help her much -  were constant thoughts.

What would it take for me to feel like I had achieved something great? 

Would making a lot of money make me feel like I was a success?  Was it fame that might make me feel like I was enough?

Then I realized - it was neither of those.  My success - my enough-ness was all about accepting my gifts and my shortcomings - and focusing on how I managed and used the gifts I was given.

If a surgeon performs heart surgery on a movie star - and becomes famous as a result - is that man any more of a success than a the lady next door who helped the senior citizen carry their groceries in?

Living our purpose and making a difference in one person's life is all it takes to become successful.  And the bigger success yet - is acknowledging the greatness inside you - and then using all of it to make a difference in our own lives and in the lives of others.

I know now that even the smallest of my talents, offered to the world in love and service - will start a revolution that may change the world!  Now that's success!

The most successful words of all will always be "I am - good enough!"

Welcome to the future!

When I was a child I was shocked to hear my teachers explain that we only used 10% of our brains for cognitive thought. Where would we store any more information if we filled it up? Then, several years ago I learned that information that used to take years to change is now becoming obsolete in less than 3 months - and that is a conservative estimate. Many experts are now saying information of technical nature is redundant in less than 6 weeks!

Today we are on information overload – and yet we crave more of it. It is almost impossible to know ‘all that is out there’ about any particular subject. In the movie “What the Bleep do we know”, quantum physicists and philosophers agreed that the information really is not ‘out there’ but in fact we already have it. It is available to us at all times – without consciously trying to find it. Let me explain.

I have often compared our bodies to cell phones. We use cell phones everyday without full understanding of how we send out packages of information. No wires, no tangible proof that information has been sent sometimes to someone half way around the world. And yet the information arrives there. However, if one cell phone is turned off - the information cannot not be transmitted.

There is much talk in the scientific and holistic circles that would indicate that our minds and bodies work exactly the same way. We give off information and energy, as does everything and everyone around us. If we are open and turned on- we receive information all day, everyday. The trick is now to allow our brains time to process the information- and give it back to us in a form we can understand and use. This ability is available to everyone – and it is incredibly powerful.

I believe that we have left the information age - and have entered the intuitive age. We have only just begun to understand the power of our mind, heart and spirit, and the merging of the three. We have long known that we only use a fraction of our brains. But we also know that there is so much information ‘out there’ that it is virtually impossible to ‘learn’ it all. So we must begin to understand how to employ the intuitive sense that we have had all along and learned over time to ignore. (How ever do you think ‘quantum physics’ or the micro chip was developed)

Our intuition involves assimilating information - some of it as old as time, without reading writing or ‘thinking hard’. Our brains are such powerful tools that if only we learn to master – will provide us with all the information that we need to achieve whatever it is that we want to achieve. How is it that some people predict things that will happen, or understand situations that others cannot? It is the power of the intuitive – the mind at work. If you add the power of intuition and the assimilation of knowledge not seen-to the mastery of our thoughts- there truly is nothing we cannot achieve.


The intuitive age will present us with new techniques for developing our new ‘listening’ skills. Our brains take in information every day through all of our senses and forms packets and files of information that we can have access to. Just like the hidden files in your computer – our brains have similar files that contain valuable data that we can use on our decision making if we only learn to tune into it. So how do we do this?

Consider the entrepreneur that wakes up in the middle of the night with an idea - scratches it down on a piece of paper and develops the idea into a successful business. This is an example of individual allowing their brain to ‘rest’, organize information and assess it until it forms into a packet of information that becomes an idea. What if we could learn to let our brains do this during the day?

It is becoming a very common practice within entrepreneurial circles to rely on our intuitive senses to bring new business, products and services into being. Books are springing up all over with discoveries of new ways to receive information. No crystal balls, no weird incantations or special prayers – simply a call out to the universe for information that we need and the belief that we will receive what is necessary for our success. There is power in listening in solitude and hearing more than words. There is magic in quiet thought. There is much to learn by listening to the sound of nothing.

So take time this month, every day to stop thinking. Let your brain work for you and give it the space it needs to do so. Commit to yourself to accept information it gives you- believe it and act upon it. It is only by trusting that it can work for you that you will experience the benefit of information you have not actively searched out and ‘learned’ the conventional way. And so - enter the intuitive age. (See you there!)

I am so tired of make believe business owners

Maybe it's middle age - but I seem to be doing a lot of ranting lately.

But the amount of 'junk' I hear daily from business owners has me wanting to stir the pot a little - maybe just be honest about how I feel about it.

I mean really - can't anyone be honest any more?

"$200.00 to attend the weekend event? Oohhh I can't afford that". "$45.00 for a meal and a speaker - ohhhh - that's too much".

These are the words coming from the lips of micro business owners - who will always be micro business owners and never make more than just enough to pay the bills. And that is ok if that is where they want to stay.

But these same business owners are the first to whine about not having enough business. These are the business owners who continue to advertise using poor copy - and subsequently spend hundreds on an ad that no one reads or responds to. Or they have a website built from a template that they never update and complain that they are not getting any traffic on their websites.

Yet if you ask them what they want to achieve you will hear them say - next year I want a six figure income.

Not using outdated strategies and penny pinching they won't. In fact they will stay exactly where they are. And that's ok if that's what they want.

But pleeeaaase don't tell me how hard it is to get business when you are not willing to spend money on your business.

And come on! How do you expect to keep up with everyone else when you refuse to invest in yourself and learn new business strategies?

And get real! Do you really want to keep going to the same place month after month, meeting the same people over an over again - talking about the same issues - and making the same money (and mistakes) as you did 15 years ago?

If you really, really want to grow your business invest in yourself. Stop whining. Think from the end.

Yes $200 can be a lot of money. But what if you learned one thing, just one thing that would raise your yearly income by 10 to 20 %? Wouldn't that more than cover the $200?

You know it would be much easier if you were just honest with yourself and the rest of us. Why not just say - "you know I really don't want any more business - I just like to come out to dinner and socialize once a month". Or maybe admit, "I really just enjoy getting paid once in a while for my work - but I really don't want this to be a big business - it's too much trouble and just interferes with other things I would rather do."

Great. I can respect that. But please stop pretending to yourself and the rest of us that you are trying to build your business. If you are unwilling - yes UNWILLING to invest $200 in learning something new then you are not serious about your business.

There I said it. Now let's get some serious work done. Those of you playing at business can go back to your game of make believe.

By the way - we have a great business event in Hamilton October 16th and 17th. Why not join us. But be advised - this is serious stuff. You might even learn something new.

Nickle and diming ourselves to death - Shrinking thinking!

When I was a little girl, I remember my Dad using the expression "nickle and diming ourselves to death". The Beatles were becoming popular, Twiggy was in vogue, my allowance was ten cents a week and I still had a pixie cut! Over the years I heard that expression may times when my mother and father were shopping, or talking about finances. My understanding was that pinching pennies could put one in the poor house. Today we understand much more about the universal laws that govern personal finances. I am careful not to fall into scarcity thinking, but also not to carelessly live outside my means as well. It can be a fine balance. However over the last 12 months, I have watched as business owners became fearful of their financial situation and began to 'cut back' in places where they thought it would help their businesses. Unfortunately, this hurt them more than they may know. I was at a business dinner last week when I heard someone say, "Hey, why don't we just all meet here for a dinner, order off the menu and save ourselves $15.00. I just shook my head in disbelief. Why? Many psychological reasons and universal principles come to mind - but logically there is a dollar and cents (sense!) reason. Had these ladies gotten together for a meeting and all paid their own dinner - it may have cost them $25.00. Unfortunately, according to CRA, only half of that amount can be written off as a business expense. However if they attend a meeting that is catered, the full amount of the ticket is tax deductible. In other words their business can write $40 off (or whatever the ticket cost) against $40 worth of income. If they had paid for their own meals, they could have only written off $12.50 off of $40 of income - AND they would have had to suck up the other $12.50 as personal expense. So in other words, someone who 'cheaped' out and paid for a meal instead of attending a meeting spent $12.50 of personal money instead of being able to write it all off on the business! Not only that, but the ever searching attitude of 'look, look, look, oh let's find it cheaper somewhere else' energetically sets a person or business in a negative process. It is scarcity mentality. It is not expanding and creative thinking - it is negative, penny pinching, shrinking thinking! It will bring us nothing but more need and want and will lead a person into poverty. Now I know what my dad meant when he talked 'nickle and diming ourselves to death." BTW, Join us for a great event where business and creativity meet: Rebuilding the Dream - in Hamilton Ontario. Read more here!

HYPE without substance - how I hate it!

OK, time for a bit of a rant and a lesson for all of us... As many of you know - my hubby has been managing a campground this summer, while I play catch up with Roaring Women. I have been blessed with gorgeous mountains and fresh air. But I got a bit cranked earlier in the week. We have always prided ourselves in being 'green' - or as green as we can. We are careful of our water, electricity and gas use. And we have been told over and over again by the media and government that the planet benefits and that we also benefit financially. But I am wondering is all this a bunch of hype? I digress... back on point Mandie.... So because we have been away from home - we have not used any water except for the odd toilet flush when we return home to get the mail. We thought - wow - because we are using the shower in the RV which uses very little water, we are really adding to the green planet conservation efforts - and saving money. (we also have used less than $25 in propane for the entire summer - cooking water heat included) Well, we may be helping the planet - but the money saving thing is all a bunch of hype. After reviewing the bill last month and this month- I noted we saved $2.03 in July and $2.30 in August. Yes we saved less than $5.00 in two months for using little or no water at home. So I called the utilities department at the city. The clerk was amazed at how little water we use normally and looked at the graph that showed we used 1/10th of what we normally used in July last year. Add yes the savings was $2.03. (Over $40.00 of the bill is service charges) I thought back to all the times I take a short shower to save water and cash. Then I thought of all the times I berated the teens over the years about their water usage. Then I did a few calculations. It seems that if I run the shower for 1 minute it costs less than 1 penny in water usage. So for an extra 10 minutes in the shower every day for a month, (oh how luxurious) my bill would go up a measley $3.00. So what is my beef? Advertisers and marketers know that when you talk money, people sit up and listen. But I really am tired of being roped into a pile of hype about a benefit that does not even exist. If you promise me big savings on a water bill because I conserve - I want to see big savings. But if I do not save much - appeal to my sense of responsibility - don't try to sell me a bill of goods that do not exist. Do I want to help the planet - yes I do. I want my grandchildren to be able to shower. And I want under privileged countries to have better access to water. And so I will continue to conserve water. But come on Calgary, if you want to play on the savings because I conserve - you had better change your billing structure so that your promises can be realized! Let's put some honesty back into marketing - PLEASE!

A lesson from nature..

I have always thought the desert to be a beautiful place. Recently my husband returned from a trip to Tucson Arizona, bringing some beautiful pictures with him. Several of his pictures featured Saguaro Cactus, the cactus that bears the state flower of Arizona. This cactus grows about an inch a year from what seems to be infertile soil. That means it takes 50 years to grow is just over 4 feet! They take up to 75 years to develop a side arm. This is so much slower growing than bamboo in the rain forest where in one year, bamboo can grow up to 70 feet!

This made me begin to think about business growth. What does something need in order to grow?

Certainly in the plant world there needs to be energy - the warmth of the sun. There also needs to be nutrients in the soil as well as moisture – rain or humidity. Take these things away or limit them and growth may still happen, but much more slowly. What about our businesses? What does a business need to grow? It’s not a plant, animal or human. However, a business, in its own way is a living thing. It too needs certain things to survive. Cash flow is essential in a business. It’s like oxygen. But just because a business has cash flow that does not necessarily mean it will grow. It may exist but will not necessarily grow. A business needs to have a knowledgeable and skilled leader with relevant and timely strategies and information to make it grow. Unfortunately many business owners operate solely on their gut feeling. They hope they are making the right decisions and when the business runs into trouble – or hard times hit, they become confused and begin having knee-jerk reactions – making decisions too quickly and without enough knowledge. No one is born with a ‘how to build a business’ manual. Many successful business owners have spent years educating themselves before they even open a business. Essentially what they are doing when educating themselves is ensuring that there are enough nutrients (information) to feed the business. Many of us want our businesses to grow – and grow quickly. When it does not – we lose interest (energy) – often the energy that is required to keep the business growing. Many of us lose interest because we do the same things day in and day out without taking the time to feed our minds with the information we need to help our businesses grow. So in addition to losing interest we also do not have the knowledge it takes to get over the bumps. It is kind of like Saguaro Cactus growing in the desert. Our businesses may have lots of sunshine but not near enough nutrients or moisture to help it to grow. Are you growing your business in a desert? Have you taken some time to feed it with good information? Are you willing to grow only an inch a year or would you like it to grow a little more quickly? (I know I would!) It is imperative that we take time to learn about new trends, strategies and meet with other business owners to see how they are handing their businesses successfully. Yes, education does not come for free. We have to pay for it – one way or another. We can speed up the growth process by learning from others or we can learn slowly by making mistakes and finding things out for ourselves! Which will you choose? If you are looking ti increase your business knowledge and improve upon your skills - I have a great event coming up this fall to feed your thirsty mind - check out the preliminary information here!

Business Lessons From My Motorcycle

People say I tell lots of stories. I do this because, for me – a lesson is better remembered (and sometimes learned) if there is a story or anecdote attached to it. This brings me to a couple of motorcycle stories that upon reflection taught me some valuable lessons about my business. Let me begin by saying that I have been terrified of dropping my motorcycle. At a whopping 857 pounds, I know that it is impossible for one person to pick up alone. I knew though that at one point the inevitability of losing control of such a large bike is a given. For those of you who have not seen my bike, it is a big one – but more than big it is just plain too tall for me. I can ride and control it well, however I can only touch the ground with the balls of my feet – which makes maneuvering it in and out of small spaces like garages and parking spots a bit of a dance on my tip-toes! I have been so afraid of dropping the bike that I rarely ride it alone. Usually my husband drives and I ride behind. (it is set up for his height not mine) About a month ago we were on an extended ride. At the end of a long and exhausting day we came off the highway and stopped for the red light on the top of a hill on an exit ramp. Tired legs and uneven pavement contributed to a ‘lean to the right’ where the weight of the motorcycle outweighed the strength of the driver and a smooth and comically slow movement resulted in the driver literally laying the bike down on its side. As the driver laid the bike gently down – I tried to get off the back seat which resulted in me hopping on one foot and trying to get my leg over the back rest. After several hops up and down I realized I was also attached to the bike via my helmet cord that was attached to the receptacle on the other side of the bike. (It looks much like a curly telephone cord) I continued to hop backwards trying to release myself only to realize that now the back aerial was caught between my legs. All I could think of was what it must look like! What a spectacle! In the end after hopping several more times on one foot, I fell on my bum in the middle of the lane we occupied. In the meantime – the light had turned green and red again. After a deep breath I got up off my bum, brushed off my pride and between the two of us we managed to lift the bike up, get back on and head home. We were lucky. There was no damage to the bike (it rolled on a roll bar) so there was no damage to anything except our confidence and pride. For me this event was a defining moment – and I know I will never forget it. It took about a week to sort out how I felt about all of it. I realized that I had learned several great lessons from the event – so I thought I would pass them on to you. Lesson #1. Anyone can make a mistake. I had been terrified of dropping the bike – so I rarely rode it alone. In the end, I realized that dropping the bike was not really such a big deal. So what. The most important part was that together we picked ourselves and the bike up and got back on it to ride it home. (some day I might even laugh about this event) Lesson #2. Stop and rest when you are tired. This applies to everything in life – including business. When we go too long and too hard – mistakes happen. If we are lucky, we can recover from our mistakes. However, mistakes made affect our confidence and pride – and until we get back up and ride it can also affect our performance and confidence. The second fall or shall I say ‘bike dropping event’, I managed to accomplish all on my own! Determined to master the weight and awkwardness of the bike, I decided to ride it to work one day. I was the only one home and so I took my time getting my chaps on, arranging all my things in the compartments and making sure I was prepared to ride safely. I began to back the bike out of the garage and my foot slipped on the cement. I looked at the shoes I had on and thought “I had better get my boots on – they have better grip”. So I decided to do this after I had backed the bike out of the garage. Then my foot slipped again. My gut told me to get my boots on now, but I ignored the intuitive prompting. I backed the bike out onto the cement pad and then down the grade to the gravel laneway. I stopped the bike a little too quickly and the bike began to lean to the right. I knew then as it leaned that I was past the point of being able to right it and so I slowly lowered it to the ground. “Ok” I thought. “No big deal”. But now what? As pointless as it seemed I decided to try my best to lift it back up. (there is a technique to lifting heavy bikes) As you can guess – it was pointless. The bike outweighed me by over 700 pounds. With no one home, there was only one l thing I could do. Call a friend or ask a passing motorist ( a stranger ) for help. I managed to flag down a young man who chuckled as he helped me lift the bike. “Wow” he said. “That is heavy”. I thanked him, gathered what spunk I had left and started the bike and set off to work. Determined to regain my confidence, I reflected on what I could have done differently, and thought about how much I had learned from my bike. I added these to the list of “Everything I learned about business I learned from my honking huge motorcycle”. Lesson # 3. Listen to your gut. I knew I should have changed into my boots after the first slip on the concrete. I might never have lost my balance with a pair of heavy soled boots. Lesson # 4. Ask for help. Sometimes you will need to ask someone you do not know. There is no shame in asking for help. No one can do it all alone. And there is always someone who is happy to help. Lesson #5. Nothing is ever too heavy. You just need to learn how to work with it. There are hundreds of people who ride bikes that are heavy – and hard to handle when still. And sometimes that means asking for help. Lesson #6. Keep moving. In both cases, had the bike been moving, and not in the process of being stopped, it would have never fallen over. But fear in both cases made us stop too quickly – and the bike having some momentum had to go somewhere – so it went sideways. How often in business, when we are fearful do we just STOP? When we are afraid – it is not time to stop. In fact momentum will carry us forward as long as we continue to steer straight. If we need to stop, it should never be a knee jerk reaction made out of fear – but a slow and steady stop – so that we remain in control. We are in uncertain times. Some days the load seems too heavy and even unmanageable. Don’t be fearful. Just remember the following:

1. Anyone can make a mistake. There is no shame in that. Only those who stand still will never fall.
2. Stop and rest when you are tired or over worked.
3. Listen to your gut. When you feel trouble coming on, listen to your gut feelings and act on them.
4. Ask for help when you need it. (I mean really, how hard is it to ask for help)
5. Nothing is ever too hard or too heavy – you just need to learn the right technique. (yes, you may have to ask for help)
6. Keep moving. Momentum will carry you forward. If you become afraid and try to stop too quickly you will fall. If you do get right back up and keep moving forward.

copyright 2009 Mandie Crawford