Red Robins, Gawking Geese and A Brand New Season
April 30, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
I walked across the room to sit on the couch with my laptop when the sight of the tree caught my eye. A robin flitted in and out of the branches now bushy and full with its red blossoms. “When did that happen” I wondered. When did the barren branches become full and vibrant? I had watched in Fall as the leaves fell and had gazed at them in winter longing for the renewal of Spring. How had I missed an event I so eagerly anticipated? What thoughts had consumed me and prevented me from noticing the delight of rebirth?
“Nature often holds up a mirror so we can see more clearly the ongoing processes of growth, renewal, and transformation in our lives.”–Unknown
I looked beyond the tree to see what else I had missed. The mallards and geese gently floated across the pond each movement making soft ripples in the water. The grass, no longer brown was vibrant and green and a puppy leaped around in circles with glee.
I continued looking out the window drinking in the peacefulness of the day as I thought how that tree is similar to life. In our lives we can go through a barren season when nothing is blooming and winter seems to have you in her grips. We are aware of every snowy day as we hold on and push through the mountains. Yet, we sometimes miss the subtleties that alert us Spring is on the way. We awaken one day to find that it has arrived and as swiftly as the winter appeared, renewal has now arrived.
This month I endured my own winter season – the flu, the tragic death of my 27 year old nephew, medical issues with other family members, financial challenges, and on and on. Each day held the promise of Spring as we huddled together to brave the storms of winter. And as I looked out the window yesterday, I knew with certainty that my Spring had arrived too.
I could throw off the garments of winter and delight in the lightness of being unfettered. Although there are still seeds to be planted, watered and nurtured, this only heightens the joy of the new season.
If you are in your own winter season, take hope today that Spring does come. It may not arrive with a loud pronouncement and it may even be a little late, but it comes, yes it does come.
Have you endured a winter season? Are you going through one now?
Photo Courtesy of Art Poskanzer, Flickr.com
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Look Mom No Hands! Dealing with Risk in Business
April 29, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
©Dimitrios Kessaris | Dreamstime.com
“If we listened to our intellect, we’d never have a love affair. We’d never have a friendship. We’d never go into business, because we’d be cynical. Well, that’s nonsense. You’ve got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down.”–Ray Bradbury
Risk is inherent in business. In fact, a certain amount of risk is necessary in business to achieve reward. Whether you are an employee or business owner you had to take a risk just to get started.
Risk is defined as the hazard or chance of loss; the degree or probability of chance of loss. The two components of risk are uncertainty and exposure. Without both components you do not have risk.
So now that we have an understanding of risk, what do we do about it? The first step is to recognize that risk exists. Once you have identified, measured and monitored risk you can manage it.
“Creative risk taking is essential to success in any goal where the stakes are high. Thoughtless risks are destructive, of course, but perhaps even more wasteful is thoughtless caution which prompts inaction and promotes failure to seize opportunity.”–Gary Ryan Blair
Risk does not have to induce fear. When effectively managed risk is not only allowable but encouraged.
Measuring Risk
To measure risk, identify all of the key activities in your business and the risk of those activities. Consider strategic, legal. financial and operational activities. Is there a risk for consumer demand to shift? Do you produce products that may fail? Are there external political or legal risks? You can conduct surveys, brainstorm with your team or trusted advisors, and research industry benchmarks to assess risk. Once measured you can monitor the risks and identify if the risk has increased.
Managing Risk
You have four choices when managing risk:
- Accept the risk
- Transfer the risk
- Reduce the risk
- Eliminate the risk.
You can accept risk by default or decision. Business Errors and Omissions (E&O) insurance, Property Insurance and Medical Malpractice Insurance are all examples of transferring risk. You can reduce risk through planning. This could mean things like modifying a product launch date, making tweaks in your business strategy, or enhancing your payment process with additional controls.
Finally you have the option to eliminate the risk entirely. You may decide that in light of your overall business goals the risk is not worth it. Or perhaps you eliminate the component that presents the risk.
Risk planning does not have to be overly complicated, but should not be avoided. Identifying risk also leads you to identify opportunity – opportunity to improve and/or enhance your business. Planning puts you in control of the risk. Like the skydiver who assesses the risk, plans for it and jumps anyway, you too may find yourself flying through the clouds with butterflies in your stomach and a smile on your face.
Have you thought about risk in your business planning? Why or why not?
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Planning, Failing and Java Beans
April 28, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
It is not even 12 noon and I am already on Plan C for my Monday. Plan A was a carefully thought out, high powered day filled with charging through my to do list and checking off tasks with glee. Plan A required a full night of sleep on Sunday and an early start. Plan A fell apart at 7 am this morning.
Plan B was to put the blog post off for a couple of hours, charge through the most important task on my to do list and then rest if necessary. Plan B was history by 8:30 am. Plan C was to get some rest (better to get a late start with renewed energy than to drag through the whole day), awaken refreshed and proceed with Plan A.
Did I mention it’s not even 12 noon? What does all of this have to do with you, your life and your business? Well, absolutely nothing. Think of this post like a Seinfeld episode, it’s a post about nothing, or rather the mundane things in life that sometimes make for good humor.
Actually this post may have a point. A few weeks ago, Darren Daz Cox commented that the whole point of having a blog is to be personal. So Daz this one is kind of for you. While many cringe at the thought of being personal, equating it with spewing projectile vomit in public, allow me to offer my insight.
Being personal does not mean that you are required to share the titillating details of your life. Your blog is not a confessional, unless of course that’s your thing. However, no matter what your blogging purpose may be, readers do want you “to keep it real.” Dry boring facts without personality may inform but they will not engage. If you don’t believe me, check out what CopyBlogger had to say on the subject last week.
Blogging is a contact sport, and requires a willingness to get up close with readers. Let your personality and style show up in your content, and be willing to engage readers in discussion.
If I had WordPress this would be classified as Way Off Topic. So bear with me today, I’m human and tired. Tomorrow is a new day and if everything aligns perfectly, my post will actually have a point.
How is your Monday going?
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Student ‘Twitters’ his way out of Egyptian jail
April 26, 2008
James Karl Buck helped free himself from an Egyptian jail with a one-word blog post from his cell phone, which read “Arrested.” It is a miracle that authorities did not confiscate his phone upon arrest. I learned of this story on Twitter from @NadineTouzet. I urge you to follow James on Twitter, @jamesbuck and join the efforts to find and free his translator. For all those who wrote Twitter off as a waste of time, this story illustrates why twitter has become a hot social media tool. Twitter is about people and community. It is a tool that enables us to reach out and connect with others. The topics range from the serious to the mundane, in other words just like life.
read more | digg story
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Fierce Friday: Running The Race
April 25, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
I waved to my hubby and set off to line up for my very first marathon. It was a nice LA morning in March and I could tell it would be a warm day. I found the starting area and excitedly took my place. It was getting close to starting time and a guy around my age fell in step next to me. He smiled and we exchanged greetings.
He asked, “Is this your first marathon?” “Yea, how about you?” With a smile of accomplishment he answered, “this is my second I ran Honolulu in December with the Arthritis Foundation and this time I’m raising money for the AIDS Foundation.” “Wow, that’s really great.” “How long did you train?,” he asked. “I’ve been training for 2 1/2 whole months!” With his head slightly cocked and a sympathetic look, he responded, “Our training program was 6 months.” “Six months?!”
He looked at me as though searching for something, “Where’s your water bottle?” “Oh, I read they would have water here.” “Well, they will at every mile but it’s good to have your own. Did you bring GU?” Wrinkling my nose, I responded, “GU, what’s that? I brought was my cell phone and lip gloss.”
“What pace are you running?” he asked with a hint of rising panic. “Pace? Well we told my friends that we would meet them for breakfast.” With a sympathetic look, he hugged me, “Just run with me honey, I’ll take care of you.”
The stranger stayed with me for the first 7-8 miles talking and offering tips. We were separated by the massive crowd of 20,000 runners when I spotted my husband in the crowd and ran toward the sidelines to report my progress. Luckily that day I encountered many other kind souls who helped me as I prodded toward the finish line.
“It takes a community to maintain a human.” –Earon Davis, Gaia Community
I discovered that as you’re running your own race you don’t have to run alone. As you pursue your goal there will always be people who are willing to help. Some may be at the starting line like you and others may have run the same race many times. Some will run with you for a mile or two, some may get you to the halfway point and others may run with you the whole way.
Here at Words For Hire, Fridays have been designated “Fierce Friday” which we celebrate by giving a shout out to fierce people who inspire, encourage and motivate. On this fierce Friday, I’d like to thank those that have run with me thus far on this writing / blogging journey.
Joanna Young has been a mentor, writing coach and friend. Through Joanna I met Amy Palko, who has become a special friend that always has a healthy dose of encouragement and a square of chocolate.
Joanna also introduced me to Yvonne Russell who graciously extended the opportunity to to write my very first guest post. I met Ellen Wilson as we navigated Elance. She is smart, funny, honest and has become a great friend that inspires me to stay on goal. The Men With Pens have not only offered personal support, and helpful hints but they have graciously shared their community of friends.
As you run your race, you are not alone. Whatever your pursuit I guarantee others will run with you. And of course, you can always come here for a word of encouragement or hearty cheer.
How about you, who have you met as you were running you race? What impact did that have on you?
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Finding the Strength to Lace Em Up Everyday
April 24, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
© Svetlana Shapiro | Dreamstime.com
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.” — Zig Ziglar
No matter how passionate you are about your goals or how good your intentions are, you must fan the flames of motivation daily. Robyn McMaster offered this insight in response to yesterday’s post: “Goals are extremely important to me because they help me keep my eyes on what I want to accomplish. When I put a picture of that near my computer or I write it out as a one line poem and put it there, it helps me sift past those things that would take me off the tracks.”
Robyn knows a thing or two about goal setting and motivation as she is the Senior VP of MITA Brain Based Center.
Sometimes we fail to accomplish a goal and we blame it on a lack of discipline. In fact, it may have simply been a failure to renew motivation. Have you ever started a fire in a fireplace? The flames burn brightly and the heat engulfs the room but eventually the flames will flicker and die and the room will once again grow cold. To keep the fire going you have to add more wood.
I am highly visual so use visual cues to motivate you everyday. For example, when I embarked on my weight loss journey, I used a big wall calendar to mark my progress. I covered the walls of my work out room with pictures and posters of my favorite athletes. I taped motivational quotes to the dashboard in my car. On my runs, I carried 26 laminated scriptures in a wrist band carrier. I would pull one out every mile to encourage me to keep going.
If you are more of an auditory learner, try listening to motivational tapes or music. Load your IPOD (I really must get one of these!) or burn a CD of things that inspire you.
Read, watch, listen and talk to those that inspire. Head over to Brain Based Biz , Joyful Jubilant Learning or 6 Weeks for a bit of inspiration. The key is to do something everyday that will stoke the flames of motivation.
You may believe you are not disciplined or have an inability to focus. I am here to tell you that is not true. ERASE those negative thoughts from your mind. You simply may have been playing the game with the wrong equipment. You have accomplished things in life. As you think back on your accomplishments, what worked for you? What made that time different? I believe your answer may be that you cared enough about your pursuit and equipped yourself daily to achieve it.
My goal is to meet more people like those who read this blog. I am not pursuing X amount of readers so that I can feed my ego. I like getting to know you, hearing your thoughts, rants, and witticisms. I learn from you and am challenged by you. Why wouldn’t I want to multiply that by reaching out to even more people just like you?
If your goal happens to involve a life changing decision, Robert Hruzek’s two part post on the subject is a must read.
How do you stay motivated? What are your tips and tricks? Please share so that we can learn from one another.
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Running Your Own Race
April 23, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
Yesterday, many of you shared your own goals and thoughts.
Adrienne Van Houten is headed on a fabulous cruise but upon her return plans on hitting Curves. “My goal is not a set weight amount to lose, but to stick to it and make it work for me.”
Ellen Wilson had a small goal of getting film scanned yesterday but offer remarkable insight about goals. “Sometimes if I look too far into the future it freaks me out and I can’t get anything done. Or I get depressed. Or both!”
Amy Palko is finishing her long-held goal of attaining her PhD and offered these thoughts: “Now that it’s coming close to the time when that goal will be achieved, I’m having to sit and reassess precisely these questions of what it means to me. And it’s a difficult answer to articulate. It’s tightly bound up with pride, ambition, career opportunities, skills acquired. But it’s also taken on something new, as the achievement of this goal will now allow me to move on to set some new goals, and that’s what I’m getting really excited about!”
Andre Blackman has a passion for the health of others as well as his own. “I’ve started back into the gym just so I can feel a little better about myself as well as maintain my health. Had a wake up call not too long ago and it’s time to stop playing around!
I also have goals about transforming the way we all think about our health in this Digital Age – this post is exactly what I needed to read today!”
Goals give our lives structure, a reason to keep moving forward. Like the mile markers in a race, goals tell us where we are and how far we still must run.
In a marathon there are hundreds, or thousands of runners lining up for the same race. All will start in the same place and all will cross the same finish line. However, the journey from start to finish will be as different as the reasons and training plans that got them there.
Runners may finish in 2 hours, 4 hours and some may take 8 but for all that finish the victory is the same. Crossing the finish line is the completion of a goal no matter how long it takes you to get there.
We can draw inspiration from others who have accomplished similar goals, but we all must run our own race, and in our own way. By all means get a training plan, learn from others who have walked the same road, but adjust as necessary to fit your unique needs and style.
On my first trip to a running store I stuck out like a sore thumb. I felt like a Clydesdale among a herd of gazelles. I was not long and lithe, and had not been running for 20 years. I had just started getting in shape and could aptly be described as chunky and spunky. Yet there I was lacing up my sneakers just as they were and training for a distance that many had run. My enthusiasm for my goal was not dampened by others who had done it better and faster. This was my goal and I would finish it.
Whatever your goals are pursue them with enthusiasm. Lace up every day and take a step as you make them happen. Don’t be discouraged if you find yourself at the back of the pack, just keep moving, you’ll get there. And if you’re a front runner, run your race! Don’t be held back by the conventional wisdom of others, it is your race, own it!
Have you ever been discouraged from pursuing a goal? How did you overcome the challenge?
Photo Credit: Brownpau, Flickr.com
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Getting to the Starting Line – What Running Taught Me About Goals and Wants
April 22, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
Lose 10 pounds. Write a book. Have a successful business. Travel the world. Go back to school. Buy a house. Retire early. Become a millionaire. Run a marathon.
Do any of these “wants” sound familiar? We all have them, that desire to do something, be something or go somewhere. We may even have a long list of wants, and we may have titled it “Goals.” Why do we accomplish some things on that list while others languish? How do we move our “want-to’s” to goals and then accomplishments?
“If the Lord had meant for man to run, he’d have given him four legs or at least made him late for a bus.” –Red Smith, Sportswriter
Not many people want to run 26.2 miles just for the sake of doing it. Those who do may not always make it to the finish line. I mean let’s face it, what possible sane reason would you have for deliberately choosing to train for months and then spend a perfectly good Saturday or Sunday running for 3 or more hours for a lousy t-shirt and race swag?
Training for and running a marathon requires commitment. If all you have is “want-to” you may not make it to the starting line let alone the finish line. Desire without meaning only has the power to get you started. You may last for a week or two but one day desire will simply not be enough to get you out of bed.
Goals are “want-to’s” with meaning on their bones. Ah but not just any meaning will do, it has to be meaningful to you. Do you want to write a book? Run a marathon? Lose weight? Develop a $1M business? Gain 1000 followers on Twitter? Have 35,000 people subscribed to your blog?
All of the above may be perfectly good want-to’s but now you must ask: Why? When the goal is achieved, what will that mean to you? Is that meaning so vivid, and so significant that you’re ready to make sacrifices to attain it? Do you simply want it because your mentor, husband, friend, or guru said you should want it? What does not attaining it mean to you?
I ran my first marathon because I did not want to die. More specifically I did not want to die too soon or worse live long but with a plastic baggie filled with prescription medication. The image of being old and sick motivated me to change my life. I had never run one mile let alone 26.2 and honestly I didn’t even know enough to understand the goal I set. I only knew that I was running for my life. When desire waned, meaning carried me on.
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Abraham Lincoln
This is not a magic formula for attaining goals. It is however a method that will allow you to choose the wants that really matter enough to you to pursue. Will you have challenges? You bet! Is it possible to fail? Absolutely! However, meaning gives you fuel to recover and try again.
As you review your own goal list, have you set goals or desires? Is the goal big enough, meaningful enough and vivid enough to risk failing in order to achieve it? As you look past on past accomplishments, what made the difference for you?
Photo Credit: © Dawn Hudson | Dreamstime.com
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The Long Hot Race
April 21, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
It was August and the Hawaiian sun had risen with a searing determination to melt away my resolve to finish this marathon. The white hot pavement threatened to melt my sneakers with each step. I looked to the left at the cobalt blue ocean and found not one ounce of comfort in its beauty. What good is a scenic marathon when you are hallucinating and close to sun stroke? I glanced at my wristband that had the names of my honored teammate, one of my best friends, a brother-in-law and my husband. I breathed in the hot muggy air, ignored the leg cramps and ran on.
The Maui Marathon was brutal but I crossed the finish line. I’ve racked up a lot of miles on the road and in life. Some of the miles have been under my feet and others have tread right over me. The lessons learned from the journey have been a huge help to me in business.
“Bid me run, and I will strive with things impossible.” –Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
Goal setting, discipline, the value of a support team and managing disappointment are just a few of the lesson with business application. You can run a few marathons of your own (and if you’re up for it, I totally recommend it!) or stay with me this week as I share from my own successes and failures. You may not run the same way, distance or speed but I hope that I can spare you a few blisters on your own run.
Please join me this week and share your own thoughts. This is a place where input and ideas are welcomed as we all learn from each other. Just like a marathon, we all come to the starting line with our own reasons for being there. We’ve followed different training plans, and pre-race rituals but none of that matters as we line up and wait for the race to begin.
Photo Credit: Flickr, flyingpanther
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Perseverance Completes the Meal
April 18, 2008
by Karen D. Swim
The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking places. ~Author Unknown
This week we have been exploring the 5 Essential P’s of Business, which is my recipe for business success. We have discussed passion, purpose, promotion and personality. Our fifth and final ingredient is Perseverance, and appropriately falls on Fierce Friday.
As we stir the pot and prepare to feast on a thriving business I invite you to pull up a chair and smell the aroma. Perseverance enhances the other spices and brings out the full flavor of this recipe.
The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one comes from a strong will, and the other from a strong won’t. –Henry Ward Beecher
According to Webster’s, Perseverance is steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., esp. in spite of difficulties, obstacles, or discouragement.
Challenges, disappointments and obstacles are a given in business and life. You can choose to find a way through, around or over them or you can simply quit. To stand and fight through difficulty requires you to channel your inner Rocky and persevere.
Katherine Reschke made an astute comparison this week between the Wall that marathon runners hit during a race to the challenge of being in business. Having run a few marathons myself I can say that the comparison is right on target.
The wall in business may be market conditions, internal issues, barriers to growth or even naysaying family and friends. When you hit the wall remember your passion and purpose, and persevere.
When I have encountered The Wall in marathons I remember my purpose (usually raising money for a cause I care deeply about), and the long hard weeks of training that got me there and I simply refuse to quit. So far the strategy has worked for me and It will for you too.
The beauty of perseverance is that the longer you endure the stronger you become. When you fight your way through one challenge it gives you confidence and experience for the next one. You learn that you are capable of far more than you believed.
If your article has not been published, your blog has not yet hit a traffic milestone, or you have not landed that first big client, readjust your strategy if necessary but do not give up.
If you need a shot of inspiration, check out the fierce women over at The Boss of You or get a boost of living audaciously from Amy Palko. Whatever you do, don’t quit!
For the five P’s that will power up your writing, visit Confident Writing. Joanna did an excellent audiocast this week on the subject.
Wishing you fierceness and power!
Photo Credit: © Chrisharvey| Dreamstime.com
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