Today’s article is about the 3 Questions to Ask to Become a Radical Giver. See if you would do the same things that Brandy did.
Brandy had built a successful online business as a web designer, but she found herself wanting to stretch and grow. She was hungry to do something new. When she came across the idea of becoming a radical giver in business, the idea resonated with her.
She shared it with her mastermind group and asked for suggestions on how she could find opportunities to give back to others. Another member, Susie, advised Brandy to ask three key questions to determine how she could radically give.
What Do You Know?
Sometimes, giving back can be as easy as creating a list of things you already know how to do. For example, if you’ve set up membership websites for your clients, then you may already be familiar with software like aMember Pro. You could browse Facebook groups and forums to find users to ask questions about this software and answer them.
Don’t think this is just about the software you use though. You’ll also want to consider what skills you have. If you’re great at copywriting, then you could review another entrepreneur’s sales page and give her feedback on how to improve it.
Who Can You Help?
You may already have an idea of the community you’d like to help. When Tricia got started online she was a single mom with a tiny budget. As she looked for a way to give back, she would take other broke single moms under her wing. She’d spend a year with her intern, teaching her how to put together an online business.Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can only help a narrow demographic. You can give back to anyone you choose. But if you’re passionate about helping a certain community, lean into that instinct and trust it.
How Can You Assist?
Sometimes, helping others may be simple like converting a file to a Photoshop format for a business friend that isn’t skilled at graphics the way you are. In other situations though, you may find yourself wanting to give more in-depth help like mentoring or coaching someone else.
But before you commit to helping others, consider your own life and what season you’re in. If you’re in the middle of a huge move and you’re about to welcome your second child, you probably don’t have time to extensively mentor someone else. That’s OK.
Become an Angel Mentor
There are plenty of ways to give back that don’t require investing a lot of time. You can write a ‘thank you’ note to someone who helped you grow your business, promote a product offer for a struggling solopreneur, or join a giveaway event. What 3 questions would you ask to become a radical giver?
Becoming a radical giveris fun and energizing. It can give you ideas for new websites, inspiration for your current projects, and help you spot fresh solutions for your clients.
Today’s article is about how Developing the Radical Giver Mindset works.
Read the story below and see how it affects you.
Deidre’s Story
Deidre joined a business group on Facebook where members read a business book each month. Every Monday, the group leader uses Facebook Live to start an interactive discussion about the book.
Over the past month, Deidre’s group has been reading The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. When the group leader started their usual live stream, she asked if anyone was struggling.
Deidre quickly shared that she was. “I grew up in a single-parent household. My mom struggled just to make ends meet every month. I like the idea of being a radical giver but I’m worried there’s just not enough goodness in the world to go around.”
Deidre isn’t alone. Many online business owners struggle to become radical givers despite really wanting to. The problem is often linked to a poverty mindset.
The Poverty Mindset
Here are three beliefs that keep you stuck in poverty and how to overcome them. After reading them see if any of the three fit you and if not, you’re well on your way to becoming a radical giver.
Poverty Mindset #1: There’s Not Enough to Go Around
When you believe that there is a limit to the money or goodness available in the world, you can approach every situation with a belief that you must hoard things. You have to hold tightly to your money, your time, and your gifts.
But what if you flipped the script? Instead of telling yourself, that there’s not enough to go around, embrace the belief that there’s more than enough to share.
What you focus on will always expand. That means if you focus on one belief, it will become self-fulfilling. The more you tell yourself there’s enough to go around, the more your life and business will begin to reflect this belief.
Poverty Mindset #2: Helping Others Shine Means I Can’t Shine
It’s easy to think that if other people are awesome, you can’t be awesome, too. That’s because most people imagine the world as a small stage where only a few, truly gifted entrepreneurs can show off their talents.
But in reality, the stage is big enough to support everyone. In fact, your brand or product could be exactly what someone else needs. Instead of viewing other entrepreneurs or brands as your competition, see them as your friends. Going solo is lonely but a journey with friends? That’s so much fun!
Poverty Mindset #3: I Need to Take on Every Client or Project
Sometimes, a poverty mindset can show up as taking on every client or project that comes your way. It often stems from the fear that if you don’t, you might lose out on money or experience.
But the problem with this belief is that it keeps you from doing your best work. If a project comes along that’s not a terrific fit for you, say no. When you do this, you open up room in your business for projects that truly light you up. Developing the Radical Giver Mindset means that you need to make a change.
Moving past a poverty mindset and becoming a radical giver isn’t something you can do overnight. It often takes a few months of practice and support from a loving community of like-minded business owners. But rest assured that if you stay focused, you can embrace a new mindset.
The secret to becoming a radical giver lies in asking three simple questions. Discover what they are when you download your free workbook!
Today’s article is about being a radical giver. Interesting topic to discuss, but I promise you, you will enjoy it. Here’s an interesting story about a woman named Jennie. She desperately wanted to quit her 9-5 job so she could spend more time with her twin boys. So, she began to look into work-at-home opportunities.
She heard about the virtual assistant industry and knew it’d be a great fit for her.She started a website, began blogging, and became active on social media. But after almost six months, all she had were a handful of low-paying clients that didn’t seem to respect her. She was frustrated and wondering whether she should give up when she met Anita, a coach for virtual assistants.
Anita was offering a free discovery session to prospective clients, so Jennie took her up on the offer. During the call, Jennie shared her frustrations about becoming a virtual assistant. While they were talking, Anita reviewed Jennie’s website and social media accounts. She explained that Jennie wasn’t serving anyone but herself. Ok, so here is where it gets interesting, are you following me?
Radical Givers Serve
“Your business does exist to make money, absolutely,” Anita shared, “But it should also be about serving your community. You need to discover how you can help your clients rather than chasing dollars aimlessly.”Radical givers in business are entrepreneurs that want to do more than simply make a profit—they want to make a difference, too. Whether you’re serving your clients as a virtual assistant or selling digital products and memberships, you can practice radical giving.
Radical Givers Focus
Jennie signed up for a coaching program with Anita later that week. Even though it was a big investment, she knew Anita’s guidance could help her grow her business. The first thing Anita did was work with Jennie so she could discover the types of clients she wanted to work with.One thing that sets radical givers apart is their focus. That’s because radical givers know who they want to serve. They have a target audience in mind that they’re excited about giving back to and are passionate about serving them.
Radical Givers Invest
Once Jennie knew who her ideal clients were, she made a list of places where these ideal clients spent time online including Facebook groups and LinkedIn groups. Then she joined these groups and began investing time in the groups.She answered business questions, joined in the discussions, and made sure to welcome new members to the community. As Jennie put her roots deep into the groups, she began attracting her ideal clients and earning a much higher hourly rate.
She asked her coach why she was attracting so much positive attention and Anita said, “People are naturally attracted to givers. When you’re generous with others, they want to be generous in return. Kindness always comes back to you.”
Are YOU A Radical Giver?
Being a radical giver in business doesn’t mean that you never make a cent or that you have to work for below-average rates. You can earn a lot of money and still be a radical giver. It just means that you’re dedicated to your clients and customers. You’re willing to go the extra mile and you truly care about the community you’re serving.
Learn how to become a radical giver in your business when you download your free workbook!
Next month, continue this series on Radical Giving, there is much more to come!
Today’s article is all about Sharpening Your Focus and some of the methods you can use to help with accomplishing this. What do you think of when you think about improving your ability to “focus”?
Eliminating External Distractions
There are obvious encumbrances to focus on: External factors like distractions and interruptions. To remove these, you first need to recognize what they are and then exercise the self-discipline to banish them from your “space” – at least for periods of time each day.
These distractions can include anything from email to people stopping by. They’re easy to identify, so you only need to devise a plan to deal with them and then carry it out. For some of us, saying “no” to old companions like Facebook and Snapchat is easier said than done. But the results are definitely worth the effort.
Eliminating Internal Blocks
These blocks aren’t so easy to identify, and there are plenty of them.
One type of block is a perceptual block. This happens when we perceive things incorrectly. For instance, when you don’t clearly understand what the problem is. You can come up with ineffectual solutions or not enough solutions. Has that ever happened to you?
Another type of internal block is emotional. Feelings can interfere with our thinking if we let them take over. For instance, have you ever been in a meeting where you didn’t understand the point that was being made? But you were afraid to ask because you felt you might look foolish? How about if you’re involved in something that requires taking a risk? Have you ever been convinced that making a certain move was the correct thing to do? But you didn’t do it because it might not work out? Or, just the opposite, have you ever been so excited about something that you didn’t think it through before taking action?
These are just some examples where emotions can get in way of focus and clear thinking. You can probably think of many more. I know I sure can!
Another block to clear focus is not having complete or correct information. It’s very frustrating to put a lot of time and energy into a project and then realize that the conclusion will be flawed due to a lack of supporting information. Sharpening Your Focus will help you with staying on task so you can get more done.
It’s a good idea to take a little time to sort out where you’re coming from perceptually, emotionally, and practically before initiating a project.
The Habit of Successful Focus
In their excellent book, The Power of Focus, Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Les Hewitt discussed the idea that successful living is all about cultivating the habit of focusing on the right things.
Here’s what they say:
“Life doesn’t just happen to be. It’s all about choices and how you respond to every situation. If you are in the habit of continually making bad choices, disaster often occurs. Your everyday choices ultimately determine whether you end up living with abundance or living in poverty. Consistent choices lay the foundation for your habits. And your habits play a major role in how your future unfolds.”
A habit is anything you do so often that it becomes easy. The rule of thumb is that it takes about 21 days to create a new habit. A really interesting fact is that once you do something 21 to 30 times, it’s harder not to do it than to do it.
Reprogram to Focus
The good news is that you can begin to reprogram yourself anytime. Once you learn about yourself – how you think and feel, and what you want in life – it will be easier to make the choices that will turn into habits that fulfill your goals. By Sharpening Your Focus you will have more time to do the things you really care about in your life.
Think about that. If you only changed four habits every year, in five years you would have 20 positive new habits. Imagine how much your life would change with 20 positive habits. You can make these changes in any area you choose. It could be your health, income, relationships, or any other area. 20 new habits could vastly change your overall lifestyle.
Here’s something that may be news to you: your outward behavior is the truth, while your inner perception of your behavior is often an illusion. What that means is that sometimes we let ourselves off the hook and see things in a rosier light than they really are. The first thing you should do to create new, positive habits is to make a list of all habits you think are unproductive. It’s important that you understand what’s holding you back so that you can change it. Seeing what you need to change and really committing to changing it are the two things you need to do to change any habit.
The 3 Step Process To Target
Canfield, Hansen, and Hewitt have created an easy-to-understand, three-step process for creating new habits:
Clearly identify your bad or unproductive habits – be very honest when you look at your habits and think about the long-term consequences.
For instance, as a smoker you might say,” How bad can a few cigarettes a day be?” but stop to think that 10 cigarettes a day for 20 years equal 73,000 cigarettes. That’s a dramatic example. Think about the difference that changing a few of your own habits will make in your life.
Define your new successful habit – The easiest way to change an old bad habit is to replace it with a new, good habit. Choose your new habit and picture all the benefits and rewards you will get from adopting your new habit.
Create a three-part action plan – For instance, if you’re giving up smoking, you could read some literature on how to stop smoking, substitute another activity for smoking, and start using a nicotine patch.
You must identify your old habit, clearly define your habit, and take action. Start with one habit. Focus on your three action steps and put them into practice. When you’re comfortable with the new habit, you can move to the next habit you want to change.
You may have heard the expression,” what we concentrate on, expands.”
It is so true. If you are looking for help in this area, I offer a FREE 15-minute consulting appointment to see if we can work together to help solve your focus issues. Contact me by using this link: FREE CONSULTATION
Once upon a time, creativity was thought to belong to artists and poets. It had nothing to do with the real world and certainly nothing to do with the rest of us. Creativity was something you were born with, and that was that. So how does becoming creative fit in with today’s world? Let’s check this out and see what we can find out!
That idea has taken a 180-degree turn and bitten the dust. In our fast-moving times, whether it’s in science or business or many other areas, innovation and creativity are the things that lead to success. Without them, businesses stagnate and fail.
So, What is Creativity Then?
Two French mathematicians, Hadamard and Poincare, have defined the creative process in the following four steps.
Preparation – You discover a problem and try to solve it with established means.
Incubation – These methods don’t work so you go off and do something else.
Illumination – All of a sudden, the answer appears to you.
Verification – You assess the new idea to see if it’s any good.
It used to be thought that only two types of thinking led to creativity: convergent thinking where you draw on all your resources to solve a problem, or divergent thinkingwhen you solve the problem by seeing it in a different way.
What Do Psychologists Believe?
In the last few decades, psychologists have come to believe that there are many different ways to be creative. They think that creativity is simply a state of mind in which a person is ready and willing to entertain new ideas.
Psychologists also believe that almost all of us can learn to be more creative. Some of us may be more creative than others, but we can all be creative, especially in the areas of the 10 intelligence types, where we have our own unique strengths.
Many times we stifle our own creativity with the little voice that says,” It will never work.” Often we say that about other people’s ideas, too. The thing you need to do is challenge that anti-creativity with a counter-argument. When you do this, you give your own creativity permission to flow.
What Do YOU Think?
Ask yourself open-ended questions like…
– Is there another way to do this?
– What’s the worst that could happen if we tried this?
– Are there parts of this idea that will work?
– What’s good about this?
– How can we make it better?
– What can we do instead?
Practice non-judgmental idea gathering to enhance creativity. Do this and watch your creativity explode. I kid you not! It works, for most people, including me!
