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“Don't lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”

- Ralph Marston

Has anyone ever told you that your standards are too high? You expect too much? I have… what I find is that too many people are lowering their expectations so they don’t disappoint themselves. Guess what? They will be disappointed because they will realize they could have achieved more. Don’t lower your expectations; increase your performance by increasing the actions you need to reach your goals.

You get what you expect of yourself. Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t - you’re right.”  What you believe is possible for yourself is the effort you will put in. It all starts in the mind. If you believe you can do something and your surround yourself with people who encourage and support you, you are already part way there.

Ralph Lauren said, “A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done.” You are the leader in your life, your business, and in your organization. When you raise your expectations, increase your performance, so too, do the people around you. They start wanting the results you are reaping. If you don’t increase your performance to meet your expectations, your dream or goal will fade. It will not become a reality. If you no longer have an emotional connection to the goal that motivates and inspires you, it is alright to change things up but it is not okay to settle or resign yourself to your current circumstance if you have the ability to do something about it.

If you want results, you need to take action. Start paying attention to what is influencing the way you think because what you expect you get. Are you letting the seeds of naysayers take root in your mind or do you push what they say aside and say, “Thanks, but no thanks”? You need to shield and focus your thoughts on what you want to achieve. You are the best predictor of your future. What do you believe is possible?

“No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities – always see them, for they're always there.” – Norman Vincent Peale

The possibilities are always there! One of the best questions to ask yourself is,

“What will it take for me to achieve _____________?”

When you maintain a positive attitude and stay open to ideas, strategies, and suggestions, you will figure out the “how”. Too many people stop taking action because they don’t start with the “how”. John F. Kennedy did not know how to put a man on the moon when he made his declaration. Suddenly, the declaration made teams of people start thinking about what is required to achieve such a goal. Martin Luther King Jr. made a declaration in his speech, “I Had a Dream” for all men (and women) to be equal. Imagine if he did not start taking action on his dream. These leaders started with a possibility and worked toward seeing it through.

What is your possibility? What do you expect?

Are you willing to see it through?

We would love to have you subscribe to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get my just release FREE e-book about the 21 Habits High Achievers Kick to Achieve Success. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

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There are some business owners who are wondering why they can’t fill their pipeline and then there are others who are working long hours just to keep up with their client demands.  Business runs on supply and demand. When you are providing a service in which you are the one delivering it, it can be taxing. If you are not careful, it can lead to burnout if you are not careful. You only have so many hours in a day. You can not make time. Time is more of a commodity than money. You need to take care of yourself in order to spend time with family and friends and enjoy what matters most!

Start by reflecting on your beliefs about money.

Do you believe you must work hard to make money? If you have the belief you must work hard and have some stress in your life to achieve success, you will burn out sooner than later.

Time to think smarter!

You can raise your prices and decrease your availability. When was the last time you raised your prices? What would it feel like to have more time off? Do you realize it is possible to work less and bring in the same amount of money? You do not have to negotiate your value!

You may be saying to yourself, “Oh no! I am going to lose clients.” With a price increase, you may lose a few clients. Chances are they were not your ideal client. Then there will be other clients who will understand and stay with you due to loyalty. By decreasing your availability to your clients, you can carve out some time to pursue your interests and create a greater sense of balance or harmony in your life. Go to the gym. Take the painting or photography class. Go on vacation. To the outside world, when you have limited availability, the prospects perceive the scarcity as someone who is high demand and high value. They do not think about the investment as much as the opportunity to work with you. This perception can drive more clients to you which creates abundance.

The world is abundant. 7 Billion people. You cannot serve them all. There is enough opportunity for everyone. There is only one YOU! The ONE thing you must ensure is that you continue to provide HIGH value. You will because you have time to focus on the clients you currently have and welcome new clients as your time allows. You are in control.

Sometimes what happens is that people spend so much time prospecting that they do not give their current clients the time and attention they deserve. You can increase your prices, provide great value, and focus on your current clients. You can offer them additional services that they cannot get elsewhere. Those clients who want to continue - will and those who do not, open up new opportunities and space for clients who will pay your increased prices. You are the business owner in charge of your destiny. It does not mean you stop prospecting or marketing your business. What it means is that you, up-leveled the way you do business. Perceived scarcity creates abundance!

Are you ready to make more money and enjoy more time off?

We would love to have you subscribe to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get my just release FREE e-book about the 21 Habits High Achievers Kick to Achieve Success. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach.

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If you don’t like how things are going on in your life, business, or organization, you need to make a change. It is easy to point fingers and blame others for why things are not going the way you want them to. However, there are 3 fingers pointing back at you. That’s right! It is time to take 100% responsibility for what you are able to do. You can’t change other people…you may have tried to and noticed it doesn’t work and if you are still trying – quit hitting your head against the wall. Save your energy and focus on yourself. What is influencing you and your outcomes?

How you perceive the world is not how others may perceive the world. As we take the time to learn about people and the world around us, we learn that we are more alike than different in some of our wants and dreams but there are also differences that have shaped who we are. These are our influences. We are influenced by internal and external influences.

Little do we know that these influences are impacting how we respond or react to the world around us. Your influences impact how you think about your world and how you feel about your current reality. How you think and feel influences the actions you take and ultimately the results you will get. Some people will say they have no control over their influences yet there are so many actions you can take to control your influences. Let’s take a look at your influences!

INTERNAL INFLUENCES

Your internal influences have to do with your beliefs and values, biases, assumptions, negative self-talk, the language you speak (using empowering versus disempowering language), your mindset, “can’t vs can-do” attitude and the supportive or non-supportive stories you tell yourself about your present and past experiences.

From a young child, you were taught traditions, values, taboos, and cultural norms. These cultural norms can be from society yet the biggest impact is the one in your home. You were taught what was expected and what was acceptable. You learned food habits, the way to dress, and family roles by what you learned. Although many of these may be considered external to an extent they represent your past experiences and how you have internalized these experiences. You can keep, challenge, or accept anything you choose.

“Whether you think you can or you can’t -you’re right.” – Henry Ford

 What you believe is possible is what you will believe you can achieve. Recently, I proclaimed that one of my 2018 goals is to do 1 unassisted chin-up. I had heard that being able to a chin-up was challenging so I wanted to do one. I had done several chin-ups on an assisted chin-up machine that I was not sure I was ever going to be able to do one. I jumped up to a bar and could not hold myself for long that a few seconds. Then, I reached out to my fitness community and they provided some suggestion. The next time I went to the gym I set up the resistance band and got myself a block to stand on. I was able to do 5 chin-ups this way. I was so excited. Suddenly it felt real – I could really do this! What changed! My mindset around my capability. It was funny that I was speaking with someone and they said they were surprised I felt that way when they have seen me take on many fitness challenges and succeed. I needed to think about the stories I was and had been telling myself, “I was never a star athlete.”, “I am not fit enough to do one.” Once I challenged the story, I was open to learning how to make it happen. I do not need to be a star athlete to do a chin-up and I need to evaluate my definition of fit and grit. I have the grit and know how to make it happen. People from all shapes and sizes can do chin-ups. I can and I will!

What is a belief or story that you have been telling yourself about something you want to do or have?

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“The love of what you do, combined with your belief in what you do, will not determine your success. It will determine how hard you will work and how dedicated you will be to achieving it. Success just shows up from there.” – Jeffrey Gitomer

Sales is one of the areas of your business that you should be spending most of your time in. Yet, many people are consumed with administrative tasks and operations of their businesses. We need to be spending the majority of our time where we get the greatest return on our investment – ROI!  You may have heard the phrase, “No one likes to get sold to.” Many people I have spoken to shy away from the sales call for the fear of rejection or coming across salesy. I had the same fear at one time. I learned that I am holding back on someone else’s success if I do not share what I do with others that could benefit them.

I want to help shift your mindset through the power of questions and how you can eliminate the Hollywood movie “greased back” hair sales persona. Being in sales is a noble profession and an acquired skill set. Sales is NOT about manipulating a person into buying your product or service. It is about providing a person with a solution to a problem or a way to enhance their life or business in some way. I think sales has got a bad rap because of the approach that some salespeople take. They slap a business card in the person’s hand as they are shaking it without introducing themselves and say, “Have I got a deal for you!” Yuck!

Attitude

The biggest contributor to your sales success is your attitude. You must commit to having a positive attitude and believe in yourself. If you do not believe in yourself, your product or service, how can you expect others to? You are a work in progress so commit to maintaining a positive attitude daily. Practice having a positive attitude and positive thinking and watch for your results.

Rapport and Trust

Sales conversations are about building rapport and trust and understanding that a person may not buy from you until they have heard about your product or service at least 5-12 times. They want to get to know you, like, and trust that you will be providing them with the best product or service. They want to know that you care about their situation before they care how much you know. They want to feel confident in making the RIGHT choice. Let that choice be YOU.

When you meet people whether it be at a networking event or the grocery store, you want to be introducing yourself and starting up some small talk. It could be about the weather, complimenting them on what they are wearing, or even what they are about to purchase. Take a genuine interest in people. Make it about the person first. Ask questions and listen. Allow your customer or prospect to speak and ask open end questions as the conversation unfolds. Be curious and delve into learning more about them as a person, the needs, wants, and obstacles.

Questions you can ask:

What do you do for fun? (Yes fun! It is exciting to talk about what interests us)

What are your plans for the day?

What is exciting in your business? What would make it even better?

Wants/Needs/True Needs

“If you want to achieve your goals, help others achieve theirs.” Zig Ziglar

When talking with people, you can learn what their wants and needs are by asking thought-provoking questions. Qualify your prospects/customers, as much as you may want to believe it not everyone is your customer. Don’t waste your time on people who cannot make decisions.

Focus on benefits and facts NOT features. People don’t care about how flashy a product is (some may but most don’t). They want to know how a product or service will help them get ahead,

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“Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes every day. Rich people can't buy more hours. Scientists can't invent new minutes. And you can't save time to spend it on another day. Even so, time is amazingly fair and forgiving. No matter how much time you've wasted in the past, you still have an entire tomorrow.”

― Denis Waitley

Procrastination is one of the ways in which you could be delaying or avoiding your success. You may think of yourself as a procrastinator, and you are not alone. Everyone has procrastinated at one time or another, however, it does not mean you are a procrastinator. It means you are delaying or avoiding a task because it is not as pleasurable as something else you choose to do. Procrastination is a choice although it may seem unconscious at times.

There is a gap between the intention of what you say you want to accomplish and what actions you take. You may know some of these people, they talk but do not walk their talk. Take a look at your intentions and examine your WHY for doing things. Your WHY needs to be greater than your fear.

Why Do People Procrastinate?

There are many reasons that people choose procrastination over productivity.

“I am not in the mood.” OR “I don’t feel like it.”

Your thoughts and feelings, emotions, are drivers of the actions you will take. If you don’t feel like doing something or you are waiting for the right mood to hit, you could be waiting for awhile. You may need an attitude checkup. What is influencing how you feel right now? You may not feel like it now. Once you get started, you will change how you feel and your motivation will increase. You have probably heard of people who did not feel like going to the gym to workout but once they did they felt great and were inspired to continue. Sometimes you need to do things even if you don’t feel like it at the time especially when you know they will get you closer to achieving your goals.

“I do not know how.”

I have heard this way too many times. People stall success with this. This is where I tell people to turn their questions into their quest by finding the answers. We literally have a lot of the HOWs at our fingertips by doing an internet search and speaking with others. Some people refer to procrastination as laziness. It isn’t – it can mean that the task is not as important as they say it is or it is a form of avoidance due to a fear.

“I do not think I can do it.” OR “I am not good enough…(so why bother?)”

People avoid doing something they believe they cannot do for the fear of being seen as less than perfect or being embarrassed. Who cares? Isn’t better to learn and grow and get farther ahead? You do not know if something will work or not unless you make some efforts. You may even surprise yourself. Done is better than perfect. Aim for productivity over procrastination.

“It’s boring.” OR “I do not find it interesting.”

You may not find brushing your teeth interesting yet most people do it for their oral health. Every task is life may not be interesting but it leads us to where we want to go. Start putting your most important tasks at the start of the day…even when you find them boring. They can be the one thing that propels you forward to where you want to be.

“I will need to do it better next time…I do not think I can do it.”

Once people have had some level of achievement they can back off on the momentum they created because they have suddenly raised the bar of expectations. They think to themselves, “What if I cannot deliver the same quality again or exceed it?” This goes back to the fear of not enough. We can be our own worst critics and forget that we have control over the situat...

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“Enthusiasm is the energy and force that builds literal momentum of the human soul and mind.” ― Bryant McGill

People lose motivation because they are no longer excited about the pursuit of the goal due to rejection, failure, and not seeing the results they want. They lose sight of the small things that have made the biggest difference. They end up quitting when they are so close to achieving success. In order to win, you must build momentum through intentional action. Momentum happens when you acknowledge a series of successes as it inspires more action!

Acknowledge Your Small Wins

Do a Success Audit! What are all the things you have done to that have led to your current successes? You may have completed a course, reviewing your finances, decluttered your office, made the phone call you have been delaying, or sent the email you were afraid to because the person is high up in an organization. Emails and phone calls seem like small things but they are a big deal to you. Once you accomplish them, they feel great and will add to the momentum of your day. Take some time to see all the successes and wins that have gotten you to where you are now.

Action the Present

Do not spend time focused on your current circumstance. Focus on where you want to go and what you need to do to get there. Otherwise, excuses and self-limiting beliefs will pull you back into old patterns that do not serve you. Create winning habits that keep your mindset in the game. Ask yourself, “What can I do now?” What action can I take to get closer to my goal? Who do I need to contact or connect with? Who would know the information I need to know? Who has done what I want to do? Start small – make the phone call, follow up with the referral, send the email, and speak in front of others. What seems small can be significant. We tend to complicate things.

Breakdown Your Big Goals

Your goals need to be broken down into smaller pieces. The big goal can seem impossible or overwhelming but when broken down into manageable pieces achievable. You will start seeing progress and will be motivated to do more. You will achieve more. Ask yourself the questions from above. Keep asking yourself questions to help get you the answers you need. That is what inspired my book, Let’s Be Curious, it is available on Amazon.

Focus on Your Outcomes

Too many people want to get things just right. Looking for perfect before the execute. Nothing kills momentum more than perfection. Done is better than perfect. You want results, don’t you? Do not cloud your judgment by thinking being busy will get you results or the outcomes you want. You can be busy doing the wrong things or busy doing nothing at all.

Create A Sense of Urgency for Yourself

You know you buy something because it is the “last one” or the “sale ends today”. You need to create the emotional impact for yourself by setting goals that are framed with a deadline of achievement. Your mind will look for ways to achieve it. When you are in the midst of action, there is no time to focus on self-limiting beliefs because you are acting and focused on your outcomes. Stay in action and meet the deadline.

Celebrate the series of successes! These are your life successes – who you are! You are your success!

What do you do to build your momentum? Share so others may learn from you!

“The BIG push means being able to develop and sustain momentum toward your goal; it is the process of actively replacing excuses with winning habits, the ultimate excuses blockers. Moreover, it is being willing to go to the wall for what you want or believe in, to push beyond your previous mental and physical limits, no matter what it takes.”

― Lorii Myers, No Excuses,

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“When you look at people who are successful, you will find that they aren't the people who are motivated, but have consistency in their motivation.” Arsene Wenger

One of the greatest lessons in success is the attribute of consistency. It may seem like a simple concept because it is. Small actions taken every day can lead you to your destination. When you are consistent, the rewards are amazing! Being consistent takes intentional focus and action.

Why Be Consistent?

Being consistent in the way you do things set expectations. People know what to expect from you. You are clear on what you expect from yourself. When you are consistent in your parenting, your children know what to expect from you. They do not have you yelling one minute and giving them the silent treatment the next. If you run a business, people have expectations around the quality of product, program, or service you deliver. For example, when you go to a restaurant and order your favourite dish, you expect the same taste and quality you the next time you order the dish. It sets a standard. It establishes a sense of trust and dependability. Consistency sets the stage.

People can get caught up in the “how” of being consistent and beat themselves up when they are not. Consistency is something you need to consciously practice and do. When you mess up, own it, apologize and set things right. Get back on track by going back to a standard that works! If it works, why break it! Consistency needs to exist in thoughts, actions, and purpose.

It does not matter what your goal, being consistent is the way to achieving your goals. You need to start somewhere and you need to take one step at a time to get there.

#1 Define Your Compelling Vision – YOUR WHY?

Know why your goal is important to you. What will it give you or what will it do should you achieve it? When you know your “why”, you will continue to push through any challenges because you have a clear vision of what your outcome will achieve once you get there.

#2 Decide What You Want

Be clear about what it is that you want to achieve. The more clarity you have the more intentional you can be with your actions.

#3 Make A Plan and Make It Manageable

What does it take to achieve your goal? You want to increase the revenue in your business. Great by how much? Start with setting a SMART goal (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely). If you are going to increase your revenue, how much do you ant to increase it by and when? Ask yourself, “Is this goal and time frame achievable and realistic?” If not, adjust the goal so it is attainable but stretches you a bit to grow. Now, break your goal into smaller manageable pieces. Let’s say you want to increase your revenue in the next 6 weeks by $3000. What do you need to do to make $500/week? How many products or services would you need to sell and at what price? Suppose you want to work 5 days giving yourself 2 days off a week. You will want to make $100 a day.

$3000/6 weeks = $500/week

$500/5 days = $100/day

What actions must you take to get there? Apply the actions consistently and you will win! Make the plan, work the plan. Consistency wins!  

#4 Accountability Makes a Difference

Find someone a friend or mentor or hire a coach to hold you accountable to follow through on the actions you need to take to get the results. You are less likely to fall off the wagon. If you do fall off, learn from it and get into the habit of being consistent with your actions again. Adjust the course as you go!

#5 Stay Motivated

The key to being consistent has to do with knowing your why and measuring your wins.

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We would love to have you subscribe to the Success Secrets newsletter on my website at www.debrakasowski.com where you’re going to get my just release FREE e-book about the 21 Habits High Achievers Kick to Achieve Success. I would love to hear about this podcast has impacted your life. E-mail me at [email protected]. Thank you for listening to The Millionaire Woman Show where we talk about leadership, business, and human potential to help you live rich from the inside out. Subscribe to The Millionaire Woman Show. Share it with Your Friends. Give us a 5-star rating!

DEBRA KASOWSKI, BScN CEC is an award-winning best-selling author, transformational speaker, blogger, and Certified Executive Coach. She has a heart of a teacher and is certified in Appreciative Inquiry and Emotional Intelligence. Her writing has been published in a variety of print and online magazines. Debra Kasowski International helps executives, entrepreneurs, and organizations boost their productivity, performance, and profits. It all starts with people and passion. Sign up the Success Secrets Newsletter and get your free e-book download today! www.debrakasowski.com

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Zaheen Nanji is a resilience champion and an entrepreneur. She teaches people and

organizations how to embrace change effortlessly and create resilient leaders and tenacious employees. Zaheen owns Shanti Wellness and Laser Centre in Alberta and is the author of four books of which two are co-authored. People who don't know Zaheen's background sometimes assume that achieving success was easy for her. That couldn't be further from the truth. She grew up in Kenya, East Africa, where good-quality higher education was not available and there was very little opportunity for economic advancement at the time. When she was 15, her parents bought her and her 17-year-old sister passage to Canada so they could pursue their dreams of knowledge and success.

Zaheen stuttered up until her twenties, but she learned how to embrace fear. For many

people who stutter, simply being able to stop stuttering is a dream come true. But Zaheen

has run with the dream and is now a sought-after motivational speaker. She transformed

her life by overcoming her speech impediment, overcoming her struggles with weight

embraced her journey with breast cancer and creating opportunities for her life in Canada.

She was recently nominated for RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur 2014, and has

completed her fourth book,The Resilience Reflex.