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Will you keep, modify or drop?

It’s the second quarter of the year already! Can you believe it? I hope you have had a great start to the year working on your goals. How are they progressing? It’s so important to check in about now and do a quick review of how it is all going.

Why?

So you know how far you’ve progressed with each goal and so you can clearly see what is and is not working. It does not have to take long, but this simple one act can make all the difference! You see, the goal-setting process is actually more flexible than most of us think. Well, it’s a paradox in a way. You have to fully commit and not waver, yet you must be flexible to allow your goals to evolve or change.

If it sounds confusing, stay with me… 

When you set your goals at the beginning of the year, you had to make choices about very specific directions you wanted to go in. Then you made a plan and started to go to work. You have had the end result in mind as you continue to move forward one step at a time.

That commitment and certainty to your goals path still remains important but now you must evaluate how that path is serving your goals. And if those goals are still relevant. A quick way to do this is to ask good questions.

These questions will help you to establish if your goals are still relevant. This is the first step.

For each goal you have, ask yourself:
Is this goal still important to me and my business?Will achieving this goal still have the impact/effect I thought it would when I first set the goal? Or is the outcome likely to be less impactful?

Next, you need to establish if the path you are on with your goals is serving its purpose or needs adjusting. Adjusting your goals path can be necessary for all sorts of reasons. It could be taking longer to progress than you thought. Maybe what you’re doing is not working at all. This is why we need to remain flexible. We must be willing to make changes based on the feedback we get from the review process.

Ask yourself:
Is the time-frame to achieve this goal still realistic?Am I getting good ROI with the actions I am taking? This could be time or monetary investment.Has another way to achieve the goal become apparent?

With your answers you can then decide whether to keep, modify or drop each goal. This review of your goals now, will help you avoid getting to the end of the year (or goal time-frame) and finding that you don’t have the results you wanted or that they have become irrelevant.

I hope you find it helpful in becoming more focused in the pursuit of your goals over the next few months.

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Guest Blog Post: 3 seconds for someone to buy you

It takes less than 3 seconds for someone to decide whether they like you, according to Jean Baur, Author and Career Coach widely known for her keen observations in business.

The bad news is, online it takes even less time to make that first impression. Customers visit your website to see if you can solve their problems. If they see a single thing out of place, they will move onto the next site and you won’t have a chance.

Many things send subconscious signals to a viewer that something isn’t right. They could include, outdated style, meaningless stock photos, ugly colors, or cheap looking design.

But I think the biggest mistake made by SMEs are poor quality photographs on the about page. Studies show that the about page is the most visited page after your home page. This is because people buy from people they like.

I’m on your site because I’m already interested in your services.Before I contact you, I want to check your profile. I need to see if you’re trustworthy, whether I can rely on all the things I’ve read so far. At this point I’m a step away from buying. Right now 4 things can happen.

Maybe there’s no photo. There’s a wall of text that I’m unlikely to bother reading. I’m wondering why you’re hiding. Most of your competitors will have a headshot in 2019. I don’t know if this person’s genuine. It may even be just an offshore business and template website with no real local staff. I might keep you in mind, but I’m going to keep looking.

Maybe there’s a selfie, or an awkwardly cut out group photo from a social gathering. It’s dark, unflattering, unprofessional. I wonder if you’re a brand new business, and just hired someone to make a website, and even write all the words for you. Right or wrong, it’s hard to imagine you solving my problem when you present yourself so inappropriately. If anyone calls you, they’ll assume you’re cheap, because surely you can’t cost as much as your competitor who wears a suit right?

Maybe you have a headshot, but it’s a bit awkward. Some people have dark eye sockets, look like a stunned deer in headlights, or look angry or generally uncomfortable. I’ll trust you probably know what you’re doing, but it’s probably just not the right fit.

Hopefully you have a professional headshot, that shows the right level of friendliness, competence, authority, and trustworthiness. It connects with the client, and I immediately feel confident you can solve my problems. You’ve just validated everything I’ve seen on your website as truthful, and I’m ready to make contact.

So basically there are 3 ways to drive potential clients to your competitors, and one way to encourage them to contact you. The key is to look professional, so that they can imagine you solving their problems competently.

So how do you know whether you’re sending the right message with your headshot?

Think about your ideal audience – specifically your best clients. What do they they seek in a service provider? Do they want someone with presence and authority? Someone who’s approachable? Someone knowledgeable? Each profession is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all.

Next is, how do you show each of these qualities? Is it by what you wear, the style of lighting we use, the colors? It’s usually a combination of all of these.

That’s why you can’t just “take a headshot”, at least not one that’s useful. It’s through guided questioning that we help you discover the right qualities for your headshot so that it has impact and connects with your clients. Sometimes we even find you have different types of clients who are looking for distinctly different things. We’ve found this exercise very useful not only for us to learn about your business, but to help you deliver your message more conveniently to your customers.

Do you wish you could show off your brand more professionally? Image is everything in the visually connected world. Make a bad first impression, and you won’t get a second chance.

My business, Valent Lau Photography, specialises personal and brand photography, crafting images that connect with your audience. I’m offering you a free ebook filled with easy to follow Pro Tips that make your Business Stand Out from the Crowd! Just click below!

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The most dangerous belief you can have

Do you want instant success?

Most likely yes, right? We’re only human after all. A little instant success would be nice sometime, right? 

No effort or maybe a little effort, then wham! Great success! You achieve your biggest goal. You make all the money you wanted. You get 10 new clients in one day. Almost like a miracle, you get instant results.

Well, I’m here to tell you that the belief in instant success is a dangerous one. And I strongly recommend that you drop it completely. Right now.

We are all led to believe through the mainstream media and through social media that instant success is possible. Also, that it is not just possible, but that it is happening all the time. This is the problem. It’s a complete lie. (Yes, I’m taking a tough stance on this one today!)

It’s a lie.

Don’t buy into the overnight success stories.
Because they will steal your dreams.
Because they will disempower you.
Because they will make you doubt yourself.
Because they will make you give up.

The difference between your success or failure, both in business and in life, is your resilience.  Can you endure the challenges and still not give up?

If you buy into“instant success” you will give up too soon. You will doubt if you can do it at all. You will think something is wrong with you because it’s taking so long!

It’s meant to take long because that’s just how it is.

Completely erase the instant success idea from your mind and you will be willing to do anything, for as long as you need to, to achieve your success. (There is no other path anyway.)

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How do you deal with discomfort?

When was the last time you felt uncomfortable?

Has it been a while? 

You see, discomfort is actually a good thing. I know it feels awkward, but more often than not, it is a great sign. It means that you have stepped a little (or a lot) outside of your comfort zone. 

It often pops up when we are doing something new or even just thinking about doing something new! 

It may surface when we are doing something that we don’t feel totally confident in.If we’re learning, if we’re exploring and if we’re putting ourselves out there in the world, we often will experience the feeling of discomfort.

Everyone experiences it in their own way. You may feel it in your stomach. You may feel it as a general buzzing kind of nervousness. Some people may feel it as a very distinct urge to retreat, to completely avoid a situation altogether. 

The most important thing about discomfort is how you deal with it.  Most of us assume if we have discomfort in our lives then there’s something we’re not doing right or there’s something wrong with us. Not true. Everyone experiences discomfort, no matter how confident they may look to you from the outside.

So it’s not about if you experience it, but rather how you choose to view it and deal with it.

Discomfort is a sensation we feel when the brain is signalling some kind of fear. The brain is doing this simply because we are doing something new, where it does not feel familiar. You can use discomfort as a sign that you’re learning, that you’re challenging yourself to grow outside your normal sphere.

So, how do you deal with it?

Firstly, you want to recognise that it’s normal. Nothing has gone wrong. Then you can reassure yourself that it’s a sign that you are really stretching yourself. And that’s a good thing. The most important thing is to not resist the feeling. By resisting the feeling you will amplify it. If you accept that you are just feeling a bit jittery or awkward, and that’s okay, then you will find you can deal with it much easier.

How you treat the experience of discomfort will determine how much you can fully embrace opportunities to create your best life and best business. So, remember, you have a choice in how you choose to view it and in accepting the feeling momentarily. Because inevitably, the feeling will pass and you will be glad you stretched yourself.

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5 ways to create options when you feel stuck

At one time or another we’ve all felt stuck. Our momentum grinds to a halt and we find ourselves procrastinating about what to do next. Know what I mean?

This often shows up after not getting the results we were after for a specific campaign or project. Sometimes it’s a case of overwhelm and there are just too many things to think of. We lose our focus or aim and we end up in a kind of holding pattern. 

The longer we stay in this holding pattern, the more we feel we will never get out of it.

So, the first thing to do is act fast. Once you realise you’re stuck or you sense that you’ve lost momentum, I suggest applying one or more of these 5 fixes:

1. Ask yourself: If I was assuming something about this situation, what might that be?
Asking quality questions will always open up ideas and opportunities. It’s what I mostly do as a coach and I will happily share with you the best questions I use. This is one of them. Asking what you’re assuming will re-frame your situation. You will be able to view it differently. eg. If you were in a situation trying to decide between two course of action, asking this question will help you to understand your unconscious assumptions about the situations. You may be assuming that one course of action is hard or expensive. You may be assuming that someone won’t agree to your request etc. 

2. Ask your future self
I love this practice. Asking your future self is a very powerful tool that you can use not just to get you unstuck but to guide you throughout your journey. It’s a simple as imaging that you are at your end goal. You have achieved what you set out to achieve. Imagine that version of yourself and ask them for advice. Sounds a little strange at first, but it’s kind of like asking your wiser self. If you already had achieved the goal and were looking back to right now, what would you advise yourself to do.

3. Revisit your values
We can often get stuck when we feel that all directions or decisions are equally weighed. Going back to basics and revisting your values will help with this. You have a values list, right? (If not, check out my blog post here about it) If you see your situation and choices through your values, it will be easier to start to move forward. It will make it clear to you what is truly important.

4. Change of scene
Sometimes it’s a case of getting perspective. Once you’re in that holding pattern and overthinking about what to do and not doing anything, it can be good to just escape. You need to step outside of the zone you’re working in and look inwards, rather than be in the middle of it trying to find the way. I always find that a day trip to a different city or town helps.Getting away from our“roles” is important. Go somewhere noone knows you and you can just be you, not you the business owner, wife/husband, parent, manager etc. You’ll be surprised by the effect. You’ll likely get  a new perspective or idea that will make all the difference.

5. What is the best case scenario
We’re all familiar with best and worst case scenario evaluations. Have you ever weighed up a decision using only the best case scenario, for both options? If you’re stuck on a decision, look at each option separately and imagine the absolute best case scenario. What is the ideal outcome? What would you be doing? How would you feel?Imagine the absolute best case scenario for both options and then go with what feels best. Remember, don’t consider the worst case scenario at all. Just look at the absolute best for both options.