How is Your Ego?

March 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Does your EGO rule?Do you have an ego? Or perhaps should I ask, do you have a big ego?

Because it’s fair to say we all have an ego to some extent or another.

Yet do you allow your ego to get in the way of decisions that you make?

We are where we are in our lives as a result of the decisions we have made up to date. Have you always made decisions in your own best interests? Or have you made them to satisfy your ego?

Are you concerned about what other people think? Has this changed how you might respond to things?
Perhaps it is not something you have considered before. Why not take a few minutes and give it some thought, you might be surprised at the answers you come up with.

And how about when you are making investment or business decisions?

All too often people allow their ego to get in the way of making a considered decision. So you invest in something for the image, or because it makes you feel smart. Do you do things so that you can be “seen” to be doing what you perceive to be is “expected” of you, or of someone in your position?

Why?

Why would you do that?

I have observed this so many times, people doing what is expected or what looks to be the best thing to do, and all of the time there is no integrity in the way they are behaving, they are not being true to themselves. And how does it then affect your investing or your business and ultimately your future?

On the flip side be wary of doing something because you are listening to somebody else’s ego. Just because somebody shouts loudly about something doesn’t make it good. Always do your own research and due diligence. Learn to trust your own judgement and inner guidance, and you will get the results you want.

Some food for thought perhaps …………… enjoy the process, and do let me know what you find.

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Wednesday Words Of Wisdom – Choice

February 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Choose how you wnat your life to be. www.authenticedge.co.uk” I radiate and attract whatever I choose to accept. I now choose to accept the highest and best in life. I now choose and receive the best health, success and happiness. I now choose to accept lavish abundance for myself and all. This is a rich friendly Universe and I choose to accept its riches, hospitality and enjoy them now.”
Catherine Ponder

This is a great quote. We all have a choice about what we do, how we live, how we deal with situations. We get to choose everything about our lives.

And I know some of you will be saying “yes but…” or “but what about…” at this point. It’s worth considering that whatever happens, you can choose how you respond to it, and how you respond will determine where you go in life.

Are going to choose to accept the things you don’t like? Or are you going to go out and find something better?

Will you choose to be happy when you get up in the morning?

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What Are Your Expectations?

February 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

ARe your expectations too high?How do you find things as you travel along your journey?

Do you find that you are constantly disappointed with life? Or are you always happy with the way things turn out?

If you are one of the many people who are often disappointed, you might consider why this is. You may be demanding too much of yourself, or never acknowledging your achievements along the way. Are you guilty of beating yourself up all the time?

What are your expectations?

Are they realistic?

You know you can change your level of disappointment really easily!

All you have to do is – lower your expectations.

Simple.

Just don’t expect so much and you will never be disappointed.

Again it’s all about how you perceive things, and you can control that. You can control your level of happiness.

If you have heard Topher Morrison speak, you will hear him talking about this. Topher gives a great example of flying. Instead of having high expectations of what the aircraft should be like, what the service should be like, how the staff should be, he says that all he wants is for the aircraft to take off, and land. That’s it. If it does that he’s arrived at his destination and he’s got what he wanted.

It’s a very easy thing to do don’t you think? Yet how often do we allow ourselves to be caught up in what are often probably other people’s expectations, not even our own, and so we spend our lives complaining and unhappy just because our expectations were too high.

Why not try looking at your own expectations? See what happens.


(First published by Julia Mcdaid on Finding Wealth & Freedom Blog)

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When Asking For Help Is Hard…..

February 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment

asking for help can be hard in business. Julia McdaidIt’s one of the things about being a solopreneur, and even more so if you are single as well, you are on your own. Not only are you running your business you are also entirely responsible for keeping a roof over your head, food on the table and all of your mental, physical and emotional wellbeing.

Now I know you may argue that we all are, and I do agree, it’s just that when there is nobody else there at all it can feel very hard sometimes. It’s something I have seen and heard a lot with women entrepreneurs.

As women we are used to helping others, its instinctive, but what about those times when you feel overwhelmed, or down and you don’t know which way to turn?

What do you do when you know you want to reach out and you don’t know who to call? And what do you do when it seems the only way to get help is to pay for it and you don’t have any budget for that, especially of you are in the early days of your business?

Because asking for help, showing vulnerability can be a very scary thing.

At the same time I’d say we all know the value of working with others and the benefits it can have for a business owner, and at least in theory we know we work better with support.

Help may be support in moving forward and growing your business, maybe with a coach or mentor, or a buddy you work with, or it may be of a more practical nature where you are delegating out some of your tasks. It may be appropriate for you to do both, in the long term it almost certainly will.

For some its easy, they have a support network in place and know exactly where to go. For others its harder, they recognise the need to reach out and don’t feel anyone in their circle is the right person to reach to. They may not be confident in who to ask. It’s hard, you are used to working alone, and as I said earlier if you are single it’s even harder, yet that’s most likely when you most need the support.

Having the awareness to know it’s time to reach out is a great place to be, its a big thing to get that level of self knowledge.

To then take that last step and ask for help often feels very hard though. We fear sharing our vulnerable side yet actually it’s an attractive quality and a strength. How often have you found yourself drawn to someone who is totally open and honest.

I know friends who have reached out on Social media and have received an amazing response, they were publicly vulnerable and support came. And if you have a private social media profile where you know all your contacts then maybe its a way you could go to reach out, I know some people prefer to just put it put there and let serendipity take care of finding the right person.

And if that not for you, and it won’t be for all I know, ask your inner guidance for help, for pointers about where to turn. Or ask a friend for a recommendation for the kind of help you need.

Its not uncommon to feel stuck and nervous when it comes to asking for help. In reality you know that if you don’t get help you are likely to end up in a bit of a rut and may even become anxious and stressed, or overwhelm kicks in and overtakes you. When you have reached the point where you know help would be good, you know that if you reach out you will move forward more quickly.

And it’s worth building up a support network so that you have people you know and trust around you. Then when you need to call in help it will become obvious who to turn to.

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Make Your Own Decisions

February 19, 2014 by 1 Comment

Follow your own heart, make your own decisionsHow often do you find yourself in a situation where you have decided to do something, and then later in the day or maybe the next day, you find yourself worrying about it and wondering if you made the right decision? I know it happens to me.

And then what happens? You start questioning whether it was right, and the more you think and worry the worse the situation seems. The doubts kick in and that ego “stuff” starts to surface, whether you are conscious of it or not.
So why does this happen?

Well it may be triggered by something external to you. Sometimes its a conversation with a friend or partner, or something random like a post you read on social media. And once the seed is sown you go off down a spiral of questions and doubts and fears. You start to worry about the implications of your decision and what might happen if it doesn’t work out. You may worry about money or not having time or losing something you value.

You know what? It’s just “stuff”. All this is your ego kicking in because it’s scared. Your ego likes consistency and staying In your comfort zone, not change and new things. And certainly not growth, not shifts that might its role smaller. And if you let it win you end up compromising, or even changing your mind altogether.

Yet if you step back for a minute to look at the decision you made, does it look different?
When you decided were you sure? Did you trust your judgement?

I bet you did. As often as not when you make a decision you know it feels right.

So why when it feels right at the time and you know inside that its true for you to follow that path, do you allow the ego to have a say?

I know it’s the way life is and we were brought up like that. Yet I would suggest shifting to a place where you do believe in yourself and you trust your own judgment. And choose this over anything your ego wants to throw at you.

Often when we are investing in ourselves we can have these doubts, whether the investment is time or money. I know, I have invested several $’000 before in a coaching program. And at the time I didn’t have the full amount spare nor any plan for how to meet the instalments. What I did know was that it was true for me to take that action at that time. I already knew I wanted a business coach, as the coach I had been working with didn’t have business focus.

So I checked in with my intuition to see if it was true, and got that it was. And of course by making the leap I ended up learning new ways to increase the business I was doing. And when I look back the coach I worked with had appeared on my radar at just the time I decided I needed a new focus. And for me that realisation of changing focus had also come about intuitively so I knew it was true.

So I would urge you when you have decisions to make, large or small to learn to listen to the inner signs. If an opportunity pops up at just the right time, or something sounds perfect, then you know what, maybe it is. And yes by all means talk to others and bounce ideas around, take advice and guidance. But at the end of the day always remember its your life, nobody else is on your journey, only you know what is true for you.

So please, listen to your heart/gut and ultimately make all of your own decisions based on what is true for you, regardless of knowing all the hows and whys .

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6 Steps From Clarity to Cashflow

February 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Clarity to cashflowHaving had number of conversations with people about this it feels right to put the concepts down in a blog so you can have them to hand to refer to. So here we are, your 6 steps from Clarity to Cashflow.

1. Get clear on what you are creating
It may seem obvious yet is all too often missed or glossed over. The first thing is to take some time out to get really clear on your big vision. Not how much money you want or which car you want to drive either. What is the impact you want to have on the world? What is your business here to do?

I recommend taking a look at what is important to you and how you want your life and business to be. Ideally get connected to your inner guidance in whatever way works for you. This may be just checking in with your intuition if you’re in the habit of using it, or it may be journaling or meditating. There are plenty of ways to do this.

2. Identify your market
Once you have a clear picture of your big vision it will be a lot easier to identify your market. This is the market it is true for you to serve in fulfilling this vision. Who is your ideal client? What do they do? Where do they hang out? What do you do for them? Get really clear on these things, perhaps write down a description of your ideal client too, so you have an image in your mind.

3. Identify what you will offer them
Clearly this will vary depending on the nature of your business. The idea is to have your target client in mind, be aware of what their problem is and provide something that is a solution to their problem.

Maybe you need to spend some time finding out about their problem, doing some research, or maybe you know this already. Maybe it’s obvious from the nature of the client. Once you know this look at your services and products and your skills to see how you can best package them up to give a good and appealing solution.

4. Identify the lowest effort targets
What I mean here is the easy to reach potential clients. Make life easy for yourself and start close to home. Start with the people who know you, whether they are existing clients, people in your circles, people who hang out where you do. In amongst these people must be some potential clients for you and your new offer.

I suggest making a list so it is easy for you to just work through and tick them off, it also gives you a focus and you don’t have to worry about where to start with the next step!

Be careful not to prejudge too, it so easy to think you know what people want, and they will often surprise you, so leave any preconceptions at home.

5. Reach out to these connections
Reach out to the people you have targeted in step 4 and offer them something. It may well not be the full package you have created. At this stage you are introducing them to what you do so think about how you can give them a taster.

What can you invite them to try that might bring them back for more?

6. Sign them up
Ok you might combine 5 & 6 in one step, it depends how you work and what business you are in. Either way the end result is to have your targeted ideal clients start working with you or buying your stuff.

And once they do you have new cashflow. Congratulations!

And one caveat, its unlikely you will do all this in a couple of hours. I spend a whole day with clients just on step 1, and we take 3 months to work through the whole process. Take some time out to really get clear at the start then you can implement the later steps.

Good luck and let me know how you get on…..

If you would like to talk to Julia about her 90 day program Overwhelmed to Overpaid: Your 90 Day Plan to Create More Clarity, Clients & Cashflow please feel free to schedule a call to discuss it further.
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Need To Connect With Someone?

January 23, 2014 by Leave a Comment

COnnect with the people you need in your businessDo you need to connect with somebody? Is there someone you think it would be really helpful to meet or some advice you need?

Head on over to my Facebook page where you can ask for help, and if you can perhaps offer help to someone else too.

Connect Thursdays is about helping each other and sharing our resources, as friends. (Its not about sourcing clients and leads, just to be clear!)

Whether you need to talk to an accountant, coach, architect or IT person, or just have a random question to ask, it doesn’t matter, just post your request and see who can help.

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Wednesday Words of Wisdom

January 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

This week here are some words which are well worth reading and digesting, attributed to Charlie Chaplin on his 70th birthday:

As I Began to Love Myself

As I began to love myself I found that anguish and emotional suffering are only warning signs that I was living against my own truth.

Today, I know, this is “AUTHENTICITY“.

As I began to love myself I understood how much it can offend somebody as I try to force my desires on this person, even though I knew the time was not right and the person was not ready for it, and even though this person was me.

Today I call it “RESPECT“.

As I began to love myself I stopped craving for a different life, and I could see that everything that surrounded me was inviting me to grow.

Today I call it “MATURITY“.

As I began to love myself I understood that at any circumstance, I am in the right place at the right time, and everything happens at the exactly right moment, so I could be calm.

Today I call it “SELF-CONFIDENCE“.

As I began to love myself I quit stealing my own time, and I stopped designing huge projects for the future. Today, I only do what brings me joy and happiness, things I love to do and that make my heart cheer, and I do them in my own way and in my own rhythm.

Today I call it “SIMPLICITY“.

As I began to love myself I freed myself of anything that is no good for my health – food, people, things, situations, and everything the drew me down and away from myself. At first I called this attitude a healthy egoism.

Today I know it is “LOVE OF ONESELF“.

As I began to love myself I quit trying to always be right, and ever since I was wrong less of the time.
Today I discovered that is “MODESTY“.

As I began to love myself I refused to go on living in the past and worry about the future. Now, I only live for the moment, where EVERYTHING is happening.

Today I live each day, day by day, and I call it “FULFILLMENT“.

As I began to love myself I recognized that my mind can disturb me and it can make me sick. But As I connected it to my heart, my mind became a valuable ally.

Today I call this connection “WISDOM OF THE HEART“.

We no longer need to fear arguments, confrontations or any kind of problems with ourselves or others. Even stars collide, and out of their crashing new worlds are born.

Today I know THAT IS “LIFE“!

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Planning To Get Things Done

January 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Planning to get things done - Julia Mcdaid - Authentic EdgeI thought I would continue with the theme of planning and prioritising as I know this is the time of year for new projects, new focus and wanting things to improve.

As I have shared before I believe prioritising what you need to do is the way forward, then all you have to do is implement your prioritised plan!

All…….

So here are a few suggestions on ways to get going easily, even when you have distractions, when you don’t feel like it or you have other things to do too.

Start
The hardest part is always starting, so start small even if you just decide to do 15 minutes on the task. Once you get going you will probably do a lot more, but even if you don’t you will be another step further forward.

Take breaks
Its also a great idea to take a break every hour. Get strict, set an alarm for 55-60 minutes and when it goes off, get up and do something else for 5 minutes. A change of scene will refresh you and you will feel more energetic and able to carry on and do more. It also gets rid of that fuzzy head feeling that can happen if you work at a computer or are looking at figures or writing for hours on end.

Use this short break to do something lively, dance if you feel like it, put on some music that gets your toes tapping, or walk around, swing your arms or have a quick bounce on a rebounder. Just be sure to keep your break to 5-10 minutes, then just repeat again, 60 minutes work, 5-10 minutes break. It definitely works and I have friends who swear by it as a way to get productive.

Schedule
Schedule your tasks in your diary, put in blocks of time to ensure you do the things that need to be done. And work at your best time of day. Whether you are an early bird or a night owl, learn to recognise what time of day you are most effective and productive and schedule the important and creative work in then. Do the routine jobs at your less productive times.

Action
At the end of the day making things happen in your business is all about action, you can think about it and work things out as much as you like, until you do something you will just stay as you are. If that means no clients or no money, that’s where you stay. Harsh but true, action is necessary.

No distractions
And avoid distractions, as I have said in earlier blogs, and I know you are aware, it’s so easy to be distracted. Planning, admin, housework, even worrying ……. and all those other things, some may need to be done for sure and if so schedule it into the diary, but later in day. Not first thing.

And don’t look at email, leave all social media alone, in fact if you don’t need your computer for the task in hand don’t even turn it on. Be present to the task you are doing, you will find it so much easier, and you will accomplish it more quickly.

Add your ideas
I hope you find something that inspires you to get a little but more done, and as always I would love to hear about your progress and hear your own tips.

If you are struggling with time planning and would like to schedule a Strategy Session just send an email to ss @ ae8.biz to arrange a complimentary chat.
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Do You Deserve A VIP Vision Day? Competition Time!

January 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Get thsoe ideas and visions on paperOne of the things that has come to me as I was looking at what I wanted to do this year is to offer a VIP Vision Day on me.

Most of the ladies I work with are keen and focused and wanting to move forward with their business, they enjoy sharing experiences, learning and having fun, even so I know you may be at the early stages of your business and are reluctant to invest much when you are not yet quite clear what is happening and how fast things will take off.

Or maybe you kind of know what you want to create but just feel you’re drifting around as you’re not quite clear enough.

I understand this can be a challenge, you want to invest in yourself and your business yet you are running a tight ship. So I have decided to offer a VIP Vision Day on scholarship to one lucky lady. This is normally $1200, so a fabulous saving.

To decide who this will be I am asking you to submit a short video or brief written proposal telling me why I should pick you.

ENTER NOW
All you have to do is submit your video or written proposal to jm [at] authenticedge . co . uk by 21 January.

What exactly is the VIP Vision Day?
In brief it is a day spent 121 (virtually) with me where we focus entirely on your goals and your vision for your business. And not just what you think it should be, what you really truly want. Because it is so much easier to plan everything else and even set up the structures of your business when you know exactly what you want to achieve.

We will work through a number of exercises, some together, some you will do on your own. Some are practical, some more intuitive. We will aim at the end of the day to come up with a few statements that summarize exactly what you really want to achieve in and with your business. Your heart centered vision.

From there you have something to build on and something to work towards and probably also some idea of who you would like to be in the process and who you would love to serve.

Whether you really want to work out what your big vision is, or you generally know and just want some clarity this day can help you brush away the doubts, get really focused and be ready to leap forward.

Last time I did a competition for a VIP Day, the lady concerned not only got clarity on her vision and reassurance about who she wanted to work with, she also picked up a new client and a new referral partner within three days!

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Focus Forward

January 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Focus Forward by Julia McdaidSo here we are, the beginning of the New Year, resolution time. Did you make resolutions, or set intentions?

I set intentions for the year. I read recently a great way of distinguishing between the two, unfortunately I can’t remember who wrote it, but the gist is that a resolution is created to fix a problem and an intention is a focus on what you want to create. Which I think is a great distinction.

At the end of the day if you’re focusing on what you don’t want you still tend to get more of it. It makes much more sense to me to focus on what you do want, for example an intention might be to feel fit and healthy rather than a resolution to lose 20lb. Sometimes its just worth asking what the resolution is aiming to achieve, and then maybe you will be closer to what it is you actually want.

If you haven’t already done it I’d recommend giving yourself a little time to sit quietly and consider what you would like to create this year. How would you like your life to be? What difference would you like to make in the world? How do you want to feel? Who do you want to spend time with? What do you want your business to look like?
Take some time to meditate or journal on these or other similar questions and see what comes up, what you would really love. Then you can create intentions based on these findings.

If you know what you want to be celebrating this time next year it gives you plenty of focus to move you through the year.

And you know what’s really great, doing it this way you get what you would really love, not what you think you ought to do, or what other people think you should want.

Which do you do, if either, and how does it work for you?

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New Year, New Moon …… New You?

January 2, 2014 by Leave a Comment

New Moon, New Year, New You - by Julia McdaidWelcome to 2014 and a very Happy New Year to you. And what a year it can potentially be!

You may be aware that yesterday was not only New Years Day it was also a New Moon, and energetically a very powerful start to the year. If you have read any of the multitude of articles on this you probably already know that 2014 holds a lot of promise for those prepared to show up.

When I sat down on 30 December to make some notes about how I wanted my coming year to be, prior to actually creating intentions for 2014, I was very much looking at creating “more”. With my move last year I had plenty going on so I did coast a bit in my business and wasn’t working full out all year. Which was right for me last year with everything else that was happening, moving country isn’t the smallest of things after all….

Now my thoughts move to more of me in 2014, showing up through more writing and sharing my work, more learning for me, and wanting to meet and coach more amazing women entrepreneurs. Just for starters, my list is longer!

So a couple of days later, on New Year’s Day, I read a number of articles about the New Moon and the year in store. And I was very pleased to read that not only were my own thoughts very much in alignment with stepping up more, the whole feeling of the year is about showing up as your true self, being authentic, coming from a place of awareness and being responsible for yourself. Its about activating what has been lying dormant and aligning with quality and integrity. And letting go of what is not serving you.

Now is the time to plant your seeds for the year ahead. The perfect time for new beginnings, and not just because its the start of the year.

If you are serious about what you want to create and go about it authentically you stand to have a very good year. So I for one am planning to continue following my heart, and choosing to allow more of me out into the world and to live my life as authentically as I can.

How about you? Are you ready to step up and be who you truly are, bring your talents out into the world? I hope so, and I’m looking forward to hearing all about it.

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