Get it done!

Dear Friend,

What have you been putting off?  Almost all of us do it from time to time.  I'm convinced that procrastination is one of the biggest causes of stress.  You have something you know needs to be done.  Often, it's not even something difficult.  But you've made it difficult in your mind, and as a result, you never get started.  Instead, you do everything else you can think of - wash dishes, organize your files, surf the internet, check email - rather than the thing you actually need to do.  Perhaps you're even procrastinating right now.  It drains your energy and wastes precious time.

This week, I challenge you to focus your energy and just do what needs to be done.  There are two antidotes to procrastination:

1.     Drop the goal or project, and don't do it.

2.      Exercise some discipline, and just go ahead and do it.

Sometimes procrastination is a sign that you don't want or need to do the thing you're dreading, in which case Option 1 is a good choice (this does not apply to filing taxes, paying bills, picking kids up from school, etc.).  At other times, procrastination is a sign of perfectionism, stubbornness or lack of self-discipline, all of which you have the power to change.  If this is the category you relate to, Option 2 is your best choice.  Don't make the task or project a big deal.  Break it into smaller pieces and just get started.

So what is it that you need to do?  Don't wait for inspiration, just start.  You don't have to "feel" like doing something to do it.  Often, in the process of starting, your mood develops.  And even if it doesn't, the feeling you have after completing something you didn't want to do is well worth it.

My challenge to you this week:

Stop procrastinating.  Get it done!

Until next time...

  

Warm wishes, 

 

 

For more information on Valorie Burton please visit her website @ www.valorieburton.com

The Importance of Women Entrepreneurs

Entrepreneurship matters. Its benefits are many, from rewarding problem solving, organizational, and leadership abilities, to fostering creativity and engendering empowerment. Not the least of its merits is the significant boost it gives to the economy.
Approximately ten and a half million American women run their own businesses. Their endeavors account for the creation of approximately twenty-three million jobs and three trillion dollars added to the U.S. economy. Ironically, as Nell Merlino, the founder and president of the non-profit Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence, has pointed out, the White House report on the status of American women released early this year surveyed employment data, yet remained silent on women-owned businesses.
For American women, who represent the primary or co-breadwinner in nearly two-thirds of this country’s families, entrepreneurship is clearly a meaningful option that can offer greater income as well as more varied lifestyle choices. In lower-level GDP countries, entrepreneurship can provide a way out of poverty for women faced with few other opportunities. It may also lead to greater personal autonomy and a route around discriminatory practices. In fact, some experts believe that greater female economic independence promotes geopolitical stability and world peace. If so, it might just be time to firm up that business plan you’ve been dreaming about.

Think you’re ready to save the world?  See how your business idea measures up with the $20 Starbucks Test!
Originally posted by Sheri J. Caplan on August 18, 2011 @www.pettistripes.com