A Belated Invitation to Spring Clean – Your Life

Summer is here, but it’s never too late to spring clean…your life. Just as our spaces accumulate clutter over time so do the nooks and crannies of lives.  I dare say that if it’s important to occasionally de-junk your garage and clear out your closets and drawers that it would be well worth doing the same for your life. Here are a few suggestions to get your started.

1. Clear the cobwebs from you head. Throw out the negative, self-defeating, fear-driven dialogue and open the windows of your mind to fresh ideas and a bright perspective. Are you struggling with self-esteem, challenged in your marriage or in your role as a mother or entrepreneur?  Change your thoughts. We create our reality from the inside out so as you seek to fill your mind with the positive and uplifting, you will begin to attract all that is good into your life.

2. Toss out habits, behaviors, and activities that are dirtying and cluttering your days. Life is too short to spend our precious time on the trivial and unfulfilling.  So what needs to go? Do you need to reduce screen time (e.g. phone, computer, and TV) so you can spend more time on self-care or with your family? Do you need to make clearer boundaries and say “no” to some of the lesser important activities that aren’t consistent with what your truly value? As you align your schedule with your highest priorities, you will find yourself accomplishing more, stressing less and finding fulfillment in your days.

3. Polish tarnished relationships. The essence of a happy life is found in healthy, loving relationships. When we are struggling with a friend or loved one, clearing the air with honest, open communication is the first step to rebuilding trust.  Apologizing and forgiving past hurts can be like healing balm to a gaping wound. Better yet, look for opportunities to sincerely praise and serve those who are difficult to get along with. Praise and service will change behavior faster than anything negative or punitive.

4. Sort out your finances. Money trouble is without question one of the leading causes of stress and anxiety in our lives.  Rather than taking a reactive approach to your finances, be proactive and create a working budget. Make sure it is realistic and allows enough flexibility so you can stick to it. As a part of your budget, create a plan of action around paying off debt and be sure to invest. Building wealth doesn’t require a big income so much as requires discipline and consistency.

Make spring cleaning your life a part of your regular routine. As you do, balance and success will come to you with ease. You only have one life to live. Live it well!

This post was written by Tara McCausland, Success Coach. Tara has been in the business of teaching, training, and coaching for nearly 6 years.  Tara is a natural teacher and motivator. She helps her clients find the balance, prosperity and fulfillment they are seeking by being their accountability expert, trusted sounding board, and their biggest fan throughout the coaching process. Check out her free download ’4 Tips to make T.I.M.E. Work for You’.

 

All I Want for Christmas is Some PEACE: Tips for a *Happy* Holiday

Fairy Godmother and Success Coach, Tara McCausland imparts some timely advice for this holiday season:

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” says a popular Christmas song. Yet for far too many, the holiday season is a time of stress, worry, and contention. Party planning, gift shopping, card sending, and meal making gives some of us the holiday blues. To avoid the seasonal slump, consider some of these tips to truly make it one of the “happiest seasons of the all.”

1. Simplify where you can. Instead of stuffing and addressing dozens of greeting cards, try an online holiday letter or email template and send that to family and friends. They can still print them off and proudly display them on their fridge and it saves you oodles of time and cash. And of course, it’s much greener if you’re concerned about the rain forests.

2. Shop online. If you despise fighting the holiday crowds and traffic, consider shopping online. You can find some of the best deals on the internet and instead of going from store to store to find the cheapest price, you can compare and contrast items with the click of a mouse. You can complete most if not all of your holiday shopping without even stepping out your front door.

3. Focus on relationships. It’s easy to get distracted by all the trivial details of the season. Instead of fretting about dressing up the house with mountains of decorations or finding that perfect gift, focus on just being with and enjoying friends and family. Stop scurrying around for a few minutes and have a long conversation with Aunt Susie or play a game of Candy Land with Billy and Jane. The best memories are always made when we slow down and make time for the people we love.

4. Help someone in need. It’s easy to lose the spirit of the season in the fog of all the commercialism. You may not be able to afford every gift on those wish lists, but helping someone less fortunate always puts things back into perspective and fills hearts with gratitude for the blessings of life.

Wishing you a happy and peaceful holiday season. Make it your best yet!

Tara McCausland is a speaker, author, and the owner of her own success coaching business at www.taramccausland.com. As a coach, Tara specializes in helping her clients become masters of their minds, their time, and their lives – building prosperity from the inside out. She’s also the happy mommy of two little boys and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 5 years. Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@taramccausland.com or by phone at (435)680-2901. Twitter @myjoyquest

Finding the Success in Failure

Fairy Godmother Tara McCausland shares the following advice:

Failure is a part of life and if you are an entrepreneur, you’re sure to experience a big dose of it from time to time. We entrepreneurs are risk takers and with risk comes the opportunity to experience failure. Yes, you read that right – the opportunity. Truth be told, if we want to be genuinely successful not only in business but in life – failure is one of the best things that could happen to us. Why?  Mark Twight, owner of Gym Jones, put it this way. “The risk of failure, social or physical, is paramount because failure and dissatisfaction are the parents of thought. Success and fulfillment do not inspire or require introspection.”

You may still be asking yourself how and why failure is a good thing. Truth is, failure has the potential to tutor us unlike any amount of success could.

Here’s a classic example of how failure made a man. Name this person. Failed in business. Ran for state legislature – lost. Later lost his job so he tried to get into Law School – couldn’t get in. He borrowed some money from a friend to start a business that within the year was bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life trying to pay it off. Ran for state legislature again – won this time. He was engaged to be married and his fiance died, causing him to have a nervous breakdown. He was in bed for 6 months recovering. Tried to become speaker of state legislature – defeated. Sought to become elector – defeated. Ran for Congress – lost. Ran for Congress again and won this time. When he tried to get re-elected – lost. Tried to obtain the vice-presidential nomination at his party’s convention – got fewer than 100 votes. Ran for the Senate again – lost again. Elected president of the United States in 1860.

This of course is none other than our illustrious president, Abraham Lincoln. This story is the quintessential example of the saying, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again!” Another lesson can be gleaned though. Without these refining experiences, I’m going to venture that Lincoln wouldn’t have had the necessary strength or fortitude to take on one of the greatest challenges an American president has undertaken – abolishing slavery.

Oprah Winfrey is also a prime example of someone who, after what would seemingly be the ingredients for only failure, was able to rise above poverty, a broken family, and abuse to become one of the most powerful and affluent women in the world.

Like them we may experience failure, but it is only succumbing to and not learning from our failure that is the true tragedy. If we allow ourselves to be educated by our misfortune or mistake, pull ourselves up by our boot straps and then continue on – failure will only deepen our character, broaden our understanding, and strengthen our resolve to succeed. Success will come so long as you persist. History is evidence of that fact.  Let it also be noted that success is never so sweet as it is when we’ve worked tirelessly for it.

Some practical advice if you’re experiencing a spot of failure.

1. Take time to ponder and reflect. Your failure may be circumstantial or self-caused. Whatever the case, when we take time to reflect, the seedlings of solutions start sprouting.
2. Learn a lesson. The opportunity in failure only comes when we choose to become better as a result of our challenge. We may not always have control over what happens to us, but how we respond is indeed a choice.
3. Experiment. Success doesn’t merely require persistence. You must be willing to branch out and try different things. Examine the problem, be creative, and experiment with all the unexplored options. In time you will find a solution.
4. Stay positive. I once read that failure is only a state of mind. How true that is! We are only beat when we say we are. The person who thinks they can will eventually win the prize.

To you I say don’t be afraid of failure! When hardship comes your way, stand fast through the storm and your roots will be stronger and deeper than ever before. Then and only then will you truly succeed.

Tara McCausland is a speaker, author, and the owner of her own success coaching business. As a coach, Tara specializes in helping her clients become masters of their minds, their time, and their lives – building prosperity from the inside out. She’s also the happy mommy of two little boys and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 5 years. Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@myjoyquest.com or  on Twitter@myjoyquest

FREE Group Coaching Call with Tara McCausland

Fairy Godmother Tara McCausland will be holding a free group coaching call on Thursday, October 7th @ 7pm MST called the 411 on Goal Achievement.

Topics will include:

-Top goal killers and how to beat them
-How to create a S.M.A.R.T, achievable goal
-Ways to get and stay motivated from start to finish
-Some one-on-one coaching time with Tara

Reserve your spot for this helpful session at http://goalachievement411.eventbrite.com/

You can also visit Tara at her new website http://www.taramccausland.com/

If You Build it, They Will Come…or Will They?

Fairy Godmother Tara McCausland shares the following advice on sales:

Remember that film Field of Dreams? Yeah, I love that movie. If you haven’t seen it, here’s a little snippet of the plot to give you context. Ray Kinsella is a farmer who becomes convinced by a mysterious voice that he is supposed to build a baseball diamond in his corn field with the promise that if he builds it, they will come. Well, “they” ends up being several deceased baseball players, his late father, and in the final moments of the movie scads of random people who come to watch the game. Confused? Okay, so I guess you will just have to watch the film. But my point is he built it and they did come.

Many bright eyed, novice entrepreneurs also believe that if they simply “build it” they – or a multitude of sales – will naturally follow. Well, I hate to break it to you, but this ain’t the movies folks. Reality is that many businesses fail in their first 5 years. Yes, that is reality for many BUT that doesn’t have to be YOUR reality. Armed with the right information, tools, and a lot of persistence – you can be successful in building a thriving business.

Here are 4 tips to keep the sales coming:

Give ‘em what they want: What is your unique value proposition? What need does your product or service fill? People won’t purchase something that they don’t need or at least don’t perceive as something they need. It’s your job to figure out what Sara and Sam want and then market your service or product in a way that shows them that what you have to offer will make all of their wildest dreams come true (or at least make life better in some form.) If you don’t have a unique value proposition, I suggest you do your due diligence and figure it out. Don’t know where to start? Look around you and see what’s selling and how they sell it. Then, take your awesome product/service and angle your marketing toward just that. Then, if you provide true and consistent value, you will have won yourself a happy and devoted customer.

Evolution is necessary: It’s easy to get into a routine in business. Chances are if you’ve hit a sales slump, you’re in a creative rut. The world is ever-changing and so are people’s needs, wants and interests.   I encourage you to try new things and approaches with marketing, publicity, and with your product/service.  Experimentation is the key to finding out what works (and also what doesn’t work). Sure you’ll make a few blunders along the way, but if you try, try and try again – you are bound to find a winning formula. It worked for Edison; it can work for you.

Provide free value again and again: We are living in a world of freebies. People are no longer interested in paying for a service or product they haven’t already tested and proven. What am I talking about? Just take a walk through Costco on a Saturday morning and you’ll know what I mean when you come out with a full belly of food samples.  Look for ways to provide free value to your prospective customer through free products, services, or events. Note that this isn’t just a one time deal. Most sales are made after 5-15 contacts so keep following up and providing the free value. Once you’ve proven yourself, you’ll  have them begging for more.

It’s who you know: People do business with people they like. Building and nurturing relationships is crucial to your success because your best source of business is a good referral.  Twitter, facebook, and Linked In are fabulous tools, but don’t forget to get out there and actually talk with people face to face. The value of effective networking cannot be overestimated. Block out some time every week to do this. To fill the pipeline network, network, network. If networking sounds scary to you, just go and make friends.

If you build it, they WILL come – if you build it right. Now get out there and make those sales!

Tara McCausland is a speaker, author, and the owner of her own success coaching business. As a coach, Tara specializes in helping her clients become masters of their minds, their time, and their lives – building prosperity from the inside out. She’s also the happy mommy of two little boys and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 5 years. Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@myjoyquest.com or by phone at (435)680-2901. Twitter @myjoyquest

Life Balance: It’s All in Your Head

Fairy Godmother, Tara McCausland writes:

My husband is a physical therapist that specializes in helping people with balance disorders. He explains that in order to have complete physical balance, three systems must be working together: the sensation of your feet, your inner ear and your eyes. The brain then combines the input from these three systems which allows people to walk, run and even do incredible things like perform Swan Lake on point. Normal balance is only possible when these three systems are processed effectively in your brain. In a very literal sense, our physical balance is in our head.

Likewise life balance, or a state of wellbeing and wholeness, is also in your head. You could be the world’s greatest prioritizer, planner, and executer and have all the wealth and opportunity in the world.  Yet without a positive and proactive mental attitude, you will never experience the joy and wholeness you are seeking.

Too many of us are plagued by worry and anxiety; we spend exorbitant amounts of energy fretting over mistakes of the past, fearing the unknowns of the future and ultimately creating our own veritable hell.  As the great French philosopher Montaigne said, “My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.” When we allow ourselves to fall prey to the disease of worry and negative thinking, every blessing and personal triumph loses its savor. In order to feel truly whole and joyful, we must overcome our natural inclination to complain and worry and replace it with an active can-do spirit and gratitude for the gifts of today. When we are confronted with challenges, we must do all that lies within our power to solve the problem and then surrender the rest – herein lies the key to a peaceful, fulfilled life.

My mother taught me that you CAN live happily ever after…one day at a time. I am learning this as I juggle the responsibilities of wife, mom, entrepreneur, success coach, etc. It would be easy for me to go to a dark place if I allowed myself to stress about my load of responsibility and to fear the “what ifs” of the future. I could literally make myself ill stewing over all the scary possibilities. However, I know that if I choose to have realistic optimism and proactive determination, these will serve me more than any amount of whining. In fact, you and I just might discover that with a little faith, we’ll be able to find joy in the journey – even the rocky parts.

If you are truly seeking to live with life balance, I challenge you to start in your head and examine your thoughts. What do they sound like? Are they positive, empowering, and proactive or do they reek of negativity, fear, and cynicism. In this assessment, be honest with yourself and don’t be discouraged with what you discover. Contrary to popular belief, you can learn how to control your thoughts. Your brain can be re-trained to think positively. This takes a conscious, consistent effort – it’s real work – but in time you can rewire your mental “hard drive.” It is at this point that life will take on a more vivid beauty, doors of opportunity will open to you at every turn, and life balance will be yours.

Here’s to your success!

Tara McCausland, My Joy Quest, Tara McCausland is a speaker, aspiring author, and the owner of her own success/life coaching business – Joy Quest Coaching. She’s also the happy mommy of one active toddler and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 4 years. As a coach, Tara specializes in helping mompreneurs build their businesses quickly, find more customers, and make more money – all the while helping them achieve greater balance and joy in their lives. She offers 1-on-1 coaching as well as group coaching via telephone and email. Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@myjoyquest.com or by phone at (801)979-6244. Twitter @myjoyquest

Marketing Tips 101

I’m just going to get this out right now – marketing is not one of my favorite pastimes. (Glad I got that off my chest.) It takes time, energy, and financial resources to stay on top of your buyers’ ever changing needs and wants. Then there’s actually getting the word out effectively and letting the world know about your product or service AND most importantly why it will improve their quality of life. So…however un-fun you (and I) may find marketing, if you want your business to stay afloat it is crucial to just suck it up, do your due diligence, and market – market – market! For those of you who feel lost as to how to do that, here are a few basic tips to help you get your marketing plan up and runnin’.

Know who you are. If you don’t already have a crystal clear idea of what your business identity is, you might want to go back to the drawing board and do a little more brainstorming. This includes having a catchy business name, a unique logo that represents you well, a mantra or mission statement that defines what you do and what you are aiming to accomplish, etc. Knowing exactly who you are will help you stay focused on your primary goals as well as help you stand out in the sea of competitors.

Know who your niche market is. Without knowing who your target market is, you are going to spend gads of time and greenbacks talking to the wrong people; people who aren’t going to buy your product or service. Who is your ideal client or buyer? What do they like or dislike? Where do they live? Where do they shop? What are their spending habits like? Yes, finding answers to these questions is going to require some dedicated research. Newspapers, magazines, and the internet will be helpful tools in gleaning some information about your prime customer. Surveys can also prove fruitful if you can reach enough people to participate. You can even sneak a peek at your competitors marketing activities to get you on the right track. Whatever you do, don’t start a full-fledged marketing scheme without clearly understanding who it is you are marketing to. Though time consuming, you will save yourself time and resources in the end.

Find ways to bond with your buyer. This involves not just getting to know your target market, but helping them get to know and like you (see next tip). Why should Martha buy your product or service vs someone else’s? How is what you provide going to fulfill Steve’s unique needs? In my experience, finding and fulfilling a unique need is one of the best ways to connect with a niche market. If Jenny can relate to you and feels you provide something she needs, she will more likely than not turn into a customer. Better yet, she just might tell her friends about you. That’s a sign of effective marketing and more importantly a great product.

Explore and choose the best marketing methods for your business. There are numerous ways to market a business. But the question you need to answer is this: What marketing methods and tools are most effective for MY particular business (e.g. radio, TV, newspaper and/or magazine ads, on-line advertising, social media sites, a “walking” sign wandering the streets of your community)? Reality is some modes of marketing are much more expensive than others so it is wise to take advantage of what’s free or low cost. Social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook can be effective and inexpensive ways to get your name out and reach your target market.  Once you’ve exhausted cheaper methods, consider further exploration of pricier options. Before you run out and buy billboard space or radio time, ask yourself, “What is the likelihood that my ideal customer will see/hear this?” If after doing your homework the odds appear small, it is not a good investment. Finding the most cost effective modes of marketing will be important to the health of your budget.

While marketing may not be your forte’, remember that it is a vital part of a thriving business and you will become a more savvy marketer with practice. Do the work, be patient, and watch your business grow.

Tara McCausland, My Joy Quest, Tara McCausland is a speaker, aspiring author, and the owner of her own success/life coaching business – Joy Quest Coaching. She’s also the happy mommy of one active toddler and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 4 years. As a coach, Tara specializes in helping mompreneurs build their businesses quickly, find more customers, and make more money – all the while helping them achieve greater balance and joy in their lives. She offers 1-on-1 coaching as well as group coaching via telephone and email. Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@myjoyquest.com or by phone at (801)979-6244. Twitter @myjoyquest

To Plan or Not to Plan: That is the Question

I once had a mompreneur of 3 little ones ask, “What’s the use of planning when my plan never works?” I think we’ve all been there. When you are a working mom, especially one that works from home, it seems that your day is often at the mercy of your needy toddler.  Kids are anything but predictable and aren’t always going to take that nap when they are supposed to or play quietly while you finish that project you penciled in from 1 to 2 pm. So if your well thought out day doesn’t always unravel the way you’d imagined it, should you trash your planner? I answer with a resounding NO!

In the book Alice in Wonderland there is a profound exchange between two of the story’s characters, Alice, the little girl who’s found herself lost in the forest and the Cheshire Cat -a strange feline who intermittently appears during Alice’s jaunt in Wonderland. Their brief conversation goes as follows:

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to walk from here?” asks Alice.
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” responds the cat.
“I don’t much care where,” says Alice.
“Then it doesn’t much matter which way you walk,” replies the cat.

What can we glean from that? Well, without a clear idea of where you want to go, there’s little to no chance that you’ll end up in a place you’d ultimately like to be. Success and balance aren’t a matter of chance. They are the result of living with a clear plan and acting on that plan. Now again, having a plan doesn’t always translate into a day without interruptions or emergencies – throwing off your carefully thought out schedule.  In fact, I guarantee it won’t! But if you will at least be committed to making a plan, you will then have a map to guide you through the day – helping you use your time in a meaningful, effective way. There is so much vying for our attention, much of it trivial and unimportant.  Unless we make a conscious effort to determine how we’re going to spend those precious hours, we’ll find our time whittled away without anything to show for it.

A word of advice when it comes to planning: Plan around your priorities (not the other way around) and do your best to stick to your plan. But when something more important comes up, something that is of higher priority, be flexible and address the greater need. Frustration often sets in when we fail to recognize the place of priorities and flexibility within our schedule.

To plan or not to plan? Remember, success requires a map and your map is your weekly/daily plan. Be committed to it and watch yourself rise to great heights!

Tara McCausland is a speaker, aspiring author, and the owner of her own success/life coaching business - Joy Quest Coaching. She’s also the happy mommy of one active toddler and has been married to her high school sweetheart for 4 years.

As a coach, Tara specializes in helping mompreneurs build their businesses quickly, find more customers, and make more money – all the while helping them achieve greater balance and joy in their lives. She offers 1-on-1 coaching as well as group coaching via telephone and email.

Best way to contact Tara is by email at tara@myjoyquest.com or by phone at (801)979-6244.

Joy Formula – Keys to Living an Authentically Happy Life

Fairy Godmother Tara McCausland of My Joy Quest writes: Joy isn’t a word we hear very often nor is it something we feel as often as I believe we’re intended to. Joy is more than satisfaction or pleasure which are often dictated by circumstances out of our control. Joy is a conscience, daily choice to see the good in ourselves and the world around us meaning that we and we alone are ultimately responsible for whether or not we have joy now. Read more

Defining “Balance” – Not Just Semantics

Raise your hand if you dislike the word “balance”.  For many working moms, balance is a dirty word that stirs an array of negative emotions. Why? Because they feel like life balance is an unrealistic and unachievable ideal. However, I’d like to suggest that the reason for this may be because your working (or not working) definition of what balance ought to look like in your life is in need of some tweaking. Learning to live a balanced life starts with a healthy definition by which you can gauge your success. Read more

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