Year in Review, Time to Renew Your Hot 100 List
December 29, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
It’s that time of year when I look back and look forward and do a gap analysis. I look at my past rear in review and match it to my former Hot 100 List, my list of at least 100 things that I wanted to accomplish in my life. Being a card-carrying member of the over-achiever’s club, I always have more than 100 just to stretch my thinking and look forward to past the current year. Resolutions, schmesolutions. These aren’t your grandma’s New Year’s list. This is a lifeforce all it’s own. Your compass for living and leading the life you love.
I’ve been doing this list and this exercise officially since 1984 with a written list and a purposeful time set aside to create it, dream and renew my goals and desires for the big plans I have for me. I take thoughtful time to reflect on the past year, lessons learned, what don’t I want any more, what do I want to start doing and stop doing and keep the same or pump up the volume.
It’s not necessarily a bucket list, although you can incorporate items that may be on your bucket list. It can be simpler lifestyle goals, health benchmarks, financial goals or personal achievements. I had one item that was on my list before I even had a written list. It was on my list for 27 years. And you can imagine the celebration I had when it finally came true. Some of my items are only on for a year or a few weeks before I get to cross them off. Some items I find I don’t want any more – life changes. It’s not about necessarily reaching those specific goals, it’s about creating them and allowing yourself to dream big dreams for your life.
To make sure I cover my bases on the left brain and right brain and all senses side; I not only write down in numbered style in long hand, pen to paper, but I also create a vison board with photos and phrases. I used to cut and paste magazine photos onto posterboard. Now I do my collage digitally so I can make a custom greeting card using a simple software and send myself the card with my vision board as well as my affirmations and life purpose on it. I have one at my desk and one in my purse at all times to keep me reminded of why I do what I do and what I want for my life. It comes in very handy during wait times in airports and waiting rooms.
Along with your Hot 100 List, I suggest you write out your ideal day putting pen to paper – no typing any of this out. Your heart and your body hear it better and internalize hand-written things over the typed word. Make the head and heart connection by writing out in long hand how you want your ideal day to go in excruciating detail. Give yourself time and permission to take this very seriously. Most people spend more time writing up their holiday gift list than doing this special gift list for themselves.
Stay tuned for our upcoming free teleclass on cracking the code to your life purpose. Doing your Hot 100 List and your Ideal Day exercise will help you clarify your path and prepare for our call. Be looking for our special offer to those who want to work with us and discover your own life purpose which is in your DNA. You have it at your fingertips. Let us help you understand how you’re supposed to move through this world. Looking forward to seeing you on the call on 2 February.
Ask Empowering Questions to Excite & Ignite Excellence in You
November 24, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Our brains answer whatever questions we ask. So if you want more empowering answers, ask more empowering questions. If you want dumb answers that will keep you stuck, just keep asking dumb questions such as “Why is this happening to me, again?”
It’s automatic. Our mind starts talking to us and answering questions it reads in book titles, hears on TV commercials or hears in your head. Questions such as “do you have the coolest cell phone”, “are you sick and tired of belly fat”, “is your house under water or are you in debt”. We’re asked disempowering questions all the time and we are answering in a negative way automatically whether we are aware of it or not. If you want different results and different answers, then turn your questions around to lead you to better results and more creative solutions. Better questions such as “what can I do to be more fit”, “who can I hire/ask/seek advice from to help me be financially solvent or free”, or “how can I creatively re-finance my home or sell it in this market?”
I asked myself the creative house selling question when I had a property for sale in the Phoenix market at the bottom of the real estate bust with my 2 next-door neighbor’s homes for sale and 3 more on my street for sale at the same time. Here’s what my brain came up with after bringing my challenge to my mastermind group and twisting around their ideas: offer an additional $1000 bonus directly to the buyer’s agent and offer a free cruise to Mexico to the buyers and throw in my patio furnishings. Voila – my house sold quickly and the cruise to Mexico only cost me a few hundred dollars, but the perceived value was much higher. Without asking the empower question of how I can creatively and boldly market my house, it would still be sitting there. (On a side note- my realtor didn’t come up with anything out of the usual to get it sold, it was my responsibility to take empowering action.)
So instead of asking “How did I get myself in this mess?”, instead ask yourself “What would (name your hero here) do in this situation?” or “What ways can I move forward from this or learn from this?” or even “Who do I know who could give me advice on winning over this situation?” You may ask yourself “What can I do now, what do I have power over that I can change right now to start moving me forward?” See the differences in the questions and how your answers can either keep you stuck or move you towards better results?
I see so many professionals stuck in their old ways who are blind to the possibilities and it can be as simple as asking themselves the right questions to get the right answers. Be creative in your problem solving. Write it down, brainstorm with friends and let it flow. When times get tough, the tough get creative in their solutions. Do activities to access the right side of your brain, the creative side to help the solutions flow. Try juggling, throwing a Koosh Ball between your left and right side, do the hoola hoop, dance, play in the dog park, draw/paint or do something artistic to access that creative side of your brain. Inspiration can pop up anywhere when you allow the process to happen.
Start asking more empowering questions of yourself and your clients and you will start to see more powerful results coming out of that process.
Let’s Talk About Revitalizing Your Results
November 23, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Working with corporate clients with huge employee payrolls or entrepreneurs who go it solo, there seems to be a common thread among professionals in this economy and particularly this season – they’re tired.
Execs to entrepreneurs and employees to entire organizations seem to be on their last nerve and in search of something to happen to regain their confidence, improve their outlook and pump them up with some hope and energy to face another day.
I’ve made it my life’s mission to help energize others and help theim regain their balance and reclaim their passion for their purpose. To light a fire under professionals to reach their potential. My advice is the same salad with a little different dressing as it has been for decades and it’s an inside job.
To revitalize your results, you need to recharge your mindset and re-assess what’s important and re-align what it is you focus on. What we focus on expands and where intention goes, energy flow. What are you thinking about daily? Are you focusing on what you DON’T want or what you DO WANT? Always focus on what you DO want and be very clear about what results you seek.
To listen to archives of past talk shows I’ve hosted on many levels of energizing your life and revitalizing your results, check out the 15-30 minute shows at The Energized Entrepreneur Show on The Women’s Information Network. You men can listen too!
The holiday season is really no different than the stress of a down economy or any other day- just take it one day at a time and focus on the results you want. Do you want a stress-free holiday shopping season – don’t go shopping. Give experiences, use internet shopping, send your cards, gift cards and gifts through a system at BizBuilderCards.com to send a campaign of cards and gifts in minutes for what used to take you days. Want even less stress – forget the expectations of the big meals and change it up a bit with something more uniquely you and start new traditions. Who says you have to do the same ol’, same ol’ each holiday. Forget airport security lines and create your own holiday in your own home and use Skype. 🙂
Some traditions may actually be bad habits that don’t suit you today. Take a hard look at what you’ve been doing at all levels of your life and in your business and ask yourself if they are still getting the results you seek. If not, ditch them or at least tweak them.
Revitalize your results by brainstorming what you DO want in your life, in your holiday, in your business and in your future, then focus on manifesting what you want. Don’t ask how, manifest now. Happy holidays and let me know how you are practicing safe stress and revitalizing your results. Send me an email at Gail@GailHahn.com
Mentors, Tormentors, Self Promotion & Your Purposeful Work
October 11, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
I just returned from the SendOutCards convention and I’m fired up. I was inspired to share some of my insights into revitalizing your promotions, your people and your workplace. Here’s another round of articles to energize and inspire leaders and entrepreneurs. The following articles cover leadership and team motivation for Generation X and Y team members, how to be a shameless self promoter for your own business and how your purpose is a critical piece of your promotions.
Other articles cover the key component of mixing fun and effectiveness at work. We know that work made fun gets done and good times lead to good business. Creating a quality workplace not only boost performance, but it boosts purposeful work ethics and quality of life at work.
And then there’s the accountability thing. Having a mastermind group, a success team, a personal board of directors helps keep you on track and on purpose. Create your own circle of success and support to help leap-frog your business beyond what you could do on your own. Enjoy the articles and if you want to listen to them, check out my radio show on http://thewinonline.com/node/5978. One show per week is posted on the site. I’ve just recorded 19 shows, so your favorite article/show may not be aired for several weeks. All shows are archived, so they will be there when you’re ready. Enjoy!
Mentors vs. Tormentors: 50 Ways to Ditch Your X (and Y) Employees
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767834/mentors_vs_tormentors_50_ways_to_ditch.html?cat=55
Success Circles Teeming with Synergy
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766870/sucess_circles_teeming_with_synergy.html
Fun*cilitation: Facilitating Fun and Effectiveness in the Workplace
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766964/funcilitation_facilitating_fun_and.html
Put Energy into Your Efforts
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766936/put_energy_into_your_efforts.html
Secrets to Self Promotions & Your Purpose
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766974/insider_secrets_to_self_promotions.html
Articles to Energize Your Work Wealth & Well-Being
September 22, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
I’ve been remiss about blogging since last month, but have been ferociously writing articles for your reading pleasure with links to each article following the title. I decided to give it to you all in one fell swoop so you can pick and choose which suits your needs instead of piece-mealing it into several blog posts.
Below are links to articles I’ve written on energizing your work and your life. They are written for enlightened execs, entrepreneurs and employees on how to revitalize at every level and energize individuals and organizations.
I will host some talk shows on similar topics on my weekly Energized Entrepreneur Show: http://thewinonline.com/node/5978 and each show is 10-15 minutes. So if you want to listen to some of the articles, they will be available in the coming weeks.
Here’s a list of the articles – free to view and read and if you download or use any portion of them, I would appreciate credit and a link to my websites www.GailHahn.com, BizBuilderCards.com and Funcilitators.com as they are all copyrighted material.
Enjoy!
Gail Hahn, the CEO (Chief Energizing Officer)
Office Olympics: Original Games that Put Minute to Win it to the Test
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767082/office_olympics_original_games_that.html
Twisted Training: Creating Experiential Training Programs to Engage, Inform, Inspire & Entertain Employees
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767112/twisted_training_creating_experiential.html
Extreme Shopping Around the World
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767316/extreme_shopping_around_the_world.html
Travel Holidays Around the World
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767378/travel_holidays_around_the_world.html
Spa Experiences Around the World
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767570/spa_experiences_around_the_world.html
50 Ways to Communicate, Connect and Build REALationships
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767652/50_ways_to_communicate_connect_and.html
Insider’s Secrets to Follow Up and Follow Through
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767738/insiders_secrets_to_follow_up_and_follow.html
Fun Shui: De-mess to De-Stress, It’s a FACT of Life
The Importance of Play in Our Day
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767790/the_importance_of_play_in_our_day.html
Reward, Recognize and Re-energize Your Enterprise:
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5767876/reward_recognize_and_reenergize_your.html
Fun Shui: Organize to Energize Your Work and Your Life
www.associatedcontent.com/article/5766954/fun_shui_organize_to_energize_your.html
White Space in Your Life Margins: Busy-ness a Badge of Honor?
August 19, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
Have you noticed how some books are easier on the eyes to read, you can get through them more quickly and your eyes get less tired? Or how vastly different The Wall Street Journal design is from USA Today? The reason is white space. The margins where there are no words. The graphics that are bold, separated by space where your eye can rest. If there are too many words, typed too small and too tightly packed, it’s daunting and your eyes don’t get a rest. No wonder USA Today breaks sales records as a most-read newspaper – it’s fun and easy to read and we get our info in quick snippets in an entertaining way.
It’s the same with our lives. We need white space. We need space between our words, between our activities. We need bigger margins in our lives to breath, rest, accommodate unexpected opportunities, spontaneity, unanticipated visits, friends in need, surprise social invites and other things that pop up without plans. If you are so over-scheduled that you can’t embrace an unplanned phone call from a friend, then you may need to eliminate some things to expand the wiggle room in your schedule.
Research has shown that we build more resilience to stress when we have more leisure moments in our lives. This could be a 10-minute tea break, or a trip to Tahiti. It seems that busy-ness has become a badge of honor these days. I hear people part complaining; part bragging about how busy they are. Especially when I’m around my Professional Speaking buddies at conventions. I never fail to hear about how much they’re on the road and how many dates they’ve booked and they don’t have time for family or friends. Well, whose fault is that? We can say no.
I’m in the continuous improvement loop for widening my margins in my life and making room for me, for leisure, for unexpected moments. Some people personally have a hard time saying no, then they blame it on their schedule and say “I’d love to, but my schedule is packed”. Make room to go with the flow and honor what you feel like doing in the moment. If I know a meeting will take 30 minutes, I schedule it for 60 so I have some prep time, follow-up time and some wiggle room before the next appointment. I’m less stressed. I don’t keep my next appointment waiting because the earlier call ran long. I manage myself in my time allotted and I allot more time.
Widening our margins gives us a break. Making room for more white space, then not filling it up again may go against the grain of the success-driven society, but it will help us live longer, be more productive, be less-stressed, less cranky, more healthy and generally more enjoyable to be around. If we don’t protect our own energy, then we won’t have any to give to others. If we give away all our energy, then when something really great comes up, we won’t have the time nor the energy to say ‘yes’.
Take a look at your calendar. Take stock of how you handle unexpected people/things that pop into your life. Are they welcome or are they stressful? We need time to think, to recharge, to reboot ourselves so we’re more productive and more present for the things that matter. So listen to yourself talk to others about how you do your life. Are you complaining/bragging about your busy-ness, or are you happy with the flow? Busy-ness is not necessarily a badge of honor. It may be a sign of mismanagement of your time and your life. Take the wheel and drive your schedule the way you want to go, instead of letting your schedule drive you.
Create some wiggle room, some white space and widen your margins. All the people around you will be glad you did. And you can stop complaining/bragging about how busy you are and enjoy a phone call, a play date, a cup of coffee with a colleague or take advantage of an unexpected opportunity. More ideas to energize at our talk show The Energized Entrepreneur Show.
Your Life Purpose is in Your Hands – Decode it Now
July 28, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I’m excited to tell you about an incredible experience available to you! Baeth Davis, aka “The Palm Pilot for the Soul of Your Business,”(tm) is a hand analyst who provides NON-predictive, scientific hand-analysis for spirit-rich entrepreneurs to help them identify their spiritual business blueprint from their hands!
This experience is NOT to be missed!
You will discover your Life Purpose -the reason you are here on the planet AND your Life Lesson – which triggers the core fears that can get in the way of your progress. Baeth will show you how to break through your blocks so you can get paid for your passions, claim your fame and BE the change you want to see in the world.
Let me know if you have any questions about this life-changing experience! I was skeptical at first, but after interviewing several friends who had gained Baeth’s insightful guidance and after hearing one of my mentors who charges $25K – $1M per person for his coaching sessions requires his mentees to have a session with Baeth before he will event accept them into his coaching programs. That’s when I knew I had to do it to validate what I’d believed most of my life to be my purpose.
Knowing your true life’s purpose is the key to the kingdom, the combination to the vault, your compass for pointing you in the direction to do what you were put here to do. When we are acting in alignment with our purpose and doing what we are supposed to be doing, the Universe conspires in our favor and life becomes easier. It’s when we get the bright, shiny object syndrome, running around chasing the wrong things that life gets out of hand and doesn’t work for us. We know when we’re off track.
Only after having a session with Baeth, then attending her Life Purpose Summit, did it all really click that I was, in fact, on the right path as an Artist and Messenger in the Community Spotlight. Creativity is like oxygen to me, I need it to live as a fully expressed individual and I need audiences for my written and spoken word, need to be in the spotlight to share insights and inspiration with the world. I create community to bring like-minded people together and help them fully express themselves and enable their potential. It’s all in my hands – something I intuitively knew to be true. It just felt right and when I went off path to chase other opportunities, things didn’t work out so much. I know what Baeth gives us is a true gift.
Do you consider yourself a “conscious” or perhaps a “spiritually-minded” entrepreneur? If yes, I am super jazzed to pass on a call series from none other than Baeth Davis. You might know Baeth – she’s the “Palm Pilot for the Soul of your Business(TM), and one amazing entrepreneur! Baeth has created a 5-call series specifically to show you how to discover your unique Passions, People and Platform so you can Summit your business and your life.
The call series is totally free and runs now through August. Calls that are complete are available for instant download – no waiting – including the call everyone is talking about: “Discover Your Unique Media Path”.
Register now to reserve your spot on Baeth’s calls or schedule a session: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3840091
You will also hear a bit more about the entrepreneurial event of the season, Baeth’s Life Purpose Summit happening in just a few weeks.
I’ve experienced so much growth personally from Baeth’s insightful guidance and I hope you can too. She can steer you in your right direction if you don’t have a clue as to why you’re here, or validate your true calling if you already have an inkling. You’ll learn about your life school, your life purpose and your life lessons (Those bugaboos that bite you in the back and are always the core of what’s holding you back.)
Once you learn your life lesson, you can recognize it when it keeps showing up, acknowledge it and strategize ways to work through it or around it. I can’t say enough about what you’ll learn from Baeth’s session and her summit. It truly is a life-changing experience that can knock years off your learning curve and keep you from ambling through life without feeling ‘this is it, this is what I’m supposed to be doing’. Knowing your lessons, your school and your purpose make all the difference in the world to put more meaning into your work and your life, because our work is supposed to be all about expressing our true purpose. That’s what it’s all about.
Register now to reserve your spot on Baeth’s five freecalls or to schedule a hand reading with her: http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=3840091
To Your FUNomenal Success!
How Are You Adding to Your Personal Economy & the National Economy? Special Offer for Entrepreneurs
July 22, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I’m feeling generous and want more people to realize they can create their own economy through the right entrepreneurship. I’m offering $250 scholarships for a limited time for a 1.5 hour coaching session with me where you will get your personal blueprint of your work style, communication style, conflict management style, entrepreneurship path along with personal customized coaching. I want us entrepreneurs to change the vibration of this nation by doing the right work and creating your own economy.
A US Federal Reserve survey shows that the average household net worth for entrepreneurs is 5 times that of conventinal employees. That means that entrepreneurs are 5 times more likely to come out of this downturn unscathed and even stronger than before because they’ve created their own economy.
History has repeatedly demonstrated that new companies and entrepreneurship are the way to bolster a flagging economy. It’s the passion, power, enthusiasm, creativity, nimbleness and sheer determination of entrepreneurs to be quick to market and adapt to the changing national economy that can help uplevel their personal economies and the national economy.
A Gallup poll found that 61% of Americans say they would prefer to be their own boss. Another poll by the Decipher firm found that 72% of all adult Americans would rather work for themselves than for a job and 67% think about quitting their jobs “regularly” or “constantly”.
Wow. What does that say about our corporate workforces and public agency employees? Leaders need to take heed of these findings and figure out ways to empower their teams to be more entrepreneurial, take responsibility for their projects and performance and ask them what they want out of the relationship with their job. Once we know what people want, we are better equipped to give it to them. Ask your team about their personal mission, vision for their job, what their ideal job or position in a company would be. Or if it’s outside the company – maybe working on their own as a consultant to the company.
Entrepreneurship is not for everybody. I’m thrilled it’s for me. Couldn’t and wouldn’t have it any other way. Entrepreneurs get to create their life on their terms and create the work they love to support their full expression of their purpose. They get to use their talents, knowledge, skills and abilities to the max if they’ve, in fact, created the right company to match their passions and purpose.
If you’re not yet an entrepreneur, or if you’re an emerging entrepreneur, there is help and guidance to assist you in discovering more about your skill sets, your motivation behind your behavior, your work styles and what type of business is best suited to your unique set of characteristics. Some people are better suited to going completely on their own, partnering, being a part of a bigger team, network marketing, being in business for yourself but not by yourself, or being a lone wolf.
What type of entrepreneur are you or do you aspire to be? How can you add to the national economy and your personal economy with your talents and skills? As an Energized Entrepreneur Coach and Relationship Awareness Facilitator (measuring your motivations behind your behaviors, your communication and work styles and conflict management styles); I can help you figure out paths best suited for you.
As your economic stimulus package, I’m offering a preferred investment of $125 for a 1.5 hour session to help you figure out your style and what type of entrepreneurship is best suited to your style. I’m giving you a scholarship of $250 for this session. You can use these results to improve your personal and professional relationships, to figure out the best type of environment for you, what types of work that best suits you and much more. You will get a clear, concise blueprint of your style. Send me an email at Gail@GailHahn.com to set up your appointment by phone.
I’m so excited about helping you create your own economy, I can hardly stand it. I’m thrilled to be in a position to offer you a scholarship to make this personal coaching and enrichment session available to more people who are wanting to quit their jobs or at least start something on the side to help their families and help themselves. This special offer won’t last for long. I’ve got to keep my economy going too. 🙂 Take advantage of the limited scholarships for the next 2 weeks and grab your spot.
Here’s to helping you create your own economy and economic stimulus plan so you can help the natonal economy. And to all of your entrepreneurs already doing it – cheers to you for turning things around!