Is attitude really all it's cracked up to be?

In my field as a motivator, I have certainly heard my share
of speeches about attitude. I've heard speakers holler about
how our altitude is determined by our attitude, and It's not
our I.Q. that matters, but our "I will." I've told my children at
times that they needed to change their attitude, and Heaven
knows I've told myself so too.

But what is attitude, really?

According to my students dictionary, attitude means "a mood,
a feeling or a way of thinking."

Most of us grow up thinking about our selves. Our attitude is
self-centered and self-preserving. Part of that is instinctive and
necessary for survival.  Often when athletes or other
professionals come to me for performance coaching
they are desperate to reach the next level of their game.
They are aching to keep their job or to make the big money, or
to become famous. It's all about them and their superstardom.
Being inward focused causes you to shrink.

It really doesn't matter though, weather your game is athletic,
financial or personal. One way to play bigger is with an attitude
that says this,

"It's not about me!"

When you realize how important you are to something bigger
than yourself, you become MORE confident.

For my athletes, they start thinking about the fans. If its professional
sports, than they become aware of how expensive it is for a family
to come watch them play. They realize that their job is to give the
fans a reason to cheer and celebrate something. It's a chance to
help the fans forget their boring or desperate lives at home.

For those in business or sales, all manipulation can end. We can
be free to serve, knowing that when we deliver what our customers
truly want and need, than we will be rewarded. There's no need to
strive in a place of neediness. Instead we focus on what we can give.

Notice I'm not saying to be focused on what others think of YOU.
Just know that putting their needs above your own will somehow
make you happier. It's one of life's paradoxes.
 
I often say that happiness is that state you feel when you love with
no conditions. This applies to business as well as personal relationships.

That kind of love comes from God and drives out fear. When the
fear is gone and faith prevails, then success is at hand.

Try it. I promise, you are more powerful than you think.

Please share your thoughts below.

Photo credit: taliesin from morguefile.com

Fight for Your Business

The two teenage boys wore cargo shorts and t-shirts.
Their sneakers looked worn. They were just average kids-
except that they stood at attention – every morning.

I was perhaps the only spectator who watched them each
day at the high school.

I found them extraordinary, riveting really.

Why?

Because of the way they stood together.
One clutched the perfectly folded American Flag to his
chest as they marched succinctly towards the pole.
Methodically and carefully they unfolded and raised
the Red, White and Blue.
They were not an army – they were a simple color guard
of  two or sometimes three.

With never an audience, they presented the colors
flawlessly. As the flag went up, they saluted.
When they exited, they did so in equally crisp unison.

On certain days they wore their ROTC uniforms but
even in plain clothes, they inspired me.

They demonstrated honor. They demonstrated doing
things correctly – even when surrounded by those who
could care less.

They made me proud. They made me want to excel
in the details. They made me want to win the battles
that I am called to fight.

And fight I will…

I told you before that I am personally donating a hundred
thousand dollars to stop child trafficking.

Okay, maybe I didn’t tell you. I may have just mentioned
that I was raising money for a charity. This is a tough
charity – one that employs Navy Seals to stop predators.
Sickening predators -the worst of the worst. (In case
you don’t know, selling children up to 20 times a day
for sex is BIG BUSINESS. – right here in the USA. It’s
more lucrative to sickos than drugs or arms trafficking.)

However, just getting one predator off the street is equal
to rescuing 200 victims. We are committed to this.

How am I raising money? I am connecting people,
solving problems, bringing hope and
helping life-giving entrepreneurs build their businesses
upon proven systems.

On this memorial week, I would like to offer you a chance
to take my free online mini-business xray.

If you have a business, or are in business, it would be

my honor to help you prosper the most in it.
I have invested heavily in a team of experts
with  systems to help you truly get a breakthrough in
your business and life.

Together we can accomplish so much more.

Just click this link and you will be taken to an online
assessment which takes about 10 minutes to complete.
(and yes, your answers are safe and confidential)

I am passionate about seeing your business flourish
in every way – as I fight against business built on evil.

I am convinced that we can create something beautiful
to end something hideous.

Join me. I plan to WIN!

As always, I’m in your corner,

Gina

Free online Mini-business X-ray:
http://bit.ly/minixray

After that, learn more about my cause by visiting
http://www.SCTnow.org

Again – check out this free Mini-Business X-ray
and share it with all the professionals you know.
http://bit.ly/minixray

P.S. I am heading to California in a few days
with my  business partners to see how we can
make a huge difference in the lives of thousands
of people.

I will keep you posted!

Photo credit: charmaineswart from morguefile.com

The Ministry of Marketing – Getting Over the Aversion

“Hark the herald angels sing…”

Many marketplace believers truly struggle with actually marketing their business. They see marketing as human manipulation. They fear it is a display of self-promotion when it may be “holier,” to rely on God to bring promotion on His own.  Although it is certainly possible to drift into manipulation or self-promotion, like all two edged swords, there is a beautiful, life giving side to marketing that I hope you will embrace. I call it, “The Ministry of Marketing.”

Why we love marketing

Marketing is simply taking our message to those who need to hear it, rather than waiting for them to find us. Just as the Lord came to “seek and to save those who were lost,” so the marketer goes to seek and to “save” (solve a problem or provide pleasure) those who need our product or service. It’s called “doing business,” and it is every bit as sacred as coming to church and praying. Everything the believer does can be an act of worship, including being ourselves in the marketplace. We love marketing because we will always touch more people with our marketing than with our service or product itself. Therefore, it is worthwhile to discover a Biblical model for getting our message to as many people as possible.

Biblical Model for Marketing

Habakkuk 2:2 “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets that a herald may run with it.”

It is not my goal to take this verse out of its beautiful context, but rather to apply the principles of it to our every-day business life.

1. Write down the revelation (Vision)

In recent decades there has been a great deal of talk about vision statements, and mission statements. These start with revelation. As believers it is our privilege to be led by the Spirit of God. When heading into the marketplace, it is best to be very clear about who we serve and what we bring. In the marketplace people give money in exchange for having a problem solved or a pleasure gained. It’s a beautiful thing. We should be able to answer the questions, “What benefits do we bring with this product or service, to whom, and why?” Hopefully the answer includes the idea that it’s “because we care, and we bring something special to the consumer.”  These are elements of our Marketing Message.

1. Make it plain on tablets

The clarity with which we communicate our message has everything to do with our success in business. After all, “How can they believe except they hear?” is just as applicable to business as it is to the message of the gospel.  In Habakkuk the prophet was told to write his message on tablets of stone because that was how messages were carried back then. Today we could say, make the message clear in print, on t-shirts, on telephone, on radio, on TV, on the internet, on Youtube, on Facebook, on Twitter… because that is how we carry messages now. These are elements of our marketing Media.

1. That a herald may run with it

My favorite part – the human element, or is this the angelic element? The marketer is simply a herald, as in “Hark the herald angels sing.” Let’s look at the Bible.

Luke 2:8-14 …and suddenly a great company of heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

That was quite a message originally shared with a very “niche market” – a few shepherds. But it was strategic, clear and effective enough to send the shepherds running to the newborn king.

As believers in business, we get to herald our message to our precious market – those who are called to work with us. In the process, we get to touch, educate, empower, and bless many, many more than those who actually give us money. Knowing the pains and problems of our target clients and customers is part of our Marketing Calling. So, the ministry of marketing is a noble thing indeed, and as believers we should be hungry to excel at it, lest those who are called to our circle become seduced instead, by those who could do them harm.

Gina Parris is a professional speaker and the founder of Built to Win Coaching where she helps entrepreneurs around the world to fulfill their God-given potential – joyfully. Sign up for her free Mental Mastery Mini-course at www.GinaParris.com

Paul looked at the ship and knew in his heart that the trip
would be perilous. “We should wait a while,” he told the others,
This voyage will go badly.”
But no one wanted to listen to Paul, after all, he was
just a prisoner in their custody.

Sure enough part way into the trip, the little ship hit
such a bad storm, that for over 14 days it was driven and
tossed out of control. The men were starving,
dehydrated and scared. They all knew they were about
to die. Instead they miraculously survived a shipwreck, and

finally got where they were headed.
If you know the rest of the story, you realize many on that ship
would have died if it had not been for Paul’s presence
with them. It was as if he carried the very presence of God.

Have you ever been driven out of control by
a storm? What a helpless feeling!

There is another helpless feeling though, and that is
being driven in life. In today’s economy, we see people
that are so driven by fear, greed, or impatience that
they never reach their Divine destination.

Being driven that way is like having a hand on your neck,
forcing you in a state of anxiety, fighting you, tormenting
you, making everything feel so hard. You wonder if you will
ever get ahead, or if you will just end up shipwrecked, burned
out, ruined.

Your livelihood was never meant to feel like that. Way back
in the beginning – God made Man, and he placed him in
the Garden of “Pleasure and Delight” called Eden, where
He called him to, “Work the Garden.”

Working is not part of the curse of the fall, it is part of being
called and chosen – created in the Image of God Himself!
When you are called, you find a calm in any storm because
you know the one who sails with you. You also find yourself
working in the areas of your strength, your passions.

Do you realize that the battle is not yours to fight? The victory
is yours to enforce! The curse has already been broken
and you can learn whatever skills you need to get safely
to the other side, and take precious people with you.

How was your journey in 2009? To be frank, I didn’t take enough
people with me where I wanted to go – higher and deeper.
In many ways I played not to lose, and in so doing, I lost
my fire. If you could spend 2010 more aligned with your true calling,
what would be different?

I would share more about living the Supernatural life in the
marketplace, even if it meant that all my current readers
would unsubscribe. (and that would make me sad too.)

I would create more programs to meet your needs on
different levels, from home study courses, to retreats. I
would share more freely my passion, my love for the Word
of God, and my desire to see you prosper in business.
I’d be more transparent. I would and I choose to.

Stepping out like this means going into un-chartered waters
for me. It is scary. I have not seen anyone else do the things
I imagine. You might not like it. I might make mistakes.
But alas, some one out there is feeling tossed by the wind
and the waves, drowning in fear – wondering if she’s called
to anything great at all.
I’m being sent to find her. I know Whose I am and Whom I
serve – and He has a message for the struggling one.

The message is that “Yes, you HAVE BEEN CALLED, and
your are about to become EQUIPPED, to change everything
in the days ahead.”

After all these years, I’m reminded again that living Called
instead of Driven means that the rewards are rarely about
my Self. It means facing my fears, and doing it anyway.

New things are coming at Built To Win. I’m being called to
a battle that rages for your livelihood. I’m going in. I hope
you’ll stay on my team. After all, I love being…

In your corner,

Gina

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Clayton Homes unveiled it’s green i-house this week for the shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway.  (What you didn’t know that the Buffet giant owned the mobile home sweetheart?)  Interestingly, there is a lesson for any one who wants to grow their business in these tough times.

Let’s look at three tips from their latest move:

1. Go Green – or tap into a current trend

Being ecologically friendly is hot, hot, hot, and its a trend that is not  going away. The more you can tie your business or your message into environmental goodness, the better.

If Green is not your thing, than find something that helps people feel that they’re “doing good” while using your product or service.

2. Look Cool – or create aesthetics that please your client

Even though “going green” is very hip, today’s consumer isn’t going to clamour after a product that looks outdated or un-cool.

People associate feelings with aesthetics, and like it or not, they make purchases based on emotion more often than logic. So step back and ask yourself what you can do to present an image and experience to your clients that makes them feel great?

3. Tap a Market – and possibly more than one

Clayton homes has always catered to mostly the first-time home buyer, and with their affordable housing, this is still the case.  However, in any recession, the more you can court those the least affected by economic issues, the better.

In this case, Clayton is targeting those who are in the market for a vacation home.  Perfect.

What can you do in your business to appeal to the affluent? Do you understand what motivates them?   Do you understand how to vary your marketing message for different segments of your target niches?  The more you do, the better.

It’s always encouraging to see businesses that thrive during tough times. If you study strong companies like Berkshire Hathaway and Clayton Homes, you can find yourself playing like a business champion.