10 Habits of Highly Successful Women

(photos courtesy of @LarryPConcepcion)

May 9th, 2009
by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlenes

These 10 habits of highly successful women are practical, easy, and effective — and they’re what “See Jane Soar” is all about! These tips for success range from maintaining your hormonal balance to letting go of the past - and they affect your mind, body, and soul.

First, a quotation from writer Anais Nin: “Dreams pass into the reality of action. From the action stems the dream again; and this interdependence produces the highest form of living.”

Taking action is one of the most important habits of successful women…and so is dreaming. For inspiration and practical advice for succeeding in life after failure or knock-out punches, click on: This is Not the Life I Ordered: 50 Ways to Keep Your Head Above Water When Life Keeps Dragging You Down by Deborah Collins Stephens et al.




10 Habits of Highly Successful Women

1. Maintain your hormonal balance. Are you moody, exhausted, irritable, or sad? Check your hormones. If they’re out of whack, then you’ll struggle to be successful! Make sure you’re getting enough protein and vitamins, and decrease your refined sugars and carbohydrates.

2. Forgive yourself for your mistakes. Highly successful women don’t obsess or feel guilty about past choices or failures. They make mistakes, move on, and apply what they’ve learned to new situations.

3. Connect with who you are. Being a daughter, wife, or mother is one aspect of your
life. It doesn’t define who you are as a woman. To connect with who you are, find and express your authentic self. The more authentic you are, the more appealing you’ll be to others - and to yourself!

4. Avoid energy vampires. Do you feel drained or sad after spending time with a particular friend, coworker, or relative? Limit the time you spend with him or her. Note how you feel after visiting with a certain person; if you feel energized and happy, then you’re in good company. Highly successful women choose their companions wisely.

5. Speak kindly to yourself! If you beat yourself up for being overweight, a “bad” mom, or not exercising enough, you just create a downward spiral. Highly successful women remind themselves of their achievements and successes. They refuse to tell themselves negative things; they accept themselves.

6. Listen to your body. I heard Oprah Winfrey say this about 10 years ago: listen to what your body is telling you. Are you emotionally hungry or physically hungry? Feed yourself properly. Are you sad, furious, or depressed? Follow your body’s cues.

7. Volunteer your time. Find something that takes you out of your comfort zone or that you love to do. You’ll feel great that you’re helping others out - and volunteering directly improves your physical health. Highly successful women step out of their comfort zones and takes risks.

8. Let go of perfectionism. Strive to do your best, but let go of perfectionist tendencies. Accepting that you’re doing the best you can is a habit of highly successful women. Letting go of perfectionism is vitamins and exercise for
the soul!

9. Use your core strengths. Are you a natural mathematician, writer, or party planner? Discover your core strengths by trying different things until you find what fits. To take risks and try new things, take short-term volunteer positions or volunteer for new projects at work or in your community.

10. Take time for yourself. This habit for highly successful women is my favorite: take time to recharge your batteries and refuel your emotional, spiritual, and physical energy. Spend at least a few minutes alone each day - even if you have to lock yourself in the bathroom to do it!

Have a missed a habit of highly successful women- or do you have any comments on any of the above? I welcome your thoughts below!


About the Author:

Laurie Pawlik-Kienlenis a full-time writer and blogger who created and maintains a series of Quips and Tips blogs: Quips and Tips for Freelance Writers, Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals, and Quips and Tips for Couples Coping With Infertility. She's also the Feature Writer for Psychology Suite101.

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Live well and prosper!
© 2009




Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWAD1098KHz 10-11am Every Tuesday
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos
Links2Prosperity Marketing - Web Marketing : Web Content : Web Design
Virtual Assistant Philippines - A Community of Pinoy Virtual Assistants

Follow me on TWITTER:
Join my FACEBOOK Family:

Why Small Businesses Fail (or Fail to Thrive)

The following is an article by Karyn Greenstreet regarding small businesses and why many have failed. In this article, her example is about a self-employment involving flowers and plants. With Mothers Day so near, this article is very helpful in providing insights to entrepreneurs and would-be entrepreneurs, particularly for mothers venturing into this entrepreneurial world.

(Mothers Day Flowers: Azalea from 1800Flowers.com)

Tammy, a skilled and gifted horticulturist, called me to discuss what she needed to know to start her own florist and landscaping business. She had been in the horticulture industry for 10 years and was incredibly skilled at working with flowers and plants – one of the best. She also had great design skills, as well as good customer service skills. But she had little business management experience and less self-employment experience.

Discovering why small businesses fail was a smart research project for her, as it helped her uncover her own weaknesses and begin to build up some strengths before she invested in becoming self-employed. It’s no secret that a large majority of small businesses fail in the first five years. The question is: Why do they fail and what can I do to prevent problems in my own business?

As we talked, we reviewed some of the common reasons why small businesses fail. Here are 14 top reasons, which might help you to determine why your business isn’t growing and thriving. Some of them are related to learnable business skills; others relate to personal attitudes, habits, or self-sabotaging belief, which are not so easy to change, except through coaching or other self-development work.

1. Mistaking a business for a hobby: Just because you love something doesn’t mean you should convert it into a business. Too often businesses fail because the owner feels their passion is shared by others. Research your business idea and make sure it’s viable.

2. Poor planning: Yes, you must have a business plan. It can be a simple three-page plan or a huge 40-page plan. The point is that you’ve looked at all the aspects of your business and are prepared to handle problems when they arise. Your business plan helps you to focus on your goals and your vision, as well as setting out plans to accomplishing them. And don’t get mellow – revisit and revise your business plan annually.

3. Entrepreneurial excitement: Entrepreneurs often get excited about new ideas, but are unable to determine if they’re "true opportunities" and/or put them into practice. Test every new idea against your business plan and mission statement before deciding whether to undertake it or not, and ask yourself, Do I have the time and skill to implement this?

4. Putting all your eggs in one basket: Too often, small business owners will have just one product, one service or one big client. They cling tight to this one thing because it brings in good revenue. But what if the one thing disappears? Variety and diversification will cushion you against the ebb and flow of business tides.

5. Poor record keeping and financial controls: Yes, you have to keep financial and business records, you have to review your revenue and expense report each month, and you have to file taxes and other business-related filings. If you don’t know how to do these, or don’t want to, get help from someone who does.

6. Lack of experience in running a business or in the industry you’re entering: There are so many hats you have to wear, from marketing and selling in order to run a business effectively. On top of that, you have to understand your industry, the skills required to offer your products and services, and the trends in the industry. If you don’t know about these basic skills, educate yourself. Talk to others who are successfully running their own businesses, talk to industry leaders, get a book, find a website, get a coach, do your homework. And keep increasing your business and industry skills by attending classes or reading new books every year.

7. Poor money management: You need to be able to live for one to two years without income when getting started; often businesses are very slow to get off the ground. Also, you have to create and use a realistic business budget, and not constantly drain the business income on personal spending.

8. Wrong location: If your business runs out of commercial space, you need to make sure that you are convenient to your customers, and near to your suppliers and your employees.

9. Competition: Customers will go where they can find the best products and services. It’s important for you to know who your competition is, what they have to offer, and what makes your own products or services better.

10. Procrastination and poor time management: Putting off tasks that you don’t enjoy will sink your business faster than anything else. You can’t afford to waste time on unimportant tasks while critical tasks pile up. All tasks need to be done; if you don’t like to do them (or don’t want to spend your time doing them), hire someone to do them for you. If your time management and prioritizing skills are rusty, hire a small business coach or take a class to help you.

11. Ineffective marketing: Learn the basics of marketing and make sure that you track the success or failure of each marketing technique you use, then dump those that aren’t working.

12. Ineffective sales techniques: Once you have a potential client, you have to know how to lead them down the sales path. If you don’t understand the basics of selling, get some education on it immediately. If a selling technique doesn’t work, try another one.

13. Poor customer service: Once you have a customer, you have to keep them. There are two key points here – make sure you pay attention to what the customer wants (and how these wants can change over time), and make sure you provide quick return of phone calls and emails, proper billing, win-win problem solving and an overall pleasant demeanor.

14. Entrepreneurial burnout: owning your own business requires a huge investment of time, money, energy and emotion. It’s easy to work long days and forget to take time off. But in the end, this only causes burnout where your motivation and creativity will suffer, and a pessimistic attitude prevails. You’ll find yourself unable to balance your business and personal life, and both will suffer. Schedule self-care time into your work week and be religious about taking time off from your business.

Dunn and Bradstreet recently did a study and determined that “90% of small businesses that fail do so because of a lack of skills and knowledge on the part of the owner.” However, D&B also did a study that showed that over 90% of small businesses were still in business after five years IF they had the help of a Small Business Development Center (SBDC) or other expert assistance. You can find a list of the SBDC in your area here:

http://www.passionforbusiness.com/web-resources.htm

As Tammy and I concluded our coaching session, she made a list of the areas where she needed to grow, and created a task plan to get the help she needed. Today she has a thriving business and is happily self-employed. You can do it, too. It just takes a little planning and a close look at both the reasons for your success and where you might need to get a little help.

Karyn Greenstreet is a Self Employment expert and small business coach. She helps you increase sales and profits, and learn practical small business skills.

Get the free audio and ebook, "The Art of Networking and Referrals" by visiting http://www.PassionForBusiness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Karyn_Greenstreet

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Live well and prosper!
© 2009




Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWAD1098KHz 10-11am Every Tuesday
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos
Links2Prosperity Marketing - Web Marketing : Web Content : Web Design
Virtual Assistant Philippines - A Community of Pinoy Virtual Assistants

Follow me on TWITTER:
Join my FACEBOOK Family:

The South and West EB of Entreplink Philippines at Han Wok Blue Wave

(The Early Birds: from left - Anna Villanueva, Peter Mariano,
John Santos, Jack Wong, Lawrence Moreno , Gwen Moreno, Rustum Maranan)

Finally! The May 2 South and West EB minutes.

My apologies to all for the long-delayed narrative of what transpired during the May 2 South and West EB held at Han Wok Blue Wave. Things were really hectic at work as we were beefing up our marketing team and I have to coach and train new blood from my posse.

The first South EB would pale in comparison to what transpired during the May 2 South and West EB. We started promptly at 8AM, had breakfast in between laughs, narratives and puns, and continued till 2pm and no one even noticed that we haven't had lunch yet. Thanks to the generosity of Boss Jack Wong, coffee was free-flowing and the courteous staff of Han Wok Blue Wave did not need any impetus to reach for our cups and refill them with freshly-brewed coffee. The serving of the food was, wow, really BIG in proportions that for the price of P99, each had a heavy breakfast that lasted till noon. No wonder no one complained of getting hungry even when it was already 2pm!

I was the first to arrive at the scene, of course (as I was the one kulitizing everyone), and the Han Wok staff were just setting up the store for the breakfast crowd. Everyone was aware that members of Entreplink Philippines were coming. I was about to order coffee when Rustum Maranan came. I knew he was an Entreplinker as he headed straight for Han Wok. We exchanged pleasantries and after a few minutes, Manolo "John" Santos arrived. Coffee was still brewing but our discussions already started getting warm with the excited exchanges of experiences both as entrepreneurs and as individuals.

A couple came in and started viewing occupants in the place, and I knew for a fact that they were Entreplinkers. As expected, they were indeed members of the forum and they were none other than Lawrence and Gwen Moreno. A few minutes later the man himself, Boss Jack Wong, arrived with his brood of cute-looking children all wearing the same Wong Group of Companies uniform. If our discussions were already hot earlier, with Jack Wong in the picture the discussions almost literally caught fire. And as if fun was not yet enough, Anna Villanueva and her lovely daughter Angelica (oops! I mean "sister", because they really looked like sisters – both gorgeous!) finally arrived and we almost could not finish breakfast from laughing as Jack and Doña Anna (as Jack fondly calls her) exchanged jokes and puns and amusing remarks! We were like boisterous drunkards finishing their first case of beer – during breakfast time!

(From Left: Jack's son, Anna's Daughter Angelica, Anna, Pete Mariano,
John Santos, Jack's older son, Jack Wong, Gwen Moreno, Rustum Maranan,
Rolly Pagaspas and Lawrence Moreno)

Our discussions traveled far and wide, and in fact it traveled around the world. Everyone shared their entrepreneurial endeavors, including their past and recent memories about Entreplink Philippines. Jack of course is a franchisee for Han Wok Chinese Cuisine, which is a division for the diverse Wong Group of Companies. Rustum is into wires/cables and accounting services while John was into branded computers and gadgets. Anna owns and operates Star Cove Family Resort in Balayan, Batangas while couples L.A. and Gwen have a Frutas franchise, soft-served ice cream business and is looking into venturing into supplying Cebu lechon! I am a problogger, internet marketer and into business development for the Worldnet Business Center. Soon afterwards, Rolly Pagaspas arrived and added more life to the already lively discussions. He is a professor/consultant for UP and is also the Executive Director for Gabay Foundation.

Topics moved from real estate opportunities in the United States, particularly vacation homes for rent in Florida and in Disney World, to ballpen kleptomaniacs. Jack discussed about swine flu and described a photo he received in the internet about a western child kissing a pig smack in the snout. There was a discussion about the bizarre foods in China and melamine materials in products and how the perpetrators of the melamine-in-milk fiasco in China ended up being executed. There were some minor discussions on current events like Lozada's perjury case and regarding paying of taxes. There were other topics discussed though that I was not able to capture and document, and these would probably fill up pages and pages of website content.

As promised, Jack distributed Han Wok mugs to everyone present, amidst clamor from Anna vehemently asking where Alrey Galang is. As if he sensed our predicament from afar, Boss Alrey sent me an SMS message saying that he will be late. I relayed the message to everyone and no one minded waiting for another hour or so.

(from left: Anna, Pete, John, Jack, Lawrence, Gwen, Alrey Galang, Rustum and Rolly)

Finally, Boss Alrey arrived with daughter Angelica in tow and the first thing she noticed that made her eyes pop wide open was the Hello Kitty ladies' bag Doña Anna was using, complete with matching Hello Kitty accessories of course, as she was sporting the same Hello Kitty paraphernalia herself. Everyone's day was made complete as Boss Alrey finally joined us and drank his first cup of Han Wok's coffee.

The arrival of Boss Alrey prompted discussions focusing on Entreplink Philippines itself starting with a little bit of history on how the group started, the people behind the formation of the group, the ups and downs that the group experienced particularly on memberships reaching more than 10,000 members at its peak, now down to a mere 2663 members at the time this EB was set.

The following are what the group discussed during the EB, particularly those relating to Entreplink Philippines:

a) Entreplink Philippines should have a regular Business Opportunity meet where members can share their entrepreneurial endeavors and foster cross-networking and possible joint ventures with other members. Jack is offering FREE use of Han Wok Blue Wave's function room – just pay for the food!

b) Almost everyone is receiving Cashflow training invitations soliciting negative, positive and indifferent reactions from the group. As a response, and also to educate members of Entreplink Philippines on Cashflow 101, the group was planning to initiate an Entreplink-initiated Cashflow session, minus the fees (which can be as exorbitant as P1000 as seen from other forums). All that is required of members would be a minimal amount, which they will use to pay for their own food.

c) Spammers and scammers still abound and all Entreplink members should be wary of such ploy from irresponsible forum members. Calls to re-iterate Do's and Don'ts (House Rules), similar to what Boss Alrey has initiated, should be done and imposed.

d) There is a need to establish the service blueprint of Entreplink Philippines, from a mere forum to a possibly established business organization where professionalism in business transactions and dealings amongst members are well established. According to Boss Alrey, he has no objection to such a move and would just go with the flow that active members want to thread.

d) There is a need to streamline the Entreplink Philippines organization, particularly in putting in order the SEC documentations of the group. In this regard, the group is seeking the blessings of founder Charles Aquino and the rest of the Entreplink Board for this direction that many are willing to take. Should there be a need for a new address, we are offering FREE use of the business address for Worldnet Business Center in Makati and will provide a cubicle and own local number for Entreplink Philippines!

e) A core group should be identified who are willing to offer their time, skills and resources to better serve the majority of members. A framework in this regard will be formulated by our expert Rolly, including proper documentations to handle conflict of interest and to establish procedures on how to delineate business/hidden agenda from genuine help. Additional moderators to assist Boss Alrey should also be identified.

f) A website dedicated for Entreplink Philippines should be established, where members can download resources for entrepreneurs and business people to help them in their endeavors. Committees should also be established where members, particularly those who are lurking about and are just waiting for the right opportunity. This would be the best time for you all to come out! Knowing the diversity of each entrepreneur's endeavors, these committees should be sub-divided according to trade or industry.

g) Again, regular meetings should be established to get the ball rolling once again. Each meeting will be a Business Opportunity meet, as we will try to get resource persons to provide mini-talks on tools, trends, technologies and other knowledge that will be a great source of information for entrepreneurs. The next meeting will be on May 23, 11pm at Han Wok Blue Wave. Para matikman naman natin yung lunch menu ng Han Wok!

h) Suggestions for a Grand EB were also put forward. Where? At Doña Anna's Starcove Resort of course! Jack will throw in the use of his Tourist Buses exclusively for Entreplink members!


Best Regards,
Peter Allan Mariano
http://www.worldnetbizcenter.com/
http://www.links2prosperity.org/
Tel: 83000205 to 07 local 19 Cel:09062700376

The EB Participants:

Alrey Galang
Moderator – Entreplink Philippines
alrey.galang@gmail.com
Tekton Business Center
Tel: 9287076 ext 118 Cel:09198795750

Jack Wong
Wong Group of Companies
wongjc@wonggroup.com.ph
http://www.wonggroup.com.ph
Tel: 7103854 Cel: 09228858585

Anna Villanueva
Starcove Resort Hotel
annavillanueva06@yahoo.com
http://www.starcoveresorthotel.com
Manila Office: 8558017 Batangas: (043)9213151

Manolo Santos
Alternative Merchandising
jlpsantos2002@yahoo.com
Tel: 9282352 / 9514342 / 9514323 / 5720228
Cel:09173673982

Rustum Maranan
Norisbay Enterprises
noris2007@yahoo.com
Tel:8206785 Cel:09179990650

Lawrence and Gwen Moreno
International Marketing Group
gwen.mornz@gmail.com
Tel: 8112327 Cel:09283016608 / 09178546447 / 09053925732

Rolly Pagaspas
Gabay Foundation
rollypagaspas@ymail.com
Cel:09205857277


 ======================


Live well and prosper!
© 2009




Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWAD1098KHz 10-11am Every Tuesday
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos
Links2Prosperity Marketing - Web Marketing : Web Content : Web Design
Virtual Assistant Philippines - A Community of Pinoy Virtual Assistants

Follow me on TWITTER:
Join my FACEBOOK Family:

Happy Mother's Month at Han Wok Blue Wave

Mom should not cook on Mother's Day. Treat her to a fabulous Han Wok Chinese Cuisine dinner on her special day!

HAPPY MOTHER's DAY!!!

Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday for the Month of May, we will be giving away a bottle of wine for every P2500 food purchase at Han Wok Blue Wave. A glass of wine for the mothers will be given for every food purchase of P1500.

For more info you can contact:

HAN WOK BLUE WAVE
http://www.wonggroup.com.ph/hanwokbluewave/
http://hanwokchinesecuisine.synthasite.com/wokchinesecuisine.synthasite.com/

Blue Wave Commercial Complex
D.Macapagal Ave cor EDSA, Pasay City (just in front of Mall of Asia)

Telephone Numbers:
(632)830-0205 to 07
(632)556-6858 / (632)7103900
http://www.wonggroup.com.ph/hanwokbluewave/
http://hanwokchinesecuisine.synthasite.com/

 ======================


Live well and prosper!
© 2009




Peter Allan Mariano
Talakayan at Kalusugan - DWAD1098KHz 10-11am Every Tuesday
The Big NM - Network Management for Filipinos
Links2Prosperity Marketing - Web Marketing : Web Content : Web Design
Virtual Assistant Philippines - A Community of Pinoy Virtual Assistants

Follow me on TWITTER:
Join my FACEBOOK Family: