After Obama’s inauguration speech, like many people I asked myself, “how can I inspire myself to greatness in my own business, and in turn how I can inspire others to do the same?”

To me, greatness is about stretching past where I think I can go. It’s time to be done with complaining about the government and what they’re not doing. Instead, it’s time to turn around and see what I can pull out of myself.

It’s also time to let go of the fears, and worries and just go for it;  be of more service, help more people and reach my highest potential.

What I love about our new president is that he  calls people to let go of their inner cynic, get out of the pit and take action.

That call is a breath of fresh air and a wonderful change. No matter how difficult the challenge or how hard the road, we can each be successful  and aspire to excellence.

•  Do you inspire yourself to greatness in your own business or do you shy away from the challenges that would take you to that place?

•  Do you see the obstacles and shrink away or do you  really go for it.

•  Do you make decisions based on your limiting beliefs or on your dreams of greatness?

Here is a simple but powerful process you can do right now. What are three things you want to do in the next three months that would feel like inspired greatness in your business? Write them down and then post them in three places or tell three people. Put them on Twitter and on Facebook.  It’s ok to say it, in fact yell it out. You will in term inspire other people to do the same and the whole world will feel the vibration. It can all begin with you and your small business.

Here are my three things:

1. Hire an assistant to join my team.

2. Begin a new mastermind group.

3. Finish the rough draft of my book .

Just writing this has already set this in motion. I would love to hear your three things as well.

I am always amazed at the power of visioning. Even though I’ve been doing this “ritual” every January for many years, I am still so in awe when I view my own finished vision board and compare it to the one from last year. Not only does it clearly shine out as a beacon of light  to where I am focusing my intentions, goals and energies for this year forward, but it is such a huge visual acknowledgment of where I am now, compared to January 2008.

I especially can see the change in my business (lower center) and it is a big awareness to see that all the business development work, marketing and organization I did last year, has paid off.

For my business, I realized that 2009, the inner or yin part is all about re-energizing my office, making space, changing the physical work space and allowing for business expansion and growth.

After completing my board, I stayed up until midnight remodeling my office, moving desks, wires, cleaning and creating a whole new energy of openness. That was all catalyzed by putting “new office” pictures on my board. It wasn’t until I began to build the board that I realized I even needed office pictures.

This is often how the process works.The experience of doing the board helps you to align what needs to happen.

On the yang side of my business, (upper center) it is all about productivity ( my word for the year) and circulation. The world is calling for my books and products to be more available as they are developed to help people to overcome obstacles in their own business. My first e-book will be in print this year.( watch this space).

With my past vision boards, I have always crammed the space full of pictures and words. This time there are open spaces. It might stay that way to allow for expansion or maybe something else needs to be added later. This is another difference and change that intrigues me.

Although my main focus is growing my business and helping other small business owners to grow theirs, using the Ba-gua as a guide for my board has helped me to see that all my life areas work together to bring balance and harmony in my life. My business is here to support my life, not the other way around.

If you have never done a vision board here is an easy step-by-step process.

1. Gather materials: lots of magazines, old calendars, greeting cards, photos,foam board, glue stick, scissors. Do it with a friend or two if you can.

2. Following your own process, get centered and make an intention, say your word for the year or just meditate for a few moments. You can pick a tarot card, sing, listen to music. Whatever works for you.

3. Begin to go through your magazines and cut out any pictures or words that jump out at you. Make a big pile. You won’t necessarily use them all but you won’t know until you get started. I think it works better to not try to control the process but allow the pictures and words to choose themselves.

4. Begin to arrange the pictures and words on your board. When it feels right, glue them down. Look for more pictures or words as needed. There is no right way to do this, only your way.

5. Share your completed board with your friend, mentor or mastermind buddies.

6. Hang it on the wall of your office where you will see it all year.

I used the Ba-gua as a guide for my vision board this year. I loved this process as it feels complete and harmonious, as each area of my life is represented with the appropriate colors and location.

Have you done your board? Take a picture of it and include it hear with your comments. I’d love to see it.

The start of the new year is a wonderful to time to create your new goals for the year. Most likely your in-box is filled with a plethora of announcements of workshops, classes and help around goal setting. This is all good, and I am a strong supporter of strategic planning myself.  However, I think the easy part is planning and writing down your goals.

It’s similar to planning a vacation. You know where you want to go and you can picture yourself laying on the beach in the sun and enjoying the rewards of getting there, feeling free and successful. All your planning helped make it happen.

But the hard part for me is overcoming the obstacles that keep me from getting there. I know exactly what I want to accomplish in my business this year, but just knowing that doesn’t make it happen. In fact, overcoming the obstacles becomes the real work and the real success.

I can write down my goals, see them on paper, create a picture of it in my mind and then it becomes a huge leap to get there. I have to face all kinds of inner demons; fears around money and self doubts, not knowing how,  and on and on.

There are then only two choices. Either stay safely where I am or face the fears and go for it.  Here are a few questions that will help to take the fear out of the process. Insight is always an excellent first step.

1. If you can imagine yourself and your business at the end of 2009, what do you want it to look like and where do you want it to be?
2. What needs to happen in order for that to happen?
3. What  obstacles might be in the way of you reaching those goals?
4. What do you need to do to overcome those obstacles?
5. What support do you need to be successful in getting past the obstacles?
6. Are you willing to do whatever it takes to create the business you want?