Today is Valentines Day and I know a lot of people feel this is just another commercial holiday and not very meaningful, however I beg to differ.

Considering that we all live in a world that is overflowing with violence and fear, this is one sweet, peaceful opportunity to put forth positive energy. What can be more positive and peaceful than “love?”

Here are five loving things you can do today in honor of this heartfelt holiday.

1. Send a huge valentine and acknowledgment to each person on your team. They support you and are there for you when you need them. Show your gratitude in some way. Even an e-card will suffice.

2. Buy a card or flowers for someone special in  your life. This small act has two positive features. You will be doing something really nice for someone you care about, whether it’s your partner, your mom or your best friend. Secondly, buying something locally helps the local economy and supports another business.

3. Put some flowers in your office on your desk right where you can see them.  A feng shui person told me that the best place to put them is  at the far left corner of your desk, which is the wealth area. Your business will like this:)

4. Do something really nice for yourself today. Running your own business is a lot of work and sometimes feels overwhelming. Give yourself a pat on the back and reward yourself for all the hard work and focus.

5. Commit to work-life balance in your business. Plan a time away for at least a couple days. Go to the beach, the mountains or somewhere to re-fresh. Put it on your calendar and make the decision today.

Of course, putting for all this love and appreciation will come back one hundred fold. Just imagine your business smiling 

Most people know about the power of visioning.  Gymnasts do it before their programs, runners do it before their big races and Norman Vincent Peale and Napolean Hill have written about creating success and wealth by just changing your thoughts.

It is also possible to put forth a strong vision for your year by creating a collage. I do this every year and hang it on the wall of my office. Every so often a glance at it and am overwhelmed by the focus I have put forth.

In December at looked at my 2009  collage and was flabbergasted that I had actually manifested so much of my vision. Some of it materialized in ways I could never have predicted.

I met with a lovely group of  woman the first week of January and created my 2010 collage.  I had no idea really, what would emerge, but again it is perfect.  I have hung it on the wall of my office again and now will watch it take shape.

Instructions on creating your new vision board!

Let me know how it goes!

This blog is all about “true confessions.”  Hopefully I will also model how to gracefully admit a mistake and grow stronger because of it!

I’ve been working on my new book for the past two years. It’s done now, however writing it was the easy part. Finding the right title and book cover was the hard part. I struggled with the title for months and months. I had three book title parties, did flip charts,  thought about it in my sleep and finally I just picked a title because I needed to move on.  I had a cover made by a wonderful graphic artist, Dave Sparks. I put it up on my website and then,  it didn’t feel right.  I knew it deep down, but didn’t want to admit it because it was done!!

Then Bonnie from Silver Vixens,  offered feedback and I listened. Her feedback rang true and it all fell into place. My title was there all the time and I just didn’t see it.  I was afraid to tell Dave that the cover was wrong because he worked so hard on it. Good cover but not for my book!

Dave was great and helped me create a new cover. Here it is. I love it and love the title and the book hasn’t changed. It is still really good! It will be out in February but you can buy it now and save some money.

Clear Your Focus, Grow Your Business
7 Simple steps to empower your business and bring YOU money and freedom

I learned that it is ok to make a mistake and fix it. People understand, and it’s all part of the process of being a small business owner. I teach people about this, but that’s way easier than doing it myself! Please leave comments. I’d love to hear if this has ever happened to you.

Last week I  talked with to two different solo business owners who said they had lost the passion for their business.

In both cases they had worked hard for many years, put in blood sweat and tears and in the end,  the poor  financial return had affected their motivation to keep going. It reminded me of the job putting a big garden, doing the hard physical work and then seeing the crop yield poor. Very discouraging!

What was similar about both of these women is that they had a home based business,  not enough support and  felt a sense of isolation.

Passion and life force is something that needs to be “tended,”  It needs good soil , sunshine and love. Here are a five essential supports to help grow your business garden.

1. Mentor
A mentor is someone who listens and supports you, is positive, encouraging and can help you sort out issues and make decisions. Successful business owners have many mentors throughout their business life.

2. Mastermind group
This is a small group of five-six business owners who meet regularly and support each other, share their goals, learn from each other and build on each person’s strengths.

3. Community
All business owners need community in their local area. This often comes in the form of networking groups that meet regularly. as that offers the ability to build strong relationships. Online is good but nothing is a substitute for face-to-face meeting.

4. Inspiration
Everyone needs inspiration and this can come in the form of books, tapes, classes, webinars, videos and anything that brings you inspiration.

5. Spirit
This will take a different form for each person but it includes meditation, yoga, church, chanting. It can also include  anything that lifts your spirit and makes you feel connected to a greater purpose.

These five supports are good for everyone, but especially important for people who are running their own business. They will help you to keep your passion intact and your business life force strong.

Running a business is hard work, with many challenges around all kinds of stuff, but the biggest challenge is with your own state of mind.

As a business owner, your mental and/or emotional state can have a huge effect on your productivity, your relationships and your business as a whole.

It could be that you wake up one Monday morning and just feel depressed. You don’t want to get out of bed, you don’t want to be creative, deal with employees or face the tasks that need to be done.

Owning a business is similar to being married. When things are sunny and happy, you love each other and it feels great,  you are energized and passionate. But sometimes things feel blah and the passion has gone out the window. Everything your partner does irritates you and you just want to be left alone. The choice you make at this moment is pivotal.

You can choose to stay in the dark place and be grumpy or you can choose to do whatever it takes to change your state of mind. The first step is to be aware of the fact that you have this choice.  You are not at the mercy of your emotions. You can choose what you want and how you want to be.

Here are a few tips that can help any business owner to move into a more empowered place and choose how to begin your day and how to relate to your business.

1. Remember your business vision. If you have done a vision board, take a few moments to look at it. It will remind you who you really are and what you are creating.  My own vision board has words like, “clear vision, lose yourself in the magic, be lifted to your higher self and we hear you”. When I read those words it reminds me of how I felt when I wrote them.

2. Energize your physical space. Clean your office, get fresh flowers, move furniture, light a candle, play uplifting music or anything that will help to change the energy on the physical level. Just the act of doing this will affect your state of mind and will help you to move out of a doldrum.

3. Contact your mentor or a close friend and share. Just talking to someone who is a good listener can make a huge difference. Depression lives inside and when you begin to talk,  it moves the energy outward and brings you back in touch with your life force.

4. Make a list of what you want to accomplish this week. Write it on a white board so you can easily erase things as you complete them. Creating your list is good because it is concrete and will get you thinking about what you need to do.  Right action is energizing and can get you moving.

5. Acknowledge all you are grateful for in your life and business. Give appreciation to people who have supported you and cared about you. Give thanks to everything good that has come your way.

Now breath, smile and move forward in your day and week with a positive state of mind.