Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Cass Mullane

I had the privilege of being Spotlighted during Jennifer Lee’s Right-Brainers in Business 2013 Video Summit. What a treat!

During the Spotlight, on a whim, I picked up my “Cool Stuff Jar” and showed it. Who knew it would make such an impact?!

The “Cool Stuff Jar” is the spot where I collect reminders of the cool stuff that happens in my business (and in my life) over the course of a year. It could be hosting a successful Right-Brain Business Plan® workshop, a nice thing someone did, a great shift that a client made, being invited to speak, getting juried into a show, making a video, doing something that I’d been putting off, lessons learned, an unexpected bit of good news, conquering a fear, going to a workout despite not feeling like it, anything cool! I just jot down the cool thing on a large colored file card, date it, then snip it off and drop it in the jar.

There are lots of reasons to have your own “Cool Stuff Jar” including:

1.It is a record of activities during the year that are gathered in one place
a.Great to look through when you review your accomplishments for the year
b.Great fodder for your annual meeting minutes if you’re an LLC

2.It serves as a simple way to express gratitude regularly

3.Watching the cool things pile up is a visual reminder that you’re making progress

4.When things get challenging, reading some of the things in the jar gives you a real boost

5.Teaching yourself to identify the good stuff can change your whole outlook on your business and on your world

6.Cool Stuff has a way of spreading to the people around you

7.When you spend time acknowledging the cool stuff, more cool stuff comes your way (no kidding!)

So, here are a few things that I’ve added to my “Cool Stuff Jar” since the Video Summit:

1.“220 Likes on my Facebook page” (www.facebook.com/ProsperCreatively)

2.“Hooked up with AmyC from the Video Summit to create a Colorado gathering on May 18 in Boulder.” (If you’d like to join us, contact me at Cass@ProsperCreatively.com)

3.“I have a book title…!!”

4.“Presenting mini-RBBP at Revenue North! Go right brainers!!”

5.“Selected as a finalist for the Athena Award! WOO HOO!”

So now it’s your turn to recognize your cool stuff. What happened today that was cool? How about this week? If you’re feeling like nothing cool happened, take another look. Maybe you could retrace your steps today to find something cool. Flip back through your calendar and revisit your week. Perhaps you might change your focus to include the small stuff that makes the world so darn interesting. It only takes a minute to jot something down and toss it in the jar.

I think everyone needs a “Cool Stuff Jar.”

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Cass Mullane’s calm, comfortable approach consistently yields positive results for clients. Her business and personal coaching practice, www.ProsperCreatively.com, specializes in delivering solid left brain business skills to right brainers and creatives in a fun, visual way. Cass is is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.”

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Amy Egenberger

Nothing thwarts our creative efforts better than a bad habit. Some habits are inherited. We come by them innocently and then they stick. Is worry one of yours?

I come from a long line of worriers. I’ve learned from some of the best. Yes, it may give a busy mind something to do, but worry doesn’t help. Let me say that again. Worry doesn’t help, especially when it gets lodged into your success formula.

So, what is worry? When the mind latches onto a thought or circumstance, maybe even a fact, adds a fear story and then runs that tale over and over like a spinning top. To perpetuate the feeling of anxiety, worry hijacks the present moment where creativity and peace dwell.

Admittedly, I have an active mind, and as a creative entrepreneur I wager that your mind is very active, too. The question is, how do we keep our thoughts rolling down a creative path, rather than swirling in a worrisome loop?

How do we break the worry habit and extract it from our business success formula?

Several years ago, my coach pointed out how my worrying ways were tangled up with success. I used to think things turned out well because I worried. I got A’s on tests because I worried. My dad returned home from business trips safely because I worried. And as a classroom teacher, one reason my lessons went well was because I worried. Worry had become an unconscious habit and hindrance.

We all know that changing habits can be challenging, but consciousness + creativity really help.

As with many changes we choose to make, the first step is to raise your awareness. Do you tend to worry? If not, bravo! If so, is worry hindering your creative work?

What are you worrying about? I encourage you to write it down, make a worry poem, tell a friend or dance it into the room and you’ll have taken a habit-breaking step you won’t regret.

The second step is to do something different.

For instance, when worry creeps in, notice how it feels physically and tune in to what your body would rather do instead. You might get up, move, run, hold someone’s hand, wiggle, wail or breathe, for example.

Another tactic is to tune into your heart. Feel the fear, notice any unease and then see what other emotions or intuitions are there.

If fear is simply anticipated grief, then what are you afraid of losing? Appreciate the love you have for what you value in your heart and check in. Is it really time to mourn that loss? Sure, losing something is often a real possibility, but is it actually happening in this moment, or is worry just keeping your creativity from getting into the act?

By deliberately choosing to stop the whirl of worry, you can get preventative, prayerful or proactive on behalf of the result you truly desire and envision.

And worry won’t stand a chance!

Making way for creative action, Amy Egenberger, MEd., CPCC, is proud to be a Licensed Facilitator of the Right Brain Business Plan®. She is a seasoned educator, life coach, artist and founder of Spirit Out! Coaching. Amy helps people find the courage and clarity to get moving on their creative path. A book, a business, a project, a change… your creative spirit gets out! Amy is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.

Join Amy on May 10-11, 2013 for fun & focus to make your biz plan real. Right-Brain Business Plan® Workshop
Minneapolis, Minnesota http://spiritout.com/classes/rbbp

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Laura Burns

Today I called in sick to work, even though I’m not. While I’m my own boss, and so the gesture is a little unnecessary, the point is that I’m fine…and that’s not fine.

I usually wake up ready to hit the ground running and tackle all the important business of the day. I feel good, great even. I work hard and have fun running my business and collaborating with amazing community partners. It has been a priority for me to practice lots of self-care activities to help keep me feeling this way- to maintain my desired level of awesomecalmandhappybusinessladyvibes. I remind everyone I know to build in healthy care practices for themselves each week, and there’s even a running joke about my penchant for prescribing self-care behaviors for everyone.

So imagine my chagrin when this past weekend brought a perfect storm of stress, biological tomfoolery, and good old fashioned brattiness together in my house. I went just a little bit crazy, and in between crying, Lindt chocolate truffles, and an angry cleaning frenzy (don’t ask), I realized a huge part of the problem. I was seriously stressed out and hadn’t been taking care of myself. I started thinking back on my schedule and activities and realized that somehow I had forgotten to do any kind of relaxing, stress-relieving, taking care of myself activities for a long time.

Like, a really long time.

I was going nuts, but at least I knew why. I immediately pressed pause on my tantrum and figured out how to make the coming week a healthier time for me…and my poor husband who is a saint. Which brings us to today, my sick day where I’ve put a priority on relaxation and renewal. I made it to a morning Nia class, read a good book while drinking my favorite tea, cooked lunch for myself, and later I’m planning a nap. This doesn’t sound like much, and that’s the point! I am relishing this down time to hang out with myself and spend some time reflecting and checking in with how I’m doing. I’m working on scheduling some self-care activities now so that I’m on the right track for keeping up the good work. Believe me, for everyone’s sake there should not be a repeat of this weekend’s emotional rollercoaster and sass explosion.

Please, all of you learn from my mistakes. It’s way too easy to get caught up in the demands of your work and home life. Take some time each week to reflect inward and check in with how you’re doing emotionally and physically. Don’t let yourself get rundown, stressed, and tired like me. Eventually you’ll flip out and it’s not pretty!

Here’s a list of some of my favorite ways to build in self-care practices to your days. See if there’s anything here you might want start implementing in your life.

Don’t be afraid to say no to people. You’re no good to anyone if you are resentful and overstretched.
Move your body. Stretch, strengthen, and get your heart pumping. You’ll feel better.
Go to sleep. That extra hour of Facebook isn’t worth the sacrifice.
Be present. Focus on who you’re with and what you’re doing.
Feel your feelings. Just express them in healthy ways, not by lashing out.
Laugh. If you’re not laughing then you’re doing it wrong.
Be quiet. It’s important to reflect, contemplate, and listen.
Embrace your creativity. Dance, music, art, and writing are powerful and magical resources.

I help heart-forward businesses create thoughtfully crafted plans for growth and sustainability. I love to inspire people to think critically, dream big, and clear out the cobwebs to let in the light and the joy! Wanna leave your soul-crushing job to start your own business? Check out my new book, Work Life Revolution! Laura Burns is one of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.

It’s hard to believe that our 3rd annual Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit has come to a close.

Missed the live event? We’ve extended 3 replays through the weekend, so sign-up for free to catch up on these amazing interviews.

We had record-breaking turn out to our live interactive event with more than 23,000 viewer hours! It seems that right-brain entrepreneurs from around the world are hungry for business-building resources that speak their right-brain language. Creative souls joined us from 60 countries – from the US, Canada, and across Europe and Asia, plus Australia, and even Nepal, Afghanistan, and Latvia!

You can get a taste of this incredible learning experience by watching The 2013 Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit – Week 2 Highlights Recap Video above. This week we heard from Corwin Hiebert, Elle Roberts, Kari Chapin, Tiffany Han, Charlie Gilkey, Casey Truffo, and Jill Badonsky.

Here’s what folks had to share about this year’s event:

And from the chat room:

• JackieB: This has been life-changing for me. Seriously.
• PamSani at SBO Studios: There has not been one boring moment on this entire summit! Glad I upgraded!
• Patrish16: Thanks to ALL of you! I have drawn so much from you all these past 2 weeks and will continue to do so from this day forward! THANK YOU for helping me re-discover my right brain!
• DebraMarrs: thank you so much, Jenn. 3rd time participant and LOVED every day all 3 years
• Laurel: Jenn, this was the best summit yet, and you are the best of the best! Thank you!! xo

Want unlimited access to these info-packed inspiring and practical sessions? You can upgrade to the Booster or Premium Pass and get the pep talks you need from your favorite mentors at the click of a button!

The early-bird rates end on Wednesday, March 13th and our 2nd group coaching call at the Premium level is on Thursday, March 14th, so act now to take full advantage of this special offer. We’ve got a fabulous group of right-brain entrepreneurs already connecting on our private, facilitated Premium Facebook group. Would love to have you!

We wrapped up week 1 of the Right-Brainers in Business Video Summit today and it’s been an amazing gathering of creative souls from around the world. Did you miss our first 5 days of interviews with our incredible speakers?

You can catch some of my favorite highlights in the Week 1 recap video above or watch it here. You’ll love how topics like sales, bookkeeping, marketing, and online visibility come to life when we bring a right-brain twist to it. You might even have fun!

Hear from New York Times Bestselling Author Dan Pink, Bari Tessler, Cass Mullane, Kelly Rae Roberts, Beth Nicholls, Lisa Cherney, Lisa Manterfield, Rachna Jain, and Kerri Richardson.

There’s still time to join us at no-cost for the final week March 4th-8th. And if you sign-up this weekend, you’ll actually get to catch up on several replays that are sure to inspire you in action.

Hear what folks have been saying online:

Want to connect with other right-brain entrepreneurs? Join the official Right-Brain Business Plan® Facebook group.

Guest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Ane Axford

When I think about first starting my business and look at my clients who are starting their creative businesses, the area that I see most misunderstood and causing the most stress is about growth.

The best advice I can give to a new business owner is to GROW ORGANICALLY.

When you first consider starting a business you probably think about the benefits of a full-grown business.

In the same way, when a gardener first plants a seed, it may be for the result of the full-grown plant.

But, gardeners seem to understand that this is a process. Gardeners don’t feel like they are playing catch-up with other full-grown gardens as soon as they plant a seed. They don’t feel bad about themselves for not being where others are. They aren’t trying to rush the growth. They know that there is a lot of small work that is about details and special care.

When you own a small business, you are really nurturing relationships. Yet, it can be easy to think about all the things you don’t have (more clients, money, websites, and systems) rather than the relationships you do have. Those things you don’t have will come as they are needed as you keep taking consistent small steps where you are. You will realize that they are needed only as they become necessary, and that is the point at which it will be clear what you need to do and how to do it. You don’t have to force it. Those things are the containers for your relationships. As the relationships with your clients grow, they shape the need for new containers.

If I could go back to my self when she was starting a business, I would gently whisper in her ear: “Go at your natural pace. There is no competition for you. There is only desire for you and what you offer by being you. So really nourish this little business where you are. Give yourself and your clients, all 3 of them, exactly what you need right now. Let go of thinking about all the clients you should have, all the big numbers. Get specific about what you actually need right now. What numbers are enough? Do what is easiest and most kind right now to receive enough and give enough. No more, no less. Grow organically.”

Instead of urging your self to grow faster than you can, consider these questions to nourish you and your business where you are right now:

1. What need do I have that I am not meeting right now because I am “waiting” until my business is bigger?

2. What is the EXPERIENCE I want to have right now? How can I have that with the resources available to me now?

3. If I wasn’t worried about doing it all “right”, what would I really like to do with or for my clients (potential clients) right now? Easiest route to do it? (Hint: you may not even need a sales page, or anything fancy.)

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Ane Axford is a licensed psychotherapist, clinical hypnotist, and highly sensitive CEO of sensitive + thriving, Inc. She utilizes holistic lifestyle services to serve those who have the genetic trait of high sensitivity in thriving wherever they may be, from struggling to leading with sensitivity. Ane is of our licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitators.