Now that we’re settling into 2013, I’m sure goal setting is on your mind.

This year, I’m keeping things simple. And that feels like a wonderful relief!

I got this mini Paper Source DIY calendar as a Christmas gift and thought that doing a collage for each month will be a do-able way to set my short-term intentions. You can see the collage I did for January above.

Focusing on an intention for 30-days feels much more manageable. I can ask myself each day if I’m acting in alignment with my vision.

Of course, I still like to have an overall sense of what the year holds, so I capture my high-level moola and milestones all on 1 page using my quarterly goals play sheet. Again, keeping it simple.

Curious to hear more about the quarterly goals process? I shared my tips and tools in this free video class: Kick-Off 2013 with Captivating Quarterly Goals.

Plus in the class, I also talk a bit about how I use my sticky note project plan (the colorful
giant wall calendar from Paper Source that’s always behind me in my Livestreams.)

Want to make sure that you reach your monthly and quarterly goals? There’s still time to join in my Right-Brain Entrepreneur Mentorship Program and work directly with me in a supportive circle of creative cohorts.

We have our first group coaching call TODAY Tuesday, January 8th, so if you want in, now’s the time! Doors close at 9pm TONIGHT Tuesday, January 8th.

Just like Dan Pink’s book A Whole New Mind blew my mind several years ago and helped me to embrace my right-brain gifts, Dan’s new book To Sell is Human has helped me to look at sales in a whole new, empowered way (thank goodness, considering the traditional way of thinking of sales makes me cringe!).

Dan shared this fun visual with us folks on his book launch team, so I thought I’d share it with you. Enjoy!!

By the way, here’s my stab at a rhyming pitch for the Right-Brain Business Plan®:

“Do numbers and budgets cause you great pain? Then, how ’bout business planning from the right side of your brain?” 😉

What’s your creative pitch?

Before we head into the holidays next week, I wanted to make sure my right-brain peeps heard the latest and greatest news!!

I’m gearing up to give a FREE Live Right-Brain Business Plan workshop on creativeLIVE. Together, we are going to prove that all you need to build a beautiful, comprehensive business plan is a fantastic idea that fills a need and a box full of markers, paper, scissors and miscellaneous crafts!

During the 3-day workshop (Jan 18-20), you’ll learn my secrets for growing a business in a profitable, sustainable way that’s driven by what makes us all unique – our imagination and creativity. I want to stress that this is a FREE live workshop, and I will showcase all of my best tips from my award-winning book, The Right-Brain Business Plan, and my extensive experience working with creative entrepreneurs from around the world.

If your new year’s resolution is to finally get your small business off the ground, or to take your existing business to the next level of profitability and impact, then get ready to make business buddies with your right AND left brains, grab every artistic tool in your arsenal, and tune in for my creative workshop!

We all have a great business idea, but that’s not good enough. You need to make it real and that’s why I will not only show you how to take that idea and craft it into a business vision but I’ll also take you step-by-step through the planning process. You’ll also learn you how to build your business team, manage your moola, and get the word out with a marketing plan. When all is said and done, you’ll have a clear idea of how to set and achieve your business goals while using your creativity and having fun.

So what are you waiting for? Join me and get that business off the ground! And even if you’re already in business, wouldn’t you love a fresh approach to breathe new life into your work and help you expand your enterprise in ways you never thought possible?

More details on the workshop can be found on my creativeLIVE course page.

And hey, did you know that YOU could have a chance to meet me in-person and coach with me LIVE during the workshop? Find out how you can participate in-studio with me in Seattle.

For those of you who have participated in some of my other live video sessions, let me tell you that this course through creativeLIVE will take the experience to a whole new level! I have a feeling you’ll love it. I can’t wait to connect with you in January!

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

Like so many creative artists and entrepreneurs, I’ve come to appreciate the courage and strength it takes. To keep our enterprising endeavors moving forward we must clear internal obstacles, and that inner critic can be mean. It can also be obnoxiously effective at stopping us in our creative tracks.

Fortunately, there are ways to be crafty right back. When the saboteur strikes, here are three simple strategies to keep your creativity rolling.

The inner saboteur puts a halt to creative action. That’s its job. And nothing demonstrates this better than one story behind the word “saboteur.”

“Sabot” is a word for wooden shoe. During the industrial revolution, some workers in the factories in France would have trouble keeping up with the production quotas expected of them. They realized that the only way to get a break would be if the machinery were to stop. So, they would throw a wooden shoe into the machines, and they would grind to a halt. Thus, the practice of “sabotage” was born.

Problem is that the success of our business counts on us to keep our creativity flowing. Sure, this internal disruption is part of our human experience, but I believe that our creative evolution depends on our ability to break these debilitating habits.

This saboteur’s insidious voice might say things like:

“People don’t really want what you have to offer.”
“There is only one right way and you should know it always.”
“You’re asking too much.”
“You don’t, won’t and can’t have what you want and need. Ever.”
“Who do you think you are, anyway?! You don’t have what it takes.”
“You’ll never figure this out.”

Sound familiar? Although these “you’re-not-good-enough” messages vary for each of us, they can be especially acute on the brink of a creative step. Is such inner chatter undermining your creative power and process? There’s hope.

What can you do?

#1 Notice
One way to deal with this little bugger is to first notice and become aware of sabotaging messages in and around you. The saboteur hates to be noticed!

#2 Spy the lies.
Every time you spot one of those fibs, the critic loses power and the real you gains strength. So, brush up on your lie detecting skills and insist on your truth.

#3 Dial up.
Like switching stations on a radio dial, tune to the higher frequency of your inner creative sage. Your best creative energies are right there to be tapped. Be present to what you really care about and explore other choices on how to proceed. The truth is that you are creative and resourceful, and you can turn up the volume on that.

To sum up, here are three ways to de-power that inner saboteur:

1.Notice when your creativity feels hampered in some way.
2.Spot the untruths running around in your head.
3.Dial up and tune in to your own inner wisdom and creative support.

Your creative business just may depend on it!

Making way for creative action, Amy Egenberger, MEd., CPCC 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.

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

Many of the Sensitive Leaders that I work with feel so relieved to finally be working on their own terms, defining success in their own way, and getting paid to share their authentic offerings.

Many of them also feel confused and frustrated when they start to get worn out by doing all that it takes to make this authentic work a success. They ask “how do I balance all this?” as if balance is the solution.

I know I did.

It seems like now that you are working on your terms, it should be satisfying all the time. But, I find time and again that there is this definite experience of wanting to do your work and also realizing that you are not having the time for you that you are used to because you are doing your authentic work. What to do?

As a new entrepreneur or an entrepreneur who is doing something new in your business, this is a step toward being more free to be. It’s a wonderful feeling to have, but it also means that all the ways that you are still weighed down will feel more exaggerated. The more you get what you want in your life, the more the things that are not a fit for you will weigh on you.

Each step you take toward freedom can feel harder and harder because you are getting closer and closer to the source of your creativity. That flow is powerful and it strips away everything that is not you. Anything that is still hanging on or that you are holding on to will create a lag and impede you.

The things that used to help you get by now slow you down. You are going through an alchemizing process. The things that used to be used as restoration after a long day now become ways of hiding.

This is necessarily a difficult process to be stripped of all the things that helped you feel safe up until now.

There is no way to make it easy. But, there are ways to make it easier ::

1. Remind yourself that you are highly responsive, simple solutions can help you feel instantly much better. To the same degree something can quickly make you feel terrible, something else can make you feel better. And, letting go is easier than you think.

2. Use it all as feedback, none of it means that there is something wrong with you. Instead of worrying or analyzing yourself, consider what the opposite of this uncomfortable situation would be. Do your best to give yourself that. Let it be experimental.

3. Know that this will not last forever. You are bringing your left and your right brain closer together. Kudos to you for doing such a tough thing. These two parts of you will eventually connect and work together naturally. Consider this training, a tough work out that will pay off big time.

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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.

photo by Stefanie ReneeGuest post by licensed Right-Brain Business Plan® Facilitator Cass Mullane

Here are three year ‘round practices that are particularly important to apply now to help make your holidays more enjoyable.

Know your REAL Hourly Wage. Knowing your REAL hourly wage will put some perspective on the actual value of the things you’re plunking down your hard earned dollars on. When you figure out how many extra hours of work you’ll need to do to pay for the item, you may think twice about swiping that credit card or clicking the “Buy Now” button.

Your REAL hourly wage is made up of four parts: your gross salary, your taxes and benefits, your job related expenses (like commuting, parking, dry cleaning, child care) and the number of hours you work in a year. Click here to learn how to quickly figure out your REAL hourly wage.

Now, let’s say your REAL hourly wage is $20.00 per hour. In order to buy a $100 item, you’ll need to work an extra five hours to pay for that item.

I’ve read that average Americans spend nearly $1000 on entertainment and on gifts during the holidays, so that means you’re going to have to work 50 extra hours in order to cover the spending average. Only you can decide whether or not the purchases are worth the extra hours of work.

“Does This Make Sense?” One of my favorite questions to ask any time I am thinking about investing my time and my money is “Does this make sense?” This simple question does a few things: it makes you step back and look at the situation with less emotion, it engages the gray matter inside your head and it allows you to make better decisions.

Let’s test it. Ask yourself this question out loud: “Can I afford this?” Now check in and see how your body is reacting physically to the question. With many people, there is a feeling of tightness, stress and negativity around this question.

Now, ask yourself “Does this make sense?” Check in and see if there is a difference in how you feel. Most people feel more expansive and relaxed because the brain is going to work instead of the emotions. Now think about how this question can help you make decisions with calmness and clarity. Wouldn’t calm and clear be nice in the craziness that is the holiday season?

Simplify. Go with simple this season and relax! Instead of running around like a crazy person, think of what you can do to reduce stress and keep your holidays cool, calm and collected. Embrace imperfection, take a walk when stress mounts, get a massage, unplug for some quiet time every day. These are quality self-care habits we should already have as part of our lives. During the holidays it is particularly important to ensure that we maintain great self-care. Then we’re much more available to thoroughly enjoy the season.

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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.”