We all go through days, even weeks, of not liking ourselves, not liking what we do, what we’ve done, how we did it, who we are, we compare ourselves with others (and never stack up), we don’t feel good enough or worthy enough, our self belief can take a battering and it’s so often from ourselves, we just become too critical and any small thing can set us on a downward sprial - we’re just too darn hard on ourselves!
So here are seven fabulous ways to help ‘like yourself’ all over again:
1. Don’t compare yourself with other people. You were designed to be yourself and nobody else. There is no “normal.” There is no “average.” If you rate yourself by other people’s standards, opinions and abilities you will always come up short. You are at your best when you are comfortable being yourself.
2. Stay in line with your conscience and your own moral standards. It is almost impossible to like yourself when you feel guilty. Guilt comes from doing things you personally believe to be wrong. So get in touch with your own values, and live by them.
3. Forgive yourself. When you have broken your own principles, forgive yourself completely. You’re human. You make mistakes.
4. Separate personal worth from performance. You are not your work. As Wayne Dyer said, “If you are what you do, then when you don’t, you aren’t.” So build your self-worth on your infinite value as a magnificently designed, intricately crafted, human person. Your ultimate value comes from being human. And you are a human being, not a “human-doing.”
5. Accept compliments from other people. Don’t say, “Well, it was really nothing.” Instead say, “Thank you very much.” Receive compliments and allow them to build you up. Savor them.
6. Give yourself compliments. Mark Twain said, “When I can’t get a compliment from anyone else, I pay one to myself.”
7. Use this affirmation: “I like myself.” Say it with feeling. Say it in your mind throughout the day. Say it out loud when you are alone. Say it 10,000 times over the next year. Soon you will fully feel it.
from: SellingPower.com
Monday, 29 November 2010
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
A Typical Day!
If there is such a thing!
1. start up the computer and printer
2. turn on the kettle (have to start the day with a coffee!)
3. once orders have finished printing, sort them, confirm payment has been received, write out gift tags (yes we hand write each one) then update order status online (got to keep the customer informed on the progress of their order)
4. make a list of gifts needed so far for the day, groan when you realise you’re out of Snakes so need to make a mad dash to the supplier (luckily they’re not too far away)
5. go through emails, reply to urgent ones (aren’t they all) - highlight ones that can be answered later
6. see what bills need paying today, pay said bills
7. make another cup of coffee
8. deliveries arrive, unpack, check everything is there (ring supplier/courier and chase up missing carton)
9. do orders up plus process new orders
10. check emails again, reply, file, delete etc
11. box and satchel orders
12. update customers order status
13. enter orders into myob then file (or put back in bottom tray for filing later!)
14. make daily trip to Post Office
15. answer final emails
In between this we also, answer the phone, place orders, check advertising, put together newsletters, write blog posts, chasing up delayed customer deliveries, explain to 5 different people that we do not wish to advertise with them, use their Google Adwords program (no we DO NOT wish to be on the front page of Google for a cost of $5/click - anyone can do that!), donate 10 of our gifts to a worthy cause, buy their compatible ink cartridges or look after their $50,000,000 for them!
Yes, anyone can run a business but that doesn’t mean it’ll be successful, you’ll enjoy it, you’ll have customers (happy ones even) or that you can just sit in front of your computer and watch the money roll in! Owning and running a business is rewarding but also very demanding, don’t make flippant comments about ‘being able to watch Oprah, go to the beach everyday, sleep in, go to bed early, go shopping everyday, go on holidays whenever…..) it may look easy but looks can be decieving, money and customers don’t grow on trees!
Rainbow Designs - stressful oneday, perfect the next
1. start up the computer and printer
2. turn on the kettle (have to start the day with a coffee!)
3. once orders have finished printing, sort them, confirm payment has been received, write out gift tags (yes we hand write each one) then update order status online (got to keep the customer informed on the progress of their order)
4. make a list of gifts needed so far for the day, groan when you realise you’re out of Snakes so need to make a mad dash to the supplier (luckily they’re not too far away)
5. go through emails, reply to urgent ones (aren’t they all) - highlight ones that can be answered later
6. see what bills need paying today, pay said bills
7. make another cup of coffee
8. deliveries arrive, unpack, check everything is there (ring supplier/courier and chase up missing carton)
9. do orders up plus process new orders
10. check emails again, reply, file, delete etc
11. box and satchel orders
12. update customers order status
13. enter orders into myob then file (or put back in bottom tray for filing later!)
14. make daily trip to Post Office
15. answer final emails
In between this we also, answer the phone, place orders, check advertising, put together newsletters, write blog posts, chasing up delayed customer deliveries, explain to 5 different people that we do not wish to advertise with them, use their Google Adwords program (no we DO NOT wish to be on the front page of Google for a cost of $5/click - anyone can do that!), donate 10 of our gifts to a worthy cause, buy their compatible ink cartridges or look after their $50,000,000 for them!
Yes, anyone can run a business but that doesn’t mean it’ll be successful, you’ll enjoy it, you’ll have customers (happy ones even) or that you can just sit in front of your computer and watch the money roll in! Owning and running a business is rewarding but also very demanding, don’t make flippant comments about ‘being able to watch Oprah, go to the beach everyday, sleep in, go to bed early, go shopping everyday, go on holidays whenever…..) it may look easy but looks can be decieving, money and customers don’t grow on trees!
Rainbow Designs - stressful oneday, perfect the next
Sunday, 9 November 2008
What! You don't know how much you're making?
Have you calculated everything that it costs you to run your business? Not the cost of products or postage or packaging but the actual cost of being in business. Do you know what your monthly spend is to keep you business doors open? How about how many products you need to sell each week just to break even? If you don’t know this how do you keep your head above water?
It might be easy to look at the sales figurs each day/week/month and think ‘woohoo - look at all those sales!’ but did they make you any money?
We’ve being going over our accounts this month to find out exactly where Rainbow Designs is at and I tell you it was quite an eye opener! (Good and Bad) We are certainly growing and increasing our monthly orders but so are all our expenses, everything is going up from petrol and delivery costs to ink cartridges and cardboard boxes but we haven’t had a price increase since we open our doors in 2004!
This made me think ‘how can we possibly be making a profit’? So the only way to do this is to sit down and go through all the comings and goings of the business. How much does it actually cost for each gift, not just the physical items in the gift but the generally everyday costs that need to be met to keep the business running. There is so much I have to admit that I missed plus I don’t factor in my time running the business and simply ‘doing’ the orders.
Running your own business is rewarding but it is very hard contrary to what some people like to tell me! You NEED to know what products are worth selling and what aren’t, what profit each one makes but also look at the time it takes you to do each gift - are they still worth doing?
Advertising, marketing & promotion plus all the other bits and pieces that are part of your costs must be calculated into each product you sell to get a true reflection of how profitable they actually are.
Some of the things you need to take into account when working out the running cost of your business:
* electricity
* ink cartridges/copy paper
* telephone/mobile phone
* bank fees/merchant fees/eftpos fees/paypal fees/credit card and cheque fees
* internet/computer/laptop
* website hosting/domain name(s)
* newsletter program
* business insurance
So do you know what your business is actually making (or losing!).
Something else to think about: You can earn 8% on your money just by it being in a savings account, sitting there doing nothing. So work out your margins, how much higher than 8% is it and how hard have you had to work to get those margins? Makes you think doesn’t it!
It might be easy to look at the sales figurs each day/week/month and think ‘woohoo - look at all those sales!’ but did they make you any money?
We’ve being going over our accounts this month to find out exactly where Rainbow Designs is at and I tell you it was quite an eye opener! (Good and Bad) We are certainly growing and increasing our monthly orders but so are all our expenses, everything is going up from petrol and delivery costs to ink cartridges and cardboard boxes but we haven’t had a price increase since we open our doors in 2004!
This made me think ‘how can we possibly be making a profit’? So the only way to do this is to sit down and go through all the comings and goings of the business. How much does it actually cost for each gift, not just the physical items in the gift but the generally everyday costs that need to be met to keep the business running. There is so much I have to admit that I missed plus I don’t factor in my time running the business and simply ‘doing’ the orders.
Running your own business is rewarding but it is very hard contrary to what some people like to tell me! You NEED to know what products are worth selling and what aren’t, what profit each one makes but also look at the time it takes you to do each gift - are they still worth doing?
Advertising, marketing & promotion plus all the other bits and pieces that are part of your costs must be calculated into each product you sell to get a true reflection of how profitable they actually are.
Some of the things you need to take into account when working out the running cost of your business:
* electricity
* ink cartridges/copy paper
* telephone/mobile phone
* bank fees/merchant fees/eftpos fees/paypal fees/credit card and cheque fees
* internet/computer/laptop
* website hosting/domain name(s)
* newsletter program
* business insurance
So do you know what your business is actually making (or losing!).
Something else to think about: You can earn 8% on your money just by it being in a savings account, sitting there doing nothing. So work out your margins, how much higher than 8% is it and how hard have you had to work to get those margins? Makes you think doesn’t it!
Saturday, 28 June 2008
Fly Hunter
A woman walked into the kitchen to find her husband stalking around with a fly swatter. ‘What are you doing?’ She asked.
‘Hunting Flies’ He responded.
‘Oh! Killing any?’ She asked.
‘Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,’ he replied.
Intrigued, she asked. ‘How can you tell them apart?’
He responded,
3 were on a beer can,
2 were on the phone.’
‘Hunting Flies’ He responded.
‘Oh! Killing any?’ She asked.
‘Yep, 3 males, 2 Females,’ he replied.
Intrigued, she asked. ‘How can you tell them apart?’
He responded,
3 were on a beer can,
2 were on the phone.’
Thursday, 12 June 2008
The End is Nigh!
The end of the financial year that is! aarrgghh, not again! Are you prepared? I’m not, not even close. My books are a mess, my files are lovely and neat with all my invoices and statements filed but that’s about as far as it goes! I bought MYOB months ago to update all my accounts but……
Running a business is hard and it’s made even harder if you don’t know what financial state you’re in. Trying to do everything in your business is hard and gets harder as the business grows so I recommend outsourcing things you don’t like doing or aren’t great at doing. Your accounts are important so should be a high priority, if you’re not confident doing your own books get someone else to do them. I know I’ve left it way too long and seriously need to find someone to take them over. I made a start last week and got in contact with a company who I’ve heard great things about plus they maybe able to help with a few other aspects of my business, woohoo!
I do my data entry daily (well most of the time!) and then file the orders away but I have started to slacken off with the amount of information I enter plus I started to change my system and only got part way through so that’s put me behind. With the end of the financial year getting ever closer I know I need to pull my finger out and get stuck in and knowing what work there is involved it’s never far from my thoughts! It’s like a big black cloud hanging over me, yuk! So don’t get yourselves in the same situation as me, organise yourself and your books from the very beginning - even if you start doing them yourself make sure you keep on top of things. The moment you realise you just don’t have the time or things are getting a little bit tricky seek outside help, it will be one of the best decisions you make for you and your business. I just wish I had done it earlier!!
Running a business is hard and it’s made even harder if you don’t know what financial state you’re in. Trying to do everything in your business is hard and gets harder as the business grows so I recommend outsourcing things you don’t like doing or aren’t great at doing. Your accounts are important so should be a high priority, if you’re not confident doing your own books get someone else to do them. I know I’ve left it way too long and seriously need to find someone to take them over. I made a start last week and got in contact with a company who I’ve heard great things about plus they maybe able to help with a few other aspects of my business, woohoo!
I do my data entry daily (well most of the time!) and then file the orders away but I have started to slacken off with the amount of information I enter plus I started to change my system and only got part way through so that’s put me behind. With the end of the financial year getting ever closer I know I need to pull my finger out and get stuck in and knowing what work there is involved it’s never far from my thoughts! It’s like a big black cloud hanging over me, yuk! So don’t get yourselves in the same situation as me, organise yourself and your books from the very beginning - even if you start doing them yourself make sure you keep on top of things. The moment you realise you just don’t have the time or things are getting a little bit tricky seek outside help, it will be one of the best decisions you make for you and your business. I just wish I had done it earlier!!
Saturday, 7 June 2008
May Stats
Interesting Rainbow Designs stats for the month just gone:
57% of visitors were from Australia, followed by USA with 21%
74% of users use Internet Explorer, followed by 12% for Firefox (which is what I use)
Tuesday was the busiest day followed by Wednesday
2pm-4pm was the busiest time of the day for visitors with 4am being the quietest (not surprising!)
Quite similar to our January stats - the busiest days do seem to vary month to month but are generally Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These are things that as an online business owner we need to look at reguarly to help us find the best times to increase our online advertising and to also try and organise our week around these busy days. So, in knowing Mondays and Fridays are normally quieter we can plan our week and use these days (or part of them) for working on our business.
Do you utilise your websites stats or just look at them with a smile (or a frown if they’re not so good!)?
57% of visitors were from Australia, followed by USA with 21%
74% of users use Internet Explorer, followed by 12% for Firefox (which is what I use)
Tuesday was the busiest day followed by Wednesday
2pm-4pm was the busiest time of the day for visitors with 4am being the quietest (not surprising!)
Quite similar to our January stats - the busiest days do seem to vary month to month but are generally Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These are things that as an online business owner we need to look at reguarly to help us find the best times to increase our online advertising and to also try and organise our week around these busy days. So, in knowing Mondays and Fridays are normally quieter we can plan our week and use these days (or part of them) for working on our business.
Do you utilise your websites stats or just look at them with a smile (or a frown if they’re not so good!)?
Monday, 10 September 2007
hmmm… this is my Twitter page - http://twitter.com/RainbowDesigns but I must admit I don’t really know what it’s all about.
It seems to me you just write random thoughts or activities that you’re doing, like a blog but much briefer. My Twitter page only started yesterday and I can’t see me keeping it up but you never know. I definitely can’t see people being interested in it, again a bit like my blog. It’s very ‘me, me’ really, why would anyone care that you’re eating breakfast, heading to the bank, changing your mobiles ring tone etc etc
So what is it all about? Staying in touch with family and friends apparently, isn’t that what phones and emails let us do? Twitter is instant and can be done where ever you are, again like a phone or sms…..hmmm, I’m still puzzled?
Any ideas?
It seems to me you just write random thoughts or activities that you’re doing, like a blog but much briefer. My Twitter page only started yesterday and I can’t see me keeping it up but you never know. I definitely can’t see people being interested in it, again a bit like my blog. It’s very ‘me, me’ really, why would anyone care that you’re eating breakfast, heading to the bank, changing your mobiles ring tone etc etc
So what is it all about? Staying in touch with family and friends apparently, isn’t that what phones and emails let us do? Twitter is instant and can be done where ever you are, again like a phone or sms…..hmmm, I’m still puzzled?
Any ideas?
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