This past weekend I conducted my first 2008 Platinum Elite Mastermind retreat in Palm Desert California at the Miramonte Spa & Resort. It’s a smaller boutique type resort but I have to say, it’s a big winner in my book! 

I decided to treat myself and come in two days early just so I could have some down time, work on my book proposal and of course have some spa time. I even splurged for a suite over looking the gardens.The hotel’s service is truly wonderful. There were a few blips along the way but the staff truly did everything to make me comfortable, happy and to let me know I was important. 

Platinum mastermind members: Ira Bloomfield,
James Jackman, Michele PW, me, Kendall Summerhawk,
Christina Merkely, Beth Schneider, and Evan MK.    

One of our little adventures: the boat ride
at the JW Marriott to eat at Mikado’s.

My Platinum mastermind was ecstatic about the location and the experience. They all raved it was the best retreat yet (a few were new to the group the but ones who have been in for 2 years voted to return again next year!)

The mastermind experience was full of business growth strategies and challenges to experience huge shifts in their mindset and habits. But I have to admit that one of my favorite experiences was finding my new favorite spa treatment.

That’s right. For years I’ve raved about one spa in particular and I didn’t think any other place could win me over but it happened.

The Well (which is what they call their spa) has a fantastic treatment called the Organic Vegetable Wrap. I know it sounds like a sandwich, and I did feel like one too, but I felt like a million bucks after this treatment. It includes a body scrub, a gel-like vegetable concoction that you get wrapped up in, a head and foot massage (which were heavenly) and a full body Mediterranean massage.  

Another favorite: their salt water hydro pools. Ahhh….

Not only was the treatment insane…but the way they treat their clients is fantastic. I was given a choice of music and aromatherapy…wow! Needless to say, we will be back to this resort. I may even have to bring my honey out there to experience this wonderful resort. If you are heading to the Palm Springs area I highly recommend this resort!

One of the best moments was when I sat and talked with another guest, a manager from Wells Fargo Securities. When he asked why I was at the resort I told him that this is how I work with my clients. It was always my dream to travel and spend more time at luxury resorts so I decided I would work with clients who wanted the same thing. I could see the envy in his eye when he realized I do this all the time, not just once a year like most of the corporate world does.

So I’ve had my dog about a week and already he’s been a great mirror. Between our daily walks, a trip to the beach, playing ball and teaching him how to hang with me in my office while we coach (I’m sure Titus at some point will be able to mentor my clients), I’ve been learning a ton about dog training. 

 Titus and I at Malibu
Beach last weekend.

The other day we started our dog training. Now dog training isn’t as much for the dog as it is the owner. But there is some good for Titus at training. He gets lots of treats for instance. But most importantly, with a dog this size the most important thing is that we get him around a lot of new circumstances. But what I’ve been learning I realize has a direct parallel to my business too. Here a few of the nuggets:

• Through repetition and consistency you get better results. In my coaching I often see people frustrated that results don’t come quickly but the truth is they’ve only tried it once or twice. My dog has taught me that when I’m consistent with my efforts he responds better.
• In order to take on a new behavior or skill, positive reinforcement works best. How many times do we beat ourselves up because something wasn’t perfect? Titus really likes chicken best for his treats and I reward him every time he does things right. If he doesn’t well, I just redirect him again towards my desired outcome. A dog will develop behavior problems if you are negative or abusive. How come we don’t learn that about ourselves?
• Bad habits can be transformed in an instant. By reinforcing a good habit, a bad habit can instantly disappear. It’s the same thing with us. Bad habits kill our success but most of us stay stuck in them.
• My energy dictates Titus’ behavior. In other words, my inner game dictates my outer results. What goes on inside of our heads causes us to make certain choices that will either get the desired results or not. By being willing to practice a new internal dialogue and energy, we can bring about new results. Sounds simple, hey? Well it does take some practice but if Titus can do it, why can’t we?

I was a bit nervous at first about getting the dog but of course he is already capturing my heart. He is a real sweetie, the cats are starting to come around without any major problems and it looks as if Titus is going to teach me quite a bit about my business success along the way. I’m pretty happy all around. =-)

 

 

After the 5th person told me about reading “The 4 Hour Work-Week” by Timothy Ferriss, I had to pick it up and see what the buzz was all about.

I mean, who wouldn’t want to read all about how to work less, right?

The book is truly a paradigm-shift for most of us, especially those who truly love what they do.

Here is a quick overview of what I took away from the book (I either learned it or was reminded of a concept in a new way.)

• There is a source for “cheap” labor overseas that was only a rumor for me previously (Ferriss provides actual websites but remember you get what you pay for)
• Most entrepreneur’s don’t delegate because they think because they can do it better that they should keep the task. Ferriss points out the goal is really to free your time to focus on bigger and better things — like your lifestyle! Virtual assistants and contractors can help you explode your success.
• You must test your ideas before you invest countless hours and money building something you don’t know if the world wants or will buy. He maps out a great testing strategy.
• The ruthless “task” cut-back process is fantastic. The addiction to email is the #1 contributor to unaccomplished goals!
• His story about getting rid of the 80% of the “time wasting, energy draining” clients was right up my alley. I also teach my clients this and it works!

Here is what I would offer to those who jump on the “4-Hour Workweek” bandwagon.

The truth is if you love your work, you will never want to work only 4 hours a week. My guess is Ferriss has huge ADD and never really had a calling. But his calling became to teach others how to simplify their approach to living their ideal lifestyle. The principles in this book are excellent if you apply them to your own world.

Remember, a formula only works for you if you know how to align it with your own values, priorities and needs. Take what works and leave the rest.

If you love the idea of building a team and/or using virtual assistants (and you should) you might want to check out www.virtualteambuildingtelebootcamp.com. It is the program I teach to help people truly master the necessary skills, mindset and habits of someone who has a virtual team.

As for the book, for less than the price of dinner you will definitely get a brand new take on how to work less! It’s a great read and I highly recommend it.

I’ve just had so many opportunities to change my thinking and uplevel my standards since the Billionaire Bootcamp in Hawaii. It’s actually been a lot of fun to share these learnings with my team and my clients. Here is another a-ha that has really been quite powerful for me.

One of the exercises we did was to research five billionaires on how they think, make decisions, what their habits are, etc. It’s called Performance Modeling. It’s a technique I’ve used for years with my coaching clients and doing this for myself was quite valuable.

After completing the modeling exercise, I realized that in order to grow my own business to the next level, I had to be willing to incorporate some values and beliefs of one of the billionaires that I have least resonated with — Donald Trump. What I realized is that many billionaires share the same values but how they pursue them can be different.

The five billionaires I modeled are:

Donald Trump
Oprah Winfrey
Bill Gates
Richard Branson
Warren Buffett

Then I wrote out an index card with the 3 personal values/beliefs I am incorporating into my life.
Negotiate for win-win outcomes — Donald Trumps value was negotiate to win. I believe that I could increase my profitability, revenues and accomplishments if I always negotiate to win-win outcomes. Sometimes I give up and feel as if I lost because I don’t want to offend or push. It hit me like a ton of bricks that if it doesn’t serve me, it will never ultimately serve the other person either.

Run a tight ship — if the ship (aka my company) has a leak, it will be poisonous to me, my team and ultimately my clients. I asked my team if they would all agree to help me tighten the ship. That means new systems, keeping our word for on-time deliverables, addressing problems head on with better strategies immediately, etc.

Be tough — sometimes I go for being nice over being strong. I know many females have the same challenge. I’m being honest here when I say that I realized sometimes I’m not tough enough and I end up forgoing opportunities that seem like to much of a hassle. I decided I’m willing to “toughen up” a bit and play the game with a bit more stamina. What could it hurt? =-)

I also have a personal value that I established as a new standard for my team — Four Seasons Excellence. We’ve always had a commitment to excellence. However, if I set the bar higher at “Four Seasons Excellence” then we have a standard of consistent, client-focused excellence. If you’ve ever been to a Four Seasons Resort, you know what I mean here.

My coaches and my staff have all been very excited about these new standards. It’s like I brought a Vitamin B shot to the team and we’ve all become even more inspired to take action! Imagine what could happen in your business if you incorporated this kind of cutting-edge technique into your life? If you are interested, check out some of our coaching programs at http://www.successconnections.com/.

It Pays to Party Crash… In the midst of preparing for my next live event on March 10 - 12, I decided to take my good friend Ali Brown’s invitation and crash their Mega Book VIP Party. Once a year Mark Victor Hansen, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul series, hosts a big event for authors. I wasn’t attending this year but I couldn’t pass up a great opportunity to hang with my buddies and catch up with some old friends.

Famous Amos
Me, Wally Amos (of the Famous Amos cookie company,) and my good friend Adam Urbanski of The Marketing Mentors.
I first saw Wally Amos speak about 10 years ago at a church in San Diego. He inspired me by saying “No matter where I am or what time zone it is, I meditate EVERY day.” Talk about having a good success habits!

The E-Book Coach
Ellen Violette — one of our marketing parnters — and a great support team for getting that e-book out of your head and onto the internet!

The Girls in the Hall

Aimee Mandossian, Lorrie MF, and me. It looks like dark, seedy hotel but its really just bad lighting.

Dan Safkow of pocketseminars.com gave me som GREAT ideas of how to get in the podcast game. So of course, I finally broke down today and bought an IPOD Nano (Dan would be very proud!)

Success Habits — What do you do EVERY DAY that supports your success?

On my VIP mentoring call today, our group discussed our daily success habits. What we do every day either supports or sabotages our success. If you look at any accomplished person (whether it be in busienss, health, relationship, etc.) you will find that they are committed every day to habits and behaviors that support their “outcome.”

So here are some things that people do to support their “successful outcomes:”

- My friend Ali Brown is my mentor for an awesome body. Every day she goes to the gym NO MATTER WHAT. That is a consicous choice she makes to ensure that she gets the results she desires.

- One of my clients who owns a mortgage business makes 10 phone calls every day to his marketing partners and past clients. This one habit can help him increase his business results up to 50% within 45 - 60 days.

- In the movie “What the Bleep Do We Know” one of the scientists interviews talked about creating his day every morning. He literally creates a picture in his mind every day of what he wants to have happen. Every time the “magical situations” occur, he knows he has just reinforced the power of creating his day.

Some of my success habits:
- Every day I choose to eat healthy, balanced meals including protein, veges, no sugar, etc.
- Every day I read or listen to one expert who motivates me to achieve more.
- I go to a yoga class and work out at least twice a week (more when I’m in town.)
- Every week I work on one system or procedure to streamline my business.
- I outsource anything that needs to be done that someone else does better (my bookkeeping, calendering of appointments, preparing documentation, following up with people, etc.)
- After a speaking event, I schedule an entire day to rest & get a massage!!!
- I spend at least one meal per week with friends/colleagues that I love and adore. This continues to stimulate my thinking, excites me to play bigger, and strengthens my sense of community.
- I keep a written list of tasks that must be completed during the week. Every day I commit to completing at least three. Anything that I say yes to completing gets put on the list. So when I have free time unexpectedly, I pull out the list and focus on completing new tasks.
- I write in my Success Journal daily to acknwoledge my accomplishments and learnings while reinforcing my goals.
- I give loving, supportiving compliments to my family/boyfriend/friends every day.

These are just some of my success habits and behaviors. The bottom line is that change must be conscious — you have to chose to do what needs to be done (especially if you are changing bad habits.)

What is a success habit that you have adopted that has transformed your success?

Are you Planning for Wealth?

Last Tuesday, Loral Langemeier, one of my all time favorite speakers, was a presenter at the Shared Vision Network luncheon. (This is a professional organization for entrepreneurs that I run which attracts a lot of very high-powered, wealth-building people.)

Why is Loral one of my favorite speakers? Because she has mastered the game of wealth. Here are a few tips she suggested:

1. Know where you are today. If you don’t know exactly where you are then you don’t know how to get to wealth.

2. Create the proper foundation for wealth. You must have the “inner game” of wealth to create the “outer game” of wealth. This includes having the beliefs and attitudes that you CAN create wealth.

3. Install proper wealth structures in your business. If you are a self-employed person that is not in an LLC or Incorporated, you are not ready to make more money. The government will basically take everything you earn. Also, you must have QuickBooks or another type of busienss accounting software.

4. Have a plan for real wealth. Not only do you need to be realistic with your plan, but you need to be diversified.

5. Know your “wealth date.” What is the day that you will achieve your desired wealth.

Does any of this sound familiar? On many levels, this is what I teach people in the Unstoppable Goals Method - how to set and achieve goals, creating a vision of the ideal lifestyle, and ensuring the beliefs and success habits are in place to support the goal.

Go get that Wealth Plan!

Model Successful People to Leap Forward in your Success

I’ve been learning a lot of new skills lately and there is one thing that I’ve realized. I learn by watching people “do their thing.” Now a lot of people might learn from books, or listening to instructions, or maybe they can break down all the steps in their head if they see the end result. Not me, I have to watch and model someone else’s behavior.

Last week my friend Liora and I went to salsa lessons. Now Liora is a seasoned salsa dancer and I’m on my second lesson. The room is jam-packed (probably 50 people) and our instructor is about 5 feet tall with no microphone. As we partner up with someone to practice the steps, I’m realizing that I get through the first couple of moves OK but there is a complicated turn that I completely blow each time. So time and again my partner tries to lead me through the turn and each time I lose my footing.

I finally took a time out to watch the female instructor – so I could model her foot steps. I watched where she placed her feet, how her body was positioned with her partner, and the timing of each step as she moved through the turn. As I practiced the turn again – voila! I had it.

Why is this important? Because when you are learning something new, you can take a giant leap toward the results you want simply by modeling the thinking, actions and lifestyle of someone who is successful.

If you are trying to learn a new skill, one of the quickest ways to change is to model someone successful. Here are a few tips:
- Pay attention to their success habits (what they do every day.)
- What are their belief systems?
- How do they spend their time and energy?
- How do they solve problems?
- Who do they spend time with?
- What strategies did they use to get where they are today?
- What kind of education/training do they have?
- Who are their mentors?

The important thing when you model someones success habits is to take what works and leave the rest. Remember, nobody is perfect! However, there is a lot to learn out there in the world of entrepreneurism – and it is a long road if you do it alone.

Who will be your model of success?