But what action have you taken lately that would make use of all that awesome potential?

Last week I wrote a brief post about how ‘doing’ (actually taking action on a regular basis) can put someone with less natural ability ahead of someone else with boatloads of it.   The post was encouraging to those who feel like they don’t have a lot of natural skill.

An old supervisor of mine used to say, ‘I may not be the smartest or best looking – but guarantee I’ll work harder and have more fun.”

And it was true.  He was the hardest worker and always did seem to have a great time.  He wasn’t the life of the party but he was the life of the business.

Attitude can be added to the list of attributes that beat out natural attributes.

If you haven’t been told over and over again that you have what it takes – let me tell you today: You Do.  It may not be ‘in you’ in the form of some innate skill but you have it available to you in the form of the right mindset and actions.

If you’re one of those ‘born leaders’ that were voted most likely to succeed – but you’re not succeeding – is there a chance that you’ve been told so many times that you have what it takes to be the best that you thought it would just magically occur without effort on your part?

Same advice applies… adopt a new attitude and take some action today.

One of my older brothers is ultra intelligent.  He did well in school without trying.  I’ve always thought of him as a born inventor.  He was always thinking up stuff when we were young.  Good with cars, could build things, was creative and had a real spirit of excellence about him.

Perhaps more than all that – he was a people person.  People were drawn to him.  They just liked him and enjoyed being around him.  And not just young people – folks from all walks of life.

If anyone had a foundation to build on, he did.

But he didn’t.

All the natural ability in the world won’t mean a thing if you don’t DO something with it.

DO Something Today.

This is a guest post from one of my bestest online peeps, Nicole Dean.

Kelly McCausey, your fearless editor, asked me to write about transitions in business. You see, I’ve had a few major changes over the years that she and I have known each other. My husband was laid off from work a few times, I’ve lived in four different homes (3,000 miles apart), and my business has morphed countless times.

Kelly has seen me go from having to drag me onto her WAHM Talk Radio show several years ago to starting my own weekly Online Business Success Podcast. She’s talked me through my fear on countless occasions – from being her “much afraid” friend to becoming an all-out internet marketing expert.

I sat and thought for a bit about which transition I should write about. The transitions are all a blur, actually. Then I saw a greater message that needed to be said today.

Business, in my opinion, is nothing but a series of transitions and decisions.

Actually, I guess that you could define life the same way. You make plans and then keep adjusting as you go – adjusting the plans, but also the path that you’ll need to take to get there from where you are at that moment in time. It’s like childbirth. Sure, you may be like me and write up a three-page birth plan that’s very precise – down to the music that will be played and the clothing that you’ll be wearing and the post-birth medicines (or lack thereof) that you’re willing to take for pain. You should always have a plan.

But, then labor starts and all hell breaks loose. The rules change. Bringing your beautiful baby into the world healthy and whole is still the end goal, but you may have to shift off course a bit from “the plan” to make that happen. That’s life. We make decisions on the fly to get what we want.

I’ve been through a few major hurricanes. In fact, I should say “survived” a few major hurricanes because anyone who lives through one feels the impact, emotionally and financially for months or years afterwards. If I’ve learned one thing from the hurricanes that have ripped up my roof, dropped trees on my house, and cost me thousands and thousands of dollars, it’s this….

You’ve got to be flexible.

The palm tree is designed to bend. That’s how it survives through storm after storm. It sways in the wind.

The pine tree? Not so much. Rather than swaying in the breeze like a palm does, it is rigid and tries to stay straight and tall – until it snaps right in half (landing on your awning) and dies.

I recommend that you be the palm. Sway, bend, and give when you feel the wind blow. During times of difficulty and change in your business, adjust and give, without getting firm and rigid – or your business may not survive to see the dark clouds part to send sunshine beaming through.

Now that I’ve stated my philosophy on transition and decision, let me give you a few business examples.

Example #1: You take on a new client. Your gut tells you that it’s just not right but you can’t afford to turn down a client, right? That’d just be silly.

I’ve watched friends begin to hate their businesses. You know the one thing that makes that happen the fastest? Not listening to your gut. Guess what my advice is when working with a client that makes you unhappy? If you’re miserable, no one else is going to hire you. Your passion will be gone and you’ll be giving the “I hate my work” vibe. Dump the chump and get a move on. It’s like a bad marriage. It won’t get any better.

See? Transition is good.

Example #2: You get an amazing opportunity to become a writer for an exciting client, but it would mean leaving your current job (which you really don’t like). The problem? You don’t want to leave your current employers in a lurch and don’t know how they’d find someone else to take over your hours, even though they pay you poorly, gripe about you taking off for emergencies, and the job stresses you out beyond belief.

Hello?! If my coaching client is reading this … you know who you are. My advice to her? Dump them and go for the dream opportunity! As for the old employers, and your guilt about leaving them behind? That’s not a rational fear. There are people in desperate situations who would fall on their knees and thank God for that job who may be a much better fit for it than she was. The new person may deal with crabby people better and enjoy the flexible hours that the job offered. So, jump on that new opportunity and do not dare to look back.

Why do we fear change so much? Transition is a good thing. It means progress.

Me, in my personal life? Well, I’ll share a secret with you. Usually when I’m comfortable, I know that I’m not challenging myself enough. If it’s easy, I need to try something new.

I could remain right where I am right now and be very comfortable in my safe little bubble of running an online business. However, I know that I can do more. I know there are more challenges ahead for me to face. So, when that happens and I am scared, I get a mentor – someone who has been where I want to be and can lead me. I’m currently learning from two mentors who I’ll share about soon on my Nicole Dean on the Net blog. One mentor is helping me to be a speaker and the other is helping me to write and launch a book. Could I do it on my own? Probably. But, it’s much much better for my business to be taken by the hand and led through the experience than to wander in the dark alone.

I urge you to get a mentor, too. It can be me, or Kelly, or anyone who makes you feel inspired and challenged to be the best you that you can be. Whether you go with a business coach or a life coach or a mastermind group – I don’t care which you choose. Just be sure that you have a guide to walk you through the transitions in your business, too.

Now, before I go, I’d like you to do one thing. Close your eyes (not yet, silly) and picture your life one year from now. What would you want that picture to look like?

What about five years from now? What does your business look like? Do you have clients? If so, picture your dream client. Who is that person? Why do you want to work with him/her? Is your business ecommerce? Are you a speaker? A podcaster? An author?

See? Transitions ARE good. Make the decision to make that dream happen and get on the path to that dream today!

Nicole Dean jumps out of bed every morning, excited about teaching others how to make money online. Her goal is to show people that earning a full-time income online is doable – with the right teachers and focus, but you’ve got to take ACTION in order to get there. Nicole is an experienced affiliate marketer, affiliate manager, and PLR site owner – helping people everywhere to discover strategies for making money online.

Learn more about Nicole at NicoleDean.com.

Last night I bought my son a desk as a graduation present.  Having had his eye on this desk for a couple of months, he was geeked about bringing it home at last. He couldn’t wait to tear it open and put it together.

The long time ‘Lego Maniac’ had no trouble reading instructions and whipping the pieces together – something that would have had me pulling my hair out for sure. It was hard work.  It required particular attention to detail.  He’d never done anything quite like before but he tackled it like a pro.  It was hot and stuffy in his room and he didn’t even seem to mind.

Fast forward to today.  The cardboard box, packing materials, tools and a whole bunch of other stuff lay all over my living room floor.  I ask him to take care of things and finish putting his room back together and he tells me ‘It’s so hot and muggy – I’ll do it later.”

Yeah, that went over about as well with me as you think it did.

I pointed out that it was no hotter this morning than it was last night when he built an entire desk unit without complaint.    His response?  “Oh no, it’s much hotter today than yesterday.”

No.  Really.  It wasn’t.

The only real difference is that he wanted to build the desk and he didn’t want to do the clean up.

When you want to do something, you ignore little aggravations and potential obstacles.

When you don’t want to do something, those things get amplified in our minds and turn into excuses.

Of course, being the good mom I try to be – I used the situation as a teaching moment and shared that successful people do things that need to be done even when they don’t want to do them.  That’s what makes them successful.

He wasn’t terribly motivated by that little nugget of truth to be honest

But maybe you will be?

Do you notice that you’re willing to tackle something hard for fun but procrastinate about difficult situations that you think of as ‘work’?    Most of us do.  It’s only  natural.  We want to do what we want to do, right?

Still, we’ll have to do a few things we don’t really enjoy on the way to doing what we love.   We can either focus on all the things we don’t like about a project or situation or we can focus on the end results and press through with a positive attitude.

We don’t want to be one of those people who make more excuses than progress.

This is a guest blog post from Jimmy D. Brown.  He continues our guest blogger theme of ‘business transitions’.

My wife and I have been married since 1994.  During the years since our wedding, we have stayed in a variety of hotels ranging from a “glorified closet” to a resort suite, everything from a 1-star rating to a 5-star rating.

We’re not into astronomy, but we do like to see a lot of stars when it comes to our accommodations!

Here’s what Hotels.com says of a “5-Star” rating…

“These luxury hotels offer the pinnacle of service and pampering. Pristine surroundings often include manicured landscaping and famed works of art. Guests may expect multilingual concierge and/or butler services, extensive pool, spa and fitness facilities, and gourmet restaurants with world-renowned chefs. There is typically a high staff- to-guest ratio. Guestrooms feature ample space, designer linens, and special touches such as fresh flowers, champagne and flat-screen televisions. These hotels most often are located in the most desirable cities or resort destinations.”

In other words, 5-star means “the best”.  It represents the highest order of a hotel.  Or, anything for that matter.

There are 5-star hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, salons, banks and much more.

In fact, you can apply the 1-5 star rating system to just about anything.

Even internet marketing.

What I’d like to do is share some insights into becoming a 5-star internet marketer.  And what I’m going to focus on is the strategy that serves as the foundation of all 5-star ratings:  ongoing change in pursuing excellence.

• Can you imagine a hotel receiving a 5-star rating today by offering a black and white television?
• Can you imagine a restaurant receiving a 5-star rating without air conditioning?
• Can you imagine a campground receiving a 5-star rating with no “full hookups”?

While this may have generated a 5-star rating 50 years ago, it’s simply not enough for today.  There is an “ongoing pursuit of excellence” for those who achieve AND maintain a 5-star rating.

That’s the principle I want you to learn today:  5-star internet marketers make adjustments to their business ahead of the pack.

Back in the 1978 one of my favorite songs (I was only 8!) was “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers.  In it, he provides some sage advice that internet marketers would do well to apply in order achieve 5-star status…

“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”

These statements form the four stages of a transitional business mindset…

#1 – MAXIMIZE. (“When to hold ‘em”) If you’ve got a “good hand”, you maximize it.  You keep doing what you’re doing until you’ve gotten the absolute best results as you can.

• If a certain topic of information is selling well, you keep selling it until it stops selling well.
• If a certain advertisement is producing great leads, you keep using that advertisement until it stops producing great leads.
• If a certain business practice is achieving a desired result, you keep using that practice until it stops achieving a desired result.

Whatever it is that you find is working, keep doing it (even pouring EXTRA energy and money into it) until it is no longer working effectively.

#2 – MINIMIZE .  (“When to fold ‘em”) If you see that others are beginning to get a “better hand” than you, you begin to make adjustments.  You “minimize” your shortcomings by making improvements to what you’re doing.

• If technology advances are made then you upgrade everything from the format and delivery of your product to your support to your merchandising.
• If new concepts, ideas and trends emerge then you tweak your existing content, communication, operations and so forth or develop entirely new assets based on these revelations.
• If others consistently rate higher than you (in volume, consumer opinion, or any other gauge) then you identify what makes them “better” and strive to move forward with similar thinking and practices.

#3 – MOBILIZE. (“When to walk away”) There comes a time when it is a smart idea to make dramatic changes or reforms to either the way you conduct your business, the products and services you are selling, or both.

• If you’ve sold as many copies of a product as you reasonably feel that you can, then consider an “exit” strategy such as selling a portion of the business or offering a set number of licenses.
• If you’ve grown to the point where you can no longer reasonably keep up with operations (and thus have limited your potential growth) then consider finding a partner, hiring an employee, forming strategic joint ventures or outsource as many things as you can.
• If you’ve reached a plateau in your overall sales then consider adding alternate forms of revenue generation to your mix (coaching, membership sites, eclasses, workshops, licensing, advertising, etc.)

#4 – MODERNIZE. (“When to run”) Finally, there comes a time when you may want to leave your base and diversify into an entirely different business model.  Even if you don’t completely leave the market, once your business is doing extremely well it’s time to add more income streams from other sources.

• If your business has reached a saturation point where new income is becoming increasingly difficult to create, then consider branching into a related market and “starting over”.
• If your business has reached a threshold where it is basically running itself (with outsourcing, employees, partners, etc. in place) then consider branching into a related market to create additional business revenue.
• If your business has become outdated in its publication, presentation, promotion or practice, then consider a complete overhaul from the ground up as you strip everything down to the foundation and rebuild. (I.E. Keep your same customer base, prospects and partners, but revamp your offer.)

Every successful business changes with the times.

Twenty years ago there was Apple computers, but there was no Ipod.  Twenty years ago there was Sony but there was no Playstation.  Twenty years ago there was Ford, but there was no in-dash GPS.  Twenty years ago there was Ganz, but there was no Webkinz.

What have these businesses done?

They’ve made adjustments.  They are 5-star companies because they knew what Kenny Rogers sang about:

“You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away and know when to run.”

If you want to be a 5-star internet marketer then you’ve gotta transition when it is warranted.

And that’s no gamble.

Want to learn from Jimmy?  Join me as I continue to study his awesome Affiliatenaire program!

I don’t know about you, but when I started this online gig (which soon became a lifelong journey), I had no idea what I was in for. I had no business education, no experience and just thought…heck, I could do something with this Internet thing.

Fast forward 7 years later and it’s been an amazing road with many successes to share…and a few bumps as well. Looking back, I can see there is one important key that has allowed me to grow and keep moving forward – and that’s the ability to see the need for and embrace change. You see, BOTH things are important.

A lot of home business owners embrace change, but many don’t know when they NEED it. Many change for change’s sake. They get bored with what they’re doing. They tried something half-heartedly and decided it just didn’t work. Another opportunity comes up promising greener grass on the other side and they hop on over. This type of change can lead you on the path to nowhere and FAST.

See, understanding the need for change and carefully evaluating your next move or series of moves is important.

Step 1: Take a Break

If you think you’re in need of a change, take a break. I’m a spontaneous person and often make decisions on the fly, but if it’s a big change I’m contemplating or I feel like I’m stalled – a break what I need. If you’re feeling the same, consider a break before jumping into it too.

I know that staring at my computer, hopping to Twitter and checking my stats isn’t going to help me come up with a solution…so off the computer goes. I play with the kids, go to yoga class, go see a movie – anything to get refreshed and ready to tackle things.

Step 2: Write It Down or Talk It Out

Get it all out…whether you like to write or talk. Consider all the issues, your needs and possible solutions. Just getting things clarified can help you make the right decisions.

I’m a writer and I usually get out the pen and paper for this one, so I can add notes, extra ideas and make sure no stone is left unturned. Use the brainstorming method that’s right for you, but do make sure you consider everything.

Step 3: Avoid Changes that Overburden

There are so many opportunities in the great vast Web 2.0 world and we can’t take them all. Carefully evaluate your opportunities, keeping your business goals and personal values in mind.

For me, earning a great income with minimal time investment, so I can enjoy life and family is crucial. This means I don’t take on projects or opportunities that take me away from that. Think about what is important to you.

Step 4: Make a Plan & Get To It!

Now that you’ve carefully evaluated everything and found the right choice for you…make your plan and stick with it (but of course, make adjustments as they become necessary. If you’re taking on new projects, it might be time to shave some unproductive projects to ensure you can dedicate yourself appropriately. Make it as easy as possible to make the change as successful as it can be.

Change is a good thing…when it’s done for the right reasons and it works for you and your business. If you’re ready for changes that will help you increase your hourly worth in your business take the quiz…just 8 quick multiple choice questions gets you a customized action plan for LESS work and MORE pay.

Think about it for a minute. How many of us have become better writers because of Copyblogger or blogging from Problogger?

Then there’s SEO. There are so many really good SEO blogs that you could learn the trade and become a professional SEO specialist without any other resources that what you learn in the SEO blogs. At the very least, you can avert hiring an SEO specialist by reading the most popular SEO blog posts and applying their advice.

Should this great content always be free? I don’t think so, myself. I think free can dimish the value of excellent information and effective advice.

I ran into this problem just this past week as I was working on a blog post that was titled 97 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website.

I had spent hours coming up with all these great ideas of how to drive more traffic to your website. Some of them were obvious such as engaging in social networks and publishing articles. Others were not so well know like…

And there begins our crux. You see, if I give away some of best secrets of how I’ve driven traffic to my own website over the years, doesn’t it diminish its value? You may think differently, but I think it does. I think it cheapens the information when there’s not some sort of exchange.

What I ended up doing is taking my list of website traffic generating ideas and moved it offline. I deleted the blog post and figured I just use the resource with my clients. But the list kept growing. Soon I was over 130 than 150 and now I’ve listed more than 180 viable ways to drive traffic to your website.

Obviously there’s tons of value in what I’ve put together. So much that I didn’t want to reserve it only for my clients. Yet publishing it on my blog openly just makes it another in a huge pile of lists that is quickly forgottten for the next set of lists that front page Digg.

So I decided a different route. I created a teleclass around the my traffic generating ideas called 97 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website. And I’m doing the first one next Tuesday for a limited audience of 60 people. And to add value, I’ve created a booklet that not only lists each of the more than 180 techniques for driving traffic to your site, but I’ve addd my commentary to each one with tips so you can use any of them.

To go further, I’m spending 90 minutes in a dialogue with the people on the call so that we can go even deeper into the issues of getting more traffic to your website. Recording the call and offering it to the participants as a download completes the package (there is some space left for you, by the way).

So now I have something that’s taken a good amount of my time and has immense value to me that I can offer as a value proposition to others. The teleclass participants get the value of all my work and the dialogue with me so that they can find the traffic generation methods that best fit them and their business.

In turn, everyone wins. I gain from my efforts. The content wins because it’s valued for the work put into it. And each participant wins by getting the help they need in driving traffic to their site.

This has been a tricky post to write. Sure, I’m promoting a course I’ve designed – no doubt, won’t deny it. And if you’d like to take the teleclass, register before the spots fill up.

At the same time, I’ve wanted to use my experience as the beginning of a discussion around the value of free content. That’s the bottomline point of this post. Are we wasting some of our best content, best ideas and best advice by publishing it free on our blogs all the time? Or is some content valuable enough that it needs to be exchanged for? That’s all a sale is – an exchange.

What do you think?

It’s an interesting thing to contemplate. Am I just running my business to make money or am I running my business to make other people’s lives better.

It’s a question, actually, I ask myself often. As a business advisor and web developer, I have plenty of opportunity to make money. That’s never an issue. Prospective clients contact me constantly asking how I can help them.

And there lies the purpose – helping the coaches, consultants, therapists, healers and other small business owners who contact me. That’s where my business makes a difference.

I understand that when people contact me it’s because they need help solving the problems that get in the way of their business making more money and running more smoothly. They call me because they know or they’ve heard that I can make a difference in how they reach their business goals. And that’s, truly, why I’m in business – not just to make money, but to make a difference in the lives and businesses of other small business professionals.

Author David Maister once wrote that making a difference means sometimes struggling “to do what’s meaningful and not just what’s pragmatic.” This means not always doing what’s easy to turn a quick buck. Rather it’s about choosing the path that’s not only going to make you successful, but fill that need inside you to do good for others.

Whatever you do in your business it’s likely you’re changing lives. The question is, are you honoring that process? Do you consider how what you do is of personal and professional benefit to the people you work with?

Are you making a difference with your business or just making a living?

Jessica has been wanting to write for Sparkplugging for a while – and celebrity gossip is her passion. So I fully expected her to jump in and hit the ground running. What I didn’t expect was for her to never hit the ground at all and start out flying.

TLC's Chili with her line of handbags

In less than 2 weeks, Jess has interviewed Stephan Pinto from CSI: Miami, talk show hosts Whitney & Wyatt and just recently Chili from the ’90’s Grammy Award winning pop band TLC.

Why do these celebrities matter to us?

• Stephan Pinto is both actor and web designer.
• Whitney & Wyatt left lucrative jobs at Microsoft to start their own talk show for women.
• And Mompreneur Chili is creating and selling her own line of beautiful photo handbags at BagsByChili.

I’ve never had an interest in celebrity gossip – but I’ve always had an interest in:

• How celebrities are leveraging their power into other avenues of business
• Being inspired by the creativity and innovation that celebrities always seem to have in abundance
• How people just like you and me take leaps of faith to pursue entrepreneurial goals
• Learning that the challenges celebrities have in starting their side businesses are just like my own challenges

THAT’S what Celebrity Business is all about – and Jessica might just be writing about herself sometime soon if this little clip is any indication of what she is capable of!

Why are you in business? Why do you offer your customers what you offer? Why do you structure your business the way you do? Why are you successful? Why are you not successful?

I could go on and on with the question. The point is to always be asking yourself why. Why comes before how and after what. It’s the question that gives meaning to your business. You have to know ‘why’ in order to do what you do well.

The other day I was working with a client who has a fairly successful business. She’s making $70k per year as a life coach and enjoying her success. Yet she lives in Southern California and $70K isn’t getting what it might in other parts of the country. So we’re working on increasing her revenue in the next 18 months to $100K.

She definitely knows what she does. And she understands clearly how she does it. But when I asked her why she does what she does she was a bit stuck. Sure, she could tell me she wants to help people or the like. But when I asked her to explain from inside herself why she was in business doing what she was doing, she couldn’t find it.

This isn’t rare. Many small business owners haven’t taken the time to ask ‘why.’ They’re often too busy with what, how and who – what they do, how they do it and who they do it for. These questions are very important to having a successful business. I certainly talk about them all the time.

Yet ‘why’ is the question that gives meaning, that gives life, to your work. Why is the motivating factor that makes us consider our impact in the world. Moreover, it makes us look at ourselves, how we value our work and what we truly think about our business. Why is one of the secret keys to business growth.

My client is now in the process of digging in to ‘why.’ Why is she in business for herself? Why has she chosen to be a life coach? Why does she market to the audience she does? And why do they respond (or not respond) to her offers?

Again, why goes on and on. Asking it can open a pandora’s box. Yet asking it is necessarily if you want to take your business to the next level. So ask youself….why? Find the meaning in your business. I encourage you, however, to dig below the surface and ask why again and again. Don’t settle for what you know – find something out about yourself and your business that you don’t know. You might be surprised.

So if ‘why’ is the second most powerful question in business, what’s the first??? How! How is the most important question because it generates action, which creates movement and change in your business. How creates the growth from why and what.

So let me ask you, how are you going to ask yourself why?

But as I looked closer, it seemed like any strength that one had, the other could balance out with his own strengths.

• David Cook had more of a sexy rock-star look. But David Archuleta had a rabid following of younger fans that preferred his boyish rock-star appeal.
• David Archuleta sang classically composed songs that could have competed at the level of Whitney Houston hits. David Cook made up for that by pouring more passion into his edgier songs.
• David Archuleta was absolutely overwhelmed and humbled by the glowing response given by the audience and judges during his performances. David Cook responded by being so overwhelmed with emotion while singing Collective Soul’s The World I Know that he brought Paula Abdul (and the rest of the room) to a standing ovation.

At the end of watching their final performances, I was honestly stumped. It seemed like Archuleta had the competition in the bag. So I sat back and watched the winner announcement show.

More than half-way in, the male contestants started doing a performance of several songs, and suddenly Bryan Adams appears to sing his song “Heaven” with them. My husband is getting envious that these kids get to sing with such a great musician.

And suddenly, I stumbled upon my answer.

In a singing competition, it was ironic that it wasn’t anything said or sung. It was so subtle that you probably missed it. And yet, it summed up the competition in one gesture, and it also explained immediately why Cook won and Archuleta lost.

At the end of the song, all six male Idol contest finalists were singing alongside Bryan Adams, and as they sang the very last line of the song, David Cook casually slung his arm over Bryan Adam’s shoulder.

And this is probably one of those anti-climatic moments in which you go “Uh, Wendy, WTF does him putting his arm around Bryan Adams have to do with anything”? But I believe this was evidence that the Butterfly Effect was in action as people made their votes for the Americal Idol winner.

What is the Butterfly Effect? The phrase refers to the Chaos Theory work of Edward Lorenz, suggesting that a butterfly’s wings might create tiny changes in the atmosphere that may ultimately alter the path of a tornado or delay, accelerate or even prevent the occurrence of a tornado in a certain location. It explains how seemingly tiny, inconsequential events can have a huge impact in the future.

David Cook felt comfortable enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with a rock legend. It has everything to do with him winning, because it showed that David Cook was able to own the success of an American Idol.

Can you imagine David Archuleta putting his arm around Bryan Adams? I only had to watch him a fraction of the season to be able to say that I don’t think he would have done it. David Archuleta was extraordinarily talented, served up flawless performances, was able to lead the pack for nearly the entire season, and undoubtedly will continue to go on to be a superstar someday. But in the last days of American Idol, that superstardom was still too big for Archuleta to touch. You could see it in his face, in his body language, and especially in his eyes. David Archuleta felt like winning the competition was still infinitely bigger than him.

David Cook, on the other hand was just as humble, but he stepped into the superstardom that American Idol offered him, and he accepted it. Although he technically put his arm around Bryan Adams after the voting was completed, it shows exactly where he was mentally and emotionally leading up to the end of the competition.

Voters picked up on David’s confidence and rewarded him for it. He made subtle, tiny indications of his confidence along the way, and I bet that many people didn’t even realize it affecting their decision. But those tiny indications contributed more than a little to the fact that David Cook won.

So What Does David Cook’s Confidence Have to do With You and Me?

I actually had a bit of an epiphany when I realized the implications of what I had uncovered. Sometimes success seems so dang huge, like I’m trying to walk around in clown shoes that are 10 sizes too big, but instead of growing into them, I’m really just walking around like a clown. It seems like that level of success would rip me open because it’s so much bigger than just little ole me, a mom sitting with her laptop in her little home office, just wanting to help people make a living from home.

In that moment of watching David Cook win, I saw someone so likable, so talented, and so deserving of that prize own his truth. And I realized that even now, when someone gives me a compliment, or acknowledges what I have accomplished, I still squirm a little and will even sometimes downplay it.

Tiny, self-depreciating indications that I haven’t quite owned my own truth – that I am here to change lives. End of sentence. No explanations, no justifications. My mission with Sparkplugging is to reach every single person in the world that I can with the tools they need to succeed.

Who am I not to own this? It’s what I have been put on this earth to do. And perhaps this tiny little blog post can serve as a “Butterfly” for me to finally own my greatness – and who knows where it will lead someday?

So this is where I ask you: What were you put on this earth to do? What subtle ways have you been denying your own truth? And in what tiny, subtle ways can you make changes to move towards who you were born to be?

Notice I didn’t say that men value women’s work less than other men’s work. Now, that probably happens, too. But you and I can’t control that. We can only control our own actions, thoughts, and attitudes towards work.

But for the sake of this article, let’s just strip gender out of the equation for a moment. Because both the problem and the solution have nothing to do with what’s between your legs – and everything to do with what’s between your ears.

Long-time readers know that I used to be a trainer & coach with the Anthony Robbins organization. Tony Robbins tells a great story at this events that I’d like to retell here.

Tony was in his mid 20’s, already a multi-millionaire. He was walking around Boston at night in an area where there are old settlement buildings alongside of modern-day skyscrapers. A homeless guy came up to him and said,

“Hey Mister, can I have a quarter?”

Tony was initially irritated and almost walked away, but then realized he had an opportunity for a teaching moment, so he took it.

“Just a quarter? All you want from me is a quarter?” He asked.

The homeless man’s eyes lit up, and said, “YEAH! Just a quarter! One lousy, stinkin’ quarter! Can I have one?”

So Tony pulled out his money – a FAT roll of paper bills that probably amounted to thousands. He asked him again, with the money in plain sight, clearly speaking, “So all you really want is a quarter; all you want to ask for from me is a quarter, is that correct?”

The homeless guy paused for a second, a little confused. He looked at Tony, and he looked at the wad of money, and he looked at Tony again and said, “Yeah, Mister! Just a quarter!”

Tony put the wad of cash away and held up a quarter. He said, “You’ve asked for a quarter and that’s what I will give to you. But what you might want to consider is that life will pay whatever price you ask of it.”

The homeless guy was more confused than ever – and looked at Tony again and said “Man, you’re crazy!”

And then he walked off with his quarter.

I think you can probably guess what Tony would have done had this guy asked for it all – he would have given it all to him. But he didn’t ask for it. So he didn’t get it.

Instead, he asked for the amount he was comfortable with – and by doing so, he communicated the truth about how much he valued himself.

Now, don’t get me wrong – you can’t go around asking for 1000’s of dollars without providing anything of value back (unless, of course, you run into Tony Robbins in the middle of the night). But the reason people don’t make as much money as they would like to make is that they neither ask for it, nor believe they deserve it.

Well, of course I deserve it, you say, I deserve the best!

Really? Then double your rates today. Now. And then you’ll hear the chorus of internal doubting voices, telling you why you think you can’t get away with charging that kind of money.

What you make per hour, per ad, or per project is directly proportional to how much you value your own time, expertise, and contribution to your clients.

So let’s bring gender back into the equation at this point, because I really want to call attention to a post written by the QueenofSpain called The Business of Mommyblogging. There was a mini uproar recently in the mom blogging community about J&J’s Camp Baby and Disney sending a few blogging moms to Disney World. People were feeling left, out, exploited, angry, or even privileged if they got one of the Golden Tickets. Erin took a step back from it all and said:

My latest and greatest concern in this entire Mommyblogging Coming Out party is very simple: don’t be a sucker. I too have been a sucker, don’t be me.

Take the free trip but take it knowing what it means for your brand. Take the free box of diapers understanding this is a business deal. Treat all of this not like a star-struck fan, happy to get some bibs in the mail, treat it LIKE A BUSINESS.

They want you to blog their product? Charge them for ad space. They want to know if you think other Mommybloggers will like their new website? Charge them a consulting fee.

…

This is business, not personal. … This is also about realizing the true value of our community and what it’s become. Make no mistake, they need you-make them treat you appropriately.

All applause aside, Erin and I are both hoping that you will take a stand for what you are worth. Certainly, there might be times when you will take less than what you want. Do it consciously. Do it sparingly. It is far too easy to run a business inside your comfort zone – but the cost of doing so hurts you more than the lack of money in your pocketbook.

You might have not worked for 10 years as you raised children. You might have a spouse who just got laid off. You might have little experience and are learning a new industry. And you might be faced with a choice – charge less for your work, or you don’t get to play in the game. I believe that if you have to charge less to convince yourself to get into the game, then do it, because it’s more important that you get in the game.

But know that in order to stay in the game, you can’t stay at that level of consciousness. Undervaluing your self and undercharging your clients over time will suck your soul dry as you lose your passion for your work and you struggle to stay afloat. It’s not a sustainable business model.

Your life – and your business – WILL pay whatever price you ask of it. Your job, first and foremost, is to be willing and able to ask for what you are really worth, no self-depreciating BS allowed.

So in the spirit of giving our brains a break, please leave a comment and share with us what you are going to do today (or sometime in the next few days) to walk away from your desk & get some fresh air. I’d also be curious to hear about what problem, challenge, or question you have been pondering lately that just might get resolved when you go have some fun!

As a coach, consultant and business advisor I get this question all the time. The answer is simple – do something that’s worth people remarking about.

In other words – do something a little different than everyone else. Doesn’t matter what it is, really. Just show yourself to be unique.

For instance, as a blogger, go out of your way to find great posts to link too. Then, go to the posts you link too and leave a comment. Then, once you’ve published your post, email the owner of the post you linked to and let them know you loved their post and just published something about it on your own blog. Then, go and Stumble the post you linked too – giving the blog owner another reason to pay attention to you.

In business, it’s the same way – find something that sets you apart; something that gets you noticed. And don’t be afraid to be calculated. The spontaneity can come from the responses, conversations and relationships that build from your efforts.

And think outside the box (I know I wrote about this expression recently, so forgive me for using it). You don’t just have to find that one, special something in your business that will draw people’s interest.  It doesn’t have to be that difficult. You don’t have to send your prospect a thank you letter in a lime green envelope (though that would be something people would remark about, now, wouldn’t it?).

Rather, think of how you can make an impression. An impression a feeling or opinion about something. It’s also a mark made on a surface – like the impression a your body makes when you fall into the snow. Except the surface you want to leave an impression on is their mind or even their heart.

If you’re running a business and if you’re interacting with people, you have plenty of ideas and opportunities to do something remarkable – something worth remarking about. Just give something a try and see how it goes. Seth didn’t come up with the idea of the purple cow overnight. And you likely won’t either. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.

So what’s your purple cow?

I’ll never forget the first time I completely ignored my inner wisdom. I was 19 years old and decided I wanted to move to San Francisco. I made my plans, set my date… and then this nagging little feeling that I was on the wrong track started creeping into my stomach. For a few weeks, I just plain ignored it. But it grew. So, good little hippie that I was back then, I did a Tarot card reading to determine my fate. I pulled the Tower card as my outcome. All I remember about tarot cards today was that this card meant certain disaster.

I didn’t like that outcome. So I did it again!

In one of those weird moments when you start to question the universe around you, I looked at my outcome card and it was the Tower again. Goosebumps. And that nagging feeling in my stomach just about knocked me over. Did I listen? Nope.

I was going to move to San Francisco, no matter what card I pulled, no matter what my intuition said, no matter what inner wisdom told me about simply letting go and changing my plans.

Now before I tell you what happened in San Francisco, I want to tell you the lesson I learned from going to San Francisco has stuck with me to this day, in more ways than one. I learned to listen to that damn inner wisdom, that’s for sure.

Sometimes I get asked about “following the heart”. So many people don’t understand what this means. How do we know when we are following our hearts? How do we know what part of ourselves to listen to when we have conflicting emotions? How do we know what direction to take our business in when there is a fork in the road?

For me, at this point, it’s second nature. Why? I wasn’t born super consciously connected to the powers above. I wasn’t some high achiever who seemed divinely guided (Oh, FAR from it! That’s another post in and of itself!!) And I certainly floundered in business before.

The true key to my ‘listen-to-my-heart-success’ has been hindsight; experiencing the pain and consequences of NOT listening when it was surely blatant that I should have freaking listened to myself. Like the time I took on a huge database project as a designer and outsourced the coding. But didn’t know the first thing about what I was doing, nor what they were doing. I had a feeling I shouldn’t do it, but the money was so darn good… the entire project blew up in my face, and made some people look really bad (myself most of all).

Yes, you CAN grow your business by completely ignoring your inner wisdom. But ONLY if you take the painful and valuable lessons from your experiences and make better choices moving forward.

So being an intuitive decision maker in business isn’t just for the corner psychic. It’s crucial to our success.

But wait, you say! What happened in San Francisco?! Well, I moved out there, lived in my friends’ living room, and got a job in an ice cream shop. I significantly cut my earnings from my Chicago job and doubled my rent. And it turned out that the friends I moved in with weren’t very good friends. They were heroin junkies. Seven weeks later, I climbed on an Amtrak train, penniless except for the money my dad had sent. I’ll never forget that train ride in the fall through the Rockies. It was one of the happiest moments of my life as I finally listened to my inner wisdom and was on the way home.

This series of articles from the archives would HAVE to include this post – it is the one that really put me on the map as a blogger. To this day, I kind of chuckle when I think of the lack of credentials I had while writing it, but now, nearly a year and a half later, I have to say I was pretty right on with this one and I’m still proud of it.

Most of you know by now that this little blog here was never intended to be anything more than a hobby site. I just really had a passion for starting up businesses, the online space, and really know the ups and downs of being a work at home mom. But now, just over three months later, this site/blog is consistently spending (on the daily meter) time in the Alexa top 100,000, and I am looking back on how the heck this all happened in such a short amount of time.

I have been carefully studying what I have done to date to determine what I am doing right – not only so that I can duplicate it in the future, but so you can duplicate it yourself.

Some of my ’secrets’ aren’t very sexy, and certainly some aren’t even fun. Some sound totally fluffy and inconsequential. A long time ago, I would have even dismissed some of these items. But I do believe each one are key ingredients to my success thus far, so here they are:

1. Search your soul before you start.
   I mean dig deep, too. As in, the big questions of life. What are you on this planet for? What is your ultimate purpose in life? If your family was reading your eulogy after you had passed on, what do you want them to say about you?I made the decision long ago that anything worth saying is worth saying from the heart. My ultimate purpose on this planet is to help people get in touch with their own hearts. This is what led me to start eMoms at Home. Your ultimate purpose is probably different. You need to know what it is, and let that purpose be the compass for your content development.
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2. Let the real you shine through.
   I have shared my successes and my challenges on this blog – the transparency of letting the real me shine through allows others to relate. People naturally want to connect with others. The more you can share about who you really are, the more people can find something to relate to.
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3. Study the success stories.
   Some of my favorites include ProBlogger.net, CopyBlogger, BlogHer, Guy Kawasaki’s Blog and one of my new favorites, Duct Tape Marketing. To be even more honest, I haven’t even been around long enough to know about many of the other big bloggers. These blogs are doing lots of things right, and I am always looking to learn from people more successful than I am. I analyze what I like about their work and figure out how I can apply the knowledge in my own way.
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4. Add value in every post – well, almost every post.
   You wouldn’t care a bit about me if I didn’t offer you something to come and read this blog. I’m here to impart knowledge, to make sure that when you come, you come to get something of value. And my goal when you leave is to tempt you back with the promise of more things of value. I’ll admit to a bit of self-indulgence every now and then, but my goal in nearly every post is to give you more than I expect to receive from you.
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5. Network like crazy.
   Although my traffic is growing in leaps and bounds, I have gotten my biggest boost from associating with other bloggers online. I’ve learned a lot from them, offered them my expertise when appropriate, and by doing so, I’ve started to rapidly grow inbound links and exposure to the blogging community. This is true of any offline business, so it makes perfect sense that it would be critical to online blogging success as well.
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6. Be passionate about your chosen topic.
   If you are bored, your readers will be too. Same goes for blogging about a topic that you think will bring in the traffic and the money – but in the end, isn’t really what you are passionate about. I LOVE starting businesses. I LOVE online marketing. I LOVE helping people. I could write about this stuff for free and be happy. If you are happy with your work, I mean really happy with what you are doing, the fun and passion will be so obvious to your readers they will catch the great feelings from you.
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7. Trust your intuition and your instincts. Be true to them.
   I’m certainly not the biggest blogging success story around, not by a long-shot. But something within me said, “Write This Article”. I kind of backed away from it for a few weeks, thinking, who the heck am I to be writing about this? But I know in my heart the eMoms at Home blog is the start of something bigger than I had dreamed it would become (Added 01.08.0 :: OMG, if I only knew!!). So I took the leap of faith and listened to my intuition and wrote the article. I may get flamed, I may get laughed at, and I may make a difference for many people who really want to be professional bloggers. If I help one person do that, then this article is a success to me. (Added 8.18.06 :: mission accomplished!!)
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8. Do your homework about blog set up, SEO, and site design:: Techy Stuff.
   If you want your blog to go anywhere someday, use a strong blogging platform such as WordPress, TypePad or Movable Type . Be sure to incorporate good keywords into your posts and post titles (but not at the expense of good copywriting), and get the blog listed in as many directories as possible. Use Technorati tags. Set up your feed accurately with someone like FeedBurner. And make sure your blog has a clean design and is aesthetically appealing. All of these things are like going to a professional networking event in a business suit with your business cards, rather than your grubby painting jeans and no contact info on hand.
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9. Be disciplined.
   I post a bare minimum of 4 times a week. And now that my blog is getting consistent traffic and subscribers, I am posting more often. There are definitely days when I don’t feel like writing and when I don’t have a lot to say. But I have made it a MUST to continue to write and make the content good. On my dry days, I turn to a list I have made of blogging topic ideas as my backup content. As one blessed with ADD, I really don’t enjoy being disciplined. But with ANY business comes frustration and boredom at times, blogging included. It’s up to you to get over these things and continue to deliver valuable content to your readers who are depending on you, period.
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10. Blog with a higher purpose in mind.
    The big bloggers are blazing a trail for the rest of us – and thus, are making a huge impact on the internet as we know it. Even blogs with commercial content are adding value, by putting information out there in a format that invites a conversation vs. pure marketing hype. They are spreading information on how to start your own blog and make money at it, and are giving great advice on personal and business challenges.I really want to help parents who want to work at home, but even more so, I want to inspire people to pursue their dreams and follow their hearts, no matter if they do it in a home office or not. Can I do this via blogging? Absolutely. It has been a critical component to pursuing my own dreams. There are others out there who need this platform for the pursuit of theirs, and I am happy to be a stepping stone on the way.

Are there other “Success Secrets”? Of course. Even things that aren’t so secret. Visit some of those favorite blogs of mine mentioned in #3 to learn even more from the pros. Study up. But don’t spend too much time researching – it’s more important to find your own voice than to spend all day listening to someone else’s.

This post is a great reminder of how much you can do with a tiny business and a big goal. Remember this was written a year ago when the real estate market wasn’t in such a bad place.

I have a friend Paul who is aiming to become the top Keller Williams Agent in the United States. (Yes, my dear friends have dreams as big as I do!! ). He wisely decided he was going to speak to the current top 20 agents in the nation, and ask for their insights and advice on what it takes to be that kind of top producer.

Now, I don’t know about you, but I had made some assumptions about success in Real Estate. Things like being in a high-growth market, being near a major metropolitan area, and listing a lot of homes that you and I likely couldn’t afford.

Boy, was I wrong. The #1 KW agent in the nation is somewhere in Texas, in a market similar to what I just described. But the number #2 agent? She is in Crown Point, Indiana. You read that correctly. Have you ever even heard of Crown Point, Indiana? In the 2000 Census, the population of this very cute and quaint little town was all of 19,806.

This information just fried my brain when I heard it. And it got me thinking…

If the Number 2 KW agent in the nation is doing THIS well in THIS market, what is defining and influencing her success?

• It’s not the market. Crown Point is tiny.
• It’s not the home sale price. Her average deal is a very normal $200K single family home.
• It’s not even high growth – Las Vegas is (was?!) kicking Crown Point’s butt when it comes to development.

So how is it that this woman does so well?

It’s because Jana Caudill has defined her own success. On her own terms. In her own backyard.

Which also got me thinking…

• Have any of you been thinking small just because you run a home based business?
• Would you rather be thinking bigger?
• What could you do to redefine what you are capable of?
• And what lessons can you learn from Jana Caudill about just how much success you can achieve with a small market, average fees and prices, and a low-profile brand?

I realized I had been making some ASSumptions about what I could and couldn’t do.

No more, Jana! Thanks for the kick in the pants.

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”

Melody Beattie

“To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.”

Johannes A. Gaertner

Don’t expect to hear from me for a few days.