Taking Care Of Business

Are you taking care of your business? I'm not talking about "business" in a strictly financial sense, but "business" with the idea that whatever you're shooting for success wise. And as such, do you complete your tasks?

Once you have a course plotted for success, there are going to be a million things that will vie for your attention and time. It's not that these things haven't been there before now, and it's not even that the world seems to be plotting against you succeeding. It's just that now you have a focus and you'll begin to notice things that seem like they shouldn't be on your radar screen.

It doesn't mean that you don't do the little pesky things that are buzzing and want to be taken care of (especially if it relates to your job), just that you must not let those things pull you off-track.

So how do you stay on-task? The best way I've found, bar none, is to keep a daily “To-Do List” of tasks that must be accomplished as you move towards your goal. A hint with this is to break the big tasks into a series of small ones and then to give yourself a reward-system as you do it. These rewards can be anything you feel gives you a “pat on the back”. I use check-marks for small tasks and some sort of family outing for the big ones; others use stickers (sounds silly, but if it works, who cares), still others use tangible rewards as they accomplish so many small or large tasks.

Whatever motivates you is the key – so keep the tasks simple and keep it attainable. If the carrot is too far out in front of the horse, the horse will give up. If it's just close enough to smell and see but just out of reach, the horse will keep moving towards the incentive.

Let's say your goal is to lose 60 pounds. That's quite a chunk of weight and can take a long time to accomplish. As you go along toward your goal, you need a new wardrobe. Should you wait until all the weight is gone to buy those new clothes? I would think not because your closet full of clothes will look quite loose and ill fitting if you do.

But let's talk about small, incremental rewards that help move you towards your goal. If you lose 10 pounds, your current clothes won't look too baggy on you, but you will surly notice a difference in your waistband that might bother you. Do not throw the pants away or go buy a new pair, instead take your favorite ones to a seamstress or tailor to be taken in. Might sound strange; however look at it this way. You are taking something that you used to fit in, and shrinking it down to fit you now. It is a very powerful image to see this material coming off your clothing as the weight is coming off of you.

It's a small reward and saves you the money of buying new pants that you will continue to shrink out of. It also keeps you motivated. For the next 5 or 10 pounds, think about some new cosmetics or a new hairstyle - small things that will make you feel better, inside and out.

Taking care of business and staying on task. Now that's the way to plot a course to success!

Writing a Blog Worth Reading

Things Most Popular Blog Posts Have In Common…

1. They’re Built On “Big Idea” Or Concept

“It takes a big idea to attract the attention of consumers and get them to buy your product. Unless your advertising contains a big idea, it will pass like a ship in the night.” — David Ogilvy

It’s hard to imagine, but writing is actually the least important part about “writing” blog posts. If you don’t think, your articles will stink!

2. They are Filled With Emotion, Feeling And Excitement!

“It is getting the feeling of your letter that counts” – Robert Collier

Before you write anything at all, you should get excited! This might sound silly, but smile while you write as it will shine through in your words and bring life to what you say.

Write fast! You’ll have time to edit later. It’s better to have an emotional letter filled with typos than a grammatically perfect article nobody gives a hoot about. If you want action, then emotion is the way to get it.

3. They Have Eye Catching Subheads

The easiest way to turn an ugly duck article into a hot one is to spend more time on your headline, subheads, and first paragraph. Remember that most people won’t read every word you write, so use your subheadings to hook new readers. Work on the “double readership” path by making your subheads tell part of your story, with or without your article.

4. They Have A Muscular Call To Action

Without exception, every popular post I write has a “call to action”. There’s a good reason for it too – It works. So, I ask you questions, try to spark a conversation and aim to get you involved with this blog. You should never end a blog post without telling your readers what to do next.

5. They Have A Drop Dead Gorgeous Topic

Obviously, it doesn’t matter how good of a writer you are if you’re not going to write about things people want to read about. I once heard a design instructor tell his students: “Do the woman in the bikini not the pumpkin.” His point being, that it doesn’t matter how good of a photographer you are, a pumpkin will only get you so much applause.

“What you say is more important than how you say it.” — John Caples

6. They’re “Brain Dead” Easy To Read

Another thing, almost all popular posts and articles have in common is short words, sentences and paragraphs. It’s almost like they telegraph words into your brain. Avoid writing solid blocks of text as it’s like trying to read sand paper by rubbing your eyeballs on it!

Enjoy your writing and do not let it consume you. Having fun writing makes what you write better which means more people will read them, creating more traffic for you, creating more followers and finally more sales.