A is for Advice; Are You Following Your Own?

 

I know it may sound like a silly question but how often does is it ring true. Are you following your own advice?

Why ask? Recently I interviewed a friend in HR regarding workplace delegation and integrating additional staff. I had pages upon pages of notes with really sound tips! I had so much information that I was able to create a blog post article and share it with the Twitterverse. But a funny thing happened. The very friend I interviewed tweeted me back with a message of thanks followed by a confession of clarity: “Perhaps I should take my own advice.”

I quickly echoed the same sentiments to myself. I have managed a staff of twenty before, I have hired and also fired employees. So, why was it so hard for me to follow my own advice and past experiences regarding building a team?

Haven't you ever noticed how a friend, co-worker or family member comes to us with a challenge and we objectively point out the actions they need to handle it in a matter of minutes? Ok, some scenarios may actually take a few hours to remedy but the point is we (from the outside) see clear, we see cause and effect; we see creative resolution.

Of course, when the tables are turned and we happen to be the ones in the “advice-seeking seat”, it’s hard for us to step back and apply the same approach to our challenges. For some reason, be it subconscious or just a matter of habit, we doubt our own guidance!

Instinctively we come up with a conclusion right away but then, the inner dialog kicks in. “No," we say to ourselves, "that couldn’t be right. Let’s see what Johnny says, what Cathy says, what Oprah says.” (I will admit, Oprah’s advice is usually pretty spot on!)

This can be said for business, exercise, relationships, eating right, following our goals. Then, we go on to collect so many opinions and perspectives that we either come back to our original conclusion or apply a hodge-podge solution derived from everyone else's ideas. But everyone else isn't you, they offer their perspectives based upon their experiences which may or may not fit your scenario.

Sometimes, the very source and problem solver we need lies within.

Inspired by recent events (and the A to Z blog challenge), I write about advice today because I’m a self-help, new age, self-educated junkie! And while I love my Tony Robbins mp3’s and entrepreneurial workshops and inspirational books, I want to remind us (yes, me+you) again that sometimes the very source and problem solver we need lies within.

What areas are you currently seeking advice in? I'll share mine if you share yours, I would love to hear from you!

Photo Credit

A Roundup Of Baby and Business Advice For Female Entrepreneurs From Recent Guest Post Contributions

I have a toddler--she is 15 months old, growing leaps and bounds everyday and is definitely changing before my very eyes at an unstoppable rate. Development is a beautiful thing to watch and I can assure you, parenting takes commitment, focus, dedication, nurturing and hard work.

You see, my 15 month old baby is my business.

How many female entrepreneurs can relate to my analogy?

We start off with an idea inclusive of a product or service, we establish pricing and promotions. Then we deliver that idea and watch it take on a life of it's own. Anyone up for a business baby shower? I sure could use an iPhone!

At my 15 month milestone, I can't help but look back and say, "Wow, where did the time go" which is often (quickly) followed by "Wow, so this is what the future holds." And while I haven't had to change any diapers for this particular "child", I have had to change a lot of other variables including my evolving business model, my organizational skills and even my thinking!

As a creative, I struggle between art, thinking outside of the box and interpretation vs, STRATEGY, SEO, and more STRATEGY but I manage the best hybrid approach for me (although it's taken some mastery). Practice makes perfect when changing diapers, rocking a baby to sleep and crafting your target market, business belief statement and revenue streams, year after year.

Fortunately, there has never been a better time for women in business. And whether we have children of our own or "business babies", we can all benefit from swapping stories and exchanging advice to ensure we create the most well-rounded, happy, pleasant.....legacies, whether they are children or businesses which stand for our values and contributions to the world. 

That said, here are some wise words I've learned along the way as I shift from newborn to the infancy stage. Each have been contributed to various guest blog posts over the past year.

If home is where the heart and office are wake up, change it up and punch in just a little bit before or right at 9:00 am.  

Why?
As I mentioned in Karen Leland's Two-Work-From-Home-Danger-Zones-And-How-To-Beat-Them article on HuffingtonPost.com, "The flexibility of working from home can sometimes alter your sense of urgency to get up and going by 9 a.m., but the more organized and structured you start off, the more likely you are to complete your projects on time and without errors."

And if you are working from home, most likely it's so you can save that money, honey. Here's what I suggest you do to Sacrifice For Your Startup Without Stressing.
Pick one thing you will allow yourself to keep as an incentive. Mine happens to be Starbucks coffee. I need one cup daily and I am not willing to cut that out. But that high-priced hair cut? Adios. I go to a beauty school instead and my hair is fine. What is your money must? The one thing that doesn’t give you a pit in your stomach or make you compute just how many hours you had to work in order to buy it? Allow yourself one money must a month. ONE. No more, no less.

On staying motivated as a female business owner:  

Practice the “P” word daily. Positivity. There will be moments when you are fearful, stressed out and downright tired. But you would likely feel those things in your corporate career, too. Each morning, write down three talents you are thankful you possess. Remind yourself about your long-term goals and how the power of positivity will help you fulfill them.

These are some of my suggestions but I'd love to hear yours, too. What business advice can you pass along that you've learned over the past few days, months, years? Is your business the same as when you first "delivered it" to the marketplace?  

Feel free to post your advice in the comments section below or join this conversation on the Jaclyn Mullen Media Facebook page--http://www.jaclynmullenmedia.com