6 Ways Structure Can Help You Achieve Peak Creative Performance

As a business coach for freelancers and creative professionals, I specialize in working with people who are in a place of transition in their career or creative business. While their unique circumstances vary, more often than not they share one key challenge; they're not fulfilling their creative and commercial potential. I've come to believe that a successful creative business is a blend of four things: 

(1) a great product or service 

(2) good strategy 

(3) hard work and 

(4) a willingness to be out of our comfort zone more often that not. 

Hey, if it were easy, everyone would do it, right?

But the creative business is a unique and sensitive animal. If it's all about strategy and objectives, we lose the creative magic and if it's all about creativity, nothing gets done. So, how can we find and maintain balance?

After working with creative professionals for 15 years, being business owner myself for eight and benefiting from the wisdom of mentors and coaches, I've come to the conclusion that success comes down to one thing:

Creating a solid structure, within which there is a lot of freedom.

If you're in that place of transition and don't know how to balance structure and freedom, I'd like to share 6 strategies that have worked for me: 

1) Know what you want from your business

If we don't know where we want to go, we can't create a plan to get there. Set aside some uninterrupted time to really think about what you want from your business. When we're honest with ourselves, the answer is sometimes very different from what we think we want. For example:

- Are you starting a business and want to build a roster of ideal clients? 
- Are you happy with your business and clients, but would like a few more? 
- Do you want to build a business that is flexible enough to work around your family's schedule? 
- Do you want to be known as a thought-leader in your industry? 

You can see how the strategy would be vastly different for each of these businesses, so it's important to get clear from the outset. 

2) Write down everything you need to do to achieve your goal

Doing a brain dump is a great way to get all of your ideas out of your head and into one place. I love the mind-map method. It's simple, effective and perfect for visual types. Here's how you do it:

Take a piece of paper and put your main topic, e.g. your business name, at the center. As thoughts come to mind, draw branches from the main topic and write down that thought or objective (use as few words as possible). You can create sub-branches for additional thoughts or action steps. 

I love Goggle for creating mind maps that look pretty too! 

3) Prioritize and calendarize 

(I know it's not a word, but it should be!) 
Take your mind map and number your goals by priority. Start with number one, let's use Networking as the example, and list action steps you need to take. They night be: 

 
(a) Research BNI and visit one chapter this month  

  (b) Become a member of Freelancer's Union and attend one event this month 

   (c) Research local AIGA chapter

Now enter those action steps into your calendar. Once it's in the calendar it moves from a "should" to a done deal. Now you're free to do something else. 

4) Bundle your to-do's

Have you ever ended your day feeling exhausted and frustrated because you ran around like a headless chicken, without much to show for it? I have and it sucks.
I now bundle similar tasks together and take care of them in one sitting. I set Friday aside for book keeping and general admin. Monday is dedicated to content development and marketing and I cluster my coaching sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so that I can stay in the zone and be as present as I can. Clustering your efforts also helps you balance "doing" and "creating". 

5) Work with your natural rhythms

It's no coincidence that my writing/content work is slated for Monday when I'm fresh and my boring admin is on Friday, when I'm spent. I go for an early morning run on one of my coaching days, knowing that I will benefit the most from the boost of energy and clarity it provides. 

6) Make time to play and create

Do you deny yourself downtime because you feel guilty that you're not being "productive?" I struggle with this and, while we may think of it as a noble trait, it's really not. The fact is, we need time to dream, play and create. It's what gives us the magic, the inspiration and energy we need to do all of the above steps. Down time should be as much of a priority as everything else. So put THAT in your calendar and stick to it!

How Do You Value Your Self-Worth?

Quanta Review - How Do You Value Your Self-Worth?

How do you value your self-worth? This is a very tough question and not so easy to understand, huh? What I mean is do you focus more on what you already have or more on what you don't have? This focus goes a long way in determining how you value your self-worth. You see, the way our mind works is we move toward what we focus on (according to the 8 rules of the subconscious mind). With one of the most important subconscious mind rules being "What's expected tends to be realized". So, I ask again, 'Do you focus on your lack or what you don't have, or more on what you do have'? So, if you focus on your lack what do you think you will create? You guessed it, more lack. What we focus on is what we create. If you focus on what you don't have, you will create more of what you don't have.

The point is, the focus on lack or what you don't have will bring you weakness and insecurity. Focusing on lack will bring you down. OK, so if you don't have what you want currently, how do you obtain millions (if that's your goal). It all starts by valuing where you are and who you are currently.


You value your situation as it exists right now, and who you are as a person right now, and moving toward what you want to have and who you want to become. The #1 secret to creating wealth (if that's your goal) is to value your self. In other words, you value your current situation, staying focused on where you want to go and placing no one above you. In your mind, you stand face to face on an equal level with everyone. You value your own life as it exists currently where you are today because you continually put forth your best. You put forth the very best you know how to do. When you value yourself and always put forth your very best your value to others increases. When your value to others increases a funny thing happens. You guessed it, as your value to others increases your income increases accordingly. When you value yourself, you create a very powerful and effective presence that is attractive to others. When this happens, other people will want to hitch their wagon to yours.



By developing and projecting an attitude of self-worth, the mind immediately eliminates any financial struggles. You see, when you focus on where you want to go, you have to let go of the lack. This is another rule of the subconscious mind which states, "The subconscious mind cannot hold two opposing thoughts at one and the same time". Take a look at all the things that make your insecure. Then simply let go of those things you cannot control, and focus on where you want to go and what you want to have.


When you feel secure and content about where you are and let go of the insecurities, you will see a shift toward what you are focused on. In other words, you will move in the direction of your focus. That is another simple a rule of the subconscious mind (we create more of what we are focused on) and has been practiced for hundreds of years by the super wealthy. In summary, learn to let go of your insecurities or what's holding you back from where you want to go and then focus on where you want to go. Amazing things will begin to happen.

Starting a New Business - Overcoming Negative Self-Talk

Did you ever hear the saying 'there is nothing to fear except fear itself'? Think about that for a minute - it seems to say fear creates itself and really has no basis - there is nothing to actually fear.  

The same thing could be said about thoughts of doubt or skepticism. For whatever reason, there is a lot of low self-esteem going around. It can be the result of having harsh criticism from others, or of never being able to please our 'authority figures'. They mean well, supposedly, and just want you to do your best.  

However it appears your best is never good enough for them because they wrongly think that by telling you to always 'aim higher', or pitting you against someone who is more proficient to compete with them, that this will somehow compel you to be their champion! An "A" is not even good enough - 'see if you can't try harder and get an "A+" next time'; 'See how well Molly does that? Maybe she could give you some pointers'; 'Don't you want to be like Jack? Look at those trophies he has!' 

The problem is two-fold - everybody is different, with different talents and gifts - and we don't all have the same interests. They say you do best what you like to do - so if whatever you are doing is 'not your cup of tea' you will likely not do as well as someone who breathes, eats and sleeps whatever it is. That doesn't mean you are less of a person or in some way inferior at all - it just means you are different.


Whether it is sub-conscious or conscious, you hear all that negative self-talk. 

You just need to 'deprogram' yourself from believing negative things about yourself. 

Make an effort to think of something you do well and that you enjoy, whenever you hear 'you can't do this' or 'you could have done that better', or 'so and so does it better than you do'.... and even if you can't think of something you are proud of and that makes you feel good about yourself, then think about something pleasant that you enjoy - a memorable day you had at the beach - or even the beach itself - what you love about it - the smell, the sound, the colors, the warm sun. 

Just immerse yourself in it and replace the negative thoughts with something that makes you feel happy.


This is particularly relevant to starting a new business because most of the people you know that are not involved, will try to discourage you - again for whatever reason, they will try to make you skeptical - 'are you kidding'? 'That sounds like a rip off'; 'Oh, it sounds like a scam'; 'good luck buddy, I would never buy anything online'; 'I know somebody that lost it all on a game like that'; 'You probably don't have the experience to do that'; 'People are far ahead of you and you will never catch up'.

To reinforce this negativity, you likely will not see any tangible results at first - starting a business is not like starting a new job, where even though you don't know what you are doing or where you are going they still pay you while you are learning. When you are brave enough and creative enough to try to start something of your own, you are not paid and you are spending long hours learning and trying new things; and frankly many of the things you try will not work - at first or even at all. This just means find another way, it doesn't mean 'I told you, you couldn't do this'. 

You have to be able to tell yourself 'it is ok'- 'I will learn', 'I will catch up', 'I will do it right' - and you will have the faith in yourself to keep plugging away until you can see the results of your actions. It may not be today or tomorrow but if you are consistent and really determined, there is nothing that can stop you. Good job!

Personal Growth And Success Tips You Can Use Today

Helping yourself to become more dynamic and successful can be a little intimidating if you have never done it before. It can easily lead to a bad case of information overload because of all of the tools and resources available to you.

Here are some tips to assist you in getting all of this information organized to a point where you can start improving your life now. 

Picking challenging goals is vital to successful personal development. 

Stretching yourself is the only way to expand your limits. An overall goal should be one that is at least a little outside your grasp when you begin the journey towards it. Reaching for more than you think you can achieve will teach you how to do more.  

Your self confidence during personal development periods will benefit from a harmonious relationship to your core self. If you're in tune with your mind, body, and soul, you'll find it easier to defend yourself against challenges to your core beliefs and values. This helps you strengthen the impact of your beliefs, and your confidence in them. 

Going through a strength finder assessment is one of the best ways to get a grasp on how well you understand your strengths and areas of weakness. 

This kind of assessment will provide you with your top five strengths, which you can then incorporate into your daily life and apply to both your personal and professional life. 

Personal development is an intimate and challenging process. 

To make the search for self-discovery easier, consider starting a journal detailing your goals. This can help you visualize your progress and determine optimal time lines for personal goals. You can also use this journal to detail obstacles and successes along the way - you may find your work is reaping more than you'd imagine.  

Keeping a journal can be a key routine for personal development and can give you insights into your true thoughts and feelings. If you have ever felt that you don't know what you want out of life, keeping a journal can be the answer to discovering what it is that you really need to be a better you.  

Make small gradual changes in your behavior. Quitting bad habits cold turkey works in some instances but in other situations smaller and more gradual changes more effectively achieve long-lasting change. Walking one block every day is better than running a half mile one time and giving up because it is too hard.  

A great tip for people who suffer from depression is to try and keep up with your social life, even if sometimes, you really don't feel like it. Often times, being around a lot of people will make you feel more comfortable coming out of your shell and engaging with the rest of the world.  

While the path to your personal development goals might be long, it need not be arduous. Keeping your eyes peeled for new personal development ideas is always a good idea. You may run into more handy tips like the ones in this article that can get you to your goals faster - or at least keep the journey to them from getting dull.

7 Skills People Should Master To Be Successful

A lot of people spend so much time developing skills that are not vital in every person's life. Like, sure, it would be handy once in a while to know how to repair a broken lamp, but it is not vital to one's existence. Some people master the art of repairing their car, but we could hire someone else to do it for us. 

We can learn how to sew an entire dress, but we can buy ready to wear clothes from any clothing store. In short, there are just some skills that are not essential if they are not applicable in your personal life.



But there are just some that people simply cannot do without because they directly tie up with everyday living.

Examples of these maybe knowing how to read and write or use a computer - these skills are vital when any person does another thing necessary - which is to earn a living. Of course, without a steady source of income, you will not have food to eat, a house to live in or clothes to wear.

In order to survive in any job, and to be successful at it, there are simply some skills that one cannot do without. You learn these skills over time, experience and constant practice. As you work on them more seriously, you increase your chances of being successful.

Here are 7 of the master skills any ambitious potentially-successful person must know.

How to prioritize and to manage time. In any job, a schedule is essential. There must be a deadline or an allotted amount of time to accomplish tasks, otherwise, work will drag on forever without full completion. 

Success depends on effective action, and part and parcel of effectively is to be able to do task well within a schedule. A successful person knows how to properly prioritize the more important things over the less vital. With the increasing amount of distractions surrounding us, time management is a much-needed skill - and definitely something any person must learn.

Logical and informed decision making. In life, you can never be successful without making decisions. It is a prerequisite to action - unless you plan on acting without thinking. Logical and sound decision making is knowing how to act based on the information and facts present. Remember - it is not about how quickly you can decide, but it is more on being able to make the best decisions based on the circumstances you are faced with.

Basic accounting and money management. Are you one of those who seem to constantly be in a quandary about where your money went? Do you leave the house with a pocketful of money, then be puzzled when you get home and discover how much you have left? Well then, you can never be successful if you cannot even fully account for every dollar of your own personal money. Imagine being responsible for the funds of an entire company? Basic accounting, no matter how simple, is crucial to the individual success of a person. 

You must know how to spend money - wisely or on once in a while whims. Like they say, it does not matter how much you earn, but what matters is how much you save. Money, whether we admit it or not, keeps a roof over our heads, food in our bellies - which are some of man's most basic necessities. Knowing how to properly manage your money and income is a skill that not only helps one survive - it also is the key towards a sound and secure future.

Effective communicating and negotiating. To be successful, give people the information they need, rather than expect them to know what they should know. Don't rely on actions too much, because sometimes actions can be misinterpreted, and seen within the context of the beholder. Instead of making people read you mind, master the art of proper and effective communication. And when there are time when miscommunication happens, be able to "negotiate" and defend your point - within reason, without offense to anyone. Always be honest and sincere when speaking - even when you must relay bad news. 

Remember the saying, it is better to be slapped with the truth than to be kissed with a lie. 




Relationship networking. The key to survival nowadays in business is to be able to establish as many contacts and relationships as possible. They may be business relationships, friendships, or a client-supplier relationship. 

The ability to stay afloat relies on a business person's ability to earn the trust and confidence of as many people as possible. 




Positivity. When people act according to how they feel, then their actions will be greatly influenced by their mindset. When you are optimistic and see the lesson behind every failure, then you are always eager to get up and try again. When you are pessimistic and encounter failure, there's a big chance you will never get up after a fall. No matter how bad things may be, having positivity in your life will always make the world seem brighter and happier, and life is easier to live. 

Self-discipline. Discipline is acting rightly when no one else is watching. Although it is a trait, it is also a skill - meaning, you can develop it over time and patient sacrifice. It involves acting according to what is right, and giving up other more enjoyable things while being trusted to do a task. You have all the time in the world to do other things, but it takes self-discipline to give a task 100% of your attention when temptations abound. Self-discipline is ultimately that which will lead you towards success.

You CAN Achieve Your Dreams - Go from Information to Action Now!

No matter what season you are reading this, it's a great time for reflection and a time to think about what changes we'd like to make in the next season. What have we accomplished so far this year, or this quarter, or this month? What areas seemed to give us the most trouble when it comes to moving ahead and pressing forward? Where did we find ourselves "stuck?"



If you are associating yourself with "movers and shakers," you'll be hearing a lot about what really is possible, and what it takes to achieve all we want, and to be all we can be. So, what are the important changes you must make to move forward, both personally and in your business? Will this season be the best of your life? It CAN be!

I have been thinking about this long and hard for the last few weeks and I have narrowed it down to one big change that will help anyone to have their biggest breakthrough ever! I am afraid that if I share it with you, you'll overlook it due to its simplicity. Please don't be fooled, this one idea can transform who you are and can unleash the floodgates of what you are capable of.

It is not an easy change, if it were then it would be common and everyone would have the life and success they desire. The late Jim Rohn, one of the greatest motivational speakers of my lifetime once said, "What's easy to do is also easy not to do." Success takes work, not necessarily hard work, but consistent work. Do you agree with this? The one big change you'll want to make to reach your dreams and the level of success that you know you are capable of is this: You have to commit to implementing what you are learning and what you know. Action will move you forward! Talk may motivate you, but it's action that makes it happen.

Most of us (myself included) are continuously over-stimulated with ideas and information and do nothing substantial with any of them! This is the time to break that bad habit. The theme for me this year is to close the gap between information and action.  Write down any new idea that come across your mind, I believe seeing it helps to develop it. Do your research on the one idea that you are really passionate about and take action on accomplishing one task daily moving yourself closer to accomplishing the idea.

Each new month will be yet another opportunity for you to play by a higher standard that you've previously experienced. Each moment that you devote in accomplishing something you have been desiring eventually you will have accomplished it.  With persistences, perservance, patient, and continuous


The Ultimate Guide to Success: How to Achieve Your Goals in 10 Steps or Less (The Ultimate Success Series) (Volume 2)