Article Aggregator – Kingdom Builders

Work-life balance.

It’s a buzz-phrase that almost everybody has heard, most people aspire to use and almost nobody succeeds at. Why? Why is it so hard to find the right balance, and how can you break away from the pack and succeed where so many have failed?

The answer is both easier and harder than you might think, but if you use these simple tips as starting points, you’ll be miles ahead of the pack.

Take Yourself Offline

You’ve undoubtedly heard of supply and demand. The more there is of something, the less valuable it is. The less there is of something, the more valuable it becomes.

That’s true of literally everything under the sun, including you.
We now live in an “always on” world, where just about everything is available 24/7, and we try to live up to that unspoken expectation ourselves. We stay at the office late in an attempt to get more done. We take work home. Sometimes, we even take work on vacation!

Here’s the thing, though: no matter how much you do, even if you could stay awake and be productive 24 hours a day forever, there will always be more. The work just keeps coming in and piling up, relentlessly.

It’s a sucker’s game to be available all the time, so don’t be one of the suckers. Unplug. Make yourself less available when and where you can. When people see that you’re not at their beck and call 24 hours a day, they’ll come to value the time you are available even more.

The end result will be that you’ll be seen as a more valuable commodity, which will translate into more respect, and it’ll also see you receiving less in the way of mindless busywork. Because you’re not available “whenever,” you’ll tend to be handed more important, more meaningful tasks.

Prioritize

Figure out what the most important tasks of the day are, make a list and get them done. Once the mission-critical stuff is done, either delegate the less important stuff (if you’re able), or prioritize it, and keep working on the most important remaining stuff. Always give yourself a clearly defined stopping point and stick to it!

The critical thing here is to carve out some you time, every day, no matter what. How you use that time is up to you, and you can make that decision once you have it, but it matters. Give yourself the space and time to breathe and enjoy life a little, then do that. You’re worth it.

Have you ever had one of those days when the weight of the world feels like it’s trying to drag you down? Have you felt overwhelmed and discouraged by the challenges you face?

While there’s no magic bullet solution that will make those feelings disappear, there are a number of things you can do to keep those feelings of discouragement to a minimum. Here they are:

Understand That It’s Not You

Or, more precisely, it’s not just you, and there is at least some comfort in the knowledge that no matter how bad or down you’re feeling, you’re certainly not the only one. This isn’t the same as delighting in the misery of others. This is merely an acknowledgement that you’re not the only person on the planet who’s feeling it.

It’s Normal

Sometimes, all it takes to start feeling better about things is to simply allow yourself to feel them, and admit that it’s okay to do so. It’s normal. Not every day is going to be full of sunshine and rainbows. Some days are going to be hard, and that’s okay.

It’s Only Temporary

Building on the last point, it’s extremely important to remind yourself that no matter hard things are and no matter how discouraged you feel right this second, it won’t last forever. It’s only temporary, and you will get through it.

In fact, oftentimes, the only thing to be done is to identify what specific things are making you feel that way, and rather than trying to go around them, simply go through them. Plow ahead, slowly and relentlessly, and you’ll get there. The wheel will turn, and things will get easier.

Things Could Be Worse

This one’s not quite the opposite of understanding that you’re not the only one, but it’s close. In this case, it’s more about acknowledging that whatever has you feeling discouraged, it’s almost certainly not the dreaded worst case scenario. Sure, it’s frustrating, but it’s not as bad as it could be, and that understanding almost always brings with it a ray of hope, and a bit of renewed determination that helps carry you through!

How you respond to failure says a lot about who you are as a person, and ultimately, what your chances for success will be.

What kind of person are you? Are you the sort who gets frustrated at the first roadblock or hurdle that you’re confronted by? Do you throw your hands up in disgust and walk away the moment something goes from smooth sailing to hard?

If you are, then chances are good that you’re only going to find limited success in life, because the reality is that life is complicated. Life is chaotic and unpredictable, and often, something that seems like it should be easy is unexpectedly difficult. If you’re not comfortable enough in your own skin to deal with the aftermath of failure in a constructive manner, then the problem isn’t the world – it’s not going to change. The problem is you.

Learning to deal with failure and learning how to allow it to become a motivating influence in your life isn’t hard. It takes practice, which, by definition, means that it takes exposing yourself to failure in order to get the practice you need to get better at using it.

Even if you’re not a sports fan, think for a moment about the game of baseball.

Did you know that Ty Cobb holds the record as having the best batting average in the entire history of the sport? It’s true. His batting average is .366. Think about what that number means for just a moment.

When Ty Cobb, the undisputed rock star of the baseball world, the heavyweight champion of batting averages stepped up to the plate, he hit the ball about one time in three. Which means he failed about two thirds of the time. We’re talking about the guy who holds the record failing two thirds of the time.

With that kind of failure rate, why even bother to try, right? And if he’s the best, what does that say about the rest of those guys who aren’t as good?

In reality, that’s not at all how we see the rest of the professional baseball players of the world. They’re considered the best of the best, and that’s significant, because what it means is that success is hard. Success is rare, and the only time you see it is if you get back up when failure knocks you down and try again.

It’s a numbers game. Nothing more.

If you give up, then you are guaranteed to fail. It’s 100 percent likely.
But if you get up, dust yourself off, learn about why you failed and try again, that moves you one step closer to succeeding.

Keep that image in your mind the next time you’re thinking about giving up. Use it. Draw strength and encouragement from it, then get back up and try again. That’s the only way to succeed, whatever you’re trying to do. You can do it!

Some people are a joy to be around. Others, not so much. You know the types we’re talking about. Whether it’s ignorance, boorishness, aggressive behaviors, indecisiveness, negativity or one of the other, innumerable types, they’re downers. They’re annoying, and they can be hard to deal with, but they don’t have to be. Follow these simple tips, and you’ll find that dealing with these sorts is much, much easier.

Kill ’Em With Kindness

This is your secret weapon when dealing with difficult people of any variety. This is your super power. When they get difficult, you display kindness. Not necessarily understanding, but kindness.

In order for it to work, it’s got to be genuine. There can’t be any faking it here, or it comes across as being passive-aggressive. You’ve got to genuinely be kind to them.

Difficult people tend to react to kindness in one of three ways. They can be disarmed by it, which is the best case, and suddenly more cooperative. Or, they may recognize the contrast with their own behavior and be shamed into behaving better. In the third case, they may not know how to deal with it and simply walk away. In all three cases, you win.

Don’t Try To Change Them

Understand that in the overwhelming majority of cases, the behavior displayed by difficult people is deeply ingrained. It’s not going to change, no matter what you do, or how badly you wish it would. There’s literally nothing you can say, and nothing you can do to change that.

The quicker you recognize this fact and make peace with it, the better you’ll feel. You’ll also find that it totally changes your outlook about such people, and makes genuine kindness toward them come more easily.

Minimize Contact

Sometimes this isn’t possible, but when and where it is, simply take steps to minimize the amount of time you have to spend around the difficult ones. If you currently have one or more difficult personalities in your life, then you already know how exhausting it can be to deal with them on a daily basis. If you can arrange not to be around them all the time, do that. Not only does it give you peace of mind, but it also gives you an outlet. Both are good things.

None of these tips represent a panacea. There will still be times when you have to deal with difficult people, and it will still be annoying, but these tips will make a notable difference!

Decluttering and better organizing your life is a powerful tool that will not only make you more productive, but it will also help you de-stress!

These days, with working hours increasing and the work we do each day growing in its complexity, the sad reality is that we’re drowning in stressors. Anything we can do to eliminate, or even reduce stress has got to be counted as a win.

But how? Where do you start, and how much is “too much?”

Those are all fair questions, and to be sure, it’s a bit of a balancing act. If you go too far, you run the risk of spending so much of your time keeping everything decluttered that you almost seem to have OCD.

Each person has a different threshold, but the key is to find your own personal level of organization, and stick close to that band. Remember, too, that being organized doesn’t mean relentlessly chasing down every bit of clutter and having a meltdown when something gets knocked out of place.

The key here is to start small. Organize your work space, make sure everything is within easy reach and make your last task of the day to prep your workspace for the following day. When you don’t have to frantically search for the things you need to get your work done, you’re more efficient and more effective.

Expand your organizational efforts to your email, too. Create a functional, task-oriented set of folders and organize your incoming messages into those functional areas, moving them to a completed folder or deleting them when you’re done.

If you’re one of those people who has a thousand or more messages in your inbox, you know how overwhelming it can be to even look at it. That act alone can lead to paralysis, because there are so many messages it’s hard to even know where to start.

Organization on that front can help you cut through the clutter and get straight to the most important work you need to be doing.

Finally, learn to fall in love with lists! Lists can keep your task load organized, and you can re-order them quickly and easily. By front-loading your task list with your most challenging tasks, you can knock them out in the early part of the day when you’re the most productive, building momentum that will carry you though the rest of the day.

These things taken together will keep you on track and help you be more productive and relatively stress-free. Those are big wins, no matter how you slice it, and you’ll be amazed at how much it improves your overall outlook on life. An organized mind is a calm, productive mind!

How much do you get done in a typical day? Have you ever conducted a time study on yourself? If you haven’t, you should, and when you do, you’ll likely be shocked at how much dead time you’ve got in your day.

Did you know that, on average, most people spend up to four hours per day checking email and poking around on social media? How much more productive could you be if you could somehow recapture all the slack time in your day?

There’s good news! You don’t have to attend an expensive seminar to learn to get the most out of each and every day. Just do the following:

Plan! It’s Everything.

Studies have shown that five minutes of planning can save you as much as thirty minutes of time when it comes to execution, so at the end of each work day, plan the next day out in detail. Create a list of actionable steps you’ll take to march toward whatever goals you’ve set for yourself.

Build Momentum

The best way to build momentum is to start the day with two tasks you can knock out quickly. As you organize your daily tasks, however, be aware that you’re most productive in the earliest part of the day, so be sure that the first few hours see you working on your most challenging tasks.

If you break them down appropriately, you’ll be able to knock out two small sub-parts of a complex task quickly, then dive headlong into a larger sub-task that relates back to one of your biggest challenges of the day. By lunchtime, you’ll have your toughest work behind you, and you’ll have built a tremendous amount of momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day.

Take Productivity Breaks

Even when you take breaks (and you should), don’t spend that time checking email or social media. Those things tend to suck you in, kill your momentum and take much more of your time than you realize.
Instead, spend your break time either updating your plan, or working on quick, easy tasks that will continue building your momentum.

Those three keys will do more to boost your productivity than anything else, and you can start today!

Everyone in business knows the value of the upsell or side-sell. Unfortunately, that’s the problem. Since everyone knows the “trick,” everybody is doing it. The reason? It works. It’s effective, but how do you stand out from the crowd? How do you make your upsell efforts succeed in a world swimming in similar offers? If it’s something you’re struggling with, the tips below will help!

Sell Your Expertise

Modern consumers don’t want to just buy things from a random vendor; they want a relationship with a trusted expert. Make sure you’re that person. Know everything about every product you sell, and about every upsell you recommend. Beyond that, know your competitors’ products just as well, and don’t be afraid to make a recommendation of something that somebody else sells if it will be best for your customers.

Sure, you might lose a little bit of money right then and there, but your reputation with your customers will be beyond reproach, and you’ll be the first person they contact for all their needs in the future.

Don’t Sell

This builds on the first point. It’s not enough to be an expert. Remember, your customers are looking for more than just a simple purchase. They want a relationship. Give them one. Be that person. Which would you prefer? To sell one thing to one customer one time, or to create a relationship that nets you a customer for life?

Attracting new customers is expensive. Retaining customers is as easy as giving them exactly what they want, and doing that better than anybody else. Do that.

Know Your Customers

This builds on the first two points. The difference between acting like you’re building a relationship with your customers and actually doing so is attention to detail. Listen. Talk. Learn.

Your customers are more than just your customers. They are (or can be) the source of new ideas, refinements and enhancements. By listening to your customers, you not only show that you genuinely care about them, but you also go a long way toward transforming them from customers into fans, and that is priceless.

If you do those things, your bottom line is guaranteed to increase.

As we know, every dollar matters. Every dollar counts. Budgeting is not glamorous or fun, but it’s absolutely essential if you are to financially succeed in the long run.

Unfortunately, most people think of budgeting as simply being a ledger of expenses and income. That’s part of it, sure. That’s the part your accountant attends to, and you need to know those numbers backwards and forward, but there are three other components to budgeting that are critical, and if you’re not doing these things, then you’re increasing your chances of failure.

Expect The Unexpected

It is true that in life, things happen. If your budget doesn’t include space and funds for unanticipated opportunities and events, then you have a potentially dangerous blind spot. That’s not good, and the first time something unexpected happens, it can send you, your family or your business into a tailspin.

Forecast

One of the best ways to utilize your budget is to treat it as a foundation. You can build on it to forecast the effects of various plans you have in the works.

Blending the facts of your budget with the expectation of future income streams gives you a more accurate picture of the potential outcomes of developing those new income streams. It gives you a clear picture of what you can and can’t afford to do.

Review

It’s not enough to simply write down and keep track of your income and expenses. If you want to make the best use of the data you’re collecting, periodic review is crucial. It’s the only way you can gain a real understanding of how you are doing over time, and it will allow you to spot potential problems while they’re small, and thus, easily fix them, rather than being taken by surprise simply because you didn’t have a firm understanding of the numbers.

Budgeting might not be fun, but it lies at the bedrock of every successful person. Even if you’ve got people to keep the books for you, you need to have a deep understanding of those numbers and what they mean for your future and your family.

It’s no secret that sales are the life blood of any company. It’s no secret that not all salesmen are created equally, but why do some salesmen just seem to be so much better at it than others?

Does it come down to training? Personality type? Age or gender?
Honestly, it’s probably none of those things.

Salesmanship is like any other skill. The more you do it, the more proficient you’ll get. As the saying goes, if you swing a hammer enough times, you’re bound to get good at it.

The real secret has nothing to do with any particular training program, or the product you’re selling. It’s you.

Think about it. At the end of the day, salesmanship is about relationships.
If you can’t forge a relationship with a new client, then you can’t gain trust. If you can’t gain trust, then how on earth can you expect to sell your potential client anything?

This is the reason most sales training programs produce disappointing results. They focus on one-size-fits-all solutions. They produce cookie-cutter salesmen, but the problem is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all world.

Each person is unique, and you can’t possibly recite a canned script, even personalizing it to a degree, and simultaneously let your personality shine through.

The first, best secret of selling, then, is this: Be yourself. If you’re not totally comfortable in your own skin, work on getting comfortable. Then, when you meet with a client, let your personality shine through. Get to know your client, and just as importantly, let them get to know you.

The moment you do that, you set the stage to form a real, genuine lasting relationship. At that point, it’s not so much about selling as it is about helping one another and making mutually beneficial arrangements.

If you “just” sell something, you get exactly that. One sale, and a low likelihood of repeat business. If you form a bond and a genuine relationship, you’ve got a customer for life. Which one sounds better to you?

Are you currently leveraging the awesome power of social media to grow your business?

If you’re not, then you’re as good as leaving money on the table. Few tools are more powerful or offer greater potential for growth, with the proviso that they’re used correctly, of course.

The next logical question, then, becomes how? How can you leverage that power to boost your bottom line? Fortunately, it’s easier than you might think, and below are a few simple keys to social media success.

Scattershot Doesn’t Work

The sad reality is that there are only twenty-four hours in a day, and because of that simple time constraint, you can’t be everywhere at once.
If you try to create a sizeable footprint on every social media platform out there, you won’t be doing any of them justice. Depending on your time, staff and budget, pick one, or maybe two and focus on those.

The best way to pick the “right” platform or platforms for your brand is to pay to have a customer demographics study done. After all, if most of your clients are Instagram users, then it doesn’t do you much good to put a lot of effort into Facebook. So, the first order of business should always be to find out where your customers (and, by extension, your likely customers) spend time.

Consistency is Key

Armed with the information on where to focus your efforts, the next step is to set up an account and start posting, but here, there are two points to keep in mind. Most consumers of social media want new content regularly, so if you can’t commit to at least 2-3 new posts a week, don’t bother. New posts should be made on a fairly predictable schedule.

The other element of consistency is consistency of tone and voice. Friendly and professional should be the order of the day here, but feel free to deviate from that if some other voice better personifies your brand. Remember, when you make a post, the “voice” you post in is the voice of the company.

If your brand has a refined image, and your social media posts sound like they’re coming from a brash teenager, you’ve got a disconnect, and a serious problem. Voice should always convey the spirit of the brand. Be sure that it does.

Engage!

Before the rise of social media, companies could get away with simply publishing information on websites. Social media isn’t like that. The platform is designed to allow your readers to comment, and they will.

When they do, be sure to respond. Start a conversation. Draw your readers in and make them not just customers, but fans. Do that, and you will thrive.