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15 Ways To Make A Decision When You Don’t Know Which Way To Go

February 9, 2015 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

15 Ways To Make A Decision When You Don’t Know Which Way To Go

15 ways to make a decision Every year, every day, even every hour — we have a bounty of choices on our table. Today I am praying for wisdom to make choices that help me, my family, and my business thrive. It’s an ongoing rotation of decisions. If I say “yes” to this thing or this person, I say “no” to another. It’s an awesome realization when you think of all that you’re squeezing OUT of your life by saying “yes” all the time!

So here we are, a month into the new year. My commitments for the year are “Listen and Build.” I’m determined to get this right: “Listen to whom?” and “Build what?”

Confused about how to make a difference this year? Clarity is closer than you think.

A little background…Today I arrived at the gym late for my pump class and so I had to bust it out on free weights and machines on my own. As my old friend Serendipity would have it, I ran into a girlfriend/business owner I hadn’t seen in awhile. (Judging by her biceps, I should have been working out with her, but instead we just chatted about our home-based businesses. HA!)

Her business is growing, she told me – a great problem to have — and she’s unsure of her best next move. She compared her business to driving around with a dog in the car. “Now what?” she exclaimed. She has a booming home business, but she hit her own glass ceiling. Unless she hires someone, she’s maxed out.

Time to stop and deal with it, we both agreed.

As soon as I left the gym for home, my sister called, also at a point in her professional career where she’s ready for a transition. Now, you have to understand this woman is the smartest, most capable person you’ve ever met; she could fill just about any shoes she tries on. She described her situation and I had nothing to offer. Hers was a soul-searching transition point.

What I usually say is, “Go big!” because that’s what I help my clients do with their online marketing and launches. But today I tempered my enthusiasm because I realized that too often “Going BIG” means running in some general direction without a very good reason, and that’s a waste of energy.

I’m working on better decision making. Or instead of running in one direction, maybe strolling a bit… at least until I’m feeling it.

Too Many Choices!

We’re living in a time when we have almost unlimited choices to do, be, and have whatever we want. It’s a huge responsibility to choose wisely.

Today, I was very careful NOT to say, “Go big” to my friend and my sister. Instead, I want to say, “Go intentionally,” Because that’s what I’m hearing in my own head. Usually when God has something to say to me, He puts someone in front of me who needs to hear that same message. As the words come out of my mouth, I realize the real divinity and grace at work.

[Aside: I’m so tired of getting smacked hard because I did not listen to that little voice. While I know I can’t give unsolicited advice to everyone I meet (nor do I want to!) I’m sharing this because I’m right in the middle of learning it myself. If my intuition says, “Wait. Stop. Listen and then build – with intention,” then that’s what I’m going to explore right now. I’ve been knocked back too many times.]

If you’re at a crossroads in your life (even a tiny crossroads), the common advice is to waste no time and “Go big.” It’s what all the gurus and inspirational speakers tell you to do. Grow! Expand! Influence! You’re ready! Run!

But then there’s that tiny whisper… “Are you running in this direction just because the way looks clear? Is this “an offer you can’t refuse?” Better be careful. This is where it pays to stop for a minute and ask yourself some soul-searching questions before you make a decision that could end up wasting your time and resources, or bring more confusion than clarity.

But first, for your enjoyment, just so you know that I really have been there myself, here are the words that usually get stuck in my head as I’m embarking down the wrong path…

the wrong way to make a decision

Decision Making Strategies That Never Work

  • “It’s only for a little while.” (Coming from where I’ve been, this is the scariest one. It smacks vaguely of the phrase, “I can quit any time,” which I never want to hear anyone say again.”
  • “It’s a good opportunity.”
  • “It gets me exposure.”
  • “I haven’t earned the right to do what I really want to do yet. I haven’t earned my place at the table.”
  • “It would …grow my business, pay some bills, be an account I’d like to say I’ve worked on (even if I don’t enjoy it)”
  • “My last ‘thing’ didn’t go so well, so this must be what I’m supposed to do.”

Can you relate? OK, then. There’s that rat trap.

Now, here’s what I’m s-l-o-w-l-y learning to do:

Last year’s words were “Breathe” and “Ask.” (Yes, it takes me a full year to absorb the simple stuff.)

This year it’s “Listen” and “Build.” They seem to be the appropriate next steps to last year’s focus because then I really needed to just get clear about my work and making sure I understood and had support for all the little tasks involved. Asking for clarity and asking for help, two things I put tremendous effort into – and it paid off.

Now, a few ideas keep banging around in my brain like gas molecules. This agitated state always precedes a radical turn. Sharing is like cooling them off, so that they fall like drops of ideas onto my page. (I’m always grateful for the clarity of writing.)

Tough Decisions Call For Tough Measures:

Here are my “Listen and Build” decision-making questions I’m asking, thoughts I’m paying attention to, and actions I’m employing now, in no particular order. Feel free to use as many as you wish:

  1. Is this the “One Thing”? The book by that name has me asking what my one thing is from all the choices before me. You may not know what your one thing is, but if you can shove the stuff off the table that you know are NOT your One Thing, then you have a good start.
  1. Are you listening with your heart? I’m very good at listening with my ears. As an auditory learner, sounds and stories attract me. But sometimes they stay at the top of my mind and get skimmed right off by the next good one. When you get your hooks in a thought or idea that piques your interest for real, jot it down or record it, so that you can meditate on it and move it further down into your body. Sit with it awhile and listen to your heart or gut. Just absorb it and listen.
  1. Have you asked while on your knees? I am not kidding. Listening on your knees is different from listening standing up.
  1. Do I discern with my head and heart, based on my OWN past experiences, or am I imagining the future based on someone else’s story or truth? What a friend of distant family member “wants” for me doesn’t count for much. Decide whether they get a say in it and then move accordingly.
  1. Say NO to what you won’t tolerate, and don’t qualify your decision. I know because I’ve been there…you think you can compartmentalize that little part you don’t like into a room and feed it just a little, so it stays quiet, while the rest of it — the part you DO like – gets all your attention. I have news; you can’t split some things up. It’s like a dog at the pound that’s cute, friendly and trained, etc. The only annoying detail is that the fur ball barks incessantly. Well, guess what? Those adorable eyes will never make you happy as you’re lying in bed listening to ever-present yapping. Some decisions are easy, but we pretend they are difficult. Just say N.O.
  1. Say no to say YES! to the right thingDoes this further my purpose? I’m not talking about paying your dues because you are new at something. A lot of people are walking around thinking they shouldn’t have to do some work that needs to be done just because they understand the first thing about how to do the next job up. Some things need to be done in order, and you’re wise to accept that. That may mean doing work you don’t love on the way to doing work you DO love. However, if there’s no purpose behind it, i.e., if the task is completely irrelevant to what you’re meant to be doing at some point five years from now, let it go. Someone else should be doing it to further their purpose, so leave it to them.
  1. Is this fun? Does it feel easy and make you say “Whee!” like a kid? (I hope you don’t really say “Whee” out loud, but I hope you think it.)
  1. Does it get you through the day-to-day? Does it sustain you, financially, and logistically? Is it realistic? Can you live with the income, the drive, the boss, the three-meetings-per-week, etc. really? Or will it quickly kill your spirit?
  1. Would you proud to tell your mom or dad you’re doing this?
  1. Does it push you? Do you feel bigger and better because you choose it?
  1. Is it scary? Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quote might apply here. “Do something every day that scares you.” OK, now I totally don’t think you should do something that doesn’t feel morally right, or that scares you shitless. I think she was talking about risk. Does it feel like, if you tried it, you might succeed, but then again, you might fall and look a little foolish… then, what the heck… go for it!
  1. Does it bring you into community with the people you want to be like? Do you enjoy the people your decision would plant you next to? Seriously consider this answer. I almost hate to say it because it’s so overused, but do you want to become like those five people you spend all your time with? Because you will.
  1. Does it challenge you to do or become something better than you are doing or being now? I’m a firm believer in PUSHING yourself. Every. Single. Day. I don’t care if you stay in bed all day. (Read a book that broadens your mind.) I don’t care if you need a day off from your regular grind. (Make, create, or invent something, even if it’s just a batch of cookies.) And if your aim is to relax, then relax like you’re the Queen – like you’ve never relaxed before. Always be leveling UP, however you define it.
  1. Will your decision enable you to have the most impact in the world, or your corner of it? You want this decision to give you traction. This one is a comparison test against whatever you’ve done in the past. Hopefully you have noticed and learned that some things stick and some things seem to have no effect at all. I used to like action for action’s sake. The point was just to be moving. Now I measure results. Who am I helping the most, and how? Can I easily be replaced? Deciding on a course of action is one thing, but action is irrelevant unless you are also considering its effect. Even if it’s a small effect, strive for influence on your surroundings, the people you’re with, and your family, community and world. That’s what we’re here for, so make sure there’s some results associated with the time you invest. Don’t waste it.
  1. Will you regret NOT doing it? Ahh, one of the biggest regrets of dying people…the things they never tried. OUCH. Avoid, avoid, avoid that with all your consciousness and power!

So that’s my list for making a big life decision like a career change, relocation, or a significant commitment involving another person. It certainly works inside your home business, too. Feel free to add on. I’d love to know what helps YOU make a decision that matters.

Filed Under: Home Business, Inspiration Tagged With: build business from home, clarity, decision making in business, decision-making, factors that go into a decision, home business, home-based business, intentional decision, making a decision, ways to make a decision, work at home, work from home

Seven Productivity Tools to Increase Content Creation in the Car

February 6, 2014 by jennifer mcgahan Leave a Comment

steering-wheel-content-creation-and-inspirationI’m proud to say I run a home-based business. 

But the truth is…I run much of my business from my car.  

I have a car-based business. While I write at my big-screen computer during the mornings, I spend a healthy chunk of time in my van in the afternoons.  

Not that I’m complaining. I get lots of ideas in the car. Inspiration, sometimes. Tests of patience. I download podcasts and interviews and listen to those. My kids absorb digital media news and marketing trends, but usually they’re plugged into Spotify or Injustice unless we get wrapped into conversation, laughter, or sometimes arguments.

So I’m running a business from my car, with all of life’s drama to boot. (Not to mention Texas drivers.) I cover the same 100 square miles every week, practically on autopilot.

The reason I’m sharing this isn’t to revel in my provincial existence, but to show you that you can market your business from right where you are — even if it happens to be a very small place.  

“I don’t have the time,” people say. 

“I hate the copywriting part,” small business women confide. 

“I’m too busy to market myself,” they bemoan. 

While I sympathize with all that, the truth is no one can market your business better than you.

So be prepared. Seek opportunities and take stock of what you do have. Busy people enjoy more content currency to spend simply because they’re in there, doing it. Build in an extra minute or two and create quickie micro-content, like the kind GaryVee talks about in his book #JJJHR. It’s all over the place! 

car-console-content-creation-tools

Click image to enlarge.

Do you keep all the content creation tools within easy reach? Here are some of my favorites: 

  1. Kindle (latest magazines, reports, books) to stimulate the mind.
  2. Pen and notepad, for great ideas at stoplights.
  3. Digital recorder, for great ideas when you’re moving.
  4. Phone  (not in picture because I’m using it to take a picture)
  5. Old iPod, for audiobooks and recordings that don’t get interrupted with every email or text that comes in.
  6. Inspirational Quotes. My two words of the year, “Breathe” and “Ask” are stuck to my steering wheel, reminding me how I’m going to accomplish my next best step.
  7. I left one thing out…these content creation cards that make it easy to come up with things to write about.

The game has changed. Marketing isn’t about telling your customers how things are. They already know. It’s letting them take a peek behind the curtain at how you can serve them and why they should want to connect with you, personally. What do you have that no one else has?

When you started your small business, you focused on delivering that one thing you actually love to do — the thing people pay you for. But you also knew there’d be other challenges. Things you’d have to get cozy with, maybe even some things that fell outside of your comfort zone.

Along with all those other hats, you knew you’d have to market yourself. But no one ever told you it would take so much time, money and energy right? 

The great news for small business people is that you are more than capable of reinforcing your culture with micro-content. (Stay with me here.) Imagine how rich your life is — and can be — while you are running your business. All that you are, wrapped up into all that you offer, and the great service and products your customers reap, too. 

Since I am a copywriter, here’s how it breaks down for me. I get up really early to write. 5:00am is average for me. That gives me a good four hours before I go to the gym. Then another couple of hours before I start checking email and returning phone calls. Six hours of writing is plenty. If I can do that much every day, I am happy. The rest of the day? Driving, cooking, reading, catching up with people via phone calls and recordings, etc.

I’m not saying this is the perfect way to do it, but it’s right for me. I’ve structured the day so I can get stuff done, and it’s not glamorous by any means. Most days I come up with article ideas at 55 mph, or a through a simple conversation with the guy at the pet store where I buy crickets for my son’s lizard, or a Facebook post.  

Anyone can market their business. Your life looks different from mine, of course, but as you build your business, why not share the journey with your community? The content you create right where you are is the juice that ultimately drives your business.

  • It’s what you opine as you read articles.
  • It’s what you tell your friend about after an interesting meeting with a new affiliate or vendor.
  • It’s that tangent your can’t resist exploring in conversation. 
  • It’s the funny joke you shared when your favorite client visited.
  • All of this is fodder for your content. And the people who are your ideal clients will naturally click with where you are right now.  

That’s not an excuse to be scattered and unintentional. And it’s definitely not an excuse to share all the “junk in your trunk,” so to speak. But a home-based business (or a car-based business) allows you a certain lifestyle that still serves clients with great value. The same goes for your life as a shopkeeper, a coach, a volunteer, an educator, a speaker, a realtor, or any of the various professions small business people fall into. It’s a life you can share as you reveal how you serve.

Incorporating content creation into your day-to-day takes a little extra time and intention.

Learn how to do it efficiently, making use of apps and tools so you can touch the right people. Having the right tools makes it easier on you, too. 

Here’s an example.The driving around started early today. An orthodontist appointment at 7:30 am and drop-off at the high school led to two hours at the cafe where I wrote for awhile. Then I picked up another child at the grade school to have a wart checked by the dermatologists. Trish, at the school’s front desk told me we’d need a doctor’s note when we returned, but I forgot to get one. So I turned the car around and sent my son Henry in to get it from the receptionist. As I waited in the car, I looked up to see this set of windows, a riff on classic architecture. I snapped it, intending to research the golden mean, while I waited — and if I could relate it somehow to writing.

restful-windowsI got to thinking how lovely the lines of simple geometry during a hectic day and how to share it in some way. 

Which brings me full circle. Within your day, there is something to share. Take stock, don’t discount the small stuff; try to find meaning in all the chance bits of flotsam and informational jetsam God sprinkles into your life. Don’t take them for granted. 

What does it mean for your customers and your ROI? Relish all the little things that contribute to the business you are building, and share them as your community grows.

What you invest is time and effort. What you get back is the return on dependability and familiarity. The better your ideal customer knows you and understands your vision, the clearer they see how you fit into the perfect solution once they’re ready to tackle their problem.

Do you have any thoughts on inventing and sharing content from “inconvenient” places?

 

Filed Under: Content Marketing Tagged With: @GaryVee, #JJJRH, car-based business, content creation, copywriting, creating content from your car, driving, easy content, entrepreneurs, finding time to create content, home-based business, how to create content, ideas for content, inspiration, micro content, small business, web content, writing content, writing copy

Simple Pleasures: An “8 pm Warrior’s” Favorite Things

September 30, 2011 by jennifer mcgahan 1 Comment

I’ve been blogging here at MyTeamConnects for awhile now and I’m getting more comfortable with the process. I’m thinking that maybe on the weekends I’ll do a more personal post — one that might not be about email marketing or small biz, although it’ll probably have some connection to it.

I figure a weekend post would be a good time to have some fun and bring it down a notch. We’ll see how it goes…

Also, I borrowed the phrase “8 pm Warrior” from @8pmwarrior on Twitter — a champion of people who stay up late start a business, improve their lives, educate themselves, etc. I recommend you follow him.

A New Perspective Came With the Start of the School Year…

This month has been a watershed moment in life because I jumped into a couple of new responsibilities and roles. MyTeamConnects is starting to grow  — and we’re getting glimpses of being able to help small businesses with email in a way that is far beyond our dreams of serving our customers. It’s so exciting! The email biz rocks my world; pretty geeky I guess, but it’s true.

I’ve never been more committed to my work than I am about my role today at our small email service company. The idea of helping small biz folks truly see their brands bloom and multiply among their email subscribers is satisfying beyond my expectations six months ago.

“To whom much is given, much is expected.”

This fall I also volunteered to be Room Mom for my youngest child’s third grade classroom — something I felt I needed to do for my kid’s wonderful teacher Mrs. Porterfield AND because I knew there was no other role I could take on that would make my baby boy as proud of me as being ‘Room Mom.”

Time is slipping by so fast that I know if I’m not careful it’s possible my kids will all be grown up soon and I won’t remember the 2011/12 school year at all. I’m squeezing every hour for work, so why not toss in family too? (Ha! Joking. Actually the truth is that my family comes first, no doubt about it.)

Because of that room mom decision I can indeed testify it’s true that if you need something done, just give it to a busy person…and the payoff on my receiving end is incredible. Just yesterday I got a phone call from a parent asking for the spelling list for today’s test. Being needed (even in a very small way like that) and being able to serve a fellow mom was a wonderful feeling of connection on a hectic school night. I was so happy to receive that phone call and connect for just a minute with another mom. We shared a laugh, caught up briefly on personal stuff, and I felt like treasure had just fallen into my lap.

On top of that I joined a women’s discussion group at my church one evening each week. Again, I felt it was important to balance the business and family bits with a little God talk. That two-hour time-out centers me and builds community. All good.

When life is busy for the home-based business person, it’s the small stuff that takes on the most importance. As I said earlier, I came across a tweet last night by someone named “@8pmWarrior” who tweets about and for those who start their second shift at nighttime; after the regular J-O-B is done, after the bedtime story, after the dishes are put up…

We sit down late in the evening when other people watch TV or go out with friends — and we get to work.

“Get to work” as in “We don’t have to; we are privileged to do so.”

“Get to work” as in “Move it!”

I was still writing last night at 10:54 and was about to call it a day; I had just finished reading emails from Sam, who was up working and sending me updates between 2 and 4 am yesterday morning. (He’s jazzed about email marketing too, can you tell!?) So the 8pm warrior really caught my attention; he and his (or her) followers are kindred spirits.

In the end, service feels to me like the best part of life. It’s rare when you regret your service to another person, although prioritizing your commitments is a must if you want to stay balanced.

Ironically, when you’re passionate about what you are doing, you have a natural prioritization that leans heavily toward serving people who matter — your family, your customers, people who reach out to you for whatever gifts you and your small business possess. And because of that service I believe your business and your relationships prosper.

In spite of the great energy you get from service, these days of building your new business must be peppered with simple pleasures. If you’re bootstrapping, you’re not going to have a lot of money to throw around on luxuries OR the time to spend the money you are making! And you’re probably not going to have a lot of time to spend on weekend get-aways or starting a new hobby. I’m guessing most of your choices regarding money and time will center around your business and family, just like most small biz owners.

Here are some ways I’ve recently tasted the good life in the midst of purposeful chaos:

cat in bookstoreA cat in a bookstore…

cool clouds in Bee Creek

Cool clouds over Bee Creek Road…

flame graffiti on a building in San AntonioFlame graffiti in San Antonio…

A flaxseed pillow for comfort and heatA flaxseed pillow for warmth and comfort…

Cheese quesadillas and fruit for an after school snackCheese quesadillas and fruit for an after school snack (prepared before the kids could say ‘no thanks,” and so it was eaten).

These are a few of my favorite things that make this 8pm warrior feel like a pampered queen. How about you? Do you relish the simple pleasures in your hectic life?

Written by Jen McGahan

Filed Under: Email Tagged With: 8pm warrior, email, email service company, email subscribers, family, home-based business, Passion, serving our customers, small biz

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