What’s so good about Tax Time?

He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened – Tao Te Ching

Are you thinking to yourself…is she kidding?

I like it because it is the final act of putting the past in its rightful place. The past!

It means everything has been delivered to the CPA so she/he can work their magic.

With all of that handled there is comfort in packing up the past year and getting everything labeled and loaded and on its way into storage where its new job is to collect dust for the next ten years.

With the weight of the past gone to its rightful place in my garage and the promise of the future in front of me, I feel lighter and I’ll admit more than a little proud of me because I had a target date of February 28th on my calendar to have this accomplished and the task was complete a week ahead of time.

I do believe this is the power of setting clear intentions, giving yourself deadlines and being clear of what the final outcome will be. In this case the freedom to run full on into 2017 unencumbered by 2016.

If you haven’t already…free yourself of 2016! I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much energy this frees up for you.

Set Intentions. Set Deadlines. Have a Clear Vision of the Outcome. Enjoy!

With Gratitude,
Johanna

?

I Hate Setting Goals!

I Hate Setting Goals!

He who knows others is wise.  He who knows himself is enlightened – Tao Te Ching

Does the idea of sitting down and writing out your goals for the next year, three years and five years make you want to scream?

You know you SHOULD do it, and here it is February 28th and it’s still not done.

Perhaps SHOULD is the problem.  Trainer and motivational speaker Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul series author) suggests that we write down our WANTS instead of our SHOULDS.

I loved this concept and I am now finding great joy in writing out my wants and desires for what I create for myself over the next few years.

The SHOULDS?  I turned them over to people better suited to handle them so I could free myself to work on what is important to me.

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much fun this can be.

Get Ready.  Get Set.  Goals!

Hey me, Outa my Way!

He who knows others is wise.  He who knows himself is enlightened – Tao Te Ching

Have you ever had a perfect idea and then, out of nowhere, there you were to step in and squash the whole thing?

What are you are protecting yourself from?  Failure?  Embarrassment?  Success?

The next time you show up to save yourself, take a stand and say “Hey me, Outta my Way”!

Make a big bold decision to push yourself aside… make yourself Uncomfortable…seek Failure, Embarrassment or Success!

I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much fun this can be.

Be Yourself.  Be Authentic.  Be Brave.

Brand or Be Branded

“He who knows others is wise.  He who knows himself is enlightened.” – Tao Te Ching

Why is it important to clearly communicate what business, product or service you provide?  What distinguishes you from your competition?  What makes you, uniquely…you?

Because if you don’t someone else will!

Whether you own a business and have employees or are a solopreneur you will be ahead of the curve if you will spend some time getting to know yourself from the inside out and then letting everyone else know what you found.

Too often we adapt to outside influences and try to be who we think others want us to be.  Not only is this exhausting, it is not sustainable.

Be yourself.  Be authentic.  Be your Brand.

Attitude

Attitude.  Not a big sophisticated word, but a word that packs a wallop!   Let me ask you: what is your Attitude toward your business?  Be honest.  Positive?  Negative?  Neutral?  How is your Attitude affecting your bottom line?  If you do not have a Positive Attitude about your business how can you possibly expect your employees and customers to have a Positive Attitude about it?  If your Attitude is Negative or even Neutral you will not be happy and fulfilled and your business will suffer. Dr. Wayne Dyer reminds us “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.  Today, I challenge you to make a declaration to Change your Attitude!

In gratitude,

Johanna

The Company I Keep

I was recently at the 2011 eWomen’s International Conference in Dallas, Texas. There is so much I could say about the experience but there was one huge take away for me and that is to be aware of the company I keep. Am I keeping company with supportive, forward thinking, courageous visionaries? Or am I keeping company with negative, energy draining complainers? Les Brown was one of the keynote speakers at the conference and he presented it this way: Did Martin Luther King say, “I have a complaint”? NO! He had a dream and he surrounded himself with people who had that same dream. I strongly encourage you to ask yourself…what is the company I keep?

In gratitude,

Johanna

Welcome

Welcome to Business Zen. My intention is to travel with you and help guide you along a path toward creating a healthy sustainable business. Is it tough out there? Depends on how you look at it. I choose to look for the opportunities that are seemingly hidden. I encourage you to do the same. I invite you to start your day, every day, by setting your intention to look for an opportunity to build your business; right a wrong; make someone smile; don’t complain and most importantly…be grateful. To quote Dr. Wayne Dyer “when you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change”.

In gratitude,

Johanna