We hear it every day.

“Buy this product/blueprint/system/whatever, and simplify your life!”

Now really, how can buying and having more stuff make your life simpler and easier? I hear it from women all the time, “I have everything I’ve ever wanted, but…

“I don’t have time to enjoy it.”

“I’m more stressed out than ever.”

“I’m still not happy.”

What I’ve discovered is the common misconception that we need more—things, tools, gadgets—to make our lives less complicated. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?

I suggest that the road to simplicity is lined with what we cast off or stop doing. And I’d love to see the biggest pile be those items/concepts that enable us to “work more efficiently”. Have you noticed that “work more efficiently” just means “work more”?

Anything that makes your life simpler should pass the following test:

1. What is my initial gut reaction?
2. Does it allow me to do more of what I want to do vs. just do more?
3. Can I afford it? Not only in terms of money, but in terms of time, efficiency and stress?

If the latest gadget, service, consultant, whatever doesn’t pass all three tests—it’s not worth it!

Here’s a way to start simplifying your life TODAY.

Cross one item off your to-do list.

Go ahead, right now. Just cross something off and not think of it again. You can do it. You probably already have at least one item on there that you know you’ll never do anyway. So rather than subject yourself to the daily guilty of carrying it over, get rid of it!

Do this once a week (or once a month, if that’s more comfortable for you), and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how much simpler your life becomes. Without buying one more thing.

If you haven’t yet voted for me in the Best Coaching Blogs 2011 contest, please head on over and cast your vote. Thanks!

Here’s a question for you:

What do you think it takes to succeed?

Or more to the point, what does success even look like?

You’d be surprised how many women can’t answer that for themselves. Which is scary, since you can’t create a successful, happy life and business, if you can’t identify the target.

Because of this, I’m thrilled to invite you to join me June 20-24, in a powerful freebie telesummit for women, by women called:

The Emergency Mindset Makeover

and it’s the brainchild of my friend, Kimberly Englot.

(Know you want in already? Register here )

It’s urgent that you identify the self sabotage and limiting beliefs holding you  back BEFORE you try to ‘fix’ your marketing. This is so beyond a marketing issue.

The fear, it’s paralyzing.

• “What if…?”
• “I’ll fail.”
• “What will people think?”

Trust me, I get it. I’ve been there…along with every other woman speaking at this event. And we are banding together to show you behind the scenes and demonstrate that you’re not alone.

Because of this, I think it’s BRILLIANT (and something I can get 100% behind!) that Kimberly created a place where we can all get real and share our fears AND (most importantly) HOW we get past them.

If you’re struggling, paralyzed with fear and wondering why business feel so hard, THIS is the place for you. You will get so many Aha’s out of this…unless you’ve NEVER been afraid.

Kimberly is the founder of The Center for Authentic Self Development and I think you’ll love her energy. You can check her out here.

In this series, you’ll discover:

• The mindset shifts to make so you can create a biz that makes you happy AND makes you money
• What really goes on behind the scenes…’Overnight Success’ doesn’t really happen overnight
• How to overcome the paralysis of making mistakes

And so much more.

Click here to learn more and find out how to join us at NO CHARGE.

I invite you to learn what it really takes to create success in business, and in life!

Join the group!

PS:  It’s June 20-24 and you will kick yourself if you miss out! Register now!

PPS:  This telesummit costs exactly $0.00 and there is no obligation to buy ever, but if you ever do, know that I’m an affiliate of this event — which means I believe in the value of what we’re creating together — and I may receive commission from any sales generated. Just so you know…

A few weeks ago I did a free teleseminar on “5 Ways to Crank Up Your Courage to Ask for–and Get–What You’re Worth”. If you were not able to attend live, you can still access the recording and the accompanying materials. Not only will you get some great tips you can use immediately to increase your confidence in asking, but you can also get in on valuable information to help you take it to the next level.

Head on over to the call page and enter your info to get the good stuff right now!

If you are tired of resenting your clients, or feeling like some kind of a sham for asking for what you’re worth, I hope you’ll join me for 5 Ways to Crank Up Your Courage to Ask for–and Get–What You’re Worth. The call happens on Thursday, November 4 at 3PM PDT/6PM EDT. During our hour together, we’ll cover:

1. Getting Clear on What You Really Want
2. Understanding What You’re Really Worth
3. Identifying What You’re Really Afraid Of
4. 3 Key Strategies You Can Use Right Now
5. How to Build Your Confidence to Get Your True Value…Every Time!

Just enter your name and email below, and I’ll make sure you’re on the call.

Isn't this graphic great? It's the one accompanying my interview for the Get Inspired! project.

Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Toni Reece for her Get Inspired! project. Toni was inspired by Julie and Julia, and decided to do an interview a day for a year with inspiring people. She’s in the last month of her project, so I got in just in time!

It’s a short interview (about 15 minutes), but packed with insightful questions from Toni, and hopefully-inspirational responses from me. Head on over to the Get Inspired! project, and see/hear why collaboration has been so important to me.

Go on…why not take 15 minutes to get inspired?

Invest an hour in yourself, so others will invest in you!

I can’t tell you how excited I am today. In just 90 minutes, I’ll be hosting my first teleseminar, How to Grow Your Business by Turning Passion for Your Work into Passion for Your Price.

Women entrepreneurs and consultants from all over the world (yes, the world!) will be joining me as I reveal one of the biggest fears that cause otherwise powerful women to feel powerless to ask for what they’re worth, along with three easy-to-implement strategies to help them get over that fear. It’s a great opportunity to start clearing out the junk that stands in the way of achieving your 2010 business goals.

If you have an hour to invest in yourself, won’t you join us? Click here to sign up. Even if you’re reading this after the teleseminar has happened, you can get a copy of the handout and access to the recording.

I am also making a very special announcement on this call. One that never entered my mind when I planned it. So…I guarantee that listening in will be well worth your time. Don’t you think you’re worth an hour? I think you are.

Click here to get access to the call.

Celebrate the Ides of March by giving yourself a gift! Invest an hour this coming Thursday to learn how to grow your business by overcoming one of the biggest fears professional women have around asking for money.

Join my no-cost teleseminar, “How to Grow Your Business by Turning Passion for Your Work into Passion for Your Price”, this Thursday, March 18 at 3PM Pacific/6PM Eastern.

During the call, you’ll discover how to:

• Understand one of the biggest fears that causes otherwise powerful women to feel powerless to ask for what they’re worth
• Overcome the Imposter Factor and start creating a confidence in asking for money that is equal to your confidence in the quality of your work
• Immediately implement 3 key strategies that will help you conquer your fear  and become just as passionate about your worth as you are about your work

Sign up now!

Can’t attend “live? No worries. I’ll be recording the call. So sign up to make
sure you get access to the recording and the handout.

If you’re serious about growing your business this year, you don’t want to miss
this call! Hope to see you on Thursday!

What do you do when someone opts out?

Many professional women in my life have been asking the same question over the last couple of weeks:

What if someone unsubscribes from my list?

The tone of their questions is usually full of fear, like, “Oh my gosh. Some teeny percentage of my list of contacts has decided not to get info from me anymore!” Now I know we all treat each of our contacts with the utmost respect and love, and deliver seriously great service. We feel close to each one of our contacts, like our list is one big family. If one of our contacts opts out of our list, it’s like we’ve lost one of our own.

My good friend and mentor, Nancy Marmolejo over at Viva Visibility, blogged about this very issue a couple of weeks ago:  I Survived a List Purge (You Can Too).  This is what got me thinking about this topic.

Then, I started hearing from a whole bunch of women entrepreneurs:

“I had one person unsubscribe!”

“One of my contacts said they were not interested.”

“What do I do if someone opts out?”

Like Nancy, I say, “Let ‘em go!” Focus on those who have made the conscious decision to stay on your list. You will likely never really know why the one person left your list, so don’t waste energy on tracking them down, finding out why they left, and what you can do to get them back. Use that same energy to thank those who have decided to stay, or offer them some bonus piece of information, or just say hi.

I’d love to hear how you, and the professional women you know, feel when one of your contacts opts out. Do you take it personally? Or do you re-focus on the vast majority of your “family” that’s still at home?

How appropriate that Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar last night! Today is International Women’s Day.

Wondering how you might celebrate this day? Which woman is worthy of your respect and attention today? How about YOU? Yes, you. Today of all days, you should be able to put yourself first. Tell people you’re celebrating a holiday. Go ahead, be selfish.

I started thinking about this topic during a discussion of “What You Wish You Knew Then”. People were talking about the differences in their lives once they discovered that what makes them happy is just as important as what makes other people happy.

It really is true…if you are not happy, then it’s likely that no one around you is happy. Sounds self-centered to some people, especially women, but it’s not. And it is not even close to Gordon Gecko’s philosophy of “Greed is good.”

The late Thomas Leonard, the founder of Coach University, said, “When you become truly selfish, you’ll have the extra reserves needed to really care about—and be generous with—others.”

Think about it. When you truly take care of yourself, only then can you have the reserves necessary to be generous with others. How many of us have this backwards? We take care of everyone (and everything) else, and leave ourselves for last. How can we even think about being generous with what we don’t have to give? For many of us, this phenomenon is a significant contributor to our stress levels. And we’re accomplishing great things in spite of our stress levels, so what’s wrong with that?

The obvious answer is burnout. We see it all around us. Friends, colleagues and family members who are stuck in careers they don’t want, in relationships that are going nowhere, living lives they didn’t choose—their gifts and talents going underutilized, or being buried under the pile of “shoulds”.

Perhaps the real benefit of becoming selfish is giving your gifts and talents room to develop. “Gifts and talents need nourishment; they don’t blossom fully without it. If you’ve got a special talent or gift—and most of us do—become selfish for the sake of that if you cannot bring yourself to be selfish for your own sake.” (Thomas Leonard, again.)

We each have been given an incredible opportunity. I believe we all owe it to the world to live the best life we possibly can. There’s no point to doing otherwise. Are you doing that? I know I’m not, but I am getting better at it. Maybe if each of us gets a bit more selfish, we’ll not only be living the lives we want and deserve, but being more generous with each other and changing our world as we go.

Now the question is, “Where do I even begin to be more selfish?” Try scheduling some time each week, when it really is “all about you”…and keep the appointment!  Time to read a book, take a bath, get outdoors, write in your journal (or work on that novel)—whatever you need to do more of to take care of your self. You’ll be surprised how quickly you (and your friends and family) see a change.

Go ahead…make your self happy!

Why does power have such a bad rep, especially for women? Some people think it means controlling others, others believe it leads to corruption, still others shy away from the attention that comes when it’s used.

I like to focus on the positives of power:

It can get you from one place to another.
It makes things glow.
It allows you to step out and claim what’s rightfully yours.

And, the successful embracing of your own personal power can lead to all three of these.

Many women have had to search for their own personal power. After years of cultural, familial, or societal conditioning, their personal power ends up buried somewhere—under some internal rock, inside someone else’s expectations, or in an alter ego who may or may not be hidden.

Personally, I consider myself lucky. I’ve always known I am powerful. My challenge has been to use it wisely. To keep it bottled up and not let it come shooting out of the ends of my fingers (or, more likely, from my barbed tongue) at the drop of a hat. “Pick your battles,” is some of the best advice I’ve ever received.

When I used my power indiscriminately, I alienated people, limited myself, and generally made my life more difficult. I focused my power on tearing things or other people down, rather than on creating things and building people up. What’s the difference now? In short, stuff happens.

I have more and better ideas, because there’s enough space in my brain for them to come in. It’s no longer chock full of plans to win all those unimportant battles (like how I’m going to get my daughter to clean up her room or how I’m going to look better than my co-worker).

I attract really interesting people into my life. By stepping out and using my personal power to create instead of tear down, I’m meeting people with similar goals, and we’re working on ways to help each other change the world. I do more than I ever thought I could.

Are you feeling the twinges of your own current of personal power yet? Wondering how to get started wiring (or re-wiring) yourself to embrace your power and wear it comfortably? How about creating your Personal Power Manifesto?

The Manifesto of Lululemon, an athletic wear company.

A manifesto, you say? Isn’t that too radical? A manifesto is merely “a public written declaration of principles, policies, and objectives” (as defined by the Encarta dictionary). It’s just a list of what you believe, how you’ll behave, and what you’ll achieve. Is it the “public” part that’s scaring you? Well, you can start with just writing it and printing it out. Get it out of your head and onto paper. Keep it somewhere where you can see it regularly. As you get more comfortable with it, share it with others.

The great benefit of a manifesto is the clarity it brings. By writing it down, you more clearly define what you want and how you want to get it. And the increased clarity makes it easier to find, achieve, and/or attract what you want.

To get you started, I’ll share mine. It’s at the end of this post. Feel free to edit it however you like. Once you’ve created your own manifesto, then share it. Add it as a comment to this post, put it on your web site or Facebook page, tweet about it.

And if you’re still balking at the concept of finding and using your personal power, I give you this quote from Elisabeth Kübler Ross:

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.

You have to have power to turn on your light.

I choose to find and embrace my personal power, as a key step in leading my own life.

I will not wait for others to give me permission to use my personal power. The very fact that it is “personal” allows me, and only me, the right to decide where, when, and how to use it.

I will no longer keep my personal power bottled up. It just gets stale and nasty.

If I have not yet found my personal power, I commit to the sometimes difficult investigative work of locating it. I will ask myself tough questions, and look critically at my past experiences with my personal power.

If I find that my personal power has been hiding in an alter ego, I will embrace that alter ego, and welcome it into my life. I commit to integrating my alter ego into my own ego—it’s easier to live a single life rather than a double life.

I throw off others’ expectations of when and how to use my personal power. I trust that I actually do know what’s best for me, and will live up to my expectations of my self as the leader of my life.

I assist and encourage others in their discovery of their personal power, and I allow myself to ask for help on my own journey.

I celebrate all victories and accomplishments along the way. I give my self permission to step out, to be bold and brave, to make mistakes and learn from them.

I choose to be fair and judicious in using my personal power.

I choose to get comfortable with my personal power, and all its many benefits.