by Liz Clark | Jan 11, 2016 | Getting Stuff Done, Personal Development
So, you’ve set some goals or you have a great idea! You’re excited about making this new idea happen. Maybe you want to: lose weight get organized be smarter with your money get a new job launch a new business take your business to the next level You start of with great intentions and lots of momentum. Then regular life happens and days turn to weeks and you realize you haven’t made any progress toward your new goal or idea. It still excites you. It’s still something you want, but there is literally no time to work on it. As a small business owner, wife and mom of 4 kids, I totally understand how this happens. Here’s the thing: it’s actually normal. In fact, most people don’t succeed. The amount of change that’s required to accomplish new goals or to make a new idea into reality takes a lot of effort. But, some people do manage to accomplish their goals and ideas. It is possible. So where do you start? 1. EVALUATE YOUR PLATE Taking on something new doesn’t mean that regular life goes away. Get honest with yourself about your current responsibilities and the scope of the new idea you’d like to make happen. Don’t do this in your head; write it all out on paper. Make sure you get everything. It is common for us to overlook or forget about certain responsibilities if you’ve been doing them for a long time. Keep a journal for a week to see exactly how you’re spending your time. 2. DECIDE WHAT STAYS – AND WHAT GOES Taking on something new takes effort and focus.... read more
by Liz Clark | Nov 9, 2015 | Business Matters, Personal Development
No matter how much you’ve actually accomplished in life, there is no test quite so unnerving as responding to the simple question: “So, what do you do?” This is a simple pleasantry, a social platitude, really. It’s an efficient way to “get to know” someone better. But, implied in this question is a measurement of sorts — of your professional, financial and even social standing. We can bring a lot of anxiety into the process of answering: What if I don’t meet the expectations of the person asking? What if I’m not interesting enough? What if I’m not important enough? What if I’m not good enough? Too often we give an underwhelming response or we feel so insecure, we underplay what we can bring to the conversation. But, here’s the big secret: The person asking probably doesn’t care 10% as much as you do about how you answer. The person asking you this question is most likely just being polite while, deep down, trying to figure out 1 of 2 things: Whether or not you can advance them in some way. How long until you’re done talking so they can get back to talking about themselves. Instead of feeling anxious or inadequate about your answer, become a master conversationalist by giving the asker what he/she really wants – the opportunity to continue focusing on themselves. Here’s my #1 tip to wiggle out of the anxiety-inducing small talk cycle: Answer quickly with something low-key and respond, “And, what do you do?” All attention about the specifics of “what you do” will be forgotten – no anxiety or feelings of inadequacy needed! But, wait – being forgotten isn’t the goal,... read more
by Liz Clark | Nov 2, 2015 | Uncategorized
November is here! It’s sure to be full of everything we’ve come to know and love about the month: even more pumpkin culturally irrelevant graphic and interior design (does anyone actually relate to cornucopias?) The BEST HOLIDAY (Thanksgiving!) Facebook feeds and blogs overrun with “gratitude” and “thankfulness” posts. The driving idea behind these posts are absolutely wonderful. Many of us do get caught up in our relatively small troubles and forget to “count our blessings.” I’ve spent more than 25 years looking for the positive things for which to be thankful, even in some pretty awful circumstances. One example comes to mind. In 2008, my husband was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Our four kids ranged between the ages of 2 and 8 that year. I was working full time. It was an incredibly stressful year. The kids missed their dad (as did I) and sometimes the smallest, most mundane thing would become the catalyst for a meltdown (for them or me). One day, in a moment of total frustration and exhaustion, I asked (maybe ordered?) them to tell me things they were thankful for. That went over like a lead balloon and resulted in that wide-eyed “uh-oh-Mom’s-upset-about-something” stare. I took a deep breath, apologized for my anger and said something to the effect of: “Can you just tell me at least one positive thing? Let’s make it a game. Finish the sentence: ‘At least _____.’ I’ll go first, “At least it’s not raining!” And so was born the Clark Family “At Least Game.” My sniffling kids all took... read more
