Business Lessons from Under The Sea...

Or should I say aquarium. Let me explain. My daughter recently convinced my husband and I to buy her a couple of goldfish. At first I was apprehensive but I have to admit I've come to enjoy having these little aquatic additions around.

Earlier this evening I was relaxing with my family and watching "Nemo and Dory", as my daughter has lovingly named them, do their thing in our little aquarium. As I watched them, I witnessed something I've been observing for a while now and realized that how they were living in their own little world applied to business and life. Here is what I observed:

One of these fish is very active. A real go getter. Always swimming around exploring every inch of the aquarium and is the first one to arrive for every meal. The other fish is much more relaxed. Sort of hangs out near the bottom. Swims around a little but doesn't have a whole lot of ambition and doesn't really seem to care what's going on around him.

Fish number one always gets first dibs at feeding time because he pays close attention to what's going on. Fish number two lets life pass him by and finds himself scrounging around looking for bits of food that fall to the bottom in between the rocks.

Fish Lesson #1
Opportunities happen all the time. But by paying attention to what is happening around you, you'll be the first on the scene to grab them when they present themselves.

Fish Lesson #2
By choosing to wait for life to happen to you rather than going after it, you are forced to eat other "fish's" leftovers.

Fish Lesson #3
When you live under status quo conditions you become complacent and eventually you stop even trying to go after anything because you know that sooner or later some sort of morsel will trickle down to you. Sure you're getting fed but you'll never know if there's anything better out there for you because you are allowing yourself to be satisfied with the way things are.

Fish Lesson #4
By failing to plan accordingly and take advantage of opportunities when they arise you're forced to hunt for them between the rocks which actually requires more effort than if you had planned ahead and grabbed them when they first appeared.

Fish Lesson #5
By not taking action immediately, the other fish have already eaten and are on to the next thing by the time you are just getting started.

Fish Lesson #6
If you refuse to pay attention to your environment and don't look for opportunities everywhere you eventually find yourself swimming around in circles wondering why you can't seem to move forward.

Who knew when we brought these two little creatures home they would teach me so much? I thought they would simply provide hours of entertainment for the cats. Speaking of the cats, one of them is sitting on the arm of my chair looking at me like "What's up with the fish being featured in a blog post? What about me?" LOL Perhaps I will do a business lesson post from the cat's perspective some time.

So which fish will you be this week? I think I know which one I'll be! Have a fantastic week everyone!

Jackie

P.S. Getting a decent picture of my actual fish at night was next to impossible so I opted for a stock photo :)

Are You an Infomaniac?

Now go ahead say that title fast and have a giggle. You know you want to because it sounds like something else that might require a support group.

Okay I'll be the first to admit, I'm an infomaniac. Hi my name is Jackie and I'm an infomaniac. There I said it. Whew that feels better. Although you may not need a support group for too much information (or maybe you do), I'm here to tell you that being an infomaniac may not be all bad. If you have the right approach.

What is an infomaniac you ask? Well here's a little quiz:

1. Do the words webinar or teleseminar get your pulse racing?
   
   
2. Do you have an alphabetized ebook collection?
   


3. Is your credit card statement filled with the latest greatest "system" purchases?
   


4. Do some people refer to you as "The Googler" because you have so many blog feeds in your reader?

If you answered yes to some or all of the above questions you may be an infomaniac. You are the person that can't get enough information on topics that fire you up. Although all of this newfound knowledge is great, it can limit your productivity and can also be overwhelming. So how do you manage it all?

Be Selective
It seems these days that everyone has a product to sell, newsletter to sign up for or an ebook they've written. The Internet makes it easy and tempting to subscribe to and purchase so many of these offerings but even though you may have the best of intentions that whatever you are downloading or subscribing to will help you, you need to be careful about what you are choosing. Especially those things that cost money. You can easily rack up some serious charges purchasing information products. Before you buy ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the product created by someone you follow and trust?
  
  
• Is the product something that will move you forward in your business or is it simply something that interests you? If you answer the latter it may be best to hold off until you are certain.
  
  
• Does the price of the product fit into your budget?
  


• Do you have the time that is required to devote to the program or system you are considering purchasing? If it sounds good but you don't really have the time, it may not be a good idea to make the investment or you may have to rearrange your priorities to fit it in.

Having a clear idea of why it is you want the product and knowing who it's coming from will save you time, money and allow you to achieve the goal(s) you're hoping to achieve by purchasing the product in the first place.

Free Does Not Necessarily Mean Value
How many newsletters are you subscribed to? Have you lost count? I've gotten to that point. Some of the newsletters that inundate my inbox on a daily basis I've signed up for because I knew they would be valuable to me personally or to my business. Other newsletters I get because I downloaded a report or signed up for a teleseminar and ended up on a mailing list because of it. This is something I'm learning to be more aware of. Do I really want something badly enough to commit to being on someone's mailing list? Now granted it's not written in stone that I have to be on that list forever, I can unsubscribe at any time. By taking the time to evaluate that thought ahead of time can be a huge help because consistently sifting through emails where after awhile you forget why you're getting them can be a giant time and productivity sucker in your day.

Create a Filing System
The good news about all of this information is that it can be easily accessible when you need it. Create your own "Success Library" on your computer and even on your desk if you choose by doing the following:

• Create a folder on your computer for your info products whether they be recorded teleseminars, free reports, ebooks, etc... Create a folder inside that folder for each type of product OR by category (i.e. a separate folder for marketing, public speaking, social networking, etc...) and then put your info products regardless of their format in each of those folders. Then when you have the time to review them or listen you can find them easily.
  
  
• Create a "Success Binder". I've started one of these and I love it. Purchase a 3 inch binder and some tabs. Whenever you receive a newsletter you love, read an article or download a free report, print it out and put it in your Success Binder. Categorize it by topic as with your computerized folder. You can even have a "big ideas" section in your binder for when you get those brilliant thoughts. That way you'll have them all in one place and you can build on them when you have the time.

Tips for Using Your Information Efficiently
Ok so you have all of this great stuff you've accumulated. You've sifted through the duds and have built yourself a success library. When in the world will you have time to read or listen to any of it? Well there are several ways you could try:

• Load all of your MP3 files onto your IPOD and listen to them while working out, cleaning the house or doing yard work.
  


• Instead of reading a best selling novel before bed read one of your reports or a few chapters of an ebook instead.
  


• Take your success binder on the road when you travel and read between meetings or conferences or when you're taking a vacation. It's also a good idea to have it to jot down those big ideas so you don't lose them in transit while traveling.
  


• When downloading an MP3 file, give it a name that means something to you for easy recognition. Many of the files available for download have names that include characters or numbers that you could not easily recognize when looking through your files. One thing that I do is name these files by presenter and topic (i.e. marismith_facebooktips)

Use or Purge
Every six months or so, take a day or even an afternoon to go through your newsletter subscriptions and unsubscribe to anything you no longer find useful. At the same time, go through your computer and hard copy library and take out anything you've listened to or read and no longer need or decide you will never listen to or read. Keep only the information you know you want to refer to over and over.

One last note on information overload. Many people accumulate a lot of useless information because they think it will be THE ONE that will catapult their success once and for all. The truth is no system, class or book is going to do that if you don't do the work. There also comes a point when you have to stop thinking that if you just read one more book or listen to one more teleseminar you'll have the information you need to get started on your dream. Although information can be a help and guide you in your journey, it cannot take the place of what is inside of you. You already have the knowledge, creativity and ability to do whatever it is you have your sights on. You simply have to get started. You may not need as much information as you think you do.

Before I go, I hope this blog is one piece of information you'll stay subscribed to. I'm happy to have you here and I hope you find what you learn here helpful, fun and informative. I always welcome your comments.

Have a wonderful week! Now go be productive!