After watching the video tip from earlier this week you’ll know that writing a book is one of the KEYS to success. But the biggest block to actually writing a book is taking the first step.  Where do you start? How do you start?   If you have articles and reports and ebooks, you can of course merely adapt these into a book by writing them up or elancing then out. But let’s imagine you don’t have any of these.  Let’s imagine you want all the joy and satisfaction of writing your book yourself.  This article is for you.

Let’s look at some strategies to get you writing your book NOW.

Summary  
Writing a book can be easy and fun.  In fact, it’s possibly one of the most rewarding things you can ever do.  If you have a dream of writing a book, or you’re canny enough to realise this is a smart career move, make the time in your schedule to get started.  It really is about taking that first step…

Setting a BIG goal such as starting a new business, writing a book, running a marathon, putting on your first 1-day or 3-day speaking event is always exciting.  But carrying out that goal and seeing it through to its successful conclusion is the real test. Big goals tend to involve big challenges.  It’s what makes them so worthwhile.

History has demonstrated that the most notable winners encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed, and refused to become discouraged by their defeat.
- B.C. Forbes

So, what is the difference between successful people who achieve their goals and those that falter along the way….

1.  The Right Attitude
People who set themselves big goals adopt the correct mental attitude to see them through.  They understand, even anticipate challenges and obstacles, but do not let these challenges defeat them from their path.   A big goal is not something out of reach and intangible, it is not a pipe dream nor pie in the sky thinking, it is something solid within their grasp.  It is something they know they will realise.  There is no if or maybe or perhaps, there is a deep-seated belief embedded in the successful person’s mindset that this dream is achievable.

Choose your goal and also choose your mindset.

2.   There Is Always Enough Time
Successful people who achieve their big goals do not say things like, “if only I had more time” or “I don’t have the time” or “I’m too busy.”  There is no such thing as not having time.  There is only making the time.  To make the time successful people recognise that the achievement of the goal is not just a high priority, but their highest priority.  They instinctively see how much impact the completion of this goal will have on their life. They are visionaries of the future and know that short-term hard work will create long-term freedom.   Completion of the big goal comes above day to day busy-ness.  It comes above everything.  If something has to be cut from the schedule it is not the work associated with the dream, it is something of lesser long- term importance.

Decide how important your goal is to you and do not confuse the sexiness of the dream with the hard work it requires to manifest.  Think beyond today and long into the future. How much impact will the actualisation of this goal have on all aspects of your life?  And now look at whether you are spending enough time on it.  And if not, ask yourself why.  It might just be your time management skills you need to look at.  Or it could be something more deeply rooted, such as an unconscious block that is sabotaging you from the success you deserve.  Whatever it is, resolve to conquer it.

3.   Be The Karate Kid
When the Karate Kid trains for his big fight, his mentor forces him to do a series of seemingly unconnected tasks like wax the floor and clean the car.  Eventually he gets frustrated with this and asks what is the point?  His mentor replies that he has been unconsciously learning all the moves and now his muscles will know how to instinctively react in the fight.  Successful people know that working on a big goal takes an enormous amount of discipline and patience.  Unsuccessful people give up because the little steps that form the completion of the big goal are in themselves sometimes tedious and unconnected.  

Know that each part of your journey is connected; that it is the journey itself which is training you to be a champion.  

Summary
It is no coincidence that not everyone achieves a big goal.  Not everyone in life achieves their dreams. Some people indeed never dream of big goals in the first place, whereas others start and then give up along the way, the very worst kind is the one who gives up right at the end.

It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.
- Paulo Coelho

Do what you can this week to reconnect with your dreams, your goals and make the effort to recommit to them now.  

I know some speakers who are extraordinarily superstitious.  So how important is ritual?

Ritual has its rightful place in the speaking business.  Stepping onto stage requires courage, preparation and calm.  So getting into the right mental and physical state becomes a ritual.  Here are 6 of my rituals which I always use before I speak.

Summary

As you can see, speaking on stage is not just a matter of stepping on and off.  Being on stage is something special.  Being on stage means the spotlight is on you.  Therefore you must do everything you can to be prepared.  Having rituals around stage-time help your preparation both physically and mentally.  Make being on stage as special and as sacred as you can for you. 

Think about what rituals you can create about going on stage.  If you already have a ritual, spend some time to refine it so the stage becomes even more sacred to you – a place where miracles and transformation really can happen.

It’s all in the mind this week.  We’ve all heard the saying that success breeds success but where does success start?  It starts with a mental attitude and a willingness to step outside the comfort zone.

You see it doesn’t matter what level of game you are playing right now- there is always another level you can go to.  And what usually holds you where you are is this thing called a “Comfort Zone”.

Have a read of this by Bob Riggs.

Do Something Outside Your Comfort Zone

So, by taking yourself out of your comfort zone you begin to expand.  In that expansion comes self confidence, in self-confidence comes a successful mindset and finally a successful mindset begets success.
You are currently inside your own comfort zone.  So am I.  But the good thing about a comfort zone is that every time you DO SOMETHING outside of your comfort zone, your comfort zone expands in all directions. As soon as you take a step outside of your comfort zone in any direction, your comfort zone expands in all directions to include all sorts of different possibilities.

• So for you, speaking might currently be outside your comfort zone.
• Perhaps speaking is inside your comfort zone but selling from the stage is outside your comfort zone. 
• Perhaps selling from stage is inside your comfort zone but hitting 30% conversions is outside your comfort zone.

Take a Mini Risk

It doesn’t matter what level you’re at, there’s always another level to go to.  It’s just a matter of stretching your comfort zone.  And this is just a matter of taking a series of little risks. Not huge risks, just little steps outside your comfort zone.  As your comfort zone expands, so too does your definition of yourself.  

So if you’re feeling comfortable right now – perhaps it’s time to expand yourself, and commit to something new.  What mini-risk can you take to step outside of your comfort zone and start cultivating that successful mindset?

Public speaking is full of people making basic mistakes.  Luckily, you don’t have to be one of them!  Now you’ve successfully ‘opened’ your presentation, here’s how to avoid the 3 biggest mistakes people make when they start getting into public speaking – and selling from stage.  This article is a great refresher for both experienced speakers and oh so important for those just starting out.

Presentation Skills = Great Selling

You may or may not have considered this yet. But something you need to get clear in your mind is that if you want to master the art of public speaking and intend to make a real difference in the world, you need to become a great sales person.

I believe great leaders who inspired great change, such as Martin Luther King Jr, Mother Teresa, Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, JFK were all amazing sales people.  What do I mean by sales?  Well, for me sales is when you create an environment of influence where you inspire people to take action in accordance with their vision.

I hold teachers in very high esteem.  However many teachers think their job stops after the information is imparted.  True leaders, or sales people, know that their job finishes only once someone has taken action toward their dream.

So I invite you to start to think about yourself as a great leader.  I know you have a message that is close to your heart; whether you are conscious of it or not is irrelevant.  There is something that inspires you.  So begin to think about yourself as someone who is destined to change the planet for the better in some way.

Once you see yourself as a great leader then you are ready to start selling from stage.  But what you want to do is avoid the following selling traps.

Three Big Mistakes To Avoid When Selling From Stage

Here are some surefire “kisses of death” for selling from stage right up front.  I’m putting there here so you can avoid them!

Mistake #1: The speaker thinks a seminar is about imparting information only.
People learn through their emotions. Not their intellect. Emotions are the glue that make learning stick. So when you teach, how are you managing the emotions of your audience?

Mistake #2: Looking like crap on stage.
Honestly, if you are teaching or selling in your presentation, I don’t care who you are, please make yourself look at least half way decent when you’re speaking in public! If you can’t pull it together, get an image coach. Ladies, I’m sorry, this is even more important for you because yes, we do get judged more than men on how we look.  It doesn’t take much to get it together with the right contacts.

Mistake #3: Having no integrity or out and out lying from stage.
The sad truth is there are some presenters and companies out there who will tell you one thing and then do another. I have even witnessed speakers lying through their teeth on stage. Please don’t be one of them.

Summary

You are something special.  Do you get that?  So this week, in fact starting right now, begin to think of yourself as someone special.  Someone with a lot to offer and a mission to fulfill. You may already know what this is, or you may not.  But commit right now to becoming a great leader.  And commit right now to becoming  a magnificent salesperson.  Not just a conveyor of information, not just a teacher, but someone who sells from stage.  In public speaking, the bigger your vision, the easier it is to inspire people to take action.

• Your crew are your support team.
• You must have a crew who believe in what you are speaking about and who back you up.
• They are the guys behind the scenes who make everything possible.
• Love them and look after them and they will look after you.

If you are looking for more time in your day, then look no further than today’s article. One of the most important gifts you can give to yourself is the gift of learning how to manage your inbox.  It’s a time-saver….

In-box Stress

You know what “in-box stress” is, don’t you?  It’s that horrid feeling you have when you turn on your computer in the morning and groan at your overloaded in-box. 

Email Overwhelm

Back in the ‘old days’ all we had to manage was the telephones and the post.  These days we have email as well.  If you’re one of those people struggling to cope with the deluge you get sent each day, you’re not alone.   We all get way more e-mail than we can fully act on. The in-box gets bigger and bigger and rapidly spins out of control leading to email overwhelm and stress.

Letting The Inbox Rule Us

The real problem is not with reading email but rather with doing the tasks that come from the email.  Having to take action on each email eats a massive chunk of our day.   If you’re anything like most people, then you don’t have a natural way to prioritize your reactions to your email.  Instead you just try and do it all there and then – acting on each email as it comes in.  Not only can we not keep up that way, but all our important work does not even get done – we end up prioritizing the email over everything else – simply because we are letting our inbox rule us.

Taking Charge of The Inbox

Simple! Don’t read the messages as they come in.  Read them periodically, no more than every hour or so. Or perhaps even just once or twice a day.  Research shows that it takes several minutes to recover from each work interruption, and that’s what scattered email reading leads to.  Now for a big tip, turn off the email notifications!  That way you stop jumping each time a new email pings in.

The next step is this: don’t take significant actions on emails when you first read them – unless they are truly urgent. Instead, put those actions on your to-do list.

As you read through your batch of emails, task each one that needs action onto your to-do list.  Prioritize them as you would any other task.  This way you treat your email no more or no less importantly than the other tasks in your day.  I suggest writing your task list first, then checking your in-box, adding your email tasks to the list and then prioritising the entire list. That way your e-mail doesn’t rule you – you rule your email.

The End of In-box Stress

Converting emails to tasks is a powerful practice.  It gifts you time  – as you are not bogged down doing e-mail actions prematurely, you’ll get through your email much faster.  Conversion to tasks also stops email from completely hijacking your workday!

Before you were answering emails and taking action just because it was at the top of your in-box.  Now you’re putting the email action onto your single task-list and working from your priorities. As a result, the most important tasks get completed first, rather than the other way round….

Converting emails to tasks takes away the stress from managing your inbox. As the email tasks are now on one list, this means you can empty your in-box easily.  Your task-list holds all your actions so you can empty and file the inbox daily.

The freedom of an empty inbox is such a relief.  It takes away stress and gives you more time to get on with your important tasks.  Why don’t you make a start right now into tasking your email actions onto your to-do list and enjoy the extra time it gives you…..

• When you are doing a presentation you must stick to time
• At a multi speaker event if you over run, the promoter will not be happy.
• The speakers after you won’t like it either
• You can perfect your presentation timing by practice, practice, practice
• If you haven’t started to close by about 60-70minutes your close rate will start to fall off rapidly.

One of the most common excuses I hear from my clients when they are stalling on doing the things they know they should do is “I don’t have the time”.

If you have ever said to yourself “I just don’t have the time to get these things done that I know I should be doing” then you should consider outsourcing.

This has allowed us to grow our business by implementing marketing strategies that we alsways knew we should have, make changes to our web sites that we always knew we should have – all these things that are on the “To Do” list but don’t quite get done you can usually outsource.

There are loads of web sites out there where you can post a job and people will bid to help you with that job.

So whether its help with writing copy, getting your book written or getting your newsletters written – there are so many strategies that you can use as a speaker to draw more attention to your business and build a relationship with your list that you don’t necessarily need to do yourself.

Some Outsourcing sites I recommend are:

• www.Rentacoder.com
• www.Elance.com
• www.Odesk.com