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How Do You Make Tough Decisions: With Your Gut or Your Head?

  Gut Feeling 
  Originally uploaded by Made in Mississippi

I ask this question of you because over the weekend someone asked this:

"If after waiting 48hrs on a tough decision, do you go with your gut or your head?

My advice was to definitely go with the "gut feel", as I think that the "little voice" whispering deep inside us, advising us about a certain person or situation is actually more reliable than our heads.

Another word for "gut feel" is intuition, and I think our intuition is really the result of us subconsciously picking up on tiny clues that are so subtle that our heads miss them entirely. For this reason, I really think that the gut is mightier than the head.

Do You Aspire To Be Heroic?

Lately I've been really contemplating the preconceived limitations that we often place on ourselves and wondering what sorts of masterpieces each of us could be creating if we could just shake free of the mundane and the ordinary, push aside the goal of "just getting by", and start thinking of ourselves as real heroes in training.

As I've been in this reflective mood, I happened across an amazing book that I recommend to everyone who's interested in exploring their untapped potential--it's called "The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire" by Deepak Chopra.

In it he said something that blew my mind:

"We know that our deepest relationships and meanings and contexts derive from the soul. And our aspiration, that grand and wonderful and mythical thing that we yearn to do, also ultimately derives from the soul. In our time here on earth, this individual soul will not be fulfilled unless it completes its mythical quest, which we can think of as the Grand Plan around which our destinies are organized. Inside every human being there is an overarching theme, a template for heroic living, a god or goddess in embryo that yearns to be born. This is who we were meant to be, the self that we deny ourselves because most of us cannot see the limitless potential that is open to us. This is our best self, the egoless self, that bit of the universe acting through us for the good of all."

The Top 7 Ways Mister Rogers Changed The World

  Mr Rogers 
  Originally uploaded by TJ 34

Most of the time when we think of creative visionaries, the image of a rebel genius a la  Albert Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci pops into our minds, but it's helpful to remember that there are some special visionaries who actually managed to walk the cutting edge by giving the world a huge bear hug, rather than the finger.

Mister Rogers was definitely one of these gentle, creative souls.

He is one of my favorite creative visionaries because his dream was powered by an endless supply of hope and an unshakable belief in the goodness of human beings.

Consequently, some might say miraculously, the world seemed to morph itself to manifest his vision.   

No depressed, struggling artist here--Mister Rogers just seemed to be so in tune with humanity that even when things did not go his way, his attitude and his acceptance of life turned people and circumstances around.

There is much we creative souls can learn from Mister Rogers--in particular how to use love, understanding and hope to mold the world into our vision.

Mangesh has a wonderful post about his favorite Mister Rogers facts, and I've chosen a few items on his list to illustrate the most wonderful things about the gentle, forward thinking being that was Mister Rogers:

HowTo Take A Spontaneous Day Off & Still Keep Your Business Running Smoothly

Entrepreneurs have to be the hardest working folks on the planet.

We usually carry much or all of the work load for our businesses, and that makes it difficult to take days off. We are human, however, and there will be days when for one reason or another we're just not feeling up to par.

While it may be tempting to "gut it out" and just work through the pain, I think a healthier and more productive strategy is to take the day off, rest and pamper ourselves so that we can recuperate our strength and bounce back fast.

Taking a spontaneous day off is sooo much easier if, during healthier times, you've put a safety net system in place for those pesky unforeseen sick, mental health, or family emergency days.

BlogMusik: Audio Anti-Depressants for Your Workday

I really think that music has the ability to heal and inspire, and it's amazing the impact that hearing our favorite tunes can have on our energy, mood, productivity, and general happiness on any given day.

Usually I work in silence, but first thing this morning I came across this site called BlogMuzik, and I quickly got absorbed in making my own mixes.

It's free (just register with an email address), and you can create playlists of your favorite songs, then post them on your blog.

For me, the usefulness of this (besides being able to share the mixes with friends) is that when I start my workday I can just pull up my blog page that has the mix on it, and press play.

Presto--instant audio ambiance!

As I said, I usually work in silence, but today I've been listening to the music mix I created, and I've noticed a big difference in my energy. I've totally had my A-game all day (you know, just really pumped up and focused on the task at hand), and I credit this being "in the zone" to hearing my favorite tunes all day.

Are you spending your time wisely? Take the 20/10 quiz to find out

  . Sachie at Ninna-Ji (redux) . さちえさん - 仁和寺 . 
  Originally uploaded by 3amfromkyoto

If you were given $20 million and told that you had only 10 years left to live, would you spend your days the way you spend them now?

This is the 20/10 question, found in Daniel Pink's book A Whole New Mind, and I've had fun posing it to a few folks over the weekend. This question is about work, but it can also pertain to life in general.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, like you've got too much to do or like you're spinning your wheels, asking yourself this question will help you re-focus.

I've found it to be helpful for myself--Asking myself this question made me realize that I could be accomplishing soooo much more with my time. I am totally happy with the focus of my biz, but I'd like to develop it more, branch out, learn new skills and take on new projects more aggressively.

Pondering this question has also helped me weed out some of the major time sucker-uppers of my online life. Last week I was feeling like a good chunk of my time was getting sucked into a vortex of Web 2.0 social applications  , and I was getting frustrated when folks would tell me, "You've gotta get on Facebook, you've gotta be in Second Life, you've gotta do Jaiku, you need to join Pownce, etc."

I do like to stay connected to my online buds, but there comes a point where all of these social apps are just kind of redundant. No mere mortal with a life can possibly do all of them, so I decided it's time for me to streamline.

I've weeded out a few (still doing Twitter though), but it does help to take some of the pressure off to keep up with the tech gods of the universe who are on every social app in the existence. I just cannot keep up with them, and this is fine. If I only have 10 years to live, I certainly want to spend them in my first life, rather than my Second Life  .

So, I ask you, what is your answer to the 20/10 question?

If you were given $20 million, no strings attached, would you spend your days the way you spend them now?

If you had only 10 years left to live, would you be doing the work that you are doing today?

If the answer is "no" to these questions, what changes could you make so that you could answer "yes"?

Top 11 Ways to Kick a Procrastination Stupor

  procrastination 
  Originally uploaded by aelyn

I don't know one person, no matter how evolved, organized or productive they may be, who does not suffer from the occassional bout of procrastination.

Mere mortals that we are, it seems like we're contastantly in danger of falling into a downward spiral of avoiding things that we know we should be doing.

Accompanying this avoidance is often stress, shame and guilt, not to mention that the thing we're avoiding stays firmly planted where it is still needing to get done and perhaps getting worse because we've neglected it for so long.

Oy--what's to be done to overcome this dreaded foe?

Sometimes it helps to get past a roadblock if we understand the reason why it's there. JohnPlaceOnline lists the top 11 causes and cures of procrastination (via) as being:

• Complicated-task anxiety: Break big, complicated tasks into smaller pieces. Complete a starter task, no matter how small.
• Fear of imperfection: Accept that perfection is rarely attainable and seldom necessary. You’re a person, not a robot. Use the 80/20 rule whenever appropriate.
• Indecision: Determine your decision-making criteria, then set a deadline for your decision. Ask a friend to hold you accountable.
• Priority confusion: Distinguish obligations from options. What are you really responsible for? List and prioritize tasks.
• Boredom from minutiae: Automate simple repetitive tasks whenever possible.
• Lack of focus: Minimize distractions. Check e-mail and voicemail only twice per day instead of every 5 minutes. Find a quiet room where you can concentrate. Resist the urge to keep taking breaks.
• Poor organizational skills: Clean your work area. Put tools and utensils in their proper place so you can find them when you need them.
• Laziness: Remind yourself of the consequences of procrastination. Resist the urge to be a couch potato. Try to complete several small tasks to provide a feeling of accomplishment. Reward yourself.
• Lack of energy: Maintain a regular sleep routine. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. Do not skip breakfast.
• Early morning lag: Before you stop working each day, make a list of the tasks you want to begin first thing the following morning so you can hit the ground running the next day.
• Post-lunch fatigue: Before leaving for lunch, make a list of the things you plan to do when you get back so you can pick up where you left off. Avoid eating a heavy lunch.

I totally agree with everything on John's list. Procrastination is something that we can try to control (kinda hard to cure!  ), but there will be times when we succumb to it. Here's a tip for when that happens:

If you are going to procrastinate, a good thing to do is to procrastinate using activities that are actually somewhat useful.

Let's say you're avoiding a report you're supposed to be doing--well, you might as well procrastinate by doing the dishes, or cleaning your house, or sorting through your mail. That way, even though you're technically procrastinating you're at least using your procrastination time wisely by getting something else necessary done.

Question for ya--What are the things that cause YOU to procrastinate and what do you think the cure is?

HowTo Make a DIY Blog Organizer

I am so old school when it comes to organizational tools--I vastly prefer paper to electronic organizers, and that's why I got all giddy when I read this post by Julie Bonner about this "Blog Binder" idea that she came up with.

When I just had the 2 blogs that I was writing for (eSoup and 901am) I used to keep a list of story ideas for each blog in my notebook, but now that I'm blogging on multiple blogs and am in the process of building a new niche blog called Chocolate Chipped (more on this later), I realized that I needed to turbo-charge my organizational efforts in respect to blogging.

I've followed Julie's outline of how her binder is organized, and have adapted it to suit my needs. I've made it more GTD-esque, and am also using it to keep track of writing projects, such as some ghostwriting I'm doing and this mammoth e-book I'm about to start working on.

Here's how my blog binder is organized:

7 Bullet-Proof Tips for Budding Entrepreneurs (and a free e-book for new grads!)

  I'm Graduate..! 
  Originally uploaded by sheikha85

When you get out of school and are plunged into the "real world" it can be a bit overwhelming to say the least!

I know I was NOT looking forward to leaving school. This probably explains why I spent 8 years in college and switched majors 3 or 4 times!

My memories of my own awkward entry into the working world inspired me to jump at the chance when Drew McLellan invited me to contribute some friendly advice for new graduates for an e-book that he was compiling.

I'm happy to report that the e-book is ready, and it's even better than I thought it would be. You can download the free e-book at Drew's blog and read all the wonderful advice, including some tidbits from Seth Godin, Andy Wibbels, plus a ton of other savvy folks.

Here are some of my favorite words-o-wisdom from the e-book that I thought might inspire some future entrepreneurs:

1) Fail. Alot. By that I mean take a chance on the road less traveled even if that road takes you out of your comfort zone. Toby Bloomberg

2) Consider the option of NEVER getting a "real job". Self-employment may not be everyone's first best destiny, but you may not know until you try. It may seem safer to be employed by someone else, but I'd beg to differ. If you have it in you, do it. I'd rather see try and fail vs. never try. Douglas Mitchell

3) Start your own gig. Even if you're 12 years old, start a store on eBay. You'll learn just about everything you need to know about digital marketing by building an electronic storefront, doing permission-based email campaigns, writing a blog, etc....Folks that need brilliant marketers will beat down the door to get at you. After a while, you may decide you like that life. Or, more likely, you'll decide you'd rather be your own client. Seth Godin

4) If you have a choice between taking a job for money or because it is something you would really love to do, don't go for the money. If your work happens to be something you are passionate about, say something you'd consider doing even if they didn't pay you, then the money will follow eventually. And probably in much larger amounts than that other job could ever bring you. Chris Cree

5) Be passionate, but balance that with patience. Passionate people are in danger of being very frustrated and bitter if they don’t learn to manage their passion and focus it on positive results. Ann Michael

6) Relationships rule. It isn’t who you know. It isn’t what you know. It is who knows what you know and what you can do. Impress extroverts. Andy Wibbels

7) The absolute biggest thing I wish I knew when I was first starting out, is that you can create your own job if you don't see any that you like. That's what I did. If you're a bit of a risk taker and a maverick, you might find greater satisfaction outside of the traditional working work. Just think about what you enjoy doing and how you could possibly monetize your skills. Sharon Sarmiento

You can see all the new grad advice by downloading the free e-book at Drew's blog. A big thanks to Drew for putting this project together! 

Did you have a business when you were a kid?

  Lemonade Stand..... 
  Originally uploaded by fleamarketstudio

Have you ever noticed that kids are natural entrepreneurs?

I remember when I was a kid I had a number of businesses.

My solopreneur biz was selling wildflowers door-to-door in my neighborhood, which was a HUGE success.

Although most folks aren't really in the market for buying wildflowers, I've found that they can be easily persuaded by a 5-year-old girl wearing overalls and a friendly smile .

My summer-time business was a lemonade stand which I ran with a couple friends. Now this was big business!

There was also a lot of competition seeing as though when one group of friends gets the idea to set up a lemonade stand, then word quickly spreads and it seems like every kid in the neighborhood decides they want to do it too.

It is cut-throat!

I remember that with both of these ventures, the work days were filled with adrenaline, hopeful expectation, creativity, and a lot of play and excitement.

Above all, there was a feeling of freedom and pride at being able to create something from scratch and to make the creative decisions (what the sign will look like, how much to charge, what kind of lemonade to use, etc).

As an adult when I was re-examining my life path after leaving the corporate world, I found myself looking back on the joy I got from having my own businesses as a child and wondering, "How could I recreate this feeling of "work as play" in adulthood?"

For me, the answer was to create my own unique business doing what I love for people who I enjoy being around.

Thank God I had the initiative as a kid to set up that lemonade stand, or else I might not have known that this kind of life was even possible!

Kid's have a natural entrepreneurial spirit that combines work with creativity and play, and I think a lot of us entrepreneurs have souls that are fueled by the combination hard work, play, creativity, freedom, excitement, collaboration, ingenuity, and personal vision. 

*I was wondering, were any of you budding entrepreneurs as children, and if so, what kind of business did you have?

*Also, do you think your experiences with your childhood businesses influenced your decision to create your business as an adult?