Perspectives

Hi All:

I get a motivational quote each morning from TUT - a Note from the Universe. For me, sometimes they are right on, sometimes they are too “out there”, sometimes I feel the need to write about them. (If you don’t get these, and are interested, their website is www.tut.com. So here’s the quote for today:

It really hit home for me and I decided I had to blog about it.

I think we have decided that having fun is not permitted. Yes, we are definitely going back to taking care of ourselves and helping others, which is wonderful. But what we haven’t gone back to yet is that having fun is not a dirty phrase. And yet, we seem to have left it by the wayside. We have decided that we need to work, we need to take care of our bodies, we need to help others, but we can’t have any plain, old fun! And I believe we are killing ourselves with that mentality.

Look, I’m all for a cleaner America, and a healthier Us, and all of us working for the good of something. I’m all for marketing my business and networking and all of that. But sometimes I think we’ve forgotten to truly relax and enjoy ourselves.

What happened to taking a vacation to RELAX? What happened to taking time off and NOT WORKING? What happened to meeting new people and not wondering if they can be added to your LIST? We all do it. I had the nicest lady sitting next to me on the plane home from Montreal recently. We really hit it off and talked the whole flight. But in the back of my mind, I was wondering, how can she help me and my business - and can I help her and her business? You see - my brain has been conditioned to think always of work and how things can help.

So my goal today is to have a bit of fun. I don’t yet know how that looks, but when it happens, I’ll let you know. I can tell you that it won’t have anything to do with work, it won’t have anything to do with exercising, it won’t have anything to do with what’s good for me. It will just be FUN! Wow, what if all of you reading this blog decided to take a day for total fun? I wonder how that would change our attitudes? I wonder what it would do for our bodies? I wonder how it would, in the long run, help us in our businesses (I just had to throw that in there).

So let’s see what happens. Who’s with me? Let’s just take some time and have fun with no ulterior motives. Then let me know your results. Who knows - maybe we will ENJOY ourselves? I look forward to some comments on this one.

Vickie

It’s Mother’s Day! What a wonderful day - to take time out and be thankful for your mother. Even if your mother is no longer around, you can spend time being thankful for the person who brought you into this world. They cared enough about you to bring you into this world.

This is a special Mother’s Day for me as this is the first year that my mother has lived with me. We have had our ups and downs - I won’t lie. It’s stressful having a new person in your home, especially your mother. Even as an adult, I still find myself wanting to please her, wanting to make her proud of me. And that creates stress. And she is stressed also - wanting to find a place for herself in this new home, wanting to be a help to me, wanting to contribute to the family. So has it been easy? No. But as I think about this Mother’s Day, I find I am more fulfilled this year because I have my mother living with me. I find we are forging a new relationship as we find our way together. We are learning each other - our joys and our sorrows, what makes us tick, what excites us, what makes us happy.

I am so happy to have my mother with me. And I look forward to many happy years as we build our futures together.

So Happy Mother’s Day, mom. I am so happy you live here with us. And I love the woman you are.

Vickie

My latest ezine talked about common courtesy - what has happened to it and why we have to use it to have successful businesses. You can read about it here - http://tinyurl.com/pa69dy

What I talked about was how as we “evolve” as humans, the less “human” we become. Common courtesy has gone by the wayside for many people. You always feel as if you are bothering someone by asking a question. You always feel you have to apologize because you are in a store and need some help. It really has gotten to a point where courtesy is something of olden days. And that is horribly bad for business!

Courtesy is something that is a major component of my business. It’s a part of who I am and what I believe in. When I display courtesy, my clients are so appreciative. When I show respect, they are respectful in turn. Being courteous starts the process of being trustworthy. And being trustworthy is key to relationships. I find that my clients stay with me through thick and thin because they trust me. And that trust comes from respect. And that respect comes from courtesy. They are all intertwined. Yet none can exist without courtesy.

What ways can you be courteous today? How can you be courteous to your clients this week? What new steps will you take to make sure that courtesy is a part of your business plan?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Vickie

Wow! I am back from a week in Montreal with my virtual assistant peers and it was amazing!

I really thought long and hard about attending the IVAA 09 Summit. After all, it’s a lot of money when you add in the cost of  the conference, airfare, hotel, food, etc., etc. But I decided to go and man, am I glad. I want to talk today about the power of your peers.

Being in a virtual world can sometimes get lonely. If you are working from a home office, you have a tendency to become a “hermit.” Correspondence is done through email or telephone, you work from your house in your slippers, and you just get to a point where you are not associating with others in your industry (except through the Internet). It’s easy to become complacent in your continuing education and in your networking. But it’s a bad mistake. Complacency equals stagnation and there is nothing worse for your business than becoming complacent and stagnating. There is no growth - and without growth, there is no fulfillment or joy or passion or power.

Taking time to attend live conferences will really boost your business. Once you meet those you have known through the Internet, it makes a huge difference. You now have a true connection with those people. And let’s face it, your peers motivate you. When you see and hear all the great things that are happening with your colleagues’ businesses, it makes you want to do better, aim higher, be more! I learned so much at the conference - things that I have already begun to implement - not only in my own business, but in my clients’ businesses as well. So not only is my business going to profit from my getting out and meeting my peers - but my clients’ businesses will do the same.

And how about those great speakers who are at the conferences and are not in your industry? They are leaders in their fields and are marvelous people to be associated with - people such as Felicia Slattery, who is an amazing communicator and coach; or Craig Cannings, who is a master social media and marketing expert. Their presentations were amazing and filled with information to propel your business forward.

So my advice for you today is this - get out, meet people, go to conferences, attend live events. See what the power of your peers can do for you. It will boost your business, it will boost your morale, it will boost your ROI.The cost is minimal when you compare it to the results!

What will you do today to get yourself out there?

Vickie

My most recent mentoring ezine (Mentoring Matters) discusses learning and how we should never get too old to learn. Check it out -

http://tinyurl.com/c8chhj

Let me know what you think. And tell me what you think of Toot, my baby.  He is a cutie - although my grandbaby now has him beat in the cutest category. I never thought that would happen.

I’m so excited to be attending the IVAA Summit in Montreal next week. It gives me a chance to go someplace I’ve never been, it gives me a chance to relax a bit, and it gives me a chance to learn. I’m so excited about the speakers and learning new things. I’m also excited about meeting my peers and colleagues in the VA world.

Don’t take learning for granted. No matter how old (or young) you are, there is always room for growth.

Vickie

I have been using SalesForce with two of my clients and I am very pleased with it. Used correctly, it can really help your business grow.

SalesForce can be used many ways. One of the ways I use it is as a database management program. It is very robust in that you can load documents that are associated with a specific contact or account. You can also attach emails to that same contact so all of your information is in one place. You are able to see, at a glance, all the activity that has happened with that particular contact.

Another way to use it is to keep track of opportunities for business projects. You can add people to the Leads section and then convert them to Opportunities as you begin seeking new work. It is a wonderful way to keep track of your pipeline and your coming work and income.

Another way to use it is with the calendar function (which also syncs to Outlook). It has lots of bells and whistles, including an Invite feature and a button to Add to Outlook.

I invite you all to check out www.salesforce.com and see what they have to offer. You won’t regret it.

Vickie

I have a client who has become a dear friend. Her name is Andrea Howe and she is the owner of BossaNova Consulting Group, an amazing boutique consulting company based in Washington, D.C. One of the things I like about her is that she is very clear in her goals and aspirations. She is all about trust and really does a good job of putting others first. She is a mentor in the way she runs her business and the way she runs her life.

As I have just opened a new portion of my business that deals with mentoring other virtual assistants, I thought it was a good time to reflect on the role mentoring can play in your business success.

Mentoring, when used in your daily business, can be an amazing thing. Suppose you have a client meeting and are discussing the next work you want to do with them. They have an idea of what they want to bring into their corporation, but as they talk, you see there may be a different avenue they would want to try. At this point, you are mentoring them. You are showing them a perspective that maybe they haven’t thought about. Perhaps it ends up saving them money; perhaps it ends up with the organizational development structure stronger than ever before. Whatever the case, you have been totally honest and transparent and they will thank you for it.

So begin to think of ways each day that you can mentor those you come in contact with. And be open for mentoring coming from others. It is a wonderful way of being open and honest, of learning new ways of doing things. It is also an excellent tool to use to find out someone’s thought processes. And it’s plain good business. Your business will grow from mentoring others and you will help others’ businesses to grow by mentoring them.

Vickie

Hi All:

This was sent to me today and I don’t know the author - but I absolutely loved this story and wanted to share it with all my friends. I think it’s important to not only remember this in your personal life, but also in your business life.

We are all unique with our cracks and flaws and that’s what draws our clients to us. There are thousands of virtual assistants in the world, but there is only one Vickie Turley, or Tracey DelCamp, or Aletha McManama, or Deb Howard Greenleaf. What makes someone want to work with you is your unique personality!

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.  One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. “I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house.”

The old woman smiled, ‘Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot’s side?’ That’s because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them.’  For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house.’

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it’s the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You’ve just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Vickie

This week, so far, has been pretty good health-wise and work-wise. I haven’t been down in bed, which is a major accomplishment. But I have a couple of really good days stomach-wise, then I have a day that’s not as good - and I immediately want to get all out of sorts.

Today’s word for me is contentment. I’m realizing that being content - with life, with your business, with your family - can help you be very successful. When you are content, you are not constantly looking for the silver lining. You are living in the moment, getting things accomplished, and moving from one thing to the next. It keeps you in action. And action is great for a successful business.

When you are always asking why, or why me, or why not me, it tends to lead to stagnation. You are spending so much time trying to figure out why, you forget to do the how. So you don’t grow. And another thing that happens - people start staying away from you. Let’s face it - who wants to be around someone who is complaining all the time.

Especially in today’s economy, we need to be much more aware of our attitudes and how we come across to others. We want to help, not hurt. Being content helps others as they watch what we are doing, how we are reacting from certain situations, and they learn.

So let’s practice contentment. Let’s see how much action can come from it. Let’s see how much growth can come from it. Whether it be personal or business growth, it’s all growth. And growth equals success!

Vickie

Well, my accountant just finished my taxes. Thank goodness, it turned out to be a good thing this year!

Once again, it made me start thinking - how many of us really thank our accountants? I know I don’t. I send them my stuff each year, I pray it will turn out well, then I pay their fee and basically don’t speak to them much again until the same time the following year.

Accountants are an amazing breed to me. They work their butts off for a period of time and it’s normally a pretty thankless job! If they can help you get some money back from the IRS, you’re appreciative but it’s not like they are in your “inner circle.”

As you already know, it’s important to surround yourself with a team who are key to your business success. Most of the time a team will include a coach, a mentor, a VA, a spiritual adviser, etc. But rarely do you think about having an accountant on your team. They are such an integral part of your business for the next year and beyond, yet we don’t think about them much. I, for one, want to change that.

So first, let me say thank you to all the bookkeepers, CPAs, and accountants! You are amazing people and I truly appreciate you for your knowledge, your dedication and your efforts on my behalf. And second, I intend to increase the size of my team and add my accountant this year. Who knows what a difference it will make?

I hope you too will take an extra moment or two sometime this week - and say a special thank you to your financial friend. It’s past time they became part of our “inner circle.”

Vickie