Clear Out the Clutter to See Clearly

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Landmark Forum, a personal development seminar geared at helping you get out of your own way. Wow, what an experience it was!  

Through that process, I broke through the "clutter" of issues and circumstances that were inconsequential in my life and business, and gained a greater focus and clarity for my business and most importantly my Mission.  

This is what happens when you clear the clutter...you see more clearly. You have less in the way and can focus better. 

By default, this has allowed me to better assist my clients clarify their mission! 

It has always been my passion to make a difference and make my mission that of helping others make a difference. I'm soon to launch the Mission Based Branding Institute, which has been a beautiful marriage of my background and passion for life.

With that, I hope to help others see clearly what their Mission is, and help create messaging and marketing to bring awareness to that Mission so near to their hearts. 

 

So, what's your Mission?

*Stayed tuned, we've got lots more to come and fun surprises in store in the coming month as we prepare for the launch of MBBI!

Are You Living Your Mission?

“How can I be useful, of what service can I be? There is something inside me, what can it be?” ~Vincent van Gogh

Why am I here on this planet? What is my gift to the world? What is my mission?

You are blessed with a You-nique purpose, or a MISSION. This is your overall life goal or vocation, what you are meant to do on this planet. It may also be called your “calling” in life, your “contribution” or “gift” to others, or your “legacy” once you are gone. Viktor Frankl, the author of Man’s Search for Meaning, discusses a specific vocation or mission in your life for you to fulfill and implement; therefore, your life is unique and cannot be replaced or repeated.

Recently I spent a few hours with needy kids working with art projects, allowing them to express themselves with art. For a couple of hours, these kids forget about the hardships in life and enjoy the moment, despite their limitations. I reassessed why I do what I do, and reaffirmed part of my Mission to inspire and empower others to do what they are passionate about to help make a difference in the lives of others.

Here are just a few examples that my clients have given as their Mission:

• To create art for others to appreciate
• To entertain and make others happy
• To inspire and motivate others
• To educate and train others
• To make a difference in your community
• To create a product or service that others need

You may already know your Mission and are working toward it, especially if you’ve been established in your craft or industry for some time. But it you haven’t yet discovered your calling, self-reflection may help you realize and determine if there is a larger purpose or legacy that you may not have considered before.

One excellent approach from Steven Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is to begin with the end in mind by envisioning your own funeral and what you would like to accomplish before you pass away. It was due to this introspection a few years ago, combined with “divine inspiration,” that I realized my life’s mission. This discovery was the impetus for resigning from my corporate job, starting my own business, and creating a charitable organization. This inner search also inspired me to reassess all my goals in life.

Remember that we are all connected on this planet and as such have a greater contribution beyond our own selves. Start with what you love and are passionate about, and it’s sure to guide you to a greater, You-nique Purpose or legacy. That’s what makes life worth living!
 

“Art to me is a humanitarian act and I believe that there is a responsibility that art should somehow be able to effect mankind, to make the world a better place.” ~Jeff Koons

This article is derived from Ch. 1 on Discovering Your Unique Purpose from my success program Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM), with many practical ways to discover your Mission. This e-book program presents 12 crucial strategies for success, starting with your inner purpose, and designed to motivate you to set and reach your goals, overcome obstacles and ultimately lead your Masterpiece life!

What We Can Learn From One Man's Mission

During the 1960s Civil Rights movement in the U.S., one man Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood out as the visionary for freedoms granted to black Americans. His mission was so powerful that it created a movement and legacy that have lasted and permeated into universal rights for all humanity. 

After reflecting on Dr. King’s life, these are my five main takeaways that can be applied to become successful mission-driven entrepreneur and visionary: 

1. Having a "Dream" and Vision: Dr. King’s iconic "I Have a dream" speech lays out his desire for a world where freedom “rings” and we are empathetic toward our neighbor. Creating change started with his dream..a vision..which translated to a mission so clear Dr. King would not stop until it was fulfilled. 


2. Taking Action with Determination: The Civil Rights movement didn’t happen overnight and certainly did not prevail after Dr. King gave just a few letters and speeches. It took many years of sweat, toil, pain and relentless action... a series of small steps forward toward his Mission, which led to something much greater over time.

3. Courage to face fears and take risks: Just the thought of Dr. King delivering his speeches and leading marches in some of the most discriminatory parts of the country gives me chills. He was walking a very dangerous path; yet it is in facing our greatest fears that we find our inner strength to overcome them and find the right path to our Mission.  

4. Finding a support system: Although Dr. King was an inspiring and powerful leader, he knew he couldn’t pull off his Mission alone. This unified dream, sense of community and strength in numbers propelled the movement forward and fueled Dr. King’s efforts even when he was down.  

5. Persistence to pursue one’s Mission despite obstacles: Certainly Dr. King faced self-doubt and insecurity throughout the pursuit of civil rights. He and his supporters faced much worse: criticism, death threats, persecution, imprisonment, assault and ultimately death. But his faith and persistence to fulfill his Mission was so strong that he was willing to die attaining it. The unified Mission was so powerful that it continued to inspire and motivate change and progress even after death.

I hope that we can remember these same lessons whenever we feel ourselves challenged and facing our own struggles, or want to quit before living our Mission. When our dream is so strong, there is no way we can turn back.

Remembering some lines from his famous "I have a Dream" speech:   
“We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. 
We cannot turn back." 
   
Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM) discusses these and many more success strategies based on great masters from the past. Although not specifically cited in my book, Dr. King is certainly considered one of the great masters in our history. This e-book program presents 12 strategies for success and is designed to motivate you to increase your productivity, reach your goals and ultimately fulfill your purpose and lead a Masterpiece life!  

Taking Time to Recharge and Rest

Many of you know that I spent the last few months On A Mission working on my thesis for my masters program. It was three intense months where I literally have not had downtime. Such has been my masters career over the last couple of years, as I've been studying, running my own business and launching my book.

How often do we go through life On A Mission with no time for ourselves? Are you giving yourself enough “recharge” or rest time? Here are some tips to recharge your life: 

1. Schedule “recharge” time in your calendar in advance. That way, other errands or tasks won’t easily distract you. Make your friends and family aware of your schedule so they don’t interrupt you during your “recharge” hours. As an entrepreneur, I can work all day but since I love what I do, I don’t see all of it as “work.” I still need to find “recharge” time throughout the day. On days that I work from home, I try to take a 20-minute afternoon nap or go for an energizing walk. These little breaks are refreshing and help recharge my mind. Oftentimes, I even schedule other meetings around these breaks.
 
2. Take off periodic "recharge" days. This can be done on a weekly, monthly or seasonal basis. I try to schedule one day every couple of weeks of "me time." Even just a weekend of doing nothing or engaging in a physical or spiritual activity can be incredibly uplifting. During the holidays, take at least a couple of days to unwind and recharge prior to the hustle and bustle of shopping and family gatherings.
 
3. Schedule at least two weeks of vacation each year. If you’re not taking enough vacation or rest days, what are you prioritizing instead? If you have not incorporated vacation into your overall life goals, now's the time to revisit your goals and make it a priority. Rest and play are crucial for living out your Mission!
The above excerpt is derived from Ch. 4 of Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM). This program has 12 keys to success and is designed to motivate you to increase your productivity, reach your goals and ultimately fulfill your Mission!

Defining Your Mission

My tagline is always: What’s Your Mission? 

This stems from  many years of my own search for my own Mission. After years of working in business and banking, it became clear I wasn’t doing what I was called to. I am continually asking myself, what am I called to do on this planet?
Even though pursuing my mission has been an evolution—and likely to continue to evolve—I am certain that I am doing what I meant to do at this moment.

I’m so happy that Mission Based Branding Institute helps fulfill my mission to help passionate individuals and brands implement their missions.   

So, what do I mean by “Mission”? Here is how I define “Mission”: 

MISSION:

1. A brand or individual’s reason for being in existence. An overwhelming “why” or purpose for being in existence. A Mission can be the brand’s core competency, and is usually defined as the profitable aspect of a business or what the core service or product is.
 

2. An aligned cause or philanthropic initiative that a Brand chooses to help make a difference in the community. This is typically tied to a non-profit measure.
 

For most mission-driven or socially-conscious businesses, the Brand’s core competency in itself may be for the betterment of the community or planet. And most nonprofits make money from their core competency, however the profits are used for charitable or community purposes.
 

So, what's your Mission?

Hiding Behind Excuses

"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions"

~Leonardo da Vinci

Many of us blame external factors such as the economy, politics, world conflicts, work life and even our friends and family members for our own problems. We make excuses for our lack of success, or mask our own insecurity, indecision or inaction. In reality, anyone can succeed during a “down” economy or any other negative situation because it’s just a state of mind. Our own opinions can deceive us!
 

Recently I gave a marketing presentation and discussed the role of positivity for success. An entrepreneur in the audience described how difficult it was to stay positive during “this terrible economy” which he said was affecting his career. I couldn’t believe that this accomplished businessperson was limiting himself!
 

During “down” times, it is more important than ever to stay positive and focused. Don’t agonize about so-called recessions or other external factors that may be limiting you! In fact, as a professional, I have worked in a “down” industry and continued to grow my income every year because I concentrated on my specialization and remained positive.
 

Never allow your own opinions to deceive you! Remember that you are in control of your thoughts and actions, and maintain a positive attitude!

[Note: Before I forget, my next 4-Week Accelerated Coaching Program starts next week...are you ready for BIG transformation results in your career? Achieve your dream biz goal in just weeks, space is limited so check it out now! Here's to your success! ~Alex]

Facebook Ads: To Use or Not?

If you've been following me for a while, you know I love sharing information you can use to leverage your business. And there's no more leverage than taking advantage of the internet and the places where people (ie potential clients) are "hanging out."

According to Facebook.com, the social networking site had 955 million monthly active users at the end of June 2012. With continued growth, various estimates peg the site reaching 1 billion users this month (August). Chances are most of your clients or new leads are "hanging out" on this site at least a couple of hours per week. Does your business have a page and a social media strategy to take advantage of these potential leads?

I always like to share what has worked for me, and that is Facebook.com Ads. I've used Facebook Ads both to drive traffic to my startup artist's community ArtistaMundo.com and my personal website for my coaching business Artista Coaching. I'm going to try them out soon to drive more Likes from qualified leads to my new Facebook page.

Here are 4 Reasons why I use it, and good tips for you to consider as well:

1. They're Inexpensive: You can choose how much you want to pay per day or over a time period, like a launch campaign. I have always used the pay-per-click kind, but you can also pay for general exposure. This option allows you to compete with the "big girls" like national brands!

2. Can be based on Broad or Highly Targeted Criteria: Let's face it, using Facebook isn't "free." Each user's profile is filled with their interests, age, gender, career, education, location, etc. You can select broad criteria, such as "females who like art" or very targeted criteria such as "females, ages 18-22 that attend University of Florida and live in Gainesville, FL." That's pretty darn cool!

3. Very Effective with a Strong Call-to-Action: What do you want your client to do next? You can use it to gain more "Likes" for your page, or you can send visitors to a landing page on your site where you want them to do something, like sign up for a newsletter, free gift or peruse your products. Just make sure you don't send them to a weak landing page that says nothing about you or your business, unless you'd like to see how quickly you can waste a $1.50 click.

4. Great for Testing: Do you have a new product line or marketing campaign you'd like to test out? Try several different ads with different verbiage to see what gets clicked on. I've used this to determine keywords, phrases and categories that resonate the most with my target audience. You can even try it on different landing pages to see what gets the best results. 

Bottom line is they're relatively cheap, targeted and effective. While there's no guarantee that users will "see" or click on your ad, the beauty is you can create different ads and verbiage to test what does work. If you haven't tried them yet, why don't you invest $25 and test it out?



Would you like to learn how to gain more followers, leads and traffic, designing effective Facebook Ads, and learning other great strategies and shortcuts to be more effective on Facebook? Join me this Friday as I host a webinar Facebook for Business: How to Create an Effective Marketing Strategy. Get your early bird discount and space by Wednesday, as space is limited!

Ask Alex: Spend More Time on my Art, Less Time on Marketing

"Ask Alex"  

Q: "I would like to focus more time on creating my art work and less time on marketing myself. What do you suggest?" 

 

~Artist, Pennsylvania

A: My suggestion: Delegate & Automate! If you have limited funds, hire an intern or spend a few hundred dollars a month to hire a freelance professional from websites such as Elance or Craig's List that can help with some time-consuming tasks. Automate whatever you can, such as using Hootsuite to schedule social media posts in advance, creating email autoresponders, or paying your employees with a monthly online billpay service. 

~Alex

Have a question for me? Email AlexandraFigueredo@Gmail.com with subject line "Ask Alex." If you'd like additional help, check out my courses, success programs or coaching programs. 

Taking Responsibility for Your Actions

[Note: Before I forget, my next 4-Week Accelerated Coaching Program starts in a few weeks...are you ready for BIG transformation results in your career? Achieve your dream biz goal in just weeks, space is limited so check it out now! Here's to your success! ~Alex]

Image: Facebook.com/RyanSLochte

Hopefully most of you have been watching the Olympics and seen my favorite Gator swimmer Ryan Lochte win a few Olympic medals, including 2 golds. Lochte stars in a commercial from AT&T in which he says "Luck didn't get me to London, I swam here."

That is so powerful. (And not just because he's a gold medal winning Olympic champion and world record breaking swimmer!) Instead of leaving it up to luck or destiny, hard work, discipline, persistence and commitment will get you results. 

Very successful people realize they are in control and take ownership of the results in their lives. They are decisive and confident in their decisions. 

On the other hand, it is very common for most of us to see ourselves with blinders and not realize how we act or our role in our decisions and actions. We give lame excuses that involve everyone and everything other than ourselves.

Last week I mentioned that many people use the term "I can't" very loosely. Be very clear about what you can and cannot do.

Are you holding yourself accountable for all your decisions and actions? Blaming other people such as your family, boss and other external sources is a common way to avoid taking responsibility. Instead of looking at your role in a situation, many of us think thoughts like "if only he/she/they would do/say/be..." things would be better. 

If you're not getting the success you want in your life, you may need to take a step back and assess your thoughts and behaviors. 

Taking full responsibility for your life is extremely empowering... and will lead you down the path toward success. Blaming outside forces (or even holding on to our own shortcomings) is irresponsible and will keep you stuck in the same status. 

Action Step: Notice the next time you say "I can't" or blame other people or outside forces for the events and results you get in your life. Catch yourself before you say these words. Instead of
"I can't" use terms such as "I choose" or "I prioritize." When something you are working on does not pan out, acknowledge your role and that you can try harder or try a different approach. You'll be on your way to Empowerment! 

This article is derived from Ch. 2 on Creating a Powerful Mindset from Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM). This success program presents the 12 most powerful strategies for success and is designed to motivate you to increase your productivity, reach your goals and ultimately fulfill your purpose toward your masterpiece life!

When you "Don't Have Time"

[Note: Before I forget, my next 4-Week Accelerated Coaching Program starts in a few weeks...are you ready for BIG transformation results in your career? Achieve your dream biz goal in just weeks, space is limited so check it out now! Here's to your success! ~Alex]

Image: AbsentMindedOracle - http://bit.ly/M5aapx

Quite possibly the greatest statement I hear from my clients and other professionals I meet is "I don't have time." Oftentimes it's preceded by "I can't, because..." 

I hear some form of this statement on a daily basis. We're so busy with all our personal and professional duties as it is, and then add in social media and checking email, that what little bit of sanity we had before the internet came along is gone. 

These are just excuses. Of course you have the time. In fact, we all have the same 24 hours of time. It's how you prioritize your time and what you focus on that determines your results. 

I researched and wrote the first draft of my book in less than 4 weeks. I prioritized several hours every day to accomplish this, many time writing in the evenings. Now I can say I’m an Author. That all started with a vision and a goal and the focus to actually act it out. I didn’t want to just be a journalist or blogger and keep writing articles; I firmly decided to write a book! Then I followed up and made it happen.  

The wealthiest people also have the same 24 hours that everyone else has. They know that their time is valuable and they use it to create high value products/services and marketing those products. 

Borrowing a tip from the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss: What would you focus your attention and time on if you could only work 2 hours a day? Write that down and then do it first. Once you've done those, you will have accomplished the most important, high value tasks every day! 

Then you can have all the "time" leftover to do all the other things you can't live without. Like check your Facebook status.

Action Step: Plan your day in advance and ask what is the most important thing you can do that day. Then prioritize those tasks, completing them FIRST.

This article is derived partially from Ch. 3 on Goals from Sculpt Your Life From Sketch to Masterpiece(TM). This e-book success program presents the 12 most powerful strategies for success and is designed to m otivate you to increase your productivity, reach your goals and ultimately fulfill your purpose!