Quick, Simple Ways to Recharge

With juggling kids, homeschooling, home, business, everything that we as Mothers have in our hands, it can really get tough sometimes.

So, what do you do to recharge? What helps you make it through and feel creative or inspired or just able to face things again?

Here are some things that work for me.

Meditate or Pray: Taking time to be still and quiet, and to reconnect can do wonders for the spirit.

Journal: I journal most days, even if it’s only for a few minutes. I write down my visualization exercises and then I write down at least 5 things that I am thankful for right then.

Thank Someone: A few times a week I randomly pick someone who I am thankful for and/or inspired by and just send a little note or email. I find that my effort to lift someone else’s spirits lifts mine too.

Movement: Yoga, pilates, or dancing. I turn on iTunes and exercise or dance with my kids. It can really relieve stress. The days when I least feel like doing this are the days when I need to the most. If I can just make myself move I find I feel much better the rest of the day.

Quiet Time: Sometimes I light a candle and just sit and read quietly from my Bible or an inspirational book.

Bubbles: Yes, I know this is a stereotype, but it works. If I’m lucky and the kids are all asleep I’ll give myself 5 or 10 minutes in the bath to relax with bubbles and just work to clear my mind of all the stress.

Coffee (aka Reward Yourself): I purchase frappucino mix and make them at home as a treat when I’m particularly stressed. Use something you love as a reward for surviving your day.

Foot Massage or Reflexology: Giving yourself a foot massage or doing reflexology on your feet can really boost your energy level.

Energize with your Nose: I find certain essential oils to be energizing as well — peppermint, lemon, or orange oils work for me. Some people like pine or rosemary or thyme to energize.

Identify and Attack: A few days ago I was really stressed and I cleaned out a closet. As strange as that might sound, I identified that I was feeling “out of control” about a particular situation, and so by doing something that helped me feel organized and in control I resolved that feeling, and then was able to focus on work.

Write it Down: Making a “to do” list before bed helps me sleep better because I don’t worry that I’ll forget something that way. It also lets me easily rank what’s important, and what I can let go of, and that helps me feel more focused and energized.

Support Group or Coach: Sometimes we all need a little support and encouragement. One of the things that helps me tremendously is when I have a session with my business coach. Just the listening ear, outside perspective, and relentless positivity is so inspiring. I really questioned it before I gave it a try, but I can say that this is one of the best business decisions I’ve made. The accountability doesn’t hurt either when I need to motivate myself to action. Knowing someone else is going to ask if I made positive steps this month is a good motivator. But more than that it’s really recharging to get out what’s going on, what’s going wrong, what’s going right and have someone there to help you through it. So get a coach! Or find a sounding board. Talk to a friend or colleague about being accountability partners. Surround yourself with support and you’ll find comfort and inspiration.

Work at home mom extraordinaire Michelle Shaeffer publishes The Muses Brainstorm, a weekly ezine with tips to help you balance, manage, and market your home based business. If you’re ready for inspirational guidance and bright ideas sign up free at www.thesmallbusinessmuse.com

“Quality Time Without Spending a Dime” by Ali Brown

Despite our best intentions, time with family and friends often gets pre-empted by deadlines, meetings, business trips, and other obligations. But spending quality time with the people you care about not only nurtures those relationships, but it can also nurture your business because it relieves stress and reminds you of your priorities.

Quality time is all about focusing on the other person and listening attentively as you do an activity you both enjoy or just catch up on each other’s lives (that means no furtive glances at your BlackBerry or your watch as you mentally recap your to do list). Yes, it can be tough to carve out a few hours in an already packed schedule, but it’s well worth it and doesn’t have to be expensive. Here are some suggestions for fun, low-cost activities with family members or friends:

*Group potluck picnic or swap party. Getting together with a group lets you catch up with several people at once. A potluck offers an intimate and inexpensive alternative to dinner at a restaurant, while a swap party lets you clean out your closet or bookshelves while trading with friends. You could donate any leftover items to charity.

*Volunteer project. Giving back to the community is a great way to spend your time, especially when you can do it with your family or a couple of friends. Choose a charity that is meaningful to everyone or alternate who gets to pick the activity to make it fair.

*Outdoor activities. Walking, hiking, running, swimming, or other outdoor activities give you a chance to get some exercise and fresh air while catching up with friends, family, and other loved ones. Being outdoors is also excellent stress relief and aids your absorption of vitamin D. So go hit the park or beach!

*Craft projects. Thanks to the DIY craze, craft projects like knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, or making your own jewelry are more popular than ever. Enlist the help of a crafty friend or check out a couple of instructional books from the library to get started. (I’m enjoying putting together photos of my father who passed last year.)

*Movie marathon. Choose a few movies you’ll both enjoy from NetFlix or the local library. You could choose a theme such as Fifties Fluff or Brat Pack Attack or just pop in whatever appeals to you and your friends or family. Add some microwave popcorn and drinks for an easy, inexpensive evening of entertainment.

*Board games. Feel like a kid again with CandyLand, smarten up with Scrabble (my favorite!), or fuel your inner mogul with a game of Monopoly. Board games are a great activity if you have kids, but they can also be fun for adults. Puzzles can be fun, too, with the right group of people.

Once you and your family or friends decide on a date to get together, write it in your calendar and treat it like you would an important business appointment: no last-minute canceling or rescheduling unless absolutely necessary. You and the people in your life will appreciate having guaranteed time together to relax and reconnect.

© 2009 Ali International, LLC Self-made multimillionaire entrepreneur Ali Brown is devoted to creating financial freedom for women globally through the power of entrepreneurship. To learn how to create wealth and live an extraordinary life now, register for her free weekly articles at www.AliBrown.com

Social Media Benefits 101: Back to Basics

As a small business owner, it’s important to your success to understand social media’s benefits and why it’s worth the time to learn and make a part of your marketing routine.

So why care about social media right now?

Proves You are a Living, Breathing, REAL Person
It sounds kind of funny but it’s crucial. Humans need to feel they are connecting with others and that their voices are being heard. You can’t really get away with being a faceless entity doing business on the web anymore. Those who are still doing it that way risk alienating those making the buying decisions.

Branding
There is plenty of opportunity to build and make visible your particular brand–while still being human. You don’t need to think of this in terms of the big boys like Starbucks or Pepsi-type branding. It could even just be colors, a logo, your avatar picture or tagline. If you use the tools regularly, each impression strengthens others’ awareness of what your products or services are about. Keep your messages and branding activities consistent and cohesive and you have a powerful way to promote yourself and what it is you offer.

Viral Word of Mouth
Is every friend or follower you have on social sites going to be a member of your target market? No, but it doesn’t matter. If you are providing good content, helpful links and regularly contributing something useful to the community, the viral nature of social media will help push this content through to the people who
need to hear it.

Speed of Results
While building up the ranking of your website takes time and often can’t be predicted, the impact of social networks and tools can be instantaneous.

Traffic
When you list your link in your profile or direct people to your latest post or article it is just another way to drive traffic to your blog or website. I’ve had great results with Facebook and Twitter by looking at the traffic source stats in my Google Analytics page.

Value Contribution
You have something of value to offer others–that’s why you’re in business. The conversational nature of social media makes it easy to engage others in discussions which naturally reveal what you may be able to help them with. Be authentic, stay involved, an give regardless of how much you get back.

It’s Not Going Away
The names and faces of the latest tools and networks may change but the benefits that their interactive nature provides are real and working very well for countless small business owners.

Isn’t it time you discovered that for yourself? :)

© 2009 Communicate Value. All Rights Reserved.

Christine Gallagher, The Online Marketing and Social Media Success Coach, is founder of Communicate Value, where she is dedicated to teaching small business owners and professionals how to conquer the overwhelming aspects of online and social media marketing to increase business and maximize profits. To get your F.R.E.E. 5-Part E-Course and receive her weekly marketing & success articles on leveraging technology, building relationships and boosting your profits, visit http://communicatevalue.com

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