As a proud mom of four, ranging in age from 5 to 17…I can admit that 95% of the flicks that I see are animated. Honestly – I love the creativity and cleverness of writers, animators and producers in this genre.

And sometimes a kid-flick departs the ‘formula’ and shocks me in a totally profound way.

This was the case with The Croods, a fun portrayal of the only surviving cave family.

No, I’m not writing a movie review blog. But when I saw this movie on opening weekend  – I emailed myself 19 different times during the show with ideas and quotes i wanted to remember and use.

However, I was framing it from a business perspective, the entrepreneur frame of mind. That’s who I am. It’s what I do.

And yet- I set the post to draft and kept hesitating to ‘publish’ …but I wasn’t sure WHY I was resisting.

Now, I know.

Disaster. News. Crisis. Current Events. Terrorism. Accidents. Tragedy.

Our televisions and social streams have been literally going crazy with the events of late. And as media consumers and participants in the interactivity of it all — we have more vested in our souls and brains that we would have, even 5 short years ago.

And all that being said   — I  see a trend.

A trend in caution. A trend in suspicion. A trend in paralysis. A trend in fear.

Now back to The Croods, a family led by Cave Dad whose motto is “Never NOT Be Afraid.”

Read that again.

Never NOT Be Afraid.

His main thought is ‘survival’ and he says over and over ‘Fear keeps us alive. Stop looking for new things. New things are bad. Curiosity kills.”

His daughter Eep, is pretty convinced that there is life beyond the cave. She hates the confines and hates the dark and wants to see light, and beautiful things and….chase the sun towards tomorrow.

Now…what I find super fascinating is the timing of this!! The writers & producers of this film had no idea what we would be dealing with this week, this month, this year.

• They couldn’t know that Colorado made us second-guess going to midnight movies.
• They didn’t realize that Sandy Hook would make us list out the pros & cons of homeschool vs public school.
• It never crossed their minds that an iconic marathon might be turned into a battlefield.
• And I’m certain they weren’t aware that in a tiny town in Texas, a fire would lead to an epic explosion, creating chaos and confusion.

“Never NOT Be Afraid.”

That’s what he says. That is what keeps him alive, the fear of risk, the fear of new, the fear of beautiful.

We could do the same. We could hide in our caves, extinguish our flames and focus on ‘surviving.’

But as daughter Eep so eloquently says ‘Dad, this isn’t LIVING, this is just NOT dying!’

Yes, we will mourn our comfort zone. Yes, we will be watchful. Yes, we will laud our heroes.

But we cannot adopt the mantra ‘Never Not Be Afraid.’

During a particularly scary trek in the film, there are two distinct voices urging the family on.  One says ‘Never Not Be Afraid’ and the other says ‘You Can Do This! Believe It”

I think we all have those same 2 voices. (I know I do.)

Which voice will you listen to?

• In relationships.
• In business.
• In school.
• In parenting.
• In leaving our cave to participate in LIFE.

Which voice?
“Never Not Be Afraid” or “You Can Do This!”

I may not be guaranteed tomorrow. But that is where I’m headed, whatever it may hold.

The uncertain, uncharted, unsure path of LIVING.

Please share if this strikes a chord with you or gives you food for thought. Then let me know below what voice you’ll listen to and how you will move forward.

A database. A list. A rolodex. A network.

Yep, you heard me right…even the disaster and emergency response teams rely on a ‘list.’

Last night in the small town of West, Texas — a fire started and led to a massive explosion of a fertilizer plant that has led to hundreds in hospitals, 10 burned out buildings and 70+ damaged homes in it’s wake. Tragic. Horrid. Seemingly hopeless.

And yet… as soon as the explosion happened…emergency personnel and local government went to their ‘list.’ — They activated their networks for extra responders, extra blood units, extra volunteers and a lightening fast setup of a triage center in a local football stadium.

What if those affected had NOT had a list or network to reach out to? What would have been the cost of not having a database?

The list. It’s vital.

Doubtless you’ve had your own emergencies. A sick child, a flat tire, a broken down vehicle, a shift that ran late and you needed help at home…something where you’ve had to go to your personal ‘list’ or network for help.

Guess what…??? Your business is the same!

When you have a message that needs to be heard, content that needs to be shared, an offer that you want to spread — you go to the list.

The truth is — if you don’t have anyone listening to your message, seeing your offers, sharing your content – you are out of business.

What is your biggest challenge in growing your list? Comment below and let’s brainstorm!

Today’s guest post is by radio show host Ken Coleman. I’ve had the honor of being featured on Ken’s show several times and he’s a solid thought leader and someone I respect. Today, I thought you’d enjoy this excerpt from his book. ~ Carrie

WHY QUESTIONS MATTER

BY: @KENCOLEMAN, TAKEN FROM ONE QUESTION

How can you develop the habit of inquiry? And how can you make sure that when you finally get the words out, they matter? The answer is surprisingly simple: know the question you want to ask, and then find someone who can answer it.

ASK THE RIGHT QUESTION

A good interviewer asks questions with the audience in mind. If you don’t know the audience, you can’t craft the right question. For most people, they are the audience. If we don’t know ourselves, the right question will be beyond our grasp.

As Leo Tolstoy once said:

Once you know yourself—your strengths, your passions, your sweet spot—you’ll recognize the answers you don’t know but need to know.

Additionally, the right question requires imagination. We must wonder what could be and how one might get there. How can this be done better? What could I do to solve this problem? How can I impact this person? We get stuck in the present only when we forget about the future.

ASK THE RIGHT PERSON

Once you have a question in mind, you have to find the right person to ask. If you ask the wrong person, you’ll get the wrong answer. You don’t want to ask a physics professor about U.S. history. The right question asked of the wrong person becomes the wrong question.

The persons you ask should be knowledgeable. They should understand the thing you are going to be asking. If it is a religious question, consider asking a minister. If it is a leadership question, think about asking a CEO.

The persons you ask should be credible. Knowledge is not the same as wisdom, and you want to ask your question of people who are wise—that is, they aren’t only experts who have studied or researched the matter, but they’ve lived it.

The persons you ask should be truthful. The right answer does you no good if people won’t give it to you. You not only need people with understanding and experience but people with the guts to tell you the truth.

ACT ON THE ANSWER

Everyone needs the discipline to ask the right question, the discernment to ask the right person, and the determination to do something about it. The last step is the most important of all. An answer is only as useful as the listener’s willingness to act on it. In the preceding pages, you’ve encountered statements that spoke to you. They were cool water to your thirsty soul. You feel the urge, the impulse to act. An answer you’ve been searching for materialized on the page. That leaves you with my final question: What are you going to do about it?

Henry David Thoreau once said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” As I sur- vey the landscape of my own community and people in my network of influence, I see the wisdom of that statement affirmed. How many walk through life resigning themselves to their current reality? I believe most people live in “quiet desperation” because they’ve stopped asking questions. They’ve quieted the inquisitive child that once echoed from within.

I’ve started gathering my children around me each night and saying something such as “Kids, you can ask me anything you’d like. You can ask me about the moon, about God, about what makes you mad— anything. What do you want to ask?” I refuse to let the fire of curiosity flicker out, so I’m nurturing the habit of inquiry in their lives early on. They need to know that you can’t act on an answer you don’t have and you’ll never get the answer until you ask the question.

Questions are keys that unlock life’s most important answers.

As you move from discovery to legacy in your own life, I’d leave you with one final challenge: never stop asking. Keep pressing forward with tenacious curiosity. Life’s greatest answers are waiting to be had if you are willing to seek them out. From my earliest memories until now, I’ve never stopped asking.

And I never will.

From Carrie — Check out Ken’s new book by clicking the image to the left or go HERE to find the book on Amazon!

This will either by my most popular post, or my most UNpopular…it can go either way. It seemed to strike a nerve on my Facebook business page yesterday, so I thought I’d tweak it a bit and share it here too.

Because it has to be said…

It is NO secret that if you want results, you MUST put forth consistent, quality, effective effort.

But…regardless of success stories, before/after photos, testimonials and the promises…results are not guaranteed.

What??? But if I buy this, do that, stay busy 10 hours a day and cut soda, results MUST be guaranteed! Effort = Results, right?

Nope.

• Sometimes there is a growth period.
• There are ‘nos’.
• There is testing, tweaking, refining.
• There are expenses.
• There is competition.
• There are external factors.

The truth about making progress is…

• Sometimes it is hard.
• Sometimes it is frustrating.
• Sometimes we cry, we hurt, we want to quit.

Effort does NOT always = equivalent results.

BUT…results always REQUIRE effort.

Carrie, that doesn’t seem fair. It seems like if I put in the work, I should reap immediate rewards!!

Well, let’s look at a few scenarios, shall we?

** I can go for a run today. I can go for a run tomorrow. I can run every day this week and it still doesn’t mean I am in shape or ready for a half marathon, or even a 5k! To condition myself for a race, for a distance, for a runner’s body and results — I have to hang in there on the hard days, the hurt days, the bad weather days…the seemingly no-result days.

** I can cut my calories today. I can trim fat intake tomorrow. I can add more water to my diet, cut sugar, eat whole foods and journal every bite that goes into my mouth. That still doesn’t mean I’m going to have immediate weight loss or permanent weight loss. My hormones, travel schedule, sleep patterns and metabolism will dictate the fact that I will go up and down on the scale, in inches and more. In order to see meaningful results – I have to hang in there on the tough days, the rough days, the hungry days and the mad-at-skinny-people-days.

One last scenario…

** I can set my alarm and get up early today to work my business. I can use a focused task list and a timer to stay on target. I can manage my social media, prospect wisely, share some great content, tweak my marketing funnel and even pitch my product or service to 3-5 people before supper. I can have the most efficient, effective, amazing day ever. That still doesn’t mean I have a sustainable business, a profitable business, a stress-free income. I have to hang in there on the upset customer days, the zero interest days, the computer crash days and the expenses-outweigh-the-income days.

None of that sounds fun, I know.

• We want to run and be ready.
• We want to starve and be skinny.
• We want to work and be rich.

We’ve been told Effective Effort = Immediate Results.

That is untrue.

How do you get results, make progress, move towards your goals?

• Work smart.
• Work consistently.
• Listen to wise counsel.
• Focus on one path.
• Stop seeking miracles.
• Stop wishing you were like her or him.
• Show up.
• Put in the work.
• Test it.
• Put in more work.
• Measure results.
• Put in more work.

Effort does not always bring immediate results, but results ALWAYS require effort.

Hang in there. It’s not always fun, it’s not always fast, but it will be worth it.

If you agree or if this was something you think your friends need to see, please SHARE on your social networks, pin the image, tweet the post, Like on FB or share on G+ and LinkedIn.

I appreciate you!

]]> http://carriewilkerson.com/results-are-not-guaranteed-gasp/feed/ 61 http://carriewilkerson.com/the-real-secret-to-on-demand-website-traffic/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-real-secret-to-on-demand-website-traffic http://carriewilkerson.com/the-real-secret-to-on-demand-website-traffic/#comments Wed, 19 Dec 2012 20:14:13 +0000 carriew2012 http://carriewilkerson.com/?p=3229               Guest Post by Jason Gracia Back in college, I toyed with the idea of selling products door to door to help put myself through school. Though the idea eventually fizzled, I learned something in the process that always stuck with me. In fact, it became the bedrock of [...]]]>

Guest Post by Jason Gracia

Back in college, I toyed with the idea of selling products door to door to help put myself through school. Though the idea eventually fizzled, I learned something in the process that always stuck with me. In fact, it became the bedrock of my traffic strategy that I rely on today.

On my way to class one afternoon, I saw the flyer that first put the idea into my head: Free sales training for any student interested in travel, unlimited income, and an unforgettable experience. Well, I forgot most of what they said at their welcome meeting, but not the question I asked our presenter.

“If the goal is to sell product to parents in town, why not make presentations where they’ve already gathered? Perhaps work a deal with the local community centers or churches?”

“No. Moving on…”

Pleasant fellow. I made a few more comments, which drew looks of annoyance, and decided a few days later that it wasn’t for me. But my time was well spent, for I’ve used that question many times to rapidly grow each of my businesses.

The Key to Rapid Growth: O.P.A.

The key to traffic, to waves of targeted and eager traffic, isn’t going door to door.

This should, of course, be part of a larger traffic strategy (joining online conversations, making one-on-one connections, engaging in social media, etc.), but the key to rapid traffic is contained in three letters: O.P.A.

Other People’s Audiences.

You have two choices: You can spend your waking hours tirelessly trying to reach one person at a time or you can tap into sources that already have your ideal prospects gathered by the tens of thousands.

Sounds like an easy choice, right? In truth, most online entrepreneurs say, “No.”

They agree that speaking to thousands is more efficient than walking “door to door,” but it’s getting in front of those crowds that poses the problem.

Luckily, I have just the solution.

The most common way to reach other people’s audiences, guest posts, are no cakewalk. Unless you have established connections or celebrity, it can take months to get your work featured, if it happens at all.

There’s a better way, a way to increase your chances of exposure tenfold, but to share it we have to take another trip into the past.

Lessons from the 70th Floor

The elevator ticked higher and higher as we climbed toward the roof. I had been to the Empire State Building many times before, having brought friends to Manhattan to visit my brother over the years, but this was my first trip to the top of 30 Rockefeller Center.

As the elevator opened, we were ushered into Disneyesque lines, twisting and turning for as long as the eye could see. We crawled forward. I’m glad we did because the reason for our turtle pace triggered my second light bulb.

When we reached the final room before heading onto the observation deck, my friend and I were asked to sit on a beam, cityscape backdrop behind us, and smile for the camera. Light bulb!

One by one each group sat, smiled, blinked when the flash hit their eyes, and took their ticket, a ticket that matched their photo, ready for purchase within minutes. People gobbled them up. Plain pictures of the building? Not so much.

Customization was the key.

By creating a personalized product, the Rockefeller squad sold thousands of photos. And by creating a personalized piece of content, you’ll reach thousands of fans and followers.

Make ‘em an Offer They Can’t Refuse

As we know, blogs and websites need valuable content for their audiences. And, as we also know, being chosen for a guest post isn’t always an easy road to take.

This is where customization comes into play.

Imagine Sue runs a photography blog. She teaches composition, editing, and even a little business strategy. What she doesn’t cover, however, is equipment. That doesn’t keep her audience from asking about it though.

You also run a photography blog, and because you’ve been studying others in your field, you know that Sue could use some help in this area. You’ve read her posts, the comments, the social media chatter. You know what’s missing and are ready to fill the gap.

With what? Perhaps a short video series on the pros, cons, and best choices for each piece of equipment (including Sue’s affiliate links). Or a report, branded with your company as well as Sue’s, which outlines the essential photography gear needed at each stage of the game. Or maybe a tutorial walking newbies through the process of setting up their camera and lighting to get the best results.

Now, if you were Sue, would you be more likely to share a tired guest post with your audience or a custom-made piece of content that will over deliver on value and thrill your readers?

Now It’s Your Turn

If you’re ready to tap into one of the greatest sources of traffic online, you need to do just three things:

1. Find the Sources: The first thing I want you to do is discover the major blogs, businesses, and outlets in your field. Google keywords in your industry, search for best-sellers on Amazon, find out who’s speaking at industry seminars and conferences, or wade through social media hubs to discover the most popular people in your world.

2. Find the Gap: After pinpointing the major players in your industry, look for gaps you can fill. What does their audience consistently ask for that they don’t have the time or expertise to offer? What is the audience missing that could help them get faster or easier results? What complimentary areas could you speak to that are being ignored? (For instance, a gardening blog opens the door to nutrition, recipes, etc.)

Another, more direct option, is to simply ask. Send an email, tweet, or Facebook message asking where they most need help. You’ll be surprised at how effective this method turns out to be.

3. Fill the Gap: Once you know where the crowds are gathering and what they and their leaders want most, fill the gap with a tailor-made piece of content–something made specifically for that audience.

You can create a video series, audio series, PDF report, or a mixture of all three. You can even create a product and offer it for free. Remember, it’s all about making them an offer they can’t refuse. (To be safe, I suggest you always present the polished idea before creating the content.)

This requires extra effort, but that’s what success always requires. The lazy among us look for shortcuts or loopholes, never finding either. The true successes, the ones who dream, create, and deliver, do what they’ve always done: they go above and beyond, again and again.

Do that, and you’ll have more traffic, subscribers, and customers than you know what to do with.

**************

By Jason Gracia, author of Shifting the Balance and creator of The Six-Figure Expert. If you’re ready to turn your passion or expertise into a six-figure brand and business, visit www.JasonGracia.com for a free copy of the complete blueprint, The Six-Figure Formula.

I don’t think so.

Today is ‘Tough Love Tuesday’ — I think you achieving ANY goal boils down to choices.

Today, you CHOOSE your attitude.
Today, you CHOOSE your words.
Today, you CHOOSE what you listen to.

Today, you CHOOSE whether you pursue your goals or procrastinate again.

Carrie and John Jantsch at Google HQ in Mountainview, CA. We served as 2 of the 5 Small Business Experts to Google for a consultancy project.

Today’s guest contributor is my friend and colleague, John Jantsch. Things I love about John besides his wicked smart small business expertise? His love of Converse shoes, his adoration of his wife and daughters, that great smile and the fact that he doesn’t take himself too seriously! Read on…

by John Jantsch:

Once a quarter my staff and I take the entire day to create a strategic plan for the coming year. The process, and its ongoing nature, is something I call Commitment Planning. This is a practice that I highly recommend, but perhaps not for the reason you may assume.

Lots of companies completely neglect the need for planning and some that do it consistently view it as a way to determine new things they want to address in the year ahead.

To me, the greatest benefit of any planning session is to decide what not to do.

There’s always more to do than you can possibly get done and what happens all too often is that we give a little attention to a lot of things and effectively water down what should be our priorities.

When we plan the right way, we look long and hard at what makes us money and (hopefully) find ways to focus on doing more of that better, rather than thinking up more of something to divert our attention.

I recently hired my own business coach and one of the first things we focused on was getting me to stop doing things that don’t make sense and start spending more concentrated time on my highest payoff activities.

This idea holds true for entire organizations as well and one of the best ways to get to the heart of what’s holding you back is planning.

The first planning principle you must embrace however, is that the goal of the process is to help you limit what you are going to do and do well. Instead of creating a laundry list of wants and dreams, your charge in the planning process is to create a very small list of objectives and goals grounded in the overriding purpose of the business. Everyone in the organization then must commit to this list. From your small list you can carve out a requisite number of strategies and tactics that support these business objectives.

In fact, your aim is to create a total plan outline that fills no more than one sheet of paper. (No 6pt type allowed.)

Note also that we’re not spending the day to make a business plan or create a marketing plan – plans aren’t the secret, planning is. It’s the continuous process of planning, acting, measuring and planning that moves the organization in the direction of its goals.

Using and teaching a continuous planning process like this is one of the ways you empower your staff to know they are taking right action on the most important things at all times and knowing this brings a confidence that in itself is a commitment generator.

Commitment planning is a management style that frees your people to be creative instead of forcing them to be bound by a process only system driven activity.

Planning is not a one-day event or even year-end activity. Sure, there may be certain time bound planning periods that occur naturally, say at the end of a quarter, but the real way to keep commitment alive is to live it through a creative process that allows everyone to focus on the things that matter most.

The planning process is all about finding the kind of simple clarity that is so often missing in the “what should we do next” business management style. Focus on identifying two or three key priority, think big, bust through constraints and don’t waiver.

No matter what exact process you use for planning, with a one page plan and simple of your committed priorities in hand you can analyze any idea in about two seconds and determine if you should pursue it or dismiss it. Focusing on your strengths and finding ways to turn them into even greater assets is how individuals and organizations realize their potential.

John Jantsch is a marketing consultant, speaker and author. The ideas in this post are drawn from his most recent work – The Commitment Engine – Making Work Worth It.

Find more information and special offers for his book at http://makingworkworthit.com/special/

 

Carrie says ~ This book is excellent! I suggest you go grab the resources and add it to the reading list for business growth!

Not sure how to even improve just on this one statement!

I have never had periods of intense growth (or even steady growth) in my life, my fitness or my business without some scary first steps. Have you?

• Get tired of being comfortable!
• Get tired of status quo!
• Get tired of fitting in!
• Get tired of everyone else’s normal!

When my life REALLY changed was when I decided that I was more afraid NOT to try than I was to try and mess up.

THAT is what I want for you!

Personally…I am taking LOTS of leaps as we speak! They won’t always be visible to you, but you have to know that I’m in a state of DIScomfort and yet ENTHUSIASM every day lately!!

What ‘leap’ are you nervous about taking? How can I encourage you? Tell me below! I’m on YOUR side!

• You can’t do it all.
• You can’t be it all.
• You can’t please them all.

And most of all, remember you are not alone! Those of us building businesses and working from home ‘get it.’ We understand what you are go through. Stay connected to an email list, a community, a group of like-minded folks that have DREAMS like you and REALITY like you

Michael Hyatt addresses this in his newest book, Platform, and I chatted with my friend recently (for just about 14 minutes) about WHY this is so important for speakers, authors, writers and business owners.

Listen below to see why business your platform, filling your stadium and creating an audience is so important.

I can’t recommend Michael’s New York Times Best-Selling Book enough. Run…get it now by clicking the book image below.