Emerge as a Leader in Your Field

man.jpgby David Bohl

Being a leader in your field is a way for you to stand out from the pack, differentiate yourself from your competition, and create a bigger following for your business. You may be a leader of many or a leader of few. As a leader, you are expected to be knowledgeable in your field and demonstrate your expertise and credibility so people will believe what you say and have faith in you–whether you are selling a service or product.

Leadership means taking a position of authority where people look to you for direction– including your clients or a team of contractors or employees, and also including people in your industry who my be fans or students of yours. It means being an innovator, staying on the cutting edge, and initiating change. It means taking risks, speaking your beliefs, and leading and motivating people. You will need to make choices and decisions and take responsibility for each one.

Leaders are born but they also can be developed. In either case there’s a lot you can do to emerge as a leader in your field. Here are some tips:

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Say YES to Personal Choice!

yes.jpgby David Bohl

Are you aware that you are at choice in every area of your life?

When I ask that question of my personal coaching clients they sometimes get very quiet, then say, “No. I don’t feel like I make all my own choices.” That’s a very common response. Many people feel like other people make choices for them, dictate what they “should” do, how they should do it, when they should do it, what they should eat, what they should wear, etc.

It begins, of course, with our parents. Until we’re at an age where they can trust us to make our own, correct decisions, they make our choices for us. If they were controlling, over-protective parents, they may not have instilled in us the opportunity to develop our ability to make our own wise decisions. Thus, we may have grown into adults still looking to others to choose our life situations. Or they may have taught us how to choose and take responsibility for our choices and we became confident, self-assured adults.

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Emotional Vampires, Time Suckers, and Other Characters to Avoid During the Holidays and Always

vampire.jpgby David Bohl

With the holiday season upon us, sometimes along with the merriment comes an overdose of certain folks who grate our nerves or cause us just a bit too much inconvenience. This article is NOT about wreaking revenge on such individuals, but figuring out how to limit their inflence in your life so that you have more time to focus on the really important things!

Warding Off “Emotional Vampires”, Giving Bad Friends the Boot

Emotional vampires sap us of our life force with their neediness and ability to attract drama/stir up trouble wherever they go. Friends like this start off seemingly normal– and then suddenly you find yourself being dragged down a perilous path of emotional blackmail and destruction! After a while, you realize that you don’t care for the way the “emotional vampire” treats people, whether it’s other friends, neighbors, business associate or even the check-out girl at the grocery store. You feel frustrated over the lost time it takes to deal with such a person and the complications they invite.

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‘Tis the Season to Slow Down

holidaysmile.jpgby David Bohl

When Halloween candy hits the shelves before Labor Day and animatronic Santas are ho-ho-ho-ing at you before you’ve even had a chance to carve your Thanksgiving turkey, it’s hard not to feel rushed through the holiday season. However, difficult as it may be to pause and reflect on the meaning of the holidays, it is certainly beneficial.

If you feel like the time between Halloween and Christmas is nothing more than a blur before your eyes, try a few of these tips to slow down and enjoy your holidays this year.

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How to Change “Why” into “Why Not?”

sky.jpg“With positive internal dialogue, we can create self-power.”

~ Deepak Chopra, The Spontaneous Fulfillment Of Desire

Unfortunately one of the most common phrases in our language is “I can’t.” People say, “I can’t be that,” “I can’t do that,” and “I can’t have that” more often than they realize. And more often than they would if they knew how it kept them from being open to the possibility for more in their lives.

The more you look for reasons WHY you “can’t” be, do, or have what you want, the more you limit your chances for WHY NOT? Why not be the way you want to be? Why not do what you want to do? Why not have what you want to have?

Do you really know the answer to those questions? The answer is: because YOU say so! Only you limit what you can be, do, and have. Only you and your limited thinking, your limited attitude, your limits on what you think is possible are holding you back.

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8 Pitfalls of Managing Your Own Business and How to Overcome Them

technology.jpgWhat an exciting venture– to start, run, and manage your own business!

Maybe you have a talent that you are offering as a service to clients such as massage, consulting, or financial planning. Or maybe your business is selling a product like clothing, wines, or information products. Whatever your plan involves–services or products–managing your own business takes certain skills beyond the specialized knowledge that makes you good at what you do.

If you don’t learn the skills of running and managing your business, you may find yourself experiencing some of these common pitfalls. If you do experience them, acknowledge where you are, then take measures to overcome them.

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Apology Accepted

Are you sick of listening to the candidates dance around when confronted by a mistake they made in their pasts? It appears politics is the hotbed of verbal antics.

No one seems to realize the power of honesty. You are only as good as your word. No one will believe or trust you if you play verbal games. Honesty is morally right and efficient. And ultimately, always the best policy. (more…)

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Focusing on What People DO Instead of What They SAY

Don’t know what the Presidential candidates stand for? With all the rhetoric– and misrepresentations and omissions of fact that you’re hearing from both candidates, it’s tough to tell what their real beliefs are. Not to mention the fact that the press/media is being accused of being on Obama’s side. You can also see this in your daily life. The coworker filled with empty promises. The “friend” who is constantly cancelling lunch. Your local representative who did not vote the way they said when on the stump. (more…)

Are You Focusing on the Message? (What the 2008 Presidential Election Can Teach Us About Living on the Offense)

personal coachby David Bohl, Lifestyle Redesign Expert

As I watch the U.S. Presidential campaigns — complete with polls, interviews, focus groups, and pundits — it occurs to me that each candidate’s basic message has been lost.

When you’re starting out in business, or in sales, you’re taught to focus on one solid message, and to share this message time and time again… often for a year or more before moving onto anything else.

The Presidential candidates haven’t done this. Each may have started off strong, but with the field day that the media is having, they’ve since been diverted by other peoples’ expectations.

They hear that one group of people is affected, and they tailor a TV add to try to sway that group. One candidate attacks the other, so the attacked candidate films a rebuttal. This goes on in a never-ending digression until the candidate’s message: his/her values, beliefs, and visions — are totally lost and covered up by all the extraneous bull.

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