Here it is! >>> Optimize Coach Program
($700 off today!)

The bring-a-friend part is a second step after you sign up. You'll fill out a google form with your friend's info. It needs to be manually approved, so it might take a bit but then they'll get an invite to join.

I recorded a quick sneak peek into the coaching dashboard so you can look around…

So, what have I learned so far? 

TONS. I wanted to share some insights. 

What is the ultimate purpose of life? To become our highest self. Or a Good Soul. 

How do we do this? By putting our virtues into action — because the greatest cause of our suffering is the gap between where we are and who we are capable of being.

So when we close that gap by taking action on our virtues consistently there is no more suffering. Our highest self is not longer screaming to be heard. 

The virtues that we'll focus on are: 

1. Wisdom
2. Self Mastery
3. Courage
4. Love

​Another thing that struck me in the training so far, is this observation about Viktor Frankl:

Frankl found himself in a concentration camp.

He realized that the career questions—What do I want from life? What can I do to make myself happy?—are not the proper questions.

The real question is, What is life asking of me? ​

If you don't know, Frankl, the author of Man's Search for Meaning, was able to find purpose and make an impact in one of the worst situations imaginable. 

So what is life asking of you?  

Honestly, this program is pretty intense. It's covering a LOT of material. So if you are tired of signing up for coaching programs where you pay $397/month and get one little 20 minute video a month, this is really something to look into. And the price is crazy low. 

Again, here's where to sign up.

Here it is! >>> Optimize Coach Program

Warmly and with hugs!

Nicole Dean

PS. If you'd prefer to get a taste of what it's like before signing up, you can choose this first
(I used to pay $99/year for it but it's free now)
Free Optimize Me Premium Level

I'm sitting on my couch with the french doors open, getting some much needed fresh air. The dogs are both laying by the pool in the sun, smiling. Like I told Ivita today “I'm doing everything in my power to stay sane in what is temporarily an insane world.” I still believe the world is full of miracles — and I am definitely also sitting in the reality that there is a lot of anger and sadness in the world that needs healing at the moment, too.

The book I'm reading right now is Stillness is the Key by Ryan Holiday. In it, he tells stories about situations where successful and famous people (from JFK to professional athletes to Fred Rogers) slowed down in order to achieve great things. I'm finding the stories fascinating and inspiring. You might enjoy it, too. I bought it in print and I liked it so much I got it on Audible, too. However, I'm not a huge fan of his voice. So if you're thinking of getting it, first listen to the sample.

Speaking of stillness, yesterday I went on a silent walk with my husband (or as I refer to him Mr. Sexy). No we weren't fighting. Yes, we are together ALL the time so we talk, a lot. We were walking the dogs and I realized we both were silent. My instinct was to fill the silence, but instead I stayed in it for a little bit. Then I realized he was probably processing the rough news we got this week about someone we both love dearly.

Normally my husband listens to podcasts or audio books or he's looking at a screen reading something — so I think it was the first time that he had his OWN thoughts in his head rather than someone else's thoughts (since he got the news). Ouch right? After a bit he did say something and we discussed it a bit. But later I told him that I really enjoying our silent walk and would like to do it more. Silence of the mind can be a blessing.

The book “Stillness is the Key” keeps making me think about being the calm in the storm and one of my favorite quotes.

You can’t calm the storm, so stop trying.
What you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.
– Timber Hawkeye

Hugs and high fives.

Nicole

I'm a “why” person. I can do anything consistently if I'm given a reason. I've always been a bit stubborn like that. #superstubborn

For instance, I knew for years that because I have Hashimotos, that gluten wasn't helping my body. But it wasn't until I talked with my functional doctor about 5 years ago, and he gave me the reasons and how gluten was actually affecting my thyroid, that I was like “ok. I get it.” And I haven't intentionally had it since.

For years, I've been wanting to establish a solid morning routine to start my day. I figure, if we live to be 70 years old, that's only about 25,000 mornings.

And I strongly believe in Robin Sharma's quote (those that know me have heard this concept a million times) –

Your days are your life in miniature. As you live your days, so you craft your life. What you do today is actually creating your future. The words you speak, the thoughts you think, the food you eat and the actions you take are defining your destiny – shaping who you are becoming and what your life will stand for. There’s no such thing as an unimportant day. Robin Sharma

With the assumption that that's true, then the best thing we could do is to start our days intentionally, right?

So, back to that morning routine. I've read The Morning Miracle, My Morning Routine and Tools of Titans for inspiration. While I did get ideas and inspiration from each one, nothing seemed to stick for me. They are great books, but they were overwhelming.

I'm not getting up at 5 am for a run. Like ever. EVER.

Until now.

I will share my morning routine in a bit, but I also want to share enough other options that my friends are doing so that you could figure out what YOUR perfect morning routine would look like. Just like I did.

So for you, I asked my smart friends…

Do you have a morning routine that you follow each day before you start your work?
If so, what does it look like?
Why do you do it this way?

For full transparency: This post is a compilation of responses from my friends as well as some fun stuff I researched and curated from people who I look up to who are not my friends – yet. Give me time.

I hope you enjoy this post. If so, please share!

Lou Bortone
“The Godfather of Video”
LouBortone.com

My Morning Routine, aka Punching and Kicking Stuff – Lou Bortone

The only “non-negotiable” in my morning ritual is my daily trip to “9 Round Kickboxing,”where I get to start my day by kicking and punching things. (Because randomly punching and kicking humans is frowned upon!)

My first-thing-in-the-morning kickboxing workout gets me going and fires up those endorphins so I can hit the ground running (or kicking!)

As soon as I get up, I mix my pre-workout drink (my version of coffee) and a do a quick check of emails before I leave for the gym.

I know, I know. Everyone says NOT to check your emails or socials first thing in the morning but, being in a client-centric business, I disagree with the conventional wisdom.

I check my emails because, if a client needs something or one of my students is in a
pinch, I want to know about it ASAP so I can jump on it. It’s usually a quick fix and
doesn’t throw off my routine.

Once I’ve done the email check and downed my workout drink, it’s off to 9 Round for 30
minutes of kicking butt. The day has officially begun!

Get Lou's free “Sizzle Reel Secrets: How to Create Professional Videos Quickly and Easily” here!

Candice Davis, Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

My morning routine changes with the seasons, but I’m always happier and more productive when I have one. Right now, I greet each day with a prayer of thanks before my feet hit the floor around 5:00 in the morning. After a glass of water with lemon and MSM, I sit in my favorite chair and crack open my journal to do a bit of self-coaching on the page. Self-coaching allows me to set the tone for the day and decide in advance what results I want to create and what action I need to take to get those results.

(I asked Candice what ‘self coaching' meant to her and this was her reply.)

I often use a practice called “the model,” which I learned first from Brooke Castillo, of the Life Coach School, and then from my life coach, Jody Moore. It’s based on cognitive behavioral therapy and allows you to examine and change the thoughts that are creating your results, thus changing your results.

This year, I’ve added a new routine of writing my primary goal. My goal is to create and deliver $500,000 in value. I write that goal in my journal 15 times as an affirmative statement: “I am creating and delivering $500,000 in value in 2020.” It reinforces my belief in this possibility, and has helped me to stay consistent in taking action in that direction.

When I feel awake enough, I dive into some writing or review my clients’ writing work, and by 7:00, I’m off for an hour-long walk with my husband. On our best days, we also do ten to twenty minutes of pre-breakfast meditation, but that doesn’t happen every day. I’m never rigid about any of this. I have to enjoy it all, or as I learned the hard way when I tried to follow someone else’s morning routine, it creates more stress than it alleviates.

Angela Wills, Digital Business Coach
AngelaWills.com

I've been working on this and playing with it so, yes, I do have a morning routine! Here's what mine looks like:

Wake at 7am and grab my water and coffee. Spend 1 minute meditating. Nicole as you know you got me into meditation by recommending it to me as my coach and I have yet to get beyond one minute but I do really value that one minute of meditation! I use the Insight Timer app. What's fun about the app is it also has some meditations for kids that I use for my daughter at night to get her to ease into her bedtime more easily.

After I meditation I write in my journal three things: Gratitude, What I want my day to look like, and as many affirmations as I can think of and that I feel will serve me that day (I am strong, I am happy, I am helpful, etc). I drink my coffee, which is a cold brew coffee with almond milk, while I journal.

Then I check my calendars – I have a physical planner and I also use Google Calendar so I check them both for the day and the week. This helps me foresee what's coming up. I know this sounds really BASIC but I can't believe how many years I got by not doing this. Of course I would forget things, miss them or just not do stuff that would have helped my business when I didn't make it a daily habit to check my calendar and a nightly routine to plan my days.

Next I get dressed and ready. My clothes are laid out from the night before and I have a skincare and makeup routine I can do in about 10 mins. I grab a smoothie and then go wake up Ella by 8am (or sooner if possible) and then start on her routine (she's got hers we created together). My son wakes himself and gets ready himself, he's 17 and Ella is 5.

Then, I get into a BIT of a work routine. Check my emails, look at my to-do list, brainstorm if I'm feeling overwhelmed and just work through the top priorities for my business that day.

This is an IDEAL day I'm describing. Every day is NOT ideal but I do try to keep to this routine and get my day started off right. I used to wake up, get coffee and look at my phone until time flew by and it was time to wake Ella. I like my organized routine much better!

I found that Natalie Sisson has a really solid morning routine. She talks about it in her podcast and you can learn more about it at the link below.

Natalie Sisson

NatalieSisson.com

The summary if you're short on time is this:

#1. Wake up early
#2. Drink Water
#3. Move my body with Yoga
#4. Essential Oils
#5. Meditation
#6. Hot and Cold Shower
#7. Get Dressed
#8. Hot Water and Lemon
#9. Daily Greens

I also looked up to see if Vishen Lakhiani had a morning routine (as I greatly admire him). Of course he does.

Vishen Lakhiani
Mindvalley.com

Again, here's the overview if you're short on time.

1. A 6 phase meditation that he's invented.
2. Minimum effective dose workout (Tabata)
3. A killer workout playlist
4. Breakfast for fuel (green smoothie)
5. A bulletproof boost for his brain

Free Training from Vishen

Masterclass: Which of the 4 Levels of Human Consciousness Are You Living From?

Another person I admire for this productivity is Jim Kwik. I was able to see him speak in San Diego and purchased some of his training. I think you'll enjoy what he has to say.

Jim Kwik
KwikBrain.com.com

Here's his list:

1. RECALL MY DREAMS.
2. I MAKE THE BED.
3. I DRINK WATER AND TAKE SUPPLEMENTS.
4. I FOCUS ON BREATHING.
5. I MEDITATE.
6. I MOVE.
7. I TAKE A COLD SHOWER.
8. I MAKE A TEA.
9. I JOURNAL.
10. I CREATE A TO-DO LIST, A TO-BE LIST, AND A TO-FEEL LIST.
11. I READ.
12. I MAKE MY BRAIN SMOOTHIE.
13. I GO THROUGH MY BRAIN TRAINING.
14. I START MY DAY WITH MY MOST DIFFICULT, IMPORTANT TASK.

Free Training from Jim Kwik:

Masterlcass: Train Your Brain to Speed Read and Retain More Information

If you've been following me more than a hot sec, you know I just really admire and enjoy Tim Ferriss so much. Here's his routine. I'm sure it changes constantly, knowing how he optimizes, but this was a video he recorded showing his routine at this time.

Tim Ferriss
Tim.blog

Tim's tips are:

1. Sleep with your phone on airplane mode.
   (Note From Nik: A lot of us have kids or family members who might need us so we can't do that, but we can turn off text notifications. I also have an override set up so that if either of my kids calls, my phone will ring, even if it's on Do Not Disturb.)
2. Make Your Bed.
3. 10-15 push-ups
4. Journalling with 5 Minute Journal or Morning Pages
5. 10-20 minutes of meditation (choose whatever you like best)

Amy Harrop, Content Savvy Expertise
AmyHarrop.com

I enjoy mornings. I'm a morning person, and I get up around 5 a.m. usually. Of course, it helps that I have two cats who act as alarm clocks.   In my household, I am the first person up, and have the house to myself for the next 3 hours or so.

I am a morning coffee drinker, and when I get up in the morning I have my cup of coffee and spend some time playing with the cats. I finish my cup of coffee and review my tasks and communications for the day as I wake up.  I find for me, I like to have my coffee before I jump into anything, and reviewing content and  information is a good way to ease into the day.

After that, I start my power hour as I like to call it. I spend about 15 minutes doing stretching and some yoga poses. Then, I meditate, and do meditative writing and journaling. I like to finish this up with some spiritual reading and contemplation.

After that, I'm ready to take on my important tasks of the day. I'm a big fan of Michael Hyatt’s ‘Free to Focus’ system, and I have three larger projects I focus on each week. I tackle one of those usually every morning and then when I'm finished, I will work on some smaller tasks. For the most part, I try to wrap up everything around lunch time.

I like my morning rituals, and I do think having a power hour every morning helps keep me focused and productive.

Marie Forleo

Here's an excerpt from the video:

Really Productive People (RPPs) make their morning routine non-negotiable.

“First of all, I think everybody should have a morning routine, a little collection of things that you do for yourself before you start interacting with the rest of the world.

For example, my morning routine involves meditation, time with Josh and Kuma, green juice and some exercise.

All these things I do set me up for success emotionally, spiritually and physically. I’m not perfect at this so, for example, if I have to catch a 5 am flight, my butt is not getting up at 2 am to do all those things. I’ll do whatever I can fit in and finish the rest of my little routine later in the day.”

Oprah (the Oprah)

In this interview she says:

“Usually before the sun comes up, I offer myself to something greater than myself. If it’s for one minute, 20 seconds or 10 minutes, I at least stop in that space in my house every morning. I have a little meditation space where I just go. I have beautiful spiritual readings there. I light my three candles there, daily word or something and I express to this greater energy field than I, that I don’t want to be alone as I move out into the world.”

Rachel Hollis

5:00am | Wake Up
5:10am | Coffee, read a non-fiction book + Start Today Journal
5:40am | Spanish
5:55am | Motivational videos
6:05am | Write motivational posts

After that it's first mealtime (almond butter and jam…yummmm) followed by the gym in my skull cap and then it's time to wake up the kids and get out into the world!

Sarah Santacroce, LinkedIn Consultant & Strategist
SarahSantacroce.com

I have been meditating most days of the week for about 4 years now. It really is a practice, as they say. Meaning that some days are better than others   I use the Insight Timer app for my guided meditations.

After I send the kids off to school I make myself a coffee (black, since I'm fasting until late morning) and go down to my office, take out my yoga mat and tune into the session of the day. I've recently discovered YogawithAdriene.com and love her! She has a monthly calendar with a free yoga video for every day of the month. Check it out!

Ben Greenfield of BenGreenfieldFitness.com
Posted on Instagram

My Morning Routine, Simplified.

Someone recently asked me for my morning routine. Here is it, in a very basic but quick nutshell. I hope you find it helpful, and feel free to leave your questions or your own morning routine in comments!

1. Wake and complete gratitude journal while laying in bed. Do not take phone out of airplane mode.

2. After journaling, go to kitchen and drink 30 ounces of water from a glass mason jar. Into water, place two packets or vials of Quinton hypertonic minerals OR a teaspoon of good salt, along with 1 teaspoon baking soda and 2 hydrogen tablets.

3. Drink, then proceed outdoors into sunshine in bare feet wearing as little as possible. Complete 10-15 minutes of stretching (I linked to my routine at in my bio and at bengreenfieldfitness.com/morningworkout), foam rolling and deep tissue work, specifically focusing on anything that feels tight or painful. During this time, feel free to listen to encouraging, spiritually enhancing music, or an audiobook or podcast, but continue to keep phone in airplane mode.

4. Upon finishing stretching and breathwork, use restroom, then, if time permits, proceed to 20-30 minute sunshine walk or sauna (hot) and ice (cold) therapy (otherwise can save hot and cold for later in day). There it is! Simple, but effective.

Nicole Dean, Awesome Human, Author, Business Consultant, etc.
From here!

First of all, let me give kudos to my buds.

You’re all awesome!

ok. So, me?

Here's the deal. If you're on my lists you know that I sunk pretty bad this year. I fell into despair pretty deeply between my son going into the Navy, my daughter graduating this year, and facing the empty nest. So, I had planned a whole bunch of travel to look forward to. And then I had a family tragedy (a suicide). And then the “you know what / aka C word” hit and all my travel was cancelled. Add a few other things on top of that that I don't need to talk about here and yeah…

I crashed and hit a pretty low point.

And, I stayed in it.

And, I stayed in it some more.

And, by “it”, I mean my bed.

It's a funny thing with me. I tend to decide when enough it enough and I snap myself out of crap when I decide that I'm done with it.

I make the decision “No. I'm not willing to stay here anymore” and then I go find people who have the answers and I create a structure to help myself.

It started with a cup of hot lemon water.

Why? I had been reading that starting your day with a cup of hot lemon water does a few things. It hydrates you, is good for cleaning things out, and is just a nice ritual.

I decided I would do it for 30 days and see how I felt.

The odd part was that it really did flip a switch for me in a lot of ways. I was putting something loving into my body first thing, and not just dousing myself with caffeine. There's nothing wrong with coffee if it works for you, but as someone who has years of anxiety under my belt, I feel like starting my day with a little bit of self-love is a good thing. Plus, if I don't start with a cup of coffee, then I usually only have one small cup a day. (Black because of intermittent fasting. The small amount of lemon water does not kick me out. I eat something between noon and 3 as my first food of the day.)

The only warning with the lemon water is to have some actual water afterwards (switch it around) and don't brush your teeth right away as the lemon needs to work its way off your teeth first.

So, by telling myself with my first action of the day “you are worthy and you are loved” – for me, it sets the tone for how I want the rest of my day to go.

ok ok. ok. I have to back up a titch.

I'm going to give you my FULL morning routine which is currently a LOT. It's a lot right now, because 1. I need a huge influx of self care. 2. I have the luxury of being able to usually do it as I don't have little kids and I work from home. (Yes, I get up earlier than usual to fit it all in.)

Now, this is my typical morning routine, but I also have a shortened one if this one makes your head spin.

My actual morning routine: 

1. I get up and pee. #facts
Why? Because. Biology, silly.

2. Then, after I wash my hands, I scrape my tongue.
Seriously, if you don't know about this, you need to do it. #sogross  Here's the deal. Your body spends all night getting the gross stuff out of your body through your tongue. That's why in the morning you have a layer of what's called “Ama” on it. Ama is basically the yucky stuff that's built up in your body and your tongue is trying to help you to get it out. So… if you don't scrape it off your tongue and instead just drink coffee, you're re-ingesting that crud. HELL no. So, I quick do 5 passes on my tongue with the tongue scraper and rinse it off.

3. Brush my teeth.
Why not? I mean, did you just read about the Ama?! It takes a few minutes and I can do it again later. But it's done. Plus, you don't want to brush your teeth right after you drink the hot lemon water because it's not great for enamel so I do it prior to that.

4. Hot Lemon Water.
Then, I head to the kitchen.  I have a sweet little electric kettle that I fill up with water and press the button to get it boiling. I like the ritual of that, as opposed to using the microwave. Plus it's quiet and doesn't wake up everyone.

5. Quick Tech Check In. 

Once I have my lemon water, I take a quick tech break.

Then, I grab my lemon water and take it to the bedroom where I sip it and play a game of Blockduko and check on the “safe” things to check on that I won't be able to relax until I've check them. You know the things – which might be totally different for you.

YOU might choose to skip this step if it derails you. I have parameters… of course. lol.

What I don't check:

Email, news sites, or social media.

What I do check:

My calendar. I check it the day before, but I also recheck it when I wake up to make sure nothing slipped my mind.

Texts and Facebook messenger. Knowing me and how I protect my time, saying that the first thing I do is to check FB messenger probably sounds odd, but I check it for two reasons.

1. My daughter in Latvia doesn't have the ability to text me from her phone. We communicate mostly through Facebook messenger. I check in there to make sure nothing is up or to see if she sent me any fun pictures!
2. On the business standpoint, I also need to see if I have any CoachGlue.com or ContentDrafts.com affiliates who want to promote something of mine who are waiting on me (perhaps they need a simple clarification). Because not doing that could cost me thousands of dollars for that day. And, it's an easy thing to fix without getting sucked into a million distractions. (As opposed to checking email which could derail my entire morning.)

I also do those two things because once they are done, I'm able to focus on my next morning steps without wondering if everything is ok.

So, I pop into Facebook messenger. If I see a message “Hey Nik, I wanted to promote this offer today but I had a question or I can't find my link or do you have a sexy angle that I can use to my specific audience” — I get them set up and then I go back to my morning routine. Easy peasy.

That step usually lasts 5-10 minutes tops – then I'm ready for…

6. Light Fasted Exercise. 

I do approximately 15-35 minutes of some form of gentle exercise. (Again, much less if I'm not able to. My “minimum” to achieve this step and keep my commitment to myself is 5 minutes of exercise or one sun salutation.

I do that exercise before eating anything or drinking anything with calories that would take me out of my fast. So, lemon water or plain water, then gentle exercise.  Lately that has been swimming in my pool, but I also do yoga, pilates, walking, or bicycling. Something low impact and gentle to my body that also kicks things into gear and starts fat burning mode and tells my brain to wake up… ideally while also giving me a bit of fresh air first thing in the day.

This was a lesson that I learned while taking Ben Greenfield's Longevity Blueprint course and it's been really good for me. I am definitely clearer in my head and I'm getting a ton more done. It's awesome. Sometimes it's hard to talk myself into getting out of bed and into the pool, but it's definitely worth it afterwards.

7. Reflection/ Meditation.

After my exercise, I grab my coffee or green tea and go back outside for my sitting/ reflection time.

I personally do a four part meditation and it's a bit long on days when I do the whole thing how I like to do it. I do a shorter version when I have to version but this is my preferred one. (Again, to keep my commitment to myself, I have to do a one-minute meditation. However, my full one is about 25 minutes total.)

I start by sitting and doing some breathing. Did you know that breathing is one of the only body actions that you do both automatically (without thinking) and also by choice? It also can calm you down within a minute. It's pretty amazing. If you have anxiety, I highly suggest scheduling in breathing breaks. Here's what to do:

1. Take a quick physical assessment/ scan. How do I feel right now? Scan from your head down. My head? My throat? My chest? My stomach? My arms? My legs? Where am I holding tension? On a scale of 1 to 10 where I am?
2. Take 5-10 long deep breaths. There are tons of different breathing exercises (and if you have panic attacks, I highly suggest learning some) – but a simple counting in, holding your breath for 2 counts, and exhale counting out works. I like to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth, but you do what works for your body.
3. Take another quick check. How do you feel?

The scans are important to me because they are a reminder when I am panicked to breathe because I have evidence that it works.

ok. Back to my routine. I like to do at least 10 breaths, but I prefer 4 minutes. I do all kinds of different breathing exercises. From “breathe in for 5 through your nose, hold for 5, and breathe out through your mouth for 5” to some pretty freaky/funky breathing that I've learned through yoga. It's ALL good. Intentional deep breathing helps your cortisol reset and helps you tell your body it's safe. It's just a good thing to do during the day a few times. It's got to be good for your lungs, too, right?

Then, I do a quick mindfulness exercise, going through my senses. Sounds, check. Sights, check. Smells, check. Tastes, check. Touch, check.

Then I slip into the mediation. I am a person who gets bored super easily so I sometimes switch this up and listen to a guided meditation, but I usually do a silent one.

• If you're interested in meditation (this is a post about entrepreneurs who meditate).
• My favorites resources for busy people who want to meditate.
• And this is the class I would recommend if you're ready to learn more about meditation. I adore Emily and her voice is very soothing.

Here's my deal with meditation. Everyone asks which one to do. Do the one you'll do.

After the 20 minutes of that, I do about one minute of gratitude. This is not just thinking “I'm grateful for my daughter” but actually feeling how much I love her. Grabbing a moment from inside my head and bringing it back to life. Letting that love envelope me and fill me.

Then, after all of that, I do a minute of manifesting. Dreaming. What do I actually want? Sometimes things come up where I go “REALLY?! HOLY CRAP!” It's good stuff.

8. Put my Day in Writing. 

During all of this time, you can imagine that I've had a lot of time to think. So I get out my iPad and do my daily “what do I want my day to look like today” list. Of course, I already have a basic idea since I know which projects I'm working on, but it's always helpful to put it into writing and have something to refer to throughout the day. I include things like “get some fresh air” or “take the dogs on a walk” – because it's what I want my full day to look like. Plus, I love crossing items off as I complete them. #oldschool

ok. ok. ok. So that's a lot right?

The “this is what I am committed to” short version.

In all things in life, I think we need to make promises to ourselves and keep them. It builds great habits plus self-esteem and confidence as we are able to be someone who does things. Right?

So, I have a quick and dirty habit stack that I am committed to do – if I have a day where I just can't, or I have other commitments. If my mental health is not great, then I know I can at least do the following and keep my commitment.

1. Tongue scrape. (I mean really it takes 2 seconds and I've got to brush my teeth anyway, right?)
2. Hot lemon water.
3. One sun salutation (yoga) or 5 minutes of exercise (fasted before I have anything other than lemon water) or anything intentional like stretching for a few minutes.
4. One minute of Meditation and breathing. Yes, it sounds silly but I am keeping my commitment and it's amazing how much you can chill in one minute.
5. Check on today's goals. Is it still what I want to work on?
6. Check FB messenger for emergencies. (I do this last if I'm doing the short version as I don't need as much patience to get through everything.)

Now what will your morning routine look like?

I suggest you choose from the areas that are most important to you right now. Don't try to do all of the things. Just do the ones that will have the biggest impact on your day.

For me, that is cleansing and hydrating (the hot water), exercise, and mindfulness with breathing to center myself for my day.

I've done other things like reading a bit or writing out my thoughts (both in journaling and in typing out everything in my head) and I really enjoyed that but in this season of my life, I am very happy with this routine that I've set. I may add that later, if I find a way to habit stack it in. (If you don't know about habit stacking, I suggest you read Atomic Habits.)

So let's picture three areas to tackle. 

You'll notice that some things like yoga or green drinks are in more than one area. So if you are looking for a quick, efficient morning routine, you can do those.

Body – Getting Healthier

• Hot water
• Exercise
• Vitamins
• Green drink of some sort
• Breathing
• Yoga

Brain – Getting Smarter, More Well-Rounded, More Productive

• Reading 10 pages of something awesome
• Listening to podcasts on a walk
• Green drink with added Brain Boosts
• Exercise (it makes you more focused)

Mindfulness – Staying Calm, Being Peaceful and Non-Reactive, Keeping out of Fight or Flight, Lowering Cortisol, Being Clear in What You Want

• Silent Meditation
• Guided Meditation
• Hypnosis (I really enjoy this.) I do the hypnosis audios from this training.
• Breathing (long slow deep breaths)
• Quiet walking / swimming (instead of listening to something)
• Reading something calming or inspiring (Bible, Affirmations, etc.)
• Yoga

My friend, Rayven, has this cool Morning Routines coloring pages package available if you want to dig deeper.

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. I love reading this when I feel like I just can't do something or I feel intimidated or overwhelmed.

“No more excuses! Do it or don’t do it but don’t make excuses. Stop using your incredible brain to think up elaborate rationalizations and justifications for not taking action.

Do something. Do anything. Get on with it! Repeat to yourself:

‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me!’

Losers make excuses; winners make progress.

Now, how can you tell if your favorite excuse is valid or not? It’s simple. Look around and ask, ‘Is there anyone else who has my same excuse who is successful anyway?’ When you ask this question, if you are honest, you will have to admit that there are thousands and even millions of people who have had it far worse than you have who have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives. And what thousands and millions of others have done, you can do as well—if you try.”

~ Brian Tracy from No Excuses!

If you do want to be inspired to face the hard stuff and do it anyway, keep reading.

My friend, Kelly McCausey, wants you to get over the things that are holding you back. And, for just $2.99 purchase (Kindle) or paperback version of her new book, you can get into her $497 coaching program that will guide you to do just that.

It all starts with 19 stories of women — including me — who share the stuff that TRIES to hold us back. And how we get past our sh(poop).

You'll hear from me and my friends how we do the hard stuff, even when battling things like anxiety or addiction or horrible events from the past that try to define us. The stories are raw and honest and inspiring.

In mine, I shared how I've dealt with anxiety and depression for over 30 years — and still get on my computer to do the hard/scary things (most days… except when I don't).

Kel and I hopped on a Zoom call to talk about the book. It was supposed to be audio-only but we had so much fun we decided to publish the video. I apologize for looking like I just crawled out of bed, but I did. lol!

I couldn't talk about getting past the stuff holding you back and then say “but don't publish the video because I look goofy…”  So I said “Oh hell, go ahead.​”

As I mentioned, if you buy the book (either Kindle or paperback), you'll get a $497 coaching program for free. 

In the coaching program, you'll discover…

• Session One: Why Your Sh*t Isn't Special
• Session Two: What is Ego & Essence
• Session Three: How to Prioritize Your Stoppers
• Session Four: How to Create A Hit List & A Sh*t List
• Session Five: What are the First Steps to Get Past Your Sh*t Behind You Every Single Day

Here's what to do next if you're interested in the book and want the coaching program, too…

Step One:

Click here to grab your copy of either the print or the Kindle version of the book.

Step Two:

After you buy a copy of the book, go here to claim the bonus coaching program.

If you already have a story about getting over your stuff, I'd love to hear about it in the comments.

Much love,

Nicole Dean

FAQ: 

Is this book just for women? Hell no.

Is this just a bunch of sob stories? Ummm… no. It's stories of overcoming some big stuff.

Got Other Questions?

Let me know in the comments. I do read them all.

Of course, I’ve also added a bit to this to give you some more content ideas. So if you’re planning your content for this month, I hope this is helpful.

What are people thinking about in October?

There's a crispness to the air. The summer flowers are out of bloom and the leaves are changing.

This is nature's signal to us – a signal that there are less than 90 days to go in the year. We're down to the final quarter. It's time to hunker down and get going!

Your clients have under 12 weeks to complete their yearly goals. Are they on track? How can you help them make that final push?

Content about goal achievement, productivity, motivation, grit, and perseverance is really timely this month.

Plus, of course, we still have the tie-in of covid to address.

Regarding covid, here are a few packages that might be of interest to your audience: 

• 24 Pieces of Done-for-You content about boosting your immune system that you can use to create your own content.
• DFY Content: Fully Remote! Timely Ways to Make a Living from Home.

Here are some content packages (including articles, affirmations, workbooks and more) that can help you connect with your audience on finishing the year strong: 

• 1300 Pieces of Done-for-You content about goal setting.
• Done-for-You content about Organization including home and office organization, turning chaos into calm and more.
• Lead Magnet: 10 Questions to Help You Identify Your Limiting Beliefs.
• Worksheet: Life Purpose Questionnaire
• The Miracle Question Worksheet

The fun observances and holidays this month include…

OCT 1 – World Vegetarian Day

October 1 is World Vegetarian Day.

This is a day for people all over the world to learn about and recognize the health benefits of eating more fruits and vegetables.

You can connect with your audience over eating more plant-based foods. Challenge them to go without meat for a couple of days. Encourage them to add more fruits and vegetables to their diet.

Let them know that vegetarianism isn't all salads and tofu! There's a whole world of flavors and textures that they can enjoy – even if they never plan to give up their beloved meat. Post a recipe for a good vegetable dish on your Facebook or Instagram page.

This is also a great time to talk about the frugal reasons to eat less meat or the environmental / green reasons if you prefer that route.

Check out these resources with ready-made content…

• 137 Pieces of Content about a Plant-Based Diet
• DFY Vegan Recipes you can Use on Your Blog
• Food Gardening Mega Pack (it may be a little late in the northern hemisphere to start planting much, but this is great for next year!)
• Go Greener: Simple Eco-Friendly Makeovers for Your Health and Our Planet

Sidenote: This is how I keep fresh fruits and veggies in the house, even when I have no energy to go to the store.  See my post and pic on FB.

OCT 1 – International Coffee Day

October 1 is also International Coffee Day, a day to relax while we enjoy our morning cup of coffee – before the hectic routine of the rest of our day takes hold.

Today, you can connect with your audience over coffee.

Plan a FB live or Zoom to enjoy a cup of coffee with your audience. You can reflect with them about the joys of coffee and plan your day together.

You can also take this into two other directions:

Networking over coffee. Talk about your favorite networking techniques.

Examining all habits both good and bad and deciding how you want your days to look.

Whichever topic you prefer, you'll find some excellent content here…

• Affirmation Printable: I Make A Difference One Cup Of Coffee At A Time
  
• Build Your Network One Cup At A Time With Successful Coffee Meetings
  
• Habits: How Tiny Tweaks Can Get Big Results
• Start Right! Rock Your Morning to Rock Your Life

Monetization tip! My friend Maruxa has a coffee company and they have a referral program. Monetize this day by sharing her delicious coffee. Check it out here.

OCT 2 – World Smile Day

World Smile Day is the first Friday in October. We celebrate this holiday by helping to make others happy. Smiling at friends and strangers, doing random acts of kindness, and sharing joy are all activities to enjoy today.

And YES, even if you're wearing a mask, your eyes can still smile! <3 

Of course, it's easier to make others happy when we're happy as well!

This holiday would be perfect timing for launching a product about happiness or inner peace. Everyone seeks happiness. Help bring happiness to your audience with tips to help them find it.

Actually I am working on a fun project that will bring happiness to my readers. Stay tuned! #yesitsweird #yesitsfun

Check out these helpful resources below for done-for-you content that is excellent for this holiday…

• Here you'll find done-for-you content about laughter.
• 50 Ways to Crush the Things that are Keeping You from Happiness and Success
• Hopeful Light Meditative Audio
• 166 Pieces of DFY Content about Positivity
• DFY Content Package: Take a break from stress. How relaxing can make you live longer.
• 488 Resources about Happiness that You Can Use in Your Own Business
• 30 Days to Happiness Challenge
• Pursuit of Happiness Ebook & Journal

OCT 5 – World Teacher Day

October 5 is World Teachers' Day, a day to celebrate teachers and their important role in our society.

With teachers being so stressed, today is a great day to encourage your followers to send their kids' teachers a little gift. Post a “thank you” meme. Write them a little note.

And all of you parents teaching at home. I see you. (Hugs.)

Plus… teachers come in all shapes, sizes, and venues. As a coach, you too are a valuable teacher for your audience.

This holiday also gives you an opportunity to talk about the importance of learning new things throughout your life.

Share an inspirational graphic on your blog, Facebook page, or Instagram page about learning. Add an affirmation or informative article related to your topic.

You'll find lots of ideas and ready-made content about helping others in these resources below…

• DFY Article: 9 Life Lessons You Weren't Taught In School
• Article: “Continuous Learning Made Easy”
• Affirmation: “Each Day I Learn Something New”
• 67 Done-for-You Articles, Checklists & Affirmations about Reading
• 42 More Pieces of DFY Content About Teachers
• If you're looking for content about coaching, of course, you need to check out CoachGlue.com

OCT 5 – Child Health Day

The first Monday of October is Child Health Day, a day to promote healthy habits for our children – both in mind and body.

You can celebrate this holiday by connecting with the parents, teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and others in your audience who work with children.

Send an email to your list to share this holiday with them and give them some tips for starting healthy habits for their kids.

This would also be a great email to introduce a parenting product geared toward helping them make a healthy, happy home for their children.

Check out these resources below, for brandable content you can use for this holiday…

• Key Nutrients To Help Your Children Feel Happier Healthier And Smarter
  
• Emotionally Healthy Habits For Raising Kids Worksheet
  
• Content for exercise
• FREE! School Lunches Your Kids Will Actually Eat – 5 Articles
• How to Boost Your Teen's Self Esteem.
• 15 Valuable Life Skills To Teach Your Teen

Sidenote. I adore this nutritionist when it comes to kids nutrition! Kids Eat in Color.

OCT 10 – World Mental Health Day

October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a day to promote and raise awareness for the importance of our mental health.

This holiday gives you a great opportunity to launch a helpful product on mental health, such as:

• Stress
• Depression
• General mental health
• Addiction (an especially important topic this year as drinking and other substance abuse has sky-rocketed across the board)

Check out these resources…

• Content about depression and mental health.
• Content about Stress & Anxiety
• Content about Procrastination (which is often a side effect of both depression and anxiety).
• 11 Ways to Practice Mindfulness without Meditating
• Checklist: The 7 Habits of Serenity
• 2472 Done-for-You Resources about Self-Care that You Can Publish in your Business
• Here is some content about addiction that you can use.

OCT 16 – World Food Day

October 16 is World Food Day.

You can celebrate this holiday with your audience by talking on your Facebook page about food: nutrition, healthy eating habits, buying whole foods at farmer's markets, and more.

Post an informative article or meditative reflection about food.

For a fun and educational project, get your readers involved in the celebration with a healthy food recipe contest – creating meals from around the world. 

You can give prizes throughout the day to those who participate.

Check out these dfy resources and more resources to use to create your own content…

• 36 Pieces of Done-for-You Content about Nutrition
• Go Greener: Simple Eco-Friendly Makeovers for Your Health and Our Planet
• Are you a food blogger? This dfy content is for you!

OCT 17 – National Clean Out Your Virtual Desktop Day

As a coach, you can connect with your audience on this holiday by talking about clutter. Clutter doesn't affect only your desktop, but also your mind and your life in general. Clutter wastes your time and causes undue stress.

Today would be a perfect day to launch a product about decluttering. Post an inspirational graphic about decluttering on your blog, Instagram page, or Facebook page, along with an informational article that introduces your product.

Check out these resources below for excellent content you can use…

• Here are some really cool pieces of DFY content about decluttering.
• No More Chaos! How to Finally Get your Workspace Organized for
  Maximum Productivity.
• Digital Decluttering: Simplify your Online Life for More Sanity and Less Stress
• DFY planners are a great way to get organized.

OCT 31 – Halloween 

October 31 is Halloween, a day of fun, parties, costumes, and trick-or-treating.

You can find these resources and more below to use…

• DFY Blog Posts: Healthy Alternatives To Halloween Candy Your Kids Will Love
• Other Halloween Content.

Where to Publish the Articles

• Your blog. Ronnie recommends using the Content Auto Loader.
• Medium
• Email newsletter
• Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
• Tip: use the Content Summarizer to automatically select highlights from the article, then link to the full article on your blog
• Publish in a weekly or monthly magazine template
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Print it and hand it out in your office

How and Where to Publish the Slide Deck Presentations

• Present as a live webinar
• Post the PDF to SlideShare
• Create a video slideshow and published on YouTube and Facebook. Use Ronnie's relaxation background audio as the music.

How and Where to Publish the Reports and Ebooks

• Give it away as a lead magnet in exchange for name & email
• Sell it as a low-ticket tripwire ($7 – $27)
• Transform it into a slide deck presentation and deliver it as a webinar
• Tip: Use the Auto Slide Deck tool to create presentations automatically
• Extract the key highlights and present it as a Facebook or YouTube Live
• Tip: use the Content Summarizer to automatically extract the key highlights from the book
• Create a coaching program or course by combining a few reports, articles, worksheets, etc.
• Tip: Watch the free video training series: How To Build a Course Using PLR.me Content

How and Where to Publish the Affirmations & Reflections

• Record several affirmations and sell it as a meditative audio course
• Create a relaxation video and publish it on YouTube. Use the PLR.me Inspirational Wallpapers as the background images.
• Tip: Recite the affirmations, display the affirmations on the screen and add some relaxation background music that you can download.
• Post the affirmation to Twitter and Facebook
• Add an affirmation to your magazine or newsletter
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Email your list the “Affirmation of the Week”

Need Pictures to Spice up Your Content and Make Social Media Posts?

My favorite places to get images are:

• Big Stock Photo ** My Favorite
• Deposit Photo
• NEW! Bold Stock (Lots of beautiful pics.)

Got questions? Just let me know in the comments. I do read them all.

Much love,

Nicole Dean (with lots of help from Ronnie Nijmeh)

In fact, John J. Ratey, M.D., of “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of your Brain” went as bold as to say…

“I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters.”

 

– John J. Ratey, M.D., Author of “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of your Brain”.

The problem is time. Unlike someone like a pre-school teacher who is on her feet all day, us “computer folk” don't have an active job to keep us moving. In fact, speaking for myself, if I'm not careful, I can get pretty stagnant. I have to make time to exercise.

Because as I said, it's good for my mind. I can directly tell that it helps lessen my anxiety and depression and it helps me to be more focused during the day. Plus, I sleep sounder and that's always good thing, too!

I'm about to share what my friends said about how they fit exercise into their busy days.

But first, since we all KNOW that exercise is important but so many of us still do not prioritize it, I dug up this old pep talk from my good friend, Scott Tousignant, to share.

What’s your ROI on Exercise?

by Scott Tousignant
MetabolicMasterpiece.com

Time is our most precious commodity, which is why it’s so important to prioritize the tasks that you perform throughout the day to ensure that you are doing the tasks that give you the greatest return on your investment (ROI). Unfortunately not many online entrepreneurs are aware of the ROI on t

heir daily tasks and they spend their day being busy rather than productive and wonder why they continue to struggle growing their business.

Every business is different and certain tasks may produce a greater ROI for certain businesses compared to others. There is however, one task that will provide an incredible ROI for every online entrepreneur. That task is physical fitness. Ironically, it’s the one task that many online entrepreneurs will brush off and say they don’t have time for.

Let’s take a look at the ROI on exercise:

• Increased energy: Keep up with your kids and live life to the fullest
• Increased focus: Your mind stays on target with the task at hand
• Increased productivity: Get more done in less time so you have more time to do what you enjoy the most in life.
• Increased Creativity: Your mind becomes more open to ideas and solutions
• Increased confidence: The benefits of this are limitless in business and life.
• Increased self esteem: Enhances your belief in your abilities
• Increased networking opportunities: You become more approachable and you are more willing to “get out there” more.
• Increased sense of well-being: Feel great about yourself and your actions
• Improved sleep: When you exercise you enjoy greater quality sleep and wake up feeling rested and ready to take on the day at hand.
• Reduced Stress: It becomes easier to handle the challenges that life throws at you.

With all of these benefits how can you possibly avoid exercise?

Yes it’s hard work, but it’s hard work with a huge ROI.

I challenge you to find any other task in your day that provides more benefits than exercise.

I encourage you not to fall into the trap of, “As soon as I finish this project, I’ll start to exercise.” I’ve got news for you… there will always be new projects and with this mindset you will never make the time for your health and fitness.

Another trap is waiting until you achieve a certain level of business success before you make your fitness a priority. “As soon as my online business takes off and these PPC campaigns start turning a profit I will have the freedom to workout more often and the finances to get a gym membership.” With this mindset, money is more important than your health.

Now let’s say that your ROI on PPC becomes so great that you finally have the freedom that you and your family deserve, but then out of nowhere Google slaps ya! Your income stream stops and you scramble to find another method of traffic. Let’s say that within a few months you find that banner ads become your new #1 profit machine and life is all good and happy again.

But what if LIFE decides to slap you with diabetes or a heart attack, because you placed your health at the bottom of your priority list?

What if life slaps you and cuts your life short by a year or two?

That’s time that you can’t get back. That’s time that you could have spent creating more memories with your family. Sure you had some great trips and vacations in the early days because you focused on business and money, but there was a hidden cost that didn’t reveal itself until it was too late. Was it worth it?

Everything in life is a choice. Your current situation is a result of all the choices that you’ve made in life. Your choices are often influenced by your values. Right now, you have a choice to bump your health to the top of the list of your priorities, or continue putting it off and hope to have the time to make it a priority down the road. Do you value your health? Before you make that decision, remember… time does eventually run out.

Thanks, Scott!

So that lead me to ask my smart friends this:

As an entrepreneur, I end up sitting on my butt a little more than I should. I'm always coming up with ways to get more movement into my day. How do you fit movement into your daily schedule without guilt? What kinds of exercise do you do? Any tips for sneaking it in?

This post is a compilation of responses from my friends.

I hope you enjoy this post. If so, please share!

Brian T. Edmondson
InternetIncomeCoach.com

I'm a huge believer that there is a correlation between diet, exercise, health, energy and business success.

As someone who has been working from home “living the laptop lifestyle” for over 10 years I've literally have had days where I haven't left the house or seen the light of day – not good!

These days I make it a point to make sure I don't spend hours and hours (or days) just sitting in front of the computer screen.

Here are two things that work really well for me:

1. Schedule my exercise into my calendar

Just about everything I do (business or personal) gets put into my calendar. If it's on the calendar then it's going to get done, period.

– Monday 11:00 am one-on-one coaching call – check
– Tuesday lunch meeting with a potential new private client – check
– Thursday blog post writing block from 2PM to 4PM – check
– Friday 7:00PM movie of the latest Marvel comics movie – check
– Saturday afternoon watching my Penn State Nittany Lions crush Michigan, Ohio, or Wisconsin – double check!

And of course, my one hour workout at the YMCA is scheduled into my calendar as a recurring event. It's on the calendar and very rarely is there anything important enough to bump it off the calendar – mostly everything I do is scheduled around my exercise schedule.

Unlike in the past, I get out of the house at least once a day (hello sun!) to get my exercise in.

2. Apple Watch stand reminder

Of course when you're sitting at a desk and computer all day it's easy to get into the groove and go hours without standing, which isn't good as well.

I generally work distraction free for 50 minutes, then will stop to take a break, stand up, walk around the house, and drink some water or have a snack. Sometimes I'll even squeeze in some extra jumping jacks or pushups just to get the blood flowing.

One of my favorite gadgets is my Apple Watch (yes, I'm an Apple Fan Boy) and a nice feature is every 50 minutes it will remind you to stand up and take a break if you haven't already done so. Of course you don't need an Apple Watch to do this… I used to use a simple kitchen timer in the past.

By scheduling exercise into my calendar and making sure I take frequent stand breaks throughout the day (and hydrating properly) I find that I have a lot more energy, focus, and am much more productive.

Lain Ehmann
FastLain.com

After a period of inactivity, I committed to getting back to a regular workout routine this year. For a long time, I told myself I was “too busy” to workout!

In January, I started going to Orangetheory, a group exercise class with 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights. You wear a heart rate monitor to make sure you’re working out at the right intensity. Everything is tracked, from heart rate to calories burned. I geek out on those metrics!

I started out a few times a week. Now, nine months later, I hate missing class.

I feel better, I look better, and it’s now a regular part of my day. First thing in the morning, Mon-Fri, I drop my daughter off at school and then head over to the gym. I sometimes have to force myself to take a day off. And the more I push myself physically, the more confidence I have. That’s good for me AND my business.

Carol Little, Public Speaker, Trainer and Coach
LittleTrainingCompany.com

Working out is essential for me, not only for my physical health but for my mental health too. I can think better when I feel good in my body. I find I’m more creative too. That may sound strange but it’s true. I often walk around a lake in my neighborhood not for the exercise but for my peace of mind. I come up with great ideas out on that trail! So, my tip is: if you have a problem you’re trying to solve, rather than sit at your desk and stew, walk your way to a solution. It’s more fun and you get some movement in when you would otherwise be sitting.

Personally, I love working out first thing in the morning. Nothing conflicts with an early morning workout. No phones, no emails, no clients…nothing. Plus, there is such a sense of satisfaction that comes from having my workout done by 9am. I keep things interesting by alternating my workouts. I do yoga, cardio (treadmill, elliptical or I ride the bike.) and weights. It doesn’t really matter what I do as long as I do something everyday. I consider it a bonus for my business too since, as a speaker, feeling comfortable in my body is crucial to feeling comfortable in front of the room.

Well, there you go, my thoughts on working out.

Karon Thackston
MarketingWords.com

As a girly girl, I have never liked exercise. That meant I would have to get hot and sweat, and that’s just gross! The exercises I did for years were based on videos, the majority of which were 30-minutes or less. Frankly, following the same DVDs over and over felt robotic.

Then I discovered pickleball about a year ago! (Google it.) A friend kept asking me to try it and I kept putting it off because (1) we play outside… in the heat. And (2) we sweat… a lot! No. Thank. You.

Shockingly, that turned out to be my thing. I adore it! I play typically 2-3 hours at a time, 4 – 6 days a week. Therein lies the “trick” to getting more movement in my day. I had to find something I loved, and that I wanted to do.

When it rains, I feel cheated because I couldn’t play that day. I miss the game, the people who I get to interact with face-to-face, and the time in the real world away from any screens.

Angela Wills, Digital Business Coach
LaptopLifestyleYouniversity.com

Once really easy and non-negotiable new movement in my daily schedule is walking my daughter to and from school every day. Our family has one vehicle and now that my husband works days we have no choice but to walk. It's about 25 minutes twice a day for me so some nice consistent movement I hope will pay off!

If you don't have a kid to walk to school, maybe you can borrow one? haha! Seriously though I bet there's a mom out there who'd love it if you did walk her kid to school every now and then. Or maybe there's another activity you have to do regularly that you can make yourself walk to instead of driving? I actually really enjoy the forced walks now, though!

Otherwise another thing I LOVE to do is Pomodoro Method of working. I learned this from the book “How to Live a Good Life” by Jonathan Fields. In it he suggests working for one stretch of time and then breaking for a short period of time and doing something “FUN” on that break, something that gets you moving. I like to work for 52 minutes (which I'm actually doing as I write this) and then break for 17 minutes. During the breaks (I do about 4 per day) I usually do things like flip on some dance music, throw a toy for my dog Shadow or try to learn a new move on my weighted hula hoop. The music is my go-to and then I do try to get creative.

As a bonus tip I can sometimes get a quick wash and dry of dishes in when doing Pomodoro and not feel like household stuff distracted me or threw me off track.

Dvorah Lansky, Bestselling Author and Course Creation Specialist
ShareYourBrilliance.com

How do you fit movement into your daily schedule? What kinds of exercise do you do? Any tips for sneaking it in? Or for making it more efficient?

While I love to dance and move and walk and ride my bike… I find that I often get so busy with my work projects that exercise and movement take a back seat. Here are some tips that help me to make movement a priority.

From the following list – I do one or more of these each day. Just think how fit I'd be if I did them all!

1. The computer does not go on in the morning until I've “earned it” by dancing or exercising or going to a walk.
2. When I look outside in the morning and think “it's so beautiful out” I use that as a prompt to get my shoes on and go for a stroll.
3. Some of my neighbors go for a walk around the neighborhood, every day, rain or shine or sleet or snow – they're like the postal service. I see them in the summer with their shorts and water bottles and in the winter with their parkas and mittens. I walk with them from time to time – however I recently made the commitment to walk with them daily for at least 90 days! They go at the same time each day so I can easily schedule it as a priority in my calendar.
4. In the afternoon when I'm winding down from work, I play with my cat on the front steps. Once she's ready to go inside, I head off to take a short walk to a specific spot in the neighborhood. I especially enjoy doing this around sunset.
5. There's a cafe about a mile from my home. More and more I budget time to walk there instead of drive there in the morning. I'm trying to figure out a way to carry a light book or some work with me as I love hanging out there, but don't want to carry a lot of weight – hmmm maybe I'll try a light backpack.
6. I have two sets of weights in my living room. I put on motivating music and lift the weights. Lifting weights makes me feel so strong. And for some reason my cat (Princess the Wonder Cat) loves hanging out with me when I'm working with the weights.
7. We have community dances in a nearby town each Saturday night. I used to go religiously and I loved it. Haven't been in a long time, however I promised myself that I'd begin going this month. Dancing makes me so happy.
8. Can't wait to see what our others experts in this Expert Briefs series have to share.

A tip I'll share is… look at your calendar and choose a dedicated time each day or many times each week where you can put on music and dance, or go for a walk or lift weights. Commit to daily exercise for 30, 60 or 90 days and you'll likely be hooked for life!

Another tip – go through the suggestions shared by the contributors in this series and jot down all of the ideas that inspire or intrigue you. Then circle three of them that you'll incorporate into your life. Keep the list somewhere handy so you can participate in more of these activities when you're ready.

Kelly McCausey
LovePeopleMakeMoney.com

One of my favorite ways to exercise is to swim laps but the local women's only gym with a pool has passed hands three times in three years and appears to have closed for good this time. It's frustrating because swimming didn't feel like ‘working out' and I am going to miss that opportunity to make exercise fun.

I just caught myself in an old story! Truth is, even ‘non-fun exercise' is fun these days. Since having bariatric surgery a year ago, I've lost 90+ pounds and built up strength I haven't enjoyed in many years.

I recently rejoined Anytime Fitness. I love their 24 hour access and there's a location within easy reach for me. I am tackling a weight machine workout that really stretches my abilities and lets me get in and out fast.

At least once a week I take my granddaughter out for an adventure. She's two and a half and has boundless energy. Whether we're covering every square foot of the grocery store or lapping through the pet store – I'm enjoying her so much I hardly notice all the steps I'm getting in.

Candice Davis, Author Coach
CandiceLDavis.com

I once gained twenty pounds over the course of a month because I was so focused on bringing a project in on time. Not good!

After that painful lesson, I made sure I found some ways to move my body every day.

I added an app to Google Chrome to remind me to get up from my desk at set intervals. (Stand Up! Timer is free.)

I also used inexpensive kitchen pantry shelving and some zip ties to create a desk on my treadmill. Now, I can walk at a very slow pace and work at the same time. Just stepping on the treadmill reminds me to pick up my free weights and do a short strength-training routine before I jump into work.

Lastly, I developed some small habits, like pacing while I'm on the phone, walking every aisle in the grocery store, and having active dates with my husband to make sure I sneak in some of the daily movement the human body was designed to enjoy.

Nicole Dean, Awesome Human, Author, Business Consultant, etc.
From here!

First of all, let me give kudos to my buds.

You’re all awesome! Whether you realize it or not, you’ve inspired me.

We live in a world where “busy” is worn like a badge of honor. And “I'm too busy” is frequently an excuse to not fit self-care into our days.

The quote I started with from John J. Ratey of Spark says so much:

“I tell people that going for a run is like taking a little bit of Prozac and a little bit of Ritalin because, like the drugs, exercise elevates these neurotransmitters.

It’s a handy metaphor to get the point across, but the deeper explanation is that exercise balances neurotransmitters — along with the rest of the neurochemicals in the brain.”

– John J. Ratey, M.D., Author of “Spark! How Exercise will Improve the Performance of your Brain”.

For those of us who are the CEOs of our own companies, our brains ARE our livelihoods.

When we're depressed, anxious, or fuzzy-headed, we can't tap into our genius, creativity or productivity as effortlessly.

Why sit in the struggle when a quick walk can literally reboot your brain?

So doesn't it make sense that exercise can actually INCREASE the bottom line of your business? 

In fact, I would be hard-pressed to think of any people who I really look up to who don't prioritize their own health.

So… argument one. Exercise leads to productivity which leads to increased profit.

On top of that, as entrepreneurs (bloggers, authors, speakers, consultants, service providers, and coaches), we spend our work time sitting in front of a screen.

In a world where sitting is the new smoking as far as danger to ourselves goes, we have to make it a priority to move frequently and consistently.

“Sitting is more dangerous than smoking, kills more people than HIV and is more treacherous than parachuting. We are sitting ourselves to death, The chair is out to kill us.”

– James Levine, a professor of medicine at the Mayo Clinic, in an interview in with the LA Times.

Now that may be a wee bit dramatic but something has got to get people moving!

And, if for no other reason, as a yoga teacher, I do know that most back pain starts in the butt. So sitting is definitely not helping your back pain.

Let me share a few things that have helped me to make exercise actually happen over the years..

1. My best friend, the timer.

I use a timer when I work. Pretty much always. It is my lifesaver. So, for instance, I set the timer for 45 minutes of work, then I take 15 minutes to walk around, do laundry, exercise, head outside for a bit, whatever. It may not seem like much, but it really works on helping me stay focused!

When I get back to my desk, I am refreshed and usually have some solutions for the issues that I was feeling stuck on, plus, I come back to my desk with some great clarity.

When I need to lose some weight or I feel like kicking my own butt, I break up my day so that I do focused work for 40-50 minutes, then do physical activity (like squats or situps – or the One and Done One Minute Workout) for 10 minutes then a quick break to do something around the house (check the mail, get more water, let out the dogs, or move the laundry) and repeat. If I can do that 1-3 times in my day, that helps to keep my metabolism up all day long.

2. Wearing running shoes.

I find that it’s silly, but if I put on my running shoes first thing in the morning, I move more during the day than if I’m barefoot. Plus, I can’t climb on the couch or in bed for a nap as easily. (ducking and running)

3. Don’t work weekends.

I try not to work much on the computer (if at all) on the weekends, unless I’m launching a big project (or if something major happened during the week- fun or otherwise). This gives me permission to not sit as much and instead, be gardening, doing yardwork, organizing the house, doing batch cooking, going on a hike or paddleboarding, or any number of activities that do not involve me sitting.

4. Outsourcing.

I know, it’s not directly related to exercise, but it keeps my butt out of the chair, which helps.

5. Exercise 7 Days/Week.

I used to plan exercise days and plan my “recovery” days back when I was a gym rat. Now, I aim to exercise every day so that when life gets in the way and I miss one, I'm still way ahead.

But to me, exercise, just means choosing to do something to move my body. Go on a hike, go to a yoga class, swim in the pool during a break, hop on my bike, go paddleboarding.

6. “1 Minute Workouts”.

I have been doing a program called “One and Done: 1 Minute Workouts” that is basically 20 seconds of hard effort followed by another 2 minutes of active rest (not just recovery but actually doing a planned movement). You repeat that cycle 3 times which adds up to only 1 minute of all out effort. I was surprised how sore I was once I started doing it.

You can create your own workout, or this is the one I'm doing. One and Done Workout

7. Yoga is the Double-Up Workout for Me. 

I meditate daily because it's good for me and it is helping me to be more in touch with a lot of crap that needs to bubble out. (Fun, right?)

I do yoga because it's exercise, stretching, strengthening, balance, and meditation. To me, it's the whole shebang.

I try to go to class every day, but if I don't make it, I'll do another form of exercise, like the “One and Done” workout I mentioned above.

8. Finding wasted time and making it useful.

When my daughter was in chorus and dance classes in downtown Pensacola (a 15-20 minute drive from home), I found myself sitting around for an hour to an hour and a half several times per week while she was at practice. I was too far from home for it to make sense to run back, so I'd sit and play Words with Friends or watch Hulu. So, after a year of that, I realized what a colossal waste of time it was. #duh

So, the next year, I joined a gym right near where her rehearsals are. I found that, in the hour or so from when I drop her to pick her up, I could get really sweaty. I had just enough time to run to the gym, park, get inside, and get a good workout. It's not ideal, but it worked for me. (Exercise without guilt is a good thing.)

So that's the majority of what I do to sneak in exercise.

But how do you actually make yourself do it? 

For that, I would highly (highest recommendation) recommend you read or listen to Atomic Habits by James Clear.

He has studied how to make habits stick more thoroughly than anyone else I've ever read. It's fascinating if you dig that stuff.

Quick Muscle-Building Workout. 

I also wanted to share this quick muscle building workout as I have done it a lot when I had a gym membership last year. I could get in and out of the gym in a half hour. No, it may not be the MOST effective workout in the world, but I do believe in “done is better than perfection”. And this was something I was able to commit to.

That's it for me. Now it's your turn. How do you find time to exercise in your busy day?

Warmly,

Nicole Dean

PS. I love reading this when I feel like I just can't do something or I feel intimidated or overwhelmed.

“No more excuses! Do it or don’t do it but don’t make excuses. Stop using your incredible brain to think up elaborate rationalizations and justifications for not taking action.

Do something. Do anything. Get on with it! Repeat to yourself:

‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me!’

Losers make excuses; winners make progress.

Now, how can you tell if your favorite excuse is valid or not? It’s simple. Look around and ask, ‘Is there anyone else who has my same excuse who is successful anyway?’ When you ask this question, if you are honest, you will have to admit that there are thousands and even millions of people who have had it far worse than you have who have gone on to do wonderful things with their lives. And what thousands and millions of others have done, you can do as well—if you try.”

~ Brian Tracy from No Excuses!

And I oftentimes rewatch this when I feel like I'm backsliding or not making progress fast enough. #DUDE

Of course, I’ve also added a bit to this to give you some more ideas. So if you’re planning your content for next month, I hope this is helpful. If it is, then I could be talked into making this a regular feature. #justsayin

August is a time of transitions and is bittersweet.

Summer is wrapping up. The leaves are about to turn colors. It's back-to-school time. Everything is saying that before we know it, Halloween will be here.

Some ideas for content to help your audience.

• A mindset shift happens taking your audience from relaxation-mode to the chaos of reality. Help your readers prepare for this shift with mindset tips and training.
• Routine. Your audience may struggle to adapt to a new routine. Help them to get organized, manage their time, and cope with change.
• Healthy balance. Inspire and educate your audience how to maintain a healthy work-life balance in their lives.

Here is some content that may help:

• Habits: How Tiny Tweaks Can Get Big Results
• Start Right! Rock Your Morning to Rock Your Life
• Here are 388 Done-for-You Items Around the Topic of Habit

Back to School.

Here is some done-for-you content to save you time in publishing your blog posts.

• FREE! School Lunches Your Kids Will Actually Eat – 5 Articles
• Here are 209 Done-for-You Items About School

AUG 1 – Girlfriend's Day

August 1 is Girlfriend’s Day, a day to celebrate your girlfriend and the happiness that she brings to your life.

How can you use this holiday to connect with your audience?

Consider these ideas:

• Have a webinar. Choose one of the slide deck presentations below, such as “25 Ways to Tell Your Partner You Care,” for some ready-to-go content.
• Give your email readers a gift appropriate for this occasion, such as a free download of “25 Ways to Romance Your Lady.”
• Record an audio version of an eBook on love, such as “Strengthen Your Relationship With Reflections on Love.”

AUG 4 – Single Working Women's Day

Single Working Women's Day is August 4, a day to honor and acknowledge the single working women in your life.

Check out these resources for excellent content for your Single Working Women's Day projects…

• Newly Single Top 10 Ways To Help Yourself Move On
• Stress Tips For Single Moms
• And Here's What I Get When I Search for Single Moms for Content

AUG 4 – Sisters' Day

The first Sunday of August – August 4 this year – is Sisters’ Day. If you have a sister, this is a day to celebrate her.

You can connect with your audience on this holiday by encouraging everyone who has a sister to give her a call and let her know that she's important to you. You could be instrumental in helping some siblings to reconnect and realize how valuable they are to each other!

Post an article about siblings on your blog or Facebook page. Something unusual like “What Frozen Taught Me About Love, Sisterhood, and Snowmen” could generate some interesting conversations in the comments and bring new readers.

Check out these resources for some excellent, ready-made content you can use for your Sisters' Day ideas…

• Here are 13,198 ideas.

AUG 6 – Fresh Breath Day

Everyone is concerned about if their breath is fresh. You could join the spirit of this little known holiday by giving your audience some information about how to keep their breath fresh naturally.

Good nutrition directly affects your health, strengthening it, and helps support fresh breath. You could put together an informative product about good nutrition.

Speaking of the breath, another related angle is deep breathing to calm you, bring you clarity of thought, and help you manage your emotions.

Also, your breath – whether it's fresh or not – is instrumental in meditating.

Here is some done-for-you content you can use:

• Each Breath is a Reminder of My Blessings Affirmation
• Here are 13,198 Pieces of Content about Breath and Breathing
• 36 Pieces of Done-for-You Content about Nutrition

AUG 8 – Happiness Happens Day

August 8 is Happiness Happens Day. On this day, we can focus on making ourselves and others happy.

Consider what activities bring joy to your life. How can you do more of that?

How can you uplift others around you?

Check out these resources for ready-made content, all related to happiness…

• 488 Resources about Happiness that You Can Use in Your Own Business
• 30 Days to Happiness Challenge
• Pursuit of Happiness Ebook & Journal
• Happiness Stealers

AUG 9 – Book Lovers Day

August 9 is Book Lovers Day, a day to celebrate the joys of reading.

You can easily connect with your audience about books and reading on this holiday. When it comes to books, there are many areas you can focus on.

Related topics include:

• Read more to know more
• How to get your kids to read more
• Speed reading
• Making time to read

For example, with our busy lifestyles, many people are interested in how to read faster. Use a speed reading article as the basis for your video.

Check out these resources for excellent, ready-made content for your Book Lovers Day program…

• 67 Done-for-You Articles, Checklists & Affirmations about Reading

AUG 10 – Lazy Day

August 10 is Lazy Day. Celebrate this day to relax.

You can celebrate Lazy Day with your audience by just kicking back and having a fun sharing day in a Facebook Live session. Learning to relax is a valuable tool for self-care.

Another topic that you can mention, however, is that if they're finding that every day is a lazy day for them, perhaps they would like some techniques to overcome their habit of being lazy.

They might also appreciate some strategies to motivate themselves so that they'll want to get busy and get something accomplished.

Offer your readers a free article download to get started and encourage them to seek further coaching from you for followup.

Use the resources below for some done-for-you content on these Lazy Day topics…

• How to Overcome Laziness
• 2472 Done-for-You Resources about Self-Care that You Can Publish in your Business

August 11 – Son and Daughter Day

August 11 is Son and Daughter Day, a day to celebrate our children and tell them how much we love them.

You can easily use this holiday to engage with your audience by talking about positive parenting, increasing their child's confidence, or making their home routines conducive to raising healthy, happy, and responsible kids.

Check out these resources to create great parenting content for Son and Daughter Day…

• Here are 234 Done-for-You Articles, Affirmations, Action Guides and Worksheets on Parenting

AUG 12 – International Youth Day

August 12 is International Youth Day, a day to celebrate young people and their positive contribution to our society. People all across the world recognize this holiday.

Our youth is our future – for the community we live in and the world!

You can connect with your audience today by setting a positive example and volunteering to help some youths in your community. If you have teenagers, take them with you to encourage them to give a helping hand to someone else and demonstrate the importance of helping others.

Make a video with the highlights of your volunteer day and post it on your blog or social media pages.

Offer a free download to your list members for an affirmation that encourages others to help out in their community.

Check out these done-for-you blog posts you can use for your International Youth Day activities…

• How to Boost Your Teen's Self Esteem.
• 15 Valuable Life Skills To Teach Your Teen

AUG 15 – Relaxation Day

August 15 is Relaxation Day. Naturally, this holiday encourages you to relax and let your stress melt away.

Relaxation topics like these would be welcome today:

• The many mental and physical benefits of taking time to relax
• How to relax
• How to beat stress
• Meditation
• Mindfulness
• Deep breathing

Check out these resources for your Relaxation Day program…

• Here are some ready-made slide deck presentations perfect for this holiday, such as “25 Ways to Alleviate Stress” and “Self Care Practices That Benefit Your Mind, Body, and Soul.” Brand these with your company name and logo to generate more publicity for your company.
• Here are lots of inspirational wallpapers about relaxing. Why not put these onto slides and make a relaxing video?
• Here are some audios you can use for the background music!

AUG 16 – Tell A Joke Day

August 16 is Tell A Joke Day, because everyone loves to laugh!

In fact, laughing is good for you too – both mentally and physically. We all should take advantage of the lighter side of life and laugh often. It would benefit us to make time in our busy lives to laugh each day.

You'll find plenty of ready-made resources below for your Tell A Joke Day activities…

• Here you'll find done-for-you content about laughter.

AUG 21 – National Senior Citizens Day

August 21 is National Senior Citizens Day.

You can connect with your audience members of any age today by talking about:

• Tips on aging
• Self-care for caregivers
• Relationships with grandparents
• Tips for seniors who date

Remember – not all Senior Citizens are “old.” Many of them live active, vibrant lives. Some have taken advantage of their wisdom from many years in the workplace to offer consulting. Others give much to their community.

Today would be a great day to interview one of these seniors on Facebook live.

Whatever program you'd like to plan for Senior Citizens Day, you'll find some excellent done-for-you content for it in these resources below…

• 22 Pieces of Done-for-You Content about Seniors

AUG 22 – Be An Angel Day

August 22 is Be An Angel Day. This holiday encourages us to help those less fortunate than ourselves, to lend a helping hand to those who need it.

You can engage with your audience and Be An Angel to help out those who need it by having a Question and Answer session in your specialty.

You can do it live or have folks send in their most pressing questions and record a session with you reading the questions and answering them.

Check our these resources to help you create content for Be An Angel Day…

• Some Content about Volunteering
• A Crash Course in Kindness
• More about Kindness

AUG 25 – Kiss And Make Up Day

August 25 is Kiss and Make Up Day.

This holiday isn't just for romantic relationships, although it certainly applies to them. It's also about forgiving others who have wronged you, whether at home, work, or elsewhere (including yourself, if necessary).

This holiday gives you a chance to engage with your audience over an excellent way for them to set themselves free from many of their burdens: by learning to forgive.

Related topics include:

• Forgiving yourself for past mistakes
• Forgiving others
• Letting go of the past so you can move forward
• Learning from your mistakes
• Consider these ways you can use this holiday to connect:

Post an inspirational graphic about forgiveness on your website, blog, or social media pages, inviting your readers to the webinar.

Whatever program you decide on for your Kiss and Make Up Day activities, these resources below can provide some excellent, done-for-you content…

• Free forgiving & Forgetting Pack of 5 Articles
• 30 Day Forgiveness Challenge
• 104 Pieces of Content about Forgiveness

AUG 26 – National Dog Appreciation Day

August 26 is National Dog Appreciation Day.

Dogs are the BEST! They offer companionship, can strengthen our health, are loyal, and show unconditional love.

How can you celebrate this holiday with your audience?

Consider these ideas:

• Start this Dog Appreciation Day project ahead of time and spearhead a collection for a local no-kill animal shelter or dog rescue.
• You could donate a percentage of your proceeds for a month or for a particular product. Having a charity project like this often spurs sales of the product.
• On Dog Appreciation Day, take a picture or film a video of you giving a check to the shelter of all the donated funds.
• For some extra publicity for your business, contact the media about your project, so they can be there for the donation.

Whatever your ideas are for your Dog Appreciation Day, check out these resources for excellent dog-related content…

• 37 Pieces of Dog-Related Content.

AUG 26 – Women's Equality Day

August 26 is Women's Equality Day. On this day, we honor women and have activities to support their importance in all realms of our society.

Even though the Women's Movement has come a long way, obviously we still have a long ways to go.

Check out these resources you can use for your Women's Equality Day program…

• Here are a few resources about Equality.

AUG 27 – Global Forgiveness Day

August 27 is Global Forgiveness Day, a day to put the past in the past and forgive those who have wronged you – even yourself if you need to.

Have a webinar based on forgiveness. For example, you could use the slide deck presentation, “Forgiveness – A Step by Step Plan for Freedom,” for a ready-made presentation.

In your presentation, offer a free download to the attendees for some affirmations that encourage them to forgive.

Post an inspirational graphic about forgiveness on your blog or social media pages, with an article such as “Give Yourself the Gift of Forgiveness.”

Here is some ready-made, brandable content you can use for your Global Forgiveness Day projects…

• 30 Day Forgiveness Challenge
• 104 Pieces of Content about Forgiveness

AUG 31 – International Overdose Awareness Day

August 31 is International Overdose Awareness Day, a day to advocate for the survivors of a loved one's overdose and to support and help those with addictions.

You can connect deeply with your audience today by offering to enrich their lives with help for addictions or helping them to overcome their grief of losing a loved one because of their addiction.

These done-for-you resources will help you build your program for International Overdose Awareness Day..

• Here is some content about addiction that you can use.

Where to Publish the Articles

• Your blog. Ronnie recommends using the Content Auto Loader.
• Medium
• Email newsletter
• Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook
• Tip: use the Content Summarizer to automatically select highlights from the article, then link to the full article on your blog
• Publish in a weekly or monthly magazine template
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Print it and hand it out in your office

How and Where to Publish the Slide Deck Presentations

• Present as a live webinar
• Post the PDF to SlideShare
• Create a video slideshow and published on YouTube and Facebook. Use Ronnie's relaxation background audio as the music.

How and Where to Publish the Reports and Ebooks

• Give it away as a lead magnet in exchange for name & email
• Sell it as a low-ticket tripwire ($7 – $27)
• Transform it into a slide deck presentation and deliver it as a webinar
• Tip: Use the Auto Slide Deck tool to create presentations automatically
• Extract the key highlights and present it as a Facebook or YouTube Live
• Tip: use our Content Summarizer to automatically extract the key highlights from the book
• Create a coaching program or course by combining a few reports, articles, worksheets, etc.
• Tip: Watch the free video training series: How To Build a Course Using PLR.me Content

How and Where to Publish the Affirmations & Reflections

• Record several affirmations and sell it as a meditative audio course
• Create a relaxation video and publish it on YouTube. Use the PLR.me Inspirational Wallpapers as the background images.
• Tip: Recite the affirmations, display the affirmations on the screen and add some relaxation background music that you can download from the PLR.me Content Library.
• Post the affirmation to Twitter and Facebook
• Add an affirmation to your magazine or newsletter
• Tip: Use this free coaching magazine template.
• Email your list the “Affirmation of the Week”

Need Pictures to Spice up Your Content and Make Social Media Posts?

My favorite places to get images are:

• Big Stock Photo ** My Favorite
• Deposit Photo

Got questions? Just let me know in the comments. I do read them all.

Much love,

Nicole Dean (with lots of help from Ronnie Nijmeh)

This has been the summer of home maintenance for me.

• Pool liner replaced. Check.
• Roof fixed. Check.
• Trees trimmed and cut prior to hurricane season. Check.
• A/c breaks in car and at the house and needs to be repaired. Check.
• Ceiling in bathroom from water leak repaired. Check.
• All baseboards replaced in living room, bathroom, and master bedroom (after water leak). Check.

I feel like lessons have been presenting themselves to me a lot lately through this experience.

For instance, after Hurricane Ivan in 2004, we needed a new pool liner. Our pool was filled with shingles and nails and branches and was not salvageable.

So, we found Dan. We both really liked Dan. He was the owner of the company and answered all of our questions. In fact, we liked him so much that we also used his company to do our pool maintenance for a few years.

I thought of him as almost a friend. I'd see him riding his bike and say to my hubby “that's Dan!”

Flash forward to 2019. We need a new pool liner. They last approximately 15 years and ours must have had a timer.

We didn't think twice. We just contacted Dan's company. I drove over there. I told them that they had my measurements on file, I chose a liner, and I paid half – approx $1800.

And then I waited.

And I waited.

And I waited.

I knew the process takes about 6 weeks, so I didn't start to get annoyed until after week 6 when we hadn't heard a peep.

• Was our liner ever ordered?
• Was it scheduled?
• Were they just going to show up one day while I'm laying out there in my swim suit with my white butt showing?
• Could I plan a pool party or would they show up in the middle of it?

There was zero communication.

So, we reached out and got a “you should be up soon”.

And then another week went by.

And we followed up again, and got another “you should be up soon”.

And I was, at this point, REALLY not loving this process.

Then, one day, we got a call saying “we'll be there today”. So, again, not great communication. We scrambled and got prepared.

Some workers showed up. They didn't communicate great either. We weren't clear on the process at all.

They installed the pool liner. They came back a few days later to check the water levels. We never saw Dan or heard from him or the company to ask how things were going.

We got an invoice. I went in and paid the balance on it (another $1800). And still no word from anyone.

Not a “thank you”. Not a note in the mail. Nothing.

So… if we are still at this house in 15 years, you can bet that Dan's competition will be getting our business. Even if we have to pay a little bit more.

A similar thing happened with our roofing company, but I won't go into details about that. Let's just say they went MIA, too. And we had no idea if or when they might show up. And this was way after the “we'll have it done in 2 weeks” window.

Why am I sharing this story today?

Not so complain so much, but just to show the importance of communication.

If customers are left to wonder “Did my order go through?” or “Is this a scam?” or ‘Do they even care about me?” then your help desk will get the brunt of the frustration. And, if their cries to the help desk go into a void, then in this day and age, your customer will go to social media.

I was excited to order my new pool liner. I was excited about the experience. Now, not so much.

It's hard to earn back that excitement they felt while they were placing their order. And it's hard to earn back that trust.

What can you do to keep your customers happy?

1. Communicate clearly the product they are buying so get exactly what they paid for. You'd be amazed how often I want to buy a course and I can't even tell from the sales page if it's a video, audio, or written training. A confused mind does nothing. Or if they buy, and are confused, they aren't getting what they thought they were buying in the first place.

2. Clearly explain the process that will happen during and after their order. Where will their download be? Where should they look?

3. Set expectations. If your shopping cart will send the download info and it may take up to 30 minutes, let them know that up front so they aren't frustratedly clicking “check mail” wondering if their download got lost.

4. Say “thank you” and mean it. Without our customers, we're out of business.

5. Make it easy to contact support. Both during office hours and after office hours. Don't make them jump through hoops. Don't make them feel like their time was wasted.

6. Clearly have a link on every page of your site that takes customers to their members' area and to support. You'd be surprised how often I go to sites to log in and can't find it. Yes, I have it in last pass for most sites, but that's just an extra hoop. Make it easy for people to consume the material they buy from you so they'll get results and go from being a customer to a fan!

If you need some help with what to say to your customers after they buy, you might like these:

• Done-for-You Follow-up Emails for Your New Leads. (And how to structure your follow-up.)

If you're a contractor. This is equally important. 

Our policy at CoachGlue.com with our team is do not leave us guessing. If we ask for something to be done and do not get a message that “this is done”, then we assume it is not.

Also, in both of my basecamp accounts, the person who does the work is not allowed to mark it as done. They have to say it's done. Then someone else checks it. And then we mark it done.

We've had to let good workers go who were doing the work but not communicating because it causes stress, chaos, and confusion.

So, keep your clients in the loop. Let them know when things are done. Let them know if you're going to be late. Otherwise, it's up to them to guess and that's not, as you can see in my earlier example, how you keep a client happy.

This is also super important when dealing with affiliates and JV partners. 

A confused affiliate does nothing.

Make sure they have the information they need to promote.

And always, always make sure they know they are appreciated.

This comes back to the Love Languages. Give them words of praise, public shout outs, gifts when appropriate, and genuinely love and appreciate them. They'll KNOW if you do.

With hugs and high fives,

Nicole Dean and Lemur

Today I sent one of my smart coaching clients this…

Yes. Our brains are meant for one purpose. To keep us safe.

Anything that makes our bodies feel in danger…

EVEN the fear of something completely physically safe like writing a blog post or sending a mailing… our minds will try to divert us.

You open that book draft you've been working on and all of a sudden…
“I’m hungry.”
“I’m thirsty”
“I need to go to the bathroom”
“I wonder what the dogs are up to”
“Did I ever confirm that hair appointment?”

This is all an effort to get us to avoid the perceived danger.

When we listen to the fear, we don't do the things we need to do to grow.

Heck, our brains will even try to protect us from the fear of embarrassment.

“I can't go to the gym until I lose some more weight. Everyone will stare at me.”

“I can't post this even thought I want to… What if I get haters?”

I watched my kids battle this.

Me: “Sit down with me and do your handwriting.”

Boy child: “I'm hungry.”

To me, the awareness of that is huge.

Personally it gives me power, because I can point at my reaction and go “ok, brain. I know you love me and you're trying to keep me safe. But I also know that I need to do this thing. So let's work together to do it.”

I also make sure that I'm telling my body that I AM safe.

By breathing. Slow. Steady.

Because when we are scared, we hold our breath.

And, conversely when we hold our breath, our bodies think we are in danger.

So, just by consciously breathing through the things we do on a daily basis (and might potentially avoid), we can be more productive.

Try it out. Take a few slow breaths right now. Feels good, right?

So, what are you avoiding doing today? Is it a fear-based avoidance?

Perhaps “I know that I should finish creating this training, but… I'll post on social media a few times. That's still working, right?”

Our brains are slippery. They think they're helping. And they do keep us alive. “GO BRAINS!” But they can also stand in the way of achieving the things that are out of our comfort zone.

Just some food for thought.

Hugs and high fives,

Nicole Dean

PS. If you'd like some done-for-you content about keeping your brain healthy and happy, grab this package:

So, grab a drink and get comfy. It's story time….

Once upon a time (aka last week), I launched a new site, Content Drafts.

It consists of done-for-you blog posts and other assets that you can use to create informative and inspiring content for your audience.

My mission for the last decade has been to make the web and the world a better place. So, I am going to help do that by getting impactful content out to the world — through you.

These are FULL articles. I call them “content drafts” only because I want you to use them that way. You are amazingly wonderful and full of brilliant stories. Use these posts to create awesome stuff that makes a difference.

The first package is called HABITS: Tiny Tweaks for Big Results. It's pretty great if you want to check it out.

Anyway, I had that package done and the backend offer was also in place.

I was ready to send an email to my lists and I knew that I had at least 5 friends who were waiting to mail their audiences, too, as soon as I said “go”.

Since this was a new concept, I wasn't sure how the sales page would convert. I had one published and ready to go, but I wanted to split test it so that I knew if I was headed in the right direction or not. Especially before my affiliates started to get too serious in their promotions.

It used to be that testing two different sales pages was a pain in the butt.

In the video below I show how I did it in minutes. One of the sales pages converted at twice the other. I'm glad I didn't guess or I could have walked away from a lot of money and cost my affiliates sales, too.

Here's the scoop and I show just how easy it was:

Click here to check out Thrive Architect which is what I used to Create Content Drafts.

(It is my absolute #1 recommendation right now – and I've tested nearly all of them.)

Here's how it works.

You install WordPress like you normally world.

Then you choose a very light and quick loading simple theme (I do not use the Thrive Theme).

I used WPAstra as it got really good reviews from people who knew their stuff.

Customize the theme a bit. Mainly add your logo and choose colors.

Then you add that page builder as a plugin.

Once you do, you have the option of using pages/posts that look like simple regular pages (that show up based on your theme choices) or building intricate / cool pages with the page builder.

The reason I like this page builder and all the tools that comes with it so much is that it is built for business.

It's easy to do list building and quizzes and all kinds of cool things without having to pay for a bunch of extra tools.

And, it's super fast and easy to split test as you can see in the video above, which is a big deal for me.

Warmest wishes,

Nicole Dean & Speedy the Sloth