Saturday, March 23, 2013

Like Minded Individuals

There are so many benefits an opportunities that comes with surrounding yourself with like minded individuals . The energy you receive that comes from those who share similar passions and  interest enables you to become a better you.  For me there is nothing better then the energy I receive from those who are as excited and as passionate as myself, about pursuing their dreams and becoming their own boss.

I recently stubbled across a very interesting post from marketing and business guru Loren Ridinger, (www.Lorensworld.com). She talked about 5 conferences every business person should attend. I found this post very interesting because I am a firm believer, that you are the company you keep. I'm learning that as you grow, you become a product of your environment. One thing I cant stand is a negative Nancy's, or being around people who just don't get it. Being around people who always feel the need to voice their opinion, and make suggestions without you asking could and would eventually becomes a down fall.  Often, we don't realize the impact these individuals may have on your life. The people we surround ourselves with can easily discourage us from pursuing our goals, or make us self-conscious about a ideal; that's why is best to keep some goals and ideals inside and pursue them privately. I choose to spend my personal time with those who share similar characteristics such as myself. These are the people who helps me become a better me, the people that encourages and motivates me to want better, to do better and strive for more.

Below is the list of conference that Loren suggested are great for business owners and those that are pursuing there dreams. Feel free to comment below, and don't forget to subscribe.

5 Conferences for Business Owners in 2013
  • SXSW 2013: A hugely popular conference and festival that offers information on original music, independent films and emerging technologies.
  • Entrepreneur Magazine’s Growth Conference 2013: An opportunity to get business-building advice straight from the source. Includes how-to sessions and invaluable networking.
  • Small Business Summit 2013: An all day program in NYC that brings together small business owners and leaders from across the country to share their insights for growing their small business.
  • Market America International Convention 2013: A three day event that teaches you how to create your own economy and build a brand through the UnFranchise business opportunity.
  • Forbes Women’s Summit 2013: Powerful meeting of 200 CEOs including entrepreneurs, philanthropists, innovators, disruptor's, educators, heads of foundations and NGOs, artists and politicians. Attendance is by invitation only. 

- Ciera Sanders


Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Stop making excuses and do something

 
 
 
You are the only person who can change anything in your life. Stop making excuses for failure
get your lazy ass up and do something about it.

What does is take to move forward and take that next step in your life. Who and what determines success? Will I ever make it? Am I ever going to become the person I always envisioned myself to be? These are a few questions I ask myself daily. Do I know who I am as a person? That question hunts me, because still trying to figure out who I am as a person. I know what I want to do with my life. I'm just not sure If I am taking the necessary steps in achieving those goals.

Where is the starting line on the road to success? I'm finding that road difficult to find, especially without a map and proper guidance. Sometimes I feel as if  I'm just not applying myself as I should. I see myself continuing to live a life that leads me down the road to no mans land. I stay awake almost ever night reading articles browsing the Internet reading stories about other successful people and still I cant seem to figure out where to begin.

I don't like to consider myself a lazy person but the reality is I am. Things haven't been going right business wise; especially dealing with the guy who pretty much screwed me over. After 30 failed attempts to get the codes to my website that I purchased and Him not giving me a response or letting me know whats going on; I became discourage. I haven't been to my office in over 2 months. I didn't want to go, I started to feel like a failure and I felt stuck. I didn't have the finances to hire a new web guy because I had just lost my job and at that time was my only source of income. I started self doubting myself although deep down I knew it wasn't my fault.  I work at night, and I'm building myself  back up, but sometimes it seems as if it still isn't enough. I have people around me who doubt me and think I'm all talk, not knowing the real struggle which causes me to keep my thoughts and feelings sheltered. A person will never believe in you like you believe in yourself. If you have a dream of doing something and your not getting the support you need from friends and family, Do It. That's all the motivation you need is believing in yourself.  As I grow older I'm learning not to share everything with people who wont understand. People tend to discouraged others often times without knowing  what they are saying are things that can make you second guess yourself.

I have to figure out how to stop being as lazy as I have been. One of the things I  started doing was working out more.  I am very proud of that, I didn't like the way I looked in cloths and instead of continuing to make excuses of why i was chubby and out of shape I decided to do something about it. I purchased the Insanity DVD and I'm going on my second week. I still haven't made any real change to my early mornings.  My days are still empty and wasting away. I have to do something about that; something definitely has to change. I wont get anywhere in life laying around hoping and wishing.

The truth is I told you all i will not leave anything out and i will tell the honest truth. What I say is not to be judge but used to encourage you all as well as myself. So how do I motivate others when I'm being a lazy ass myself.  Putting  my life out there makes me feel as if I am obligated to change. It stems from the pressure of knowing that I have others looking up to me and I cant let them down.

Another thing is i have to figure out how to get more traffic to my blog, I very new to this and I really want others to hear my message. So here is what I'm going to do; I'm going to write a list of all the task i need to complete by the end of the week (week ending Sunday). I am going to do a follow up post Sunday even with all the tasks i have completed. I encourage you all to do the same. If you want you can post your accomplishments below. Here is a list of my tasks, I look forward to hearing a response from you all later this week. Xo- Ciera

1. Commit to 4 more work outs by the end of the week.
2. Meet with the new web designer Thur.
3. Write a proposal package for the web designer with all my terms and have someone look it over.
4. Go to a networking event.
5. Start and finish one of the books that has been sitting next to my bed.
6. Research and take notes on how to get my blog noticed.
7. Figure out how to design my blog
8. Create a vision board.
9. Start a personal journal that I will comment to writing into each night.
10. Wake up at 10 each morning no matter how tire i am. 10 maybe late for some but early for me considering i wake past noon each day.

So here it is my weeks task. I holding myself accountable, An i will get it done.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

10 Things you must give up to move forward.

 
 
 
 
 
 
I read this post somewhere and could not remember the link to where I found it. I had it saved in my phone and loved the message the author wrote, and decided to share it with all of you. I hope you find this inspiring as I have and remember to always chase your dreams.
 
 If you see it, believe it and you can achieve it.- Ciera
  1. Letting the opinions of others control your life. – People know your name, not your story. They’ve heard what you’ve done, but not what you’ve been through. So take their opinions of you with a grain of salt. In the end, it’s not what others think, it’s what you think about yourself that counts. Sometimes you have to do exactly what’s best for you and your life, not what’s best for everyone else.
  2. The shame of past failures. – You will fail sometimes, and that’s okay. The faster you accept this, the faster you can get on with being brilliant. Your past does not equal your future. Just because you failed yesterday; or all day today; or a moment ago; or for the last six months; or for the last sixteen years, doesn’t have any impact on the current moment. All that matters is what you do right now. Read Awaken the Giant Within.
  3. Being indecisive about what you want. – You will never leave where you are until you decide where you would rather be. It’s all about finding and pursuing your passion. Neglecting passion blocks creative flow. When you’re passionate, you’re energized. Likewise, when you lack passion, your energy is low and unproductive. Energy is everything when it comes to being successful. Make a decision to figure out what you want, and then pursue it passionately.
  4. Procrastinating on the goals that matter to you. – There are two primary choices in life: to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them. Follow your intuition. Don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. When there is love and inspiration, you can’t go wrong. And whatever it is you want to do, do it now. There are only so many tomorrows. Trust me, in a year from now, you will wish you had started today.

  5. Choosing to do nothing. – You don’t get to choose how you are going to die, or when. You can only decide how you are going to live, right now. Every day is a new chance to choose. Choose to change your perspective. Choose to flip the switch in your mind from negative to positive. Choose to turn on the light and stop fretting about with insecurity and doubt. Choose to do work that you are proud of. Choose to see the best in others, and to show your best to others. Choose to truly LIVE, right now.
  6. Your need to be right. – If you keep on saying you’re right, even if you are right now, eventually you will be wrong. Aim for success, but never give up your right to be wrong. Because when you do, you will also lose your ability to learn new things and move forward with your life. Read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
  7. Running from problems that should be fixed. – We make life harder than it has to be. The difficulties started when… conversations became texting, feelings became subliminal, sex became a game, the word ‘love’ fell out of context, trust faded as honesty waned, insecurities became a way of living, jealously became a habit, being hurt started to feel natural, and running away from it all became our solution. Stop running! Face these issues, fix the problems, communicate, appreciate, forgive and LOVE the people in your life who deserve it.
  8. Making excuses rather than decisions. – Life is a continuous exercise in creative problem solving. A mistake doesn’t become a failure until you refuse to correct it. Thus, most long-term failures are the outcome of people who make excuses instead of decisions.
  9. Overlooking the positive points in your life. – What you see often depends entirely on what you’re looking for. Do your best and surrender the rest. When you stay stuck in regret of the life you think you should have had, you end up missing the beauty of what you do have. You will have a hard time ever being happy if you aren’t thankful for the good things in your life right now. Read The Happiness Project.
  10. Not appreciating the present moment. – We do not remember days, we remember moments. Too often we try to accomplish something big without realizing that the greatest part of life is made up of the little things. Live authentically and cherish each precious moment of your journey. Because when you finally arrive at your desired destination, I guarantee you, another journey will begin.

Creating and Achieving your Goals






 
Today's blog post is about setting and achieving obtainable goals. I want to personally dedicate this post to my my lovely younger sister Cherae. I just want her to know she is a amazing person and there is no doubt in my mind that she will flourish into a very successful women. 
 

Step 1. Set goals and make them visible.
This is step is really important in achieving life long goals. A goal can be anything from completing college with great grades, to completing college and going off to law school. A person can set their goals to anything they want. Instead of just going to college you further your goal by working toward completing college, going to law school and opening your own law firm. A goal is anything you wish to achieve in life. You are the only person who can make, change and/or execute what ever it is you want to do do with your life.
Making your goals visible is crucial to success; You have to see it to believe it. Some of the ways to make your goals visible is keeping a personal journal. You do this by writing down your progress, and plans of action. Creating a vision board is another visible way to keep goals in mind as well as placing stick notes around your house reminding  yourself that you have set goals and you will achieving term.





 Step 2. Break your goals down into to categories, Short Term and Long Term.
 
Your short term goals are your stepping stones in achieving your long term goals. By breaking your long term goals down into smaller steps they become more achievable.

 

Step 3. Be realistic
 
Set goals you know you are able to achieve. There is nothing in this world we are not able to achieve especially if we put our mind to it. Some things are a bit far fetch and you don't want to set yourself up for failure, we always want to strive for success.
 
 


   “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can’t achieve it.” ― Jordan Belfort
 
 
 

 

Monday, January 7, 2013

Sacrifice = Success


Work hard you'll eventually make it, is a statement I try to remind myself of each day. Success not only comes with personal sacrifice but a lot of hard work and sleepless nights. The problem people run into is that they try to rush success but it isn't an overnight process.

I still am learning the true meaning of success every day. There were times when I became so anxious and stressed I couldn't sleep at night. I came from having absolutely nothing and struggled my teens and most of my 20's. I am not at a point in my life, where I am realizing what it takes and how much work and tenacity it actually takes if I want to make it. 
 
I am a girly girl. I love fashion, make up, travel, fine dining etc... I can’t afford these things right now, why because I don't have the money too. I spent too many years of my life trying to fit in, spending unnecessary buying cloths, parting living recklessly without a dime in the bank. I working dead end jobs, barely making ends meet but still manage to buy a new outfit or drinks in the club. So now at this point in my life I am preparing myself to life a better more fulfilling life. What steps am I taking most of you might ask. Well here it is.

 Since this is the beginning of the year, I have set up a list goals that I will accomplish.. Save more, spend less, clear past debt while building my company is my focus. My personal sacrifice is working more days, less partying, less shopping, and cutting back on miscellaneous things I can do without. This will be difficult for me because I love buying new things, going out, and spending unnecessary money. I'm learning that If i want to reach any level of success it takes personal sacrifice and hard work. I'm realizing that It takes money to make money. It takes saved money to have money.

I once live a life of paycheck to paycheck and that is serious a sick, stressful way to live. I'm sick of not being able to afford the things I really want. Or missing opportunity's to travel and have fun in my 20’s because I can’t afford it. The way I was headed, I was going to continue to be a victim of the rat race.  Where I come from financial literacy isn't taught at home, so I had to learn the hard way through real world experiences.

I am currently working 3 bartending jobs, My company at this point isn't generating any income which I will discuss in another post, I am a full time mother and student. You all will see my progress and I hope this will to encourage you to take the next step in bettering your life's.  If I can make this  change to better myself you all can too.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

New Year....New Me.


 
I decided to write my first blog post today. I am nervous yet excited to start this new journey in my life. I am also happy you all will be apart of my journey. You all will see me figuring things out as i navagate through the ups and downs of being a young entrepreneur, a business women and getting myself in physical tip-top shape. This blog will mostly be about women empowerment, motivation and my personal journey with becoming a very successful women.

This is a huge step for me, I am putting myself out for all the world to see. It motivates me to know I have others watching me and I encourges me to know that I will be motivating others in return. You will see and hear about the good the bad and the ugly. Most young women see and look up to other girls that have the glitzs and glammer but have no clue what it took for them to get to that point. We all want nice things, and having nice things that is yours comes with hard work. This blog will speak the truth. You will be inspired and motavated by myself and by others. All I ask is that everyone stays positive andkeep the negative comments to yourself. This is strickly a positive uplifting and I want to keep it that way.

I welcome eveyone to follow back and take this journey will me.

Until next time. xoxo --Ciera

P.S I am brand new to blogging, its going to take awhile for me to learn how to work this.