Managing Your To Do List

Transparency

Lately I've given a lot of thought about how we seldom see the "real inside story" when it comes to online artists, marketers, teachers, and coaches, etc. They look so perfect and obviously they must have it all together, right? Wrong. 

We as online entrepreneurs only show you, for the most part what we want you to see: an in control, experienced and in the know successful shining example of how to do it and do it perfectly. Don't get me wrong - these things could be absolutely true. I like to think that I've got this life figured out and am on the right road. But we are also human and have struggles too.

Never think that you cannot "attain" success like others that you see online. You can. Every one of us had to plot and plan, be consistent, learn, apply and go through struggles to make it to where we are now. And NO ONE has arrived. We must always be striving to be better. 

I'm one who likes to share for the benefit of others and have decided to add more transparency to what and who I am. Why? Because I love my Blueprint members and want to see them succeed and if by putting my real self out there helps, then great. By posting this on my LMDH site, it's available for everyone who visits, so feel free to comment and/or investigate what it means to be a member of FFB.

Creative Souls - a Different Breed

Do you wake up every morning thinking about all the things you have to do? Often late at night something will pop into my head about something I’ve not done yet or should do and I’ll text it to myself so I remember it the next morning. My list is never ending. Just when I think I'm making headway, I think of 111 other things to add.

We Do it to Ourselves

It happens. You get an idea and then that idea blossoms into a huge deal. I do it to myself. Gina Shumate and I were just talking about this yesterday. We need to remember that we write our own lists. No one makes us. We do it out of obligation or duty, or out of passion for someone or something.

It's not necessarily a bad thing. But it can be.

I’ve been working on being intentional about what I plan and do. I know you have been working on it too. Being intentional takes work. I don’t think it comes naturally to anyone. There are so many distractions in this world (don’t get me started on the black hole, social media) that it takes quite an effort to block it all out and focus on the things that are important - the things that move the needle toward the life we want.

During 2020 when things took a turn, I decided to take that time to “pivot” both in personal and business life. I wasn’t going to sit around waiting for things to get better - it was the time to MAKE things better, to do the things I’d put off that I knew would be of benefit in the long run.

But because of that “pivot” I added so many time sucking things to my to do list - time intensive things. But once those things are done, they will make life easier and give me more time to do the things I want to focus on, like spend more time with family, be more available and helpful to my Blueprint members and continue my quest for learning.

The PIVOT

My "pivot" was huge and still is, but one by one I'm checking things off the to do list. But then I always add more. It never ends. So many ideas. So many goals. So much I want to do and accomplish for those in my life. I bet it's the same for you.

Being intentional in what we say and do is what will get us "there." To our goals, our desired achievements, relationships, our seeking enjoyment in life, confidence in ourselves and our skills, even personal validation.

Yet, our "list" can be the reason we are miserable or feeling unfulfilled. We need to do a good job of balancing our personal and business life, and only we can determine what that looks like. Our business ventures can take over our personal life if we are the type to think big. I did pivot in several areas in 2020 and that has spilled over into 2021. I plan/planned to:

• Set up ManyChat to serve the needs of my FB friends. (Almost done!)
• Change my business email provider to Active Campaign so I can stay connected better to my subscribers (The one I used to use is called Infusionsoft, but usually referred to as "Confusionsoft." (Almost done!) NOTE: Expect me mess up a lot doing this because there is SO much tech involved in setting up a new email system with a new company. They all do things differently and you have to learn how to use their program through doing.
• Put together more effective and more evergreen-ish ESCAPE ROOMS to meet the needs of of fellow flippers and bring more into the Blueprint where they can excel faster. (Working on it - the last one was a great success.)
• Open a Shopify store to give my members easy access to products that will help them be successful. (Soon to be working on it.) What do you think about the name, "The Furniture Flipping Market"? It would match my other ventures, Furniture Flipping Forum and Furniture Flipping Blueprint.
• Eventually, if things work out, bring DH full-time into our furniture flipping business. (On my wishlist and working on it.)
• Spend more time in the courses and memberships of other experienced entrepreneurs so I can become better at what I do. Always learning...