Month: February 2021

I was always taught that with “the right attitude you can achieve anything you set your mind to” and this got me thinking. What is the “right attitude”? Where does it come from? How do you know when you have it? I think you can break it down into four elements and that it really PAYS to cultivate these elements into your everyday life, at home and at work.

The four elements I identified are: Positivity, Acknowledge Achievements, You First and Start Today.

I talk about these in more detail in my Focus Guru Power Hour packages. Please contact me if you would like to hear more about my 121 support and strategies for success.

Let’s look at the four elements individually and see if there are areas you could change in your life that would make a big difference to your level of happiness and success.

Breaking down PAYS

P = Positivity

Positivity to me is being able to see any situation from multiple points of view and choosing the best outcome to think about. There are plenty of people who are never happier than when they’ve missed the bus, or who love to recount tales of when things went wrong. That’s not to say I don’t reflect on problems, but I always look for the good side and what opportunities are available. As Brad Burton, Founder of 4Networking and Now What Club, would say, “what does this make possible?”.

A = Acknowledge Achievements

With the right attitude it becomes easy to acknowledge your achievements. For many of us it might seem like you’re blowing your own trumpet, but I like to think of it as being your own cheerleader. Everyone’s level of achievements is different, and that’s ok. You might consider winning an award, filing your tax on time, or gaining a new client, as achievements. Equally, if you’re going through a bad patch, simply getting out of bed to go networking on Zoom might be your goal. I recommend writing your achievements on sticky notes and placing them in your office to remind you how good you are.

Y = You First

In the acronym, “Y” is for “You First”. You are only human and if you can’t look after yourself you won’t be able to help others as much as you would like. This might be hard for you to change if you are the primary carer or breadwinner, but I cannot recommend enough how important it is to take a few minutes out of your day just for yourself. You’ll come back to your tasks refreshed and re-energised. It will help you stay positive and be able to do more on your achievement list.

S = Start Today

It’s never too late to start making the changes to lead you towards a happy and successful place. From clocking signs of overwork and overwhelm, to making the call to make changes, there’s always time to take the necessary steps forward in your journey.

I believe it PAYS to have the right attitude. I’ve made changes in my life to use this formula on a daily basis and it works! Sharing these tips is a starting point.

“Rachael is incredibly professional, supportive and approachable.” – Sharnelle Simcock, Pumpkin PA

If you’d like to find out more about how you can be positive even when things go wrong, how to recognise and acknowledge your achievements, how to identify what’s important and put yourself first, then please book your Focus Guru Power Hour and let’s get started today.

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way

There are an estimated 7.8 billion people living in the world today. It’s no wonder it feels so hard to stand out in the crowd. If you weren’t who you are, who would you rather be? I’d like to share with you why I believe it’s important to be yourself and why everyone matters, no matter how old, young, tall or small.

You might think being yourself should be the easiest thing in the world. Yet so many of us hide behind a veil or mask. We sometimes present a shadow of our true selves or portray ourselves as something we’re not. The impressions we make on others can be dictated by childhood events, relationships we’ve been in or life changes we’ve gone through.

We may be afraid of showing our true nature in case we are ridiculed, or walked over, or distanced from friends, family, colleagues or business associates. We might want to fit into a circle of friends or be visible in social media groups. To conform, we change. It could be a change in vocabulary, dialect or accent. It could be a change of clothes, car or holiday destination.

Some changes are so subtle you might not realise how far from your true self your alter ego has travelled. Just stop for a moment. Have you done anything recently that felt out of the ordinary, something you wouldn’t usually say or do? This could be a sign you’re not being true to yourself.

When you’re being yourself and when you feel comfortable being yourself, that’s when you can flourish and grow. However, if you continually supress your real thoughts and real emotions it can be draining and stressful, especially if you don’t think your opinion matters or you’re not being heard.

Being yourself means people get to see the real you. They’re not seeing a fake version of you.

Being yourself means you don’t have to act up or act down. Your true friends and clients will stick with you for who you are, not who you’re not.

Being yourself means you can set your own goals and celebrate your own achievements. You don’t have to compete with anyone else to succeed.

Eventually, if you have been wearing a veil or mask, cracks will show. It’s not possible to maintain your cover indefinitely. You will get found out. It could be an innocuous comment or a trail on social media and someone will notice you don’t own three homes and a Ferrari, even though you were adamant you did.

It’s much easier to be up front, genuine and real to begin with. Being yourself, mentally, socially, spiritually, emotionally and physically adds up to the person you truly are. If you want to make changes that’s ok, but keep being yourself.

Through Focus Guru I help small business owners find their inner image and help them to be themselves at work and on social media. I help individuals and teams draw out key skills buried under layers of veils and masks. If you would like to find out more, book a free 15-minute chat, but remember to be yourself.

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way with no Squirrels

Does your business rely on making phone calls to sign up new customers? It’s possibly one of the easiest ways to chat with potential clients, yet many people would rather run a mile than pick up the phone.

This is where chatting through the problems with telephone calls can make a big difference.

In my Focus Guru Power Hour I explore the reasons why making phone calls as a marketing tool is often perceived as futile, forgotten, or even frightening, for some business owners and their employees.

Are Phone Calls Futile?

A client recently said to me they don’t use the telephone to follow up enquiries because it’s a waste of time, that no one answers the phone anymore, they don’t know what to say if they have to leave an answerphone message, no one rings them back, etc. We chatted about their phone call strategy and how to include phone calls in their daily routine.

I recommend allocating a portion of your day to picking up the phone, especially if you’ve recently been to a networking meeting when your company, products and services will be fresh in someone’s mind. Just as you’d rehearse your 40 second introduction, I recommend having a short sentence or two ready in case you have to leave a message. You’ll be surprised at how many calls are returned and how successful phone calls can be.

Are Phone Calls Forgotten?

With social media readily available, the idea of actually making a phone call might be a long way down your list of methods to make contact with customers. Unlike messages, texts and emails, a phone call is one of the quickest ways to reach someone and a great way to get an instant answer.

I recommend aiming to make 5 to 10 phone calls each day. Some calls might be 40 seconds leaving a voicemail. Other calls might take 10 minutes or longer. If you can prepare a list of questions in advance to ask your potential customer then you’ll be able to guide the phone call and draw it to a conclusion, perhaps with a sale or a referral.

Are Phone Calls Frightening?

It’s not unheard of for someone to be scared of using the phone to speak with potential customers. Fear of rejection and fear of failure are common reasons why people are reluctant to pick up the phone. If you’ve just started a new job and are worried about speaking with long-standing clients, or if you don’t know answers to product or service questions, you might prefer to send an email or social media message, and that’s ok.

But, if you can conquer your fears, then there’s a whole world of potential customers out there. I recommend standing up to make important phone calls, to take a sip of water before you dial, to speak slowly and clearly and remember to breathe. Another tip is to reward yourself for small wins. Remember, making 1 phone call is a big achievement.

To find out more about using phone calls in your marketing strategy, please contact me for a free 15-minute no obligation phone call to chat about you, your company and what you would like to achieve. It’s easy to use phone calls as an effective sales tool. Let’s get started!

Rachael Chiverton, Focus Guru – Giving You Your Time, Your Way with no Squirrels