Tag: Dream

Blog · Entrepreneur · The Imbedded Mogul

Are you serious?

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

mogul1

/ˈməʊɡʌl; məʊˈɡʌl/

noun

  1.  an important or powerful person
  2. a type of steam locomotive with a wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six driving wheels, and no trailing wheels

Last Spring, I participated in the Start Smart program at BizWorks Center.  Then, I worked through the program as a brand new entrepreneur and I blogged as the “Imbedded Mogul”.  Yesterday I was asked to be a presenter at the graduation ceremony of the 2nd Start Smart class, to which I responded, “Me?  Are you serious?”   And, now – here I am.

Since I gave my pitch deck speech in June, I have already meet the goals I set for myself and now have clients based in four different states [which has be a great progression in my startup].  However, I continue to learn about customer service, creating better content, improving my business practices, time management and expanding my client base… still very much a start up.

So, what do I say to other moguls in a similar stage that I am in and encourage them to keep going, start learning and stay smart about their businesses?  Well… with a background in teaching, I couldn’t help but use something somewhat elementary, an acrostic.  It was pretty funny when I expressed that I would be speaking “using an acrostic for the word ‘entrepreneurship’.”  There were definitely a few that squirmed in theirs seats thinking it was going to be a LONG night.  HA!

After presenting my acrostic for the word “MOGUL”, I thought I would share what I wrote with you.  I don’t think I particularly wrote anything that has never been thought or written before, but maybe a thought will inspire you where you are.  Or, share it with an entrepreneur that could use some encouragement.

As always, thanks for following The Social Market!!

Darla

As I add a post to each letter of my acrostic, click the letters below to find what I wrote:

M  –  O  –  G  –  U  –  L

TWEETABLES:

What’s the best acrostic for the word #entrepreneurship? #areuserious @SocialMarketLLC http://wp.me/p4q5Dh-WG

5 tips for a successful startup. #entrepreneurship #areuserious @SocialMarketLLC http://wp.me/p4q5Dh-WG

©2016 Darla D Hancock, The Social Market, LLC

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Blog · Life Learner · Productivity · Self-Management · Time Management

Brains are for Thinking

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

“BRAINS ARE FOR THINKING – NOT STORING.”

Albert Einstein

This thought, quote or inspirational set of words may be life-changing to me.  It is logical, inspirational and allows creativity to be justifiable… a do-able action without regret.  I guess I have always considered being able to learn and retain was a sign of intelligence.  However, it is a place of confidence to see Einstein’s words together.

Growing up [and living a successful adult life] with a learning disability – retaining and retrieving information has always been an anxiety-filled action.  At the same time, thinking, learning and imagining are a lively part of my brain.  So, allowing myself the right to thrive in organized spaces and through information-based systems I form to be productive, has been a life-long fight, a welcome safety and an aspirational goal to perfect… or at least become more knowledgeable about.

As I continue this journey of seeking a productive personal and professional life, I [both delight and] struggle with the freedom and escape that processes give me.  They give me an escape from having to store other’s processes and required memorization of endless information.

I’ve determined that the process of planning serves three outlets for me:

  1. A visual organization of knowledge I can’t see or organize in my mind.
  2. A love for actually creating a logistical process and planning systems (although I don’t particularly like following them).
  3. A practical [and seemingly-reasonable way] to avoid things I really don’t want to do.

Are you a planner?  Do you enjoy the process of creating systems for productivity?  Do you appreciate the freedom that thinking and processing gives?  Do make the decision to value your time in this way?

I do – yet, I haven’t yet decided if this activity [or skill)] is an ability or liability to a successful person. What is your opinion… and why?  I’d love for you to share with me!

Darla

@SocialMarketLLC

 

Blog · Entrepreneur · Life Learner · Productivity · Self-Management

Balance

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

Today, I had the pleasure to attend a seminar of Jim Roman.  In the spirit of entrepreneurship, he spoke about accomplishing goals, making progress and the  mindset to make dreams doable.

I always have been interested in visual organizing, creative productivity, self-defined balance and inspired accomplishments.  However, when you add “small business owner” in to the mix, the potential for progress and the significance of realistic point-of-view grow into something bigger than yourself.

If I were to share the ideas that were most important to me from this presentation, I would say this would be my countdown:

5.  If a goal isn’t personal [and if it doesn’t mean anything to you], you wont reach the goal.

4.  Take control of your life [and your time] – don’t allow life [and time] to take control of you.

3. What is my idea of successful and what do I need to do to reach it?

2.  Be strategic and understand what drives you!

1.  Processes don’t determine progress.

Thank you, Jim Roman of Business Owners Institute and for sharing your insight on being balanced in business.

Darla

@SocialMarketLLC

 

x, the potential for progress, much less survivial

Blog · Self-Management

Have Passion?

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

Success is a reflection of passion. Once and a while, it is nice to be inspired.  Here are a few quotes that may inspire you to follow your dreams, engage your passion and accomplish them today:

“One of the huge mistakes people make is that they try to force an interest on themselves. You don’t choose your passions; your passions choose you.”

Jeff Bezos

“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.”

Albert Einstein

“Every time you state what you want or believe, you’re the first to hear it. It’s a message to both you and others about what you think is possible. Don’t put a ceiling on yourself.”

Oprah Winfrey

“Success is walking from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.”

Winston Churchill

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”

Napoleon Hill

Thank you, Forbes and Tanya Prive for putting this list together!

When I grow up, I want to be a ____ .
Blog · Life Learner · Self-Management · Uncategorized

When I grow up, I want to be a ____ .

Darla D. Hancock, Author4 Comments

Lately, I’ve thinking a lot about how successful people arrive at their success.

Some people seem to have a plan for their lives from a very early age:  where they are going to college, what they will study, what career path they will follow, when they will get married, when they will retire…  Yet, at the same time, others let life’s experiences create their plans for them: allowing one experience lead to the next and the next and the next – allowing them to end up doing something they never dreams or anticipated!

I really think that the dreams we have as children tend to shine light into who we really are and what we are capable of doing and contributing to this world:  it’s our privilege to return there one day!  Saying that, I love that I found this little gem posted today on my Facebook wall.  Maybe you needed a little encouragement today or needed to be reminded why you have worked so hard from where you’ve come from. Anyway, I wanted to share it with you:

“At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA.

At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job.

At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school.

At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne (from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook.

At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter.

At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker.

At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs.

Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51.

Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40.

Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40.

Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42.

Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first MAJOR movie role at age 52.

Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57.

Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76.

Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78.

Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. It’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow.

Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.
Never tell yourself you missed your chance.
Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.
You can do it. Whatever it is.”

This quote was posted by Van Teodosio and originally posted by Drew Forrester.  (I hope I’ve tagged the right D. Forrester.)

 

Image courtesy of Caio Resende via StockSnap.io

Take a Learning Leap
Blog · Entrepreneur · Life Learner · Self-Management · Uncategorized

Take a Learning Leap

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

This morning I came across this quote…

“I am defeated, and know it, if I meet any human being from whom I find myself unable to learn anything.”

…although I didn’t remember this exact quote, this is something I tell my kids ALL the time.  It goes right alongside the “b-word”… BORED!  (Bored is a “bad word” in my house.)  If one of my children say, “I’m bored,” I ask them, “Well, who’s responsible for that?”

In almost any situation in life, whether personally or professionally, we are our own teachers and deciders of what we determine to be important and what we decide is important to learn from.

There is a story about a woman who once advised a new employee and she said, “Fifty percent of the people in this organization will teach you what to do and the other fifty percent what not to do.  It’s your challenge to figure out which percent goes with which person.”

On this Leap Day, what is something that you can learn?  Learn to do or learn not to do -that is the question!

Darla

Quote via God’s Little Devotional Book, Honor Books, © 1996

Image courtesy of Andrew Werdan

Dream Big | Labor Bigger
Life Learner · Self-Management

Dream Big | Labor Bigger

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

Happy Labor Day!!

In a Forbes article, Deena Varshavskaya shares 4 Practical Ways To Find Your Life’s Passion And A Career You Love and I thought today would be the perfect day to share two indicators of what your dreams may be telling you about having happy labor days!!

Follow Your Curiosity

“It’s important to follow your curiosity and uncover your less obvious interests. The reason it’s important is that those interests tap into your unique motivations that separate you from others. Pursuing them sets you on the path of unlocking who you are and your creativity.  A good way to tune into these interests is to ask yourself what you would do if you had a billion dollars. Realize what you are excited about and take the plunge, that will became an important stepping stone in your path.”

Don’t Set An Artificial Ceiling For Yourself

“Your professional ceiling is set by you.  I’ve seen many examples of how people define their own ceilings and avoid responsibility and growth. If you do so by choice… On the other hand, if you want more growth, then don’t hide behind the belief that someone else needs to empower you to do what you want to do.”

Dream big… labor bigger!

If you have a couple of minutes today, you are really going to want to sit down and read Deena’s full Forbes Women Files article.  (I especially like how she describes hiring someone and not giving them a title.  It wasn’t long after they were employees, Deena noticed that the employee had a self-given title as a “Junior Designer”… that tells you much about her ambitions and self-perception of capabilities.)

_______________

Quotes by Deena Varshavskaya.  She is the founder and CEO of Wanelo, a “digital mall” used by millions of people to discover and lives in San Francisco.  She can be followed on Wanelo, Twitter and Instagram at @siberianfruit.

Image courtesy of Jedidja. Thanks, Jedidja!

Self-Management

Focus Pocus

Darla D. Hancock, AuthorLeave a comment

Whether at work or play, do you give yourself “emotional permission” to accomplish the things you really want to accomplish?  Do you give yourself permission to do the things you want to do?  (Those may be two different things.) Sometimes we spend so much time promoting and enabling our friends or clients, we neglect finding worth in the amount of things we accomplish.

So, how do we multiply our time to be productive in all areas of our life?

Focus.

We tend to focus one of two ways:

  1. We focus great when we are working, but on personal goals, tasks and interests, we tend to ignore or down-play the commitment needed to accomplish those things on a day-by-day basis; or,
  2. We spend time doing the things we love enjoy naturally accomplishing, only to leave tasks that take work, or work itself, until tomorrow.

How do we control our focus and bring balance to work and play?  It isn’t magic, it is simple:  we spend time on the things today that will result in more time tomorrow.*

“There is no such thing as time management, only self-management.”

Rory Vaden

…

This morning, I came across an email from Social Marketing Examiner.  This is a great tool!  If you aren’t already getting emails, you can get Social Media Content from them too!  In this particular newsletter, there was an article from Rory Vaden and I had to share the insights from his new book, Procrastinate On Purpose.  He says:

“In the world we live in today, time management isn’t just logical, it’s emotional.  Our feelings of guilt, fear, worry and anxiety, as well as our desire for success and our need to feel valued dictate how we spend our time.

The three factors work like this:

  • Importance is how much this matters.
  • Urgency is how soon this matters.
  • Significance is how long this is going to matter.

Multipliers don’t ask themselves, “What’s the most important thing I can do today?” If they do that, they start falling victim to urgency. Instead, they ask, “What can I do today that will create more results or opportunity tomorrow?”

While there is nothing you can do to create more time in one day, there are certain things you can do today to increase time tomorrow.

Without the significance calculation, Rory explains, we inappropriately overweight the urgency calculation. Therefore, we end up always doing things that are urgent. Multipliers have realized that success is no longer related to the volume of tasks we achieve, but rather their significance.”

[ Three types of procrastination ]

* Paraphrased quote from Rory Vaden.