Just Ship It

January 20, 2014Nina KovnerGROW, MY TRUTH

You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do. -Henry Ford

Here is the audio version of this post. Thanks so much for listening.

How many great biz ideas do you have right now that you have not taken action on? How many times have you talked about doing something awesome and never followed through?

Many of us can relate to the questions above, and its what I call a shipping problem.

You see, we can have all the most awesome ideas in the world, but unless we “ship” them, launch them, initiate them; they are just awesome ideas that will never have any impact on our business or the world.

If you find yourself unable to ship, there may be a few things happening that you need to explore.

Are you afraid?
Do you not have the resources or knowledge?
Do you have too much on your to-do list?
Are you a perfectionist?

All of these things are real and worth exploring, but not always an excuse to not ship your idea.  Now I’m not talking about a $100K remodel, I am talking about ideas, programs, products or services that can bring value to your world and help grow your biz.

Typically, what I have found working with my clients and community, is it is all four that stop so many from creating awesome. So lets break it down.

Fear
Most of us fear failure to some degree. But if we are going to ever create awesome, we have to use that fear as creative fuel, bust through, and do it anyway. It’s takes a TON of courage to create stuff. And even more courage to launch and ship it.

Resources + Knowledge
In today’s world, there are a gazillion resources at our fingertips as well as information to help us ship our idea. We just have to want it bad enough to find those resources and knowledge.

The To-Do List
In order to do important things; we have to let go of our obsession with the to-do list. If we get really honest with ourselves, most of the stuff on that list can be deleted, moved or delegated.

Perfectionism
Is deadly. The idea that something is ever going to be perfect enough is one of the most dangerous thoughts we have. Why? It can prevent us from doing just about anything. And guess what? It’s never going to be perfect. Ever. Its not meant to be perfect and neither are we.

I wrote my new book, Follow Your Heart, on January 1, 2013. I sat on it for almost 9 months. Why? Fear, my perceived lack of resources, knowledge and my to-do list.  I have long lost the need for anything to be perfect, however, this did creep into my head when I recorded the audio version of the book. For real’s. Upon listening to the book, I began to judge its contents, to the degree that I had to stop listening or I probably would not have shipped.

As I prepare to finally release my book into the universe on January 26th, I see how I was 100% responsible for not shipping. Regret? Never. But what an incredible lesson it was for me, to always remember to look in the mirror, and realize my ability to create awesome and ship awesome is my choice.

(shared with LOVE from Nina)

Seth Godin

Decisions

January 4, 2013Nina KovnerGROW

What do you make? Decisions.

Seth Godin

 

Seth Godin

As many of you know, I heart Seth Godin. It’s one of those professional crushes so to speak. Yes, I have many of those.

His mind, his brain, his ability to turn what may seem complex into the most simple to understand thoughts. Today is a great example of that as Seth talks about the importance of making decisions.

Seth’s Message On Making Decisions
On today’s Blog, Seth says, “You don’t run a punch press or haul iron ore. Your job is to make decisions. The thing is, the farmer who grows corn has no illusions about what his job is. He doesn’t avoid planting corn or dissemble or procrastinate about harvesting corn. And he certainly doesn’t try to get his neighbor to grow his corn for him. Make more decisions. That’s the only way to get better at it.”

Faith Without Works Is Dead
While I am a deeply spiritual person, I do not subscribe to any formal religion. But this statement, which does come from the Bible, is one of my favorites and also one of my mantras.

When I speak about passion, dreams, faith, hopes, believing in yourself, and vision boards, I also mention taking action and executing on those passions, dreams and hopes. Why? Without taking action and making decisions to execute on your ideas, they are just that, ideas, thoughts and dreams that will never materialize into anything. Thus, faith without works is dead. Think about it.

My Secret Recipe
As I wrote in a blog a while back, titled I Think I Can, I spoke about how to turn your dreams into reality. My recipe is take two cups of passion, add a cup of skills mixed with a gallon of execution, and you are well on your way to doing big things. It really is that simple. So many times we miss the last ingredient, and find ourselves no closer to our dreams, simply because we missed that last and most important step.

So my challenge to you, today and always, is to start making decisions. Take action on your ideas. Your dreams. Your hopes. Yes, make that vision board, they are awesome, but also take the time to figure out how you are going to take action on those visions. You can do it, I know you can. I have faith in you. Now get to work!

Click here to subscribe to Seth’s Blog. It’s an easy read, and one that is sure to get you thinking, growing and possibly making more decisions.

(shared with LOVE from your passionista Nina)

I can't believe i did that

The First Step

October 9, 2012Nina KovnerENGAGE, GROW

“One step is the beginning of the journey.”

Mike Smith

I can't believe i did that

It all begins with a decision.
So what are you waiting for?  So many times we get so wrapped up in the day-to-day that we put off the things that are most important to us.  Sometimes we get so overwhelmed, we get so stuck, we do not know where to begin.  Sound familiar?  Like anything worthwhile, like any journey, it begins with taking the first step.  It’s amazing what can happen once we make the decision to take that first step.

Whether its improvements we want to make in our lives, our relationships, our salon, our career, our health, our business plans, or our skills, it all begins with the first step.

Think back to the day you chose to go to beauty school, or college, or open that salon, or attend that advanced academy.  You made a decision, and you took action.

Lights, camera…Action!
Ideas, dreams, goals and plans are only words on a piece of paper, until we choose to take action, to execute on them, to take the first step.  Which goals, dreams and plans do you have sitting in a notebook or laptop somewhere you have not taken action on?  What are you waiting for?  Today is the day to take that first step.

If you are serious about igniting your passion and turning your dreams into reality, we offer one-on-one coaching and mentoring to help you craft the ultimate plan to begin your journey.  If you are ready to take that first step, click here.  We look forward to dreaming with you.

(shared with LOVE from your passionistas, Nina + Gordon)