July Favorites: Marketing & Business Tools

You may have heard the phrase, "diamonds are a lump of coal that performed well under pressure."

It's important to remember the days that challenge our character most are a part of our path to success. I don't know anyone who's achieved greatness without sacrifice and setbacks, do you?

Confession time....

I've been having one of those weeks. I've been disappointed in myself and stressed that I'm not doing enough to grow my business quickly. I've been impatient and frustrated because there aren't enough hours in a day to get it all done! 

Have you ever felt this way?

If you're doubting yourself, your worth or feeling guilty because your not giving enough love to an area of your business, you're not alone!

Let's make a commitment to each other to stop the following...

Stop comparing ourselves to others.
Stop beating ourselves up.
Stop stressing about what we can't control.
Stop fixating on our weaknesses.
Stop giving a crap about what other people think, who aren't our clients and loved ones.

Let's recommit to our big vision and fall back in love with the process, the grinding and hard work required to get there. Everything else we can just table for now. 

Are you with me?

Now that we've let all that energy-sucking B.S. go...I want to share a few of my current obsessions with you! My hope is they will help you on your journey to success as well.

1. How I’m staying organized:
   Asana Desktop Version
   I am not a person who LOVES structure. I am a free spirit by nature, but absolutely need a system to keep me organized and on track. Asana has really helped me balance a growing client list and prevent tasks from falling through the cracks. It's a great project management tool for solopreneurs or teams.

2. How I’m staying sane:
   Chopra Center Guided Meditations
   I'm about to get all woo woo on you right now. I know meditation is not everyone's thing, but I tell you... it really does help me stay sane. If I'm having one of those days where I feel like the sky is falling, I pause, go through one of these guided meditations and it's amazing how much more focused and balanced I feel after. Just give it a try!

3. How I'm staying motivated:
   Spotify, Have a Great Day! Playlist
   I'm a big fan of music...always have been. It's amazing how powerful lyrics, combined with a good beat can lift my spirit. I start everyday off listening to a few positive songs as I check my email and sip my coffee. I try to keep things upbeat and light, which is why I'm diggin' this Spotify playlist. If you enjoy classic feel-good tunes, give it a listen.

4. What I’m reading: 
   #AskGaryVee, by Gary Vaynerchuk
   If you can get past the cursing and brash East Coast vibe, he's pretty brilliant. I tend to be romantic about business and appreciate how straightforward he is. In this book Gary shares advice on startups, balancing work and family, social media and leadership (all loaded topics). I'm about halfway through and loving it!

5. What I’m learning: 
   Final Cut Pro (link to free trial): 
   It's become very clear to me vlogging is where it's at and where I want to invest my time. I could start with buying fancy camera equipment, but after researching a variety of successful YouTubers across different industries, one commonality I've noticed is they all enhance the video experience with editing software.
   
   Nothing fancy, just adding some graphics, sound effects, split screens, titles...stuff like that. After checking out the different options available I decided to learn Final Cut Pro due to it's robust features, ease of use and quick editing capabilities. I didn't want to spend hours and hours learning a new software (cough...Adobe Premiere).
   
   If you want to check me out on YouTube, click here.
   
   So there you have it! My loves, my favs, a few things I'm incorporating into my everyday routine to stay on top of my game. I'd love for you to comment with your favorite business/marketing/productivity resources???? 
   
   P.S. If you have friends, family or colleagues who are working hard to bring their dreams to life, forward this article. Sharing is caring.
   
   Xo