RUN (3)

Are You Being Bullied By Your Fears?

10744086676?profile=originalMy eldest child plays soccer.  She's pretty good at it too.  And this year, her team moved up to Division 1 so things are exceptionally competitive.

When she was younger, the "Princess" was always ultra polite - one of those kids who all the teachers fawn over because she said, "please" and "thank you".  I suppose that's not a commonality much anymore.  But that streak of politeness doesn't work very well when you play competitive sports.  You have to be pretty tough and thick-skinned.

Now that she's older, the Princess still has a very quiet strength about her.  She is at the stage now where her feelings are fragile (she's a tweener), but she gets assertive on the field because her goal is clear as a Forward - be in front position to get the ball to and into the net.

This week, while she was targeting the goal, a kid on the other team recognized her skill and honed in on her.  The competitor started hounding her pretty hard verbally and physically...to the point that she was elbowing the Princess constantly.  At one point, she elbowed her so hard in the ribs she went down, tears in her eyes and a defeated look on her generally smiling face.  Things didn't look good.

I waited until half time and went over to check on her.  When I got there, I looked her in the eye and asked her how she was.  Although she responded quietly, "fine", I could tell her eyes were saying, "she's getting to me".  I told her I knew she was stronger than that but for the rest of the game, that girl took the fight out of my Princess.

You know I gave her 'the talk' on the drive home, right?  But in my heart I knew none of that would matter until SHE knew she was strong enough to overcome the pain and that much of it was in her own mind.

As I prayed about it later on, I had a revelation.  It was this -- how often do we allow our dreams to be sidetracked and wiped out because of FEAR?  It can creep up on you, whisper things in your ear that tell you "you're not good enough" or " you can't do this" and when you listen and let it knock you down, you lose sight of the goal -- the main reason why you're even playing the game.  Your business and your personal life suffer when you let Fear get the best of you.

Like I told the Princess, we have to never let our fear see us sweat - it may be there, but you look it in the eye and you show it just how good you are. Never lose sight of the goal. Because just like the game that night? We were destined to win and it happened anyway - in spite of what fear tried to do.  It can kick your butt and you may even need a little Tylenol afterwards, but don't let fear put you out of the game.

Get your theme song going in your head.  Mine is by Mary Mary and it's called Get Up.

Some of the words go like this,

"What are you afraid of? Don't you know what you're made of? One of God's greatest creations. Take this invitation now.
Get up, 'cause you can't stop. Get up, got a lot to do. 24 hours, almost gone.
Get up, don't sit back. Get up, if you wanna get there. Clocks don't stop and time won't wait."

Just remember, you have the power to choose - keep your head in the game, or let fear bully you into giving up. What's it going to be?

 

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About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist and coach specializing in showing independent service providers how to simplify, save time & stand out with simple strategies that engage more quality leads and clients. Her company Be Promotable provides fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote business owners as power players in their market. Get free tools to simplify and stand out online at: www.tanyasmithonline.com

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bigstock-Podcast-D-Text-Design-25280777.jpg?width=305By now, you may have heard Cinch.fm is leaving us. Sad day, I know. Cinch.fm was one of the online resources I pointed people to all the time. Quick and easy to use, you could record audio lessons, roving thoughts, news bytes and more. And you could do this all by computer or your phone while you're out and about, sharing it on your social sites at the click of a button.

Alas, the service shut down on August 20, 2012.

So...you need options for accomplishing the same thing? Need a way to capture your audios that can be shared consistently across your online network? Being the "walking Google" that I am, I've got a few for you.

#1 - Spreaker


Spreaker.com is an online app for creating and sharing live audio content across the Internet. They target users who want to be seen as "Radio DJs" and I've seen them expand their features just within the last few months. Spreaker is a simple way to host personal radio shows that can be streamed live and heard through a widget that feeds to all the major social media and mobile platforms.

Great features? No need to install anything. You can broadcast live on Facebook. You can create your own playlist and schedule your show at the time you choose.

They have a free plan, which is great for starting out. If you need more time (since the free version limits you to 30 minute recordings), you'll want to upgrade. Starting at $39/year, plans are pretty affordable.

#2 - Audio Acrobat


I'm a fan of the founders of this platform. They started out years ago with the intention of creating a way for women to have their voices heard loud and clear using online media.

Catch my interview with the founder here

(Note: I used BlogTalkRadio to conduct the interview, which is another way to podcast. I won't highlight them here because so many people already use their service, but it's another one to check out. Just be ready to invest in the monthly service because it offers more flexibility with recordings than their free plan.)

Ok, back to AudioAcrobat.com ---

These guys give you lots and lots and lots of options so it's not just a podcasting service. You can record coaching sessions, audio interviews, audio "postcards", and more. Share your podcast easily with iTunes and other directories. Preschedule posts to go out when you want. You can even use your iPhone to create episodes that you upload right into your account.

I love their customer service and they also have a great affiliate program, one of the first I ever made commission from because people just loved using them once they drooled over all the features.

Basic plan is $19.95 monthly. All plans come with a free 30 day trial.

#3 - Evoca


Evoca.com is another great tool for podcasting. They tend to market to people who want to do audio interviews because of a really great integration that some people don't realize can work very well - Skype. When you record an interview without the right tools over Skype, the sound is not always quality EXCEPT I have had no issues whatsoever when tying Evoca with it.

Using Skype with Evoca gives you crystal clear, no-cost phone connections, even if you're interviewing someone across the globe. Just join your interviewee on your Evoca-provided dedicated phone number.

Idea alert? You could use Evoca's embeddable widget on your website for testimonials. People share their comments using the widget like online recorder on your website and it's much like leaving someone a voice message.

Post interviews with Evoca quickly to your website or blog, Facebook fan page or profile page and Twitter. Plans start at $6.95/month and you can test them out with a free trial.

I'm sure there are other tools out there, but these three are my favorite and if you're looking for a way to replace Cinch.fm's service, check them out and see what suits your fancy.

Shout out to the Cinch.fm folks and all the best in your future endeavors. We're sad to see you go.

WANT TO RE-POST THIS ARTICLE ON YOUR BLOG OR USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE, E-NEWSLETTER OR WEB SITE?

You may, as long as you include this complete blurb with it:

About the Author: Tanya Smith is a creative business strategist and coach specializing in showing independent service providers how to simplify, save time & stand out with simple strategies that engage more quality leads and clients. Her company Be Promotable provides fresh actionable strategies and virtual resources to promote business owners as power players in their market. Get free tools to simplify and stand out online at: www.tanyasmithonline.com.

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If you’re like most people, each year, you lay out your strategic plan for living healthier. Once the year starts, the plan starts to change. Despite the best intentions, you can't always anticipate how life’s challenges, demands, obligations and relationships will change what you’ve outlined for implementing healthier lifestyle habits. So, what’s the solution for staying on track in 2010? You have to lay out a general plan but also have a targeted lifestyle infrastructure in place. That’s what you’ll need to make sure you’re able to adapt as internal and external priorities and initiatives change.For those times when you become overwhelmed and frustrated with thoughts, feelings and activities that revolve around a busy schedule, a stressful job, a contract that ended unexpectedly or didn’t materialize, a ministry that is stalled, the rumors of job layoffs, an unfulfilled relationship, a pending divorce, the memories of an unresolved past, a medical condition, and/or a mountain of bills to contend with–you must have a strategic plan in place that addresses them without impacting your follow-through. If you don’t, the idea of eating healthier and exercising will inevitably and continuously be placed on the back burner. There will never be enough time in the day to exercise or prepare a home cooked meal, get a sufficient amount of sleep, drink the appropriate levels of water, or get that much needed annual physical examination.Now is the time for you to sit down at your kitchen table and focus your attention on how you’re going to maintain consistency with living healthier in 2010. The road to a healthier you begins with the following four tasks: (1) conducting a self-examination of those things that challenged you in 2009, (2) developing a strategic plan for how you’re going to align living healthier with new pursuits and challenges, (3) implementing your strategic plan that outlines specific goals, and (4) routinely conducting a self-evaluation to identify areas for improvement. You must proactively leverage your living healthier initiatives to protect your strategic plan from the threats presented by life’s uncertainties and distractions.One of the most important transactions you’ll make in 2010 will be to develop, and implement your strategic plan, and to evaluate it routinely to ensure you remain focused on achieving your healthy living goals all year long.This health and fitness message is provided for your consideration only. It is not intended to replace the medical advice of your doctor or health care provider. Please consult your health care provider for advice about your specific health and fitness needs.
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