Fresh Start – New Year Resolutions

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Fran Watson

Fresh Start - New Year Resolutions

Fresh Start

When Riley turned 30 he was unhappy to still be in a sales job he never really liked.  He decided it was time to stop procrastinating and find a new job.  Unfortunately he made the mistake of quitting his sales job without having something else in mind at a time when good jobs were a little harder to find and is still unemployed and looking.

For Sue, New Year’s Eve had her looking in the mirror and vowing that this time she would stick to her diet, while Mark was trying to get control over his angry outbursts.  “Next month I’ll do better”, he said to himself.

If you’ve ever vowed to make a change, to start over, you are not alone.

New Year Resolutions

At the beginning of the new year many people join the gym with good intentions to get fit.  This can also happen when something new happens in your life – a new relationship, a move, even a new month.  Researchers have a name for this – The Fresh Start Effect. (see more here) and here

Research shows that at certain calendar points – a new month, major birthday, etc. we are more prone to assess our lives and try putting our failures behind us to start over.  Wanting to be better we look for a fresh start.

This year we are still under the impact of the Corona virus with new versions coming out.  Places are closed down, businesses are suffering from lack of staff, some people are fearing for their lives, while others proclaim conspiracy theories.

When will it end.  Some believe that this is the end of the world as outlines in Revelations – wars, plagues, natural disasters, etc.

My Fresh Start

As I look at my role for this year and look at what steps I need to take, I wonder what 2022 will bring to my life.  My plan is to be more focused, to have regular blog posts and emails, to learn more so that I can share more and develop a passive income.

My first fresh start for this year is to work with Jennifer Burke on an email challenge, to write 30 emails in 30 days.  This starts today and I have already sent out my first email.

How have you seen the Fresh Start effect at work in your life?

What goals (or resolutions) have you come up with for 2022?

Happy New Year

Fran

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Christmas Gifts

Posted on January 3, 2022 by Fran Watson

Christmas Past

As my girlfriend’s son tore open the Christmas card I had given him he shouted out… “Who’s the cheapskate that only gave me $10.?”

I wanted to disappear.  His mother reprimanded him but the damage was done.

My friend had a great job.  She could afford to give her kids TV sets and other large Christmas gifts, but what she appreciated most from me was simple friendship.  The joy of being able to talk about anything and share failures and triumphs.  Someone she could count on to be there when times got tough.

As a single mom with 4 kids I struggled at Christmas and often wrapped up food items so my kids would have something to unwrap – a bag of their favourite cookies or breakfast cereal that they didn’t have to share.  Packages of hot chocolate in their stockings along with an apple and an orange.

That Christmas changed my gift giving to others.  The next year I gave her kids shoeboxes filled with homemade cookies.  They were a big hit (and less than $10 each)

I continued to do homemade Christmas gifts each year – chocolate truffles, cookies, scarves – until they grew up and moved away.

I remember one year my son’s girlfriend watched him unwrap a gift of cereal.  She said (with a tone of horror) “Your mom gives you food for Christmas?”  He turned to her and said: “Yes, isn’t it great!”

One year I gave my son a miniature Starship Enterprise.  He forgot about everything else and played with that for hours.  Another year I made my youngest son a Canada flag bedspread – he was thrilled and took it to college with him.

Christmas Present

I still give my kids food at Christmas – a small hostess gift of their favourites when I visit – a bag of Starbucks coffee, some pepperette sticks, some cheeses, cookies and a bottle of maple syrup from a local business.

Christmas gift giving has changed a great deal over the years.  We have drawn names so we only have to buy one gift.  We have set limits on the dollar value.  We have done a crazy Christmas sock exchange.  We have done family photos.

This year we (my boyfriend and me) bought just for the grandkids – something to unwrap and some money for their education fund.  He and I make charitable donations to causes we support as gifts for each other, and occasionally some consumables like food for the birds.

What I learned

  • Gifts don’t have to be expensive
  • Gifts that come from the heart are better
  • Gifts handmade with love tops cash or a purchased gift
  • Just because you can’t compete at a monetary level doesn’t mean you can’t give a meaningful gift.

When you take the time to notice what people like during the year, you can make Christmas extra special.

What do you do for your Christmas?  Do you have a special tradition?

All the best to you and yours this Christmas season and Happy New Year.

Fran

P.S.  Here is my favourite Truffles recipe.   You can have so much fun using different toppings such as sprinkles, powdered sugar, coconut, crushed nuts (different types) and it makes a lovely gift in a tin or gift box.

https://www.eaglebrand.ca/En/Recipes/Classic-Chocolate-Truffles

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Confidence Makes Anything Possible

Posted on November 16, 2021 by Fran Watson

Self Confidence

Having confidence means knowing your own self-worth, what you’re good at and conveying it to others. But who has the time to explore their self-confidence?

We’re living at a time when appearances can be deceiving, and it’s very easy to lose yourself in all the hype of how we should dress and talk and eat and act – social media has everything laid out for us.  Just take a look at Facebook and Instagram and TikTok….

The truth is everyone’s self-confidence fluctuates every now and then.

Let’s be honest, who isn’t afraid of failure?

But confident people have learned to overcome that fear. They have a set of ideals and values they follow and aren’t afraid to speak their mind. They know their likes and dislikes, their passions and beliefs.

Confident people don’t seek others’ approval before their own.

Their happiness doesn’t depend on how others see them.  It comes from the inside.

Constructive Criticism a.k.a. Feedback

Confident people are quite willing to accept constructive criticism because they know how to use it and become stronger for it.

You will find that confident people will praise the success of others and rarely judge or are overly critical of what other people do or say. You will also find that they tend to avoid negative people since negativity can be contagious and powerful.

Asking For Help

Do you have difficulty asking others for help?

Do you feel you have to do everything on your own?

People with a high sense of self-confidence aren’t afraid to ask for help.

They’re aware that they don’t know everything there is to know and that it’s okay to seek the help of others. Another great quality of confident individuals is that they are willing to try new things and are open to new ideas.

And if they make a mistake, they use it as a learning experience instead of beating themselves up for failing.

Confident people are constantly challenging themselves, and as a result, enjoying more of what life has to offer. Maybe they’re learning a new language or how to play the guitar; the point is they embrace life and are living it full out.

When you’re comfortable in your own skin, people tend to sense it and somehow take some of that confidence with them into their own lives. Shrugging off negative thoughts becomes second nature, and replacing that negativity with a more positive, balanced outlook on life becomes easier.

The more you feed the positive, the stronger it becomes, boosting with it your self-respect and worth.

You know that saying, “practice makes perfect.” Well, it goes for building up your self-confidence as well.

Through continual practice, your confidence increases and you become more adept at listening to your inner voice.

The things you do every day can either make or break your confidence. 

To becoming more confident every day

Fran

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Building Your Business

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Fran Watson

Are you an entrepreneur looking to Build Your Business?

Have you looked at a lot of online products and dismissed them as “cost too much”, “don’t know that person” or some other reason?

I know I have at times looked at bundles and felt overwhelmed by what was in them or thought that perhaps they weren’t worth the price, but the most recent bundle I purchased was well worth the money.

For the basic bundle of $29 you could just choose one product and have more than your money’s worth.  If you are looking into writing a book, then Benecia Ponders $197 course would be right up your alley.

If you are interested in making a living working from home, then Nicole Dean’s Fully Remote Timely Ways to Make a Living From Home would be your pick.  Perhaps you could combine it with Coach Glue’s Six Figure Coaching Bootcamp ($297).

If you like creating products, there are a number of options including downloading Silly Art, Vision Board Templates, 75 Business Stock Photos, Small Business Planner, Templates and more…Just click here to check it all out.

You don’t have to take everything that is offered.  Just browse through and pick one or two that will benefit you and/or your business over the next few weeks.

You have until Wednesday, November 10th to order this package.  There are even two year long courses being offered – I don’t think this has been done before in a bundle.

I am very excited about using some of these products and I hope you will check it out.  You can choose the basic bundle for $29 or the deluxe version for $49 – just $20 more.  You can’t lose! 

Hope to see you on the inside.

Fran

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Live Your Bold Life

Posted on October 31, 2021 by Fran Watson

Living A Bold Life

As a perpetual student I am always learning and growing.  I have been attending a course on email marketing and another on being more visible.  I am also currently attending a course with Kelly McCausey on Affiliate Marketing and she just released her amazing new bundle.  It is only on for a really short time (Nov 1 to 10th) and includes some pretty amazing products, including Pam Hamilton’s amazing Building Visibility Mastermind.   That’s one reason that makes it a definite buy for me.

Other products include:  Amazing Affirmations Coloring Pages: Confidence which fits in directly to my latest blog post.

This is only available until November 10th, so check it out now and see if it is something that you would benefit from.  Click here 

I will be spending some time deciding what products will best fit my business and my personal life over the next couple of days, but I will definitely be reviewing the coloring pages on Confidence.  I will also be checking out Pam’s Mastermind.

There are so many people I know who are participating in this bundle.  I am so excited for November 1st so I can get my copy.

Hope you will join me

Fran Watson

P.S.  The link again for this special deal

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Key Habits of Confident People

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Fran Watson

The Five Key Habits of Highly Confident People

Confidence is a common characteristic of successful people. It’s about believing in yourself and ensuring you have what it takes no matter the status quo. It’s about persistence, assertiveness, and action-taking. Here are five key habits of highly confident people.  try implementing them to help you boost your confidence and success.

They Avoid All Excuses

Highly confident people don’t need excuses. They recognize and understand it takes accountability and ownership to be successful. They acknowledge their faults, learn from them, and then take action.

Without persistent and consistent action, you won’t be successful. Making excuses clouds your judgment and leads to poor decisions and actions that only stall your success. Don’t even allow them to be a thought for one moment.

They Take on Challenges and Seek Change

The only certainty to life is change. Change occurs no matter how hard you try to prevent it. Highly confident people recognize the immense value they gain from change and never avoid it. Even if it’s uncomfortable for a moment, there are things to learn.

You either discover something you want to continue or learn you never want to do it again. Both are valuable lessons in their own ways. Change not only creates growth but helps in other ways too. Growth helps to improve skills and weaknesses, as well as gain new knowledge and perspectives. In addition, it enables you to be more innovative and creative. These help to inspire a more happy and successful life.

They Believe in Their Abilities

They know they are not perfect, but they still have what it takes to get where they want. They understand that inaction will always leave them behind, so they might as well move forward with all they have.

Even if not perfect now, time and practice will make them better. The higher your confidence level, the more you can use your time wisely to create the right goals and action steps toward the success you desire.

They Are Never Afraid to Fail

Failure, with very few radical exceptions, is not the end of the world. Most prosperous people have failed at least once, and they’ll be the first to tell you that without that failure, they would never be where they are today.

Confident people understand that failure doesn’t mean they are horrible. It means they are human and have a lesson to learn and that failure only helps with increasing and growing their skills to be a better person in all areas of life.

They Don’t Care What Others Think

Comparing yourself to others and/or living your life for others want is a waste of time and effort. The truth is, it’s none of your business what people think of you unless they share it, and even if they do, it doesn’t make it a fact.

If you constantly seek validation, you will only keep yourself from making the right moves. The only person you need to focus on is yourself. Highly confident people are never shy of this fact.

As you can see, confidence can improve many areas of your life. Adopt these five habits, and over time you will see the improvement.

Fran

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Challenges

Posted on October 20, 2021 by Fran Watson

One of the definitions of a challenge is:  “a call to take part in a contest or competition, especially a duel”.  Duels are not as common these days but there are many opportunities to take part in challenges, virtually or live.

Some of the challenges for 2021 include:

  • Air Balloon Challenge.
  • Around the World Challenge.
  • Bean Bag Throw Challenge.
  • Bunny Jump Challenge.
  • Burpees Challenge.
  • Catch and Clap Challenge.
  • Climb the Mountain Challenge.

You might challenge yourself with some activities such as:

  • Going for a walk, bike, or run (join our indoor walking program)- setting a certain distance or time.
  • Doing household chores – how much can you get done in 15 minutes.
  • Taking the stairs instead of the elevator – how many stairs can you do.
  • Playing at the park – add in a little exercise.
  • Raking leaves or shovelling snow.

Do you remember a time in your life when you were at your “best” – when physical limitations were more about “guts” than they were about strength, flexibility or stamina. Did you feel you could take on any challenge offered up by your friends? Maybe stay up all night just for the fun of it. You probably tried new things because they looked fun and we laughed at our pals when they failed with heroic attempts. But we didn’t let bruises, scrapes or even a broken bones deter us from taking on the next challenge.  (more info: )

Putting your body and mind through physically challenging – or even demanding – activities literally trains your mind to be open to new ideas, new discoveries and new opportunities.

Regularly challenging yourself physically trains and builds your self esteem and confidence.

When you accomplish something your self image soars.  Think back to some of the challenges you have overcome in your life.  Perhaps it was losing a loved one, a marriage breakup, the birth of a child, a marriage, a trip on your own.

Perhaps you participated in some physical challenges designed to build your team or yourself as you crawled through the mud, around barriers and over walls to the finish line.  Whatever it was, think back to how you felt when you reached that finish line, when you overcame the challenge that was thrown at you.

I will be participating in a couple of challenges in the near future  – one is an email challenge and the other is becoming more visible by doing some Facebook lives.  Both of these make me a bit fearful, but I know I will become better by doing them.

Now I challenge you to try something new today.   Let me know what it is you decide to do.

Fran

P.S. Keep an eye out for my 30 Day Challenge on Overcoming Challenges to start Nov 1st and check out my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/franwatson.ca

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Believe in Yourself

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Fran Watson

Do you believe in yourself?

If you don’t, who will?

One of the biggest stumbling blocks on the path to success for many is a lack of confidence.  Some may say that procrastination is their problem, but the underlying cause is often a lack of belief in our ability to succeed.

The fear of failure often holds us back and keeps us from achieving our dreams.  Do you find yourself making excuses to yourself and others about why you can’t start your projects or achieve your goals?  These excuses lead to procrastination and giving up on your goals.

Have you ever felt that it is safer not to attempt something rather than attempt it and fail?  You are not alone, but this is one of the major differences between those who get ahead and those who fall behind.

One of the best ways to overcome the fear of failure is by reading about others who have already learned that any failure is a step closer to success.  Michael Jordan, a basketball legend, once said:

I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.  I’ve lost almost 300 games.  26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed.  I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life.  And that is why I succeed.

Would you consider Michael Jordan a failure?  His failures paved the way to his success.  Check out my post on famous failures to read about Walt Disney and many others who failed time after time, but kept on pursuing their dream.

Many of our beliefs are rooted in our childhood.  Maybe we weren’t good at something, or as good as a sibling in something and we grew up with the belief that “I’m not good enough”, or “I can’t do that” even thought we don’t even try.

Do you think there is no hope for you?   That you will never achieve your dreams and goals?  I have good news for you.  It is possible to change your self-belief and take positive action to change your habits and become a success.  I’ve got good news for you – many people have done it and you can too.

Increasing your self-confidence is something you can do by yourself in small steps.  Start by choosing something new that you have seen others do with success.  Commit to being brave for 30 seconds and give it a try.  No matter whether you achieve it or not, you will learn something about yourself and by repeating small winning behaviours many times, they will become a part of you.

Improve Your Self-Image

Here are some really simple things you can do.  Start with the way you sit, walk or stand.  Pull your shoulders back and stand tall.  A confident person stands straight where a person with no confidence may appear slumped over and defeated.

Make eye contact when talking to people and remember to smile.

When you speak, speak slowly and clearly.  Speaking fast is a sign of nervousness and sometimes others are not able to understand what you are saying.  It also gives the other person the impression that you are in a hurry to end the conversation with them.

Your self-esteem is based on your capacity to love and like yourself.  Self-esteem is a set of beliefs and values by which you define your self-worth.  Low self-esteem makes life much harder in both your personal and professional life. Having more self-esteem enables you to face life’s challenges with confidence.  Self-confidence is believing that you have the ability to achieve success.

Strategies to Strengthen Your Self-Confidence

  • Strive for excellence instead of perfection
  • Use positive self-talk
  • Celebrate every success
  • Give genuine compliments to others
  • Accept your imperfections
  • Avoid trying to impress others – it’s YOU that counts
  • Tackle goals one step at a time
  • Ask for help when you need it.  The ability to ask is a sign of strength
  • Relax, take a few deep breaths and refocus your mind
  • Take care with your appearance.  When you know you look great, you feel great about yourself as well.
  • Start the day right with a positive morning routine.

Positive Affirmations You Can Use

Writing down your affirmations will help to increase your awareness of which phrases are not effective and which statements are contradictory to your goals.  It will also help solidify the ones you want to stick.  Reading, speaking and writing your affirmations will improve your mind faster than if you choose only one method since the mind accepts information in all these ways.

Pay attention to how you address yourself as this can have an impact on your success.  A study revealed that individuals who used the word “you” when writing self-talk were found to do better compared to a control group who used “I”.  It was thought that using the word “you” reminded them of their childhood and receiving encouragement from their parents, teachers and friends.

  1. You are worthy of happiness and success
  2. You choose to give priority to how you want to live.
  3. You are ready for success
  4. You are making your life better every day
  5. You have what it takes to make your dreams a reality
  6. You easily pursue your goals with confidence
  7. You are unique and special just as you are
  8. Your circumstances are not who you are
  9. You are not afraid of failure, disappointment or being hurt
  10. You are strong and courageous

For more information and to sign up for a free report on confidence, fill in the form below:

Fran

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Self-Confidence

Posted on September 23, 2021 by Fran Watson

Self-Confidence

Have you ever wondered why some people seem to succeed at most things while others seem to get nowhere? I’ll tell you. It’s not because of luck, as many people think. Success happens because those people have the confidence to make it happen.

Low self confidence is defeating.

It can define us and cause us to beat ourselves up emotionally.

It can limit our abilities and keep us from growing and moving forward from our mistakes, failures and defeats.

It can confine us to our comfort zone where we feel safe from potential humiliation and further mistakes, but when are stuck in that comfort zone, we will only be left hurt and disappointed.

Though we dream about being perfect and we see other people who appear self-confident and all together, we have to realize that no one is perfect.  We are all human and we all make mistakes.

Even the most confident people have their insecurities.  They didn’t become confident by sheer luck, they worked at it, failed and picked themselves up again … and you can too.

Improving self-confidence is just a matter of learning from our mistakes.  Everyone has the ability to improve his or her own self-confidence regardless of our past.

Whether you lost your confidence when you lost your job or you blew a presentation or an interview, all is not lost

There are many ways to improve your self-confidence.  The key is to have a positive attitude and remember that you can do anything you set your mind to.

The good news is everyone can have confidence. It’s not something you’re born with, it’s something developed through practice… and you can have it too!

I have a free report for you!

Here’s what you’ll learn from this free report:

  •  How confidence affects all aspects of your life.
  •  Steps to build more confidence.
  • Myths about Confidence
  • Conquer your fear of failure
  • Create a plan for Success
  • Using Positive Affirmations

Sign up now to receive your guide on how to boost your confidence.

 

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Lessons from the Elderly

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Fran Watson

11 Lessons the Elderly Can Teach Us

by Tim Pond

Elderly folks have a perspective that is hard to duplicate regardless of how much thought you put into it. They’ve lived a long time and have learned a thing or two that only experience can teach.

While jumping ahead to the end of a good book might spoil the story, getting a few tips from someone that has lived a full life is just smart thinking. It’s always good to get advice from an expert. The elderly are the experts on living life.

Tim’s list includes:  Prioritize, and Work doesn’t matter as much as you think it does right now. Points to ponder for sure.  Read Tim’s article here.

To living a long life

Fran

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