IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Ignite Your Spirit
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - 10 Things To Do When Business Slows Down Over The Holidays
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WELCOME

Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

Tis the season of magic and miracles! If you ever doubt the joy of the holidays just look at the faces of little children. Their excitement is contagious. Whether you celebrate Hanukah, Christmas or Kwanzaa may the spirit of the season fill you with peace, joy and love.

The feature article offers three helpful ideas on igniting a renewed spirit for the new year which is fast approaching.

Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you.

Keys to Success is written and published by Carol Gegner. Are you ready to excel? Check out http://www.coachexecs.com. We are ready to help you.

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<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< FEATURE ARTICLE - Igniting Your Spirit

Can you believe the end of the year is only a few weeks away? How did that happen so quickly? It has a good news/bad news feel to it. The bad news is that the years are going by faster and faster. The good news is it's the perfect time to reflect, celebrate and be grateful.

We have the opportunity to look back at our accomplishments during the year, celebrate our successes and acknowledge our gratitude. Ending the year on a positive note builds momentum for next year.

Taking time to reflect, celebrate and give thanks helps renew the spirit that resides inside us. Keeping that spirit alive is essential for managing the more difficult times we encounter in our
business and in our life.

We are living in an uncertain world and we need to find ways to keep our spirit alive. We don't want Pogo's words, "we have met the enemy and they are us" to become a reality!* Here are a few ideas to help ignite your spirit.

First, reflect on your accomplishments and list them as assets on your personal balance sheet. Look at the different aspects of your life to draw a complete picture. What worked well in your business? What advances did you make in your career? How well did you manage your finances? How did you improve and enhance your physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being? Use this exercise to accentuate the positive!

Second, it's time to celebrate your success using your reflections. Remember each small success leads to a greater success. Please don't dismiss any accomplishment as to small too count. It is very easy to ignore the small items and only look for those big-ticket
items.

Success is about the hundreds of little steps you take daily that eventually lead you to your dreams. Create a list of all of your accomplishments and keep the list visible as a constant reminder of your success. Read it every day. It's a simple way to keep the flames of your spirit burning brightly.

Finally, acknowledging and expressing your gratitude is another way to ignite your spirit. What and who do you appreciate and why? At the end of the day what are you thankful for? Write it down and add it to the assets in your personal balance sheet. Gratitude is
often forgotten in the daily hustle and bustle of doing business and living our lives.

Reflecting, celebrating, and expressing gratitude helps us remember that the best things in life aren't always things!
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WORDS TO INSPIRE

"Better keep yourself clean and bright. You are the window through which you must see the world."
George Bernard Shaw

"Life must be lived forward but can only be understood backwards."
Kierkegaard

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of
standing still."
Chinese proverb
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GUEST ARTICLE - 10 Things To Do When Business Slows Down Over the Holidays by Karyn Greenstreet

I'm sure you've seen it happen every year:your business slows down during predictable times, like the summertime months or year-end. For the self-employed who rely upon steady cash flow, this can be a disconcerting time. Should you just take a time off until things naturally pick up again? Or should you try to find the needle-in-the-haystack business that might be out there during slow times?

This year, vow to be different!Instead of languishing in no-business-never-land, get off your butt and do something to build the foundation of your business so that natural business cycles don't affect you too deeply:

*Clean your office. Go through all the piles of papers and magazines that have been sitting around and get rid of them once and for all. Remember the office organizing mantra: do it, ditch it or delegate it. File all your papers, dust and vacuum your office. Reorganize your desk and your office so that you can find everything you need in 60 seconds or less.

*Take a mini-break from work. Walk away from your office and enjoy a day or two of renewal and relaxation. Go to a day spa. Take a weekend retreat. Go for a walk in the local park. Breathe.

*Get ready for tax season. If your business slows down during December, no worries! Use that time to prepare your tax files so that you can whiz through tax season (it's coming sooner than you expect!). Tally business-related mileage for year. Estimate your last tax payment for the current year (many self-employed people make quarterly estimated tax payments; the final payment is usually due on January 15). Send your final invoices for the current year.

*If the slow time falls around the holidays, use them to your advantage. Get into the holiday spirit with your clients by mailing holiday cards and gifts to them. Make specially-discounted holiday offers to clients/customers. Offer them gift certificates that they can give to their family and friends for your services and products.

*Do your accounting. Enter all revenue and expenses into your recordkeeping system. Balance your checkbook.

*Become goal-oriented. Take this down-time to look at your current goals, to see how you're doing so far and to write some new goals for the next 12 months. Create an updated marketing plan and budget. Make sure your budget includes a cash reserve to cover you during slow business times. Even if this business slow time falls mid-year, you can still spend time planning for the next 12-24 months.

*Go back to school. List the topics you'd like to study, the classes you'd like to take, or the books you'd like to read, to keep you up-to-date with your industry and business skills.Use your quiet business times to read, study and add to your intelligence pool.

*Get some personal chores done. Slow business times are ideal to schedule your annual dental and eye exams. It's also a great time to clean out the attic, garage or basement. Remember, a strong personal foundation helps to propel your business forward.

*Go shopping. No, not for personal items (though that's always fun!), but for business items. Have you been putting off buying a new PC? Now's the time to research what's out there and determine your next computer purchase. Is your office chair uncomfortable? Spend some time at office furniture stores "butt-testing" for a quality office chair that will support you properly.* Stock up your office supplies. Buy some music CDs to play in your office to inspire you.

*Spend time with family and friends. When business is busy, it's easy to sequester yourself away to get all that work done. Now that business is slow, come out of your cocoon and visit with family and friends. They've been wondering where you've disappeared to!