Powerful You! Women's Network

By Leslie Cunningham

One of the biggest problems that I’ve seen clients struggle with is how to make it through a cash flow crisis. 

When you run your own business a cash flow crisis can occur when a client unexpectedly quits, when you don’t end up with as much business income as you had anticipated or when the money that you said you were going to generate in the next month just doesn’t manifest (remember how you were excited to increase your income by several thousand dollars and it seemed quite doable when it was one or two month’s away but when the month arrives you suddenly don’t feel as confident about your ability to create income?)

You’re left with pinching pennies, freaking out and getting into arguments with your spouse about where the money is going to come from.  And to make matters worst you have to deal with the perpetual question of, “how do I buy groceries or get clothes for the kids while making sure that I have enough money to pay the mortgage?”

If this describes you, you are dealing with the Cash Flow Crunch. It’s the clumsy dance of the struggling entrepreneur. 

So what can you do to break free from this cycle of desperation?

The solution is to get out of financial denial and step fully into the waters of financial clarity.  You absolutely must get 100% committed to being aware of your spending behaviors.  Many of us are familiar about what it means to be conscious in our personal lives. You can use very similar principles to increase your awareness of your spending and to understand where you’re money is going. 

We do this by creating a spending plan or budget.  This may seem like a difficult task ­–especially if you’re married.  It’s often hard to stick to a budget for yourself – but how do you get your spouse to stick to agree to it as well?  Even the most committed might sometimes want to throw their hands in the air and say, “It’s just not possible!” 

Here are some quick tips to keep in mind for creating a budget or spending plan:

1. Create a spending plan that is realistic.  Many people set out to create a budget only to give up a couple of weeks later because they’re unable to stick to it.  One reason is often because they make a budget that isn’t realistic. 

This can show up in many ways:  not allowing enough money for groceries (Dave Ramsey recommends $50 per person, per week for grocery budgets) or not allowing enough money for unexpected and unanticipated expenses (many experts recommend setting aside 10% of your total expenses for unexpected expenses, this way you have some wiggle room).
2. View your spending plan weekly.  It’s easy to create a spending plan and then set it aside and not look at.  This isn’t going to do you a bit of good!  You’ll want to keep your spending plan some place where you can easily see it or in the very least pull it out at least once a week so that you are aware of how much you’ve allotted for your most important spending categories.  It’s especially helpful to be aware of the categories that you tend to overspend in.
3. Constantly work your spending plan while being patient and gentle with yourself! You’ll want to sit down and look at your spending plan with your spouse at least once a week to see if you’re on track with your spending and make tweaks in areas where you might be overspending. 

Try to refrain from blaming and complaining!  It’s great that you and your partner are able to sit down and talk together.  As long as you’re willing to consistently do that you will be able to change your spending behaviors over the long run and get back and track.

A spending plan will support you in breaking out of the cash flow crunch cycle.  And in the very least, you can see your cash flow shortages coming and you can navigate through them with more grace, ease and awareness until you’re able to increase your income. 

Awareness begets prosperity.  As we become more aware of our exact situation then we more easily manifest what we really need to create.  You are more motivated when you’re dealing directly with reality.

Get more tips on how to break out of the cash flow crunch cycle make sure you sign up for the free teleseminar… Complete Money Makeover: 3 BREAKTHROUGH STRATEGIES to Gain Control of Your Erratic Cash Flow, Reverse Under Earning, and Have More Money For the Things You Really Want TODAY! Click here for info and to register

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leslie Cunningham is a certified money and business coach, internationally published author and leading expert in the field of personal financial growth, money and prosperity. Would you like to learn simple ways that you as a women entrepreneur can step off the emotional and financial roller coaster and make more money in your business, save more, get on the same page with your spouse and achieve financial freedom in your marriage? Visit my web site, www.FinancialDating.com, for fr.ee articles, fr.ee resources and to get my fr*ee report, “15 Financial Mistakes Most Couples Make and how YOU can successfully avoid them (written especially for married women entrepreneurs). And take the next steps to create more time and money in your business, marriage and life.

If you are a Seeker longing for a deeper spirituality…

Inspired by the movie, The Secret, the author, Carl Bozeman, leaves no doubt that he believes we are all God and God is within us all!. It is amazingly exciting to learn and realize that you are responsible for everything you choose to create in your life and if you choose, you can use your creative energy to create happiness and joy. 

In this profound and deeply compelling book, On Being God: Beyond Your Life’s Purpose, the author reveals an experience that changed his life and led to the inspiring revelations so beautifully described in his book. Bozeman puts forth the convincing belief that we are not a composite of the people and events and experiences beginning at birth, rather we are the “now” endowed with infinite creative energy as to make each of us gods. One reader said, "On Being God is not a flight of fancy, in it you will find very practical chapters on dealing with fear, on being non-judgmental, and on forgiveness. Buy the book and receive dozens of amazing bonus gifts http://bit.ly/n01UJt

Friday, August 12, 2011 ~ 3:30 PM EST

Connections Are the Essence of Life:
Connect to Yourself, Your Vision, and Others

Your Greatest Life Radio Show on The Difference Radio Network Hosted by LaNette Parker, ACC, CEC with Featured Guest: Sue Urda

Learn the value of SILENCE and INTUITION as you connect with yourself and your vision. Hear the POWER OF WORDS when you connect with others and yourself. Recognize the POWER OF CHOICE - and strengthen your connections even more.

Sue Urda is known as the Connections Expert. She is an Author, Speaker, Inspirer & Co-Founder of Powerful You! Women's Network and Powerful You! Publishing. A two-time honoree on INC Magazine's list of the 500 Fastest-Growing Private Companies, Sue is an entrepreneur and has started three companies since 1989. Sue's books, Powerful Intentions Everyday Gratitude and Empowering Transformations for Women, are designed to assist women on the journey of their lives. Join us for this energizing conversation.

It's easy to attend and participate:
1. Listen Online: Click Here
2. Call in to the show with a question or comment: (424) 222-5240

When you went into business, you thought it would be perfect in the long run.  You would do something you loved, while earning money for your family.

Then you came face-to-face with the hard realities of business ownership.

• Finding clients who pay on time and provide consistent work, so rather than having a growing but steady income, your earnings are too little most months.
• By the time you have a successful month, you are already way behind. Your “extra” money is gone in flash. 
• You quickly fall in the pattern of having to climb out of the valley each month, as your debt and frustration rise. 

If this describes you, you might be in need of…

“The Complete Money Makeover: Gain Control of Your Erratic Cash Flow, Reverse Under Earning and Have More Money for the Things You Really Want Today…”

Free Teleseminar THIS Thursday, August 11th

Set your business on a whole new financial course and level out your income. Click here for info and to register

High Performance Business Building University August 15 – 19, 2011, F-R-E-E Tele-Seminar Series Learn from 5 Leading Experts, Media Sensations, Professional Speakers, and Best Selling Authors – from the comfort of your own home.

Check out this incredible Elite Panel of Experts to help you Ignite Your Future.

* MAKE THEM BEG - Stop Selling and Start Seducing with Your Irresistible Personal Brand - Michelle Villalobos and Jessica Kizorek
* HIGHEST DECISION MAKING POWER - Easily and Quickly Increase Your Ability to Make Important Decisions Professionally and Personally - Joe Petroski
* SO YOU THINK YOU WANT TO BE AN AUTHOR - Top 10 Reasons You Really Need to Do It Now! - Sue Urda
* REFUSE TO LOSE! - Learn How to Create that Winning Invention - Leo Mazur
* PUBLIC SPEAKING SECRETS REVEALED - The Secret Success Formula to Help You Present Like a Winner - AmondaRose Igoe

Create the Success, Abundance and Prosperity You Desire and Deserve! All calls are recorded and sent to registered guests only. Go for Your Dreams! Register now. www.HighPerformanceUniversity.com

By Jandi Theis

As a nurse working in an Outpatient Surgery department, part of my job involves taking care of patients during the post-operative period and getting them up and discharged home. Some people want to go home as soon as they can but others have a hard time waking up, they're hurting (or think it will hurt when they move) or they're nauseated and they just don't want to move. Or maybe they are feeling all of these things and they just want to stay there and be taken care of. But it is called "Outpatient Surgery" which means people have surgery and then go home without spending the night in the hospital.

Sometimes the hardest part of my job is getting my patient up out of bed and out the door. I spend an hour taking care of them, trying to help them feel as good as possible and then tell them they have to get up and move, even if it hurts. It isn't easy to convince someone who is already in pain that getting up to walk will help them feel better, especially when taking just those first couple of steps from the cart to the chair are exhausting. Not only am I a RN, but I've also been a surgical patient and I remember well how difficult it was to take those first steps that first time I got out of bed after having a cesarean section... I never imagined that walking could hurt my abdominal area so bad! But most patients who get up and move around a little bit every hour find out that it's easier and feels better than staying in bed all day and then attempting to move. Personally, I can tell you that after those first few steps, it did get easier... not right away, but it did get easier and actually felt better being up and moving than it sitting all the time.

Now, obviously, some patients, depending on what they've had done, can't and shouldn't be up on their feet all the time, especially in the first day or two following surgery. But even when we tell someone to go home and keep their leg elevated for the first 48 hours after surgery, we tell them to wiggle their toes, rotate, flex and extend their ankles, take deep breaths, cough, and move as much as possible. Moving, taking deep breaths, and coughing after surgery are important to help prevent problems that come with inactivity, including pneumonia and blood clots.

Just like activity is important for surgical patients to heal faster and get healthy, activity is also important for the rest of us if we want to stay or get healthy.

If you feel like I have for most of my life, then you don't like exercise very much. But, if you want to maintain your health as it is today, get healthier or lose weight, you need some sort of exercise in your life on a regular basis. So, maybe we should just not talk about exercising... instead let's just decide that we need to move more.

If you want to start going to a gym, aerobic classes, or taking part in an organized sport on a regular basis, that's great, but moving doesn't have to be something that makes you feel tired and worn out just thinking about it. Moving can be as simple as doing household chores and yard work, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, taking a walk outside on your lunch break, or parking your car at the far end of the lot so you have to walk a little further. Take your dog for a walk or push your infant or toddler in a stroller. Go for a bike ride with your family... not only will you be moving and getting exercise, you will be having some great family time!

Exercise can...
- Increase metabolism
- Improve indigestion and sleep
- Lower blood pressure
- Improve cholesterol levels
- Help slow the progression of osteoporosis
- Increase mental alertness
- Strengthen muscles and bones
- Increase flexibility
- Improve stamina
- Reduce depression
- Improve self-esteem

You don't have to become an athlete to see changes in your health & how you feel. Just add a little movement to your life every day.

• Walking briskly 30-45 minutes a day at least 3 days a week provides the regular aerobic exercise that helps strengthen your heart, lungs, and cardiovascular system and helps improve blood circulation.
• Everyday activities can make a difference - yard work, housework, taking the stairs instead of the elevator
• The key is to develop a regular physical activity habit, something you enjoy doing (or at least don't mind doing) - and will keep doing - month in and month out.

As a general goal, we should all aim for 30 minutes of physical activity at least five days a week. For greater health benefits or weight loss, we should get 45-60 minutes of activity five or more days a week.

If you don't think you have the time in your schedule for 30 minutes or more a day, don't let this be an excuse to keep you from moving. Even brief bouts of activity offer benefits... if you can't fit in one 30-minute walk, try three 10-minute walks instead. And if even that sounds like too much, just decide to move, even if it's only for 10 minutes. Remember, even moving around the house or yard counts as activity. A little exercise is better than none!

Although I enjoy watching sports, I've never been athletic. I tell myself that I don't like exercise, but I don't think that's true... I went to aerobics classes three to five times a week for about five years. I loved the way I felt when I was working out! I quit going to the classes when my job schedule and my kids' activities changed. Unfortunately, when I quit going to the aerobics class, I quit doing anything. Now, I am 30 pounds heavier, trying to lose weight and I know that's not going to happen if I'm not moving. I'm learning to like moving again... my activity of choice these days is walking and I actually look forward to it. I've always thought I'd like to be a runner but then the voice of resistance speaks up to tell me I can't do that. I've decided to quit listening to that voice! The last couple of days when I've went for my walk, even in the heat and humidity, I have jogged - very short distances, but I'm doing it!

You can do this too! Stop listening to the voice of resistance telling you that you won't like it or you can't move enough. And when resistance is telling you there isn't enough time, don't forget that a little exercise, no matter what it is, is always better than none.

For your health... to look better, to be better, and to feel better (mentally and physically)... just get up and move every day! You can enjoy moving and even look forward to it. Whatever makes you move more is the perfect thing for you to do!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jandi Theis is a Wellness Coordinator and Registered Nurse. She has a strong passion to help people understand that they have the power to control their health and happiness. She offers simple and convenient solutions, empowering people to live their lives filled with health, happiness, and love. To learn more about Jandi, whole-food based nutrition, or to get some simple encouragement for everyday living, visit www.everydayencouragement.com.