is your email inbox sucking the life out of you? put an end to the madness.

Are you tolerating your email inbox? When was the last time you went through your one (or many) email inbox(s) to de-clutter and respond to outdated emails. We all do it, we see an email, we access whether to read now or later, respond now or later, or if at all. Somehow or another, the emails pile up and soon we have hundreds of unarchived and unanswered emails. Logging in each morning to tackle the new ones that have accrued starts to feel like a daunting task and can be sucking the life out of you before you even open one up.

This is not right, and it is certainly not a part of the great life, and I know how it feels. On any given day I am juggling 4 email accounts (one personal, one for spam and two businesses). In an effort to stay organized, sane, relaxed and even proactive I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve.

Some TIPS for reigning in the wild horse that is your inbox!

1- TOUCH IT ONCE: Your time is very valuable and how you manage it is in direct relationship with how happy and successful you will be. No more wasting time managing your inbox. When emails come in, try the TIO rule. My inbox(s) only show emails that need attention (this week) as well as new emails that come in. I apply the TOUCH IT ONCE rule to all emails. Action: When they come in I respond, archive, flag or delete…on the spot! No maybe or wishy washy save for later action. Let’s be serious, your time is too precious for that.

2 – BECOME A PRO ORGANIZER: Create 3 – 5 important categories of folders that are relevant to your life, i.e. FUN, BILLS, TRAVEL, YOUR HOBBY, YOUR SIDE JOB. Then assign sub-folders like WORK, PERSONAL and FOLLOW-UP to help keep each area of your life organizes. Apply rule #1 touch-it-once, when emails come in by assigning them a folder right away. Then, pick one day a week to review each FOLLOW-UP folder. Benefit: Yesterday I went through an old follow-up folder labeled “prospective clients” and had some free time to see what those prospects were up to. And, guess what?! A few of them turned into new paying clients!.

3 – RUTHLESSLY DE-CLUTTER: Meet the delete and archive button and become very good friends with them. You know as well as I do that a good chunk of what makes it to your inbox is very irrelevant to your well-being, happiness and success. Think about it. We all have mindless subscriptions, coupons and offers that make it in there, especially ones we don’t even look at, use or need. Do yourself a favor….go through and unsubscribe to at least (5) emails that come your way daily or that annoy you when you seen them. Next, get in the habit of deleting unnecessary items from your inbox that are sort of just floating in there hanging out. Archive the rest into your new folders, and assign an action to the rest: Delete, Follow-up, Archive, Respond, Take Note, Take Action, Pay, Answer, etc.

This is simplicity, automation, and less work on your end at its best! All of this takes a few minutes to set-up, and re-organize, though once you do you the benefits are limitless! Not to mention, now you’ll have time for all of the stuff you’ve been putting off… like valuable “me” time, self-care, fun activities, working out, travel and more!

Xx
D

a proud moment for me

This past weekend I had the distinct honor and privilege to visit my alma matter, The University of Rhode Island, as a guest at The Public Relation’s Society (PRS)conference called “Going the Distance.”

What a blast!

It was so incredible to be in a room of such wonderful, passionate and empowered pre-professionals and undergrads. Even more so, it was an extremely special experience for me, because during my tenure at URI, I was a co-founding president of the student organization. PRS is particularly close to my heart because it what my first dabble into business and organizational development. In many ways, the lessons I learned through the first (3) founding years of PRS, served me tremendously while starting my first business back in January of 2009.

It all started with a group of dynamic students who saw a need, and band together all of their time, efforts and energy to fill it. And, WOW, did that pay off! To be able to visit the school after all these years, as a conference guest speaker, proud alumni, and co-founding president, it was truly an amazing experience to see our vision, still alive and thriving through the current and future members sitting before me.

This week I spoke about Integrity, Success, Problems (losing the excuses), and Goal Setting. Here are a few pics from the talk:

PRS in the beginning…

Break the mold!

DLE doin’ her thing…


URI Alum, other speakers, panelists, and friends!

New Video for YOU with PROMO CODE & FREE Giveaway!

If you’re a person who has ANY questions about Life Coaching or Who could benefit from a Life Coach then this short “home” video that I made is for YOU! Watch the whole thing for the Promo Code at the end and FREE offer! Hope that this clears up some of the unknowns for you about coaching and for ANY other questions fill out to CONTACT form on the website or CALL 631.509.0788!

Nurturing Your Creativity! She's on to Something Here! Watch & See For Yourself….

As some of your know, if you had read my prior post on Eat Pray Love, I have decided to jump right in to the international best-seller this month. A few years back when it was first fresh on the shelves, the timing was off for me to delve in. Now, I am completely enthralled with author Elizabeth Gilbert’s spiritual, emotional and romantic trip across Italy, Indonesia and India! If you have not yet read, or would like to re-read alongside myself, please feel free to reach out. To see what I’m talking about here, read previous post HERE.

Anyway, I had seen this inspiration speech on nurturing your creativity about a year ago when I was new to the blogging scene (at the time still have not read the book), and it has an incredible resonance with me. Particularly as a woman, with a love of creative writing (mostly informal musings about whatever is exciting or profound to me at the moment, not always the  grammatical or politically correct version). And now, when I have decided to read Eat Pray Love, the video has popped back into my life and passed back around to me. If you know me, you know that I don’t believe in coincidence, only meaningful calculated moments of brilliance. So, with that said and no further ado I would LOVE to share this with you. Grab a cup of coffee/tea and pull up a seat because you DON’T want to miss this!! Enjoy!

DeAnna’s Greek Easter Announcement

The ONE thing that Anyone Thinking about Turning Their Passion Into a Profit Must Know!

Okay, so that title is a little long. However, that one sentence truly sums up what I’m about to explain.

First I will tell you a little bit from “behind the scenes” of this post. I began my career in public relations for the retail, technology and entertainment industries. I loved A LOT of what I was doing, and I was good at most of it. However, when it truly came down to reflect on the question “is THIS what I want to be doing for the rest of my life?” The answer was no. Don’t get me wrong, I worked for great companies, was challenged and exposed to many growing experiences. And like I said, I was good at what I did, so my default thoughts told me I had to love what I was doing, right?

Well, not exactly.

One introspective drive to work on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles helped me reach my career epiphany. “I was good at what I did, because I liked to be good at whatever I was doing….NOT because I loved what I was doing!” Which led me to pursue a 3 month trip to Europe where I resided in Sevilla, Spain. I got to travel, try new things, expand my personal boundaries and test the limits of what I knew was possible for myself, and the world (see photo at the end of the post). I came back with the discovery that I wanted to “break the mold” for my own life and pursue a passion that I could turn into a profit.

Of course, there was only ONE thing stopping me, and that is what this entire post is about. It’s called a “limiting belief” and mine was “fear.”

I decided that helping people live their best life, learn to combat the obstacles in their lives, and move forward in a happier and healthier way, was something I had a natural passion for my entire life. Professionally speaking, I wanted to become a “Life Coach.” So, I pursued an institution that would give me the credentials, tools and support to become the best at my passion, I mean position, as possible. And, I hit the ground running.

However, turning my “passion” into a “profit” was a slower process than I had expected, and all due to my limiting belief that “If I loved what I did, and it didn’t FEEL like work, how could this BE work…aka…how could I charge a FEE for what I do and make a living out of this career?” Now, I hope that it’s okay with you that I am being this honest, but I am doing so, coming from a place, that I know I’m not alone in these thoughts and feelings.

If you are a person who is thinking about or in the process of turning their passion into a profit, starting their own side business or service business, I’m sure you have experienced your own “limiting beliefs” that have held you back. And let me tell you this….UNTIL YOU IDENTIFY YOUR LIMITED BELIEF, AND WORK THROUGH IT, YOU WILL BE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS SUCCESSFUL THAN YOU DESIRE. That is because, the only thing that limiting beliefs are good for, are limiting us. In life and in business there are enough inevitable obstacles out there ready for us to overcome, so why start out as your own biggest obstacle? You don’t have to and neither did I.

TRY THIS exercise for eliminating Limiting Beliefs (LB)!

1. The first step is to identify your limiting belief? What is something that is holding you back or that you are resisting?
2. List your limiting beliefs and how they are slowing down your success.
3. Create actions around each LB on how you will act, respond or react differently when it presents itself in your life.
4. Then identify how you can SHIFT those beliefs to become a PLUS in your life.

How did it turn out for you? What is/was your limiting belief? How did you overcome your LB and turn it into tremendous success? Would LOVE to hear from you! Share your thoughts below, before you go!!

One of my FAVORITE pictures from a weekend trip I took to Lagos, Portugal while on my adventures in Europe!

Acheiving Work-Life Balance….From Starr Hall, Social Media Strategist & Woman Entrepreneur!

Today I spent the day committed to my continued learning and growth as an entrepreneur, at the 2010 Growth Conference 2.0 hosted by Entrepreneur Magazine (@EntMagazine)! I am SO pumped for 2010 and to expand and develop different aspects of my own business, as well as, share all of my new resources with YOU to help you grow into your success too!

Over the next few days (and months), I will compile what I have learned and post some of the BEST of what I was exposed to. But first, enjoy this quick video in the meantime! I had the pleasure of hearing Starr Hall, a successful entrepreneur, publicist, speaker, social media strategist and positive role model! In the video below, she shared with me (and with all of you) one of her best tips on how to balance work, entrepreneurship with a full life, and still having time for you and the things that you enjoy! If you have tips too, or would like to share a thought, leave your comments below this post! Have a wonderful night and I will elaborate on all of these great topics in the next few days!

7 Simple Steps to a Happier and More Successful YOU!

Life is busy – and filled with so many mixed messages on a daily basis. Some of us are juggling ten different spinning plates in our lives at one time. How we keep them all going? A mystery I am still trying to uncover. And as a part of these hectic lifestyles we’ve created, we have an even bigger appetite for what we want out of this thing called life. And that’s great! But on a day to day basis some of us feel bogged down by negativity in the news, or discouraged to truly get out their and make our dreams a reality due to a limit of time, energy, money or resources. And, to me, that’s not okay! There is NO EXCUSE (not time, not money, not ANYTHING) that should be stopping you from FEELING GREAT and LIVING GREAT every single day of the year.

Today, I’m going to give you a couple of simple tips that help a young-entrepreneur/life-coach/social-media-strategist/public-relations-and-business-development-specialist/daughter/girlfriend/mentor/friend/and-so-fourth, like myself stay positive, get ahead, feel happy, fulfilled, motivated, energized, excited and inspired on a daily basis!

How do YOU define success?

The last few months have brought incredible changes in my personal and professional life. I’ve been working with amazing people via The Center for Self Growth and Create Your Great Life. I have been back and forth to California a few times, first to San Diego in August for a great vacation with M, and then out to LA in Oct for a friend’s wedding and to check out possible apartments and locations for a cross-country move in 2010. As well as being constantly surrounded by family and friends that are happy, healthy and blessed.

A friend of mine and fellow Life Coach, Karyn B., once shared a quote with me about success as “having the ability to spend your life in the way that you choose.” I couldn’t have agreed with her more! Check out some of her motivation thoughts here, Lose the Excuses! Blog.

I wanted to take this short time out in cyberspace to acknowledge that conscious choices that I have taken in 2009 to define success in my own life and choose to live in the light of it. I feel very fortunate, blessed, gracious and appreciative for my health, support and work. Only a daily basis, I am challenged, inspired and continually learning about people, human interaction, the universe, and more importantly, lessons about myself.

A Positive and Proactive Approach to “The Job Search” (and Conversation)

I think I can speak for most of us when I say that everyone knows someone who is job searching, looking to switch careers or unsatisfied with their current position. It seems to be a common theme among close friends and family members of mine. These people, whom I love, often come to me for a positive outlook, career advice, life skills advice or simply a creative career brainstorm. Each person has a different situation and approach but similar underlying feelings, fears and stress. With all of the negativity in the news, and conversations that are fueled by unhappy coworkers and friends, it’s easy to get bogged down, discouraged, and overwhelmed. I am here to share some simple tips on how to reduce worry and stress related to “the career conversation,” and become more clear and informed in order to ease and actually enjoy the decision-making process.

It all begins with a positive and proactive approach (two of my all time favorite words!).

First off, you MUST eliminate toxic language from your vocabulary TODAY. This means, no more complaining, gossiping or criticizing. For more on this tip, read my previous post on “A Complaint Free World.” This major shift in your thoughts and language is STEP 1 to your new “positive approach”. I also suggest taking this a step further, and distancing yourself from negative news, TV programs, articles, and people for that matter. You may only focus on gravitating towards positive, optimistic and peaceful things. This will make you THAT MUCH MORE attractive to the world, a potential employer, and your perfect job. Don’t underestimate the “law of attraction” and the power of the universe when it comes to careers.

Now it’s time to take the “proactive approach” and develop your strategy. Most of the time, our worries and fears are just the symptoms of not having enough information. Knowledge is power and can put us at ease with feelings associated with the “unknown.” For example, if you know you want to move but have no information on where to go, potential jobs, how much it will cost, etc…Simply the lack of info alone can add large amounts of stress, worry and fear. As opposed to you seeking out the information on potential options, and remembering that you always have a choice (Click here to read more about Choices). In this case, you will be able to make a clearer and informed decision, thus, the stress and worry related with the “unknowns of the future” will dissipate. Once the “weight” surrounding the issue is lifted, you are able to see your wants and needs more clearly and ease the decision-making process altogether.

What does this mean in practical terms?

Out of curiosity, today I took a career test associated with the Meyer’s Brigg Personality test. It’s quick, and once it’s scored you can take a look at possible careers that are most fit for you, based on elements of your personality, as well as likes/dislikes regarding social settings, work ethic, preferred methods of communication and work environment. Turns out, I am an ENFJ. With my results, I was able to get a descriptive overview on my best work-style, possible career options, my personality type, etc. It was GREAT to have a personalized explanation as well as a long list of possible career options.

To take your own career test now, click here.
To see my results as an ENFJ, click here.

Remember to stay positive and proactive in your career-hunting approach. Whatever yours current situation entails, the best way to truck on successfully is to create a strategy, lay out your options, stay positive and well-informed, and then act with intention!

Feel free to leave your comments, specific questions, or experiences below! I am happy to share more individual insights with you! Be well, cheers!