If you are too busy working in your business to notice that your life has been on hold for a few years now- then chances are you don’t even have time to read this article.  But I promise you if you do, you will be richly rewarded.  You see, as Michael Gerber said in the The E-Myth most of us get into business because we want to be our own boss- and then our Lifestyle goes down the tube in a flurry of tax preparation, stock taking, hiring and firing and general stress!

But times are changing and more and more business owners are undergoing what I refer to as “The Lifestyle Shift”.  They are waking up to the fact that they are the boss, and they should be able to design their business to match their lifestyle.  From the ground up.

If it’s time for you to have more time for yourself, your family, and for your dreams, then read on…

Your lifestyle is ultimately your life’s work. We are all artists, whether we acknowledge that or not. And every day we are gifted with a canvas upon which to create our design. We are now operating in the Information Age, at a time of great wealth and great possibility. Yet seemingly intelligent people continue to operate under old assumptions. Too many people I know “work hard” for no other reason than they thought that’s what they were expected to do. There has never been a greater time than now to design a life the way you want it.

How do you “Design Your Life?”

The first step is a simple one. 

Wake up to the fact that YOU  ARE THE BOSS.  Your life is the way it is because you let it be that way- either by your actions or non-actions.   You are tolerating it, or fostering it, or forcing it to be just how it is.  Most of us get so busy just getting the work done that we forget to take stock and remember who’s in charge.

You started your business.  It is a direct reflection of you.  So isn’t it time to take responsibility for your deepest desires and start making it JUST HOW YOU WANT IT?

My greatest wish for the world is that everyone lives a life of self-expression. By that I mean that one’s life is an expression of that unique identity within them. It honestly breaks my heart when I speak to business owners who describe their lifestyle as anything less than awesome. As business owners we are in pole position to craft our lives the way we want to. For heaven’s sake, if the guy or girl running the show can’t have it they way they want it, what hope is there for anyone else? I think it’s just that we get lazy. We get lazy because questioning our assumptions and making changes in the way we operate is actually harder to do than work 70 hours a week! 

So what can you do? 

Take a half a day for yourself.  Get out of your routine.  Go to a place that conjures up “the sacred” for you.  That is different for everyone.  For some its a church, for some a park, for some a bookshop or the Virgin Megastore!  Wherever you feel connected to your creator, the universe or your higher self.  Spend a couple of hours just hanging out with yourself, and then in that space – ask yourself one simple question:  “is your business supporting your lifestyle or eating away at it?” 

Make no mistake- if it is not actively building it up, it is wearing it away slowly through attrition.  There is no middle ground here.

Commit to taking one action this week that will allow you to reclaim your lifestyle.

For more information go to: www.Shiftlifestyle.com/Laws

Hi guys,

I’m so proud of my sister!  She’s pursuing her dream “Lifestyle Business” and it’s really flying.  Check out this article in the Herald Sun and her TO DIE FOR brownie recipe.

My sister, Kath Clarke, in the Herald Sun with her amazing brownie recipe

Check out her blog: http://frankfoodandme.com

Hi!

What an extraordinary week! Greg and I were commenting a couple of day ago how we feel we’ve had a proper holiday.  I guess that’s what you get when you throw two mums and two kids in a car and tour around England.  It’s been so fun and I feel like I’ve learned SO MUCH.  English history is so interesting.  Greg and I nearly have the lineage of the monarchy sorted.  Although for the life of us we can’t figure out why Victoria, the daughter of the 4th son in line to the throne became Queen- were there really no male heirs before her?  What happened to the Y chromosomes in that generation?! 

What’s more- I think I have eaten chips in every pub outside London and my expert opinion tells me there is great variety in the quality of the humble chip!  (Hopefully my waistline does not reflect that!)

This last week with “MUMS ON TOUR 09″ we’ve been to: Devon- where we visited my old stomping ground, site of my first job in England 14 years ago, Lynmouth; Bath; the Cotswolds; Stratford-upon-Avon (for those of you who know how much of a Shakespeare fan I am, you’ll understand how cool that was); Oxford and Henley!

The Mums are worn out and had a day off with some shopping today while I sat here in Starbucks and wrote this blog post for you.

Other exciting things this week- this Saturday is our first “Presentation Secrets” event in London.  It’s all sold out. But we still have a few tickets left for next weekend…  Everyone who’s attending can sleep rest assured that they will be getting a well holidayed, very focussed Joey this weekend!

And finally last Wednesday I was grateful to have the opportunity to speak at the London “Yes group” which was loads of fun.  Make sure you check out the Speaker training blog: www.shiftspeakertraining.com/blog and subscribe to my youtube channel: www.youtube.com/drjoannamartin for more in detail public speaking training.

Cheers,

Joey

Hi!

Well the “Mums On Tour 09″ has kicked off with a bang!  In case you don’t know- Greg and I are enjoying the company of both of our Mums- Heather and Claire over here in London.  We’re blessed in that we have created a business that allows us to take some time to do fun stuff like gallivant around the English countryside with them. 

This last week we have been on the London Eye, gone to the Tower of London, up to Cambridge, York and the Lakes District!  Phew!  It has been so much fun, and I’m immensely grateful to the awesome team who keep things ticking along while we play!
 
Here’s some highlights!

My Mum has an overwhelming fear of heights, and an almost as overwhelming desire not to be a chicken- and I was so proud of her this week when she opted to join us on the trip on the London eye.  She was so worried she was going to panic, and while she did have a couple of moments of sucking the air in through gritted teeth, she did it!  This inspired me so much as I know that so many people let their fears get in the way of them having a good time and making their business successful.  So my Article this week is about how everything I learned about overcoming fear I learned from my Mum on the london Eye!

Meanwhile our first Presentation Secrets 1 Day events in London are rapidly filling up.  The first event is sold out already- which of course I am wrapped about!  Friday the 16th is around 60% full and Saturday the 17th is filling very fast – s make sure to grab tour seats.  As I mentioned last week, people are flying in from all over Europe and even the USA for these 1 day events- so don’t miss em!

Cheers,

Hi!

How naughty am I? I haven’t written for so long- guess I’ve been enjoying the lifestyle too much!

Here’s a request from a blog reader, Laurent, which has inspired me to jump back on and tell you guys something:

if you get a moment: i’d love to know what you would say have been the top 3-5 “how-to” books/websites or resources (including people!) you may have come across that have taught you how to leverage/use the internet as a tool for building your business and creating your ideal lifestyle.

So here they are:

1. As you guys know is out and out Timothy Ferris’s “4-hour work week”. You are officially daft if you haven’t read it yet (I still love ya though!)
2. Andrew and Daryl Grant’s membership site model (www.andrewanddaryl.com)
3. Wayne Pickstone and Steve Baker’s advice on marketing (www.waynepickstone.com)
4. Joel Bauer’s insitence that we have lots of video online
5. Armand Morin’s awesome seminar marketing tips

That’s what’s been helping me most recently. Hope that helps you Laurent.

Hey – Helena (my blog helper) has just had a beautiful little baby boy- Daniel!! How exciting!

Love Joey x