Change your focus! When life changes, so must you. Usually making some temporary changes are all we need.

This is particularly true if you need to create more income suddenly. Remove or reduce your admin tasks and focus on income producing activities. Cut out extra curricular and volunteer obligations.

Sometimes we just need to say, “No. I appreciate you thinking of me to head the XYZ-athon, but I’m in the middle of a large project right now.” Write it down and practice saying it if you find yourself saying “YES” too often for your own good (or your business’).

You’ll also need to know exactly how much you need to make in what length of time. Break it down into what you need to produce daily (or even hourly).

How many calls would you need to make? How many appointments or products would you need to sell?

Almost very client I work with privately has a stack of contacts from a networking event or a list of prospective clients. The trouble is that most have no formal flow chart plan of what to do with those leads. They become office clutter and create guilt.

Now’s the perfect time to decide how and when you will contact these leads and create new clients and unexpected income.

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Get some back up! It’s not just for computers (although that is SMART too) or the police. There’s nothing like having some “plan Bs” up your sleeve. Having back up is a way to protect yourself from the unexpected.

As a young mother, I decided that I needed to be like circus performers and “work with a net”. I still remember giving this advice to a new mom.

Working with a “net” means keeping spare clothes or snacks in your car, extra keys (for when yours are AWOL), lists of spare child care options, phone numbers of friends or neighbors you can call on for help.

Learn to accept that you will occasionally need to call for help. It’s ok. It’s the SMART thing to do.

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This one makes me think of the old Candid Camera jingle “when you least expect it….SMILE!….”

Let’s face it. It’s a matter of WHEN, not IF life will throw you some curves. We might as well expect that “stuff happens”. That’s the reason that when I travel I carry some essential toiletries, medications and possibly clean undies in my carry on bag. Oh! And I always have some extra snacks, “just in case!”

Expectation puts you in a better frame of mind when things go awry. Just after Desert Storm (where my hubby served) I was flying from Atlanta to New York. I found myself unEXPECTEDLY drenched in a full-sized can of tomato juice. The mortified flight attendant had spilled it all over my dress, down my legs and into my shoe and briefcase.

Now, I could have acted like my passenger neighbors EXPECTED and erupted into a fit. Instead, I calmly said, “My Army husband has a new philosophy. It’s a good day as long as nobody is shooting at me.” I got up and told her it was fine. My dress was red and washable and I sloshed off to the lavatory.

You see, I had expected to need to deal with some inconvenience while traveling. Not that I was a pessimist, but I was just programmed to handle whatever came my way that day in a calm way. After all, there are TONS of worse things that can happen on a flight now days.

So, my point is do what you can to be prepared and then be as relaxed as possible about the rest.

What can you do to foresee the future?

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We might as well accept the fact that “stuff” will happen and our well-organized plans will fall into a black abyss. The positive side of this is that we get to recognize what we can do to minimize the damage. Many of life’s crises are not avoidable, but they are things we can get ready for.

So SMARTcut #2 is to Prepare

“Be Prepared.” It’s the scout motto (Boys’ and Girls’ actually). One thing that’s easy to do is prepare for unexpected. Whether it’s dinner guests or calls to serve “meals on wheels” to another family, you can be ready in advance.

Have you noticed that these situations seem to come on the least opportune days? It’s always when I’m paddling to keep things going. To relieve potential stress (and costs) I have created my emergency meal plans and stocked my pantry to be ready. Sometimes just knowing ahead what you’ll do will stop the anxiety.

So today’s blog post is to encourage you to get prepared for the kinds of things that happen repeatedly and throw you off track. Think of what you can do to prepare yourself for that detour, then make a cup of tea an get on with your life.

What’s the best thing you’ve done to be prepared?

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Are you working with people who are a “center of influence?”

This is a real key to building your business. Finding clients who others like to be with and follow their lead can really be a boost! These are the natural leaders.

When one buys something, everyone seems to join in. When they give a party everyone loves to be invited. These people just have a natural “people attracting” chemistry. They are connectors who will refer their friends, family and contact to you. Look for them.

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