Whether it’s your money bottom line or your life’s bottom line, there are ways to increase both.

You need a bottom line that supports your lifestyle, delivers on your purpose, and brings you the security you deserve.

Some women think a bottom line is only about the money. Remember the Jerry Maguire phrase, “Show me the money?” Well, the bottom line is more than just the money.

Don’t misunderstand; money is important. Money pays the bills, sends kids to college and buys the time share in the Bahamas.

Total health, satisfying relationships, raving customers, and general happiness are just a few of the “other” bottom lines that are significant for women.

Here are a few simple tips that will not only increase your financial bottom line but also your life’s bottom line:

1. Lower Costs. Keep the cost of late nights, fast-food eating, and drama-filled relationships to a minimum. Doing too much of the not-good-for you things will only end up making you tired or dull causing you to error when making serious business and life decisions.
2. Increase Efficiency. Do everything as efficiently as you can. No time for slacking. Schedule things that are important you: exercise, family, healthy eating, dental and doctor checkups, prayer and reflection. Limit your time wasted on internet sites that serve no purpose. If you are playing solitaire, that’s scheduled under R&R time. Cross training staff and outsourcing will benefit your financial bottom line, too.
3. Focus on Quality. Quality sells. Quality makes customers happy. Quality means not having to redo, reiterate, or repeat. Quality is something that great customers (the ones who return multiple times) are happy to pay for.
4. Branch Out. Find people, tools and resources that will help you. Outsourcing is a must. Sending work out means you have more time to do what you’re best at. You will do only what you can do to increase the financial bottom line, while increasing your own self-worth bottom line.
5. Diversify. Refuse to get set in your ways. Look at alternative methods or approaches to accomplish what you produce. Learn to look at a problem differently. Do more than think outside the box; try throwing away the rule book when faced with the unsolvable. This means believing in your capacity to change all obstacles in your way.
6. Narrow Your Focus. Dial down your niche and satisfy what causes them pain. Once you find their pain, offer the remedy. Talk to the one person who will most benefit from your solution. The rest will follow like bees to honey.
7. Be a Ball Watcher. Never take your eye off the ball. Watch who’s doing what. Keep your finger in the numbers: money, expenditures, invoicing, satisfied customers, customer complaints, employee performance, freelancer performance, initiative, and creativity. You can make your own long list. Next, mange the list and deal with what needs your attention. Hiring, firing, balancing, and pursuing are all part of the bottom line.
8. Get Organized. Clutter, confusion and chaos only serve to delay your progress. Get rid of the old files, information overload materials, and the things that don’t matter. Clean your space. When was the last time you dusted behind the copier?

Everything on this list is a sure fire way to positively affect your bottom line. After all, the bottom line is that you are living a satisfying, comfortable, free-to-choose life!

[This is only one of the many powerful articles in this week's Influence It! Real Power for Women free ezine. To enjoy the full issue, jam packed with insightful information on strategies to enhance your personal and professional life to achieve ultimate success, you must be a subscriber. Sign up for your own free subscription NOW by clicking here!]

How can you avoid the power struggle of dating within the workplace?

I hope that, for many of you, you have found the love that you deserve and are blissfully happy with your partner. For those of you still looking, I realize it can be tough balancing the pursuit of success in your career and personal love life. For some people, romance buds in the workplace, whether they expect it or not. Now, I have to state here that many companies have strict dating policies about coworkers and employees. Some outright forbid it; others will ask you disclose the relationship once it becomes serious. While all companies have their reasons for these policies, the only suggestion I will make is that bosses should not date their employees. It creates far too much of an ethical dilemma and will likely result in termination of both parties. So what do you do if you and a coworker feel sparks, would like to date, but want to avoid any ethical issues resulting from the partnership?

Be honest and up front.

For the love of Pete, don’t keep your budding romance a secret! It might seem exiting and dangerous at the time, but there is no faster way to get in hot water than to keep an office romance a secret. Let your superiors know the minute things become serious and try and keep them in the loop.

Keep the relationship at home.

Your office is not a place to have a quick make out session. Physical romance should stop the minute you two walk into the building. Sure, you can go have a nice lunch together some days, but try to keep PDA to a minimum, since it sparks a wildfire of gossip.

Find a way to “table” arguments while at work.

When you’re having a heated argument with your lover, it can be hard to “drop it” for a while, but you have to find a way to make that happen when you go to work. The company’s productivity should not be affected in the slightest because of your inability to work together due to a personal spat.

Make sure that you do not have any influence over your partner in the office.

It’s a good idea to make sure that you have no way to influence the position of power that your significant other has in the office. This might mean that one of you transfers to a new department or takes on a new project. No matter how hard to your try to keep things equal, there will always be coworkers that accuse you of favoritism, so it’s best not to give them the opportunity.

What about you? Have you ever had an office romance? What are some of your pieces of advice for our corporate Romeos and Juliets?

Making change requires quick thinking and a keen intuition.

When it comes to staying on top of your career and ahead of the pack, it’s a jungle out there! There are people with connections, who have more years’ experience than you do or that have been at the company longer. So how on earth do you stand out among the crowd? The answer is simple: use your intuition. We’re hard wired to do what’s best for us in most situations; all you need to do is learn to follow your gut. Animals do it day in and day out and it works fairly well for them. They do what comes naturally and typically they do more than stay alive; they thrive!

What can we learn from members of the animal kingdom to hone our “killer instincts?”

Cheetah: In the corporate world, you’ve got to be fast! One minute an opportunity is there, the next, it’s gone. Take a lesson from the cheetah handbook and don’t hesitate to hit the ground running at full speed in order to get the promotion you want. Trust your gut when it tells you to strike.

Elephant: The saying goes, “An elephant never forgets” and neither should you. Your memory can be the key to success along with your intuition. If we attempt to remember the lessons we learn along our career path, we likely won’t make the same mistakes again, simply because our instincts remind us what happened last time.

Salmon: In order to spawn, the salmon face an arduous trek upstream, against currents, waterfalls and all odds in order to meet their goal of breeding. Obviously, your goals are probably different than a salmon’s at this point, but you need that sort of tenacity in order succeed in business. Don’t take no for an answer and just keep pushing against the current until you’ve made progress.

Hummingbird: These little birds keep busy and flit from flower to flower looking for the sweetest nectar. You should always be able to flit from office to office and get along with your superiors as well as your colleagues. Keeping yourself busy on many projects will help you to stand out from the rest of the herd.

Brown Bear: Boy, it sure sounds like hard work being a part of the concrete jungle, doesn’t it? That’s why you need to take a cue from the brown bear, and take some time to relax and “hibernate” from the hustle and bustle of the business world. Now, I don’t recommend an entire winter, but try to take weekends off and find small moments for yourself to regroup and relax.

What about you? How do you adapt your behavior?

Writing a business plan is the first step in venturing into building a business. It’s also a requirement if you plan to apply for a business loan.

But a business plan can do more than get you a bank loan. A great business plan will help you plan your business from the end to the beginning.

A business plan is a fluid document that changes as you grow, uncovers challenges, discovers more of what you want and finds out more of what you need to succeed.

Good businesses are started with the end in mind and work backwards.

Sound crazy? Maybe. But it’s the way successful entrepreneurs think, and it’s the way to make it to the top of the business world.

If they can do it, so can you. Before you decide on which business plan template to use, there are 5 necessary things to include when you design and build your business plan:

What Needs To Stop. Figure out everything in your business or life that you hate, that you want to stop, or that you are tired of. This means identifying what is causing you pain and making you depressed. Get to the root of it. Don’t be satisfied with or fool yourself into thinking the superficial stuff is what is causing your pain. Avoid that trap. Be honest with yourself. List the things in your life that cause you stress, frustration or worry.

Go To The Source. Get to the heart of the matter. Know what you want. Figure out what you want day-to-day life to look like. Include everything that you want in your life, how you want to spend your time, and who you want to be around. Think about the things that make you happy, excited, blessed and fulfilled.

Connect The Dots. Look at these two lists and build your bridge. What is similar in both columns? For instance, if you want to feel rested and you’re tired of being run down all the time, then you can see what not only needs to be done, but what you need to put in your business plan to ensure it gets done.

The Ideal Sale. This is similar to knowing your ideal customer except it goes one step further. It’s important to know not only your ideal customer but also the most effective process to get her to “yes.” Is it relationship building? Is it a system? What will you do to make her a returning customer? When you get these answers, you have to assess which skills you already have, which ones need improvement, and the new skills you need to learn to expand the best process.

Do It With Purpose. Your purpose defines the business you’re really in. Your purpose needs to be defined from your ideal customer’s point of view. It needs to clearly state what your product or service will do for customers, and how it will affect their lives. Knowing your purpose improves your performance. When you are clear about your purpose, your productivity will climb because you will be able to evaluate the effectiveness of everything you undertake.

These 5 sections in a business plan are as important (and in some cases, more important) as the numbers, expenses, assets, estimates, and projections the banker wants to see. Having a clear picture of how the “end” of your business will look makes beginning a whole lot easier.

[This is only one of the many powerful articles in this week's Influence It! Real Power for Women free ezine. To enjoy the full issue, jam packed with insightful information on strategies to enhance your personal and professional life to achieve ultimate success, you must be a subscriber. Sign up for your own free subscription NOW by clicking here!]

Don’t just crack the glass ceiling, shatter it!

For decades now, there have been reports going back and for on whether the glass ceiling (the invisible limit for promotion that women frequently see in business) has been shattered or whether it still exists in a big way. I’ll posit that, while in general the glass ceiling exists in the workplace, I think that should never stop women from trying to get ahead at work. Here, I thought I would identify some of the excuses that women face from their male counterparts that are trying to explain why most women shouldn’t be in management. Then we can one by one dismantle and discard every single one of them and throw them right where they belong: in the trash!

Women are too emotional. It’s true. As women, we’re more in touch with our emotions and express them more freely then most men, but that doesn’t mean we aren’t able to balance our emotions (and great intuition) with logic and the facts at hand. I say there should always be some feeling in business. Without some emotions, you won’t be able to fully express your passion for the company.

Women get too caught up in their family life. Fair enough, many women do make the decision to have a family, but that should not mean sacrificing one dream for another. There is a balance between work and family life and many women find it naturally over time. To automatically assume that a mother won’t be able to handle the workload and a child is just sexist.

Women can’t make split second decisions. There seems to be this stereotype that exists that says that women really need to weigh the pros and cons of a situation before they make a decision and I’ll just say outright that it is a bunch of hooey! Listening to our intuition is one of the best qualities that we, as women have and management should use it to their advantage any chance they get.

Women get bogged down in the details. How does the saying go? “God is in the details.” Yes, we look at the smaller pieces of the puzzles, but learning to look at the big picture isn’t necessarily a skill that’s difficult to learn. If your excuse is that we’ll spend too much time focusing on small things, maybe you should give us a change to handle a big project and see for yourself what we’re capable of before you judge us.

Women don’t know how to delegate. As women, we’re hardwired to multitask better than men are. So sue us. Don’t hate us because we can handle more responsibilities than men and don’t jump to the conclusion that, just because we can juggle more than two tasks, that we aren’t delegating. We know when to say when and not take on all of the responsibilities.

There you are, ladies and gentlemen, I think that successfully handles many of the prominent excuses men use for not promoting women like they should. Can you think of any other stereotypes that exist that you would like to shatter?

Are You Ready to Influence Your Relationships? This February, You Can Empower Yourself with 30 Minutes of Expert Coaching on ANY Issue You’re Dealing with at Home or in the Workplace!

Learn How to Turn the Tide of Any Relationship in Your Favor with Sage Advice and Actionable Steps for Immediate Results!

There are just 30 available coaching spots,
so be sure you grab yours right away!

http://karen-keller.com/love-thyself-month/

It’s no Mission: Impossible, but knowing your competition will always give you an advantage.

WARNING: This blog will self-destruct in 60 seconds!

OK, not really, but when I talk about doing recon work and getting to know the competition, I bet you start playing the Mission: Impossible theme song in your head. No, sadly there won’t be any night vision goggles involved when you’re researching your competition (unless you really want to wear them), but it’s important that you take the time to get to know what others in your industry or even company are doing in order to be better aware of the conditions around you and find success at work. Now, let’s get to work finding out more about our competitors, super spy style!

Suit up! Just like any good spy always has a special, slim fitted advanced polymer suit, you should always dress for success. Whether you’re doing a little research on your lunch break or holding a meeting with your peers on what your competition is up to, you can be assured that your coworkers that are vying for the same advancement as you are will be dressing to impress as well. Management always has their eye on the up and comers.

Pack your tools. A super sleuth packs a strong length of rope, a quality knife and a flashlight. You might not need those exact tools, but it always pays to keep a pen and paper handy in case you find out some information that you would like to research a little more when you’re in front of your computer. Speaking of computers, recon wouldn’t be possible without the internet, so make sure you use it to check up on your competition from time to time.

Slowly lower yourself into the vault. Generally speaking, most of the information you find out about your competition will be through research done on the internet or perhaps even mutual clients. However, you should always keep your ears open for more information. Quietly listening to conversations can sometimes be the best way to find out new, unpublished information about your competitors.

Quietly search through the computer database to find the encrypted files. Of course, anything you hear third hand is merely conjecture unless you can back it up, so do a little digging on the internet if you feel that the information is worth it. Remember, you aren’t a world class spy and you aren’t above the law, so do keep it all legal and ethical.

Create a diversionary tactic in order to leave unnoticed. There is a time and place to talk about your competition, especially if they work for the same company, so if someone tries to corner you into talking about what you know, politely excuse yourself or make an excuse to leave the conversation. Office gossip has no place in the world of a successful businesswoman.

Reap the rewards. Spies get the intel and sometimes the gal (or guy), you’ll get the promotion and respect of your management team. When you pay attention not only to yourself and your projects and also pay attention to the competition around you, then you’ll be able to find success in your career.

Are You Ready to Influence Your Relationships? This February, You Can Empower Yourself with 30 Minutes of Expert Coaching on ANY Issue You’re Dealing with at Home or in the Workplace!

Learn How to Turn the Tide of Any Relationship in Your Favor with Sage Advice and Actionable Steps for Immediate Results!

There are just 30 available coaching spots, so be sure you grab yours right away!

http://karen-keller.com/love-thyself-month/

Women are faced with millions of choices about work, family, buying, business, love, God – and the list goes on.

They have social networks, websites, focus groups, dinner gatherings, parties and over-the-fence neighbor talk to exchange thought-provoking, enticing conversations.

Women are no longer confined to the boundaries of the kitchen. They are industrious, educated and motivated to explore all avenues of expression and opportunity. Along with that new found freedom comes a wide range and mixture of emotion.

Women feel guilty at work about not being home with the children, and they feel guilty at home when they aren’t at work prepping for the next conference. They aren’t with their children enough. They aren’t working enough. They aren’t productive enough. And finally, they are not resting enough.

Basically, they are finding it challenging to manage their choices. What? Women have wanted choices from the beginning of time. They have fought hard to receive the gifts of choice – freedom. So, what is getting in the way?

Women still have the belief that they have to be all things to all people. They are suffering from society’s expectation of needing to successfully do it all – on your own.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Women can make choices. However, making choices doesn’t translate into choosing everything. Does doing it all mean total fulfillment and happiness?

So, how do women make choices and not feel guilty, deprived, ashamed, judged or neglected?

Here are 5 ways you can make guilt-free choices:

1. Know the pros and cons of each choice. When you need to make tough decisions, be informed. Don’t keep your head in the sand. Ask questions. Expect answers. Look for examples of others who made the same choice. What happened? Will you be happy in a similar circumstance?
2. Who’s involved? If there will be fallout, repercussions, rewards, or consequences for your choice, it’s better to know them up front. This is tantamount to knowing the “blindspots” of your choice. What hidden aspects of your choice could come back to haunt you? Read the small print.
3. Know your priorities. Women are pulled in a variety of directions, and it seems that no choice comes guilt-free. When making a choice, look to see if it aligns with your priorities. Does it coincide with your value system? Will your decision break the rules you live by?
4. Try it on for size. Pretend you made the choice, then you ask yourself these three questions:
   

   a. Is my life better because of this choice?
   b. Is this choice causing pain in any other part of my life?
   c. What would I change about this choice if I could?

   If your answers to any of these questions make you uneasy, then it’s time to go back to the “choice board.”

5. Say good bye to other choices not chosen. This doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind. What it does mean is that you can, without guilt, run with the choice you did make. Don’t look back and second guess yourself or say “what-if.” Keep looking forward.

Can you really do “it all” (guilt-free) without losing your mind … and your desire? No. But you can do what you want without regretting a single choice.

[This is only one of the many powerful articles in this week's Influence It! Real Power for Women free ezine. To enjoy the full issue, jam packed with insightful information on strategies to enhance your personal and professional life to achieve ultimate success, you must be a subscriber. Sign up for your own free subscription NOW by clicking here!]

Do the math and find your influence factor.

I get asked quite a bit what the secret to success is and, to be honest, there is no hard and fast rule, but I find that the more successful women in the workplace generally have quite a bit of influence over their employees, their peers and even upper management. Of course, there are a lot of factors that contribute to the amount of influence that they have, so I decided to sit down and take some time to develop a formula to determine what amount of influence you might have at work. Here is the formula for discovering your influence factor:

(Current Position + Relationship with Management) x (Listening to Your Intuition)^Communication Skills

Now I’ll explain my reasons for using the variables that I did when determining how to solve for your influence factor.

Current Position: As much as it pains me to admit it, a manager typically has more influence in a company than, say, an administrative assistant. What you currently do in the company matters and affects how much influence you have.

Relationship with Management: However, the bonds that you have with your superiors in also very important. You might be a manager, but if one or two of the people that work higher up the food chain don’t respect or trust you, then your current position isn’t quite as valuable. Conversely, if you are well-liked and find someone in management willing to give you a chance, then your influence can be increased.

Listening to Your Intuition: I have written over and over about the importance of paying attention to your heart and if you are following your instincts, they will generally lead to good decisions, thus, more influence.

Communication Skills: The ability to clearly communicate your thoughts and ideas to members in upper management is paramount. If you have great relationships and even if you have fantastic ideas, if you can’t properly communicate them, then your influence factor falls flat.

When you combine all of these factors together, then you should be able to figure out how much influence you actually have in your office. For example, say you’re still a junior exec, but you develop a mentor relationship with one of the members of senior management. You have a knack for listening to your heart and knowing when it’s right to follow it. However, you aren’t as confident as you need to be and your communication of ideas falls flat.

You might be able to influence a few close peers, but the likelihood that your influence will reach into the upper levels is highly unlikely.

What do you think? Are there any other variables you would add to this equation?

Are you overwhelmed with all the talk about influence?
What’s the source of REAL influence?

Are you finding that nobody is saying anything that fits for you?

Then you’ll be interested to know that I have developed a special 3-part mini-series

designed specifically for women who want more than just the “doing” aspect of influence.

No, there is another way – that’s what you’ll learn in this mini-series.

Find out how you can get it here.

Smart women know when to admit they’re in a healthy relationship.

All over America, it’s happening. Smart, successful women are waking up in the morning, looking at themselves in the mirror and realizing, “My goodness, I’m in a happy, healthy, fulfilling relationship. What’s happened to me!?” It’s going to be alright. There are many women just like you and you don’t need to feel alone. In fact, you probably don’t feel alone since your partner supports you and offers you daily affirmation. If you aren’t certain whether you’ve ended up in a healthy relationship, below is a list of some of the telltale signs that you have developed a partnership with a loving person.

Constant smiling. Do you find yourself smiling for no apparent reason? Maybe you’re in your office alone or maybe it’s while you’re showering in the morning. If you find yourself inexplicably happy, you’ve probably ended up in a fulfilling relationship.

Overwhelming need to express gratitude. Are you finding that you want to tell the universe “thank you” for the blessings of happiness and joy that your partner has brought into your life? I hate to tell you this, but I think you’ve managed to get yourself into a healthy relationship.

Difficulty hiding satisfaction. Do people approach you at work or when you’re out and ask what’s different or what your secret is to looking happy all the time? Watch out, because chances are, your romantic life might have something to do with it.

Fulfillment in other areas of life. Are you finding that other areas of your life are somehow “easier” because you have the support of a great partner? Keep your eye on this, since it likely means that you’ll continue to run into more open doors.

Desire to return home in the evening. When the clock strikes five, do you start counting the minutes until you get to see your partner at home? Have you discovered that work, no matter how much you love it, doesn’t seem to be the end all be all that you once thought it was? My friend, I believe you’re in a healthy relationship.

Fits of unexplained daydreaming. Do you find your mind wandering during moments alone or times when your mind is otherwise unoccupied? Does it wander to thoughts of your partner and the happiness they bring you? I think you know what this means.

Unconditional love and support. Are you overwhelmed with the way that your partner offers you the care and motivational words that you need in order to face your day or take a brave new step forward? Do you know that you can count on your partner, no matter what? Well, friends, I must say, that you’ve found yourself in quite the healthy relationship.

And may I also add that congratulations are in order to you for staying true to yourself and finding a partner that loves you for who you are and getting what you asked for.

Are you overwhelmed with all the talk about influence?
What’s the source of REAL influence?

Are you finding that nobody is saying anything that fits for you?

Then you’ll be interested to know that I have developed a special 3-part mini-series

designed specifically for women who want more than just the “doing” aspect of influence.

No, there is another way – that’s what you’ll learn in this mini-series.

Find out how you can get it here.

Find balance between work and home without feeling guilty.

When you return to work after you’ve been “out of the game” for a while, you’re naturally going to struggle for a bit rediscovering that balance between home and work, but don’t feel guilty about it. If you have made the decision to go back to work, whether to earn extra income for your family or to challenge yourself again, it was your decision and you should own it. Regardless, there is an adjustment period, but there are things you can do to lower your stress levels when you return to work.

First off, you have got to acknowledge that your life is different than it was the last time you were working. You have other, fairly large responsibilities now and you cannot be expected to sacrifice all of your new responsibilities for the sake of a new job. You need to let both sides know what to expect while you find balance between your work life and your home life.

If you have a significant other, you need to make it clear to them that they are going to have to chip in and help out around the house. Let your boss know that, while you are going to work your hardest, your children will need you from time to time. Don’t worry, you’ll find the right balance. We all do, but it’s going to take some time and some clear communication.

Next, don’t pull a “superwoman!” You can only handle so many things at once and, honestly, if you try to do everything, honey, you are going to crash and burn. That’s something you do not want to have happen when you are just starting a new job. It’s tempting (and exciting) to just dive right into your new work and just come up occasionally for air, but you have to hold yourself back a bit until you find your balance.

So, rather than taking everything on for yourself, ask for help! You know, it’s OK to ask for help, right? Trust me, I know it’s hard to tame your inner control freak, but you’re going to have to trust your coworkers and ask them for help if you are feeling overwhelmed or you think you’re falling behind. If you are doing your part and contributing, chances are, they won’t mind chipping in a bit from time to time to help you as you find the balance you need between your home life and your work life.

I would like to hear from you. If you’ve recently come back to work after spending time off to start a family, what are some of the challenges you’ve faced and the advice you would give to other women that are returning to work after some time away?

I’m excited to say our 3-part mini-series, ,“Designed For Influence”, will be one of the most exciting, skill defining events for the beginning of 2012! Therefore, I decided to gift to the first 33 women who register before January 13 a FREE signed copy of my book “Stepping Stones to Success” delivered right to your door! Just send an email to info@Karen-Keller.com with the word SUCCESS in the subject line. It’s that easy! So get your seat NOW because space is limited. It all begins January 17, 2012 – so start your New Year off by making yourself a priority!

Keep that ego in check when you earn more power.

When you’re a player in the corporate game, you learn quickly that one of the most important ways to get ahead in business is to get into a position of power. With power comes the opportunity to get your ideas and opinions heard and advance further in the company. However, many times we fall into one of the biggest dangers that comes with an increase in power and that is getting a big head and becoming arrogant. Arrogance can actually do a lot of damage to your career, so you want to avoid it at all costs. How can you gain more power at work without becoming overly cocky?

•          Keep yourself grounded. Don’t let your power take over your mind and carry you straight out of reality. Keep your feet firmly planted on the ground and you stand a greater likelihood of avoiding arrogance.
•          Remain connected to your employees. You are only as good as your team and if you stay connected to your employees, they’ll help to empower you without feeding your ego.
•          Have your friends keep you in check. Your true friends will let you know when you start getting too big for your britches. Always rely on them to keep you honest and grounded.
•          Check in with your gut. Your intuition knows when you aren’t acting like yourself. When you are acting arrogant or letting power corrupt you, there will still likely be that little voice in the back of your head telling you to straighten up.
•          Gauge your confidence. We all know confidence is key when it comes to promotion and gaining power, but make sure you don’t make the switch from confident to arrogant. Keep your confidence in check with reality!
•          Use your power for good. It’s one of the most cliché lines from children’s television shows, that if power falls into the wrong hands, it’s extremely dangerous, but it’s true. When you use the influence you have to affect changes for the better, then you’ll rarely have your power corrupt you.

I’m excited to say our 3-part mini-series, ,“Designed For Influence”, will be one of the most exciting, skill defining events for the beginning of 2012! Therefore, I decided to gift to the first 33 women who register before January 13 a FREE signed copy of my book “Stepping Stones to Success” delivered right to your door! Just send an email to info@Karen-Keller.com with the word SUCCESS in the subject line. It’s that easy! So get your seat NOW because space is limited. It all begins January 17, 2012 – so start your New Year off by making yourself a priority!

Women are bombarded with tons of New Year’s messages – do this, do that, don’t do this or don’t do that! It becomes a blur and overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to. You can reach new heights and conquer whatever it is you want.

You feel the pressure of “having” to lose 12 pounds, eat more spinach, exercise three times a week and get a make-over. You also feel the pressure and the scrutiny if you don’t do these things. So what’s a woman to do?

You need to play your best game. Making plans and resolutions goes much deeper than what has become the “norm” in New Year resolution making. Yes, you can get in shape, be prepared, invest in yourself, but the real test of change and resolve comes when you ask yourself these 8 most important questions:

1. What is the one thing I am best at? It could be how you communicate, connect to others, or how you can organize a party with great results. Maybe you are the best team trainer in the company. Whatever it is, find out and let the world know!
2. Who is really there for me? It’s important not only to know who your friends are but also who’s there for you when things are really tough. This is your go-to person to help encourage and to raise you up when you need it the most. When you find out who this person is, make a commitment to improve the relationship, show gratitude and respond in kind when needed.
3. What do I need to learn? You know a lot, but you also don’t know a lot. Pick one thing you don’t know but want to learn. Dive in. Explore its depths. Find out how you can use this knowledge or new skill. Then share.
4. What blindspots do I have? We all have pieces of ourselves we’d rather not acknowledge: stubbornness, envy, selfishness or greediness. Look at the things you need to improve about yourself. Maybe you need to completely get rid of them. Find out why they exist in the first place. Make room for the better traits you have.
5. Who needs what I have to contribute? You have gifts and value that others need. Start by identifying what you have to offer and who will benefit from it. You may be surprised at what you’ll find. You have an obligation to let the world experience who you are.
6. How do I treat the people who matter most to me? You live a busy life. People demand or expect things from you all the time. But don’t get too caught up in your life that you forget to recognize and appreciate the people who helped you on the way up or who love you unconditionally. Make the effort to thank them, spend time with them and return their love.
7. What am I grateful for? List your blessings. What is going right in your life? What rewards have you received in the last year? Who appreciates you? Work to understand the relationship between gratitude and receiving. The more you are grateful, the more you will receive.
8. When was the last time I had a conversation with God? Yes, I said God. He’s listening, but are you talking? What are you asking for? Living in your faith at all times will send you more opportunities with relationships, work, money and health. All you need to do is ask.

The best time to focus on these questions is when you are in need of answers that will help and encourage you to live your life more fully. It’s too tempting to get swept away by the details of life that we forget what’s important in the big picture. Keep these questions close and answer them often. It will keep you moving in a direction that will bring prosperity and peace during the New Year.

[This is only one of the many powerful articles in this week's Influence It! Real Power for Women free ezine. To enjoy the full issue, jam packed with insightful information on strategies to enhance your personal and professional life to achieve ultimate success, you must be a subscriber. Sign up for your own free subscription NOW by clicking here!]

How can you communicate to others what you gut is telling you?

I write frequently on this blog about following your intuition and why it’s ever so important to follow it, both in your personal and professional life. Of course, when you’re accountable to no one, it’s very easy to simply follow what your gut is telling you, but it’s a whole other situation when you have to explain your intuition to your employees or your bosses. So how can you explain to other what you “just know” is the right decision to make?

Write it out.

When you have a feeling something is right or wrong, based on your intuition, it probably doesn’t feel very concrete. You can change that by writing out what you feel and why you feel that way. It might take a little time, but in order to properly communicate your intuitive thoughts and feelings, you need to get them down on paper.

Back it up.

If the decision is a big one and you need to convince leadership that they need to take a certain action, you MUST have some sort of data or reasoning to back up your intuition. I’m sure that many of the women in high leadership positions have gotten there in part due to their intuition, but many likely know how to convince others that their gut is right using facts and figures.

Put it out there.

Of course, if you don’t tell anyone about your gut feelings, then they won’t take you anywhere. Have the courage to put yourself, your intuition and your intelligent reasoning out there for all to see.

Because women are looking for a deeper understanding of how they can become influential, I developed a 3-part mini-series where I will share the true meaning of influence, where it starts, what women do naturally, and how they can own their influence. This 3-part mini-series, “Designed For Influence”, is where women will find the 3 most powerful tools to bring forth their influence – in any situation. I am inviting you to get your seat before the room fills up – space is limited.  It all begins January 2012 so start your New Year off on a serious note – make yourself a priority!

Smart women know how to lead those below and above them!

You’ve worked hard to get where you are today and it’s definitely a notable success. But if you’re like so many women out there who want more from their job, but just aren’t sure how to take the next step to a new level in your career, maybe it’s time to start using those leadership skills on a new person: your boss. How on earth can you lead your leader? Read on to find out how!

Subtlety

Of course, you can’t simply walk up to your boss and tell him or her that you want them to do a certain task. That would probably be met with a certain level of disbelief. Leadership skills needed in order to lead your bosses involves being more subtle than direct.

Suggestions

Speaking of subtlety, it’s best to make suggestions to your superiors rather than requests or demands. Leading on this level isn’t about getting someone to do the work for you, it’s about getting your bosses to agree with your opinions and see value in your work. When you meet with c-level executives, follow up your suggestions or recommendations with data and reason and you will lead the leadership on the course you choose.

Reliability

When you can be counted on to deliver the goods, leadership is likely to take your suggestions much more seriously. Being accountable and reliable is a desirable characteristic in most levels of management and to demonstrate that to your superiors will influence their decisions to follow your lead.

Knowledge

Without the knowledge to back up your suggestions, you probably won’t get very far. Go into your next meeting with ideas, suggestions and the knowledge (thus, the confidence you need) necessary to deliver a compelling argument.

Because women are looking for a deeper understanding of how they can become influential, I developed a 3-part mini-series where I will share the true meaning of influence, where it starts, what women do naturally, and how they can own their influence. This 3-part mini-series, “Designed For Influence”, is where women will find the 3 most powerful tools to bring forth their influence – in any situation. I am inviting you to get your seat before the room fills up – space is limited.  It all begins January 2012 so start your New Year off on a serious note – make yourself a priority!

Learn to deal with difficult customers gracefully.

A difficult customer is anyone’s worst nightmare. Nothing you do will calm them down. In fact, sometimes it seems like the more you try to help, the angrier they get. Unfortunately, it’s your job to handle each and every customer, no matter how difficult they may be. Here is a simple, three step guide for dealing with difficult people.

It’s not you, it’s them. When you go into a situation with a customer that you know is going to be tough to deal with or has anger issues, know that it really isn’t about you in particular. Anyone they deal with will have the same hard time. It’s not up to you to “fix” their issues, but you to have to tolerate them. Knowing that, no matter what they say or do, it’s not a personal attack, will likely make it easier to handle this particularly difficult customer.

Go to a happy place. A friend of mine has this saying, “In with the rainbow, out with the storm.” Sure it’s a little bit silly, but learning to find a centered, happy place while dealing with a stressful situation is really important. If you can stay in this happy frame of mind, the chances of a difficult customer ruffling your feathers will be greatly decreased.

Know when to say when. At some point, you have to tell an angry customer to stop. Know what that line is before you reach it so that if it happens, you can tell your customer, with confidence and grace, that you’re very sorry, but you can no longer work with them. It’s OK to stand up for yourself and for your company.

Because women are looking for a deeper understanding of how they can become influential, I developed a 3-part mini-series where I will share the true meaning of influence, where it starts, what women do naturally, and how they can own their influence. This 3-part mini-series, “Designed For Influence”, is where women will find the 3 most powerful tools to bring forth their influence – in any situation. I am inviting you to get your seat before the room fills up – space is limited.  It all begins January 2012 so start your New Year off on a serious note – make yourself a priority!