Ever notice great ideas arrive at the most inopportune times – while in the shower, while out for a walk or in the checkout line

We receive these nuggets of inspiration at the most inopportune times. Without pen or paper audio recording device or video app, our brilliance leaves our fleeting mind as quickly as it arrived

Many of us women business owners are so busy caring for our families while working our business, being everywhere and doing everything that we don’t make time for inspired moments. It is hard to know when that moment will hit. It’s not as if you can mark it on your calendar, right?

What if you could help yourself along to have more of those moments on a more consistent basis when you need them? Inspired moments come by giving yourself the mental space to think, to contemplate a variety of solutions to a business problem. If you are so busy on your own version of the hamster wheel how can you make time for inspired thought?

I understand how hard it is to schedule time to think, strategize and brainstorm in your business especially if you are having some success – you are busy! I am in the same boat as a single mom of 2 and owner of a busy coaching practice.

Here are some ways I make time to think and allow for inspired moments…
– Folding laundry is a task I do not find engaging so I use that time to let my mind work. It’s great, my hands and my mind are engaged!
– Driving is when I do some of my best thinking. I don’t mean the city driving that takes all my focus but highway driving that allows for some mental space. Once in a while, I will pack up the toddlers and go for a drive to do errands a few towns over. It is the perfect combo of thought and task completion.
– Turn off the TV. I don’t usually watch television and it adds several hours to each day for me. Where TV is a hobby most people have, entrepreneurship is my hobby. So some nights, after the kids head to bed, I will spend some time just thinking, writing and mapping out different ideas. Not all of them are worth taking action on but some are and I get to enjoy the creative process.
– Go to dinner with a fellow business owner without any specific agenda. As a business owner you probably know other business owners you would like to get to know better. Grab a coffee or a meal together and do some collaborative brainstorming. It could be just what you need to get out of a business rut and make space for some inspired moments.
– Work with a business coach to get those creative juices flowing. One of my most popular offerings is the Strategy Session because my clients get the benefit of my creative ability to create out of the box solutions to their business problems. If you struggle with being creative or making the time, working with a coach might be the best solution.

Kate Powers is a published author, speaker, consultant and coach. Kate has been helping women in business achieve greater success while achieving live balance for over 10 years and recently released her second book. Learn more about Kate at http://katepowers.com

As entrepreneurs, we often bite off more than we can chew. We have big dreams, goals, and visions. Our excitement is contagious and we often share our ideas before we’ve fully brewed the plan to make them a reality. Be it inexperience or hopeful thinking that lets us believe we can accomplish huge projects in short time, we do so over and over.

Part of what I love about working with women entrepreneurs is strategizing. I LOVE formulating step by step plans that incorporate the multiple layers of a successful end result. While a plan is a key element to achieving your goals and make your dreams a reality there is another crucial element that often is overlooked. Let me share a little story …

One evening a while back, I enjoyed watching my 6-year-old while she was building an elevated train track for her little brother. She wanted to have the living room “all set up for him to destroy when he woke up in the morning”. Because they tracks were elevated, they collapsed many times during the construction. Each time, she would calmly look at where she was in the building process, assess the situation and determine the best way to restart her project.

At some point, I asked if she wanted to stop to which she quickly answered “no, it’s not built yet”. She was firm in her resolve to finish the project she had mapped out for herself despite the repeated disappointments of collapse and re-build.

As I watched, I thought of how if adults could have the same resolve to complete tasks or achieve goals despite disappointing setbacks, we would achieve much more. So here is what I learned from my daughter about accomplishing large projects.

Plan a project with a specific end goal (it helps if the goal benefits others)

Know your WHY so you can quickly refer back to it when things get tough

Realize that sometimes we need to try, try again to achieve our goals – something worth achieving may not come without a little work.

Understand that each “failure” is actually an important learning opportunity in what will work and what did not. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.

Two steps forward, one step back still gives you one step forward and a learning opportunity.

I encourage you to take these steps to the table the next time you are hashing out a vision, strategizing your goals or making your dream a reality. Need some help creating your action plan or sticking through the tough spots? I’m just an email away at [email protected] and I would love to support your dreams and goals!

Kate Powers

Kate Powers is a published author, speaker, consultant and coach. Kate has been helping women in business achieve greater success while achieving live balance for over 10 years.

Visit Kate at http://KatePowers.com.