Greetings. I hope you are all having a great March. I know it comes in like a lion, but it is the part about going out like a lamb that I am looking forward to. Bring on spring and the warmth of the sun!

Speaking of sun, I am heading out of town in early April to attend the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO) Conference in beautiful (and sunny!) San Diego. This will be my 8th NAPO Conference. I am honored to be the moderator of the Golden Circle Ask the Organizer Panel and will be doing a workshop on navigating ethical dilemmas in an organizing business for my colleagues from around the U.S. and world. I always come home from the NAPO Conference with a business action plan, fresh new ideas and inspiration, new contacts, new friendships, and a renewed sense of purpose and excitement about my business and the organizing industry in general.

I am thrilled to announce that my 3-hour audio program, Next Level Business Success, is launched and ready to be downloaded to your computer to help improve your business (and life!). It was recorded live at the NAPO New England Professional Development Conference this fall and is perfect for any entrepreneur looking to take his or her business to the next level. It is a great deal at only $75 for 3 hours chock full of valuable business advice and tips that will catapult your business to the next level. Click here for details and order information. And don't forget to check out my other products and programs for entrepreneurs like the Thrive in Your Career Tips Booklet, and a udio programs such as, Classifying Your Team Members: Independent Contractors vs. Employees (great if you are considering adding team members to your business), and Branch Out: Adding Organizing Services to Your Business (perfect for new or budding organizers).

This month's feature article is all about Passion Management and is the result of a new phrase I coined during a group coaching teleclass. It just sort of popped out, and as soon as it did and I heard the participants' reactions, I realized I was onto something. If you suffer from having too many passions and don't know which ones to pursue, check it out. So many of my coaching clients are making amazing strides in their businesses, and I love being a part of their entrepreneurial journeys. If you need help deciding which "passions" to pursue in your business, email or call me to discuss whether we'd be a good match for some business coaching.

Warm Regards,

   
P.S. Welcome to the new subscribers. I am thrilled that you have decided to become a member of the Next Level Business Success online community!

• March 24, 2011 - Lisa is presenting Organizing and Time Management for Today's Busy Law Firm for the Washington, DC office of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP.
• March 28, 2011 - Lisa will be presenting organizing tips from her new book The Ultimate Life Organizer at the Orangeburg Library in Rockland County, NY at 1:00 p.m.  Call (845) 359-2244 to register.
• March - October 2011 - Lisa will be the facilitator for the Westchester Enterprise Development Center's Entrepreneurial Peer Exchange Mastermind Program. She will be facilitating a monthly group meeting of new entrepreneurs to assist them with succeeding in their businesses.
• April 7, 2011 - Lisa was chosen to be the moderator of the first Golden Circle Ask the Organizer Panel at the NAPO Conference to take place in April 2011 in San Diego, CA. The panel participants are top notch and consist of veterans who are true experts in the organizing industry.
• April 8, 2011 - Lisa is presenting a session called Navigating the Ethical Dilemmas of an Organizing Business at the 2011 NAPO Conference in San Diego, CA to organizing colleagues from across the country (and world!).
• April 13, 2011 - Lisa is conducting an Ask the Organizer Day for employees of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP in Washington DC. Lawyers and support professionals will sign up for slots to meet one-on-one with Lisa to work on their organizing challenges.
• May 2011 - Lisa is eagerly awaiting the official launch of her new book, The Ultimate Life Organizer: An Interactive Guide to a Simpler, Less Stressful & More Organized Life, published by Peter Pauper Press. The book will be out in time for the Spring Cleaning season, get on the VIP list to be the first to know when the book is launched & to join the Ultimate Life Organizer Book Club!
• May 19, 2011 - Lisa will be co-presenting Using Social Media to Promote Your Business for Small Business Month at the Orange County Chamber of Commerce from 1-3 pm. Visit the Chamber website for details and registration.
• June 3, 2011 - Lisa will be the keynote speaker for the International Association of Administrative Professionals Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico on June 3, 2011. Lisa will be presenting DECIDE to be Organized: Create Your Passion, Live Your Purpose.
• June 10, 2011 - Lisa will be a panelist for Boost Your Productivity, a program jointly sponsored by the Young Professionals, Consultants, and Small Business Committees of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce. The program will take place from 8-10 am at the Chamber Office. For details and registration, visit the Chamber website.

I coined an interesting phrase recently when I was facilitating one of the teleclasses for my group coaching program, DECIDE to be Organized. I was speaking to the group about how so many high functioning, busy, successful men and women have all of these passions and get overwhelmed with trying to decide which to do and which to implement. I referred to the act of managing all of those passions as "Passion Management" (instead of Time Management, Project Management or Energy Management). Everyone loved the phrase and I realized I was onto something.

Passion Management acknowledges that we do, indeed, have multiple passions. I, for one, always refer to myself as a multi-passionate entrepreneur and person. Also, Passion Management is a much more positive way of describing our dilemma of what to do with all of these great ideas. Time management and project management are terms that are not only overused but, unfortunately, can be a negative reminder of our lack of time, as opposed to a motivating factor that leads to productivity.

Passion Management is the ability to manage all of the passions you want to tackle in business and life. Here are some tips to help guide your Passion Management.

Pick a Passion

Most multi-passionate people are swimming in a sea of great ideas, and often have the drive to make them happen. The conundrum is which passion to pursue. My advice -- pick a passion and go for it! Author and life coach Cheryl Richardson talked about this when I heard her speak in NYC years ago. She said that so many of her clients get stuck because they have so many great ideas and passions, but don't know which to pursue. So they wind up pursuing… yup, you guessed it -- nothing. Don't fall v ictim to passion confusion! It is better to pick a passion and allow it to blossom and flourish than to be trapped under a mountain of too many great ideas. If you pick a passion and it does not go well or does not take off the way you wanted it to, that’s okay. Regroup, learn from your passion exercise, and pick a new one.

Tap Into Your Passion

One of the best ways to determine what you should (and want to) focus on is to tap into your passion. Sometimes we lose focus with our business or personal projects and we need to take the time to remind ourselves what we value and why we are staying the course. It is all too easy to get bogged down in details and tasks. Try to ask yourself, "Why am I really doing this project?" and see if there is a reason that relates back to one of your passions, whether perso nal or professional. For example, maybe you are feeling the crunch of trying to blog several times a week. Ask yourself why you set this schedule and whether it taps into one of your passions. If your passion is to write, then write! Do you need to stay on a particular schedule? Will anyone, but you, notice if you only write when your passion strikes? Sometimes we set ourselves up for failure, or more likely, undue stress, when we remain too regimented. Yes, I am a professional organizer and see the value in systems, processes, and timelines, trust me. But it is vital to check in and ask yourself: "Is this tapping into my passion?" If so, it will help propel you forward and remind you why you are doing this particular task or project. If you realize this task or project does not tap into any of your passions, you may decide to abandon the project, delegate the task, or reevaluate whether you want and need to continue it.

Ignore the Naysayers

Often, you are making actual progress towards achieving your passions, but someone tries to sabotage you. Try not to let this derail your efforts! You need to stay the course, despite what they say. If you are truly passionate about the project, you will be able to withstand attacks. The famous life coach Martha Beck talks about surrounding yourself with people who can be your "believing eyes." I love this idea! Adopt it and use it as your own. Stay away from the Negative Nellies, and surround yourself with people who believe in your passionate goals and will help you achieve them. Passion is contagious and can not only serve as strong motivation for you, but as inspiration for others. People notice passion. In fact, in my opinion, people often notice passion more than they notice productivity!

Celebrate Your Passion Successes

When we take on a project or task and successfully complete it, we often reward ourself at the c ompletion. But when we pursue a passion, we may not have any reward system built in. In some situations, it is hard to determine when we have "completed" a passion. Passions are often ongoing. They can be a particular way of approaching a topic, or a passion can be a mindset or belief. But it is important to come up with some way of rewarding your successes and milestones when pursuing your passions. Figure out ways to evaluate whether you have achieved a certain level of success for a particular passion. The more successful you feel at each step, the more apt you are to keep moving on the path towards achieving your passion goals. And most passionate people just want to keep the passion going!