They’re sitting around in this seaside village and they notice an elderly Mexican gentleman fishing at the end of a pier.

In talking with him they find out that a huge supply of rare, super-valuable fish are swimming around in that very spot. But the gentleman just sits and stares at the vast blue all day and maybe catches one or two to feed his family. Or none. The catching is not really the point.

The investment banker dudes are flabbergasted. In broken Spanish, they excitedly tell the calm, steady fisherman that he’s sitting on a gold mine. Waving their hands around rather spastically, they explain that, with the abundance of fish swimming around right there in that very spot, they could work with him to set up a huge enterprise. With the amount of rare, sought-after fish that they would be able to catch with the help of a commercial infrastructure, all of them–the fisherman included–could make tons and tons of money.

The corners of the fisherman’s eyes crinkle with a barely detectable, knowing grin.

In a thickly accented, gravelly voice he says:

“Why should I catch many, many fish to sell to make lots of money? So I can retire by the sea in Mexico and relax all day with a fishing pole in my hand?”

Point taken. The banker dudes shuffle off with their tails between their legs. They spend the rest of the day drinking Coronas with their toes in the sand, pondering the meaning of life.

I find that, more often than not, what I truly want is closer than I think. It doesn’t require setting up a multi-national, multi-million-dollar enterprise. It doesn’t even require a six-figure income.

For me it’s all about having as much time as I want to spend with the people who mean the most to me. And making a difference in the world.

What is it for you?

Before you set up your corporation, launch your product, sign the contract, or call the lawyer, ask yourself what you’re really after.

Then remember the Mexican fisherman and the banker guys.

What you really want is closer than you think. (Tweet it.)

What do you really want? Have you ever found yourself making it harder or more complicated than necessary to get it?

Photo Credit: Andy on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/people/atmtx/

It’s called EFT, or The Emotional Freedom Technique, or tapping, and I love it!

My friend Nick Ortner just came out with his first book, The Tapping Solution: A Revolutionary System for Stress-Free Living. This book teaches you how to use this initially kind of strange, but incredibly simple and effective, technique to overcome everything from physical pain to limiting beliefs to childhood trauma.

To celebrate The Tapping Solution getting on the NY Times bestseller list last week, I invited Nick onto Glimpse TV. I wanted to make sure you guys got to meet the adorable man behind this fabulous book. And I also wanted to give you a taste of how easy and effective tapping can be!

In the video below you’ll get:

• to hear Nick telling his incredible story of digging out of $1 million in debt using EFT
• to find out what problems you may be having that EFT can help with
• a live demonstration of using EFT to overcome financial stress, which you can tap right along with while you watch

If you want to see Nick and I looking like monkeys AND overcome your financial stress in as little as a few minutes, watch the episode below.

Get your copy of The Tapping Solution here.

In the comments below, let us know how the tapping was for you! Did you feel better? Do you use tapping regularly? What do you use it for? We’d love to hear from you!

Aaaaah! Adrenaline-infused packing, dressing, and teeth-brushing ensued. I managed to get out the door in 5 minutes and arrived just barely on time for my flight, feeling triumphant yet addled.

My financial life used to feel like this. I managed to sleep through many an alarm throughout my early and mid-twenties.

I was racking up credit card debt, going into overdraft on my checking account on a regular basis, and not ever waking up enough to pay attention to how much I was spending compared with how much I was making.

When I was forced to deal with my money around tax time or when I realized I was a week late paying my credit card again, I felt the same way I did this morning: running around trying to catch a flight, having started an hour behind.

Ever been there?

Luckily, over the past several years I’ve changed my financial reality significantly.

Instead of feeling like I’m rushing to catch a flight while my belongings dangle precariously out of my speedily packed carry-on, my money life feels more like a leisurely trip to the airport in a town car, followed by sipping a delicious latte in the premier access club before boarding with a first-class ticket.

There are times in life when running late and feeling like a spaz is just going to happen. But, when it comes to your money, this doesn’t have to be your overall reality anymore.

I’ve created a new course to teach you exactly what I did to pay off my debt, increase my income by over 400%, and finally feel like I have it together when it comes to money.

The course starts March 25th and it’s super affordable.

You can find all the details and register here: Click Here

You’ve got important things to do in your life and financial spazziness won’t help you do them. Slumbering well beyond your financial wake-up time not only doesn’t do you any good, it also prevents you from fully offering your gifts to the world.

Let this email be your 3am phone call alerting you that your car is waiting. I’m the sweet lady at the front desk telling you it’s time to wake up. Today can be the last day that you sleep through your alarm and frantically stuff your things in a bag while trying to brush your teeth simultaneously, all the while freaking out.

Check out Money Love: Make, Grow, Give, and Receive More Value, my new 4-part course that I designed with you in mind.

I’m so looking forward to having you join me on the journey. Your first-class ticket on Money Love Air awaits.

Thanks for reading — I’m gonna go back to reveling in the fact that I caught my flight now :)

P.S. Take a moment to be honest with yourself: Is it time for you to get it together financially? Money Love can help. Find out more by clicking HERE.

P.P.S. Here’s a sneak peek: When it comes to a healthy relationship with money, the feeling is way more important than the external details — in Money Love, we’ll explore how to feel the abundance of riding in a town car and flying first-class whether that’s your current “reality” or not.

Enrollment closes at 3pm EST tomorrow, Monday, March 4th. All of the details about this life-changing course that helped me increase my revenue and my list size by 400% are here http://ow.ly/hS6R7.

Along with B-School, you’ll get my course, Heart Hustle (over $1,000 value), for free. More details on that bonus here: http://ow.ly/ig9Zq

I figured for every one person who emailed me there must be at least ten who are on the fence and didn’t email me. And the truth is, once you get your questions answered (and they’re ALL answered here http://ow.ly/hS6R7), you’re the only one who can make the right decision for you.

 If you have ever found yourself debating about whether or not you should do ANYTHING, this email is for you. 

 I wrote this for the fence-sitters.

Whenever I’m faced with making a decision, this is what I do to ensure that I make the right choice every time.

If you use this method you will never make a wrong decision.

Step 1: Get clear on what the options are.

Step 2: Close your eyes and take three deep breaths into your lower belly.

Step 3: Bring to mind your first option. Don’t think about it too hard, just focus gently on it.

Step 4: Notice how your body feels. Does it feel expansive or contracted? Expansive feels like when you’re playing with a puppy or holding a baby. It feels open-hearted and light. Contracted feels heavy, tight, limited, and darker. It feels like anxiety, depression, worry, or doubt.

Step 5: If you feel expansive when you focus on the first option, it’s a yes! If you feel contracted, it’s a no.

Step 6: Go through steps 3-5 for each option you have.

Your body will tell you what is right for you. She’s your wisest ally and she’ll never steer you wrong. (Click to tweet.)

Cool, right?

Now, you may ask, what if I feel fear? Is that expansive or contracted? 

Only your body will truly tell you which one it is. If you’re unsure, run through steps 1-6 again and really tune in to how your body is feeling.

Fear often comes up when we’re about to do something that takes us out of our comfort zone. But there’s a difference between the fear that comes up to keep you safe, like when you decide not to walk down a dark alley alone at 3am, and the fear that comes up when you’re about to leave your comfort zone.

If you truly tune in to the feeling in your body, the fear of leaving your comfort zone will feel expansive. My friend and speaking teacher, Gail Larsen, says: “Fear is just excitement without the breath.”

So, whether you’re on the fence about B-School or something else in your life, run through the 6 steps above.

And remember:

None of the good stuff happens on the fence.

Life doesn’t move forward on the fence. 

Businesses don’t get built on the fence.

Dreams aren’t achieved on the fence.

The world isn’t changed by people who hang out on the fence.

It’s time to get off the fence. 

If B-School feels expansive to you this time around (even if that means you’re a little scared), I’m SO excited to have you in my private B-School online community and Heart Hustle.

Register now so you don’t miss the deadline tomorrow at 3pm EST: http://ow.ly/hS6R7

And if it’s not right for you this time around, that’s okay too. I have no doubt you will rock your life and business through other avenues.

Leave a comment and let me know if this 6-step method to making the right decision every time was helpful to you! Also, share any other methods of making decisions that you use. I’d love to hear them!

P.S. Even if B-School isn’t right for you, don’t miss Marie’s free training video series. These videos are jam-packed with value to help you grow your business in practical, sustainable ways. Grab them now: http://ow.ly/htliD

P.P.S. If you want B-School, Heart Hustle, and my private B-School online community, or if you simply want to learn what all the buzz is about, click here: http://ow.ly/hS6R7.

Print by Matt Jones

I think we can all agree that we want to get the biggest bang for our buck when we’re working on our businesses–when we’re working on anything, for that matter.

If you have even a drop of Puritan blood in you, you’ll probably agree that there is something about productivity that feels divine. And I do believe it is. Our industriousness can absolutely be an expression of God, of our soul, and certainly, of our purpose.

The Value of Making Stuff

“Making stuff” and “making stuff happen” are both high on my priority list. I used to beat myself up for being so obsessed with productivity. Now, I embrace my desire to fill the nooks and crannies of my days with creation because it’s part of my contribution to the world.

But there’s a difference between the doing that’s just doing stuff and the doing that creates results. There are certain times when just doing stuff is incredibly valuable, like showing up on your mat for your yoga practice, taking a walk in nature, playing with your kids, or sitting still and breathing.

(Let’s be honest, though: Do we ever really do anything without desiring some kind of outcome, even if it’s simply peace of mind? I don’t believe we do. And I don’t think that makes us any less spiritual. It’s called being human.)

As someone who enjoys the actual experience of being in action, I have wasted a lot of time doing things that haven’t produced results. I’ve gotten caught up in the excitement of planning events that don’t add to my bottom line, of networking with people who aren’t really great customers or potential business partners, and carrying out marketing plans that don’t put money in the bank.

Can you relate?

The Rule That Changed Everything

I first read Tim Ferris’s book The 4-Hour Work-Week with my friend Raina. We were fresh out of college and the idea of working smarter, not harder, and deliberately designing our lives was salve to our idealistic souls.

Tim’s book was the first place I read about the 80/20 rule in business. Listen up for this one because it is a GAME CHANGER!

The 80/20 rule says that 80% of our actions in business bring in 20% of our results and that, more importantly:

20% of our actions bring in 80% of our results!!!

Following this brilliantly refreshing and freeing paradigm, then:

• 20% of your customers/clients bring in 80% of your revenue
• 20% of your marketing efforts bring in 80% of the new business you attract
• 20% of your daily activities produce 80% of your success (if you measure it in dollars, new customers, new accounts, business growth, and other quantifiable metrics)

Woah, Nelly! This one really excites me because here’s what it really means for you and me:

If we identify the 20% of our activities that are producing 80% of our results, we can free up time, energy, and resources to be hundreds of times more effective.

Are you loving this concept? If so, listen to the replay of the free webinar I did on Tuesday night that over 1,000 people registered for: The Anatomy of Making Money Online: 7 Simple, Doable Strategies for Making a Profit and a Difference. The 80/20 rule is one of these 7 strategies, and we dove deeper into it in the webinar. Listen to the playback now–it’s only available until Monday, March 4th at 3pm EST: Click here for the replay.

Doing Something with This Information

Just being aware of the 80/20 rule won’t make a lick of difference in your business. It’s what you DO with it that counts.

So here are 6 simple steps for you to take to implement this in your business (and life in general) immediately:

1. Start tracking your time.

Set a reminder to go off automatically every hour using your phone alarm. When it goes off, write down what you were doing for the last hour. Do this for a week to get a good snapshot of how you’re spending your time.

2. Add it up.

At the end of the week, go back and look at how you spent your time. Add up the hours spent doing your various activities: writing copy, spending time on the phone with clients, doing presentations, meeting girlfriends for coffee, mindlessly surfing the internet, etc. No judgement here–this is just information.

3. Look at your income from the past month and ask yourself:

• What were the sources of my income? (e.g,. group coaching, individual programs, online product sales, speaking fees, consulting income, etc.)
• What percentage of my total income came from each source?

4.  Look at new business that came in over the past month and ask yourself:

• Where did this new business come from? If it was from your website, use Google Analytics to figure out where the traffic is coming from. This is a free tool that will rock your world.
• How did these new clients/customers find me?
• What activities did I do in order for these new clients/customers to find me? (e.g., in-person networking, joint venture partnerships, guest blogging, speaking, referrals, events, etc.)

5. Quick analysis.

Analyze your income from step 3 combined with your new business from step 4. Without needing to create complicated financial models or even open Excel, you should be able to get a pretty good feel for where the 80% of revenue is coming from and which 20% of your activities created it. It probably won’t be the exact ratio, but you’ll find it’s in the ballpark of 80/20.

6. Putting it all together.

Lastly, look at your time tracking from step 1 and ask yourself:

• How can I more effectively align my actions with the activities that have proven to bring in 80% of my revenue/results/new business?
• What activities will I stop doing because they are not producing results? (This step alone is incredibly freeing.)

Pretty cool, eh?

If we spend our time wisely, we have more of this precious asset to spend on the things that make our hearts go pitter-patter and our souls sing.

This concept is not meant to make you into a human sphincter around your business and your time. No, my dear. Not at all.

Effectively implementing the 80/20 rule gives you the freedom to be more of you more of the time. (Click to Tweet.)

Don’t forget to check out the free webinar replay to dive deeper into this and 6 other simple, doable strategies to help you make a profit and a difference. There’s a $200 present in there for you that’s only good until 12pm EST today, Thursday, February 28th. The webinar will be up until Monday, March 4th at 3pm EST.

Click here for the webinar replay.

And please leave a comment to let me know:

• What was your biggest takeaway from this post?
• What actions are you going to start doing more of to get more bang for your buck?
• What actions are you going to start doing less of or eliminate altogether because you’ve realized they don’t produce results?