"Card Laid, Card Played" works in a card game but has no place in business.

Newfoundlanders love a good game of cards. We had a lot of fun during a recent game of 120. Hearts were trump and Marg led with the deuce of Hearts. Ian played the Ace because he wanted this trick. Ken didn't see the Ace go down, so he played his King and by the look on his face, he was certain he was getting this trick.  He spotted the Ace as soon as his fingers dropped the King and he reached to pick it back up. "I meant to play the seven".

Suddenly, she was all in an uproar as they starting yelling

"CARD LAID, CARD PLAYED!!!"

They all started laughing and banging on the table because they now knew where the King was and that was a game changer. They loved watching Ken squirm. He hates messing up.

The rule "Card Laid, Card Played" works in cards.But don't get fooled into believing that the same rule applies in business. Not at all, the rule in business is that you can change your mind or course correct at anytime. It actually makes good business sense to do so. When you play the wrong card, you pick it back up.

If you've made a decision to start a business in one area and noticed that there's no real market  - it makes good business sense to cut your losses and try a different product, service, or location. It's the equivalent of laying one card and picking it back up because it's not the right move.

Now, here's a warning - people will talk!!! People will have an opinion and some may even want to tell you "I told you so!"

But who cares? This is business - do what's right for your business - the stakes are higher. A better rule for you is "Play your cards right!"

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Protecting Emotional Capital - Nipping Worry in the Bud

They say that there's no ROI on worry but don't kid yourself. Failing to get a grip on out of control worry does indeed impact your emotional capital. It can also impact your ability to make good financial decisions and this can lead to an impact on financial capital.

It's important to put worry into perspective and that's exactly what I did this week. As entrepreneurs, we wear many hats and this creates a fertile ground for worry. It happens to me and I have no doubt that it happens to you as well.

I'm at decision time in my business and I have found myself worrying about whether I was making the right decision. I really needed some assurances that the path I was taking was the right one. I mentioned my own business concern this week in a conversation with my business coach Michelle Pippin of Women Who Wow and she really got me thinking.

Michelle reminded me that no matter which road we decide to travel in our business, we have options. We can turn back or course correct at any time. This conversation helped me to put my own concerns into perspective. It helped me to see that I was worrying unnecessarily. I was able to go away and feel much better about the decisions I had to make.

When you're facing a stressful situation and you find yourself consumed with worry, there are steps you can take. Having someone to share your concerns with is key but do be selective. It's important that you choose a person who has some insight into the matter you're struggling with. Sharing a concern can look like complaining when shared with the wrong person.

Shining a spotlight on what you're worrying about and doing a mental check in is a great way to keep it real. Are things really as bad as you think they are? Worse case scenarios rarely ever happen you see.

We need mental toughness in business - taking steps to protect our emotional capital is key.  If you find yourself worrying - find someone to help you put it into perspective. It will free up those resources for something more productive.

3 lessons I learned on my journey to learn the laws of attraction.

Let's set the stage here - when I first began studying the law of attraction, I had a ton of crap in my life and absolutely nothing to lose. I was also a sceptic. But guess what, my current recipe for success wasn't working - I may as well try this. The learning curve is always steeper in the early days but as we get better at it, we forget those early lessons. I wanted to share some of those while it was still fresh in my mind. Here are three huge lessons that come to mind for me.

1. Be grateful for the lessons - This was a bit of a tough one. Having experienced a few real ugly events in life, I resisted the urge to be grateful for my experiences. But I did find that if I tried to find the lesson in each experience, I could be grateful for the lesson. In the early days, I would jokingly tell people that the only thing I have to be grateful for is that the cat did her business in the litter box. But after a while I got it - we need to be grateful for the lesson that is embedded in everything that happens. If you come from a background of bad experiences, the only real way to manage this is to ask  "What have I learned from this?" Sometimes you may have only learned that you're strong or graceful under pressure. Over time, I've been able to revisit some of the events in my life that were more painful and find the lesson in them as well. Stick with it - it's a process.

2. Be very clear in what you're asking for - "I want a better life." is not an example of being clear in what you're asking for. In the early days I just wanted a "bit of peace" or "something good to happen." These kinds of statements are vague and ambiguous - they are certainly open to interpretation. Many people are afraid to ask for exactly what they want. I know I was. I had to deal with a ton of guilt around asking for too much blah blah blah. ASK FOR EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT. Try it - clarity is key. So when you ask for "something good to happen" don't be surprised if the only good thing that happens is that your partner puts the toilet seat down. That's good isn't it?

3. Get rid of the guilt. Now that you're asking for what you want, don't keep it small. You deserve the good life too. Does the good life feel out of reach for you? Think about it, do you ever feel guilty asking for too much? Were you raised to believe that you're greedy if you ask for too much? If this is something that you're struggling with find a way to get rid of it. Admitting that it's an issue is the first step. No one benefits from you playing small. Seek and ye shall find - yes, all of ye.

Bonus!!! I had to unlearn a lot of stuff that I had learned along the way - some of these lessons I learned from parents, some from the church, the school and others. I continue to find remnants of this early teaching as I continue on this journey. Life is as much about unlearning as it is about learning. Go for it.

Housekeeper and Bookkeeper - Money Well Spent

My housekeeper loves what she does. How do I know? Every two weeks I walk in the door and I stop for a moment to breathe in the "smell of clean". She is amazing and having a clean and tidy home are important to me - I don't particularly enjoy doing it myself (nor am I very good at it) and I make no excuse for my lack of domestic passion - my gifts lie in other areas. My housekeeper makes my life so much easier and makes me so much happier. 

My bookkeeper also brings a ton of value into my life. I could go on forever about the value in having a bookkeeper - how could I ever course correct in my biz if I couldn't check in regularly to see how I am doing? Collecting receipts and putting them aside until the end of year is a recipe for leaving money on the table. You can't map out a plan for where you want to end up if you have no idea where you are. A good bookkeeper will keep you on top of all that.

I like to expend all of my energy in the places where I get the most joy - neither of those have anything to do with keeping a tidy home or tidy books. But don't get me wrong - I do appreciate the value that each of these bring. They both help me to show up as the best business woman I can be.

Some folks say they can't afford it but the truth is, in both cases, it's money well spent. They free me up to do what I am good at and they keep me happy. I feel so grateful to have these two people in my life - they're amazing at what they do.

I must remember to give them both a big hug when I see them again.

Living with an invisible disability

I've been challenged - on the bus, boarding early on a plane, all kinds of places. 

I live with invisible disabilities - not only am I "legally blind" but I also suffer from anxiety and depression and I think that those disabilities were acquired as a result of trying to live with the vision loss. 

So I get challenged all the time - as recently as lately when I flashed my CNIB card which allows me on public transit - and the driver says "Is that yours?" As if.... I look like someone who would f&#N pretend something like this.

I know I look cool and for the most part I'm a pretty happy person. But truth is, I'm living a life I didn't plan on living - it's difficult for a lady about town to stay in every evening and weekend because I don't drive. No night vision and messed up depth perception challenge my ability to be mobile.Taking a bus to networking events in the rain is very tough. Some days I feel downright sorry for myself - but then I give myself a kick in the arse and get over it. I have that privilege. 

But no one gets to ask if I'm pretending. It's no ones business. I don't need to go around looking a certain way. I won't sit on a street corner and weave baskets just to make you trust me. I'll do what I can for as long as I can without apology and without explanation. 

This is my life and I live with disabilities and there are many days that I feel like I'm rocking it. 

When I visited Newfoundland recently I had the good fortune to speak with a group of entrepreneurs who were as pissed as I was to have acquired a disability - we all talked about the need to look disabled. We ended up laughing and crying over the whole mess. 

If you're someone who wonders if "they're really disabled" - bite your tongue - someday it could be you. Disability does not discriminate. 

I needed to get that out.