As a very successful virtual assistant firm; I often wish I had a personal VA to help me. It’s like the house cleaner who cleans everyones homes and leaves them sparkling, only to return home and wish she too returned to such a sparkling one.

I must admit that when I first heard about this book which recommended outsourcing everything in your life to India, I was a little skeptical. And I am not entirely sure that I still agree, but what I do admire in this book are the amazing strategies that teach us how to become more effective and organized each day to increase our ‘LQ’. Lifestyle Quotient…and by the way, mine was 240. Apparently ‘0′ is the best score to have.

Right now the business world is buzzing about “The Four-Hour Work Week” by Timothy Ferriss, and I must admit that I originally thought, this is some CEO who already has lots of money, an office full of contractors and he can afford to delegate everything and just work four hours a week. I say that, because I have worked for many of those sorts before, and often (okay begrudgingly often… :-)) thought how nice it is for you to only work three days a week!

But I was checking out Timothy Ferriss’ Blog and I was captivated! I kept investigating and I was really intrigued by how he did it; he seemed much more involved than someone who spent only four hours a week working, he was living the life most of us want to live. Then I read his Manifesto (which you can download here); and I realized that it wasn’t just about getting someone else to do your work, he was communicating about how it is impossible to continue working the way we do.

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For the past two weeks; I have had a dull and nagging headache — even long after my husband left for work in the morning! No really, all day, all evening - and I find it so difficult to concentrate on my work let alone work creatively!

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I know all of you can relate to procrastination.  Procrastination can be a sign of feeling overwhelmed.  It is for me.  The more that piles up….for some reason; I procrastinate more.  Which you would think is the worst thing to do - given the fact that it only breeds more feelings of overwhelm.

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To get what we want - we’ve been taught to work hard and keep on trying - that persistence is required.  But at what point do we stop trying so hard?

When it just flows…

Many of us are looking…looking for affiliations, looking for help, looking for collaborative opportunities, we are trying hard to make advancement and a connection but sometimes nothing clicks.

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Creating your own world - your own way, can be a daunting experience.  There are so many challenges that Solo-Entrepreneurs face.  (i.e. demands on time, finances, lack of resources, self-confidence, establishing realistic goals, accomplishing ‘it all’). 

And, having time for a family, having time for you, for living life, for just being.  And yet each day, each hour we are driven to succeed, driven to make a difference, driven to keep enjoying this wonderful thing we call "Entrepreneurship"!

So to celebrating your accomplishments, your efforts and all the fun you’ve had in your ongoing develepment - we encourage you to submit your story to the "Entrepreneur of the Year Award". 

You can nominate yourself or nominate someone who has inspired you!  All nominations must be received before 11:59 pm - September 15, 2006. 

If you or your nominee advances to the next round, come back here and post a comment with the link where your story has been shared on the INC. Website. 

To submit your nominee now, visit:  http://www.inc.com/entrepreneur/ and carefully read the instructions!

To your Solo-Success!!

~ Amy Ewart

Good Morning - Good Night!

I have met only one person in my entire life who literally bounced out of bed (okay besides my children, I am talking adults here).  That is my friend Amanda.  From birth, until now, she whips off the covers, bounds out of bed, hands deep into a project immediately with passion and zing!  When we had our girly sleepovers, the sun would peak through the night and Amanda would be eggs into homemade pancakes and I was still head down in my pillow, wiping the sleep from my eyes. 

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One of my most favored quotes is by Anne Frank (a young holocaust victim, who documents her experience, if you have not yet read her diary, it is motivating beyond measure) which says: “How wonderful it is that we can start doing good at this very moment.” This quote appeals to me. As a mother, a person, a Solo Entrepreneur and Self-deprecating, Self-Improvement Junkie, it suggests that if we ‘choose to’ we can immediately change direction or improve and ‘do good’ if we put our mind to it. I thought of this quote when I was reading a recent survey conducted by Wells Fargo titled Found: The secret to small business success.

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Well I have really done it now!  I was a very committed and responsible person, and I have been taken over by an addiction!  An addiction so strong - that I am drawn to it every morning and each night.  Now, I cannot do simple errands without taking my ‘drug of choice’ with me.  That’s right folks - email!  And I get my fix by using my new toy the "Crackberry". 

I make this joke, because we all know how addicting e-mail is, and it is quite humorous to me to see people walking the streets, with the wireless blue tooth in their ear, (I thought for the longest time people were talking to themselves) but now we cannot leave our homes without our wireless voice and data plans!  We literally have phones attached to our ears - e-mails in our palms and work on the brain!!  The Treo, the Sidekick, the Nokia, and my device - the Crackberry also known as the Blackberry - have us chatting and engrossed in work, perhaps more than we care to. 

I love my little device, but I think it is time I set some ground rules before I have to go into Rehab!  That would be like Grandma’s Cottage - where there is no wireless signals for miles…might just have to book myself such a vacation!

All my best to you, wish me luck (tongue firmly planted in cheek)!