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Lori Bruton

Author | Writer | Lifestyle Blogger |Speaker

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Hi, I'm Lori.
Author, Speaker, Coach, Ghostwriter

Is Your Full Plate Devaluing Your Client’s Time and Projects?

November 1, 2021 by Lori Leave a Comment

It was a requirement by my mentor to attend certain events. The motive and intent were for my good. Learning the same business and personal training was a valuable experience.

As I observed her life and the craziness of the event, she said to me, “If you want what I have you have to do what I’ve done.”

Without hesitation, I said, “I don’t want what you have! Weeks without seeing your husband, working so hard and long that you collapse and hardly get any sleep. That isn’t my definition of success. That isn’t how I want my life to look. No thanks.”

I know it’s one thing to be driven and “hungry,” but you can’t be so out of balance for a long period of time without it literally making you sick and tired, burned out with damaged relationships.

My dad often said I needed to work three jobs, come home, pull weeds, and cook a hot dog, and go, go, go every minute. Work hard, yes. However, that pace and method look different for everyone. Many people brag how many jobs they are working while building their dream and business. They wear it like a badge of honor and may discredit people who aren’t working as hard as they are and even label others as lazy.

Is it worth it? Have you taken on more than you can handle? What consequences have happened?

I see it often. Business owners are taught they need to sign up for every program, group, and training. Keep in mind to choose what works for you and not get caught up in the marketing aspect of it.

On top of that, you are told it’s necessary to lose sleep, sacrifice time with your family, and work until you drop.

Yes, sacrifices are necessary, but at what cost? That can’t be the only way to achieve your dreams. Fair warning, it may result in resentment from your family, friends, and clients.

Pushing yourself to burnout isn’t benefitting anyone. Working multiple jobs while building your dream will affect how and if you show up. That will compromise your reputation and whether or not people can trust you.

Life happens and we all have missed or been late for meetings and appointments. It’s when it’s more the norm than the exception that causes problems.

Keep in mind when you set a date and time for a meeting and are late, unprepared, or a no show, what message does that send to your client? Repeated apologies get old real fast.

Your plate is not only overflowing, its breaking. The tasks you forgot to do or put aside affects more than you, it spills onto your clients. You tell them their project is being worked on, but is that just an excuse due to the way you managed or mismanaged your schedule?

If none of this matters, and the way you are doing things is working for you, keep doing what you’re doing. Success looks different for everyone.

Those of you who are ready to admit you can’t keep up your current pace and there is too much on your plate, maybe these 8 recommendations will help.

  1. Evaluate your current status. How many jobs do you have? How many trainings and groups are you in? Are you able to give your best to all of them or do you just pop in to make an appearance? Invest in yourself, yes. However, if you are in too many things at once, no human has the capacity to reap the full results and benefits.
  1. Does anyone get your full attention? Multitasking is an illusion. Active listening is a skill. How many times has someone been talking to you and you only heard bits and pieces, if anything, because maybe you were texting or doing other things while pretending to listen? Did that save or cost you time? What message did that portray to the person in front of you? Important note: If you rarely give full attention to your spouse, one day you make look up and they’re gone. If your marriage isn’t important and you prefer to be away from each other, then that may not matter. Love and happiness look different for each couple. 
  1. Who and What are Your Priorities? We are all created by God for a purpose. That doesn’t mean you have to cram too many things into each day. God wants us to enjoy life in abundance. What does that look like for you? Stop and see the big picture. Dreams are important, but when you’re on your death bed will you wished you worked more? Or did you work so much it literally killed you? These are things we often don’t consider because we are racing the clock every day. Personally, the harder I push myself results in sickness and exhaustion which is costly in many ways. That doesn’t make me a wimp or lazy. Discover what’s right for you and prioritize accordingly.
  1. Pace yourself and know your limitations. Rest is a must in these human physical bodies. If you don’t, your body will rebel at the most inconvenient times, which will affect not only your health, but the commitments you made with your clients.
  1. How is doing everything yourself working for you? Hanging onto control of it all will cost you one way or another. For example, did you schedule a webinar, but you didn’t show up on time? Everyone has a learning curve with technology, but that’s when it’s good to practice or get help. If you or others were promoting a specific day and time and inviting people to the webinar, but it ended up changing at the last minute, that will affect whether or not people show up and wait for you or not show up at all. Before your meeting or webinar, assure that you have correct logins, resources, and presentations ready to go and you tested them ahead of time.
  1. No More Delays or Assumptions. It isn’t always about a client’s expectation of when each phase of their project gets completed or not. It also involves how you schedule your time and anyone on your team. Setting and meeting deadlines involves many people and their priorities. Missing meetings, not responding to messages (especially in a timely manner), and assuming your client will contact you all result in delays. Clear and timely communication is essential.
  1. Get Help. If you are exhausted and not able to keep up with everything and everyone, it’s time to get help. You can’t afford not to. Otherwise, you are risking your reputation, trust, and business.
  1. Remove things off your plate. When you keep piling on more things, other things will get buried, including yourself. There is a time and season for everything. Not everyone can successfully juggle too many jobs and clients and fit in family and fun. It will be like a house of cards waiting to fall. You may end up oversleeping and not hearing the alarm.

Hopefully, this was a wake up call for you and provided valuable considerations and solutions. Look at what is packed into each day. Make changes, adjustments, deletions as needed.

Observations and personal experiences brought me to write this message. Reach out if you need recommendations for assistance in managing your life and business.

Wishing you wellness, success, and happiness and the time to enjoy it.

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: alarm, appointments, assumptions, attention, balance, blog, burnout, business, clients, connections, consequences, control, death, delays, disappointment, dream, events, exhaustion, goals, help, job, marketing, marriage, meetings, message, plate, preparation, priorities, projects, recommendations, relationships, resentment, rest, sleep, solutions, success, time, training, trust, VA, virtualassistant, wakeupcall, webinars

You Need Help but Don’t Know How to Be Helped: 7 Ways to Lighten Your Load

June 18, 2021 by Lori Leave a Comment

Need help?

I get it. You are doing everything yourself. You know you’re overwhelmed. You need help, but you may not think anyone else can do it all as good as you can.

You think you have all the control by keeping it all in your hands. You think every detail must be perfect every time.

What result are you getting by doing it all yourself? This is the picture I see. You strive to accomplish all your goals and build your business while you keep working your job, taking care of your home and family and more. It’s all too much. You are burned out and stressed out. You push yourself. You’re not eating right (if at all) and you’re hardly sleeping. You are running on empty.

Your life is so out of balance that all your plates are crashing to the floor. Have you ever seen the circus guy spinning all those plates?

Is that what you want your life to look like? What if I could provide a better way?

Let’s dive deeper into each of the 7 ways to lighten your load.

A Better Way
  1. Start with your mindset and perceptions.
  2. Know that perfection is an illusion.
  3. Holding onto control results in losing control.
  4. Make a decision.
  5. Make a list.
  6. Identify the type of people you need and get referrals.
  7. Hire a coach and/or a virtual assistant or whomever has the right skillset to fill your needs and lighten your load and bring your life into better balance.

 

1) Start with your mindset and perceptions.

We are our own worst critic. You recorded a video and end up holding onto to it or deleting it because it’s not “perfect” or whatever you perceive is perfect. Remember, it’s not about you, it’s who needs your help. You are robbing the people you could be helping by not sending that video, not writing that blog or book, not giving that speech, or not sharing your products and services. How do I know? I almost gave up on writing my books and thinking I wasn’t a good enough writer, speaker, coach, and teacher.

I kept going when I saw how my services and content were truly making a difference in many lives, even saving lives. Yours will too.

2) Know that perfection is an illusion.

What is perfection anyway? Most would agree it means without flaws or defects. Life in general has plenty of flaws and defects, especially we humans. It’s those flaws that show our authenticity. It lets people know you’re real and not afraid to take risks and make mistakes. Of course, you do all you can to make it your best. But when you strive for perfection, think about how much more time is being stolen from you. Embrace who you are, flaws and all. See how letting go of the illusion of perfection frees up your time, gives you peace, and brings amazing people into your life.

3) Holding onto control results in losing control.

When we hold onto control, we think we keep the power. Resistance is the enemy within. Resistance has power over us. It rears its ugly head whenever we set out to better ourselves and others. Especially with personal and entrepreneurial endeavors, resistance wants to win so that you don’t. It keeps you distracted. It wants you to give up. When you release control, watch how things will flow. You will breathe easier and feel more relaxed.

4) Make a decision.

You are no longer stuck in the illusion of perfection. Good job! You are releasing and no longer resisting. Excellent! Now it’s time to make a decision and give permission to allow others to help you. You are unique but that doesn’t mean other people can’t do work that will please you. Stay in your lane and let the ones who have the skills you don’t or the skills that are similar and will complement yours come alongside, lighten your load, and produce amazing results.

Make a List

5) Make a list.

Grab a pen and paper or your computer. Write down all the tasks and projects you are doing now. Include business and personal.

I know a colleague who brought in help to clean her house and care for her children while she worked on her business. That gave her focus and productivity, and she didn’t have to face a sink full of dishes. That’s a win if you ask me.

List what you are getting done and what needs to get done. List what you enjoy doing and what you don’t. Delegate what you don’t enjoy or don’t have the skillset to do. Make a wish list of the whole picture and what it looks like when everything is in place and running smoothly. Do what you do best and delegate the rest. Speakers speak and writers write.

What are the pieces someone else can do for you? Maybe it’s social media posting, blog writing, repurposing videos and audios to use as social media content. You may need email or calendar management or someone to make calls or do bookkeeping for you. What about technical needs, such as website and webinar support? For domestic needs consider a nanny or housekeeper.

6) Identify the type of people you need and get referrals.

You made a decision. You made a list. Look how much progress you made so far. Prioritize your immediate needs. Identify the type of people who can support you. Assistance comes in many forms personally and professionally. Ask around and get referrals.

7) Hire a coach and/or a virtual assistant or whomever has the right skillset to fill your needs and lighten your load and bring your life into better balance.

If you didn’t know what to put on your list, hire a coach to evaluate where you are, where you want to be, and help clarify how to get there. This may sound like it’s costing you more time and money. In the long run, it will save you time and money. Find a way to fund your immediate needs. The tasks you are not getting done, get help or be okay with those not getting done. Your revenue will grow. You will have overflow. Right now, it may seem daunting and overwhelming. There is a better way. One step at a time and readjust as needed.

Now that you know how to be helped, how can I lighten your load? Let’s have a conversation and discover what I can provide or who I can refer you to. Text “HELP” to my text only number: 844-394-4798 or go here: https://loribruton.com/contact/.

Here’s to your success, lighter load, more balance and living a life you love.

Lori Bruton
Author, Speaker,
Copywriter, VA

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: accomplish, balance, coach, complete, control, critic, decision, delegate, distractions, enemy, entrepreneur, goals, help, list, mindset, overwhelm, perfection, permission, power, productivity, referral, repurpose, resistance, results, skills, social media, speak, stuck, virtual assistant, workload, write

The Power of FOCUS

March 8, 2021 by Lori Leave a Comment

You get what you focus on. You’ve heard that advice, right?

It reminds us that, to begin living the life we really want, we have to start doing those things that will get us there.

There was a time my life was extremely out of balance. All I could see were my struggles and didn’t have any solutions. It kept me stuck. Focusing on the struggles kept me in a state of hopelessness and defeat. I had to stand up inside myself and be determined to find a better way. I knew the life I was living wasn’t meant for me. I took one step and then another and kept going. Sometimes I fell back and then I got back up and didn’t give up on myself, my dreams, and the life I truly desire.

Maybe you’re not where you want to be yet, but at least we are not where we used to be. It’s never too late to live the life you were born to live. The good news is you don’t have to figure it out and do it all on your own.

Now I am a Certified Oola Life Coach. I help clients determine what’s not working for them in the areas of fitness, finance, field (career), family, faith, friends and fun – then correct those stressors and bring about the lifestyle, relationships and financial security they need to be happy, balanced and growing.

So what could the OolaLife look like for you?

 

I’m challenging you to decide, then focus on getting this life you really want.

Let’s Get Started: Decide What You Want

Have you ever thought about the lifestyle, activities, wealth, longevity, family relationships and other parts of a fantastic life that YOU want?

If you haven’t, that’s the first place to start. Why? Because in order to get what you want, you have to KNOW what you want. If you’re going to focus your time and energy, it’s got to be awesome and a major life improvement for you. For instance, do you want to . . .

Fitness: Be date-night ready with tons of energy?

Finance: Eliminate all debt and have money to spare?

Family: Have a rockin’ good marriage + amazing kids, too?

Field: Find a dream job or start a business you love?

Faith: Start an exciting new faith-based project?

Friends: Find new friends and mentors who believe in you?

Fun: Crush those bucket-list adventures you’ve dreamed of?

Whatever inspires you, why not share it below? (But hey, don’t reveal super-personal details!)

To help you achieve your own OolaLife, I’ve joined forces with Dave and Troy – The OolaGuys – to privately coach you and support you via a TRANSFORMATION Program designed to transform your life, your finances, your relationships and more. Click here to get started. I am glad I took my first step on the journey to transformation. You will be glad you did too. I believe in you and want to see you win.

Much Love,

Lori

Lori Bruton
Author, Speaker, Coach,
Copywriter

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: balance, breaking point, business, career, coach, decide, desires, dreams, faith, family, fitness, focus, framework, freedom, friends, fulfillment, fun, goals, happy, help, hope, hopeless, inspiration, journey, lifestyle, love, motivation, oola, oolalife, plan, relationships, starting point, struggles, stuck, system, thelorifactor, transformation, wealth

JOURNEY TO HOPE AND TRANSFORMATION: My Oola Story

November 18, 2020 by Lori Leave a Comment

Travel Journey

Join me on my journey. If you read my book, you know I almost wasn’t alive to tell my story and continue my journey. My path led me to Oola, which is a state of awesomeness and having balance and growing in 7 key areas of life.

The next leg of my journey led me to develop The LORI Factor, which I will reveal at a later time. Today, I am sharing My Oola Story with you.

I got to write a blog on the Oola platform. It is now officially published.

Let me share it with you. Click here.

Enjoy this Lori  Story. Thanks for reading. Be filled with faith, hope, and love.

“Shoot for the moon, and if you miss you’ll still be among the stars.”

~Les Brown

Even through the good, the bad, and the ugly, look at life as one adventure after another. It’s all part of your story. It would be my pleasure to hear about your journey and how I can help along the way.

Much Love,

Lori

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: adventure, author, balance, blog, book, faith, hope, impact, inspiration, journey, les brown, life coach, lori's stories, love, motivation, my oola story, oola, oola blog, published, speaker, story, storyteller, the lori factor, transformation, travel, travel blogger, travel writer, writer

A Day of Celebration

November 8, 2020 by Lori Leave a Comment

As I write this, today is my son’s birthday. Joseph David born November 8th. He and his brother were the best gifts I ever received. He is destined for greatness.

I am talking about one of the 7 F’s of Oola–Family.

Family is of high value to me. I am thankful I got to spend time with my son and daughter-in-law today. They add so much meaning to my life. I am blessed.

What’s Oola?  It’s a state of awesomeness when your life is balanced and growing in 7 key areas of life (Fitness, Finance, Family, Field, Faith, Friends, and Fun).

Today’s birthday celebration added another “F” of Oola–Fun. It’s important to take time for fun. Fun with family was a double blessing. In fact, it was a beautiful fall day beaming with sunshine and we cooked on the grill. I love the taste of food cooked on charcoal. It was completed with a sweet treat. What a lovely day!

The number 8 is significant. It’s the meaning of new beginnings and renewal. What new things are happening in your life? Or what new beginnings are you hoping to see? What’s important to you?

The flow of number 8 represents the infinity symbol. Let your life flow naturally in the direction you desire. It won’t be a straight line, but a path with some detours. See the detours as adventures that bring you to unexpected places. Those places are just where you are meant to be. Take the risk of doing new things. You never know what you may discover about yourself.

When you look at the 7 key areas of your life that I mentioned above, how are you doing? Which areas are flowing and growing, and which ones are unbalanced and slowing you down? We all have struggles and challenges. Together, we can help each other get in a better place.

Think of each “F” as a spoke on a wheel. Some may be broken or have a hitch right now. Your wheel doesn’t roll smoothly, does it? I have a framework I can guide you through. It starts with where you are now and shows you how to get where you want to be.

It will get you rolling down your desired path.

Ready, Set, Go! Here is a free gift to start your transformation adventure:  http://bit.ly/3stepTransform

When you’re ready to shift into a higher gear, go here:  https://www.liveoola.com/?ref=4e7de7 Let’s ride down the highway together.

I celebrate you. Remember, you have greatness in you. Do what you came here to do. Let me know how things are going and how I can help. Keep in touch.

Much Love,

Lori

Filed Under: MY BLOG, Uncategorized Tagged With: adventure, author, balance, beginnings, believe, bicycle, birthday, blog, cake, celebration, challenges, coach, desire, destiny, discover, dreams, eight, family, food, fun, gift, goals, greatness, growth, help, infinity, inspiration, love, oola, path, personal development, purpose, renewal, restoration, revelation, solutions, son, speaker, struggles, transformation, value, wheel, writer

Sleep Deprived perhaps?

October 26, 2020 by Lori Leave a Comment

Trouble sleeping?
Trouble Sleeping?

Here is what I know. Sleep affects everything! Especially since the pandemic and increased stress, sleep has been disrupted and interrupted in many cases. Is this true for you?

You know me as an author, writer, and speaker mainly. Why am I talking about sleep? Without wellness, which includes sound sleep, everything is affected personally and professionally. It throws off our life balance. I teach about how to have more balance in 7 key areas of life using the Oola framework. Getting quality sleep is essential and very Oola.

It will feel so good not being tired, right? I am sharing this Young Living blog with you. Rest assured that these valuable resources may be the answer to help you function better naturally. Make the decision to support your wellness. Love yourself. Take care of you. Feel better. Be better. Get started here.

Let me know if you want me to teach you more. I have virtual classes available. Message me or text my text only number: 844-394-4798.

Quiz: Tell us your bedtime routine for a sleepy time diffuser blend

 

Filed Under: MY BLOG Tagged With: answers, author, balance, blog, books, classes, coach, corona, covid, decisions, educate, essential oils, faith, feel better, guide, hope, love, oola, pandemic, read, resources, rest, sleep, sleep deprived, speak, speaker, stress, support, teacher, tired, tools, virtualassistant, wellness, write, young living

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Hi, I'm Lori!

I'm a copywriter, blog writer, and ghostwriter, with a focus in the inspirational and travel niches. Need custom copy that motivates? Learn more about what I do!

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