So I was very refreshed when I read my friend, Denise Webster’s, recent article about finding solutions to problems on her blog. She had a list of things to do when you have a problem. Here is that list in my own words:

1. Define your problem. Many people have a problem, but they’re not quite sure what it is. For example, they might not feel they have enough money, but they never define exactly what enough money is for them.
2. Know there is a solution. You may not know what the solution is right now, but at least you can believe there is one.
3. Picture the OUTCOME you desire. Focus on this outcome or goal, and not on the problem. Write down or draw the desired outcome. In the example above of not having enough money, you would write down, “I have $XXX of money.”
4. Move your feet. Yes literally, move your feet. Put your worry aside and start to do something. This can be jogging, cleaning, bookkeeping, almost anything. You don’t have to be working on your particular struggle.
5. Listen. Because you have followed the four steps above, when you begin to move, you will receive inspiration. You will have thoughts of things you should do. These might be someone you should call or someplace you should go. In the example above, you may think you need to call your uncle Jake.
6. Just Do It. Follow your thoughts. Don’t dismiss them as irrelevant; instead realize that they are inspiration that will help you. So in the example above, give your Uncle Jake a call, even though you haven’t talked to him in ages.
7. Keep moving. We learn as we solve problems. Sometimes it takes many steps to actually get to our goal. Along the way, we grow into stronger and better individuals. We also learn to listen more closely to our inspired thoughts. In the example above, your Uncle Jake might be just one step along the road. He might refer you to someone else who can help you. Or maybe he has a job you feel is beneath you, but you take it anyway because you need the money and it grows into something wonderful. You will never know unless you make the call you felt inspired to make.
8. Be grateful. It is important to be grateful for the things we have, for the journey we are on, and for our lives. I am a firm believer in God and so I pray when I am grateful. Even if you don’t believe in God, it is still important to be grateful.

So, how do you solve problems? Can you add any additional things you do to the steps above?

With that said, here are some suggestions to help you overcome the terror barriers in your life:

1. Zen out. Think, ponder, meditate. Sometimes in the silence great ideas are born. (I’ve found that these ideas are usually the ones that produce the terror barrier in the first place because they move me to be a better person by getting me out of my comfort zone.)

2. See Your Shrink. You don’t necessarily have to pay someone to help you. Almost everyone has a great friend that they discuss their ideas with. Take your great idea and share it with a supportive friend. They can probably add to your idea and help you with some of the logistics.

3. Buy Nike™. Not the shoes, but the attitude of “Just Do It.” Do something towards making your idea a reality. Once you get going, the path will become clear. I’ve discovered that often I can’t see the whole road in front of me. I have a goal, but I’m not quite sure how I’m going to get to that goal. So I start doing something – almost anything is better than just sitting on the couch and vegetating. As you work towards achieving your idea, other ways to accomplish your goal occur to you.

4. Enjoy the journey. Yea, I know. This is a trite saying that I didn’t appreciate until I had children. Babies are cute, kids are fun, teenagers are fantastic. I have enjoyed my children at all stages of their development. At each stage I thought it couldn’t get any better than it was. It continued to get better. (Now I’m a grandma and that is truly a blast!)

So what tips do you have for overcoming your terror barriers? (If you don’t have any, then just get off the couch and go to a spook alley tonight. It will get your adrenaline flowing, and remind you that it really is more fun to participate in life than sit on the couch.)

Several years ago my children and I were at Lake Powell. There was a cliff above a pool of water. Several people were jumping off the cliff into the water. It wasn’t horribly high, and the water seemed deep. My children wanted to jump as well. Being the cautious mother that I am, I wasn’t comfortable with that. I’d heard all the horror stories of kids jumping, hitting their heads, and dying.

We were with some friends who had jumped off this cliff before and assured us it was safe. They knew that in a certain spot there was a rock under the surface that someone could get hurt on. So they asked the current jumpers to stop so they could explore the water and find the rock. They swam around and found the rock and showed everyone where it was.

Then they climbed to the top of the cliff and started jumping. My husband jumped in as well. Now it was my turn. Was I going to be a wimp in front of my children. I had seen 10 or so people jump and land safely. The cliff wasn’t really high. Could I do it?

After much coaxing and reassurance I took the leap. It was thrilling (and scary) to fly through the air and land in the cold water. My children followed. We had a fabulous time that afternoon as a family, with friends, and making new friends. If I hadn’t been willing to take the leap that vacation might not have been so fun.

This is the same with business. Some people, like me, are content to be “watchers.” They will sit on the top of the cliff and watch everyone else take the leap. They are too scared to explore the water. Then there are the serial jumpers. They jump no matter what. They don’t explore the rocks under the surface before they jump. And last there are the cautious jumpers. They explore the water to make sure they can jump into it fairly safely. Then they climb the cliff and jump.

The moral of this story? Be a cautious jumper. Explore your subject enough so you know you will enjoy it and can predict where some dangerous rocks may be. Don’t worry about being an expert and knowing everything. Don’t jump in because your cousin Robert said it was a good idea and he’s making tons of money (so he says). Try something because you think you will enjoy it. Understand that sometimes things will be hard. But if you sit on the rock too long and never take the leap, life will pass you by.

First you are probably asking what the heck is “psychographic?” I certainly was when I learned this word yesterday. The dictionary defines psychographic as, “a graphic representation or chart of the personality traits of an individual or group.” So what exactly is that?

It is when you take a group of people with similar interests and you extrapolate what else most of them are interested in. I did this with a program called Interest Matrix.

It was fascinating. I entered the term “internet marketing” and it came back with other related interests for people who liked internet marketing.  I probably would have guessed they were interested in these terms: social media, seo, office space, networking, blogging, business, and web design. What I wouldn’t have guessed is that they are also interested in things such as: hiking, travel, fitness, meditation, “think and grow rich,” and “rich dad poor dad.”

It was kind of like talking with a fortune teller at the fair because I am interested in internet marketing as well as the other interests. So what exactly does this mean to you as a digital marketer? It helps in understanding your market better. For example, if you are planning a campaign to reach people interested in organic gardening, it would be helpful to learn that many of these individuals are also interested in yoga, cats, and knitting.

Try searching about a word you’re interested in at Interest Matrix and see what happens. It’s free and it may help you understand who your customers are better than you currently do.

P.S. If you try it, please give me a comment on what you found. I find this stuff fascinating.