Unlock the Secrets to a Productive Work Week

In this episode, we'll dig deep into the art of designing your ideal work week.

In today’s fast-paced world, it's easy to become a slave to our schedules, reacting rather than acting. We challenge this norm by exploring how to strategically plan your commitments to align with your personal and professional goals.

Discover the power of recognizing and breaking the patterns that derail your effectiveness. Plus, you’ll learn the invaluable role of consistent journaling, not just as a reflective practice but as a tool to uncover hidden patterns that could be holding you back.

If you are seeking to regain control of your time, this episode provides practical insights and actionable tips that will help you craft a week that works for you, not against you. Tune in to start transforming the way you approach each week and empower yourself with the skills to thrive.

Email Me

I would love to hear from you. Please take a moment to send me an email and let me know what insight(s) you gained from this episode. My email is [email protected]. 

Next Level Mastermind

As a self-employed business owner, applying for the Next Level Mastermind could be the transformative decision that propels your business and personal growth to unprecedented heights. This mastermind group is designed specifically for driven entrepreneurs like you who seek not only to excel in their business ventures but also to live a life marked by fulfillment, peace, and continuous learning.

By joining, you will connect with like-minded professionals in a supportive, collaborative environment that challenges you to surpass your current boundaries. Whether it's overcoming obstacles, strategizing for growth, or simply finding your path to personal satisfaction, the Next Level Mastermind provides the community, resources, and expert guidance necessary to make each step forward impactful.

Don't miss this chance to elevate your business and yourself. Apply today at NextLevelMastermind.info.

In this episode, I share the story of how I recently rediscovered my energy sweet spot for my early morning routine. This immediately reminded me that it's been far too long since I've personally conducted an "Energy Audit."

The Energy Audit Exercise allows you to evaluate the people, places/environments, things, habits/behaviors, thoughts, and beliefs that either fill you with energy or drain your energy. It is a powerful tool that you can use to gain insights into your own energy levels.

Instructions For Doing An Energy Audit.

1.  Create a document with two columns.

•  Column 1 = “What FILLS Me With Energy.”
•  Column 2 = “What DRAINS Me of Energy”

Going through this process for multiple energy-drains will create an audit that shows you how to maximize your personal energy.

Email Me

I would love to hear from you. If this episode resonated with you or if you want to provide feedback on the idea of sharing more of these “Reflections From the Front Seat” in The Cliff Ravenscraft Show, please email me at [email protected]. 

In this episode, I share my thoughts on a fascinating topic that reflects our ever-evolving relationship with technology. Here's what you can expect.

I explore the cyclical nature of our desires—how every 18 to 24 months, the allure of new technology, like the latest iPhone for example, captures our full attention. Yet, the excitement for the new quickly fades as it becomes the familiar.

Key Insights & Takeaways:

1. The Irony of Desire: We often find ourselves caught in a loop of anticipation for the latest tech, only for our excitement to wane once it becomes part of our everyday lives.
2. Technology's Transient Thrill: The initial joy of new technology is profound, yet this satisfaction is surprisingly fleeting as the 'perfect tech' soon shows signs of imperfection or change.
3. Gratitude for Technological Marvels: Despite our criticisms, I believe there is a need for an underlying appreciation for the miraculous capabilities of modern technology that connects us globally in real-time.

Join me as we navigate these thoughts, inspired by a simple yet profound interaction on social media. It's a reminder of how interconnected our lives are, thanks to these technological marvels, and a reflection on how we perceive and adapt to changes in our digital tools.

This episode is not just a journey through the lifecycle of technology but also a mirror to our behaviors and expectations.

Whether you're tech-savvy or just enjoy a deeper look into everyday phenomena, there's something in this discussion for you.

Special thanks and shout out to my friend, Ian Anderson Gray, for his recent Facebook Post.

As always, I appreciate your tuning in and look forward to your thoughts and reflections. Please send me an email at [email protected] and let me know how this episode resonated with you.

In this episode, I share a deeply personal and transformative journey - one that challenges the very way I interact with the wisdom that crosses my path. It's a reflection of my own almost insatiable need to capture every insightful word, every profound idea, and then put it in a single repository so that I can instantly retrieve it at a later date.

This compulsion to document, store, and then have the ability to retrieve every nugget of wisdom has, in many ways, cluttered my mind and spirit. It stemmed from a scarcity mindset, a fear that the insight and/or wisdom would not be available to me at some point in the future when needed. But what if I could shift that perspective? What if I could see wisdom as a flowing river, abundant and continually accessible?

Here’s what you will discover:

1. The Trap of Shortage Consciousness: I open up about how the urge to highlight nearly every sentence of every book and transcribe countless insights, with the intention of being able to search and find them instantly in the future, has paradoxically led to overwhelm and diluted the joy of learning itself.
2. Mindful Consumption: I share my intention to practice mindfulness before engaging with new knowledge. I know that I can transform my experience, allowing me to be fully present and deeply connect with the material on a more profound level.
3. Trust in Recollection and Reconnection: I explore the power of trust in my ability to recall information exactly when I need it.
4. A Ritual for Release: I talk about establishing a ritual that allows me to release the need to transfer every documented insight into a single notes repository. I find freedom in trusting that truly significant insights will remain with me, subtly influencing my journey.
5. Selective Documentation and Reflection: I affirm my commitment to becoming more selective in what I choose to document and store in my knowledge base. I will focus on insights that genuinely move me, understanding that some of my documentation exists simply as a method of reflection to deepen my understanding and integration of these ideas.

Here are the four suggestions that I shared:

1. Practice Mindful Consumption:
   • Engage with content consciously, focusing on the present experience rather than the future utility of the information.
   • Before beginning a new book or listening to a lecture, take a moment to center yourself with the intention of being fully present.
2. Cultivate Trust in Your Ability to Recall and Reconnect:
   • Develop confidence in your innate capacity to remember and revisit ideas that truly resonate with you.
   • Understand that the most impactful insights will emerge in your thoughts when needed.
   • Trust that your mind and soul are capable of holding onto the essential, allowing you to let go of the compulsion to document everything for the purpose of later retrieval.
3. Create a Ritual for Letting Go:
   • Introduce a practice of intentionally releasing the urge to store every insight in a central repository.
   • For me, it has been more along the lines of capturing my thoughts in whatever documented form, but letting go of the need to make sure that it’s all in the right database within whatever software tool(s) that I am using at the time.
4. Embrace Selective Documentation:
   • Shift towards a more selective approach to what you choose to document for later retrieval. This reduces the volume of material you need to manage.

I hope that sharing this personal journey leads you to some insights of your own. Are there any areas where what I shared resonated with you and your own journey of discovery? I'd love to hear from you. Send me an email at [email protected].

In this podcast episode, I interview my dear friend Jessica Rhodes about her podcast guesting service business, Interview Connections, which she started in 2013.

Over the past decade, her business has become a powerful entity that helps individuals reach their ideal clients and expand their audience.

Listen in to learn valuable tips on how to make a strong impact when given the opportunity to be a guest on other people's podcasts.

Hear are just a few of the key insights from this episode

• Appearing as a guest on other podcasts has proven to be the most effective method for reaching your ideal clients and exposing your message to a large audience.
• Over the past decade, I have referred numerous clients to Interview Connections and have received entirely positive feedback.
• The importance of thorough preparation for podcast interviews cannot be overstated. This includes researching the host and having a clear call to action.
• Having a clear call to action is important, but possessing unwavering confidence in the value of your course of action is the key to eliciting responses.
• There is a need to be fully present and engaged during interviews to establish a connection with the listeners and hosts.
• Using a clear, compelling "one sheet" to make it easy for hosts to say yes and ask questions that help you achieve your goals.
• Audience size numbers from directories are not accurate or transparent, and the right audience is more important than a large size.
• Thorough onboarding, training, and pitching over multiple months is important for services like Interview Connections to deliver top-notch results.
• Authenticity and vulnerability build strong business relationships, and local employees provide personalized service better than outsourcing.
• Referral partnerships can help promote services when there is trust, integrity, and a track record of success.
• Ongoing coaching can help overcome mindset blocks keeping clients from achieving their goals.
• Jessica Rhodes has been running her "Interview Connections" podcast guesting service for over a decade. Our conversation in this podcast episode has convinced me to be a long-term advocate for her company.

I fully endorse Jessica Rhodes and her podcast booking services. Book a call with Jessica today at InterviewConnections.com. Let her know that Cliff sent you.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of coaching Freya Casey, a successful singing coach and single mother of twins based in Germany. Freya has built her coaching business to over six figures but desires to scale even bigger to reach $1 million in annual revenue.

We dove deep into Freya's dreams and goals, uncovering her treasure of becoming the business owner who scales rapidly with a great team behind her. Through our discussion, Freya gained clarity on specific actions she can take to help grow her profits.

If you're a single mom entrepreneur looking for inspiration and community, be sure to connect with Freya through her new podcast "The Single Mom CEO" launching next week. You can also download her free guide at TheSingleMomCEO.com. It has been a pleasure to coaching Freya over the past several years and I look forward to seeing her continued success!

If you are a full-time self-employed business owner and would like to experience a coaching session with me, email me right now at [email protected].

In the timeless words of Maya Angelou, "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Drawing inspiration from this profound insight, today's episode shares the most significant lesson I learned from my friend and mentor, Dan Miller.

It is my sincere hope that the essence of this message touches you profoundly.

In this episode, I express who improving your public speaking skills can unlock new opportunities for business growth. More significantly, I highlight how powerful and effective communication can be pivotal, sometimes even a matter of life and death.

At a key moment, about an hour and four minutes in, I recount a powerful story. During the pandemic, a woman entered a Clubhouse room, expressing she was contemplating suicide and sought a reason to keep living. This incident underscores the vital importance of clarity, focus, and memorability in our communication.

Whether we're speaking, teaching, or training, it's crucial to convey our messages in a way that resonates and sticks with the audience, guiding them to grasp and remember our intended message.

Here's what I promised would be in the show notes:

• Scorre Speaker Training: https://www.scorretraining.com
• Next Level Mastermind: https://nextlevelmastermind.info
• Next Level Coaching Program: CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS
• Email Me About Coaching: [email protected]

Someone once reacted to a suggestion to reach out to me by saying, "Oh, yeah, but he's Cliff, freaking Ravenscraft." This reaction, while amusing, brings to the surface an essential truth about journeys to success.

It's easy to forget that there was a time when I was just Cliff, an ordinary individual unknown to the world. This transition from obscurity to recognition is a journey filled with learning, growth, and the realization that everyone starts somewhere.

Keeping this in mind, let's delve into some critical takeaways from this episode, highlighting how you can shape your path to becoming a thought leader through authentic and passionate content creation.

Here are a few key takeaways from this episode:

Align Content with Mission and Passion: It's crucial to align your content creation with your true passion, mission, purpose, and calling. This approach enables a deeper connection with the audience. I started without much knowledge about content creation but progressed by aligning my efforts with my passion.

Intentional Content for a Select Audience: Crafting content that is very intentional and targeted towards a select audience can help establish a professional reputation. This approach ensures that the content resonates deeply with the intended audience and reflects the creator's expertise and offerings. Note: The more targeted you get with your content, the less appealing it will be to the "broader audience."

Invest in Your Passions and Interests: Giving yourself permission to invest time and resources into your passions and interests can lead to content that is genuine and engaging. This investment not only enriches the content but also helps in personal growth and the realization of dreams.

Commitment to Quality: This isn't for everyone.  However, a few years ago, I made the decision that every piece of content should be "inspired" and of high quality. I've chosen that I will not produced an episode, for this podcast, that is not a '10 out of 10' in quality. This standard ensures that the content is always valuable and worth the "intended audience's" time.

Authenticity and Encouragement: Success in building a following and being a thought leader can be attributed to being authentic and uplifting. Sharing personal stories and encouraging others through your content can create a strong connection with the audience and inspire them, as illustrated by the experience of a follower who attributed his success to influence of the content that I created over the years.

In this episode, you'll gain numerous insights that are sure to help increase your income. I'll be sharing a conversation I had with my great friend, Matt McWilliams, affectionately known as 'The Affiliate Guy' in my circles.

Here are some of the insights that I wrote down

• You should start monetizing your email list, blog and/or podcast from Day 1!
• Affiliate promotion results can help you gain insight into what your audience is willing to purchase and what prices they are willing to pay.
• Note To Self: Set a reminder to ask "What has worked well in the past that I'm not currently taking advantage of in my business?"
• Your audience wants you to succeed.
• Your audience views you as "The Expert."
• The Affiliate Donut (Listen to the episode for details)
• You can call it a "referral program" if "affiliate" is not the right language for your community.
• The Bridge Page (Listen to episode for full details)
• Tips on building a Resources Page
• Creating a Product Review can drastically increase sales and cause inbound traffic.
• The power of offering a group coaching program to those who sign up for a course that you promote, using your affiliate link.
• Tips on paying out commissions.
• And much more!

Important Calls To Action In This Episode

• Get Matt McWilliams Free Report with 15 Places To Find Top Affiliate Partners to will help you get your Your First 100 Affiliates at https://MattMcWilliams.com/Cliff (Be sure to turn off your ad blocking software to load the full page.
• Apply for the Next Level Mastermind at https://NextLevelMastermind.info.
• Apply for One-on-One Coaching at https://mindsetanswerman.com/coaching.
• Email me at [email protected] if you are interested in joining my affiliate program.

In today's episode, I share a transformative conversation highlighting how one coaching session can shift years of aspirations into rapid reality.

Recently, I had the pleasure of coaching Ryan Hamilton, a visionary who had been nurturing the dream of launching his own podcast and becoming an industry thought leader for seven years. During our intensive 90-minute session, Ryan sought to break free from the shackles of perfectionism and to gain momentum on his journey. We focused on practical steps that would empower him to "get the train out of the station" and bring his long-awaited passion project to the world.

This episode underscores a vital lesson: the 'perfect' time or idea is a myth that often impedes progress. Taking incremental, yet deliberate, steps can ignite a powerful chain reaction, propelling your dreams into existence. It’s about progress, not perfection.

My hope is that Ryan’s story and our coaching conversation inspire you to translate your intentions into tangible steps. Remember, starting with even the smallest act can lay the groundwork for greater achievements. And if you’re seeking guidance or a collaborative brainstorm to advance your objectives, I'm here to lend my expertise.

For those interested in exploring the Next Level Mastermind or a one-on-one coaching relationship, reach out to me directly at [email protected] and use “Coaching” as your email subject. Let's make your vision a reality, together.

Be sure to check out Ryan's "Make Real Stuff" podcast. Click here for a link to episode 001.