Business owner, author and Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson gives you the tools to make a major shift in your life.

How to Make Change Happen

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Meet Tory Johnson!

Tory recently answered questions from the members of Connect: Professional Women’s Network.

Here is some of her most popular advice!

Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson is all about helping women make great things happen. After unexpectedly being fired from her job in 1999, Tory made the shift from employee to entrepreneur, building two multi-million-dollar businesses: Women for Hire and Spark & Hustle.

Now, after a second major shift—losing more than 60 pounds in one year—Tory is on a mission to help others change their thinking and achieve a better life. Her latest book, The Shift, offers lessons and inspiration for those of us wanting to create change in our lives.

So…What exactly is a “shift?”

A shift is a big life change. It could be finally finding a rewarding job, boosting your income, losing weight when it’s always

seemed impossible or starting a relationship that never seemed doable.

Believe in your goal. You’ll never stick to anything that you don’t truly believe is worth it. So before embarking on any kind of shift, you have to fully and completely believe that it’s worth it, that it’s doable and that it will take a long time—time that you’re willing to devote.

Celebrate mini-accomplishments. Most life shifts take time to achieve. In order to keep up your momentum, it’s essential to look for the mini-moments to let you know you’re on track. For a weight-loss shift, for example, the scale won’t move every day or even every week, so some days, the celebration is fitting into smaller clothing or comparing old photos to recent progress.

Don’t let setbacks derail you. After I was fired, I thought I was worthless. But then I realized you could take away my corporate ID and my business cards and my paycheck, but nobody could rob me of the successes I’d generated, the skills I’d acquired or the contacts I’d made.

Looking for a job? Connect with people. People hire people, so you can’t hide behind technology in hopes of getting hired. You can’t plaster the world with resumes and hope the phone rings. Focus the majority of your effort on connecting directly with people in your circle, in your industry and in your targeted areas of employment.

Look at transferrable skills. Making a shift into a new industry doesn’t necessarily mean going back to school. In addition to industry expertise, you also have functional expertise. You only have to convince ONE person/company that you have what it takes, and if you’re having lots of conversations, you’ll absolutely find that yes.

Don’t use the economy as an excuse. So many people have been waiting for years for things to bounce back to “normal.” Instead, operate like these are economic conditions we’ll have for a while. If you’re going to invest or expand, do it based on a mediocre economy. Don’t assume things will suddenly improve. It’s up to you to move the needle.

Market yourself wisely. Rather than trying to let the entire world know about your new endeavor, focus on 3-5 specific targets. It’s all about knowing who exactly you’re targeting and how best to reach them, whether that’s through direct contact or traditional or social marketing.

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Join the conversation!Connect: Professional Women’s Network, Powered by Citi, is an online community on LinkedIn that helps women achieve the careers they want and discuss the issues relevant to their success

For more great insights from Connect members, check out the discussion: I'm Tory Johnson, Here to Answer Your Questions About Making Big Shifts.

Visit linkedin.com/womenconnect for more information and to join the group for free! Check out ShiftWithTory.com to find out how to change your mind for a better life.

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