Entreprenurship

A Few of My Favorite Things…2017 Edition

Every holiday season I look forward to Oprah’s Favorite Things list. I love exploring the carefully curated list of her top clothing items, home goods and food recommendations.

It inspires me to think about my own “favorites” list. What are the things that inspired me this year? What products, books and gifts would I recommend to others?

I posted this question to my Facebook community recently and loved watching the excitement as people shared their favorite beauty products, office supplies and recipes.

I’ve selected some of my favorite items that I’ve enjoyed throughout the year and wanted to share them with you.

Here’s my list:

What I’m watching

Mel Robbins TEDx talk. I love Mel’s no nonsense style and sense of humor. The talk is an inspirational reminder of the power we each hold inside of us and how to get out of our own way. After all, you are 1 in 400 trillion!

On a very different note – if you’re looking for something to add to your binge watch list, check out Parks and Recreation. Amy Poehler and company provide non-stop laughs in this comedic view of life in the parks and recreation department of Pawnee, Indiana.

What I’m reading

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown. After reading her previous books, Daring Greatly and Rising Strong, Brene became my go-to resource for all things related to vulnerability, courage and bravery. In her latest book, she dives deep into the quest for true belonging and the courage to stand alone.

What I’m listening to

Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations podcast. I’m a huge fan of Oprah’s SuperSoul Sunday, a weekly TV series of interviews with the world’s top thought leaders and change makers. The series delivers inspiring viewpoints and countless “aha” moments! Now, you can listen to it on-the-go with the SuperSoul Conversations podcast.

What I’m savoring

My list of favorite things would not be complete without a sweet treat! This year I fell in love with Levain Bakery’s chocolate chip cookies. How can you not? The cookies are the perfect mix of chewy and crunchy, while the chips provide a gooey center. The next time you’re in New York City, check them out. It is worth waiting in line!

What I’m grateful for

YOU! Yes, you! Whether you are a new member or have been part of the community for years, I am truly grateful to have you here. I appreciate all of your comments and engagement and look forward to bringing you more valuable content in the year ahead.

Now, it’s your turn! If you were to create a list of Favorite Things, what would you include? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

5 Reasons You Need to Add Speaking to Your Marketing Strategy

Have you ever felt called to grace the stage and share your message with the masses, but wondered about the benefits? Building a speaking platform requires time and energy, so you want to get results, right?

Sure, it’s a great feeling to engage with an audience and see an instant response to your message and gifts. However, there are so many other ways to market your services from networking to advertising to social media. The online world makes it so easy to connect with others services from the comfort of your own home office, why would you want to leave?

The benefits of speaking live and connecting with others in person cannot be measured. If you’re considering speaking as part of your marketing strategy, the shift you will see is invaluable. Here are the top five reasons to take the plunge:

Connect with more clients

Tired of exchanging business cards at networking events or posting on social media waiting for someone to hire you? When you hung out your shingle you thought the clients would immediately line up outside your door (or website). If you build it, they will come, right? While networking and social media and important parts of any marketing strategy, speaking is one of the fastest ways to connect with new clients – often the same day.

When you give a talk in front of a room filled with your ideal prospects, you have an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, inspire through your words and offer solutions to their biggest challenges.

The audience gets an opportunity to know you and experience what it’s like to work with you.

Speaking in front of an audience creates connection. When an audience feels connected to you it builds trust and people are more likely to work with someone they know and trust.

Establish Your Thought Leadership

Tired of being the best kept secret in your industry? Speaking is the path to becoming visible, establishing your credibility and make you the go-to expert in your field. Sharing your ideas with others through storytelling and an engaging presentation, you’ll find the audience will be open to and inspired by your point of view. Speaking helps to build your confidence and make you magnetic when on stage or in regular conversations.

Serve more people

You provide a powerful service that transforms lives. Ready to reach more people in a shorter amount of time?

Imagine having the opportunity to share your message and demonstrate your experience standing in front of a room of hundreds or thousands of people at once. What impact would that have on the audience? Or on you and your business?

Visibility and New Opportunities

New opportunities such as media interviews, business partnerships or other speaking engagements could come your way as a result of speaking. Speaking is a great way to demonstrate your expertise as well as your ability to engage an audience. And you never know who could be in that audience – reporters looking for sources; talent bookers who want to book you for an interview/segment on your topic; potential clients who need your services or business partners who want to collaborate with you.

Your next opportunity could be sitting in the audience waiting for you. Why wouldn’t you want to step on stage?

Overcome Your Fears and Get to the Next Level

Perhaps the greatest benefit of speaking is that it will help you build confidence both on and off the stage. Speaking requires you to get out of your comfort zone. When you are able to take a risk in one area, and be successful, you’re more likely to take risks in other areas of life.

Are you ready to overcome your fears and take your speaking to the next level? Begin by booking your complimentary session today.

3 Keys to Uncovering Your Signature Story

Do you have the desire to be a speaker, but worry you don’t have a story to tell?

You are not alone. I hear this comment a lot when speaking to entrepreneurs who feel called to share their message in a bigger way, but don’t think they have a powerful story.

Have you ever looked at the pros – those speakers who have built a big platform, deliver amazing TED talks, and grace the stage at national events – and think, “I could never be like them because I don’t have a story.”

Perhaps you think your story isn’t compelling or “BIG” enough.

When I hear these comments from entrepreneurs, I will ask a few questions to dig a big deeper. And then I strike story GOLD.

I hear stories of overcoming great odds like changing careers, starting a business or overcoming health issues.

Compelling stories. Engaging stories. Inspiring stories from the same people who believe they don’t have a story to tell!

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t have a story, I’m here to tell you:

Everyone has a story – even YOU – and the world needs your voice!

If you’ve ever felt unclear about the story you’re here to tell, here are three ways to help you get clear:

What’s the Journey?

What is the transformation you help your clients achieve? For example, if you’re a health and wellness coach, you help your clients shift by improving their nutrition and fitness levels.

If you’re a business coach, perhaps you help your clients transition from being in debt to increase their profitability and bring in more revenue.

Or perhaps you help empower your clients to silence their inner critic so they can reach the next level in their life and business.

Whatever the service you provide, you’ve most likely walked a similar path in your own journey. That transformation plays a key role in the signature story you’re here to tell.

Play Detective

Time to channel Sherlock Holmes and play detective by identifying the pivot points in your life. Looking back, what are the major turning points you’ve experienced? Think about the milestones like career changes, relationships or moving. What inspired the change? What did the experience teach you? Look for the common themes and you will find your story.

Get Angry!

The third way to uncover your story is to think about what makes you angry.  I don’t mean annoyances like someone cutting you off when driving on the highway or your spouse putting the toilet paper roll face up when you prefer it face down.

Think about the bigger picture. What gets under your skin? What are the injustices you see in the world that you would like to fix, if you had the power to change them. That is a key piece of your story.

These are a few ways to identify your signature story. Now it’s time to take action! Spend a half hour today thinking about your journey, the service you provide others and what really gets under your skin. A quick brainstorming session and you’ll be on your way to developing your signature story!

If you’d like support with crafting your powerful story, I’d love to help. Reserve your complimentary session, so you can take the first step towards the spotlight!

Are you hitting an upper limit?

Have you ever lost your voice on the morning of a speaking engagement?

Or missed a flight and had to cancel an important meeting?

Perhaps you are getting ready to go to concert only to realize the show was the night before?

Some would say it’s an accident. Others call it bad luck.

While on the surface, it can seem like a coincidence, on a deeper level these incidents are a sign of hitting an upper limit.

As Gay Hendricks describes in The Big Leap, we typically hit an upper limit when we’re trying to move to the next level. Whether it’s a promotion at work, expanding a business or taking the next step in a relationship, navigating this new territory stirs up our underlying fears. That in turn causes us to self-sabotage.

Have you ever noticed when things are going well – you’re in a great relationship, clients are flowing in, your eating well and exercising – and then, BAM! You get in an accident, get sick or it seems as though “the other shoe” drops. That’s the upper limit.

There are four main reasons that cause an upper limit problem:

Feeling like you’re not good enough – New opportunities can bring up thoughts such as What if I can’t do it?; What if I can’t deliver what I’ve promised?; What if I don’t meet the expectations?

Fear of leaving your tribe behind – When you’re taking a big leap into new territory, you may meet resistance from friends or family. Perhaps they tell you you’re changing or no longer what to spend time with you. When this happens, naturally we want to stay where we are. You hit an upper limit and hold yourself back.

New level, new devil – Have you ever turned down a job because it seems like it will be too much work?

Fear of outshining others – Perhaps you turn down an opportunity because you don’t want to outshine a sibling, parent or friend.

How to break through the upper limit

So what can you do to prevent hitting an upper limit?

1. Raise your awareness – Make a commitment to become aware of patterns that lead to upper limits. Behaviors like worrying, getting sick, breaking agreements or deflecting compliments are good indicators that you’re approaching an upper limit.

2. Shift old patterns – By raising your awareness of upper limit behaviors, you can identify the pattern and change course before you sabotage yourself.

3. Write a new story – When old patterns and fears creep up it’s time to flip the script. Instead of spiraling out of control, adopt a playful attitude towards yourself. Embrace a sense of wonder about what’s causing you to hit your upper limit.

Have you hit an upper limit? How did you handle it? Share your story over on Facebook or Twitter.

What Improv Taught Me About Business

“With improv, it’s a combination of listening and not trying to be funny.” – Kristen Wiig

I discovered how true that statement is when I took my first improv class recently. Improv has always been on my bucket list, but fear held me back. The inner critic was saying “you’re not funny, you don’t have any acting experience, you’re going to make a fool of yourself.”

The Power of “Yes, And”

Twitter’s CEO, Dick Costolo, credits his improv training with his ability to think big and make courageous choices.

What could be more important in business or in life?

I’ve been fascinated with improv for a long time, so I signed up for an intro class. I walked in with sweaty palms and walked out with tools that will serve me in every aspect of life including:

  • Listen – Improv is unscripted, so your next move depends on your scene partner’s action. If you try to plan your next line, the scene loses its natural flow. By being fully present and listening, your next move becomes natural and it eliminates the fear.
  • Trust – Improv teaches you to think on your feet. But there are moments your mind will be blank. Instead of panicking and thinking that you won’t know what to say or do, trust that the answer will come. It always does.
  • Let go of fear – This may be the hardest lesson to learn because fear is such a powerful force. In improv (and in life) you’re going to make mistakes. You’re going to have critics, but you have to go for it anyway. In order to move forward you have to let go and get over the fear. After all, that’s where the reward is.
  • Yes, And – Improv encourages you to say “yes, and…” in order to build a conversation or scene. The second you say “no,” the action stops. Where are you saying “No” or “Yes, but…”? Now, imagine what would happen if you shifted those answers to “Yes, and…”

Ready to give improv a try? Check out the Rock Your Story workshop and learn how improv can help you on stage and in life.