New Year... New Start!

It's snowing heavily today along the Front Range. Fresh white powder is hiding all the gray sludge that remained from our last storm, and watching that 'fresh start' occur in real-time outside the window got me thinking about 2008 and my own changes.

I always enjoy the holiday break and try to use the time to reassess my life, my priorities, my triumphs and my failures. A new year really is a new start - a cleansing of the old and welcoming of the new. I included a list of Questions to Ponder at the Year's End in my recent December newsletter, Ideas for Impact!, and I wanted to share them on my blog as well. So, here goes:

1. What are you grateful for? Gratitude is such a powerful emotion and it opens the doors to good things in life. Whether 2007 was a fantastic year or not, we all have a multitude of things to be thankful for. Ponder them and appreciate the positive people, things and events in your life.

2. What were the most significant events of 2007? Significant events can be wonderful or horrible, but we always learn from them - don't we? Think about the three turning points or epiphanies you experienced in 2007 and what you need to take away from those powerful events to become a better person.

3. What did you accomplish? Celebrate the joy of accomplishment! Pat yourself on the back and recognize the things you did right during the year.

4. What did you learn? As we walk through life, we are constantly being conditioned by our environment, our family, our friends, our job, etc... The end of the year is a great time to look back on learning experiences and make sure that you integrate new knowledge and skills into your everyday world.

5. What did you complete or release? Hopefully we are always growing and evolving - leaving old things behind and transforming into something fresh and new. Acknowledge the things you've completed during the year and rejoice in the negative areas of your life that have been released.

6. What still feels incomplete? It's important not to abandon everything when a new year begins, so remind yourself of unfinished business and make sure your goals for 2008 build on incomplete issues from 2007.

7. What were your biggest challenges, roadblocks or difficulties? We never enjoy looking back at difficulties, but, alas, that is often the only way to avoid repeating them. Ponder the challenges and failures of 2007 - and do your best to set yourself up for success in 2008.

8. How are you different this year than last? Every year we should see changes in ourselves. Think about the metamorphoses you have gone through. Keep the good changes and throw out the bad. Go into the New Year reading to live your best life and take on the world!

Overcoming Fear

Last night I had a fabulous meeting with my Victory Circle, a women's group that I facilitate. (Visit www.victorycircles.com to learn all the details) So, our conversation topic was Freedom from Fear. Not a bad thing to deal with before we all go into the New Year with our big plans and rock-solid resolutions!

I wanted to share a few things from the reading that we did together. Each item is a step you can take to overcome the fears that are holding you back in life. It doesn't really matter whether a fear is big or small, personal or professional, rational or irrational - no one who lives in fear is truly free. We all feel afraid at times, that's unavoidable, but as Katherine Patterson sagely said, “To fear is one thing. To let fear grab you by the tail and swing you around is another.”

1. Take Small Steps

This is good for fear that can seem overwhelming at first. For instance the strong feeling – it can almost feel like a flight or fight response – just before public speaking or asking someone out for a date. A solution is to take small steps instead. A small step could be just saying ‘hi’ to people if you’re afraid of more vulnerable interactions. Small steps let you gradually de-sensitize yourself to whatever you are afraid of. You build courage and expand your comfort zone. So, identify your fear. Then make a plan with some smaller steps you can take to gradually lessen your discomfort.

2. Get Concrete, Positive Motivation to take Action

It can take time to get to the stage where you really feel that you need to stop waiting – or stop reading one self-help book after another. But there always comes a point for action. One way to get moving is to replace some of your negative thoughts with clear, positive reasons to move past your fear. Take 5 minutes and take out a piece of paper and a pen. Write down all the wonderful ways that overcoming a fear will improve your life. Lack of motivation can keep you stuck. Writing down all the amazing things you will gain by conquering this fear can be empowering. Focus on those positive things to get motivated and inspired. “A cheerful frame of mind, reinforced by relaxation... is the medicine that puts all ghosts of fear on the run.” George Matthew Adams. Wise words indeed.

3. See Failure and Rejection in a New Light

Often it’s easy to avoid something difficult because we fear failure and rejection. We may fear failure when starting in a new career. Or rejection from friends and family if we fail at a task. The definition of failure we are brought up with in society might not be the best and most useful to have. If you look at the most successful people you quickly notice that they have a different response to failure than most of us. They don’t take failure or rejection that seriously. They know it’s not the end of the world if they fail. Instead they look at each failure and see the good part about it: what they can learn from it and improve upon next time. Winners have an abundance mentality. They know that if their first business venture fails they can try again. Don’t be afraid! Listen to the advice that failure gives you - and you will improve… And success will come.

4. Practice living in the now

Don’t let your thoughts and emotions constantly run away to the future or the past. Being in the now means not getting your mind stuck in a psychological headspace that is focused on things you have no control over. It means not dwelling on what has gone wrong before - and what could go wrong tonight or tomorrow. Such thinking will only ramp up your fear to the point where you feel unable to do anything. Make your plans. Cover all the bases. Then just be. Focus on the now and what needs to be done in the moment. The future will be the present soon enough. And when you arrive there, it will be much easier to get things done with a minimal amount of stress and fear in your mind. Mark Twain said “I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened!” So, focus on the present moment. Enjoy life. Love people. Build a legacy. And strive for peace of mind.

5. Stop Fighting Fear and Understand It

We can’t truly overcome something we don’t understand. Without getting into ‘analysis paralysis’, try to understand where your fears come from and what they take away from the richness of life. When you are faced with fear, observe the feeling of panic or dismay in your mind and body without labeling or judging it. Acceptance, and the ability to understand your fear instead of fighting it, will allow your body to process and release it. Madame Curie wisely stated, “Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.”

6. Redefine your Reality

To overcome fear, you have to be prepared and willing to redefine yourself. Try new things and practice until you push past your fears. No one can do it for you. By reframing your feelings and environment you may be able to make something that seems big and scary come back into focus. Everyone is addicted to their own personality and their way of seeing the world. Evolving from rigidity to being flexible and positive can lessen your fear of what might happen in a new, unfamiliar situation. Remember that your world is really a mirror of you. Change will be hard if you deep down still think, “I am a shy, awkward, unsuccessful, negative, scared person.” An old story tells of a man imprisoned in the dark who feared a snake in the corner of his room. One time – for a brief moment – light came in and he saw that what he feared was only a rope. After that, although his situation remained the same, he could never again fear the rope. His reality did not change, but his perception did. If you are prepared and ready to change, you can rewrite what you perceive as the truth about yourself and your personality, thoughts, actions and emotions.

I LOVE this quote by Marianne Williamson and it sums up my feelings about what's at stake when you let fear get the best of you:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Marianne Williamson

Holiday Email Tips

Help Shoppers Save Time.
Research shows that time saving and convenience are the #1 holiday shopping motivators. Try promoting something that will save your customers time while shopping.

Use a 30 Second Rule.
Holiday email promotions abound, but time does not. Make sure your message can be digested in less than 30 seconds. Use a minimum of copy and images and focus on concise headlines and links. Give them just enough information to get them into the store or onto your website.

Offer Alternatives to "Buy Now."
50% of online purchases are for an item other than the one in the promotion. If you promote a single item, offer alternatives and incentives in addition to 'but it now' in order to draw people in to browse online or in your store.

Categorize Your Offers.
Remember that its gift giving season, so try categorizing offers by gift-giving group instead of by product line. Examples could include "for the chef in your home," "gifts that teens love," "stocking stuffers," etc.

Be Branded but Different.
Using holiday colors is a good idea, but make sure you keep a consistent brand by using the same format, logos, text style, and personality that your customers are used to seeing. If they don't recognize your emails, they may be perceived as unwanted junk. Also be sure your subject lines and from lines are clear, consistent, and include the immediate benefits of opening your email.

What Does it Take to Successfully Launch a Business?

We all know a few 'born entrepreneurs' - those special individuals who are always bubbling with energy and ideas. People who have a knack for getting others to jump on board and support them. What makes a truly great leader? What personality traits and habits are critical to successful entrepreneurs? What does it take to successfully launch a new business venture?

1. First and foremost, truly great leaders know their destiny. If you plan to be a successful entrepreneur, you must discover the deeper values that justify why you do what you do, and explore the contribution your new business can bring to the world.

2. All great entrepreneurs are confident, influential people. Don’t misunderstand – by influential I don’t mean extroverted or wealthy! You must be innovative, passionate and dedicated to your goals in order to succeed in promoting your business.

3. Successful leaders must have a sense of humor and a high tolerance for frustration. As Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” Never be as high as your latest accomplishment or as low as your last disappointment.

4. Effective business owners and managers develop an intimate understanding of their customers and the value that they expect. The depth of your customer insight will ultimately determine the level of success you experience in the marketplace.

5. Brilliant entrepreneurs understand the importance of excellence! Countless studies have shown that the quality of your products or services will have the single greatest impact on your bottom line and your competitive advantage.

6. Great leaders surround themselves with great people and let them do their job. Many entrepreneurs view their businesses as their babies, and they try to micro-manage everyone around them. The right people will naturally move your company in the right direction, so find those people and get out of their way!

7. Successful business owners excel at the fundamentals. Most small businesses will ultimately fail because the owners are not excellent managers and administrators. Dedicate yourself to running your business well, and never lose your focus on achieving tangible results.

8. Leaders who reach the top of their game are always ‘money savvy’. In order to profit from your hard work, you must constantly monitor the financial health of your company and ensure that you are spending money wisely. Without adequate capital and the ability to manage it well, you can never be successful.

9. Great entrepreneurs trust their own instincts. You must be willing to accept calculated risks and take action based on your gut feelings.

10. Entrepreneurs who are poised to succeed are able to look beyond themselves and appreciate a sense of community. The most successful business owners strive to become local heroes and philanthropists, and create a culture of giving within their companies. By looking beyond the process of building your own business, you will reap rewards far greater than simple monetary gain.

If you are beginning the process of launching a new venture, take the time to look inside yourself and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. Work on building the behavior patterns, thought processes and habits that have been proven to achieve results and drive new companies to success. Most of all, believe in yourself and the strength of your ideas and you will be able to translate that strength to those around you and make your dreams a reality.

Gratitude

At some point in the past year my dear friend Cynthia Morris, owner of Original Impulse, (check them out at www.originalimpulse.com!) gave me a little laminated card about gratitude. With Thanksgiving coming up I pulled it out recently and stuck it on my bulletin board. Here is the gem of wisdom it shares:

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
Melody Beattie

What a powerful message for each of us! It's so easy in America to get caught up in the rush of spending, parties, work and trips during the holidays and forget to be thankful for all we have. It's also easy to forget how blessed each of us is in light of the rest of the world. The poorest families in the US are wealthy by the standards of the third world.

Often our mental and spiritual state depends not so much on external circumstances, but on how we view them. So, with Thanksgiving on the way, let us all remember to show gratitude for all the wonderful things that make our lives rich and full.

Love...
Friends...
Family...
Material possessions...
Talents...
Dreams...
Work for our Hands...
Faith...
Hope...

Take a moment this morning to run through the list of things you have to be grateful for. It will make your entire day look brighter - I promise!

Wishing you an amazing Thanksgiving filled with gratitude, love and light,

Trish

Working with Different Personalities

As part of a presentation I'm doing next week, I've been re-acquainting myself with the four personality types of the DiSC profile. It's been a while since I've taken an in-depth look at core personality traits, and the exercise has been a stark reminder of how different we all are and how tough it can be to relate to someone with an opposing style.

A huge challenge in my business is helping people maximize their effectiveness and get things done by putting aside their differences and working together. Unique communication styles and personalities can definitely make that process a challenge. I thought that for today's blog I would lay out the four primary personality types and remind everyone of the value that each style brings to the workplace. Sometimes, even if someone is incredibly annoying, it helps to understand that they have special strengths and positive contributions to make as well.

D - Dominance
D's are committed to shaping their environment by overcoming obstacles. They are direct, and are usually risk-takers who are decisive and like positions of authority.

i - Influence
I's are fun-loving and people-oriented. They are good communicators and come across as enthusiastic, charming, persuasive and free.

S - Steadiness
S's are patient, easy-going and like stability. They are empathetic listeners and can often be very accommodating and passive, but they don't like change and conflict.

C - Conscientiousness
C's are analytical, detailed and performance-oriented. They are often perfectionists and need a lot of information to make a decision.

On their face, all of the types seem to have some good traits, but let's take a closer look at what happens with these personalities in the workplace:

D's come across as very pushy, blunt and stubborn. They want to GET THINGS DONE!

i's come across as disorganized, gossipy and unfocused. They want to SOCIALIZE!

S's come across as indecisive pushovers. The just want to GET ALONG!

C's come across as overly sensitive and anal. They just want to GET IT RIGHT!

So, as you can see, we have some problems. But, in spite of each type's annoying tendencies, they all bring certain needed strengths to a team. Working with respect and balance, a team that has all four types represented will get a lot done. Here are the good points about each type. Remember them! Everyone has good points. :)

D's: Not a lot would get done in this world without D's. Although they can come off as aggressive and demanding, they take on challenges, drive change and keep everyone focused on results.

i's: i's are inspiring. They bring fun and emotion to the workplace. Their positive energy and ability to involve everyone in a project can be critical for success.

S's: S's are the peacemakers. They help people trust each other and relate to each other. Their team mentality and calming influence are often the glue that holds a temperamental group together.

C's: Somebody has to look at the details and the C's will do it. They will make teams look at all the data and examine all their options before diving into a big task. Their intuition and control keep standards high for everyone.

Next time a co-worker is making you crazy, try to think about who they really are and what they bring to the table. Often, the very things that are bugging you are some of the traits that make them valuable in their own way. So take it easy on each other!

Trish

Public Speaking without Fear!

I just saw a great presentation on fearless public speaking and there were some excellent tips that I wanted to share with everyone. It's funny that we are all so adversely affected by speaking. It's really not such a big deal, but fear of public speaking is ranked higher on national polls than fear of death!

So here are some proven techniques to help you get over your fear and use public speaking to your advantage:

1. Warm up before speaking and practice, practice, practice!
2. Don't rush through the beginning of your speech - this is where you capture your audience's attention and find your rhythm.
3. Simulate the speaking environment when you practice (hold a banana for a mic, or stand behind a chair for a podium...)
4. Only present on topics that you truly believe in and feel passionately about.
5. Expect a great outcome and positive feedback - don't expect the worst! Your audience truly wants you to succeed.
6. NEVER picture people naked or in their underwear. (Honestly, we're older than that, don't you think?)

So speak without fear by following these basic tips that will keep you focused, positive and prepared. Thanks to Dr. Andi O'Conor of Communication Consulting, Inc. for providing this sage advice. Happy speaking!

My Inspirational Client, Wendy Booker...

This week I met with a new client who is truly an amazing woman. I thought I would take a little time this morning to share her incredible story with you.

Back in 1998, Wendy Booker was a mom and interior designer in Massachusetts. After experiencing some odd symptoms and falling down while setting up a window display, Wendy was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Her distress and depression didn't last long. She immediately took her casual hobby of running to a whole new level and has now run 9 marathons over the past 9 years.

Mountain climbing came next. Wendy heard about a group of MS patients who were pulling together a team to climb Mt. McKinley in Alaska (the highest peak in N. America) and she jumped on board immediately. At the time, she didn't know what or where Mt. McKinley was or how to climb a mountain. The only mountain she had heard of in Alaska was called 'Denali' and she knew that it was a brutal climb that had taken many lives. Little did she know that Mt. McKinley and Denali were one in the same!

After extensive training and two summit attempts, Wendy became the first person with MS to summit Denali, and that feeling of accomplishment set off a chain of events that have taken her on an incredible journey. Wendy is now a full-time climber and motivational speaker. She is tackling the Seven Summits (the highest peaks on each of the seven continents) and has currently reached the top of four of these impressive mountains - the first MS sufferer to do so. They include Denali, Kilimanjaro, Mt. Elbrus in Russia and Mt. Aconcagua in South America. Another thing I haven't mentioned... Wendy isn't 25 - she's 53 years old! Not too shabby.

This December Wendy will be traveling to Antarctica to climb Mt. Vinson in the bitter ice and cold. Mt. Everest looms large for the spring of 2009.

Akamai Consulting is working with Wendy to help her find ways to fund her climbing activities and locate opportunities to speak and share her inspirational story. It's an easy job because we truly believe in her ability to make a positive impact on the world. Visit www.wendybooker.net to see photos, read Wendy's blog and learn more about her mission. Get in touch with us or post a comment if you have ideas for media coverage, sponsorships, fundraising or speaking engagements.

And most of all... find your own mountains to climb!

Life is Short, Live it Well

Tuesday night we had the traumatic experience of losing my daughter's horse to a sudden onset of severe colic. It's been a while since we've had a death in the family (and Timmy definitely was family), so the event really made me think. Our life on this planet is so beautiful and so fleeting, and it is up to each of us to try and live everyday to the fullest.

In business, it is easy to get caught up in a whirlwind of paperwork, minute details, phone calls, emails and meetings. Until we are slapped in the face by mortality, we have a tendency to just plow forward without thinking about our priorities, dreams or destiny. But your business and your work only exist to support your REAL life - they shouldn't become your life.

I would charge each of you today with the task of examining your professional life and determining how it relates to the things that matter the most. Does your business support your family life or destroy it? Does your company take precedence over travel, sports and fun? Do your professional obligations enable you to live your dream life - or do they make your life a nightmare? Are you in the right career? Do you use your free time wisely or plop down in front of the TV every night? What are you truly contributing to the world? Tough ones, aren't they?

You are not your job. You are a vibrant being whose life should be driven by love, laughter, beauty, art, music, fitness, friends and family. Do a quick 'gut check' today to see if your work persona and the real you are living in balance with each other. If they aren't - take action to bring yourself back to the things that feed your soul.

If you died tonight, would you be happy with the day you lived today? Think about that one...