What’s in your memory box?

July 4, 2012 By

In my house, we have memory boxes.  They can be for a specific person, place or event but in those memory boxes are those tangible reminders of that moment in time.  Going back to the memory box allows us to recapture the magic of those moments.  Because if they got a box – they were indeed magical.

I thought about my memory boxes as I went through my day today.  It has been nostalgic for many people and was particularly so for me.  There are certain people who become icons for us as a society, symbols that over time rise above any dispute as to their value and even goodness.  Today the sheriff of Mayberry, Opie’s Dad left us.  Or perhaps you remember him as the wily and wonderful lawyer Ben Matlock.  Or maybe from early films.  One thing is certain, if you are from my generation or even that of my children, Andy Griffith’s work touched your life at some point.  The memory box we all share of that work remains available to us now because of technology.  We can re-watch and re-live his work.  And even though we cannot re-live that time, we can remember and be grateful it was part of our life experience.

Andy Griffith himself showed us that no matter how much success you’ve attained, the best part of living always remains ahead of us.  It’s even wonderful to know that some of his transition work was not perfect.  But he kept showing up and giving.  He kept knocking until the right door was opened.  He has now moved on again.  It’s a great reminder for all of us that as long as we continue on earth, so does our purpose and work.  And even after we are no longer physically present on earth, the value of our work remains.  My granddaughter will now experience Mayberry and laugh with me at the antics of Opie and company.  She will giggle and roll her eyes with me at the hysteria that was Barney.  And she will recognize as we all did the steady, loving wise man who guided them all.   Andy Griffith – another one for the memory box.

“But strew his ashes to the wind whose sword or voice has served mankind,– And is he dead, whose glorious mind lifts thine on high?– To live in hearts we leave behind is not to die.” (Thomas Campbell, Hallowed Ground)

 

 

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Personal thoughts & insights, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , ,

The business of books…

June 26, 2012 By

In case you haven’t noticed, the subject matter throughout my blog this past month has gotten rather “bookish”!  That is because I agreed to participate in an Author’s Blog Challenge for 28 Days in June.  We all need to do things that provide opportunities to interact with our own communities.  Targeted blog challenges are a great way to do that.  The key however is to attempt a level of creativity that allows you to participate within the optimal subject matter for the challenge while still creating value and words of interest for your continuous community.

One of the things that made this challenge unique were the writing prompts provided by the facilitator.  Those prompts just by themselves generated some creative treatments across the various participants.  Some really brilliant writing and thought leadership resulted.  And those were generally the posts where the prompt was not followed literally.  You see we all have as much creative license with whatever we do as we allow ourselves.  We can play within the field, follow the guidelines and still show up with our own incredible gifts and style.   I love that about my communities.

For today’s writings, the prompt focuses on the business of books vs. the writing or creative processes.  This is also often where my own audience struggles within their respective genres.

How do I generate a business base while staying true to my work or passion?  Or perhaps, how in the world can I make money doing this?  The range is broad but the sentiment is the same.

We are great at bringing forward ideas and taking action.  We are not always great at the longer view of the business.  This is true for just about any solopreneur endeavor.  Dentists, doctors, lawyers, artists, writers, actors – all professions where the primary business “brand” is the person and what they do.  This particular group of professions are also ones that can benefit quickly in every area of their business by embracing the idea of books as part of their mix simply because of their business value.

When developing our businesses, we all often turn to the “masters”, the gurus, the industry experts.  We don’t have personal access to them physically but we DO have access to their writings, their books.  Investing in the right library is a great business investment for the solopreneur.  Having that virtual “board of advisors” can only make you better and by extension, make your business stronger.

The next progression can be natural.  Readers of those books can become writers of those books.  Growing a business through book marketing is one of the easiest ways to establish true expert credentials and to also be able to approach others for interviews or collaborative ventures.

When we are innovative with how books are integrated with our business, they can generate revenues beyond their sale.  Book coach and publisher Lynne Klippel wrote a book that she rarely sells.  That is by design.  She gives it away.  Is it worth it?  Of course.  Because the book has been used as a marketing and expert status positioning tool that has generated tens of thousands of dollars in other fees from publishing and coaching.

Even if you do not want to write an entire book, you can still leverage publishing as part of your business plan.  Consider collaborating with other experts in your field by creating a collection of ideas or stories within a single book.  Or write an endorsement for someone else’s book that would put your name and expertise front and center with their audience.  However you incorporate books, with all of the “buzz” today with e-readers, virtual print on demand publishing and information based businesses, you will not be disappointed with the range of value you can generate leveraging books as a business development tool.

But here is the thought that I love when I think about the role of books in business:  When you describe someone who holds the $$ reigns of a company, that provides oversight on the profit and loss statements and everything financial – isn’t it marvelous that they are called the “book”-keeper?  So for authors and the rest of us: Keep the books, literally and figuratively and by extension you will without question improve your business.

Filed Under: Learning & Growth, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , ,

As easy as 1, 2, 3….

June 22, 2012 By

One of the success philosophies taught by thought leader Napoleon Hill is that “It is always your next move.”

When building a personal or professional platform, there are three essential elements that can guide our steps as we make each move.

The first element is education.  Before we can have a platform, we need to know what it is and have a depth of knowledge that allows us to champion it with passion and purpose.  For a platform to be sustainable, it must also include growth.  And so a continued focus on education for ourselves and our community is an essential component.

The second element is engagement.  A platform without a community or audience is merely a person with an opinion.  We have to engage an audience in dialogue.  We need to ensure that the platform is of value and serves.

The third element is execution.  A platform without associated action will not create change.  In the words of the Greek philosopher Epictetus: “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”  

The key to this is translating it into activities within each element.  My professional platform is centered on personal possibility.  The philosophy that there are abundant options.  I am always researching and looking for possibilities.  My personal quest is to learn something new everyday and then teach someone.  Engagement is covered by the teaching activity in many cases.  The execution comes with creating the framework where all of this happens.  That translates into the creation of a business focused on personal and professional development.

As I begin each day, I keep those three elements front of mind when planning my activities.  As I end each day, I reflect on their value and presence.  What a wonderful way to serve:  Learning, Listening and Leading.  What a rewarding way to live.

Thank you for being part of my community.

 

 

Filed Under: Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , ,

The results are in!

June 21, 2012 By

It could be said that we have moved from the industrial age to the information age and have now arrived at the age of influence.  Everywhere you turn, you are not just asked to buy something, you are also asked to review it.  And if the review is favorable, you’ve endorsed the product, and by association, its maker.  Because this practice is so prevalent, it also drives us to search out the opinions of others ourselves before we buy.  Whatever work you do, there is now a need to produce some form of social proof that it does what it purports to do.  Even if that is education or entertainment.

This requires a great deal of transparency when the value of what you do is demonstrated by another person’s results.  When working as a possibility coach, I know that the engagement of the client is what will deliver a successful outcome.  As an author in that same area of thought leadership, the value is going to come from how someone applies what they read.  There is no “true to color or size” or “operates as advertised”.  That shifts how social proof is going to look and sound.

To get feedback that is meaningful, we need to be open to (even seek) several responses.  The one we desire (simply because we’re human) is that they loved the work and cannot wait to recommend it and take advantage of what we bring to market next.  That’s always the goal.  But it’s not always the result.

Another response could be that they are confused.  The message wasn’t clear.  Here is an opportunity for genuine feedback to improve our ability to present the message.  These responders are extremely valuable simply because they themselves are willing to be transparent in their reaction.  It takes courage to say that something isn’t clear.  We need to listen carefully to these members of our community.

We can also spark disagreement and find those that would argue against our ideas or position.  These responders are valuable because dialogue is always a good place for discovery.  The key in these situations is to keep the discussion on topic and shrouded always in respect.

Regardless of which of these types of response we receive, the key is not just seeking the feedback of our audience but also listening to it and responding.  Response does not equal a change in message.  In fact, usually it will not.  But with critical thinking and meaningful dialogue, our voices can soften or sharpen and our words will blossom more fully in their form and function.

One last word on the subject of feedback:  Don’t just expect it – give it!  Those that give first, often receive best.  Always remember that a candle loses nothing of its own light just because it lights another.

 

Filed Under: Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , ,

To the market we go…..

June 21, 2012 By

Sometimes we create challenges where they do not exist.  And most of the time, it comes down to communication.  One personal experience as a business owner was in the area of marketing and understanding the importance of “knowing” my audience.  I went into analysis over-drive.  I was being told at every turn that before I could create value for anyone, I had to first choose a “someone”.  So who do you choose?  There was the conundrum.  It also became clear to me that to make that decision you had to first understand yourself and be able to see where your own passion would bring you.  For some, the passion is in serving a particular group of people.  For others, it is providing a very specific value.  It starts there.  Which comes first? Who you serve or how you serve them?  It doesn’t matter.  It only matters that you choose one and then make sure the other side of the pairing fits.

As I began to delve into this it became clear to me that my passion was in the message.  In order to determine what audience would be served by that message, I began to look deeper at why I cared about it.  What was it that drove “it” front and center for me?  Not surpisingly, it was the people.  It was watching so many talented and gifted people be sidelined professionally simply because the places their skills had been applied was no longer a part of the economic landscape.  There is an entire layer of management within the corporate environment that is disappearing.  Not simply or solely because of the economy.  It is disappearing because the market no longer needs it.  Technologies and changes in lifestyle have streamlined everything about production.  What does that mean?  That means that those jobs are not coming back.  And if you were in one of them, you have to make a choice.  You can either mourn what has passed or embrace what is yet to come.

Dennis Waitley has been quoted as saying that: “We can’t afford to waste tears on what might-have-beens.  We need to turn the tears into sweat that can take us to what can be.”  That was my passion.  Working with that group of people as a possibility partner.  Helping them re-imagine a future better than the one they had planned.  It was my story.  And it became my message of hope.

As Seth Godin has so eloquently stated, we live in the time where somehow, someway – we find each other.  And we connect.  We put our ourselves out there with genuine caring and transparency so that we can recognize each other.  And when we do, that’s when the miracles happen.  So off to the market we go…  There are lives to change.  Especially our own.

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , ,

Some things bear repeating…

June 20, 2012 By

Have you noticed that with some things in life we need reminders to keep certain values in focus?  It can be so easy to get overwhelmed by what is going on around us and lose sight of that core compass guiding us to the right place at the right time.  I surround myself with quick references that I know will keep my mental tracking in the right place.  And as Earl Nightingale said so brilliantly, “We become what we think about.” So it bears repeating some things that we need to think about as part of that evolving process.

I have found that a good way to stay centered is to have a clear manifesto.  After all, a better you is going to produce a better business.  Managing your thoughts, manages your actions.  And managing your actions, drivers better results in every aspect of your life.  Including your professional endeavors.  From time to time, I like to share mine here not only as a way to perhaps inspire my readers to craft their own, but to also reaffirm in my own voice, my own philosophical platform.  As you read through each statement, think about what would best express your beliefs in that particular area.  Then remember the power of taking the action of committing it to paper.  Write it down.  Then read it regularly.  You’ll find that as you evolve, your manifesto will evolve with you until it crafts into a full and powerful statement of you.

  1. My vision for the future is my decision touchstone. I recognize that what I do today is forming my tomorrow. I do not think about what might have been. I act on what will be.
  2. Creating value for others is always my objective. To do that, I need to understand and focus on what they need me to bring vs. what I want to bring.
  3. A curious nature is my most valuable resource. My most powerful tool is the right question.
  4. I invest time as a resource. I do not try to manage time. I set priorities and they determine how the time is spent.
  5. I do not think in terms of failure. I think in terms of effort.
  6. A change of scenery is often the absolute best way to achieve a change of perspective.
  7. The only rules that apply are those that I have accepted. By accepting (or not accepting) any guidelines, I am also accepting responsibility for my choices.
  8. Fear is not a bad thing. Fear is a healthy thing. Because it means I respect what I am undertaking.
  9. Fun is a good thing. I aspire always to have more fun.
  10. My surroundings reflect my values and appreciation for beauty.

 

 

Filed Under: Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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