Reinventing Yourself? Know Thy Talents
By · CommentsIf you are due for a change–a personal Spring cleaning, of sorts–you’ll want to take note of your talents and passions. What comes naturally and easy for you? Talents, which are innate, are different than abilities, which are learned.
The next time you feel a lack of confidence, remind yourself of the talents you naturally possess. Talents don’t come and go; they are with you all the time. Speaking of time, the things you are truly passionate about are the ones that make you lose track of time. Passions may be things that come so easily for you, you can’t imagine why anyone would pay you to do it.
If you are reinventing yourself but don’t quite know what you want to be this time around, well, those passions and talents of yours are the things you want to put at the top of your list!
You have every reason to remain confident knowing that you always have talents that can be accessed and used when you need them. Don’t pooh-pooh anything. Remember, Oprah loves to teach, Martha Stewart loves homemaking, The Cake Boss loves to bake, Denise Austin loves to exercise and Andrew Zimmern loves to eat weird food! Hardly the things we think would make a lucrative career.
Dismiss nothing. Consider everything. You just never know what you can turn into a living and have fun doing it.
Let me know what you’re passionate about.
Still not sure what you want to be when you grow up? Then call me for a FREE Strategy Session and let’s get you on the right path.
Best Communication – Be True to Yourself
By · CommentsWork-Life Balance? Are you Kidding Me?
By · CommentsEvery time I hear this term it makes my teeth hurt. What the heck does work-life balance mean anyway?
My work life and and life-life is all the same, BUT it doesn’t mean I allow others to intrude in my life willy-nilly. If that’s the issue you’re dealing with then you don’t need “work-life balance” you need a back-bone!
Seriously, if you choose to work for a person or organization where you know you’re giving your life away, frankly, I have no sympathy for you. But, if your understanding of privacy parameters at work doesn’t include “contact me during my nephew’s bris” then speak up. Have the conversation to confirm your understanding of when you are available and when you aren’t.
Now, if you work for yourself then you are in control even when you think you aren’t. But..but…but…yeah, yeah, I can hear it now. If I don’t take my customer’s call then I’ll miss their business. Really? Really? If that’s what you believe then that’s what you’ll get…customer’s that take you for granted and don’t see your value. You control this to the extent that you value yourself.
Think about it. If you set the example for the type of life you want to live then that’s the client you’ll attract. I bet if you think back to the last customer that canceled on you…it was the one that wanted to be “the exception to the rule.” You know, the one that always asked for an extra discount even after you’ve given them a special accommodation. It’s the client that seems to always have an excuse, or runs late, or calls you at all hours.
Grow a backbone. It will change your life. I know I’m going to hear comments on this one.
If you still aren’t sure what your life or life purpose is, well that’s a whole other story, but if that’s the case join me for Reinvention Intervention: 5 Really Simple and Smart Steps to Relaunch Your Life teleseminar course. Starts March 15.
Lifetime TV – The Balancing Act
By · CommentsI taped my segment for Lifetime Television’s–The Balancing Act, yesterday. Great fun!
My host, Beth Troutman, is smart and vivacious–an excellent communicator who clearly loves what she does for a living. (And, yes–she’s quite beautiful in person.) She made my interview seem like an intimate conversation between girlfriends and I’m hoping that’s what it looks like in the final production.
We talked about my book, Misunderstood! The Fast Guide to Communicating at Work, and why misunderstandings and the lack of honest communication (especially inner or self conversation) may be the source of so many unhappy, frustrated workers. A recent Parade poll showed that 61% of the people who responded would not make the same career choice if they had the opportunity to do it all over again. Sad statistic.
It’s why I know there is a need for Reinvention Interventions–we need to be living and doing our purpose in the world–just like Beth.
It’s not too late to join me for Reinvention Intervention: 5 Really Smart and Simple Steps to Relaunch Your Life. This 5 week teleseminar course starts Tuesday, March 15 and you can still attend at an amazingly low price. The bonuses alone make this worth attending. Read more here: Reinvention Intervention Teleseminar.
My experience with everyone I met at The Balancing Act, from the make-up artist, to the camera crew to the producer (and everyone in between) was friendly and professional, making the entire experience a memorable one. Thank you all.
The segment will air sometime in April so stay tuned for updates.
Manager’s Top Job – Clear Communication
By · CommentsUnclear communication and workplace misunderstandings can lead to a loss of productivity, money, clients or worse. Clear communication is the benchmark of a good office and tops the lists of best business practices with a capital “C”.
The clear communication implementation process begins when a new hire joins your team. As a manager, it is your job to make the person Read More→
Inner Communication is the Key to Reinvention
By · CommentsI believe that the most important conversation you can have is the one you have with yourself.
Have Some Fun!
In my new teleseminar series, “Reinvention Intervention – 5 Really Smart and Simple Steps for Relaunching Your Life”, I talk about the #1 thing that keeps you from living the life you want to live, keeps you from making timely decisions, and keeps you in a place of frustration.
So, what is it–you ask. It’s the failure to make a choice. A decision. Yup, it’s that simple. We live in limbo land and rationalize the end result of possibilities and create endless lists of pros and cons until we are blue in the face–but we never quite commit to a, well…a commitment.
I use that word purposely, because commitment tends to feel like a heavy yoke on our shoulders, weighing us down with responsibilities when in fact, it’s quite the opposite. Not making a decision is what weighs us down. Making a decision is freeing and liberating. Making a decision lifts the fog. Making a decision propels you forward.
If you’re serious about reinventing yourself, you are, my friend, going to have to make a decision. Probably a bunch of them…but, let’s start with one.
Making a decision is a declaration to move in a direction based on your bigger why. The “why” is the compelling reason to change that supersedes all others. It’s the single compelling force that allows you to forge ahead even when the cons seem to outweigh the pros.
And yet, this inner conversation is often the one we fail to initiate with ourselves because it means acknowledging that undefinable thing. That thing we call “gut” feeling or hunch or, if you are more enlightened…your intuition. It means listening very closely for the the truth and, that is indeed, scary.
Here’s the remedy for failure to decide: Put down the pen and paper and go talk a walk. Get out of your office or away from the kitchen table and engage your right brain. Play a game, play with your kids, play hoops, hula hoop, or potsy, frankly, I don’t care. Do anything but think logically.
And then, get quiet and listen to what you are feeling. Get beneath the chatter and you’ll find your feelings. Pay attention. Now, you’ll know what to do.
But, you know this is only the start to your reinvention – don’t you? If you’re living with a sick feeling in the pit of stomach because your life is passing quickly and you’re scared you’re never going to live a life that has meaning for you then join me for The Reinvention Intervention-5 Really Smart and Simple Steps to Relaunch Your Life Teleseminar Series. You’ll discover how to stop feeling afraid to step into your passions, gain the confidence to make decisions and create a map for the next phase of your life!
Conflict Management in the Workplace-Tips for Bosses
By · CommentsAs a manager you must have faced resistance to new ideas, initiatives and change to procedures at some point in time. Good managers learn to deal with these minor push-backs and move ahead. Better ones, however, turn that into an opportunity and gain in strength from it – they create a persona for themselves and turn it to their advantage. Some simple managerial and conversational recommendations that make managers turn into leaders, in spite of resistance from a group of people, are discussed below. They would assist a good manager turn into a better leader.
State your Aim Clearly. For a task to be done well, it needs to be clearly stated. Be direct but be positive and use plain tones. State facts as facts and mention requirements in an unambiguous manner. Clear instructions, without an iota of threat works wonders in any situation. Above all, keep a neutral tone and add no negative emotion to the conversation. Half your job is done.
Let People Gripe – Its their Birthright. You have to appear as a very patient listener. You need to listen to the protests people have, but limit it to a logical time span. It need not be unending and you need to make them understand that though occasional bouts of complaints might work – noncompliance does not. Limit the gripe time.
Understand the Real Concern. Often the real cause of the resistance to a new idea is Read More→
Communication Quick Tip – The Keep Cool Formula
By · CommentsIt always helps to have a quick formula that’s easy to remember, easy to post where you can see it and easy to implement. In touchy communication situations when emotions might thwart clear thinking try these 3 steps:
1. Look – Observe the pace, voice, eye-contact and posture of your listener. Pay attention to emotions, intentions, and any mental or physical distractions. Match and step it down if emotions are high.
2. Adjust – Shift your style to communicate in the way your listener likes to communicate. A small adjustment now saves time, money and effort later.
3. Verify – Verify that the translation and comprehension of your message matches your intention. (and be honest about your intention-is it aligned to your highest self?)
Ready for more tips you can use? Just enter your name and email in the boxes to your upper right and get FREE Instant Access to your 6-Part Audio Series – The Power of Effective Communication now. Go. 6 short audios that can change the way you communicate. or CLICK HERE
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