Simple Steps to Help You Own Your Expertise and Better Communicate Your Message
There was a time when the thought of chiming in on a conference call would make my voice small and squeaky while my heart would race uncontrollably. A time when having to present artwork to a client or talk about my services to a new contact would cause me to awkwardly fumble over my words.
And the networking events… oh the networking events!
I can’t count the number of times I would sit there, reciting what I was going to say over and over in my head, only to stand up and be so distracted by my pounding heart and shaking legs that I would sit back down (much sooner than anticipated) and wonder if I even said my name right!
Sometimes just the thought of having a phone call, whether job-focused or just to talk about project collaborations, would render me a useless, nervous wreck! I would spend far too much time wondering what they were going to ask me and then how I would respond. And then when the questions finally came, I would trip over myself because I was trying to remember what I thought I should be saying!
The importance of living in the moment.
One of the most important things I’ve learned in the last six months is to live in the moment. This means being fully aware and present for your life and all your interactions. Listening fully and, more importantly, staying out of your own head!
When you’re busy overthinking the conversation, what you’ll say next, what you should have said or even wondering what the other person is thinking of you, you’re not truly present and you’re not fully engaged in the conversation. Whether this conversation is a one-on-one call or your speaking to a group is irrelevant. The point is that you’re not engaged and your message becomes clouded.
Additionally, if you’re busy over thinking your appearance, trying to say things the way you think you should or distracted by your own nervousness, people will feel an immediate disconnect. They either won’t get the right vibe or won’t understand what you’re trying to sell them. Either way, this is no good when you’re trying to build a business around a very important message!
Step out of your head and into your genius.
Where you’re passionate you flow.
Where you flow you sell.
When I finally made the commitment to stay out of my head and just be in the present moment, things got a lot better. I’m able to easily answer client and prospect questions, chime in on conference calls with authority and get up in front of a group of people with much greater ease! Here are some simple steps you can take to do the same:
- Stop over thinking things.
If you have a call with a big prospect, yes, do a little research and be prepared, but don’t over think yourself into a fit of fear! If you spend too much time worrying about every little thing that could be said, you will find yourself stumbling and off beat. Do not plan out everything you’re going to say! If you need to, write yourself an outline for guidance.
- Listen. Then answer from your heart.
When you’re really, truly present for the conversation, you’ll find that the words flow with enormous ease. It’s an amazing thing. You’ll hear the question, and before you know it you’ll hear this amazing and powerful response coming from YOU. A response that flows straight from your heart and is more powerful than anything you could have crafted beforehand.
- There is no such thing as perfect. Just be YOU!
You don’t have to speak eloquently and sound like the world’s greatest speaker, you just need to be REAL. Living in the moment gives you a direct line to the genius and expertise that I KNOW you have inside of you. When you feel called to make a difference and drawn to providing society with solutions, you have a direct line to the creative source. All you need to do is trust that you were packaged the way you are for a reason and start spreading your message!
Take action now and leave me a comment below!
I would love to hear your thoughts and personal experiences!
How to Overcome Your Inner Critic in Order to Create an Unbelievable Customer Experience
I’ve been working on putting together a program around my most favorite topic in the world, personal responsibility. I’ve spent every moment of free time over the past few weeks totally immersed in the many exciting ideas and possibilities and it’s been an absolute blast.
Monday was an especially exciting day… you know those days when you’re thinking about all the possibilities and you start to have some really fun and unique-to-you ideas? You know, those little things you’d LOVE to do that not only fit within the scope of your project or business, but are totally one-of-a-kind concepts blending some of your favorite things?
Let me tell you, I was BURSTING at the seams with some exciting ideas… one of which involves upcycled notebooks (love upcycling… and notebooks!), mixed media art covers (mixed media is so MY style) and some fun little ways to create a unique and interactive experience for the members of this program. I was SO excited by the idea that I immediately went on hunt for where I could find some lightly used notebooks… and then it happened.
Self doubt and the inner critic.
No one but me would like these silly notebooks.
It’s going to be extra work and no one will even use them.
This is a dumb idea.
People will think I’m a five year old with my silly crafts.
You get the idea.
Self-doubt is that nagging little inner critic’s voice that tells you anything unique or different is wrong or dumb. In one of my favorite books, The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, this voice is referred to as your Censor. According to Julia, the Censor is “part of our leftover survival brain. It was the part in charge of deciding whether it was safe for us to leave the forest and go out into the meadow.”
Basically, if it hasn’t been done before (and these unique-to-you ideas usually haven’t), your inner critic goes on the attack. This paragraph from The Artist’s Way sums it up best:
The only sentences / paintings / sculptures / photographs it likes are the
ones that it has seen many times before. Safe senteces. Safe paintings.
Not exploratory blurts, squiggles, or jottings. Listen to your Censor and
it will tell you that everything original is wrong / dangerous / rotten.
But here’s the truth…
Your unique ideas are what set you apart and
create an outstanding customer experience.
In a world of mass-production, non-existent customer service and unimaginative concepts, it’s the little things that make all the difference. When you pour love, passion, inspiration and original thinking into your business, product or service, you’re creating something truly unique. It immediately shows your potential buyer who you are and that you really LOVE what you do. Better yet, it makes a clear statement that you’re passionate about providing an extraordinary and unparalleled customer experience.
I want to share a couple great examples that come to mind for me…
- Marie Forleo and the Rich, Happy Hot Programs
Marie is my mentor and I’ve been fortunate to attend her Rich, Happy, Hot LIVE event as well as participate in her Adventure Mastermind program. Marie is a shining example of someone who has taken her passions and blended them into her business in ways that are fun, educational and totally HER. With a love for marketing, business, music and dance, she’s created promotional music videos, incorporated dance (and even a dance WHEEL – think wheel of fortune but with music genres for an instant dance party!) into her live events and has brought her love of fun adventures into her mastermind program. Things like travel adventures, boudoir sessions, pole dancing and of course, regular ol’ dance parties. By doing so, she’s attracted an abundance of adoring fans and customers that share her love of marketing and good times!
- Hands in Helping Out Volunteer Group
I love to volunteer and have been to several different types of volunteer events. Some of them are programs where you agree to volunteer for certain amounts of time… some of them are one-off events. Some have training. Some just welcome you and provide some snacks and information. The awesome folks of HIHO (a volunteer organization based on Oahu) do things differently. They’ve taken their love of volunteering and community and created something along the lines of a membership program, complete with fun rewards! As a member, you share your interests at your orientation and get invited to volunteer at events that fit your preferences. Additionally, you get invited to fun events like ice cream socials! Instead of creating another volunteer group, they’ve created something around their love for community and conversation, successfully crafting an experience that’s impossible not to love or want to be a part of.
Blending your passions for massive success.
Now that you’ve read a couple examples and had a little insight into my own personal experience, what are some ways you can create a unique experience for your customers while doing fun things that you absolutely LOVE? Here are some tips to remember as you brainstorm ideas:
- Don’t listen to your inner critic.
This can be easier said then done, I know. But next time your inner critic pops in to say how silly an idea is or tell you that you’ll never make any money doing whatever it is that you want to do, I want you to say, “Thanks for sharing.” And CARRY ON. If it lit you up from the get-go, before self-doubt had a chance to rear it’s ugly head, it’s going to be a hit because you’re going to pour everything into it and your excitement will be contagious.
Take yourself out of your head and get back to work!
- Take action. Take action. Take action.
Whether or not you create success in your business comes down to whether or not you’re taking action. The longer you sit with an idea, the more self-doubt you’re going to experience and the more opportunities you’ll have to talk yourself out of your best ones. When you get an idea that lights you up, run with it. The best way to find out if it’s a good idea is to get it out there and see how it lands with your audience. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
- Stay true to who YOU are.
Just because some people are successful creating membership programs and music videos, doesn’t mean you’ll be. You need to focus on the things that you love and not the things you think people will love because someone else did it. If you’re doing it because you think you should and not because you’re so excited that you couldn’t possibly be doing anything else, then you need to stop and re-evalute what you’re really passionate about creating.
So I want to know, what’s your craziest business idea?
What Entrepreneurship Means to Me
- Image from Yuri Arcurs Website
Being an entrepreneur is more of a lifestyle than a label. It’s a lifestyle that, at times, involves negative balance bank accounts, high levels of stress, lack of sleep and overwhelm… and honestly? I wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world.
I recognize that it’s hard for some people (most people?) to really understand. With my experience and talents, I’m confident that I could land a decently paid position at a design firm or agency somewhere in the country. I could have a savings account, REAL health and dental insurance, afford to register my car and not have to panic about how I’m going to pay the rent at the end of each month. I could be secure. I could have a cushion. I could buy things when I need AND want to. But I would be completely and utterly dead inside.
Being an entrepreneur pursing my passions, ideas and purpose is hard at times. Anyone who says otherwise is lying, or saved up plenty of money before making the leap. I didn’t. Instead, I found myself increasingly miserable as I moved from job to job. My pay, position and quality of projects increased quite quickly over the course of my “career” life… but my happiness deteriorated rapidly. And one day, with no cushion and definitely no real plan… I quit my job. I had been toying with the idea, as always… but that day, I just knew. I HAD TO QUIT. And at the moment I made that decision, I felt an incredible sense of optimism, joy and freedom. Sweet freedom.
It would be a couple of years before I realized my true purpose and began to follow my real passions… and during those couple years there were many ups and downs, supplemental jobs and stress induced tears. There still are. I sit here today with past due bills, looming payoff dates and severely low finances… but I am absolutely beaming on the inside. I am fulfilled and I am happy. I am creating and building things that I believe in.
I would sell absolutely every single thing (excluding Max :D) in my possession that isn’t absolutely necessary to building my businesses in exchange for one more day, week or month of giving it all that I have. Of bringing my ideas and passions to life. That is what entrepreneurship means to me. It’s more than working for yourself or having freedom. It’s about what you are building or creating. For me, it’s about making a real difference in the world and lives of others in a way that I could never accomplish being employed by someone else.
What, if anything, does entrepreneurship mean to you?
Be the Best, Healthiest and Happiest You™
Free Training for Entrepreneurs
I want to share this fabulous find with you… Even if you’re not an entrepreneur you will still find value in this recorded teleclass call with Marie Forleo who wrote my favorite worst titled book ever, Make Every Man Want You.
5 Essential Mindset Shifts for Rich, Happy & Hot Entrepreneurs
These 5 key shifts (including going pro) are essential for us to not only grow our
businesses, but to make the difference we are here to make as human beings.
Click here to download the audio file and transcript!
If you listen to the short video on the blog post you will hear a little more about the idea of “going pro” in your business and your life. I love the concept.
I downloaded this call and transcript a few weeks ago and didn’t listen to it until yesterday. There were several things that hit right on what I was needing to hear at the moment…
You’ve got to quit indulging in your petty thoughts and train yourself to be bold and out there and be of service. All of us, myself included; we’ve all got to give up the indulgence in our thoughts that say, “I’m not good enough. Who am I to do this? What if no one likes me? What if no one buys my book or signs up for my program? What if it doesn’t work?”
Think about some of your favorite books or think about some of your favorite people, if they had listened to their thought like, “Oh maybe no one will want this” or “Ah, it doesn’t matter anyway so what’s the point?” I know for me it’s like thinking about people, friends I know like authors like Byron Katie or Eckhart Tolle or filmmakers, you know? You can just go through the list of creative entrepreneurial people who have made a difference in your life and think about if they just sat on their ass, or didn’t think they really mattered and let their time on this earth expire without breathing life into their purpose.
Your passions and your creative dreams are here for a reason and your purpose on the planet is to create and be of service.
Having recently begun diving back into my legacy project, I was beginning to question myself in that exact same way… Who am I to do this? What makes me think that I am the most qualified person to create this new business? I had also recently begun to question how much I really knew about the businesses that I am intending to start. Nothing! But that’s okay, because…
Everything is figure-outable.
All of the information that I need is available on the internet, in books and in the minds of experienced people. Anyone can figure it out… it’s not rocket science, and if it were, I’m sure there are books on that ;)
Those are just a couple key things I took away from this training but I assure you there is a lot more. So hop on over to Marie’s blog and download it now!
Be the Best, Healthiest and Happiest You™
Let’s connect! :)
