Category — Personal Growth

Have you ever read the book How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie?  (If not, make it one of your top priorities to read in the next few weeks!)  This book is a complete game changer for how you will see people and what they need from relationships. The bottom line is that in business and in life, people want to know that they matter.  They want to be important.  All people want to be heard.  They want to know that they matter.

What are you doing to let your audience know that you are listening to them?

In business, when you make a point of listening to your audience, the brilliant thing that happens is that they want to tell you more!  When they want to tell you more and you actually listen, your relationship gets stronger and your clients become brand ambassadors.  In turn, your business will get more visibility and your customers will be happy.

Here are 5 Ways that You Can Let Your Audience Know That You Are Listening:

1. Ask questions on social media about your clients’ biggest pain points.  Post questions to your Facebook Page, LinkedIn groups, Twitter profile and in YouTube videos as a way to start the conversation.  When you ask questions, you are taking your messaging from one way broadcasting to communicating and your audience will think of your brand when it comes to finding answers, solutions and resources.
2. Ask questions about your audience’s greatest accomplishments and then congratulate them.  People like to share their wins and often times don’t get the stage to do so.  Give them a place to shine and then let them stay there for a while as you share their magnificence with the world. 
   
3. Create blog posts that address the most common questions that you get asked.  Building on the questions that you ask your audience on social media, post answers in the form of blog posts, videos, tweets or comments that give your audience a way to take action on the problems they are facing.
4. Comment on blogs, videos and social media profiles from your biggest brand conversationalists.  This is a great way to give back to your audience and reward people who engage with you in the questions you ask.  Make sure to show sincere appreciation to anyone who frequently engages with your content, especially when they allow you to share your best stuff.
5. Create products and services that help your audience get what they want.  When you are listening to your audience, they will tell you what they are looking for to help them.  They are also asking you for a solution to their pain.  Give your audience what they want by providing products and services that directly relate to their needs.

Showing people that you care, offering them solutions to their problems and letting them know that they matter is what good business is all about.  What ways do you show your audience that you are listening?  I’d love to hear your thoughts, ideas and stories in the comments!

Does it matter that you don’t have an MBA if you are a business coach?  Do you need a PhD to really help people heal?

The truth is that education and training can come in many forms and Hillary Rubin is the perfect example of this.  Hillary has mastered her technique of helping people heal their trauma and step into their confidence without a coaching certification.  Some people feel the need to acquire multiple titles and certifications and sometimes this can be a distraction from doing the work that matters.

Hillary is living proof that her clients can experience incredible breakthroughs and dramatic results despite the fact that she never graduated from college.

In this episode of the WSL Show, Hillary and I talk about how it feels to not have the piece of paper that validates your work with a degree or certificate, but to have the knowledge that truly can change people’s lives and how this impacts her business.  Hillary very generously shares stories of working with her clients and memories of own personal transformations so that you can understand what it takes to move past blocks.

Having been featured on Fit TV, in The Los Angeles Times, The Independent, Yoga Journal, the Huffington Post and Origin magazine, Hillary is a thought leader and an innovator who we will be hearing much more from and about. As a Spiritual Life Design Coach, wellness pioneer and certified Anusara™ yoga teacher, Hillary  guides women to become who they want to be but were afraid to become.

If you are interested in receiving the gift that Hillary has very generously shared with the Work Smart Lifestyle community, click here and enjoy the show!

When you come to a fork in the road and you have no map to know which way is best, what do you do?

Uncertainty is something that just about every country is facing on an economic level, but we are also dealing with uncertainty in our daily lives.  It is a fact of life that no one really talks about… until now.

In this interview with the incredibly accessible thought leader, Jonathan Fields, we explore how the Uncertainty Book came about, what has changed in Jonathan’s life as a result of this powerful book and how he believes that this book will help you.

Mindfulness matters.

As someone who has read the Uncertainty Book, I can say that I loved the interviews with power house business leaders and I loved the thought provoking ideas and exercises, but what struck me most was the fact that uncertainty doesn’t have to be a bad thing…

Uncertainty can be an indicator of opportunity and Jonathan proves in his book that the people who step into their greatness by embracing uncertainty are the ones who make the biggest impact on the world.

I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.  Jonathan is a wealth of knowledge and he generously shares some major secrets of success that you can use to step ever further into your greatness.

In business and in life, there will come times when we make mistakes.  Sometimes it will be evident and other times, we may not know what we did until it’s too late.  Recently, I have witnessed a few situations where people meant well, but feelings got hurt and unfortunately, in the end things didn’t get wrapped up into a nice neat little package of love.

Mistakes are not pretty, so we must embrace them as part of our growth process and learn from them.  These mistakes may happen with our loved ones, our neighbors, our co-workers or on social media.  Wherever they occur, it is important to acknowlege and correct them as soon as possible.  However, sometimes we let the how get in the way.

When I read this guest post by Ricky Cohen, I immediately wanted to share this message with you.  I hope that the simplicity and depth of this post stay with you and empower you to say you are sorry when it is time.  If you have thoughts, comments or stories on the subject, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  Thanks so much.  And now, a message for you from Ricky…

To the extent that a person has self-love and self-confidence he will be able to engage his will, harvest his creativity, and remain in the game for as long as it takes to achieve greatly.

So what about saying “I’m sorry”?

Clearing the air with another, and removing the hurt, goes far to keep people together and allow important – and even casual relationships – to continue and flourish. Confronting how I’ve hurt another enables me to grow and become more sensitive, aware and fine. It forces me to confront who I am and what I must become.

But even more important than any of the above, the action of apologizing promptly, and with a full heart, removes the loose ends of pain that will otherwise weaken my will, hamper my creativity, and undermine my perseverance.

Harboring the pain of another somewhere inside of me, will position a dark cloud over me, limiting what life can offer. Each day that cloud persists, the opportunities for great achievement become less and less attainable for me.

So when you’re advised to: “Say you’re sorry”, or when you haven’t been told anything but you feel the need inside do so, or when you must instruct others to extend themselves and apologize, know that it’s not about the other guy, it’s all about you.

Love and care about yourself enough to say those words quickly, sincerely and often. Your will, creativity, and ability to persevere and succeed – thank you.

Author Bio:

Ricky Cohen, who is the author of the life-changing book, Attracting Your Extraordinary Love, is a family man who is devoted to causes that promote family welfare, character building and good citizenship. Using real life experiences, Ricky motivates his readers by delivering a powerful message that is always surprising, always inspiring, and always has a practical action that the reader can take away. He is an inspiring author, vibrant leader, and motivating public speaker with an amazing record of accomplishment, both professionally and personally. His creative and philosophical insights about the complexities of life and challenging issues help his audiences understand complex issues.

Uncertainty.

I am so excited to share this book with you because the message is SO cool and so often NOT talked about.  Now, we have an entire book that exposes this fear of the unknown that so many people have and that holds you back from exploring life, taking risks and getting you ultimately where you want to go.

We all have uncertainty about what we are doing, but the trailblazers don’t let that fear stop them.  Instead, they use it as a tool or an asset to ask questions and seek answers that are not preconceived.  Learning to be okay with not having all of the answers can be a struggle for many of us, but once you decide to get comfortable with uncertainty and trust your intuition, you will feel an incredible sense of power.

In this video, I share with you what I believe to be tools that will help with getting comfortable with uncertainty.  Of course this book is a great starting point, but there’s more.  I believe that when you know who you are, what you want out of life and the value that you bring to the world, it is much easier to sit with uncertainty because you are grounded in knowing (for certain) who you are. 

As you evolve, who you are will change, so this process of getting to know yourself is a lifelong practice.

What are your thoughts on uncertainty?  Are you the type of person who feels like you have to know all of the answers to every possible scenario before you begin a venture?  How is that working (or not working) for you?  Have you discovered any tools to help you get through the fear of the unknown?  Please share your thoughts in the comments.

Please join Jonathan Fields, author of Uncertainty on the next episode of the Work Smart Lifestyle Show where we will delve deeper into this topic and give you even more tools and insights.  And if you haven’ already grabbed your copy of Uncertainty, do so now!  It’s a great read and super inspiring!

Thank you, Work Smart Lifestyle and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.

A hungry child in East Africa can’t wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we’ll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps.

At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren’t so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world’s first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.

The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond–or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity’s baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don’t do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn’t want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother’s hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya–the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, “I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm.” The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. “We don’t have enough food now…our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues.”

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.

That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on–in nine generations of 5x5x5…we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.

I need you to help me save lives. It’s so so simple; here’s what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
3. Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

I’m looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you’re interested in participating this week.

A hungry child doesn’t wait. She doesn’t wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn’t wait for us to decide if she’s important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on…please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.

Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped–you are saving lives and changing history.
p.s. Please don’t move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you’re life is busy like mine, you probably won’t get back to it later. Let’s not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let’s leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!

in·spi·ra·tionNoun/ˌinspəˈrāSHən/

2. The quality of having been so stimulated, esp. when evident in something: “a moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display”.

When I think about what inspires me on a daily basis and what has inspired me to take decisive action at any point in my life, whether it related to my life or my business, 2 things come to mind…

First of all, I am inspired by the love of my friends and family and the connection that comes with being in relationship with others.  This drives me to do many things, but most of all to love.  Secondly, when I think about the businesses that I have been involved in, the ones that have made the biggest impact on the world have been built out of a passion or an inspirational idea.

Many businesses are born out of inspiration, but if entrepreneurs are not mindful to build a routine out of that inspiration, growing the business can lose it’s sense of passion and become a job.  It is critical to every entrepreneur’s success to build inspiration into your daily schedule so that creativity and passion are fostered. When entrepreneurs are inspired, they are more enthusiastic about their offerings, which means they are more likely to attract happy clients and build a profitable business.

Here are 5 simple steps to build an inspiration practice into your business and life:

1. Make a list of the top 25 things that inspire you.  If you want to build an environment of creativity in your business and/or family, do this exercise with your team and support each other in the next 4 steps.
2. Choose 5 of your top inspirations and write down how you can connect with them in the next week.
3. Block out time (15-30 minutes) in your calendar to actually engage with your top 5 inspirations over the next 5 days.
4. Keep a journal about how connecting with these inspirations feels and how it can help you in your life and business.
5. Commit to this practice for the next 21 days, until it becomes a daily practice that allows you to interact with the things that make your life more enjoyable and more meaningful.

When you take time to regularly seek inspiration, your mind shifts to focus on the success that you are already experiencing so that you can open the potential for more success to come your way.

In this very honest and real episode of the Work Smart Lifestyle Show, Gabby Bernstein shares the story of her evolutionary, entrepreneurial journey that has taken her from the clubs of Manhattan into bookstores across the country and maybe soon to be the television in your living room.

You may have seen her videos about miracles or meditation.

You may have heard her speak at a networking event or on a teleseminar.

She is a thought leader, a motivational speaker, a fashion lover and a believer in miracles.

She is also a former Sex In the City lifestyle girl who has transformed into a Spirit Junkie.

Gabby Bernstein is soon to be a household name as she spreads her message of love, hope and happiness throughout the world.

In her new book, Spirit Junkie (bound to be a New York Times bestseller), Gabby Bernstein tells the story of how she got from the drug couch to the meditation pillow and how you can too.  Her new book goes on sale on September 13, 2011, but you can get a sneak peak of her brilliance in this recording.  Enjoy!

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened.

Social media is like a big networking event, right?  We all meet at the virtual water cooler and share stories, inspiration and resources during brief intermissions as we go about our days.  We also have the opportunity to make the world a better place without leaving the comfort of our very own laptop or iPhone.  You may have heard in the news that social media has been used to organize riots, destroy reputations and cause people to commit crimes, but the truth is that there is a bright side to this amazing medium.  I do believe that just as social media can be used by the dark side, Twitter can be used to create world peace.

It is not uncommon to see people using Twitter, Google+ or Facebook to shower support and sympathy on those who are enduring tough times or to see people congratulating others who have reached a top spot on the bestseller list or been featured in a popular magazine.  However, many people get so caught up in the grind of running their businesses or making ends meet that they forget to let their beautiful human nature shine.

Social media is an amazing tool that provides a way for each one of us to do good in the world.  Here are 7 simple ways that you can make the world a better place through social media.  Please feel free to expand on these 7 ideas in the comments below and let’s turn up the volume on making this world fabulous!

#1: Love Your Neighbor: Be kind.  This is a simple idea, but it is amazing how many people forget this one simple rule in life.  Put a smile on your tweets, always.  Tweet from the loving part of your heart and if you are feeling upset, angry or otherwise not yourself, you may want to find an outlet that will help you get into a better mindset BEFORE you go to social media.  As a general rule of thumb, if you want to leave the world better off for you having been in it, be a nice person online and off.

#2: Put On Your Giver Hat: Be Generous.  Relationships are all about give and take, but if you want people to benefit from the best of you on social media, be a giver.  Retweet more than you broadcast, share and comment on blog posts that you find value in, support your supporters, do amazing things for people when they least expect it and share the love.  no matter how many followers you have, if you want to make the world a better place, lead by example and give to others.  No one is too busy or too important to give and show gratitude.

#3: Empower: Help Others Believe In Themselves.  Social media is a great place to encourage and empower others.  If you see tweets, Facebook updates or Google+ posts where someone talks about a goal he/she is striving for, take a few seconds to send a message of encouragement and praise, share resources or just give a virtual pat on the back.  Be the supportive friend and expect nothing in return.  If you do something to empower a friend or follower on social media once a day, by the end of the year you will have empowered over 300 people!  How cool is that?  Most importantly, do your own personal growth work, so that in your pursuit to encourage others, you can lead by example!

#4: Give Back: If you can’t give money, give tweets! Choose 2-3 charities on social media to support with consistency so you can do your part in helping those in need.  Write a blog post about your favotire charity, include links to donate and information about upcoming events such as fundraisers, walks and sponsorship opportunities.  Send out a tweet or two every day with a link to a charity’s website or links to videos so you can spread awareness about specific causes.  Another great way to support charities online is to give virtual gift cards away during tweet chats that you host, so winners can donate to their favorite charity.  Whatever you choose to do, if you want to make a difference for those in need, supporting charities is a great way to make the world a better place.

#5: Honor Karma: Use Your Influence for Good.  As you build your reputation and presence on social media, your online influence will rise and your ability to reach more people will increase.  Honor and respect the power that lies in the relationships that you create through this medium and remember that by putting good energy out into the “Twitterverse” everyone benefits.  If you are reading this post and thinking of someone you may have wronged or a mistake you have made that has hurt someone else, it is never too late to apologize or make things right.  What comes around goes around.  So if you want to be a happy person, you have to spread happiness to those around you.  (See quote at top of post)

# 6: Don’t Fall into the Hater Trap.  Just as there are so many amazing and positive people to connect with on social media, there are also people who take the time to scrutinize what you say, put you down, break you up and maybe even verbally attack you on social media.  They may take offense to seemingly benign comments, twist your words and attempt to turn you from the amazing person that you are into one of them.  But, you don’t need to go there!  If you want to make the world a better place through your social media efforts, know that people like this exist and IGNORE them.  I believe it is best to immediately block the haters so that they do not disrupt the beauty that you bring to social media.  Refrain from letting your shadow get the best of you and shine the light on the brilliance that is within.

#7: Have Fun: Be the Best You.  We were all put on this earth for a purpose.  Right?  We were also put on this earth to learn, to grow, to help others and to be the best we can be.  Social media is a platform that allows you to have fun and enjoy life while inspiring others.  Social media allows us to connect with people all over the world in the click of a button, so we can all make the world a better place just by being exactly who we are.  So put a smile on and have fun with it.

Now, what other ideas do you have to use social media to make the world a better place?

Over the past few days, the power of social media friendships has literally carried me through one of the most emotionally challenging times of my life.

My mother who is my hero, my role model, one of my closest friends and one of the most important people in my life (and my children’s lives) is battling an ugly disease that is trying it’s hardest to take her down.  My heart and soul are being called to step up and rise to the occasion and I am trying to get there…  But I have to admit that even with a wonderful husband, father, sister, children and friends, social media is a much needed escape, reprieve and support system.

It is a gift.

During this time, I have not been able to speak so much about what is really going on because it is so scary, so sad and so confusing… and at the same time so beautiful.

For the past 3 days, I have held the soft hand of this woman who has tubes coming out of every orifice of her body, her lungs filled with blood and staph infection as she coughs uncontrollably.  We try to do something to make her more comfortable.  More morphine.  Ice chips.  A back rub.  Anything.  And yet she remains calm and at peace.  I sit by her bedside (trying to hold back the tears so she can hang to the hope that “This party will end” and she can go home) and stare in awe of the beauty of this amazing woman who sleeps with a smile on her face.  And I cannot speak.  The words just don’t come…

And I have realized that in those moments when I need to take a step back and do something other than watch one of my favorite people struggle with something so destructive, I find peace in the ability to turn on my iPhone, hit the Twitter or Facebook button and see what inspiration or connection is to be had.  There always seems to be a quote that uplifts my spirits, a friend who is checking in or a DM from someone who knows how hard my day has been and they just want to reach out.

It is a beautiful gift to be able to instantly access someone who cares or someone who has NO CLUE what is going on, just so I can have a moment that is light or completely superficial.  I need breaks from the heaviness that I am facing right now and social media provides that.  Sometimes this irritates my husband because he wants to be the one to comfort me and I need that too, but social media allows me to step outside of this immediate situation and be in the Twitterverse with my #smgirlfriends who have been so wonderful to me during this time (blog post to follow on this soon).  I don’t have to pick up the phone or talk, but I still get the “hugs” I need.

In this way, social media truly can be a positive force in this world that helps people to be the best they can be, to build amazing businesses, to step up as leaders and to connect with other people who want to make the world a better place.

It is with so much gratitude in my heart that I thank all of you who engage on social media for helping me to walk through this time knowing that I am not alone and that poeple in Florida, Maryland, Arizona, Santa Cruz, Pasadena and all over the world are thinking of me and praying for my mother.  Thank you.  I so appreciate all that you do and all that you are.  Your little 140 character tweets are making the world a better place.  So, keep up the good work!  And I will be writing in more detail about the support I have found on this journey on the Social Media Girlfriends blog soon.

Please feel free to share your stories of the power of social media in the comments.  I know you must have a few examples and the more we can show the world how much beauty there is, the easier it is for us to see how blessed we all are.