Posts Tagged ‘fulfillment’

The anniversary of the moon landing reminded me of the anniversary of a life-changing journey I created.  Twenty five years ago this summer I was riding my bicycle solo across the United States.  I was in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks on 7/24/84 sharing two lane roads with gigantic motor homes – worse than the east coast traffic!

One of my big aha’s this week as I remembered this bike trip with a coach, is that I had a plan for the trip.  It was simple.  Every day I got up and pedaled at least 60 miles down a very clear path – the road – unless it was dangerously hot or pouring down rain.  The road took me east every day.  Not north, south or west.  East towards Boston and the Atlantic Ocean.  As long as I followed the road, and kept safety precautions, I would get to Boston, to Deborah D.s house – my best friend from high school.  Now, the problem with me in my business is that I keep changing plans.  I change marketing plans, I change my goals, I change niches. I doubt my vision.  I worry about money.  I take exits off the road to visit giant balls of string and two headed snakes.  I wander north and south and wonder why I’m no closer to Boston.

The road and my goal focused all of my energies. It kept me true and on task.  Sure, I never saw the two headed snake, but I reached Boston, I accomplished my goal.

Action

Take stock of your plan. What is it to honor it?  What are your two-headed snake detours?  What are three changes you’ll make to your plan or how you honor it?  I invite you to respond in the comments.  Thank you for the courage to invent yourself everyday into your greatness.

Brilliant Gorgeous Talented Fabulous

Marianne Williamson spoke here in the San Francisco bay area this week.  She talked about asking the big questions in politics.  What are the radical questions, the ones a child might ask. Like why do 16,000 children die of hunger every day?  She got me looking at where I play small, hide my brilliance, and avoid the big questions.  What beliefs do I hold that allow me to  tolerate that death rate?  (someone else can take care of it; I’m too small). What is really hurting in my clients? (fear, despair, anger, doubt; needing to re-invent themselves as their “employer” rather than the corporation) Will I go there and address that pain for as long as it takes to heal and give its gifts? (I have done so.  I need to be vulnerable and strong, just like my clients). What’s small about my business and how I play the game? (When I’m one-one with clients I am willing to stand on the brink with them as they step into their unknown.  I don’t yet hold raw and vulnerable conversations with my audiences.  Now’s the time to step out and do that.) I choose out of this conversation to hold bigger conversations.  I will ask bigger questions of myself and my work and my clients and audiences, and stand for bigger answers and responses.  If not me, then who?  If not you, in your area of purpose and passion, then who?

Action
As I ask you these questions, I ask them of me as well.  What’s the next bigger arena that will call forth your greatness and use your purpose?  What’s your payoff for avoiding it?  What’s the price you and the world pay?  What story stops you? What is the first step for {!firstname}?  Take it this week.  If that step has you freeze, find a way to unfreeze.  Break it down into smaller steps, find colleagues, get a coach.

Thank you for your courage, purpose, passion, and your fears, concerns.  It’s all good.

“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, and 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 were born to manifest the glory that is within us.  And as we let our 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

Idea #1 in the last blog was about you as a new and improved product.   Idea #2  is borrowed from sales; it is scripting.  OK, you might want to throw me out of your network for suggesting this, but hear me out.   The more people I talk to, the more I realize that my biggest challenge in making sales is your  biggest challenge in getting in front of people or having control of a call or interview.   My sales mentor, Eric Lofholhm says using scripts was the biggest boost to his sales than almost anything else.  I reluctantly started using scripts and found I was much more comfortable in presenting my services and asking for business.  Good people – sales scripts are noble, necessary, and are just creative, informative, and focused communication with an agreement and/or money included in it.  A script saves both you and the person you are presenting to time and energy – you have a clear direction.  Here are a few areas you might want to have a script ready to use:

1. When a HR person or recruiter calls you on Friday at 4 PM and you are not in shape to go through an interview
2. When you cold call an HR person,
3. hiring manager,
4. or someone about an informational interview
5. When you are asked a question in an interview that throws you off.  A one line mini script that gives you a moment to collect your thoughts
6. A script for each interview – the questions you’ll ask, the concerns you have
7. At the end of the interview – a powerful completion with what you say if you want the job, if you do not want the job, if you think you’d be better qualified in a different position….etc.

What else?  Write some here in the comments – even some samples.

You can download a free audio on sales from Eric Lofholm here  (https://m269.infusionsoft.com/go/7sec/Nancy) It will have many ideas you can transfer to interviewing, setting up interviews, and organizing yourself around presenting yourself as a service or product rather than an employee.

Get out of the box here, and borrow from other industries to find new approaches to the job search.

New Packaging

Amp Up Idea Number One: As the entrepreneur of your life (you must look after you, the days of the long term corporate job are gone with just a few exceptions) part of your job finding process is to package  yourself.  Most companies put out a new and improved version of their product every few years (or sooner for software!).  What’s the new and improved you?  Amp up with a product overhaul.

What is your core product?  Consider what you love to do, the part of your work that makes your heart sing and the time fly by.  What is that?  Why do you love it so?  Why would an employer be lucky to have you – what benefits will they receive from buying you?  If you were to look at all of your skills, how does a combination of them enhance your core product?  In what new ways can you combine them in order to come out with the new and improved you?

You can take courses to add a new skill.  You can get a group of supportive colleagues and friends, and brainstorm up new job descriptions that combines some of your interests and skills in new and improved ways.   You can take your so-called shortcomings (”too old”, “too young”, “too long out of area”) and flip them into assets (”experienced”, “longevity”, “energetic”, “coachable”, “out getting other experience to bring back to this area”).

OK, let’s hear about some new improved you’s!