Do you feel like a blushing bride?

For those of us who have experienced this period of life, being engaged is a pretty fun, pretty exciting period of time. 

You are treated pretty much like a queen. Not only by your family and friends who ooh and aah over you, but by complete strangers. 

Shop clerks, waitresses, all your parents' friends, you find relatives you never even knew you had, coworkers, you name it! 

During this period of your life, you feel pretty special, pretty important, very valued and hopefully extremely happy.

So I ask you, have you felt like that lately? Because that word

engaged

is a word that is used an awful lot these days, in sales, in marketing, in social media. 

Get your audience engaged, keep your customers engaged.

These days, customer engagement takes a lot more than a series of emails or a weekly newsletter, but what does it take really? 

And I ask you, if "someone" was trying to get or keep your business, and they made you feel even a bit like that other engaged, how likely are you to do business with them? 

I bet VERY likely, because I tell you, if someone was making ME feel like that, I'd practically be throwing my money at them! As a matter of fact, I can even think of an instance where I do that nearly every week! 

It may sound trite, but my local grocery store, Mariano's. I know most of the managers, and more importantly, they know me. They know where I've been on vacation, various social activities I'm involved in, all kinds of things. When they see me, they smile, they rush over, they make an exerted effort to find something to do for me. Heck, the front end manager unloads my cart with me half the time. Despite the great prices, my grocery budget seems to have increased a bit, and I couldn't be happier!

What could you do to make your customers and future customers feel a bit more like a blushing bride? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

 

Who do you Love?

If there were someone you really loved and you wanted them to know, what would you do? 

How would you touch them? 

What would you say? 

What things might you show them?

Would you remind them of things they have done that made you feel great? 

Would you share with them the traits and characteristics that really touch your heart? 






Would you leave them little notes? 














What if that person was you? 











Each day, you have the chance to show yourself love. How often do you take yourself for granted? How often do you neglect that face in the mirror? 
How would you treat that face differently if it were the face of your child, your spouse, your best friend, your mother, your father, your hero? 

You deserve it all. 

What if overwhelm is a GOOD sign?

Life is always throwing a lot at us. I consider myself to be above average in the way that I handle stress.

I have a lot going on, I always do, but I still manage to find plenty of time to relax, decompress, have fun and connect with and enjoy my friends and family.

I'm one of those people that is almost always in an outstanding mood. Not good, or even great, but extraordinary. When you ask me how I'm doing, a typical response for me is Fabulous! or Spectacular! or Fantastic! And it's genuine. People tell me I'm never in a bad mood. (Trust me, just ask my husband, it happens, even to me) 

Over the weekend, I found myself in a state of what I can best describe as overwhelm. Feeling as if maybe I've "bitten off more than I can chew" or that I've dropped the ball because I'm juggling just one more than I can manage.

As a result, I didn't get half of what I had intended accomplished over the weekend and of course, found myself on Monday morning feeling behind the eight ball so to speak. Feeling as if I haven't given my all to some of the tasks on my plate which are manageable tasks because I'm moving into a space of handling new, much more challenging tasks. 

I believe I need to once again, give thanks to my amazing coaching session from last week with Christine Suva. 

I started out by chastising myself silently. I don't accept giving average or even above average. I expect outstanding and extraordinary from myself for all those whom I serve. 

In the midst of trying to organize my "lists of to-dos" to make sure I get everything done this week, I took some time to reflect on where I am and how I'm really feeling about what I have going on. 

I'm getting ready to step into something bigger. I'm doing some exciting but scary things right NOW. I looked back at how I was feeling before I launched the Chicago Over 40 Females chapter and found it felt a LOT like I am feeling right now. 

Doing things I haven't done before, in a way I haven't done them. 
Opening myself up to a new level of vulnerability and service. 
Looking at myself in a role I'm not 100% certain I deserve or am ready for. 

And I come away from this reflection feeling no less overwhelmed, but with confidence and excitement because I know how it turned out before. I know that this level of discomfort, while not pleasurable, is telling me that I am standing on the edge of something magnificent. 

I now step bravely into my journey ahead with fear and courage, confident about what lies on the other side.   

Is your confidence holding you back?

Confidence. 

I wrote several months back about situational confidence. 

Where does confidence come from? I believe we feel confidant when we feel we excel at a thing, and when we feel significant while doing that thing. It's not enough to just be good at something, if we feel that it's a thing that "everyone can do".

I had an AMAZING coaching call today with one of my recent speakers, Christine Suva. We were talking through some blocks and resistance I've been experiencing lately with growing my network marketing business. 

Not only did she do a remarkable job at helping me gain clarity around my "juice" and my bigger vision and passion for my business, but she helped me see that in this case, both of these things were holding me back. At least, my perception of these things in myself. As she helped me look back as some things I've done previously, I realize I have more skill in this area than I give myself credit for. (Aren't we ALL guilty of that!) She also shared with me how she viewed me and the natural gifts I bring to the table which she sees as large contributors to why Chicago Over 40 Females has become the dynamic organization that it has.  

As we closed the call, not only did I feel more confidant, but totally juiced and jazzed to step into a bigger vision of myself and Whole Self Nourish than I had fully embraced so far. 

*Stay tuned for some fun, ultra nourishing really cool announcements coming your way

The lesson for today is when you're feeling less than confidant in an area of your life, avoid the easy road of following the area where you're already feeling confidant. Allow yourself the space to break this area down into smaller components. Think about the areas, and the things that really "give you juice". The areas that come really easily to you, if not right now, than in the recent past. Focus on the aspects where you really shine as your very unique self in that space. Then re-frame your perspective around the area where you are feeling weak. 

I think you'll be amazed at the juice you find! 

Crossing the Line

One of those "catch phrases" I've grown tired of hearing is "get out of your comfort zone", so I find it strange that this is where this week's Nourish your Business Nugget comes from. For the past almost 2 years, I have been growing a women's networking organization in the Chicago area.

We have an amazing group of women who are truly supportive of one another, who are doing TONS of business together, and really collaborating and helping each other grow.

As the director of the chapter, I've always been very careful not to push my other business at events, for fear of looking inappropriate. I have said, I never want to give the impression that I think it's "The Shannon Show".

Sometimes members will ask me about what else I do, and I'm happy to share it with them, but kind of on the DL, so to speak. 

When I started the group in the beginning, with the advice of the coach I was working with, it was expressly so that I would get in front of the right people for my business. I've sent a few offers through a newsletter or a mass email and since I didn't get an overwhelming response, I chose to believe that no one was interested. 

The truth of the matter is, these women love me. I have a beautiful jar full of hand written notes sharing how much they think of me and appreciate me. I know, given the chance, they would love to support me. And, are in my exact target demographic. So, why am I so afraid to ask? 

In an ongoing effort to grow my network marketing business, I have made a commitment to reach out to my chapter members and sit down with each one one on one. 

What close contacts do you have in your life that you haven't discussed your business with out of discomfort? Out of a sense of crossing some imaginary boundary? 

I'll share the formula of my ask in the hopes that you will make a call this week yourself to get share what you're up to. 

1. Make the invitation personal, suggest a time and place that will be mutually convenient. 
2. Start with offering some times and days you are available that you would like to meet. 
3. Be specific with the time you plan to meet, in my case 45 minutes, so they know clearly how much time to schedule.
4. First, offer to hear what they are working on, and how you can support them in their goals.
5. Second, ask for their feedback in an area that you share interest or the connection that you have with one another, or an area where you feel they have expertise and would be willing to help you with research.
6. Third, let them know what you are looking forward to sharing with them, maybe it's your business in general, or maybe it's a program or event you're looking to promote.

I bet you'll find at least 3 warm market prospects you didn't even know you had! 

Beat the Winter Blues With a Stick

Although the days are technically getting longer, if you're anywhere where winter is winter, we are definitely in the "real winter months". The end of January and beginning of February seem to be the doldrums days when the short and cloudy days start to get to you. 

Here are 3 fun and silly ways to beat the winter blues away with a stick! 

1. Throw a luau party. That's right! Grab your favorite sundress or Hawaiian shirt and board shorts and bite the bullet with the gas company. Crank your heat up to 80 or more and invite a few friends over. Serve umbrella drinks and play the Beach Boys, Bob Marley or Jimmy Bufffet.
2. Turn your big screen TV into a virtual get-away. Rent Under the Tuscan Sun, The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio or Motorcycle Diaries.
3. Create your own spa escape. Pull out that face mask and waste a couple of slices of cucumber. Play some water sounds and lay back on your couch in your robe or in a hot bubble bath. 

Isn't it funny how we see exactly what we're looking at?

Isn't it amazing how you can listen to the same thing over and over again, and each time you can hear something completely different? Or read the same words over and over and learn something completely different? 
AND 
how you hear what you need to hear when you need to hear it? 

Now, I've gone to Tony Robbins live 3 day event Ultimate Power Within and walked on fire. I have his Ultimate Edge program and I've completed it fully twice before. 

Recently, my situation changed at my day job and I now have a long commute two days a week. To combat the negative energy I was creating, I pulled out my Ultimate Edge program and have been listening to it on my commute time. It definitely has been serving the purpose of improving my attitude, my focus and my outlook.

My little back story on focus and clarity...

I was with a direct sales company for 8 years and had greatly varying degrees of success and failure. In the end, I could focus on nothing but the problem of getting in front of more of the right people. 

Through working with a coach, (this is the SUPER readers digest version) I started a women's networking group in early 2013. (Gather those "right people" in front of me).

Almost a whole year goes by, and although my networking group is thriving, my direct sales business has not gained one inch of traction. 

In the late fall of 2013, I shifted gears and changed from the direct sales business I had been building for almost 9 years and started a network marketing business. Similar business model, but not the same and definitely much more strongly aligned with my values and mission from the core of the company to the leadership to the products. I had a strong start and gained some momentum quickly, but then hit a bit of a stall. Over the next year, things were going OK, I was, and am earning a consistent income but my business is just not growing.

I started asking myself why success and confidence had come fairly easily to me
in the business of running the networking organization, where I had very little experience, and why I was struggling to build my network marketing business, especially in the area of confidence. 

I know I have a rock solid belief in the company and in the industry. 

So, this week, I was listening to the section of Personal Power on Driving Force. (Now, we're back to my point from the beginning - how you can hear the same thing multiple times but you don't *hear* it until you are ready to hear it)

So Tony is talking about our human needs of Certainty, Uncertainty, Significance, Love and Connection, Growth and Contribution, and he's explaining how the things that we LOVE to do, that seem effortless, that we excel at, those things meet all or most of those needs at near a level 10.

I start doing the exercise and going through my experience with my networking group, and darned if he isn't right! 

Then he talks about things that we don't enjoy doing, that we struggle to do, and how they don't meet those needs and how this makes us not want to do them and not enjoy doing them when we do.

Again, as I do the exercise, I see holy COW this is where it is, this is where my discomfort is coming from! 

And, of course, the best part is that he shares how we can take these experiences, and by changing our perspective, our outlook or our procedure, we can shift them into those same types of experiences we absolutely love and excel at. 

So, today I share the questions (not my original ideas, mind you - these are courtesy of Mr. Tony Robbins) to ponder so you can take a look at one of the areas in your life where you are struggling, but can't figure out why and see if a perspective change might make the difference for you as well.  

On a 0-10 scale, how much does this activity make you feel...

1. Certain / Comfortable
Ask yourself: What could I do or believe to make thinking about this activity feel not only comfortable but pleasurable? What skill could I improve ?

2. Uncertain / Variety
Ask yourself: How could I bring more variety or surprise to this activity? 

3. Significance / Importance
Ask yourself: How can I appreciate how important this is? 

4. Love and Connection
Ask yourself: How can I feel more love while I'm doing this? 

5. Growth and Contribution
Ask yourself: How can I feel like I'm growing and contributing? 

You get what you focus on, and when you ask better questions, you get better answers. 

When we are struggling in an area of our lives, especially when it comes to business, I think we focus on the forces outside of ourselves and we try to improve them even when we try to improve ourselves to affect them. Sometimes, we need to change our point of view, and focus on the forces inside of ourselves and the world around us will shift naturally.

I'd love to hear your experience. Where are you struggling and what change in focus do you think would cause a shift in your perspective?