Nature in it's perfect state

Summer has a carefree feel to it.  The days are longer, the weather is more pleasant unless you live in Southern California where it is pretty good every day, sorry Cleveland.  The kids are out of school and the rushed schedule of alarm clocks and homework are put on the back burner for the moment.  A welcome reprieve.

One of my business associates popped off an email to me about a month ago and said he wouldn’t be available too much for the rest of the summer because he would be out in nature, hiking, camping and having a great time with his wife and kids.  It made me step back and think “What will the rest of my summer be like?”  Will I still be tied to my laptop putting in long hours and missing out on golden opportunities to spend some quality time with my family?  I opted for the latter.  Realizing that not everything can come to a screeching halt, it really is fine to just step back and seize the stolen moments to sit and play cards with your little boy or girl or take a nature walk or spend a day at the beach, go see an art exhibit or listen to music in the park.  When we are connected to the things of this earth, and I don’t mean all of the things we have accumulated in this life but the closer we get to the ground, the dirt, the origin of where it all began, the more we enhance our well being.  There isn’t a worthy person in your world that doesn’t stand to benefit from you reconnecting with the earth including you!

As groovy as the Metro scene is (I’m a huge fan of NYC, London & Paris) but there is nothing quite like getting outside of the buzz of the city to see stars so thick in the summer sky that you can cut it with a knife.  Enjoy the peace of the early light of day as the birds welcome you.  As the morning glories blossom with a gift to the eyes as if they are there only for you, take a breath.  Be thankful for these gifts that surround us every day but the noise of the world seems to crowd out.   

Meditate.  Be thankful.  As summer comes to a close, we encourage you to take some time to restore your life force with something creative, natural and real.  Connect with friends you haven’t seen in a while.  Break bread with your treasured people.  Do something out of the ordinary with your family.  Taking time to reconnect with the things you love most will amazingly restore your creativity and energy.

September comes soon enough as the school buses are revving up their engines, kids are getting ready to click back into their routines.  2010 is more than half over but as we reach forward in achieving some of the business goals and projections, you will have moments of sunshine to reflect on during those hectic workdays…..IF…..(my grandmother used to say IF is a very big word)……IF you re-connect with the earth and restore your well being.

Live well.
Terry Jetmore, Founder at www.speakcorp.com

I personally experienced one of these WOW moments last week.  My battery on my car needed to be replaced so instead having to go out and buy the battery and install it, I called AAA Battery Service.  Now mind you this is not the most glamorous job in the world.  The work could be considered by some as tedious and boring.  The service I received from the young man was unbelievable.  He was helpful, friendly and knowledgeable.  I felt like he really want to help me out.  It made me think about what made him so special.  Motivation is the key.  Some people are naturally motivated towards excellence.  This guy was, even though this may not be his dream job, he decided to do not just a good job but a great one.  But if you don’t feel you have that gene entrenched in your DNA, there’s hope.  

Attending training workshops, seminars and conferences can help reinforce the importance of participating in sessions like these on a regular basis. It can spark up your personal motivation.

It is quite a balancing act being a small business owner.  You may find yourself wearing many hats which can drain not only your energy but motivation even if you love what you do. So take the time to clear your head, recharge your batteries and you will gain a fresh perspective. We encourage you to take advantage of the opportunities that surround you to help you maintain your motivation.  This is when you advance from good to GREAT!

I called the employees boss after my experience with him to thank him and let them know what great service I received.  It make me feel good just thanking him for such an outstanding representative of his business.    

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that is how every client of ours felt after they have done business with us?  Strive for excellence and you will see the difference between good and great in your life and business.

On that note, our passion for SpeakCorp Members is to improve your experience in promoting your business and services online.  We strive to continue to keep our tools affordable allowing your to do less work and sell more.  We hope something catches your eye and you take full advantage of our resource list of seminars, webinars and audio downloads.

The key element of an introduction may determine how attentive your audience may be.  Have you ever witnessed an audience tuning out because the speaker is jabbering on about himself.  Human nature being what it is….we all tend to want it all to be about us.  We want relevance for our life or business.

So, when preparing your introduction, have in mind the following objectives:
    (1) getting their attention, 
    (2) clearly identifying your subject,
    (3) why the subject is important to your audience.

If you can achieve all three simultaneously, that would be great. But you may need to give special attention to each objective in whatever order works for you.

How to Get the Attention of Your Audience
The fact that people have gathered to hear your speech or presentation does not mean that they are ready to give the subject their undivided attention. Why not? Let’s face it, people have a lot on their mind. They may have issues at home that concern them or some other type of problem like financial troubles. This presents a challenge to you as the speaker.  Your job is to capture and hold the attention of the audience. The good news is there are many ways you can do this. 

Use Questions
This can be an effective way to arouse interest, but they must be of the right kind of question. You don’t want to bore your audience by asking questions that they have heard before.  Try something fresh and new or from a new angle or perspective.  This will truly stimulate thinking. It is critical to pause be it ever so briefly after each question so that your listeners have time to answer the question in their mind without distraction. When they feel that they are engaging in a mental dialogue with you, then you have their attention.

Use of real life experiences
This is a great way to capture attention and make a lasting impression on your audience. If your story is remembered but the connection to its relevance if forgotten, it has lost all importance. When a story is used in the introduction, it should be paving the way towards linking main points you want to convey in your talk or speech and should be linked to your conclusion. While some details may be needed in order to make the narrative live, the shorter the better.   Every so often, you may find yourself speaking before an audience that is skeptical or even hostile. How might you get them to give you their attention?  R-E-S-P-E-C-T!  Try to bring out something mutually accepted and you may find they change their attitude.  Nothing can replace a genuine friendliness can help to create an atmosphere that is conducive to having a conversation. It is helpful to begin with something that directly relates to what is on the person’s mind.

Show Why the Subject Is Important to Your Audience
Whether you are speaking to just a few individuals or to a large audience from the stage, one of the best ways to grab the interest in a subject is to get your audience involved. Show the connection between their problems, needs, questions they may have correlate to the subject that you are talking about. If you make clear that you are going address what they are interested in and have helpful solutions, you will have them listening even more intently. All of this requires preparation.

The Way You Present It
What you say in your introduction is of primary importance, but how you say it can also catch the interest of the audience. For this reason your preparation ought to involve not only what you are going to say but also how you are going to say it. Choose your words carefully, so you might find it helpful to have firm in mind the first two or three sentences. Keep it short and simple. Delivering an effective introduction in a deliberate manner can help you to gain the composure you need to give the rest of your talk or presentation.

Myth #1: 

Even though the 25-34 year old population on Facebook is doubling every 6 months,  the largest growing demographic is the 35-54 year old age group.  A recent report stated that this group had a 276.4% growth rate.  It doesn’t stop there.  The 55+ group is not far behind with a 194.3% growth rate every six months.  As of today, Facebook claims to have doubled its users to 300 million in less than one year.  Half of them log on every day.  Sorry folks, it’s here to stay.

Myth #2: I can make quick money by using Social Networking

When it comes to Social Networking, the more you contribute, participate or engage you will learn that it really is about sharing and giving to others.  It is not just a forum to sell, sell, sell.  You have to express genuine interest in others and see how you can help them.  You are hopefully building lasting relationships that down the road will pay off in business.  The only thing quick about it is that you can be exposed to more individuals from the comfort of your home or office without pounding the pavement in the traditional sense.

Myth #3: The more “Followers” or “Friends” I have means I’ll be more successful.

It’s all about quality not quantity.  We’ve all experienced the buzz of making new friends quickly when you are young.  You might connect with someone and feel that you’ll be friends for life.  What happens?  That great person that you met at the party and promised to keep in touch with is never heard from again.  So goes the road of social networking.  It may be easy to acquire “Friends” or “Followers” but unless these relationships are nurtured they won’t be real.  Having a large # on your list doesn’t mean you have anything to offer them or that they contribute to your personal growth and success.  If you don’t stay in contact with your on-line friends, they are just another name on a list.  Choose wisely. 

Myth #4: Social Networking is a lot of work and is a waste of time

It’s almost like saying that a carpenter’s hammer is a waste of time.  It’s just a tool.  When used properly it gets the job done well.  Social Networking is only a waste of time if you allow it to be.  The initial set up takes some time but even if you feel you aren’t tech savvy enough to get started, applications like LinkedIn and Facebook are designed just for you.  With a profile photo and a simple bio you can get started today.

In this topsy turvy world, finding balance is quite a challenge.  An interesting statement from Dr. Kathleen Hall from A Life in Balance  said ”We have overstretched our personal boundaries and forgotten that true happiness comes from living an authentic life fueled with a sense of purpose and balance.” Where is the time we need to manage everything we have to do???  A

Wow!  No wonder you feel that managing all of the things you want, need and have to do is not so easy.  By simplifying your life and finding balance you can weather the storm of this new economy with confidence and greater ease.  Here are 5 things to help you still be productive and successful at work along with keeping your personal life in tact.

Focus on the positive
It’s too easy to spiral into negative thinking while epidemics are breaking out, job losses are at an all time high and foreclosures abound in our neighborhoods.  So to turn it around make a quick list of 5 things that you are thankful for.  You may find yourself getting carried away and your list keeps growing.  As we see what is important in our lives we regain balance.

Simplify
Don’t over commit your personal resources.   Leave some wiggle room for having an off day or the unexpected event needing your attention.
 

Play
Let’s hope you didn’t forget how to do this.  Take a moment to be silly with your kids or do something you enjoy.  A short break from the pressures of work will do wonders for your mental outlook.

Take Care of You
Just 15 minutes of meditation a day can restore the balance you are looking for. 

Just Do It! 
You’ve heard the Napolean Hill quote Eat that Frog! everything else will seem easy after that”  Watch this short video and you’ll be on your way to leaving procrastination behind. Ever wonder why you are so exhausted when you haven’t really done what you need to do.  Just the thought of taking on the task of something you know you have to do can be paralyzing. Procrastination is an energy waster.  Try it, make a list of what you need to do.  Tackle the most difficult one you’ve got first.  Everything after that is a breeze.

You have the tools at your disposal, but are you taking advantage of all of the things they can do for you?  To get more comfortable in these new shoes or methods of marketing your business you just need to close the gap between the known and the unknown. It’s much easier than it sounds. 

Why are we here?
Before we learn how to use these tools we need to grasp why we do it.  You may say “I have no interest in tweeting on Twitter”.  That may very well be true but do you want to get noticed? get free PR? further your business and keep connected with your new and old contacts?  Of course you do. Then maybe you really do want to Tweet on Twitter since that is one of the new tools of business. Using these social networking sites doesn’t guarantee the success of your business but once you know why you should do it, then you should learn how.

Learning – What does it mean anyway?
It has been said that learning is the creation of a relationship between two things.  The two key factors are the known and the unknown.  Sometimes that may feel like putting on a new pair of shoes.  But as we all know, once you’ve broken them in, you wear them with ease.  They actually feel good! 

Why Rapid Learning?
As the world is rapidly changing our methods of learning need to change.  If we don’t adjust how we learn and how quickly we adapt, we will be left behind.

Ask for Help!
Just as you are willing to help others and refer new ideas and services to your friends and collegues, there are a host of people waiting to do the same for you.  But if you don’t ask for help, how will they ever know what you need.  Ask our SpeakCorp members.  Through each member profile you can access our group of experts waiting to help advance your business.

With a few quick tips from eHOW, set up your accounts today on: 

1.   Twitter 
2.  Facebook
3.  LinkedIn

Once you try on these new shoes and break them in you’ll gain confidence as technology contiues to change.  The next pair may not hurt so much.
 

The principle works like this: Your degree of satisfaction is directly proportional to your degree of focus on what satisfies you.

Put another way: If we don’t focus on accomplishing worthy goals that will satisfy us, time will pass anyway, but we won’t have anything significant to show for it.

Few of us have clear goals and even fewer of us ever write down what we want to get out of life. We have probably heard that written goals are helpful but we don’t really believe it. We don’t think it will make a big enough difference to make it worth our time. We don’t believe it because we don’t practice it enough to get good at it.

TRY THIS EXPERIMENT
For the next 30 days, value yourself enough to take 15 minutes each morning to write down what you want most out of your life. This may be painful, but you will probably find that it is worth it.

Here’s why: You will be programming your subconscious mind to work on your behalf to make you aware of opportunities that you are now missing out on completely.

Why are we missing opportunities? It’s because our brains are acting as a filter. You see, each of us is constantly being bombarded by billions of bits of information. We can’t possibly focus on everything. To protect us from sensory overload, some things just don’t get processed. What criteria does the brain use to determine what gets through? It lets through the information that we have told it is important to us. Have you ever decided to buy a particular model of automobile? Once you focus on a specific model of car, they magically appear all around you in quantities you never realized existed. Those cars have always been around but your subconscious mind kindly spared you from having to deal with that information because it did not matter to you. But once your brain knows that that kind of car is important to you, you notice every one.

How can we put this to work for us? Well, extensive experimentation in human behavior has proven that the act of writing goals down over and over again is an extremely effective way to program our subconscious mind to focus on getting what we want out of life.

So here’s the procedure to follow: get out a pad of paper and find a comfortable place to write. Next, ask yourself: “What do I really want to accomplish in my life?” Then, write down the things that come to your mind. Write down what really matters to you. If you write down: 1. Take out the trash, 2. Buy groceries, etc. you will have only yourself to blame if that’s all you get done. Then, the next morning, do the same thing all over again. Don’t just copy what you wrote yesterday. Write again, from the heart, what you want out of life.

At first it may be difficult to write anything. We are not used to consulting ourselves about our true desires. However, after a few days of following this routine, answers will begin to flow.

Here’s what will happen next: Your subconscious mind will become so involved with your major goals that they will begin to affect every decision you make. At this point you will begin to see a profound change in how you use your time. Your productivity will go up substantially. So will your satisfaction with life. Try it for 30 days and let me know what you think.

PS – I’d like your success stories and your objections. DB

Contributed by SpeakCorp Member: Dave Bernas   

View Dave’s Profile at:  http://members.speakcorp.com/profile/83