Successful Blog

Have You Outgrown Your Comfort Zone? Is It Time to Find a New One?

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Image Separation!

It took four hours and a few minutes.
After that I watched 8 thirty-gallon garbage sacks ride away in a car never to return again. They were from a pile called “Donations.”

The four hours and few minutes weren’t at all what I expected. I had spent them with a lovely, professional wardrobe consultant from the image studios. Her job was to help me sort through what parts of my wardrobe presented me and represented me according to these criteria:

  • colors that enhances with my skin tones
  • fit that works with the rest of me
  • style that reflects who I am (to a personality baseline we’ve defined.)

Sounds tame and simple enough, doesn’t it? All head. No worries.

I was clueless.

Comfort Zone Shock!

Sunday morning I had two closets of well-behaved clothing — a fine collection I’d amassed in years of coming, going, working, growing. By Sunday night, I had this left hanging lonely …

.. and another thirty-gallon garbage sack filled with clothing needing alterations.

Folks on Twitter said it should be freeing … but it wasn’t.
It’s still not.
It’s interesting.
It’s confusing.
It’s enlightening.
It’s scary.

It’s not freeing.
It’s uncomfortable.
It’s a little hard not to think empty.

When I sat with Kali that first day, she asked, “Are you ready for this?”
I said, “I’ve been thinking about this for 14 months.”
She asked it again in another more profound way.
I’m now understanding what she meant and why she asked it.

I’ve been hit smack dab in the face with “Who are you really?”

Old habits seem to stay with us longer than we need them.
Old thoughts that once protected fence us in.
Old stories and old worries keep us from moving.
Old friends and old ideas can block paths to new ones.

Being too safe can be risky.
Knowing too much can get in the way of learning.
Draw a circle around who you are and your potential will walk the line.
I know for certain — I had to throw away the old jeans to understand why I needed new ones.

I’m wondering if I’m not the only one.
Have you outgrown your comfort zone?
Is it time to find a new one?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

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How to Build a Yellow Ferrari Product YOU Resume / Brochure

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Make New Rules — Don’t Be the List

Somewhere along the line, you probably learned rules about writing resumes pr asking for sponsorship. You probably learned about starting with your objectives and your history. What I’m about to tell you is going to break rules … make new ones instead.

The old resume was all about you, anyway. In today’s world, the new rules are all about them. Think about the person or people you are writing to or for. They’re the only ones who count.

It’s easy to think of a resume as a list — three suits: two blue, one gray — of what we’ve done. We tend to think of a resume off as one more painful requirement of job acquisition. We tend to think of a request for sponsorship as a list of what we want. That thinking sets us up for major missed opportunities. With a few tweaks, your resume or your request can be a dynamic tool in your business or career strategy.

You may need the list, but you don’t have to be the list.

Make your resume or your request more like a marketing brochure.

Most people will do what we want if we can prove it’s to their benefit.
That’s your quest.

A Yellow Ferrari Product YOU Resume or Brochure

Imagine that you’re a product — a yellow Ferrari.
Build a spec sheet quantifying your performance stats — those THEY care about.
Ask a helpful — not hypeful — marketing person to help you write copy about your soft skills — the skills THEY care about.
You’re well on your way to serious attention.

Include your product history — tell only what THEY will care about — on page 2.

Use Time and Technology to Show Not Tell

In the age of computers, we should be sending out fewer resumes and requests, not more. Ten well-investigated contacts beat out 100 attempts to knock on the wrong doors. Computers make it easier to seek, find, and learn about the people you want to do business with — be they clients, sponsors, or employers. Use the technology show them, not tell them!

  • Make a generic Yellow Ferrari Product You Brochure.
  • Set aside time daily to identify 1 or 2 client, sponsor, employer candidates whose goals match your goals.
  • Research each candidate to understand how your goals and their goals align.
  • Use that information to personalize the sample document for each specific candidate.

When we research a company before we approach them, it changes the way we write. It changes our pitch, our volume, our tone and word choice. We see how our personal skill set might add value in their context rather than talking in a manner that’s shooting blind.

A Sample Outstanding Product You Branding Brochure

Turn a resume into a Yellow Ferrari Product YOU brochure.
PAGE 1: Why not start with …

This document prepared for [Company XYZ] by [Person ABC] a web strategist who can offer tested experience to [goal MNO]

Career Accomplishments — Delivers results.
This is a short bulleted list of quantitative results, such as sales numbers, profit numbers, great hires, Google results.
Always numbers first.

Core Competencies — Tends the Intangibles.
This is sections of qualitative skills, such as team skills, management skills, publishing skills, interdepartmental skills.
Key ideas highly organized.

PAGE 2: With your skill set laid on page 1, you can list your chronology simply with far less detail on page 2. Depending on your industry, you might offer it as a short narrative summary in place of or above the breakout chronology — the way some restaurant menus do. [Be careful. More traditional industries won’t find that inspiring or cute.]

Use It as a Promotional Tool

Change the way you look at your resume and you’ll soon find a world of uses for it. Use it as you do your business card. I’ve sent mine to a business friend with a note saying, “Let me know if my voice might help you in the meetings with the publishers you told me about.” Design Page 1 into your blog’s About Page to let your readers know more about you, your brand, and your business.

Most importantly look over what you feature to focus on what has contributed most to your success. Know that just the act of doing so will make talking about what you do more fluent in the future.

What would you expect in a Yellow Ferrari Product You Resume / Brochure?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

Related articles
Building a Personal Brand YOU
Brand YOU — Capitalize on Your Strengths
Personal Branding: Strengths Assessment Tool
Brand YOU –What’s the BIG IDEA?

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5 Ways to Maintain Relationships without Being a Credit Card Tramp

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. To underscore the importance of relationships in business and to have a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that, I’ve opened up this series by successful and outstanding bloggers like you.

Maintaining Relationships without Being a Credit Card Tramp
by Steve Sildon

We’ve all been there. You’re at the restaurant with your friends and then the bill comes. Three out of the four people sitting at the table pull out their credit cards or cash and one friend excuses himself to head to the bathroom which seems to happen every time you go out with this particular person. What do you do? Many people, in an effort to avoid confrontation, will just add on the freeloader’s portion to their bill. Truth be told, many of these freeloading offenders will take advantage of your fear of confrontation. But what if you don’t really have the money to pay their way and cover their portion of the bill, but you knowingly charge it on your credit card anyway? Are you a credit card tramp?

If this situation sounds familiar, you need to take steps immediately to nip it in the bud. If it bothers you and you do not act on it, the situation can turn ugly and could result in a falling out and the loss of an important relationship.

While it can be an uncomfortable situation — you don’t want to offend your family member or lose a friend over a dinner bill — you also can’t afford to keep picking up their tab. Use these five tactics to deal with your mooching friend or family member, and keep yourself out of debt at the same time.

  1. Set the Expectation Upfront: There are times when you want to treat your family to a nice dinner out or some of your friends to do some entertaining. Then there are times when you just can’t afford it. Set the expectations upfront by saying, “Tonight, it’s my treat,” or “It’s your turn to pay.” This is an appropriate, non-confrontational way to let them know who will be footing the bill. You can also drop a hint by saying something like, “I don’t have enough cash to cover my portion, so I’m going to have to use my credit card. Do you need to stop by the ATM or are you going to use your credit card too?” This is more of a subtle approach to letting them know that you are not their personal ATM.
  2. Ask for Separate Checks. When placing your order at dinner, let the waiter know upfront who should be included on each check. Point out who is on your bill and who is on the other bill or bills. This politely lets the waiter know he needs to split the bills, and it also alerts the other people at the table that they’re responsible for paying their own part of the bill. On those rare occasions where restaurants say they can’t split the check when you place your order, refer to tip number four on how to deal with this situation.
  3. Try Getting the Money First. This tactic might seem a bit awkward, but talk with your mooching family member or friend and find out if they are having money problems that are prohibiting them from being able to afford eating out. This doesn’t have to be an abrupt conversation with screaming and yelling. If you’re planning on going to see a movie or maybe even a concert, let that person know that you don’t have the money to pay for both of you. Find out how they plan to pay for their tickets and get the payment upfront before you purchase them.
  4. Stand Your Ground. Like it or not, if this type of behavior has become a regular routine, you’re going to have to step up to the plate and put your foot down on it. The bottom line is you’ve got to speak up for yourself and stand your ground. Again, this doesn’t have to be a screaming match in a public place. Maintaining a matter-of-fact attitude that allows you to simply state the facts is ideal. For example, you might say something like “Your half of the bill is $50. Which credit card are you planning on using?” This will send a very clear signal that they will have to carry their own weight and pay their portion. Period.
  5. Tell Them How You Feel. While some mooching friends and family do it knowingly, others may not realize what they’re doing unless you tell them. Perhaps you always pick the restaurant and the restaurant that you choose just happens to go above and beyond their means. They might be too embarrassed to let you know they can’t afford it so they just go along with your choice. Sit down one-on-one and explain how you feel. Calmly tell them that it bothers you to always pick up the tab in it’s entirely when you’re out at restaurants, on vacation, or whatever the case may be. It’s helpful to point out specific incidents. Explain that you yourself can’t always afford to carry the financial load when you’re eating out together or entertaining, so he either needs to start paying his own way or you can choose restaurants or outings that are more affordable to him so he can comfortably pay his own way.

Using these five tactics can help you move away from being that dreaded credit card tramp who always seems to pick up the tab and lets the offending party off the hook. You can do it politely, with honor, grace and dignity though. More importantly, you can do it and still maintain a relationship with those friends or family members who always seem to be the ones helping you run up your credit card bill. Most people will understand where you are coming from. Of course, there might be some people that don’t understand, but you have to take action to curb the situation if you hope to maintain some kind of a relationship with them.

How they react to you taking charge of the situation is beyond your control. More importantly, how they respond to it, favorably or not, is simply not your problem. It’s their problem now.

Steve Sildon, Managing Director of CreditCardAssist.com. Steve writes about a variety of personal finance topics including saving, investing, debt consolidation, credit cards and mortgages.

Rituals, Glituals, and Success – How Will You Turn Things on Today?

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FAIL NOT!!

This morning I got up.
I followed my path that gets things rolling.
I walked through the kitchen. Gotta have coffee.
I went to my office space. Gotta have connectivity.
I head on back to the shower. Gotta be clean and clear thinking.

It’s my ritual to hit the ground running.
I like the thought of everything firing up at the same time.

And every morning, I walk back through the kitchen, get my coffee, sit down at my computer. and start right in making the world mine.

Except today.

Today my ritual was a glitual.

My computer wasn’t running.
I forgot a critical key to success.
Whether it’s the coffee, the computer, or yourself …

You gotta turn it on to get things going!

How will you turn things on today?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz!!

How's Your Relationship with Yourself?

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. To underscore the importance of relationships in business and to have a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that, I’ve opened up this series by successful and outstanding bloggers like you.

Communicating with Yourself
by Karl Staib

To get yourself to the next level of your career, the most important development is to be able to communicate with yourself so honestly and effectively that every choice improves your life.

Wow! Every choice?

Yes, every choice can add or subtract to or from your career.

I’ve made many mistakes with my career, but one thing I pride myself on is the fact that I never settled for less than what I really wanted. I wanted a career in teaching and I found it. I wanted a creative career I landed it. I wanted a people interactive career and I got it.

They all built on each other and helped me get to where I wanted.

I’ve found a job that requires teaching, creativity and interactivity. These are the tools that have aided me in my present career. Is this the end?

Probably not.

I’m ok with not knowing whether of not this is my final destination. That’s what honesty does for you. Chances are, you won’t ever see the complete picture. There is no way of seeing the whole picture from just one set of eyes. But you can add to the picture, step back and effectively pick your next direction.

Think of your career as a giant scroll that can never be erased, but the most important part is the last sentence. It’s this sentence that is the present you. Hopefully the happy you. If you aren’t happy then keep improving your story.

Never Stop

You must keep adding to the “story” that is your career. We all have so much potential to change the world. We can do this only through work. What? I can change the world in many other ways. I ask you to name me one way in which you can make change without putting in a little work?

You can’t.

You need to create motion to generate change.

Without action it’s just thoughts.

The number one reason why people are happy at their jobs is because what they produce resonates with their soul. They believe so wholeheartedly that they are doing good that it lifts them to a level of happiness that sets their hearts on fire.

I watched an animal show that highlighted Steve Irwin’s (Crocodile Hunter) pet hospital. One employee sleeps in her office to care for the injured Koala bears. She is so dedicated to saving these animals that she will forgo sleep to feed a Koala every two hours.

Finding this fire is not easy. For 99% of us this takes many years, but that means never settling for second best or third best. We need to keep adding layers that build our career foundation. With each layer we gain more perspective, strength and intelligence, which allows us to communicate with ourselves more honestly and effectively.

So ask yourself: What could I be doing to add to my personal development?

My two favorite methods are:

Meditation/Contemplation

Just sitting in a quiet room and answering the question, “What work am I doing now that I enjoy? And what could I be doing to add to my career?”
There are many methods that can help you build on your present career or switch to a new one. You can try anything, from volunteering at a local organization to creating an event that involves the community.

When you give yourself questions to answer, you can avoid the loop of thoughts that prevent you from fulfilling your vision of your “dream career.”

Asking Friends

Your friends are a treasure chest of information. They have formulated many ideas of who you are and why they like you.

Ask your friends, “What are my best talents?” and “Do you think I’m using them to my advantage?”

Don’t take these answers personally. Some responses might hurt your feelings. You are doing this to grow, so you must accept the idea that the situation might be a wee bit uncomfortable, but a valuable experience.

What other methods have you used to listen to your soul’s career needs?
What jobs have you had that you didn’t like, but later you understood how they helped build your career?

his own blog: Work Happy Now! If you enjoyed this article, you may like to subscribe to his feed, follow him on Twitter or

Karl Staib writes about unlocking and kicking open the door to working happy atWork Happy Now where you can read one of his most popular articles, How Does Google Create a Great Atmosphere?
His twitter name is @workhappynow

The Relationships of Ringling Bros: A Company that Cares about Animals

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The theme of SOBCon09 is the ROI of Relationships. To underscore the importance of relationships in business and to have a chance to make and celebrate a few while we’re doing that, I’ve opened up this series by successful and outstanding bloggers like you.

Ringling Bros
by Sarah Stuart

If you have children at home or if you just like children world you might be surprised to learn more about Ringling — the Brothers and their circus. Some people think that circuses are a bad thing. Read further before you decide.

Ringling Bros is a company that promotes shows to children. The shows are circus type with a series of animals that are mainly worldwide extinct. Elephants, horses, wild cats and other exotic species are taken care of by Ringling company and trained to provide the best of the shows delighting children’s eyes.

From the east coast of United States starting on New York State through the West Coast ending in California including Puerto Rico, Ringling is on tour. All you have to do to know about their shows is going to the colorful website www.ringling.com . The website has a show locator providing that you can get the nearest location to where you live.

The concept around Ringling is compelling for several reasons. First, Ringling is an entertainment company. Children and parents watch exotic animals shows. Most kids who watch the shows wouldn’t see these animals anywhere except in a zoo. By finding the nearest show to where they live, families can plan and enjoy an evening of fun and awesomeness.

An important fact regarding Ringling is that the animals are truly taken care of. The company has full-time veterinaries and animal care staff to ensure that the animals are fed, watered, groomed and cleaned daily. Animals are also medically examined regularly and that they receive all required and needed vaccinations.

Besides the entertainment and the care for captive animals, Ringling represents a shift, a change in the way we see animal shows and how we care about the animals themselves. Why?

For several decades, animals were not well treated in circus type shows. Ringling has a different intent and approach than all other companies in the field. The Ringling intent generates a huge difference in the way we see, watch, and live the shows.

Ringling’s objective is to conserve animals lives. They care about rare and nearly extinct species such as elephants. Ringling ties the joy kids feel at the show to highly enlightening website information. Kids go home and learn about animal origins, their lives and the special concerns they face — that connection is an education toward changing the world.

Ringling is built over the close tie that includes entertainment, information, and conservation of species! Ringling represents a different way of making business, a new perspective. It shows us how different aspects of our lives and the planet’s life can be related in harmonious business!

Sarah Stuart can be found at Tinkerbell where she
writes creatively about many kinds of communication.
Her twitter name is @Sarah_Stuart

—————–
Sarah has chosen a controversial subject. You might not agree with her view. I’m sure you can say what you think without straining relationships on our blog. Every story has many points of view. I’m interested in yours. So is she.

–ME “Liz” Strauss