How can I make you smile today?

I called a local company the other day to make an appointment… The woman that answered had a smile on her face… even over the phone, I could just tell. She made me smile by not only her friendly pattern, but what she said, “Thanks for call ‘X’. This is Linda, how can I make you smile today?”

Those real, authentic, natural smiles are infectious, whether you see them or not…

Remember, it’s often the smallest of things that change the rest of someone’s day. Make it a habit to smile. Did you know that smiling alters not only the brain chemistry to those who receive our smile, but us–the smile-sender too? Imagine what can happen the next time you choose to smile? I think we could all use a little extra happiness these days.

With cell phones, texting, social networking, email, and more, many of us don’t interact face-to-face much anymore, so how do you “virtually” smile?

It’s easy if you are on the phone – smile. A real smile changes the shape of your face and throat which in turn changes the voice… The easiest way to know if it’s a true smile — are your eyes crinkling? Crinkly eyes = true smile. No crinkles? Phony (or too much botox.)

To send smiles online takes a little light-heartedness. Write your copy with a little twinkle. Having trouble writing with a twinkle? Move. Change your perspective, write from a different location or just move some things in your office. Try decluttering. Go for a walk with a voice-recorder…

What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but, scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable. ~Joseph Addison~

Just like real estate’s saying: location, location, location… business is relationship, relationship, relationship. Actually, everything in life is based on relationships.

Relationships need to be built on a solid foundation of trust. People buy from people they like and trust. If you don’t have trust, it doesn’t matter how well you’ve drafted your plan, or what you’re offering. If a potential client doesn’t trust you, your foundation is built on shifting sands.

Many times "sales-leads" might consider you for the job if your price is the same as your competitors’. If your price is higher, you might get a chance if you get your price" in-line." Is that really what you want? Properly positioned companies don’t play the low-price game. They don’t have to. Their prospects see them as having something different. So, where do you start? By using one of the most effective marketing strategies on the planet; the "Always-have-something-to-invite-people-to-offer."

Don’t waste months trying to cajole one prospect at a time into throwing you a bone.

Proactively invite them to get to know why doing business with you is the solution they are looking for. The "Always-have-something-to-invite-people-to-offer" is a "low barrier to entry / low-risk" opportunity for them to get to know you. And for you to build trust over time. Create a schedule that you know you will do each and every time. Our next "Always…" event is next Thursday, November 6th at 9am Pacific. It’s every first Thursday of the month at 9am… notice that if the prospect can’t make it this time, they know when and where to find you when they are ready. If you would like to join us, register free at http://www.impressionengineers.com

As you develop an "always-have-something-to-invite-people-to-offer," consider how you are positioned in the marketplace. What is your niche? Are you the only one (or at least, one of the leading suppliers) of your specific solutions? If not, what benefits can you add to the client experience that will make sure there are no credible substitutes in the market? How can you enhance the customer experience ? Distinguish yourself in the marketplace.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
Sharon
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Sharon

p.s. Remember, the first Thursday of each month is "Beyond Lip Service" A conversation on simple and effective success strategies. Looking forward to the sharing and learning that happens on first Thursdays! Register free at http://www.impressionengineers.com

Have you noticed how much "text-talk" is becoming part of our unconscious response… does it bug you as much as it bugs me?

Then again, I can’t wag my finger…

I received an email that ended in "LMK if you want to discuss further."

I had to go to my son and ask, "What is LMK?"

Response: "LMK = Let me know"

Fair enough-makes sense.

From my iPhone I replied "TY. I wish people would spend two seconds and just write it out."

His response back, "So was your "TY" meant to be ironic?"

I could only respond with "LOL touche…"

Life Lesson 12,308, 923 (but whose counting)…You better be careful what you rant about.

Enjoy the adventure
To Success! To Life!

Sharon

I am so tired of the hand-wringing and the "sky is falling" in the media—creating "brick walls" that are really only of thought and flesh… We can stand at that wall and give our time, our energy, and in turn, our power away in worry or we can look through it with open curiosity to discover solutions. Those that stay staring at the wall dwell on the failure, the winner visualizes through, around, over, and under the wall to discover the solutions. This may sound trite, but it is true — winning begins with the thought, the belief that you will win.
Do not give your power away.

Thoughts are real–they have energy and power behind them. Thoughts move us, for better or worse. Preoccupying your thoughts with solutions and the "happily ever-after" endings is a do-it-yourself project. There are people who can instruct, encourage, and coach you, but the success depends on you.

This rant started this morning when I read (in addition to my live coaching I do email coaching) from a highly competent, qualified, intelligent person…“Oh, I do embrace this intention and I want it…” Not to be rude, but how can you “want” something you already have? JUST CLAIM IT! Coaches, friends, and family can give you ideas, pointers, and tips on being more effective in what to do. How you do it, when you do it and if you do it is up to you…

As I finish writing this to you, I reflect on my dear friend Wil Hart’s wisdom (www.CraigHartCosulting.com) I’m paraphrasing, so forgive me Wil… When you are a business owner, there is no difference between your business and your life. You’re right Wil… You better love what you do. You better believe in what you do. You better stand for what you do. (If those last 3 sentences don’t resonate, consider: Am I doing the right thing for me?)

I refuse to relinquish my power over myself and my outcomes.
Enjoy the adventure
To Success! To Life!

Sharon

p.s. Not long ago, I received a voice mail from someone that recognized themselves in one of my writings… It went something like: “Hello Sharon, I wonder, just wonder… who you could have written about today…” They were a good sport about it especially since I never mention names or anything else to identify individuals… To all my friends and clients, I know you sometimes recognize yourself, thanks for being a great sport and being the beacon for growth we all can reflect and learn with.

Norman Cousins once said, “Life is an adventure in forgiveness.” These are some of the truest words I have heard. We each have something or someone to forgive. Some may even feel they are owed an apology—you have the power to choose to be resentful, heartsick, to be burdened, dissatisfied, full of worry and anxiety, to be calm, satisfied, happy, to be passionate. It’s all a choice.

Life is in constant motion. The thoughts you choose to dwell on can keep you stuck or move you towards your purposes and passions. The key to passionate living is to choose without “shoulds.”  Respect your boundaries. Respect other’s boundaries.

Learn from what happened. You have no control over what anyone else feels or thinks. When there’s mutual respect, "working things through" can heal. If you feel threatened, withdrawal from the situation may be a viable option.

Be honorable and intend the best for everyone, including your self. Only when you’re at peace can you make a real contribution to anyone. Holding tightly to an offense, no matter how heinous it was, is like feeding your self poison and waiting for the other person to die. It just doesn’t work.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

Is it SWIRLING all around?

I don’t know about you, but I can’t listen to any news broadcast these days that isn’t full of doom and gloom. Perhaps you are feeling it in one way or another too, maybe the pocketbook…

As a child, my beloved Aunt Myrtle used to say “You are about as wealthy as you make up your mind to be.”  As I grew older, I have heard “about as happy as you make up your mind to be,” but she meant more than happy—wealthy is more than a feeling, it is a state of being—wealthy in body, mind, spirit and pocketbook.

Lately, in our coaching practice we hear words of resignation… it’s understandable, but no way to live and thrive. Why resignation? The simple answer is: if not watchful, you may tend to pick up the thoughts, feelings and habits of those around you. With the news full of depression and despair, it wreaks havoc on our imagination and creatively—two necessary items needed to change any situation. Imagining something better leads to possibilities, possibilities lead to creativity, which leads to new beginnings.

We are more powerful than any present circumstance.

The trick is to be aware of the world around you without it shattering you. Stay open to change. Transfer your focus to other things (sometimes I have the world’s cleanest bathrooms.) Let it go, even for a short while. Allow the subconscious to work with imagination and creativity. By letting go and shifting focus, we shift energy away from the problem and "energize" possibilities.

If you have ever survived something, maybe a medical condition, a job loss, an accident… somewhere inside you, you have already discovered that even though you have not beaten the odds of bad things happening, you have used your imagination and creativity to overcome them.

Limitations are a trick of the mind. You may not be responsible for a less-than-desirable event, but you are responsible for your choice in how you react or resolve it. Once you make up your mind to achieve what you want, you will find a way around obstacles.

"Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs." ~Maxwell Maltz~

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon�

Last week, I wrote about "You are what you believe." I wanted to expand on it a bit, as some may have gotten the mistaken "belief" that all beliefs are negative. Nothing could be further from the truth. Beliefs are just beliefs, just as thoughts are just thoughts. It is in how we chose to act upon them that makes the difference.

All of us have beliefs. The same thought or belief can serve us as an asset or liability. It just depends on the context that the thought or belief comes about.  We are not consciously aware of most of our beliefs. A belief is something you accept as true. It may have no basis in truth, yet you accept it to be true. When the belief has little or no basis in truth, it is called a limiting belief.

The problem with a limiting belief is that it does just that—it limits us. Research has shown that the job of the subconscious mind is to make what we believe come true in our lives—think about it as a self-fulfilling prophecy…

Byron Katie, author of "Loving What Is" has an useful 4-step process of personal inquiry to help identify and question thoughts and beliefs.* The four-steps are:

1. Is it true?

2. Can you absolutely know that it’s true?

3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

4. Who would you be without the thought?

Then you “turn-it-around,” meaning develop three examples of opposites of your original thought/belief and see if what you were judging is really true.

"Only if you imagine that the rope is a snake does your heart start pounding. It’s your thoughts that scare you into fight-or-flight-not reality." ~ Ms. Byron Katie
More information about Byron Katie can be found at www.thework.com/  I have found her books and processes very helpful.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure,
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

You Are What You Believe

 “Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they’re yours.” ~ Richard Bach, author

Saturday morning at a coaches debriefing session from a week-long workshop, I was surprised to hear one of the group say, “I’m not ready yet. It has to be perfect.”  From the "outside," this is someone that I see as extremely competent to do what they say they could not do yet.

Perfect does not happen overnight. Perfect comes from trail and error, from experience. An “expert,” (if there is such a thing,) comes from the learnings discovered while making all the mistakes that can be made in your own area of "expertise." It takes the time that it takes…suffering through it is optional. One of my mentors, Michael Grinder, likes to say, “It’s not about perfection. It is how well you can recover.”

So, if you think you can’t do something, you can’t. If you think you can, you can.

Have a great day in whatever your adventure.
To Success! To Life!
Sharon

Finally had a few moments of nice weather here in the Northwest. I planted a few blossoms. It’s been a late spring and many have been in a sour mood around here. Your attitude can spread like wildflowers or weeds

If your life has become root-bound and you have stopped growing, it is time to re-pot.
~Lucy MacDonald~

Develop a positive attitude

The way you think does affect your life. Listen to yourself sometime. What is your "self-talk" saying? Is much of it negative? Your self-talk may be affecting you.

Free yourself from negative self-talk. Remember you are in charge of yourself and your thoughts. Next time you hear negative self-talk in your head, take a moment, breathe and consciously shift.

Positive self-talk may start as a series of "baby-steps," but soon the negative will be replaced by the positive. Consider a couple of these ideas when you want a more positive attitude:

• Own your feelings. They are part of you. Accept them and commit to changing them.

• Rewrite your negative self-talk. Take a piece of paper and jot down the negative thoughts that are running through your head. Now, right under it state that same thought, but in the positive. E.g. “How stupid can I be. I ate that whole cake” rewritten "I re-commit to eating healthy.”

• Give voice to the self-talk. Find a friend or counselor. Ask  permission to  vent for a while. Holding it in can lead to frustration, hurt, anger… Once done, state it in the positive and be done with it.

• Find the humor in the negative situation. Some of the funniest stories are based on bad times. Recount the situation in a humorous letter to a friend.

• Walk the dog, call a friend, volunteer, read a book, take a bubble bath or just blow bubbles…

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