Eleanor Roosevelt

You’ve heard that old saying,

“Do one thing EVERY DAY that scares you.”
by Eleanor Roosevelt.

 
Well, I feel like I’m LIVING that quote!

I’ve lined up a number of speaking events this spring and JUST confirmed that I’ll be attending the April TEDxSummit in Doha, Qatar (which is next to Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf).

I talked about topic about leadership and doing what scares you most in my recent interview with Cheri Rutkus. You can listen in to the Networking Confidently on her Victory Circles program.

(If you haven’t checked out blogtalkradio yet, it’s an amazing site where you can download interviews.)

So anytime you hear that voice that says, “who do you think you are…” or some version of that well-meaning but negative influence, reach out to someone in your network or listen in on a program where people ARE making things happen. You deserve that level of support! Check out all the social network links at the top of this page, if you want to start building your support network.

Have a great long weekend, and stay in touch!

xoxo,

PS I’d like to say “Thank you, Thank you Very Much” in my best Elvis voice, to all of those people in Memphis who made Jason & my visit last week so outstanding. And a BIG THANK YOU to our host, Art Carden for his heartfelt hospitality and super-power ability to assemble fantastic crowds for us to speak with!

It’s been a WILD year so far.

I’m not big on New Years Resolutions, but I do respond to deadlines.

So at the end of the year I put some big items into motion for the business that I run with my husband, Jason: we hired a publicist, uploaded a brand new website, and moved to a new database for our client history & newsletters (can you tell?

I also said yes to a speaking opportunity about our TEDxOjaiWomen event and a Women’s Business Social in Memphis, Tennessee on Feb 9. (more on that soon!)

So in the spirit of the New Year, and all the newness going around, I encourage you to:

• LEARN something new on your current technology, whether that’s your phone, your database or some computer speedkeys.
  
• MEET someone new. When I look back at my big projects of last year, I realize I partnered with great people, asked a lot of questions, and received a ton of support.
• GROW into something new. You’re fabulous at what you do. Now it’s time to build on that. Be okay at starting fresh and as a beginner. You know you get bored fast, it’s time to take that risk and step up.

A girlfriend once told me, “Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the walk before it stops snowing.” ~Phyllis Diller, Phyllis Diller’s Housekeeping Hints, 1966

It made me laugh, and it made me think. I said to myself, “You will never be done with email. You will never be done with all the little things that need to be handled.” It’s possible to find liberation in that statement rather than misery…

We might as well get to the things that really matter to us.

I co-organized a TEDx conference 2 weeks ago, and I guarantee you that I didn’t have an open schedule with lots of free time on my hands prior to saying yes! I just knew that it was important and I wanted to make it happen. And somehow, all the other work that needed to happen, either got done, got rescheduled or really… (wait for it) wasn’t that important to start with.

I wish you the strength and courage to add in all of those things that affirm who you are.

“Procrastination is Expensive…”

I wrote that on Facebook and received a flood of comments. Everyone can relate.

Do you realize we’re just 61 days from New Years Eve? Yeah, time flies.

So here’s the thing. Start building what you want to be doing, now. Because if you’re anything like me, you WILL be busy! (Indefinitely.)

• Look at the next 2 months on your calendar
• Make an appointment with your business advisers
• Order the supplies you’ll need
• Put a placeholder in your calendar to get your stuff handled!

I’m speaking with Dyana Valentine  and a few others on the Women in Business panel at the Women Today conference on Friday, Nov 11 right before lunch. If you’re in or near Ventura (yes, that means you, Ojai women!) feel free to come join us. It should be fun, and I always love meeting my friends from online.

I’ve been looking out to January since August! My husband, Jason’s book, Your Best Just Got Better launches Jan 24 by Wiley publishing. So we’re building in things now to our schedule, so that everything’s in place come launch day.

Life is complicated, this doesn’t have to be. We’re smarter together…

Wishing you all the best,

I know you’re busy…but doing just this one tip will create 50 opportunities a year to focus on you and your professional career.

Set a date once a week to meet with a mentor or someone significant in your network. Get out from behind your desk and take someone to coffee, lunch or drinks every week.

There’s never a good time, at least in my life, when I have time for this. But I find, if I DON’T build this into my life, I get stagnant. Find time for yourself, your career, your professional development. You’re worth it.

I did this yesterday and feel like I’ve grown my business connections by more than double by meeting up with this new mentor…

Life is complicated, this doesn’t have to be. We’re smarter together…

Wishing you all the best,

Sometimes I’m asked to justify the value of networking… “What’s the ROI on someone attending a Social?”

How do you put a value on friendship, coincidence, synchronicity, good luck, fate, destiny, being at the right place at the right time?

Yes, sometimes I meet exactly right person I need to move a business project forward. But sometimes, I just have a good time, talk to people I normally wouldn’t be with or hear about something totally fantastic that I never would have figured out on my own. Like these things:

If you’ve got a car, look at your gas gauge. There should be a little arrow on either side of the gas pump icon. That tells you what side of the car the gas tank is on! This comes in handy if you’re in rental cars frequently or just have a couple of cars in the family and can’t keep them straight.  (totally self disclosing here…)

If you’re having trouble printing a document that keeps cutting off the top & bottom margins, look for the print option that says, “Page Scaling: Fit to Printable Area”. Problem solved.

iPhone users: hold down a letter while you’re typing, and you’ll get all the special characters. For example, when you hold down the a, you also can choose: à â ä ã. When you hold down the $, you can select: ¥ € £. Cool, right?
Here’s to showing up, sticking together, and the continuing to learn. As cheesy as it sounds, “We’re smarter together…” Thanks for everything you’ve taught me on this wild trip.

It’s not a matter of either/or.  It’s about BOTH.

Networking isn’t something you’re doing while you wear a nametag in a crowded room or click around online sending “friend invites”. Every email you send, every article you read, every gathering you attend, that’s an opportunity to build your community of professional relationships.

Last week, I attended a private taping of Suze Orman in Ojai, California. How did I find out about it? A friend posted a note on Facebook… then I followed through with an email to the producer… then I showed up in person to make sure I was on the list… AND THEN I invited 10 girlfriends from the Women’s Business Social to join me. This networking thing is interrelated.. in person… online… Yes. Both.

Scott Heiferman, CEO of Meetup.com , wrote “Could we use the internet to get off the internet — and grow local communities?” We know the answer is YES. I’ve been using online networking tools like Meetup, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter to promote the Women’s Business Socials.

This stuff doesn’t happen by itself. Who’s on your team? Who’s in your network?

And finally, who can you help?

xoxo,

Jodi

Have you ever wondered what the internet says about you? Google yourself and find out. Is the information that comes back on that first page accurate? Is it current?

Is it what you want the world to see about you? Is it even you, for that matter? You can type in your name into the search field and you can do it either with quotes around your name or without, see what shows up, because other people looking for you may do it either way. See what that the results bring back to you. From what I’ve heard inside human resources and other organizations, they are doing Google searches on people and they want to know what shows up. So you need to be in the know as well if you’re looking for that promotion or changing companies or just looking to reach out to new customers. What is it that people see when they look for your name?

If there happen to be people out there with the same name as you, it’s a good idea to create your own profile page. A lot of times I get this from professionals saying, “Oh, I don’t want to be on Facebook,” and I understand that. I really do.

But what I encourage them to do is to create a personal profile, use their professional photo, and put their name and their company information and location, and say, “Please find me at…” and then put their company website or whatever it is that you do want people to find, because if you happen to have a name that many other people do as well, there could be some confusion and if it’s not material that represents you well you definitely want to do the smart thing and let them know that that’s not you. This is you, here on this profile page. You’re not participating here but come find you on this other website or maybe your e-mail or even your phone number, if you want people to find you in that way.

So I just find the power of Google is such a valuable tool, and we don’t tend to use it on ourselves. We may use it for other people and I encourage others to do that as well. If you’re speaking on a panel or if you’re on a specific committee, or even if you’re going to a conference, Google those presenters. Google the other people on your panel. Google the people on your committee. Find out what their other interests are. Where did they show up in the news? What are they famous for? Do you have sports or any other hobbies in common with them?

Because now all of sudden if you find that you have the same interest in books or travel locations or any of those other things that make people real, you’ll have a much different conversation than if you’re going in cold and just trying to meet the day-of and find and build some rapport with people. So I find the more you know about people before going to events and before going to conferences, you’ll have a much easier time getting to know people and building that rapport and building those relationships.

Another great feature that Google has is called Google Alerts, and it’s a free clipping service, even though now it’s all online, and what that can do is anytime you put in a search in the Google Alert it will send you an e-mail report. So I have Google Alerts for my own name and my company name, as well as key clients and company names that I want to keep track of. So that way anytime any of those things are mentioned out in the news or on blogs, or written up in the AP wire, I get either a daily or a weekly summary e-mail and that includes the hot link to the original article. So that way I see and I can be the first one to compliment and congratulate people when they get promoted or if they get a new deal that was recently written about. I’m in the know and I don’t have to be doing that research constantly.

I do it one time in Google Alerts and then it continues to send me information as the information appears. It’s a great time-saver and it’s a great way to keep the rapport going with people, especially if it’s someone that you don’t speak to all the time, but it’s a great thing to be able to pick up the phone and call or send them an e-mail saying, “Congratulations! I saw you in the paper and really so thrilled to hear about your success.” It makes people feel connected and you get to be on the cutting edge and be the first in the know.

Click here to watch this short video.

Last year our local newspaper published a special issue, called “The Women of Ojai.” This year, I was featured as one. It didn’t just happen. I asked for it.

Now I’m asking you, to please click here to read the latest article and forward it to someone you know.

Part of my request is self serving, I know that.

***AND*** I truly believe that another, equally important part of sharing with people you care about is to bring the inspiring stories to light. So we can see other women modeling the life/business/beingness that we also want to create for ourselves.

What have you been hoping for, wishing would happen or otherwise pining after? I challenge you in the next 24 hours to boldly ask for what you want.

Be specific. Be outrageous. Be brave.

You are AMAZING.

Wishing you all the best in business and beyond…

So here’s an interesting, new twist to an old question:

“What CAN you do?”

instead of

“What DO you do?”

My friend, Colleen turns 50 years old this September. She came up with this crazy idea to raise $50,000 in 50 days for WriteGirl, a nonprofit empowering girls through writing.

In 2 days, Colleen’s and her die-hard network of loving & loyal friends has raised over $11k. In two days!!! Come on, that’s awesome right? Inspiring stuff…

Here’s a brief summary of what I see contributing to Colleen’s success that you can apply to your projects, too:

• build a team (you don’t have to do it alone)
• create your community too (people want to know how be involved at different levels, stay in touch & help)
• be specific (you can’t do all things for all people)
• be timely (deadlines work, so make your own)
• be wildly optimistic! (average is boring)
• be generous (you have SO much to give, click on the pink link to see the gifts Colleen is giving to donors!)
• be grateful (I already received a personal thank you note from Colleen for my contribution, within moments of clicking “Submit”. )

So I’ve been asking myself, “What can I do… for my clients? for this big leap into my career path? for more time with the people who mean the most to me?”

How about you? What can you do? You’re welcome to share your answers here on the blog, in the comments below…

Wishing you all the best in business and beyond…

xoxo,

Jodi

PS Did I mention Colleen is going to have a party to shave her head after she reaches the $50k?