Prolific Living Media: The Daily Interaction

Episode 44 of The Daily Interaction: How to Properly Introduce Yourself

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 25 May 2012 13:36:44 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #44 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on Episode 44 – How to Properly Introduce yourself. It is both an art and a science, and I am talking about the science part today by sharing my 6-Step Formula to introducing yourself in an unforgettable way to anyone that you meet from here on out!

Think about the ways that you introduce yourself today to people? Do you put any thought into it? Do you just blurt out what comes to mind? Do you have a memorized old line that you pull out and sound like more like an automated machined than yourself? I talk to you about something supremely important today and that is the art and science of introducing yourself properly and unforgettably to the world. And I am a little surprised I haven’t covered this very basic topic in our daily communications until now but better late than never, no?

As bloggers and online entrepreneurs, we can get so caught up sometimes in the technology, services, tools and gadgets instead of working on our communication skills. Just lately, I was drooling over the nice eCommerce solutions by Bluepark’s Shop Software for startups and the webhosting company Cloudnext. New shiny objects pop up everyday and while there is a place for them in our business, it is important to focus on your communications basics first before getting lost in the world of technology!

In life, we meet many, many people and we never ever know in advance what can become of that encounter, and what opportunities may come to us from just a meeting, but that’s exactly where everything starts: when two people meet for the first time, and we are not talking romance here. We are talking business and it is all in the ultimate interest of YOUR business, so let us talk about what sets this whole thing in motion: Introducing yourself.

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Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. The difference between elevator pitch and introducing yourself well and why I am right behind Michael Port in eradicating the elevator pitch from our vernacular and why that does not really apply to you.

2. I tell you how I would introduce myself to you if I were to meet you today, and I use that as an example to give you some tips on what to do and what not to do in introducing yourself.

3. Tips on how to introduce yourself by practicing your name, preparing your introduction, and paying attention to what you are going to say – that’s 3 Ps so easy to remember!

4. An example of the most creative introduction by a woman who introduces herself by saying: “I help CEOs of Fortune 500 companies be more productive and win more sales for their companies in the most natural way!” – If you want to know what she does, listen to the podcast.

5. Step 1 of the 6 step formula: Be short and sweet with your introduction – it should not take more than 20 seconds max, and ideally around 10-15 seconds.

6. Step 2 of the 6 step formula: Be captivating – and how do you do that? Listen for my tips in the podcast.

7. Step 3 of the 6 step formula: Be prepared but don’t come across as though you memorized your own introduction.

8. Step 4 of the 6 step formula: Show sincerity and why you should never fake it till you make it when you are doing your introduction.

9. Step 5 of the 6 step formula: Go for clarity and not for cleverness or vagueness and why you should never ever use an acronym in your introduction.

10. Step 6 of the 6 step formula: Let your creativity shine and examples on how to be creative with your introduction.

11. I wrap our episode by telling you a few top reasons why you should put real thought in how you introduce yourself to the world next time an opportunity shows up for you to do so!

Upcoming FREE Training: Grab your seat now if you want in!

On May 30th, Wednesday 8pm EST, we have our second free training call on the Confidence Series. It is titled: Moving through the highs and lows of Self-Worth. The calls are free and open to you right now as long as you grab your seat before it fills up and you can do that by going HERE. Your self-worth will get a make-over and this one will be closer to the REAL you!

Thank you *so much* for reading Prolific Living posts. Would you like more? Sign up (top right corner) for the Exclusive Insider's Guide to Smart Habits and get the 21-Step to Confidence Series as my GIFT to you!

Episode 43 of The Daily Interaction: How to Explain Your Unconventional Lifestyle

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:06:00 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #43 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is How to Explain Your Unconventional Lifestyle. How do you do this where you don’t give in to the status quo and without apologizing for living life differently and at the same time, without offending anyone and without coming across as defensive, or rude or preaching about it? That’s the challenge that we are going to unravel today.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Our Fresh Voice for today was Arvind Devlia, who is a dear friend of mine out of London. He is a published author, a life coach, and a great blogger at Arvind Devalia Plus, the reason I picked him is because we did a juice fast together back in March and lived to tell about it. Seriously, this plays a role later in the episode and it will all make sense.

In today’s episode, we are going to talk about your unconventional choices around 3 main life areas: The first one is around your professional work and career, the second is around your family orientation, the nature of your partnership, marriage or children, and the last one is around your health choices and diets such as the vegan, raw vegan, low car, vegetarian diets or choices in doing juice fasting, or just adding green juices or green smoothies to your diets.

How do you get your family to understand you, support you, and love you nonetheless with the choices you are making? What are some of the conversations you are going to have? And why it’s the most important thing for you to fully understand the underlying reasons which is compelling you to make your choices?

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

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Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. First, I cover the rules before having those conversations. Rule #1 is to never get defensive and I tell you how and why.

2. Second, I cover the next rule and that is to never ever preach what you believe to be the right way to live but instead learn how to inform and educate others.

3. Having the conversation where people react to you leaving your safe corporate job to go off to start your own company? How do you in words politely validate your sanity and assure them that this choice is right for you? I had to assure my own family that this decision for me would ruin neither my marriage nor my credit rating.

4. The things to say and not to say when people ask you about your lifestyle choices such as marriage, children, and family orientation. How do you win over the support and love of family and friends and still – STILL – be true to your own unconventional life choices.

5. How to explain your unconventional food choices such as a vegan or raw food diet or a juice fast and what kind of approach to use to educate others without preaching and doing so with love and compassion so that you become approachable and still stay true to your choices.

6. I wrap with telling you just how to be a role model and an example to others by following your heart and practicing these tips in interacting with others about your unconventional lifestyle choices.

What Can You Do to Show Your Love

My Sweet TDI Peeps: This was the 43rd episode – that is forty three weeks in a row without missing a beat. Are you still enjoying the podcast? Will you miss it if I quit doing them?? Just kidding and making sure you are reading what I write here! And remember, the best way to show your love is by doing an iTunes ranking, right? Until next time, I am blowing you a kiss for showing your love for the podcast!

Episode 42 of The Daily Interaction: Falling in Love with Your Failures

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:14:40 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #42 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on Episode 42 – Falling in Love with Your Failures. I know that you know they are a part of the journey and that you need to accept them and get over them and move on and keep going. Yes, we know all of that but I want to talk to you today about something else -I want to push you even further and suggest that you fall IN LOVE with your failures.

The idea behind this is very simple – the closer you are to the things that are not going well for you, the closer the relationship that you develop with those circumstances and situations, the better and deeper you understand them and the easiest way to do this is to remove the negative emotion. Therefore, create positive emotion and if you want to go all out, create a very positive emotion – hence falling in love – and when you do this, you will get so close to these defeats and disasters that you will start to really understand how to get back up next time and reach massive success.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. How to consciously decide your approach to failures and how to change your current mindset to what I am teaching you to do today.

2. A relatively long list of my own failures, just so we get comfortable with each other, and how I used to view them – even when I thought I had developed a healthier relationship with it – and how I am now viewing those same failures, and the successful results that have come about from that change.

I talk about my first Kindle book, The 8 Pillars of Motivation and how it climbed the charts of Amazon after 10 months and how I did not give up on it.

3. What is ok and what is not ok for you to do when you do come up on those failures in your life. I give you power tips and urge you to change what you are doing and look at the situation in a new way.

4. Why believing in your eventual success combined with loving your failures is going to be your top secret to success.

5. A practical tip for you on why loving what doesn’t work and what doesn’t go as planned is a really good thing and why failure is a necessary training ground.

6. The difference between fear of failure and failure itself and how to change your overall mindset so that you ease your way into success.

7. What it was like to live in Iran without freedom, what this has to do with our topic today and why it is impossible to duplicate the powerful impact of failures and its rewards in your life.

8. My favorite quotation from Elizabeth Town, “So fail, fail really big and have the courage to stick around and make them wonder why you are smiling. That’s true greatness to me.”

So show me your greatness. Fall in love with your failures and see how they are going to bring you closer to your eventual and massive success in life.

Do You Enjoy The Daily Interaction podcasts?

Do you like the podcasts and want me to continue them week after week ? As you know, the podcasts are FREE and yours to enjoy – and if you want to spread the message, please do an honest iTunes ratings for it. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for tuning in!

Episode 41 of The Daily Interaction: Eliminating What’s Not Working

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 04 May 2012 12:42:28 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #41 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on Eliminating What’s Not Working of The Daily Interaction podcast.

Can you take a moment to scan your interactions and communications and see what’s not working – what is something that you keep doing that’s not serving you well anymore and before you add anything new, can you eliminate that thing which is getting in the way? That is the topic today and I am so excited to share this concept with you because you can put it to use right away.

Elimination of that which does not serve me anymore has been one of the areas that I am focusing on in my communications and I bring it to you today in a practical and actionable way. It is something you can put to use right away because you don’t need anything new. This works with what you already have and do and removes what’s not working and in the process, you enhance your way of doing the same thing with leaps and bounds. Plus you gain tremendous confidence in the process!

In this podcast episode, I share with you the simple, quick and yet powerful ways that you can change the way you do things by simply removing what is not working. Just like I should not worry about increasing my savings before fixing my credit rating, and just like I should not add new clothes to my closet before removing what I’m not wearing, I know that I should learn to remove what is not serving me well in my interactions and communications with the world BEFORE adding NEW things on top!

This will seem subtle to you at first but not only does it have a large impact on outcomes, it will make you feel lighter, more aligned to who you really are and how you want to be perceived in your interactions with the world around you. So get ready with a cuppa tea and take a listen!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

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Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why it is so important to eliminate before you add and how I came across this new concept as part of my self-improvement journey and why you might be under-estimating the power of elimination.

2. My own biggest task on what I need to eliminate in my dealings with my own family. What is yours?

3. An exercise to scan your words and phrases – your common reactions in the world around you – and think about whether that is the best way to handle something. Is it working?

4. How to be exactly as you are, with all of your essence and your ways of doing things intact, and still experience something remarkably noticeable in your improved interactions.

5. Understanding the total effect and the full scale of what you say and do and portray (with your body language) and how to become aware of it and then tweak it with the smallest act of elimination.

6. The example of how you can totally change the perception in the way you come across in the smallest and barely noticeable acts, especially when you are being watched, and what exactly to do to shift that around.

7. How to change poor thought patterns and old beliefs by asking this one single powerful question: “Is it true?” and by examining the true answer rather than the old assumptions.

8. Food and closet analogies – for this one, you must take a listen to the podcast as I can’t do it justice!

9. The importance of enjoying the “empty space” and how to work through this discomfort so that it become comfortable and how to begin to apply the elimination process slowly but effectively to your communications and even to your life.

Do You Enjoy The Daily Interaction podcasts?

A huge shout-out to those of you who left reviews on iTunes, THANK YOU guys!! And if you like these conversations and want to support the podcast, I am not accepting donations – the podcasts are FREE and yours to enjoy – but boy would I love you if you took a few minutes to do an honest iTunes ratings for it. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 40 of the Daily Interaction: Communicating without Your Voice

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 17:49:10 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #40 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on Episode 40 – Communicating without Your Voice. How do you continue to communicate and interact with the world around you when you have totally and completely LOST your voice? That’s what happened to me this week and that’s our topic for today.

If you’ve never had this happen to you, then what a remarkable thing! If you have, I feel for you! Losing your voice is no fun. I don’t mean getting a little sick or stuffy and sounding all husky like Kathleen Turner, I mean losing your voice cold-turkey. No voice. No sound. No audio. Nothing coming out. What do you do?

So today, while still not sounding quite like myself, I wanted to share with you what happened to me when I was hit like a ton of bricks with a bad and fast case of laryngitis this week, and what you can do to protect your voice and to deal with a situation such as this if it should ever happen to you?

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. How I reacted to getting sick on my birthday, losing my voice the next day and not being able to speak for 3 days and why this is important to learn and how the power of positive thoughts is FINALLY manifesting itself.

2. Why is it so hard for us as human beings to be grateful for all that we have been blessed with, despite the best of our intentions, and why it is totally normal.

3. The story of one of my favorite heroines, Celine Dion, and what her voice coach taught her to day, a 5-year daily investment in her voice which she decided to pursue despite her husband’s doubts about the advice.

4. How others around us react when they find out that we have lost our voice, and why this is particularly funny where husbands are concerned.

5. The creative and new ways that you can communicate without your voice such as using your eyes, your head nods, your hand gestures, writing, and more.

6. The experience of not hearing yourself talk or speak for several days, and why it feels more like an introspection and a type of meditation than it does sickness, and a fresh new perspective on a temporary handicap.

7. My desires to learn sign language and my sincere desire to pursue it so that I can communicate with those who cannot talk.

8. The 4 ways that you can take care of your voice during a case of laryngitis or any other voice-related issue which leaves you bereft of that precious commodity.

Don’t forget that I am running my once-a-year Green Juicing Intensive Clinic on May 5th to May 25th, and if that kind of thing interests you, then check it out – I still have a few seats in the clinic.

Do You Enjoy The Daily Interaction podcasts?

Episode 39 of The Daily Interaction: 2 Ultimate Relaxing Techniques

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:14:45 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #39 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on Episode 39 – The 2 Ultimate Relaxing Techniques. How do you relax and get grounded before every interaction and why this is so important.

If you are nervous or stressed when you go into a conversation or into an interaction, it limits you so severely it’s not even funny! All the work you put into preparation and delivery just falls flat when you are too nervous to breathe, let alone speak. Relaxation is the most under-estimated, under-emphasized tip around communication, and today I want to help you understand the significance of this and to learn how to relax and calm yourself during different situations.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Our fresh voice today is from Marlee Ward. Marlee offers free, fun and fabulous business coaching advice with her free weekly newsletter – which I love, by the way, Marlee! – just sign up sign up here for them on her site on the top bar. The tips may be geared more toward solopreneurs but you can still learn a lot from her. Also check out her iTunes video podcast under Marlee Ward. Love this woman. She is brilliant, sincere AND entertaining, all in one!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why all the preparation in the world will go to waste if you are nervous and can’t breathe long enough to get your words out in a work situation, a meeting, or interacting with anyone in general, and what you really end up doing as a result of your own nervousness.

2. My story of the people who made me nervous in the corporate world, the reasons behind it, and why that affected even the ambitious, driven woman that I was.

3. I explain to you what confidence has to do with this whole act of nervousness, and precisely how this lack of relaxation in your interactions limits you and your opportunities.

4. First relaxation technique in any situation: Breathing. Deep breathing. I explain to you the shallow breaths versus deep breathing and then I fully demonstrate the deep breathing techniques that bring you down to earth and ground and calm you down.

If you are really interested in seeing me display all types of breathing techniques, you can catch me on the last video of the 10 Minute Invigorator Program, at , where I demonstrate – rather shamelessly – the deep breathing techniques, the breath of fire, and even the lion’s breath, and if you know what that is, you are probably in disbelief I did that on video – yeah me too – but alas, I believe in the power of believing, baby!

5. I give you self-affirmations about improving your breathing techniques plus the mindset that you need in order to learn deep breathing that you need to ground and relax yourself. I talk to you about the power and intention behind yoga and meditation – check out my current all-time favorite meditation tracks – and why it is the only exercise that focuses intensely on your breathing. It’s not just for fun and games, there is a greater reason behind the science and art of breathing.

6. My big mind trick for you and what I want you to tell yourself, and what I want you to not tolerate when you hear it from yourself. This is your affirmation right before going into those interactions.

7. Second relaxation technique from Louise Hay and her brilliant book, You Can Heal Your Life, is a beautiful affirmation that you should say over and over to yourself whenever any problem arises, and so if anything does not go according to your wishes either before or during the interaction you are having, saying these affirmations is bound to calm you down.

My favorite Louise Hay must-memorize-and-use affirmation for when things go wrong:
All is Well
Everything will work out for my highest good.
Only good will come out of this situation.
I am safe.

8. Combine relaxation techniques one and two and understand that this is a process, a journey, and how you are making progress in your interactions.

9. Why you must believe, really and truly, that no matter what the past, it is done with, and you can now start fresh, and you can handle all those interactions and conversations with confidence and relaxation techniques are going to help you get there.

Do You Enjoy The Daily Interaction podcasts?

Photography in today’s post by the fabulous Pascal Monmoine.

Episode 38 of The Daily Interaction: Bring Your Intention to Every Interaction

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:48:32 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #38 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on Bringing Your Intention to Every Interaction of The Daily Interaction podcast. How do you set an intention, what is an intention versus a goal, and what does this all have to do with your daily exchanges and interactions? I talk to you about how this approach to your communications and how making this small change in your social exchanges can really affect the outcome of those conversations, probably to your surprise!

Intentions are like promises to yourself, except without the guilt and the punishment and without the repercussions if you don’t meet your goals. They come from a deep place inside, and are focused more on the present than on the end result. Goals are wonderful things, they really are, and I’ve achieved a great deal living a goal-oriented life, and yet, I believe the subtle of intention is far beyond setting the greatest goals.

Intentions, by their nature, will also help you take away a far better view from undesired outcomes, such as an unfair dismissal at your job or an argument with your partner. What does it really mean that this situation happened? If you approach everything from a different place in your life, you will take away different messages even from seemingly negative outcomes.

In this podcast episode, I explain to you the differences and the exact way you can set intentions before your every interaction. So if you are ready to change the same way you have looked at things, and willing to embrace a new perspective, this episode is ideal for you!

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Leon “The Encourager” Bullard, the author of “Triumph at Last” and the most encouraging soul out there to help you in your pursuit of health and wellness goals. Leon and I met years ago at Toastmasters and have enjoyed seeing each other grow and evolve as we have grown ourselves and our own businesses since then.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1.The distinct difference between setting goals, having a personal motto versus setting intentions, and how each impacts the end results of your interactions.

2. Why the intention is all about the process and how that approach actually impacts the results far more than if you were just setting goals.

3. A situational example and how you can precisely apply first your goals for the conversation and then your intentions about it and how each one will yield different results.

4. Examples of how extremely successful people have used non-scientific, non-logical ways to mark the course of their lives, such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, and how intuition can have powerful affects on your communications.

5. The logistics of applying an intention to a situation beforehand – what do you do and what 2 questions do you ask yourself to prepare you for setting it?

6. Why deep breaths go hand in hand with setting an intention have in common and why that is a critical part of engaging with others and interacting with them in a social setting.

7. The real problem with our interactions are not so much our end goals – we know those very well – the real problem is our lack of being completely present and engaged in the process.

8. The 5 benefits that others see and observe in you when you set an intention, so as you can see, the benefit of are not just for yourself. It greatly benefits those around you.

9. Why and how I overcame my own skepticism with setting intentions and with believing that the outcomes are actually any different when there is one set in advance and how you can learn from this.

10. Your homework with setting an intention, listen to the audio to find out, and learn how you can start changing your overall approach and experience to your social exchanges with this one small shift.

Do You Enjoy The Daily Interaction podcasts?

Episode 37 of the Daily Interaction: Moving Through Your Doubts and Insecurities

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:00:23 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #37 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on The Second Rule of Confidence: Moving Through Your Doubts and Insecurities.

Do you believe, as I do, that we are all born confident, but we manage to hide that confidence over the years with layers of doubt, fear, insecurities – or Leaping Lizards as my friend Sandi calls them, and with second-guessing our every move and comparing every inch of our lives with strangers and with delusions of grandeur? Or is it a perhaps a really far stretch to what you are accustomed to believing: that you are either a confident person or not, and it is a mixture of luck, family upbringing, culture and society?

Well, if we can choose our beliefs consciously, then would you be willing to choose the former if only for today – that we are all born confident and just need to uncover the heavy layers to let our confidence breathe?

The inspiration for talking about confidence comes from a FREE program on Confidence Building Series that I am offering all my email subscribers. If you want in on the tips, resources, and exercises on building confidence for you in bite-size chunks every other week then just go to the top right hand corner of this page here and sign up. The program is LIVE now.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Michael Brown, UK leadership coach and negotiation teacher, is the Fresh New Voice today on the show and I am honored that Michael took the time to record the introductions for me. I met Michael in 2007 and he has been a mentor, a coach and now a friend. His blog, Real Learning for a Change, takes a new approach to education and his videos on YouTube are hilarious – it is the British humor – and full of insights. Thank you Michael for doing the voice-over for me.Thank you, Michael!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why doubts are sometimes a really good thing and why in those times, you need to listen to them, versus the other times when the doubts are damaging and destructive and you need to recognize those and be cautious about them.

2. The essence of self-doubt and why that equates your faith in your own failure to such an extent that you eliminate possibility of success in the process, and what you should do about it.

3. What Bill Murray, Lost in Translation, and Japanese have to do with self-doubt. You gotta listen for the story, because I can’t do it justice in text.

4. Approach Number 1 on How to deal with doubt: I tell you how to leave self-doubt as is and to start with confidence. I give you tips on integrating confidence into your thinking and your mindset with concrete examples.

5. Approach Number 2 on How to deal with doubt: How to push through doubt, how to get the mindset of a lab experiment and what to expect, and what kind of questions to ask of yourself after the experiment.

6. How it will feel when you awaken your inner confidence and why you need to do the inner work to get there. Related podcast episodes are Episode 6: Asking for what you what and also Episode 26: Having the Salary Conversation.

7. Wherever you put your energy and attention, that will grow so you choose whether you are going to put that energy and focus on your doubts or on your confidence, and remember to make the best assumptions about your life and about others.

8. My last, final tip, and it took some guts to do this one on the air – if neither of the above approaches work for you, I give you the tip I have been using to stop the chatter in my brain, especially if you are in an unresolved emotional situation. Listen to the show for the “demo”!

Want to give some love back to the podcasts?

Episode 36 of the Daily Interaction: The First Rule of Confidence – Love Thyself

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 09:00:28 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #36 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on The First Rule of Confidence: Love Thyself.

That’s right. We talk about love today, baby, so listen up. Loving yourself is one of the most fundamental parts of becoming a confident person, and that plays a huge role in your interactions, both with the world and with yourself. It is part intuition, part following your gut feel to be kind to yourself, and part an obligation – you owe it to yourself, you do!

We explore this topic today where I ask you deep questions and make you reflect on your life. Please feel free to be beautifully selfish for the next 30 minutes as you tune in to this show.

The inspiration for talking about confidence comes from a FREE program on Confidence Building Series that I am offering all my email subscribers. If you want in on the tips, resources, and exercises on building confidence for you in bite-size chunks every other week then just go to the top right hand corner of this page here and sign up. The program will be in your Inbox starting early April 2012.

Loving yourself should not depend on your situation or outside factors in your life. You should not wait for life to be better before you love yourself. It is particularly hard to love yourself when you feel guilty for something in your life. For instance, if you have been in an accident and now your life is a mess with the victims of the accident after you for personal injury claim, you may feel guilty and stressed about what happened – naturally! – but don’t let yourself go into a self-hatred self-berating mode either. In these situations, life tests us and I know you can still tap into self-love somewhere in there even in the extreme situations.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Anne-Sophie Reinhardt is the Fresh New Voice today on the show and I am delighted to introduce her to you; she has done a lot of healing in her life and shares her experiences with her blog readers. She is also a traveler and an explorer of life, and her message on her blog, My Intercontinental Life, is beyond inspiring. Hop on her newsletter and check out her work on My Intercontinental Life. Thank you, Anne-Sophie!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why loving yourself is a huge part of building your confidence, and why loving yourself is not so much selfish as it is self-nurturing.

2. What it really means to love yourself – and why this is not narcissistic and egotistical as it is absolutely normal and necessary, in fact, as necessary and normal, if not more, than loving all the other people in your life.

3. On inspiration from Louise Hay and the power of changing your thoughts first and how they create your life. And how this relates to happiness and to loving yourself, and how no one is exempt from this rule.

4. Do You Love Yourself? And if you don’t, why not? This is the question you must answer before you can start seeking answers to other big questions in life such as happiness, confidence, and being a master communicator.

5. How do you know whether you love yourself. First, it is in how you treat yourself. Listen to the ways that you can be doing the wrong and harsh way or the right and kind way and learn to recognize those in your own life.

6. My story of becoming an early riser – 4:30am every day, baby! – and the shift of going from a harsh discipline to loving and gentle pushing and how it has changed the impact of my own decision and promise to myself.

7. Another expression of love is in how you take care of yourself. Are you getting enough rest? Are you taking care of your body and your mind, or are you always putting other people first?

8. I ask you questions here that might create a shift in your mindset, please listen in and answer these questions honestly.

9. The beautiful and difficult Louise Hay Mirror Rule for you to do first thing in the morning. Can you do it? I know you can, if I can do it. Let’s give it a try.

Want to give some love back to the podcasts?

Episode 35 of the Daily Interaction: 10 Phrases to Ban from Your Vocabulary

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 09:48:41 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #35 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is on 10 Phrases to Ban from Your Vocabulary. I talk to you about the negative, opposing, yet seemingly innocent thoughts and phrases that we use without even knowing or thinking about them and their underlying impact every single time. I want to challenge you to ban these self-limiting thoughts and phrases from your vocabulary and don’t be surprised if it drastically enhances your life.

Quick announce: If you want the FREE program on Confidence Building Series, come here to Prolific Living, and sign up for the email list on the top right corner. The program is going to come to you in late April!.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Peter James Sinclair, the fresh voice for this episode, runs a fabulous blog called Motivational Memo. He is a great entrepreneur who has also turned his children into budding entrepreneurs. I find that completely unique about him and something to model in your life if applicable. You can find him at Motivational Memo. In fact, on March 23rd, I have a guest post up on Motivational Memo: Motivation is Not Out There: Start Looking Within. Thank you, Peter!

And there is another surprise Fresh Voice for you during the podcast that you won’t want to miss! All I can say is that I have listened to that and laughed every time for at least a dozen times! Thank you, Angela!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

Let’s get on with our 10 phrases, shall we? Just as you eliminate things and thoughts to get clarity, focus and renewed perspective on life, you should eliminate words and phrases that do nothing but harm you in the short and long term.

1. “I am not good enough.” – Why do you even make this decision before you even give yourself a chance? Or else why punish yourself indefinitely for something that may have happened in the past?

Instead, I want you to say: “I may not know who to do this, but I can figure it out, I can learn, I can find the answers, I CAN do it.” Or simply: “Yes, I am enough.”

2. “I don’t have a choice” – Yes you do. You always have a choice. Except the very rare circumstances, there is always a decision to be made and you make that, even by declaring that you don’t have a choice, you are still making a decision, albeit a poor one. When you say this, you strip yourself of all power and control over your life and play the victim. Don’t do it. Ban the phrase.

Instead, I want you to say: “I have a choice and I made this one.”

3. “I can’t do that – I don’t have any willpower.” – When you say that, you assign status to yourself and you have no idea, by the way, how long and far your will power can go. Willpower is a state of mind. Don’t let your own mind to get in your own way.

Instead, I want you to say: “I am going to do this.” “I will give it my best shot.” Or my other suggestions.

4. “It’s their fault – they are to blame.” – This is only momentarily making you “feel good” while at the same time, you are completely disarming yourself from all control and responsibility and accountability for your own life. Don’t try to put other people down in order to feel better. These feelings will never serve you well in getting you what you want.

Instead, I want you to say: “I am responsible for my own life.”

5. “I wish I could do that.” – Why don’t you then? What is stopping you from doing that? Saying this takes away all your chances of actually doing the thing in question. You play the weak victim of circumstance instead of working on how you can actually do that yourself.

Instead, I want you to say: “I plan on doing that.” “I might just do that – that sounds interesting.”

6. “They just got lucky.” – That is not the explanation for other people’s success and wealth. You do not possibly have enough information to make that statement. When you say that about others, you show your jealousy and also make the success all about these outside factors that you cannot control, and therefore, sadly, they cannot happen to you.

Instead, I want you to be happy for the other people’s success: “I am very happy for them.”

7. “Everyone would …” – How do you know how “everyone” would react? That’s a lot of people. You have no idea how the whole world will react to your decisions or your actions. Most likely, few care as much as you. It also brings such a heavy weight on your shoulders and you don’t need to carry this weight. Be less judgmental and more embracing of the world around you.

Instead, I want you to say “It’s possible most – or some – people would react this way.”

8. “I am busy – I don’t have time.” – Everyone but everyone is busy but we still choose what to do with our own time. I just don’t like how I seem when I am seriously busy and rushed, but the truth is, we always make time for the things that matter to us, even when we are madly busy. So in fact, you just don’t want to make time for that particular activity in question.

Instead, I want you to say: “I am just over-committed right now.” “I am not able to make time right now.”

9. “I will get to it someday.” – Someday doesn’t exist on the calendar and when you don’t put a time frame around your wishes and dreams, then it’s far less likely to happen. Even if it’s a year out, it still gives you something to look forward to with a definite date.

Instead, I want you to say: “I’ll get to it in June or next year around summer time….”

10. “If only …” – This regretful, nostalgic way of looking at your life, and especially the past and all the people who affected our lives. If only phrase robs you of any power of the present and probably the future, and you go back into this blame mode instead of accepting things for what they are and not being in a wishful-thinking state.

Instead, I want you to say: “This is what happened – this is where I am now. And we can’t change what happened but we can change what’s happening right now.”

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Episode 34 of the Daily Interaction: Top 8 Healthy Ways to Interact with Yourself

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 10:56:17 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #34 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is Top 8 Healthy Interactions with Yourself. We examine the nature of our relationship with ourselves, and talk about how we can interact far more effectively, lovingly and positively with ourselves by integrating these 8 healthy ways. The greatest relationship of all starts with you, the one you have with yourself.

Remember that forcing yourself to do any of these pillars won’t work. You have to come to a place where you openly embrace them, where you are ready to discard old behaviors and pick up new ones, and that’s when they will stay with you.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Gregory Berg, the owner of Radio Enso, is an amazing guy with a great deep radio voice as you heard, and one who loves meditation, photography and the radio. He has honored me with his interviews not once but twice already and the rest of his archives are golden so be sure to take a listen to his show.

We have Re-Branded: Introducing the New Podcast Logo

I say we because I didn’t do the re-branding. I just got the haircut and decided to bring you a fresh new look and a brand new start. So I went back to my fabulous amazing talented graphic designer, Rhonda of Kuroneko Design, and here we are.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

The Daily Interaction is now also available on Stitcher. If you have a Smartphone, this is the ultimate way to listen to podcasts. Download this awesome app for free. After download, be sure to enter the promo code: dailyinteraction!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Honesty: Do you tell the truth to yourself? And what happens when you lie to yourself? I give you examples of why that does not work out best in the long term and how to practice telling the truth to yourself. And what happens when you start being honest with yourself.

2. Kindness: What does it even mean to be kind to yourself? My grandmother instilled this one in me and it has been a great balancer in my relationship with myself. I encourage you to be kind to yourself and give you reasons why you really should consider this in place of the criticism and the harshness that we usually hand our inner self.

3. Curiosity: I have recently been working a lot on this and this is one way to really understand why you make certain decisions and take certain actions, especially if you make unusual decisions once in a while. So here, I give you tools how to awaken your own senses with curiosity and what kind of questions to ask yourself.

4. Firmness: This is the perfect balance between kindness and criticism. It is setting and meeting your own expectations of yourself, and therefore, enables you to accomplish things but do so in the right spirit. I articulate for you the way you can show yourself this firmness and the benefits when you do this.

5. Positive: I admit just what kind of a negative – or what I used to call, “realistic” – person I used to be and just how far I have come, and I encourage you to be positive with tangible reasons, because I prove to you that how you are in your attitude – positive, neutral or negative – actually clearly affects the outcome and naturally, you want that outcome to be favorable.

6. Forgiveness: Why should we forgive ourselves and how do we go about doing it? I have found this one to be difficult but necessary. I talk about why forgiveness is necessary to continue on a path where you can be your best. I also talk about how you should forgive and still find ways to make up for what you did wrong if you feel indebted to someone whose feelings you hurt.

7. Leadership: I use Christine Kane as an example in her recent talks about leading yourself. It is crucial for you to lead yourself and to learn to be intimately familiar with self-leadership because otherwise, you are at the mercy of what happens TO YOU and not what you decide happens to you. So it’s moving away from the mindset of being a victim and instead a mindset of being in charge and in control of your life.

8. Love: Louise Hay says this best when she tells you what to do first thing you wake up and I tell you more about the powers of admitting loud and clear just how much you love yourself just as you are, and why it sets the tone of the day before it even begins. This one is last but it is also one of the most important aspects of that healthy interaction with the self.

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Episode 33 of the Daily Interaction: 5 Ways to Be Both Savvy & Sincere in Business

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 11:00:24 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #33 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to be both savvy and sincere in business – both in your own business, or your job, or your personal life and social circles. This was inspired by my good friend, Leslie Samuel, who was the fresh voice introducing the show today.

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

Leslie is one of the most sincere online marketers and bloggers that I have the pleasure of knowing. He is someone that embodies the characteristic traits that I want to highlight today. Be sure to check out Leslie’s own podcast, I find myself listening even if I know exactly what he is going to recommend or say (it’s that good!): Learning with Leslie on iTunes or find him at Learning with Leslie.

This episode will also talk about a lot of millionaire characteristic traits, thanks to this new podcast by Jaime Tardy, the Eventual Millionaire, where she has interviewed dozens of sincere millionaires on their secrets to success. Go Jaime! Awesome work!

Last week, I talked about treating your blog as a business, and if you don’t have a blog, this would be a side-hustle, a hobby that you want to turn into an income, or a passion that you are starting to take more seriously. The point is that you should be proud and honest with YOURSELF first before you move on to conveying that message to the rest of the world, and this episode of the podcast, where I talk about ways you can be both savvy and smart in your business, is a perfect extension to those thoughts.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Share the inspiration for the show, both from Leslie, our fresh new voice, and also Jaime Tardy’s podcast above. I also give you reasons to stay true to your integrity, despite the poor expectations of running a business in third world countries that are prone to corruption and bribery. I use my own home country of Iran as an example here.

2. Number 1 trait of being savvy & sincere in business is none other than utter sincerity. What is the intangible vibe that makes you feel funny when you feel the lack of sincerity? And what is it that you can do to make sure you do not come across as insincere in your ways and manners. And should you even care whether someone in a potential business partnership is sincere? Also check out Episode 31 on intuition because sincerity is tied to that inner voice as you pick it up from others.

3. Number 2 trait of being savvy & sincere in business is honesty. Why it is crucial to hold yourself to a certain standard of honesty and a tip I give you that helps you have a conversation with yourself before you commit an act of even mild dishonesty. Plus the worst dishonesty of all and how and why to avoid it at all costs.

4. Number 3 trait of being savvy & sincere in business is holding yourself up to high standards, and using Leslie as an example for this as to how he resolved this disconnect in his email marketing strategies. Why I love how Leslie holds himself up to his own standards.

5. Number 4 trait of being savvy & sincere in business is focus, extreme focus and the importance of having this focus. Eventual Millionaire podcast talks extensively about this because it comes up “hundreds of times in the interviews with millionaires”, according to Jaime Tardy, the host. I give you tips on how to make focus work for you.

6. Number 5 trait of being savvy & sincere in business is persistence, and why this is one of the hardest ones because results are not immediate and yet it is an absolute must-have in being savvy and sincere in business. And one reason that you cannot possibly give up when you are so so close to success, even though there are some situations when giving up a good thing, most likely, you are probably in it for the long haul and that is why persistence is golden.

Want to give some love back to the podcasts?

A huge shout-out to those of you who left reviews on iTunes: Sarah, Anne-Sophie, Karol, and Rick! THANK YOU guys!! And if you like these conversations and want to support the podcast, I am not accepting donations – the podcasts are FREE and yours to enjoy – but boy would I love you if you took a few minutes to do an honest iTunes ratings for it. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 32 of the Daily Interaction: Smarter Communication with Intuition

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:00:12 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #32 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to use intuition and your gut feel for smart interactions and communications. If you have never tuned into your intuition, you are in for a treat!

Guess Who is the Fresh Voice This Episode:

So starting today, I am introducing new fresh voice into the show. The idea is to bring you people that I admire a great deal and people that I believe are making a difference in this world and we are starting this off with my dear friend and wonderful blogger and author, Angela Artemis, who introduces the show.

Going forward, we will have fresh new voices of people whom I trust, admire and whose life messages I find amazing and powerful. I am doing this because I believe their message will help take our goals of enjoying effective daily interactions to a new level. So I hope you are as excited as me about this fun addition to the podcasts.

So we explore the power of intuition in this topic, and I give you personal stories of how going with my intuition has made my decisions so much smarter in life, and how going against my intuition has cost me dearly, and I give you some examples on how to make your intuition count in your daily interactions.

Angela Artemis has a new book on teaching you to tap into your intuition on Amazon: The Intuition Primer. Be sure to check it out!

The Daily Interaction is now also available on Stitcher. If you have a Smartphone, this is the ultimate way to listen to podcasts. Download this awesome app for free!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. What happens when intuition is missing from your decision making process? And what are you giving up?

2. How two of my vivid dreams came to be precisely as they happened in my dreams, and the one lesson I draw from this for you to encourage you to remember your dreams.

3. An example of a scenario where your intuition tells you something completely different from the picture of reality, and you have no idea why you feel this way and tips on what to do rather than dismissing that feeling.

4. What are the top questions to ask yourself to help you materialize your intuition into a sensible articulation so that you can find it more tangible and take action on it.

5. What to do if you get an intuition that goes completely against the masses. Listen to my personal story of how my original feelings toward this master yoga “guru” turned out to be true when the sex & drug scandal came out about him some 3 years later. Enter, John Friend and the scandal that has shocked and rocked the yoga world – except I wasn’t surprised at all.

6. Why you must listen to your intuition when it comes to your safety, and why it is best to first listen to your intuition when you feel funny about a situation or a circumstance and it could endanger you in anyway and then go home and analyze it later.

7. Using the power of intuition in your relationships and some practical tips on how to get to the core of that gut feeling and the right questions to ask in order to better dig into that “gut feel” and make it tangible, and all the while, never ignoring the intuition.

8. Why I chose to end some of my friendships, and why it is important to analyze your relationships from time to time and get clarity on where things stand in every aspect of your life.

In Order to Stay In Style …

We will be re-branding the Daily Interaction with a little makeover for you. This is especially in light of my recent pixie haircut and some updates to Prolific living, so I want to give you a logo that represents your host and the hopes and dreams of this podcast in a beautiful light and color.

Want to give some love back to the podcasts?

If you like these conversations and want to support the podcast, I am not accepting donations – the podcasts are FREE and yours to enjoy – but boy would I love you if you took a few minutes to do an honest iTunes ratings for it. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 31 of the Daily Interaction: How to Answer the Baby Question?

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 05:03:09 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #31 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how respond to and interact with the inevitable baby or children question that is either implied or direct, if you have opted out of the procreation process for now or altogether.

So if you don’t want to have babies, for the moment or ever, first I have news for you: You are perfectly fine, and even better than fine, so stop doubting your sanity or well-being. Got that?

Ok, moving on! Second, you can still live a perfectly full life – which, by the way, is entirely possible so long as you believe it and choose it.

So when it comes to practical matters like going about your life in a society filled with people who generally do have children, how do you respond and do so with poise, style, grace and the utmost respect to those who question your choice, even if it is none of their business, which it never ever is but it still happens.

How do you stand your ground and hold your position on the matter and still befriend and connect with people who disagree with you?

People choose to have children for many different reasons, maybe to have those baby showers or these wall decals or nurture the need to take care of someone that is a part of them or to just have the experience. The reasons vary and multiply and you can never know all the reasons people have children, but that does not obligate you to A) have children and B) to have any reason for not wanting children, much less a sound logical reason.

It is really important to realize that you have freedom of choice, as does everyone else. You can choose to live with or without children and the reasons can be yours, personal and private and always kept inside, if need be. You do not need to share your reasons.

You are your own unique person and what you do with your life and more importantly, your body, is your business and yours alone. The day that you let others dictate what is best for you will mark the beginning of your deep-rooted unhappiness so be proud to think and decide for yourself and do so by staying true to who you are and more importantly, whom you want to become.

The Daily Interaction is now also available on Stitcher. If you have a Smartphone, this is the ultimate way to listen to podcasts. Download this awesome app for free!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why this topic came about and why I feel so passionate talking to you today about having the baby conversation in public, in social events and as you go about your life and run into people who may question your choice for opting out.

2. First of four myths that I bust, the reasons I give you, and the specific responses I give you that will be both kind and engaging and still extremely fair to you. Plus, these responses make you feel good, rather than ashamed or as an outcast.

3. What is the most important thing to pay attention to when you are formulating your answers to the baby question. Don’t miss this one.

4. A special tip when you are dealing with your parents, or especially your mom and/or mother-in-law, and what to take into account in these conversations.

5. The second myth that I bust by using myself as a perfect example and I give away a bit more information than usual but it was necessary to share this with you for credibility. Plus, the special case of my poor uncle and the Iranian influence on the importance of having children in every single marriage under the sun.

6. Sharing the personal incident with my mom and how much we disagree on this topic.

7. The third myth which is my favorite to bust, because it is the most ridiculous assumption to make about people who choose not to have children, and how I crush this myth for you by showing you how it does not serve you well.

8. The debate on selfishness, and why it’s neither selfish to have children or to not have children, as well as the fact that selfishness is pure virtue. Busting this fourth myth with some great examples and a word on Ayn Rand, one of my all-time most favorite authors.

9. My closing words and thoughts, at least for now – I have so much more to say on the topic of choice and children – what matters most when it comes to your decision on children.

Announcement: If you are in a miserable, unhappy job, hear me out: you do not have to stay there! I would love to welcome you into my Smart Exit Blueprint class where you create your smart exit strategy out of that job and into your true path. Class starts Feb 20th. Late registration ends Feb. 27th, midnight east coast time on Friday. I do not know when and if I am offering this course again, so if you want in, now is the time.

If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few minutes to do an iTunes ratings for us. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 30 of the Daily Interaction: How to Deal with the Clumsy Side of You

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:25:28 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #30 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to deal with the clumsy side of you, and why slowing down is indeed the only way to get ahead because rushing about like a crazy wild person will only end up delaying you unnecessarily, not to mention causing so many other problems that are absolutely never worth it. I give you power tips on how you can tame the clumsy side of you and make it behave like a grown-up so that you no longer have these silly accidents and waste so much of your precious time cleaning up the mess that they create in your life. Enjoy!

As of this week, The Daily Interaction is also available on Stitcher. If you have a Smartphone, this is the ultimate way to listen to podcasts. Download this awesome app for free!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

The RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. My big crazy confessions about the not-so-fabulous side of me!

2. The huge irony of being in a hurry and my simplest, most effective advice to you and my greatest loss for being clumsy!

3. Why we act stupid when we know so much better and the first step to the beginning of changing bad habits. One word for you: Mantra!

4. The amazing benefits of setting rules for yourself, even if it makes you feel like a child, and some of my favorite rules.

5. The act of re-conditioning your mind and your daily behavior through these simple steps.

6. The greatest advice that has changed the way I approach my days now. It is not about whether something is easy to do, it is about …

7. The downside of multi-tasking and it’s not the lack of true productivity on any one task and why it is not worth it.

8. The enormous benefits of slowing down, paying attention, and pacing yourself and why they outweigh every single potential benefit of rushing.

9. The worst part of clumsy side of us: When they happen out in public and during social events, my embarrassing incident at the New Zealand blogger meet-up and why you must avoid it at all costs.

Quick Reminder: Did you know you do not have to stay in a bad job? I would love to welcome you into my Smart Exit Blueprint class where you can create your smart exit strategy out of that job and into your true path. Class starts Feb 20th.

Please tell me I am not the only clumsy person out there having all the “fun” – share your stories and tips in the comments below!

PS: To my loyal and new listeners alike: If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few minutes to do an iTunes ratings for us. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 29 of the Daily Interaction: 4 Steps to Deal with Rejection

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:39:41 +0000

PS: There has obviously been a huge development since the “incident” mentioned on this podcast, as you can see below!

Welcome back to Episode #29 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is dealing with rejection, which all of us have to do at some point.

After being rejected recently by the last someone I thought I might ever be – you must take a listen for the whole story – and spending a little more time than necessary on the sofas around the house – I thought about doing a podcast where I share with you what I did not do so well in this particular situation and how important it is for us to know precisely what to do when and if a rejection comes along the way.

I give you my 4 powerful tips, a great story which you may very well find amusing, and most of all, I help you to handle that next possible rejection with a lot more poise, professionalism and power!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. The most unexpected rejection came to me a few days ago and it threw me for a big loop. Find out what by listening.

2. Why I have a lot of compassion now that I realize the freshness of disappointment in a new raw experience.

3. Sharing with you my first empowering tip when you are rejected and the irony around it but it works so just go along with me. Plus some fun examples.

4. The second tip which is an extremely powerful action to take but it is extremely useful in how you frame the situation in your mind. Plus, all the possibilities that can spring form this simple shift in perspective.

5. The third tip, which is actually something I did after my own rejection happened but one that I really do not recommend so I am making a promise that I won’t be doing this either and neither should you. Doing this moves you into a state of power and control.

6. Why re-framing the situation is not about denying the rejection; it is about helping and empowering yourself to look for solutions instead of focusing on self-pity that results from almost all rejections.

7. Why blame is never ever helpful and how to remove the aspect of blame from the situation.

8. How to keep an eye on your imagination and be careful what you tell yourself because it may not have nothing to do with you.

Attention:
You Fabulous Listener You! Come hither, I wanna ask a favor: If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few minutes to do an iTunes ratings for us. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 28 of the Daily Interaction: How to Identify Your Strengths

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 11:04:58 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #28 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to identify your strengths, and how to leverage them best in all aspects of your life, including your daily interactions and communications with the world. This is inspired by Marcus Buckingham’s studies, StrengthFinder – check out my reviews when I read it in 2007.

I was inspired recently by listening again to a workshop that was recorded on the Oprah show where Marcus takes a group of women – although the advice applies to all – through the process of identifying and playing to their strengths in the real – and very messy – world of the workplace. I found his insights fascinating!

So in this episode, I take you through some of tips and ideas that I learned and have used in the past on how you can spot your strengths and do more of the activities that make you feel stronger, while doing less of your weaknesses or activities that leave you feeling weak and drained.

By the way, I wanted to give a few shout-outs to some amazing readers and followers of the blog who have been exceptionally supportive. It is by no means everyone and I’ll continue to bring this back into the podcasts. You’ll have to listen to find out!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. How society and people tell us what we are good at and the myriad of skills, talents, passions and gifts can get a little confusing or paralyzing even, and how strengths can clarify that.

2. The definition of strengths versus weaknesses and how to quickly identify the difference, plus what makes for great focus.

3. Why how you feel at the end of a task and a project determines precisely whether that is a strength and a weakness.

4. What if you love something and you are good at it but it still leaves you feeling drained. Is that still a strength or is that a weakness?

5. Why you should want to be in a place where you capitalize on your strengths?

6. How does knowing your strength even help you in moving forward in the right direction?

7. How to take measured steps in changing your approach to work when you have identified that you are operating from weaknesses.

8. A final power tip on how to renew your overall approach to life when you learn about your strengths.

Do You Love the Podcast?
To my fabulous listeners: If you enjoy the podcast, please do an iTunes ratings for me. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 27 of the Daily Interaction: How to Ask For Your Money Back

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:00:33 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #27 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to professionally ask for your money back and how to reverse transactions with either a service provider, a vendor or a membership organization or whatever the case may be. How well do you manage this sticky situation in your life?

When you do something well, you need to admit it. I have mastered the art of professionally dealing with service providers, vendors and retailers over the years. Maybe I refuse to feel that I was wronged and maybe I can’t stand the feeling of a victim in a circumstance. Either way, I have packaged the phenomenal things I have learned into practical and useful tips for you. I talk about what to do and what not to do when it comes to these sticky situations and then share with you success stories from experience.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why you should not feel bad about asking for your money back, provided this is the case.

2. Why anger is not a bad thing and how precisely you can use it to send a strong message whilst doing it with the utmost professionalism.

3. Why it is your responsibility to follow up with the vendors and the service providers and what one characteristic trait you need to make your conversations a success.

4. What two things not to do when you are going through the process and why doing these – which we are sometimes inclined to do – position you in the worst way for that refund.

5. What one tip I can give you from working the customer support desk at a networking company for years and if you remember this, you can make things work very well for you.

6. How to deal with AT&T service provider support system when you get overcharged, when you need a reversal of transaction and how to get a new Blackberry after you submerge yours in the water!

7. The shoe-repair story from Queenstown, New Zealand and why I pursued a $20 New Zealand dollar charge out of principle and what not to do as a vendor or a retailer.

8. The story of our fraudulent taxi cab in Sydney and my advice on clearing up fraudulent charges as well as making sure that the offender is not going to repeat the same horrible experience to someone else. Plus tips for the interactions that take place along the way.

9. The story of those “automatic renewals” on membership charges and what to do in those situations, my Admirals Club American Airlines membership story and what next interesting step I took that turned things around in a stuck situation.

How to show your support for the podcast:
To my loyal and new listeners alike: If you enjoy the podcast, please take a few minutes to do an iTunes ratings for us. It goes a long way to keep the podcast going strong and spread the word. Thank you for listening!

Episode 26 of the Daily Interaction: Winning the Salary Negotiation

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:50:02 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #26 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is a step-by-step guide on asking for a raise. How do you have that dreaded conversation with your boss or your manager at work and ask for a salary increase confidently and yet without compromising your relationship and work status?

How do you effectively and smartly ask for a raise? How do you position yourself in such a way that your boss will work with you to adjust your compensation? I give you my tips on this topic from over a decade of experience in the corporate culture and several raises and promotions, I share with you the common mistakes to avoid and help you prepare for having a winning conversation.

I sat across dozens of managers, directors, vice presidents, sometimes trembling before I spoke, other times, speaking out of anger and frustration for being grossly underpaid, and every time I would leave that conversation, there was at best an empty promise hanging in the air and the same oak furniture here behind which my old bosses sat and made those said promises.

Needless to say, I dreaded asking for a raise but that was a huge mistake in hindsight that affected more than just my finances, until one day several years ago, when I decided that things need to change. You CAN win the salary conversation.

Learn from someone who has failed at it miserably, learned on her own, and then gone on to double her salary and reduce her workload, while keeping a stellar performance review on her corporate career record. I give you ALL my secrets here. Well, as many as I could fit in this podcast. You may hear more on this later but for now, here’s the step-by-step guide on how to win the salary conversation.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. What trap to seriously avoid by being grossly underpaid and being a stellar employee.

2. Understanding what the role of your boss really is and how to put your career in your own hands.

3. What does attitude have to do asking for a raise and what does confidence really mean?

4. How to measure you own value in the work that you do and why this matters so much.

5. The first thing you need to do to have this salary conversation with your boss or manager.

6. Exactly what to say to your boss when you sit across from him in this office and start this salary conversation. How do you begin to ask for what you want?

7. Why the boss’s personality and style plays a key role in the success of this conversation and how to get through to your own boss.

8. What to do when constructive feedback finds its way in the middle of this compensation chat.

9. Professional and practice phrases to use when asking for the salary and raise adjustments.

10. What to do when your boss tells you there are no raises. Because there are!

11. Why listening to your boss is going to help you pick up cues that are crucial to this request and one thing that they don’t tell you but you must know.

Just so you know:
Dear TDI listeners: If you liked this topic, you will love the weekly career tips I send out in my free newsletter, the Smart Exit Blueprint, and you will also be notified of the upcoming course in February. Hurry and sign up and be in charge of your career.

Episode 25 of the Daily Interaction: Closing the Culture Gap

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 12:22:24 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #25 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is about closing the culture gap and making the best impression when you meet people from other cultures and countries. What do you do the same and what do you do differently when you are in an international group setting?

I am back from the 6-week trip to the South Pacific and this trip opened my eyes to how little we truly need to survive and travel long-term. Sure there are things that shall be missed. I missed (the rest of) my clothes – and no, I really do not mind how shallow that may seem because I also managed to survive just fine without them – plus my yoga mat and cycling classes. You might miss your pet if he had to stay behind, your used office furniture that makes your work-life so comfortable or your favorite restaurant.

But travel comes with sweet rewards and that is partly a topic of our podcast today.

You know, I consider myself really fortunate but I cannot be the only one experiencing this. I have had the golden opportunity of meeting people from all over the world, either by running into them in places I have lived or by traveling to destinations around the globe. Other cultures and customs fascinate me and every time I meet someone, I challenge myself to connect with them as well – if not better – than someone I meet in my hometown. It does not matter if it is a transaction at a local market or a budding friendship.

The connection must be deep and genuine and to do this, it helps to understand how to present ourselves so that our good intention translate across other languages and borders, even if you know nearly nothing about the other culture.

Today, I give you my best tips – and a few blunders – on how to meet and greet your international friends and how to have smart interactions with them.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Why I chose the topic today and how the 6-week trip to the South Pacific inspired me to think about our communications across other cultures and countries. I am writing this from the perspective of an Iranian-American living in North America but one that has visited many parts of the world, both for business and pleasure and with ties into all cultures.

2. Why to mind the foundations and why to not allow yourself to get too comfortable especially during the first few minutes of your meeting.

3. The magic of first impressions and how to make sure you make the best first impression?

4. What one thing to avoid and be super careful about avoiding in meeting your international friends!

5. What exactly it means to be the best version of yourself?

6. What it is like to experience 4 earthquakes and 60+ aftershocks and what this has to do with our Kiwi Christmas?

7. Why it is necessary to educate yourself about other cultures and why that is a necessity before going to Japan and the etiquette behind business card exchange and credit card transactions in Japan.

Request to Spread the Word:
Dear TDI listeners: I am returning home from my long world tour and cannot wait to record more episodes real-time. If you have topics of interest for Daily Interaction, let me know. Thank you and happy new year to you in 2012!

Episode 24 of the Daily Interaction: Engaging with Your Role Models

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:00:20 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #24 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is about approaching our role models, the successful people with whom we want to interact and engage.

All of us have role models in one form or fashion. Some are from historical figures, some are imaginary characters out of great literature, and yet others may be contemporary figures with whom we may have a chance to engage. When you have the chance to do so, what is the best way to approach and engage these people in a conversation that both of you will remember for long?

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. How I missed an opportunity to meet and speak with my admired world-renowned yoga teacher because I let preconceived notions of what would happen limit me.

2. What inspired this podcast and what is coming your way from Prolific Living in January 2012.

3. What are some of the basic human qualities to look for in your role models.

4. How I approached and interviewed 4 extremely successful and well-known people in anticipation of this course and the best advice I have for you on how to position your message and your request.

5. What to do next after you have landed the opportunity – be it a conversation, a chance to interview your role model, or work with them. And how to not mess this up.

6. How I landed a grand opportunity to interview Dan Miller of 48 Days community.

7. A suggestion that will allow for flexibility in your schedule when your role models change the appointment time on you the last minute.

8. It is all about positioning your offer. Listen for the how-to part.

9. My power tips on how to prepare for your engagement with your role models.

10. My personal challenge for you with during the first quarter of 2012.

Episode 23 of the Daily Interaction: The Language of Love and Support

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:00:37 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #23 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is about the language of support with our loved ones, especially when you are in pursuit of an uncommon lifestyle or rather, one that is not at all similar to the life that your parents or guardians have known or have lived.

It is challenge enough to find our own path in life, mainly because having choices is a blessing in disguise. You can choose the life of your dreams and desires but how to you make others come to terms and support you about your choice?

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. What 2 things inspired me to do this episode: First one thanks to my friend, Adam of Adam King Studios and our interview, and second, thanks to my friend Anne-Sophie who shared in her personal blog the difficulty of her parents in relating to her choices in life.

2. My own challenges with my family, and the essence of love and worry which both helps and hurts this situation and how best to think about it all.

3. How to be kind and understanding while still being firm with your choices and your decisions with your loved ones.

4. Should we or should we not explain to our family that our path is something we were meant to do, and how on earth do you go about doing that?

5. The one phrase that always, always makes the connection with anyone, regardless of the generation gap.

6. How to put the language of support to practice, and some sample and effective phrases.

7. Using my friend, Emiel Van den Boomen of The Act of Traveling, as a prime example of sharing his passion with his wife.

8. Understanding the different emotional stages that your parents will go through and how the neutral state may be a great place for which to initially aim.

9. How being featured in Forbes was such a big deal to my previous world friends and peers, and how to see other people’s point of reference in life.

10. Two closing quotations, both of which will inspire you to follow your own path.

Request to Spread the Word:
Dear TDI listeners: This was the 23rd episode, and I had to record several of these in advance before my holiday in the south pacific. It takes a tremendous amount of work and effort to create these podcasts, and I do them because I believe they are useful. If you feel the same, please share them on Facebook, Google Plus and Twitter and tell your friends if they will benefit from them. Thank you and a very happy new year to you in 2012!

Episode 22 of the Daily Interaction: How to Interview Well for Anything

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:40:28 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #22 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is how to interview remarkably well for anything, be it a job or a promotion of your work and business, or any other reason that someone may wish to interview you. I talk about why interviews present you with so much opportunity and potential and I give you reasons to never turn down an interview.

After doing these 17 interviews around the blog and the growing business, not to mention countless job interviews, I wanted to share what I have learned about the art and science of interviewing well because it is a skill that can greatly benefit you!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. How I have had the privilege and honor of being interviewed about 25 times in the last 2 years and how the sources approached me for these amazing opportunities to tell my story.

2. Why it is easy to get interviews and how to make yourself newsworthy and why you are likely far more interesting than the people you see on TV or radio.

3. My friend, Anne-Sophie of Fighting Anorexia, and how she has used her struggles and her journey to healing as a way to share and educate others about anorexia, and the fact that she has had a documentary about her life!

4. What are the top reasons to get interviewed, why to never turn down an interview, and a compelling story about a woman who took her novel to a very small radio station and the big surprise.

5. The 3 super honest reasons I love, LOVE, interviews.

6. What is the one element that will take your interviews to such a level that you will be asked back to the show and how to do that.

7. Useful and practical phrases to use in an interview to relate to the listeners and your homework when it comes to listeners of the show.

8. Why to not write out a script for an interview and how to best prepare for that awesome interview.

9. What is the one nonnegotiable thing you need to do in every single interview.

10. The true importance of active listening in every single minute of the interview.

Your Thoughts on This:
Dear TDI listeners: What is the most challenging daily interaction for you, maybe one that frustrates or challenges you the most? Let me know in the comments below and don’t be surprised if I dedicate an entire podcast to it!

Episode 21 of The Daily Interaction: Smart Interactions in Social Media

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:25:59 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #21 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is about creating smart interactions when using social media as a whole.

We talk about what social media is, how to engage and take advantage of this amazing opportunity at our fingertips, thanks to advancements in technology. Whether you are an old pro at social media or brand new to the idea altogether, you will find useful information in this podcast.

What I love about social media is that it removes the compelling drive for everyone out there to have their own website and blog. Even though it’s tons of fun and I highly recommend that you do go out there, and look up some domain names and get yourself a great site, I still believe that if you are not into that, you can use social media as your platform to reach the world with your message.

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. Defining social media for those of you who are so lucky as to not be privy to this obsessive world of communication and interaction!

2. Before doing anything on social media, why you should define your goals and your intent on using social media, and how to make the right decisions for yourself.

3. What are the top 4 platforms for social media, and the concept of forums and communities as an off-shoot of social media.

4. How your approach to social media can change over time and all the different ways you can use it to your advantage and golden nuggets from Gary Vaynerchuck on Thank You Economy.

5. Why it’s just fine if you are using social media without any end goal in mind, so long as you are staying true to what is important to you.

6. What never ever do when using social media, and why this is a risk that you cannot afford to take.

7. How to draw a smart personal boundary in your use of social media and why you should never follow what others are doing at the expense of what is comfortable for you.

8. Why it is dumb to use location services on social media when you could be saying something more interesting and useful.

9. The top two questions to ask about your interactions on social media to make sure you are staying interesting and informative.

10. How to take those wonderful social media relationships to the next level. Loved this saying by Sandi Amorim at Deva Coaching:

“It’s like old friends meeting for the first time.”

Your Thoughts on This:
What is the most challenging daily interaction of all for you, one that you struggle with the most? Let me know in the comments below and don’t be surprised if I dedicate an entire podcast to it!

Episode 20 of The Daily Interaction: How to Control the Internal Energy

tdi@prolificliving.com (Farnoosh Brock) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:35:43 +0000

Welcome back to Episode #20 of The Daily Interaction podcast. Today’s topic is by a request from a listener and a friend John Kowalski who asked me to talk about controlling our internal energy. How do you interact with yourself, your thoughts, your mind and your wealth of ideas when your excitement is just over the moon?

The reason I took John’s request, besides always listening to your requests and acting on it, is just how much I relate. I can truly get the struggle that John has with so much internal energy from all the excitement for dreaming big and bigger all the tine. It is the challenge when you feel completely liberated and empowered to pursue your calling and follow your purpose in life and it’s no easy task to control the energy without crushing it.

In this podcast, I talk about what has worked for me as well as what has not worked, and give you fun and useful stories. Take a listen!

The iTunes Page: Subscribe & download!

RSS Feed: Follow the Feed!

Your Weekly Friday Show Notes:

1. What three things to do with ideas when they first come to you? I believe ideas are the beginning of everything and they can turn into everything: a new business, a new product, a new mission for your life. Reference prolificliving.com/ideas post series.

2. Why it is crucial to capture your ideas in their raw form and what do ideas have in common with dreams.

3. How to create an “idea locker” for the wealth of ideas and what to do with this idea locker.

4. How to strike the right balance between doing and thinking, and how to preserve the best of your creativity while still having some structure in place.

5. The difference between daydreaming, brainstorming and cultivating ideas.

6. How to generate ideas by asking questions and why you might want to incorporate meditation in the process. Check out this Meditation Manifesto.

7. Why exercise is the perfect physical outlet for that internal energy and the counter intuitive logic of how you can get more energy through this means, not to mention more ideas.

8. The importance of setting priorities and getting organized in order to be clear on what ideas to pursue.

One Question to Answer:
What is the most challenging daily interaction of all for you, one that you struggle with the most? Let me know in the comments below and don’t be surprised if I dedicate an entire podcast to it!