10 Reluctant Lessons Learned on Mothers’ Day

May 14, 2012 By 5 Comments

Well, of course, lesson number one is to have a relaxing day, rather than one that sends you into apoplectic shock, but not everyone can learn that one easily.

Now that my own mom is gone, Mother’s Day is spent doing something deliberate with my daughter (as opposed to reading in a hammock in solitary bliss), such as going to see Hair on Broadway, bicycling at the shore, watching our favorite mother-daughter movie, Tumbleweeds. This year, I had the brilliant idea that we should experience a ropes course at the Turtleback Zoo nearby. I think because my (rather ancient) memory of this zoo was that it was little more than a petting zoo for children, I assumed its sister adventure course would offer the same level of challenge.

LOL.

Now, for those of you who have charged your way through high ropes courses, I suspect you would consider this child’s play—and my own confident enthusiasm was evident as they strapped me into the harness, telling us that refunds past that point weren’t allowed, with my smile to my girl that said, “I guess some young children get scared…” Up I went the first ladder and stood happily on the first platform.

And then glanced down at my first action-step: to close the giant gap between me and an innocent-looking board. I couldn’t move. I was done before I’d even begun. Thankfully, they knew enough to post a guide right on the platform with you for this first lethal act and he was quite confident that I could make it. I looked across the chasm to my daughter, who had, indeed, succeeded to the other side and she called back, “The first step is the hardest! But then it gets easier.”

I don’t know how long I stood there, contemplating the inches across and the ability of my body to take a giant leap that was clearly not meant for human beings. I was told then, as I was told a thousand more times, to pull down hard on my lifeline and it would support me as I jumped. Absolutely nothing in my consciousness grasped that fact—then, or ever–but finally, somehow, I took that first life-defying step—and I was off!

I told my daughter on the next platform, “I’m getting off as soon as I can!” She nodded in soothing understanding. “We don’t have to go on to the second course; but we do have to make it through this one.”

I figured a panic attack was an effective exit strategy for getting out sooner, but my pride did get the better of me, so I gingerly turned to face the second challenge—and encountered my next searing lesson, then my next and my next. Indeed, the only thing that kept me from losing my mind entirely suspended in mid-air was this blog post; knowing that this ignorantly arranged Mothers’ Day adventure was a perfect metaphor for entrepreneurial leadership that I would share. So, you could say that thoughts of you saved me as I gripped my lifeline, fingers nearly bleeding, over the next ninety minutes. Let me share with you what I learned about fear and the requirement to get through it in order to arrive at a passionately desired destination ahead.

  1. Don’t think. Thinking did me absolutely no good. The only way I ever successfully made it across was when I “just did it”—just plowed through the fear (it genuinely felt like plowing through). When I stood still, examining the length of the board and the distance from it to the next one, and the possibility of stepping onto the wire instead…the board shook like crazy. My true life-lines were the guides, and they’d call up to me to tell me this. “Keep moving. When you stand still, it gets really shaky.” Of course, what did they know? But eventually, I listened, and when I just stopped thinking and kept moving, it was swift; it was easy; and for some reason, it just wasn’t scary. I suspect because it’s hard to move and think at the same time.

  2. You’re it. At one point, I was seriously the most afraid I’ve ever been, and by that point, I’d taken to talking to myself. One of my dear guides was busy talking another mother off the ledge, and I realized I was alone. I had no idea how I was going to take my next step. I was absolutely emotionally paralyzed. And then I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and said out loud, “No one can get you through this but you. No one.” It wasn’t some quaint affirmation you might say to yourself from the safety of the ground. This was an irrefutably true statement. Short of their getting some ladder and rescuing me, in that moment, there was nothing they could have done for me. Their soothing encouragement couldn’t have helped me with this. And they weren’t coming with any ladder. It was a defining moment for me, realizing that only I was going to save me.  There was no other resource except the one between my ears. I heard myself saying, firmly, “You just have to take the step. You just have to do it. There is no other option.” A fierce pragmatist if nothing else, I got how true that was and just stepped over my fear. It felt very much like that—a barrier I couldn’t dissolve or mitigate, but could step over. And did.
  3. Find your own way. I heard myself chatting to myself, “Just find the way that works for you,” as I walked across these ropes and boards. Sometimes I would do what was plainly expected, other times, I would walk on the outside wires only or walk sideways. Whatever worked. There was no right way.
  1. That said, there were undeniably easier ways to go that I didn’t always take—and when I did, I learned that there is absolutely no shame in taking the easy route!
  1. It gets easier. I got used to being in a constant state of peril and soon it stopped feeling fatal. In fact, in time, I rather deftly made it to the other sides! It got easier.
  1. Victim thinking escalates with witnesses. This one is a hard one to admit, but being highly self-reflective, I caught myself expressing more fear when the guides were paying attention to me. When they were busying saving the soul of another, I just got down to the business at hand and was efficient and dutiful. Interesting, yes?
  1. Just leap. The zip-line portion of the courses was by far the most fun—but first, I had to leave the safety of the platform, and the only way to do that was with a determination to “just leap!” I stood there at the first one, contemplating things, but then I just leapt. It was nothing more than a decision. Nothing.
  1. Let yourself fly. During the first zip line, I was still focused on the fear of having let go, so I was at the other side before the rather delicious sensation of freedom caught up to me. So, on the second one, I made a promise to myself to relish the fun of the easy ride and celebrate the end of the hard work!
  1. Excuses are the only things that paralyze. I came to the end of the first course and took a bathroom break. Remember, my daughter had suggested at the first platform that we could rap it up at this point, but I saw that she had gone on through. I knew, as soon as I stepped out of my harness for my break that I would be getting back in. No way was I going to let any fear stop me from finishing! I tripped a little on the way to the porta-potty and looked down to find a flap at the toe of my sneaker; my tread was peeling away—and I knew if they saw it, they wouldn’t let me continue. So, I reached down and pulled it off—the entire tread—because I was not going to let so insignificant of an excuse let me off. I’m proud of myself for that one!
  1. Hold on to—and remember—what supports you. My daughter’s own pragmatism showed in the car ride back, as we talked about this. Apparently, she’d experienced next-to-no fear. “How is that possible?” I asked her. “Mom, there’s no way you can actually fall. That lifeline supports you the entire time.” I found it incredible—truly—that I had never once given that thought. I chose (and it was entirely a choice) to completely forget that I was fully supported all the way and I could not fall. I actually chose to think I was unsupported—and that’s why there was any fear at all. Big, big, big life lesson there, wouldn’t you say?

I went home and took a luxurious thirty-minute nap, a delicious hot shower, and had a glass of wine at dinner to celebrate my victory. I recalled, as I fell into bed at midnight, dead-exhausted and aching, how I’d called down to one of the guides: “Why on God’s green earth did I decide to do this for Mother’s Day????”

He said, “Because it’s a gift to yourself.”

He knew then what I couldn’t—and was so right. Never again can I feel fear about taking any step–in business and leadership or otherwise–and not remember every single one of the lessons I learned forty feet in the air. The biggest one? Remember what supports me and remember when it comes to fear, only I can get myself out.

I am talking a lot these days about Leadership Self-Mastery. One cannot lead until one leads himself. One cannot influence until he influences himself. That’s what I did this Mother’s Day.

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, business, business success, business-changing results, entrepreneurs, Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

GUEST POST: The Hidden Saboteur of Many Leaders

May 9, 2012 By Leave a Comment

I am happy to present Lisa Smith to you this morning. She works on the self-talk that brings down even the greatest minds. Enjoy!

Whether you have always gravitated toward leadership roles or you were thrust into a leadership role because of a cause or mission you are passionate about, effective leadership takes courage, patience, empathy, confidence, likability, and trust. But most of all, it takes courage.

Courage to step up where others wouldn’t, to put yourself in front of people and declare yourself a leader, and to motivate others to take action based on your direction. Leadership is not for the weak-minded.

But even the most promising or best-intentioned leaders can get trapped by the gremlins of negative internal dialog. Fear and limiting beliefs can cause one to doubt himself, his direction, his mission. This can lead to hesitation on decision-making, confusing or conflicting direction for action, or worst of all, ego-maniacal behavior.

As a student and teacher of the mind and behavior, I understand what causes people to fall short of their goals no matter how strong the motivation is to succeed. It has been my work for over 16 years to help others (and myself) to neutralize these inner gremlins and achieve far greater potential.

Whatever results you are getting in your life or your business, your mission is a direct result of your thoughts. I use the TEAR formula to explain this.

Your Thoughts create Emotions (based on the judgment or meaning we give to something—positive or negative). Your Emotions in turn influence your Action (what you do). And your Action in turn produces a Result (cause and effect).

As humans, we are always seeking to give “meaning” to events and that is what causes us trouble. Yet, events have no inherent meaning. Different people can assign differing meanings to the same event. For example, rain is neither good nor bad; it just “is.” However, a bride with an outdoor wedding planned can judge the rain as “bad” and a farmer in a drought can judge the rain as “good.” Neither is true—it’s just a judgment or perception.

When we’re growing up, we create beliefs (“rules” we take on as “absolutes” and “truths”) about ourselves, the world, others, money, relationships, food, etc. We then function off of those beliefs, which are a large part of our thought process. If we have limiting beliefs (beliefs that limit our or anothers’ ability), our perception and thought process is skewed and will create negative emotions (the greatest of which is FEAR), creating less-than-optimal (and often destructive) action, which will lead to results in kind.

For many leaders, limiting beliefs that cause inertia or self-sabotage can be, “I’m not good enough,” “I’m not important,” “What I have to say isn’t important,” “If I say/do this, I’ll be rejected,” “If I make a mistake I’ll be rejected,” among, of course, others.

Which of these do you recognize saying to yourself from time to time (or even often)? If you need to be confident and motivational with your “flock,” can you see how having one or more of these limiting beliefs can cause problems for you?

Limiting beliefs can be insidious in their destruction of great leaders and the people they are meant to help. Finding ways to identify and eliminate them–and their habits–is one of the best investments leaders can make to ensure their ability to carry out the mission and effect the change they are dedicated to create.

************************

Lisa Smith, the Marketing, Mindset & Manifesting Coach for service-based business owners helps themget more clients, serve more people, and make more money through tools such as hypnosis, NLP, EFT and other techniques that expose and clear the inner gremlins that most don’t even realize are playing the major role in keeping them stuck, stressed, and broke. You can learn more about these concepts and how she helps people by downloading her free audio, “The 3 Keys you MUST Master to Attract Your Ideal Clients and Make More Money With Less Effort” at www.mmmcoach.com.

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, Leadership Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How A New Program Drew 350 Registrations–the First Time Out

March 21, 2012 By 3 Comments

A client of mine, Teresa Aziam of The Aziam Center, led a telecall last night that interested 350 people in just a few days of promotion. She went to her list and asked two JV partners to promote for her—but out of the gate, with not a whole lot of promoting at all, this was a strong number.

Here’s what they were drawn to: There is a single formula that explains your lagging business success—and it’s the same (and only) formula you will ever need to get all the clients, sales, buzz and love you want!

That was the hook–and the essence of her “Teaching Story”—the story she unfolded on the call.

They may have been drawn to the title, too, but we didn’t measure that: Off-the-Charts: The Only Formula You Need for Breaking the Ceiling on Business and Life Success.

They stayed because—as one woman near the end of the call said, when asked how one of the exercises affected her, “I can’t even express it, it was so profound.”

 

This is Teresa’s “Portal Program,” as I call it–#3 on the diagram. It is the pre-event to her star-money-maker, Signature Program.

This diagram illustrates the strategic line-up of offerings I help my clients create. But it doesn’t just magically happen. Here’s how Teresa and I got to her “Teaching Story” hook above.

She came to me, knowing that her specialty was “mindset work.” First order of business is always determining target market.

 We went back and forth on that for a few sessions and finally she decided on “mom-preneurs” with kids under eight years of age. (I always have my clients, working with mothers, determine the age of their kids; it reveals yet another dimension of their problems/needs/desires that need to be addressed.)

The next order of business is determining that market’s “urgent problem.” I always say, “You must be urgently wanted (b/c you solve an urgent problem) or you will be an elective…and you can’t afford to be an elective.” So, we quickly determined that her market’s urgent problem (even though Teresa didn’t feel qualified at first to address it) was, “poor sales.”

“I don’t teach sales,” she said to me repeatedly, as she was trying to grasp that as her business future. She felt she wasn’t credible to solve that urgent need. (Can you relate? Then read on.)

“There are many solutions for someone, for example, who needs to lose weight,” I told her. “Someone can help nutritionally. Someone else can provide hypnosis treatment. Someone else, liposuction. Someone else, self-mastery techniques. The problem is the same, with many solutions. You can help that problem, as one of the solutions.”

That accomplished, we began to drill down into what she believed mom-preneurs needed to do to succeed. It wouldn’t be a sales technique, or strategy for attracting leads; it would be her answer, based on what she does well. After days of thrashing about in deep reflection (my questions tend to do that to people), she determined that above all, (that’s what I look for) her market needed to know their own self-worth to succeed. Without it, there can be no success.

And that began the very mysterious process that happens between me and a client in developing their Teaching Story. We sit on a see-saw, the two of us, and as she pushes off the ground in answer to a question of mine, it rolls down to me, and stimulates an idea, and back and forth we go, as my brain—always scanning for a Brain-Sticky concept—begins to think of what to teach to the market.

It’s completely non-linear and a process I cannot teach or I would make it a group program, but in no-time on that see-saw, keeping in mind a) her market; 2) what they most want; 3) what they need to know; 4) what she does best and 5) what they don’t know, I knew the hook: your sales are directly proportionate to your self perceived value. They will be low if your value of yourself (in any or all areas of life) is low; they will be high, if your self-perceived value is high. Teresa loved it because it was true. She said, “Yep. There is no exception. It can’t be any other way.”

I always test and test my clients’ convictions, and so I asked (as I’d asked it multiple ways before), “If they try any of the other solutions to boost their sales, will it work?” She was an emphatic, “No! This is THE answer!”

And so, I whipped the concept into a formula (which I don’t want to reveal here, for proprietary reasons, but you can go find out yourself!)

From there, I began to design the “arc” of the Teaching Story—how she would teach this to an audience. As you know, she gave it last night to a live audience, but even if she was never going to “be on stage” with it—having a Teaching Story Arc is a sweet, key way of developing an “idea” that no one else in the world has. No one else has the formula of her Teaching Story—and no one else has the teaching content we developed that teaches the formula, what do with it, and then presents a natural new problem to the audience.

Her Teaching Story was “urgently wanted” because it: addressed a nagging problem (low sales) with a irrefutably true concept (your sales are proportionate to your self-perceived value), spun in a unique way with a hook, (the formula), built with unique content (provocative exercises and data that taught the formula and the science behind it, in her case), delivered, using the unique curriculum design I’ve been teaching for years, which “teaches to the brain”—then resurrecting a new problem (how to effectively change self-perceived value forever to achieve off-the-charts sales and other business success), which is solved by the next event, the Signature Program.

And that is how 350 people came to register for the “only formula you need for breaking the ceiling on business and life success.” Congratulations, girl!! If you want to find out more about Teresa’s event, click here.

To do this work with me, email info (at) inspiredleadersacademy.com with “I want lots of people on my telecall, too!” in the subject line 🙂 or go read more at: www.inspiredleadersacademy.com/powerhousemethod2.

 

 

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, Business Development, public speaking, Sales and Marketing, What I Know For Sure Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

How I Got Certain of My Career Purpose: Letter to Client

March 16, 2012 By 8 Comments

A client asked me the other day how I came to have such conviction about my
purpose. It came on the heels of my having told her that, as a leader of change,
 she needs to have “certainty” about that. That it’s her time now to move into
power and play much bigger.  When she wrote me a couple of hours later, asking
me how I’d come to eb so certain,  I had to think about it!  I’d never had to “pull apart”
or articulate HOW it is that I know with such certainty that I am here to “activate”
the leaders and help them build successful one-of-a-kind business empires. Here’s 
how I answered her:

Here are some contributing factors:

1. I am really in touch with my emotions; always have been, and I don’t like anything
that feels bad. That’s why I could never work for anyone else, because I hated it. I
couldn’t stay in a marriage that felt wrong, and am 10 years into a relationship that
feels  great.  There are downsides to only wanting what feels good: I tend to
procrastinate on anything that doesn’t feel good and am rather moody when
doing something I hate.

However, all of this fine-tuned awareness of my feelings has repelled career paths
that felt bad, and drawn me to those that feel good, and 25+ years of that kind of
intuitive “tacking” has brought me to a spot in my life where I’m doing what I love
and am good at because I only cultivated the skills that I really enjoyed. After all of
these years, sorting out good-feelings from bad-feelings, my intuition is a finely
honed and powerful tool in my arsenal and it has led to “I KNOW.”  That kind of
certainty. I work with clients whose feelings aren’t that keenly felt, and so making
decisions can be very hard. And decisions are “certainties.” There is a great deal of
neuroscientific research that proves that if we can’t feel, we can’t decide. Read this
USA Today article  here.

2. Honestly, another answer that comes to mind is that I’ve done my own work–
meaning, the work I take others through. I know so well my own convictions because
of those deep, penetrating questions. For instance, in The Powerhouse Method(TM),
clients must assert their *single* contention for their market–and this is a very large
step in revealing their purpose. Then, I have them excavate their “mountain top
message”–their leadership message, that is their message for humanity. It’s really a
big message. When they get this clear, they’re almost home to certainty. Then, we
craft their mission statement and determine their one-of-a-kind solution and after
all of this, they are convicted about their reason for being here. I did all of this for
myself, of course, and no one can walk out of that not KNOWING.

3. I also have the certainty I have because of my career history. I have spent years
developing  my expertise–skills, again, that I am good. My conviction comes from
knowing my value to my market.

4. Additionally, I am madly in love with my market of service entrepreneurs here
to do big things in the world. Certainy comes from that and from knowing I’m a
perfect match for them.

5. And lastly (I guess, though I’m sure I’ll go to bed, thinking of more)…I bring my 
beliefs into it all (part of what I do in the PHMethod for others), so I’m clear that I
believe this is a special time in history, and *the* time for service entrepreneurs to
move into roles of leadership during this historic transition. I am DEEPLY convicted
about that…and that reinfoces my certainty of my role to ensure they succeed.

So, in summary: I am so certain of my purpose because I know how to feel what is
wrong from right for me, by years of sorting out what feels good from bad. If you are
not sure of how you feel, this will be a problem. You will stay stuck in analysis
paralysis and waffle for years. I encourage everyone to start small and notice their
” body’s speak.” Notice what your body says when you’re looking at a menu filled
with choices. It is what tells you if you want chicken or fish. Pay attention to those
cues. Then, start to notice how it feels when you’re reaching for the phone to call
someone: does it *really* want to talk to that person, or are you just doing it from
habit? I am also so certain about my purpose because I know my message to my
market and my message to humanity; I know what my unique offering is; I am
passionate about a certain population and have beliefs about their purpose that fuel
my certainty about my own. I encourage everyone to find a population they’re in
love with, and to look into their beliefs about what that population is here for; doing
so will help cement their own purpose.

I am thankful for this client asking me this question, and I hope my answer was
helpful for all.  Here’s to changing the world with your message!

 

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, Business Development, What I Know For Sure Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Invisible Business Part 2: The Key to Being Seen and Wanted

March 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

So, your service business isn’t different enough, and you know it’s not acceptable
because you’re here for such a bigger game! So, how do you go about setting yourself
apart in the marketplace? 

Branding consultants uniformly advise business owners to differentiate on the
following:

  • Pricing. Lower pricing establishes you as a easy-grab option; higher-end
    pricing cultivates an image of prestige or quality.
  • Convenience/Efficiency: You position yourself as being able to get
    customers results faster than anywhere else.
  • Personality. You separate yourself by what you wear; a particular way of
    speaking; an attitude, etc.
  • Past Career/Adventures: You separate yourself by branding your business
    on a past career (Kenny the Monk was a monk, and now he teaches leadership
    in corporatations), or adventures (a mountain climber now helps leaders scale
    the highest peaks in their own lives.)
  • Uncommon Credentials: You have a PhD in psychology but are teaching/ consulting business owners on business growth.
  • Target Market: You stand apart by having a very tiny niche. Freed Gleek
    built his business fortune by helping the self-storage industry sell information products.

There are other typical branding/differentiation strategies, and clearly sometimes
they work. If they’re “Brain-Sticky” enough, they capture attention, leads and
dollars. Much of what we see on the internet are differentiation strategies that
succeed here—for much the same reason as we are all drawn to bright, shiny
objects: they’re sparkly bling and we can’t look away.

But too often that does not foster quality leads or clients, just those wanting quick-
fixes, convenience, or some thrill—then they’re gone. If you are here to effect change
in the world, most of the differentiation strategies you will find will be too superficial
for you. Your business identity must be substantive.

What makes a substantive business? One that offers intellectually stimulating
ideas; ideas that turn heads, provide rare insights, suggest provocative direction.
This is, or should be, the domain of the expert, wouldn’t you say? To speak not about
hackneyed concepts, but fresh and innovative ones that inform and expand.

What if your business was separated from all the rest in this way? What if you stood
on the mountaintop with a concept that had never been posed before and that
taught those listening something new and substantial, that they are hungry to learn?

Why do you think you’d stand out from everyone with this idea? Because good,
provocative ideas are hard to come by—so by that alone, you will be different. But
also because nothing is as powerful as an idea whose time has come. You want to
have such an idea.

When people work with me, this is how I differentiate them because teaching is the
domain of the expert, and service providers are experts—especially those with
big visions. They need to be out there in a very different way,  pulling prospects in
with their “Teaching Story.”

A “Teaching Story” puts forth a premise that no one else has. It’s yours and yours
alone, grown from your expertise, unique perspective, and wisdom. And it is how
you are known. It is your brand. As such, it is the secret weapon to becoming famous
and to changing the world.

What make a good “Teaching Story”? It: 

  • Is highly relevant to your narrow-market—something they have high
    interest  in learning about.
  • Tells prospects something new, that they didn’t know about that subject; it
    widens their intellectual horizons.
  • Stirs the emotions—often inciting disbelief or outrage, sometimes sadness,
    and always hope and excitement.
  • Has a provocative, even controversial, premise.
  • Provides satisfying support for that promise. 
  • Peels back veils, exposes untruths, and excites possibilities 
  • Creates a significant shift in perspective. Participants say, “I will never look
    at this subject the same way again.”
  • Dynamically unfolds to build suspense, alleviate tension and provide a
    satisfying and viable solution.

Like any good story, it is complete with hero, villain, desires, goals, obstacles,
suspense, climax. A Teaching Story has a deliberate “arc”—one that pulls the
prospect through a roller-coaster of emotions, to a final climactic finish of “a-ha!”
and transformation.

In order to get at your Teaching Story (i.e. your differentiation), it is imperative to
have your business identity fully established: who your target market is, what their
pains and desires are, how your solution is “urgently wanted” and what its results
are, what your mission is and, finally, your leadership message: the single-sentence,
mountaintop inspiration message of universal truth.

I do this work in a 7-session private program called, The Powerhouse Method™.
It is the fastest, most unique process you will experience for securing your one-of-a-
kind brand and the leadership message you are known for. To be considered for a
40-minute call to discuss your business differentiation and how the Teaching Story
works for you, just contact me at info (at) inspiredleadersacademy.com today! I
am confident you will never find a more effective, soul-stirring process for revealing
your one-of-a-kind business differentiation.

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, best in the world, Business Development, Differentiation

A Time to Lead: Do You Dare?

February 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Here is the recording to my recent call, A Time to Lead: Do You Dare?

Please be patient as the audio loads into your player. It can take up to 45 seconds.
www.inspiredleadershiptraining.com/media/Recordings/ATimetoLeadCall.mp3

This is an inspirational “keynote speech,” more than a training, and in it you will
learn about:

Historic Changes in Our World Now and Your Changing Role Because of Them

How Business Will Change and How You Must Be Different From Them All

Constructing Your Leadership Message

Enjoy!

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, Business Development Tagged With: , , , ,

A Successful Expert But Still Not Feeling Your Big Purpose? Reason #2

February 22, 2012 By 1 Comment

I’d like to round-out this discussion with the other reason you may not be feeling a BIG
PURPOSE—though you’re successful. You may not be utilizing your skills and
talents for a far-reach aspiration: both yours and your markets’.

When I launched my 2nd business,
Inspired Leadership Training, in 2006,
I was teaching an incredible public
speaking program, Secrets of Impact
and Influence, based on the latest
brain research in learning. What was
I helping people do, initially? For a
long time, it was “get more clients” by
using public speaking as a marketing
tool. Then, for an equally long time, 
I was helping them to “be the best
presenter in their field”—because this program really delivers that. Then, I was helping
them be responsible experts, raising their standards so they were teaching with
unparalleled excellence—a requirement, in my book, for giving paid presentations,
seminars, trainings, etc. 

But the problem was, these skills and talent of mine, which were able to produce these
promises, were not connecting to a part of me that was alive and well outside of my
business: a part that was becoming aware of and studying global human potential.
I was watching the central institutions of our world collapse around us, and the rising
up of populations demanding freedom and human rights. I knew that this activity was
going to reach a climax—and that leaders with great wisdom would start coming out of
the woodwork, as if suddenly “activated” or called to their purpose. And I knew my
market—a subset of coaches, consultants, authors and speakers–were those up-and-
coming leaders.

Despite this, I was still promoting SII around more practical goals: getting more
business and being one of the best presenters/teachers. Yet, the fact was, this
particular public speaking model was tailor-made for the leaders.  For
those who would be called to serve in the global human potential movement. Indeed,
that’s why I had gravitated to learning neuroscience and applying it to public speaking
in the first place!! I had known it could move mountains and mount movements—but
I wasn’t talking about that in my promotion of the course, and not even in the course,
with those seated before me!

My skills and talents were not taking my market far enough, And they were
not taking me far enough into things that mattered most to me. Finally, just a few
months ago, I leapt off the cliff and made it clear that everything I do is specifically
designed for those who want to change the world—who want to be true, inspired leaders.
Not every coach, consultant, speaker or author wants my skills to take them there—
they’re more attracted to my older, more pragmatic promises–but so many do! Many
are being “called” to bigger stages every single day and the higher calling of my
skills and talents (that extend beyond public speaking, by the way) is reaching
out to them.

So, if you’re not feeling your Big Purpose, look at how far you are taking your followers
with your skills and talents. Where could you take them that’s bigger, higher, grander,
more meaningful—more inspirational?

If you’re one of the called—if you know you are an inspired leader—Big
Purpose known or unknown—it is your time to lead. Be sure to experience
my call Thursday, Feb. 23: A Time to Lead: Do You Dare?

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, Business Development Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Does “Changing the World” Seem Too Big for You?

February 8, 2012 By 1 Comment

In my new business incarnation, I use terms like ”change the world,” “mission” and
“leader.” A colleague of mine, who’s been in business for years, told me she wants
to feel that she has a BIG PURPOSE, but her specialty doesn’t seem to be evoking it.
She does very helpful things for her target market, but she’s not sure it’s going to
change the world or make her a leader. Now, she hasn’t worked with me, and
that’s exactly what I can do with her, but because I know she’s not alone, I thought
I would share some direction about this.

Before we go further, however, let’s get this out of the way: if you are an expert on
earth at this time, chances are very good that you are here with a bigger mission
than you are now realizing. Millions are waking up to a powerful call to impact. If
you know that (as she does) but just can’t “get at the itch”—relax, it’s going to come.
If you don’t know it at all and you’re very happy doing just what you’re doing, no
world-changing needed, then–at least for now–this whole idea isn’t for you.
However, you could be attracting far more business with just a slight change
in perspective. (I’ll write more about that in an upcoming post.)

If you’re like my colleague and can feel it “in there somewhere,” don’t be scared by
the idea of “changing the world” and being a “leader.” They’re part of your new job
description and with help, they will feel entirely natural (and destined) for you. I
want to help you see that the whole process is akin to moving from the shore into
tepid water, rather than skydiving off Mt.Kilimanjaro.

The fact is, there is only one thing standing between you and changing the world
as a leader of change. Only one thing that makes “those who know and are doing it”
different from you, and that is: a passionate belief.

There is something you believe fiercely that you are simply not bringing to your
business. It’s not shaping your “Store Front” (business identity), or reflected or
discussed in your programs/information products/speeches–and it’s not pivotal
in your marketing.

That’s it. No big mystery. No huge hurdle. If you aren’t “feeling it”—it’s because
you’re not feeling a passionate belief. Which could mean you’re not feeling a lot of
anything—maybe your “winning formula” in life has been to be highly intellectual
and not feel. It does require feeling to change the world, for certain. And a
passionate belief is what will get you feeling. It is then woven into absolutely
everything you do as a business owner.

You see, changing the world doesn’t have to mean that you “have a dream” that
literally touches every person on the globe—though, aspire for that, I say! And
being a leader doesn’t have to mean standing on a platform that millions can see—
though…! It means that you have a belief you cannot contain inside your own
skin and you know it will solve a problem.

You have it. I know you have it. For years, I have worked with countless visionary
entrepreneurs (coaches, consultants, wellness practitioners, speakers, authors),
and in our work,every single one of them excavates a passionate belief—their
leadership message. You can, too. Indeed, it is time.

Now, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that a passionate belief is all well and good,
but without strong internal conditioning, it will fall limp. A leader must call
herself to very high personal standards to actually lead and effect change. But that’s
for another time.

Right now—just live and breathe this question: What do I believe passionately?

Join me on a very special call Feb 23–A Time to Lead: Do You Dare? Read more
here.

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, brand yourself Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Inspired Leaders’ Academy Launches!

January 16, 2012 By Leave a Comment

 

 

 

 

 

Do you feel an unrelenting, driving purpose to contribute to the empowerment
of the planet…and a clarity that that purpose should be manifested as a business,
not a hobby or volunteer cause…and a business that must succeed because your
mission is that important to the world…and because freedom, creativity and
autonomy is that important to your spirit? Do you have a powerful belief that
things in the world can be changed–and must be changed—and that we’re all
here, at this critical point in history, to change them? And that YOU are here at
this critical time in history to help LEAD that change with a penetrating message
…on a much bigger stage than any you’ve stood on before? And…are you
determined to do whatever it takes?

Inspired Leaders’ Academy is your home: The Definitive Business School for
Visionary Entrepreneurs Changing the World.

It’s fitting to launch this new venture on Martin Luther King Jr’s official birthday.
He was, of course, one of the great inspired leaders of our times, and Inspired
Leaders’ Academy is dedicated to building a “special forces unit” of leaders
dedicated to empowering the world to higher ground…visionary entrepreneurs
ready to break the rules, thrive in a business, and change  the world their message.

I’ve built the Academy to be specifically designed for you–because as a business
owner called to change the world, there’s something you need to know: you are in a DIFFERENT BUSINESS than the vast majority of other service-based entrepreneurs
and so you must DO business differently. And it’s critical that you build or reinvent
your business inside  of a curriculum that understands that difference, or you’ll
spend years you can’t afford on the wrong track.

Your messaging is more important for you than for any other type of entrepreneur
out there…

At Inspired Leaders’ Academy, you build a business empire based on your one-of-
a-kind inspirational leadership message. The free training video on the homepage
explains not just how ILA is different, but it goes into the 5 ways you are different
from all other business owners, the 6 ways you must DO business differently, the
6-step “sales path” you need your prospects to walk in order for you to build a
thriving business that changes the world, and the 8-step path *you* must walk in
order to manifest that sales path. It’s a lot of  essential information. I hope you’ll
go watch it now.

Here’s to 2012 and the outrageous potential within you to change the world with
your message!!!

Filed Under: A Little Inspiration, Lizabeth Phelps Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

10 Years in Business–Tip # 19: What Am I the BEST in the World At?

October 11, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In my special report, What I Know For Sure: Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Business, I list 75 topic areas that I have bumped into over ten years. And every day in October, I will randomly choose one of the 75 and expound on it. So here’s today’s:

Set out to answer the question,
“What can I be the BEST in the
world at?” It may take years to
find the answer, but seek it, and
know that it must be answered
one day, so watch yourself and
ask your clients often, “What do
I do best in the world?” The
question is not, “Of all of my
skills, what am I best at doing?”
It’s what are you the best in the
world at. Period.

I was on a telecall a couple of years ago led by an older business man whom I respected–
though I’m embarrassed to say I don’t remember who it was. But he said that on his desk
he had a question: “What can I be the BEST in the world at?” And he admitted that he was
still valiantly trying to answer it. So, I adopted the idea and put the question on my desk,
believing that I *would* answer it. It, like all things that our physical senses experience
routinely, disappeared into the woodwork most days–but every so often, my Reticular
Activating System would have me catch sight of it again and I’d ponder the possibility:
What can I be the BEST in the world at?

Be assured that it’s a game-changer to know you can go toe-to-toe with the best in your
field and give either as good a performance or, more likely, a better one. Suddenly,
with this realization, your stock just took a quantum leap. You know you deserve, can,
and must command top-dollar for what you do–assuming, of course, that it is wanted.
As the best leaf-presser in the world, you may have a tough time with that. But if what
you’re “the best at” is valuable to the marketplace, you’ve just written your golden ticket.

Steve Jobs knew he was the best in the world at
innovation and made no qualms about boasting
so publicly. Writers Lev Grossman and Harry
McCracken wrote in Time Magazine’s October 17,
2001 issue: “Jobs dubbed the $2,495 Mac ‘insanely
great,’ a bit of self-praise that became forever
associated with him and Apple.” He didn’t listen
to his customers or his employees: he knew the
brilliance of his own mind and knew that to succeed,
he and everyone at Apple would do best listening to
it without reservation. They did–and the world was
changed.

On the one hand, you don’t have to broadcast to the world that you’re the best; one can
be more humble about it. But there’s also something very compelling about an expert
who asserts with conviction that he can do something no one else can. Humans aspire
to self-actualization, after all; we are fascinated by the evidence before us of one who
has reached it–at least on one  level.

Just the other day at my public speaking training, I said, for the first time, with clear
eyes and cellular certainty that I am the best in the world at extracting the message
an entrepreneur has been born to share–and that will change the world and
build a business empire. I would never compare myself to Steve Jobs, but I said it
with the same kind of knowing he had that no one can do what I do better. It was true.
It was simple. It was real. And so I said it. And I went on to let them know that come
2012, my stock price would be very different. It wasn’t a ploy or a manipulation. It
was just the truth–take it or leave it. It had impact.

Knowing what you’re the best in the world at is a game-changer. As I said
above, the question is not, “Of all that I do, which skill am I the best at?” It’s What am
I the best in the world at?

I suggest you write the question out and look at it every day–as that business man has
done, and as I did (and still do). Your subconscious will work on it, and one day, if you
want it enough, if you believe in yourself enough, the answer will come. And it will be
a brand new day.

Get all 75 tips PLUS an invitation to join me in celebrating 10 years on a free
call October 17th, PLUS much more! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/report/

Hate to sell? In celebration of my 10th anniversary, I am reprising one of my most beloved programs. A 4-part/2-week course, Grillin’ the Gremlin: Freedom for the Sales Phobic. Learn the 7 reasons you do not sell EAGERLY or WELL. This is the LAST time you’ll ever get his program, and the ONLY time you get to work with me for peanuts. Jump on this. It’s good only until Tuesday Oct 18th! http://inspiredleadershiptraining.com/10Years/gg/

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