Not everyone once to become an influential force in the world. Sometimes it takes some responsibility and people shy away from that. To become an influential force, it is not about being pushy or salesy, or trying to get after people to buy your product or service. By being an influential force, what you are doing is – sharing your energy and how energetic or passionate you are about your product, service, or your business.

Here are 3 ways you can become an influential force in the world:

1. Be the Best – Be the best at what you do. If you hone your skills, research, read books, take workshops, and learn different things about how you can be the best at what you do. You are an expert. People will be attracted to you because of your knowledge. 
2. Be Resourceful – You might not always have all the answers but if you are able to link people to where they need to go or what services they might need to support their businesses or their lives. You become an expert resource. People will want to come to you because they know you are the “go to” person.
3. Be an Action Taker – People attracted to those people who step out of their comfort zone, go after their dreams, ask for those “big asks”, and move forward. They do not dwell on comparing themselves to others and stopping themselves in their tracks.

To become influential in todays’ world, be the best, be resourceful, and step out of your comfort zone and go after what you want. People are attracted to people who overcome any barriers or roadblocks that come up in their way. Often people will say, “How did you get that?” Well, they get it because they ask. They do bold things and so can you.

As the influence extends to others, you will see a ripple effect among others. The influence by word of of mouth continues to grow and because they will show that you are an EXPERT, you are the RESOURCE, and you take ACTION!

When you go to a networking event or social event, are you going there with intention to meet someone, build a relationship, and potentially introduce them into your business? When you go to an event, don’t stand there like a dear caught in headlights. Go and introduce yourself. I know it can be intimidating when you are not use to doing so. The more you step out of your skin into who you are meant to be, it will be amazing the connections and referrals that you will actually have.

Tips for Intentional Networking:

Act as if everyone in the room is someone you know. I learned this from my friend, Christine Cashen. She said that her grandmother had taught her that whenever you walk into a room if already  you already pretend that you are knowing everybody you will feel comfortable.It is easier to start introducing yourself to other people because soon enough you will know everyone in the room. That’s a fabulous tip! 

Have your business cards with you so you can introduce yourself and be able to pass it on. Do not make that your first intent. Taking your business cards to and event is not like playing blackjack. It is not like seeing how many cards you can deal out. Give your card to people you connect with. These are people you feel have an alignment with or connect to.

Mark or make notes on the back of the card. Ask for permission to send out your e-zine. That is how relationships are formed.

The biggest thing is your Follow-up! Are you going to follow-up with a phone call or whether it be with your e-zine and connect with them to continue that relationship. Whether it be through email, phone call or in person, you want to continue to nurture the relationships around you.

Go with an intention. How many people do you want to meet? What type of people are you thinking of wanting to connect with?  Perhaps when you are in conversation you can say this is what I am looking for and this is some of the people I am  looking to connect with. Maybe they will know of someone and refer you.  Maybe they will refer you to someone. You never know where your connect will be.

They say there are six degrees of separation. In this new world of connectors, I am finding it three, four, or even one spot difference. It’s amazing how small the world is when you connect with like-minded people.

Your influence will continue to grow!

Have a great day and Be Rich from the Inside Out!

Sometimes I have people come up to me and say that they are just getting started in their businesses and they do not have much money to invest in clothes and specific things. Start small. Get one great outfit. It can be from a consignment store. It can be  something you found on sale. It can be borrowed from your friend. Whatever it is – start! Don’t come up with excuses of why you can’t. Whatever you feel good in and if you are feeling great that is going to exude to the world. When you are feeling great, people are going to feel great around you. You are a reflection of how you feel about yourself when you go out into the world. When you dress and stand with great posture, smile, make eye contact, give that warm handshake, welcome people, and speak highly about yourself and your business, you will have people drawn to you just because of you.   “Be yourself,” as Oscar Wilde says, “because everyone else is taken.”

Many people ask me, ” How can I get more people to hear about my business.?” I am on a mission to help others to chase after their passions and live their lives rich from the inside out. Let me tell you 5 ways, there are many more but I am going to tell you 5 ways that work for me:

Blogging – Fantastic venue for getting people to get to know you as a person. Not only is a blog about  business tips or techniques. It is more like a personal diary. You are giving lessons or insights about your life and how it can relate to your product or service.

Writing articles You are building credibility. You getting people to read them, go to your website. Driving to your website.

Video People get to know, like, and trust you. They feel like the know you when they meet you in person. I have been to events where people come up to me and say, ” Debra I am glad to meet you. I feel like I have known you for a long long time.” It is fantastic. That’s honorable – very pleasurable to hear that.

Ezine or electronic newsletter It can be weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. Giving those tips, techniques, suggestions for books, or different things upcoming events. It is not necessarily the place to sell. The ezine is more about building your relationships.Your business is based on those relationships around you.  The more you are able to connect with people the better you will be.

Live events. There is nothing like meeting that person in person and connecting with them on a heart to heart basis.

5 tips to help explode your business!

I often have people come up to me and say, “You know Deb, I am working really hard, I am putting in 10 hours, staying up late ’til 2 o’clock in the morning, getting up early try to get everything done and I am not getting the results that I want in my business or my life.” Life balance is a big deal. You can be continuously going for hours and hours but are you productive with your time?

Are you using your time efficiently to get what you want done? Have you ever noticed that you get more done when you have a deadline? Give yourself mini deadlines. Give yourself two hours for one area to work on so you can totally focus and dedicate your knowledge to that one area. Then when you are ready to work on another project or another area of your life totally dedicate one to two hours, whatever it is that you have time for.   You will be surprised about how much you get done in that time. Often people think ,”Oh I have so much time.” Are we making useful time? Are you dottling in the kitchen flipping through papers not filing paper so it is then sitting on your desk – cluttering and draining your energy. File it, touch it, file it. Get it out of the way so you can breathe easy and focus on the task you have at hand.

Go to the gym. Go for a walk 30-60 minutes daily. Try to get that in daily. Not only does give you a piece of mind, it is good for your body and increases your immune system and makes you feel excited!

The person with the most energy – will win.

The person is most passionate about what they do – will win.

The person who makes  the most effort – will win.

What are you going to do? I hope that you will chose to WIN!!

The other day I was having a coffee tea date with a colleague of mine and we were discussing what motivates people. We were talking about why some people might lose weight or go after their dreams and achieve them. Whereas, others struggle right where they are and they’re just steps away from achieving their goal.  The thing that she said to me was so profound, “When you open your fridge – you are hungry.”  Are you hungry for your dream? Are you hungry for your goal? If you needed to sustain yourself, are you hungry enough to go after it?

Most people do not have a plan. That is one of the biggest downfalls of many New Year’s Resolutions is that nobody plans for it. You want to make intentional planning. Setting small  milestones along the way. Whether you want to lose weight or whether you want to increase your business? By how much? How much weight do you want to lose? How much do you want to grow your business? What is the number? Many are scared to even say it. If you do small increments even for weight loss. Healthy weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. Why can’t you start with “I will lose 2 pounds by the end of this week.”? Pretty easy, but as those weeks multiply you will see 2 becomes 4, 4 becomes 6, 8, 10, 12, and so even if your goal is 20 pounds, you are there. Same thing with attendance to your seminars, going to events, or memberships.  Have a goal in mind. How many people would you like to attract?

How much money do you want to attract into your life? Maybe you want to spend more quality time with your family. How about spending how about start with 15 minutes, 30 minutes, an hour, or go to a movie. Can you see what I am getting at? If you plan for it and making it an intention. soon enough you will achieve it but there needs to be a plan. Are you hungry enough to make it happen?  Shoot for the mission is possible

Today I had a fabulous conversation with someone at the Apple store and we were talking about those who stand out in a crowd. One – they have passion. They love what they do and they go after it. They might have part-time job, full-time job, or they might just quit whatever they’re doing all together to go after their passion. There are many ways to get to the same place. So wherever you are, there is no need to feeling stuck.  Some people build up before they take the leap. Two,They are willing to learn, oh yes, they are willing to do the work to get what they want. Some people say “Oh I can’t” – they seem to have an excuse for everything. There might be a television show or the excuse of having no money. With the internet these days, there is so much knowledge to be had there is  libraries, friends, other resources – mentors where you can get the information you need to do what you want to do.  A lot of people have gone before you. Stop making those excuses. Research part of your passion or some of the things you feel you need to do. that will help you take the big leap. Three -They are willing to do what it takes They do not see boundaries, they just see stepping stones,  or jumping jacks -high jump to the next level. Look at it as – no boundaries because if you are in your comfort zone, you have already set boundaries. You are comfortable – some may consider this lazy. Whatever this for you. Laziness or not. drop the excuses, move out of the boundaries, and Make that space bigger so you can show up in the world.  

Did you know that an eagle wiill fly above a storm to a higher height? In her book, the character Kade writes a special report about eagles. I learned that the eagle is the only bird that does not “fly away” from trouble. The eagle learns to use the storms of life to reach higher heights. Have you ever noticed how much stronger and even more confident you are after you have risen above an adversity? Yes, depending on your perspective. Do you rise to the challenge or do you try to “fly away” hoping that everything will go away? What you chose to fly away from will still be here when you get back, whether that be a damaged relationship, unpaid bills, or cluttered home. Sometimes it may be the same and other times the circumstances it may have gotten worse because you did not tend to the matter at hand.

Once I asked a colleague what her most prized possession was, she stated a simple eagle feather given to her as a gift. As I read “A Time to Dance”, I realized what  an honour my colleague was bestowed and recognized with a feather of an eagle. Eagles symbolize strength, courage, bravery, and dedication. I know when adversity strikes in whatever size it comes – it can knock you off your feet, change the course of your business and even your life.  

Rise to the challenge and soar like an eagle by:

• View your challenges as temporary. The saying , “And this too shall pass” rings true. Time can heal many things.
• Look for the opportunity or “silver lining” on the cloud. With every adversity or challenge lies an opportunity or gift to be unwrapped by you.
• Seek guidance or help when you need it. If you feel that you have fallen off course, find a mentor who can help you get on track. This should be someone who has done what you wish to do.
• Discover how you can share your lesson with others. You may write a book, short story, or create a video to share your learning with others. You can also develop a keynote and start sharing your message with the world!
• Step into your new role or dream and create a momentum fueled by your desire to go after your dreams and goals.

Remember someone out there in the world is waiting to hear your message! Life will offer challenges to test you to see how badly you want what you say what you want. Are you ready to take action and soar with the eagles? Go get it!

With any feedback, you can learn something about yourself. The reason why I love the sport of triathlons is because individuals strive for their personal best – personal excellence. It is not about being perfect. You can compare your times to others however you can only really focus on your individual times and how you can improve in those categories of swimming, biking, and running. You may be better in one area than another and same with the other person. The same holds true in life.You can look at  areas where you may need some improvements – ask for feedback, ask for coaching, mentoring, or get additional training. If you do not know where you can improve how can you be your very best?

Who should you be asking?  Ask you customers, spouse, your children, and colleagues about how you can better handle situations or how you could improve. You do not have to wait for a complaint, performance appraisal, or a bad day to hear about your personal performance. You may even be pleasantly surprised – it may be a compliment awaiting to be shared. Always strive to achieve your very best! 

Feed Back to Your Greatness!

You may have been in business for a while or you are wanting to improve your life in some shape or form. Some days are easier than others whereas others may be a struggle. Let me ask you this then – Are you dabbling, dribbling, or disciplined to get what you want done? You are probably saying to yourself, now what is she talking about? Dabbling is something you to once in a while when it is convenient, when you have spare time (and everyone has lots of this), or you are trying something new for maybe the first or second time. Dribbling, on the other hand, is when you are envious of another person’s goals and achievements. The person you are admiring appears to be an overnight success! In desperation, you may even say to yourself, “Why can’t things like this happen for me?” Lady luck or chance – not likely. Would you believe discipline and dedication? Discipline and dedication to a goal demonstrates effort and leads to achievement. Being discipline means that you have to sacrifice some immediate desires for your futures goals. This essentially means turning down good for GREAT!!! 

Do you know what it takes to become what you aspire to be, do, or have? Do you know someone who has reached the pinnacle of the mountain you are climbing? What advice would they give you if they were to do it all over again or where you should begin?

Whether you are dabbling or dribbling (which I do not recommend – you may discount where you have come and who you are – ONLY use as fuel for your desires if you are clear on what it is YOU want for YOU), I recommend that you go after your goals with determination, discipline, and dedication. Why? Because it is important to YOU and YOU matter! You are here to make a difference!

This past weekend, I was at one of our monthly Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) meetings and I had the pleasure of hearing Patricia Katz (www.patkatz.com) speak to our group. She was talking about business longevity and how you must not only hone your skills and know the basics of running a business but how you need to have your purpose right in front of you and know WHY you are doing what you are doing. She asked thought provoking questions like, “How do you want to be when you come home at the end of the day?” and “How do you wish to show up in the world?” You may even notice when you ask someone how are they doing as they are in the midst of running out the door – “Busy!” Hopefully they are busy doing what they love instead of a bunch of non-meaningful tasks that do not align with their goals and ambition.

Patricia provided an excellent example and learning opportunity for all of us to participate in. Do you remember what it was like to pump yourself up on the swings so you could reach a nice height and feel the breeze against your face? Imagine you are pumping really fast. Pump, pump, pump…faster, faster, and faster. Do you think you will go anywhere? Probably, no air time. Now try to pump and glide, pump and glide, pump and glide. See the difference. When you have the opportunity to PAUSE or take a break there is a time for renewal and the same is true for your business or your life. If you do not renew, you go no where fast and when you renew – you have a momentum and an ease to what you do. You are refreshed and you are able to continue and reach higher heights. You are better able to as Patricia says, “Bring who you are to all that you do.” 

How do you PAUSE & RENEW?

Here are 5 ways you are renew:

• Read a book 10-15 minutes before going to bed.
• Go for a 30 minute walk in the morning.
• Take a bubble bath.
• Listen to your favorite music.
• Paint or draw – allow your creativity to shine!

When you look after YOU, you are better able to serve others around you…so take time to PAUSE!

Our conversations are so natural and routine sometimes I think many people do not hear themselves speak and the words they are use. Now, instead of “if”, can you hear the difference when I say, “When this happens, I will…”? There is hope, optimism, and a number of ideas that were ignited from changing a single word or phrase. There may be many other words or phrases that may trigger the sense of doubt and hopelessness.

Some of them are:

I can’t ———————>  I can

Maybe——————–> Definitely or Absolutely

Someday —————-> Near future or Very soon

I am just —————–> I am

They make me think of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh. He waltz around in gloom looking at the downside of life when everyone around him is enjoying ample amounts of sticky honey or bouncing around on his tail.

What words or phrases come to your mind? Take some time to be a great listener and you will see how the words people use make a difference. Listen how you talk to yourself when you get ready for the day or you are driving your car. Do you see the power of your words? When you change your words, your energy changes and so do your emotions and feelings. Choose words that are more affirmative and optimistic. Instead of wishing and hoping things will turn out well – anticipate that they will turn out great!!!

I love how life shows us our lessons or reflects past lessons as a reminder. Oh my goodness! My daughter wanted to learn how to knit so we went to the local craft store and checked out all the books on knitting and started to look at all the crochet books as well. I do not know how to knit whatsoever, however, I do know a few people who could possibly teach her. I have crocheted a scarf at one time so I suggested that she start with crochet so I could assist her. She was good with that suggestion.

When we came home she pulled everything out, she was ready determined to make a scarf. Did I tell you she did not know how to crochet yet? Well, I explained that you must learn the basic stitches before she could make the scarf. We pulled out the book and looked at the pictures. I made a slip knot and showed her the basic chain stitch. Now it was her turn…I am not sure what she was trying to do but it looked like she was wrapping yarn around the hook so I asked her to try again. She was frustrated after 2-3 tries and went off to her room. She was not going to crochet and that was it. My daughter was unravelling!!!

I gave her a few minutes of breathing time and reminded her of when she started looming – how she was frustrated because she had skipped a loom and now there was a hole in her pattern or how she could not even get started. But now she could make leg warmers (Yes! They are Back from the 80′s) or a scarf. It took practice and some trial and error. I told her I was leaving her with the yarn and hook and that she could stay in her room a while longer until she figured it out on her own. About 10 minutes later, she emerged with a Cheshire grin and a twinkle in her eyes and a chain stitch, now she was ready to learn the next stitch. She looked at me and said, “Mom, I hate it when you are right.” Savour those moments – the life lesson learned about not giving up and unrealistic expectations and many more.

Have you ever tried something and got “unravelled at the seams”? I am sure many of us have. How many times did you try again? Did you learn something from the errors so you could get it right the next time? Look back at your successes. Think about when you learned how to ride a bike or walk. You may have tumbled a couple times or even skinned at knee but you eventually got up and tried again until you met mastery.

This year, my mission is to help women reach their mastery – maximize the potential that may lie dormant within. Here are some simple things you can do to get start on reaching your mastery:

·    Identify one area or task you would like to improve in the next 30 days.

·    Write down what you want to achieve. When you ink your desires, you are also making a mental note and reminder of what you wish to achieve. You are making it known to the world what you want to achieve.

·    Explore what resources or people you need to help you reach your goal. Do you need money, to do some research, clothing, supplies, education, books, or an accountability partner? Remember, YouTube is a great resource! My daughter watched a how to crochet YouTube video and shouted, “Now I get it!” I want everything to fall into place like that for you.

·    Make a plan of action. Print off a free calendar template from www.calendarlabs.com or www.vertex42.com or take a lined piece of paper and on the left hand side going down line by line – number from 1-30. Next I want you to write down one task you will do each day and remember it does not have to be a big task or take tons of your time. I can already hear some of you saying, “Will this take a lot of time?” The answer is no. For example, if you are learning to crochet, you might buy the supplies one day, look at the how to book for instruction another day, and make a slip knot the next day. By the end of 30 days, you may have a dish cloth or even a scarf. Maybe your goal is to declutter your office – one day could be sorting papers into piles or shredding papers, another day could be making file folders for your papers, and the next could be donating books you have not looked at in the past year. Do you see what I am say? Keep it simple, step by step, consistent.

·    Take action, learn from mistakes, and move forward. You need to take consistent action to get results. Mistakes happen; rarely do people get it right on the first try and if you do – be pleasantly surprised!

Think of Thomas Edison – imagine if he would have given up after one or two tries? Either it would be pretty dark around here or someone else who is more persistent would have succeeded. Which to you want to be – the person who gives up or the one who is persistent and who eventually gets to where they want to go?

It makes me think of those lottery winners, you know the ones who win big bucks and then a year later are either in the same position they were at or maybe even worse. Why is that? Poor planning you may say. Unsure what to do with what they have and unsure of how to make it bear more fruit. What happens to these people? Do they suddenly kick back on the sofa and say life is sweet I no longer have to do anything?

  What happens to their drive or motivation to improve their lives? What happens to their creativity thinking when trying to make things work out in their relationships, businesses, or jobs? What happens to their donation of time, service, or talents? Don’t get me wrong. Do I like what money can do for me? You bet. Do I share what I have yes.  Yes, I do think it is important to give! Do I over-give? Yes, I have caught myself too.

In the Spirit of Christmas Shoebox Campaign that I spearhead with my husband, we have been approached by many to give more and do more. There are many lessons learned in the simplicity of recreating Christmas morning by feeding a school a pancake breakfast and providing each child a gift of a shoebox. Simple gifts can mean big things!!! This year we gave out 1234 shoe boxes. Children were most excited about toothpaste and deodorant something many of us may take for granted.

The greatest gift was given back to us was when a 9 year old autistic boy who had never smiled for his teacher’s aid or showed any human contact (like a hug or handshake) showed Santa his beautiful Christmas socks and gave him a hug and smiled. The teacher’s aid stood in tears as she captured the picture for his mother who did not have a picture of him smiling - not even with Santa. My eyes filled with tears as this precious little boy shared his smile. This Christmas that mother was going to receive a picture of her baby boy smiling with Santa. You can give but the best part of giving is receiving the simple gifts in return. Yes, could we do more? Sure. But I think everyone needs to step up and make a difference in their own way and be generous! You could change a life and it could be yours.

Are you going to be generous with the things that matter most? Money is a vehicle to do it. You must determine how much is too much! Give wisely! As Elizabeth Gilbert concluded, give until it helps!

Do you have a big dream that you want to put into motion but your not sure how? Use SAT!

1. Share Your Dream. Tell everybody you know about your dream and what it take to put it together.
2. Ask for Help. Let people know you need help achieving your dream.
3. Take Massive Action

You do not get your dreams by sitting on the couch!

Creating Wealth with Kathleen Mailer (www.kathleenmailer.com)- Publisher of Today’s Business Woman Magazine

3 Ways to Create Wealth

You need to have three different things in your income. You need to create:

1. Immediate Income: You can give someone a product and they give you $20 back.
2. Intermediate Income: Money you know is coming in every month for the next 12-18  months no matter what, whether you are working or not.
3. Legacy Income: Something that continues to grow and grow for passing it on for generation to generation.

 What coaching do you think she needed? From my perspective,  she needed to:

        1.        Gain a greater awareness of how her behaviour was affecting  her colleagues and the customers.

        2.       Understand that her role was to serve others.

        3.       Prepare and eat before her shift.

        4.       Understand how important her role was to the store.

Number #4 is the most crucial one! Each person from the janitor to the CEO carries importance to an organization. Imagine what would happen if they were not there…garbage would pile up, no direction or delegation would occur, and no one would be served. If you do not believe your role is important, you are wasting your gifts and talents. The biggest disservice is to you.

You might say to yourself, “I do not have the natural ability that the other person has.” You may not but can you learn the skill? Can you improve over time? Can you work hard and give your best effort? The person, who gets noticed and remembered in the long run, is the person who puts in the effort consistently and gives their best at the time they do a task. Sometimes those with the natural ability – do not produce consistent results, they do not try to improve, and they do not give their best effort because they know they can get by. You cannot teach effort to another person. You can role model it but the pure desire needs to come from within. The intrinsic desire to give your best will get you to your prize faster than anything else. What you do is important!

 Wow, when I started with 120 boxes 3 years ago 1000 seemed like a huge accomplishment and it still is. What amazes me most is when people see the bigger vision – the vision of being part of something bigger than another person ever thought possible. Her comment reminded me that people see things in you that you cannot yet see. I know this because I see qualities and potential in others all the time but sometimes I fail to look at me for the same. Maybe we cannot see it because we live it and we are so close to see ourselves for who we really are. They know what you are capable of and they feel your passion and desire to achieve your goal. Even though, I consider myself a big dreamer – I often get reminded that I could be dreaming a bigger dream.

Maybe my dream was too small. Yet at the same time it is as large as life. That is where the fun begins. When you set your goal,  write it down. Now, what if you stretched your goal just a little bit bigger, what could you really accomplish? One of my favorite things to do is brainstorming the “how”. How can you accomplish what you set out to do? For me and maybe for you, it is all about setting goals that can be manageable not only in resources but also the time it takes to achieve it. Having milestones along the process is like have a self check in, to see where you are at. Be careful not to limit yourself from dreaming bigger and achieving bigger.Find out how much your dream really costs. You may be surprised to find out it may not cost as much as you think. 

My friend Kim and her family rent a yacht for 2 weeks every summer. I had never even thought about renting one. Yet how cool is that? When I shared with others that they too could rent a yacht, they said, “Yah, right. When I win the lottery!” I cannot remember the price she paid but I remember that it was a lot more reasonable than I originally thought. Isn’t funny in how we can trick our minds into thinking something is unattainable? Many people may talk about their dreams, never write them down, and dismiss them as being in impossible. The people who actually take the impossible and turn it into possible find out what it takes to achieve their dream, write down their goals, and make manageable actions steps. The action steps are the key to unlocking your dream. The greatest way to achieve you dreams is to S.H.A.R.E.

S- Stretch into a bigger dream

H – Help others dream a bigger dream from what you see in them

A- Ask others to help support your dream and let them know how they can help you

R-Recognize your milestones or accomplishments along the way

E-Enjoy the journey!

In following these steps, my family, friends, and colleagues and even members of the public have made this dream explode into something bigger and better. Dreams come true when you engage others in the process. I am so impressed by the generous spirit of the people in our community. Families, teams, businesses, and schools are gathering together like a chain to help build a stronger community. Amazing what happens when we all work together in making dreams come true. In just a couple weeks, children’s faces with be filled with happiness and joy by a simple gift of a shoebox placed before them.  Start dreaming a bigger dream, you could be dreaming small. Dream do come true!