wit & wisdom

21
Aug

Stuck in a rut? Five ways to get out of your head and into a new groove.

Do you feel like you’re stuck in a rut? You can’t move forward, you can’t get that break, and sometimes, you just can’t let go of the past?

You’re not alone. We’ve all been there. And many of us have moved on by taking some simple steps to get un-stuck. Get out of your head and find yourself a new groove.

“If I consider my life honestly, I see that it is governed by a certain very small number of patterns of events which I take part in over and over again…when I see how very few of them there are, I begin to understand what huge effect these few patterns have on my life, on my capacity to live. If these few patterns are good for me, I can live well. If they are bad for me, I can’t.” — Christopher Alexander, The Timeless Way of Building

When you feel stuck it’s usually because of one of three things—and all of them are in your head. Either you are focusing on all that is wrong with your situation which tends to attract more of what is wrong. Or, you don’t have a clear vision for what you desire, so it is hard to know if you are stepping into your dream. Finally, it could be that you’re holding on to something from the past resulting in doubts and fears that are holding back your progress. This last one is the biggest reason you’re not moving toward achieving what you desire — subconscious programs that keep you in a rut. But you can escape this groove!

Step 1: Change Your Mind

You are in charge of the thoughts that you think! Take the reins and guide your brain.

When you think about your current situation, do so with gratitude. See how far you’ve come. Appreciate where you are now. Get excited about the journey. Open yourself to all adventure that comes your way.

“To refuse what life offers is to chance not recognizing happiness if it comes your way.” — Maurice Goudeket, Close to Colette: An Intimate Portrait of a Woman of Genius

If you’re not happy, change your thoughts. Think about something else, something that feels happy! Think about something positive to stop negative thoughts from spreading.

“Anxiety and Ennui are the Scylla and Charybdis on which the bark of human happiness is most often wrecked.” —William Edward Hartpole Lecky, The Map of Life

Step 2: Create A Vision

Consider what you would like to achieve and how you desire to feel. This is your life, aim high. People tend to overestimate what they can accomplish in a year while they tend to underestimate what they can do in three years. Look ahead and double the distance! With clear direction, you can create a map or a plan for getting there!

“Nothing is so exhausting as indecision, and nothing is so futile.” — Bertrand Russell

Then, set intentions every day. It is important to determine actions you are able to carry out during the week. Create intentions, and list the follow through steps you’ll take for each one. This is your map for the day. Mapping gives you a clear sense of direction.

Expand your list to include intentions about anything you desire to see advanced or changed. You might have several areas in your life that require tune ups. The overwhelm can leave anyone feeling stuck. Select one or two things to begin. Consider categorizing intentions: friendships, adventures, environment, health, intellect, skills, spirituality, career, family, community, creativity.

Look at areas for personal growth, contribution, and connection. Map out your intentions. Without direction, you’ll just fall into a rut.

Step 3: Believe In You

You have to believe in you — believe you can and will achieve your goals. Once you believe, you’ll attract the people, places, and potentials to assist you.

“Public opinion is always more tyrannical towards those who obviously fear it than towards those who feel indifferent to it.” — Bertrand Russell, Conquest of Happiness

When you believe in you, you will surround yourself with people who support you, those who will assist you in achieving your goals.

“To be what we are, and to become what we are capable of becoming, is the only end of life.” — Robert Louis Stevenson, Familiar Studies of Men and Books (1882).

Step 4: Enlist Your Subconscious

Eliminate subconscious thoughts and beliefs that aren’t serving you. Replace them with empowering thoughts and beliefs.

Your subconscious does what it thinks you desire it to do — it simply follows your thoughts and beliefs. So make sure you have thoughts and beliefs that allow you to expand, experience, and excel in the life you desire.

Focus on what you desire, require, and deserve. Don’t dwell on all that is wrong, what you don’t want, what you don’t like. See every problem as an opportunity to design a solution.

“Such as are your habitual thoughts; such also will be the character of your mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts.”– Marcus Aurelius

Employ encouraging self-talk. Be positive. Stop beating up yourself for things that didn’t work — instead, ask yourself “what have I learned from this that will move me forward?” Turn a mistake into a valuable lesson.

Step 5: Own Your Power

You are a powerful person. Step into it. If you’re not living the life you desire, you’re not directing and working with your power—your subconscious mind. Give it the correct instructions so that it assists you in creating the life of your dreams. Take charge of your self, all of your self!

“If you make it a habit not to blame others, you will feel the growth of the ability to love in your soul, and you will see the growth of goodness in your life.” —Leo Tolstoy, A Calendar of Wisdom

Let go of the past and create the life you feel you desire. Move forward, get out of that rut, achieve more, and have more. Enjoy life. Be happy. Share laughter. And focus on living the life of your dreams.

16
Aug

3 Wise Women Cross the Desert in Search of GOD

It all started with an idea to reach out to like-minded people who are out to change the world—the influencers. When I realized that one of our favorite influencers would be holding an event only a seven-hour drive away, I alerted the team! And, as the multiverse would have it, our producer/partner Dana Jones and her husband Gene of EICM would be spearheading a Waste Conversion Conference in San Diego during this time (and there was room at the inn!).

In a twist to the classic tale, we didn’t ride camels—though I was sitting in a camel-colored seat within a camel-colored car…. We did bring gifts—books, a CD, and heart-to-heart hugs. And we wore essential oils. So our story continues to unfold.

The film trilogy we are planning includes reflections from GOD—an essential “character” in the scheme of things. And we aim to surprise you, enlighten you, and amuse you with this omni-presence. We reached out to expand the eventuality for the GOD character (knowing that GOD can appear in many ways). And, this time, it isn’t Morgan Freeman!

Our search landed us in La Jolla, California where we met with Vishen Lakhiani, CEO of mindvalley and orchestrator of A-Fest. Over breakfast and up until lunch, we connected in a corner booth and talked about the realm of possibilities.

With this collaboration, we have made another quantum step forward in this movie-ment. On our way, we met so many wonderful people. Another soul sister, Ange McNally, Chief Listening & Empowerment Officer (CLEO) of Mind & Matter, who was, like us, dressed in black & white, connected with us in the coffee line (flash back to Traci and Dana).

Ange is from upper Arlington, OH where Sherry Anshara cleared a building for her dear friend and client, Catherine Vonderahe, who opened the successful South of Lane Cafe (the first restaurant, ever, in upper Arlington—and it rocks with intentional success). There, intentions were set with words written all over the walls. Small world. Gigantic connections.

Our journey included making the acquaintance of Pierre Chammas, owner and CEO of MegaFuel in El Cajon, CA, who saved the day after Kearny Pearson Ford declined (can you say, #fail) filling air in the tires of our ride—the camel-colored Ford Explorer. Just down the road from this Ford dealership was the oasis known as MegaFuel where Pierre assisted us with kindness (and he would not take a tip for his efforts—insisted we donate it to those in need). Blessings indeed.

So many wonder-filled moments completed this leg of a journey. We continue to experience the joy of stepping in the direction of our dream. And we can’t wait to entertain you with enlightenment.

As Sherry Anshara reports, “Today I am grateful the fabulous weekend whirlwind to San Diego and LaJolla to meet Vishen Lakhiani with Tamara Parisio and Dana Jones. What a fabulous two and half hours we spent together, connecting in heartness, talking about consciousness, and sharing about the tools of the QuantumPathic Energy Method. What a gift Vishen is to this world. In gratitude, gratefulness and thankfulness for this entire weekend—connecting, laughing, and, some shopping too!”

We couldn’t have said it better. —Heartness, Tamara

21
Jul

3 P’s of Your Startup Business Plan

There are so many business plan templates to prompt the presentation of your map to success. Some are tailored to one industry or another. Others are boiler-plate MBA outlines. Still, at the center of every business plan are three key points — your purpose, your plan, and your progress indicators.

PURPOSE

Your first challenge is to define your startup’s purpose for being. The raison d’etre for your burgeoning business. What pain point do you serve and in what way? What is the intention or objective of your company? Defining the purpose of your business reveals what needs to be done to move it forward. Clarifying can include a simple description of your products or services, or it can elaborate on detailed offerings, as well as a precise description of who you will serve — your ideal customer. Outlining your purpose will define what the business is — where you are starting — and what it intends to be — your future vision.

PLAN

Once your purpose is revealed, you need a plan to reach your vision. Define your goals and the steps needed to reach them. A map of goals will help you and your team know when to act, and when to wait. Factor for future growth in the business plan to prepare for changes in the market, evolving trends, innovations to pursue, or opportunities to take as your company grows. A a comprehensive business plan includes statistics, facts, and details that show whether or not your startup has the potential to be profitable. This is a critical factor when soliciting investors to provide capital required for getting started. Your plan outlines the organizational structure of your business, including positions and individual duties. This is a game-plan for your entire team, keeping everyone working together with an eye on the prize, from partners to suppliers, leaders, and employees of your venture.

PROGRESS

Know your metrics. Measure your results. Note how you have progressed. Without progress that confirms you are on target, it can be difficult to know whether you are still on the right path. Validate your intent and results, daily. Be sure you and your team are prepared to make operational decisions in line with the overall business strategy. Your plan shows the way and includes alternate actions the company will follow if projections are overly optimistic. Referring to your plan helps maintain a big-picture view as you make day-to-day decisions.

Your business plan is a living guide for your vision. It is a reference and a management tool to ensure efforts are aligned to meet goals, targets, and milestones.

21
Jun

2 Sentences with 5 Things Investors Need to Know in the First Moment You Meet Them

Get ready to present to investors. For this opportunity, the elevator pitch is a key to introducing your company and grabbing attention at the start.

Dave Bittner, CEO at Beanstalk CFO Group, suggests two sentences to your elevator pitch. Investors need to know how to compare you to other startups they work with and other companies in the marketplace. Your elevator pitch places you in their mind. This is the set up and it is an opportunity to position your startup for play.

With these two sentences, you provide investors with the critical outline of your business.

Sentence 1: We sell _____ (product or service deliverable) to _____ (target market) who want _____ (benefit).

Sentence 2: Unlike _____ (competitor), we _____ (differentiation) .

So let’s look at the five things presented here.

Product/Service — This is simply your offer—the thing you are selling. What is the thing that appears on the invoice? What is the nut that you deliver?

Target Market — Remember, your target market is not everybody. Everybody doesn’t want what you are offering, you don’t have resources to attract everybody, and investors will lose interest if you are not focused. What is your headpin?

In Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore, he refers to marketing like bowling. Hit the Headpin. When you are bowling, you don’t lob the ball into the pins, you roll it into the headpin — the beachhead segment of the market. You hit it based on your ability to hit it, and it’s proximity to other pins. Let it knock down the other pins that knock down other. A domino effect.

Benefit — You may have hundreds of benefits. Pick one, the primary benefit. Feature that. Only that. Clearly.

Competition or Comparison Others — Do not say you have no competition. How attractive can this market be if no one is doing something in it? do the research and stretch to cite competition or substitute for your offer). Unlike the way it has been done before, we do something interesting. Unlike it has never been done before?

Differentiation — What do you do better? Highlight that key facet that distinguishes your company among others who address the problem you solve. This is that one unique selling proposition that sets you apart. A personalized message for every customer. A quirk. An extra step in the process. Or timeliness that sets you one step ahead of the other options. Make sure it is clear—and compelling.

Show your elevator pitch, and include your mission, tagline,brand promise or slogan as a signature to your presentation slides. You don’t speak everything you have on your slide. Supplement information so it works together — spoken presentation and written form. Catch the entire video of presentation tips to put your best startup facets forward.

13
Mar

Come to the party! Social Media at a glance.

social-media-microphones

So many venues. So little time. Marshall McLuhan once put forth that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a symbiotic relationship by which the medium influences how the message is perceived. So, the brand of the channel has a halo affect on your message. Lets take a quick peek at some of the main social media haunts, and some possible associations.

LinkedIn: This is your resume and c.v. channel. Here, it’s like saying: “I’m on an interview and this is what I wish to project of myself professionally and personally.” Post an article to showcase your experience and expertise. Share an article of interest — and add a comment to give it your perspective. And, you could share these to Twitter, too.

LinkedIn Company Page: This is like offering up the annual report. Or, perhaps a billboard along with content that leads back to our website, or to a site of interest.

Twitter: It’s like a work-related party where you’re feeling rather chatty… “I’m in a conference room at the office with colleagues and clients, and this is what I wish to share because it is of interest, informative, or appropriately entertaining.”
There are many Twitter post options that you can share.

  • Text: These are the most basic — simply a 140-character or less message.
  • Link: Add a link to your own or other website that users can click through to visit.
  • Image: Include an image with your messages — you know, it’s worth a thousand words that help to expand on your 140 characters.
  • Video Posts: Upload a video or a GIF with your post — here is where you can include your talents via VINE (see more below)
  • Replies: start your message with the @HANDLE of customer or fan or other who posted or reached out to you on Twitter to further the engagement.

Snapchat: You had to be there! (or Wish You Were Here) and this is a glimpse of what is so special. Like an inside joke, you can do a variety of things to personalize the moment, including video slo-mo or speeded up for effect! While the snap won’t last, the impression(s) likely will. So make them add up to an image you wish to uphold. And, you could share an appropriate saved snap on Twitter or Instagram…

Instagram: Sharing interesting moments thematically for business or personal memories. There is a great opportunity to portray an image … or bounce all around like life does. These could be featured on Twitter if for business, or on Facebook if personal.

Facebook: Connecting to family and friends … can be like the high school hallway or a kind of reunion. Here is everything from breakfast to politics and a few happy birthday shout-outs.

Facebook Page: Like ‘bring-your-family-to-work’ day, show off all that’s cool about what you do. These could be repurposed on Twitter (but not vise-verse because Twitter posts are more frequent and could be spam-like on your Facebook Page).

Vine: Here we go loop de loop. Vine is intended to create short videos that repeat themselves. Over. And over. In six seconds.

Periscope: Use Twitter’s live video streaming app in the moment to keep Twitter connections up-to-date … experiential opportunity to share a presentation or a walk in the park — in real time. Make sure to turn on Twitter sharing so your broadcast is shared in a tweet that follows the formula: LIVE on #Periscope: [Video Title] [Link to Video]. Like with Snapchat, the broadcast expires after 24 hours.

YouTube: Everything that’s fit to film … and then some. Here is where you can share your story or webcast or data visualization. Storytelling with sight and sound that you can create and upload with ease. Or embed on your website. Create a landing page for each video. Tweet ’em. Show them on LinkedIn and Facebook. Lots of mileage from the footage.

Google +: Articles and posts relative to all the search terms you want associated with your brand. And, running around in circles.

Medium: So, you want to be a writer. This is a great place to blog and tell your stories — or repeat them.

Tumblr: Tumblr is useful in many ways—inspiration, scrapbooking, communication, portfolio… an overall blogging platform, create original content or curate (re-blog) posts—great venue for bloggers, brands, trendsetters, and tastemakers.

Ello: Share art and inspiration, connect with creators around the world, all ad-free. This one is still in nascent stages for me. Here I post things in black & white.

And so, again, like Marshall McLuhan says, “The medium is the message.” The medium affects the society in which it plays a role not only by the content delivered over the medium, but also by the characteristics of the medium itself. Well, sometimes those characteristics demand traits of the content. Hmmm. In any case, whether you create something specifically for one venue or the other, there are many ways to share. Edit. Share. Edit. Share. Etc. Have fun. Be interesting.

originally posted via LinkedIn, here

25
Sep

3 Pillars for Boosting Memory

It is important to remember names, recall your grocery list, give your elevator pitch, or to be able to recite your speech.

Learning is remembering. —Socrates

From a seminar by Jim Kwik of Kwik Learning, here are three pillars of memory to help you boost your ability to remember.

M. Motivation.

Ask yourself: “What do I need to do to incentivize or reward myself and increase my motivation.” Why? Reasons reap results. You remember more when you are interested, enthusiastic and energetic. Put your heart into remembering.

O. Observation.

Pay attention. You build retention from attention. Memory is not something you have, it’s something you do. In this time of digital dementia—where we are outsourcing recall to a smartphone—it is critical to sharpen the saw of memory and own this superpower. Be present when taking in new information. Build your memory and your ability to remember.

M. Mechanics

Use tools for remembering. From associating a list with items in a room or with parts of your body, to creating a mnemonic clue, there are infinite  creative ways to prompt recall.

23
Sep

4 Keys To Learning Anything FAST

It’s not how smart you are, it’s—how are you smart? Memory is a superpower. —Jim Kwik

This is a powerful tip for learning from Jim Kwik of Kwik Learning.  Always study the basics. Mastery comes from focused, perfect practice. The FAST approach to learning provides a four-step approach to remembering. Then, you can hone your understanding. Mastery comes from focused, perfect practice. So learn fast and then take the time to master it.

FORGET

Empty your mind so you can refill it with learning. Forget what you know.  Forget your situation. One can focus well on seven things (plus or minus two). Be present to the new information with an open, childlike mind.

ACTIVE

What you put in is what you get out. Be involved. Take notes. A tip for notes:

Divide your paper in two. On the left side, capture impressions — note taking; on the right side, create implementation — note making.

STATE

Manage your state of being and your emotion. Be fascinated. Curiosity is best state of mind for learning. Some other ways of managing your state for optimal learning include exercise: As body moves brain grooves. Psychology is affected by physiology.

INVESTIGATE SUPERBRAIN YOGA—here are three moves to help Keep Your Brain Alive.
1- When you exercise, switch your right and left hand movements.
2- Grab opposing ear (right ear with left hand, left ear with right hand), and then do squats.
2- Turn palms at different times so they are moving at different rates or in different directions, or both.

Be a Thermostat, not a Thermometer. A thermometer is a victim – it just measures what is happening. A thermostat takes responsibility. It sets a temperature and the environment responds. It is the locus of control. Like with leadership, a thermostat controls focus. Set it. Make it happen.

TEACH

Share what you learn. This helps you learn faster. Learn as if you will teach it to someone else. Teach and you learn it twice.

3
Jul

Meaningful Marketing Messages

Make your marketing message meaningful—in every way. To do this, every time, begin with the customer

Know your audience. Your message for new customers might vary from that of a repeat customer. Reward loyal customers. Always make a returning customer feel they are being treated well. Word of mouth from a happy customer is your best marketing message.

…then follow these three C’s.

Keep your message clear, concise and compelling.

Make your benefit clear for your customer. Show them and tell them what your product or service can do for them. Answer your customers’ question: “What’s in it for me?” Tell it in a way that distinguishes your offer from all competitive options.

A concise message is to the point. In other words, don’t make your customers think. State your message in the most simple terms and in the most memorable way. Brevity will help memorability of your proposition.

Be compelling. Help the customer picture themselves receiving the goods or service. An image or a narrative can help them imagine selecting your offer and enjoying the benefits. Show the customer the “payoff” they will get by choosing your brand. Create contrast with other brands to amplify the point of difference your product or service provides. Contrast helps create value around your brand, giving customers a reason to choose you over a rival. And, it can help create a sense of urgency. Show it with a visual or paint a picture with words.

29
Jun

Re-purpose Key Twitter Posts

A great way to extend social media efforts is to re-purpose Twitter posts. You can do this on your website by embedding tweets which allows readers to interact with it as if viewing it on Twitter. To do this, find the tweet you want, expand it and click details. You will see the option “Embed this tweet” appear in a new screen. Copy the code and add it to your web page.

8
Jun

Positioning Your Product or Brand

Positioning is a facet of the marketing strategy that aims to give your product or brand a distinct perception—relative to competing brands—in the mind of the customer. An historic campaign for Avis reflects this: “Avis Is Only No. 2, We Try Harder.”

In developmental stages, determine the positioning you intend for your product or brand. Research and market feedback will help you discover if it is aligned with actual consumer attitudes. If not, then marketing messages can help close the gap or change perception.

Positioning is an art. Great positioning tells a compelling, attention grabbing story—a story that resonates with your audience.

Rebel Brown

The positioning process begins with identifying a market problem or opportunity, then developing a solution—often based on market research, segmentation and supporting data. Once positioning is determined, it will help align and guide marketing efforts and business objectives. The perfume I use is the indulgent scent for pleasure seekers. Thus, the tone and manner of messages, images, events and PR are created to consistently express this in all communication.

Again, positioning is the perception of your product or brand in the mind of the customer. Perception is reality. Aim to establish the highest and best use for your brand among your audience. And, be open to emerging alternate audiences, too. Here are some examples of common positioning strategies and how they might translate in the marketplace.

 

31
Mar

MindSet: A 5-Step Workout for Mental Toughness

When you need a mental edge, toughen up your mind. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Start with a centering breath. Breathe in for six seconds. Hold for two seconds, then breathe out for seven seconds. Controlling your breathing this way is a stress reliever, and it reduces your state of arousal.
  2. Recite a personalized identity statement to yourself in five seconds. A good identity statement emphasizes one of your positive qualities and pinpoints something you want to become, like “I am confident and passionate. I’m consistently excellent every day as a leader, executive, and mother,” or “I care more about my clients and I will outwork the competition. I am a million-dollar salesman.
  3. Visualize your own personal highlight reel for 60 seconds—seeing in your mind three things you’ve done well in the past 24 hours and mentally rehearsing three important things you need to do today.
  4. Repeat your identity statement to yourself for five seconds (see #2).
  5. Finish with another centering breath cycle—breathing in for six seconds, holding for two and then exhaling for seven.

Your mind is now ready to focus and perform.

This excerpt from The Two-Minute Secret to Mental Toughness by Jason Selk in INC magazine.

2
Nov

GRAMMAR: ME vs I

It is important to use language correctly so not to diminish credibility of your content. Here is a tool to help guide the use of I (noun) versus ME (pronoun). Keep it handy till it becomes a habit.

Guide for the proper use of I vs ME.

Guide for the proper use of I vs ME.

“I” is the noun—refers to oneself as speaker or writer.  “ME” is the pronoun—refers to self as object of a verb or preposition.

RULE: If you can’t replace the “YOU and I” with “WE,” you’ve got it wrong. If you can’t replace “YOU and ME” with “US,” you’ve got it wrong. Tweet: RULE: If you can't replace YOU & I with WE—you've got it wrong. If you can't replace YOU & ME with US—you've got it wrong. @tamaraparisio

Thanks for meeting with HIM AND ME. (Thanks for meeting with ME. Thanks for meeting with HIM. Thanks for meeting with US.) vs HE AND I appreciate your time. (I appreciate your time. HE appreciates your time. WE appreciate your time.)

It is bigger than YOU AND ME combined. (It is bigger than ME. It is bigger than YOU.) vs YOU AND I are smaller than this idea. (I am smaller than this idea. YOU are smaller than this idea. WE are smaller than this idea.)

To YOU AND ME, this idea is big. (To ME, this idea is big. To YOU, this idea is big. To US this idea is big.) vs When YOU AND I succeed (When I succeed … When YOU succeed… When WE succeed…)

They will praise YOU AND ME for this. (They will praise ME for this. They will praise YOU for this. They will praise US for this.) vs The praise YOU AND I receive will be stellar (The praise I receive will be stellar. The praise YOU receive will be stellar. The praise WE receive will be stellar.)

Between HIM AND ME there is chemistry. (Between US there is chemistry. Between HIM & ME. Between ME & YOU. Between ME & HIM.) vs HE AND I share an office. (HE shares an office with me. I share an office with him. She shares and office with HIM AND ME. WE share an office.)

He took a photo of HIMself AND ME. (He took a photo of US. He took a photo of HIMSELF. He took a photo of ME. He took a photo of US.) vs HE AND I posed for a photo. (HE posed for a photo. I posed for a photo. WE posed for a photo.)