Branding is a Metamorphosis

Raise your hand if you want to be like you were in high school.

I don’t see any hands. Not one.

We are designed for growth and change. And that applies to your brand as well.

I’ve been in business for almost 34 years and I’ve reinvented myself more than a few times along the way.

I started this blog 4 years ago as LifePoint when I started speaking, training and traveling after a hiatus. The domain name for LifePoint was not available so I bought LifePointSpeaker.com. What I learned over the next 2 years was that no one could remember that. Whether it was on radio, television or online, I was constantly correcting people.

Fast forward over the next 2 years and I gradually made the branding change to BeverlySpeaks. That’s who I am. I have a message and a call to deliver it to people for whom it will be transformational.

If you want to hear more…. Follow Me over to BeverlySpeaks.com.

Cash Cow

Some people try new things in the proven fashion of Ready….Aim…Fire.
Not me. I go at it with guns blazing…Ready, FIRE, Aim…..

So when it comes to marketing, I test small but I love to jump in and try new things. Sometimes they work, sometimes – not so much. Typically, it gives me a place to begin the tweaking process.

Except for the first time I sold anything on eBay. Over the years, I’d bought stuff at the popular auction site, but I’d never taken the time to figure out the selling procedure. I decided I wanted to learn about it and looked around the house for something to sell for practice.

Surely, I’m not the only one that has a stash of Christmas gifts that get stuck in a closet and eventually end up at Goodwill. I dug around and found an oddball figurine – a gift from a relative –  that I just couldn’t appreciate… a ceramic cow. I did some quick research and figured out how to list it on eBay and away I went.

I put my cow up for sale in a 5 day auction for $12.95, since the other cows I saw ranged from $9.95 to $14.95. Can you imagine my surprise when the next morning I checked the auction and bidding was up to $81.00?? And then as the first day moved along, to see the bidding climb to $400 ?? I got worried at that point – thought I had misrepresented this cow and people must think it had real diamonds in it or something. I inquired of one of the bidders and she informed me that I had a discontinued collectible that was a hot item. To summarize a very entertaining (and profitable) week, this sweet little cow sold for $810. Amazing.

It didn’t tempt me to become an eBay junkie, but it was fun and reinforced my philosophy to just jump in and try new things.

“What ifs” are not so scary when you consider, “What if it works?”

“If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.”

P.S.  My friend, Shannon Steffen, of Excira Media asked if I did anything special with the unexpected money. Indeed, I did. The cow was a gift from my mother-in-law, who didn’t have a computer. I bought her one with it. The fun fact is that she started  buying and selling on eBay as a hobby.

Holistic Business

Holistic health is a concept I’ve embraced for more than 30 years. It’s a belief that true health is found when the psychological, physical, social and spiritual aspects of people’s needs are all taken into account. I’ve been teased about my belief in vitamins, use of herbal remedies and such – but I’m okay with others thinking I’m crazy because I’m living proof that it works.

I also believe in Holistic Business, but you don’t hear much about that. Companies are applauded when they offer options like job sharing or on-site daycare to create a family-friendly culture. But for the most part, the American marketplace has completely failed to integrate “work” life into a  picture of health and well-being.

Business in America is primarily an intellectual pursuit. Which is supposed to result in financial advancement. So why is it that  according to the Wall Street Journal, 70% of Americans live pay check to pay check?  We’re missing something.

It’s “politically correct” to check your faith in God at the door when you enter the workplace. This emphasis on the intellect and isolation from our basic motivations has resulted in a big fat mess. I have proof there’s a better way – but some think I’m crazy to think I can change the prevailing mindset.

Over the centuries, Jewish people have modeled the holistic business concept because God created it. Consider the fact that Jews are the richest religious group in American society. They make up only 2% of the U.S. population but represent 25% of the 400 wealthiest Americans. Our Judeo-Christian Heritage is rich but we have cast it aside.

When we recognize the connection between the intellect, the heart, relationships and physical health –  supporting people  at a deeper level –  we will get to the heart of transformation. God is in the transformation business.

Cultural transformation starts with you. You have a calling that will lead to fulfillment, success and significance. It is built into your personality, your gifts and the desires of your heart and calls you into your destiny. 

If you’re ready to get it all together – mind, body and spirit – and take it to the next level in business, don’t miss next week’s conference call:  “Seeking Grape Tasters and Giant Chasers”. Register HERE

I’m teaming with Becky Harmon of Success Not Sabotage to make sure you know about the best deal out there….

You can trade in what YOU know for what GOD knows.

P.S. “Here’s to the crazy ones. The rebels. The troublemakers. The ones who see things differently. While some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” (Steve Jobs)  So yes, I’m still crazy after all these years.

A Rich Inheritance

I’m one of the lucky ones.

It’s only natural to think about dad on Father’s Day. My dad left this earth over 20 years ago but the treasure he left won’t mold or rust.

The memories of being snuggled in his lap on the patio he laid with his hands, looking at the stars and listening to his deep voice tell me fanciful stories where I was always the heroine. Dancing while standing on his feet. Skipping oyster shells off the bank in his hometown of Carrabelle.

I spoke at his memorial service of  two of the greatest gifts he left me.

The first is the gift of music. Dad was a musician; a bass fiddle player in the West Coast Symphony, an orchestra teacher in the Sarasota County School System, opera singer in the shower…he could literally play any instrument. Learning to play an instrument in our family wasn’t optional. His question was, “how many do you want to play?”  Learning notes and technique through lessons was valuable, but the indescribable gift was that he breathed the language of music into my very soul. A rich inheritance.

The second gift is the gift of unconditional love. It transcends human frailty and can only be accessed through the sacrifice of our Heavenly Father when He gave his own Son, Jesus, so that we can have relationship with the King. It’s not natural to always see the best in people, to forgive countless times, to not be offended and to love without measure. It’s supernatural. My Dad’s faith was quiet and steady and opened my spirit to the reality of a living God. A rich inheritance.

The third gift is one I didn’t speak of when he died because I’m not sure I appreciated the impact of Dad’s spirit of excellence at the time. He had lots of one-liners; “anything worth doing is worth doing right”,  “you don’t have to be the best but you have to give your best” and countless others.

A man of deep faith, Dad’s eyes were fixed on the unseen – making it only slightly easier to say our final goodbyes when he died of cancer at age 67.

Yes, I’m one of the lucky ones with a rich inheritance of love. The good news is, you are too. It stinks if your earthly dad didn’t do his job. But you can be adopted by a Father who loves you more than you can imagine.  And if you need the access code to your account that holds everything you ever hoped for, I have it. It’s a rich inheritance indeed.

Learning How to Breathe

A breath of fresh air.

The breath of life.

A deep breath.

You’re probably thinking, “I know how to breathe”. Of course you do – you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t breathing. But there’s such a thing as strategic breathing.

Like today when my friend delivers her 9 pound baby through a 10 centimeter canal. Oxygen to the baby is critical and thus the breathing of the mother in labor is vitally important. Birthing classes teach you how to breathe so you can reduce fear, reduce pain (oxygen-starved muscles HURT) and deliver a healthy baby.

It takes concentrated, synchronized breathing to push a baby out. There’s nothing easy about it. But ask any mother, is it worth it? What a ridiculous question. There’s no measure of how much it’s worth it.

So how are you doing with giving birth to your dreams and plans? Are you surrounded by people who are encouraging you? Have you made measureable progress? Is it time to push?

I sometimes hesitate to tell others I’m a marketplace midwife. Because I don’t only work with women and it’s a pretty graphic image when you visualize childbirth. But the world is waiting for that which is inside of you to be expressed. I’m trained to help you bring it forth.

If this speaks to you, click HERE for details on the Summer Strategy.

Now, take a deep breath, it’s good for you. And say a prayer for my friend who’s in the labor room. She’s got a big job to do but the miracle is about to happen. And yours can too.

The Happiness Factor – You Win!

Set yourself up to win today.

I hang out with high performance people who set big goals. Those who dream, dare and  do. But what about the little wins? They’re important too.

Have you been to a kid’s birthday party recently? Inevitably, there’s a little kid that’s at a disadvantage in the games. So you move the line.  Make it easier to hit the target. It’s really fun to win and sometimes you might have to change the rules a little to make it happen.

You need a win today. It’s part of what I call the Happiness Factor. When you’re having fun and you’re happy, you’re going to be more effective at everything you do. You’ll attract more clients, get people smiling back at you and yes, make more money. And that’s really fun – creating more happiness – and now you’ve got a positive cycle going.

So let’s move the line up and position you for a win. Here’s how …

Right now, stop and think of one thing you can do that will be a win for you.

Here’s some examples:

1. Write a blog post.  (I wanted to get a new blog post up today – so I started my day with a win!)

2.  Call your spouse in the middle of the day and tell them you love and appreciate them. (Double score for that one.)

3. Send 1 personal email to a prospective client and let them know you’re thinking about them – don’t try to sell them anything – just connect. (You could include a link to this blog and share the happiness factor)

4. Go to someone’s Facebook page and write something nice on their wall. Just because.

5. Make that phone call you’ve been putting off. Now.

You get the idea. Keep it simple. Small wins add up.

Tell me in the comments (below) what you’re going to go do, right now, that will activate the Happiness Factor for you today. Or just go do it.

Success is not as far away as you think.

Ruffled Feathers

In the world of birds, ruffled feathers can indicate a number of things;  the need to cool off, an attempt to appear larger because of being threatend, annoyed or fearful. It can even be a sign of a virus. An interesting figure of speech that describes people quite well.

With people, ruffled feathers refers to someone who is offended. Much as I hate to admit it, being offended is really just pride.  So, your sense of being right has been challenged, huh?  Welcome to the club. Most of us have opportunity to take offense at something someone has said or done at least on a daily basis.

Bottom line – it’s too expensive to go there. Negative feelings are viral and don’t have to be verbalized to be spread – nonverbal communication spreads just as fast.

Being offended leads to unforgiveness which opens the door to bitterness.  It’s said that bitterness is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.  If you’ve sipped of that poison, I HAVE THE ANTIDOTE!  It’s found in the book of Phillipians. I memorized this long ago and it serves me well…

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is fair, whatever is pure, whatever is acceptable, whatever is commendable, if there is anything of excellence and if there is anything praiseworthy-keep thinking about these things.”

Feathers ruffled? Shake it off.

Note: One of my taglines as a business coach is. “I work with teams to take the “dys” out of dysfunction and put the “fun” back in. I’ve had lots of experience with smoothing feathers. Let me know if I can help.

Survivior

The success of the reality TV show “Survivor”  has spawned more than a few copycat shows that pit man against nature along with a psychological battle of men and women competing against one another. I have friends who have entertained the idea of being a contestant but I’m comfortable to observe from my living room, thank you very much.

All of us have amazing abilities to survive and adapt. We use these skills every day, even if we never set foot in the jungle. These abilities have certainly been put to use the past few years as the economic volcano blew and changed the landscape of our lives, jobs, businesses and home ownership, thus affecting relationships and everything else.

The science of how the brain copes with change reveals that all of us create mental maps. It is a psychological process that develops as we mature – children don’t have it.

Adults, on the other hand, have strong mental maps that chart our understanding of where we are in reference to where we are going. Vision and goal-setting exercises are known to pull us into the future that we can design. Our  capabilities to create the future through our imagination are extraordinarily powerful.

But what  happens when you lose your map or have no clue where you are? It’s downright stressful. And it’s happened to all of us.

Admitting that you are lost is difficult because having no mental map, being no place, is like having no self. Without a mental map, people become very disoriented and begin to deteriorate rapidly. We’ve all seen people have a total meltdown when they’ve lost a job or gotten a divorce.

The good news? If your old map got blown away in a storm, you can make a new map. I’m an experienced mapmaker  – more often known as a business coach – and am glad to share my tools and knowledge.  There is adventure and award ahead.
Never underestimate the heart of a champion – and you are one.

Of Blogs, Vlogs and Thogs

Blogging started out as an online journal, as defined by the word derived from combining “Web Log”. Then we got the term “Vlog” when YouTube got hot and video clips became popular.  Video Log = Vlog. So what are we going to call the new trend with making quotes into visuals that has gotten hot along with Pinterest? Thogs? (Thought logs)

P.S. I must admit I had fun creating this one from a photo I snapped in St. Lucia a few years back. It’s pretty and fits the thought about difficulties and challenges. We swam around this point and the current was ferocious. : )

Memorial Day