Time to join the greats!

By Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero, Expert Copywriting Strategist

Yesterday my hubby came home at 4:30pm and I was passed out on the bed, hooked up to my iPod, with an eye mask enjoying a late afternoon snooze.

“I thought you were working!” he said.

“But I was!” I replied.

As a creative person I can tell you sometimes a complete disconnect is the only way to stoke those innovative fires. A nap can be the best thing you do to increase your creativity and productivity. Sounds crazy, I know.

But I’m not alone here. Winston Churchill was a napper. So were Albert Einstein, Eleanor Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, Leonardo Da Vinci, John Rockefeller, Gene Autry, and Thomas Edison, to name a few. Those are some powerhouse names. I say if it’s good enough for them, it’s good enough for me.

Let’s say it’s 2:45 pm and you’re staring at your computer screen with a laundry list of TO DO items. Your mental energy just isn’t locked in, and your mind is jello. How productive do you think you’re going to be? Even if you buckle down and focus, whatever you turn out isn’t likely to be your top-shelf best. Time to recharge with a power nap.

For me, whenever I close my eyes in the afternoon away from email, the phone, the fax, the Internet, Facebook . . .let’s just call them “THE DISTRACTIONS” . . . my mind is finally able to put together marketing campaigns, clever copy, and ideas with COMPLETE FOCUS. In fact, the less I try to come up with a solution and relax my brain, the easier it seems to come. Sometimes it just requires a nap to reboot creativity.

A NASA study showed a 26-minute nap can boost performance by 34%. The fact is most people are naturally tired in the afternoon anyway (about 8 hours after waking). Our biological clocks are built that way. Research is very clear that naps reduce stress, increase productivity, perk up patience, and improve brain function. That’s a lot of bang for your buck. I know I wouldn’t get nearly as much done without them personally.

So how do you incorporate naps into your workday?

• RULE NUMBER ONE: Let go of the guilt. You are NOT being lazy. You are doing your mind (and your work) a great service by coming back to it refreshed with new ideas.
• RULE NUMBER TWO: Decide how long you’ll nap for and set an alarm. There are great restorative benefits in a 5 minute nap but the longer your nap is, the more revived you’ll feel. (Note that napping over 60 minutes isn’t recommended because your body could go into deeper sleep cycles and make it harder to sleep later.)
• RULE NUMBER THREE: Explore a method of relaxing that works for you. I recommend investing in Wendi Friesen’s “Power Nap” CDs and downloading them on your iPod. She walks you through a deep nap at 5, 10, 20, and 30 minute intervals. She’s my preferred napping coach.
• RULE NUMBER FOUR: Be sure to turn off phones and other distractions that could interrupt your time for you. Life can carry on without you for 30 minutes (or whatever time you decide to rest for).
• RULE NUMBER FIVE: Block out light and sound. The fewer distractions that can pull you back into the thinking world, the better. As I mentioned, I use a hypnosis recording on my iPod usually. Otherwise, I grab foam earplugs. My favorite light-zilching mask is made by Bucky. (Be sure to get the “Shades” and NOT the “40 Blinks” eye mask.)

Listen, naps aren’t anything new. Many cultures have siesta time built into the day. And not just our Latin friends – many European towns close shop at midday for lunch and some afternoon rest. Practically every other animal on the planet naps (except for maybe sharks, but who wants to be like them anyway?)

So, you may think they’re being lazy but science is confirming more and more that ignoring our natural biorhythms and by forcing ourselves awake reduces our effectiveness. I say, go forth and nap. Return and be creative!

Happy snoozing!

Copywriting Strategist Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero publishes the award-winning Copywriting TNT weekly ezine with 23,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your business, make more money, and have more fun in your small business, get your FREE tips now at http://tinyurl.com/copywriting-TNT

How Can You Achieve Truly Powerful Communication With Your Target Market?

I used to be a big letter writer. With friends and family scattered over the globe, it was a truly joyful thing to sit down with a particular person in mind and compose words expressly for them. One of my favorite things to do when I was done writing was to decorate the envelope in a collage of magazine picture cutouts, just to add one more touch unique to that person.

Now, I must confess, I’m lucky if I get Christmas cards out every other year!  While Facebook and e-mail have certainly made it easier to keep in touch, they’ve encouraged some laziness in me on that end as well. That’s because writing a personal letter is significantly different than dashing off an e-mail or a wall post.

You’ve got to sit down with a pen and paper (ever noticed how actually writing for a significant amount of time gets harder on the hands the more you get used to the keyboard?). It may be special paper that you’ve picked out – something that has meaning for you or for the recipient.

You’ve got to think about what you will say, how you will put it, remember all the details, the inside jokes, the references to things only the two of you will understand. You want to draw some sort of emotion from the person receiving your letter – joy, memory, shared sorrow. All of that takes some serious thinking!

You might include something else along with your words – a photograph, a newspaper clipping, a child’s drawing. It’s a significant attempt at really reaching someone else.

Once it’s written and ready to be sealed, you’ve got to make sure you have the envelope, the stamp, the address. A trip to the post office might be involved. As busy as our lives have gotten, even these simple tasks and expenditures can seem like a lot!

Finally, you send it off. What’s your feeling when that mailbox closes over your precious cargo? You’ve created something important – something that will hold special meaning for a fellow human being - something they may keep over the coming years as a reminder of you and your relationship.

I know when I receive a letter in the mail, it’s a special day. I wait until I get home before I open it. I examine the envelope, think about who it’s from, prepare myself to really soak in what that person has to say. When I first read it I run over the words quickly, wanting to devour it all at once. Then I go back over it more slowly, feeling my joy through the big smile that is on my face.

Over the next few days I’ll think of that person more. I’ll feel singled out and special to have heard from them in such a way. I’ll talk about them more to my husband, put the pictures they may have sent on the fridge, start thinking about what I might right back to them.

It’s a profound journey – this writing of a letter. Even when it comes to someone you’ve known for years, it still takes a significant amount of effort. You hold a picture of that person in your mind as you write – a vision of them that allows you to be incredibly specific and meaningful to that person.

In business, you’re also writing letters all the time, but it never seems to even get close to the power of a real letter, written to a long-time acquaintance. Would it ever be possible to achieve that same kind of connection with your market through a letter written by you?

Well, probably not exactly the same.   But you can come pretty close!

Part of the magic connection that occurs in communication when you are writing a personal letter is the fact that you know that other person so well. The reason most people are unable to establish this kind of connection with their market is that they see their market as a group.

The problem is, you can’t write something personal to a group, because it is filled with unique individuals! You may have already heard that it’s important to write your letters as though you are only writing to one person – but do you have a real picture of that one person you are writing to in your mind? Or is it still a kind of nebulous, misty figure from the group that you are thinking of?

The idea of writing to a specific person in your market – someone you have thought about so much that you know their gender, age, appearance, marital status, where they go on vacation, and all the other little things you know about your friends – was first introduced to me by one of my mentors, Lorrie Morgan Ferrero.

I had the opportunity to take part in her She Factor Copywriting Bootcamp, where one among the many valuable lessons was exactly how to really get to know your target market (what Lorrie calls your Tarket) – and getting to know her down to the point where writing to her would become like writing a personal letter to a friend.

Imagine having that kind of power in your communication. Imagine your website copy and your e-mails being received by your target market in a similar way that they would receive a personal letter from a friend. If you could achieve that, do you think your sales might go up a little bit?

Not only that, but the real relationship you could have with your market would be incredible – so much more than simply seller to buyer! You’d have a whole new world in your hands – something not many entrepreneurs achieve on a regular basis.

If you’d like to find out how to get to know your market in this way – how to write to them on this incredibly personal level, you need to check out Lorrie’s upcoming She Factor Bootcamp. As an alumna of the course and a member of Lorrie’s mastermind group, I emphatically recommend you to this course – the value you will gain from these lessons repays the price ten-fold.

Visit here now to learn more about what’s involved (and find out how to get $200 off the price of the course for a limited time).

In the meantime, start thinking about WHO you are writing to when you communicate to your market. Narrow it down, keep that one person in your head when you sit down to write, and start watching both your sales and your relationships with your market increase.

If you’d like to explore co-creation with a freelance editor to see how you can make your message more powerful, e-mail me at kelly (at) sharingyourheartservices.com to ask your questions or set up a free consultation.

Who's your confidante?

From the time I was young, I got used to moving around a lot. I’ve traveled much of this glorious world (though not as much as I would have liked – yet!), and I’ve now lived in three different countries.

Growing up I sometimes felt envious of people who had known their group of friends since kindergarten – I early sensed the richness of having access to that kind of companionship.

All the same, I have been blessed with many lifelong friends, some near and some scattered around the world. These are the kinds of friends that you can pick up with right where you’ve left off – whether you saw them last week or 5 years ago. These are the kinds of friends who are worth their weight in gold!

One of the reasons I value this type of friendship so much is that I witnessed my parents being torn from their own roots when we moved across the country to where we mainly knew no one. And while family is beautiful, it makes it very tough on the existence of young parents when there doesn’t seem to be anyone around to confide in, to share the everyday joys, troubles, and even hum-drum experiences of life.

Human beings were meant to exist in community. Withdrawing yourself from this community for an extended period of time only causes problems – unhealthy introspection, loneliness, depression, limited perspective, defensiveness, lashing out…we just aren’t meant to be alone!

Having friends from various walks of life to confide in broadens your perspective. It provides a safe, healthy outlet, refreshment, joy – even correction when you need a little help in steering your course.

In my life I’ve witnessed a few groups that are very prone to excluding themselves from a community of confidantes for a period of time – young married couples, new parents, and home based business entrepreneurs seem especially prone to this mistake. Sadly, by the time they come to realize it, it can be too late to salvage what they had before.

There are many different kinds of confidantes for the different areas of life. There are friends you can tell anything too, coaches you may call upon for a certain aspect of business, therapy, mentorship, spiritual counsel. Those who value and take advantage of these kinds of relationships the most are often the most successful – they’re usually the ones you look at and wonder, “Just what is it that they have?”

When you’re working from home, the need for people to confide in only becomes greater. You need both personal and professional acquaintances you can be honest with – people that you don’t need to keep up the show around. You need people to sharpen you as iron sharpens iron, lest you get lost in your own perspective, harming your spirit and your business.

It’s all very well to have a lot of friends on Facebook and followers on Twitter, but greater depth is necessary.

When it comes to your life as a business entrepreneur, take a moment to take stock and find out if you’re doing enough to share and be sharpened. Are you at the healthiest point when it comes to being a part of community?

• Do you have friends that you get in touch with on a regular basis – whether it’s over the phone or in person? Do you believe it’s worth the effort to reach out if you don’t have anyone close to you right now?
• Do you have a mentor or coach for your business – someone who has gone before you and can assist you over the rocky parts of working on your own?
• Do you accept criticism and advice from experts, offering your product, service, website, copy, sales techniques, etc. to those who can tell you how to do it better? Are you willing to take their advice?
• Do you belong to any mastermind groups or networks where you are actively involved (not just standing on the sidelines as a way of getting exposure) – both taking from and contributing to the group?
• Do you recognize the importance of having a spiritual adviser, taking into account that we are not just our bodies or our intellect?
• In areas of struggle (weight, anger, depression, etc.) do you seek out advice and assistance, or is your attitude to go it all alone?

If you’re not answering an honest yes to many of these questions, it may be time to reach out your hand – no matter how hard it may seem – and start asking for community.

John Donne said, “No man is an island”.

As simple as that statement is, it is more true and profound than many let on. Being a business entrepreneur not only involves serving your community, but being served by a community. When you allow this, you will find more peace, success, ease, and natural communication in all that you do – whether it involves your private life or public life.

Don’t let yourself be alone in this world – life is just too short!

If you’d like to explore co-creation with a freelance editor to see how you can make your message more powerful, e-mail me at kelly (at) sharingyourheartservices.com to ask your questions or set up a free consultation.

Get fired up this fall to start sharing your stories!

The approach of autumn seems to bring about a renewal of zeal for work and ‘back to school’ sense of expectation for just about everyone, no matter how long it’s been since you’ve actually hit the books.

I have one last summer hurrah coming up on Labor Day Weekend when I’m off to spend time at a friend’s cottage, and then I’ll be gearing up for an exciting mini-course I’ve signed up for with superstar copywriter Cathy Goodwin & Internet empire builder Connie Ragen Green on storytelling.

Aside from the thrill of getting to sit at the feet of some great mentors, I am even more excited about the theme of this course, which is all about how you can use your own personal stories throughout your marketing efforts.

The truth is, anyone who is marketing anything can find it very easy to fall into the hype trap when it comes to the way you’re communicating about your product or service. You know what you have to sell is amazing, so you’ve gotta get out there and pump it up to get people as excited as you are!

To an extent, of course, this is necessary, but all too often your hype can overflow into the point where you’re putting people off by promising something that seems too good to be true, or offering more than you can actually deliver with the intention of getting people in the door and clearing up any misconceptions later.

If you consider yourself to be any kind of ‘conscious’ entrepreneur, you know that people just don’t want that stuff anymore. Your real and true authenticity in your communication is going to reach so much farther than any hype ever will – and its effects will be much more lasting.

Of course, one of the most authentic ways to communicate about your product or service is through your stories!

Figuring out how to use the everyday stories of your life to both make connections and make sales will make a drastic difference in your marketing efforts – and it’s a lot easier to be natural than to try to come up with all that hype!

If you’re interested in learning more about the upcoming story class with Cathy Goodwin and Connie Ragen Green, visit here to find out more information. And in the meantime, consider some of the ways you can be more authentic with your customers and clients:

• Review your copy for signs of overblown hype. If your product/services is something you know is really great, you don’t need to sell it through desperation. What are some of the ways it can speak more for itself?
• Think about your story. What brought you into this business? Why do you do what you do? How has your product or service helped others? What kind of everyday life occurrences can your product or service speak to? When you start answering those questions, you’ll be able to start building a strong foundation for all of your marketing efforts through storytelling – without a lot of hassle on your part.
• Think about your everyday communication. Do you answer all your e-mails, return your phone messages, respond to customer service requests in a timely way? If you can answer yes to all of those questions, you WILL stand out from those around you – even those who may be offering very similar products and services to your own. When you start out by sharing the real you through your stories, then continue to give of yourself each day through your service, it means a lot to people. They understand that you are being both vulnerable and sacrificial – and your willingness to do that for your market will gain greater loyalty than any kind of hype of promise ever will.
• Keep learning. Human beings were created to be in community, and we can hone and sharpen one another to an incredible degree. When you have the opportunity to learn from others, take it! Learning can come in many different guises – through criticism, suggestion, training, mentorship, co-creation, making mistakes, what have you. Once a learning opportunity comes up – whether it be pleasant or no – you now have the choice to use it or lose it. Take advantage of the many, many opportunities given each day to keep learning – it’s something you’ll never regret.

The heart of sharing your stories and being willing to open yourself up rather than hide behind the veil of hype is the opening of a significant door. It’s both easier and more difficult than other types of marketing, but in the end it’s something that will always leave you and your customers feeling good.

What’s your story?

If you’d like to explore co-creation with a freelance editor to see how you can make your message more powerful, e-mail me at kelly (at) sharingyourheartservices.com to ask your questions or set up a free consultation.

Does your message come across boldly? Or as a timid whisper?

I’ve always been a reader (since the age of four I’ve rarely been seen without a book in my hand) and it followed that English was always my favorite subject in school. My mom is an English teacher too, so I suppose it was all a bit of a natural progression.

If you think back to your school days, you’ll probably agree with me that English teachers are a bit of a different breed. One of my high school favorites was a teacher who had friendship with the students down with a perfect mix of still getting them to learn, something that can take years to master.

I came to her class after she’d been in the position for over 30 years. I remember her telling us stories about her crush on Mel Gibson,  mildly risque incidents from the Renaissance Festival she brought her classes to every year, and being allowed to watch Monty Python & the Holy Grail in school, which my friends and I thought was just the coolest thing ever.

But what I remember most from what she taught me – above the fun times and the more serious lessons – was a simple rule in writing that literally changed my entire perception around communication.

In the world of books I had lived in from a young age coupled with a great love of learning, I was ahead of many of my peers when it came to writing. But through various life circumstances, I lacked a very important quality in what I wrote – confidence.

My main downfall was using the words, “I think” – and I used them a lot. “I think this play, this author, this work, is teaching us…etc.”

I didn’t really see it as a big deal, but the truth is, I was afraid to make any kind of statement in my writing. I always had to temper it with something – to tone it down – to apologize for what I wanted to say. “In my opinion…It’s possible that…I think…”

My English teacher was having none of it. Oh how the red pen flew across those pages! She crossed out weak sentences, showing me how they could be stronger, bolder – completely unapologetic.

At first, I was upset. I had been coasting along, believing I was right. I was a good student. Why did she have to pick on me so much? At any age or stage in life, it’s difficult to take criticism – even from a person whose experience is much more vast than your own.

But in the end, I listened to her – and I am still thankful for it.

I refined my writing, making a conscious effort to be unapologetic. I saw the power those words held when I no longer confined them to the realm of my own ‘unworthy’ opinion. I even saw the power I was placing into the hands of the reader, who would now have their own decision to make of whether or not to take my words at face value – and I had to give them that right.

That one simple principle assisted in leading to more confidence in other areas of my life, showing me how just a little shot of confidence can go a long, long way (and how having an honest critique can make more of a difference than you’d imagine!). I see it now as one of the steps that led me into being a freelance editor with the desire to assist others in learning this very lesson.

I recently had this message confirmed to me in a lesson from a very successful Internet Marketer. She taught me that however you market, it’s important to position yourself as the expert. A trap many entrepreneurs fall into is the “we/our” syndrome – bringing themselves to the level of their market in the effort to identify with them.

The truth is, people don’t want someone who seems mired in the same problems they have to help them – they want someone who is above it – someone who can offer the solution. “I have the solution for you” vs. “There is a solution for all of us”.

What sounds more powerful to you?

If your mind is starting to drift toward a natural objection now, let me answer it by saying: This is not arrogance. If you are an expert with a product or service to sell, it is not arrogance to make bold statements to proclaim yourself as the one with the answer.

In fact, if you’re not doing that, why should I trust you?

You can be friendly, caring, altruistic, service-oriented, and the best you can be for your market – but if you are not boldly communicating all these things and more, you’re just not going to get very far when it comes to finding people who will listen to you.

Is there anything holding you back in the boldness of your communication? Could your copy or sales presentation use a boost of confidence? Take a small self-inventory now of your writing style:

• Are you apologetic for what you are teaching or sharing? Do you often qualify your statements with words like, “In my opinion…” or “I think…”
• Do you frequently use words like We, Our, Ourselves, Us, etc. in reference to your product or service and the problems it will solve?
• Do you feel guilt or shame about being bold about who you are and what you are sharing?

If you are doing or feeling any of those things, consider how you might change your outlook in a small way. First, ask yourself if you really believe that your product or services is something worthwhile – something that will help people in a big way while honestly earning you an income.

If you can answer yes to that, know that you’re in the clear. You don’t have to be afraid of what you’re sharing – all you have to do is put it out there and allow your readers to make up their minds.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life about confidence, it’s that confidence is attractive to people. I am without a doubt that you’ve witnessed that very phenomenon – and it’s time to start making it work for you in the way you communicate.

If you’d like the assistance of a freelance editor in making your copy more powerful, e-mail me today at kelly (at) sharingyourheartservices.com to set up a free consultation.

What brings this kind of smile to your face?

I heard the most beautiful story about confidence and alternative forms of communication the other day…

I was speaking with an amazingly energetic heart-centered entrepreneur; she was sharing with me about the new directions her own business was taking – some of them very unexpected.

This woman is an incredible energetic guide – in my experience I’ve rarely heard someone with such a brilliant capacity to listen to others and really draw them to the meaning of what they are trying to express, work through, or understand. She has a gift for truly feeling and bringing out the energy behind peoples’ words.

She was telling me about what has been emerging for her in her business, and how some of this newness has been coming out in her work with physical therapy – something she’s been doing part-time for many years.

She shared how the work was something she felt called to do, but really didn’t enjoy much of the time – her work is in nursing homes with older people, and physical therapy just never seemed to be a pleasure for either the therapist or the patient – it had to do so much with forcing movement and causing pain that it didn’t always seem worth the results!

Then she told me something that was just thrilling to hear – she happens to be a belly-dancer, and decided to start working with her patients – residents of nursing homes – in belly dance!

The patients – both men and women – found that they loved this type of movement. It was natural, flowing, fun – nothing like the forced and often painful manipulations they were used to going through.

This therapist had no idea the results it would bring – when she returned after some time away she found all the residents asking the other therapists, “When are we going to do that again?”

She had people asking for her card, therapists asking her to train them so they could work with people in this way – it’s all exploded beyond anything she could ever have anticipated; it’s even brought a real joy back to her in her physical therapy work.

Let me tell you, I was just enthralled with this story and I had to share it. I’ve never done belly dance (though I’ve always wanted to try it!) – but just the idea of it conjures such confidence and acceptance of the beauty of the human body (no matter what size, shape, or age!) to my mind.

The idea of it being used as a form of physical therapy is just so perfect and so creative – I love it!

Not only that, but imagine the confidence it would be inspiring in these people. Rather than having to submit to an unpleasant and difficult experience, they are given the opportunity to express themselves through movement – something that is joy-filled and freeing. Imagine the effect that would have on other areas of their lives as well.

Effective communication and confidence – they are so intertwined.

When confidence is mangled or discouraged – when we don’t have that inner security and courage that it brings to us, it can put a damper on all that we’re expressing to others.

But while a lack of confidence in one area of life can affect all that you do, so can a surge of confidence in another area.

Dance is, of course, a form of creativity and communication. It may not be something everyone is drawn to, but the sacredness of being in an accepting and loving environment during this unique expression is what I picture as most ideal.

In my mind’s eye I see a physical therapist working with an older generation of men and women – touching, laughing, assisting, and encouraging – and it’s magic. These people may be battling loneliness, fear of death or disease, physical pain, shadows from the past – but having this outlet immediately changed their outlook on these things, so that they couldn’t wait for the chance to do it again!

As an entrepreneur struggling to communicate your passion – to share your heart with the world, you too are in a battle that may be hammering hard against your confidence. There are bills, the struggle of being out there on your own, the fear that you may not succeed – many things could easily keep you up at night, and with good reason eat away at your confidence, which can literally cause your message to become less effective.

If that’s the place you’re in right now, what could you do to express yourself in some other way as an outlet for whatever may be shaking you?

• Maybe you need to make more of an effort to leave the house – whether it be hitting up a shopping mall or your local nature park.
• Maybe you need to dredge up some latent talent and find out how you can bring it more into your life – singing, art, dance, poetry, sports – something you used to have a lot of fun doing (or maybe just something you’ve always wanted to try!).
• Maybe you just need to take more time to talk on a regular basis with someone who encourages you.

Think about something you could do today that could bring you as much pure joy as the idea of residents belly dancing in a nursing home – something that brings a huge smile to your face – and go out and do it. I think you’ll be interested to see the results it will have on the rest of your life.

Now, I’m off to search for a belly dancing class to join!

If you would like to explore how co-creation with an editor can assist you in effective communication, e-mail me today at Kelly (at) SharingYourHeartServices.com for a free consultation.

Pearls of Wisdom & Wonder

One of the world’s authors who has spoken the most wisdom into my life is Madeleine L’Engle.

Whether I’m reading her books written for children or those written for adults, my heart always responds to the love that permeates all of her works. As any great author must do, she expands my world through the words she’s written, so that I am inspired to think beyond whatever I may have done before.

That is why for many years, my favorite quote from her has been this:

“But if I knew everything, there would be no wonder, for what I believe in is far more than what I know.”

I don’t believe it was really even meant to be ‘quote’ material – it’s simply a sentence spoken by the character Poly from a scene in the book, An Acceptable Time, buried among the rest of an excellent story.

But the first time I read those words, I was struck by them. I highlighted the sentence in my book and have pondered it many times over the years.

There is so much in this statement to unpack and draw from, but what I gain the most from it right now is to understand that life – and effective communication within community – is an ever-learning process.

Communication can come to a halt when we begin to think that what we ‘know’ is all there is. The truth is, I can never know all that there is to know about you, and you can never know all that there is to know about me.

The real wonder of this world is that we do not know everything, which means that there is always something more to discover and enlighten and empower us – if we choose to allow it.  

What I believe in is love, passion, service – and the fact that within each one of us is a message and an expertise that is waiting and yearning to be shared as all of us contribute to that wonder that is there when we open our hearts to it.

It is through continual learning – from ourselves and from each other – that this message is shared most effectively.

Knowledge is a good and powerful thing. But it is also a safe thing – and people can allow themselves to become comfortable with a certain amount of knowledge that can be taken and wrapped around them like a robe, shutting out the wonder – and the uncertainty – that comes with not knowing everything.

Madeleine L’Engle saw the world with a humble heart and a childlike sense of discovery throughout her long life. She possessed a greater store of knowledge than most – but she always maintained that there was more to learn and so opened her mind to an amazing depth of effective communication and community with her fellow man – so that even after her death, her message continues to reach people, young and old, around the world.

What might you discover today that would in turn make your ability to communicate your message – your passion – that much greater?

Consider the ways you might increase your sense of wonder…

• Read a book by a great author.
• Sit down and listen – really listen – to a piece of music that inspires you.
• Visit your local museum for an hour or two.
• Watch a movie that will challenge you to think outside of your possibilities.
• Have a conversation with a child.

You could even take it a step further by walking just a bit outside your comfort zone. If you normally enjoy classical art, look at some modern pieces. If you generally prefer reading, challenge yourself to find a movie that might inspire you just as much as a good book would.

Find the wonder that exists beyond the scope of your knowledge and goes to the core of what you believe in – and you will find all that you express is the richer for it.

If you would like to explore how co-creation can assist in making your message stronger, e-mail me today at Kelly (at) SharingYourHeartServices.com for a free consultation.

Thank you – I hope you enjoy!

(You can make your own video by signing up for a free account here at Animoto)

Chuck Klosterman sharing one of his stories...

One author whose work I particularly enjoy is Chuck Klosterman. He has a fairly eclectic body of work, having gone from sportswriter to music journalist to pop culture authority – and his encyclopedic knowledge of all things modern coupled with a great sense of humor always makes for entertaining, educational reading!

In one of his essays he talks about the advent of reality programming through MTV’s The Real World. As an experiment, it could have gone in many different directions – of course we see the results of this wildly successful genre becoming more popular daily.

The point I found most interesting and thought-provoking was the one Klosterman made about how the show’s ‘actors’ eventually chose to represent themselves. He discusses how the format of the show evolved into each participant being known only by one particular facet of their character, meaning later contestants actually tried out for the show with the intention in mind of becoming known by an easily definable tag – ‘the militant political guy’ or ‘the sweet, simple Southern girl’.

Instead of being portrayed as complicated human beings with the multi-faceted characters that all of us possess, it seemed that people were now striving to be defined by one major aspect of their character, causing a kind of social dynamic shift that creates a tendency for all of us to fall into this trap of looking at each other in a one-dimensional kind of way.

If you want to read the full analysis, I highly recommend the book, Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs, by Chuck Klosterman (an enlightening and humorous commentary on pop culture), but in the meantime, I’d like to consider what this kind of one-dimensional defining does in a Web 2.0 world, particularly in combination with Social Media marketing.

The success of social media and how it has affected the consumer market hammers home once again how great the depth of desire is for people to be known – for people to create community whether they live in a village or a city.

But the temptation is also there to keep that ‘knowing’ on the surface – to put people in a box where you are defined and forever known by only one aspect of who you are or what you are offering.

Of course, it can come down to a fine line as it is very important to do things like narrow your niche market, brand yourself in a particular way, and remain professional.

So how do you allow yourself to be a little more transparent?

Through your stories! Your stories, your voice – just BEING you (and making sure these things show up on a consistent basis throughout all of your communication) – these are the things that will really make you real to your market, and inspire and encourage them to be more real with you.

There are so many simple ways to be authentic in your marketing:

• Really answer the question, “What are you doing right now?” in your Tweets and status updates at least twice a day. Will your followers be surprised to learn that you take dance lessons, have a pet ferret you dote on, or love John Grisham novels? Intersperse your daily ins and outs together with your promotions, and your market will feel more every day like they’re taking recommendations from a friend (and whose recommendations do you trust the most?).
• Share your stories. Tell your stories in your blog, your newsletter, your articles, your teleseminars. Get your community involved in what is going on with you – open the doors of your life to them. Your openness and vulnerability encourages trust – and it attracts people to you.
• A picture is worth 1,000 words. By all means, keep your nice professional photo as an anchor on all of your sites – you want the recognition. But don’t be afraid to share some other snaps as well! One blog that does an amazing job with this is The Fat Girl’s Guide to Living. They not only share their own photos, but they’ve made it into a regular weekly feature for readers to submit their photos as a way of empowering them and encouraging others. Post a Flickr photo stream to your blog, upload an album to Facebook – there are a thousand other ways to share (and you know you’re always happy for another way to show off your grandkids, your sweetheart, your garden  or vacation adventure!
• Be a good listener. The greatest thing about sharing your story is not only that it will gain trust, but that it may actually have a positive effect on someone else’s story. In giving that, you must also be willing to receive it – you can learn and grow through others’ experiences as often as you can learn and grow through your own – and think of what it may be able to save you!

As you go through the rest of your day, think about some of the ways you could be more transparent – not only with your business community, but also with your friends, partner, children or colleagues. Don’t allow yourself to give in to the temptation of being simplified down to one easy definition – or to categorize others in such a way either.

The true ‘real world’ of human beings is to be messy and complicated and undefinable – and while it doesn’t always make for a good TV show, it is glorious in its own way as well. Embrace the multi-faceted aspects of your being, and who you are will shine through in all that you do (and likely you will be all the better for it!).

If you’d like assistance in effectively communicating your story, visit my website, Sharing YOUR Heart Services, or e-mail me at Kelly (at) SharingYOURHeartServices.com to find out more.

How Can You Begin to Cross That Bridge?

For several years I lived in downtown Minneapolis, and during that time I had the honor of various friendships and acquaintances among the Latino and Hispanic community that populated a major section of the city.

One particular woman stands out in my memory – she owned a shop in a ‘Hispanic’ mall in the Phillips neighborhood where she sold art pieces and occasionally cosmetics.

As I got to know her a little better I learned she was originally from Chile. Her career in her home country had included a stint as an award winning swimmer and diver, a distinguished science degree, and a  high up position in a laboratory in a major company.

She continued to share how when she came to the US, the only job she was able to get, in spite of all of her experience and accomplishments, was that of a cleaner – and that it was because she was unable to communicate well in English.

I’ve heard similar stories from many immigrants who have moved from one place to another, where simple communication is the greatest barrier between who they are and who they are perceived to be.

The world continues to see evidence of this kind of misunderstanding on a fairly regular basis – one instance that comes to mind is the ‘throwing of the shoe’ at President George Bush during an unscheduled visit to Iraq shortly before his presidential term came to an end.

I know many people watching in the West thought of it as a rather bizarre, even amusing incident – but how many perceived the depth of meaning that truly lay within that particular act? As the boundaries of  miscommunication come into play, how many people even realize how great the gulf can be between perceptions?

What does this all have to do with YOUR message?

Fortunately for you, you have the opportunity and the ability to ’see both sides of the story’ to some extent – because if you truly care about sharing your message with the world, you will also care about how it is perceived!

And of course, speaking across lines to your market is rarely as difficult as speaking across lines to another culture can be!

What are some steps you can begin to take today to start to recognize how you are perceived and whether what you want to share is being effectively communicated?

• Consider your motivation. Do you have a passion to serve others just as much as you are serving your own purposes? Is there love behind the words you’re writing – or just a desire to sell more of your product or service? People can sense the motivation behind your words – have you ever been able to tell when someone was smiling while they were writing? Read over your copy with an eye for the love that you want to find behind it!
• Step over to the other side of the table. If you were selling your product or service to yourself, how would you want it to be presented? It’s natural to feel an obligation to SELL SELL SELL and HYPE HYPE HYPE! Sometimes it feels like there is a little used car salesmen inside of you – just raring to get out! It makes sense to think you have to sound that way when that’s what you’ve constantly been exposed to. Fortunately, the tide is turning, and you really can write and express according to what you would want to experience yourself. Just take an inventory every so often and make sure you’re still on track!
• Be a good listener. How many times have you tried to phone a company for customer service, only to have to go through a rigmarole of recorded messages and press this to get that? Maybe you’ve waited in line for ages at a big store only to find the person there to ‘help’ you had no interest in either you or the company they worked for. Or maybe you’ve tried to find an e-mail address or a phone number to contact a real human being, searched throughout their website, and concluded that this organization really just didn’t want you to get in touch! Now, think about how much it will make YOU stand out when you prove yourself available and willing to listen to your clients and customers. It’s almost too easy!
• Get an interpreter. Find someone who can look over your presentation and assist you in seeing whether or not there is room for improvement. In these days of web 2.0 and worldwide interaction, you almost don’t have an excuse if you’re not asking for help! Some you can get for free and some you may need to pay for, but in the end, if it causes you to be perceived in a better, more clear way by those you want to reach, it’s definitely worth it!

I’ve noticed that most of the problems with miscommunication (or ineffective communication) are simply caused by being in too much of a hurry, being too quick to judge, or being unwilling to take just a few moments for the extra step it may take to cross the bridge that lies between you and your market.

Consider what you might be able to do today to help people perceive you the way you want to be perceived. If you would like assistance in this area with your copy, please e-mail me at Kelly (at) SharingYourHeartServices.com to set up a free phone consultation.