Peace and Possibilities

Just because it was done this way before, doesn't mean it needs to be done that way going forward or even worse…forever.

For my guest this week, Erin Hatzikostas, normal is her kryptonite. Her mission is to radically change the workforce by reminding us that just because no one has done it that way before, doesn't mean you can't do it that way now.

She wants you to ask yourself:

What pisses you off?

What breaks your heart?

Who says this is the top?

As far as getting what you want, maybe you don't know what it is. That might be okay.

But if you can get really clear and ask yourself: will I regret it more if I don't? Then you're on to something.

That's how I feel about quitting my job last year and starting my own business, staring my podcast, and writing a book. I would have regretted it SO much more if I didn't do it.

And so, I'm doing it!

What will you regret more if you DON'T do it? (Hit reply and tell me, please! I will encourage you.)

And while you're asking yourself these questions, listen way more to the answers - the power of questions is truly amazing.

And check out my book, available on February 10.

More about Erin below:

Book: https://www.bauthenticinc.com/youdoyouish

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erin-hatzikostas/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erinhatzikostas

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bAuthenticInc

Or her talk "Why you don't have to compromise for your career"

My guest on this week's podcast was on her way to Northwestern University, when she had a lightbulb moment, and just had to follow her gut instinct to turn the car around.

Did she know what was next? Nope.

But she kept searching for what she was called to be…

Which led her eventually to London, then to start her own company.

Was she successful right away? Nope.

When she started her business, she heard "no" 54 times before she booked a client. Then went on to earn 7 figures just 18 months later!

Could you do that?

It's the reason most of us don't find success. We give up too soon. But she didn't.

Rest assured, Emily Williams reminds us, that all the seemingly random stuff ties together.

Not sure what's going on? Ask yourself, what could you do better, what could you tweak?

Make your success non - negotiable and keep telling yourself yes.

Trust the process and trust life; it's guiding you, always.

So many good insights in this episode! Get ready to be inspired.

More about Emily:

Emily Williams is a success coach, entrepreneur, and author with a seven-figure business who, at one point, couldn't get a job at Starbucks.

After experiencing a quarter life crisis, she moved from Ohio to London (where she knew no one!) and in 2014 launched her business, I Heart My Life. She made $442 in her first month—and then went on to hit six figures in six months, before her 30th birthday. She grew it to seven figures in under 18 months.

Today, she works with female entrepreneurs all over the world, helping them bust through the obstacles that hold their dreams and goals hostage so they can free themselves to live the lives they want, build their own online business and hit their money goals. She's been featured in Money, Entrepreneur, Business Insider, Forbes and Success Magazine.

Get ready for my book!

https://2possibilityandbeyond.com/my-book

Signup for my newsletter here:

https://mailchi.mp/039f1c2cf32d/5-tips-for-creating-more-joy-at-work

It depends on what you're doing, of course. If you are getting surgery, you want it to be perfect. If you are creating a presentation, perfect isn't necessary.

My guest on this week's episode is Catherine Brown. And she explains that everyone has self doubt.

But if you are concentrating on those things that keep you excited and that you really care about, self doubt doesn't matter. Neither does perfection.

Ultimately you must ask yourself: Do you want to do the work to make that "thing" happen?

If the answer is no, then move on.

Catherine Brown understands what it means to start and build a business during challenging times, launching her first sales consulting firm in 2003, and now running her sales training firm www.extraboldsales.com. A veteran of 20+ years of business-to-business selling, she now trains and coaches others to sell with confidence. Her sales system includes psychology research that gets at the heart of why salespeople don't sell effectively. She trains on the reasons your customers buy (it's not what you think!). She has a process to help sales representatives take the frustration and worry out of business development, so they can close new business without wasting money on one-size-fits-all training. Catherine has a BA from Rice University and is a StoryBrand Certified Guide. Social media handles and Website:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherineleebrown/ https://www.facebook.com/ExtraBoldSalesBiz https://www.instagram.com/extraboldsales/ http://www.extraboldsales.com

We can be wise at all ages. Typically it's when we've lived a longer life.

To my delight, you'll see that sometimes it comes earlier too.

My guest on this week's podcast suggests that we don't wait for opportunities to come to us.

Go seek them. Ask around and see what's out there. You never know.

Emily Perelman should know. She's already a successful artist even as a college student.

How did that happen?

Well, she used her talents daily, nurtured her hobby, and created art even as a means to get away from school work. How smart!

Lesson: Wanting to do it, and then PUTTING IT OUT THERE is how she made it happen! (Listen to hear how.)

She's learned that If you want to thrive, you need to align yourself with people who are passionate, ambitious and inspiring.

Hmm, I completely agree!

It's important to stay grounded in all you do. Your worth can be in many different places, so don't just look in one place.

Is it within your family? Is it in school? Is it in your work? Is it in your talents? Is it in your relationships?

Figure it out - then ask yourself, what could make you more fulfilled....

Take it step by step…you just never know who will see it and you as really worthy!

More about Emily Perelman here:

Emily Lynn Perelman is an illustrator and visual artist currently pursuing her passion for art alongside her degree in Psychology at Boston University. Taking inspiration from everyday shapes and sights, she uses her work to make sense of the world.

https://www.instagram.com/emilylynndesign/?hl=en

https://www.emilylynnperelman.com/

Do you really need a roadmap?

Maybe, maybe not.

What if you have a road map, and it's the wrong one? How will you know to pivot and go down a different path if you're following the wrong road map?

My guest on this week's podcast is Justine Fedak, and she cautions us, "maybe you're not getting what you want because it's part of your journey."

Maybe you have exactly what you need, albeit not what you thought you wanted, and that new road will be even better?

Ugh. I know, life is hard. It never goes exactly according to our plan.

That's why, although you work hard at it, it's exhausting at times, and exhilarating at times.

Maybe if your road map changes, you will become an "accidental expert", like Justine.

Who knows! Either way, you must choose, each day.

Right or left? Forward or back? Side to side?

Keep moving; it's the only way you'll figure it out!

More info on Justine Fedak:

IG JustineFedak

LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/justine-fedak

Facebook Justine Fedak

Justine Fedak is a self-declared Corporate Hippie. She is a transformational socially-conscious marketing executive with deep experience in brand management and marketing operations. She is Chief Brand Strategist with PollaraStrategic Insights and Co-Founder (Star Jones) of Instant Impact Group, a diversity and marketing consulting firm. She was most recently Global Head of Social Media and Sponsorships Marketing for BMO Financial Group.

After joining BMO in 1992 as a media relations assistant, Justine held many senior roles at the company in Canada and the US, within Retail Banking, Wealth Management, Investment Banking, Communications and Corporate Marketing. In 1999, Justine transferred to Chicago to lead M&A due diligence for US wealth management and create a US brand strategy. She re-patriated to Canada to create a North American Corporate Sponsorships and Event steam and build a client-focused partnership portfolio, negotiating some of the largest sports sponsorship deals with the NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB (North America) that attracted younger and more diverse customers. In 2007, she was named US CMO and led the re-vitalization of the Harris Bank brand, uniting all the community banking under a central marketing focus. She also led the strategy and execution of the historical re-branding of Harris Bank to BMO. As a member of the executive management team, she was also accountable for the client experience and marketing communications integration of the bank's largest M&A deal, the purchase of Marshall & Isley. She remained in the US leading Brand, Advertising and Marketing for North America and developed an aligned north-south creative marketing strategy that remains strong today.

Justine is a very active member of her community and industry. She is a member of the Board of Directors of The Magnificent Mile Association, the Chicago Police Foundation and is on the Executive Committee of the Chicago Sports Commission. She is an SSA City of Chicago Commissioner (Greektown), a board member of Chicago-Toronto Sisters Cities International, and past Chair of the City of Chicago Municipal Marketing Advisory Counsel, as well as past member of many other prominent boards.

Usually when we hear people talk about bucket lists it's when they are retiring and finally want to start doing all those things they've been dreaming about doing for the past several decades.

But here's the thing: none of us knows when we'll get to the end.

So what if we wait until we're 60 or 65 to start experiencing everything we've been dreaming about, then we don't make it there?

We just wasted all that time planning, telling people all about it, and assuming we would live that long, and we never get the chances we thought we had. Or we make it to the ripe old age of 65 or 70, and we're not healthy enough to live those experiences.

Maybe we should start now.

WE SHOULD START NOW!

My guest on this week's episode of the Peace and Possibilities Podcast is Kristin Cripps, a successful entrepreneur and author who works hard and makes things happen.

She encourages us to stop listening to the wrong people and to tell ourselves "maybe I can't do this BUT I can help with this" and figure out how you can make each experience work for you.

And she helps remind us that it's not an accident that we're here.

Figure out what would you do for hours, and then figure out how to do it better by getting educated about it.

Finally, don't live in your past and lament about what went wrong and didn't get done right, etc. because those exact things won't happen again.

She's achieved a lot and it's not an accident that she's here.

She just needed to believe that first! So do you!

Get a FREE review copy of Investpreneur: Real Estate Lessons for the Determined Investor Kristin Cripps (Book 2) https://leaderspress.com/investpreneur/ Buy Investpreneur: Real Estate Lessons for the Determined Investor Kristin Cripps on Amazon (Book 2) https://www.amazon.com/InvestPreneur-Estate-Lessons-Determined-Investor/dp/1943386854 Buy Shepreneur: Life Lessons for the Determined Female Entrepreneur on Amazon (Book 1)​ https://www.amazon.com/Shepreneur-Lessons-Determined-Female-Entrepreneur-ebook/dp/B084X5PP46 https://www.amazon.ca/Shepreneur-Business-Lessons-Determined-Entrepreneur/dp/194338679X Connect with Kristin Cripps! WEBSITE https://www.kristincripps.com/ FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/kristina.cripps/ INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/kristin.cripps/?hl=en LINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristincripps/ TWITTER https://twitter.com/kcripps​

Update your dream and trust the process.

Hmmm...can you think of an easier way to get what you want?

As far as "ease" goes, I think "update your dream and trust the process" is right up there with, "say what you want and see what happens".

Which is good news for you!

Why?

Because asking the right questions and watching the answers come is something only you can do to figure out what you should do.

So start asking, "What's my next right step?"

Then stop and listen. Really listen. It's amazing how clear the answer will usually be.

Then trust your intuition for crying out loud!

Oh, and of course, then listen to this week's Peace & Possibilities Podcast when my brilliant and beautiful guest, Manvir Dhaliwal, tells you how to do just that.

More about Manvir here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/manvir-dhaliwal-6a17199/

"I always knew I wanted to write…"

But my guest on this week's podcast was thinking either/or.

How many times do you think this way?

It's one way or the other. It's black or white. This is wrong and this is right.

What if instead you opened yourself up to other possibilities and you came to work to make a difference?

It's amazing what can happen when you consider another perspective. (And for perspective, be sure to check out my new book, Peace, Possibilities, and Perspective coming soon.)

Open your view to a different way.

When I asked Elzet Blaauw what she has done to stay happy and peaceful along the way, she told me: "I opened myself up to the possibilities".

And then she concentrated on the next best thing and another worthy goal, while she worked to make a difference and add value in every role.

You'll never regret going above and beyond. When you do, the possibilities are endless!

More info about Elzet here:

Elzet Blaauw's purpose is to help people turn their ideas and dreams into a practical reality. She helps people and organisations find the right words to share the message that is central to their purpose.

Elzet believes we can do important work and lead full, meaningful lives. She is on a mission to make more people see #worklifefreedom as a viable option, and she's a champion and cheerleader of #parentpreneurs. She loves working with anyone who is doing their part in making the world a better place.

You can connect with her on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/elzet-kirsten-blaauw/.

That's it, that's all you need!

Wouldn't that be nice?

For Alan Kaye, my guest on this week's episode of The Peace & Possibilities Podcast, he tried something he thought he wanted to do and found out it wasn't for him.

He's had quite the interesting journey to his own business that's included art, education, hobbies, and incredible experiences with his childhood heroes.

He realized he didn't want to have the life sucked out of him, saw too many boxes, and didn't want to end up in one.

He has a plan, he knows how to get there, and every time he felt he was put into a box, he knew he had to get out.

Alan reminds us, if you have the wrong people around you, you cannot find where you're meant to be.

We're lucky in many ways. Everyone is in the same situation right now.

What are you going to do to balance your life and your work?

Listen in and see what opportunities Alan has been creating…

And if you want 8 secrets to serenity and satisfaction in your life and career, my book will be out in early 2021!

Peace, Possibilities, and Perspective will be making its way into the world. I can't wait to share it with you!

More info on Alan Kaye:

www.virtual5oclock.com

www.Linkedin.com/in/alanmkaye

www.linkedin.com/company/fidens-insurance-brokers

www.linkedin.com/company/virtual-5-o-clock

www.facebook.com/FidensInsurance/

www.facebook.com/Virtual5oclock/

"It sparked something new in me", says my guest on this week's episode of The Peace & Possibilities Podcast.

And then, quite simply, it was her life….

I'm talking about Shellie Thompson, stylist and founder of Closet Wardrobe You, and she wants you to be excited about getting dressed in the morning.

What does this have to do with Peace & Possibilities?  Only everything. 

Listen in to this week's episode and you'll see what I mean.

We both agree, if you're loving work more than you're not loving it, then you're on the right path.

As you'll hear from Shellie, if you can work for or with someone who sees you, you're very blessed, then the sky is the limit!

But she encourages us not to rush the process.

Focus, be still, and listen to that voice - "it's the best medicine to find where you're supposed to land."

I couldn't agree more!

More info about Shellie here:

www.closetwardrobeyou.com