The Bright Shiny Object Project

This podcast marks the 18th Anniversary of the weekly mailing of The Victory Letter an email publication I have sent out every Monday morning.

So many businesses have a hard time staying consistent with their marketing efforts that lead to wasted time and dollars. Join this conversation on ways to look at your marketing consistency differently. 

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“Thank you for showing up, bringing curiosity, and letting silence answer the questions words never could.”   - Melissa Reid The words from today’s quote really jumped off the Instagram post I read them from. This woman, Melissa Reid, who I don’t know, led a trek of people including Mandy Moore (who I do follow) to the Everest Base Camp. This quote were her words of thanks to her travel companions. They were wise enough not to try to go for the Summit with so many others, some of whom lost their lives. Her words got me to thinking about what a wonderful tool silence can be. Silence allows listening and listening allows you to discover so much more about yourself, about others, and your surroundings. With that said, it also made me stop and once again ponder about the current leadership crisis the United States is experiencing. How much better would it be if leaders on “both sides of the aisle” let go of the endless name calling, blaming, and ongoing power trip tug of war. Just imagine if they took the time to truly listen to what we (the people they are supposed to be leading) really want and need.   It’s hard to believe that there is anyone out there that isn’t feeling unheard because leaders seem to stop listening when it’s all about the need to “win.” The result, too many people are talking, and not enough people are listening. As I put in another week watching my grandpuppy while my daughter is off seeing the world I indeed felt the importance in the silence around me. Through the silence I could actually hear myself so much more clearly. Getting past the noise of life when we can’t even hear our own minds true thoughts after a while. So here come 4 burning questions for you to ponder this week… 1.    Who or what are you are actually leading?  2.    Do you stop and take the time to fully listen to yourself and others?   3.    When working alongside a customer, staff member or anyone in the course of your business can you find a nice silence together? A time when you are in flow with what you are achieving - together? 4.    Do you feel the need to fill in so much of the silence that you find yourself stressed out and not getting the things you need done, done? I have been lucky to watch some amazing sunsets since I have been here in San Diego and taken so many pictures of them. The one I chose for today’s Victory Letter was truly an amazing experience. I kept thinking about the phrase 1,000 points of light, along with the quote from the late George H.W. Bush, "a brilliant diversity spread like stars, like a thousand points of light in a broad and peaceful sky." As I watched the sun streaming through the clouds and fading sunbeams hitting the water in so many different places it filled me with such peace inside. No words were spoken yet I was filled up so much inside. As if the universe was talking directly to me and reminding me that at the end of the day (literally and figuratively) we live on such a beautiful and amazing planet. Are you in with me to focus on breaking the silence by listening more, caring more and giving an extra gleam of light to someone who could use it in the week ahead? I love the thought of focusing on lifting each other up. Remember in the process, in a world that can sometimes get way too noisy some silence can really make all the difference in making us as opposed to breaking us. Join me in today's podcast where I share this and a little bit more...

You didn’t come this far only to come this far. This week I found myself not in my regular flow and now here I am – the day before publication looking for the light I am supposed shine out into the world. Ever have that happen to you? This past week took me on a journey that was filled with many question marks of what to expect once I reached my destination. My daughter Bailey had asked me if I would come to California to help take care of my 6-month old grandpuppy, Coco, while Bailey and Steve traveled half way around the world on a journey of their own. I agreed, feeling blessed that my coaching work allows me to work with clients for the most part anywhere. What I found though was that I had packed my days pretty full of clients and puppy obligations giving me very little me time to just to hang and be – something I have found myself longing to do. Now don’t get me wrong, there were moments filled with enjoying the garden nursery right next door (today’s pic) that had me digging in the dirt and filling up pots on Bailey’s balconies. There have been morning walks on the beach, evening walks back to the beach to watch amazing sunsets in between the rain storms scattered throughout the week. What has been so interesting is just what it has taken to get used to a new normal and settling down to a new daily routine. With needing to get Coco out the door first thing and on a walk to take care of her morning “business” I found myself getting easily distracted and missing my usual meditation practice for a good part of the week. Earlier today, as I washed the breakfast dishes, from somewhere out in the ether came a podcast with Tara Brach over my phone. Her interview gave me words I needed to hear to get me to re-focus on connecting with myself as she used the word RAIN as an acronym to do a little self-reflection exercise. Recognize what is happening… Allow the experience to be there, just as it is… Investigate with interest and care… Nurture with self-compassion… Now as you read this remember our minds are pretty complicated tools that can work either for us, against us, or somewhere in between. Now come along with me as I sit with each rain statement from above and how I put it into perspective in helping me to reconnect with myself. Recognize what is happening… I am out of my routine, not sure what I should or shouldn’t do – work vs. not working so much – why am I feeling I am not doing enough. Especially after just giving a client the advice to give herself a break and take the weekend off. Allow the experience to be there, just as it is I have been here a week with about 10 days left to go. It is beautiful here and I have a sweet puppy to spend time with. I am here to connect and enjoy myself more. Investigate with interest and care. What is it that I want in this time that that I am perceiving isn’t happening. What can I shift and change? Each day seems to be going by so quickly, could it be because I am really enjoying myself? Nurture with self-compassion. Bottom line for me is that I have been messing with my morning routine and it’s really throwing me off. I really need more meditation time and less doing time. That is the nurturing the body is craving right now. And for the days ahead – less work, much more play. Meditate in the morning and throughout the day. Keep my fingers crossed for some beach days as well if we can get more sunshine! ;) That’s me … how about you. Give this exercise a try – it really can help! Hope you are finding yourself in a play mode as we officially welcome the summer season with the coming of Memorial Day Weekend. Here’s to a summer full of discovery. What if you really honored your “me time” and along with it discovered your true inner best friend.

Well, let me tell you about this cracked screen situation. Recently I had the first time ever experience of cracking my cell phone screen. Some might say I have been lucky to have gone this long without cracking one – especially as much as I use this ever-present device in all aspects of my life. The funny thing was that I had a protective shield on the screen and for about a week because I didn’t want to know whether it was the shield or actual screen that was broken, I tried to ignore the situation. Finally, one day I found myself working with a client sharing some Instagram tips and tools and of course needed to use my phone to effectively do so. In that moment I realized how silly it was that I was not facing my cracked screen. As soon as she left I pulled the shield off and sure enough it was the shield that was cracked not the phone. Cost to replace? $5.99. The irritation it took away from having to look constantly at a cracked screen – priceless. I share this with you today because it is a reflection of how we can put up with so many things in fear of what “might happen” if we try and fix the problem. Putting up with things in our life, or world, that we could have been made so much better by making the extra effort. Of course, adding to the effort, is the courage to face the problem or situation by taking the lead to fix the problem. Embracing our own overall leadership skill sets can be like that as we look at what we like and don’t like in other people’s leadership styles. We can fear fully taking the leadership reins in our business or community in fear that we will uncover something that we can’t handle or control. While there are many ways to look at leadership. Yesterday in an Instagram story I heard the simple words, “Do no harm - take no sh*t”, as shared in today’s quote by Yoga Girl aka Rachel Brathen on the topic of you being you. This got my attention as I thought wow, that’s leadership in a nutshell. Because after all leadership actually starts from deep within each of us as we look at doing good in the world. From within our cracked beings sits the jewel, the flower of our greatest selves and the gifts we can give to others in the process. Add in a few other essential leadership ingredients and you are heading towards being the leader that you would want at the helm of your business, community, country or even your own inner family. On today’s podcast I share some of the gems from this past weeks Growth Mastermind on the Authentic Leader that I facilitated. This includes the 5 Leadership Essentials of Communicator, Peacekeeper, Motivator, Visionary, and Caregiver. What have you been putting up with for too long that a little tenacity and leadership skills could take care of for you and the world around you? Break free from the chains that bind you and make it a great week ahead!

One thing we do really well as women, especially as moms is how we cry. My emotional being changed so much once I became a mother. Tears of joy when I first laid eyes on Travis and Bailey, then so many more tears along the way for their joys and sorrows. In fact, as I write this just thinking about it makes me cry. But don’t get me wrong or think this is a downer letter because crying means we are feeling something deeply and feeling something is better than feeling nothing. Have you ever gone from tears to laughter in a flash because you were so filled with emotions? It’s a beautiful thing. On today’s podcast I share something that recently gave me an extra big cry! If you haven’t had a good cry in a while ask yourself what you are bottling up inside. In addition to today’s quote above from Khalil Gibran, I love the words of the great author Paulo Coelho that also come to mind as a reminder that gals and guys can cry. Paulo said, “I cry very easily, it can be a movie, a phone conversation, a sunset – tears are words waiting to be written.” What are you waiting to write about? Remember crying doesn’t mean you are a wimp. When a mom (human or animal) has someone messing with her babies she can be the fiercest of all! In fact, as I was just now finishing up this podcast I watched a Mama Robin bird actually pin down a squirrel on the ground who was messing with her nest. Go Moms!

It’s that time of year when here in Colorado we can go from 80 degrees to 30 degrees sometimes in just a few hours. As a gardener here in this climate I have learned that having patience in the spring can be such an important gift to give myself and my garden. In fact, gardening has taught me so much about patience and the reality that perfect timing can really equate to enjoying what is right now … in the moment. To keep planning for tomorrow to be sure while I am changing my mindset right now today if things aren’t going so well. Last week as the snow began falling on my beautiful flowers I had two choices … to freak out (which never serves me) or to bring in what I could indoors and just pray for the rest. That is exactly what I did. And you know what? Yes, the world carried on and my spring flowers were pretty dang tough. Marketing is a lot like gardening because you plant and sometimes watch new growth and sometimes… nothing grows at all. Or, you watch what has grown get dismantled in what seems like no time at all. I believe and have watched throughout my career that perfect timing has less to do with being perfect and more to do with having plenty of patience and tenacity topped off with a positive mindset. Think about some of the days of your life when everything seemed to be clicking beautifully and you couldn’t ask for a better day. The universe was in harmony and seemed to be existing just as you had hoped. The way you came into the day guided you towards all that needed to happen for you in both your business and all the other juicy elements of your life. Think about the marketing or persuasion efforts you have engaged in that brought not only great things into your business but to those whose lives you touched in the process. So much of what we do has to do with our mindset. Let’s break it down with a little acronym (why not!). ;) M – Mental capacity fully engaged. I – Intuition implemented. N – Negativity thrown out the window. D – Discovery fully open and ready S – Stress free zone is all around you. E – Excitement is engaged. T – Time belongs to you. As you set into the week ahead stop and ask yourself what do you need to create perfect timing in your week? Do a mindset check in. What are your beliefs and disbeliefs? Believe and you can achieve. What you seek will come in its own beautiful timing. The key is to not give up prematurely, have patience, and enjoy the ride. You got this!

In a given week, day, month and year how much of your time do you spend worrying about what might happen in a not so great way? You know those late-night “staring at the ceiling” stress filled moments when you are envisioning everything that could go wrong, going wrong. The acronym that came to me when a client was having the daytime version of worrying was this… W Wasted O Overwhelm R Ruining R Radiant Y You The thing is she wasn’t alone. I get a number of clients that I have to talk off the ledge as the saying goes because of too much worry leading to hopelessness. What is the story you tell yourself when you allow worry to squeeze out the picture of your dreams and hopes for today, heading right into tomorrow? How much of your time, energy and efforts do you spend worrying about something that never comes to fruition? Or how often do things just not happen at all because you are worrying so much. Leaving you worse off because of the worry not so much because of what you are worrying about. Feelings of rejection, fear, shame, stress, depression and loneliness are just a few of the emotions that worrying can lead us towards. Not a pretty picture. Especially, if we do it on a regular basis. The worst part, if we allow worry to fully take over our mindset we can end up either taking no action because we get ourselves into such a state of overwhelm, or we come towards the problem or situation with such hesitation that we never gain full momentum in the action we want to achieve. Here is an exercise to help you start to get the upper hand of your worries by taking action… Write down everything and I mean everything you are worried about right now or have been worried about in the last 30 days. The key here is to be specific. For example, don’t just write the word money (a top worrier topic), write something to the tune of – Creating enough money to pay the mortgage. Then ask yourself the reason for that worry, how long you have you been having this worry, and then what action steps can you take to keep the issue you are worried about from happening. In other words, the more we can really hone in on what the source of where the worry is coming from, the more we can actually find the solutions through action steps to eliminate the worry. I have created a Worry Less Worksheet that you can download here. Keep it handy and the next time you are in that place start taking matters into your own hands. Worry less, smile more. In fact, try it right now – smile – yes I mean really smile. It’s funny how this simple action can make our troubles dissipate as well. Sing those words to the song … Don’t Worry – Be happy! Looking to increase your profitability with less stress? Join my Business Coaching Program: http://businessvictories.com/program

One man gathers what another man spills. – Grateful Dead Last week I took our 2018 tax info out to the barn to put it away in the boxes of other long term stored paperwork. As I stepped into the barn – well we call it a barn and others might call it a large shed – the amount of stuff we were “long term” storing took my breath away. It’s not that I hadn’t seen the barrage of stuff building up in this barn for years, but suddenly in that moment, I realized that what was a quick task to put away paperwork was about to become a quest I knew I had to conquer! What sat there in the barn before me was generations of “stuff” that had all found its way here. Things left behind from my parents, grandparents and even great grandparents. My kids precious items from their childhood and stuff that they had brought back home when they returned after their first trip out into the world to find themselves. Now my grown children are gone again exploring their lives in other places and have left all that stuff here as well. Between inheriting things that were hard to let go of for sentimental reasons, holding on to things of my own past, and my children leaving things behind for us to “hold on to” my stuff cup was way over flowing. What really hit me was how things that once held meaning to me and my family someone else could benefit from the “stuff” that had been sitting here for years that was still in good shape. There of course were things that were in not such good shape and I had to make the choice of what to do with it. I started sorting, recycling, tossing and getting ready to give a whole bunch of stuff to charity. Sure, I could have taken the time to sell it on e-bay or somewhere else but I just needed to quickly let it go while I was in the right mindset and the charity of my choosing could use the donation. In the days that followed as I discarded many of the items, I found myself finding a part of myself that I had been missing. Who I am today was having a hard time letting go of the past because there was so much of it keeping me stuck there. We can find ourselves buried in memories of other people’s lives. Or a life that we once had that will never be again. There can be so much sadness in the loss that we cling on to items as if they will bring that part of our life back. Of course, it won’t and only stops us from fully being who we are today and what lies ahead of us. What I realize as I write these words in this letter to you is that all the stuff keeps us from the joy that today has to offer. As you read this, ask yourself if there something you may find missing in your life that could be covered up with lots of stuff from the past. Stuff that, as celebrity organizer Marie Kondo says, can begin to “bring the joy” to other people that once brought joy to you or one of your loved ones. When we can’t find the forest through the trees the time comes to clear it away in a way that is respectful to your memories and also respectful to the earth. Tomorrow is Earth day and a great time to be mindful of the stuff we accumulate because bottom-line we are not taking it with us when we leave this planet. Do we want to leave it for others to have to be burdened with all of it? Do we want to have it end up in a land fill somewhere? And truth be told the “stuff” can keep us from fully be who we are meant to be while we are here. While this story is to be continued as I still have a many, many hours left of my clearing work to be done in the barn I am emerging with a new perspective. This perspective will keep me moving forward to get my important life work done. Would love to hear from you and your experience with your own “stuff.” Wishing you lots of great clearing as well in the week ahead and Happy Earth Day! *NEW* Join the Business Growth Mastermind: businessvictories.com/mastermind

This week’s Victory Letter message has been coming to me from so many directions. Starting with the podcast I had the honor to record a few weeks back that I am sharing with you today. The podcast is with Erin Bagwell the creator behind the documentary Dream, Girl. I will share more about that podcast here in a second, but first want to have you think about this burning question for this week. Are you fully asking for what you want on a regular basis especially around the money you need to run your business and your life? And I mean full out asking, not implying or hoping that it will happen - being bold enough to point blank ask for what you want. The truth is most people are not – especially women. There are a variety of reasons for this with the biggest one being that we are not asking for our fair share. In fact, a Google search brought me these staggering statistics of overall earnings in the US as of 2018: · 70,075,212 people earned under $25,000 – 42.85% · 44,496,340 people earned between $20,000 and 50,000 – 27.21% · 34,098,312 people earned between $50,000 and $100,000 – 20.85% · 11,528,382 people earned between $100,000 and $200,000 -7.05% · 3,322,360 people earned over $200,000 – 2.03% I don’t share this to depress you – after all this is the Victory Letter – I share it to inspire you to start asking for what your talents warrant instead of someone else telling you your value. To look honestly at your current income and what you can do to make the needed changes to increase your revenue. Sometimes we can be buried in debt because we aren’t earning enough and the financial hole can seem to just get bigger and bigger. In my podcast interview Erin shares her great success in raising $100,000 to make the Dream, Girl film such a big success including a screening of the documentary at the White House during the Obama Administration and being a part of Oprah’s top 100 list. Erin also then told me how after the film started to wane down she suddenly found herself $20,000 in new business debt. She shared 4 elements in how she quickly got herself on a new path. Face it – Stop blaming anyone else and looking the debt straight on. Get out a whiteboard and make a plan. Start paying yourself first! (Interesting how as business owners we tend to pay ourselves last.) Write out your Financial Manifesto including asking for what you want. With these ideas from Erin (be sure and listen to much more in the podcast), and looking at your own annual income magic number, empower yourself to ask for what you want. While it may not happen instantaneously, consistency makes a great asking companion. *NEW* Join the Business Growth Mastermind: businessvictories.com/mastermind

Can I grow? Is this a question you ever ask yourself? After all what does it mean to grow? For each of us it looks a bit different – however, many of the components are the same. Growth is one of those key elements in life.  Whether we are growing intellectually, growing our varied relationships or growing our bank accounts.  Each effort of growth requires some key elements that allow the growing to happen. As I begin the task this month of nurturing my garden back to life I can’t help but consider the important elements that allow my garden to grow. For many years I have shared the analogy between my garden and growing a business because quite frankly they hold so many similarities of work, joy, and sorrow. Growth after all is chocked full of all kinds of surprises. Most of us have had a love that we lost along the way that as time went on actually helped us to grow as a person. It uncovered some raw feelings in us that we didn’t even know existed. This opens us up to be more authentic when the “right” person comes along. Perhaps we have some money triggers that keep us stuck with our money growth. Whether they stem from some financial misstep along the way or not fully learning to deal with money, acknowledging our current attitude with money is the first step. Growth all starts with a desire and a dream for what you want to become. Is it happier, wealthier or maybe even wiser? As I plant the seeds in my garden in the weeks ahead I am not sure what will happen. Some seeds will grow and some will not. What I do know to be true is that when I pay full attention to nurturing the soil and giving the seeds ample water, what is meant to grow will grow! It’s interesting when you grow seedlings indoors too far away from the light source. They get pale and grow week. However, move those same plants closer to the light and they are able to become stronger than ever before. Surround yourself with the people, thoughts and experiences that inspire you to grow. Happy planting! *NEW* Join the Business Growth Mastermind: businessvictories.com/mastermind