Happy New Year: Selling Yourself....Every Day

In some of my talks, I share with my audience how we sell ourselves every day. Before you say, "Naaa, I don't do that," bear with me and see how, intentional or not, you sell yourself.

Now, I'm not talking about 'selling out' or participating in the 'world's oldest profession.' I'm talking about the perception others have of you due to how you:

1. Speak
2. Treat others
3. Present Yourself

Do you speak words of wisdom and kindness? Do you treat others according to the Golden Rule? Do you present yourself like a professional or give in to emotions / whims? (Okay, y'all, maybe I do act on a whim once in a while...)

People are watching, and once you realize that, it may cause you to live life differently. You and I have an influence, good or bad, on others. And, now that we realize this, we can choose to accept it in the following ways:

• Acknowledge the truth and resolve to live life better.
• Acknowledge the truth and decide you really don't care.
• Dismiss the truth and continue to live your life just the way you are. (Which may be a fine way to live...or not.)

I was talking with a friend recently. He shared that a speaker who, on the surface, really seems to have it all together, has tarnished her 'professional' reputation in the way she handles her personal life in public: drunkenness, flying off the handle, being manipulative and devious. This is more than enough to prevent me from inviting her to speak to any organization or share the stage with me. In business, it's more than important to be able to trust those with whom you trust the reputation of your business.

So, it goes in life. No matter what business you're in, people are watching who YOU are. You truly are selling an image of yourself every day, who you are. And it matters.

Today, I happened to read a blog post by Darren LaCroix. If you aren't on Darren's Stage Time newsletter email list, sign up now. You can thank me later. In this particularly post, "Stage Time: Bill Cosby, O.J., and You?" Darren shares that we have an opportunity to influence others around us by example. He says: People close to us are watching our actions more closely than the words they hear us say. (Click here to read the entire post.)

You're still here? Seriously, go read Darren's post. He says it all.

And remember, you really do sell yourself every single day. You don't have to be perfect. Just be you, the authentic you. And make sure you're selling who you want the world to see.

Imperfect but working on it,

Jean

Jean Bailey Robor is that “No Buts About It” speaker who simply wants you to lead happier, more successful lives. Getting past what’s holding you back and changing your mindset can put you on that path to better living. Click here to book Jean for your next event!

Wanna Be

Have you ever wanted to be something or someone you’re not? Then you know how I feel.

When I was a child, I was short. You too? My family called me “Little Jean.” My friends called me “short.” My mom called me “petite.” She still does. Yes, I haven’t changed much. I stopped growing (vertically) when I was in 9^th grade, topping out at 5’2”. (I wish I’d stopped growing horizontally!)

If you happen to look at any group pictures I’m in, especially family pics, chances are I’m the most vertically challenged. When I give presentations, I’m the one that steps out from behind the lectern. Not just because I’m brave. Those things make me feel short. (Lecterns with fixed mics are not my friend.) And, for all you tall fellas out there, I’m the girl in the grocery store that asks you, “Please, can you reach that box of Cheerios on the top shelf?” And for some of you tall fellas out there, that is not a clever way to get to meet you; I really CAN’T reach that high. (But, every once in a while, when no one’s looking, I can climb that high. Shhh….don’t tell the folks at Wal-Mart!)

So, this morning, as I was walking into work on a bright and sunny day, I was thrilled to see this wanna be tall & skinny girl had achieved her life-long dream. There I was, as plain as day, on the sidewalks of downtown Burlington, my tall and skinny shadow proclaiming my transformation. And, wow, was it tall and skinny! I mean, I was looking good in all my silhouetted 7-ft glory. I even felt my step get a little lighter, my posture improve and the early morning brain fog begin to lift. All because I saw myself, not so much the way I am but the way I want to be.

In reality, of course, I had not grown one inch. In reality, I will never grow taller, except when I step into a pair of high, high, really high heels. In reality, I could grow skinnier. (Never hurts to dream!)

Now, if I go out at noon, my shadow will be equally as deceiving: shorter and wider. Ouch! And that perception of me will not raise my spirits.

Today, I realized that even if there are things I cannot change, it’s okay. I need to accept them and move on. For those things I can change, I continually identify them and make a plan to change them. No matter what, I try my best to keep my eye on the end goal. Sure, there may be times when, like that shorter and wider shadow, I lose my focus and can’t see past the negativity. It happens. It may happen to you too. A good way to get past that is to evaluate, every day, your growth and progress toward your success. If you aren’t growing, you aren’t going anywhere.

Sometimes we have to accept who we are in order to move on successfully. Sometimes we can become who we want to be and that moves us closer to success. Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is two-fold:

1. What unchangeable thing can you identify today and choose to accept?
2.  What can you change to move closer to success and how will you do that, starting now?

Yes, I’m a wanna be. And each day I’m moving closer to what and who I want to be. Are you?

Jean

From a Galaxy Far, Far Away...

As you begin this new year, let's take a moment to look back, way back, to a time when you had dreams and goals and excitement about reaching them. It may seem far away in the past. It may seem like they've been left in a galaxy far, far away...unreachable.

Today, I encourage you to dust off those dreams. A new year is a brand new opportunity to begin again. It's a great time to leave the past disappointments, the past broken promises, the past failures, all those broken New Year's resolutions right where they belong. In the past.

Some of us begin each new year with a list of resolutions. One of my long-time favorites is: I will lose weight this year! As you can imagine, before the first 30 days are up, I've reverted back to my old habits. So, this year, I decided to trick myself, to not wait until January 1st to make that resolution, but to begin working toward it in November, the day after Thanksgiving. That's right. Black Friday. There could be no better name for the day I began working out than that.

It all started when I learned how to use the Wii. The Wii Fit Plus to be exact. The cool thing was, I decided to trick myself into thinking this was 'just for fun.' I knew if I could keep myself thinking it was fun, I was more apt to use it and thus to get in shape and, even possibly, lose a little weight.

If you've ever used a Wii Fit, you know that, once you've created your Mii character, you then step up on the board and it weighs you. And it did. There was no lying to the thing. Immediately, my little Mii became a slightly bigger Mii. (Okay, I was being kind. It was more than 'slightly.' Oh, so much more!) And that was motivation enough. Now I'm on a mission to make my Mii thinner. And the only way to do that is to make this 'me' thinner. So, for me, this is what 2012 holds.

Of course, there are other goals I've resolved to accomplish. I want to grow personally and professionally and help others do the same. I want to move past my big 'buts' (those things that are holding me back). And, the cool thing is, I know I can.

What's even better is, I know YOU can. Whether you make a New Year's resolution or not, I encourage you to use this new beginning to begin anew. To dust off those dreams, those goals. To reach into that galaxy far, far away and resolve to live your best life, right now

I wish you a very happy, very successful new beginning. Today is yours. Make it so.

Jean