I hope 2010 is the worse year of my life…it was a challenging year for me at best, and I am glad to have it behind me. So what can I do differently moving forward. Many people believe that karma continues to create opportunities for us to learn a lesson until we finally learn it. I can buy into that…so if that’s the case, how do we learn our lessons so we can finally move onto other growth opportunities.

I believe that we all have a limited capacity for stuff in our heads and hearts. So in order to make changes we need to first take inventory of where we are today…the great, the good, the bad and yes, the ugly. By writing our skills, characteristics, talents, faults, things we don’t like or want to continue doing individually on index cards.

Next sort through the index cards using the criteria of what we want to keep and be and what we no longer need or want in our lives.
Only then will we have the capacity to add new skills, talents, qualities and traits that we want to our lives. Set aside the pile that you don’t want.

And begin to add to the pile that you do want. This can be done through creating a vision board, or writing in a notebook, or whatever is meaningful for you.

You now know where you were and where you want to be and can create you actionable plan for 2011. Email me and let me know how this works and your progress.

Redlipsticklife@gmail.com

 Networking is becoming somewhat of a troublesome word.  It actually came from a book written by Anne Boe, in 1989 called Is Your Net Working?  Meaning, do you have the connections that you can help and can help you? Do you have the relationships with people who you want to work and share with and want to work and share with you?  It is really about relationships and connections, so is it time to change the word from networking to making connections if not verbally at least in our minds and perspectives?

Time and time again studies show that networking gets the best results for the best compensation faster than by any other means.

We all go to “Networking  events” armed with our memorized 30 second elevator speech or value statement.  We pump ourselves up using positive affirmations and on the way home think…everyone else sounded so memorized and insincere…and then you wonder, “do I sound like that,  no way, it can’t be… I am so passionate about what I do, really…do I…oh God, now what?”  And, “who do I ask to get honest feedback, because my friends and family aren’t going to these events, they don’t know what it’s like.”  And, the people who go to these events all sound the same.  Maybe, I’ll just not go to any events until after the New Year, nobody’s hiring now anyway.

However tempting it may be, staying home is not the best plan. The holidays are coming and the invitations to festivities are beginning to trickle in. These are truly great opportunities  to share ourselves with people and enjoy making new connections and re-establishing connections from our past. So, there must be some ways to make this work that don’t feel so smarmy and desperate.

“They say” that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing expecting different results. So, for this holiday season my challenge is to go to as many “networking events” and other events as possible and make your agenda to be to see what you can offer to others.  Some questions to ask yourself as you are walking into the event could be:

• How many people can I find that I can help be successful?
• How can I express myself with authenticity and sincerity and assist others?
• What skills and information do I have that I can share?
• What is the unique value that I offer to others?
• What have I recently learned that can help others?

This holiday season try something different and really come from a place of giving and see how your  connections and business relationships start to grow and build in order to start 2010 off with positive momentum.

Take care of yourself and the rest will fall into place.

Imagine the best-and you’ll usually get the best.”-Dan Zadra