Yes, I said bad!

Most people think of the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign as a good thing – and it does have its merit. It encourages women to get checked – and check themselves for breast cancer. People have used BCAM to get the message out about the importance of good nutrition, regular exercise, and reducing stress.  It has brought more open discussion, lessening the sense of isolation people with breast cancer and their families feel. BCAM has also encouraged donations, not only for research but to help women and their families struggling with this challenging illness.

So what's the problem here? You may think well, the goal of BCAM is to promote mammograms as the most effective tool against breast cancer – something that is more controversial than in years past. And most of us have heard of the side effects of drugs, chemotherapy and radiation. But that just points to the importance of making informed decisions.

But there are side effects of this annual event and those pink ribbons that are far more dangerous. For many women, BCAM and those pink ribbons are triggering  a state of fear – fear that for some has even become chronic. Not the hoped for bit of fear promoters of BCAM believe will drive women to get checked and treated. But a state of fear that getting breast cancer is all but inevitable at some point in their life. 1 in 8 – sounds very close, frighteningly likely.  We're bombarded by TV, print ads, other media, and pamphlets  in the supermarket or in our doctors' offices encouraging us to look at our circle of friends and wonder if we will be that 1. And according to BreastCancer.org, breast cancer is a fear like no other and the most significant risk factors for this cancer are being a woman and getting older. Hmm… Doesn't give you much feeling of control does it.

Fear – this type of fear is extremely dangerous. It can cause women to put off or refuse to get checked altogether, ignore lumps or other symptoms that  could mean breast cancer. Chronic fear  – even if below our level of consciousness – can effect every organ and system of our body and our health. It affects our circulation, nervous system, immune system. If affects our skin, our weight, our temper, and our ability to sleep. Ultimately, fear can make us more susceptible and less able to heal from the very condition we are trying to overcome.

Fear can also makes us feel vulnerable and helpless, leading to mental, emotional and energetic patterns that make you more susceptible to cancer or any illness and negatively impacts your ability to heal. There are incredible stories of people who lived – and died – in seeming contradiction to medical facts (my father was among them).

Mindset is key to staying healthy and recovering from any dis-ease. Our mindset is affected by conscious as well as unconscious factors including  our beliefs and fears, and the subtle and not so subtle messages around us. We live in a society with huge fears of cancer. Ask and most women will tell you that cancer is at the top of the list of what they're most afraid of. It brings images of losing their breasts, their hair, their desirability, their life. Fear has the power to bring about the very thing we fear the most.  And resistance – we all know the expression, "You get what you resist'"

And those pink ribbons, tee shirts, cell phones and all the rest of the breast cancer awareness paraphernalia  may be triggering way more than a trip to the doctor. In fact,  the prime associations with pink may no longer be girly, frilly things. We may have moved from the "pink of health" to pink triggering our deepest fears of ill health and feelings of lack of control.

So, am I saying – ditch Breast Cancer Awareness Month and put your head in the sand? 

No, not at all. Next week I will blog on how to turn these negatives into  positives and give yourself the best chance of avoiding breast cancer or healing and staying well if you get it.

And in the meantime, go over to my Resource section and read an article I wrote 6 years while sitting with my cousin about to have a biopsy: Genetics and Illness: Truth and Myths.

Let me make myself very clear on this point:  I don’t like the term anti-aging.  I will use it from time to time because it’s in the vernacular.  I will use it because, as anyone who knows how search engines work, a website gets more hits if it uses highly searched words – and ‘anti-aging’ is a highly searched word.  But I don’t like it. 

Anti-aging is hot button issue.  Along with hundreds of thousands of internet searches a month, people are putting their money where their mouse is. Anti-aging products is currently a $170 billion industry and all projections point to stratospheric sales in the years to come.

So, what's my beef with the anti-aging?  The term works against the very thing it wants to accomplish. Anti turns aging into an enemy.  It assumes and applies characteristics and limitations not only to aging but to what you can do about it.  Someone else – not  you – is defining what aging is for you and how you are going to age.  And then it makes you fight against it.  When you perceive the enemy, you tense up and fight – and you’re fighting on someone else’s terms. It’s exhausting.  Now add the rule: what you resist persists.  What you create is a never-ending spiral where the only alternative given is age or die. 

I’ve worked in the field of anti-aging for years. It always surprises me that the same people who had massive plans, goals, and objectives for their business, their careers, creating wealth, getting married, planning a family, even setting up schedules for buying and selling houses to keep moving forward, have little or  no plans or concepts of their own when it comes to aging.  Aging becomes this abyss that exerts a gravitational force that pulls us into it.  And we’re going into that abyss like lemmings. 

Even if you don’t feel that way, tell the truth: how much control do you believe you have?  Do you believe you can change the total foundation and direction of aging?  If you believe you can look better, do you believe there is a limit?  Do you really want those limits?

Hear this: there is an alternative.  It’s aging on your terms or what I call Ageless Living.  It’s about you. It’s about what you want now in your life.  And it’s about shattering those limitations and getting it.  It’s about shedding and freeing yourself of those hackneyed images and perceptions about what  aging is.  And when you stop accepting those limitations, you stop creating that reality.  

So, whether you’re 20, 40, 60, or 90 years old, it’s time to stop aging and start living.  And start living on your terms.

Which Mouse Would You Rather Be?

This video shows the results of controlled feeding study of two genetically identical mice. Both mice in the video were the equivalent of 96 years old in human years. Both mice were fed a normal diet; however one of the mice was also fed an additional ingredient that is included in the ageLOC Vitality Supplement. During the study, both mice were treated humanely. Don't worry – both mice were treated humanely and both were allowed to live a full life. The mouse on the right, is still alive and well at the human equivalent of over 150 years.

Kids, dogs and yes, birds, too. They’re my soft spot and my passion.  If I could, my home would be packed to the rafters with even more of them than I have now (two kids with unlimited friends, six dogs, and a bird). I feel for anyone who’s hungry or in need but children and animals – those who can't take care of themselves and depend on the kindness of others – hit a place in my heart that flips on the “do something” switch.

Eleven years ago, when I was in Vietnam, it tore at my heart watching children and toddlers on the street, begging to feed their family. We met an incredible little girl.  She was ten years old and she had been taking care of her family since she was four!  She used to join us as we explored Ho Chi Minh City. Unable to attend school, she lacked formal education which she made up for with a huge heart and tons of street smarts. She was the source of income, the source of food, the source of life for her mother and younger brother. Their very existence depended on this beautiful, loving little girl.

My instinct was to pick her up and bring her home with us to the States and it broke my heart that I couldn't. The memories of her darling little face and her indomitable spirit have never left me. 

So many years later, I’ve found a way to help. I may not be able to feed her, but I can help children like her.  And I can make a significant difference in the lives of children around the world.

Now, partnered with Nourish the Children, I can reach children in the neediest areas of the world: from Malawi and Vietnam where poverty and hunger is the daily routine, to disaster areas such as Haiti after the earthquake and New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Nourish the Children is an amazing initiative.  No, it's not about just giving money which gets funneled out to who knows where. You are directly purchasing and donating food – nutritionally designed food targeted to nourish the brain and bones of malnourished children. By donating product rather than cash, donors know exactly how their contribution is being used and can be assured that their donation is making a difference in the lives of children. In some countries, donors receive a receipt for tax purposes from the charity partner for their in-kind donation of VitaMeal.

In addition, Nourish the Children makes it possible for children and families to get food and an education. It gives families incentives to send their children to school because Vitameal is distributed primarily through schools and community centers.

Nourish the Children works in collaboration with Feed the Children.  Feed The Children is one of the largest international charities in the United States, which specializes in distributing millions of pounds of food each year to families in more than 60 countries. The charity partner distributes the donated VitaMeal at no additional costs and provides regular reports documenting the receipt of food by those in need.  So, I purchase Vitameal bags of food that are then donated to feed these children.

I've made a commitment to find people to join me to feed 1000 children a month. A tax deductible $22 feeds one child a substantial meal of Vitameal for a month or provides one meal for 30 hungry kids. The food is not only targeted nutrition, it’s been formulated to be made as it is or cooked with local food staples – spices, vegetables, and protein when it’s available – so it retains a cultural flavor. And the kids really like it. I've seen videos of the children sharing and relishing their meals. One day I look forward to being there in person, joining in with others who donate to see first hand the comfort and joy Nourish the Children brings.

If you’d like to help, I'd appreciate your support.  Give whatever you can afford.  You can set up a monthly donation to feed one child a month or five or ten children. You can make a one time donation.  It’s up to you and any donation is always appreciated.

Also, if you know others who could also help me in this mission, I'd appreciate the connection.

Please give me a call or email me if you'd like to help me make a difference.  Just click here to contact me.

I was listening to a business channel the other day when one of the pundits made the comment that “a paid mortgage is now the new BMW.”  Interesting how perceptions change!  And interesting all the more since I had just finished a conversation with a client who was worried about how the changing economy was creating conflicts in his branding and what could he do about it.

The one constant that your branding should have – no matter what the economy – is that you’re on top of your game.  How do you achieve that?  By not only positioning your branding but backing that positioning with energetic support.

Look at the difference in the messages being sent in the examples below:

• You’re making cut backs because you’re keeping your business ‘lean and mean’ vs. you’re making cut backs because they’re necessary, business is shaky, or you’re struggling to survive.
• You’re cutting back prices in an effort to help and serve your client vs. you need to get rid of inventory.
• You found a great way to save money (i.e. on rent on a new office space) and spin it (our new location will serve you better) vs. you’re moving to less expensive digs in an effort to stay alive.
• You’re calling your clients and discussing if and how their needs are changing so you can help them out vs. you’re struggling to find something that works.

The message your branding sends on a conscious and non-conscious level is all-important to your clients because of the perception that it establishes.

Backing your branding with optimal energetic support gives your clients the perception that you’re in control, clever, imaginative, creative, viable, and you know what you’re doing.  You’re on top of your game. You’re sending them a message of permanence and giving your client a reason to have confidence in you.

Being on top of your game is always the best branding – no matter what you’re doing or what the economy is.  But you can’t fake it.  You really do need to be on top of your game.

How can you be sure you’re sitting on top of Mt.Your-Name and that your branding is working for you?  Answer these 5 questions for a quick evaluation:

1. Through what filter are you viewing your business, your finances, and      your market?  Do you see them with potential and opportunity or are you viewing them through a prism of fear and hesitancy?
2. What messages are you sending?  And not just verbally (although check to see if you sound frustrated, worried, whiny, angry or helpless).  What is your branding saying to your clients?
3. Are you carrying your branding all the way through?  Are you, your messages, your office, your website, your ads, etc., all in sync and sending the same message?  Check every area of your business so you don’t wind up wearing the proverbial brown shoes with a tuxedo.
4. Are you listening to – and hearing – what your clients’ changing needs are? Are you adapting to them?
5. Are you proactive?  Are you adapting not only your business to the changing economy but your branding as well?

Far too many small business people or solo-preneurs don’t realize that their branding is as crucial to them as branding is to Coca-Cola, Rolls Royce, Starbucks or your favorite candy bar. And it has to be nurtured, groomed, and kept up-to-date.

In my Free Teleseminar for my workshop “Game’s On! The Rules for Being On Top of Your Game in the Changing Economy,” I address how to break free of negative prisms that can distort your branding as well as the way you run your business.  And I’ll also teach you how to adapt and be on top of your game – in any economy.

Branding isn’t a one shot deal.  That means your branding has to be evaluated regularly to make sure it’s in alignment with you, your business, and the changing economy.

Communicating via computer – even when it’s social media – removes our physical presence. For many people, the absence of an in-person connection relaxes or removes our usual social strictures.  When you mix in the current economy, bad business advice, and the hype from media and sales programs (Overnight Millionaire – Make Money While You Sleep!), the boundaries are removed even more, especially for people who are feeling financially desperate. And when you add tactics that promise huge numbers of followers quickly and with no effort by using auto-responders and number generators   to social media, along with the belief that there’s an opportunity to make money with them, perfectly nice people turn into perfectly not-so-nice jerks.

While the question of “Why are people behaving like this?” was interesting enough to me, the psychotherapist side of my brain piped up with what I thought was an equally, if not more, compelling question:  Why are we not just getting annoyed, but becoming over-the-edge upset about it?  Is the passion and the anger of the “spammees” out of proportion?  After all, aren’t our mail boxes filled with junk mail?  Aren’t our dinners interrupted by telemarketers?  Isn’t this the same thing?

In a word: no.

You’ve heard me talk about how important “connection” is.  And nothing highlights the importance of connecting and the affects it has on your branding and business more than this issue.

As much as we like or don’t like what comes into our mailbox, we don’t have a connection to the mailbox.  Even though the phone is inside our house and may interrupt our dinner, we don’t have and aren’t trying to make a connection with the telemarketer.  But social media is based on connection.  And if you want to know how important that connection is, just try insulting it, abusing it, offending it, or ignoring it altogether.

And that’s what’s going on.  That’s what auto-DMs do.  And that’s what’s causing the angry frenzy.

These auto-DMs are being seen as in-your-face, rude, and at the same time rendering you invisible.

Many of us have heard the “twitter being compared to a cocktail party” analogy.  But add auto-DMs and you add another layer to the story.  Here goes:

Imagine being at a cocktail party and someone walks up to you, stretches out their hand and says, “I’ve been trying to meet you. It’s so nice to have the pleasure of finally doing so.”  You smile back and say, “It’s nice to meet you, too.”  And without warning, the other person quickly walks away and is immediately replaced by his robot that shoves a sales flyer in your face.

No one would accept that behavior.  But that’s exactly what you’re doing if you’re using auto-DMs inappropriately.

You can take pains at building your branding and taking it into every aspect of business including your social media pages.  But that one auto-DM you send, is going to snap that point of connection and unravel all of your efforts.  Your brand is going to be damaged.

And the potential clients you were looking for?  I’m listening to the outpouring: We don’t like. Please stop it. And if that’s the way you do business, please go away.

Points of connection have to be nurtured in order to grow.  Don’t kill them when they’re seedlings.

Twitter users are fed up with the auto responses they’re being deluged with from people they’ve just met. And, frankly, I am too. And the question I’m being asked is “Why are they doing this?”

So, here’s the skinny on the why: Even though a site like Twitter may be the closest thing to a face-to-face contact on the internet, the interaction still lacks a physical presence. No eye contact. No voice. No body language. For a lot of people, that lack of a body puts a dent in or actually removes their social etiquette. (I didn’t say it was right, this is only an explanation of “why.”)

Add to that the current economy, bad business advice, and the hype from media and sales programs (Make Money While You Sleep! Get Rich Quick!). People who are feeling financially desperate buy into the hype easily. And when you translate that hype and those programs to social media, once again the filter required for social appropriateness disappears. So perfectly nice people turn into perfectly not-so-nice jerks – fast.

It also doesn’t help that: 1) many of these ‘get rich quick’ schemes that target using social media sell the lack of connection via number generators and auto responders as part of the package. 2) many people in the twitterverse who normally do know better are using these practices simply because they believe there’s an opportunity to make money by using them. And 3) people don’t vet the so-called experts they’re learning from and, therefore, are modeling inappropriate behavior.

So, if you’re being annoyed – that’s the basics of why they’re doing it. If you’re reading this and you’re a guilty party – you may want to reconsider doing what you’re doing. And if knowing that you’re annoying people isn’t enough to make you stop, consider this: the very tactics and behaviors that you think you’re using to gain potential clients are actually turning them off – big time!

That’s the why. But I came up with another question: Why are we getting so upset about this? Aren’t the auto responders just another version of junk mail and telemarketing phone calls? You think? They’re not.

In the meantime, anybody up for a “Do Not Spam” registry for twitter or a “Stop The Spam Tuesday”?

The answer is none of them, all of them, and some I didn’t even list.  What I see happening is that users gravitate to the site(s) where they feel most comfortable.  And that’s where they ‘work it.’  That’s great if all you want from a site is the social community.

But if you’re looking to maximize and monetize (what I call ‘Remembering Your M&Ms) your business, platform, or expertise, choosing a site based on comfortability or fun may be all wrong.

If you want to use the Social Media for business and promotion, you need to start setting up a Power Grid.  Here’s a few tips on how to decide where you need to be:

• Know the site. Each site has its own branding, it’s own demographics, it’s own purpose.
• Know why you want to use Social Media. If you only want to socialize, pick a site, kick back and enjoy. If you want more, be clear about what you want: Promotion? Marketing? Affiliates? Clients? Information? Visibility? Customer relations?
• According to what you want, find the site that’s going to give you the most bang for the time you spend on it. Learn how to intersect who you are and what you want with what a particular site has to offer. And learn the culture of marketing on the site.
• Factor in your personality and style. It’s a crucial element for success.
• Branch out. It’s dangerous to depend on one site. A change in policy or a mistake on your part (even if it’s inadvertent) could close you out of that site forever. Do you really want to have to start over from scratch?

Even though you may have a favorite restaurant, it doesn’t mean that it’s the only one you go to.  You have a need for a more upscale restaurant, a carry out restaurant, fast food, health food, ethnic, late night, early morning – you get the picture.  Each serves a purpose and what kind of place it is dictates how good or bad it is for you, if and with what frequency you go there, and how you dress and act.  The same holds true for Social Media sites.  Have your favorite but take advantage of the variety.

So what sites are you using?  Which ones are helping you the most and why?  I’m interested in hearing your take!

I’ve been watching the latest ice and snow storm rip through the center and the eastern half of the country and couldn’t help but find parallels between people trying to drive in the storm and how entrepreneurs are handling the recession.

The weather channel ran a continuous loop of cars and trucks on the road that, without warning, would begin to fish-tail out of control.  The back end of the car going in a direction that was never meant to be.  I could see the drivers with their white-knuckled hands clutched on the steering wheel valiantly trying to bring their car under control to once again get it headed in the right direction without getting hurt in the process.

Some skilled drivers (and some lucky) tacitly and gently controlled the skid, reigned in the car, and proceeded once more.  I could almost hear the pounding of their heart and their heavy breath of relief as the car responded to their will.  The more unfortunate did a grotesque ballet of skidding left and right before pirouetting out of complete control and sliding into another car, a gully or worse.

So many of the entrepreneurs I know are like those drivers.  The recession has thrown ice on the road for all of us.  Those who know how to respond will be on top of their game and navigate their way through.  Others won’t be so fortunate.

And just like the skilled driver who knows to turn in the direction of the skid to get control, entrepreneurs need to know their own type of defensive driving maneuvers.

Here are 5 Defensive Business tips to keep your wheels on the road:

1. Know what the road conditions are.  Get a good knowledge base about what the recession means to your business.  How is it affecting your industry – in good ways as well as bad.  Where are the likely areas where business could change?  How can you prepare for it, take advantage of it or head it off?
2. Keep your cool.  It’s easy to fall prey to fear, frustration or anger.  But you need to recognize those emotions, hear what those emotions are telling you, and then move through them without letting them become a prism through which you run your business.
3. Be vigilant about what’s going on around you.  Now more than ever, you need to Power Connect with your clients to know what their needs are and discover what new ways you can serve them.
4. Keep a safe distance from the herd.  Instead of following the herd mentality, make that Power Connection with yourself to know who you are and what you want.  It’s the only way to know if the decisions you’re making are the right ones for you.
5. Look for the dry patches.  Even in a recession opportunity doesn’t go into hiding. Learn to be on top of your game so you can recognize opportunity, create opportunity, seize it and use it to its fullest advantage.

By knowing what the driving conditions are, keeping your cool, being vigilant, cutting yourself away from the herd, and aiming for the dry patch, you avoid the collision that may otherwise be inevitable.

And one more thing:  Even though the ice storm may be grabbing your attention, remember your destination.  Keep your eye on the future so what you do today helps lay the path for tomorrow.

Let’s start with What is a Power Connection?

First, the difference between a connection and a Power Connection is the difference between lighting a dark room with a flashlight or a flood lamp.  A flashlight only allows you to see a glimpse.  What you see as related to the whole is left in question. Turn on a flood lamp and suddenly nooks and alcoves become visible.  Details and patterns come into focus.  You see the overall view and how everything works together to produce the whole.  And opportunities and potential are illuminated everywhere.

A Power Connection supports, enables, allows, drives, inspires, creates, and has the power to see beyond.  It’s honest, deep, reciprocal, respectful, and adds immeasurably to your life and your ability to accomplish what you want.

Say the word ‘connection’ and people think ‘person-to-person’ connection.  And that’s true. But Power Connections happen between more than people. The opportunity for Power Connections exists in every aspect of your life.  It’s right there in everything from your connection with who you are, what you want, your Big Vision, and your spirituality  to your family, your business, your branding, and the way you run your business – now and in the future.

And Power Connections happen on multi-dimensional levels:

• Mentally: A Power Connection gives you clarity, greater awareness, and depth of thinking.  It provides the springboard for innovation, creativity, and relevancy.  It increases your focus and flexibility.

• Emotionally: A Power Connection brings joy, happiness, fulfillment, and peace.  It allows you the ability to have a full range of feelings without getting or feeling trapped or stuck.

• Physically: A Power Connection strengthens you, gives you stamina and the ability to regenerate. It not only de-stresses but allows you the freedom to relax in the situation, and maintain balance and fluidity.

• Spiritually: A Power Connection enhances and brings you closer to who you are, closer to the Source (however you choose to define Source).

• Energetically: A Power Connection strengthens and supports who you are and what you want to do.  It provides the fuel to move you forward, strengthen your relationships, and encourage taking action.

So begin to build and deepen your Power Connections. Let them excite you and see how all of these dimensions and aspects become filaments in your web of connections which ultimately adds more power, more control and more richness to every area of your life.
My last blog generated so much excitement and resonated with so many different people from all walks of life. I want to thank all of you who responded, both on the blog and private emails, with your amazing stories. Many said how touched they were by my story. I want you to know that you, indeed, touched me.

I so value our Power Connection. And I look forward to being fueled by it in the coming year.

Power Connections are priceless.  And the only ingredient they need to grow is you.