Gratitude and Gifts

Recently I heard a woman share that she celebrated her birthday for as many days as she was old. Since my birthday is early December, actually on Pearl Harbor Day, I decided to start my birthday "party" this month and continue celebrating until the end of the year!

I am overflowing with gratitude this year. I've been blessed in so many ways. You may have seen the family photos in previous issues. Family is at the top of my gratitude list along with my spiritual connection.

I am also so grateful to have found the profession of coaching. I feel as though my entire life has been preparation for my work. Not only have I had the experience of teaching and training for well over 25 years, but I also have had life events that have resulted in my developing amazing wisdom and empathy for others and their own life challenges.

I invite you to make November be a month of gratitude for you as we move toward the USA holiday of Thanksgiving. With all the hustle and bustle of preparation for Thanksgiving and Christmas, sometimes this element of thanks is actually lost in the process.

Earlier this month I had the opportunity to give a gift to some third and fourth grade children. Their classroom receives a lot of donated books, but the books are not organized enough for easy access. Not only will this classroom have a library system for the books, but they will also have comfortable furniture to encourage their love of reading. These students are from low-income homes that do not have the resources at home that we are used to having for our children. Many of them have learning challenges.

How much more productive these children will be when they can find an appropriate book right in their classroom! Learning the love of reading is one of the systems to becoming a successful student. One of my biggest joys is going to the library or the bookstore to peruse and choose great books. I envision these children developing this same passion!

Where can you make a difference? I invite you to be open to opportunities to give where your heart is.

Drum roll please!

In exchange for your donation to a charity that speaks to your heart, I am entering your name into a drawing. You will have the opportunity to win a month of coaching that will get you started on creating some systems for sustainability in your business and in your life. Yes, you read that right! One month of coaching!
This coaching package includes three scheduled 45-minute sessions and unlimited email communication.

I made this offer for the first 10 people to respond and beyond those 10 I will put your names in a hat and draw out 5 more names! Call me crazy, but I love connecting with other conscious business people!

suzanne@suzanneholman.com 602.375.0617 877.808.5058 toll free

Appreciate Your Strengths

"My strengths?
Hmmmm. Let me think for a minute."

If you hesitate when asked what your strengths are, you are not alone. What happens for us is that we are so used to being with ourselves that we don't even notice an outstanding trait we have. It takes someone else observing us and actually telling us for us to realize our gifts.

Take a little time this holiday season to give others feedback as to what you see in them. It could be a great activity at a holiday meal for everyone to share thoughts on what strengths everyone has. What can be difficult is listening carefully and really accepting what you hear from others. It's all too easy to just say and feel that it's nothing. Receive the gift of acknowledgment you are being given.

Another hazard to appreciating our strengths is that we judge ourselves harshly if we don't have the strengths that someone else has. We are all very different. Assessments that measure our behavioral styles show that over and over again. There are many highly regarded tools available including those that have others answer questions about you that will give you another perspective other than just your own. Platinum Rule Assessment is one of these "360 assessments". This term, "360", is used to describe that you are receiving input from the full circle of your business and personal associates.

Recently my older sister and I took an informal assessment measuring our behavioral styles. We found out that we were exact opposites. We each acknowledged that we would like to have characteristics of the other. From sharing that experience of looking at our strengths, we walked away with a greater appreciation for each other and for ourselves.

For years I've been critical of myself for not being more "left-brained" like the rest of my family. These characteristics are also the ones applauded most in school where we are expected to "stay inside the lines" and be very neat and organized.

It's not that I'm terribly unorganized, but I have the judgment that I should do things one certain way. My creativity has me doing things in very different ways from how others might do them.

This can work the opposite way for someone who has trouble being creative. It could be very simple for that person to take care of details effortlessly. Everything is under control and routine is followed flawlessly. But coming up with innovative ideas can be a real challenge.

Some people have the strength of leadership and find it enjoyable to forge the path for others to follow. For these people, following someone else's plan is extremely difficult and confining. Others find this a very uncomfortable place to be. Their forte is implementing what the leader has started.

We need all behavioral styles in our businesses in order to be successful. All of our strengths work together for a stronger whole than we can have when working alone. If you work by yourself in your business, you may need to hire a part-time assistant to perform tasks that are not your unique strength. You can even do this with a virtual assistant who can work for the number of hours you need from his/her own office. Your success will be greater and your satisfaction sweeter when you focus on your best skills.

Take time to reflect on what your greatest strengths are. Be aware of any judgment you may be having against yourself for not being good at something. If there is an activity that is not your strength, it definitely needs to be delegated to someone else so you can concentrate on maximizing your strengths.

Appreciate your strengths. Take time this holiday season to recognize them and be grateful.

As your Exuberant Productivity coach and consultant, I'm here to support you in clearing the path to YOUR goals. Working with a coach can really help you to identify your greatest strengths and strategies to use them most effectively. You can reach me at suzanne@suzanneholman.com or 877-808-5058; 602-375-0617.

Virtual Networking To Keep You Connected When You Are Not Able To Meet In Person Because Of Family Challenges

Yikes! There's no way I can make it to that networking meeting that I usually attend!
There are just too many tasks and people needing my attention.

Does that sound like you, facing the dilemma of how to stay connected when your usual routine is interrupted by family challenges?

When family challenges make it necessary to alter your schedule drastically, it's important for you to have an alternative plan to keep your business growing and thriving. You may even be working at a location away from your usual office while handling family responsibilities in another city.

With the vast amount of opportunities on the internet, you are able to find alternative ways of staying connected and finding new customers. In this article you'll learn three effective and efficient ways of keeping in touch.

Joining Virtual Networking Groups

There are a number of networking groups online. A few examples are RYZE, Linked-In, Virtual Womens Chamber of Commerce, and E-Women Network.
YouTube and MySpace are two sites that are becoming more and more credible in the business world. These sites have had the reputation of being a bit wild and unprofessional. This has certainly changed!

YouTube is actually being used by speakers to promote their programs. In many cases this has replaced the typical demonstration video formerly distributed as a way of giving a taste of what they will experience from the speaker. Videos on UTube are also being used as part of a resume for applying for jobs. When you are not able to meet with prospective clients in person during a crisis period, YouTube is a way that they can experience you and how you work with clients.

Writing and Distributing Articles

My guess is that you have talks that you have given that would lend themselves to great articles. Just get these down on paper. You could even have a transcriptionist do this for you so that you could read it over and do any editing necessary. Or have an editor or ghost writer do that instead!

You can then distribute these to article submission sites on the web that will then send them to various online publications. Or submit them to individual publications either online or in hard copy that are relevant to your business. Naturally, at the end of every article, you will have your contact information and an enticing offer for them to either call you or visit your website.

Sending Out An Online Newsletter

An online newsletter is a cost-effective way to keep in contact with current clients, prospective clients, and networking partners. If you have clients or prospects who have not signed up for your online newsletter, it is necessary to send them either a sample issue or an email inviting them to be part of your reading audience. Otherwise you will be violating SPAM laws.

Make good use of the article you wrote and sent to submission sites. Use it in your newsletter to give your readers some quality content every time they hear from you.

To make it a simple process for sending out the newsletter to your database, sign up for a service such as Constant Contact. This service has attractive templates, statistics as to how many emails were opened or blocked, and an easy way for web visitors to sign up or opt out of the newsletter.

For strategizing ways to make your business more resilient even in the tough times, talk to me, your Exuberant Productivity coach and consultant. suzanne@suzanneholman.com or 877-808-5058; 602-375-0617.
Copyright (c) 2007 Suzanne Holman

Express Any Gratitude You Feel For People In Your Life!

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like
wrapping a present and not giving it."

William Arthur Ward

One item on my list of tasks today was to call my health insurance office. What a pleasant surprise when my favorite person in that office answered the phone!

After asking her a question and receiving a succinct answer, I felt as though I wanted to share the gratitude I was feeling for all she has done for me in challenging times over the years. I acknowledged her for not only being efficient and helpful in every situation, but being extremely compassionate in helping me resolve some issues.

When I shared my feelings, she expressed that what I said brought tears to her eyes. She said it was a perfect time for her to hear these positive thoughts as this could be a challenging and emotional day for her in the office.

I let her know that I would not only fax the form I needed to send her, but would also write down my thoughts and fax them to her as well. Knowing that I made her day more joyful with acknowledgement of her as an empathetic and efficient person brought so much positive energy into my heart.

Are there wonderful thoughts you are having that you haven't yet shared with someone?

What a perfect month to express the gratitude you are feeling.

Go beyond wrapping that present of gratitude.

Give the present and feel the warmth in your heart. Priceless!

Copyright (c) 2007 Suzanne Holman

Aren't you just a little curious?

If you're at all like me, I'm sure that there's been a time when you've wondered how you appear to others.

You may have thought:

"What would my friends share about me if they were asked?"

"How do family members view me?"

"What do my coworkers notice about how I do things?"

"What do all of them see as my strengths?"

We very often hear what others see as special about us and to us it doesn't seem special.... That makes sense because we are always with that part of us and it is just who we are. It's great to find out what we offer that is outstanding so we can contribute even more of that to what we do.

Here's your golden opportunity to find out what others think about you! ....or should I say your Platinum opportunity??

You can ask an unlimited number of your friends, family, coworkers, clients, vendors, (anyone!) to complete an assessment about you. Their responses are anonymous so that they can be truly honest in their responses.

This is the highly acclaimed Platinum Rule 360 Assessment.

You will receive the entire assessment package for only $99!

This assessment and debrief usually sells for a minimum of $250.

Here is what you will receive in this package:

• Self Assessment you will fill out online
• Unlimited invitations for you to ask your personal and business acquaintances to give you anonymous feedback
• 41-page personalized Debrief Report and Graph
• 45-minute personal consultation with me, a licensed facilitator

If you want to improve your communication skills, build solid teams with your co-workers, enhance your communications, leverage the relationships you have with others, or accomplish a myriad of other goals, The Platinum Rule will help you do that...and more.

Just $99 for this complete 360 degree Platinum Rule Assessment and a follow-up

45 Minute Consultation! This total package is usually priced at $250.

This is an excellent assessment tool for ALL of your workgroup to take so you can see how to make the most of your working relationships.

This package includes:

1. Self assessment that allows you to see what your behavior style is so that you can understand what strengths you need to concentrate on to improve your productivity

2. Unlimited invitations for 30 days for your co-workers and personal acquaintances and family to complete a survey on you.

Their feedback will show up anonymously on your results.

3. 41-page Self-Assessment Report

4. 45 minute consultation with me, a licensed facilitator for the Platinum Rule Assessment, to discuss your results and strategize how to best use the information for your success

Value: $250

Questions?

Email me at suzanne@suzanneholman.com or

call me today at 602.375.0617 or 877.808.5058 (Toll free in the U.S.)

and we'll get the process started!