We all know people like this.  When asked to picture someone that fits this description, you may immediately think of someone in ministry or military, but how about the business professional that actively looks to serve?

War hero, Nathan Hale said, “I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful, and every kind of service necessary for the public good, becomes honorable by being necessary.”

What vital service do you provide?  How can you help people?  How do you find the recipients that your talents would best serve?

Service.  Imagine if you were to approach every opportunity to promote what you do with that in mind first? We may consider it a lovely thought, but can it be manifested into reality? It makes sense, that as a business professional, your focus might be on the possible rewards from a media opportunity, large networking function or an important studio pitch meeting. But when you enter those events with a new mindset of servitude, the payoff can be amazing on a personal and professional level.

Think about this: Have you ever met someone that you admired, and they asked about you?   A friend once related a story about a major recording star that he shared a moment with.  The country-music artist had a song that my friend had associated with the loss of his daughter.  He met the star, and the thing that amazed him most about Garth Brooks was not his obvious talent, but his attitude of servitude. Songwriting is an expression of emotions that others may not be able to articulate and can sometimes heal the soul.  Garth embraced that.

What talents do you possess that might lead to a healing or a breakthrough for someone?

A prosperous life and financial resources can be a great reward, but our eyes needn’t always be on the reward to receive it. If we focus on serving others first, we might temporarily lose sight of the reward, but when the time is right-it is all that more glorious!

You have uniqueness and your own style and presence that cannot be duplicated, and so do the people that you are watching.  Don’t misunderstand, admiration is fine and appreciation of talent is great. Watching great communicators can be a powerful bit of homework when you are training to be excellent in that area yourself!

The trick to freeing your charisma comes from the ability to blend what you appreciate in others with your own attributes that no one else processes.  Sometimes it takes someone on the outside with a trained eye to help you do just that. 

As a media trainer it is sometimes my biggest challenge and the most rewarding aspect of what I do.

Experience how it feels to free the flow of your natural Charisma and its power of attraction with our private sessions and workshops.  http://www.charismaoncamera.com/Classes_Workshops.html

Need to know more?  Contact me at Sandra@charismaoncamera.com, or 866 -672-3818.   I’ll book your free phone consultation to determine if our training will benefit you!

Are you sitting quietly somewhere?  Do a quick scan of your body.  What do you feel and where?  Is there any rigidity or tightness around your heart?  Any place that you are feeling rigid in your body or in your heart may mean that you are trying to control things. Control is a great thing when it is being used, propelled, and impelled by Spirit.  However, control when it is coming from you and your ego, because you are contracting in your business, afraid the resources aren’t there, saying to yourself, “I don’t know that I can do this” or “I would feel so embarrassed if this didn’t work” is control that mutes your purpose, deadens your business and squelches your dreams.  The Jesus story is told of John the Baptist coming along immersing Jesus through a water ritual and then Jesus hearing a voice saying, “You are my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” This is the antidote to control. You know, all of us need to be reminded that we are pleasing to ourselves, to the Divine and that we are on our purpose. We need to know we belong. Most of control comes out of many fears, but the basic one is that we don’t belong.  So if your business is not working easily and you are feeling like you have to “tighten up the ship” to get through this economic storm, then you may want to check in with yourself about control. Not in judgment, but with compassion, offer yourself a new way of being. Check in with your body, where it is tight or rigid, for this is the area that is awaiting your compassionate reminder that “you belong”. Breathe into that tight area, reminding yourself that “it is safe to relax”.  The place that we often feel the least at home or welcomed is in our own body. All that tightness is just a sign of not feeling at home or belonging. When you know you belong, the grip of control softens and the energetic release needed for a mindset of prosperity is supplanted.  Mother Theresa was an Albanian nun who learned English in the British Isles. Her story says she was on a train going around a mountain when she had the vision of what she was to be doing, helping the poor in India. This woman, who didn’t belong, found a home among the poor in India. She had no trouble manifesting money for her work. She belonged even though many thought her mission foolish.  What is the grip that is draining your energy rather than renewing it? For each of us the particular spin that you have on control and how it seemingly protects you from something is unique to you. The release, however, can result in your business moving forward with more ease and more money. One of our clients contracted a large financial deal after clearing some old relationship pain with his father. By surrendering and releasing control in order to find a new frame for a childhood struggle, he allowed himself to make room for a new paradigm. He knew he belonged and the wealth was right there.  As I often teach people in seminars, it takes a lot of energy to hold a clinched fist. Relax your grip just for a moment, remind yourself you belong and see what happens. Your body, your heart and your business will appreciate it.  

“Dr. Kirk Prine and Donny Lobree, Body Story Experts, are founders of The Missing Thread. They are healers and entrepreneurs who help other entrepreneurs tap into the wisdom of their bodies to achieve greater abundance.  “Mindset is not just in the mind, but in the Body as well.”  To learn more, visit http://www.themissingthread.com to get your complimentary selection of Dr. Prine’s new book as well as a free subscription to the Body Stories ezine.”

“Carry on only,” the travel documents read; which means that one seemingly diminutive piece of gear has to contain absolutely everything that could be needed for the travel time and the destination.  What do you do?  It’s what we all do: lay out what you think you need and then…you pare it down. 

1. You eliminate the excess: you do away with every bit of clothing that doesn’t make you feel absolutely fantastic (ok, maybe that’s mostly how girls think, but I bet a few guys do, too).
2. You eliminate anything that is too similar to anything else (for example: one pair of neutral flip flops, not 5 in every color).
3. You limit the toiletries and makeup to only what is really needed to allow you to make a good impression, and stay healthy.

There is something almost cathartic about packing this way, isn’t there? There is a sense of accomplishment when you can look at that small, efficiently pared-down bag of stuff, and know you’ll be just fine.

 “Paring down” your message, or your story is a requirement for media opportunities, and is often just as tough a thing to initially comprehend. Experts are usually passionate about their field of work, and eliminating anything about our story may not seem possible at first.  There is an attachment that develops to the intricacies of what makes us tick and the experiences that drive us.  However, making the most of a television opportunity means relaying that passion in short 15 to 30 seconds sound bites.

It may sound cold, or as though you are manipulating your message but actually, the audience attention will stay with you when your expressions are shorter in length. 

Bonus #2:  Shorter sound bites can be lifted and re-used. Examples:

1. A concise answer to an interview question may be re-broadcast during a similar news period where they need an expert “quote”… there you are again.  Doubling your exposure.
2. A short version of your message will be a perfect video clip for your website, (or an affiliates website!) quickly building rapport with site visitors and increasing your conversion rate up to 300 percent!
3. Eliminating specifics of your story allows room for future questions and more in-depth interviews later. If you don’t lay it all out first time, you can be asked back to the interview show, if at all possible.  That’s how experts are “recognized.”

I hope this makes sense as you are contemplating what “stuff” to pack in your virtual “carry-on bag” on the way to an interview.  Keep only the good stuff that makes the best impression by letting go of negative words and phrases. Then, eliminate any elements that are too similar in order to eliminate redundancy, and be sure to include what is at the heart of your passion for what you do; What drives you is something that you can relate every time that you appear as an expert.

One last essential to include is as important as toothpaste… be sure to always make yourself available by including your website address, or some way people can find you after the show is off the air; there may be a producer of an even bigger show needing you ASAP, and they need that info!

Your journey can be as great as your destination.

A positive self-image does more than simply make you feel good about yourself; other people will notice your confidence and respect and admire you for it. Getting people to recognize your high confidence can be easy by avoiding several key behaviors that are generally associated with low confidence.

1. Avoid over explaining your actions

People who lack confidence tend to over explain their actions, even accidents, as if they are to blame for them and have to apologize. For example, if during a meeting you drop several folders, causing the papers to scatter, avoid trying to explain it away.

A confident person will simply laugh off their clumsiness and pick up the folders. A person with low confidence may blame dropping the folders on having too much coffee or not enough sleep. Really, it was just an accident that could happen to anyone.

2. Accept constructive criticism gracefully

Criticism is a normal part of everyone’s life and in many cases it is justified. Listen to the criticism and respond to it if it is valid. If it is not, then simply move on. This is how someone with high confidence would respond.

Conversely, someone with low confidence is likely to try and explain away their error or place the blame for the mistake elsewhere.

3. Know your weaknesses and accept them.

It is a simple fact of life that everyone has weaknesses. A person with low confidence will often over compensate for their weaknesses. Avoid doing these by taking an honest inventory of your weaknesses and accepting them. After all, no-one is perfect.

4. Be aware of your posture

If you have high confidence, you are unlikely to have defensive body language. Defensive body language, like folding your arms and crossing your legs, are mechanism common used by people with low confidence, so avoid it, especially in a confrontational situation.

5. Focus on goals, not perfection

Confident people do not waste their time trying to be perfect; instead they focus their attention on being successful in their goals. If a highly confident person receives a B on a test, they may aim for an A next time and will be satisfied with their B as something from which they can learn.

A person with low confidence is likely to come unglued with anything other than 100%. Do not aim for perfection.

It may seem silly to say this, but learning to act like a confident person will actually help you become a confident person. By practicing behaviors common to people with high confidence, you will train your subconscious mind to believe you are confident and capable, and you will become more confident and capable as a result.

You will soon find yourself being confident, not just acting confident. Avoid explaining your actions and learn to accept your weaknesses. You aren’t perfect and no-one expects you to be.

Learn to accept constructive criticism gracefully and throw the rest out. Practice open body language. Don’t be defensive in the way you hold yourself, it screams out low confidence. Finally, focus on goals without trying to be perfect. No-one can be perfect all of the time, so don’t try to be.

These simple tips will help you obtain high confidence in which you are as a person. You will be more successful as a result of it.