Archive for the ‘Sound Bites from Sandra’ Category

“Loosen the reins up, don’t hold her so tight!” yells my instructor across the arena.  “You are absolutely nuts, ” the frustrated voice in my head yells back.

It takes more than a leap of faith to loosen the grip on the fantastically energetic quarter horse as I am watching the fence posts clip by at such a pace that they seem to become a solid wall of white.  “She’ll only take off faster if I let go!” but I do as instructed and … bingo:  she speeds up.

“Isn’t this nice? Will I regain control of her speed, or will I have to just stop?” my inner voice sounds like an angry teenager.

Again, I follow the shouted instructions to reconnect with her using a gentler, more consistent feel.  Hey, it took a bit of practice, but I got it! Now this beautiful mare and I can have a much more enjoyable, and speed appropriate ride usually!  Every so often, I have to remind myself to let go, and be gentle, have faith and things will go smoothly.

Funny thing is, I discovered that I often behave in a similar way with my business, or anything new that I am trying to master for that matter.  I frustrate myself, because I need to have complete control over what-ever-it-is and I keep holding on until I exhaust myself!  Sometimes, like when I am striving to accomplish as much as I can for my businessI have had to be stopped by exhaustion, or illness at the worst circumstance, because I would not loosen the reins on my need to control it all.

I know I am not the only one who does this!  I have clients that I have told to go home and rest, because I can see that they were driving themselves to the breaking point trying to do it all, and I sure did not want to see them fall ill, and lose the momentum that we were working with.

Whatever it might be that you are learning to master, be it business, marketing, or mountain-biking; loosen the reins every once in a while.  Take a break.  Enjoy the heck out of that break and then gently head back to the task at hand.  Have faith that the path to mastery will continue to unfold, and the ride can be quite enjoyable if you allow it!

Hats off to all those professional party planners out there.  I have full appreciation for the art that is your field of expertise!
 
My husband has a significant birthday this weekend, and the celebration plans I gladly took as my responsibility; Of course, initially there were grandiose plans of splendor and excitement with live bands and catering and a guest list a mile long.  Reality hit when I realized that some resources (particularly the resource of time) are limited, and I need to adjust!  Thank goodness for friends who have been great with party suggestions and shortcuts.  I even have one beautiful friend who is doing 90% of the cooking! (I am in awe of her lack of concern about the extensive menu… I’d be worried if it was all up to my culinary skills! So would my guests!)
 
I may not be able to have everything the way I thought I wanted it but, ultimately, the day will be rich with memories, good fun and the warmth of friendship.  So what if my Ipod playlist replaces the band?  It’s easier to manage the volume!
 
I often see parallels in different parts of life, and just as I have had to pare down my plans for this birthday celebration I have been working with clients who have a challenge paring down their message for usage in their interviews.  That’s where the inspiration for this issue’s article came from. It may hit home for some of you struggling with the same thing.
 
Gotta go put together the slide show and order the cake!  I’ll need a day off after this production!

It was bound to happen.  Around 1 am my husband and I were awakened by our young German Shepherd barking in the backyard, within seconds, it was all too obvious just what had peaked her curiosity:  the smell of fresh skunk filled the house!  If you haven’t experienced the unique power of these little creatures, let me tell you…up close and personal is NOT where you want to be! A quick internet search, and a 4 vinegar baths, 2 baths with dish detergent and a creme rinse later… we were snuggled back in bed, laughing at the situation.  Happy with our teamwork!

You never know what situations will arise in every day (or night!) Sometimes the “situation” may stink (literally), but sometimes that situation may be an opportunity that you have been waiting for. It’s not always possible to be prepared for things like a surprise wildlife visit, but being prepared for success… now THAT we can do.
 
This issue talks about what we can leave behind for the world after we are gone.  Our legacy is built by what we stand for, who we help, and the better prepared we are to spread our message, the stronger our influence can be.   Envision what you can build that will last!

Stepping out of the comfort zone.  It’s what all entrepreneurs do.  One of my business coaches says that if we learn to live outside of the comfort zone all the time, then we become comfortable with the discomfort, and our life expands in richness of all kinds.  We’ll, I hope that true, because I am preparing to head to Tucson, Arizona for a charity baseball game, and I am uncomfortable; I’ve been booked as a celebrity player… that label alone can make me slightly uneasy, but the real discomfort stems from the fact that I don’t, and have never, played baseball.  Say it with me, “Yikes.”  Are baseball uniforms cute on girls?  I sure hope so… because, although I am athletic, I am not a ball player, and this will not be pretty. 

It’s for a great cause, though:  Tu Nidita (www.tunidita.org) a Tucson area non-profit organization that provides support through emotional, educational, social and spiritual support to children and their families as they deal with serious illness or death.  We’ll be playing with the Tucson Toros, at Hi Corbett Field.

There are some great people with great hearts associated with this event.  I guess my discomfort is no big deal when I look at the big picture of helping these kids.

So, my lesson to learn from this might be to accept that discomfort that my coach talked about, and focus on the big picture… on the riches. In business there might be the literal riches, or financial abundance, but the bigger driving force are the spiritual and emotional riches that stem from sharing your message with those who need it.

That’s why I love what I do; I help my clients get their message out there and better the world.  Corny maybe, but it’s true.  The discomfort often associated with appearing on camera is what I guide my clients through, so that the riches can flow ASAP when that message is delivered with excellence! How fun is that? 

I’ve got to just have fun with this game… I am sure there will be video to be used as comic relief after the event!  Have a fun weekend, and if you are in Tucson… come root us on!

This has been a real topic of conversation lately, so I’m thinking, why not address it in this issue? I find a client may worry about excessive blinking for one of two reasons:

1. While I must acknowledge the possibility of a physical root cause for excessive blinking, when someone does not blink excessively in daily conversations, and increases this movement while on camera, it is most likely an outward display of nerves, much like the tapping of a foot, or shaking of a knee. More grounding work has to be done, and eventually, the preoccupation of the mind with the eyelid movement will be eliminated when the energy is focused completely in the moment and the purpose of the moment (the client’s motivation).

2. The most common cause of worry over blinking is no real cause at all; Quite often, when we are inexperienced at watching ourselves on camera, we tend to focus on what we might fretfully see as physical oddities. For instance: When I first watched myself speaking, I was horrified at the way I moved my lips… really! I thought that I held my jaw in an awkward way, and there was no way that everyone didn’t see that! In reality, absolutely no one saw anything out of the ordinary. I was attempting to manifest a reason to avoid the process of learning (this was a pattern particular to me). With me, and in almost all cases, a few more sessions in front of the camera, and a helpful unbiased eye to guide your focus to bettering your on-camera skills, and your “blinking” or head bobbing, or funny lip movement will most likely become a non-issue. After all, it really didn’t exist in the first place!