Want To See Your Name In Lights?

From the time I was a very young girl I wanted to be famous. My first dream was to be an Olympic gymnasts, then a concert pianist, then an Olympic volleyball player and finally a singer. (Actually, I think there was a brief stint in college of wanting to be a politician, but when I realized their clothes were kind of boring, I said NO way!:)

Now days I still want to be famous. I want to touch a LOT of people with my message and inspire them to unlock their full potential so they can live out their dreams. I am building my business every day to reach that end leveraging the internet, speaking, writing and very soon launching my podcast. I see it in my mind’s eye. I see reaching thousands, perhaps millions of people and I am on a crash-course with that vision.

And there it is…. VISION.

If you want to achieve anything great in your life, you have to have a clear vision of what you really want. I recently heard a child behavior expert speak and he said one of the things that makes the biggest impact on a child’s success is called “future predicting.” Essentially you talk to the child as if the future goal is a certainty. “Well, Honey, when you start singing at the Met, you’ll want to carry a shawl because I’ve heard back-stage gets pretty drafty…”

As soon as the future predicting is in place, the child starts to see themselves in that realty and the brain reorganizes to search out any link or opportunity to manifest that vision. Pretty cool, huh?

The same is true, of course, for adults. When you speak to yourself as if what you want is already a done deal, it completely changes the game. Suddenly your personal investment shoots through the roof and the results start to line up in your favor.

The problem is, [Read more…]

Structured For Profits

We all love the relaxed vibe of summer. We don’t have to rush everywhere. There’s no homework to get done, no carpooling to coordinate. Our schedules are less strict and life is easy-breezy. As much as we love the laid-back feel of summer, however, we still need structure in our business.

A lot of us bristle at the idea of structure and organization because it feels rigid and constraining, but structure actually allows for massive creativity and improvisation. We often think of great artists as being spontaneous, riffing on sparks of inspiration. The truth is, talent must be cultivated first, brush strokes perfected, scales mastered before true freedom of expression is possible. You must learn the alphabet before you can write poetry.

Learn the rules like a pro so you can break them like an artist.–Pablo Picasso

Think of a dam, it is put in place to harness the power of the water. It captures and leverages the flow of the current. Your personal energy needs to have direction as well. As entrepreneurs we have so many ideas, ideas for products, programs, partnerships, but what we don’t have is a PROCESS. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but without execution there are no profits. You have to have a way to organize your thoughts so others can understand and implement them. This is structure.

Structure is not a cage, it is a vessel for your genius. @HeatherPoduska (tweet this)

When I work with clients on creating signature products and programs, the first thing I ask is, “What is your process?” The answer is often, “I don’t know, I just work on whatever my clients needs at the time. We play it by ear.” That answer is fine if you have a one-on-one coaching client, but if you want to create leveraged income, you need to have a repeatable system. You can’t sell a product or program to thousands of people that is customized to one person. When you do that, you are not following your process, you are following the needs of one that client.

If you don’t have repeatable systems in your business, [Read more…]

To Do or Do To Do, That is the Brand Question.

We are so lucky to live at this time and in this society. Now more than ever there is an abundance of opportunity. However, with all this opportunity it is sometimes difficult to know which choices to make. If you are trying to decide between a good option and a bad one the choice is obvious, but what do you do when there is no obvious distinction between a good and bad idea? What if you have more than one appealing opportunity? How do you know what to do? [Read more…]

Water your own lawn.

My morning routine usually consists of an hour workout at the gym. When I’m on the treadmill or elliptical machine I have on my ipod and bring along something to read if I’m not doing a hard run. Usually, my reading material is some kind of marketing, business or personal development book. Sometimes, however, I’ll turn on the tv if I really need to be distracted from my workout. I don’t watch the news when I run because I’ve noticed it slows me down, however, at 6 a.m. there aren’t a lot of options. I usually end up catching something on Bravo. Yesterday it was the “Real Housewives of Orange County.” Ok, it’s a far cry from The Power of Focus which I’m reading now, but believe it or not, I came away with a really good piece of advice from the show. [Read more…]

Are you holding on by a thread?

If you are a woman entrepreneur you are probably very familiar with the feeling of being overwhelmed, especially if you also happen to be a mom. There are so many things to keep track of, sometimes it feels like your head is literally going to spin off.  Not only are you in charge of your business, you are also the CEO of your house and family. You may be handling everything from doing the books for your business to trying to excavate your yard for rocks for your kid’s big penguin project. ( We got an “A” thank you very much.) How on earth can you stay focused and feel productive when you are being pulled in a hundred different directions?

Here are some suggestions I give to my clients and that I also follow to stay sane. [Read more…]

The Labor of Brand Success

The Labor of Brand SuccessIn my last blog post I mentioned the fact that nurses and teachers are my heroes, and it’s true. After giving birth three times, my appreciation of nurses has grown exponentially. Having a good nurse makes all the difference in the world when it comes to those times when you really need to rely on someone to help you push through. Most of my maternity nurses were very sweet, but there was one who was tough as nails. At one point I seriously wanted to slap her, but in all honesty she was probably the best nurse I ever had. This was my nurse for my first baby. I think her name was Joan.

When I got to the hospital to deliver my first daughter I was understandably nervous and excited, but I was also a little bit cocky. I had read all the baby books, been to all the lamaze classes and had watched all the way-too-graphic birthing movies. I knew what to expect. I knew and had practiced all the breathing techniques and I definitely knew all my drug options of which I had fully planned to take advantage. However, when the time came during my labor to ask for my epidermal there was a mad rush of other emergencies in the maternity ward.  All THREE anesthesiologists were unavailable to give me my meds. How could this be? This was not one of the contingencies I was prepared for. The pain was quickly intensifying and panic set in. All my preparation went right out the window. I stopped my “hee, hee, whhoo, whhoo” and started something more along the lines of “What the ****!”

[Read more…]

Find Your Path with Personal Branding

Find Your Path with Personal BrandingWe live in a world where everyday there are more and more options available to us, especially for women. It used to be that as a woman your two main career choices were either nurse or teacher. Nurses and teachers happen to be my personal heroes so I’m not knocking those professions. Now, however, a woman can choose to be just about anything her heart desires. This is a great improvement, but it comes with its own set of challenges. With so many options it can be hard to choose a direction. Wouldn’t it be great if there was some magic wand you could wave that would just point you in the right direction? Well, there is and it’s call personal branding.

At its core, personal branding is about clarity, clarity about who you are, what you have to offer, and how you want to express that in the world. When you are clear about what makes you tick and what your unique contribution can be, your decision process becomes infinitely easier. You start to recognize which opportunities will enhance your life experience and which ones will lead you further away from home base. You personal brand is always there for you to tap into like a life compass.

[Read more…]

Are you a Good Kisser?

Are you a Good Kisser?Have you ever felt like you are running yourself ragged?  I learned a very important lesson this year.  I was spread too thin! I had taken on so many projects and commitments that I never felt relaxed or truly productive.  I was jumping from one thing to the next and  when I wasn't actually working on something, my mind was taking constant inventory of all the upcoming tasks I needed to do.  What I came to realize was all this busyness was interfering with my most important priorities.  The question became, what to do about it?

I was reminded of the KISS principle I learned from my father-in-law.  For those of you who don't already know, KISS in this case stands for Keep It Simple Stupid.  Life can getting pretty complex when you are running a business and have any kind of life, especially if that life includes those gorgeous, demanding little creatures we call children.  We have about a million tasks and roles to manage from keeping up with business emails to coaching soccer to buying the one hundred or so end-of-year teacher gifts.  Then, of course, there is working out, planning meals, your book club, your kid's book club, designing a new logo, reading that new Facebook marketing book…  The list could be endless.  However, if you do not get control you will probably continue to feel tired, distracted and discontent.  Here are a few tips to help you be a better kisser:

1.  Get very clear about your priorities and I don't mean your top 10 priorities, I mean like your top 3-5.  Anything that is not directly associated with your top five should be cut out or severly diminished.

2.  End the love affair with multitasking.  There have been several studies out recently that prove multitasking is actually less efficient than single focused effort.  This is especially hard for women.

3.  Get comfortable saying "no."  Again, sorry fellas, women are very inclined to want to be helpful or at least be seen as being helpful.  It can be very difficult at first to turn down a request for help, but the more you do, the easier it gets. 

4.  Take the word "should" out of your decision making process when choosing what stays and what goes in your life.  You think you "should" go to ladies night out so you won't seem unfriendly.  If your main priority is your health and you need to get up at 5am to go to the gym in the morning, going to ladies night is not the best choice.

5. Learn to delegate what you do not need to do.  There are lots of things we do that do not actually need our hands on attention.  Make a list of what you can give to someone else to do.  For example, do you really need to be the one who attends every meeting or can someone else go and fill you in later.  Do you always have to be the one to pack the school lunches, or can you take turns with your spouse?

One last thing, pay attention to the way you feel.  How does it make you feel to be involved with what you are doing?  Do you feel happy about your job, your volunteer work, you family responsibilities, or do you have a feeling of reluctance, dread, or low energy?  Personally, I have followed all of these tips in the past several months and things have changed a lot for me.  I can honestly say I am now a better kisser!