Thursday, June 30, 2016

Pay Attention: Shift Your Brilliance Book Review

shiIf you haven’t ever read any of the books published by Simon T Bailey,  do yourself a favor, buy them, underline them, share them and re-read them.

 

Simon is a sought after keynote speaker, the recipient of a Speaker Hall of Fame award by the National Speakers Association and just a great guy.

 

One of the things I loved about this book, Shift Your Brilliance, is the emphasis on paying attention – yep you guessed it, of course I would love that!

 

Simon outlines how to focus and to go after the things that you want in life, he shares strategies on how to move from average to true brilliance.

 

Another feature of this book is the bullet point summary at the end of each chapter (fantastic for those of us with short attention spans); you can use it like a workbook to write your own notes.

Pick up his books today!

 

Meet Simon:

Simon T BaileySimon was inducted into the National Speakers Association’s CPAE Hall of Fame in 2015. He is the author of seven books, including Release Your Brilliance as well as Shift Your Brilliance.

Simon has served as an executive adviser for individuals, entrepreneurs and CEOs around the world and in 2003, he founded the Brilliance Institute, based on the belief that we all have an inner brilliance.

The post Pay Attention: Shift Your Brilliance Book Review appeared first on Neen James.

Monday, June 27, 2016

5 Ways to Focus with a Mentor


Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/e_GPAbPEmGM
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5 Ways to Focus with a Mentor


Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/e_GPAbPEmGM
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Get Focused with a Great Mentor

mentor advisor leader guideanceThe right mentor relationships will accelerate your career, personal development and improve relationships. Investing time finding the best mentor saves you time and increases your focus.

 

In Greek mythology, Mentor, was the son of Alcumus and friend of Odysseus. When Alcumus left for the Trojan War he left Mentor in charge of his son Telemachus. When Athena visited she took the disguise of Mentor to hide herself from suitors. As Mentor, she encouraged Telmachus to stand up to the suitors and go abroad to find his father. Athena was a smart chick and great mentor.

 

Mentoring is different to coaching; a mentor is someone who shares their experience, the good, the bad and the ugly! I like that mentoring is more prescriptive, focused and direct. A coach is someone who you are in agreement with that asks you great questions to help you discover the answers.  Both are vital in business.

 

Mentors share wisdom to save you time, energy and focus your attention on the best way to navigate a project, your career and relationships. I give credit to my mentors for an accelerated corporate career and building an entrepreneurial business. Mentors don’t need to be older than you, or higher positions than you – mentors can be work colleagues, industry professionals, friends, family or community leaders.

 

Get focused on finding and partnering with a great mentor.

 

Determine your focus – do you want help in your personal or business life? Once you are clear, you can find an expert in that area. Some mentoring may be informal and free, other times you may need to invest in your development.

 

Investigate top performers – for career mentors ask for recommendations. I was fortunate early in my speaking career to be mentored by one of the world’s best speakers, Matt Church. His guidance saved me many years growing my skills and business in the industry.

 

Explore official mentoring programs – many organizations offer programs. If your company doesn’t have one, start one. When we work with leaders in our 90-day mentoring program we develop an accountability plan with each person focusing on areas including productivity, communications and presentation skills. Some mentees claim productivity increases of 50%, others have doubled their teams, some received promotions one expanded her company opening multiple offices – you can check it out here.

 

Choose wisely– find the person you believe would be suitable; spend time watching them in action. Ask to attend a presentation with them or spend a “day in the life of” them and watch what they do. Observe them at industry events, conferences, or your association to observe how they interact, get to know them before approaching them to work with you.

 

Perform due diligence – when you have chosen a mentor, ask about their results working with others, beliefs, values and way of operating. This gives you insight before a mentoring relationship.

 

Approach gracefully – phone, email or make an appointment to meet them. Share why you want to meet, this shows you respect time and are committed to your development. Be prepared for them to say no if its not a commercial relationship. Many successful leaders have full calendars and may not have capacity for investing time with you.

 

Set up an agreement – when you proceed with a mentor, create guidelines for timeframe, contact frequency and develop an accountability plan for your time together.

 

Fulfil mentee commitments – always be prepared, complete assignments given to you from your mentor and look for opportunities to support and promote your mentor to others.

 

A good mentor will change your life and increase your productivity, help you achieve your goals faster and accelerate your potential – find your fabulous mentor today!

 

If we can help you check out our mentoring program – click here:

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Tuesday, June 21, 2016

3 Ways to Increase Focus with Adult Coloring

Adult Color Focus Attention Stress ReliefI have a confession to make… I am an adult colorer… stay with me I know you think I am crazy!

 

Have you noticed the popularity of adult coloring? I thought it was ridiculous until my best friend (one of the busiest women I know who is much smarter than me), blogged about the impact on stress management I figured… if she can make time for this child-like activity, then I would give it a try. You can watch our video here.

 

Carl Jung was one of the earliest scientists who studied the benefits of coloring pages for adults. He found it helped them become calmer and less stressed. Coloring calms the amygdala, the part of the brain related to fear/stress response while stimulating the part of the brain responsible for creativity and logic.

 

Color therapy is being used with those who are anxious with stress disorders.. am I anxious … no, however I wanted to be more focused each morning and just a few minutes each day has helped that. No distraction, no technology, no social media, just me alone with my thoughts.

 

Psychologist Gloria Martinez Ayala says coloring involves logic and creativity; it helps incorporate the cerebral cortex, coordination and fine motor skills.

 

Still not convinced? Neither was I until supplies arrived from Amazon and I was hooked. Just a few minutes each day of active mediation. Meditation is the art of doing nothing. I won’t sit cross-legged and chant ommm so this is the next best thing for me.

 

Three strategies to help you be more focused with adult coloring … trust me you might like it!

 

Invest 10 minutes – I rarely color for longer than this, pick a page, choose your colors and begin. Coloring reduces the chatter of a restless mind and allows us to focus on just being in the moment. I use this time to contemplate my day and major objectives.

 

Get out of a rut  – coloring ignites creativity and may help you think differently, select new outfits each day, update interiors in your home and get you out of a rut. Routine is great for productivity however can mess with creativity. Watch kids choose colors and model their spontaneity and lack of boundaries. We need to be more child-like in our daily activities to avoid doing things the way we have always done them.

 

Slow down – in a world filled with constant interruptions, texts, social media, phone calls, TV and every possible notification to get our attention this simple exercise allows you to take a breath, relax and focus on something for just a few minutes that is rewarding, good for your brain and great for your soul.

 

In our busy worlds just taking a few minutes to focus, ignite creativity and actively meditate may create a greater sense of calm and more control over your attention today.

 

If you’re a secret adult colorer like me, I’d love to hear your thoughts, share there on our blog.

 

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Monday, June 13, 2016

Subscribe to Project Distinct Podcast by Scott McKain


Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/jcH0w5RPLL8
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Subscribe to Project Distinct Podcast by Scott McKain


Watch video on YouTube here: http://youtu.be/jcH0w5RPLL8
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3 Ways to Schedule Recovery

 

Recovery Time Off Vacation Montreal is one of my favorite cities, the art, architecture, friendly people, delicious food, and a great approach to life; Canadians and Aussies are similar in their sense of humor and ability to balance work and play.

 

 

I recently spent a week in this magnificent city to attend Formula One, wander Old Montreal and enjoy incredible art galleries and eat at way too many delicious restaurants (no calories as I was on vacation… right)?

 

To constantly perform at a high level requires energy, stamina and scheduled recovery. Scheduled recovery is an essential part of every leader’s year and often overlooked. The most successful people plan vacation and down time, that means total disconnection from responsibilities, technology and email (not always possible, but often a goal).

 

In Fortune Magazine I was reading Europeans think Americans are crazy because Europeans take off up to 6 weeks of vacation a year and US employees leave 429 million vacation days on the table every year! Interestingly 40% of executives think employees would be more productive if they took vacations. Yet among those same senior managers 72% said if offered unlimited vacation time they wouldn’t take it!

 

Three strategies to help you schedule recovery are listed below for you to consider:

 

Plan early – In the cold months of January each year we review calendars to plan a variety of trips during that year and might include cars, bikes, pool time or trips back to Australia to see family and friends. It’s a practice we have followed for many years to ensure the majority of vacations are scheduled to give us experiences to look forward to. Can you review your calendar and book time to enjoy something that you love to do with people you love being with?

 

Create variety – schedule a variety of timeframes, locations and adventure and relaxation based on your needs and budgets. I’m not a stay-cation kinda girl – my office is in my home and I would just work the whole time, that doesn’t work for me however many people find these a great solution. I do try and be a tourist in my own town occasionally to discover local spots. Consider visiting a new spot, driving instead of flying, build in adventure, art galleries visits or a walking tour of a city. With so many online tools to help plan your visit you can leverage community events, support local initiatives and also experience cities and towns in a completely new way. We often use HomeAway as I prefer apartment or a house than a hotel when travelling for extended stays. We have used this service around the world and have loved it every time.

My career allows me the luxury of travel to incredible places staying in lovely hotels and yet some vacations the idea of getting on another plane or staying in another hotel, doesn’t appeal so driving to Montreal was perfect.

Can you and your family choose a new adventure in the next twelve months that everyone can help plan to enjoy a trip together?

 

Go offline – this is the toughest ask for many of our clients (and me) but its not impossible! Can you create an out of office message that bounces back to manage email providing an alternative person to help out while you are away? Can you stay off social media and avoid being sucked into the Facebook vortex and instead focus on creating memories with those you love (instead of looking at others lives).

 

Get outside, hike a mountain, wander a national path, collect shells on a beach, fish on a lake; have you ever noticed how much better you feel, how much deeper you sleep and how much healthier you feel on vacation when you invest time to be active while you are relaxing.

 

Recovery time is not negotiable for any leader who wants to excel daily. If you want to accelerate your leadership,  be a productive contributor on your team, take time off. You will be more fun to work with, more focused and energized and you will create memories with people you care about, and isn’t that the reason many of us work?

 

Pay attention to what matters. You, your health, and your loved ones all benefit from scheduled recovery, book yours today.

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Tuesday, June 07, 2016

3 Ways to Celebrate Life (according to Marcello Pedolino)

inspiring people Marcello PedolinoI have some of the most clever, good-looking, focused friends on the planet! One of my fave entertainer, DJ and all round great guy is Marcello Pedolino from MMP Entertainment.

Marcello is exceptional in every way. He is focused on his business and delivering an extraordinary experience for his clients, focused on his health and is the pin up boy for how to take care of yourself and focus on those he loves by giving his undivided attention and love.

 

When his latest book was released Celebrate Life I couldn’t wait to read it. It’s not your standard book. It’s filled with practical strategies we can all apply in our everyday lives to truly celebrate life. The pictures will inspire you and cause you to want to explore more, capture memories with those you love and leave a legacy you can be proud of.

 

If you aren’t already following Marcello check him out on Twitter, follow him on Facebook, read his blog, and definitely buy his book. We did a book review you might like to watch on YouTube, click here:

 

It’s the perfect summer reading to help you savor all the moments in life and to inspire you to create even more.

 

Three of his strategies I really loved that resonated with me, and maybe will with you:

 

Take care of yourself – just take a quick look at Marcello’s photos and you can see he walks his talk about focusing your attention on your health and well-being to be around for those you love. What could you do today that would allow you to take better care of yourself?

 

Keep good company – you often hear me say we need more VIPs in our lives (that’s Very Inspiring People) and we need to delete (or minimize our time) with VDPs (Very Draining People).  The legendary Charlie ‘Tremendous’ Jones used to say  “You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Agreed. Who are the people you need to spend more time with this week that inspire you?

 

Do what you love Рthis is not a clich̩. When you love the work you do, the people you are surrounded with and the places you get to enjoy, life is easier to celebrate. As a keynote speaker I get to serve audiences all around the world, it takes me to cool places with some of the most ah-mazing people ever. What could you schedule time for this week so you can do more of what you love?

 

Check out Marcello’s book Celebrate Life, pour yourself a drink (maybe a healthy green juice or a huge glass of water complete with mint leaves and cucumber pieces) and sit down and enjoy every page of this great book. Well-done Marcello!

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Thursday, June 02, 2016

Protected: The Powerful Positioning Matrix

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