BE the impression you want to see!

You know that “gut feeling” you get when you are meeting someone for the first time? THAT feeling is often the decision maker on where your relationship will go, be it a personal or professional one. Learn to trust the  judgement calls you make using your own instincts and make informed decisions from there.  The key, is to make sure you also register well in the check off’s on “gut feelings and good lasting impressions” for others too.

 

Until next time Go Getters!

 

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Engage Opportunities not Opportunists

In your quest to reach your goals as an entrepreneur,or the everyday fly girl* or guy you will without a doubt meet people who you will engage with that will help to advance you directly or indirectly to the next level. Stay prepared, you never know when an opportunity might present itself, stay aware, an opportunist is waiting for an opportunity.  Know the differences:

SIMILARITIES:

The short list of how they can be confusing when you come upon them

• They both sound similar in theory, but they have different agendas and end results.
• They both look appealing, sound like a good idea, and show promises
• Both require your all in effort but aren’t geared towards any real benefit for you.

 

DIFFERENCES:

Opportunity Driven People (O.D.P.):

ODPS see the holes in your vision but also see the value and unrealized it’s greatness, they come to the meeting of the minds with their  own “hole fillers” and help to create a win-win situation for all parties concerned.  A person committed to an opportunity with you wants to see you do well because it impacts them too. They look to build relationships with you, and grow with you often times, even past the completion date of your joint venture

 

Driven Opportunist People (D.O.P. – Let’s just add an e & s and refer to them as DOPES):

True to the online definition, a D.O.P.E is a person (or group) who exploits circumstances to gain immediate advantage rather than being guided by consistent principles or plans. I often see people who in the infancy of their endeavors who struggle to “get put on” by those who have arrived <~ (My thoughts on those who have arrived in a later post) to be turned down, ignored, or put on the back burner.  When the shine on your star starts to glow a little brighter … low and behold .. you’ve got a host a people who now want to partner with you.  Even in an opportunistic situation, sometimes things can work out in your favor, more times than not they don’t.  Opportunist require a fast turnaround, are often doing you a favor, and tend to look out for the bottom line, their own.

We all get burned in our excitement to advance to the next level in our industry, but do yourself a favor and look at the facts before you leap with your heart in hand.  If you’re going to go all out with your efforts, make sure it’s beneficial to you by way of monetary, exposure, or experience exchange.

BE

• Great at what you do, it builds confidence and set’s you apart as an expert
• Confident … you put your own self on by Just showing up!
• Consistent & Visible, more people are paying attention than you realize
• Be known for having and maintaining high standards for your brand lowering them only get’s you level with the ground
• Believe in your Brand and its worth, if you don’t .. who will?

 

*All my old school people will get the fly girl reference. 

 

Until next time ..

Continue to Rock Your Greatness!

 

 

 

Loose Lips Sinks Your Brand

Brand Buster #207
One of the most damaging labels your brand can have is to be a gossip. Businesses, colleagues and potential clients need to be able to trust in your confidentiality.  Share necessary information on a pre-approved needs to know basis. 

Dare to be extra … stand OUT!

I have a friend who would call me extra, as in “VanB you are so extra”.  While, I didn’t think she meant any harm by it, I was never settled with the term.  The reference of “extra” brought to mind too many other people in the past (I’m not to be fooled – the current too) who were uncomfortable with my confidence, personality, drive, and some who wanted me to turn down the shine on my star.

If you haven’t already, you will find people who size you up, think they’ve figured you out, and attempt to compartmentalize you by putting you in a box that serves their purpose.  I believe to some extent or another we all do the same thing.  We get something new, it has a purpose, we meet someone new, we try to figure out their purpose, how and where they fit into our lives.  The problem begins when YOU begin to buy into other’s limits and expectations of and for you.

There is always going to be someone who is going to think:

Your outfit would be perfect if you changed….!

Are you sure you want to do that?

That’s nice, but becoming a ____ pays more!

Why do you hang out or help those people all the time?

Does it really take all of that?

For a while, I limited myself in a lot of my personal and business interactions.  I thought it would be easier to fit in and assimilate with said groups if I looked, talked and walked the same walk.  I wouldn’t be seen as threatening, too different, and yep “extra”, if I faded into the background and played nice.

Today, hunnay you’ve gotta know, I do me … I AM VanB!  I got out of the preconceived box, tore it up, set it afire, and now I walk to the beat of my makers drum, color all outside the lines, and I am very comfortable with the words “no thank you”.  As for my personality and characteristics, I realized they were God-given and to be anything less than I was uniquely and divinely made, would be like saying I value yours, his, and his opinion over HIS thoughts of me.

The shine on my star has been turned up to full wattage in hopes that it leads someone else to their extra.  After all, it really does take extra to be EXTRAordinary!

 

Until then …  be true to YOU!

VanB

Hey YOU, thank you for reading this post.  I encourage you to not only read, but apply what you’ve learned.

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Shhhhhhhh!!!!

“Be quiet”, “hush dear”, “don’t say that!”  I am sure you have heard these requests before and perhaps more often when you were a child, but there is something to be said for being silent sometimes, even as adults.   My grandma used to say all the time, “it is better to be seen than to be heard” and I used to think…. Better for whom?  Now, some thirty years later, I am reflecting on those exact words more than I imagined I ever would.

Hunnay’s hear me when I tell you, it is NOT necessary to respond to everything that comes your way.

Commenting too quickly can negatively effect a situation that would have gone a lot smoother had you taken the time to hear all the details before introducing your opinion.

Speaking too quickly gets you assigned to people, places and responsibilities you later wished you’d keep your mouth closed about before volunteering.

Keeping up with all the other audible Ann’s in the room will have all of your business exposed and as audible Ann’s do, repeated!

Sharing too soon what is in your heart, or on your agenda, with that well intended person who doesn’t see the vision, could have your idea’s aborted before they get a chance to take on life of their own by someone who talks you out of it with more” why you shouldn’t” than” how you can”.

The biggest benefit I receive from getting into my quiet space is peace and direction.  I don’t know about you but as an entrepreneur, single mom, mentor, and, and, and, there are ALWAYS things to do, places to be, decisions to be made and some electronic device or other to check.  When I get quiet, even if it’s only for twenty minutes, I choose to tune out the world (if it’s not on fire out there, don’t you knock on this door!!!), slow down, get re-energized and make calm, strategic decisions about my next steps.

So with all love and support, I encourage you to set aside a little time and shut up!

Until then …  be true to YOU!

VanB

Hey YOU, thank you for reading this post.  I encourage you to not only read, but apply what you’ve learned.

If this post made you think, nod your head, or smile, click the tweet or facebook button to share with others.

Share your comments below and sign up to get the latest updates  ( I don’t share email addresses… promise)

YOU, are your biggest competition!

We tend to value or under appreciate our own contributions in life, when we begin to compare ourselves to what someone else is doing in their own life.  Your girlfriend received her Master’s degree with some kind of laude attached to it, and now the shine on your certificate has lost a little luster because you barely eked by with the grades to get your own completed.  If that’s not enough, your homeboy pulls up in the baddest ride in the parking lot, and within seconds the bluebook value on your own older model, paid for I might add, vehicle has plummeted.  Hunnnnnayyyy, when are you going to learn, that when you measure your worth by someone else’s yardstick, you are ALWAYS going to come up short?!!  Healthy competition is a good, and serves us well when it is used to push ourselves to the next level of greatness in our own planned journey.  The most important person you will ever successfully compete against is YOU, and your desire to reach a little higher and a little farther than you did the last time.

What are you aiming towards next?  Get Ready … Set… GROW to your biggest potential!

Until then …  be true to YOU!

VanB

Hey YOU, thank you for reading this post.  I encourage you to not only read but apply what you’ve learned.

If this post made you think, nod your head, or smile, click the tweet or facebook button to share with others.

Share your comments below and sign up to get the latest updates  ( I don’t share email addresses… promise)