So I’m slow to greeting the new year and a lot of other things as well. I haven’t abandoned my blog writing but… life interrupted my best laid plans. Between bouts of illness, work and travel 2010 has been off to a slow start for me. 2009 seemed to be such a great year till it went south at the end but I accomplished a lot during that year so it wasn’t ALL bad.
I’m feeling better and looking forward to what the rest of 2010 has to offer regardless of what that may be. I’m working on new classes and planning to have tons of fun so be on the lookout for news and updates.
There are lots of myths out there about what being an introvert means. Introversion simply means that an introvert recharges his/her batteries alone.
Myths about Introverts
- Introverts don’t like to talk
- Introverts are shy
- Introverts are rude
- Introverts don’t like people
- Introverts always want to be alone
Introverts’ Strengths
- Think before speaking or acting
- Listen more
- Know a lot about a few topics
- Are reflective and appear calm
- Are more detail oriented
Shyness and introversion are not the same. Introversion may appear to be shyness because introverts are more self contained.
Shyness is a social anxiety, an extreme self-consciousness when one is around people… Shy people may feel uncomfortable with one-on-one situations or in group situations. It is not an energy issue; it is a lack of confidence in social situations. It is a fear of what others think of you. It produces sweating, shaking, red face or neck, racing heart, self-criticism, and a belief that people are laughing at you.
– The Introvert Advantage, Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D
Famous Introverts
Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth president
Sir Alfred Hitchcock, film director
Michael Jordon, basketball player and celebrity
Thomas Edison, inventor
Grace Kelly, actress
Gwyneth Paltrow, actress
Laura Bush, former 1st lady
Bill Gates, software pioneer
Candice Bergen, actress
Clint Eastwood, actor/director
Charles Schulz, Peanuts cartoonist
Steve Martin, comedian/actor/writer
Harrison Ford, actor
Michele Pfeiffer, actress
Katherine Graham, late owner of the Washington Post, author
Embracing being an introvert
Being an introvert means accepting introversion unique traits. According to the Myer Briggs test I’m an INFP. Taking the test just confirmed what I already knew about myself. But it is a great starting point for personal development since it helps highlight your strengths.
Introverts get more of their stimulation internally, whereas extroverts seek outside sources – Debra L. Johnson, PhD.
There is nothing wrong with being an introvert. It’s just a different way of experiencing the world.
Recommended Reading:
Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead
The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World
Stop Pushing Me Around!: A Workplace Guide for the Timid, Shy, And Less Assertive
The Introvert’s Corner and Self Promotion for Introverts blogs from Psychology Today
I have an iPod touch and I’ve been using it for the last few months to stay organized. So far keeping a calendar has been great. I’m rarely ever late for an appointment and I’m less likely to forget one as well. Here are five other applications that I can’t live without.
- Mint– Companion application for the Mint.com financial website. Allows me to stay on top my finances across multiple institutions
- Gratitude journal from Happy Tapper. I’ve been keeping a gratitude journal for over a year now. It’s a great tool to keep me focused on what’s going right rather than wrong in my life.
- Remember the Milk is a great site and application combo that allows you to track your to-dos. It also is available for the Blackberry
- Evernote is a great tool to store everything from links to voice notes. It allows you to create notebooks for different topics. It also is available for the Blackberry
- Tick which is a great time tracking tool that works with Tickspot.com. Setting up an account is easy and no credit card is required to try it out. The time tracking works with Freshbooks (the BEST online invoicing system that I’ve found).
If you are looking to get more organized and stay on top of things these 5 applications will help to do that. You’ll feel better by keeping a gratitude journal and you’ll be more organized too.
The final part of creating my business plan was doing the left brain stuff a.k.a doing the finances.
The part I most dreaded was looking at the ins and outs of the money aspect of my business. Without it you have no business but still dreaded looking at dealing with the numbers. Now that I’ve done it I don’t feel so bad. I now have a framework to move forward with.
A business plan is supposed to be fluid not static.
So I now know where to put my attention in my business and what product and services to create and which ones are not worth pursuing.
If you don’t have a written business plan I highly recommend doing one. I thinking having it as reference is a great resource. If it is on paper you can still make changes nothing is written in stone.
The areas I covered in the finances were:
- Cost of my services
- Cost of my products
- Business expenses e.g. Advertising, Printing, Membership dues, etc
In case you missed it. Here’s the presentation I did on Tuesday on mind mapping.
I recently finished writing my business plan. I figured it was time. I’ve been procrastinating about it for ages. But you can’t run a business if you don’t know where you stand or where you are going.
I’ve tried several approaches to creating a business plan – templates, kits etc. and none of it worked. Then I discovered the Right-Brain Business plan by Jennifer Lee. It’s a kit that offers the reader an e-book plus visualization about their business. I found this route of planning much easier that the left brain approach I’d tried before. Just using numbers and statistics just doesn’t cut it. Not that this right-brain approach ignores the numbers. It doesn’t. You still have to figure out the cost of doing business but that’s after you’ve done all the creative thinking about who you are, what your business is and what your unique selling point it.
To learn more about the right-brain business plan visit Artizen Coaching.
- Be a Mentor or a Mentee – it’s one of the best ways to learn and grow
- Tell your story to other women. We all have them. Maybe you overcame an illness or some other setback in your personal life or career.
- Be open to change. Change will happen regardless of whether you want it to or not. Either you do it with grace or with pain.
- Never stop learning. When you think you know everything it is when you are likely not listening to the truth around you. Learn by doing, take a class in something that scares you. Just try it.
- Be powerful in word and deed. Being assertive is about being powerful. Being a bitch is not.
- Make peace with technology if you haven’t already. It can help you accomplish your goals
- Define what your mission in life is. When you have a mission define making decision about what you will and will not do are easier to make
- Delight in your accomplishments and brag about you have achieved. Embrace your uniqueness. Revel in it. There is power in being who you are
- Contribution, giving back to your community is important. No matter how big or small. Just give.
- Be grateful for all you have. Keep a gratitude journal
I have been using Wordpress for a couple of years solely as a blogging platform but when I decided to revamp my website I made the decision to do the entire site in Wordpress. It took me a few weeks to convert the old site to what is published today but it was well worth it. My site is easier to maintain and I don’t want to throw my computer out the window as often.
Here are my favorite plugins so far:
Fast and Secure Contact Form – The contact form lets your visitors send you a quick E-mail message. Blocks all common spammer tactics. Includes a CAPTCHA and Akismet support. Does not require JavaScript. The easiest installation of a form plugin I encountered. Other plugins require you to know HTML. I know HTML but I’m lazy about looking up code when I’m in the zone :)
After The Deadline – For contextual spelling, style, and grammar check for Wordpress. Write better and spend less time editing. Honestly sometimes I forget to use this one.
Analytics360 – Allows you to pull Google Analytics and MailChimp data directly into your dashboard, so you can access robust analytics tools without leaving WordPress. Compliments of MailChimp
WordPress Database Backup – On-demand backup of your WordPress database.
Yoast Breadcrumbs – Outputs a fully customizable breadcrumb path.
Bad Behavior – Deny automated spambots access to your PHP-based Web site
DISQUS Comment System – The DISQUS comment system replaces your WordPress comment system with your comments hosted and powered by DISQUS. Very easy to setup and moderate comments.
WPtouch iPhone Theme – A plugin which formats your site with a mobile theme for the Apple iPhone / iPod touch, Google Android and other touch-based smartphones.
MailChimp – The MailChimp plugin allows you to easily setup a Subscribe box for your MailChimp list
The “Think Big Revolution” is all about thinking bigger about who you are and what you have to offer the world. Michael Port is the author of “The Think Big Manifesto” and a well known small business coach and speaker.
I took Michael Port’s 15 week small business coaching class in 2006. I was just starting out in the freelance world having done a few small gig here and there along with teaching. I had no idea who Michael was before I signed up for his course at the Learning Annex. It was the best hour of advice on small business I’d heard in ions. I signed up for his 15 week class that night.
One of the most important things I learned from Michael’s course it to be true to yourself and the path to your success will unfold. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to DO the work. You do.
When starting something entirely new. Remember all new ideas are subject to ridicule. Do it anyway. You will learn something either way. Being afraid of failure or success just keeps you in a rut. Who needs that!
Most people who are afraid…are usually afraid of what other people will think. What other people think is none of your business.
Throughout history, small thoughts have stood in opposition to big thoughts. The church reviled Galileo. The world is flat right? Darwin was disbelieved in his time. We couldn’t be descended from apes, could we?
– The Think Big Revolution by Michael Port with Mina Samuels
So what is thinking big all about?
Thinking big is means transcending our small thoughts. I’m not smart enough; I can’t risk my secure job on some flimflam dream; my parents [spouse, children, friends] won’t approve; people will think I’m crazy; nobody will like me anymore; I don’t have the time; I don’t have the energy; I can’t make a difference, I’m only one person; I don’t …; I can’t …;
– The Think Big Revolution by Michael Port with Mina Samuels
Create your own revolution or join Michael’s but either way rock it out. Your best life is waiting…
Follow Michael on Twitter - @michaelport.
Yesterday, I attended Step Up New York’s Power Breakfast featuring Karen Rose. Mrs. Rose is a business consultant, a director of Maidenform Brands, Inc. and serves as its chairman of the board, chairman of its audit committee and is a member of its compensation committee and nominating and governance committee. The Power Breakfast was held at Maidenform on Madison Ave and we were all treated to a lovely breakfast and we were told we would be receiving a gift from the company.
Before she began her talk Mrs. Rose wanted know what the participants wanted to learn from her. There were a wide variety of questions but the most asked about questions were about how to achieve work/life balance, creating change at work how to get on boards, mentoring and how she felt she had achieved her success.
Work/Life balance will always be a constant struggle and you will have to adjust as you move ahead in your career based on what is most important to you at the time. If you have kids do want is right for you. You will feel guilty regardless so accept it and move on.
Have a mentor and being mentored are great ways to learn and grow in your profession and as a person.
Change can happen from the bottom up but you need to have an advocate at least in the middle who has influence with the people who can make a difference.
A lot of people also wanted to know about branding. Mrs. Rose wasn’t afraid to say that wasn’t her area of expertise. She did say that being yourself was important and that being genuine would get you further along in business than being a fake. She also attributed a lot of her success to luck and circumstances.
It sounds like Mrs. Rose has a family that supports her in what she chooses to do and this has allowed her to achieve both personal and professional success.
Download the Karen Rose_PowerBreakfast mind map.
Flickr Photos
