Difference Maker!

Difference Maker!

This week’s difference maker is all about Audrey Hepburn. My love and admiration of her is excessive. I know I say I love people and things a lot, and simply put, I do. She is a huge influencer in my life, even after her death.
 
When I was a little girl, my grandmother watched my brother and I while my mom was at work. I love my grandmother very much.  Her and I had an amazing bond that will never be replicated. She passed away while I was in high school.  It hit me hard not seeing her, but I have never felt like she left me.
 
Please note, I said love her not loved. I don’t know why we say love in the past tense when talking about those who have died. That love never goes away.
 
Anyway, my grandmother was the one who introduced me to Audrey Hepburn via the movie Funny Face. I was hooked. I then watched all Audrey’s movies and followed her life beyond the theater.
 
Audrey was so much more than a Hollywood fashion icon and celebrity. She broke down barriers in the film industry, changing what beauty was expected to be. Most importantly, she took her experiences of her youth and the ugliness she saw to do something good. She was a humanitarian and a huge advocate for children, becoming a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She is famously known for both her career and her passion.
 
She taught me, you cannot fit in a pretty box and still be beautiful. She taught me that you can take something bad and work to make it better. While Audrey is not the only influencer in my life, she was the first to show me how one person can make a big impact on a grand scale.
 
My goals are to live as she lived. I want to break down barriers for women within ourselves, professionally and personally. I want to help other women have better opportunities or an easier time. I want to see the ugliness and acknowledge it, so I can do something good.
 
Like Audrey said, “I don’t take life seriously, but I do take what I do in life -seriously-.”

Evergreen and Everlasting!

Evergreen and Everlasting!

I am sure we have all heard about those staples in our closets that are must haves. You know what I’m talking about, the white collared button-down shirt, black top, jeans, khaki pants and that simple black dress. Oh, and we can’t forget the plain black, white, and navy t-shirt. These are staples in our closet that we keep until they are worn beyond repair, and then we replace with their identical match.
 
These items are easily jazzed up with accessories, adding some sort of trend that is a replication of a style from decades past. A plain black t-shirt and jeans can go from day to night by simply adding some vibrant colored heel and bag.  Don these accessories and voila, compliments all around.
 
This is how we should look at our content in marketing. Take something basic and add some color. You can transfer it from platform to platform tweaking it in just the right way to match the occasion.
 
We see this happening all around us, but often we don’t realize what they are doing.
 
Even production studios get in on the mix. For example, “A Star is Born” has been recreated on the silver screen four different times!    Most recently, I discovered that the iconic TV show, The Wonder Years, has been resurrected for ABC’s evening lineup.    And let’s not forget about the various versions of Law and Order, Casino Royal, Little Women, West Side Story, so on and so forth.
 
Dateline is my favorite example. They are parlaying content from years ago into various mini-series.  I have to admit…this is a brilliant way to reach a whole new audience.  Truth be told, I myself, was never into Dateline.  But make old news into a mini-series, and I’m hooked!
 
So next time you transform a boring white page of paper into a significant piece of literature, of think of how you can dress it up for a variety of platforms.

Edible Fact!

Edible Fact!

One of my least favorite words is “busy.”
 
The word is a negative.
 
Yet, somewhere along the line we began thinking that using the word “busy” makes us sounds important; it’s become a status symbol.
 
The reality is, when we say we are too busy, we are telling people we lack discipline. What we are also conveying to people is, “you’re not a priority at all” or “I’m too important to have the free time you do.”
 
As much as I hate the word, I’ve developed a terrible habit of using it. There are times when I don’t want an in-depth conversation about everything happening, so I say I’m busy. There, conversation over. Which quite honestly is very rude of me.
 
There are articles galore on reasons why we shouldn’t use the word. The Harvard Business Review, The Washington Post, BBC, all present great arguments against “busy”. Their summation in a nutshell: 
 

  1. “Busy” disconnects you from people you love and from being present in the moment.
  2. “Busy” is often a cover-up of the truth.
  3. “Busy” is quite honestly a choice you’ve made, therefore no empathy is needed.
  4. “Busy” doesn’t put you in line for that promotion.

 
So, if we can’t say we’re “busy”, what should we say?
 
Well, first, we must change our mindsets and take “busy” off the pedestal of significance.
 
Second, if you truly are busy, and therefore not able to do something, then be honest with exactly what you are doing.
 
Lastly, since busy is not a feeling, be specific. Tell people you are overwhelmed. Be vulnerable and sincere. This will get you farther than using the word busy.
 
I know not everyone iterates that they are “busy” is weighing their words with such exacting care. “I’m busy” has adapted into our everyday language like “I’m hungry”, or “I’m tired.”  But that doesn’t change any of the above.
 
Think about it, would you promote someone who says they are always busy? Would you call a friend who constantly told you they were busy?
 
We should all challenge ourselves to stop or at least reduce the use of the word.

Sun or Shade?

Sun or Shade?

Do you feel apprehension or guilt for making money?
 
I do.
 
It is difficult to pinpoint why I have this feeling.   Maybe its because I have seen people with money use it as a tool to wield control and power in a manipulative way. Maybe I know there are people who need the funding more. Maybe I don’t feel like I’m good enough to have it. Could be one of the above, all the above or none of the above.
 
There are so many of us out there who feel the same way.
 
I am a huge fan of Jen Sincero, a #1 New York Times Bestselling author, speaker, and success coach. I fell in love with her at a women’s event held by the Ohio Board of Realtors where she was a guest speaker. She talked about how we are our greatest stumbling blocks, and how we need to start seeing ourselves as the badass women we truly are in this world. I don’t know about you, but I need people like this in my life.
 
I, of course, immediately downloaded her audiobook “You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life”. I highly recommend listening to this book over and over again until it’s embedded into your blood stream. Jen broaches the topic of women and money in her breakout book.   


She dives deeper into the topic with her follow up book You are a Badass at Making Money: Master the Mindset of Wealth,. The first thing she states is “Making money is like having sex. You’re supposed to know what you’re doing and be all great at it, but nobody teaches you anything about it, and you’re never supposed to talk about it because it’s inappropriate, dirty and … not so classy. Both money and sex can provide unthinkable pleasures, but we’re ashamed to admit that we want it, and we will do things/people, we’re not specifically into in order to get it.”
 
Clearly, I love her style of writing.
 
There are many reasons why we have an unhealthy relationship with money. Whether or not we can make a ton of it is typically not one of them.
 
So, if you are feeling the same way I am, and like me, you don’t have all the answers, push through, and start having the conversations that make you feel uncomfortable.