"Oh, it was nothing" and other ways to Celebrate your Success

Many of the women I know are quiet about their accomplishments. Ask them how they managed to pull together their company's most profitable project in three years and I am likely to hear that it's all in the teamwork. Do you know women like this who feel more comfortable shining a light on others rather than verbalize their own achievements? In the fiber art community of my profession, female artists often explain their amazing needle art expertise by pointing out that their mother, grandmother and aunts all inspired them with their simple homemaking skills like sewing clothes or embroidering tea towels. I know how this works because I have done it myself. The real hero in our life always seems to be someone else.

American women are often raised to be polite, humble and modest, and this leads women to view accepting praise as a form of bragging. Are we selling ourselves short? In order to deflect a robust statement about the value of our accomplishments, do we have to engage in a version of negative self talk? "Oh, it was nothing" may sound humble, but does it actually undermine our confidence or demotivate our future efforts? I believe that all people, male and female alike, should practice a few techniques to celebrate success so that their full participation in life is acknowledged and their anticipation of future success is enjoyed!

Awesome Efforts deserve Vibrant Recognition
1. Pat someone else on the back. Because I am an artist and so enjoy looking at art, there is not a week that goes by when I cannot find a fellow artist who has made something that inspires me. When I contact them and offer my sincere praise, you might think I am doing this for their benefit. That is only half of the story. Talking about others' accomplishments helps normalize the behavior, making it even more likely that I will mindfully appreciate my own victories.
2. Take a trip down memory lane. At the end of the week, after you have given your daily life your best shot, take a quiet moment to review your actions. Think about three specific ways your accomplishments made a positive difference in this world. Thinking about specific actions like this requires your rational brain to do more of the thinking work than your emotional brain, which means that you can more easily override your early polite-girl training to be humble and quiet about awesome abilities. Luxuriate in your thoughts of contribution.
3. Practice asking for what you want. We've all thought it from time to time. Women who are blunt when asking for stuff get called not-so-nice names. This cultural habit does not serve us well, and even keeps us from verbalizing our needs. If something you want is related to an accomplishment from your past, say stellar performance on the job, how hard is it for you to speak up and ask for an appropriate reward? Have you ever felt passive about life as you wait and hope for the acknowledgement you deserve? I know I have. It almost seems like praise from an authority figure or another person whose opinion I trust (like my husband), is something that should come my way unbeckoned in order for it to be legitimate. Here's the skill I am practicing to boost my confidence in this situation: ask for advice. "I am trying to figure out the best way to be included in the Main Street Art Festival in September. Do you have any advice for me?" This approach allows me to get closer to asking directly for what I want, and every step in that direction increases my chances of getting what I want more often.
4. Ritualized Mini Celebrations. Are you the kind of friend who notices when your girlfriend's child receives an award? Do you call her up and help her feel special about her special little girl? Why is it easier to get pumped up about another person's success than it is to get pumped up about your own? Jessi L. Smith, Ph.D. says it is due to what's called "negativity bias," which causes our brains to look at what goes wrong before it looks at what goes right. This little protective devise helps us survive, I suppose, but I vote that we should thrive more than survive! So the next time you accomplish anything, truly anything, give yourself 20 seconds to mentally Happy-Dance. Who knows, this might even lead to actually moving your body around in a little jig. Now wouldn't that be a fun-loving way to enjoy yourself?

Looking at feminine accomplishment and applauding it is something this old world of ours needs. And sometimes, this is an inside job. When we take the time to notice our efforts and give ourselves the positive credit we deserve, and then that naturally leads to an embodied experience of joy, you can bet that our motivation to succeed in the future will be heightened. All of our awesome efforts do deserve vibrant recognition, because that, my friend, is no small thing.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

P.S. I would love to have you follow my blog! I invite you to do that because the content I offer here is awesome. Getting to know you through comments and such simply fills my heart with joy. Thanks!

Finding the Customer of your Dreams

When I think about working with my ideal client, I have to decide which hat to wear. There are 30 hours each week when I wear the fiber artist and entrepreneur's hat. This flamboyant chapeau is a favorite of mine and one that I have worn for more than 2 decades. You can bet there is always a romantic bird feather and lots of frilly silk on this hat, as the creative part of me always comes out when I pop it on my head!

There is another part of my entrepreneurial brain that needs to be adorned as I work with the ideal nutrition and wellness client. As a budding Integrative Health Coach, I wear a curious sort of hat that helps me to ask important questions and amplifies my client's answers. I truly want to understand the needs and goals of each of my wellness clients...I want to be the perfect match for them.

Do you have the need to seek out and serve the ideal client? Have you ever caught yourself trying to be All to Everyone? What kind of language do you share with the folks that are your ideal customer or client, and how can you be involved in a conversation using this language?

Top Tips for Meeting the Customer of Your Dreams

Focus on your strengths. Do you have clarity about what it is that you have to offer as skills, resources, finished products, or counsel? If you have clarity about what it is you have to offer and the niche that you serve, the right kind of customers will more easily relate to you.

Practice saying "No". When I first began doing private commissions as a fiber artist, I thought it was important to say "Yes" to each and every request. I have learned that when I say "No Thanks" to the wrong kind of project, I open myself up to many opportunities to allow the right kind of work to come into my space.

Choose your playground wisely. Have you been intoxicated by the Internet? It is easy for me to feel the desire to participate on all the channels of social media and marketing that being an online boutique affords me. This intoxication literally diluted my success, and I have learned to limit myself to only those platforms I can consistently and sincerely manage. How about you?

Nurture your team. As a follow-up to narrowing my focus, I have also had to get real about those important business and creative tasks I am better off delegating to talented others. As I work with my health coaching clients, my time needs to be spent speaking directly to individuals, so I hire the help I need to do things like publish newsletters and create marketing documents. As I have created my own process and procedures, with the help of talented others, I have learned to understand how to nurture my team and myself. I feel good about counting on experts and their guidance, and I do my best to make sure they know how much I appreciate them!

You are outstanding in your field!

There are efficiencies in small business management that help me be better available to my ideal clients. Sharing these ideas is a practical matter that may help you in your enterprise. You, too, have wonderful ideas that would surely help me, and I invite you to share as well!

Beyond the practical, I know that there are millions of people in the world who, like me, and perhaps like you, love fiber art, natural and ecochic home decor, and birds. There are also many millions who seek to improve their wellness and happiness quotient. I have proven to myself that finding the perfect people to serve with my passionate skills and voice is not really a matter of connecting with ALL those millions of like others.

It is more, I believe, about sharing my unique vision about natural beauty and beautiful wellness. The clarity of purpose I have about my offerings is the best way I have found to connect with the clients of my dreams. Take a moment every day to connect with your own inner purpose, as you, too, may find that this simple focus shines a light that enables your perfect customers to find you and embrace you.

Thanks for stopping by,
Georgianne

Uplifting and Nurturing Yourself and Others

When was the last time you spent four full days unplugged, surrounded by vibrant women of all ages, while being encouraged to rest and be completely well-fed and pampered? If this sounds appealing to you, I highly recommend the event I just attended in Colorado!

Emerging Women 2013 is an event I attended October 10-13, and as a entrepreneur and family-centered woman, I found it to be important both personally and professionally. Emerging Women is a new movement and event designed to support and inspire women to express themselves authentically through the work that they do. This energetic group strives to provide the tools, knowledge, and networking needed to help women lead, start and grow businesses in ways that integrate feminine values such as connection, collaboration and heart.

I did feel included and nourished by this event and am glad that I invested both time and money as a participant. Do you know about any heartfelt events such as this near your hometown? Do you give yourself permission to take personal or professional-growth mini-vacations? I hope you will consider finding a special time-out in your upcoming schedule. Here are some of the inspirational ideas that female thought leaders I visited with presented...along with the part of their message that I found most inspiring!

• What role does creativity in my work as an artist play in my health and wellness?

Brené Brown

• Eliza Reynolds, a 20 year-old woman asks me about the crisis of perfectionism, and the message young women misunderstand today. She reports that being told "You can be anything," actually is heard as "You have to be everything." She has asked me and all the women at this conference to be a teacher to young women about what it means to be a Whole Woman, instead of a dissatisfied woman who fractures herself by seeking perfection.

Alanis Morissette

• Tara Moore encourages all women to pay loving attention to our biggest challenges and our true calling in life. She reminds me that the human body is beautifully designed to give each of us hints and clues about what arenas in life are part of our greatest good. For instance, when was the last time you felt goose bumps on your arms and the thrill of excitement in your chest when you began a project in your work? Living your true calling would provide you with this physical response, as it is your body's way of telling you that you are in your true flow.

Eve Ensler

• Sera Beck was unknown by me before this event, and her presentation was dramatic and heart wrenching. She gently reminds me to put my energy into my soul's work ahead of any sort of business template or to-do list. As a determined A-type person, I needed to hear this advice.

• Elizabeth Gilbert, author of the popular book, Eat, Pray, Love reiterated Sera's message when she told the crowd that her best work has always been accompanied by ease and joy. 

Elizabeth Gilbert

• Kristen Neff is a researcher and college professor who reminds us all that self compassion is related to well being as the flip side to self disregard. When was the last time your inner critic told you that you don't know what you are doing? How easily I can speak harshly to myself, in a manner I would never speak to another person!

• How would you describe your one most true and natural talent? 

• How do you take care of your future self? Do you sometimes think that living a long life would be great, as long as you never become a burden to your family? What could you do now to reduce the chances that you will be feeble in old age?

• How do you give yourself creative license?

Georgianne Holland

• If you make a product or an artistic object, or if you have a service to provide, how do you decide the price folks should pay? Do you feel that a fair price is paid for your skills or expertise? Did you know that if you charge less than a fair price, the transaction is unhealthy for both you and your customer/client? No one wants to be belittled, or sell themselves short. Exchange value for value.

• Women are designed to be interdependent and relational. Being truly happy for one another instead of feeling competitive toward one another is attending to your wellness. Can your work be pursued while you attend to your primary relationships and make self-care a priority?

As I revisit my notes from this dynamic weekend, I know in my heart that being "all that I can be" is at times an overwhelming responsibility. Women have such potential for greatness, and when we think big and live large, like I did this past weekend with 375 new friends in Boulder, I am reminded that the great success of my dreams will largely depend on the support and encouragement I both receive and give. Yes, my friends, we may have many skills and goals, but we are not, in my opinion, designed to function as an island. We are meant to succeed as a community, helping one another rise/fail/rise again/learn/trust/nestle/soar.

Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate being able to share my journey with you.
Georgianne