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Hello!
I hope this newsletter finds you in “full tilt” celebration of the holidays. That’s what life should be all about, isn’t it? Operating at full tilt, living, laughing, and loving, recognizing that we should expect the unexpected, and not letting these surprises hold us back from our goals and dreams.
And this sums up the focus of my newsletter and my practice. Celebrating life and work, accepting the surprises, and not allowing the dust of interruption cloud our vision or potential.
You can always expect to find the following in these editions:
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a short, reflective article to prompt you on living your potential with excitement
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an inspirational quote
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a “coaching corner,” with practical tips for your personal and professional life
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current offers and news of my upcoming programs
While you are reading this, my family is running hard to beat the holiday deadlines. Hubby Greg and I finally got our tree up just days before Christmas, and although Christmas has come and gone, making way to the New Year, we are still listening to Mannheim Steamroller's Christmas carols. Between the two of us, we have four wonderful adult children, two special children-in-law, and three beautiful grandchildren. We marvel how we got to this week with sanity and a healthy sense of humor! In the last three weeks, my mother has had open-heart surgery, Greg and I got married (hooray!), and we have discovered that he has a serious, but very treatable cancer. We count our blessings.
Meanwhile, I am pushing forward on my own business, as he continues in his own work. How does anyone do it all? And how do we work proactively with life’s interruptions so that these do not throw us off from our purpose and passion? This will be my coaching focus for 2012. I invite you to journey with me and make the commitment to stay on track to get what you want – and to enjoy the ride.
Warmly,
Patti
Feature Article
Taking the Ride of Your Life
Do you remember waiting in line for the playground slide? Summertime. Hot. Itchy and sweaty on the back of your neck. You would jostle forward, trying not to push whoever was in front of you, but fidgeting to get to the stairs for your turn. Then, there you were. You grabbed on to the handrails to pull yourself up, and looked toward the top. Whoa. Those stairs were steep! You took a deep breath, clung harder with those sticky hands to the warm rails, and pushed and pulled yourself up each step, higher and higher. Finally, you reached the top. Wow – you were higher up than you thought! What a view! And you clambered out to sit on the starting point. Boy, that metal on the backs of your legs was suddenly scalding! You clung to the rails beside you as you looked out – and down. Wait a minute. That landing spot below sure seemed farther away than you thought it would.
And at that point, you were faced with the decision… hold on, or let go? Hold on, or let go? And the longer you held on, the more you hesitated. Your legs had gotten used to the heat shock, and you were squirmy and uncomfortable. But not moving was tolerable – and safe. And so, you sat there, looking down. The anxiety kept building. You asked yourself why you had been so excited to climb up there in the first place. The slide and the ride loomed bigger, taller, and scarier. Would you get hurt? Would something unexpected happen? And you’d hear the kids yelling, “Come on, get going! Just let go!”
And you finally did. Not out of excitement, but because you couldn’t stay up there 'til it got dark. Your mom would be worried, and those kids below waiting for their turn would be plenty mad that you were blocking the way. So you let go. And to your utter delight, the grand prize you received by letting go and going for it was a tummy-tingling, wind-whipping ride all the way to the bottom. It was actually exhilarating, wasn’t it? You landed with a halt or a thump much earlier than you expected. And you almost said to yourself, “Is that it? Is that all?” And then, what did you do? You turned around, and did it, again, didn’t you? Because you learned that by letting go and going after what you wanted, not only was it “not so bad,” it was fabulously rewarding. You decided to face those “what ifs” that never really happened, and you let go to take the ride of your life.
What about now? Are you hanging on to the rails about something in your life? Is the heat of waiting and hanging on squirmy, but tolerable? Are you going to sit there until it’s dark, climb back down backwards, and trudge home for dinner? Or are you going to let go for the ride of your life?
What is the one thing you want to go after in your life in 2012 that you don’t have right now? If you could do it, no holds barred, what would it be?
My personal commitment to you for 2012 is to support you in taking the ride of your life. To go from tolerable to exhilarating. Are you ready to take a tummy-tingling ride to grab on to the life you deserve? Let’s go. It’s your turn. Now.
 Coaches Corner
Whether you own your own business, or are part of someone else's company, media plays an important role in your professional success. An expert in that area, and a wonderful colleague of mine, Marielle Gauthier, has the following to share...
Media Coaching - A Necessary Business Investment
Clients have often proclaimed, "No news is good news." If you agree with this statement, you are missing a valuable opportunity to share information with your stakeholders. Positive media exposure can help increase a company's visibility and reputation potentially leading to increased sales and profitability.
Media relations is a vital tool in the marketing strategy of any business. This takes planning and must be tied to your company's business plan. One way to get your good news story told is to give media interviews. To prepare for a proactive interview I recommend the following:
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Research the most appropriate media outlet to pitch your story.
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Become familiar with the news outlet and the reporter.
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Identify the goal of the interview: is it to inform, educate, engage, influence, or inspire?
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Develop your main message or theme – think of it as the headline of the story.
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Prepare up to three supporting points to illustrate and validate the main message including background information, data, anecdotes.
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Define who you are talking to and write your main message with the audience in mind.
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Anticipate and prepare for likely and dreaded questions media may ask.
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Practice, practice, practice!
Marielle Gauthier, owner and principal of Redworks Communications, is an accredited business communicator with 15+ years of experience in media relations and strategic communications planning. She is also a certified Neuroleadership / Results Coach, helping her clients change their thinking to create positive and powerful changes in both their personal and professional lives. Marielle offers media programs to help her clients tell their organization’s story with confidence and be more in control of the media interview. For more information go to www.redworkscommunications.com
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