Last week was crazy – and as is usually the case, it turned out great in the end.
Due to some ‘technical difficulties’ last week we changed the printing/distribution company we are working with to produce the book. We are now working with a new company and they seem to be more professional, certainly more willing to work with what we want to produce and I am now in the same position as I was last week, waiting for my first proof.
Waiting is tough. You know you have other things to do but a part of your mind is always thinking about that one thing. The good thing is that you know it’s going to happen so you can plan for it. I have been making sure I had ‘doing stuff’. The stuff that you just need to do, busy work. I have been creating some of the things that will make the book launch fun.
I will be setting up a new website for the book, where we will be giving you exclusive peaks and insider information. Don’t worry – you will know when that happens.
I intend to keep this site for communication insights, tips, and random thoughts. If there is anything you would like to see more of then please let me know.
Have a great week. Spend some time today setting your goals for the week, imagine what it will feel like on Friday when you look back and know you have acomplished something.
I have a publisher for my new book “USING PEOPLE” (yes I’m doing the Happy Dance)
I have agreed to work with Corvus Press and am very excited about it..
Had to wait for it all to be official before I could share it with you. Here is the news release:
Corvus Press
Contact: Dan Murphy
DanMurphy@CorvusPress.com
CorvusPress.com
Are you “Using People” like you should?
Coming Soon: The book that makes you hear old phrases in a completely new way.
Lafayette, LA — Talk behind someone’s back. Judge a book by its cover. Lie to yourself. Give up on your dreams.
You may be surprised by what happens.
The witty and insightful instructions in speaker Aileen Bennett’s new book Using People may catch you off guard. After all, does she really want you to give up on your dreams? Well, sort of.
Using People challenges us all to live a life deeper than the catch phrases. Burned in our psyche since childhood, these phrases have flaws … and Bennett brings them out in a way that makes you think (and rethink) your own possibilities. Steeped in Bennett’s unique blend of English wit and Southern charm, Using People is sure to shock — then inspire.
About the Author
Bennett is a recovering designer turned cynical speaker who delights and enlightens audiences with classic wit, modern style and a sense of knowing that makes you feel like the universe sent her to speak directly to you. And according to Bennett, it did. She’s appeared on a range of talk shows, keynoted national conferences, coached executives and milked cows before dawn. Her bulletproof enthusiasm continues to inspire others to live happier, more fulfilling lives. For more information on Bennett, visit ThatSpeaker.com.
About the Book
Using People arrives this September during a special event and signing with the author (TBA). Media requests for advanced review copies should be sent to Corvus Press, care of DanMurphy@CorvusPress.com.
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Sometimes we all have to deal with other people saying untrue ‘bad stuff’ about us. Remember it’s more about them than you. Forgive them. We all act out when we are insecure. Know who you are, and listen to this great tune by The Kooks.
This morning I had one of “those” mornings — you know, where everything seems to go wrong. You wake up in a good mood, but then the dog is sick, the Internet doesn’t work, and you spill your coffee. You start dreading the day to come.
What if spilling your coffee meant good luck? What if locking yourself out of the house meant you had great riches coming soon? What if getting stuck in traffic was a sign that you were about to have a great day?
I know this may sound slightly absurd, but, really, when you think about it, so is attaching a bad day to any of these things. I know people who decide how good their day is going to be by the weather — now that’s crazy. The more you say, “I know it’s going to be a bad day,” the more you are ensuring that it’s true.
I’m not suggesting that we all go around with insane grins on our faces and believe that the world is full of rainbows and puppies. Even I’m not that unrealistic. I’m saying that our thoughts create our world, and different thoughts can change our outlook.
I believe in positive thinking; after all, what harm can it do? I believe more in positive action. It’s fine to stand in your yard repeating the mantra, “There are no weeds. There are no weeds.” But, unless you actually do something about the weeds, they will still be there.
The point about thinking positively is that it leads to positive action. Thoughts and beliefs are powerful because they dictate how we act. Changing your actions starts with changing your thinking. Changing your thinking starts with being aware of what it is now.
Listen to what you say to yourself. What do you tell yourself before you go into a meeting, before you meet a client, before you go on a date? Are you being kind to yourself, or setting yourself up for failure? Do you say critical things to yourself that you would never say to anyone else? You might want to stop that!
So this morning, I decided that anything that went wrong before 8 a.m. just means that something amazing is going to happen later. If I look for it, I will find that amazing thing. We always get what we look for.
Have you ever thought about buying a certain kind of car and then noticed that model everywhere? I swear I was the only person in Lafayette with a VW Beetle before I got one, and now they seem really common. We get what we focus on.
Our subconscious notices thousands of things every second, but it only brings them to our attention when it thinks they are important. If you spent your day looking for elephants, you would find them everywhere, even in South Louisiana.
Our brains are amazing things. Let’s start using them deliberately — for good.
Yesterday I gave you a whole load of quotes about thinking.. hopefully I got you thinking..
Now to put it into practice…we’ll start small.
Imagine today is International Happiness Day – everyone is happy. Some people may not show it outwardly but today they are happy. Your job is to start collecting evidence that everyone you meet is happy. You probably should start with yourself ! Decide to be happy, think like you are happy….
Spend your day noticing happy, going out of your way to find it.
It’s going to be a great week. I have no doubts at all.
This week I’m going to write a series of posts about what may be the most vital communication you ever have – the communication with yourself.
What you think becomes who you are:
“As a man thinketh, so is he” Proverbs 23:7 Bible
“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”
Buddha
“Change your thoughts and you change your world. ”
Norman Vincent Peale
“Your life is what your thoughts make it. ”
Marcus Aurelius
So today, notice your thoughts. See where they are leading you, know that you can change them as simply as thinking something else. If you change your thinking you can change anything you want.
This week I am going to examine this in more depth. Today just know that you already know everything you need to, to be the person you are today.. and the person you want to be tomorrow.
After all “If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you‘re right” (Henry Ford)
As they say in bad quote books ‘today is the first day of the rest of your life’ – it’s become corny, but it doesn’t make it any less true.
Today is definitely the start of the rest of my life for me. I’ve decided to take some time to change some things that either aren’t working in my life, or aren’t working as well as they should be – mainly myself.
It’s hard to know where to start so I have decided to spend 7 weeks trying some different stuff and finding out what works for me. At the end of that time I will keep the things that work, and well, who knows… part of this time is about reminding myself to focus on the now.
On the wall of my studio, and on a ring I wear is written “Between Stimulus and Response there is a space…” It’s the beginning of a Victor Frankl quote:
“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”
It’s the quote that guides my life: I get to choose my response to what happens. I get to choose how I live. For the next 7 weeks, I’m going to be very concious of those choices and what they produce.
I am changing my diet, trying some new things, new approaches. I am kicking up my workouts and making them more important in my day. I have a new coach (more details later) who I am hoping will guide me in the area of my life where I have the most doubt and struggle. I am going to finish, USING PEOPLE, my new book, with a focus that I have been lacking lately. Some new speeches are coming too.
I spent the weekend clearing clutter in preparation. I really find I feel better when my environment is clear. I must have loaded up five trash bags with clothes for Goodwill. I let go of the clothes I didn’t wear and those that didn’t feel like me.
I’m ready. I didn’t sleep much last night, I knew today really was the first day of the rest of my life, or at least the next 7 weeks.
Although this is a private journey I will try and share much of it with you, we can all learn so much from each other.
“Aileen, just a note to say the one-on-one coaching sessions were wonderful !!! Your methods are true to your message. You are amazing! Thank you for unlocking my passion and potential and for BEING YOU!!” — Mary H. Melebeck, Assistant Vice President, Home Bank
I throughly and enthusiastically recommend:
and yes, these are affiliate links. (I use affiliate links only for products and services I use and approve of)
