or...
Stop being so darned "professional" and take a break today! |
|
|
Welcome to issue fifteen of my ezine. If you enjoyed last month you'll be craaaaazy about this month! The purpose of this ezine continues to be inspiration, humor, business, personal and just plain fun: aka the don't-take-yourself-so-seriously ezine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
I am writing this on a flight back from Florida and a weekend of turbo shopping and decorating with my designer extraordinaire, Jim Malone. Due to lots of unforeseen circumstances in the past two months, I had not been back to my new "snowbird" condo since I bought it in January. We literally spent two days from 9AM-10PM shopping. It was fun but exhausting so now, COME ON DOWN!☺
Work took me back to New Orleans to speak at the Carter Plantation which was a very unique experience to be on a real plantation. MY Sam has been gone for two weeks celebrating her birthday in Italy. Good for her, sad for me.☹ And I have been dealing with my dog Brat who is 13 and has lost the use of part of his front legs. We are adapting, he crawls, I take him out in a little red wagon and he loves the attention (...and so do I ☺). We are busy with redoing our website, setting up tele-seminars and getting ready for April Speakers School. So no April Fool's jokes, no April showers, no April clich�s, just welcome to Spring. Oh, wait, I forgot...I live in Chicago!
|
|
|
|
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
|
 Conversations with Dog: An uncommon dogalog of canine wisdom
By Kate Solisti-Mattelon
My bud' Tamilee Webb gave me this book because of the hard decisions I was faced with in dealing with Brat's physical challenge. This is not a dog care manual. It is a tool for understanding. The dogs in your life can be valuable teachers. The author poses some of life's most intriguing questions to our canine friends. Dogs kindly spell it out with responses that offer insights into their spiritual, physical and mental awareness. Their touching answers to questions about matters practical and profound is filled with canine wisdom that will inspire anyone who enjoys life in the company of dogs.
|
|
|
I love presenting this program because of the impact it has on individuals and companies. As a consultant through Inscape I have access to many training programs and this was one that I felt a kinship to over 20 years ago. It has 23 stand-alone three-hour modules, but the power of the program comes in the ability to offer it several days in a row or come back week after week or month to month or simply in individual speeches.
"The greatest discovery in our generation is that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." This program strips away your doubts, insecurities, defenses, and inhibitions, and exposes a unique person waiting to experience life emotionally, spiritually, and creatively. Participants emerge caring more about a job, others, and living life well. It's for anyone searching for more depth and hungry for growth. The purpose of Adventures in Attitudes™ is simply awareness and growth. It goes further by strengthening your inner resources and examining the inter-relation of thought and life.
|
|
CREATIVE CAPTIONS
|
I love creativity and as a wordsmith I love double entendres, alliteration, onomato... whatever the heck that one was. One of my quirky habits is collecting names of businesses that display any of the above. Here are two of my favorites:
Merry Poppins (nanny service)Garden of Eatin (restaurant) *********************************************************** I hope you'll continue to send me ones you know of. Please send to mikki@mikkiwilliams.com
|
|
SHOE-BE-DOO STORIES
|
Yes, I own about a billion pairs of shoes. And each pair has a story to inspire, a lesson to be learned, a laugh or an "aha!"
I wore these shoes when I spoke at The White House...twice, I might add. Who did I speak for, you might ask. The Executive Office Staff of The President. Who was President the two times you spoke, you might ask. I used to say, "I spoke UNDER Clinton and Bush, Sr.," and when people started snickering at my Clinton line I got it, so now I say I spoke FOR the Clinton and Bush administrations. Not only did I have the honor and opportunity to do this but they gave me a private tour of the Oval Office and I got to take my photo behind the very lectern that you see at all press conferences.
I also went into the Cabinet room which was really fascinating. Did you know that the President sits in the middle of the table? With so many chairs around the table how would he find his seat? Well, his is two inches higher than all the others.
Oh yes, The White House story is true but the shoes...well, April Fool's☺
|
|
WONDERFUL WEBSITES
|
I come across so many and so many are shared with me that I thought I'd share with you.
WWW.MUSOPEN.COM
If you love free classical music off the web - this site is for you. Listen to the music while watching the written music , pretty cool stuff.
|
MIKKI MOUTH:
QUOTATIONS I WISH I'D SAID AND SOME I DID SAY!
|
Enjoy a quote each month from my new book - some funny, some poignant, some professional, some just darn cute!
Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
Robin Williams
|
|
READER REVIEWS
|
I love your ezine. It's inspired me to get some really outrageous boots.
Penny Pearlman
Author of Pretty Smart: Lessons From Our Miss Americas
|
|
VISTAGE VIGNETTE
|
As a speaker resource for Vistage International for 16 years and Chair of two groups for eight years I have the opportunity to interact with some of the most dynamic business leaders. Vistage is the world's largest executive organization with 15,000 members worldwide. It is to my delight to profile one of them each month.
LEN MESSNER
Len Messner is one of the original members of my Vistage CEO group and a prime example of "still water runs deep." Len's quiet, unassuming style is a contradiction to his brilliance and world-renowned status in his field. Dr. Messner, OD, FAAO, serves as the Executive Director of the Illinois Eye Institute and Vice President for Patient Care Services of the Illinois College of Optometry.The Illinois Eye Institute provides over 80,000 patient visits per year and is affiliated with the University of Chicago. Len is a Professor at ICO and is the recipient of numerous awards, including Professor of the Year, eight of the last nine years.
Married to his hometown sweetheart, Dr. Stephanie Messner for 26 yrs,
both are optometrists and have one BEAUTIFUL daughter, Jordan, who
recently turned 18 and is going off to college next Fall. Len's passion is his patients and he loves his work. When he's not working he loves to golf, enjoys a good cigar, he's a Sox fan (I love him anyway) and an over-the-top Pittsburgh Steelers fan.
He has hundreds of friends and is very respected by his Vistage peers,
employees, colleagues and VERY well known in the field of Optometry.
He is the author and co-author of numerous professional articles and textbook chapters, and a frequent guest lecturer in the United States and abroad as well as a visiting professor at a college in Spain. He lectures all over the world and one recent comment was, "The most articulate speaker I have ever heard, a humble man with a great message." And that sums up "our Len."
For more information call Len at 312.949.7108 or email him at lmessner@eyecare.ico.edu
For more information on Vistage International click here:
Vistage International
If you are interested in becoming a member of a Vistage group anywhere in the world, or a speaker or a Chair, drop us a line:
mikki@mikkiwilliams.com
|
|
HE WHO LAUGHS...LASTS!
|
The Taco Liberty Bell
From the top 100 April Fool's Hoaxes
1996: The Taco Bell Corporation announced it had bought the Liberty Bell and was renaming it the Taco Liberty Bell. Hundreds of outraged citizens called the National Historic Park in Philadelphia where the bell was housed to express their anger. Their nerves were only calmed when Taco Bell revealed, a few hours later, that it was all a practical joke. The best line of the day came when White House press secretary Mike McCurry was asked about the sale. Thinking on his feet, he responded that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold. It would now be known, he said, as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.
|
|
THE HAPPY COOKER
|
Yes, that was the name of one of my businesses and oh, come on, I know guys cook too.
Magic Cookie Bars1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/2 cup butter, melted 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips 1-1/3 cups flaked coconut 1 cup chopped nuts Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In small bowl combine graham crumbs  and butter, mix well. Press crumb mixture firmly on bottom of 13x9 baking pan. Pour milk over crumbs and layer evenly with remaining ingredients, press down firmly with fork. Bake 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool, cut into bars, store covered at room temperature. Makes 2-3 dozen bars.
|
|
FABULOUS FRIENDS
|
If any of you remember the movie or Broadway show "Auntie Mame" or if you're old enough to admit you remember it, then you might recall that Mame was famous for her eclectic circle of friends. I pride myself on that same principle of knowing so many diverse people and calling many of them my friends. I would like to profile them and their expertise by offering this monthly addition of tips, tactics and techniques shared by experts in their field. Although someone once told me not to refer to myself as an expert as an ex is a has-been and a spurt is little more than a drip. Kathleen AmecheThe Woman Road WarriorOver 200 nights on the road each year for over 20 years and dealing with such things as sleepless nights in loud hotel rooms and dead time in the wrong airports have made Kathy Ameche the Woman Road Warrior. She is the author of the best-selling book, The Woman Road Warrior: An Expert's Guide to Domestic and International Business Travel (Agate 2007) and a professional speaker. She has appeared on CNN.com, Womens Wall Street, and on Oprah and Friends. She's been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, American Way Magazine and Business Traveler Magazine. Kathy is chairman of The Ameche Group LLC, manufacturer of MicciMicci a line of fun, practical and stylish lifestyle products, and is Director and Strategy Executive with RightPoint Consulting, a management and technology consulting firm. In her over-25 years of business experience, she has served as Vice President and Chief Information Officer for the Tribune Company.You can reach Kathy in Chicago at 312.202.0034Email her at kameche@womanroadwarrior.comWebsite: www.womanroadwarrior.com
|
|
MIKKI'S MANTRA
|
Be outrageous...it's the only place that isn't crowded.
|
|
INSPIRATIONS
|
As the wordsmith that I have always been, from my high school honors in English (and French) to my calling as a professional speaker, each of the "inspirations" that I share every month are from years and years of collecting words that have inspired me.
THE STATION
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows we drink the passing scene of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of rows of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains, skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day, at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Once we get there so many dreams will come true.
How restlessly we pace the aisles, waiting for the station. "When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 18." "When I buy a new 450 SL Mercedes Benz!" "When I put the last kid through college." "When I get promoted." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after!"
Sooner or later we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fears of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So, stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less.
Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
Anonymous
|
|
MIKKI ON THE MOVE
|
Check out where Mikki will be speaking and piggyback your company or association event. Or just invite her to dinner or shopping!
Click here for her calendar:
Mikki On The Move
|
|
The next Speakers School is April 23-24, 2009. It's for people at all levels: novices, wannabes, CEOs, professionals or anyone who needs to improve their communication skills. Click here to register: Speakers School
Read a testimonial from one of the fabulous graduates:
Speaker School was an enjoyable and productive two day investment. Mikki's advice was comprehensive, practical, and clearly based on significant experience. And to top it all off, it was GREAT fun - in Mikki's class, learning and laughter go hand in hand!
Deb DaRosa
Professor of Surgery
Northwestern University
|
|
| ____________________________________
|
|
To book Mikki for your next event as a keynoter, emcee, panelist, seminar or workshop leader (she doesn't do floors or windows) or for more info on Vistage, Speakers Schools, Coaching or Consulting or anything else that's on your mind, contact Mikki or Samantha |
|
MIKKI WILLIAMS, CSP
|
Mikki Williams, CSP is a professional speaker/trainer, specializing in business dynamics and human potential as well as a Resource Speaker for Vistage International, the worlds largest CEO organization. She is a small business consultant, runs bi-annual Speaker Schools, Chairs two Executive Think Tanks, affilated with Vistage International and is a Life Architect, helping people design their lives and businesses through a coaching model. To learn more about Mikki Williams Unltd. and all the services provided
CALL ME: 312.664.8447
FAX ME: 312.664.8460
E ME: mikki@mikkiwilliams.com
SEE ME: www.mikkiwilliams.com
|
Thanks for spending
time with us!
|
|
|
*If you enjoyed this ezine and know others who would like to receive it, please forward this along to friends, family and colleagues! Use the "Forward e-mail" link at the bottom of this newsletter.
** To unsubscribe please use the link at the bottom of this newsletter (but we'd rather you didn't!).
All contents � 2008, except where indicated otherwise. All rights reserved worldwide. Duplication or reprint only with expressed permission from Mikki Williams. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. All contents provided as is. In our extensive research we've made every attempt to be accurate in attributing quotes, poems, jokes and the like and want to apologize in advance if we have not given proper credit or given it erroneously. |
|
|
|
|
