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 Issue No. 38                                           May 2011
Welcome! 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.
        Favorite Speaker
In This Issue
Mikki & Friends
Biz Bytes
Creative Captions
Shoe-Be-Doo Stories
Wonderful Website-ings
Mikki Mouth
Millennial Insights
Titillating Trivia
Wassup with Wellness
He Who Laughs...
Social Media Guru Guy
The Happy Cooker
Mikki's Mantra
Inspirations
Mikki on the Move
Speakers School
Visionary Volunteerism
Mikki Williams, CSP

MUSINGS FROM MIKKI

     

     HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MONTH TO ALL!!!

                        Mikki&Mom    Jason & Mikki
 


                    

It's been an a-MAY-zing month! Just got back from the Royal Wedding. Oh sorry, I meant the Royal Scoop (my favorite Florida ice cream parlor) near Skittles House, the affectionately dubbed name of my very colorful Florida home.  

Had another great Speakers School, so sign up now for the next one which is in September. I love that people come back over and over again (for free!).  Gary Herald

 

Busy speaking from coast to coast. Here I am on Long Island (right) with

Gary Herald, President/CEO of Ambassador College Bookstores. And while in the New York area my two college buds came into the city to catch dinner and a show (me with Tweeny and Sharon below), and just to catch up. Such fun!

College buddies 

 

Baby It's You

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw Baby, It's You, the story of the Shirelles. Who??? Okay, okay, yes, I am over 21. Anyway,it was an era of great music, and the show rocked.  

 

BTW I am now addicted to Groupon, so bought and enjoyed a gelato class with pal, Carolyn Grisko. Oops, that's not Carolyn with me in the photo left, iGelato classt's Michael Canady of Le Chocolatier.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Austin, TXThen I hit the middle of the country to one of my favorite cities, Austin, TX, (with Tess Frazier at right).

 

I'm really enjoying doing the Leadership Series for Vistage with my DiSC profile seminar.  

If you're not familiar with DiSC, it's a terrific self-scoring (altho it's better with me administering Smiley Face) behavioral instrument designed to help you maximize your strengths, minimize your weaknesses and improve communication in all areas of your life. They're available on my website, at the bottom of the EXCESSories page.  

 

Back to the west coast, and after my speech I got to enjoy a fun activity with the group as I did my first Ride the Ducks Tour  through Seattle. It was a blast; great music, a wild and crazy Ride the Ducksdriver/tour guide, lotsa props and fun shout-outs. I'm going again this month! Find one in your city - so cool, an amphibian bus that goes in the water. 

 

 

   

 

While in Seattle I got to have dinner with past clients from Atlas International, now just wonderful The Jacksonsfriends - Dave Jackson and his daughter Pam,  The Growth Coach.   

 

 

 

 

 



 

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Book-May11

Brand Sense  

by Martin Lindstrom


I've been reading a lot about branding as I am fascinated by the subject and have a new speech called Strike Up the Brand. A self-proclaimed "accidental brand," I was using this art/science before it was declared one. I particularly love THIS book because the author incorporates the importance of all the senses in branding, another topic close to my heart as it is something I teach presenters in Speakers School.  

With that said, did you know that currently 83% of all commercial communication appeals to only one sense, our eyes. That leaves a paltry 17% to cater to the other four senses. This is extraordinary given that 75% of our day-to-day emotions are influenced by what we smell and the fact that there's a 65% chance of a mood change when exposed to a positive sound. This is a long way of saying that the importance of all the senses has been overlooked in the branding process...until now. And in the speaking business as well. This is an out-of-the box (oh how I love that!) visionary approach to branding you or your business.   

I love this book!!!  

Mikki & Friends 

Join me and some of my fabulous friends for fun and informative tele-conversations!

 

Don't miss the next tele-conversation on  

Wednesday, May 31st at 12:00 noon CST.

  

 

No cost, no obligation. Just  CLICK HERE to register.    

 Alex Freytag 

Conversation with Mikki and 

Alex Freytag     

 

 

OWNERSHIP THINKING: THE BUSINESS MODEL FOR THE 21ST CENTURY

 

 

After a brief stint in L.A. studying improvisational comedy and selling t-shirts, Alex Freytag has spent 15 years helping employees think and act like owners.  In 1996, armed with a BA in psychology and an MBA (valedictorian!), Alex co-founded Profitworks, Ltd., an employee business literacy training firm. Now, as Vice President of Ownership Thinking, Alex is passionate about defeating the entitlement mentality that is so pervasive and devastating in our culture, and replacing it with cultures of earning - of employees who think and act like owners.  He believes that human beings do not gain self esteem through unearned compensation, empty praise or false security, but rather through achievement. His company provides employees and organizations with the tools and training they need to realize their potential, and to create wealth where wealth might never have been created.

   

 For more information visit: www.ownershipthinking.com.   Alex can be reached at 614.571.8826 or [email protected].  

 

No cost, no obligation. Just  CLICK HERE to register.

  

David AvrinNEXT TELE-CONVERSATION:  Wednesday, June 29th  

at 12:00 Noon CST   

David Avrin - The Visibility Coach  It's Not who you know, it's who knows you: How to Raise Your Profile by Building Your Brand  

BIZ BYTES  

                Chronicles
My first three years of professional speaking was mostly international work...by choice. A desire to "experience" the world was one of my primary motivators in pursuing this career. As a new feature I will share my fascinating journeys. Hope you will enjoy the recap with me.

Speaking in Switzerland    Switzerland


An invitation to Switzerland! Visions of chocolate and jewelry danced in my head. What could be more decadent? After my initial glow I settled into the realities of the task at hand. Part of the thrill and challenge of international speaking is my insatiable desire to learn and grow beyond the boundaries of my own culture, religion and environment. I have enhanced this knowledge by searching out additional resources for my journeys of the heart, mind and profession. I have gained a literary collection as a result of my international forays. As I leafed through one such resource "Put Your Best Foot Forward" (European Edition) I learned that Switzerland is as large as Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut (where I used to live) combined. 65% German, 18% French and 10% Italian and 7% assorted. "Herr and Frau," "Monsieur and Madame," "Signor and Signora," quickly became part of my vocabulary. After a recent US presentation a woman in my audience who works for Brigham Young University came up to me and asked where I would be traveling to in the next year. When I arrived home she had sent me a gift of their CultureGrams that BYU provides for each country I would be visiting. 

READ MORE


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:
Knitty Cat

 

Knitty Cat  (Knitting store, submitted by Janet Fogarty, Denver)

 

Losing Our Cool    

(Air conditioning repair)

 

 

***********************************************************
I hope you'll continue to send me ones you know of.
Please send to [email protected]

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!"

Announcing The Mikki Collections at Atelier Shoes. So, guys and gals (yes guys, you Shoes-May11can buy these for all the women in your life), get ready. In future ezines I will debut the shoe of the month, named after someone special in my life, and I will share a story about them - how we met or their biz or whatever strikes my fancy (what is a "fancy" anyhow?).   

This month the shoe is called Sherry in honor of my BFF, Sherry LeBed Davis in Seattle. Sherry is bright, flashy and classy like the shoe displayed here. Sherry and I met decades ago after I sold my dance business and became a consultant (hey, isn't that what you do when you sell a biz?). She hired me to work with her in her businesses in PA and we found we had much in common and became heartfelt friends. Sherry is an amazing woman (and it is a-May-zing month!) who created a worldwide organization of fun, therapeutic exercise and movement programs designed to improve the quality of life for a variety of special-needs populations. She is always looking for instructors, trainers, and institutions interested in bringing her program to their hospitals, senior living centers, health clubs, etc. Check it out www.gohealthysteps.com

 

See, I do wear more than just stilettos, altho you can get these in that style if you want. That's the beauty of Atelier Shoes - you customize to your own taste.

For pricing or ordering, go to www.ateliershoes.com/mikki and mention you saw them here for a 10% discount.


WONDERFUL WEBSITEings

I come across so many and so many are shared with me that I thought I'd share with you.   

 

www.billshrink.com 


This is such a cool site. Tell BillShrink what services and products you have and how you are using them and it sifts through credit cards, cable, TV, savings accounts, CDs, gasoline, phone services...then it scours the marketplace and matches you with a better plan if one exists. 

And so much more. Check it out.      

MIKKI MOUTH:

QUOTATIONS I WISH I'D SAID AND SOME I DID SAY!

Mikki Mouth Enjoy a quote each month from my new book - some funny, some poignant, some professional, some just darn cute! 

In honor of Moms:

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint."

                                 -Erma Bombeck

  


MILLENNIAL INSIGHTS

KrKristen DaRosaisten DaRosa is an adventure-seeking young consultant specializing in relationship management and marketing. Her Chicago-based consultancy is dedicated to helping her nationally-based clients do just about anything related to the art of 'talk'. DaRosa is an ambassador for a premier MBA school where she facilitates relationship management with global corporations. She will be sharing with us her perspective on what many call "the entitled generation."

What Kellogg Eats for Breakfast     

 

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with a group of Kellogg MBA students to shoot a video on young folks taking 'success to significance.' Sounds lame and overdone, but my response is that there must be superpowers in these millennials' Wheaties.

Did you know that diarrhea is the number one cause of childhood death in India? Did you know that the majority of adults in India do not have electricity or toilets in their homes, but 80% have cell phones?

The first person I interviewed told a story about flying home in 2007 to visit his family in an affluent Indian neighborhood outside Mumbai. Before going to bed one night, his mom instructed to not open the windows in the morning because the slums had grown so close to the house that the smell of sewage would leak in with the morning heat.

He returned to the states determined to find a solution for his 'brothers and sisters' down the street, quitting his job and beginning work on an MBA. One year into his degree, he decided he'd reached a sufficient caliber of education, quit the university and moved to India to get to know his future customers and build a business plan. He spent his summer living in the slums.

He learned that men have no problem 'going' in the streets, but that women must hold it all day. Their options are to enter the dangerous streets at night, continue to hold it, or to go in a bag. Where does the waste go? To the streets and then to the sparse water supply that hydrates and kills their friends, family and loved ones.

Today, this young man is launching a service with the help of his Kellogg peers that not only provides toilets, but also batteries for electricity, to anyone living in the slums making $3-$5 a week. Oh yea, and the 'waste' that once went to the streets is now collected by servicemen who take it to a treatment center where it is recycled to fertilizer. Talk about going green.

This man was one of eight that I interviewed and his story is no more or less impressive than the others. But Mikki limits my word count because you all have day jobs and this is not the New York Times. Allow me a moment to say in closing that I am honored by the generations who've come before us, who've cleared the fields so that we can grow through innovation. And I'm particularly honored by my fellow millennials who make reporting on 'success to significance' a lot of fun.

 

    

[email protected]
Visit Kristen's blog: WhineAfter5

TITILLATING TRIVIA


Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular  

boat name requested?

 

(ANSWER AT THE END OF THE EZINE)

 

,WASSUP WITH WELLNESS
John GodoyJohn Godoy is a wellness coach and fitness trainer to Chicago's business and entertainment elite. He is the founder of JGF (John Godoy Fitness), specializing in the vitalization of health and wellness and in the development of active lifestyles.
Godoy is a former head University sports coach and a published health and fitness expert, a regular Ironman competitor and trains in the martial arts. His certifications include the National Academy of Sports medicine (NASM), The CHEK institute and the National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP).    

Never want to step inside a gym again? No problem!

 

TRXLet me introduce you to my favorite training tool - The TRX suspension training system! Designed by a Navy S.E.A.L. in order to be able to exercise at any time and at any place -at home, outside, at the park - virtually anywhere, The TRX is your portable strength training gym.  

The TRX system's versatility and simplicity makes it the perfect one-piece training tool for the newbie, the veteran exerciser, and the road warrior alike. The pro package will run you $200, however it is a small one-time investment that pays enormous dividends for your health.  

The tool is designed to use gravity and your body weight as the primary sources of resistance to build muscle. In fact, for many people it is better to use this type of tool as opposed to weights as it does two important things:

1) Focuses on the small stabilizing muscles around your joints (these are the unglamorous muscles that most people don't train in the gym, and are often the sites where injuries occur) 2) It teaches you to handle your own body weight which should always be a precursor to adding any form of external resistance like weights to an exercise program.  

To begin, all you need is the TRX, some sort of anchor - a tree, a door  (door anchor included in package), a secure bar of sorts - and you're off to the races.  

Here are a few ideas on how you can begin right away.  

  • Lace up your running shoes - place your TRX in a small backpack and set out for a run. Run or jog or walk for 10 minutes and then look for a sturdy looking tree. Hook up your TRX and do a number of exercises that are listed on a fitness chart that comes with the kit. Repeat 2-4 more times.
  • Find a park - take your TRX and use the swing set, or jungle gym, or nearby tree and exercise away
  • On the road - use the included door anchor attachment and train in your hotel room first thing in the morning!  

You can buy this at www.trxtraining.com 

 

Have fun and stay fit especially you road warriors!


[email protected] 

www.johngodoy.com
312.804.8498

HE WHO LAUGHS...LASTS!

Laughing baby

    

       



          Cartoon-5/11          

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU GUY

Dave NelsenDave Nelsen
Entrepreneur and Social Media Guide
Dave's formal title is President, Dialog Consulting Group. From 2005 to 2009 he was CEO of TalkShoe, a social media company now serving more than one million monthly listeners...and the fabulous company I use to produce my monthly teleseminars.


Quick Response Codes

  

Dave - Code

 

Have you noticed these things called Quick Response codes (more commonly, QR codes) like the one to the left? Suddenly they're everywhere. I see them in my local newspaper, on the sides of buildings, in magazine ads, on T-shirts and bottles of wine, and even on people's bodies (as tattoos; some of them permanent - a little scary).

 

What are they for? In short, they bridge people from the real world to your on-line presence. If social media is a conversation, what better way to engage them?

 

Last week, a woman handed me her business card and on it was a QR code. Now that's how you take a prospect to the next level. Brilliant!

 

Here's how it works: First, get yourself a smartphone, either iPhone (my preference) or Droid. 95% of all mobile phones will be smartphones in the near future, so get yours today, ahead of the crowd (LOL; there are hundreds of millions out there already). Next, go to the App Store, find a "QR Reader", and add it to your phone. Next time you see a QR code, launch the app and point your phone at the code. No need to snap a photo or click any buttons. The reader is continuously scanning for recognizable codes. As soon as it sees one, it jumps to the corresponding URL (a.k.a. web address).

 

Now that you've got the person on-line, what do you do with them? I recommend delivering an interesting, relevant, or valuable mobile web experience - one optimized for small screens (it's not you homepage). Think about it; the possibilities are endless.

 

 

You can find more formal details here: wesocialize.biz
To contact Dave directly:
[email protected]

 THE HAPPY COOKER

Little girl chef

Yes, that was the name of one of my businesses and oh, come on, I know guys cook too. 

  

Rum Raisin Apple Pie Gourmet  

Raisins steeped in dark rum mingle with tart and sweet apples in this updated version of an American favorite. It's a showstopper when paired with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

Makes 8 to 10 servings

Apple pie3 tablespoons dark rum
1/3 cup raisins
2/3 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
6 medium apples, ranging from sweet to tart (2 1/2 lb)
Pastry dough for a double-crust pie
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons milk
1 tablespoon sanding sugar

Bring rum with raisins to a boil in a 1-quart heavy saucepan, then remove from heat and let stand, covered, 1 hour.
Put oven rack in middle position with a large heavy baking sheet on rack and preheat oven to 425�F.
Rub together brown sugar, flour, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt with your fingers in a large bowl until no lumps remain. Peel and core apples, then cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges and add to sugar mixture, tossing gently to coat. Add raisins with any liquid and toss until combined.
Roll out larger piece of dough into a 13-inch round (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate (4-cup capacity) and trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out top crust.
Roll out smaller piece of dough on a lightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin into an 11-inch round.
Spoon filling evenly into shell, then dot top with butter. Brush pastry overhang with some of milk, then cover pie with pastry round. Trim pastry flush with edge of pie plate using kitchen shears, then press edges together and crimp decoratively.
Lightly brush top of pie with some of remaining milk and sprinkle all over with sanding sugar. Cut 3 steam vents in top crust with a small sharp knife.
Bake pie on hot baking sheet 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375�F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes more. Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature, about 1-1/2 hours.

MIKKI'S MANTRA

Be outrageous...it's the only place that isn't crowded.   My quote was chosen again from over 5,000 submissions to be featured in The Woman's Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar for 2011. I'm on July 3rd (a coincidence since my birthday is July 4th) and the chosen quote was "Life gives you choices, not chances and it's those choices that determine the quality of your life." 
For more information call 919.841.0401
or visit The Woman's Advantage
  

  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.

For all the mothers in honor of their month.


If I Had My Child To Raise Over Again

 

If I had my child to raise all over again,

I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later.

I'd finger-paint more and point the finger less.

I would do less correcting and more connecting

I'd take my eyes off my watch, and watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less and know to care more,

I'd take more hikes and fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play.

I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I'd see the oak tree in the acorn more often.

I would be firm less often, and affirm much more.

I'd model less about the love of power

And more about the power of love.


MIKKI ON THE MOVE

Airplane 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 in session on    
September 22-24, 2011 in Chicago
Speakers School video 
Why Should You Come to Speakers School?

 REGISTER NOW! 

  

Day One: Presentation Skills
Day Two: Learning Lab (Your opportunity to practice what you learned in Day One. You must have completed Day One to participate.)
Day Three: Getting Booked   

 

Speakers School is for people at all levels; novices, wannabes, CEOs, professionals or anyone who needs to improve their communication skills. And who doesn't?? 

 

Upcoming Speakers Schools:

September 22-24, 2011

February 9-11, 2011 

 REGISTER NOW!  

    

 

I have attended Speakers School three times and learn more each time. My ratings as a speaker continue to improve as a result. It's very generous of you to allow attendees to return over and over again for merely the cost of food and handouts, what a value proposition!! Worth the original time and money investment ten times over. YOU and your professional acumen are worth the cross country trip alone.

Sherry LeBed Davis, CEO

Healthy-Steps

www.gohealthysteps.com 

 

 

VISIONARY VOLUNTEERISM

Visionary - adjective (esp. of a person), thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom   

People Touching PeopleI speak of volunteerism is my speeches. I tell stories to inspire and challenge audiences to volunteer as individuals, as responsible business and community leaders. as parents/grandparents, and to get their children involved early. By the way, volunteerism is the number one way to raise self-esteem. What are you doing in this visionary effort? Each month I will give you a link to a site where you can volunteer. Please send me a link to your favorite volunteer opportunity to post.



Laugh for the Cure

Dobie Maxwell is a special friend of mine. Please share this with others, attend the show, enjoy Dobie's comedic talent and support a wonderful cause.

 


 

 

Become a fan on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, connect with me on LinkedIn, catch me on YouTube, look for me on Plaxo: 

 
Facebook IconTwitter iconLinkedIn iconYouTube iconPlaxo

 


Don't forget to check out my blog every Sunday
for a  new post:  

 Blog

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Find me on Facebook

In case you've missed past issues of the ezine
Click here to visit the archives.  

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 tri-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: [email protected]        
SEE ME: www.mikkiwilliams.com
                                     Little girls
Thanks for spending time with us!


ANSWER TO TITILLATING TRIVIA:

Obsession 

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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.