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stop being so darned professional and take a break today!

 

 Issue No. 44                                     November 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.
Veteran's Day

Dear Veterans,
Thank you all, past and present, for your service to our country. We remember and honor you, and appreciate the sacrifices you and your families have made to keep us free and safe.

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."
                                            --Elmer Davis 


                
Favorite Speaker

In This Issue
I Love This Book!
Mikki & Friends
Biz Bytes
Creative Captions
Shoe-Be-Doo Stories
Wonderful Website-ings
Mikki Mouth
Millennial Insights
Titillating Trivia
He Who Laughs...
The Happy Cooker
Mikki's Mantra
Inspirations
Visionary Volunteerism
Mikki on the Move
Speakers School
Mikki Williams, CSP

MUSINGS FROM MIKKI

Mikki-Musings
I hope your Halloween was outrageous. I'm in costume every day so no need to dress up! The photo above was taken at the luxurious Beaver Creek Lodge in Colorado  where I was presenting for three Vistage groups on retreat. It's so darn hard to breathe at 7500 feet, and then give a speech.

The rest of October/November was jam-packed, starting with
celebrating THE son's birthday at Roc restaurant in NYC (below)
Jason
Then my annual Vistage Key group retreat at the Harbor Grand in New Buffalo,  Michigan. What a blast we all had with guest speaker Carolyn Strauss; dinners out, games around the fireplace...we were going to build sand castles but the wind prevented it.
(Key group below.)
 Key - Oct.11

 








Then off to Louisville to speak for IBEX, huge marine industry trade show and out to dinner with the execs IBEXthe night before at Proof on Main, a four star restaurant in the funkiest hotel, 21C.  On to Dallas (where they love a gal with big hair!) at Viachem (with Mike Efting, President, below)Mike Efting.

Flew into Portland, Oregon. then traversed all the way to Skamania Lodge  for a program hosted by Melanie Grandjacques at bendbroadband . (Melanie and me below.)


Took a break at my Florida home where this lovely alligator decided to sun itself outside my door. AlligatorCan you see him there? He's on the right, right near the water's edge. 
Then I took a real mini-vacay at the W Hotel in Ft. Lauderdale with my pal Michele and truly preferred the alligator on my bed to the one on my lawn at home. Stuffed alligator
The International Boat Show takes over the entire city. Michele was attending (this is her industry) so we had dinner one night with the Italian contingent
(below)








Spent a whole week in Cincinnati, different companies every day and I was delighted that one was hosted by Lauri Sullivan
of Fabulous Furs  (right), a favorite site of mine even before working with Lauri.


 I read this somewhere and thought I'd share. It's a message left at Steve Jobs house. "Three apples changed the world: Adam's apple, Newton's apple and Steve's Apple."

Now I'm off to tango in Argentina. Woo hoo! Can't wait to share that experience next month!   
Carpe Diem! 

I LOVE THIS BOOK!

Book-Nov11The Mackay MBA of Selling in the Real World
by Harvey Mackay, preface by Lou Holtz

Okay, okay, in the spirit of full disclosure Harvey is a treasured friend and I am a fan of all his books.  I "bought" Harvey in an auction many years ago for an obscene amount of money and it was worth every penny. It included all my expenses to Minneapolis, a full day with Harvey in his office and 10,000 envelopes (he is CEO of MackayMitchell Envelope Company). I could spend an entire ezine on the merits of that experience but I digress. This is about his newest book which is now my all-time favorite and I know this by the amount of yellow highlighter on the pages. I love Harvey's irreverent style. Hmmmm, why is that familiar? And yes, this book is chock-full of decades of sales know-how from a master. This book is a must for every salesperson and even if you're not it's great for pure inspiration. 

I love this book!!

 

Mikki & Friends 

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

 

Sorry, but we had to switch gears due to some scheduling difficulties, so contrary to what last month's ezine said, Merit Gest will be our guest in December, and this  

month's guest is Mark LeBlanc. But don't miss it!

The next tele-conversation on  

Friday, November 11th at 12:00 noon CST.

  

 No cost, no obligation.  

Just CLICK HERE to register.    

 

TELE-CONVERSATION WITH
MARK LeBLANC  
 

How To Be At Your Mark LeBlancPersonal Best     

 

Imagine walking 500 miles across Northern Spain. What lessons or insights might you discover in a walk that would exceed 1,000,000 baby steps? Mark LeBlanc, an ordinary man, accomplished an extraordinary feat when he stepped out of and way beyond his comfort zone and discovered a whole new way of thinking, doing, and being. It is by faith not by fear that will help you get more of what you want in your life and work. 

 

Mark LeBlanc runs Small Business Success with offices in La Jolla, CA, and Minneapolis, MN. He has been on his own virtually his entire adult life, and his flagship presentation and book, Growing Your Business! are enjoyed by business owners and professionals all over the world. His Achievers' Circle weekend program is truly one-of-a-kind, and he has conducted over 75 of these special weekend seminars. In his spare time he enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He is most proud of being a great uncle to eleven nieces and nephews. He has been a member of the National Speakers Association since 1983. and a past president. www.SmallBusinessSuccess.com  


FOR MORE INFORMATION Contact Mark at 1.800.690.0810 or [email protected]

DECEMBER'S GUEST:    

Merit Gest on Friday, December 9th at 12:00 CST
Topic: Is Your Business at High Risk? Genetic Testing for Your Business
Merit Gest

 

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
www.MeritGest.com                 
[email protected]                 
720.980.1286

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.


WHO SAYS YOU CAN'T WEAR PURPLE SHOES? 

When I ask my audience how many people think that creativity is learned or something you are born with, I am always amazed at the response. Most think it is something you are born with. I guess in some respects that is true, certainly if you look at the artists in music, theatre, dance, art and all the other areas we consider creative arenas. In the movie Father of the Bride 2 Steve Martin's character, having just been told that he is about to become a father again in midlife, screams at the doctor that men his age don't become fathers. When the doctor informs him that Picasso fathered a child in his seventies he screams: "But he's an artist! Artists can do whatever they want to do!"
We are all artists of our own lives.
We are all blessed with a creative spirit and that gift can be used to paint the creative life we want to enjoy. I also believe that we all have untapped potential and the ability to unleash our creativity if we have the desire to do so. Creativity is like a muscle and must be used or it will atrophy. Most people don't know how to tap that creative spout. Sometimes just trusting your intuition serves to empower your creative side.  

READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE.

 

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:

       

Dolly Mama (Purse Pads) 

 

Herban Gourmet (Health Food)
 

 ***********************************************************

I hope you'll continue to send me ones you know of.

Please send to [email protected]


SHOE-BE-DOO STORIES

This month's shoe from The Mikki Collection at Atelier Shoes...     

 Shoe Nov11

Announcing the Tamilee...a holiday shoe with the style and sex appeal of my friend Tamilee Webb. You might know her by the title Buns of Steel. Yes, she is a fitness celebrity and we met decades ago when I was also in the fitness business. We became fast friends as we toured the world offering master classes. Although we've always lived on opposite coasts our friendship has deepened over the years. She was with me in the South of France celebrating a Tamileemilestone birthday and we shared sadness over the loss of our pets. Friends in good and sad times, friends forever. A one-of-a-kind shoe from The Mikki Collection aptly named after a one-of-a-kind friend.

A 3-1/4 inch satin peep toe in black with a silver-backed rhinestone flower adornment.    

 

For pricing or ordering the shoes, go to www.ateliershoes.com/mikki or send an email to  [email protected]. Mention you saw them here and get a 20% discount.  

WONDERFUL WEBSITEings

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

   www.retailmenot.com 

Coupons for every item you might want to buy.

   

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!     

  

Erma Bombeck: No one diets on Thanksgiving.
What we're really talking about is a wonderful day set aside on the fourth Thursday of November when no one diets. I mean, why else would they call it Thanksgiving?

     

 

Order the book today! 

MILLENNIAL INSIGHTS

Kristen DaRosa

Kristen 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."       

 

Calling AT&T  

One week ago, at a client's request I was jogging down a dark two-lane highway outside Austin, Texas praying to not mistake a crack for a rattlesnake. I'd arrived the day prior to an annual AT&T officer's meeting where my client was asked to speak, and after sharing several glasses of surprisingly nice wine together at the welcome reception we resorted to physically running through the day's logistics the following morning.
Then we allowed the waiter 'just one last pour.'
Over the course of that evening I found myself in awe of the people. Here we were among the top 150 leaders of a multi-billion-dollar business, an acquisition away from monopoly, and yet the people were just that...people! Moms, dads, dreamers, humanitarians, humorists! In fact, one man who manages a budget larger than a small country's GDP shared that he and his wife dedicate their spare time to building schools and infrastructure in the rural outskirts of Delhi! Coincidentally, his last name is Shine.
As a millennial entrepreneur who's felt the primal fear of dealing with big corporate bosses, it's nice to see that they're not so scary after all. One officer implied she has more millennial turnover than a deck of poker cards. I told her people my age don't have the patience for green bananas to ripen and that she should find ways to free up our time for life experiences and expression. Why? Because most of us would choose life over money. And we need to be heard when we have something of value to say.  
And so the dilemma continues. How do we play nicely in the sandbox? Our bosses climbed a value chain, rung by rung and expect us to do the same. And yet like disgruntled teenagers deprived of car privileges Millennials thirst for freedom and less conventional upward mobility. 

TITILLATING TRIVIA

When was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated? 
Scroll to the bottom to find out.


HE WHO LAUGHS...LASTS!

Laughing baby

   

The pro football team had just finished their daily practice session when a large turkey came strutting onto the field. While the players gazed in amazement the turkey walked up to the head coach and demanded a tryout. Everyone stared in silence as the turkey caught pass after pass and ran right through the defensive line. When the turkey returned to the sidelines the coach shouted, "You're terrific!!! Sign up for the season and I'll see to it that you get a huge bonus."  

"Forget the bonus," the turkey said. "All I want to know is, does the season go past Thanksgiving Day?"

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU GUY

Dave Nelsen

Dave Nelsen

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.  

 

3 Rules for Using Social Media  

I'm currently vacationing with my wife in Ponce, Puerto Rico (celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary) and another article is due. Thanks to the magic of the iPad and the Internet it's only a question of what to write about. Suddenly it dawns on me; I can't believe I've not shared my 3 Rules for using social media in business:

 

1)     Social media is like a cocktail party. What works or doesn't work in one venue applies equally in the other. Good cocktail party behaviors include: Asking questions, actively listening, engaging in conversations, and building relationships. The same is true in social media.

 

Bad cocktail party behaviors include: Talking all about you, introducing yourself and then completely shutting up (or down), and any form of active (or passive) selling. Again, the same is true in social media!

 

2)    P.I.E., an acronym that comes from the radio business. "P" stands for "personality." Social media is about people connecting with people, so be a real person and display some personality! Have you heard the old sales adage that "People buy from people"? That's what this is all about.

 

"I" and "E" stand for "interesting" and "entertaining." That's what attracts and holds their attention. If you're boring they won't follow you for long. Practice P.I.E.

 

3)    And the toughest of the three rules (this is where most business social media initiatives fail): Pay it forward: Start by creating value first for your target audience. Only if your initiative is valuable for them will they continue to follow what you do. With that attention comes the opportunity for a relationship.

 

If you follow these three simple rules, you're far more likely to connect with, and retain your business target audience. And that means the potential for more business.

 

 

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.  

 

Pumpkin-Apple Muffins  

Bon App�tit | December 1991
Yield: Makes 18  
1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups sugar
1 cup canned solid pack pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup chopped peeled cored apples
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts


Topping
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter

Preheat oven to 350�F.
Grease eighteen 1/2-cup muffin cups or line with muffin papers. Sift first 4 ingredients into medium bowl. Stir sugar, pumpkin, oil and eggs in large bowl until well mixed. Mix in dry ingredients, apples, raisins and walnuts. Place equal amounts of batter into prepared cups.


For Topping:
Combine brown sugar, flour and cinnamon in small bowl. Cut in butter with fingers or pastry blender until mixture is crumbly.
Sprinkle topping over muffins. Bake until muffins are golden brown and tester inserted into centers of muffins comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool. Serve muffins warm or at room temperature.

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

May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!
--Anonymous

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.   

    

www.compassionatekids.com 

 

This is an international 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to helping teach children compassion towards the Earth, People, and Animals.

 

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

Speakers School logo 
The next Speakers School is in session on    
February 23-25, 2012 in Chicago
 

 

Speakers School video
Why Should You Come to
Speakers School?

 

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?   

    

 REGISTER NOW!  

    

OR...BRING SPEAKERS SCHOOL TO YOUR COMPANY.  

IT'S A  GREAT VALUE.   

EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS THE CORNERSTONE TO SUCCESS.

Help your employees improve their presentation skills, whether they're

speaking in front of a group or in a one-on-one situation.  

Successful business people know it's important to have an edge these days, and Speakers School provides that with Mikki's how-to techniques you can use, not theories you'll forget. Excellent communication skills set you and your staff apart and help take your business to the next level.

CALL NOW FOR MORE DETAILS: 312.664.8447 

OR SEND AN EMAIL TO REQUEST MORE INFORMATION.

 

Upcoming Speakers Schools:

February 23-25, 2012   

April 26-28, 2012

September 13-15, 2012   

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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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 

 Thanks for spending time with us!  

  

                               Thanksgiving table 

 

Answer to Titillating Trivia:

When was the first Thanksgiving Day celebrated?     

In the fall of 1621.

 

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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.