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 or...
stop being so darned professional and tak a break today!
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Issue No. 70 December 2013
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Welcome! If you enjoyed last month you'll be craaaaazy about this month!
The purpose of this ezine is inspiration, humor, business, personal and just plain fun: aka the don't-take-yourself-so-seriously ezine.
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In case you've missed past issues of the ezine Click here to visit the archives. |
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WOW! Could the holiday season be any busier? In keeping with my theme of gratitude for 2014, I am so grateful for all the "busyness."
Right before Thanksgiving I did my newest program, The Art and Heart of Storytelling in Minneapolis, for clients and friends of Risdall Marketing Group. pictured here with Sara Harrell, VP/Account Supervisor (notice the eyelashes on her headlights!).
Sam, aka Samantha, my Director of Everything, and I took a soup cooking class at Sur La Table. Sorry, you're missing the photo of us in our aprons but we forgot to take one!
Went to South Beach in Florida right after my Vistage meetings and enjoyed dinner at De Rodriguez (below), previewing it for my CEO retreat in February.
What a joy to be at the wedding of Carley Reiff, daughter of Craig, my long-standing, treasured Vistage member and his gorgeous wife Melissa at the Intercontinental Hotel in Chicago. It was the first wedding I had ever been to where the minister made it so personal by sharing their story as the actual ceremony. 
As for work, there was plenty of that too as December is extremely busy for me. I spoke for an old (not in age, in time) client, George Pattee at Parksite...great guy, great company. Then to New York for two Vistage groups and to be with Jason (THE son). We went to see Billy Crystal's one man show, 700 Sundays. It's now one of my all-time favorite shows. If you have the chance to see it, GO!! Back to Chicago to speak for two of my  favorite Vistage Chairs, Gary Arakelian and his wife Ali (right) who hosted a spousal holiday meeting. The next day I was at Jeff Babcock's holiday event at the Ronald McDonald House where the members cooked dinner for the residents in the spirit of the holidays. Then I flew to CA to speak at Veterinary Cancer Group, pictured with Christopher Schran  (below), then to ICon Media Direct with Carrie Bernards  (right) and then to Financial Executives International with Marie Hollein (below) , and long time friends and Chairs, Bob Dabic, Rich Knauss and David Harper...what joy!!! And what would a month be without my treasured friends of "6543" sharing food, gifts and conversation Chez Mikki (below). Gratitude!! Yes, for all of the above, for the friends, the places, the opportunities and more. May you all have an amazing holiday season and an outrageous new year!!!
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Here's a taste of what I'll share at NSA Illinois' Fabulous Friday Lunch on
January 10, 2014 at Maggiano's in Oak Brook
Come one, come all!
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 Leg Up: The Courage to Dream
by Louis J.Castriota, Jr.
When Lou came to my Speakers School he wanted to learn how to deliver the story of his business, continue to raise money to support his dream and get his message out. Lou's business is so much more than that. It's one father's 13 year journey to transform the lives of thousands of children. Lou left a successful corporate career to create a therapeutic center for children with special needs. Leg Up Farm in Mount Wolf, PA is a LEED-certified facility offering science-based therapeutic care, incorporating equine, educational, horticultural, physical, speech, occupational and other therapies AND features the country's largest barrier-free Koi pond. These services are provided to children regardless of their financial situation. This is the story of a father's journey, inspired by the special needs of his own daughter. It's inspiring and heartfelt, especially at this holiday season for everyone to read and embrace Lou's principles; have the courage to dream, visualize your end goal as a reality, focus on the next step, do the right things every day and work at the dream, and never stop believing what you are doing. This is a perfect holiday gift to share the message of hope and determination that we all cherish most at this time of year and as we enter 2014.
Now go get this book for yourself...and family, friends, co-workers...
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House of Brews (microbrewery) 
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Strolling Michigan Ave last month and found this fire hydrant calling my name:
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WONDERFUL WEBSITEings/AWESOME APPS
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Perfect for the holidays! Use their handy toy finder to search by a child's age,
gender and your budget.
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MIKKI MOUTH
Things I Wish I'd Said and Some I Did Say!
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Enjoy a quote each month from my book - some funny, some poignant, some professional, some just darn cute!
"It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace."
- Agnes M. Pharo
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NOW...not one, not two, but THREE divisions of
The Mikki Mouth Club!
CLICK HERE for more information
If you want Mikki's expertise at an affordable price on an ongoing basis The Mikki Mouth Club is for you.
Questions? We've got answers!!
Just call 312.664.8447 or send us an email
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According to the Guinness world records, the tallest Christmas tree ever cut
was a 221-foot Douglas fir that was displayed in 1950 at the
Northgate Shopping Center in Seattle, Washington.
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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.
Converting Your Followers to Customers I see many business people who engage in social media programs simply because others do. Further, they make no attempt to quantify the value of such initiatives and therefore tend to underinvest. In turn, social marketing brings few new customers to their company and in a self-fulfilling prophecy, it's not worth investing more. There is no guaranteed inherent value in having a LinkedIn Company Page follower, a Facebook "Like", a Ning member, or a Twitter follower. Rather, its value depends on your ability to motivate the participant to voluntarily execute your desired actions. After all, you're in business to make money, not to make friends, right? Consider the value of the following sequence of actions: If (1) a LinkedIn Company Page visitor or follower, clicks to (2) your "Products and Services" tab, then notices and reviews (3) some of the eighty-three recommendations for that product and clicks on (4) the description of your "Unified Data Center" service (to use a hypothetical product example), then sees and clicks on (5) the link to your blog post about that service, and finally reads (6) that post and clicks the button (7) to "Have a salesperson contact me," you've achieved the desired outcome for that person. What I've described here are seven sequential "conversion" steps from being a random member of LinkedIn to being a self-qualified prospect for your company. Similar conversion steps are definable for any social media participant whether reading your blog, following you on Twitter, participating in your external Ning network, or Liking you on Facebook. Have you considered the conversion objectives and associated steps for your social media and digital marketing programs (including website and landing page visitors). Once understood and explicitly defined, your conversion steps can be tracked, measured, and even valued. Your marketing team or outside agency partner should be thrilled to tackle this task because they can then prove their value to your organization. If you want to maximize your sales and marketing profits, then know your intended conversion steps and measure their effectiveness.
You can find more formal details here:
www.wesocialize.biz
To contact Dave directly:
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B rian Beaulieu is the "economist with a personality" (my title not his) . He is one of the country's leading economists, MY Vistage member, a phenomenal speaker, brilliant businessman and a special friend. CEOs worldwide rely on his forecasting as they plan their business year. And for anyone trying to understand the economy, Brian speaks and writes in English not in that foreign language called economicspeak. Enjoy!
Not True Capitalism Employees are making less than was historically the case relative to corporate profits. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) shows that the ratio of wages to profits (or personal earnings to corporate earnings) dropped to 3.2% in the second quarter of 2013. This is the lowest since 1966 and well below the longer-term average of 4.5%. The latest ratio is the highest just prior to the onset of recession in 2008. Employers are not distributing corporate wealth to employees to the same extent that they used to. This can become a real problem as a lack of wage increase could quickly result in a slowdown in consumer spending. Black Friday's year-over-year decline may have been an early indication of exactly that. We believe slower consumer spending will lead to softness in the US economy in the second half of 2014. That, in turn, is likely to hurt profits for 2014 and further dampen employment growth. This scenario provides no room for the FRB to begin a reduction of Quantitative Easing anytime soon. The bottom line is that corporations are profitable, the stock market is doing very well, the FRB is pushing on strong to create job growth, and corporations have no incentive to do a lot of hiring. This leaves us with a Fed that will keep Quantitative Easing in place and thus create more potential for inflationary pressures and problems in the future. Learn more about the future at www.itreconomics.com or by sending an email today to Kim Clark: kim@itreconomics.com |
LIFE LESSONS...FUNNY, FIT  OR FABULOUS
Submitted by John Godoy
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John Godoy is a healthy lifestyle expert. Through personal coaching, training and healthy lifestyle seminars, John guides clients in developing and sticking to the healthy habits necessary to tap their bodies enormous energy reserves - enriching their personal and
professional lives.
 | | 3 Tips To Avoid HOLIDAY HEFT! |
His website is www.johngodoy.com
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That was the name of one of my businesses and oh, come on,  I know guys cook, too.
Mixed-Berry Chocolate-Toffee Bites  Makes about 20
These confections combine melted chocolate, berries, and bits of toffee. Serve them with your after-dinner coffee or give them as a gift. (Keep refrigerated; let stand 30 minutes before serving.)
6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate or high-quality milk chocolate, chopped
1 � teaspoons grated orange peel (optional)
2 cups mixed fresh berries (such as blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries)
2 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Skor), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
Line large baking sheet with foil.
Stir chocolate in small bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted, smooth, and warm.
Remove bowl from over water. Mix orange peel into chocolate.
Spoon by teaspoonfuls onto foil, spacing about 1� inches apart (do not spread). Top with berries and toffee, making sure toppings touch melted chocolate. Chill until chocolate sets, about 15 minutes. Remove from foil.
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Be Outrageous...It's The Only Place That Isn't Crowded!™
~Mikki Williams
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Many of you know that I have a theme for myself each year. In 2012 I took my first January sabbatical to figure out what I wanted the next year of my life to look like. That is when I came up with the idea of a theme for each year that would inspire and drive my decisions. In 2012 it was intention, 2013 it was inclusion, 2014 gratitude. When I did my acceptance speech this summer for my induction into the Speakers Hall of Fame, it was a speech about inclusion and if I may quote myself: "You can be different and still make a difference."
As someone who has been "different" her whole life, this particular story of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer resonated with me. I hope you will take the time to click the link to read the whole story. With that, I wish you are holiday season filled with gratitude and joy and a Happy New Year!
www.inspirationline.com
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Visionary - adjective (esp. of a person), thinking about or planning the future with imagination or wisdom
 I 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.
PalmisanoCarePackageProject.org
Care packages for our soldiers
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The next Speakers School is in session on February 6-8, 2014 in Chicago
and now you will be learning from
the NEWEST MEMBER OF THE CPAE SPEAKER HALL OF FAME which, in case you don't know, is a very big deal, and honor, for a professional speaker!
NOTE: So sorry, but February's Speakers School is full but you can register online now, and you will be confirmed for the April 24-26, 2014 class. 
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
CALL NOW FOR MORE DETAILS: 312.664.8447
OR SEND AN EMAIL TO REQUEST MORE INFORMATION.
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 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
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Mikki Williams earned the dual designations of CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) from The National Speakers Association, an achievement attained by fewer than 1% of all professional speakers. Shespecializes in business dynamics and human potential. She has been named one of the top speakers in the country by
Meetings and Convention Magazinealong with Zig Ziglar, Tony Robbins, Colin Powell, Lou Holtz and Mike Ditka. Mikki is also one of the top tier speaker resources for Vistage International, the world's leading executive organization, and Group Chair of two of their peer advisory boards in Chicago.
Her company Mikki Williams Unltd. produces Speakers Schools in Chicago, a monthly
ezine: Hair She Is...! and a blog: Mikki Williams' Blah Blah...Blog. She is sought after for business, life and presentation skills coaching through her firm Coaching, etc... She also facilitates The Mikki Mouth Club, an annual subscription-based presentation skills coaching membership with three distinct divisions...Speaker Source, Accountability Academy and Keynote Kamp. If you need other speakers, she can book you the best through her Outrageous Orators...speakers who rock, an uncommon speakers bureau.
To hire Mikki or learn more about any of these services:
CALL ME: 312.664.8447
FAX ME: 312.664.8460
E ME:mikki@mikkiwilliams.com
SEE ME:www.mikkiwilliams.com
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Thanks for spending time with us!
Me and "the staff" at Mikki Williams Unltd., Samantha Hoffman,
aka 'my Sam,' Director of Everything.
When you have a director of everything, what else do you need?
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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 � 2012 Mikki Williams, 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. If you are the owner of the rights of any of this content, please contact us so we may arrange for appropriate permission and give credit. |
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