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Issue 86                                                 April 2015
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 THIS ISSUE:
MUSINGS FROM MIKKI
I missed most of March in Chicago due to a UK tour. Before I left, I had two gigs in Atlanta (Network 1 at left), 

and had dinner with good friends, Chair Larry Hart and Vistage speaker Patrick Ungashick and his wife Maggie
Larry, Maggie, Patrick, me
at a new restaurant area in Bucktown.





Then shared another meal with a buddy from my fitness club days, Ken Shook, former Ice Capades star and now theatre manager.
Ken Shook
 
I missed the first half of April in Chicago due to being at my home in Naples, Florida (which I call "paradise") where the weather was perfect (not so much in Chicago!).
Got to catch up with a lot of work, relaxation and friends.

That's where I do my 1-1 with my Vistage member, speaker and friend, Brian Beaulieu, and the
Brian and Debbie Beaulieu
ever-lovely Mrs.: Debbie, at one of my favorite restaurants, Ted Turner's Montana Grill  (love that bison!). 

Reconnected with friend and Florida chair Barbara Monti and dined at  Angelina's. 
Barbara Monti




Got a surprise call from Adrian Sharpe, a UK Chair I had just worked for, that he and his lovely wife, Maria were vacationing in Naples and we went to dinner and back to Angelina's.
Adrian and Maria

It's a good thing I worked out, ran and biked every day to counteract all the dinners out or my return passenger ticket might have been converted to cargo!
Wait...there's more. Michael Canic was in town (woo hoo!),
Michael Canic
and took me to a fabulous Persian restaurant Bha Bha and I am a new fan of Persian food. 










No Florida stay is complete without dinner with my fabulous Sue and Jack Ryan. I affectionately call her Soog (as she is a human Google)
Sue and Jack
. Are you tired yet? And Florida was going to be my solo sanctuary. So much for that plan!
Barbara Glanz, incredible speaker and friend, drove over from her home in
Barbara Glanz
Sarasota to spend the day at the pool and the night at the shops and dinner. Barbara and I do love our glitz - double trouble! She came over with former Vistage member and friend, Kimberly Martinez. When they met they found out they had a common connection...me!
What a whirlwind and wonderful two weeks, capped off with a stay at The Ritz in Naples for two of my favorite TEC Canada groups (they did not change their name to Vistage) led by the ever-creative Chair, Mike Mallory.
Nora Mallory, Kathleen, Mike
  Enjoyed dinner with them in the gorgeous Tea Garden, relaxed at the spa and ended my stay with a big smile as I head home to Chicago. It's all about life balance!
Oh yes, "my Sam," while celebrating her birthday in Budapest and Prague, saw this and sent it to me, knowing it's a phrase I use often.
So...carpe spring everyone!
I LOVE THIS BOOK!
The Master Plan 
  Exit Strategy for Successful Business Owners 
by 
Peter Christman

Peter Christman is a prolific author, an inspiring speaker, a larger than life personality and a friend. This is a topic so relevant to so many who are avoiding, who are confused, who need help facing the inevitable...exiting your business.  Peter helps you deliver a strategic planning formula for maximum company value, strong asset protection and work-life balance. He takes a complex subject and illustrates it is such a simple yet profound way that it will inspire the reader to finally take action. The whole book is based on the metaphor of a three legged stool making it accessible to visualize and embrace the concept. You have a responsibility to yourself, your family, your employees, your customers and your vendors.   
NOW GO GET THIS BOOK! 
CREATIVE CAPTIONS



Thai One On
(restaurant)
  
SHOE-BE-DOO
You have to be an April Fool to wear these!!

WONDERFUL WEBSITE-INGS
A curated collection of the best small production wines you won't find on store shelves.  Delivered quicklly and conveniently to your door.
MIKKI MOUTH
Things I Wish I'd Said and Some I Did Say!
Mikki Mouth - 2 books

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

 

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place."

 

                       ~George Bernard Shaw



MikkiLeaks
Classy-fide information available on a need-to-know basis...
that YOU need to know!

Beating the Odds

by Phil Liebman   

 

Here's news - ripped straight from the headlines: Apple's CEO Tim Cook was distinguished as one of the world's greatest leaders by Fortune Magazine. He is one of my newest heroes! I strongly suggest you read the article  http://fortune.com/2015/03/26/tim-cook/

Not a bad way to fill Steve Job's shoes - especially in the face of the enormous expectations that were laid before him. So if the announcement appears on the front page of one of the most widely respected and read business publications - you may rightfully wonder, "What's the secret?" that qualifies this to appear in Mikki-Leaks?

I've been told that the influence of leadership on any organization - either good or bad - may have a net impact of perhaps 15% of the total performance. Now 15% is nothing to sneeze at - but it also doesn't account for the ongoing and seemingly unstoppable performance of Apple. From a philosophical (Phil-O'Sophical - as some of my friends, Vistage members and clients will remind me) perspective - it isn't the percentage or the odds that matters - it's whether you win or lose in the end that counts. One in a million are nice odds - if you happen to be that one. Not so much if you are swimming with the rest. The secret is being prepared to step into that position if it should happen to present itself as available to you.  

Clearly - Tim Cook seems to be entirely prepared for most anything that comes his way. Still, he might be the luckiest man on earth. And if he is, chances are he's earned that. Being prepared is a combination of being competent and being conscientious and driven with a clear and palpable sense of purpose.  

 

 

Phil Liebman is the CEO, Founder and Chief Leadership Catalyst at The BullFrog Group, where he has the privilege to work with heroic leaders to help create a world that is made better through the efforts of the men and women who lead and run successful businesses. He is also a freelance writer, speaker, Vistage Chair and a Fellow at the Thayer Institute for Leadership Virtuosity.   

e:  [email protected]
i:  LinkedIn
w: TheBullFrogGroup 

 

Mikki speaking

Mikki Mouth Club    

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

PERPLEXING PONDERANCES


Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
SOCIAL MEDIA GURU GUY
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.     

 

 

Bitcoin

By now, you've probably heard something about bitcoin - maybe that it's used to buy drugs and other contraband. Or you've read that bitcoins worth tens of millions of dollars were stolen from Mt. Gox.  

While both of these things are true, they shouldn't color your perception of bitcoin. Indeed, recently more than a billion dollars of US and other government-issued currencies was stolen from banks by hackers. And illegal drugs worth billions of dollars trade worldwide using greenbacks. That doesn't give you a negative opinion of the US currency, does it?  

Bitcoin has the potential to be the currency of the future for a variety of reasons:

1.It is not controlled by any government and therefore isn't subject to "quantitative easing" and other forms of manipulation.

2.Like Visa or Mastercard it's an electronic payment system but without the egregious (~3%) transaction fees. In fact, no intermediary (think Paypal) is required to transact using bitcoins so its transaction cost is essentially (or actually) zero.

3.It's almost infinitely divisible, down to one-hundred millionth bitcoin, the importance of which will be obvious in the example below.  

So what is bitcoin? In short, it's the world's largest decentralized digital currency. It's based on perhaps the most sophisticated cryptography and computer science humans have ever conceived. Somewhat counterintuitively, every bitcoin transaction is anonymous even as it's entirely public. This is part of why it should prove impossible to counterfeit.  

It would take a few PhD dissertations to explain the full details of how bitcoin actually works. Instead, what you need to know is that every bitcoin holder has a unique private key. That key is verified against a public key in any transaction.  

So let's use bitcoin to eliminate email spam. All we have to do is decide that people can send us email only if they pay us. While no one would likely accept such a system if we charge a dollar per message (or even a penny per message), most people wouldn't think twice if we charged, say, 1/100 of a penny. At that price, they could send a month worth of email (10,000 messages) for a buck.  

However, spammers who send out messages in batches of 100,000,000 won't likely be willing to spend $10,000 to do so. See how a nearly infinitely divisible currency with a zero or near zero transaction cost changes everything?  

In case I've not yet fully convinced you that bitcoin is worth paying attention to, perhaps Marc Andreessen can do it. You'll recall that he was the force behind Netscape and today is a prominent venture capitalist in Silicon Valley. Marc cites three tectonic technology developments in his lifetime: personal computers starting around 1975, the World Wide Web beginning around 1990, and bitcoin after 2008.  

So what to do about bitcoin if you run a business? Keep an eye on how its acceptance and adoption grows. You can already use it to buy a Dell Computer, Dish Network service, Sacramento Kings tickets, and a Virgin Galactic space flight. When it starts affecting how your customers buy, you'll be prepared to jump in.

 

 

You can find more formal details here: 

Dialog Consulting 

To contact Dave directly:

LIFE LESSONS...FUNNY, FIT John Godoy
OR FABULOUS
Submitted by John Godoy 

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.

 

Walk & Work Fitness
Walk & Work Fitness

 

 

 

To get more information and great tips visit John's website: www.johngodoylifestyle.com

THE HAPPY COOKER
That was the name of one of my businesses and oh, come on, Little girl chefI know guys cook, too.

 

 

BANANA CHOCOLATE WALNUT CAKE

Makes 8 servings

 

2 � cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

� teaspoon salt

1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons, melted and cooled

1 cup sugar, divided

2 large eggs

1 � cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 medium)

2/3 cup plain whole-milk yogurt

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 (3� to 4-ounce) bar 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup walnuts (3 ounces), toasted , cooled, and coarsely chopped

� teaspoon cinnamon

 

Preheat oven to 375�F with rack in middle. Butter a 9-inch square cake pan.

 

Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.

 

Beat together softened butter (1 stick) and 3/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in eggs 1 at a time until blended. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla (mixture will look curdled).

 

With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.

 

Toss together chocolate, nuts, cinnamon, melted butter, and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small bowl. Spread half of banana batter in cake pan and sprinkle with half of chocolate mixture. Spread remaining batter evenly over filling and sprinkle remaining chocolate mixture on top.

 

Bake until cake is golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool cake in pan on a rack 30 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, right side up.

 


 
HE WHO LAUGHS...LASTS!
Laughing baby

OUTRAGEOUS ORATORS
Outrageous Orators 
To book me or any of the other guest columnists like Dave Nelson, Brian Beaulieu, John Godoy, simply  contact us. For any or all your presentation needs on any topic at any price point,  be it keynote, training, seminar, emcee, facilitator, moderator, concurrents  (I just don't do floors or windows) I know many great speakers from my years with the National Speakers Association and Vistage International.

MIKKI'S MANTRA

Be Outrageous...

It's The Only Place That Isn't Crowded!

                                                                   ~Mikki Williams
INSPIRATION
"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do."
~Steve Jobs
CONSCIOUS KINDNESS
Send a Note of Appreciation

Take a few minutes out of your day today to write a note of appreciation to someone you haven't thanked in a while. You can send it to your spouse, significant other, sibling, parent, child, best friend, coach, teacher. Once you've brainstormed your thoughts, write them neatly in a card you've chosen, or just send an email.
No matter how you decide to share a note of appreciation, be sure to do it today!

 

Speakers School logo
The next Speakers School is April 30 - May 1, 2015  
 
 

 Speakers School video 

 CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION 

    

CALL NOW FOR MORE DETAILS: 312.664.8447 

OR SEND AN EMAIL TO REQUEST MORE INFORMATION.

               
Favorite speaker

Speaker Mag
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


MIKKI WILLIAMS, CSP, CPAE
Mikki Williams earned the dual designations of CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) and CPAE (Council of Peers Award for Excellence) Speaker Hall of Fame from The National Speakers Association, an achievement attained by fewer than 1% of all professional speakers. She specializes in business dynamics and human potential. She has been named one of the top speakers in the country by Meetings and Convention Magazine along 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

E ME: [email protected] 

SEE ME: www.mikkiwilliams.com 

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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