I am compiling great information from my contributing experts on life and sales beyond the elevator pitch. I will come back with the good news tomorrow.

In the meantime, I want to remind us of things we talk frequently on the Bloomin' Blog...

Let it Go—Let go of worries, anger, guilt...if it's worth feeling worried, angry or guilty about, it's worth doing something about. If you can't do something about it, let it go! It's clogging up your channel for goodness and stealing away space in your spirit meant for joy!

This too shall Pass—Remember this under ALL conditions. In times of joy and contentment...so you can better appreciate them and be present in those moments; and times that challenge and threaten...so that you can keep them in perspective remembering they may be difficult times but they are not the end times.

Then along came the group Ok Go with this fabulous song that wraps it all up for us ... << MORE >>

I first heard the term "elevator pitch" in 1985 when I was working at an advertising agency in Wichita, Kansas. I remember finding it amusing, since there weren't a lot of opportunities to ride elevators in WIchita, and no buildings high enough to indulge in conversation beyond "which floor?" The idea of a sales pitch to a stranger unsettled me then, and I've had to really work to get over my discomfort with it even now.

I hate it when people ask me what I do. And I'm certainly not going to randomly bring up the subject on an elevator.

"Funny weather we're having, Say! did I mention I can help your organization understand the keys to building better relationships so you and your people will prosper! How about those Diamondbacks!"

Relationship building is just that...building. You start with a foundation of mutual interest. ... ... << MORE >>

There was a time when the title of today's post could have been the opening line in a cigarette commercial. But today, brand relevance reaches far beyond product lines. There's not much we do as organizations, or individuals, that a good team of marketing professionals couldn't wrap into a branding campaign.

Growing up as the daughter of a Montana rancher, a brand signified ownership. It was clear to the world that the livestock bearing your brand belonged to no one else. And it was great incentive to raise healthy stock. You didn't want an underfed or poorly bred specimen as a walking display of your poor management skills. ... ... << MORE >>

Does the thought of driving in the rain evoke the same sense of relaxation as a rainy afternoon at home watching a golf match on television or curled up with a good book? Or do your shoulders tense just thinking about it?

I love driving in the rain. I like the cocoon created by the sheets of rain around me. It's like looking at the world through gossamer curtains. I don't even mind torrential rain...as long as all the drivers around me keep their heads about them...because it's so fun to be in the phenomena of weather, but protected just enough. And I know that eventually the downpour will end or I will drive beyond it. ... << MORE >>

What does it mean to you to prosper?

What are the first things you think of when you hear, "you will prosper"?

I think it is a word that is so much richer than success and implies so much more to me than a sense of immediate gratification. To me, to prosper implies a root system that is deep and in rich soils and a perennial existence that weathers all conditions. It doesn't imply that times won't be difficult or that I'm guaranteed smooth sailing. But I have the sense that my prosperity is linked to the core of my being that withstands those tests. I won't be overcome. I will prosper.

I'm grateful for this verb. I will prosper where I'm planted. And how will you prosper?

Thanks to Laura and her comment on the last post which set my little mental gerbil in motion on this rainy Sunday morning.
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When you are lost, what do you do?

If you're lost in a big city at night, does it affect you differently than being lost in a small, but unfamiliar rural town? How do you find your way?

I think we need to be aware of what causes us to lose our sense of direction. Why do we let anxiety and self-doubt cloud our ability to tap into our sufficiency?

Being lost can send us straight back into our core animal response of fight or flight. Your brain sends cortisol coursing into your systems, breathing becomes rapid and shallow your heart rate increases, pupils dilate, and you are pretty much reduced to the same response patterns of your dog or a rabbit. Gone are the gifts of higher thought...compassion...reason...patience.

Lost, and with your physiology working against you, you may head blindly in the wrong direction because you simply want to get away from your current location; you may heed the advice of someone you don't know who doesn't have your best ... << MORE >>

Actually, it was ...

"The Thrill of Victory...and the Agony of Defeat!"

You can tell you're a baby boomer if you can remember that opening for ABC's Wide World of Sports. If you don't remember, or want a quick refresher, Click Here for a moment's reminiscing.

Saturday I asked what conversations you might want to have on the Bloomin' Blog to start our third year. Julie offered hat her family had been discussing the topic of competition lately in light of the winter Olympics. I have been on a similar path of thought, not just regarding international sports, but competitiveness in business as well.

Humans thrive on competition. We seem to feel that it makes us our best. We run faster if someone is gaining on us. But sometimes, I think it just makes us paranoid, short sighted and miserly. ... << MORE >>

Today, I completely messed up my calendar for a second Monday in a row. Last Monday, I left a friend at breakfast. Today, I missed lunch with a former colleague I haven't gotten to see for six years. I can't tell you how sick it made me feel to get her "is everything all right..." email.

So, I decided to get off the couch (truth be known, I haven't been feeling too well, but I still would have loved having lunch with Chris!) and to do the things I've been meaning to, but "forget" everyday. That includes sending Elizabeth Cottrell her "prize" for being the first to write back with the "one word" in response to the January post on Gossip. As I looked for the email with Elizabeth's address, I found a note from January 1 to look at a page on her site. (See...my forgetting is covering a broad range of things. Who knows when it would have occurred to me that this had slipped through the crevasses in my mind?!) Elizabeth had added a page on connecting with God to her website. I took ... << MORE >>

Here they are...the ten posts most read in the past two years...

10. Lead By Example  
9. Mind the Gap
8. Leadership and My Father's Wisdom
7. Let not your hearts be troubled
6. Blooming Where I'm Planted
5. Shoot the Gerbil
4. Straighten Up and Fly Right
3. On cowards, cowardice and comfort—the human condition
2. What to Say to Someone Who's Lost a Job
1. Conversations with Self

  
Theories on how these came to be the top ten range from the fact that I know some hits are searches for a song lyric (I can see the phrases people use to search with) to the fear there are a bunch of sick and twisted people looking at the photo of me with a leaf blower wondering what might happen next. I got a link to the article from a disturbing site once, which was enough to give me the creeps.
... << MORE >>

Monday will mark the second anniversary of the Bloomin' Blog. SInce February 22, 208, I have shared
105, 023 words
(excluding these!), I have written 165 entries about things that are important to me. My "topic expertise" falls into the categories of relationship building, communication and life balance. But those of you who've been with me know I have a pretty broad range of ideas I share in this community.

So here's my question, what should I write to celebrate two years of words a la Mimi? Is there a subject you'd like to hear more about or a new topic you want opened? This is your space...your community. So let's celebrate you and be sure you're getting what you'd like from this space.

Comment away friends!

Oh...on Monday I'll publish the list of the top 10 most popular entries. I have ... << MORE >>