Business Executive Consulting Pearls: Uncomplicated Personal Branding

Business Executive Consulting Pearls: Uncomplicated Personal Branding: The new buzz word these days is “Personal Branding”. The words scare people because you immediately think of people such as Russell Simmons...

My Beauty: Embrace or Fight!!

A Facebook friend of mine shared this photo. I immediately gravitated to it because the words are the very essence of who I am and the way I have lived my life. I haven't lived it this way because I tried to but it "just happens". Consistently when I am caught between doing something someone else's way or doing it my way then my way tends to win out. I try so hard to conform but I can't.
So often I am disturbed because I don't feel like I am that go to friend or the one that everyone loves and adores. I seem to the last resort. Why? Because I am the one that calls a spade a spade, whether it's in my hand or someone elses.
It finally dawned on me one day - that's actually my brand; it's who I am! So I can either embrace it or fight it. When I embrace it, I live my life more authentic. When I fight it, I live my life in fiction. I think of all the years I spent in pain. My body hurt from head to toe. I wasn't myself although I was thriving according to other's peoples standards. Today, I'm pain free and thriving according to MYstandards; reinforcing my brand! I am committed to embracing me!
When it's all said and done my strength comes from God and He alone sustains my existence. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Each day I make a choice to either errode my brand or reinforce my brand. Today I am making the choice to reinforce my brand by letting the real, positive, open, outspoken Susan stand up!!!

Definition

We are defined not by tough times but how we handle tough times!

This phrase resonates with me because today is really day one of my newest life evolution! I have always lived life different from everyone else and it has taken me until today to really embrace it. I laugh about it. People say things about the things that I do. I'm always saying, if they only knew. I even have clients think I have that "it thing" but I always down play my "fabulosity"!

So today as I am a free agent, no longer tied to a company or an image of some other entity, I have the opportunity to embrace my life, my experiences and my future! I am Susan Kyles, working through my tough times while helping others manage through theirs. Its my time to shine!

I am defining my life! Living victoriously by God's grace!  So, I start this moment letting my walk speak volumes!
Susan

Resilience

Resilient is an adjective that is used to symbolize success. It’s a hard cold world and at some point we ALL have to take our blows! The difference between a loser and a survivor is the survivor bounced back or is resilient. This concept is so simple but it is so fundamentally difficult to grasp when we are faced with tough situations that knock us off of our feet. It’s amazing how we go to church, pray and say all of these clichés yet when we are hit, we fold.

I’m finding that resilience is a muscle that has to be trained. It’s a muscle that we have to cultivate. Unfortunately it only comes through trials. Lord I wish there were a better way. One thing I always say to people is that we have to make sure we speak positively to ourselves. During the most difficult times it is more important to have positive conversation with ourselves. Having positive conversations with ourselves is like lifting weights.

If you want to lose weight then you do light weight and more repetitions. So if you are trying to rebound from a situation you have to speak to yourself in short intervals more frequent. We have to find positive affirmations that we can recite during the day when things come to mind ie. I’m a good wife; I’m a good cook; I’m good at what I do; I’m blessed and highly favored. (See Louise Hay’s affirmations for other examples). When you are trying to build muscle you have to do heavy weights and fewer repetitions. So when we are hit with those hard trials, that’s the time we begin to build our muscle. We have to use our heaviest equipment not just our positive affirmations but also our network of support which includes God, family, friends, confidantes, journaling, whatever helps to make it through.

It is said that the most successful cancer survivors have the best attitude about their situation and have a support system that helps them through. So, let’s find those positive affirmations to keep our attitude right when difficult times come our way but also maintain that network of support to help to get through those situations. We have to always believe we will survive and we are RESILIENT!!!

Can you hear me now!

I was exercising along the Mississippi River one Sunday afternoon. I walked to my car and a couple had completed their walk as well. We started a conversation and the guy did most of the talking...of course, bragging about his workout routine. He looked like he worked out at one time but not as much lately. After we talked I got in the car. I overheard the woman say to him, "now you can look at that woman and tell she really works so you can stop trying to impress her!"
I was amazed! She couldn't have been talking about me. I am constantly working on my weight and I have a long way to go but the thought that someone really believed I worked out made me feel so healthy! I mean I do workout, almost every morning but of course things like fried chicken kind of sabatoge the plan.
More importantly, this entire conversation reminded me of how quickly people make an assumption about you within the first seven seconds of meeting you. They determine whether you are healthy, wealthy, wise, approachable, inquisitive along with a whole host of other things.
We truly have to be careful about the message we send on a daily basis especially to children. When we eat anything, say anything, look anyway, get to places at anytime; we are send a message to our children and they believe us. The world believes us! They believe us even if that's not what we meant to say. The old adage goes, "I can't hear what you're saying for seeing what you're doing."
So take some time to reflect on the message that you are sending and make sure it is the same message that you want people to receive.