Why?
Because our ability to do is NOT the same as to do WELL.
Because “How much will it cost” is a valid concern.
Because “How long will I live to regret it” is a distinct possibility.

What does it mean when we don’t give “That I can…” a second thought?
It means that we end up shaking our heads and muttering…
“What was I thinking?” and “What’s wrong with this picture?”

Fr’instance…

The kitchen sink is leaking.
Under it, where the toxic stuff lives, it’s become a swamp.
Do we crawl around under there with a wrench or do we call a plumber?

The third step from the bottom on the front porch is loose.
Do we grab a hammer and nails or do we call a home reno expert?

When we screw a new bulb into the ceiling fixture, we get a tingle in our fingers.
Do we go and get a ladder and a screwdriver or do we call an electrician?

We’ve got a big meeting coming up and everything has to be perfect.
We put on our never-fail power suit and see a stain on the lapel and a hem coming loose.
Do we grab some stain remover and a needle and thread (or, shoot me now, a stapler)…
Or do we take it to the dry cleaner who has his own tailor working in the shop?

We need a flyer to promote our new venture or special event.
Do we get a buddy to take a funny picture and run it through the office photocopier…
Or do we call a graphic artist and a print shop?

There’s a noise getting louder from somewhere under the car.
It’s a grind/thump/rattle we can’t drown out with the radio any more.
Do we grab a rag and a flashlight? Do we call a buddy who always has two or three cars scattered all over his yard… Or do we call a mechanic who is trained (and, oh by the way, insured) to fix cars?

The answer, EVERY time, is that our first instinct is to try to do it ourselves. And as we try; as we reach for the wrench, hammer, screwdriver, stapler and flashlight, do we say to ourselves… “The professionals who make their living doing this had to go to school for years”? Heaven’s to Betsy, no! The thing we’re thinking is… “How hard can this be, really?”

The logic we follow (that ends up costing us in the end) goes like this… “If I can pick up this wrench-hammer-screwdriver-stapler-flashlight, I should be able to use it like a Pro.” The missing link in this wonky logic is that the ability to pick up and use a tool does not automatically enable us to correctly diagnose a) what the challenge is, and b) the best way to deal with it. And since we don’t really know what’s wrong, it’s not much of a surprise that the little voice goes on to say, “And since this doesn’t seem to be such a big deal to me, why should I pay someone else to do what I can do?”

What’s wrong with this picture? WE’RE IN IT!

We’re taking a look at the situation with our thumb covering the lens of our mental camera – obscuring valuable details that would send up a red flag if only we could see them… Like the toxic swamp under the sink could become a flood that destroys the ceramic tile or eats the rubber off the soles of our shoes … Like someone could break their leg or their neck on our porch stairs … Like we could electrocute ourselves or burn down our house with one turn of that screwdriver … Like we could bleach the color out of the lapel of our ‘power suit’ … Like our cheap flyer could make everyone think our venture was a joke … Like our amateur car repair could cost us our life, or injure someone we love.

“But wait,” you protest. “There’s gotta be a middle ground where the simple repair is done by you and no one gets hurt.”

Sure. The point isn’t that you should never do this stuff… the point is that you need to consider the outcome before you do. You need to think about the real benefit to be had when you do it yourself and when you hire a Pro. Annnnddd… you need to be ready and willing to listen to the advice the Pro gives you!

Here are a couple of clues… When you stop and listen to that other little voice and it’s saying, Are you sure? - your project probably needs professional help. And the minute you hear that same little voice say, How hard can it be, really, you’re wayyy out of your depth.

A famous fire-fighter named Red Adair said it best [his thing was putting out oil well fires, can you imagine?]…

You think it costs a lot to hire a pro? Wait. Hire an amateur. Let me know how that works for you.

I can’t make the decision for you. What I can do is promise to tell you the truth if I think you’re fine on your own and don’t need my help. If I think you could use a hand, I’ll help you get your bearings, clear away the mental clutter and set your feet on the path that can help you reach your goal. And PS, save you money too. Isn’t that cool?

I can’t wait. Can you?

Gearing up to enter a learning curve can be scary. The worst thing isn’t the awe-some prospect of change. It’s those busy moments when you’re wondering how you’re going to manage all the stuff you’re already doing as you do all the other stuff you need to do negotiate the curve.

The good news is that your instincts are right: Learning and growing and changing IS a wild and scary time. The better news is that it’s also a wonderful ride. And the great news is that you’re not going to regret it for a single second.

There IS a way to get the scary bits under control. All you have to do is ask for help. And, just as novice race drivers get helpful tips from the pros, the advice you get will give you the knowledge you need to boost your confidence and calm your nerves.

We’ve all stood where you’re standing now. We’ve all reached out for help. And now here we are… at the finish line… cheering you on!!!

So don’t hold back for fear of feeling foolish. We’re here to help.

We hate our taxes and our weight gain and our in-laws some of the time, but Change is something we loathe with a constant, burning passion.

Why we hate it is simple – the minute we Change the thing we’re used to, we feel dumb. It takes work and the whole time we’re struggling, we know that as soon as we get good at the new way of doing things we’ll have to change again.

Now What? Strategies take the hapless/hopeless feeling away and help you plan your steps in a way that makes the process fun again. We start where you are, on familiar ground, and use the things you take pride in as a measure of the way you want your future to be.

We talk about the things you need and want and why they matter to you. We talk about your goals and we look at the skills and strengths you bring to the mix. We also talk about the things that get in your way – the things you don’t like and aren’t good at – because we want to get them out of your way.

We identify what you’re passionate about. We explore all the ways that these new and different ideas are similar to things you already know and do. This minimizes that awful feeling of being off-balance that happens when we step out of our comfort zones and begin something new.

Why is so much time devoted to all this talk? Because it builds belief in yourself and the learning process. It’s the single most important ingredient in the recipe for success.

Everything we do in life – except for those automatic things like blinking and breathing – is a step-by-step process we learned from someone we trust. Walking, talking, climbing stairs, flushing toilets, getting most of the food off the plate and into our mouths… these are processes that someone we trusted taught to us. Every single one of these accomplishments was learned in steps and stages. The more we practiced them, the smoother we got. By the time we were good at it, we’d forgotten that it was a process. We’d forgotten that walking began with crawling and standing and falling and standing again.

The reason it’s so easy to forget a process is that we don’t notice it while we’re in it. We’re focused on each step as an end in itself. We don’t see the forest because we’re listening to the person we trust. When we reach our goal and look back, we don’t think about that first incredible tree. We think about the person we trusted.

When people get a great idea and decide to make it happen without bothering to design a plan, they forget that the learning curve is a process. They think that if they can see the goal, the steps will take care of themselves. When this turns out to be wrong, they get angry. They feel dumb. They lose confidence and sometimes they give up.

Failure is temporary. Giving up makes it permanent.

These people who try to start something new without planning usually make 3 mistakes:

1. They’ve no idea how to take the first step, so they guess. More often than not, they guess wrong. When it falls apart, they give up.
2. If they don’t give up, they turn to someone they know because they trust them – not because they know how to help. More often than not, this is wrong too.
3. When guessing and trusting don’t work, they figure they could do worse than copy the competition. Wrong again.

Does any of this sound like you?

If it does, that’s great! Because we can fix it. We can figure out where to start before you start… and then you’ll be on your way.

It’s January… what better time to take on Change? I can’t wait. Can you?

Branding is how custom-tailoring differs from off-the-rack.
It’s how you get where you want to go… and back.

One fine day in NYC when anything seemed possible, I answered a Help Wanted ad.
Granted, I was looking for work, but I answered this one because it made me smile:

Ever since Helen left to have the baby, it’s been crazy around here.
We can’t find anything.
No one knows how to fix the photocopier or answer the phone.
If you don’t get here soon, we’ll probably have to shoot ourselves.

The place turned out to be an employment agency. Go figure. They were running a bunch of ads. Each one was designed to catch someone distinctly different. And I’d been hooked by the one meant for me.

They sent me to one job interview. Just one. I was hired on the spot. Because this agency had done their homework. They knew exactly who and what their client wanted. It was me.

You know why this worked? Why everyone came out a winner? Branding was the bottom line. The client’s need was easy to understand thanks to their brand. The creative minds at that agency knew how to run with it. They knew the who, what, when and why because they’d listened.

And that brings us back to you. No matter how brilliant your vision, it takes packaging to present us at your best. [Where would Kleenex tissues be without the box?]

You know you’re unique – one of a kind – a winner. The thing is, it’s not you we have to sell. We have to work the magic that sells everyone else. We need to define the quality that sets you apart from all the rest. We have to find the words that shine a spotlight on you, your message and all the things that you alone can do.

This is a ‘Smart Start’. It saves time… it saves money… and you look FABulous!

So let’s get started. I can’t wait. Can you?

Like anything you try for the first time, translating your ideas into compelling, engaging words can be a frustrating, exhausting experience. When you’re focused on getting it ‘just right’ you can lose your natural way of expressing yourself. When that happens, you stop having fun. And as soon as that happens, you’re done.

When you reach out to a ghostwriter, you’ve typically hit that wall. You’re not sure what’s supposed to happen. The ghostwriter is the one with the experience, so it seems as if he or she should be calling the shots. But that feels wrong. You’re the one with the story to tell. That means you should be in charge. But…

It’s okay! Relax! Here’s what you need to do…

1. Let go of that breath you’ve been holding. If you haven’t written before, there’s no reason in the world you should be great the first time you try. So stop beating yourself up. Take a fresh deep breath, let it out, and smile.

2. Keep it simple. Because it is: If you’ve hired a professional writer/ghostwriter, you get to focus on your needs. Your ghostwriter will tell you what they want from you.

3. Be open. Make the decision to let the ghostwriter get to know the real you. This is your chance to get excited about your project all over again. You get to talk and laugh and let your ghostwriter do the heavy lifting.

4. Be the boss. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, say so. Your ghostwriter needs guidance to do the job to your satisfaction, so holding back and being polite is of no help to anyone!

5. Take ownership when the job is done. Ghostwriters work anonymously by choice, not at gunpoint. Thank them appropriately for their professional commitment – that means pay them well and pay them on time – and take pride in the finished product that bears your name.

Here’s why you need to contact me…

Every major decision is worthy of a second opinion. This includes your project. Whether you’ve already chosen a ghostwriter or you’re just beginning your search, you’ll benefit from the experience and advice I can share. We can do it via email or get on the phone for a collaborative one-on-one.

I can’t wait. Can you?