Professional Development…On a Budget

Professional development is your responsibility. Any woman serious about career advancement always has it on her mind and in her sight. The biggest misconception is that it is costly to continue professional development. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Money is the number one reason why a lot of people bypass professional development and end up stunting their career growth. But blaming cost is a cop out.

There are several low cost things you can do to invest in your professional development.

• Get biblical with it and “tithe”. OK for those of you who attend church faithfully, you understand the concept of tithing. It’s where you give 10% of your earnings to the Lord. Well I content that you can tithe to yourself as well as the Lord. I always tithe in thirds. 10% to church, 10% to build my savings and 10% dedicated to my professional development. Set yourself up a Professional Development Fund. It can be a separate savings account at your local bank or credit union, or even using the envelope system. Each month count up your contributions and decide whether to invest in a course or certification or if you want to continue to build the account up to invest in a conference or something bigger. But no matter what, don’t touch that money for any other purpose. You’ll be surprised at how much money you accumulate.
• Remember that Reading is Fundamental. I am a voracious reader. I have been since I was a child. Don’t over look your local library. Granted some area libraries are better than others, but take an afternoon and stroll through. My local library has a book sale the first Saturday of each month. I always find great books (it could be because I live in an area where a lot of prominent business people live). I’ve paid anywhere between 50 cents and $5 for quality books. I’ve gotten books by Jack Welch, Seth Godin and many more prominent thought & business leaders. You never know what gems you’ll find. Also, sign up for member cards at book chains like Barnes & Noble and Borders. You get special discounts and sales. I love the clearance table! And of course there are online book sites such as Amazon.com, Half.com and Alibris. Reading books keep you up to date in your industry and social trends.
• Trade with your friends. If you hang with an intelligent crowd, which I’m sure you do, you can always trade books, CDs, and programs. My friends love coming to my house because I have an actual library in my home. Yes, a separate room that is a dedicated library with all my books, CDs, Magazines and DVDs. Rather than lending stuff out, I make trades. That way I know I will get my things back! You’ve heard of cookie swap parties and even clothing swap parties. Each month, make it a point to have a Knowledge Swap Party. Everyone invited should make a list of what they have (books, CDs, DVDs, etc) so there is no overlap. Then have everyone bring the items to the party and trade. You are educating yourself and helping your friends educate themselves at the same time. Trust me it’s fun and saves lots of money.
• Enlist your boss in your professional development plan. I know times are tight, but some companies are still willing to invest in their top talent. If you are a valuable employee and you stay on the cutting edge of your field (and that in turns brings value to your company’s bottom line), your company may pay for you to attend conferences, training and/or certification courses. It’s up to you to write a compelling proposal and presentation that convinces them why you are the person to attend, what benefits you’ll gain, and how it fits into the company’s success. The burden of proof is on you so make it a good case. Request a meeting with your boss and explain to him or her where you’d like to see your career go. Then ask for his or her help in achieving your goals. Inquire about tuition assistance or tuition reimbursement programs.
• Learn a new language. You can access tons of free and low cost websites, buy CD and DVD programs, instructional books or get a tutor. Local community colleges offer courses for continuing education credits. Visit their websites and find out what language classes they offer and what levels you can take. Being bilingual (or multilingual) can dramatically increase your earning potential. While some people still fight embracing additional languages (Spanish in particular) the smart people are immersing themselves in new languages. Learn a new language.
• Can’t afford to return to college, look into continuing education courses. The beauty of continuing education is that you can often get credit that can be applied towards certain certifications and job promotions. There are certificate, diploma and certification programs in everything from Office Management to Project Management to Bookkeeping & Accounting. These courses prepare you to sit for certification exams.
• Get a team of mentors. Yes, a team. No one mentor can fulfill all of your needs. Also, no one person is meant to be your mentor forever. It’s a great professional move to find multiple mentors from varying backgrounds and experience. Draw from the collective experience. Make sure you set up regular appointments with them on a rotating basis. Take plenty of notes and challenge yourself to learn more in between your meetings. Remember to give back in return. After all, your mentors are being gracious with their time. Even if they don’t ask for or require anything in return, it is still proper etiquette to establish a give and take relationship.
• There’s always the internet! When all else fails, you can find a wealth of information on the web. There are resource websites available on every imaginable topic. Exercise your Google skills to find new and up to date information. While some would caution you to stay away from opinion blogs, I say read them, but be objective. It’s always good to get other people’s point of view on different issues. Set up Google Alerts so that you are notified every time an article, blog post or event pops up on the internet.

Don’t let lack of money keep you from advancing your career. In this economy, you must be creative and resourceful. It is your responsibility to cultivate your career. Over time, you will find that you’ll be able to afford more sophisticated professional development. Until then, try the suggestions above.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

 

It’s Finally Here! Well, the Website at Least

Hello, hello! As you can probably imagine I am just giddy about my new website launch. After much blood, sweat, tears, prayer, false starts, hard work, and yes sometimes cussing, the official website for the Fearless Woman Magazine is now live! I have waited so long for this and have encountered so many obstacles along the way. I even considered quitting….yes, the “Q” word because I had a few people tell me I would not be able to get it done. But I’m here to tell you that not only am I still standing, I have a real live functional website to show for it.

Now I know a few sour heads are going to say “hey the site is up but what about the magazine itself?”. It’s a great question…and I have a great answer. As you may already know, Empower Me! is hosting the Fearless Woman Summit at the Georgia International Convention Center June 16-17 right here in Atlanta. Originally, I was planning to do a simple launch party to announce the magazine to the world. But my team has taken over and transformed this event into the must attend professional development event of the year, in addition to a kick ass launch party! So the soft launch or unofficial launch of the physical magazine will be June 16 and it will be revealed to the attendees of the Summit and Empower Me! members (they of course get their subscriptions for free with their membership). Everyone who attends the event will get an advanced copy and will be able to help us celebrate the launch. I am so excited I can barely contain myself. For the rest of the world, the official launch is July 1st.

Our first issue is focused on Diversity from Her Perspective and we have a stellar line up of articles that make you think, reflect, and take action. The magazine will motivate you to live your best professional life…fearlessly! From Dr. Ella Edmondson Bell to Barbara Corcoran to Audrey Lee, to Sarah Evans, to Aliza Sherman, we have some phenomenal ladies who share the distinction of being in our debut issue. I can’t wait for you to read it! Trust me, the website has NOTHING on the actual issue!

In the mean time, we want you to feel like the magazine’s website is your community. We have a top notch roster of Contributing Bloggers who will share their wisdom, encouragement and expertise each week. You can catch snippets of our videos, listen to Views From the Top Radio Show, join our Facebook Fan Page, and even follow us on Twitter. You will even be able to catch previews of our shows in the brand new EmpoweredWoman.tv. Soon, you will have the capability to translate the site into your chosen language!

Be sure you bookmark and share the website with all your friends, family and co-workers. If you’re a man, be sure to send your wife, girlfriend, sister, mother, female colleagues over to the website. I guarantee it’ll be the best thing they can do for themselves in the name of professional development.

Please stop by and let me know what you think.

Til Next Time.

Adrienne Graham
PUBLISHER
Fearless Woman Magazine (an Empower Me! Corporation publication)

 

No More Goals!

People are good at making goals, New Year’s resolutions, dream lists and plans. But there’s a fundamental problem with them. They leave room for interpretation, revision and even delay. Where’s the accountability? So I gave it some thought, and I’ve decided never to make “goals” again. OK don’t be alarmed. I know I’ve told you in the past that goal setting is one of the most important things you can do to ensure your success. But I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to do that any more.

You see, people set out to achieve their goals and genuinely have good intentions. But often life, work, circumstances, family, health, and a host of other things often get in the way. Goals are flexible in people’s minds and we’re often inclined to postpone them or disregard them altogether. We’ll say “well I couldn’t do that today, so I’ll get to it tomorrow”. Or “my money is short this week, let me put this training/course/coaching/conference off until next month, or maybe next year when I’m ready”. The intentions are there, but some times the execution and implementation are off. And we rationalize why we couldn’t meet the goal to try to excuse ourselves or make us feel better when we don’t meet them.

Here’s what I propose. Instead of making goals or resolutions, we should make promises. Yes, make a series of promises to yourself. You see when we make promises, we are held accountable. When you make a promise to your child, you move heaven and earth to make it happen so he or she isn’t disappointed in you. When you promise to get a task done on time at work, you do what needs to be done to get the job done so your boss isn’t disappointed in you. So why not make promises to yourself? Think about it. Some of the mot successful people are successful because of the promises they make to themselves. “I promise I will never be poor again”. “I promise myself I will move up within my company”. “I promise I will start my own business”. Making a promise to yourself is much more effective than setting a goal. Goals are fine, but promise yourself success. There’s something psychological about a promise. It means you WILL get something done. There is no postponing or forgetting. You will make it happen by any means necessary. Think about how you feel when others make promises to you that they don’t keep. It isn’t so nice. Well can you live with breaking a promise to yourself?

The next time you sit down to write your goals, rephrase them into a series of promises you make to yourself to guarantee your professional success. And to give them extra added incentive, assign time lines to those promises, then fulfill those promises to yourself as if you were your child, boss, spouse, parent, etc. What “promises” have you committed to make to yourself? Please share!

Til next time,

Adrienne Graham

 

Get A Room!

Well, I don’t mean like that. It’s a contest! For 5 lucky folks in the Metro Atlanta area, I’m giving away five 2-hour gift cards to ROAM.

If you feel you deserve one of these cards, post your comment here letting me know why you need to “get a room”. I will choose 5 lucky winners. The gift cards are valid for 2 free hours (and they’ll even throw in coffee service!). You must present the card to redeem. Not transferable or redeemable for cash. This contest will ONLY last until Monday, April 12 at noon (or until I have the five winners, whichever comes first).

In case you haven’t heard of them, Roam is the coolest place in Atlanta to go when you’re tired of conducting business in the local coffee shop. They offer small, medium and large meeting rooms to fit any need. They even have a cafe, a common area and free Wi-Fi. It’s the ultimate shared work space community where people “work, connect and grow”. So if you need to escape the home office or are tired of coming home smelling like coffee, try Roam. They are located in Alpharetta off Windward Parkway and North Point Parkway. Locations coming soon to Buckhead and Midtown!

If you have Comcast, be on the look out for their new commercial (I’m in it!).

Don’t forget to tell them Adrienne sent you. For more information about Roam, visit their website at http://www.roamatlanta.com.

 

4 Surefire Ways to Damage Your Networking Relationships (and What You Can Do to Save Them)

Hi all.

After I sent my newsletter out this week, I received lots of email about the article I wrote for the newsletter. Everyone thanked me for touching on the things people often don’t say when speaking about networking etiquette. So I thought I’d share it here. Enjoy!

4 Surefire Ways to Damage Your Networking Relationships (and What You Can Do to Save Them)

Now you know I’m all about positivity. I don’t allow any negativity in my sphere. But every now and again, people will do things that make me have to address it. I have said on many occasions that networking is a team sport. While I want everyone to be themselves and “keep it real”, there is a time and a place for everything. And for somethings, there is NO time and place. Below are the top four networking pet peeves of mine. I share them not to complain, but to educate. Please stop and think about each of these and determine if you fit the mold. If you do, STOP IT immediately.

1. Whining and using the guilt card. I’m not going to get into the details but suffice it to say this was used on me recently. The quickest way to lose a connection with someone is to play the guilt card under the pretense of clearing your heart. Instead of going down that slippery road, if there was an incident that bothered or worried you, reach out to that person via phone or face to face (not email) and express your concerns. It may be just a simple error, or they may genuinely not know that they’ve hurt or slighted you. Life is too short to hold grudges. We’re all adults and should act accordingly. So next time you feel slighted, reach out to the person via phone or face to face to get clarity. You’ll be surprised how much time, aggravation and relationships you end up saving.

2. Asking for favors when you’ve never engaged with the person. This one really gets me. You connect with someone and a few months or years go by and you don’t hear from them. They don’t reach out to you, you don’t reach out to them. Then one day out the blue, this person reaches out to you and asks for your help. What the…. Listen, just because you’re connected on a social networking site or perhaps were introduced at an event and exchanged cards, unless you’ve cultivated that relationship in some way, you are never ever entitled to ask for favors. You can solve this by taking the time to connect with people. You don’t have to send weekly email or call every day. But every quarter, make it a point to reach out. Send a news article that made you think of them. Send them an update to let them know how you’re doing and ask for an update in return. Recommend a book or event to them. Just keep the lines of communication going. That way when you do need a favor, they will know who you are and might be willing to help you out.

3. Giving out contact information without clearing it first. Yes, people do that. Just because you have a networking relationship with someone doesn’t mean you have the type of relationship where you can arbitrarily give out contact information. They may want people to reach out in a certain way (ie: phone, email, etc). Or they may prefer to screen the type of people they will connect with. Unless you have a personal relationship that goes beyond networking, and you know what their preferences are, don’t blindly give out contact information without asking first. Always ask first. Also you can ask them in advance how they prefer introductions. You’ll go a long way in preserving your relationships.

4. Ignoring the very people you’re supposed to be connecting with. LOL, Yes,people do that too! Listen, you already know how I feel about connecting on social networks for the sake of high numbers. If you’re serious about networking with people and building relationships, please make the effort. If you’re invited to coffee, accept the invitation or come up with an alternate date and time. Don’t just blow them off. You NEVER know what blessings and opportunities you might be missing by blowing them off. They may be the key to or know someone who is the key to the very thing that you need. Don’t just rely on them reaching out to you. I don’t care how busy you are, reach out every so often.

Networking and relationship building is a mutual responsibility. Make sure you’re not doing anything to damage your relationships.

Til next time,

Adrienne Graham

 

Next Level Coaching for Next Level Women

When a woman decides it’s time to leave the corporate world and head off for entrepreneurial pursuits, it can be an exciting time in her life. She gets visions of freedom and no boss or time clock in her head. She imagines what it will be like when she gets her first big six figure order. She even thinks about the day when her business is given an award for being outstanding in her industry. The first couple or months or even years are filled with wearing the many hats of the business and facing some hard realities. Then she hits that wall. You know that wall. Where you feel like a tons of pressure is on your shoulders. You’re doing the accounting, the marketing, the networking, the client development, the sales calls, the HR, and every other hat that comes along with running a business. And you stall out. There’s a disconnect between where you want your business to be and where it is at this moment.

Well, shortly after Thanksgiving 2009, 8 phenomenal women took a chance on me, their businesses and themselves and enrolled in the Next Level Business Coaching Program. Each had different concerns about their businesses and were at different points, but the common trait they had was that they were stalled. Between the intensive weekly one on one coaching sessions, monthly group calls, special guest education calls, etc, the ladies initially didn’t know what to expect. But as we got a rhythym going, each started experiencing phenomenal breakthroughs with their businesses. I am so very proud of the success they’ve all achieved and my only regret is that I don’t get to work with them longer. I made a promise to them at the beginning of the program that we would take this journey together and that I would be brutally honest. And I was. While it is a business program, we worked on strengthening their confidence and the way they looked at their businesses.

If you listened to my radio show this past Friday, Views From the Top, I had the ladies on the show (yes all 8 of them) to talk about their experiences in the program. They shared their initial fears, obstacles they had to overcome and the milestones their businesses (and they) have reached. Below is a brief introduction to the ladies and what they had to say:

Mel DePaoli is the president of Omicle, a change management company and author of CONTRACTORS: Doing it Right Not Just Getting it Done. She works with companies on the various aspects of how the core of their business directly affects the perception of their brand, which in turn affects their bottom line.

“Adrienne was a great resource for finding new technologies to help me grow my business. She also is very successful at making you step outside of yourself so you can look at how to approach situations in new ways.”

Quantane Higganbotham is the owner of Virtual Possibilities, LLC. With over 10 years of administrative, customer service, sales and legal experience, Virtual Possibilities, LLC provides administrative support solutions to business owners.  She supports business owners who are looking for me to partner and grow with their business.

“The Next Level Coaching Program has challenged me to take my business to the next level. I appreciate Adrienne for taking the time to direct me and challenge me to not only look at what my competitors are doing, but also what they are not doing. You have no idea how much you have helped me. You have carved years off the development time in relation to my concept. She is awesome. The coaching program is not mediocre. If you are not ready to take your business to higher heights, this program is not for you.”

MaryBeth Reeves is a busy mother of quadruplet 3 year old daughters and the Chief Executive Mamma of Scrapbook Mamma, a custom photo book company. When she found herself without a job a the end of 2008 she took the entrepreneurial plunge.  Scrapbook Mamma makes custom photo books for those who want to do something wonderful with their pictures, but don’t have the time or the inclination to do it themselves.

“Working with Adrienne was the kick in the butt I needed to put my business growth into overdrive. I had stalled in my pursuit of a major development of my company before working with her and I did not even realize it. In 2 months of working with Adrienne, I accomplished more than I had in 9 months on my own. Her direction, motivation, encouragement and deadlines propelled me to the next level faster than I could have imagined. I just hope I don’t lose the momentum on my own.”

Cynthia Coleman is the Founder of Coleman Communications is the media brand of Cynterprise. We have plans for cookbooks, magazines and other print media along with to television and radio broadcasts. Our first release, Sports Cynts, is a sports talk cooking show where listeners can follow along with her as she prepares recipes and engages her audience in sports conversation.

“The Next level Coaching Program has helped me to focus what I need to do to take my business to where I want it to go.  With the information I received, I have no doubt that my company will be a success and I recommend it to anyone who is thinking about starting a business, who’s business is already running and needs a boost or a business who is looking to grow and take it up a notch or to the next level.”

Esther Phahla is a Certified Public Accountant with broad experience in all phases of taxation and accounting . She works with clients in a variety of industries including:- Health care (physicians, etc), manufacturing, construction, real estate, distribution and service. She is interested in small businesses and their owners.

“This Coaching has helped me to get out of my comfort zone and take action in growing my business. By implementing the strategies that I have learned from Adrienne Graham, I have grown personally and professionally.”

Bernie Frazier is the President of CareerVolution, LLC, a career navigating and job search skills training company, Bernie offers a comprehensive curriculum for people who are seeking their next career opportunity but aren’t sure how to make it happen.  She offers effective; “can do” insights that can help jump start a career, propel it to the next level, or catapult it in another direction.

“Adrienne has been a God-send!  Her willingness to share her experiences and ideas has been very valuable in helping me develop my own business.  She has an uncanny way of taking your ideas and stretching them and you beyond the comfort zone in order to reach the next level.  Adrienne is a walking “rolodex” of great resources; it’s remarkable!  I feel much more confident in where I’m going and what I can do, and I know Adrienne has played a key role in bringing this to life.  I can’t thank her enough.”

Kristina Cox is the Founder and CEO of Prime Accumen Creations. P.A. Creations is for business professionals and individuals seeking a lasting impression with their audience and is a one stop shop for marketing, design and communications.  Kristina was named VIP Woman of the Year for 2009/2010 by The National Association of Professional Women.

“The business coaching program has been a blessing. Adrienne was the miracle worker I needed to help me restructure my company. She brought out the six figure mindset that I needed to get to the next level.”

Maisha Hart is the owner of Legal Plus, a boutique staffing company in Los Angeles.  Legal Plus (also known as LP Staffing) has been in business since 1979 placing administrative support personnel with companies both small and large throughout the southern California area.  LP Staffing, offers temporary, temporary to hire and direct hire services and in addition to personnel services, they also offer our clients payroll services.
Now, don’t just think this was all about me “teaching” these ladies anything. It was a learning experience for all of us. They helped me put the finishing touches on this incredible coaching program. From well known special guests to candid conversations to the group interaction, this program is designed for women serious about stepping outside of themselves and focus on doing what needs to be done to get to the next level.

Not everyone can be accepted. There is an application process and only ten women are chosen each quarter. So if you’re ready to take it to a whole other level, stop by the website today and complete your confidential application. Applying is free and everyone who applies is interviewed and screened.

So, are you ready to go to the Next Level?

Til next time,

Adrienne Graham

 

Next Level Woman

What are the common traits between Oprah, Martha Stewart, Barbara Corcoran, Sheila Johnson and so many other successful businesswomen? They continuously find ways to take their businesses to the NEXT LEVEL. They’re always looking ahead, and make adjustments as needed to achieve their goals. And they realize they can’t do it all alone. Most importantly, they aren’t afraid to make things happen!

Stop being stuck! Too many women, people in general, let outside influences keep them from growing their businesses. They let the economic circumstances keep them from making the right moves to improve business And some even let their basic business foundations crumble, resulting in them returning to corporate instead of fixing what’s wrong so they can prosper. Sometimes all it takes is stripping down to the studs and changing the way you do business.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, 8 women decided to take a chance on their businesses and me and joined the Next Level Business Coaching Program so that they could become unstuck. It has been an incredible journey and they are here to share their experiences with the program and talk about the transformations and revelations they’ve learned about themselves and their businesses. Tune in to hear all about it and to ask questions about taking your own business to the next level.

If you’re considering starting a business, or have a business that is stalled, or have a business that you are itching to take to the next level, you cannot miss this show. If you have a business and you are feeling like you need to go back to corporate to “make ends meet” you definitely cannot miss this show!

Tune in at 9AM EST http://www.blogtalkradio.com/viewsfromthetop and you can join the chat room during the show to ask questions. We’ll answer them live on air.

And if you tune in live during the show, I’ll share the special link for you to receive the special discount rate if you’re application is selected for the program. But you have to tune in to find out what it is.

“See” you then!

Adrienne Graham

 

Views From the Top Selected Top 100 Radio Shows for Small Business, 1 of Only 8 from Blog Talk Radio

I am so very thrilled. Last night I received an email from the Director of Programming over at Blog Talk Radio. I found out that my show, Views From the Top was not only selected in the Top 100 Heavy Hitter Shows for business, but it is one of only EIGHT shows selected from Blog Talk Radio’s roster to have made the list! I am humbled and honored, not to mention totally surprised! Thank you to everyone who continues to listen to the show and support it.

http://blog.blogtalkradio.com/books/small-business-trends-radios-top-100-list-top-heavy-blogtalkradio-shows/

Small Business Trends Radio’s Top 100 List Top Heavy with BlogTalkRadio Shows

If it wasn’t already apparent that BlogTalkRadio has got what is arguable the Internet’s best business-show roster, now comes a ranking to prove it.

Small Business Trends Radio has released its annual list of 100 Best Small Business Podcasts and guess what?

In all eight of BTR’s business shows made the list, right alongside those of such powerhouse media outlets as The Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, The New York Times, CNN and the BBC.

To boot, one show from BTR’s Cincast.com community—where creating short, snappy podcasts are a cinch—made the list as well.

“Each year we scour the Internet for you and choose 100 of the most useful and informative podcasts we can find for entrepreneurs, small businesses and small
business owners,” the weekly show says on its website.

Congratulations to all our heavy hitters:

Blake Landau: Customer Management IQ

Adrienne Graham: Views From the Top

David Mathison: Be The Media

Kenneth Darryl Brown: The Passionate Entrepreneur

Sherry Borzo: Entrepreneur People

Barry Moltz: Business Insanity Talk Radio

Wayne Hurlbert: Blog Business Success

Zane Safrit: Zane Safrit

Robert Scoble: Scobleizer

To read the Small Business Trends Radio report, click here.

To check out Cinchcast.com, click here.

 

Accountability is YOUR Responsibility

No matter what anyone tells you, YOU and YOU alone are accountable for your actions, career, life. I run into women who make any kind of excuse and blame everybody but the right body for the state of their lives. It’s always easier to place blame when you have someone or some thing to place it on. I’m a generous listener, but I’ve go to tell you, I have no patience or time for whiners. Especially whiners who insist on ignoring their own role in their unhappiness.

I’ve been shouting to the rooftops that 2010 is a year of reinvention and upgrade. Now I’ll bring out the old sayings: “If you don’t like the situation you’re in, change the situation” “If you don’t like the people you’re around, change the people around you” and my favorite “God gives you the tools and the resources, but it’s up to YOU to use them”. I can’t tell you how many times in a month I have to utter one or more of these phrases. I’m all about empowerment and professional development for women, so it’s gets uncomfortable for me to listen to whining. Even if I can see objectively from the outside and recommend solutions, some people will still hold on to being miserable. Now here’s where people will sy to me “have some compassion”. I will not. Not for someone who doesn’t want to make an effort to change things. I can’t in good consciousness allow someone to pour their heart out to me and walk away determined to NOT take any steps to improve. I’m not wired that way. Instead of bitching about what’s WRONG, how about you start focusing on what’s right, then create a game plan on how to improve your situation.

This year I will not be understanding. It is my mission to EMPOWER women and tell them the truth, straight with no chaser. I’m not in the coddling business. I will let people talk about their issues. But then you had better be ready to find real solutions and make a real commitment to improving things. If I come back in six months and you’re still complaining about the same things, I’ll know you have no desire to do better. We all have the capability, no matter what our background, race, gender, religious beliefs, etc to succeed. The difference between the winners and the losers of the world is the winners don’t settle. Are you a winner or loser? Make sure when you feel compelled to complain about what you don’t have, can’t do or won’t get, be sure you point that finger at yourself. Then work on figuring out the solution.

None of us are in a position to complain about anything. Look at the devastation that the Haitian people have had to endure. Yet many are remaining hopeful and focused on prayer. So what you couldn’t get that raise. People in Haiti can’t get food and medical help. But they’re going to persevere. What are you willing to do to improve your situation? It cold be something as complex as returning to school or training to improve your skills, or something as simple as changing your attitude. In my conversation with Barbara Corcoran last week she said the most profound thing. “Nobody has to give a damn about you”. Truer words have never been spoken.
You’ve got to stand up for yourself and make conscious decisions for your professional development.

So my friends, the next time you feel compelled to complain about your circumstances, please stop and take a look yourself and think about the ways you are responsible for them and what you can do to change them.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

 

Reflections of a Decade

Wow. It finally hit me that not only are we approaching 2010, but we are coming to the end of a decade! I don’t know how I missed that. I remember what I was think as we approached the end of 1999 and believe me, some of the things I’m doing today wasn’t even on the radar. So after I marinated on the fact that we’re closing a decade, I started doing some reflecting and reviewing of my life over this past 10 years.

As I approached 2000, I had no idea that some things would be this way today in 2009. In no particular order, I lost my Dad, found love, raised a teenager (and got him off to college), gained some new friends (and great mentors!), lost some old ones, had serious financial loss, learned how to invest, made money in the stock market, lost money in the market, had great financial gain, bought a house, got debt free, got back into debt, returned to college, started a radio show, became an empty nester, left recruiting, got back into recruiting, wrote a book, turned 40, lost close family members, gained two nephews and sister in law, saw the biggest rip off election, celebrated our first Black President, and even got a dog! WOW. It’s enough to make my head spin. There was much more, but those are the highlights. I can’t say this decade was the greatest but it has shown me how tough and resourceful I really am. I have had some great times, don’t get me wrong. But as I turned 30 at the beginning of this decade, I had a map of where I wanted to head this decade. I had it all figured out. I’d grow a multi-million dollar company and be living in a mansion by the end of the decade. Well I can report I am NOT living in a mansion…yet. LOL

I remember in 1999 my Dad being all panicked and cautious about Y2K (remember that!) and the millenium. He swore that the end was near and that we needed to start stockpiling canned good, flashlights and batteries.LOL He said technology was going to go crazy. Daddy never even had a cell phone! 2000 came in without any fanfare. Once he was positive that Y2K wasn’t going to converge upon us, he was fine. Two years later, we buried him. I would say that was the beginning of the “toughening” of Adrienne Graham. I had always played it safe and was Daddy’s Little Girl. No matter what I got myself into, my Daddy always helped me get out. Well when he passed, I found myself for the first time having to be a real live grown up. I learned how to step into my own, handle my finances, and start going for what I want. Until then, it had been a test run.

Today, I look at what I’m doing and I know back in 1999 I wouldn’t have been half the woman with half the courage to do some of the things I’m doing now. For the longest time I thought God was punishing me for using my Dad as a safety net. But as I got deeper into the word I realized that life is a cycle. None of us are guaranteed to be here forever. While my Dad left us at what I think is a young age, it was his time. I know now that he’s looking down on me smiling and proud of me. I adore my radio show. I am excited about the magazine and internet tv channel. I can’t wait to see what happens with my business in 2010.

The one thing I’ve learn, and perhaps the most important thing, is that I can do anything I want if I put my mind to it. I no longer live life worried about what’s going to happen. I live in the moment, not in the past. Yes, 2009 was one of the hardest years for me in this decade, but it didn’t break me. If I didn’t break after losing my Dad, I can handle anything this economy throws at me! I create my own power. I control my own destiny (with God of course). I’m proud of how far I’ve come. I go into 2010 not bitter about 2009 like a lot of people. I’ve taken the lessons I learned this year (this decade) and use them to move me forward. There is no time for tears. There is no time for would have, could have, should have. I am ready to make big things happen.

So out with this decade and the trials that came with it. I take those lumps and those lessons and move on to living my best life. I look forward to 2010 and all the phenomenal things waiting for me as I approach it. I have such an excitement built up inside of me. I wish you could feel my vibes! I look forward to taking what I’ve learned and not just turning my business into a multi million dollar business, but also blessing others as I rise.

Are you ready for the next decade? I sure hope so. Time waits for no man or woman.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham