Completely enamored this morning with the Verve commercial on healthy energy that Vemma/Verve corporate created and posted to YouTube earlier this month. They’re always doing things like this; continually building the brand’s credibility to make our jobs easier. Impressive.
Nathan and I spent last weekend with my college girlfriends and their respective significant others, all celebrating the marriage of one of our closest friends. Gathering with old friends always makes me think of our lives, then and now. We were all together last more than 6 years ago, since then communicating via email and phone, seeing each other maybe one or two weekends a year. Quite a bit of time during those few weekends to develop our own lives, carve out our niche, grow as individuals. No matter how much we grow or in what directions we will remain friends always – that’s an unstated commitment to which we’ve all agreed. However, our gatherings always remind me how much I’ve grown since leaving campus. I’ve read more books than I can count, surrounded myself with the best of those I want to emulate, gotten married, twice experienced home ownership, turned my car into a permanent, rolling, self-education university, become a doggie-mommy, and defined my true passion and purpose in life more than I ever thought I could before turning 30. I’ve started 3 businesses, 2 websites, failed more than I’ve succeeded, and gained a confidence that can only come with truly figuring out what matters most to you in life.
These friends knew me before all of that.
Back when I dated jerks because I didn’t have the ability to realize that I was the better person for not being interested in them, not the other way around. Back when I complained about not having any money, but was unwilling to see how I could change the situation. Back when I thought I wanted to be an orthodontist. Yikes.
They knew me before I knew me. So being around them now, 6 long years later (or, only 6 years later) reminds me of the massive personal growth I’ve experienced since we were all a part of each other’s daily lives. There’s nothing like good friends to humble you and remind you of how far you’ve come. There’s nothing like growing, but not growing apart. And there’s nothing like friends that will love you either way. I’m so grateful for each and every one of them and would most definitely not be the person I have developed into now without their friendship for the crazy person I was then.
I’ve recently been introduced to Carrie Wilkerson’s blog, the Barefoot Executive, and am loving getting to know the site. The Barefoot Exec describes herself as “the definitive resource for helping women achieve extra income and career goals while working from home,” but I’ve found that her insight, experience, and posts could apply to any entrepreneur. Last month she wrote about leaving a 9-to-5 and venturing into full-time entrepreneurship, and I loved the “homework” she detailed out for anyone considering such a leap. It’s probably the best how-to-figure-out-what-you-truly-want-to-do-with-your-life list of thought-provoking questions I’ve ever read. The list is printed out and has been pasted into my journal; I think they’re that powerful. Even if you think you know what your true passion is, I’d imagine reviewing Barefoot’s post and considering the questions would at least provide an additional detail to your life’s purpose.
Barefoot Executive: Achieve it in 7 Steps
What did you learn about your passion?
The Angel Inside: Michelangelo’s Secrets For Following Your Passion and Finding the Work You Love, by Chris Widener
I had the opportunity to hear Chris Widener speak in person a couple of years ago. Just like his live talk, this book from the relative newcomer did not disappoint. A short but powerful read, it hammers home the mantra of most entrepreneurs; make your passion your job and you’ll never have to ‘work’ another day in your life. To add to the yummyness, the book teaches its lessons around the life and work of Michaelangelo. Not many ways to go wrong there. After you’ve read the speedy 94 pages, I’d recommend parusing the discussion guide and workbook at the back of the book. It’s a fantastic real-life application guide and reiterates the lessons learned in such a way as to ensure that the reader puts it down not only temporarily inspired but with a specific game plan on how to permanantly alter their life’s path. A great book to gift to others.
4.5/5 stars
If you haven’t yet heard about Gary Vaynerchuk, stop where you are and read this. Then, check out this site and this one. Oh, and this one, too. I’ve been quietly following Gary for several months now and have absorbed most of his posts, videocasts, and keynotes. I would be lying if I said I found the majority of my inspiration to define and market my personal brand from someone other than Gary. He pushed me to stop just thinking about my true passion and actually get out there and define it…act upon it…make it happen.
Gary recently posted a keynote on his blog from a talk he gave at the BookExpo America 2009 event a couple weeks ago. Applicable to anyone and everyone, way beyond those in the book or publishing industries, I think this keynote is the VERY BEST definition of what Gary’s message is all about and why’s it’s so darn inspiring. It also perfectly appeals to the side of me that wants to simplify things in every possible way. His point is, simply, to find your true passion. Is it golf? Is it legos? Is it photography or the A-team or upside-down knitting? Whatever it is, focus on it. Stop doing the crap that you hate. Leverage your passion to define your personal brand and use internet marketing and social media to turn that passion into a paycheck. Find that passion, work hard, build relationships, and make your life your own. Oh, and do it NOW!
Watch Gary’s talk here: Gary Vaynerchuk at BEA 2009
Digestion. It’s a subject I’m passionate about not only because it has to do with, well, food – woo! – but because I suffered from digestive issues for so many years and have only recently found mercy by adding quality supplements and many more whole and live foods.
Whole Foods Market chatted about digestion and the importance of probiotics on their blog last month. It’s a subject so few people really know anything about, but can affect every area of our health. Go check it out:
Whole Foods Market blog Healthy Tip: Probiotics are Full of Life
Read it. Be healthier. Live your life a little bit better.
An enormous part of my personal development over the past 2 years and my business success is Vemma Nutrition. If you’d like, you can read a bit more about my network marketing background here, but the short story is that I would not be where I am today without the network marketing industry, Vemma corporate, or the amazing leaders I am blessed to work with each and every day. I would be doing my personal brand and web presence an injustice if I didn’t introduce Vemma and Verve:
Vemma is a complete, liquid nutritional supplement. All your vitamins, all your minerals, powerhouse antioxidants from the mangosteen fruit, organic decaffeinated green tea, and organic aloe vera. 2 oz. a day. Tastes great. Everything you need. Done and done. You can take the product straight or drink it as part of an insanely healthy energy drink called Verve.
Founded by BK Boreyko, the company centers around just the one formula and is less than 5 years old, debt free, and backed by 14 year-old parent company New Vision. The product is distributed 100% online and always offered with a 30 day money back guarantee. Binary compensation plan, monthly-autoship based, pays to infinity, 2 free websites to all members. No fees, no fuss.
To learn more about Vemma, click here.
To learn more about Verve, click here.
To learn more about BK Boreyko, click here, or you can follow him on Twitter.
Shameless plug = complete.
Short and sweet reviews from a couple of recent reads:
The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life
One of my favorites in a long, long time. Discussing the topic of why the successful are successful when so many others are not, Olson proposes that it’s all the little things that matter. The broke and unsuccessful could have achieved the riches, power, and success if, consistently over time, they had only accomplished one teeny tiny extra thing a day. The things that we do every single day, all of those tasks that don’t seem to matter? Yeah, those! Do all of those things, plus one extra. Day after day after day. A powerfully simple concept that leaves your brain swirling with thoughts of productivity, the power of daily tasks compounded over time, and paying attention to the little things. What little things are you missing that are making all the difference? They make up the slight edge and that edge makes all the difference. Highly recommend.
5/5 stars
Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)
A great corporate guide, taught through detailing Cathie’s life. It’s very, umm…corporate, though. That’s where Cathie created and found her success, so from the entirely different viewpoint of an entrepreneur it’s a bit bumpy to travel page after page. A slew of pros and cons come to mind. Pro – each lesson holds its own and is separated into tidy categories of Drive, Risk, People, Fear, Power, Passion, Attitude, and Leadership. Con – the shear number of them drags you down a bit. Pro – her corporate experiences are varied and some of the off-the-wall reactions she’s had to situations over the years made for some interesting recounts of experiences and lessons learned. Con – Cathie has been in the publishing industry her whole career which can begin to bore a reader not particularily interested in story after story within that line of work. And finally, Pro – case studies dot the spaces between chapters providing an interesting inside peek into the deals that go down in the publishing industry, and neatly wrap around to the lessons previously discussed. Summary: a strong here-are-my-experiences-and-what-you-can-learn-from-them book, very corporate, 50 pages too long.
2.5/5 stars
I'm an author, marketer, and mommy who loves to read, write, and drink coffee. My husband and I live in suburban Kansas City with our two little girls. This site chronicles my world. Thanks for stopping by!
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