For those of you who joined me on this week’s “Tip of the Week” call - this is the photo I told you about.

I was about 27 years old.  Recently divorced.  Had lost my job.  Was working as a receptionist for about $8 an hour.

It was time to recreate myself.

I cut off most of my hair. I pulled out my best “power suit” that my Dad had bought me years before when I was interning at a local TV station in college.  And I took my first baby step into a big, new world.

I wanted to be a professional speaker.

I had a couple of Toastmaster talks under my belt, and just enough courage (and funding) to hire a photographer, makeup artist, and stylist for the picture I believed would get my foot in the door.

I remember walking into the studio and seeing the walls lined with pictures of other professionals who had stood in that same space.  They all looked so powerful and confident.

I didn’t have a topic to speak about.  I didn’t have a game plan or any knowledge about the speaking business.

But when the moment came, I mustered the courage to speak my dream as if it were real.

“So, what’s the photo for?” my photographer asked me as we concluded our shoot.

“I’m a professional speaker,” I answered with forced confidence. “I need a good headshot for my promo kit.”

It almost felt like I was telling him a fairy tale.  Or a tiny joke.  Maybe even a lie?

But that’s why I was there.  This is the photo from that day.  It was the day I declared a new and breathtakingly terrifying identity for myself:  “I am a professional speaker.”

Needless to say, the angels were there with me that day, and when opportunity knocked, my promo kit was ready to roll.  Within weeks I was giving free talks at local schools.  Within months, I was hired as a professional trainer, and within a few years, I was traveling the country being paid to speak to hundreds of people each day.

Our Entrepreneurial Tip of the Week this week is about mastering your mindset.  It’s about holding a vision of where you want to be, and taking one step at a time to align your words, your thoughts, and your emotions with that vision.

There’s no time like NOW to take ownership of your dream.  It belongs to you and you alone.  Claim it.  Feel it.  Act upon it.  Miracles await you…

Last fall, Network on Purpose teamed up with Succeed on Purpose to host our first annual “Purpose to Peace” gala.  Here is the video of my keynote from that event:

We are currently in the process of creating a strategic alliance that will allow us to provide start-up micro-loans for purpose-driven businesses that would otherwise not qualify for traditional small-business financing.

I’ll have more information coming soon with details of our upcoming “Pitch-It!” events.  In the meantime, we’re here to help you find and express your purpose in the world.

If that means you start a business, we’re here to help you make that happen.

If that means it’s time to grow your business and serve more people, we want to help you make that happen, too.

When you combine a life of purpose with a foundation of prosperity, we truly can create a world that works for all people.

Now is the time. Join us.  It’s the journey of a lifetime!

This month at our Network on Purpose gatherings, I gifted all of our members with a copy of my book. Here’s what it inspired for one of our members:

“Thank you so much for the copy of What If It All Goes Right? you gave me at Network on Purpose.

I come from a long lineage of “hand wringers” and could take worst case scenario planning to an art form! I love to read a chapter in your book to start my day. It helps me elevate my expectations and steer my mental states away from long held negative beliefs and thought patterns. The book is laid out so nicely for daily contemplation.

A few weeks ago, David (husband) stopped by the nursery to buy a few flowers for his garden. I was looking around while he shopped and spotted a nearly dead plant that no one had watered.

What if someone watered it now?

Feeling compassion, I found a nearby hose and watered the parched plant, then returned it to its flat.

I said to David, “What if we took it home with us?”

I was certain no one would buy it. At first he wasn’t game, but by the time he got to the checkout, he said “go back and get that plant. I know you want it.” He paid full price for it, although it looked so bad, I’m sure they would have given it away for free.

As David took the plant out of the trunk, I could not believe it was the same one! It had recovered miraculously on the way home! It flowers were opening up.

Here she is below a few days later (pictured above). A beautiful Red Pansy.”

Thank you, Marina, for reminding us of the miracle that happens when we take the time to act in kindness and see potential…

Wishing you inspired moments of faith in action.

This email came through today, and it was too good not to share! (With permission, of course…)

“Thinking about” growing your business = stagnation.

Action without Strategy = Burnout.

Here’s what happens when you take your purpose and passion, build a strategy around it, and put feet on your prayers:

(From a graduate of our January Launch on Purpose pilot program, Lisa Mikals):

Hey Launch on Purpose ORIGINALS!

I couldn’t wait until our next conference call to share this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

¤ Coming from the class and trying to digest everything was way more overwhelming than I thought possible.

¤ The first two days was spent ‘thinking’…bad move! That meant nothing happening….duh!

¤ After the much needed conference call last night I IMMEDIATELY emailed the Pastors that I had worked with last year and asked for 10 minutes of their time to get wisdom (which they love to give) on the new strategic direction/strategy of my company.

¤ I did create a goals sheet for my pilot package è 12 monthly clients @ $750/month = $9k per month. And they engage for a year so that will be $108,000/year (DOUBLE of what I made last year)

¤ I was overwhelmed to wake up this morning to SIX responses/appointments for today!

¤ I JUST got off my FIRST call with the first Pastor and here are the RESULTS:

• The Pastor I called (Eben) signed to be a monthly client! Hallelujah!
• Eben is signing up a Pastor friend who has been asking for Eben’s help in structuring his ministry for growth (but of course that is not Eben’s gifting, nor does he have time), AND Eben is paying his monthly fee! You should have seen me dancing around my office!
• He is signing up another Pastor friend who has also been asking for his help AND he’s paying half his monthly fee! I’m was in shock by this point.
• He is signing up yet another Pastor friend (that’s three for those counting) who has also been asking for his help AND he’s paying half his monthly fee! By this time I had fallen on my knees in thanksgiving!

And I don’t even have my website updated…

And I didn’t even send out my updated survey…

And I don’t even have my manual/business manual complete…

And since I’ve changed my business model, I have to quickly create my Engagement LOA for them to sign!

AND, I STILL HAVE FIVE OTHER PASTORS TO SPEAK WITH TODAY!!!!

Terri & Mindy….YOU ROCK! ALL HAIL “GO TO MARKET”

If you want more than a ra-ra good time business seminar, join us in March. We’ll help you create the strategy to take your business to a whole new level.

I could have (and often did) work from my home office for weeks on end, only venturing into the outside world for groceries and to check the mail.

I try to justify text or an email when a phone call is clearly the better option.

If I can do it myself, I do it myself.  That’s my comfort zone.

But I knew, as a business owner in a rapidly changing and highly competitive marketplace, there are limited opportunities for a “lone wolf.”

The extroverts among us have a clear advantage.  Success today is the result of our connectivity.  It happens when we reach out to each other.  When we are proactively looking for ways to serve not only our customers, but our colleagues in business.

Networking (and networking well!) is no longer an option.

With introverts making up approximately half of all business owners today, it’s time to create local business networking communities that meet the needs of extroverts without blowing our shyer introverted colleagues out of the water.

Here are a few tips for both sides of the equation to help you maximize your networking time and build relationships – across the board!

Top Tips for the Introverted Networker:

1. Know your purpose. Be prepared to communicate who you are, what you do AND what you are looking for.  If you’ve got this clear in your head before you leave the house, it’s easier to feel prepared to mingle.

2. Intend to serve. Once you know what you’d like to gain from the event, redirect your primary focus to how you can serve others.  It’s hard (and unproductive) to try to start a conversation with a stranger that you hope will become a customer.  It’s much easier to initiate that conversation with a curiosity about what they need and an authentic desire to help them find the resources they seek.

3. Bring a friend.  If you’ve got an extroverted friend, all the better!  Find out what they are looking to gain from the event, and help them find the resources they seek.  A familiar face will help you relax.  Sometimes it’s easier to slip into a conversation when you are introduced by someone who already knows you.  Remember to do the same for them!

On the other end of the spectrum, here are some tips for all you glorious extroverts who love to mix and mingle, share your “elevator speech,” and work your magic in the room!

Tips for Extroverts who network with Introverts:

1. Remember, not everyone likes the spotlight.  I can always identify the extroverts at our Network On Purpose events because they inevitably ask, “Could we have everyone go around the room and say what they do?”

I know many introverts who avoid networking altogether in an effort to sidestep their 30 seconds of stardom. Introverts tend to prefer one-on-one interactions to group introductions.  If you’ve got that social streak in you, make it your mission to meet new people one and one and ask them face to face.  Introverts will be grateful to you for initiating the conversation!

2. Make introductions.  Let’s face it, extroverts tend to be some of the best networkers on the planet.  Find out what your introverted colleagues are looking for, and get them connected with a personal invitation.  The bond of gratitude you create will propel you to new levels of success!

3. Follow up with a phone call.  When you connect with an introvert, the chances are good they will want to follow up with you, but hesitate to pick up the phone.  Regardless of your social styles, we all love creating meaningful relationships.  Introverts tend to have fewer relationships, but those relationships run deep.  Let your new-found connection know how much you enjoyed getting together, follow up with any resources you believe would be useful to their business, and know that YOU will be remembered by your introverted colleagues as someone they would feel comfortable working with or referring business to.