OCTOBER IS AWARENESS MONTH: "He who knows others is wise. He who knows himself is enlightened."~Lao Tzu

Riiiight...? Uh no.  Life would be so much simpler if memes like this were true. Memes provide temporary relief through lightheartedness or sarcasm or humor. We all love 'em... well most of us do.

The month of October is a month of AWARENESS that covers many themes:

• October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month!
• October is National Spina Bifida Awareness Month
• October is National Information Literacy Awareness Month
• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• National Apple Month
• National Physical Therapy Month
• Eye Safety and Injury Prevention Month
• NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 2013 as National Domestic Violence

And the one I endlessly promote, Pit Bull Awareness Month.

Are we feeling AWARE yet? This doesn't even include the awareness weeks or days that also take place during the month of October. I probably even missed a few. I definitely have a theme going this month and it's been across the board - professionally, personally, even romantically - which brought me to the questions about awareness:

Are you about to RUIN it for everyone else?

OR

Will your actions make it BETTER for everyone else?

Does "everyone else" even matter to you?  In my mind, they do and call it non-youthful wisdoem but with time and experience comes clarity and with wisdom comes compassion as I wholeheartedly ascribe to this quote by Robert Baden-Powell:

"Leave this world a little better than you found it."

So although I would like to announce and promote a national campaign called "Quit Ruining it for Everyone Else Awareness Month," (week or day), let's just discuss it here. I could elaborate with anecdotal instances and experiences as examples of what I am speaking to, but I think we can all muster up our own examples along with feelings of being slighted, ignored, overlooked, unheard or blatantly being disregarded that leave you feeling frustrated or lashing out. The bottom line is that as humans we seek fairness; that things need to just, equitable, honest, upright, honorable, trustworthy. So let me pause and ask that instead of pointing fingers at your colleagues, your co-workers, your volunteers or your family members, I am going to ask that you instead reflect inward.  It's a difficult concept to truly grasp and put into place, but consider the only person whom you have control over and sit with this for a moment;

Only YOU are responsible for YOUR choices.

Choices have consequences not only for the choice-makers but those who are affected by those choices.  I have learned, sometimes painfully, sometimes at the expense of my own ego, to

STOP.

THINK.

(usually) BREATHE.

Then ACT (or not) upon the answers I've gained through posing those questions above to myself.

Once you gain clarity (and IMAGINE if everyone else gained the same type of clarity) how much easier our business and personal dealings would become?

We can all try to be a little more AWARE, right?

BLOG POST AUTHORED BY: Julie Miller, President of Lady Luck Consulting
 

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#smallbusiness #charity #nonprofit #success #patience, #smallbusiness #consulting #networking #entrepreneurs #choices #awareness

The hands that help are holier than the lips that pray. ~ Robert Green Ingersoll

If one is sincere about wanting to help (and most of us are when we do), it makes more sense to offer specific help rather than just to make a general offer.

We've all heard it.
We've all said it.

"Let me know if you need anything."

In personal matters this can make you feel even more overwhelmed than the reason (or look on your face) that prompted the person to make this offer. People don't normally say this randomly, it's usually prompted by a rant, venting session or an obvious need for assistance.  "Letting someone know if you need anything" requires more work to already burdened mood; then you have come up with a list (whether written or mental) of the things that need to get done so you can FIND something in order to TELL someone what they CAN do to help. When your head is already spinning, the last thing you want to do is analyze what someone who's offered help can do to decrease your load, so most of usually say
                                       "Thanks, but I'm..."

In business, it's downright frustrating especially if you're a Type A, let's get this sh*t done (like yours truly). I'm going to return to using personal life examples in an attempt to make my point as most of us can relate to those best.

If you've joined a committee, whether it be a sports team, moms group or PTA, you know the circles those quick meetings can potentially spin into, fast, and you end the session wondering if anything was truly accomplished. I hate that feeling because you showed up to help and left a little more confused than when you arrived for volunteer duty.

When working within a volunteer organization, your business dealings, hell even friendships it is extremely helpful to be very specific.

If you genuinely have help to offer try...

"Let me pick up the ice cream cake on the way to the party. 

Will you make sure to pay for it before I arrive?" 

You have offered help with a specific task you're aware needs fulfilling, you've set a boundary for your offer and explained that you're not in a position to foot the bill. Plus you're driving right by Baskin Robbins on your way up to the party AND have offered relief by eliminating one less, time sensitive task for the hostess.

"I've got fifty extra bucks in my wallet, hand me your grocery list. 

I'll be back in 20 minutes."

You went by your buddy's house who's down in the dumps over his recent divorce. You see empty containers of Cup O' Soup on the counter and spoiled milk in the fridge. You've got a little time and money to spare to help a friend out, especially knowing it's his weekend with his kids. Don't ask. Just tell, then do. Done.

"I'm going to be at the (_______) at 2 pm anyway, I'll pick up your kids today. 

Should I drop them off at your house or...?"

You notice the kids of the mom, who recently had to return to full time job, always being the last ones to be picked up from school. You know times are tough and you're there every day, on time, to pick up your two in the car you own that seats eight. I'm not suggesting you become a free bus service or offer free day care, but if you know you're helping out someone during a rough transition, don't offer vague help ("Sorry things are so rough, let me know if you need anything!"), instead offer minor, specific relief. Now if mom shows up with the smell of cocktails on her breath about four hours later, don't make this offer twice, but you may want to speak to the school counselor.


If you're the person in need (or in charge) state clearly:

"I need three people to set up the snack booth at the football game on Friday nights, two to set up one to tear down. There are two two-hour shifts at the home games. Please check the (sport's) calendar and sign up for one or both shifts."

I love being on the receiving end of requests like these and, quite frankly, I reply more quickly than I would to a request for volunteers with only a date mentioned for fear I may have volunteered all of my Friday nights away (again).

"ABC Corp donated (______) last year to (your group) and you, Johnny, work right next door. Could you please go by on Tuesday and confirm that we can count on them again this year?"

One simple, convenient task instead of a long list that every looks at and passes on to the person sitting next to them with a shoulder shrug.


Now let's do an example at work:

"Board members are coming in Tuesday. Order lunch for ten under $150. Delivered by noon to east conference room. Put it on (corporate officer)'s expense account."

I can't begin to tell you how many execs say "order a nice lunch" without any of the details, leaving you to wonder if it's too elaborate, too expensive, too cheap or even enough food.

It's pretty simple yet we all fall victim to this trap with our I'd-LOVE-to-helps and our let-me-know-if-you-need-anythings.

The moral of this story is BE SPECIFIC.

"No problem can be solved until it is 

reduced to some simple form." ~John Pierpont Morgan

BLOG POST AUTHORED BY: Julie Miller, President of Lady Luck Consulting

 

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#smallbusiness #volunteer #help #communication #clarity

If the old adage fits, wear it: work smarter, not harder.

I spent the day yesterday at the 27th Fallbrook Avocado Festival where nearly 70,000 visitors join over fifty vendors while The Friendly Village closes down its Main Avenue for these annual festivities.

The weather is always perfect, the music is always loud, the crowd usually annoyed and the food vendors are a plenty.  I met many creative people - artists, artisans and just plain clever folk and if something tickled my fancy, I'd pop into their booth escaping the warm sun and ask "Do you have a store? a website? Where can I purchase your fabulous goods after today?"  To which most responded, "No... but we're on Facebook."

After hearing this enough times, I realized that people who own businesses vying to sell their craft to a multitude of potential buyers who've only brought X amount of dollars along for their activities that day - most of which involve consuming some form of Avocado - aren't properly capturing their prospects.  Sure, the Avo Fest makes for a great day of spending and overindulgence, but darling, vintage salt and pepper shakers I purchased would go fabulously with that cake plate I didn't quite bring enough cash to grab yesterday.  Do I really have to wait til next year to buy it?

Do I believe having your business on Social Media is important? Uh hello... that's the bread and butter of our staff's work at Lady Luck Consulting but let's pause for a moment and consider WHY your business would benefit from a website.

Remember MySpace? MyWhat?  Yeah, that place.  The place I used to have over 3,000 "friends" and spend my time blogging about the animals in my care at the now defunct dog rescue and dissolved corporation.  The place I used to raise thousands of dollars just by saying "please and thank you."  We had a website for which the primary use was featuring our adoptable dogs.  That's defunct now too.

My point is that Social Media is every changing.  I didn't bother to ask these ambitious vendors of these creative, small businesses if they were on Pinterest, InstaGram or LinkedIn but I saw more 'like us on Facebook' posters yesterday -  hand-written, computer generated - than I could count. Yet no check-in QR codes, no mention of their URL, no mention of their Facebook name nor address on their business cards so you could follow through on that promise once you sobered up *ahem*, I mean got back home.

I didn't pitch anybody but business cards were exchanged with promises to look me up and I would do the same. You can find me on Facebook but I also have a website. 

Websites are not obsolete.  Websites can be anything from your online brochure that includes your mission statement to providing e-commerce (so I could've come home and bought that daggone cake plate!) for increased sales. Websites still should remain the hub of your business. Websites should link up to your Social Media accounts (where the heck will people find you if/when/once Facebook goes where MySpace went...?)
Your website should be where your business shines.

BLOG POST AUTHORED BY: Julie Miller-Hernandez, President of Lady Luck Consulting