Everybody keeps asking me what is Twitter. So this is the world of Twitter…at least according to how Shonika Explains it….

Geek Talk: Twitter is a micro blogging social network site.

Peep Talk: The concept of Twitter revolves around building a network or community (those you follow or those who choose to follow you)…I know I know it’s a bit of a vanity page

Within your network that you build along with a sort of never-ending ‘public timeline’, if you will, you share random moments and thoughts of your life in 140 characters or less (aka SMS message) hence the term “micro blogging”.

The all encompassing QUESTION that starts and progresses the dialogue in your Twitter community is:

“What are you doing?”

Need a visual/3 min video? Who can ever forget this post I made on the Tao of Twitter….

S/he rocks in the Tweetop all day long… 

….because you asketh for it. There is no simpler or other way to say it. When you position yourself as the victim and as having already lost the battle, then that is exactly what happens to you. Alternatively, when you are driven more on consumerist ideals, greed with money and worldly possessions,  you feel the same kind of hurt on the other extreme when those things don’t come easy for you.

And why is that?

While people are often inspired by where you are going they are more motivated by what you have accomplished (regardless of your circumstances). Obviously the more hardships you have overcome the more they are engaged. But indeed everybody has a ’story’ regardless. When you have ‘accomplished’ things, it shows that your words and actions agree..meaning you are trustworthy. If you have a bunch of projects in the works, it means you lack follow through if you have nothing to show for them.

The people, things and opportunities you attract in your life are drawn to you because of your words, your attitude, and energy that you are putting off. It could be the way you look or feel, the way you talk or sound, the things you talk about. They are drawn to those words, those feelings, those emotions, your physical presentation. It is human nature that you are going to be drawn to people who you believe can relate to you.

‘Living Your Dream’ is about moving in sync with your own reality.

The key is BALANCE! It’s about being purpose-driven and not being distracted from your true objective by constantly fantasizing in either one of those extremes. Otherwise you set yourself up in a traveling carnival on an emotional roller coaster with no driver.

So start here….keep it real and keep it moving!

Note: This post is continued from an earlier post.

Do You See What I See….

Anyway, even though I was nearly bleeding to death, tee hee he, we continued to talk for 2 hours about so many great ideas and concepts. And that was essentially my actual dilema- she provided a few tremendous marketing ideas to me that I felt were of true value. I see how those ideas can be leveraged at some point but now is not necessarily the time. I actually envisioned something quite nice at the end of the rainbow, but near the end of the conversation and our meeting she handed me a postcard advertising one of her clients upcoming launch parties. And I’ll be damned if that postcard didn’t look like some doo doo that somebody made themselves on a home computer. The image I saw at that moment kind of summed up much of my confusion—drama in the beginning means…..always drama! Anytime I have started a relationship in which I didn’t really connect with the person the first time around whether they had an overly foul mouth and no substance, uppety attitude, negotiated price or anything to that effect the relationship has never worked out.

Tips on Building Strong Value-Driven Relationships:

1. In any kind of relationship you enter whether personal or professional it’s a partnership, not a dictatorship. All parties involved should have equal value and open say and in a professional relationship it doesn’t matter whether you are the one paying the money or the one receiving the money…the customer is NOT always right. In fact, the service provider should be considered the expert on the respective subject matter for which they are being hired.

2. Choose to work with people who are more of a consultant and less of a salesperson. They talk about things and can provide constructive criticism but can also provide a solution that works for both of you. They will listen to what you want and educate you on other things that are out there and available to you. Whether it be a personal or professional relationship they are not saying how they are better or worse, only how they are different and they respect and value your time and opinion. And most importantly if they can’t help you or feel that they are not best suited they will say so or refer you to someone else who can.

3. They are more of a cheerleader than a psychoanalyst. Everybody has problems or has had problems…Financial ones, relationship ones, personality ones….you name it. Myself included It is part of who we are and how we learn, grow and develop. But dayum, out the door you don’t want to tell people how everything they do is completed * muffed * up. You want to encourage them, sandwich a little constructive criticism and encourage them more. You have to help yourself by helping them help themselves. Which leads us to the all encompassing point-

Always choose quality over quantity because the most important thing about relationships is being in one that provides value vs. one that taketh away. Because if people don’t give value to you it means that not only do they devalue you they also devalue themselves and for the most part everyone in their network. This does not serve as a strong foundation for building long-term relationships and partnerships that can successfully grow.

Here is your value test: If you have a strong network built on value and quality at any time you should be able to pick up your phone call anyone from your phone book and they will know who you are, be happy to hear from you and not question an ulterior motive.

How do you bring value to your relationships?

Last week I had a wonderful and my first ever Internet radio interview with Wendy Muhammad from ‘The Mind of an Entrepreneur’. I was initially a little nervous about it being that it was an hour long. But surprisingly it was just like talking on the phone…which I do A LOT so after about the first 2 minutes I had found my groove.

One of the questions Wendy asked me during my interview was how do I run my business on ‘FAITH’…moreso than anything else whether it be logic, business theory, business planning and strategizing? By the way, before I forget let me share this great retweet I saw posted on Twitter this week from @Mari Smith, The Facebook Queen. FAITH = Find Answers In The Heart. Isn’t that so cool?

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Tomorrow is Blog Action Day and the theme is poverty. So I decided to focus on my specialty ‘teen entrepreneurship’ and the importance of operating & managing your small business and your LIFE from a mindset of opportunity as opposed to one of poverty.

The mistake that many (adult) small business owners make when they start out on their small business endeavors is they look for the cheapest deal when buying start up equipment, marketing collateral and services. And then they subconsconsciously carry this way of doing business over to the entrepreneurial side of their business- by offering their services at significantly discounted prices and offer ‘more for less’ to ‘get started’ and build customers. And somehow this gets intertwined and all jumbled up and confused in their personal life. The big, big, problems that begin with operating a small business from a mindset of poverty vs. opportunity is:

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Politics aside, I would say that is what it all comes down to especially during very challenging times like this- out of many we are one. I remember when I was young and my mom used to say that EVERYBODY is ‘connected’ somehow, whether through blood, friends, interests or struggles…

At any rate, if you saw this video when it came out in Feburary 2008 it probably wasn’t as powerful as it is if you watched it now. It didn’t change…but perhaps you did- your emotion, your environment, your outlook. As an entrepreneur and advocate for social change the message behind this video (politics aside) embodies the vision that I would like to achieve for those who support my cause- helping youth and teens to become SELF-SUFFICIENT by manifesting their raw talent(s) so that they can fulfill THEIR uninhibited dream..Encouraging them to build a life on their own terms…one they deem worth living. Regardless of your political preference or beliefs, we ALL need to rally around the powerful message in the video.

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Indeed I am guilty as charged. I must confess that no matter how gloomy the weather is or how bad the news is I make a conscious effort to go out everyday and do something good for myself and for other people, strangers and friends alike.

There is no such thing as waiting until you are in a better time financially or personally to be able to do good for others. Your ultimate success and personal and professional growth comes from you being able to generously and openly give things of value, whether it is your time, expertise or money. You should always be open and willing to share it with those who are in need at that time.

Here is a slow paced ‘feel good’ video on how to build up your good karma account:

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Are you in your ‘right’ mind?  The right side of the brain is the side of your brain that helps you create something out of nothing; manifest raw talent to the point of sophistication; see opportunity where others see problems. It is what encourages you to express yourself and be YOUnique! 

As my primary focus is helping to build the ‘entrepreneurial mindset’ and the holistic BE’ing of teens, I am definitely a right-brained centric type of coach. So it is with much enthusiasm that I share this important announcement with you today-

If you are an 18-29 year old Filmaker, Fashion Designer, or Musician….

I’ve got a treat for you- Global Entrepreneurship Week, which I mentioned a couple weeks back, just sent out an announcement about the Race to Be. The Race to Be is a Creative Entrepeneurship Challenge that will be hosted by Creative Media and Marketing Mogul, Russell Simmons (need I say more)? and one of the lead funders of the program is the Kauffman Foundation which is a tremendous organization that has long been avid supporters and advocates of entereprenership on so many levels. The Acton Foundation for Entrepreneurial Excellence is also participating in this wonderful venture.

So Wanna Play?

Then hustle on over to Race to Be USA and submit your talent via You Tube video, whether it be film, video or fashion and get your application in before Oc 31, 2008. I want to see one of my referrals WIN!

So if you get chosen as a finalist make sure you connect back here with us so we can feature you. Fingers crossed…Good Luck

The Seuss Shall Set You Free….as in Dr. Seuss. I was reading this article today and knew I was going to love it when I scanned through and saw a Dr. Seuss Quote. He is one of my favorite authors. So have you read a Dr. Seuss book lately? If not, take a fresh look at these gems; chances are they’ll be 100 times more relevant today, than they were when you were a small child.  Many of the great leaders have some Seussism about them.  They always share timely, yet timeless, information and they often share it in such a way (albeit humorous or like a nurturing parent) so that it’s remembered. Anywhoo, the  quote in the article I read was:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind. -Dr. Seuss

The article, written by Nathalie Lussier of the Billionaire Woman Blog, is in simple terms about the ‘missing ingredient’ in life….and your ultimate success! Of course it is not a simple topic but a very important one. So that you may feel the same impact as I experienced I want you to read it for yourself and reflect on it: http://tinyurl.com/53ovl5

My brief thoughts regarding the article is that accomplishing this thing is absolutely critical in the building of an entrepreneurial mindset. Once you add this missing ingredient, expect your dish to be scrumpdidilyumptious and award winning without a doubt!

Until Next Time….I’ll leave you with this Dr. Seuss Classic ‘Cat in the Hat’: