Question of the Day: Ever feel like...

...you just needed to go for a walk? Well, did you do it?

Question of the Day!

Feeling a little angst? Having difficulty moving forward? If you want to get unstuck and release unnecessary stress, it might be time to call your advocates?

Which brings me to the question of the day:

Do you know who your advocates are?

According to author and motivational speaker--who may be a new client of mine--Ed Robinson, your advocates are the gatekeepers to your success. They are the people who can help open doors for you and make things happen. But you have to be willing to ask them for help. Are you willing?

If you don't know who your advocates are, or are unsure, it's time to make a list of all the people you know who have some kind of connection that you need in order to move your business or your life forward.

Once you know who your advocates are, you can then decide how they might be able to help you. You can begin to find new advocates the next time you are at a networking event. If you make a connection with someone at this event, after you get the person's business card, be sure to schedule a meeting. Spend some time getting to know this person one-on-one. Focus on listening to what this person has to say. Maybe there's something you can offer this person first. Maybe this person will become your advocate.

To move away from what might sometimes seem like a scary place in the corner where you're all by yourself, feeling alone and unsure, you have to be willing to ask for help. That's using the E element of your mental BIKE, that Expressive voice--the part of you that knows (because of your Killer instinct) where to locate the help you need. You are naturally drawn to the people you need to meet, the places you need to be, the things you need to do. Your advocates are waiting for you.

And, if Robinson is right, they will listen.

So who's on your list?

(Above photo taken by Jackie Dishner at the Asylum restaurant in Jerome, Ariz., 2009.)

Question of the Day!

Based on recent news--of those who have died, been caught cheating, and other things shocking--which of these people would you want to interview...and what kinds of questions would you ask?

A year from now, I'd want to interview Jenny Sanford. I'd want to ask her three things:

_What were the first words you said to Mark after he returned from Argentina and you knew he'd been with his supposed "soul mate"?

_Do you remember those words now?

_What did you do to move past that initial pain?

How about you? Who would it be and what would you ask? Post your thoughts here.

When was the last time you challenged yourself?

It's time for...

Question of the Day!

When was the last time you challenged yourself to push it to the limits?

That's about to happen in my life as I start off the summer with a Query Challenge competition. Members of FreelanceSuccess.com take on this challenge every summer--and sometimes a few other times during the year. It's where we break up into groups of 10 or more writers and commit to writing as many pitches as possible during the eight weeks that the contest lasts.

We get points for pitching (introducing ourselves and/or submitting ideas to editors) and points for scoring assignments. It's a lot of fun, can be a lot of pressure (especially for the newbies), and it's very high energy. I'm co-captain of my team (QC5) and will be spearheading the motivation. My team consists of some international journalists, one who lives in India and one who lives in Tokyo. I find that very interesting. It's the first time I've ever been on a team where there was global participation. Cool!

We begin on Monday, ending the first week in August. I'm hoping to get out 20 pitches a week. One writer wants to double her totals every week throughout the entire competition, which I think is amazing, considering that she wants to begin with 20. Yikes! Typically, you can maintain a fair amount of work if you engage in sending out five pitches a week on a regular basis. Of course, they have to be targeted pitches. So, 20 to me is a rather high number in and of itself. Going any higher is astronomical. But, the end result from this competition is that the writers get work. They really do. And that's what it's all about--marketing.

So I'm looking forward to what's ahead.

How about you? What are you challenging yourself to do--or do more of--this summer?