#MindfulProductivity

Bits of Brilliance Blog

Like most professionals providing relevant growth insights, I occasionally put my thoughts to the written word! (I don't write so much as dance with words.) Enjoy!

Come here to see when I might drop a little pearl of wisdom, or subscribe to my RSS feed to never miss a nugget of awesome.

Apr 10, 2018
1 min

Navigating a Crowded Marketplace

What has standup comedy taught me about getting noticed in a crowded marketplace? Check out this LinkedIn post to watch a video where I explain how to make an impact on your target market. Theresa Rose is a business motivational speaker, award-winning author and expert on mindful productivity who helps organizations and their teams make more time, get more done, earn more money and have more fun. Her mission is to inspire and energize as many people as humanly possible to mak

Mar 30, 2018
2 min

Strategic Planning at Sunset

Ahhh... exhale. I am in the Tampa airport right now on my way home after a perfect vacation to Paradise with my best friend Jean. As with all of our vacations, they were filled with long walks on the beach, gut-busting laughter, and tasty libations worthy of two lovely ladies from the snowy Midwest ready for the Spring thaw. It also included hours and hours of discussion about the focus and trajectory of my speaking business. During our marathon walk-n-talks on the sand, I go

Mar 12, 2018
2 min

Monday Morning Energization

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives". This quote from Annie Dillard is one of my favorites. I do my best to mindfully start each day with movement, meditation, and manifestation (I call this my Morning Momentum). It is especially important on Monday mornings when I have less get-up-and-go. It's even more critical during that first Monday after Daylight Saving Time. This morning I wanted to get a jump on the day, so I took a few extra minutes before ge

Mar 4, 2018
2 min

Knowing What Your Target Wants

Do you know why people want what you offer? Have you asked the question? As a single woman online dating, I have had my fair share of text exchanges with potential dates. In those exchanges, I have occasionally inquired as to what er, attributes I possessed that attracted them to swipe right on me. Most of the answers began with B. You know, like brains. There is one man in my life, however, whose opinion matters more than others. I asked him once, what was it about me that w

Feb 24, 2018
2 min

A Commitment to Stage Time

I do standup comedy, partly as professional development for my job as a keynote speaker, but mostly because I love it. (There's nothing quite as intoxicating as standing onstage with a microphone making an entire room howl.) Only love will make you hoof it downtown in a snowstorm, walk into a strange bar by yourself (as a woman, no less), descend a dark staircase in four-inch heels, and deliver jokes in front of strangers in a cavernous club. At 11:30pm. As the 12th comic. Fo

Feb 19, 2018
2 min

Sweet Karma In Action

Last week I wrote a post about getting jilted on Valentine’s Day and how I pivoted towards joy. It received a lot of attention with 11,000+ views on LinkedIn over the last four days. This prompted all sorts of interesting opportunities, including several messages from men who happily offered make up for my date’s poor behavior. However, I also got on WCCO radio and even received juicy inquiries about my speaking from organizations who want me to spread that same message of em

Feb 15, 2018
2 min

A Valentine's Day Pivot

Yesterday was a Valentine’s Day to remember. I got all gussied up to go on a much-anticipated first date with a seemingly-decent man. While waiting for my Uber, I get “The Call” where Romeo tells me that we aren’t, in fact, going out. As I hang up the phone in total disbelief, I step into my Uber and say to the driver, “Hey there. It’s Dave, isn’t it? Change in plans, Dave.” I then had Dave shuttle me to CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar so I don’t waste the night or how fri

Feb 12, 2018
2 min

Weird and Wonderful

“You’re a weird dancer. You dance weird.” A little blonde girl about nine years old brazenly walked up to me during Sunday morning Dance Church (yes, it’s a thing here in Minneapolis) and called me out on my weirdness. When she first said it, it shocked me. She wasn’t being mean, she was just commenting on what she saw. And on that morning, she saw a woman dressed all in white dancing as if she were summoning spirits from the great beyond. My hips and I put the ecstatic in ec

Feb 6, 2018
2 min

Following Childhood Dreams

When I was a little girl, I watched The Carol Burnett Show. With every skit, I wished with all of my heart that I could do what those hilarious, amazing, delightful creatures could do. In fact, at a very early age I would do impressions to make my family bust out in laughter. Comedy was in my DNA. But I was also a Brainiac. I relegated my love of comedy to the back burner, instead opting to feed the bad@ss businesswoman within. (I also deeply resonated with Tess McGill of Wor

Jan 18, 2018
2 min

Being a Jedi Master of Purse Bingo

I was a Jedi at Purse Bingo last night. When my friend Carmell suggested we play Purse Bingo, I was totally pumped. Not only was I going to catch up with my friend, I was going to win something. I had foreseen it. When I walked into the restaurant, I declared that we were sitting at the winning table. Both of us were going to win. On the first game, Carmell won a gorgeous Coach purse. Even though other people yelled “Bingo!” for the next ten games, I did not lose hope. I figu

Jan 11, 2018
2 min

Embracing the Grind of Greatness

Greatness is found in the grind. This month I am taking my first stand up comedy class. (EEEK!) While I have long incorporated humor into my professional keynote speaking, I had never taken the time to work solely on comedy writing and delivery. Our first assignment was to choose one or two strong premises and jot down setups and punchlines for each. The jokes I wrote were really good. Strong. Funny. But they weren’t hilarious. And they didn’t let me showcase my physical come

Jan 8, 2018
2 min

Remembering That It's Worth It

My filthy Mazda is inspiring others today. It has been frigid and gray in my home state of Minnesota for many (seemingly endless) days. Nearly every car on the road has a gross film of salt, dirt, and sadness covering it. We don’t even bother washing our vehicles when it is this icky outside because they just get dirty as soon as we drive away from the car wash. As a professional inspirer, I find opportunities to spread sunshine whenever possible. When I saw the dirty rear en

Jan 4, 2018
2 min

You Can't (and Shouldn't) Please Everyone

A Speaker’s Nightmare: "What did you like the least about the conference this year?" "Theresa Rose. Awful. OMG. Hated her." This was on a recent evaluation where I had knocked it out of the park as their closing keynote. OUCH. That stung. (Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the theatre?) Just a few days prior, I read an article about haters being a prerequisite to greatness – if you don’t have at least one hater, you aren’t saying anything that matters. As if right on cue

Jan 2, 2018
2 min

The Power of Drop-Dead Goals

It’s not about what we say we are going to do, it’s about DOING it. Many of us make grand pronouncements of what we will accomplish in the new year. And it usually lasts about nine days. What is ultimately more productive is to create one mission-critical goal that is both defined and doable with a drop-dead due date. And then do it. No matter what. No matter how you feel. Or what comes up. Or how dirty the house gets. Or who texts you. YOU. DO. IT. I made a goal in preparati

Jan 1, 2018
2 min

Swimming in Sunbeams

Yesterday I swam through a sunbeam at -15 degrees. It was a frigid day in my home state of Minnesota which currently resembles the ice planet Hoth. I was crabby and cold, which is not a good look for me. The last thing I wanted to do was to get in a cold car and swim laps at my gym, Lifetime Fitness. But, I kept getting an intuitive nudge, or what I call Cosmic Noogies, to go. “Swim”, my inner voice kept whispering, “Swim.” By now I’ve learned that following a Cosmic Noogie i

Dec 30, 2017
2 min

A Two-Word Growth Strategy

“More eyeballs.” That is the extent of my business growth strategy for 2018. Two years ago, my speaking business had but one focus: “More value”. I incorporated more of my expertise in mindful productivity to help clients improve focus and reduce distraction so they could develop better leaders, make more sales, and create more collaborative cultures. That singular focus on adding more value of what I do on the platform netted me more money. Last year, my #1 focus was “Strong

Dec 18, 2017
1 min

You Too Can Wear Red & Be Fabulous

I was told once that I don’t look good in red. I was also told that cilantro tastes gross. And I was also told that I couldn’t make it as a successful keynote speaker. All three of those statements are total, complete bunk. How many times have we limited ourselves because of some off-handed (or purposeful) comment made by another? Have you ever been told that you can’t do something just because someone else couldn’t? Do you make assumptions about your future based on hearsay?

Dec 14, 2017
1 min

Two Words for the Holiday Season

So, here we are. The holiday season. While many of the days will be merry and bright, others may get downright ugly. Shopping craziness, insane meal preparation, fights over current affairs, end-of-year deadlines and milestones, colder weather, blah blah blah. We all feel the stress of the holidays despite our best efforts to remain happy. Sometimes the best thing we can do to stay present amid the craziness is to think of two words we can share with someone that will uplift

Dec 11, 2017
2 min

Dance Floor Deals

I got a call from a prospect wanting to hire me for seven events next year. It’s a perfect fit client with the ideal audience (and a big fat budget). Santa has come early for this little keynote elf (despite the fact that I am undoubtedly on the naughty list)! And the deal was born on the dance floor. Last summer I spoke at an industry conference that hosted several dance socials. When a tasty groove starts playing, Imma gonna let my freak flag fly; I can’t help it (and my hi

Dec 5, 2017
2 min

Nature Time: A Smart Investment for Success

This weekend I took full, hungry breaths of crisp, cool California air and shared my deepest prayers with the mountains. My personal retreat also included eating healthy food, sitting in meditation, laughing with great friends, and visualizing an upcoming year of fabulous speaking events with fun, appreciative clients. By the time I returned home, I was ready and rarin’ to intentionally create the 2018 that I desire and deserve. It was as if I defragged by brain and hit the r