#success

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.

Aug 24
2 min

How to Crystallize a Life: This or Something Better

One of the biggest stressors I had about my upcoming move to California (other than the obvious emotional ones surrounding the goodbyes I’ll be saying to my loved ones, favorite walking paths, and the crazydelicious burgers from Parlour) was about securing a new location for my MasterMinds of Two. As any solopreneur can appreciate, I do NOT want my work to suffer or be delayed in any way because of any personal obligations. Back in Minneapolis, I had a sweet setup at Life Tim

Sep 9, 2019
2 min

How to Make Better Videos That Get Seen

people aren't reading anymore. They are scrolling, scanning, viewing, and listening.

Aug 22, 2019
1 min

Podcast Interview with NAPO

As a mindfulness expert, I have often discussed the importance of managing one's space. In fact, one of the nine areas of focus in the Mindful Performance Model is "Messes". I got a chance to be interviewed for the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (NAPO) and share my thoughts on how to weave mindfulness into their client projects. Click here to listen! Theresa Rose is a business motivational speaker, award-winning author, corporate comedian, con

Mar 19, 2019
1 min

How to Make a Compelling Video

How does one make a great video that will be watched, and more importantly, acted upon? It’s just like with any other sales presentation – it’s all in the face. In the eyes. In the smile. In the realness. Here’s just a few moments from a recent Corporate Comedy Minute video I made. I was especially animated because I got to break out my mom impression, which is one of my favorites. Yes, I look goofy, and no, I don’t care. Why? Because people like REAL, and they LOVE to feel c

Mar 11, 2019
1 min

Stop Thinking, Start Doing

As a professional speaker, corporate comedian, and author, I often meet people who want to be a speaker, do stand-up comedy, or write a book. They always say the same thing: “I always wanted to do that!” to which I respond, “Why haven’t you?” They say, “I wouldn’t know how to start”, “I’m not sure I’d be any good”, or the most common, “I just never found the time”. Thinking about it doesn’t count if you don’t follow up by taking focused action toward the goal. Otherwise it’s

Jan 27, 2019
2 min

What Bob Seger Taught Me

I recently saw one of the final shows from a God of Classic Rock. While I'm not a rabid Bob Seger fan (I’m more into Bruce & Bruno), I still wanted to see this music legend live at least once. I had no idea how amazing it would be! He sold out the nearly 20,000 seat venue and had every one of those (mostly senior) fans dancing, singing, and smiling for hours. It was not a concert; it was an experience. How does a septuagenarian deliver roof-rocking performances after almost 6

Jan 15, 2019
1 min

Getting Past the Ugh

Truth time: It often sucks to stop what we are doing in order to help somebody else. It wasn't like we were sitting around doing nothing, twiddling our thumbs, waiting for that golden opportunity to give of our precious time and energy, right? But we also know another truth: that nothing great happens when we act in a vacuum. We don't build those critical relationships that help us learn new skills, discover juicy opportunities, and most importantly, feel the satisfaction of

Jan 7, 2019
1 min

Taking the First 762 Steps to Success

My mother ran her own business for over thirty years, and on nearly every one of those days, she would go into the bathroom each morning and "Create a miracle". This involved an elaborate hair and makeup process that would make Liberace look like a hobo. Ma always told me that her efforts gave her that extra boost of motivation she needed to pick up the phone, set up the meeting, ask for the sale, and otherwise do the unpleasant tasks associated with running a successful busi

Nov 16, 2017
2 min

Celebrate the Successes of Others (While Creating Your Own)

The ladder of success has no room for jealousy. I have a client/fellow speaker/wildly talented friend named Nancy Dahl. This week Nancy launched her incredible book, Grounded: Leading Your Life with Intention, and is creating some serious buzz. Nancy is smart, talented, inspiring, and totally committed to mindful leadership. As I am reading (no, devouring) her book, I see many similarities to my own teachings, many of which will be in my soon-to-be-launched book on Mindful Pr

Nov 6, 2017
2 min

Metrics Are Your Friend (That You Sometimes Hate)

Last night my teenage daughter and I went to dinner to celebrate my upcoming birthday. We have a tradition in which we gussy up in our fanciest gowns. After all, birthdays are special occasions! (Actually, we’ll dress up even when the special occasion is Wednesday.) She suggested I wear my gorgeous silver gown that I wore at a National Speakers Association banquet last July. It didn’t fit. That’s not entirely true. It did fit, thanks to a Herculean effort on both our parts to

Sep 30, 2017
2 min

My Favorite Stress-Busting SuperStrategy

As a professional keynote speaker, my job is to share value-rich content in an entertaining, informative, and actionable way. My expertise lies in what I call mindful productivity, the practical application of mindfulness combined with high performance best practices. Over the years I've developed dozens of strategies that I personally use and recommend for others when on the quest to make more time, get more done, earn more money, and have more fun. And none are more importa

Feb 13, 2017
3 min

Mindful Mentorship: Learning From the Leaders in Your Field

Who are the people that are the best in your field? Do you personally know them, and do they know you? Are you learning from them on an ongoing basis? I am blessed to not only know but also be great friends with one of the leaders in my field of professional speaking. My mentor Connie Podesta is a rockstar ninja who has helped me to up-level my game as a keynote speaker both onstage and off. She has taught me more over mimosas and late-night texts than I have learned from all

Feb 4, 2017
2 min

Do You Have What It Takes To Jump?

It’s your moment of truth. You are standing on the edge of the high dive platform that ominously towers thirty-plus feet above the water below. It’s daunting. It’s overwhelming. It’s petrifying. And it’s your turn to jump. Will you jump, or will you let your limiting thoughts and fears get the better of you? This question was posed to several average Janes and Joes in this captivating video from the New York Times. I was mesmerized throughout the entire 16-minute video as I w

Feb 1, 2017
3 min

Don’t Let Donald (Or Anyone Else) Distract You

Wow. There is A LOT of chatter swirling about regarding the change in leadership in the world’s highest position. It’s been less than two weeks since the Inauguration, and let’s just say that there has been a flurry of activity coming out of the Oval Office and into the streets of our great nation. This activity has caused many people to get caught up in the maelstrom, whether they are on the right or the left of the political spectrum. Social media feeds have exploded with t

Jan 21, 2017
2 min

DON’T Do What You Love (If You Want to Succeed)

We’ve all heard the sayings: “Do what you love and you’ll never have to work another day in your life”, “Follow your bliss”, and other feel-good catchphrases that convince us that all we need to do is find our passion and the doors to success will swing wide. That’s total bullcheese. Don’t get me wrong – knowing your true calling and following it with relentless enthusiasm is absolutely a key to achieving great success. But it is not THE ONLY KEY. If you really want to be, do

Dec 27, 2016
2 min

When Setting Goals, Be Unreasonable

As I put the finishing touches on my 2017 business plan and corresponding Statement of Intention, I am reminding myself of one of the most important concepts in goal setting: One must be totally, completely, out-there wackadoo. Back when I was getting my Business Management degree, I learned about S.M.A.R.T. goals. This was the memorable and oh-so-practical recipe for attaining success: any goal worth having, it was argued, should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realisti

Oct 20, 2016
4 min

Coaching to Your Hidden Core: Going Deep to Grow a Bigger Business

Most people don’t know this, but last year I was seriously considering giving up my career as a full-time keynote speaker (which, by the way, I was born to do!) to find a “real” job. Why? So I could survive as a newly-single mom, pay the bills and provide for my daughter. Back then I was in a very challenging place emotionally. I was sad because I adored speaking and wasn’t doing enough of it, frustrated because I'd done everything I knew how to do to build my business, and m