The video clip below shares the remaining seven of ten tips to maintaining balance while learning about or currently employing any or all of the Web 2.0 technology to your business model.

Once you dive into the tools (Bea & I can help you with that too!), here are a few more resources worth checking out in the Web 2.0 community–these are people I’ve built relationships with in a social networking framework:

Facebook Goddess: Mari Smith

For Business Blogging Experts: Denise Wakeman & Patsi Krakoff of The Blog Squad

Twitter Experts: Deb Micek and Warren Whitlock

Video (and integrating all the tools): Sherman Hu

Wordpress Expert: Kim Beasley

Folks who know me know I am the hugest advocate of storytelling. Check out Carla Young’s program for more on that!

And for more on time mastery, check out Ann Rusnak (The Time Diva!).

And the list goes on!

I know I’m dating myself, but I loved A Different World, the NBC spin-off of the Cosby show as a youth in the 90s. Hearing Whitley say, “Relax, Relate, Release!” was something I just adopted even when it was hard for me to relax, relate or release!

Lately, I was starting to think the moon or some cosmic force was having an effect on so many people in my sphere: In my academic world, I had some students freaking out about their grades as the semester nears an end, fellow professors stressed about publication and tenure and general overwhelm… In the coaching world, a more-than-usual amount of clients have been experiencing a sustained sense of overwhelm.

And today! Today, I can’t remember how many times I had to tell someone to BREATHE, whether it was my daughter, one of her teammates, one of the parents of the teammates, or yours truly (uh-huh!) when all was said and done.

So after I got back from dropping off my daughter at one of her friends’ houses for a sleepover this evening, I immediately turned on my recording software and started to speak a meditation around overwhelm and stress. Rather than the usual gregarious tone some of you may have heard in my podcasts (particularly the storytelling one for Six Sigma), my voice is quite even and calm in this audio.

There was some irony in my process because of various interruptions and false starts while I was recording. I was so glad when I finally finished my vocals and could move on to mixing the ocean waves and my relaxing music in!

So if you, or someone you know is starting to feel the pinch, or if you just want to do some preventative maintenance, I invite you to get in a quiet place and treat yourself for 14 minutes by downloading the MP3 below and listening:

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

About a month ago, Carol Dickson-Carr went into a little more detail about strategic intelligence–one of the four different types of creative intelligence as it applies to the four temperaments within the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI®). Listen in she talks about how those with the idealist temperament (intuitive and feeling preferences) use their diplomatic intelligence to get things done. Those of you not naturally inclined to that temperament might want to “try on” the idealist temperament’s approach to creativity and productivity as a stretch goal once you find out more about it! 

Our next 6-week program starts Weds, May 7th!

 

 The Idealist [6:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A few weeks ago, Carol Dickson-Carr briefly talked about the four different types of creative intelligence as it applies to the four temperaments within the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator^® (MBTI®). Listen in she talks about how those with the rational temperament (intuitive and thinking preferences) use their strategic intelligence to get things done. Those of you not naturally inclined to that temperament might want to “try on” the rational temperament’s approach to creativity as a stretch goal once you find out more about it! Check out our comprehensive resource library

 

 How to Appreciate the Rational Temperament in Problem-Solving [6:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

I love, love, LOVE sleep. And I also love to create. Most days I can manage both—get plenty of sleep and get my creative outlet needs fulfilled. But last night a metaphorical bomb was thrown in my internal idea factory around 9:30pm at a time I usually retire with my ritual of journaling and meditating. I did journal a bit, but not in the typical ritualistic way because the ideas kept popping into my head and I was compelled to write them down lest I lose them. Some ideas were even implemented last night. So needless to say, my meditation didn’t start until 2:35am—over five hours later!

I could’ve resisted and told myself, “Carol, you really need to still your mind and go to bed!” But I knew better because as you probably know, what you resist usually persists! So I decided to go with it since my physical energy levels are also linked to perceived opportunities that can help the greater good. I set the intention in my mind that I will get all the rest I need and also complete everything I need to do.

So if it’s hard to turn your brain off when you think it “should” be off, then write it or speak it in the moment. Keep a digital recorder handy on your nightstand for those moments in your lucid dream state that a really cool idea pops into your head and you don’t feel like turning on the light and grabbing a pencil and paper. You never know what ultimate masterpiece will emerge over time if you adopt this practice after an “explosion”. Have a blast with it!

–Carol Dickson-Carr

Check out our comprehensive resource library

A couple of quotes keep me going when I feel paralyzed to move forward:

“You don’t have to get it right, you just have to get it going!” –Mike Litman

and recently…

“Anything worth doing is doing poorly–at FIRST!” –Tim Paulson

I heard Tim make that last statement last month, and what a great reminder! And at the risk of sounding cliché, “You have to crawl before you walk!” resonates too.

I know I don’t please everyone when I put myself out there. I’m vulnerable every time I do it, but it’s always a learning experience. And I’m always paying attention to my intuition when I receive feedback. Most of it is constructive, and anything that’s mean-spirited I attribute it to the attacker’s issue rather than mine. Some feedback I implement right away (even the stuff that stings), and some I ignore only because it’s not relevant to what I’m trying to accomplish.

So my question to you is, this: What is something you’ve wanted to create or try but have not done it because you don’t want the world to see its imperfections? The common themes I’ve seen with clients is moving forward with writing articles or creating audio. There are also a couple of people who don’t have an internet presence because they believe their website or blog has to be perfect before they show it to the world.

But I often look at the feedback I get as “free consulting” or “free editing.” How’s that for a new framework? So go ahead… try something new that will help build your business. It might even be fun!

–Carol Dickson-Carr

Check out our comprehensive resource library