Burying The Old Economy By: Denise Ryan | - You know those Five Stages of Grief? I have come to realize that I have been in mourning for our old economy (which I took totally for granted, by the way). The first stage is denial, then anger, then bargaining, followed by depression and finally, acceptance. Sound familiar? Grief isn't a clear cut process—I find myself still trying to strike a bargain—if I work 10 times harder, surely, that will fix things!
Misery Is Not The New Productivity By: Denise Ryan | - Maybe I threw the "recession is over" party too soon. It doesn't seem to be over for a lot of people. In fact, the biggest concern my clients have is how to keep their people motivated while asking them to do more with less for some vague and unforeseeable amount of time. The same people who have been doing more with less for the past three years. The same people who are burned out and very worried about the future. Here are my ideas:
How To Accept The Unacceptable By: Denise Ryan | - I wrote an article about the about the stages of grief, and while writing it, realized they are also the stages of dealing with change. As an example, I just found out the builder took some shortcuts in building my house which are going to cost me close to $9,000 to fix. I pretty much went through all those stages—denial, anger, bargaining, depression (I'll be there again when I write the check), and acceptance. The secret to a happy life is making the time between denial and acceptance ... Tags:Denise Ryan, FireStar, motivational speaker, how to accept things, acceptance, dealing with change, how to cope with a job loss, how to cope with a breakup
How To Make This Your Best Year Evah! By: Denise Ryan | - Don't let this year get away from you. Time flies so quickly! Take my "Motivation by Chocolate Challenge" and do at least two of the activities listed below:
1.) Take your camera everywhere you go. Capture the beauty of the world - make your best picture your screen saver. Change it every season. We often miss the beauty around us - don't miss it this year.
Gen Y And Customer Service By: Denise Ryan | - Gen Y, the Millennials, Young Un's—whatever you want to call them—are your youngest employees. The oldest ones turned 30 in 2010 (I wish I turned 30 in 2010!). And some of them just might need a little help in the people skills department. Now, let's not stereotype an entire generation, but let's not ignore what obsessive use of technology can do. If you grow up communicating primarily via text and e-mail, how can you master crazy skills like making eye contact? After all, you haven' ... Tags:Denise Ryan, Firestar, dealing with Gen Y, dealing with the younger generation, getting younger generation to work, generation y, motivating younger people,
What Would Don Draper Do? By: Denise Ryan | - I secretly (or maybe not so secretly if I am blogging about it) hate Facebook. I hate stupid quizzes, I don't want to keep in touch with everyone I went to high school with, and I don't give a damn that you just went to the gym. But I feel that if I'm not on Facebook I'm a nobody. Or too old to be hip. I'm afraid Facebook is the new phonebook and I want to be found.
What Dating Can Teach You About Sales By: Denise Ryan | - I'm single and fairly attractive, so I do a lot of dating. I would love to teach a class for guys on dating - I swear I could save the world! Wars would end! Peace and love would reign! But I'm also afraid no guy would show up for a dating class. None of them wants to admit he doesn't have any game. So, I'm going for a sales article. After all, dating is all about selling whether we want to admit it or not.
How To Survive A Bad Week By: Denise Ryan | - I know you all have had them - weeks from HELL! That is what this week has been for me. There was a discovery of a database disaster, a man who cheated on me called, I saw a surgeon about my hip (very bad news), and just this morning USAA called to tell me of some unauthorized use of my credit card. I am praying to the great cacao bean in the sky to end this madness!
How To Be Free - Part Two By: Denise Ryan | - This is the second article on how to be free. The first article was an introduction to freedom and addressed financial freedom.
It also gave these two tips:
1.)You have to believe you are free.
2.)You have to have a source of income. You have to be able initially to provide for yourself, and eventually to have enough money to allow you to do what you want.
How To Be Free - Part One Financial Freedom By: Denise Ryan | - I adore my freedom. In fact, I would go so far as to say it is my most important value. I agree with Christopher Morley who said, "There is but one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way." This, to me, is freedom.
You Can Be Too Rich Or Too Thin By: Denise Ryan | - I know that to many people this seems like heresy - these are two goals that influence a great deal of human behavior. But we've all seen someone who has clearly lost too much weight. Often they think they still need to lose more. And while it would seem that one could not be too rich, there is a point at which increasing one's wealth no longer increases one's happiness.
Ten Tips For Improving Telephone Customer Service By: Denise Ryan | - Like most consumers, from time to time, I have to call customer service. The strange thing is, the companies that offer the most promotions and fight the hardest to get new customers, seem to have the worst service. Hmmmm.......
Out of frustration (but also because I do customer service training), I felt compelled to write the following Ten Tips for Improving Telephone Customer Service:
The Permission To Have Fun Challenge By: Denise Ryan | - I am doing something today that is out of character for me. I am going to the movies in the middle of a weekday. (You have no idea how wild an idea this is for me - I mean, clearly I should be working. Or networking or something!) There is nothing even remotely productive about going to see X Men Origins: Wolverine at 2:45 pm on a Friday afternoon.
The Church Of Chocolate By: Denise Ryan | - Now I see no reason why chocolate can't fall into the category of a religion. I use chocolate as a way to "give meaning to the practitioner's experiences of life." And there have indeed been times when I felt that chocolate was a higher power.
In order to spread my chocolate religion, I need to get organized, but I can assure you I will not be making any moral claims and we will have no religious "laws." Suggestions, yes - laws, no. In fact, I offer you, the Seven Suggestions, the ... Tags:motivation, chocolate, gratitude, persistence, happiness, life balance, Denise Ryan, FireStar, laughter, religion
The Joy Of Peeps (and Of Life) By: Denise Ryan | - For some unknown reason I have always been fascinated by the Peep (the cute yellow marshmallow chick put in Easter baskets galore). I can't explain it. But I am not alone; there are dozens and dozens of blogs and websites dedicated to the Peep.
I was waxing poetic about my new Motivation by Chocolate seminar and that Peeps were now made in chocolate when my friend Karen mentioned that JustBorn, the company that makes Peeps, was one of her clients and she had toured the factory. ... Tags:Denise Ryan, Firestar, motivation, Peeps, finding joy, Just Born, happiness, joy
Life Lessons From The Lands Down Under By: Denise Ryan | - A few years ago I spent November (yep, the entire month) in Australia and New Zealand. It was the trip of a lifetime, and like all great journeys, it taught me many things.
Lesson One—turn pain into gain. I'd been talking about going to Australia forever, but kept putting it off. It was so far, so expensive, etc. But about a year ago, I had what I thought was a good relationship go up in flames. There I was, having a pity party—bummed about being 41 and single, wa ... Tags:motivation, Denise Ryan, FireStar, life lessons, living fully, Australia, New Zealand, how to be happy
How To Turn Bitter Events Into A Sweet Life By: Denise Ryan | - Let's face it - life can be hard. No matter who you are, no matter what your circumstances - bad things can happen to you. Your heart can get broken, a business deal can fall through, or your investments can go up in smoke. (Not that THAT has happened to any of us recently.) You need a boost - a way to hit your own personal reset button and get back in the game. Because that's the secret really - you can't give up. You have to have the hope that things will be better - that tomorrow is ano ... Tags:Denise Ryan, FireStar, motivation, deal with depression, chocolate
How To Lead In A Recession By: Denise Ryan | - This is it, leaders—the chance you have been waiting for! The perfect opportunity to be a guiding light in the darkness. The time to step up and inspire your people, to take away their fear, to offer them hope. Well? Where the hell are you?
If you are in a leadership position, you need to ask yourself some questions: Have I spoken to my people? Not sent out an e-mail—addressed them in person—face-to-face. If you have not done so this year, you should be ash ... Tags:leadership, recession, Denise Ryan, FireStar, communication, leadership challenges
Improve Your Communication Skills Now By: Denise Ryan | - Need a job? Want to get promoted? Like to have a date? You're going to have to communicate! Introverts of the world - arise!
Here are some tips to get you started:
1.) Decide you want to communicate.
It all starts here. If you don't truly want to communicate with others, your efforts will be doomed. People are very perceptive and pick up on the smallest clues that you really don't want to be talking with them. (Well, most people that is.) So i ... Tags:communication skills, Denise Ryan, FireStar, improve communication
How To Decrease The Influence Of Others By: Denise Ryan | - I am convinced the media is playing a key role in making the economy worse. All of the radio, television, and newspaper articles impact you even if you think they don't. I hear that spending is down, that companies are failing, that tens of thousands of people are losing their jobs. I worry about my own future. I cancel a vacation.
Don't Let Recession Rain On Your Parade By: Denise Ryan | - I don't know about you, but I'm sick of all the recession doom and gloom. There's not a damn thing I can do about it and it is totally raining on my parade.
Well, I've decided to take my parade elsewhere. In honor of Mardi Gras, I say - Let the Good Times Roll!
1.) Get back out there. So your company was so stupid, they let you go. Fine. Payback is heck. You will find something even better. But here's the deal - you have to get back out there. Update your resume. If you don't know how to do it, get help. Use social networking sites to help you reconnect with all the people you ever knew. Attend networking events. WORK IT! Action will ALWAYS make you feel better. And i ... Tags:surviving job loss, job loss, Denise Ryan, FireStar, getting fired, job search
Why Conferences And Annual Meetings Are Not Evil By: Denise Ryan | - Thanks to the media vilifying a few apparently out-of-control jaunts by corporations who had to be bailed out, many companies are now reconsidering their own meetings and conventions. Meetings are being portrayed as frivolous expenditures when people are being let go.
How To Recover From A Broken Heart By: Denise Ryan | - Getting your heart broken really is one of life's worst experiences. But you can get past it. And here are some tips to help:
1.) Get back out there. You don't have to date right away, but do things you love and be social. It's easy to want to just curl up and have a pity party. Be around others and LIVE!
2.) Learn from what happened. Here are some of the things I learned from my recent break-up:
Board Disorders By: Denise Ryan | - In my work with nonprofit boards I have seen several disorders which I would like to point out to you in the hope of someday finding a cure.
Committee-itis—this manifests itself when a board has WAY too many committees. So many committees in fact, it may not remember what the committees were formed for in the first place. Another form of committee-itis is not making any decisions or taking any action, but instead sending things to a mysterious committee where they will never ... Tags:board of directors, nonprofit management, Denise Ryan, FireStar, board meetings, board retreats, nonprofits, leadership
Why We Don't Reward Excellence By: Denise Ryan | - Recently I was very disturbed by an article I read in the Raleigh, N.C. News & Observer concerning grades at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. The article was about grade inflation. This was the part of the article I found most disturbing:
Gilleskie, the economic professor who crunched the data for this new grade report, has struggles grading in an honors-level economics course that involves a great deal of tough written research. In a class of 15 honor students, th ... Tags:mediocrity, excellence, performance standards, self esteem, self respect, Denise Ryan, FireStar
To Hope Or To Act, That Is The Question By: Denise Ryan | - I want to rant about something I saw in USA TODAY. It was one of those little polls they have off to the side of the stories. The question it posed to small business owners was, "Do you feel there is anything you can do to make a difference in whether your business succeeds or fails in the current economy?"69% said yes. But what shocked me was that 31% said no. WHAT? If that was how they responded, that 31% DESERVE to go out of business.
Even in a recession, when businesses are closing and people are being laid off, customer service is STILL terrible! How can this be? This should be a top priority all the time, but especially in tough times. Here are tips to improve your customer service before it's too late:
Things Work Out For The Best By: Denise Ryan | - You know that annoying saying "Things always work out for the best?" It's something motivational speakers like me say from the podium when we're trying to help people deal with the bad things that happen to them. And a lot of people might think it's Pollyannaish BS.
Well, let me share my recent example.
I'm single and the holidays can be lonely. So several years ago I decided to start taking great trips during those holidays. It's a slow time business-wise, so it's ... Tags:don't worry be happy, Denise Ryan, FireStar, predicting the future
How To Change Your Life By: Denise Ryan | - As a new year begins or a major birthday approaches, people start thinking about their lives. They sometimes are disappointed by where they are and want to be somewhere else. The things they want are not easy to get - if they were, they would already have them. So how does one set about changing one's life?
1.) Realize it is up to you. Period. No one is going to do the work for you. You may be able to get some help along the way, but this is completely up to you.
The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Saying No By: Denise Ryan | - Most of us women have a hard time saying no. It's one of those things we over think. We worry about how the other person will feel - will we hurt their feelings? Will they feel rejected? We even take into account society at large - will we seem like a bad person? We wind up saying yes when what we really want to say is no. Sometimes hell no.
Wake Up Businesspeople - Actions To Take Now By: Denise Ryan | - It's easy for successful businesses to coast -to keep doing what they've always been doing. But the world is changing at a breakneck pace and you can't continue to be successful if you stay the same. Here are some tips to keep you up to speed:
Update your marketing materials. I think this should be done at least every five years. Photos need to be reshot, colors and fonts up-dated, layout styles changed. What was cutting edge in 1995 isn't today. And I don't care how many boxes of ... Tags:marketing, what to do in recession, business success, Denise Ryan, FireStar, recession
Increase Your Happiness By: Denise Ryan | - The eternal search for happiness - we want it, but we seem wired more for dissatisfaction. We get something we think will make us happy and soon we're looking for the next thing. Somehow human achievement and happiness don't seem to fit together. If I'm always working to be more, to grow, how can I just be happy?
I struggle with this all the time myself. And I have some ideas that might help.
Why Your New Year's Resolutions Won't Stick By: Denise Ryan | - Some people won't even make New Year's resolutions anymore. Not because they don't want to improve their lives, but because they've tried and failed so many times, they've given up. It's not the resolution maker who's the failure, it's the methodology we've been using to try and bring about radical change in our lives.
How To Find Yourself By: Denise Ryan | - "To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and day to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." - E.E. Cummings
I believe no truer words were ever spoken. It is so hard to remain true to yourself if every message you hear, every person you know, everything you read, tell you you should be something else. In this great cacophony, it is all but impossible to hear that tiny voice insi ... Tags:who am I, finding myself, what do I want, Denise Ryan, FireStar
How To Conquer Fear By: Denise Ryan | - Fear keeps our lives small. You only grow by conquering your fear. If you had only a year to live, would you change anything? Would you keep working at the same job? Spend time with the same people? Are there places you've always dreamed of seeing you would visit?
Why aren't you doing or planning for those things now? No one knows how long they have to live. We go through life as if we have forever, putting off the things we dream about until the magical time of retirement. I don' ... Tags:dealing with fear, cnnquering fear, fear, Denise Ryan, FireStar,
How To Kick Recession Depression By: Denise Ryan | - Okay, okay I finally have to admit it—the economy is kind of crappy right now. And it's scary (not that the media isn't fanning those flames just a bit). People are afraid they might lose their jobs, entrepreneurs are afraid they might lose their businesses, people are afraid they might lose their homes. So what to do?
How To Love Your Job By: Denise Ryan | - We spend 60% of our time at work. Many people hate their jobs. Don't be one of them! Use these tips to help you find a way to love your job.
1.) Do what you love or find some aspect of your current job that you love. Or quit complaining and find another job. Of course, you can do none of this and stay where you are, hate every minute of it, and lead a miserable life. But I want more for you.
Show up! Attend at least two networking events a month. But show up at the right place. Make sure the people there are those you need to meet, otherwise you're wasting time. Example if you want to meet prospects to buy your industrial widgets, attending a garden club meeting doesn't count. Attend if you enjoy the club, but don't kid yourself.
Sales Lessons From The Auto Industry By: Denise Ryan | - Back in 2005, my little red Celica gave up the ghost. I loved that car, but after 178,000 miles in four years, it was time to get a new vehicle. Since it had been such a great car, I decided to simply get a new one. I walked into the Toyota dealership ready to buy. It was then that my nightmare began. Here's what I learned:
Life Lessons From Death By: Denise Ryan | - Life is good at teaching us lessons - keeping us on our toes when things get too easy.
Like many of you, I called my Mom in May to wish her a happy Mother's Day. She told me she had a cold that just wouldn't go away. She had finally been to the doctor about it, and he ran some tests. Four days later we found out she had liver cancer. My mother died in two weeks.
Stop Being A Victim By: Denise Ryan | - The foundation for living a great life rests on one vital principle: You are responsible. Yep, that's right - you are responsible. Unhappy in your job? You took the job, you choose to remain in the job, and you are choosing to be miserable about it. Overweight? No one force fed you all that food. In debt? Guess who spent more money then they could afford? In a bad relationship? You keep showing up.
Why People Hate Training By: Denise Ryan | - Most employees view training as medicine or worse, as punishment. As an outside trainer, I work with hundreds of groups in a wide variety of industries and most people enter the training room as if they are going to the gas chamber. They might not expect death, but clearly some horrible form of torture. There are exceptions to this rule, but they are few and far between. Why is this and what can we do about it?
The Going Is Tough - Get Going! By: Denise Ryan | - It's easy for successful businesses to coast - to keep doing what they've always been doing. But the world is changing at a breakneck pace and you can't continue to be successful if you stay the same. Here are some tips to keep you up to speed:
Update your marketing materials. I think this should be done at least every five years. Photos need to be reshot, colors and fonts updated, layout styles changed. What was cutting edge in 1995 isn't in 2009. And I don't care how many ... Tags:downturn, business, success, Denise Ryan, Firestar, tough times, make money
How To Deal With Rejection By: Denise Ryan | - Ouch - we all hate it when we're rejected. Fear of rejection stops salespeople from asking for the sale. It stops us from reaching out to new friends and associates. It stops families from coming together. It even stops us from pursuing our dreams.
Rejection is a given - no matter how fabulous you are, you will at some point be rejected. What's not a given (and where your power lies) is how you react to rejection. Here are some tips to keep rejection in its place:
Why Customer Service Is So Bad By: Denise Ryan | - We all frequent a lot of businesses; most have so-so customer service at best. (But not if you hear their advertising! Customer service is always outstanding!) We've become used to clerks who seem put out if they actually have to help us, and we even find ourselves feeling bad if we have to ask for their help! Customer service has become customer guilt trip. Sure, we all know there are tough customers - but the majority are nice folks who just want the products or services each company is suppos ... Tags:customer service, Denise Ryan, Firestar, employee training, training
Fall - Time To Change Your Leaves? By: Denise Ryan | - Fall is one of my favorite times of year—the temp starts dropping, the air gets crisp, the trees put on a glorious display of color—I love it! I also think it's a great time to drop what's not working for you. If trees can let go of every leaf, why can't we let go of what no longer serves us? Here are some possibilities: excess weight, too much clutter, bad relationships, bad habits, bad debt. Just how long are you planning on carrying those dead leaves around? And you know that you ... Tags:changing, breaking habits, behavior, self-management, clutter, weight loss, Denise Ryan, FireStar
