Imagine a World Inspired where everyone is co-creating to help one another live their passions.  I define this WHY as the World Helped by You! When you strive to uncover your WHY and you do the work each day to bring this WHY to life, you are defying gravity.  Bringing the WHY to life each day and into existence takes a ‘Defying Gravity’ kind of attitude and energy.  When you live from this place each day, you are on fire and your intentions resonate with passion and purpose.  Living your WHY takes determination, belief and persistence.  You must stay the course and push through the discomfort knowing and believing that your WHY is putting you on the path to greatness.  Recognize that Living your WHY is a way of being, it is the journey. Take a few moments and start to uncover your WHY by living the Question: How can I make the world a better place? Who can I inspire? Where does my energy need to...

Today’s Inspirational Quote: “What you seek already resides deep within you” – VISCA    Moments of peak performance must be balanced with times of deep renewal.  We are all going through life at higher speeds, taking on more and being more for others. So how do you find yourself within this sea of chaos?  Remember, you are a ‘human being’ not a ‘human doing’.  You are here NOW in this very moment, and this is where and how you will find yourself and create your life, but it starts NOW. When you spend more time being present and less time focused on doing you will receive what you seek.  Here is the thing, it makes no difference how much you do or how fast you do it if you’re heading in the wrong direction!   So, let’s slow life down together and help one another find ourselves in the present moment.  When you slow life down in this manner to be present, you are actually putting yourself on the path that you were meant to experience.  This is where your true power lives and where you will find the peace that you are seeking.  When you relax your mind, you can see what the enlightened ones see…that the 1,000 mile journey always starts with the first step.  Another expression for this is called ‘mind – full – ness’,  the art of emptying your mind so you can remove the energy of fear.  The most efficient way to enter this state of consciousness is to practice stillness every morning and make it a powerful success habit.  The most successful people make time for the really powerful stuff and stilling your mind every morning through consistent meditation will help you find the order in the chaos. Sohere are some tips to get you started: Avoid watching news or stimulating your mind before bed. Upon drifting asleep, express tremendous gratitude for the events of the day. Wake up 30 minutes earlier, drink a full glass of water and sit in complete stillness for 10 – 15 minutes breathing and focusing on doing nothing and being nothing.  This stillness exercise is part of my daily ‘hour of power’ ritual.  You can download two of my recent visualization messages as part of my 11 day visualization series at: Part 1: Why do we need to Visualize? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5q2sx74Mqp0&list=UUlFHWpjqjfqw3jWR4pMk24Q&index=2 Part 2: The 3 stages of Stillness...

Most press releases are now distributed online. Instead of checking their mail or fax machines, journalists now go to online press release distribution sites for press releases. This makes SEO a critical component of a press release, especially if this is the only method of distribution you are using. An effective press release should: Include an attention-grabbing headline Have an informative opening paragraph and other newsworthy elements to get the information noticed by an editor or journalist Be written with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind   SEO makes a press release more visible when a search engine is used to find a release. Many publishers use SEO tactics to help their stories rank higher on search engines. A well-written press release that ignores SEO tactics might never be found by writers using search engines to generate story ideas. Figure out what people are looking for by doing some keyword research. Try tools like SEO Book, Google Keyword Tool or Wordtracker Limit yourself to a select number of terms (use the tools above to identify the ones that will drive up the quantity and quality of visitors). Use your keywords in your domain name, i.e. www.yourdomain.com/eventplanning/weddings.html Keywords should be around 3 – 5 percent of the total text and links of any particular...

“Trade shows are about foot traffic and exposure to your exhibition booth. Combining two seemingly unrelated ingredients, such as fashion and cars, can generate buzz at a typical trade show, garnering crowds and exposure.” (Event Planning Made Easy, Paulette Wolf). Some steps in planning a successful trade show: Research your stakeholders to identify goals, objectives, target audiences, timing, and location Conduct a market analysis (list other shows targeting your audience) Design your show based on the best possible dates and locations Choose a venue / location that will attract both exhibitors and attendees Market your show to potential exhibitors who have an interest in that target audience Provide support to exhibitors prior to, during, and post show Evaluate the trades how using measurable objectives and benchmark for future...

Many people avoid negotiating due to fear of conflict or lack of preparation. Negotiating doesn’t have to be a negative experience…it just takes a shift in perspective and some preparation. I’ve developed the REACH Negotiation Methodology- research, engage, assess, contract, and honor – to simplify the negotiation experience and remove some of the anxiety for those who fear negotiating. Here’s a quick overview of how it works: Research – determine what you and the other party truly need from the deal. Focus on a win-win, as this is the only way that both parties will leave the negotiation satisfied. Engage – once you’ve prepared, enter the negotiation process with a team attitude, you and the other party are a team with a common goal to put together a deal that is beneficial for both of you. Stay positive, it’s just business, don’t take it personally. Assess – before you say yes or no to the deal, make sure you take a time out to assess any new information that the other party has brought to light. This is essential if you are given new information that substantially contradicts what you thought you already knew about the other parties needs or your own. Contract – if you’re satisfied with the terms, it’s time to put it all in writing. Remember that the only terms that count are the ones that are in writing and signed off by both parties. Honour – the final, and most important step in the negotiating process, is to make sure you can honor the things you’ve promised in the negotiated contract. Your ability to honor your contract terms will not only boost your reputation, but set the foundation for future negotiations. re-published and written by Diana...

When it comes to reducing the environmental impact of your events, you may be surprised to know that green initiatives are easy to implement, decrease your meeting costs, and deliver results that improve your organization’s triple bottom line: people, planet, and profits. Here are 10 tips to design a green meeting and reduce overall costs: Venues 1. Look for a hotel within walking distance to restaurants and nightlife to reduce transportation emissions. 2. Set a room temperature standard with the venue, including a time when air conditioning / heating should be turned down for the day. 3. Close blinds and turn off lights in vacant rooms. Catering 4. Use local food that is in season (often local food is also organic). 5. Request bulk food dispensers for condiments, cereals, yogurt, cream cheese and butter to reduce packaging. 6. Provide water stations with pitchers and biodegradable cups and glasses instead of bottled water. Print Materials 7. Send emails or develop a website for registration materials, white papers, and presentations. This cuts down on paper, reduces shipping costs and reduces recycling on-site. 8. Design generic directional signage for your annual events (leave out the date and location) so that you can reuse them the next year. Note that many properties also offer electronic signage. Transportation 9. Select ground transportation companies that use energy efficient vehicles; and minimize idling and air conditioning in all meeting vehicles. 10. Offer carbon offset options to air travelers. Go tell it from the mountain! Make sure attendees, stakeholders, meeting partners and the media are aware of your green objectives. This will help your attendees embrace the green changes to your events and may also generate positive publicity for your meeting and your organization. re-published and written by Diana...