Kurt Expected To Be Here

On Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay, Florida 37 year old Kurt Warner will step onto the field to play for the NFL Super Bowl Championship. Leading a team of relatively unknowns, Kurt has successfully landed his Arizona Cardinals, the once lame ducks of the NFL, to the biggest game ever. Given the bantering I have had over the years with a good friend and die hard Cardinals fan who is undoubtedly smiling ear to ear as he walks into his office today, I can indeed tell him that hell is in fact freezing over as I write this post.

I don't write this post for him however, but rather to acknowledge a man from which many of us can learn from and be inspired by.

To hear Kurt talk about Sunday's game it seems he does not believe that he or his teammates have done the impossible. Though I know a bajillion football fans who may disagree with him. No, he simply believes that he is following the plan that has been laid out before him and is executing it with full faith and belief that he is exactly where he is supposed to be. And should he stay the course and follow the plan the outcome has already been decided.

I am a big fan of Kurt Warner's not because of what he does on the field but because of what he does off the field. He is a man of tremendous faith and courage. He is both humble and of good heart. He leads kids that are 10-15 years his junior and he inspires them with his leadership, his words and his drive. When other quarterbacks, including his backup, are worried about image, parties and the spotlight, Kurt shuns all of that and focuses on getting the job done. He leads with quite confidence, real commitment and insatiable determination and hence why he is playing for yet another Super Bowl title.

On Sunday when he walks out on that field, regardless of the outcome, Kurt has already won a championship far greater than any Super Bowl trophy could acknowledge. Kurt has already proven to himself, his teammates and the world, that if you believe and have faith anything, and I do mean anything, can and will happen.

We all have a little bit of what drives guys like Kurt Warner inside of us. The question is, are we going to let it out?

Ripple On!!!

Spotlight Ripple: Sonya Davis

I am excited to feature good friend, collaborator and fellow Rippler Sonya Davis as today's guest BLOGGER in an effort to create a Ripple for her upcoming event: Marketing The Feminine Way. Sonya and I recently met at her new space Soma Vida, a unique collaborative work, life balance space she and partner Laura Shook created in downtown Austin. Sonya not only lives the Ripple principals that I teach but through her new venture, workshops and collaborative efforts is showing others the real power of connection and community.

Sonya and her partner regularly host workshops like the one she is featuring in her post as well opportunities to cowork and connect in their unique facility. More about Sonya and Laura as well as information about Soma Vida can be found at: http://www.somavidaaustin.com/SomaVida/Home.html
_______________________

It is all about community and connection. Rippling is the most effective way to build relationships and community and is one of the methods I recommend for Marketing the Feminine Way™. Marketing the Feminine Way™ is a set of tools and techniques that help you put your authentic self into your marketing and that real connection creates your brand. The Ripple allows you to take away your business identity and connect with someone authentically. The reason it works is because through that real connection you create magic, and those connections turn into customers, sales, friendships and community. I often illustrate in my workshop and one-on-one coaching how disconnected our marketing is from our true essence. It is no wonder that most marketing is ineffective, because you can't feel the heart and soul of the company. It is that unique essence that obliterates the idea of competition. No one can be you and no two companies can really be alike, but most people don't know how to effectively communicate who they are in person or in their marketing materials. They spend a lot of money to sound like everyone else and get no return on their investment. The Ripple like Marketing the Feminine Way™ is so great, because it is all about getting a return on your investment. All you have to do is just be real.

What do you think?

The Marketing the Feminine Way workshop is February 7th, 1pm - 6pm at Soma Vida and you can register at www.businessthefeminineway.com

Watching & Listening - Episode 1

So I figured I would put my new Macbook Pro to good use and take you along with me on a recent trip Starbucks. This first episode is my first foray into what quirky thoughts and observations I tend to make while just soaking in the atmosphere and drinking ridiculous amounts of coffee.

Hope you enjoy.....


If you are receiving this BLOG update in a reader or browser that does not allow for video, please check it out by clicking here.

Postscript: No baristas were harmed in the making of this video though this location kicked me and some friends out a year ago for trying to film an interview - so not cool. But haha the laugh is on them....they couldn't tell I was filming with my super stealthy Macbook. To them I just look like some crazy guy talking to his computer. I would have jumped in and helped the poor realtor had it turned violent - maybe. She was fairly annoying -I'm just saying. I think the gal that was being interviewed did a great job of listening as the guy droned on and on. Though she was polite her blow off reminded me of Kelly Preston in Jerry Maguire when she called Jerry a "Loser!" The guy who was staring at me knew he recognized me but wasn't sure from where - he read my book as it turns out. Hated the cover. And yes...ordering a Venti Hot Passion Tea, especially if the person behind the counter, always makes me feel like I am suggesting something lurid and dirty. I admit it....I've never grown up, I still think and act like I am ten!

Ripple On!!!