Fear

Fear....
Fear is the enemy.
Fear is crippling.
Fear is blinding.

Fear....
Fear is holding you hostage.
Fear is keeping you down.
Fear won't let you win the race.

Fear....
Fear will strip your soul.
Fear will leave you shallow and cold.
Fear will be your master.

Why such vivid imagery of fear you might ask? Because fear keeps you, me and everyone else from achieving, having and doing the things we are destined to do. Fear is the great equalizer to great ideas, great accomplishments and a world of possibilities. Fear is where great things, great people go to die.

In visiting with so many of you these past few weeks, hearing hopes, dreams and aspirations for the new year ahead, the underlying theme in almost every conversation is...fear. "I am scared I won't have the courage to try for that promotion." "I am scared to put my idea on the table for fear of being laughed at." "I fear what might happen if I decide to leave this relationship and go it alone."

Whatever fear you may be facing know that it is a temporary road block to that which you are destined to do, to have, to achieve and to be.

Fear is what we are left with when we no longer have faith. Faith in ourselves. Faith in our abilities. Faith in what is possible.

Have faith my Ripple friend I believe in you. You too should believe in yourself.

Have faith in yourself and believe in your heart you are here to do what you are here to do. Do this and fear will find no crevice, foothold or ledge with which to plant itself and grow.

Go Forth and Believe In Yourself.....and see what Ripples come from it!

Ripple On!!!

Peas Aren't What Define You

Okay...I have to admit that this post is a few days past due. I apologize for that. My wife surprised me with a little pre-Birthday get away and I had limited access to the Internet.

As promised, here is part two of my discussion with my prospective client about not bringing out the peas before they are ready.

"But Steve, if I am not talking about my business what is there to talk about?"

I often get this question when I talk about making a personal connection before jumping right in and talking business. I am actually quite surprised that some people can't seem to see the value in themselves without utilizing the peas (career, product, service, industry, etc.) as a mechanism to define who they are.

Quick word of advice.....

The peas do not define you. It is simply what you do or what you offer.

You define you!

You are the common denominator here. You....You....You....!

You are what people want to get to know. You are where the stories come from. You are what reaches out and makes an otherwise mundane random connection personal and potential profitable.

Peas have no personality. Peas have no sass.

Peas don't tell a story. Peas aren't usually interesting.

Peas are.....well, just peas. You get me?

As my prospective client and I continued to talk I could sense that he was uncomfortable with my advice. I continued to probe him about why the prospect of being himself made him uneasy in a business situation. To which he answered, "It just seems unnatural. I guess I am more comfortable talking about business than I am trying to get personal with someone I just met."

To which I explained and reminded him of a very important aspect of business.

People do business with people they know, like and trust. No matter how hard you try, no matter how well you make them look and of course no matter how great you say they taste, your peas, as peas, fail to help people know you, like you and trust you.

YOU influence whether people want to know you, how quickly they like you and how you interact and how interesting you make that connection lays the foundation for building trust in you. I submit the quickest and most successful way to do that is to Ripple yourself to be better connections by separating yourself from the rest of the herd. There are no rules.

Well...other than mine and which is....

Keep your peas in your pocket be the You that is You!

Ripple On My Friends!

Steve