Believe in Yourself

One thing I know about life is this:





You have to believe in what you are doing...and most importantly...you have to believe in yourself. If you do, others will get it. This is especially true when it comes to developing your own media content. It comes across in your presence. No one else can give you that. You have to find it within.





I've been thinking a lot about how each of us presents ourselves to the world. As I help small business people, authors, writers, and other experts create their own video, audio and print content, there is a lot we can do to polish and enhance their performance. However, there is more to it than that and that's what I'm trying to get to here.





When it comes to your dream, that idea inside you that you want to create--whether it's a new business, or an article you want to write, or any new project you want to develop and create, you have to be its biggest cheerleader.





Yes, we all have doubts at times. Sometimes in the middle of the night when we've been struggling to create something and it just isn't coming together, we may have some doubts. Sometimes we need to look to someone else close to us who believes in us for some support, but for the most part, you must have that deep, deep, strong conviction inside that this is your path and nothing is going to rock you off of that.





That is conviction. That is believing in yourself. Even if you aren't sure how it's all going to come together, whenever others hear you talk about your idea or project, they will feel your conviction. They will believe in you too. But it starts with you.





When it's time for you to do video and audio recordings, this essence needs to be present. My work is often about helping someone with the mechanics of communicating well, and sometimes it involves learning to embrace that belief in himself or herself. When you believe in yourself, all things are possible.





What is your dream? Is your belief in yourself and your ability to reach that dream strong? If not yet, what can you do to help make it so? What can you do today to believe in yourself and in your dreams?

Warmly,
Joanne





Joanne

Media Polisher Helps Media Train Entrepreneurs and Small Business owners

This is a very big weekend for me, and I am so excited that after a full year of planning and development, it is finally here. One year ago it became abundantly clear to me that I needed to add additional services to my business in order to help my clients. In addition, I needed to develop and conduct numerous workshops which would allow me to understand the kinds of offerings I could make with the Media Polisher. And now, finally, after all of that work, we have hit the road. I'm in San Francisco with a team of people conducting a Media Polisher weekend. It's so much fun to have people fly in from all over the country, such as Houston, Seattle, Sacramento, Boston, and Denver to get polished. These are mostly entrepreneurs who are building out their businesses and need a little help in getting their messages out there. The weekend includes coaching, developing key messages, and training on camera to get them ready for media interviews, in addition to preparing them to do their own media. On the agenda today is getting all those home page videos shot. There are "experts" out there who boldly tell entrepreneurs and small business owners to just flip open aflip camera and spew forth, but I don't agree with that strategy. I think it's a much better idea to figure out who your market is (if you're not sure), develop key messages that speak directly to your audience, and then practice the "gozinta" (the intro) and the "goesouta" (the outro), in addtion to all the meat in the middle. Then fine tuning one's actual on-camera presence will help to create an image that shines online....something that is so needed. The results of this weekend have been spectacular. Everyone who attended was fully engaged in the process and ended up with an excellent, professional shot video for their Web site. Many did a home page video in addition to the video on the sales page. What I love about the Media Polisher is that it brings forth all the skills I have developed over the years from my life in broadcasting, to my PR firm, and now training individuals. It truly is a gift to do what I love to do. And how about you? Are you engaged in doing the work you were meant to be doing on this planet? If not, are you taking some steps to make that happen? Warmly, Joanne

Living your dream...Teaching Social Media

So what have you always wanted to do with you life in terms of work and career? Are you living that dream you once had, or are you still working your way toward it?


Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to teach. First I had my publicity and marketing classes in which I helped authors, writers, and other small business professionals learn how to promote themselves to media. Then, as things changed over the last few years, I've helped movers and shakers create a shining online presence through video, audio, and the written word. I still do this work and consider myself very lucky to be doing what I love, and making a living at it. Let's face it: We are living in challenging times.


But the greatest teaching opportunity for me is teaching at my alma mater, Marylhurst University. This week, another class filled with students who want to learn about social media has begun and the challenge of helping them to understand the power of this medium and how it may enhance their lives is underway. We also explore the challenges it presents in terms of privacy and other important issues.


They don't know this yet, but I know that by the end of this class we will have developed a very close-knit group of individuals who really care about one another. For all the discussion that social media is impersonal (and it can be), and that it's a time suck (and it can be), and that it serves no real purpose (depends on the individual), we will have gotten past many of these objections to see what truly wonderful opportunities these communication channels offer us. We will have many discussions about the effect on our culture and in each of our lives.


Will social media replace face-to-face contact? No, but it can be a great alternative when you are away from family, friends, or those you work with because they're scattered in other parts of the world.


It's also a wonderful medium for small business people, entrepreneurs, writers, authors, coaches, consultants, etc., to share with their audience what they do and how they can help them.


I believe living your dreams is a big part of why we are here. What are you doing that is a part of your dream? For me, it's teaching. Always has been. Always will be.

Joanne

P.S. I offer tips and suggestions on how you can develop and polish your own online presence at www.facebook.com/themediapolisher. Would love to see you there.