365 Days Without Soft Drinks
It started as a health kick on Jan 1 of last year. I didn’t set out to give up soft drinks, per se. I just wanted to lose some weight, and, let’s face it, soft drinks aren’t usually on the list of approved foods. Right?
The hard part was the first 6-8 weeks when I was changing every other part of my diet. Anytime I went out to eat, the urge to order a Coke or Pepsi was surprisingly strong. But, I really wanted to stick to my calorie goal for the day and having 3 soft drinks (one plus 2 refills) just didn’t fit.
The hardest part was anytime I went to the movies with Dad. I don’t know why, but my head links popcorn, movies, and a large Coke all in the same bucket.
Standing there at the counter and telling the guy that I want a medium popcorn and a glass of water seems absurd, like ordering a low-calorie donut. Why bother?
Once I had the initial craving part kicked, not having soft drinks was pretty easy. They were simply written out of my life. They no longer had a place.
My health kick followed its usual story arc — lose some weight, get really tired of tracking every tender loving calorie, and eventually cutting back on exercise — over the course of about 4 months. Despite my flagging resolve in all other areas, I decided to keep this one healthy habit in place only as a way to hang on to some shred of dignity.
Do I intend to continue eschewing soft drinks?
No.
I don’t want this streak to become an idol — something that starts getting more attention than it really should.
If I don’t kill this thing sometime soon, I will start seeing how far I can go with this. I am already having bad dreams of finding myself in a restaurant, asking for a Coke refill when I realize that I blew it and didn’t make it to the full year.
To me, this is a sign that it has gone far enough. I will make it through just one more day so I can say that I made it a full year with no soft drinks, and then I will put this streak to rest in favor of creating more sustainable healthy habits like better nutrition and far more exercise.
What if Your Story Stalls?
I am a long-time fan of John Eldredge and the team at Ransomed Heart ministries. I have been following their podcast for a few years now, and I found this 2-part series that is certainly worth the time.
Not all of us get to be on Oprah.
Sometimes our messages fall flat, our business goes sideways, and our dreams just…don’t happen.
In this 2-part series, John and his team address how not to lose heart when you feel stuck.
When Your Story Stalls
7 Reasons Public Speakers Should Outsource Email Marketing
If you would love to harness the power of email marketing for your speaking business, but don’t feel you have the time, there is hope!
Like other successful public speakers you want…
- to get more speaking engagements
- to sell more copies of your books
- to enroll more clients in your online programs
…and you hear that other public speakers are crushing it with email marketing, but you haven’t gotten quite around to it for your speaking business.
Reasons Speakers Are NOT Yet Using Email Marketing
Here are reasons that public speakers are not using email marketing to feed a continual stream of new sales month after month.
1) You aren’t really certain how to get anyone to buy anything from you by email.
If you’ve never done anything more than the occasional newsletter, you may not have even turned your first dollar from email marketing.
Or if you get a few sales here and there, you are not certain how to do it again.
This can be maddeningly frustrating, and this is where most public speakers quit.
[callout]If you want to outsource your email marketing for just $27, click here to schedule a time to get started.[/callout]
2) No Email List / Small List
This is far more common than you may realize.
I’ve worked with speakers who have been on the speaking trail for over 10 years yet barely have an email list of 50 people.
The good news is that this can be fixed quite easily, especially for those of you who are more senior in your speaking career.
3) Not Enough Time
You have a choice. You can either be on stage growing your brand, or you can be stuck in your office typing emails.
Being on stage wins every time!
4) Too Technical
To the uninitiated, the technical aspects of email marketing can be a little daunting. Lists and sub-lists and html code and sequences and tagging…it can get a little overwhelming, especially if you are not using it every day.
5) Can’t come up with any good ideas
If your brain is not naturally wired for marketing (few are), you might feel you don’t have any good ideas, or that people simply won’t want to buy what you have the offer.
Outsourcing Your Email Marketing Gives You the Following Benefits
- It Works – Working with someone who stays up-to-date with what is working in email marketing right now. You don’t get yesterday’s leftovers.
- Freedom from Tech Hassles – Someone who is technically literate and knows how to help you get the most out of your email marketing system (without your banging your head on the table in frustration).
- Make the Sale – Someone who understands copywriting and sales psychology can close the deal rather than let it get away.
- Speed to Market – Someone who can knit all the pieces together faster than you could by yourself.
- Focus – Delegating email marketing to a competent individual gives you the freedom to focus on what you do best.
- List Building – A good marketer can help you develop a very responsive list over time.
- Automatic Pilot – Once you figure out how to do this once, you can automate it!
Outsource Your Email Marketing in One Easy Step
Schedule a time to get started by clicking here.
How it Works
- We get together for our initial 30-minute phone call where I can learn about your business and what you want to promote.
- I create your series of 3 custom-written emails and load them into your email marketing system. If you don’t have an email marketing system, I’ll get one for you.
- We agree on a start date for the campaign, and hit the Send button.
How Much Does it Cost?
Only $27. You get all this for just $27!!
Click now to get started. Schedule now. Pay later.
Which Celebrity Speaker Are You?
Time for a little fun today. Take this oh-so-non-scientific quiz to find out which celebrity speaker is most like you.
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How to Resurface After an Absence
My wife travels the public speaking circuit and usually gives 5-10 talks a year. In the last few days of April she was on a trip with several of her public speaking colleagues.
Karen sends me a text explaining that one member of this group had accepted the head position at a non-profit, and that this lady was recruiting Karen to come to work for her.
This would certainly mean a relocation for us.
A few minutes later my wife sent me a follow up text with these exact words, “…NO NEED to worry…”
I knew from that very moment that I was in trouble.
Fast-forward 4 months.
- My wife accepted the new job.
- The five of us (three people and two dogs) are living in a hotel room 4 states away from our old home in NC.
- My daughter should start school next week provided we can convince the lady in the registration office that my daughter a) does exist, and b) that we really are our child’s parents.
I can truly say that this has been the busiest 4-month period of my life.
I was often very torn between my obligations to this move and the publishing schedule I know is so important to a content-driven business.
There are times when you simply can’t get to it all — my publishing had to give while I focused on our move.
[shareable cite=”Jason R Owens”]There are times when you simply can’t get to it all.[/shareable]
The Big Addition
Without a doubt the largest change I have made in my business this summer has been the addition of done-for-you services for authors and experts.
It was one of those whack-on-the-side-of-the-head moments when I realized that I understand how to put together a lot of the back office systems that deal with ads, campaigns, and other revenue-driving activities.
Not only do I understand it, I have also done all of it as part of running my own business.
So why not do it for other experts as well?
Look Forward to These Stories
As my life starts to take on a new normal I want to get back to a more routine publishing schedule.
I can’t wait to tell you about what I have learned over the summer, including:
- Lessons from partnering with an expert to launch a new workshop series.
- How a portable business, like what we experts run, is a huge bonus for our spouse’s upward mobility.
- A few new list-building tools that I have come across.
Thanks for your patience.
I can’t tell you how much it means that you stuck with me.
Summary
What I just did was illustrate the main points I want to share in case you have to go underground for a long absence.
- Explain where you have been. Yes, many of your readers really do want to hear about the goings on in your life. Things can’t always be all about business all the time.
- Share what is new.
- Tell people where you are headed. Give people a taste for what is on the horizon.
[reminder]If you were not able to keep a regular publication schedule, did you find that it affected your relationship with your followers?[/reminder]
1 Way to Get Your Best Performance
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Now that you’ve set the stage (in the past 3 weeks) you are ready to take this final step to results.
This one contains sage wisdom, yet most of us are not ready for it because we have not laid the foundation we did in the last few weeks.
1 Trick to Shield Yourself from Harm
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Here is one simple productivity hack most people overlook.
Do this, and you’ll find that you have more mental capacity to deal with anything that stands in your way.
1 Way You Can Show Up Strongly For Others
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Do you feel that running your business demands your all?
Find out why defeating this monster is a high priority if you want to be self-employed over the long haul.
1 Question You Need to Ask
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Showing up for yourself, for your business, and for your family are key ingredients to being a fulfilled entrepreneur.
Today’s video contains one question you need to ask to guarantee your happiness.
[reminder]How can you start showing up for yourself this week?[/reminder]