Hashtags - What are they and what's the fuss?

You’ve heard about them. 

You’ve seen them.

You may have even tried to USE them.

You’ve probably seen them OVERUSED. #afullsentencehashtag

What on earth are they???

Well…let me explain.

I’ll leave the jargon right out of it too.

A hashtag is a word, any word or string of words, that has a # symbol in front of it. 

Anyone can decide which word or topic they want to use as a hashtag. 

You’ll find hashtags used on places like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google + and Tumblr (just to name a few) and the idea is that, if you post a post and include the hashtag in it, then when you go to the hashtag stream, you will see all the other posts on, let’s say Facebook, that everyone else has posted, who also used that hashtag in their post.

Let me give you an example to make that even clearer. 

 I use #BuildTheTribe on some of my posts and my mission is to build up a whole bunch of useful tips on how you can build your tribe on social media. So rather than you having to scroll through my Social Vibes page to find all the great tips, all you need to do is type #BuildTheTribe into the search bar at the top of your Facebook page.

Then what you will get is a whole stream of posts that have used that hashtag.

Have a go right now.

See it?

Cool huh? :)

The other way to quickly access the hashtag stream is to click on the hashtag when you see it. Have you noticed that the word is blue when it’s a hashtag? That’s because it has turned into a link, like the same as you would see a link to a page on the internet. 

You will notice there are people you don’t know in that hashtag stream. This is your opportunity to check them out, like a networking event for Social Media :) You might like what they do and want to connect. Boom. Virtual Networking.

Like anything it’s very easy to use once you know how. So go ahead and click on the next hashtag you see..you won’t break the internet! 

Happy Hashtagging folks :)

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Fall Madly & Deeply in Love with your Goals

You know those things you enjoy doing the least, those things that you leave until last, so they become one of those things you do quickly to get them over and done with...? 

Don't let your GOALS become one of "those things".

This is why we are encouraged to go to so much effort in planning and visualising our goals. We are encouraged to draw them, write them, have them in full view and celebrate their achievement. 

I'm going to take it that little bit deeper and suggest that you fall madly and deeply in love with them. Make them so compelling that your very being will experience cognitive dissonance if it's not doing something each day, no matter how small so long as it's something to work towards it.

Bring an energy of love, appreciation, gratitude, joy and enthusiasm to each and every little step you take that moves you closer to your goal.

Keep your spirit invigorated with a burning passion...this is of course YOUR life by YOUR design ~ LOVE it!! :)

Valuing Building a Positive Team Spirit

One thing that is really notable about the environment at TCI is the team all really gets along.  They really genuinely care about one another. It’s quite a contrast to the bitchy backstabbing office environments that are all too common out there in the world.

Going to work with a group of people that you love being with is an extremely inspiring and satisfying thing.  Working, playing, respecting and being present with one another creates a space where people care and will go above and beyond because we believe in and trust in one another.

This can be attributed to the fact that Value #10 - Building a Positive Team Spirit matters so much that’s it’s one of our core values and we strive for it everyday.  Not only that but when you have a values driven culture that brings out the best in everyone then everyone is encouraged to be even better by the best they see in each other.

Recently in a small part of the team we noticed the team spirit was not being nurtured. Everyone had gotten so busy and focused on achieving their own results they dropped the standard of this value and began working in silo’s…the positive team spirit within 2 weeks took a nose dive and people started to take sick days for a break to recover, meetings were not had and communication was poor.

All that in 2 weeks of not fighting for this value, I can only imagine what a workplace is like that doesn’t even acknowledge this as something that matters!!

Here’s some questions you can ask yourself and even create intentions for your day with, to ensure you are being the example of building a positive team spirit in your team, business or even family!

• Have you shown respect in every conversation you’ve had today?
• Are you holding yourself and others accountable when you are not contributing to building a positive team spirit?
• Who have you encouraged today? Who did you shut down?
• Are you serving those you also lead?
• Are you being the example of excellence?
• Are you bringing out the best in others?

Have a positively awesome day everyone and please encourage the best in me to do more by liking, commenting or even sharing my blog if you found it valuable. 

Valuing Modelling Excellence

From the moment we are born we become experts in modelling. We watch our community for cues on how to be in this world. 

How to walk, talk, do, be, think, believe, behave…

Then there comes the time when we move into independence and we start choosing the models for ourselves. Now depending on what shaped you in your early years your models may lead you to success or to some serious life lessons.

For the sake of this blog I’m going to assume you’re here to be inspired on modelling those that lead you to success of the variety that you'v not yet experienced. Like the opening pic quote from Thomas Jefferson it says “ If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done” - That “want something” could be results or things of any kind and that "do something" is that thing you're yet to learn.

What do you want to get really good results with? 

What do you want to have? 

Let’s explore how to…

A great place to begin would be to model a great strategy for modelling. 

This is value # 9 for us at TCI and its a foundation value for delivering consistently outstanding results.

At TCI we learn from Sharon (a master modeller) to do this:

Find a successful model of excellence

Learn the strategy

Do the strategy until you get an outstanding or even better result

We also have a strategy of excellence for learning & growing that goes like this:

Learn > Implement > Teach

It’s important to then BECOME the model of excellence. Albert Einstein says “If you can’t explain it simply then you do not understand it enough” let that be a benchmark for you, not only do you achieve the results but you then pay it forward and help others achieve the results too.

I am running the Learn > Implement > Teach strategy right now. I have learned the TCI Values from a model of excellence (SP) > Implemented the TCI Values everyday > Am teaching YOU right now my understanding of each value as simply as I can.

To begin go ahead and have a fresh look at your 90 day goals and identify which of them you have a models of excellence for and which you need to find a model of excellence for. Then get researching! We live in an abundant age of information it’s all at your finger tips. Go for it!

I trust this blog has been of value to you. As always please like, comment or share to let me know you’ve visited and it’s inspired you in some way. “See” you again soon.

Valuing Learning & Growing

Valuing learning and growing ripples out into every aspect of our lives. 

As an infant learning and growing was unquestionable, a matter of survival even. 
As a child it’s a must to get through school.
As an adult, for many, it is a choice, a choice to learn…or not.
As a team member at TCI it is embraced with an insatiable hunger.

It has to be. 
We want the business to grow.
WE want to grow. 

It’s even more than that too. 
Who wants to be in a job that only utilises the things you know how do, same tasks day in day out…looks boring just writing it. 
If that’s what you like then by all means rock on…if not - I’m sure you’ll agree, you’re up for a good challenge, passionate even.
Bring it!

Everyday we are faced with challenges. 
We can choose to see them as problems to hold us up or see them as opportunities for us to learn and grow.  Get passionate and determined about learning what you need to learn.

Take a moment right now to reflect on the last week.
Think about the opportunities you had to learn and grow…did you embrace them?
What books did you read to learn more?
What Youtube tutorials did you watch?
What did you Google & research on the net?

For those of you who already value learning and growing and would love to model an awesome strategy, I share with you something that Sharon Pearson (CEO of The Coaching Institute) shared with us on her Facebook page the other day.

“Here's a frame I use to learn a lot of information:

1. Figure out the actually purpose the information, so whatever is being learned must assist in the achievement of that outcome

2. Identify all the main categories of experience needed to achieve that outcome - so, for example, in email marketing, I would identify the subject headline, the opening, the content, the language, the call to action, the PS etc

3. In each of those categories, determine the crucial areas needed to succeed - yep, for each of them

4. Compare what I identified with best practice (for example, I would study Frank Kern's emails to see if I've matched his emails)

5. Practice my own version (and suck)

6. Practice my own version, and compare it again to best practice

7. Practice again (and suck less)

8. Implement

9. Document, and teach

10 Rinse and repeat.

Trust that helps”

I would love to leave you with this one final quote by Ray Kroc

"You're either Green & Growing, or you're Ripe & Rotting"

As always please like, share and leave a comment if you found this blog valuable.  Have a great time learning and growing and remember to pay it forward and teach it to others. 

Valuing Embracing & Driving Innovations & Improvements

Imagine for a moment. 

Everything that once was, is no longer. 

Everything that you had in place, gone. 

Everything you had made, undone. 

Or lets think about it in another way.

Everything that once was, got outdated.

Everything you had in place, lost it’s place in the market.

Everything you had made, someone else did it better.

I have seen the last one with my very own eyes play out on Facebook. One business owner who had been creating a handmade product for years and selling them at markets all of a sudden had a huge following online. Within that following were people who loved the creations and wanted to create them for themselves. These little creations began appearing and being sold in many cases for much less.

What did that business owner do? Well…one option could have been to accept the challenge and raise their competitors with something new and amazing that was again unique to them but that’s not the option they selected. Instead they chose to put a lot of energy into making a public drama about how terrible the copy cats were and proceeded to berate, abuse, name and shame them. This played out a year ago and I made the decision to remove their profile and page from my list and from what I’ve heard on the grapevine, it’s still going on today!

CHANGE IS THE BIGGEST CONSTANT. 
CANI (Constant And Never-ending Improvements) is a MUST.

For businesses that are excited at the potential for change and improvements, scenario’s like the one described above, is what gives them the passion and determination to be continually staying ahead of the game, to be continually providing a high quality and unique service. At TCI this is Value #7 and for anyone who does not enjoy change, need not apply. 

Anyone can copy what you do, in fact it is the very essence of human nature, from the moment we are born we proceed to copy the things and people around us.  What they cannot copy is the uniqueness that is YOU, what you bring to your service & products. The key is to be continually learning and growing and developing into the best version of you and producing a creative expression of that into everything you do. No-one can copy that.

So if you had to find a way to do everything differently right now. How would you do it?

If someone copied everything you did. How could you make yours better?

Do you set aside time to have a “dream session”? A time where you ask yourself. If we had all the resources - time, money, skills etc what would we do differently, better, more? This is a powerful way to innovate, it’s takes all of your newly learned knowledge and turns it into possibilities.  A famous quote by me (LOL) “Whoever said ‘Get your head outta the clouds’ never knew the possibilities that existed there” DARE TO DREAM!

Here’s some questions for a stocktake of how much you are valuing, embracing and driving innovations and improvements:

- BIG change is happening, is your biggest thought EXCITEMENT - or fear?

- Are you really embracing the changes, or are you merely surviving them?

- When was the last Dream Session you had?

- When was the last massive change in your business?

- How do you stir things up and help the people around you embrace change too?

As always please like, share and leave a comment if you found this blog valuable.  Have some fun creating chaos! Live your dream!

Valuing Out of the Box thinking

"Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."    Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein was a very smart man and to this day one simple quote can still change the way we think about things to the point of fast tracking our success.  Reflecting on the Einstein quote above, if we all took a moment right now I'm pretty confident that each one of us could identify at least one task that has become repetitious and mundane and might get a good result but not a GREAT one. 

Unless we challenge the status quo on that task we may never give ourselves the opportunity to discover how much greater the result could be and what growth that would allow for.  Complacency will destroy anyones business. We live in a very fast paced society where new shiny things are lighting up the eyes of consumers every minute of everyday. It literally would be INSANE to keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting our business to expand. 

Is your business still an adventure?

At TCI this is Value #6 for us. It's so very important to us to LEAD in the industry because our mission is to Inspire the Extraordinary. We won't inspire the extraordinary in anyone if we simply hum along like a well oiled ship that's cruising a calm sea...no way! It's a well oiled ship with a strong foundation crashing through the waves others are seeing from a distance! 

We approach situations and challenges with an open mind, creative thinking, interesting angles and a sense of excitement and adventure for the unknown. We model others then challenge that too, stamping our own unique signature on everything we do creating new paths and possibilities.  

Here's some questions you can ask yourself at any time to check in with how much you're valuing out of the box thinking over status quo:

- Think about a recent task you did GOOD.  Is complacency limiting the thinking keeping it from being GREAT?

- Do you hear yourself saying "That's the way it's always been done" 

- How have you challenged the status quo and ask how can I do this better, differently?

- How have you stretched the thinking of OTHERS today?

- Are you being adventurous and creating new?

- Is out of the box thinking something you'll save to do only when you have the time?



As always please like, share and comment if my blog has inspired you to think even a little differently outside the box :)

Valuing the Creation of Fun with a bit of Quirk

There's plenty enough serious hands on work to fill anyone’s day in business. Whether it be the business of running a small business, big business, home business…FAMILY business.  It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness of business.

It’s for that very reason that I believe it’s very important to make it FUN - and a little QUIRKY.  At TCI this is Value # 5 for us and it’s key to our Culture being that of the kind of place to work that feels like home, the kind of place you don’t watch the clock in, the kind of place you’ll stay until you’re ready to go and you’ll love every minute of it.

Because we hire and fire on the Values it means that the people who fill the environment everyday are people who know how to take themselves lightly, love to laugh and are happy to bring it and share it with others.

Each one of us is an individual, not just at TCI but in any environment. Have a think about the environment you are creating around you. Are you allowing yourself and others to really shine with a smile on their face or are you insisting you/they stay head down and bum up to “do what they’re paid for” or “fulfil their obligation to the family” or ??? All work and no fun makes for a very dull environment!

What makes you memorable? I ask this because you know that great quote by Maya Angelo “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” there may just be some truth in that hey…

Here’s some questions you can ask yourself anytime to check in with how you can be the person who creates a fun and quirky environment:

- Have you laughed at yourself today?
- How have you been memorable today?
- How have you celebrate the fun and quirk that others bring?
- Did you let the true essence of your inner funky shine today?
- What have you planned in the next 90 days that will be fun for you and all those in your environment?

I challenge you to go and express your inner comic on Social Media right now and find a funny quote card to share and tag me in it so I can celebrate you!

As always please like, share and leave a comment if you found this blog valuable. Have an Inspiring and HILARIOUS day all xx

ChocoNut Spread (Raw Vegan)

This recipe was adapted and tweaked to suit me from THIS recipe, thank you to Chris at Tales of A Kitchen.

This is SO delish!

ChocoNut Spread 

(aka a Raw, Vegan version of Nutella)

You will need:

1 1/2 cups Raw Hazelnuts

7 tbsp Cacao Powder

8 Medjool Dates

1 cup of Water or Nut Milk

Pinch of Himalayan Sea Salt

3 tbsp Coconut Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

and if you like it a bit sweeter 

1/4 cup Coconut Nectar

Putting it all together:

1. First things first pop those nuts into your blender and blend them until you get a sticky dough. I use a Vitamix and found I needed to constantly scrape down the sides and pulse for around 5/10 minutes. 

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until it is smooth, creamy and thick.  Again I needed to give this lots of love. If the blender you're using over heats and switches off (like mine did LOL) then you can always add more water to it.

3. Put it in to a jar and pop it into the fridge. It will be good for a few weeks (doubt it will last that long though). 

4. Pop some nut milk into the blender jug with the left over ChocoNut spread and enjoy a milkshake (why wash it down the sink huh? YUM!)

5. Find ways to enjoy it like: spread it on rice cakes, use it for a frosting on a cake, mix it with frozen bananas for a yummy ChocoNanaNut Ice cream...mmm...I'm sure you could think of heaps more too!

Enjoy!

Valuing Taking Responsibility

What if you were to say right now “I am 100% responsible for my results” could you own that? 

If you were followed around every minute of everyday by a camera, what would you do differently? 

What could you have done differently today?

When we accept 100% responsibility for our results that means there is no room for excuses to blame influences external to ourselves.

(Lets not get technical and picky about extenuating circumstances either, fire, flood, hurricane, earth quake) I get it. 

YOU'RE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THAT. 

But how you pick yourself up after it IS. How you rebuild IS. The choices you make ARE.

This is Value #4 for us at TCI and it’s a powerful one.  We all know that it’s the standard we hold ourselves to. 

If someone in our team did not get the results they were working towards in the week, we take responsibility for that too. 

• What didn’t we do to ensure each team member was supported?
• What could we have done better?
• How can we support that team member to develop a communication system or accountability system?
• What needs to be taught?
• What do we need to learn?

In your work, business or even personal life, when you do not deliver a result what happens then? 

• Do you point the finger at that person or thing that got in the way, or didn’t come through? 
• Or do you reflect on what you could have done better. What your gap was. What you need to learn?

Success leaves clues. The successful strategy for outstanding results is to be able to take on more responsibility, to welcome accountability as a measure for results and to be able to assist others to achieve their results too. 

Are you aiming for a successful life? 

Are you working towards a successful world?

Like the quote in the pic above says “No single drop of water thinks it’s responsible for the flood” but you and I both know, everything we do or don’t do contributes to the whole. 

We are all in this together. 
We are all one. 

What results or non results are YOU contributing?

As always I would love to know you stopped by. Please like, share and/or comment if this has provided you with a provoking thought or inspired you to learn something new. Thank you for reading xx

Life De Fined

It’s amazing how complicated we make answering the ultimate question “What is the meaning of life”.  Take everything away, clothes, houses, technology and imagine yourself as a naked being in amongst the trees, basking in the warmth of the sun, drinking from a river flowing through the valley.  What’s left? What meaning does your life hold now?

It’s really quite simple don’t you think? Isn’t the act of life extremely and blatantly obvious?  First and foremost don’t we simply just LIVE? We have life. We do this by the mere act of breathing and our hearts beating to the pulse of the universal flow of life energy?

So if you were asked...have you truly lived the answer could only be yes - could it not? So - so long as you are breathing and your heart is beating – you are alive! Let’s not complicate the act of LIVING now.

The statement “but have you REALLY lived?” is absurd and is the complication I speak of in the very first paragraph.  Living and having experiences within that life are two completely different things...get it right!

In an instant you have your complication right there. One minute you were in search of the simple answer then BOOM someone had to fill your head with questions that were completely irrelevant!!

Ok back to the point of living.

You’re -

Alive ü check

Breathing ücheck

Pulsating ü check

We have well established the simplicity of Living...it doesn’t take much, but if that’s all there was we would have died out a million years ago of sheer boredom...so what else did life come with?

Enter LOVE *insert awwww here*

Love is an energy within us and you can describe it with all the nice fluffy words that you like but at the guts of it those fluffy descriptive words are a mere expression of your intellect. If you are breathing you are showing yourself love.  In contrast if you are holding your breath and starving yourself of oxygen in order to take your life away from yourself, then you are not showing yourself love.  It’s simple really.

Can you appreciate what I am doing here? It is not a mere trivialisation of life but a simplification in order to inspire humility. 

We get so caught up in worrying about our “life’s purpose” that we take for granted the gift of life in all of its simplicity.

You HAVE life. 

Creating a meaningful experience, an emotional experience, sharing with others, contributing to others...that's all the cool stuff we get to do BECAUSE we have LIFE and the sheer JOY of that, the LOVE we feel, is what inspires us to BE more meaningful in this life.

Thank you for sharing these precious moments of your life experience with me. I trust it has added something inspiring and positive for you to think about...

As always leave me a comment, like the post where I shared on my Facebook page, hey even share it on if you think it will be of interest to others xx

Live Your Dream!