Yes my friend this is a very special edition of the Victory Letter today.  I have two major things to celebrate and one of them involves you. They both involve how each of us has a story.  

That story contains a beginning, middle and at sometime it will have an end. It’s those people who fill in all those blanks in between that make all the difference in our lives.  

I want to share with you today one of those people who has filled 30 years of my life with happiness.  This would be my husband, Ed, who tomorrow I get to celebrate 30 years of marriage. How time really does fly by! Our wedding day seems just like yesterday.

How often do you put “time to create” or something to that effect on your calendar? 

I am talking about both the things you create within the scope of making a financial living and the things you create as a way of having a joyous life?

All this month we have been talking about the power within our imaginations. This is a huge component in what I really love about the way marketing works today. This power gives us abundant opportunities to create something that was not there before.

Do you believe that strong relationships can increase your creativity?  I recently heard Elizabeth Gilbert describe creative living in this way, “Creative living is any life where you routinely, habitually and consistently choose curiosity over fear.”

I love that viewpoint, which brings me to share with you our new neighbors that recently moved into our backyard. They are two little finches that moved into an old birdhouse that has not seen any “tenants” for several years.

Well these two moved in with a flurry and began remodeling the interior immediately.  Throwing out the old as they brought in new grasses and other natural elements to build their nest. To our delight they brought with them the most beautiful songs that they sing while they do their work.  Whistling while they work at it’s finest!

It’s about this time every year that I start to explode with creativity. This boost always seems to coincide with my garden fully coming to life.  The joy of my garden brings with it an insatiable desire to create.  It’s a very good thing that makes summer one of my favorite seasons!   

When our imagination is in full swing it ignites us to do things we have not done before. It allows for new growth.

Imagination and the word ignite I really feel go hand in hand.  So it’s no accident that it’s time to turn the headlights and ignite the fires around the cool elements inside of the Master Mind Principle of Imagination. 

Last week while quickly picking up some dinner items at the grocery store, I heard a short and sweet conversation between a father and son. The father said to the 5 year old boy in a very exuberant voice, “No, Uncle Jimmy is an entrepreneur!” The boy replied, “THAT’s cool!”

It really made me smile inwards at the connotation that the term Entrepreneur has taken on. This father and son conversation sparked memories of when I was a child myself, when both my dad and his sister (my Aunt Norma) were “entrepreneurs” - although that term was never used. 

I simply knew that they both were very enterprising with quite a variety of businesses between the two of them along their way.

They even opened businesses right next door to each other. My dad owned a construction company, and my Aunt owned the beloved, Busy Bee Restaurant. 

How would you rate yourself as a Marketer?  You know that area of every business or organization that allows you to truly lead through the communications you share with the outside world.   More pointedly communicating your message with your target audience – those who matter most because they get the most out of your product or service. 

Because I am so involved in coaching and training in this area of business it’s a topic I spend many of my business hours thinking and talking about.  It really is such a big pain point for many small businesses to be sure.  And many don’t even realize how much business they are losing out on because they are not fully sharing their message on a regular basis because of what is perceived as their barriers of entry - time and/or money. 

Have you ever had an idea where everything around that idea begins to take a radical shift as it comes into reality?

Last week I had the amazing opportunity to put my day-to-day life on hold and give 100% attention to the written words that I have a burning desire to create in the confines of what will be my 3rd book. 

Under the leadership of bestselling authors Michael Port and Mike Michalowicz, I rolled up my proverbial sleeves along with 19 other authors at this writer’s retreat.  Together we explored what work we needed to do moving forward as we were fortunate enough to share the space together in a beautiful home on the Chesapeake Bay.

Why do you do what you do for your daily bread every day?  How have you ended up where you are today with the current elements that creates the making a “living” part of your life? 

As you read these words of today’s Victory Letter, I am headed to the east coast to spend this entire week focusing on the writer side of my life at a writer’s retreat. 

Writing is a part of what I do each day that fuels my flame.  Along with that, I have worn the hat of Business Coach for the past 17 years allowing me to fully make a living and a fulfilled life.  In turn this work gives me many things to write about and the writing supports the coaching as well

May has arrived and with it comes the Victory Circles month long exploration into what it takes to fully embrace each of our individual and collective roles as a leader. 

This year we have all been hearing the question, “Where has the leadership gone on the political front?” I am happy to say that in the business world - especially small business - it appears to be alive and well.

Watching with a smile, there are so many entrepreneurs seeking to be the best they can be in their businesses. Whether it’s leading employees, customers, or colleagues, a business driven by a strong leader provides the best possible results for all parties concerned. 

What would change in your life if you had the discipline to see it through to fruition?  If you knew in fact that the path towards growth was a sure thing?

As your week begins and you look at the possibilities for growth both personally and professional that is in front of you, what aspect of what you see compels you create the action required? What allows growth and the change that it brings to actually happen?

I know this is a lot of questions to start your week. However, it’s the questions we ask ourselves and the subsequent answers that we then give and act on that makes all the difference on where we head each day.