Friday late afternoon. Sitting down trying to collect my thoughts and get focus and spirit to complete what I want before the day is over, and music came to my mind and voice. “När en vild röd ros slår ut…” I realize it was a long time ago since I sang.
When a wild red rose blooms, the whole forest is filled with aroma.
Around the whole world, in all various spots, red rose leafs.
I want to let love grow in the wild.
It is a beautiful song in Swedish by Eva Dahlgren, please enjoy.
It made me think of a coming musical with a similar theme – art and love – The Read Rose Girls. Can’t wait to hear about the progress.
Have you ever had a friend realizing a big dream? How did you support? Did you feel joy? Was it almost like you yourself did it? A little bit? Did it make you work on your own dream? Was it maybe part of your dream too?
The first example I think of is when I dove in to promote “Rhapsody in Rock and Robert Wells” in San Diego 2005. Dove in. All extra time that there was. We used all resources and engaged every volunteer that was willing to help. The Scandinavian community is powerful! We executed on almost every idea that we got. And they were not few.
The dream: for my friend Ylva to perform on stage with Robert Wells in one of the major sites in San Diego.
The challenge: 6 weeks to the show, 8 tickets sold, site that takes an audience of 2,000, tickets priced $75, $85 and $95, artist widely known in Sweden and China (see performance at the 1 year count down for the Olympics), artist unknown in the US, no marketing budget.
I am just saying: if you know where you want to head – there are so many ways to reach there. I think we, the team of three, wanted it so badly to happen so we where high on the fumes.
Initially we got engaged to get 100 in the audience. In the end, the show wouldn’t happen if we didn’t have 1,000 tickets sold.
I think you can imagine my smile behind the camera, when I November 13 2005, filmed the movie below. Ylva Elias on the stage with Robert Wells, Rhapsody in Rock musicians, the Vocaletts, Peter Jöback and American Idol winner Ruben Studdard in San Diego Civic Theatre.
Part II :
Now I am excited about my friend Brian Dorsey’s project: a musical being written in this very moment to hopefully reach Broadway. Just another stage. Same same, but different… 😉 The Red Rose Girls – an uncommon story about art and love. Just make a note to self.
Bloom people, bloom! Let us smell the roses!
A year ago I wrote “This Time I Dance” – a blog post about the book with the same name that instantly called my attention as I was in the period of transitioning from my full time job.
The fact that the author shared her process in going from a practicing Harvard lawyer to Writer wasn’t the pull – it was the dance, which I love. And the subtitle – “Creating the work you love”.
I have never seen myself as a writer or author. In fact the OTHER Johanna Nilsson in my business school is the author. However – after one year of blogging I have three ideas to books brewing in my mind. The last one I got during the past weekend as I read Webify Your Business, by Patrick Schwerdtfeger whom I met last week. Yes, that book idea is social media related…
Since a few of my Social Media Marketing clients with my business Herringbone are authors, I have attended a few different authors success webinars. The speaker of the Successful Author Secrets Program Monday was Marci Shimoff, author of the New York Times #1 best seller Chicken Soup for the Woman Soul, and the new book Happy for no reason.
Her key message was: Success comes out of happiness and it is something that you can create yourself.
To stay on track during the process of creating your bestseller book, or what ever your mission is she advised the mantra: Intention, Attention, No tension.
Intention: have a clear and specific intention for what you want to create
Attention: put all your energy and focus on creating that
No tension: let go of the outcome and relax – enjoy the journey
Now- what is your intention with what you want to create? Are you ready to spell it out?
Enjoy the journey. It may be better than you imagined. 😉
I introduced myself to new participants at the Young Scandinavian Club happy hour two weeks ago. “Oh – you are the writer!?” one of them said. “Me? No… I write a blog? Loving Life Blog?” “Yes, exactly, I am following that!” That gave me a kick – still riding on the wave…
Lisa Meloche I go to the bookstore and browse books while drinking hot chocolate. Somehow I always find something to inspire me there and can’t wait to implement when I return.
Bridget Hogue I dance around my home office to Motown hits…for some reason this ALWAYS works for me 🙂
Todra Payne Take a few hours off and walk along a creek not far from my house. Very relaxing.
Mendy Cleveland I put myself around people who are positive and who influence me.
Savor the Success Wow, these are FANTASTIC words of advice. Go, ladies, go!
Felicia B. Wright icecream (lol) and positive thinking…it doesn’t help to focus on negativity
Dequiana Brooks I do a couple things when I’m down: 1) Have a good chat with a funny friend who always know how to pick me back up, and 2) Remind myself of how many people I won’t be able to help if I give up now. http://www.inspiredmedia.net/
Justine LadyLuna Lackey Ug I am a Debbie Downer today. Its a simple “put one foot in front of the other” sort of day. Other days I use music, aromatherapy, good friends, and lots of laughter.
Judith George Go on to Ted.com and find an inspiration talk.
Debi Rose Stay connected. Attend a Meetup of like-minded women or get involved in an online discussion. Also a good hard workout!
Ruth Stroup I clear my desk.. but dancing around the office sounds so much better. Chaka Khan, Chaka Kahn.. I feel for you….
Angie Walker Griffin Listen to Lincoln Brewster songs (This is the day and Everlasting God).
Johanna Nilsson Movement for me is key. Love dance. However, Rusty Wells yoga at @urbanflow is unbeatable. Not enough words. Makes magic.
Savor the Success Movement is so important when you feel stuck… physical movement! I was feeling down the other day because all my employees were sick and I had to keep the ship moving. I decided to cook, go to a family spa… all physical movement that was healing! Love your answers, ladies. –AJK
Now – I need to say a couple of more words about that. I know yoga is not for everyone. Vinyasa Flow yoga is now for everyone. But if it is, and you don’t try it out, you miss out of a great great gift. It is Rusty Wells and the Urban Flow Yoga team I am taking about. And here are the details:
Yesterday I shared on facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter about a great tool that I have come across, which has been key in serving my social media marketing clients in an efficient way. The message was: “Awesome automated Twitter tool for getting 1000’s Twitter Followers & Customers quickly http://om.ly/rTwe ”
Today a comment on a LinkedIn discussion was: “Why would anyone want “an automated Twitter tool”? Seriously. Why?”
This was my response:
If you have a wish to connect with Twitter users with a certain profile (for example health coaches), or Twitter users tweeting about a certain topic (for example health issues), people who you would like to share your knowledge with – then an automated Twitter tool could be a very efficient way of connecting with them. Instead of getting recommendations or finding individuals one by one, you can make a search and start follow a number of them with one click. Similarly, you can make a search and find whom of them are close to your area, or located in the city where you will be for a presentation etc.
I for example will help promote a devise that will alleviate colic for babies. Help that is not available in the US today. If I can make a search and “automatically” follow those moms who has tweeted about that issue with their babies, and send a DM to those who choose to follow me (or the brand) back, that would be a very quick way of reaching out to someone who has that need.
Twitter today has $100M users. For most of them it is probably a very time consuming tool to use. For others it is a great way to find clients. This is the tool I am using to automate following for my clients: http://om.ly/rTwe , and I would be happy to provide you training on how to use it. Or – do it for you, should you choose to spend your time differently and still have the results.
The Swedish language got 30 new words last year 2009, of which 10% relates to vacation… maybe not surprising in a country where the employees are entitled to a minimum of five-weeks paid vacation, usually taken 4 weeks in a row, during the month of July. Right – six or seven weeks is not unusual. You can get your one week ski-trip in too. No worries. And a couple of weeks to Thailand during the holidays to escape the cold darkness.
The word for vacation in Swedish is “semester”. The new words were:
“hemester” (home-ation or staycation), when you spend your vacation at the home location,
“svemester” (USation), vacation spent in Sweden (or US), and
“frimester” (freecation), vacation completely free and disconnected from work via mail, cellphone etc.
I on the on the other hand got what I asked for, “to be flexible in terms of where I work and be able to spend more time in Sweden”. Doing my best to squeeze in a little vacation too. Speaking with a fellow coach while in Sweden, she said “in America we call that workation“. I am not surpriced.
My experience, workation during a start-up phase in Sweden during the summer, is a recipe for burning the candle in two ends. It is easy to work from there, where ever and when ever. Computer, comviq surf and skype – that’s all I need. Great opportunity to get new clients in Social Media Marketing. There is also so much to catch up on with home, friends and family. The fact that the sun almost never goes down, and up very early, makes you believe that there is so much more time at hand… “It is possible to do it all”.
So the goal for next year is to E-Myth (by @michaelegerber) the business and also having a vacation – why not a Freecation. That should be possible. Maybe not 4 weeks in a row – but one. To start with. If you don’t ask for it, you won’t get it. A little bit of action needed too, to make it happen.
Are you getting what you need to charge your batteries during vacation?
Make sure you do. It not only benefits you, it also benefits everyone around you.
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