Just sayin’ – or singing… “Stockholm, Stockholm stad i världen” by Pugh Rogerfeldt
Stockholm, Stockholm, city in the world
Stockholm, Stockholm, the world’s city
Stockholm, Stockholm, great it is
Stockholm, Stockholm, makes me happy.
Have you planned your visit yet? Mmmmmmm, so beautiful.
You’re invited!
Johanna
As I was walking home from the cafe, thinking of the project I had been working on, my train of thoughts relating to lead generation and lead conversion online were suddenly interrupted by painted flowers on the path way.
Unexpectedly they appeared and once they caught my attention, I wanted to know where they lead. Such a great example of a physical hyperlink offline. They spoke to me: “Click here”. “Step here”. “Come, you’re invited”. The flowers led to the entrance with the “Welcome” doormat of the Irish bakery down the block where I live(d).
I am not too sure if the owner actually was aware of how brilliant it was. How would he know, unless people told him, or if he asked? That is the beauty of online hyperlinks and marketing: if you use a proper system you will be able to know exactly which link your customer clicked on before he or she entered your store, from where they came, what time, also in best case what nationality, age and gender, did you buy something, what did you buy and did you share it with or recommend it to others? That can give you knowledge to really drive your business.
Those flowers on the sidewalk by the Irish bakery have made me walk in there more than once. And I’m sure I was not the only one. Last Thursday, I went there twice. And walked away empty handed both times. Two deliveries and sold out within the hour! The flowers were washed away – I guess Saint Patrick’s Day was the contributing factor that day… and I am sure: had the flowers not been there, many clients had not noticed the place to the same extent.
When preparing for my temporary move to Sweden the same day, I came across an old Irish poem called Take Time in one of my books. I think it is well worth sharing:
Take time to WORK … It is the price of success.
Take time to THINK … It is the source of power.
Take time to LAUGH … It is the music of the soul.
Take time to READ … It is the foundation of wisdom.
Take time to DO CHARITY … It is the key to heaven.
Take time to PRAY … It is the greatest power on earth.
Take time to PLAY … It is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to be FRIENDLY … It is the road to happiness.
Take time to DREAM … It is like hitching your wagon to a star.
Take time to LOVE and BE LOVED … It is a God-given privilege.
You are invited.
Be loved,
Johanna
DON'T GIVE UP!
Coming back from NYC this time I had one new thing to unpack: a package of magnets with the look of iPhone apps. Hm. As I put them up on my fridge, I was thinking – I guess it’s official: I am an apple nurd! Or fan, to choose a more flattering word.
My fridge has a number of photos of family and friends, and a few motivating cards and statements etc. The one card that draw my attention, that got surrounded by iPhone apps, had the message “DON’T GIVE UP!”. They had one thing in common. This very card I got when visiting a friend in London, the summer before starting my business studies at Stockholm School of Economics. I was spending a whole day in the city – shopping – and came home with one thing: this card. Summer of 1995. Since then I have moved more times than number of years that have passed, and it is still with me…
So now it sits on my fridge, surrounded by a reminder of my original business idea of Herringbone. The software – and app – that will support and inspire stories of change and positive impact. Maybe, if the idea still holds, I will get there one day. But there are many roads to Rome.
The main software I use today to get voices heard for positive change is another one. Objective Marketer, the social media marketing campaign manager. The core reason why I am doing what I do is still the same. It’s not about marketing. It’s creating a positive impact by using social media to reach out with your story or offering, making yourself accessible and provide others with something valuable for them to gain from, because they choose to listen. And at the same time reach those who express that they want what you have to offer, because social media can help you find them. Real time. Globally. Or locally. And create a social media community landscape of likeminded where demand and supply meet. I think that is a beautiful way to serve the world.
Now – what is your story? What is your dream to create? And is something holding you back?
A friend of mine shared the video in this link from Harvard Business Publishing on this topic: What is holding yourself back? with special focus on leaders and entrepreneurs. Maybe that will give a kick in the right direction.
Enjoy,
Johanna
1.11.11 Begin Again. If you would write a new chapter in your life…
Herringbone path
THERE’S A HOLE IN MY SIDEWALK – Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
By Portia NelsonChapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it. I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there. I still fall in. It’s a habit.
My eyes are open. I know where I am.
It is my fault. I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
…. what would be the different path you would take this year? This quarter? This month? This Week? Today? Starting now? Just do it. Try it. What’s the worst that can happen? Or the best…? 😉
Enjoy,
Johanna
Happy New Year.
That was the status update on facebook that I powered to make after a very long day, and a fun celebration in the evening counting in the new year with a dear old friend and many new.
But really – Happy New Year! [UMPF!] With other words: to read with power, energy and excitement. I can’t wait for 2011 to unfold. How about you?
I had a conversation with the gentleman next to me at the New Years eve dinner table about intention for the year. Or statements. For example: his girlfriends statement was was “Enjoy” in 2010. His was “Gilla läget” – e.g. as a consultant, whatever the clients situation was: like the situation. Mine the last two years has been “Freedom of creation”.
Now: what about 2011? For my neighbor, we talked about singing. As a fun part of the evening’s program they had listed a statement per guest and the names separately, so that you could make guesses and figuring out who is who. My neighbor was “the best piano bar player in the room”. Did you sing too? I asked. “No, who would want to listen to me? I am not schooled enough”. The guy had a great authentic and personal voice – that is what people want to hear. Start singing – show you! [Gosh! It’s so easy to push others!]
So the search for 2011 intention/stake for him was around singing. I was looking for an expression – what is it we say…? Sing with full lungs? Sing with your heart. Sing from the belly? There is something else that is an expression with umpf. It didn’t come to me at the time – but this is what we say in Swedish: Sing for full cups! (sjung for fulla muggar!). How come I didn’t remember that one??? It really means sing with full speed, with all the power you have. No holding back.
What is your intention for 2011? What is your stake that you can hold on to, whatever you do? Really. Share it in the comments! Inspire others.
I like my old intention. If I would add a little umpf to it I would say Freedom of creation – with impact. This year – can’t wait for it to unfold. One day at a time.
Happy New Year dear reader!
Johanna
Halo Phenomenon Dec 1 2010, Tullinge Sweden (LennartWennberg.wordpress.com)
Today my father would have turned 75. This very morning I get an email from a man – fellow blogger, Lennart Wennberg – from the suburb Tullinge where I grew up in Sweden. He had found me because I used the same tag #Tullinge in a previous blogpost and wanted to share a photo his son had taken from there. A circle of light – beautiful. Isn’t our nature pretty amazing!?
This is for you Dad – Happy Birthday!
Thank you Lennart for sharing the beauty!
Grateful,
Johanna
Grateful and inspired.
The thanksgiving class by Rusty Wells and assisting team at Urban Flow Yoga was out of this world. Grateful.
The presentation software Prezi that will kick powerpoint and keynote out of this world. Inspired.
Now – the first thing I have done for a few years. The last one for 2 hours. Inspired by Tom Shadyac and Jan Troell, I decided to film it.
With a handheld camera. [iPhone]. Combining the two. Sort of. Here it is:
And yes – music by Rusty Wells: “Govinda Adi Purusam”, album Bhaktify my Love.
And – if you are as lucky as I was when having tested the film, a short documentary about Urban Flow Yoga by Rusty came up. In case not – I have included it below.
Enjoy,
Johanna
And did you notice? The winter season is here! Snowflakes falling on the site. Don’t you love seasons?
Bonus!! This is the official Urban Flow Thanksgiving Video
Have you ever gotten a Love Shower? It is a pretty nice experience. I guess you could give it different names. Appreciation Shower. Acknowledgement Shower. You can do it one-on-one, or in group. Privately or publicly. You can do it in different occasions. Situations I have seen it in are:
It is like the absolute feel good movie Validation (do you remember – did you see it?) – but more focused and concentrated and times 10. Or times 100.
Imagine sitting in a circle with 10 people who you know to a more or less extent. Your task is to sit quietly and receive while looking into the eyes of the person who speaks. The others task is to one by one express what they love and appreciate about you. The strengths they see. How you have contributed. How you impact them. The gifts you have.
It can be extremely powerful. It can be quite surprising. They can call on things you were absolutely not aware of. They can call on things that are totally contradictory to your own inner critic. (Inner gremlins in life coach terms). It can make a positive mark for life that you can forever lean on.
Imagine standing in a circle of 100 students with whom you have participated in a global international conference. Your task is to write on three different pieces of paper a message to three different people, fold it and walk over and give it to them, so that they can bring with them home to their country as a memorable takeaway.
You can make a friend for life. Maybe someone feels like they have a friend for life.
I can give many more examples. Bottom line: you touch people deeply. You make people feel good. Appreciate themselves more. Be more aware of their strengths and their impact.
What if you, or we, do that more often. What if we by doing that shift a “bottom low” situation to “raise to the top”. Maybe leaving on a high.
Bring this ritual to that set of situations:
What if you would leave something that could be very sad and heavy, with a high head and warm heart, knowing that this past epoch had many valuable memories, made a difference to someone or something and you were part of it. And it is something you can bring with you and do again.
What if the mandatory SOX procedure in HR for all companies was to have a Team Power Shower annually in addition to the occasion of anyone leaving, for any reason.
I think I just came up with another business idea. I know – it sounds a little flower power and out there. But I live in California after all. And why do we do these things? Because we can. And because it has great impact.
Who are you going to give a loving power shower next?
I would like to end with the expression that Tim Nichols at the Hub Soma (where change to to work) uses in the member distributed emails:
Of everyone who read this, I like you the best.
With love,
Johanna
Today is a special day. A special friend of mine is having his birthday. He is very smart, ambitious, intellectual, generous, considerate, respectful, loving and… humoristic. Maybe I should also say practical.
When there is a birthday, or an important occasion happy or sad, he always remembers to deliver an appropriate message. When his best friend had become dad for the first time, he sent a very generous gift: diaper supply for a full year. (That is the story at least what I heard). What he didn’t expect was that up to this date today, whenever a diaper needs to be changed, they think of him.
All marketing is good marketing… no?
I came to think of this story when I read the Toilet Paper Entrepreneurs blog post this morning: Short Entrepreneur Stories: Why Did You Decide To Start Your Business?
Who would imagine creating a movement out of diapers? Check #35 in the blog post or check this Diaper Dude Website out. 
I also like what the grandpa of Linda (#5) had said “You go through life planning for the future. Then, one day you realize you’re living your future and there’s no sense in planning any more”. What ever you are planning for – Diaper Dude business, or something else – how about making that shift today? Really. What are you waiting for? What if it was easy?
I have 3 more things to say relating to this:
1) What if you are the one wearing the diapers!? Meaning – you have gotten the gift of starting all over. Draw on your resources, do what you need to do, to find a way to identify and create what really moves you and have a good impact on your environment.
2) Special Opportunity: Spark Your Fire and Fuel the Dream – spend Dec 9-11 in Carlsbad and ignite a lifetime of entrepreneurship with Michael E. Gerber. If you want to attend this, and don’t know how – contact me, and let’s talk.
3) Happy Birthday original “Diaper Dude”, Mr Creator and Deal Maker Vikram Lamba! I know that you have sparked more than one movement so far!
Now to you dear reader: Which movement are you about to create? Or join? Or create value added to?
I am just saying… enjoy the process!
Johanna
Maybe I should add – starting from scratch and creating from nothing can be a huge challenge. I am not undermining that. However – the perspective of “What if it was easy?” can definitely open up to a whole lot of ideas, opportunities and short cuts to making it happen. Just give that perspective a try.
The last nugget from the rocking-out-of-this-world yoga class with Rusty Wells earlier this week was when we were laying on the right side after Savasana (dead mans pose) at the end of the class, instructed to reach high up with our left arm and easily pull down something precious that we for any reason earlier in life had removed from our heart, and bring it back down and put it back in place.
This something precious could be love for someone who had hurt us, or made us insecure or unsure… Maybe this special someone is truly sent on a secret mission from God – (s)he just don’t know it yet, and maybe just need some extra love.
Read this slowly again. And maybe also follow the instructions – reach for something way up, and bring it back to your heart. Think of someone in your life who this would apply to. How could you reach out to him or her, and maybe extend some special care. A touch of love. Let them know they matter.
I know – it can be difficult. But imagine the impact. Imagine the impact of this yoga class let alone. The room was PACKED. It wouldn’t surprise me if we were 150 people in the room. Everyone had given himself or herself the gift of being there – with the result of feeling filled with energy, love and gratitude. Feeling alive and renewed in every cell after a challenging class. Imagine the ripple effect when each and one of them went home and acted on that message. Even if they didn’t, even if they just took the message to heart and found piece with themselves – that will show and rub off.
Coincident or not – I had had a conversation with a friend the day before who shared when he had come home from work after a bad day being in a very bad mood, and his girlfriend had approached him with a big hug expressing how “courageous” she thought he was. Immediately he felt better, and then asked “where did you get that from”? With a guilty expression she had said “Dr. Phil” – and he felt totally cheated. With a smile. Cause it worked!
Rusty Wells ended the class with an invitation to a workshop at the studio tomorrow Sunday November 14 on Bhakti and Transformational Heart-Based Healing, led by Dr Dan. According to Rusty, “better than Dr. Phil”. 😉
Spreading the L<3VE,
Johanna
Are we maybe all on a secret mission sent from God?
And by the way – when we talk about God, it is always God of our own understanding. What ever that is. Even my dear dad, who resigned from church in Sweden, would have had a tear in his eye and resonate with this.
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