News

It's been a very busy time here at Valerie Central. If you haven't been following what's happening on Twitter, then the summary is:

• We survived our office move
• We won the 2010 NSW Telstra Business Awards Micro-business of the Year
• I'm still in love with my furry babies

It's almost coming up to the five year mark since I started the Sydney Writers' Centre and it's been a road that's been filled with ups, downs, successes, mistakes, stresses, immense satisfaction and, sometimes, not a great deal of sleep. However, every single step of that journey has been worth it.

A lot of people ask me what I think is important to create a successful business and career. Of course, there are the usual things, which are obvious, such as:

• Documented systems: If you don't have these, you won't last long
• Regular marketing: Your business could be the best in the world but who cares if no one knows about it?
• A great team: It's vital to nurture the right people in the right roles

However, I think there are a few other less tangible elements that are also essential. And this applies whether you are building a business or your career. They are:


Generosity
When it comes to your customers, over-deliver. When it comes to people who aren't even paying you, you should still be generous with your advice. Now I don't mean you should give away everything for free, but be generous with helping people. I know some people who refuse to do this on principle, they believe that they should be paid what they are worth and that they should not give anything away for free. Well, of course you should be paid what you are worth, but being generous is always going to achieve more for you in the long run than rationing out your advice only to those people who will pay.

I've realised that when you are generous with your advice and help, this also gives people a taste of your expertise. They appreciate your help and the word-of-mouth ripple effect about you and your business is priceless.


Word of mouth
This brings me to the power of word-of-mouth. I recently spoke to a business owner who wanted my advice on growing her business. One of the key factors I emphasised was the power of word-of-mouth. I'm constantly amazed at how small the world is. Even in Sydney, a city of more than four million people, the connections people have - particularly now with social media - means that messages and opinions about yourself and your business can spread to hundreds, if not thousands, of people at the click of mouse.

This has pros and cons. If people have a great experience with you or your business, this message gets passed on to their community or social network. If they have a bad experience, the same is also true. No longer can you hope that a bad experience will stay between just you and the other person.

The business owner I was speaking to was finding it difficult to get traction for her business. And one of the reasons I kept emphasising the power of word-of-mouth, was because five separate people had already told me about their negative dealings with her. She has such a great idea for a business but if she keeps burning bridges and p*ssing people off, it's not going to get her anywhere.

It's no longer a humble "grapevine". Social media has turned the act of spreading messages into a fully-fledged broadcast system that can make or break your business. Harness the power of this technology by being generous, treating your customers well and doing things that you are proud of.


A break from adrenalin
Now that we're in the fifth year of our business, we can look back and see that we've grown a lot. But I do also realise that there is so much more that's possible. I relish the idea of taking the Sydney Writers' Centre to the next level. I love the concept of helping people all over the English-speaking world to improve their written communication and achieve their writing goals. One of the reasons for this is that I truly believe that good communication can avoid heaps of misunderstandings and foster better relationships between individuals, governments and communities.

However, this certainly takes time and effort. It's exciting and daunting at the same time. But it's also addictive. When you are faced with a project that you are passionate about, you can run on the pump and excitement of adrenalin for a long time. But, like running a marathon, you can give it your all but collapse at the end. If you are fully spent, you won't achieve your goals. If you find yourself running on adrenalin too much, it's vital to pace yourself. That's a challenge I constantly face too. But you can pace yourself by planning, planning and planning. Don't try to achieve everything tomorrow. Lay out a strategic month-by-month plan to get you where you want to go. Then it's not a race, it's a journey where you actually have time to smell the roses and appreciate what you've done without killing yourself along the way.


Latest gadget: iPad
I'm loving my new iPad. I was so taken with it that I stayed up until 6am on the first night I got it! Of course, I had to get a Haul iPad sleeve (pictured here). Regular readers may remember that my little doggie Rambo starred in a charity calendar with Gus the Boxer, a cute boxer dog living in Melbourne. Well, Gus "lives" at Haul, a great streetwear label that makes products from recycled materials.


Valerie recommends: Online Magazine Writing
Would you like to see your articles published in magazines and newspapers? From 2 August, I will lead you on a 5-week journey in the online course, Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t written anything in your life!
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to approach editors (we’ll give you a step by step formula).
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right tools of a feature writer (they are simple – we’ll show you).
It doesn’t matter where you live (the same principles apply throughout the publishing industry).

I've had over 1,000 success stories from people who've gone through this course. (Yes, more than 1,000, I checked the other week!). Students who’ve completed this course have had their work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Life!, BRW, Notebook, The Sun-Herald, Australian Associated Press, Practical Parenting, Management Today, Australian Financial Review, City Weekly, Herald Sun, Home Beautiful and countless other magazines and newspapers... some before they have even completed the 5-week course. If you're interested, the course starts next week (2 August 2010) and you can find out more here.


Remember you can view this post or comment online here.

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I'm currently writing this sitting on a plane from Brisbane back to Sydney after speaking at the National Small Business Summit. It was a great event run by COSBOA (Council of Small Business Associations of Australia) and Kochie's Business Builders. This has been part of a hectic week where I also facilitated a seminar on "How to build your dream team of business advisors" for the Let's Talk Business series held by the City of Sydney.

Last week, I was also a panellist at the launch of "Winning Business Online", launched by the Federal Minister for Small Business Craig Emerson, where the Sydney Writers' Centre features as one of the video case studies on how to use online strategies to build your business.

You can check out the video here.

Get paid to promote your business
Presentations and speaking gigs are not only an excellent additional revenue stream, they are also ideal channels to promote your business. But how do you get them? How do you get people to pay you to speak about a topic you love? In a sense, they are actually paying you to promote your business. What a great situation to be in!

Well, you can be a top expert in your area – but if no one knows about it, that doesn’t matter. One of the most effective and efficient ways to showcase what you do is to build your profile online. It costs nothing – or next to nothing – and it’s quick to distribute your message.

I must admit, when I first started to experiment with online strategies to showcase my expertise and build the profile of the Sydney Writers’ Centre,
I didn’t know whether it would work. But I can unequivocally say that this
has been the key strategy for our success.


I’ll tell you a secret
In fact, I discovered the power and reach of online video and marketing by accident. I’ll tell you a secret. Regular readers will know that I love my furry babies – cats Rex and Rocky, and my little dog Rambo.

Rex was the first one to enter my life four and a half years ago. I was so madly in love with him that I used to take little videos, just like any obsessed parent. But, I confess, I secretly wanted Rex to be a star. (Rex’s mother is on a Hallmark card, his sister is on the Aldi cat food tins, and Rocky’s aunty is the Fancy Feast kitty. I wanted Rex to follow in their footsteps.) So, being a true stage mother, I decided to manage his career by making videos and posting them on Youtube.

Now you have to understand that these weren’t silly little videos of Rex playing with a ball of string or hiding in boxes. I figured I needed Rex to stand out from the crowd. So we made videos of Rex against the background of (real) world news. (What can I say? I’m a journalist.)


It was simple – try it
All this was edited on my little laptop using free software (either Windows Movie Maker or Apple’s imovie) and uploaded free to Youtube. We (Rex and I, of course) started a Rex blog and Flickr account. Meanwhile, my friends would alternately tell me that I was either:
(a) nuts
(b) had too much time on my hands.

While both may have been a little bit true, the reality was that it didn’t take long before this little cat was getting emails from people all around the world – I kid you not. They were engaging with him on his blog, leaving comments on his Flickr photos, and I knew something was really taking hold when I was in a pub and saw someone show their friend Rex’s blog through their mobile phone browser. True story.

I figured if this can happen by spending a little time tapping away at my laptop on a Saturday afternoon, imagine what could happen if I put some effort into promoting a real business and human beings!


Build your online profile
That’s when I started to embrace the power of building a profile online. So my efforts turned away from helping Rex with his online presence (yes, he’s a bit dirty about it but there are only so many hours in a day) and towards building the online presence of the Sydney Writers’ Centre and myself.

Without a doubt, this has contributed to the growth of the business, additional revenue channels, paid speaking opportunities and more.

In fact here is another example. It’s a video, currently on Youtube, but which I saw on the big screen yesterday when I went to the Dell booth at the National Small Business Summit. I came face to face with ... myself! This is a video made by Dell about how I use the Dell Latitude Z, the very computer I’m
typing this message on while sitting on the plane.


If you can’t see the video embedded above, you can view it here:


How you can do it
If you are a speaker, trainer, coach, author, wannabe author or business owner, you’re nuts if you don’t take advantage of the simple online tools that can help you build your profile.

As literary agent Nathan Bransford said ‘Every writer [and speaker, trainer, coach] should have some sort of Googlable web presence so that when someone sees your work or hears about you they have a way to contact you.’

Our 5-week course – run by the online savvy Tristan Bancks – could be just what you need to get you started.

What: Build your online profile
When: Mondays starting Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

I'm writing this from the National Small Business Summit, being held in Brisbane today. Run by COSBOA and Kochie's Business Builders, it's been a full day of panels and discussion for small business owners. I was on a panel talking about marketing and social media this morning, alongside other panellists including Richard Binhammer, head of social media at Dell.

During the morning tea break, I wandered into the exhibition hall to the Dell stand and came face to face with ... myself! Dell have made a video on how I use the Dell Latitude Z, the very computer I'm blogging from at the moment while here at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

If you're interested, here it is - and if you look carefully, you'll see that my little doggie Rambo has a cameo role ... maybe in the next video, my cats will be the stars (I'm not a stage mother, no, not really).

It’s been a massive week of changes in the world of business and politics – and even our office. In fact, there have been so many changes and events in the past week that my head is still spinning. Of course, the most significant is that Julia Gillard has become our first ever female Prime Minister, which is a major cause for celebration.


Telstra Business Awards finalists
In our office, we’re also celebrating this week because we received the news that the Sydney Writers’ Centre has been announced as a finalist in the NSW Telstra Business Awards. Whether or not we win, we are thrilled to have made it to the finals.

As a result, I’m in a really good mood. So I’m sharing some cool offers with you – exclusive to readers of this Business Bootcamp newsletter. Keep reading to find out!


New office
Amidst that excitement, we’ve signed a lease on new office premises for the Sydney Writers’ Centre (I’m so thrilled about our new view, pictured) so I’ve been busy trying to manage phone, internet and electricity connections – all while working right on deadline for the next issue of Latte magazine. Busy!

Just to make it that bit more challenging, I’m doing all this from another state. That’s right. This newsletter is coming to you from the green pastures of the Yarra Valley in Victoria. Which means that, last week, I packed my two cats and one dog into the backseat of my car (all legally harnessed in of course) and drove the 900kms from Sydney to Melbourne.

Tip of the day: When transporting three furry animals, a two-door car is not
the ideal choice.


Multi-tasking on steroids
Anyhow while wrangling my pets (mildly successful), convincing them not to poo in the car (completely unsuccessful) and trying to find Optus coverage along the way (only occasionally successful), I also had to select office furniture for our new premises. (I couldn’t have done it without the help of interior architect-turned-professional-organiser @lessmess – thanks!)

And, apparently, 53 different items of furniture arrived at our new office today. So hopefully, they’re all the right ones!

But enough about my crazy life. I thought I’d let you know about some great events that are coming up which you might be interested in. As you know, I’m a big advocate of online marketing and brand building. In fact, if you're serious about your business and career, you will definitely be behind the
eight ball if you are not building an online presence. I honestly believe that
we are nearly at a period where if you’re not online, you’re going to be invisible.

So here are 3 events that you might find useful.


Build your online profile – 5-week course
This 5-week course is being held at the Sydney Writers’ Centre and presented by the very talented Tristan Bancks. Tristan has successfully embraced multiple online channels to build his profile as an author as well as creating publicity and awareness for his successful young adult books, most notably the Mac Slater Cool Hunter series. You can apply the same principles whether you are an author, coach, speaker or business owner.

When I first spoke to Tristan about smart ways to build an online presence, I knew instantly “This guy gets it”. So I’m so pleased that he is presenting this valuable course. You’ll walk away with a clear framework on what you need to do to build your online profile.

What: Build your online profile
When: Mondays starting Monday 19 July 2010 for five weeks
Time: 6.30 – 8.30pm

Click here for more information or to enrol online.

The usual price for this course if $395. But I’m offering a special “We have our first female Prime Minister celebratory price” of $345 if you enrol before midnight, Wednesday 30 June. That way, you are also able to claim a deduction in this financial year!

Just use the PROMO CODE BYOP100630 when you book online here.


Let’s Talk Business – in Sydney
Last week, I had a great time at Customs House MC-ing the first in the series of Let’s Talk Business seminars run by the City of Sydney. I’ll be MC-ing all four seminars in the series in the coming months. The next one is coming up.

What: Your Business Advisory Dream Team
When: Tuesday 6 July, 6pm – 8.30pm
Expect: Drinks, yummy canapés, great networking and a panel of dynamic speakers who can help you work out how in the world you find the right accountant, business coach, mentor, lawyer and so on – the very people who are going to help you take your business to the next level.

Tickets: $50 and you can book here.

If you’re there, make sure come and say hi.

But wait, there’s more (I hope you read that an authentic infomercial-voiceover-style). As a very special “Hooray, we’re finalists in the NSW Telstra Business Awards” I have 2 free tickets to give away. All you have to do is tell me who your best business advisor is in 25 words or fewer in a return email – and let me know if you would like one or two tickets. Please reply before Tuesday 29 June in order to be considered. We’ll email winners the next day.


See you at the National Small Business Summit in Brisbane
I’m also planning my trip to Brisbane for the upcoming National Small Business Summit in association with Sunrises’ Daivd Koch and his team from Kochie’s Business Builders. I think these events are great for entrepreneurs, not just for the learning and networking – but there is something about the energy of these conferences that can really get you motivated and re-energised about your business.

When: It’s on Thursday 8 July 2010
What: I’ll be speaking on the panel discussing “Red hot sales, marketing and social media strategies”. So, again, if you’re going, drop me a line and say hi.

You can see the full agenda here: www.nsbs.com.au


And the drive back …
Anyhow, by the time you open this email, I will have probably packed up my furry brood and harnessed them into the car again for the drive back to Sydney. I figured that while I managed to connect the phone and internet to our new office while working remotely, those 53 items of furniture aren’t going to arrange themselves!

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This short-term contract came across my desk so I thought I'd post it here in case you are interested. The contact details are in the information below. Please don't contact me for further information as I won't know any more than what is in this blurb. Good luck!

The National Rural Women’s Coalition & Network (NRWCN) is looking to employ on a short term contract, a consultant to commence developing the NRWCN’s new national network.
Key tasks will be the development of
·         social media strategy,
·         brand awareness,
·         virtual networks including development of an online community and
·          information portal for women in rural regional and remote Australia
and working with existing state networks to complement the work they do.
Location: Flexible
 
About the organisation:

 The National Rural Women’s Coalition & Network Inc is a collaborative national voice for over 250,000 women living in rural, regional and remote Australia. Established in 2002, we seek to ensure better social and economic outcomes for women in our rural townships and on farms.The NRWCN has recently been confirmed as one of the successful six tenderers to operate one of the new national women’s Alliances funded by the Federal Government through the Office for Women. The NRWCN will continue its traditional work under the new contract but now in a broader context. We will be expanding to establish a National Rural Women’s Network targeting individual women, more younger women, indigenous women, women from non English speaking backgrounds and non aligned women

Job title: Social Network Developer
Job base location: Flexible
Reporting line: Executive Officer to Chair and Executive
Responsibilities:
o    Development of a social media strategy, working with stakeholders to ensure its effectiveness and encouraging adoption of relevant social media techniques into the corporate culture
o    Develop social media campaigns including online advocacy, writing editorial, community-outreach efforts, promotions, etc.
o    Maintain and further develop the organisation’s website
o    Manage presence in social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, and other similar community sites, posting on relevant blogs, and seeding content into social applications as needed
o    Manage and build an active network to spread the word about the organisation
o    Develop effective benchmarks for measuring the impact of social media programs
o    Monitor trends in social media tools, trends and applications
o    Develop a Blogger outreach program and manage online forums to enable community members to become involved and have a voice around rural issues.
 
Ideal candidate profile –  The person who undertakes this contract should have:
o    Public relations, Marketing, Sales, Community Management experience.
o Understanding of rural, regional and remote Australia and its issues
o    Strong project management or organisational skills
o    In-depth knowledge and understanding of social media platforms and their respective participants (Facebook, Digg, Youtube, Twitter, Flickr etc.) and how they can be deployed in different scenarios
o    Knowledge of blogging ecosystem relevant to the organisation’s field
o    Ability to effectively communicate information and ideas in written and verbal format, and build and maintain relationships
o    Team player, with the confidence to take the lead and guide others  when necessary
o    Good technical understanding and can pick up new tools quickly
o    Have a good knowledge of principles of Social networking platforms and theory
o    Experience working with volunteers
 
Remuneration: A suitable fee will be negotiated
Recruitment Process
Stage 1. Expressions of Interest.               Closing Date 5.00 pm 18th  June 2010
Stage 2. Evaluation of applications.         Complete by 22nd  June 2010
Stage 3 Shortlisted applicants invited for video Interview  24th   June 2010
Stage 4 Offer made by 25th  June 2010
Stage 5 Commencement by early July 2010

Original link here.

I haven't seen Sex and the City 2 yet. But I know that when I do, I'll not only be watching Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte talk about their relationships (and the super gorgeous Aiden re-surfacing in Carrie's life), I'll also be faced with a parade of brands that have worked hard to become associated with the movie.
 
I'm talking about the likes of shoe designer Christian Louboutin, fashion legend Halston and even technology company HP. The same goes for most movies these days. I went to see Iron Man 2 this week and couldn't help but notice the strategically placed inclusions of Audi (Iron Man's car), Oracle (lots of signage) and Jaeger (Iron Man's dress watch).

Of course, these brands seek out opportunities to become involved with franchises that they perceive to be hip or cool or popular, or whatever positive characteristic it is they want to emulate. It's the same concept as hanging out with the cool kids at school. You think that some of their coolness is going to rub off and that other people will think you're cool by association.

In fact, it's a strategy that's adopted by many entrepreneurs and career climbers. You've heard the advice from career books and self-help tomes:

"Hang out with people you want to be like."
"Dress like your boss – or at least in a way that your boss would approve/admire."
"You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with."

I do agree with some of the above ideas, but they should come with a warning. Associating with people or organisations just because they seem stylish/successful/smart/whatever isn't going to automatically make you stylish/successful/smart. If you don't acquire the qualities that you admire in those people or organisations in a hurry, it won't be long before others will see through your ruse. So what should you do?


Make sure you're hanging out with the right people
Remember that all that glitters is not gold. So make sure you are clear on who you are looking to as role models. After all, I'm sure you know many cool kids at school who did not turn out to be cool or successful at all later in life. So you need to clearly focus on why you find an organisation or individual appealing. Look beyond the surface and see if they are truly living a life that you admire.


Study how they got there
I don't mean shadowing them to the point where you're exhibiting stalker behaviour. But learn from them – be active about it. Figure out the steps they took to get to where they are today. It might seem like success comes so easily to them and they might appear like they are super smart or savvy
about issues that you want to master. But this may have been the result of
thousands of hours of hard work or learning. Find out what it took to get
them where they are today, decide whether you're willing to do the same
or equivalent, then ... just do it.

If you don't put in the hard yards, then your "style/success/smarts by
association" is only going to go so far. However, you CAN take a
shortcut – that is, you can skip the trial-and-error by getting advice
directly from the person who possesses the success you're striving for.


Share your knowledge and be generous
It's all about karma isn't it? You give some and you take some. If you're going to benefit from someone else's experience, if you're hoping that some of their success is going to "rub off" on you, then you should also pass it on to others. When you get selfish about this kind of thing, that's when it will start to unravel. Give generously – and the benefits will come back to you tenfold.

So what does that mean? Be generous with your advice, sharing your experience and helping people in the same way that you've been helped. That doesn't mean that you let people take advantage of you or that people should expect you to give away your services for free. It means having a generosity of spirit that is not only appreciated, it's reciprocated – and rewarded in unexpected ways.


Be authentic
This is about being yourself. I feel sad when I see people attempt the "style/success/smarts by association" approach and then promptly turn themselves into clones of the people they are trying to emulate. You should definitely learn from these people but have the confidence to stamp your own mark in the world. Be true to your values, your tastes and beliefs. People will respect you more and, most importantly, you'll respect yourself.

Ultimately, when you are determining the "product placement" strategy with your own brand, do your due diligence on who you want to be associated with. And be strategic, subtle – and real.

---

Valerie recommends: Online Magazine Writing
Would you like to see your articles published in magazines and newspapers? From 7 June, I will lead you on a 5-week journey in the online course, Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t written anything in your life!
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to approach editors (we’ll give you a step by step formula).
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right tools of a feature writer (they are simple – we’ll show you).
It doesn’t matter where you live (the same principles apply throughout the publishing industry).

I've had over 1,000 success stories from people who've gone through this course. (Yes, more than 1,000, I checked the other week!). Students who’ve completed this course have had their work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Life!, BRW, Notebook, The Sun-Herald, Australian Associated Press, Practical Parenting, Management Today, Australian Financial Review, City Weekly, Herald Sun, Home Beautiful and countless other magazines and newspapers... some before they have even completed the 5-week course. If you're interested, the course starts next week (7 June 2010) and you can find out more here.


Remember you can view this post or comment online here.

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I'm finally home after a couple of weeks in Bali then Singapore. And, as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz says when she clicks her red shoes together: "There's no place like home." Although my trip was hectic and busy, it certainly didn't compare to the journey made by soon-to-be-17-year-old Jessica Watson, who sailed into Sydney Harbour on the weekend to a hero's welcome after sailing solo around the world.

Now, I'll be the first to admit that I think the media has gone a bit over the top about young Jessica. (No, I'm not devaluing her wonderful achievement, I'm just sad that people who regularly save lives and alleviate suffering and poverty often don't get the recognition they deserve. But I digress ...)

However, I was very impressed by the young, articulate Jessica when she spoke after the Prime Minister called her "Australia's newest hero". Jessica said she disagreed with the Prime Minister, adding: "I don't consider myself a hero. I'm an ordinary girl who believes in a dream. You don't have to be anyone special to achieve something amazing. You've just got to have a dream, believe in it and work hard.''

And therein lies the 3 key steps to success.

1. You've got to have a dream.
2. You've got to believe in it.
3. You've got to work hard.

I won't spend much time on talking about steps 1 and 2. That's because they're the easy part. It's not that difficult to do step 1: have a dream. Many of us dream about anything from travelling the world, to running a successful business to finding a solution to end hunger in third world countries. When it comes to step 2, many of us believe (intellectually) that our dream is possible, that it's achievable.

But where we often falter is step 3: You've got to work hard. That's the reality of life. No matter what the motivational gurus will help you believe, no matter how many times you watch "The Secret", the reality is that dreams don't just fall in your lap.


"The 10,000 hour rule"
In the best-selling book Outliers (great book, check it out if you can), Malcolm Gladwell claims that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. That's right, 10,000 hours. So if you're wondering why you're not yet at the top of your field – whether it's sport, music, medical science or business – consider whether you've spent 10,000 hours honing your craft.

Whether 10,000 hours is accurate is not really the point. But it's safe to say that Gladwell's point is that you need to be completely dedicated – almost obsessed – with your field if you hope to become an expert or world-class in it. You can be assured that Jessica Watson spent a hell of a lot of time on the water before she set off on her journey.

It sounds daunting doesn't it? 10,000 hours. Well, there is no way to sugar coat it. Too often, this sounds so daunting that we think our time would be better spent on finding a short cut. We look for a book that will reveal what we need to know in order for us to become experts. We search for mentors who we hope will impart their knowledge so that we can absorb, as if by osmosis, their experience and wisdom. We look for the course that's going to teach us everything we need to know.

The reality is that there is no short cut. Books, mentors, courses are all great. They play an important part in self-development. But they are no substitute for "just doing it". As Jessica says: "You've got to work hard." If you really have a big dream, then simply dreaming about it isn't going to cut it. You need to be doing something everyday – that's every day – if you really want to see your dream become reality.


"But I'm just not that sort of personality"
Ditch any excuses. I get cranky when people say: "But I'm just not like that." or "I don't have that confidence, so I can't do it." or "It's just not me." Oh for goodness sake, if a 16-year-old girl can sail around the world, you can achieve whatever it is that's on your list of dreams. You don't have to be special or rich or born into the right family. You just need to be an ordinary person with big dreams – and be willing to work hard to make that dream happen.

Which brings me to a challenge I'd like you to consider. We all have dreams, big and small. I challenge you to articulate a big dream, and go for it. While it can be nice to pick smaller, attainable goals (and they should be on your list too), there's nothing quite so energising as aspiring to greatness.

We – ordinary people like us – should all have the privilege of experiencing greatness. To witness feats of triumph. To be part of something magnificent. To exceed our own expectations. To be inspired, and to humbly inspire others.

I don't suggest that, as adults, we necessarily look to a 16-year-old like Jessica Watson to be a role model for ourselves. But we can certainly recognise and applaud her innocent and child-like view that absolutely anything is possible. It's an untainted view on what ordinary people can do. Untainted by self-limiting beliefs, hard knocks and the trials and tribulations of life. It's actually the way we should be looking at the world.


I'll leave you with this poem by Marianne Williamson.
An oldie but a goodie and one that's worth sticking up on your wall so that it can (hopefully) inspire you to greatness when you need it:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

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Valerie recommends: Online Magazine Writing
Would you like to see your articles published in magazines and newspapers? From 24 May, I will lead you on a 5-week journey in the online course, Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers.

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t written anything in your life!
It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to approach editors (we’ll give you a step by step formula).
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right tools of a feature writer (they are simple – we’ll show you).
It doesn’t matter where you live (the same principles apply throughout the publishing industry).

I've had over 1,000 success stories from people who've gone through this course. (Yes, more than 1,000, I checked the other week!). Students who’ve completed this course have had their work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Life!, BRW, Notebook, The Sun-Herald, Australian Associated Press, Practical Parenting, Management Today, Australian Financial Review, City Weekly, Herald Sun, Home Beautiful and countless other magazines and newspapers... some before they have even completed the 5-week course. If you're interested, the course starts next week (24 May 2010) and you can find out more here.


Remember you can view this post or comment online here.

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This week's newsletter comes to you from the tropical beaches of Bali. I'm thrilled to be here to do some preparation work for our writers' retreat here in October 2010. The Sydney Writers' Centre is taking 12 students on an amazing journey of "Writing for the Senses" and this year's retreat booked out about a month ago. So I'm busy scouting around for new ideas, possibly for an extended program in 2011.

I've had a fairly hectic schedule lately. But a funny thing happens when you get really busy. Because you're doing more, you're usually achieving more. So you can sometimes suffer from OBYAATI ... an "Over-enhanced belief in your ability to achieve the impossible".
 
I blame self-help books, motivational gurus and talented speech writers for OBYAATI. "You can do anything! Yes we can!" "Walk over hot coals! Yes we can!" "Change the world! Yes we can!" These books and motivational rallies can leave us imbued with a sense of empowerment that's addictive.
 
Don't get me wrong. I DO think that anything is possible. But this way of thinking sometimes needs to be tempered with a good dose of measured, but optimistic, reality. For example, I arrived in Bali yesterday. So about six days ago, I pulled out an Indonesian phrase book and figured that if I could squeeze some time in to study the language (I identified some spare minutes in my week during the commercials in Underbelly and Gossip Girl) I could be fluent, or at least possessing some conversational skills, by the time I landed. Didn't happen.


OBYAATI on steroids
Similarly, as I was so busy before leaving Sydney anyway, I figured that we could squeeze in filming a video about our new writing course, recording the audio of another writing course, washing and drying two loads of laundry, cooking a pork roast and negotiating a lease on new office premises all on the day before leaving the country. My brain thought: since we're on a roll, let's just fill the day even more. Surprisingly, thanks to OBYAATI and a fair dose of adrenalin, all these tasks were actually achieved – but unsurprisingly, I not only got on the plane feeling totally and utterly exhausted, I also felt and looked like crap. Not ideal. And still not fluent in Indonesian, dammit.
 
In fact, I was so tired I could barely even string a sentence together in English.
 
OBYAATI can do funny things to a person. I've seen this malaise affect other people and I look at them, shake my head and say under my breath: "Really, you gotta slow down or you're gonna have a heart attack." I realised this is the same tone my friend Luisa used on me when she said: "Try to relaaaaaax a bit when you're in Bali. Maybe only check your emails every SECOND day. At least take the weekend off."


It's an addiction
When you're building a business – one that you're passionate about – it can be easy to get caught up in it. Little wins can actually be addictive. They're like little shots in the arm that give you a temporary high. You score a client. Your product launch goes well. You forge a new business relationship. You find ideal premises. If your little wins happen often enough, you just want more. And more. But like any addiction, there is a down side if you don't manage it properly.
 
That down side is different for everyone. It might affect your health, your relationships, or, indeed, negatively impact the very business you are trying to build. The key (borrowing from the famous "safe driving" slogan) is to: "Stop. Revive. Survive." Because that's really the only way you're going to thrive.
 
It's sage advice that I sometimes forget – even though I preach it to others. When you do take it, you are invariably physically refreshed. But, more importantly, you've given your brain a chance to tap into your creativity. Instead of feeding the adrenalin junkie inside you, it's about giving yourself a chance to let your inner genius emerge. And the results may amaze you.
 
So will I be doing that in Bali? Ok, I'll be honest. I find it hard to fully STOP. But I'll certainly take Luisa's advice and limit my email activity. And I'll definitely take the weekend off. But maybe I should keep that phrase book handy. After all, who knows? In between all that time waiting for my inner genius to emerge, I might finally get fluent in Indonesian.

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Valerie recommends: Online Creative Writing
Do you want to unleash your creativity? Do you like story-telling and writing fiction? Do you dream of writing a novel one day?

The online course in Creative Writing will help you kick-start your creativity and give you the tools you need in order to make progress on your writing journey. You'll learn how to:

• kick-start the creative writing process
• tap into your imagination
• draw from everyday experiences and memories
• examine different types of creative writing
• give structure to your writing
• use characters and dialogue

If you're interested, the course starts the week starting Monday 3 May and you can find out more here.

Do you want to see the latest gadget that's going to feature in the upcoming film Sex and the City 2? And if you want a chance to win a trip to New York, enter this competition.

It's been "Lights, camera, action" as I've been involved with several days of filming this week. No, you won't be seeing me in any Oscar-winning films any time soon. Nor am I likely to become the next YouTube sensation.


Lights, camera, action
First, I filmed a video about how to take your business online with the talented crew from Pinstripe Media, who make Kochie's Business Builders. Then, Dell filmed a video, which is going to depict "A day in the life of Valerie Khoo". Yes, some people might wonder how a day in my life could be riveting viewing as it would be peppered with lots of images of me making goo-goo noises to my furry babies (Rex, Rocky and Rambo), rushing to meetings, recording podcasts, surfing the net and tapping furiously on my keyboard. Not to mention cleaning up dog pee when Rambo forgets where he's supposed to go.

Fortunately, the clever crew from Dell decided to spare viewers from any dog-pee-cleaning-up footage and hopefully you'll be left with a snapshot of what I do day-to-day. One of the reasons is to show how I use my Dell
Latitude Z.

As regular readers will know, this has been my laptop of choice since I got it a few months ago. Yes, I retired my Macbook and haven't regretted it (the only thing I miss is Garageband). I want to be completely transparent and say that I still do work in a cross-platform environment (our office has Macs and PCs) but I have agreed to be one of 9 global ambassadors for the Latitude Z.

I've previously posted some of my experiences with the Lat Z here and here.

Will that stop me from using other laptops or brands? Of course not. Will that mean I'll only say nice things about it? No, if something sucks, I'll say so. Am I loving the Lat Z? Yes.

Filming the video was fun although, I'll admit, I was bummed that my hairdresser was stuck in Europe due to the flight delays from the volcanic ash. So you rarely heard me utter a la Norma Desmond: "Mr De Mille, I'm ready for my close up". Instead, I was hoping the camera was far enough away not to notice the stray tresses or the little zit that decided to make an appearance on the very day of filming. (TIP: Benefit Boi-ing Concealer – gotta have it.)

It's those little things that can let insecurities creep in. Instead of focusing on the job at hand, you curse yourself for not booking Joh Bailey to style your hair months in advance and pray that your zit isn't going to go Vesuvius on you. When that happens, it's time to take a deep breath, refocus, and get some perspective!


Get inspired by the best
Last week, I had the pleasure of going to Wicked at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney. Regular readers will know that I'm a bit of a sucker for musicals. So it wasn't surprising that I left the theatre "Defying Gravity" trying to hit high notes in the car all the way home. It's an amazing privilege to witness such talent. And I highly recommend that you schedule time in your life to observe, watch or just hang out with people who are the best at what they do.

We all have it in us to be amazing. But sometimes we need someone else to inspire us to tap into our own potential. Or we need someone else – someone who has made it – to show us the way they got there in order for us to create our own unique path. Look for leaders. Look for people to model. Look for those who have achieved success in the areas you want to do well.

Some people argue that you should look within yourself for strength and guidance. Well, that might sound lovely and Zen-like but I think it's just silly. Of course we have to draw upon our own resources to make things happen, but the reality is that most of us are bumbling through this life without real assurance on what we are actually doing. So looking for leadership is the smart thing to do. It doesn't show that you have a weakness. It shows that you are clever enough to understand that:

• it is more efficient to learn from someone who has gone before than to try and figure it out all by yourself
• striving for and learning from the best is MUCH better than learning from a newbie or amateur
• opening yourself to new ideas and insights can only make you a better person.

Whether you find a leader who you can get to know personally or one you can observe from afar (through books or blogs perhaps), just do it. What have you got to lose?


Make a date with inspiration
Is there something that feeds your soul? Is there someone or something that you know will inspire you or motivate you? If you can identify what this is, then you owe it to yourself to make regular dates with inspiration. For me, even though I never want to star in a musical, watching the amazing performers in something like Wicked makes me want to excel in what I do too.

Schedule in events where you can watch people be their best, whether that's in the arts, sport, business or whatever. It's simply inspiring to watch, or hang out, with people who are the best at what they do. You may not learn anything technically from them because they might not be in your industry, but make a point to learn from their outlook on life and absorb their unique energy.

Learn from the best
This has been a fundamental principle in my life in recent years. I went through most of the first 30 years of my life just learning from whomever. I took financial advice from people who ... yeah ... well, they might have invested in a master trust ... once. Or I took business advice from people who ... well, they weren't making any money in business. Go figure.

That's because, when I was younger, I thought that everyone must know more than I did. But the reality is I was merely taking advice from those who bothered to be most vocal. They weren't necessarily the best.

These days, I identify clear leaders in their field and I'll seek their advice whenever I need to. And I'm also more than happy to pay for their time – I don't expect them to share their pearls of wisdom for free. The difference has been transformational. When you seek out the best and make a dedicated effort to learn from them, your business or career will skyrocket.

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Valerie recommends: Online Feature Writing
Would you like to see your articles published in magazines and newspapers? From 26 April, I will lead you on a 5-week journey in the online course, Feature Writing for Magazines and Newspapers.

• It doesn’t matter if you haven’t written anything in your life!
  
  
• It doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to approach editors
  (we’ll give you a step by step formula)
  
  
• It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the right tools of a feature writer
  (they are simple – we’ll show you)
  
  
• It doesn’t matter where you live
  (the same principles apply throughout the publishing industry)
  

I've had over 1,000 success stories from people who've gone through this course. (Yes, more than 1,000, I checked last week!). Students who’ve completed this course have had their work published in The Sydney Morning Herald, Cosmopolitan, Sunday Life!, BRW, Notebook, The Sun-Herald, Australian Associated Press, Practical Parenting, Management Today, Australian Financial Review, City Weekly, Herald Sun, Home Beautiful and countless other magazines and newspapers... some before they have even completed the 5-week course.

If you're interested, the course starts next week and you can find out more here.

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