Find Your True Authentic Self
with Integrity & Character

Are you Living From the Inside Out, or From the Outside In?
by Yvonne F. Brown

I have been traveling a lot for business and admit that I really needed some down time to bring my energy back up to a productive level. This morning the phone rang and my friend on the end of the line said "you don't sound like yourself, maybe your body is telling you to take it easy and rest your brain a little." I decided to heed her advice and (horrors!) watched television for a little while this morning. What I found blew away all my notions about the next generation of women.

There is a show on TV called My Super Sweet 16 and the gist of the show is that a young woman is filmed as she prepares for her sweet 16 birthday party. No, no, it's nothing like the movie starring Molly Ringwald. It's more a testament to the mindset of some teen girls today and how far society has come regarding what is deemed acceptable behavior. These young women, curse their parents and one even went so far as to tell her mother to shut up, while demanding the best Sweet 16 birthday party ever! Rather than being sent to her room she was rewarded with a brand new top of the line Audi and a $100,000 birthday party. The two subsequent shows were even more strange as those parents bestowed BMWs and $500,000 birthday parties on their daughters. What's going to happen when these people grow up? What contribution to society will they bring. Does your daughter watch this show or emulate the behavior displayed by these birthday girls?

What really hit home for me though, was that at the end of each show these young women said, 'that's what I wanted, now everyone knows who I am and I am The Most Popular!" That's when I realized that this was all about living from the outside in. Are you like these young women? Do you determine your self worth based on the validation you receive from the outside world or is your self esteem strong enough that your self-worth comes from the inside out?

When you consider what college to attend, what business to start, or where to live do you decide based on appearances only? Katherine Hepburn said "I believe how I act today will affect the way I am tomorrow." When your actions are based on the validation you receive from outside of yourself, it is difficult to be authentic. In fact you might find one day that you don't know who you really are anymore because you have modified your behavior so much, and so often, that it is impossible to become your best self.

Brian Tracy says that "self-acceptance begins in infancy, with the influence of your parents and siblings and other important people. Your own level of self-acceptance is determined largely by how well you feel you are accepted by the important people in your life. Your attitude toward yourself is determined largely by the attitudes that you think other people have toward you. When you believe that other people think highly of you, your level of self-acceptance and self-esteem goes straight up." He states that the best way to build a healthy personality involves understanding yourself and your feelings. I don't think he meant the shenanigans like those on My Super Sweet 16.

The bottom line is that we all have to keep pace with changing morays in society but some of them, at least to me, are so inauthentic as to invalidate yourself. The best road to reaching your potential and becoming your best self, is to act from integrity, then make decisions based on your heart's desire. Remember the thoughts you choose eventually determine the results of your life. Focus on living from the inside out and you will produce extraordinary results in your life and the life of those who come in contact with you.

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Announcing a new JAD Guest Writer

Dr. Freda Turner has joined us a guest writer and her first article is posted in the articles section of the website. Dr. Freda Turner is currently the Chair of 3 Doctoral in Management, Leadership, and IT Programs with University of Phoenix, the nation's largest private university. She previously worked for the U.S. Navy where she managed, developed, and delivered world-wide executive training. After her retirement from the Navy, she worked as a consultant with Fortune 500 executives. She is known nationally for her executive development publications, e-learning, and creation of employment suggestion programs. To read her article on Lessons Learned from Downsizing just click here

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This Month's Event:

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Leaders
Tuesday September 27, 2005
2:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. Booth 4650

Yvonne Brown
President
Ball of Gold Corp.

Yvonne F. Brown is an internationally known speaker, trainer and employee performance specialist. Her mission as a speaker is to enhance personal performance and inspiration by integrating ethics, integrity and value in leadership and personal behavior everyday. She has served as an adjunct professor for U of I, Chicago MBA program, College of DuPage, and Illinois Institute of Technology. Yvonne is the author of two books.

The demands on your time have never been greater. Working productively, making good decisions, and maintaining cooperative relationships with others enables you to stay energized and focused. Every day you are tested with challenges of stamina, composure and the test of thinking under fire. Faced with the need for massive change, most managers respond predictably. They revamp their strategy, then round up the usual suspects—people, pay, and processes. For some reason the right things still don't happen. Come to this session and learn the 7 habits highly effective leaders use to execute change through persuasion.

IMA—Employee Recognition & Work Life Issues

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Book of the Month:
The Virtual Handshake
by David Teten and Scott Allen

It's not who you know, it who knows and trusts you. To make this work you need a Social Capital. David Teten and Scott Allen have written a book that not only teaches you how to open doors and close deals online, but they provide the roadmap as well. They also practice what they preach. I learned of their work through one of my online connections. When I emailed them, the connection was made and received a copy for review. I have not been able to put this book down since I received my copy and here's why. The authors speak of the Seven Keys to a Powerful Network. They are: Your Character, Your Competence, Relevance of the people you know, Information you have about your network, Strength of your relationships, Number of people in your network and Diversity. They do an excellent job of teaching why and how the Virtual Handshake works, but one of the best things in this book is the links, references, and great stories. Buy this book it will take you to the next level. It's an excellent reference for doing business online, and it's a joy to read.

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JAD Announcement

Blog News

Check out the new version of my Blog www.jadcommunications.com/blog—send me your feedback and get a chance to win a JAD mug.

Podcast

Listen to the JADCast at www.podcastpickle.com/casts/?1822. Note: The JADCast is updated weekly on Monday.

Discussion Group

Join the discussion at www.jadcommunications.com/phpbb2.

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Note I received from the Universe today:

Simply imagine happiness, Yvonne, your own happiness—feel the smile stretching across your face, notice the lightness in your step, and hear the sparkle in your voice—and all things, material and spiritual, will soon fall into place.
—The Universe

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Empowering Your Destiny

This month's Empowering Question

"What kind of questions have I been asking myself in the last hour?"

This month's Empowering Affirmation

"My questions help me focus on what's right and good. I ask great questions and get great answers. My life is getting better each day because I am focused. I'm successful because I have a disciplined mind. I'm great at turning problems into successful outcomes."

Discovering what's next is an adventure in itself. Give yourself time (and permission) to imagine scenarios, both reasonable and outlandish.

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JAD Gear

Get your exclusive JAD Gear. This is just a sample of the variety of items we have to choose from. Visit our store to view more.

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