Gracious Acceptance and Asking for Help
December 7, 2013 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
I’ve noticed that leaders and particularly strong, independent female leaders have a hard time asking for help and then accepting help, accepting gifts or even compliments. After spending over 3 decades witnessing and consulting with leaders; it seems that asking for help is considered a sign of weakness and many just gut it out and figure it out themselves or go without and struggle to get through it or to the other side of it. Whatever IT is.
I’m here to tell you that asking for help is surely not a sign of weakness but a sign of strength that you know your limits and what is out of reach. It is also a sign of gracious giving to allow others the joy of offering their expertize, their help, their perspective and their compliments. You are GIVING others a change to feel good about themselves and their abilities when you ask them for their help. You are GIVING them an opportunity to be of service. And doesn’t it feel good to be of service to somebody? In what book is giving a weakness? Giving comes from strength and abundance -we have what we need and have the ability to give more. When we give opportunities for others to share their services, we expand positive energy all around.
And then there’s gracious acceptance on the other end of generous giving. So many people, mainly women, brush off complements, well-wishes and gifts or they act embarrassed to be the recipient. Learning the art of gracious acceptance, allows others to experience the joy if giving. Particularly in this time of year where there is lots of gifting and giving; practice the art of gracious acceptance to expand the good feelings all around. You deserve it and even if you think you don’t, somebody thinks you do. Accept help with the holiday party plans, accept help with dinner, accept the fact that you really don’t want to cook or clean this holiday season and hire it out, or do something that doesn’t infringe on your time and space.
Now is a great time to practice the art of generous giving and gracious acceptance and allowing others to give freely. Give the gift of grace and gratitude this holiday season and see what changes appear before you.
On the Art of Living & Leading Hartfully
August 25, 2013 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
I’ve been a student of the art of living simply and beautifully for a couple decades now. Ever since finding Alexandra Stoddard’s first books on the subject of leading a beautiful life and incorporating it into every single delicious aspect of my life. Why not surround yourself with beautiful things that have meaning and bring your joy? Why not surround yourself with beautiful thoughts, intentions, music, art, love, abundance and design? The philosophy oozes its way into they types of soap, lotions, potions and vessels that find their way into your home, the clothes that find their way into your closet, the work that finds its way into your life, and the friends that find their way into your heart.
I’ve been ruminating about the transition of of message that the world needs to hear and transitioning my work to mesh with what I’ve learned over the years, who I”ve becoming and am still becoming and what entrepeneurs and employers need to know as well as those that are in charge of their lives if not an entire company. The transition has moved from changing my own personal name with much thought and consideration of a grand representation of my life’s purpose but to my company name and what it/I stand for. Afterall, they are one in the same. My work is the outward expression of my essense and purpose: to be a successful artist and messenger in the community spotlight. So bringing the message of living and leading Hartfully has been years in the making.
Recently I hosted a “Gaia’s Girls Weekend” which truly expressed the art of living and leading Hartfully. Gathering some of my favorite women on Earth from “the Southern Contingent”; we enjoyed food, frolic, frivolity, friendship and a stretch limousine to take us to a grand estate for a peek into the truly elengant ways of Living Artfully. Indeed, our lives are works of art that we paint with every choice we make. This particular weekend was delightfully rendered with little scheduling to allow the energy to flow and to just BE with each other and connect peppered with some highlights of living lusciously and treating outselves beautifully. Why not treat ourselves to luxe indulgences to feel special now and again or at least more often than we have in the past. Why not experience the feelings of lushness and grace. What is holding you back from getting a limo now and again to whisk you and your friends off to an amazing day or evening celebration and joy? It doesn’t need to be for anything in particular. Give the gift of a great experience and see how it makes everybody feel…pretty darn good.
What a treat and a blessing to be able to bring my gal pals together and practive the Art of Living and Leading Hartfully. If we can’t live Hartfully, how are we expected to lead Hartfully? If we are not in touch with our purpose and message and the big why’s of ourselves and our hearts; how can we expect to show up and lead in any decent way? I’ve consulted with many leaders who have not found that balance of leading and living fully in their hearts and it’s not a pretty sight. What can you do for yourself to living and lead more Hartfully? More fully in your heart?
What small changes can you make to your home and office to be living more beautifully in what fully represents you? Might I suggest clearing out anything that doesn’t make sense any more. This could be items, thoughts, people, busy work, tasks, clothing, shoes, knick knacks and habits. What can you infuse into your life to help you live more Hartfully? What new habits, new friends, new work projects, new things in your surroundings could help you live more beautifully?
What can you do in the service of others to help you live more Hartfully? What can you do in the service of yourself to express your life more Hartfully? What can you do to bring in more beauty? It was such a treat to treat my freinds to a glorious day of living Hartfully – a cherished memory for all of us. Looking forward to practicing more Hartful habits.
Gratitude Isn’t Just for Thanksgiving
November 25, 2012 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully | By Gaia Hart
It’s a little odd to me that so much emphasis is placed on shopping around the day that is meant for being grateful. Others may say they’re grateful for the sales…. or grateful to get out of the house and away from football… or grateful that some have left the house to leave them alone to watch football.
As one who gratitude at the forefront of daily activities and not just focus on it for one day; it’s become not only a way of life, but a lifestyle and way of making a living through giving. How about we place more emphasis on the “thanks” and “giving” part of the holiday the other 364 days of the year and see what happens? Why not take the Graitidue Challenge and send a card of appreciation a day for 30 days to those to whom you’re grateful and see how your life changes, see what doors may be opened up, or what lines of communication may become unclogged, or what hearts may be opened up. You never know who may be hoping for something to happen in their life and you just may be the one to make it happen.
If you’re up for taking the Gratitude Challenge; send me an email Gaia@GaiaHart.com and let me know you want to take it and I’ll show you how you can easily send 30 cards in 30 days or turbo-charge your gratitude and send 60 cards in 60 days that will be delivered to the recipient’s mailbox by the postal service inside a stamped envelope all from the comfort of your home computer, or Ipad, laptop or even your Iphone. Anyplace you can get an internet connect, you can send a card or a gift that will be printed in 24 hours and shipped out immediately to anywhere in the world.’
The Wall Street Journal just ran an article this week about gratitude and how the workplace ranks dead-last on the list of places where thankfulness is practiced. How sad is that? We’ve been cooking along with recognition programs and incentives, then, wham, the economy goes south and so do the workplace “thank you’s”. With budget cuts go the formal recognition programs. I challenge you to not let a downfall in a formal program to create a downfall in your civil duties to spread gratitude throughout your office. John Templeton Foundation cited in the Wall Street Journal article that only 7% of bosses and 10% of colleagues on average are being thanked by their colleagues. Jack Welch, known for his tough management even says that it’s part of a manager’s job to show gratitude to their people.
From years and years of research and work in this field, I’ve experienced the same findings with my clients: when workplaces head towards the “no gratitude zone”, then morale, productivity decline and the profits are not far behind in the freefall. Gratitude is not only good for people, it’s good for business.
What are you doing to thank your colleagues, your clients, customers and your friendss throughout the year and not just on one or two days of the year? Sometimes it can fall on deaf ears in the clatter of everything at once on one day, but it is held in high esteem when it is given throughout the year on a continual basis. Go ahead, I dare you to take the Gratitude Challenge and see what happens in your life. Send me and email at Gaia@GaiaHart.com and I’ll show you how you can simply and easily send 30 cards in 30 days or turbo charge your giving to 60 or 90 cards in as many days. You’ll be glad you did.
Check out this video on the power of gratitude and sending a heart-ful card:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5kPwXihumM&list=PLtUVv9eXCdIKmF4MMCOVMBuzeZ1nrrUQF
Thanks for stopping by – I’m grateful to have this forum for my toughts…. though my thoughts have had a different focus for most of this year….. more later on contraction and expansion……
Getting Real with REALationship Marketing, a Teleclass
February 18, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
REALationship Marketing is focusing on the REAL relationship in the equation rather than on the marketing part. Putting people first and things second with the philosophy that appreciation wins over self promotion every single time. When you truly take care of people then they will take care of the bottom line, whether it be your internal customers (colleagues) or your external customers (clients). We will cover the insider secrets to winning the game of relationship marketing in this quick, hard-hitting, content-filled teleclas.
We will cover practical, proven, simple, successful strategies you can implement immediately to grow your network and your net worth by practicing REALationship marketing. If you are tired of the usual marketing techniques, suffering from a slump in repeat business or new business, or just ready for something new and exciting to get your creative juices flowing, then this session is for you. By attending this teleclass, you will learn the insider’s secrets to what some have called a crusade and others deemed the humanitarian way of marketing. Come learn what has been the missing piece in your marketing plan… until now. You will be given the secret weapon to win the game of relationship marketing and blow your competition off the playing field.
If you use these strategies every day for 90 days, I know you will see positive results.
Learning Points & Benefits:
1. How to have your customers love you even more than they do and keep them coming back
2. Scary business statistics on why your current marketing or the spray and pray method is a waste of time and money
3. How to create the top 3 critical things you need to make a sale and cultivate repeat sales
4. How to easily get your customers to refer you
5. How to have a competitive advantage over 97% of your competitors using direct mail that your target market will read
6. How to monetize your marketing and get results – the power of connection
7. How to expand your business growth exponentially while saving time, energy, effort and money and cloning yourself (sort of)
8. How to make a living through giving using the vehicle for the Law of Attraction
9. How to never be in the doghouse again for forgetting a birthday or anniversary
10. Get some free bonus gifts just for attending that can be priceless for you
This teleclass hosted in Pacific time, 5:30pm on Tuesday, 23 February at 218-339-7777, pin 766-8800# by International Professional Speaker, Author and SOC Executive Gail Hahn, MA, CSP, CLL. Gail has been a successful entrepreneur with several businesses for over 13 years and is featured in 12 International Who’s Who business professionals directories for her contribution to the business world. She is one of less than 500 Professional Speakers in the world earning the Certified Speaking Professional designation and one of less than 100 Executives with the Send Out Cards Corporation. She is also the CEO, Chief Energizing Officer of www.Funcilitators.com and facilitates retreats, VIP programs and teleclasses to energize entrepreneurs, execs, employees and organizations. See her blog at www.GailHahn.com.
Join us while we pull back the curtain and reveal how to win the game of REALationship Marketing using genuine thoughts, actions, feeling and words over sales pitches to attract the right people into your life and your business. We’re getting real with relationship marketing and showing you exactly how you can turbo-charge your marketing while focusing more on the relationship than marketing. Looking forward to ‘seeing’ you on the call and giving away extra super special bonuses to those who choose to attend and take their business and their life to the next level.
If you have questions about this event – email me at Gail@GailHahn.com. Test drive a unique system for connecting with your customers at www.BizBuilderCards.com and send some cards on me to see how it works. I’ll bet you hear from the customers to whom you’ve sent a heart-ful card. I double-dog dare you. 🙂
Check out this video on how receiving a heartful card affects others. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQqtVobx1oI&list=PLtUVv9eXCdIKmF4MMCOVMBuzeZ1nrrUQF
SOCTV Guest this Thursday – REALationship Marketing
January 19, 2010 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
Join us Thursday, 4 February on SOCTV as I will be interviewed on becoming an Executive, REALationship marketing, steps to success and the power of appreciation. If you missed it, look under the archives on your SOC site. Don’t have a SOC site yet? Contact me at Gail@BizBuilderCards.com to get your own site.
REALationship marketing started out as a typo. Yep, I found I had mis-typed the word relationship at least 3 times. Of course one of the times happened to be on a postcard printing of several hundred postcards. I realized it was a subliminal sign and that’s when I coined the term and made it official. (AND, I didn’t have to trash all those postcards – the old lemon and lemon aide trick.)
REALationship marketing is when you focus on the real relationships in the equation of relationship marketing. Most business-owners are focused on the marketing. When you focus on others and what you can give to them to improve their life, or help them build STEEM, (Save Time, Energy, Effort and Money) instead of what you can get them to do, or what you can get from them; the entire energy is shifted.
Shift your energy in your business and in your marketing to a “give to” versus a “get from” attitude and things will start to shift for you. We all need to become generous givers as well as excellent receivers. You can’t have one without the other, so one is not better than the other – just opposite sides of the same coin. Practice being an excellent receiver and a gracious giver and the next time you are doing a marketing piece, review it for REALationship purposes. Does it attract what you want to attract, are you adding value, are you offering something to make other’s lives better? Remember that everybody is tuned in to the station WIIFM – ‘what’s in it for me’.
Join us as myself and other Executives and Senior Executives are interviewed about our steps to success on SOCTV. To find out more about how to tune in to SOCTV, send me an email Gail@GailHahn.com
To Your FUNomenal Success!
Love: Energize Yourself, Your Connections & Your Business
July 11, 2008 | Posted in Leading Hartfully, Living Hartfully, Wealthy Woman | By Gaia Hart
I’ve been taking the most amazing teleclass about the 7 Mindset and Manifesting Secrets of Multimillionaires as well as reading much about the keys to success. Always open to learning more about the way people operate. What keeps popping up is the word LOVE. When we operate from love, everything else falls into place. When we operate from a powerful center of love and not from fear, everything is where it should be.
As my friend and business partner Mandy told me – everything turns out in the end and if it’s not turning out, it’s not the end.
My friend and business partner Jennifer told me the reason she got into the Send Out Cards business with me is that she always saw my happy, smiling face and the happy people around me at my trade-show tables. She said it looked like so much fun that she wanted to have that in her life. Because I LOVE what I do – almost always have and when I didn’t, I made changes to do what I did love to do. It shows. I can see huge differences in my energy when I’m doing what I love and helping other people do what they love.
Enabling the dreams of others and creating connections, building relationships, helping people and using communication – speaking, writing, Send Out Cards, books, blogs etc. is what gives me energy. People and my relationships to them give me energy. I send several cards every single day to people letting them know I appreciate them and building connections in my life. I know that love surrounds me – beauty surrounds me.
That’s why I moved to the beach. Walking on the beach 3 times per day with my dog Madison – I love it, she loves it. It’s inspiring. It makes me happy to see her happy. She was a rescue who was a puppy mill breeder. For 5 years she lived outside in a 10 x 10 pen in Missouri with no shelter, 5 other dogs with a cement pad and chainlink fence. She never had the pleasure of feeling her legs run. She never had the joy of romping more than 10 feet. Now when I see her face light up as she chases waves, squirrels, birds, bunnies – it brings me such joy. We have a connection that we both love our freedom to roam and run and romp as we choose.
What more can you put into your life that you love? What can you remove that you don’t love? What connections can you make to add more love into your life? Where can you live to do what you love? What connections can you sever in order to move closer to love in other areas of your life?
My friend and business partner Paul sent me this profound 3-minute video that’s all about love and connections. I’m a sucker for animal stories and this one is quite moving about the power of love. Get out your hankies – I’m pretty sure it will move you to tears as it did for me. Click HERE to watch it.