The Oprah (Brand) Effect

For the next 16 weeks I will be unavailable between 4 – 5pm est! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that this is Oprah Winfrey’s last season. For the last 25 years, the Queen of media (and Personal Branding) has been the most influential person on TV. Her impact on media, talk shows, pop culture and the entertainment industry as a whole can not be under estimated. Her impact has extended it’s reach into politics, education, social causes and a whole new women’s movement!

When she first came on the scene 25 years ago, the primary focus of talk shows was to either bring the the top actors/ actresses of the time on air to talk about their latest project, light banter and singing from the host (ala Mike Douglass and Dinah Shore) . Or the trash talking, audience fighting themed shows like Robert Downey or Ricki Lake. That was fine then, they entertained and served their purpose. But never were there heavy topics and top news stories. And none were used as mediums to educate, turn guests into millionaires just by mentioning their product or book, give away cars or fulfill viewers “wildest dreams“!

Oprah made the decision very early in her career to only do “feel good” TV. She resolved to do shows that would empower and motivate her audience – and it worked!

I don’t think there will ever be another Oprah Winfrey (that role has already been taken!), but when she leaves us after this season, we will continue to see the boundaries of Personal Branding pushed to new limits.

Push Your Own Boundaries
Where most people get stuck developing their Personal Brand is they don’t step outside of their comfort zone. If you notice, those who most successfully develop an effective Personal Brand (Oprah, Donald Trump, Diddy) have done so by pushing the envelope. They did things that most of us have been told wasn’t possible. In order to make a breakthrough with your Brand, you have to be willing and committed to going beyond what is expected of you.
Until you put yourself out there, you won’t even know what you’re capable of. Oprah knew at a young age that she wanted to be a journalist. Most of us don’t figure what we want to be when we grow up until we grow up! But I’m sure even Oprah didn’t imagine that the fame and fortune she has today was even possible for her. Once you push the envelope on your dreams and they become reality, you will get more comfortable with dreaming bigger and pushing beyond those boundaries!

Be Realistic, Not Comfortable
There’s a saying that goes “Do something uncomfortable everyday”. Think about that for a second. When was the last time you made a move (without being forced to) towards your goals, that was scary and uncomfortable at first thought? Have you ever made a cold call to set up an interview with a potential employer or mentor? Have you gone back to school for a degree totally unrelated to what you’ve been doing for the last 25 years?
Warning – Don’t go doing something that’s totally untrue to who you are. Stay authentic to your core values or else you will come across as pretentious and ultimately fail. But do take that first step towards your goal. Set a deadline for yourself and take one uncomfortable step today towards that deadline!

Set Your Intentions Early
As I mentioned, Oprah decided very early on what type of show she wanted to produce. Once she saw that was possible she decided that she wanted to own her show and the production of it. (Something that was up until then unheard of!) But she set her intentions early and didn’t lose sight of her goal. When people realized her intentions and talents for actually making it happen, she could not be denied.
Make your intentions known! Not just to everyone else, but to yourself. Decide early on where you want to be in your career. Once you set your intentions and show your dedication for that, your goals become realized. In fact, you likely get more than you intended, but that just makes the success that much greater!

Happy Branding!!

For more information about the branding coach Kelly Green:
http://thepersonalbrandblueprint.com/the-oprah-brand-effect/

Energy Is Everything - By Carrie Garber

It seems that these days we can never have too many conversations about energy and vibration. We are in a place where people are making sincere efforts to align themselves with purpose and eradicate the disconnect between knowing and doing. This article is a great start!

Enjoy~Raychelle

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*As seen on SelfGrowth.com*

In this journey we call life, awareness of our vibration is vital.And more often than not, we have created a habit of moving through our days too quickly, too busy, too distracted. We can become obsessed with taking action. With a hyper focus on the "doing" part of designing our dream lives, we can overlook the "being." To make it even more intense, most of us have had plenty of conditioning to reinforce this way of operating.

As a result, we can end up being outrageously unaware of the energy we are radiating. And this phenomenon deserves our undivided attention.
Not only does this form of "sleepwalking" squelch our sense of joy and aliveness, but it seriously interferes with our natural capacity to manifest the life of our dreams. Why? I believe the following passage from the book Ask and It Is Given, by Esther and Jerry Hicks, goes right to the heart of the matter.

"The reason you have not already gotten what you desire is because you are holding yourself in a vibrational holding pattern that does not match the vibration of your desire. That is the only reason...ever!"

I don't know about you, but the degree of certainty conveyed in this message certainly gets my attention!

Now, shall we look at an example?

Let's say that you are taking consistent, focused action steps to grow your dream business. You have a clear plan and set bold intentions. But at the same time, you don't really believe it is possible for you to create a thriving business. You can't imagine being paid well for honoring your passions, and you are continually talking about what has not yet materialized in your vision. Furthermore, you are plagued with fear and worries and have a tendency to ponder the worst of the what-if scenarios.
Do you see the disconnect? I can't say it enough. Your energy matters.So, if you are feeling less than clear about your energy and the factors that contribute to your vibration, I encourage you to sit with the following questions to support a deepening of your clarity. And I mean truly sit with them. Take your time. And relish the awareness that is revealed.

1. How do you FEEL? Where are you spending the majority of your time, emotionally speaking? Are you living in the lands of joy, freedom, love, appreciation, passion and trust? Or do you only experience brief visits there? How about the lands of frustration, disappointment, blame, anger or guilt? As you explore this arena, the important piece to understand is that your feelings serve as an indicator of how much you are allowing your connection to Source, or not. By paying close attention to your feelings, you can quickly see if you are in alignment and enjoying a high vibration or if you are in resistance and embodying a lower vibration.

2. What STORIES are you telling? Are they expansive or limiting? Rooted in fear or truth? What is the picture you are painting with your words? If you are not yet convinced that your story makes such a difference, please be willing to experiment. Try on different ones and see how the telling affects your energy, especially when you get into the retelling that most of us are famous for doing.

3. How would you describe your DOMINANT PERSPECTIVE? As you travel through your days, you get to decide how you will respond to the circumstances and events of your life. This marvelous freedom and power is always available to you, even when at first glance it feels impossible to find a new perspective. So, when you evaluate the essence of your dominant perspective, what do you see? For example, do you see opportunities or disasters? Are you optimistic or skeptical? This is the time to fully recognize that the choices you make have an immeasurable impact on your vibration.

4. What is your experience of EASE and FLOW? I want to keep this one extremely simple and straightforward. How relaxed and trusting are you?

5. What EXPECTATIONS and BELIEFS are you holding? Are they big or small? Indicating doubt or faith? This is about truly being a vibrational match with your desire. I am asking you to take a fiercely honest assessment of where you are with stepping into your vision as if it is already here. As Bob Proctor shared in You Were Born Rich, "Desire without expectation is nothing more than wishful thinking.

After spending some time with the above, what if you find that your vibration could use some TLC? No worries. Welcome to the club! Tending to our vibration is absolutely a daily practice.In service of helping you enjoy a higher vibration with even more ease and consistency, I encourage you to do whatever it takes to stay intimately connected to the following TRUTHS.

~ External circumstances do not determine your emotional state and energy, you do. In each and every moment, it is a choice. We like to convince ourselves that it must be way more convoluted than that. We can fall into the disempowering practice of saying things like "When ____happens, I will be happy." Or "If ____would ____, I could relax." I lovingly challenge you to give this up, now and forever. Let it be simple. As Greg Anderson said, "Only one thing has to change for us to know happiness in our lives: Where we focus our attention."

~ Everything you want is already here energetically. And in addition to this exhilarating news, your life is also meant to be filled with joy, light, ease and flow. Not struggle. Not hardship. Not heaviness. Do you really get how thrilling this is? Personally, I love to be reminded that our primary job is to allow and receive.

~ The present moment is divinely perfect. Being eager and excited to stretch into your vision "over there" does not mean that you are meant to miss the NOW. You are right where you need to be, always. As you joyfully anticipate what is coming, appreciate your unfolding as the masterpiece that it is, knowing that each part plays a magical role in your process. From this place, you can genuinely experience the joy of the journey. And guess what? There is a sweet bonus. Once you are grounded in the joy and gratitude of where you are right now, you are then open energetically to receive the bigger vision too.

As a final thought, I would like to share the following powerful excerpt from an Abraham-Hicks workshop.
"Your action has nothing to do with your abundance. Your abundance is a response to your vibration. Of course, your belief is part of your vibration. So if you believe that action is part of what brings your abundance, then you've got to unravel that." - Abraham

Care to join me in some delightful unraveling?

About the Author:As a Transformation Coach, Carrie Garber works with heart-centered, aspiring entrepreneurs who are longing to create a business rooted in passion and meaningful service. They are aching to launch the business of their dreams but are stuck in fear, self-doubt and overwhelm. Carrie helps her clients to cultivate the clarity, confidence and courage they need to move forward with their vision and build a solid foundation for a thriving business and a juicy life. Visit http://www.deeperwaterscoaching.com to sign up for your FREE e-course, "A Recipe for Richness: 7 Essential Ingredients for Cultivating a Juicy Journey in Life and Business" and learn more about Carrie's transformation coaching.