Do you know how good it is to wake up in the morning, get your coffee, flip on your computer, log in to your twitter account and find that YOU are the person being twittered about?  I do, it’s great!   It is exactly what happen to me last week. There were a great many “mentions” on twitter about my being listed as one of the Top 100 Women Bloggers to Watch.   I was surprised and honored.

It is the second time that I have been listed in a Top 100 List and both times I have been surprised and honored. I know that I am not the best blogger on the net and I am not the most prolific, but I do blog from a place that I have passion. As I said in a previous post, passion draws people to you like bee’s to flowers.

That being said, I also spend time on my social networking sites promoting my blog.  If you too are new at blogging use some of these tips to help drive traffic to your site.

1. Comment on other peoples blog – comments let bloggers know that you are reading their material.  It is always a morale boost when I get comments from others even if they do disagree with me.

2. Post your blog on your Facebook account and tweet your link now and then, let people know when you have posted new material.

3. Add links to other peoples blogs. If you are writing on a topic that others have written on, link back to them. It will build visibility and credibility for both of you.

4. Put your blog link on the bottom of your email, on your website, and even on your business card. It is a great way for others to get to know you.

5. Be brief, people do not take the time to read the long rambling blogs.  Say what you have to say in 300-500 words you will get more people to read your content.  And blog frequently, that has been a challenge for me this summer.

I am a novice blogger compared to many on the internet and I am sure there is so much more for me to learn, but I am proud to say that I have made to 2 top 100 list and I can’t wait to see what happens when I get really good at this.

Hazel M Walker, owns three award winning franchise’s. She is a 10 year owner of two BNI Franchises where she teaches members how to leverage their time and network to build each others businesses. She is also a Referral Institute franchise owner and teaches Business Owners how to harness the Science of Referrals to develop Referrals for Life. Hazel is a published author in New York Times best sellers Masters of Networking and Masters of Sales. As a member of the National Speakers Association she travels the world speaking to businesses and women’s organizations on the topics of networking to create a life you love.

“So you really hurt yourself, didn’t you?”  Tiffany asked me the other evening.  “It has to be bad, because I know you.  You’re a shake-it-off kind-of-gal.  I’ve seen you run through some pretty bad pains.  You rest and then you’re back on your feet in no time.  But this has got to be bad if you’re not running for weeks.”

Yes, it really is that bad.  Taking deep breaths still hurts, so I can’t even imagine how I could run when it feels like I am being crushed.  The pain conveniently sits under my bra line, so underwire brasseries only make it worse. 

For the past two weeks since I crashed my bike, I’ve tried differently physical activities to test my limits.  Swimming hurts.  Mopping and sweeping the floor is a painful chore, but at least now I have a valid excuse for an untidy house. 

Fortunately, sitting at my computer is pain free, which is doing wonders for my backside.  Blogging, shopping on-line, tweeting on Twitter, updating my Facebook and watching videos You Tube do not require heavy breathing.  Well, I guess it would depend on what videos I view on You Tube and of course, I am referring to comedy sketches, because laughing still really hurts.  What did you think I meant?

“What does a mommy blogger runner write about when she can’t run?” Lori asked me the other day.  Then, Tiffany also commented on the variety of interesting topics on Run DMT since my injury.  At least I am expanding my blog’s reading audience!

So, what exactly does a “mom on the run” write about when she isn’t running?  She writes about how she has missed running for a fortnight and feels like her body is turning to mush.  And have I mentioned my face is breaking out too?  I need my stress release again.  I want my ultimate “me time” back before I lose my mind as well as my body.  Since bruised ribs take about month to heal, I only have one more fortnight to go!

Flexibility is defined as the quality of being flexible, pliable and supple.

Growing up as a gymnast, the things I could do with my body were simply outrageous …

Almost as if my spine were made of a slinky.

Thankfully some of my childhood physical flexibility carried over into my adult yoga practice. With this being said, when I think about flexibility, the physical body comes to mind.

My friend Akemi Gaines, a prolific blogger and Akashic Reader, learned that my souls purpose is to learn flexibility of the mind, body and spirit.

To be more open minded … go with the flow of life.

What is an Akashic Soul Reading?

The Akashic Records are a subconscious data bank of the soul where all past life (and future) information is stored. It is similar to the memory of Universe, containing each individual souls path, purpose, and life mission. An Akashic Reading contains personal information about what your soul most needs to know to fulfill it’s mission here on Earth, as well as specific details to attaining your highest enlightened state of being.

The news of my reading was accepted heartily since balance, flexibility and self care is the moniker of my life coaching practice.

AND

Next month’s Yoga teacher training experience will prove to be an enormous lesson in versatility.

Akemi’s Akashic reading uncovered some of the mystery behind my current goals, dreams and interests.

AND …

No matter how you feel about this kind of study, the experience was a lot of fun! I will blog more about the Akashic Reading and soul clearing soon. In the mean time check out Akemi’s website to learn more about her services.

Here are some ideas to consider if you want to become more flexible.

• Physical Flexibility can come in many forms. Stretching, yoga, pilates, gymnastics, and swimming are all fine ways to keep the body young and supple.

• Mental Flexibility is a matter of sustained learning and child like wonder and curiosity. Pay close attention to children and how they describe and ask questions about their world.

• Spiritual Flexibility may be as simple as realizing that an open mind can be  a great host creating lots of space for peace and understanding.

Namaste’

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com

Hoping to attend Blogher, the passes sold out before I could even save enough pennies for a trip to Chicago.  So, when I heard about a Tampa Blogher Meetup, I jumped on the chance to attend the event Saturday evening at Channelside.

Despite the numerous times I’ve arranged to meet cyber strangers through my moms group, this particular meeting made me a nervous wreck.  Perhaps I thought I would appear too new to this whole blogging thing or maybe I would come across too desperate or chatty.  Would they like the real life Run DMT or would they prefer the blogger better?  I decided to swallow my insecurities and set out to search for them in a sea of people at Channelside.

When I first arrived, I had difficulty finding the group.  Hooters was the selected meeting place and I anxiously scoured the restaurant looking for a group of bloggers.  But, without their laptops, how do you find a group of bloggers?  In my attempt to find the meetup, I randomly walked up to strangers asking them if they were with Blogher.  Of course, they had no idea what I was taking about.  I even confused the Hooter’s hostess.

Starting to feel sorry for myself and like a butt of a cruel joke, I stumbled upon a group sitting on a bench just outside Hooters.  Texting like fiends on their cell phones, I knew I had found the right group of people. 

Thankfully, the evening offered exactly what I had hoped for: an opportunity to connect and network with other bloggers.  Over dinner and drinks at Stumps, we talked about Twitter and other happenings in the blogosphere.  Noreen of Don’t Put Lizards in Your Ear (@DontPutLizards) shared some great tips to help me on my road to become published.  

Christina of The Green Mom Review (@TheCaffeinatrix) mentioned how she has been searching for genuine and witty product reviews for her site.  Upon hearing this news, my ears perked up for I knew I could deliver such a piece!  I was all over it like green on Kermit!   

I enjoyed putting a face to the tweeps I have been following on Twitter, such as @missbritt and @MommyMelee.  I also met some great new tweets: @AnissaMayhew, @CheekySweetie and @karlerikson. 

Mostly importantly, I learned that I was the only person at the table not attending Blogher in Chicago next month.  After meeting such knowledgeable and interesting people, it only made me long to be at Blogher even more. 

My friend Paula Frazier is my guest blogger.  Paula is an excellent trainer for the Referral Institute.

“Why do you do what you do?” Great question! People buy for emotional reasons, it isn’t about products and services or features versus functions. It’s about YOU and what keeps you excited about the business you’re building. It’s your story, your most unique selling position. Like snowflakes each person’s story is different and beautiful in its own way. Each one is unique.

• What is your company mission? Your personal mission? How are they in alignment?
• What segment of your business gives you the most pleasure and the most profit?
• Are you seen as the vendor of choice? Why do people seek you out?
• How did you get started in your industry?
• What excites you about what you do?

Of all the people who do what you do, why you? Your story is one of the very few things that can truly separate you from your competition. What’s your story? How do you tell it? It’s what sets you apart from everyone else who does what you do.

Hazel M Walker, owns three award winning franchise’s. She is a 10 year owner of two BNI Franchises where she teaches members how to leverage their time and network to build each others businesses. She is also a Referral Institute franchise owner and teaches Business Owners how to harness the Science of Referrals to develop Referrals for Life. Hazel is a published author in New York Times best sellers Masters of Networking and Masters of Sales. As a member of the National Speakers Association she travels the world speaking to businesses and women’s organizations on the topics of networking to create a life you love.

I get around three to four pitches a day from PR firms and they all suck. Some of them suck so badly I want to re-post them on my blog and make fun of them, but that’s not what I do here. Yet.

You don’t want to make their mistakes. Maybe you want your old boss to give you advice on your current job situation, or need a restaurant recommendation, or you want a blogger to write about reality TV star suicides. Whatever it is, here are four rules that apply:

1. Be personal.
Mass emails are interruptive advertising. They are the commercials I skip, the billboards I glaze over and the fliers that line the trash. If you have someone’s email, you should have their name. Use it.

But a name isn’t personal enough anymore. You know what’s personal? Showing that you respect me enough to know something about me. Anything. Talk about your mutual friend, your fellow obsession with brussels sprouts, or how you respect their blog/company/daughter and why.

Extreme targeting through the cultivation of conversations and relationships is the future of advertising. Big companies will do this by creating spaces where consumers will come to them and receive personalized value in return. You can do this by making it fun, easy and enjoyable to enter into a conversation with you and by showing the value you provide. You’re human. Act like it.

2. Be persistent.
There is no such thing as a perfect pitch. One, because it has to be customized for each person, and two because you can’t possibly know what each person will respond to unless you’ve worked with them before. Even then, people are fickle.

Everyone makes the first call. Everyone leaves one message. And everyone is also counting on you to give up. Maybe not the first time, but certainly the second or third. Don’t be a wuss. If your request is important, keep trying. People are busy, or maybe you didn’t pitch well enough the first time, or maybe they just want to see if you have the gumption to keep playing.

During college I was the top fundraiser for my university foundation. Here’s why. We had to make five asks in a phone call. Ninety percent of my co-workers would stop after one ask or get uncomfortable after the second. I made all five. Don’t give up.

3. Be specific.
People can’t read minds. Trust me, I’ve tested every boyfriend I’ve had. Nothing.

Most people don’t have specific requests. They send information or they send praise, but no call to action. Tell me what you want. It’s great that you’re writing an e-book on careers or it sucks that you’re having problems at work. And I’m glad that you love my blog, but is there something I can do for you? Then tell me. Follow through. Close the deal. It’s easy to do this by ending a conversation with a specific request:

“Can I count on you to give $100?”
“Does a 1:00 pm call on Thursday work?”
“Will you attend my restaurant opening?”

4. Say thank you. For the love of God.
My last job was all about keeping young professionals in the city. So when a candidate said she had been rejected by a local organization for a job, I asked her who the contact was. When it turned out to be someone I knew well, I offered to call my contact and ask that person to take a second look at the candidate. My contact agreed, the candidate was interviewed and was subsequently hired for a position.

And I never heard a thank you. Ever. That sort of thing happened all the time and what irks me even more is that it still does. Constantly. You have to show appreciation.

People don’t help you out of the goodness of their hearts. People help for two reasons: 1) they want to feel good when their advice or assistance pays off, and 2) they think by helping you, they can help themselves.

When I got my current position, I called the friend who got me in the door immediately to thank her. And then I sent her flowers. Oftentimes, when you ask for something, there’s not much you’re able to give back in return. A simple thank you goes a long way.

Pitch Point.

What’s worked for you? What hasn’t? Share your practical and creative tips below.

Currently we are running a contest on our blog where visitors are being asked to vote for their favorite mom entrepreneur company introduction. Pretty easy and straight forward right?

Wrong!

What started out as a harmless contest has now turned into a pissing match between one “voter”, who left what several readers defined as a “rude” and “inappropriate” comment, and visitors to my blog.

OK, so let me bring you up to speed.

The instructions were simple: 1. read the 10 company introductions; 2. pick your favorite; and 3. leave a comment with the name of the company you vote for. I cannot make it any simpler.

So one woman decides she wants to be different, and instead she leaves a three sentence long negative comment about how one competitors product is nasty. She started her comment saying “eeeewwwwwww”.

I have since removed the comment from my blog due to several requests from readers. I was also emailed by the woman who left the comment asking me to remove it because she was now receiving “hate mail”.

So today, in a post on her blog, I find out she received one email from a woman named Karen. Now, I do not know who Karen is and I am not sure what she said so I have only heard one side of the story. Karen, if you are a subscriber of this blog, I welcome you to tell your side before I make a judgement call either way.

Sure, I believe in freedom of speech. And everyone, when it comes to this blog, has the ability to speak their mind. I do not moderate comments. I welcome feedback. However, if you are going to make rude remarks based solely on opinion, then those comments are not welcome on this blog. At least have the decency to be familiar with a product, better yet have tried it, before offering any negative feedback. I prefer comments to be based on fact.

To the blogger who feels she was so wronged because of her inappropriate comment left on this blog, I offer this advice, which I learned when I was young…if you don’t have anything nice to say then don’t say anything at all.

Tell me honestly how you feel about this!

Traci Bisson has been a mom since February 2000 and an entrepreneur since August 2000. Eight weeks after she returned from maternity leave, the company where she had been employed for five years went out of business. She decided to try doing her own thing and failed miserably. After another year of working for two different companies (the first laid off the department she worked in and the other was showing signs of going under), she decided to try entrepreneurship again. Raising her two children and growing her company, Bisson Barcelona, has been both challenging and rewarding. Her story has been told in dozens of publications, including the Associated Press, National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB.com), Plan Ahead Get Ahead (cover story), Union Leader, The Portsmouth Herald, Our Times and Seacoast Ventures.

Carolina Herrera epitomizes classic, romantic, and feminine fashion. This season’s collection was inspired by the Renaissance artist Botticelli’s paintings and included many floral, muted, and beautiful tones.

Carolina Herra’s designs date back to the 1970s and 80s. That’s how amazingly iconic this lady is. She even dressed Caroline Kennedy Onasis in her later life. 

She is a mother, one of the best dressed women in the world, and dresses some of the best dressed women in the world.  

Her stores range from flagship locations in New York City (where she resides) to deep in the heart of Texas (but not by my house!). Ladies all over the world also wear her designs because she has locations ranging from Mexico City to Geneva Switerland. 

As mentioned previously, her Spring 2009 collection is romantic, inspiring, and feminine. It includes the all important cocktail dress as well. Virginia Smith, of Vogue, said of the collection “she’s the queen of the cocktail dress…it’s a collection of what she does best…it’s very much her.” 

“We have long gowns…it’s really inpractical to wear those. She’s responding to a need.” said Susan Fales-Hall in response to the abundance of the cocktail gown on the runway this season. 

Feminine, romantic and sexy are all words that describe Herrera’s collections. Another one of my fave designers, Tory Burch said, “Carolina doing sexy is a good thing.” So, everyone is a fan! 

Of course you’re a fashionista, so falling in love with Carolina isn’t hard. You can always find Carolina Herra clothing at Sak’s Fifth Avenue & Neiman Marcus. 

Photos from: Sak’s Fifth Avenue & Neiman Marcus

Ashley Shute is a fashion blogger whose style icons include Jacqueline Kennedy and Lauren Conrad, simplicity and being classic are her game.

She’s hear to help you find the best luxury fashion and beauty items out there!

“All dream, but unequally. Those that dream at night
in the dusty recesses of their minds awake the next day
to find that their dreams were just vanity. But those
who dream during the day with their eyes wide open
are dangerous people; they act out their dreams to make
them reality.” —Thomas Lawrence

My friend and prolific blogger, Jonathan Mead just completed a new ebook titled Reclaim Your Dreams – An Uncommon Guide to Living Life on Your Own Terms.

I love this topic and thoroughly enjoyed reading Jonathan’s take on the courage to reinvent yourself.

From the ebook ….

“If we look outside, we can glimpse the possibility of our dreams. When we look within, we awaken to our personal potential. This is a book about looking inward and outward… an invitation to
dreaming awake with eyes wide open.”

Here are just a few of the things that Reclaim Your Dreams will teach you:

• Define Your Dreams – Dreams are fickle creatures and can be hard to tie down, but with a little effort you can do it. Identifying is the first step on the way to achieving and this book will give you the tools to do just that.

• Overcome Uncertainty – You probably wonder at some level whether dreams are practical or just ridiculous. You may not necessarily doubt the dream itself, but the uncertainty that comes with working towards it. You fear your limitations. You fear your weaknesses. Reclaim Your Dreams will show you that conventional wisdom is really just a big, fat collective assumption. Dreams are possible and Reclaim Your Dreams will show you step by step just how to make them take root in the world.

• Wake Up Happy – While there are the elusive few like yourself who dare to dream, there are others who would seek to bring you down. You’ll learn how to overcome the naysayers and how to start being excited about your life again.

Reclaim Your Dreams is an unconventional guide that will inspire you to step up and live in the moment.

Hop on over to Illuminated Mind -  Jonathan’s blog to learn more about Reclaim Your Dreams and grab a copy today.

While you are there I recommend signing up for “The Less Boring side of Personal Development”  blog updates.

Shann Vander Leek is the Founder of True Balance Life Coaching and Co-founder of Seize True Success. She is a Coach Training Alliance certified professional coach, and certified yoga instructor. Shann is a prolific blogger, published writer and co-author of the Best Selling Book – Wake Up Women BE Happy Healthy & Wealthy. Shann’s personal style and direct approach have guided and inspired many in overcoming personal and professional challenges. Her background in sales, marketing and client development, along with leading a talented sales force for many years prepared her for the business of professional coaching. Shann inspires women in transition to create balance in their lives through personal coaching, yoga and creative expression. Telephone and email consultations make her accessible to clients all over the world. To find out about her Coaching Programs for Women, call Shann at 231.668.111 or visit www.truebalancelifecoaching.com