The Successful Dilettante
November 20, 2007 - Issue 34 - ISSN 1935-48866
Editor: Susan Henderson, coach@susanhenderson.com
Visit our website at: www.susanhenderson.com
In This Issue
1) Greetings/News
2) Susan's Musings - Gotta Love Trusted Sidekicks
3) Featured guest: Suzanne Falter-Barns
Today's guest possesses multiple talents--singing, painting, writing, performing, speaking, teaching, and marketing. And with 20 years as a marketing consultant in New York City, she now teaches coaches, authors, speakers and other infopreneurs how to create a brand that attracts the major media. Check out her interview below, which includes an invitation to a free copy of one of her best-selling books.
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Greetings/News
A great big warm welcome to both old and new subscribers. I hope you find some useful nuggets to help you in your quest to honor your many gifts, interests, and entrepreneurial spirit. We strive to affirm the upside of being a successful dilettante. If you know of others who might enjoy what is offered here or on my web site, please share this ezine with them.
Isn't it time you quit working in isolation? Nothing beats the support, accountibility, and brain-storming you get in a small mastermind group. Do yourself a favor and act now. Take the assessment and download an application to see if a Power of Five Mastermind Group is right for you. Groups forming now. http://www.susanhenderson.com/mastermind.html
For those of you who are do-it-yourselfers, I am just putting the finishing touches on an ebook I am writing just for you entitled DIY Mastermind Group. It is everything you need to know to start your own mastermind group in person or long distance. This product will be launching in one week. Click here for more information and to get the special pre-launch price.
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Susan's Musings - Gotta Love Trusted Sidekicks
I am very independent and have been since a young child. Never big on team sports or games, I have preferred to mostly work and play by myself... sometimes allowing a trusted sidekick or two into my camp. Like that old American western radio and television hero, the Lone Ranger, I have especially enjoyed championing the underdog, righting wrongs, saving the day, and then riding off into the sunset, with mask still intact and identity hidden, to the rousing strains of the William Tell Overture--the never to be forgotten theme song.
Has all this romantic 'loner-ness' worked for me? Not exactly. Sometimes it takes a posse for this lone ranger to get into some real action and get stuff done. When we are accountable only to ourselves, we often come up with some really creative excuses and activities to avoid doing the not-so-fun parts of our work. Isn't it ironic that most the time it has something to do with accounting or bookwork?
What worked best for getting me into action on a much more consistent basis and upping my productivity level was joining a mastermind group of five members, who meet regularly with the purpose of supporting each other in achieving our stated goals, brainstorming new ideas, sharing resources, and holding each other accountable to do what we say we will do. Very powerful stuff.
Another alternative, especially if you are in the planning stage of a project, is to invite people to join your R & D team (research & development). You can then run ideas by your team and get feedback while in the development stages. You could accomplish this by email, message board, and/or a monthly teleconference call. Unlike a mastermind group, this team is entirely focused on you and your business.
And last, but not least is to hire a coach to help you grow, keep you accountable, and be your guide in self-discovery. If you feel you aren't ready to invest in one-on-one coaching, look into a group coaching program. Choose one that is limited in size so as to get the attention you need and deserve. You might also consider buddy-coaching with one other person for the purpose of checking in and keeping each other accountable.
Whatever you do, don't be lone rangers. You will go much farther, much faster with your trusted sidekicks helping you and cheering you on.
Hugs,
Susan
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Featured Guest: Suzanne Falter-Barns
I first discovered today's featured guest when her wonderful book How Much Joy Can You Stand? leapt off the shelf at me in my local bookstore in 2001. Perfect timing. I found her web site, got on her email list and have been a fan ever since. About six months ago it dawned on me that she is a fellow creative multipreneur. It took me awhile to invite this very busy lady to share her story here and I am happy she accepted.
Suzanne Falter-Barns teaches coaches, authors, speakers and other infopreneurs how to create a brand, branded website, blog and ezine that attracts the major media. Suzanne was a marketing consultant in New York City for nearly 20 years, working with clients such as The New York Times, Hearst, Conde Nast and Colgate Palmolive. She’s also worked as a freelance journalist and columnist for The New York Times, SELF, Fitness, More, and many other national publications.
She is the author of two best selling self-help books on living your creative dream--How Much Joy Can You Stand? followed by Living Your Joy. Suzanne also appears occasionally as a speaker and professional singer.
SH: Suzanne, how have you come to enjoy the successful dilettante life you live today?
SFB: I think the biggest single thing I did was to pull up stakes and move from New York City (Manhattan) to a much quieter, more tranquil and cheaper place to live in the far north of New York state. It was scary but really felt in my gut like the right thing to do. It was like pulling the plug on years and years of reliable freelance income and almost immediately I had to start earning money from my websites. Which I did ... the move galvanized me into action. I learned in a month how to set up a site, do internet marketing, create products, etc... and if I hadn't pushed myself by setting up a make-or-break situation I might still be doing that comfy, well paying, unchallenging work in the city.
I also have relied EXTENSIVELY on my gut instincts and used them to steer me wherever I needed to go. I have multiple talents -- singing, painting, writing, performing, speaking, teaching, and marketing ... all are natural gut instincts. So I always figured they would combine and merge and separate and come together in different ways just naturally through my life. I'm really aware all the time about how the different abilities can be put to use ... and some want to kick in more at times than others. That's a wonderful thing ... makes me really feel fulfilled when I can move from one to the next.
I'm a person who needs a lot of variety to keep me stimulated. But at the same time I enjoy completing things and having a positive impact on people. So it would be easy to say I'm 'ADHD' or some variation of that (I've never been tested), but it's never felt like an issue -- more like a blessing I can work with happily.
SH: When did you realize you would be happiest engaged in a multitude of interests?
SFB: It came up when I was a copywriter and I could take on several ads at once to write simultaneously. My boss was a hardworking Swede who thought this was strange behavior. But eventually he accepted it as I wrote all the ads on time, handing them in just fine and in good shape.
I personally also realized this when my headmistress in high school said dourly, "Suzanne will have a hard time choosing what she should do in life." Bah! to that I say... the truth is that I've had a really, really good time doing all kinds of projects and developing my various skills. The only trouble came when I thought I HAD to do 'only one thing in life'.
SH: What systems, tools, or practices work best for you in juggling your life as a creative multipreneur?
SFB: I have to have at least one virtual assistant at all times handling the detail work for me, because I'm a big strokes gal and just not very good at doing the administrative stuff that runs my business. Pretty early on I got it that I need to surrender the stuff I'm not good at to other people. For instance, I have a wonderful bookkeeper, Raquel Morphy, who does my online financial management and customer service. Raquel does this so much better than I can!
And I have a VA who manages my entire business, Peggy Murrah, with her team -- they do everything from setting up appointments to proofing my products to arranging my schedule and making site changes. This frees me up to really thrive with the stuff I'm good at. I now recognize that my sites will never be 'done' but always in a state of growth and change, as will my entire business. I enjoy the variety provided by that change.
SH: How do you manage your time? Do you make a plan?
SFB: These days I divide the day into chunks -- that works well. Every day in the afternoon I work on my one woman show -- rehearsing, running lines, writing songs, recording podcasts, filling out booking applications, etc.. In the morning I coach people with my platform building business - helping people get known on the Net so they naturally attract media and publishers, etc..
When I'm on the road speaking, I have my whole business loaded into my laptop so I can do literally anything I have to anywhere I am. I have a reliable staff, and my calendar is posted online through Trumba (www.trumba.com)
To get my blog posts/ezines done I schedule them in at a certain time of the week, and make a point of being in my favorite cafe to do so. It's like an incentive -- I get to have a chocolate croissant and a decaf latte and live it up while I write That makes me very happy and motivated!
In terms of energy, I also take time to meditate for at least 15 minutes every day, swim for an hour twice a week, and do Bikram Yoga wherever I am at least once a week (twice a week when I'm traveling). This is really rigorous exercise but it seems to keep me calm and grounded. Walking in the woods is good, too, but hard to do on the road LOL! I also have a trusted chiropractor who helps me keep my back in good shape. Because even with all my core strengthening work, it's easy for me to collect stress in certain parts of my body. Just how I'm wired!
SH: Have you had any mentors, books or people, who have influenced you?
SFB: In terms of my work, I had a really inspirational professor at Wellesley College where I got my degree -- my art history professor Eugenia Janis. She taught me how to write and rewrite things until they were the best I could make them. And she herself had extremely high standards which I have adopted. I also had a few very inspirational acting teachers at the Actors Institute in New York City.
SH: What advice or tips would you share with our readers in their quest to become successful dilettantes?
SFB: Stay grounded in your truth, meditate and check in spiritually every day and above all else, follow your instincts. You were given your gifts for a reason -- so use them!
Folks who read this can also get more inspiration from a free download available of my book 'How Much Joy Can You Stand?' which is at www.howmuchjoy.com ... that says it all I think!
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Suzanne Falter-Barns lives with her husband and two children in upstate New York on the beautiful shores of Lake Champlain. For more information on what she has to offer check out her web sites at: www.getknownnow.com and www.howmuchjoy.com
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2006-07 Susan Henderson, All rights reserved.
