At the close of each year, I take an extended holiday as a present for a year well done! In addition, it gives me time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t—what’s in and what’s out for the future—and time to marinate on what I’ll need to remain focused on what I want to achieve for the upcoming year.

I have found that creating a one sentence simple theme has a powerful result since they are easier to keep top of mind than a laundry list of the ever so overwhelming goals or resolutions. This theme keeps me consistent and ON BRAND! I see it as a theme (that changes every year) but, you may see it as a one sentence vision statement. For example,  Bill Gates — Computer on Every Desk or  NASA — Putting a Man on the Moon.

We don’t need to look at our themes on a daily basis, they just penetrate into our lives. We are either living our theme or not. Rocket Science it ain’t.

Last year my theme was “Brilliantly Bold.” This year it is “Camera Ready.”

After working behind the scenes as a successful brand manager to million-dollar top executive brands, my own personal brand is coming to the forefront in 2013—a natural outcome from the 2012 brand theme. See how it works? Planning exciting business projects that will launch this year, I want to be ready to step out and promote these. For me, “Camera Ready” means being focused and prepared for interviews, presentations, having on-brand head shots, clothes, hair, etc. It also means thoughtfully choosing not to take on projects and volunteer activities that are off-theme so I can remain open for explosive growth in 2013 and beyond.

What’s your one personal brand theme for 2013?

This launched in early 2012, and here you can obtain an audio excerpt of the first chapter now.

See who else has contributed to this book. They include Molly Gordon, Laura Berman Fortgang, Donna Karlin, Ken Kesslin, Patrick Williams, Lloyd Raines, Jay Perry, Margie S. Heiler and Suzi Pomerantz.

A perfect example of a legacy extraordinaire is Steve Jobs. Your brand legacy is the stamp you’ve made with everything you do, both while on this earth and after you depart. Jobs was conscious about how he lived his life and even the way he died, and his passing has me thinking more about how we leave a job, a relationship, or this world and why legacy is so important.  I’ve never been so moved about the passing of someone I didn’t know personally. Perhaps it is because I’m truly awe inspired by Jobs’ legacy, and I’ve learned that we share some core values, love and beauty.

Regardless of his management style and quirks, no one can argue the profound impact his creativity, vision, and “don’t take no for an answer” thinking had on the world. Jobs brought us products and ideas that have profoundly changed the way we communicate. His legacy has profoundly changed the personal computer industry, music business, mobile phone industry, retail sales, the film industry, even tools to help kids with autism. He was a visionary for integrated technologies most of us couldn’t have imagined. Today his way of communicating lives on so much that he didn’t put an off switch on any of his products.

Most of us will not change the world or ‘dent the universe’ to the degree that Steve Jobs did — and that’s fine. To me, what’s not acceptable is never considering one’s legacy.

Steve’s sister, Mona Simpson, delivered an amazing eulogy for her brother. This New York Times article says it all. Be sure to read to the end to see what Steve’s last words were.

What are you doing now to create the legacy you want to leave? At the end of your life, will you be able to say, “OH WOW?”

As coaches, we continuously support others to be the best they can be, but what about us? How do we consistently raise our coach game to be the best we can be? I believe it is through Personal Branding!

Would you say you are ON BRAND in all you do? As I continue my support to revitalize your coach brand and benefit from the same principles I apply to take my own personal brand and the global brands of top executives to the next level, this information is specifically for you!

Who better to partner with than Kirsten Dixson, personal branding and online ID expert and coauthor of Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand, to deliver this complimentary Webinar specifically for you.

Date: Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Time: 1 p.m. Eastern
Description: Create Your Powerful Brand Future!

Personal branding is now a sought-after competency for everyone, especially coaches. To attract the right clients and opportunities for you, it is essential to discover your coach brand and clearly communicate it with everything you do—online and off.

In this presentation, Kirsten Dixson and I will take you through the proven, three-step personal branding process so you, too, can learn the secrets of building and managing a successful brand.

On my iPhone and iPad, these are my go-to guys:

1. CNN app. I can stay on top of current events and breaking news constantly!
2. iBooks app. I keep up with my reading on my iPad and iPhone when I’m waiting in line or taking the train into New York.
3. Zagat To Go app. Since I am a foodie, I can locate the most Lolalicious restaurants wherever I am in the world!
4. Bump app. I can easily exchange contact information with other iPhone and iPad users quickly. This also relates to the point about a paperless office below.
5. Facebook app. Enables me to connect and stay in touch with friends and family wherever I am.
6. Gilt Groupe. I always know what top designers offer with over 60% off and new sales every day at noon ET.
7. Shazam app. It’s the quickest, easiest way to capture the music I love. Hold it to a speaker, download, and purchase!
8. iPhone camera with zoom. This replaces paper for me and my so-last-century fax machine. I take a picture of a document and push send!
9. Apple Store. Never know when a girl forgets her charger and needs a replacement fast.

One more note: I am all about a paperless office. One of the constant comments I receive when someone visits my office is, “There is NO PAPER!” Using apps to manage my life, like my bank’s mobile banking app to manage my finances and view my statements, help with that.

What technology makes you more goddess-like? Please post a comment, I really want to know!

Full disclosure: I rely heavily on my team to keep me running with the latest technology. I couldn’t run a successful virtual business without them.

I connect people with great opportunities, and my dinner parties are no exception!  Since my guests may or may not know each other, I often kick start the conversations with a glass of wine and a question that gets people to observe each other and really connect in a fun way. One of my thought provoking questions is, “If you could have dinner with one person, dead or alive, who would that be?”

My alive person is always Oprah.

While I have not had the pleasure of meeting the Grand Dame in person (even though I was interviewed for her show), I continue to be inspired by the gifted work she does in the world and the permission she gives us all to keep growing, being, and doing—warts and all.

Here are my top ahas from Oprah’s final show:

1. We receive in direct proportion to how we give.
2. Drop the veil on pretense, and do only the things that grow us forward.
3. You are fully responsible for the energy you create for yourself and what you bring to others.
4. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
5. You are accountable for your life: Don’t wait for anyone to fix, change, or complete you!
6. Love what you do, and do what you love. Because Oprah loved what she did, she never missed a day of work for 4561 shows!
7. There is a common thread that runs through us all—that we are unworthy.
8. Thinking you should be happy vs. being worthy enough.
9. Worthiness is your birth right.
10. We all share a common desire to be heard and validated.
11. When you connect, embrace, or liberate one person, they feel validated.
12. God is love and life and is always talking to you. What are the whispers in your ear?
13. Gratitude is the greatest honor a human being can have.
14. All behaviors are chosen because it is in the present moment.
15. Always look for your yellow brick road of blessings.

Which one of these ahas moves you and why?

My closet was a wire nightmare before I hired a closet company to design and build one for my needs. I quickly realized the benefit of this with so much time saved knowing where everything is and everything fitting my personal brand.

The key to getting this done quickly is in the planning …

1. Get a vision of what you want your closet to look like, looking at pictures in magazines and online for inspiration.
2. Consider what you have to store, including jewelry, belts, bags, sweaters, tennis clothes, etc.
3. Determine what you will need to purchase in advance—including slim, suede-looking hangers (to save space) and 16 garbage bags

Then …

1. Carve out 3 days on your calendar—not so far in advance that you won’t keep it
2. Schedule one or two friends to come support you to kick start your Goddess Closet project
3. Make sure there are a few comfy chairs available for your friends
4. Prepare appetizers and include a specialty drink or wine—okay maybe two bottles
5. Label each garbage bag: Keep, Not Sure, Charity, Garbage
6. Take everything off your closet floor, and throw away what you do not want or need
7. Remove all unused, wire, or ugly hangers
8. Remove all items that you don’t wear, do not fit, or are damaged
9. Place each item in the appropriate labeled bag
10. Review your shoe inventory using the same method as above
11. Pull the rest out of your closet
12. Review your items one by one—if you have not worn it in two years, it doesn’t go back into your closet
13. Put everything back in according to the storage practices that work best for you—e.g., scarves hung on a wall, jewelry in clear boxes, shoes stored by height
14. Place like items together—e.g., work clothes, sports clothes, white shirts

Now that you are organized, make the habit of taking something out of your closet to make room for something new on a regular basis.

Check out easyclosets.com to design your own Goddess Closet. I’d love to see your closet photos and have you share your tips!

Here are my top 3 tips for staying focused on what really matters to move your personal brand forward:

1. Create your TOP 3 Priorities and spend time each day on moving these forward.
2. Make these goals SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Be realistic, not pie in the sky.
3. SAY NO if the action is not aligned with moving your TOP 3 priorities forward. Did you know that NO is a complete sentence in itself? No need for an explanation, just a smile when you say it

Goddess Bottom Line: Goddesses don’t spin…it makes them dizzy! Create the time to strategically think about what most deserves your time and undivided attention.

When we have organized thoughts and a clear space filled only with the things we need, use, and absolutely love, we create more joy, flow, and creativity. We also create less chaos, plain and simple.  

Start with your closet. Did you know that your closet can represent where you are in your career? If your closet represents who you are, what is your closet saying about you? Mine says, “I am organized, and I have room to receive the next big thing to come my way.”

Resources for physical organization abound including, Real Simple, The Container Store, California Closets, personal organizers, and a Google search for “getting organized.” But what about clearing mental clutter and getting highly focused on your ultimate goals and how you’ll pursue your personal vision?

When I work with clients, this is just one way we approach the big-picture planning that helps ensure our everyday activities are the best use of our time and the best match for our personal brand. I promise you that when you remove people, places, and things that are not a brand match, you’ll begin to fill your closet with Chanel vs. Wal-Mart

Goddess Bottom Line: Schedule time to create an environment that is a match for your brand.

After being with my husband almost 20 years, my answer is, always… “It’s all in the training, period.” To some it may seem a rather harsh response, but others are intrigued and want to learn more. So, here is what I mean…

Men are not complicated. Most women think men are mind readers, seriously.  We don’t let them know what we need, and when they don’t succeed in meeting our needs we often feel misunderstood and let down. You might say, “My husband didn’t buy me a card for Valentine’s Day, he knows I like to cuddle but he never hugs me, or my husband never chips in to help with the kids.”  Really? And why do you think that is?

Is it more important to be “right” and in control or to be happy? I think you have to choose at any moment. Here are a few simple Lola Principles (I have 50 more) on how I train my environment to interact with me powerfully so I get, for the most part, what I want. Because, as the song says… “Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.”

• I am clear on expectations so those in my life know what to and what not to expect. I had the most amazing holiday season this year, where no one was disappointed, in part because I set up expectations up front.
• I include others in the decision-making process so I get their buy-in.
• I ask for what I want, and I a mindful of how I make the request. And, I give others permission to do the same.
• I do not blame others when I do not get what I want—especially when I did not give clear instructions.
• I take responsibility for my choices. I am the driver of my bus, not a passenger. I don’t make others wrong because something in my life didn’t turn out because I depended on someone else to make it happen.
• I surround myself with people who have great relationships and learn from them.
• I may not always know what I want, but I know what I don’t want. I express this in a way that is aspirational.
• I love being in a “partnership” not just a relationship—I put 100% in to it and think that 50% is a mistake.
• I am pro-active. I don’t wait for my spouse to make the decisions on finances where we dine or vacations. I come up with ideas and then I pass them by him. He usually always agrees and if he did not, I would venture out on my own.
• I am an independent woman with my own money, goals, and career. If my relationship would end tomorrow I would be very sad, but I would not be devastated—I would still have me!

Want to learn more about training your environment to get what you desire? Check out my Finding the Goddess in You: Lifestyle and Relationships Program.