Listen closely.

You can practically hear the clock ticking.

As New Year’s Eve approaches, the world is keenly aware of hours, minutes, and seconds.

Look, I love a party, but making resolutions irks me, and here's why.

Have you resolved to quit binge-watching Netflix and volunteer as a mentor in your community? Or finally launch your podcast? Or worse…join the gym? (gassssp!)

Let's get real.

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You don’t need a split second on Dec. 31st when the ball drops in Times Square to get on track. You have the power right now to do better.

It's not a resolution; it's a decision.

You can simply DECIDE—like I have done for many years—to stop waiting for the countdown, champagne, and party hats. It's called stalling and giving away your power.

I used to put soooo much pressure on...

User-Generated Content, or UGC, is a fun and interactive way to gain visibility and engagement online.  

Savvy marketers include UGC as part of their online strategy.

It's super-effective on Instagram when you...

• Need fresh content 
• Want more engagement and comments on posts 
• Target younger audiences

User-generated content is also fun.

UGC invites subscribers and followers to send in pictures (or enter a contest) based on a theme or "news of the day."

It's a strategy that's long been used in television news. These days, foodies, clothing brands, sports and other visual brands are tapping UGC, too.  

Here's an easy example: There's a snowstorm and a TV news anchor encourages viewers to send in their cutest snow picture of their pets.

The station selects "winners" and showcases them with the owner's name or social media handle. The "winners" — the public — create an organic buzz by raving on social media (word-of-mouth marketing) how Fluffy...

As we wrap up the summer, take time to catch up on some of the goofy business things that may be nagging at you day-to-day. #Energydrains

If you're ready to recharge your battery and kick-start your success, this list will help.

These small tasks can make your life less stressful and easier to manage day-to-day. You may even develop a new habit.

1. Clean up your contact lists and database.

2. Sort through your Favorites and Bookmarks. Categorize them and delete the ones that are no longer relevant.

[RELATED: FREE DOWNLOAD: CREATE 30 TOPICS IN 30 MINUTES FOR ANY NICHE! CLICK HERE TO GET THE #30/30 GUIDE.]  

3. Go paperless when possible. Shred or toss old papers you don’t need.

4. Read the magazines you’ve been saving for the past three months.

5. Get rid of the magazines you’ve been saving for the past three months.

6. Contact someone you admire and ask to interview them for a post or video....

Do you feel like you can write or talk about anything and everything, except for your own experience and journey?  

You’re not alone.

You may feel like you need to cram your whole life story into one sentence. Other times you need to hand over a novel.

Writing a professional bio can be challenging because these days, one size does not fit all.

Take the time to prep these four variations of your bio so that you're prepared and confident anytime, anywhere.

Full Bio

Start big! Write (or update) your professional bio similar to a LinkedIn profile. Think 300 words or so.

• Write in first person
• Balance professional with personality
• Focus on results; not tasks
• Use short punchy sentences
• Include keywords for SEO but don’t force them

Use the full bio as a baseline for the next few.

Short Paragraphs for Speaking Engagements + Interviews

You’ll probably find yourself using this one most often. I recommend pulling 8-10 short sentences from your full bio. They don’t...

I used to say that business cards weren’t going out of style anytime soon. With COVID-19, we're clearly not handing them out at meetings like we were pre-pandemic.

No worries. There are still plenty of meaningful ways to network in a virtual environment. The best news — no extra Zoom meetings required!

You can build a quality network to grow your business with the platforms right at your fingertips.

Consider Facebook.

These days there’s a Facebook group for just about everything.

Here's the key to finding the right one to grow your business. Join the groups and chats where your ideal client spends time.Know where they are...and GO THERE.  In my brilliance, I call this the "Know and Go " strategy.

Then, jump into discussions to connect with others who have pain points around your expertise. Build rapport and a connection...and Be the Solution. More brilliance: This is the B.S. strategy. 

When networking online: 

• Don’t go in "sales-first"
• Be...

In a perfect world, we could put a pushpin on a calendar date and plan out days, weeks and months of special events, announcements, contests and news to share. Wow, an entire road map of content, blog topics and email promos. It would work out just fabulously.

[RELATED: To continue learning about communicating with confidence and clarity, join Communication Nation on Facebook.] 

Of course, anyone who has walked the planet for a few decades knows that social media—and breaking news—can quickly push our best-laid plans out the window. If the TV interview you’ve been working on for weeks has arrived but there’s a major earthquake in California, your big moment might be rescheduled—or axed. That’s why you—and your editorial calendar—must be flexible.

First Things First

Though content planning can bring challenges, savvy professionals still keep a framework in place.  

Templates that allow you to easily track—and...