Having A Secondary Support System

Over the past two weeks, one of my accountability partners (Hubby) presented a couple of challenges, both of which he was also willing to participate. 

Because he is a creative via nature and nurture, his approach to life is generally complimentary to my own analytically hues. Remaining focused on the goal of developing The Message of Me (inspired by Judy Carter's The Message of You book), he suggested I accompany him to the "Story Salon" hosted by the fabulous Beverly Mickins.

As I gasped and slowly exhaled through perched lips, I passively agreed. With Hubby's non-intrusive guidance, he assured me that, "you don't have to tell a story. Just take in the environment of support."

In the intimate environment of our neighborhood coffeehouse, I met other supportive spouses and partners, as well as Mrs. Fran Miller, a 90 year-old Yoga instructor who shared one of her laugh-out-loud stories for the first time.

SideBar: After taking second, third, and forth looks at Fran and her daughters, I questioned my reality. I secretly thought, either Fran has been drinking Dracula juice or she adopted her children later in life. The rabbit-hole of incongruent thinking got worse as I admired her two daughters, who are in their 60's - get the hell outta here. They didn't look older than maybe mid-thirties - damn.  

Anywho, I digress.

The Story Salon was a great departure from the stereotypical public speaking arenas that I've grown accustomed to hearing about. Although places like the Toastmasters gatherings have an appropriate appeal that's more formal, one can easily get lost in the crowd. However, the smaller cafe environments similar to the Story Salon setting, felt more supportive and suitable to my spirit.

All in all, I'm glad I went.

Mindset and Purpose

Illustration Credit:Sophie Griotteo

This week has triggered cause for pause and reflection.

While reviewing Judy C's exercises in her book, The Message of You, she challenged her readers to complete a mindset, introspection, and purpose-driven exercise.

I naively proceeded with the task at hand and the assumption that the so-called 8 questions, could be completed within a half-hour period. Hell No! When I reviewed my responses to the questions' follow-up questions, they totaled about nineteen.  Agggh!

My husband however, gently guided me through the questions that required me to drill down deep. But I survived. 

Here are 4 thought-provoking questions, as authored by Judy Carter.

• Am I speaking because I have a message I want to share with the world?
• What do I expect to get out of being a professional speaking; such as Money, Career advancement or Inspiration?
• How would speaking about my personal experiences help promote an organization?
• What are my biggest challenges as an Entrepreneur and Survivor?

I appreciated this exercise. Now it's time go back to the comfort of my "binky". No - not a big ol' brick-size piece of double chocolate cake... Pinterest, of course.

My Message of Me Toolbox

As I began my morning coffee-ritual, I appreciated the importance of gathering the essential items for my Message of Me toolbox; needed during my journey of becoming a professional speaker.

Although I've set a 365-day (52-week) goal to become an established professional speaker, my fantasy is to accomplish this in significantly less time.

Thus far, gathering the basic items hasn't been as anxiety-provoking as I imagined. Perhaps my initial relative calm is related to the ease with which Judy Carter's book provides a syllabus, disguised as anticipatory clues, to the basic action-steps.


In Judy's book, THE MESSAGE OF YOU, she addresses the importance of establishing a support system. Thus far, I've gathered the basic items for my toolbox. Personally, without these basic items, my journey could be wrought with isolation.
My support system will include
* My Husband
* My Accountability Partner from my Master-Mind Group
* My Virtual Mentor via her book - Judy Carter

My Recording Devices
* My Android Phone
* My iPad
* Journaling via my The Message of Me blog

My Notebooks
* My Android Phone
* My iPad

Half a Century of Wisdom
I was talking with one of my most ardent supporters - My husband, who highlighted the importance of life-skills and experience.

The quotes that have resonated for me:
"...it's not always the talented ones who end up with major careers, its the ones who never gave up..."
~ Judy Carter

" The entertainment industry might be notorious for ageism, but the speaking industry actually want you to look, act, and be older!"
~ Judy Carter

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Brigitte is a licensed Private Practice Clinical Psychologist who dwells in the crack-den affectionately known as Pinterest. She blogs regularly about her deferred dreams of being an Interior Designer in a Private Practice With Style Blog.

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Accountability Month

This month I initiated, a different form of accountability. Traditionally I consume many books in the span of a month. Unfortunately, I tend to quickly transition to the next book without significantly benefiting from the gifts of the penned authors.

Illustrator Credit: Inslee Haynes

However, this month will begin a non-quasi experimental journey. In my anecdotal journey I have absolutely little notion of the results.

Like some of the awesome bloggers and coaches before me (Julie Powell, Leslie Samuel, Pat Flynn, and Fabienne Fredrickson, just to name a few), I am making an initial attempt to be as transparent as ethically possible. A brief reflection was written in my April 1, 2013 blog post about how I plan to implement the data from Judy Carters most recent book. To read more about the genesis of my latest foray into anxiety, read "The Message of Me: Why I Started This Journal-Blog."

Wish Me Positive Energy

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Brigitte is a licensed Private Practice Clinical Psychologist who dwells in the crack-den affectionately known as Pinterest. She blogs regularly about her deferred dreams of being an Interior Designer in a Private Practice With Style Blog.

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