Deb Nelson – Page 12 – Be Well Consulting Group

Choosing Abundance

We make choices every day. And every day, I choose to live in a world of abundance.

Sometimes it seems that we make our lives more complicated than we need to. How many small treats do we fail to notice / acknowledge when we focus on something larger than life?

Get real. Life is a series of little moments. Make the most of your moments by having some lighthearted fun.

In The Art of Abundance, Candy Paull suggests that we if we actually focus on these small joys, we’ll realize what a world of abundance we have surrounding us:

Abundance is . . . a wiggling tail-wagging puppy.

Abundance is . . . learning how to ride a bike.

Abundance is . . . air-conditioning in a hot climate.

Abundance is . . . a pure white seashell you discover on the beach.

Paull also proposes that we spend entirely too much time “waiting for tomorrow.” Lessons here? Open your eyes, appreciate what’s right in front of you, do not become paralyzed by fear. In this world where we have so many choices, the only wrong choice is making no choice at all.

So…get out there, play while you’re at work, and write the story of your life that suits you best.

Choosing Abundance was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

10 Tips to Get More Followers – Courtesy of Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick

If sharing is caring, Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick are the King and Queen of caring.

Hubspot’s Amanda Sibley hosted a webinar featuring Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick a/k/a The Dynamic Duo of Social Media. This was a no-nonsense webinar packed with useful information. Here are the Duo’s 10 Tips to Get More Followers:

Be Valuable
– Inform, assist, and entertain your followers
– Pass the reshare test: create content people want to share with
their followers
– Embrace the NPR model: check their tweets out; you’ll want to be
just like them
Be Clever
– Piggyback onto existing services (Kawasaki’s Alltop.com, for example, where content is ready and waiting)
– Share what’s already popular – in a timely fashion
– Use lists, circles and communities – take advantage of existing groups
Be Gracious
– Show a little social love and share other people’s content
– Give thanks if someone shares your content or provides content you find valuable
– Stay positive or stay silent
Be Organized
– Use the right tool: Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite
– Create a calendar
– Be consistent
Be Dramatic
– Add visuals
– Add text on top of visuals
– Add user-generated content
Be Optimal
– Perfect your profile – your face for profile pic; photo that tells story for cover photo
– Add share buttons: make it easy for your followers to spread your content
– Use optimal visual sizes for each social media forum: use largest photo
size possible to make your photo stand out
Be Bold
– Take a stand on an issue
– Express your personality
– Be topical and timely: jump into the conversation when it’s hot
Be Tough
– Embrace complaints
– Ignore trolls: you’ll come to recognize them soon enough
– Go three rounds: let the conversation go – three responses show that
you paid attention, and engaged your audience
Be Active
– Be calm and post often
– Repeat your tweets – Yes, repeat your tweets – 3x, every eight hours
– Get on Pinterest
Be Curious
– Experiment constantly
– Watch what others do
– Use incognito mode

Over-delivering on their promise of sharing their top 10 tips, Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick also let us in on a few power tips:

You can add up to four pictures with each tweet; one picture will double your engagement.
You can tag photos in your tweets and names tagged will not count as part of your 140 characters.
Upload your video directly to Facebook rather than embedding a YouTube video on Facebook
Promoting posts on Facebook is inexpensive and effective.
In their continuing education, Kawasaki and Fitzpatrick are experimenting with paying to promote on Pinterest.

Put these tips in place, and I suspect your audience will grow and become more engaged. Keep me posted, and let me know about your success.

10 Tips to Get More Followers – Courtesy of Guy Kawasaki and Peg Fitzpatrick was last modified: February 19th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Asking Bold Questions Following A Cancer Diagnosis

It’s easy to get thrown into a tailspin upon learning that you’ve got cancer, and it’s really challenging to get the information you need to make the best choices to heal your cancer.

For more than three years, I’ve been talking with cancer survivors, attending conferences, reading book after book after book, and scouring the interwebs for information about the relationship surrounding nutrition, lifestyle, and cancer diagnoses. There is no shortage of information on this topic, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good because for those of us who love to explore, there’s plenty of information. Bad, of course, because so much information can seem overwhelming.

To help dial down that feeling of overwhelm, I’ve released an eBook to help people navigate the world of cancer treatment on their path to health. Heal Your Cancer: 12 Bold Questions to Ask on Your Journey to Health is offered free of charge and is designed to lend a hand to people who have recently been diagnosed with cancer. It serves as a catalyst to discussion – discussions cancer patients will want to have with friends, family, healthcare practitioners, coworkers and colleagues. These questions are by no means an exhaustive list of questions that need to be asked, yet they will serve to start much-needed dialog.

Let me know if you find this eBook helpful, and best of luck on your journey to health. Keep the conversation going; stay connected on Facebook and twitter.

Download the eBook for free here. Learn a bit about why I started researching the relationship around cancer diagnoses, nutrition, and lifestyle here.

The information on this blog post is written as a source of information only. Deb Nelson is not a doctor and has no medical training. The information contained on this site should by no means be considered a substitute for the advice of a qualified medical professional, who should always be consulted before beginning any health program. The reader is cautioned to carefully assess the risks associated with following any health program and is responsible for obtaining health care appropriate for his/her condition.

Asking Bold Questions Following A Cancer Diagnosis was last modified: December 1st, 2016 by Deb Nelson

Wrestling with Your Approach to a Challenge? No Problem. Go Snowshoeing.

Here in the Northeast, we’ve been the recipients of an abundance of snow. It provides a beautiful landscape, opportunity for great recreation, and insight in approaching work challenges.

Yes, that’s right. Snow is offering up assistance to work challenges – and I’m not talking taking the day off because there’s too much of this white fluffy stuff in your driveway. What I mean is that the snow encourages us to get out of our routine, day-to-day activities, open our eyes, and let our mind wander.

Take a look at these two photos to the right; they are pictures of the same pile of snow. From one direction, the snow resembles a cat of the ferocious variety. From another angle, though, this clump of snow looks more like a sea lion or walrus. How many of your challenges at work could benefit from being seen through a different lens? Do a little upfront analysis by:

Having a conversation or two with people from other departments.
Collecting input from current and/or prospective clients.
Gaining insight of advisors who have
been there, done that.

Taking a literal seat on the other side of the table will help you:

See things from others’ prospective / point of view.
Identify opportunities you hadn’t realized existed.
Visualize impact of your actions.
Reduce trial and error.
Minimize unintended consequences.
Eliminate poor choices.
Build a coalition of support within your team / organization.
Map out strategic / purposeful path.
Position yourself to respond to unintended consequences.
Accomplish your goals more efficiently.

Go sit in someone else’s chair, go snowshoeing, have a conversation with a co-worker or colleague; and see how your perspective changes.

Let me know how you make sure you get the input you need to meet a challenge.

Wrestling with Your Approach to a Challenge? No Problem. Go Snowshoeing. was last modified: February 9th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Loon Echo Land Trust and Jon Evans: Stewardship at its Best

Balancing conservation, stewardship, and economic development
is no easy task; Loon Echo Land Trust and Jon Evans make it look easy.

As I sit warm and cozy working in my living room with blizzard conditions outside my window, it’s hard to believe I had to trade in my snowshoes for crampons a mere four days ago because of a lack of snow. Yes, people, be careful what you wish for!

The view from Bald Pate was a pretty one even with limited visibility. Falling snowflakes made for a winter wonderland. — Even with limited visibility, the view from Bald Pate was beautiful. Snowflakes added to the fun.

Saturday a group of nine joined Jon Evans, Loon Echo Land Trust’s (LELT)
Stewardship Manager, for a hike to the summit at Bald Pate. With an elevation of 300 feet, Evans chose a hike to encourage newcomers to join the ranks of skilled hikers. The first bonus for all of us joining Evans was the history and land use knowledge that Evans shared with us. We learned about prior use of land; how LELT came to protect certain pieces of land; why connected pieces of land are so important to the community (wildlife) in the protected land; the services LELT helps provide to area residents; visitors and visitors; and so much more. Evans’ knowledge of the area was surpassed only by his enthusiasm to protect the land and provide opportunities for all of us to enjoy the properties LELT protects.

The second bonus was having Leigh Hayes join us. Hayes is Education Director for Greater Lovell Land Trust and a Board Member of Lakes Environmental Association. Hayes got down on her hands and knees to examine sample after sample of scat. Who knew that much data was in poop! Hayes was the perfect complement to Evans – their combined knowledge of the great outdoors is quite impressive.

This was my first experience with LELT; I’m looking forward to learning more about this land trust and participating in more of the organization’s hikes and programs. Give them a like on Facebook. If you’re living in or visiting the State of Maine, check them out and let me know if you agree that this organization has a handle on its stewardship role.

Loon Echo Land Trust and Jon Evans: Stewardship at its Best was last modified: January 27th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Lessons Learned From Accepting A Challenge

Winnie Kao dropped the gauntlet. She asked anyone and everyone to join her in blogging every day for a week. Many, including me, accepted her challenge.

Making the commitment to blogging every day for seven days forced me to adjust my work schedule to write every day – weekends included. Yesterday I posted my blog less than 20 minutes before midnight. I could have written two posts today, but that wasn’t the agreement I made with Winnie. So . . . after getting home from my husband’s company party, I wrote a blog post. Not my best work, but a post nonetheless.

Taking the challenge to participate in the Your Turn Challenge helped me see a few things more clearly. Here are some of the lessons I learned from this challenge:

Shipping is better than perfect.
Your word matters.
Habits can be set or broken in a week.
Powerful communities can be formed in a week.
Taking a risk can produce some wild results.

I’ve met some wonderful people this week, and I’ve read some powerful blog posts. Participating in this challenge has been the best decision I’ve made in 2015. Thanks, Winnie, and all of my colleagues who jumped on this challenge.

Lessons Learned From Accepting A Challenge was last modified: January 25th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Want to Tell a Great Story? Try Reading a Few.

Reading is one of the best ways you can learn to be a better writer. Grab a book – fiction, nonfiction – whatever suits your fancy, and see what you learn.

My love of reading and fascination with books dates back to my childhood. Olaf Reads is a favorite from my childhood, and my current library includes a copy of Harold and the Purple Crayon. I’ve got shelves of books that relate to current interests, and am weeding out a few books that have been gathering dust.

My favorite road trips include a visit to a bookstore. I’ll plan a day or weekend’s activities around the bookstores in the area. I love roaming the aisles and reading the names of books and looking at the design of the covers of books – children’s books, business, art, medical.

These books have provided inspiration for me to write and share stories. When I need a new perspective about a topic or if I’m not sure how to write a story, I’ll have conversations with people, research online, and head to a bookstore. Bookstores continue to change as the publishing industry evolves; one constant that remains, however, is the variety of genres at our disposal. Drink in the creativity of these authors and watch your writing and storytelling improve.

Want to Tell a Great Story? Try Reading a Few. was last modified: January 24th, 2015 by Deb Nelson

January’s Clean Slate: Take Advantage of the Opportunity to Recharge, Restart, and Reboot

Thanks to the Your Turn Blog Challenge, I’m on a roll. This is day four of the seven-day challenge. I’ve completed four blog posts, joined two blogging communities, and put an end to my drought in the blog-o-sphere.

Like many people, I’m using the start of the new year as an opportunity to set some goals, reassess what’s important to me, and get down to work. How lucky am I that Winnie Kao and Seth Godin are using the new year to motivate bloggers to put their thoughts in print. Brilliant for them; inspiring for me.

Creating quite a buzz online, this group of hundreds is burning up the interwebs with thoughts that otherwise would not have been shared. I’ve read some amazing posts; take a look at this post by Heather Parady. It by far my favorite: Intense. Real. Thought-Provoking. Head on over to twitter and search #YourTurnChallenge. Set your timer; this is a seemingly endless rabbit hole – all good stuff that will keep you here past your bedtime.

Now take a look at your plans for 2015. Use this challenge to move the needle on your goals. What small steps can you take today to move forward? And then tomorrow? Remember, you’ve got that clean slate. No labels. No negative self-talk. No excuses.

2015 appears to be the year for shipping. I’d love to know what you’re shipping.

January’s Clean Slate: Take Advantage of the Opportunity to Recharge, Restart, and Reboot was last modified: January 22nd, 2015 by Deb Nelson

Get Your Social On: Keeping the Social in Social Media

Are you being social or have you slipped into the habit of constant selling, rather than engaging, on social media channels? If you’re constantly asking, selling, telling, are you engaging with your audience? Or have you alienated your tribe? If you’re not engaging, you might just be transferring traditional media tactics to social settings. You might be lonely.

Give the L E A R N theory of being social a try:

Listen. Put your ear to the social scene and listen to your audience. Where are they spending their time? What do they expect to get from social media? What are they asking questions about? What are their pain points? How can you solve their problems?

Earn. You need to earn the trust of your audience. Show up: be present, be consistent, be thoughtful.

Answer. Now that you know the questions your audience is asking, offer up some answers. Be a superhero and share your knowledge.

Respect. There are lots of differing opinions being served up on social media. Respect those opinions; and while you’re at it, don’t engage with the trolls

Nurture. Developing relations is a process. Nurture these relationships: share posts, comment on posts, be an all-around nice person.

We all love a good conversation. Go out and be social. Let me know how
the L E A R N theory works for you.

Get Your Social On: Keeping the Social in Social Media was last modified: January 21st, 2015 by Deb Nelson

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