My good friend Joe Lombardo and I were talking today about the new reality, our struggles and what this all means for people like us.

He asked for my thoughts on the economic recovery and I told him I’m not optimistic, for many reasons and based on some pretty clear indicators.

Then I clicked on the Huffington Post and saw this interactive map.

I was born in North Dakota. Judging by this map, I might have to go back there.

Take a look.

Posted by Patty Soffer under Branding & Business & Design & Economy & Life & This just Sucks & Uncategorized | No Comments »

You already know that for me it’s all about natural healthy foods. No bull, Red or otherwise, for me.

This energy drink is unlike any other. No added sugars. No caffeine. No chemicals. No artificial anything. All natural, All antioxidant. All energy.

All good for you. All waiting for you.

patty.pattychocolate@gmail.com

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I’ve had enough of me.

I’m headed down the mountain and back to society once again.

Great trip, but what I learned about being alone is this:

I like being with people. Other people besides just me. I’m outward-focused, and all this introspection gets old after a few days. Plus, it’s hard to play tennis alone (if I even played tennis . . .).

I work with people for a living. I help them think about themselves and why they do what they do and then dive into what it is they really want to do. I take all their ideas, help them think bigger, and then help plan their business growth and innovation strategies.

To do this job, one has to be able to listen. It’s when people tell you who they are (thanks Maya Angelou).

I have learned to be a good listener and I love to listen.

To someone other than myself.

Posted by Patty Soffer under Design & Life & The Collec+ive & The Collective & Uncategorized | No Comments »

OK, we’re not talking strictly geography here, ‘tho in this instance it’s relevant.

If you’ve been following my travels, you know I’ve gone from Florida to North Carolina. My trip abruptly became unrecognizable from the trip I had planned. The universe clearly had other plans for me.

So-without repeating the long and very boring story, I am here. ALONE. 100% devoid of any companionship other than Addy and Ed, the dogs. Thank God I fought for them being part of this trip.

Anyhow, this turn of events has completely changed my STATE. Yes, I’m in a different state, but mostly, and more importantly, I’m in a different STATE.

Like I am seeing things differently. Hearing things differently (including the Boogy Man at 3 am-I don’t sleep til the sun rises. Oh crap I am a vampire).

My golf/hiking/dining/laughing/bonding trip is now just me and a rocking chair on a porch, and let me tell you–things look very different through this lens.

Bridal Veil Falls, NC

So I went, camera in hand, to Bridal Veil Falls. Gorgeous, but very quickly clear to me that any photo op would have to be jacked from whomever was there.

So I asked a nice lady if she would take my photo, and she replied. ” ARE YOU ALONE?????? OMG, you are so brave!”

I got, very clearly, that my trip, ALONE, was such a state change that I was seeing everything differently than anyone else.

ALONE is cool. ALONE is often necessary. ALONE refocuses oneself on what matters most. There is no one around to boss you, agree with you, argue with you, love you, fight with you, kiss you, hold you, yell at you.

Yeah, alone is brave.

It’s just you.

And you.

Talk about a change of state.

My state right now is creative and content.

And, more tired than ever before in my life.

The boonies are scary at night, and I’m there, eyes wide open and heart pounding, sitting sentry so the dogs can sleep well.

Holy Crap.

This is some weird state.

Posted by Patty Soffer under Philanthropy & Spirituality & Strategy & The Collec+ive & The Collective & Uncategorized | No Comments »

But I am tempted.

Anyway, what caught my eye today, besides the beauty of this little Bed and Breakfast, is the INTENTION with which they declare themselves to the world.

They want “Nice People” as their guests.

There.

They said it.

For all the world to see.

This implies a contract in that when someone walks in to register at the front desk, they are “nice people.” If you’re not, then the Chandler Inn isn’t the place for you.

I think this is fantastic. I’ve worked with brand after fancy brand over the years -  and this little North Carolina Inn just simply gets it.

Most businesses don’t declare themselves - to them or their customers.  In fact, many don’t have a clue who their customers even are, or who they are, for that matter. So how can they speak with INTENTION?

People rush into business all the time without building a foundation, a strategy. They mean well, but eventually wind up in trouble. [been there done that]

It’s critical to discover and verbalize your core values so you can declare your INTENTION with you, your customers, vendors, partners, employees, family and everyone else you come into contact with.

Then, if something does not fit your core values, it cannot exist in your life. Period. It makes decision making a snap.

I’m guessing these nice folks have a strong set of core values that they live by every day. They must. Because their reputation is as lovely as their premises.

Here’s another photo.

Have you done the work to identify your core values? E-me. I can help. This is what I love to do.

It’s always my first step when I work with businesses.

It’s always the one people feel is unimportant or a waste of time.

It’s always the one they are most grateful for in the end.

Core values keep us directed and focused.

Core values keep us out of trouble.

I’m loving it here in Mayberry. And I’m learning a lot. Learning is one of my core values.

Posted by Patty Soffer under Branding & Business & Patty Soffer | a collec+ive & Strategy & The Collec+ive & The Collective & Uncategorized | No Comments »

Ok so FEDEX is not finding me until next week Wed or Thurs, which is not even close to being acceptable. So off I went, early this morning, to the nearest Apple Store. Thing is, that would be 90 miles from here, in Greenville, South Carolina, most of which is crazy, twisty, winding mountain road. And - change of plans - it would not be happening on the back of a Harley. Oh well . . .

Lake Sequoia, NC

But I had an OUTCOME: to get the power cord here in time for my Tuesday a.m. Skype meeting, a critical meeting for me. I’m a strategist, so OUTCOME is everything. I always start with the end, so the road to my goal(s) is clear. I know the Tuesday meeting will be life changing.  And it’s a goal-within-a-goal. A step.

So I traveled, with Ed and Addy on my lap (arf), down the mountain and through three states, getting unbelievably lost (ok, so the clear road thingie doesn’t really mean “road”) but seeing beauty that took my breath away.

Through no fault of my own  - can you say Google Mobile? -  I finally found the Apple Store, bought the cord and was back on the road within 15 minutes.

Outcome is a huge motivator. What would you to to achieve an outcome that is dear to you? How about if your outcome was a great marriage; financial success; a business that rocks; a child; happiness?

The answer is this: YOU WOULD DO ANYTHING. Think about that. ANYTHING means there is nothing that will stop you. It means you jump over hurdles and take all the deep breaths you need to stay focused. It means your OUTCOME is so important that you put everything you have into achieving it.

I did ANYTHING today, and got way more than I expected. And I expect even more, because the power cord is but a step toward achieving my final OUTCOME . (I’ll be telling you exactly what that is in the next few months).

How about you? What do you want so badly you will do ANYTHING?

Posted by Patty Soffer under Design & Uncategorized | No Comments »

Ok, not exactly video blogging today. Sometimes pictures speak louder than moving pictures with words.

Plus my hair is a mess . . .

So - my bucolic mountain trip is perfect.

Except my MacBook Power Cord is failing.

Damn.

So the wilderness is only cool when I’m connected?

Yes. I admit it.

But not because I am a connect-a-holic. Which I am.

But because a big part of my trip here is to complete a huge project that is near and dear to me.

And that can only happen online.

It’s the modern world, no matter how deeply buried I am in the mountains.

So FEDEX will find me when nobody else can.

I actually think that’s cool.

I’m as lost as I need to be to find myself.

So here’s what I did today.Rather, what I did for myself today:

I bought flowers. I love flowers. On the dining room table. Photo as evidence. [Failing MacBook Pro power cord is under the table. Sob.]

I also bought incense. Named after the local 5-star hotel here. Yummy.

Think the FEDEX guy will be able to sniff me out come Tuesday am?

Oh Good God, I hope so.

In the meantime, I will be zooming through the Smokies on the back of a Harley with some new friends I made today.

I love it here.

Posted by Patty Soffer under Health and Wellness & Patty Soffer | a collec+ive & The Collec+ive & The Collective & Uncategorized & World Travel | No Comments »

Greetings from Highlands, NC

Posted by Patty Soffer under Family & Spirituality & Uncategorized & Videos | No Comments »

People will tell you who they are. All you have to do is listen. -  Oprah Winfrey, on the best advice Maya Angelou ever gave her.

I recently had the privilege of coaching and strategizing with a young woman who is starting her own business. She had reached maximum pain in her life - the point at which people change - and was ready to cast off her fears and go for it.

Ready, yes, but was she willing?

We had to identify her needs and how she was fulfilling them. We spent several days in intensive sessions, first identifying who she was, finding  her core values and discovering the whys of her existence.

What we found was rich and fertile potential for a successful business, yet potentially deal-breaking if she was not willing to dig deep and understand why she behaved as she did.

She was not willing. Predictable, given her very obvious judgment, anger and victim issues. Willing is a big step. Her greatest need is for attention, and she has gotten it through these behaviors.

I knew we’d have to revisit this, because herein would lie her strategy.

We moved on and uncovered a delightful whitespace in which she could operate with little competition and high odds for success. [Shameless self -promotion: This is the plum I dig for each time I work with businesses, and I always find it.]

All along, I knew there was a brick wall out there with her name on it, and she was running toward it.

Off she went to find clients. Each day she returned more unhappy, heavy, more defeated. She wasn’t getting the response she wanted. People weren’t respecting her voice or opinion. They weren’t taking her seriously. Sometimes they weren’t  letting her participate in the meetings. Some just plain didn’t like her.

She was showing up as who she is and the responses she got were commensurate. These were the same responses she had gotten her entire life.

It was clear that until we healed the demons, nothing, including her business, would work. So in short order, she was right back where she started - in maximum pain. Nothing had changed.

The lesson? Your business is personal, no matter what anyone says. It’s about you.

How you show up in business is how you will be treated. Human beings operate on polarities, just like magnets.  A good, strong business connection is the result of a deep commitment to showing up with integrity, honor, trust, and heart, and giving WAY more than you take.

Today, more than ever before, this is true. The paradigm has shifted, and the cold, corporate culture is no longer viable.

Business is relationships. Good business is about respect.

So how do you show up? What are you telling people about yourself? Are you a critic or a creator? The answer will absolutely determine your success in all you do.

Posted by Patty Soffer under . . . . Heart-Based Branding & Branding & Business & Patty Soffer | a collec+ive & Philanthropy & Spirituality & Uncategorized | No Comments »

♥ Someone you haven’t yet met is already dreaming of adoring you.

♥ Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.

♥ Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God’s children.

♥ A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, “nourish them.”

♥ Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you. Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favourite food is, and treat you to a movie.

♥ There are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.

♥ Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.

♥ Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.

♥ The next great song is being rehearsed.

♥ Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.

♥ Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.

♥ Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they’ll be thriving like never before. They just can’t see it from where they’re at.

♥ Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to ARRIVE, will get precisely what they want — and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in its reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angst and longing and render it all “so worth the wait.”

♥ Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.

♥ Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.

♥ Someone is fighting the fight so that you don’t have to.

♥ Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail; and your garbage is picked up; that the trains are running on time; and that you are generally safe. Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

♥ Someone is regaining their sanity. Someone is coming back from the dead. Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable. Someone is curing the incurable.

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
You. Me. Some. One. Now.

Posted by Patty Soffer under . . . . Heart-Based Branding & Business & Health and Wellness & Patty Soffer | a collec+ive & Spirituality & The Collec+ive & Uncategorized & Wonders of the World & giving | No Comments »