Alexia's Views

How to Leave a Great Phone Message

A good friend and co-worker recently gave me a tip on how to leave a great phone message that I'd like to pass on to you. Using this technique allows you to effectively communicate your message and contact information in an easy way that can be notated and recalled. There is a simple format for the message in this easy four-step script:

1. "Hi My name is____."
   
2. "My phone number is 555-444-1-2-3-4."  Say each number out. Five-Five-Five-Four-Four-Four-One-Two-Three-Four.
   
3. Leave your message.
   
4. "Please call me back at 555-444-12-34." This time group the numbers. Five-Five-Five-Four-Four-Four-Twelve-Thirty-Four. 

My colleague says to leave the phone numbers in two different ways because people receive the information differently, and it will stick with the receiver better one way. It doesn't matter if you say them individually or group them first. What matters most is that you say your phone number in both ways in the message.

By leaving the number twice you are giving a person the opportunity to write the number down and check it the second time.

A third benefit is saying your phone number at the beginning of the message and getting it out there in the event that the listener doesn't make it to the end of the message to hear your number. 

In this day and age of caller ID, you may not think this is as valuable as it once was, but people still do need to write down phone numbers. Not only are you helping the listener, but you are also aiding in the perception of yourself because it makes you look courteous, polished and thorough by having good voice mail etiquette. I hope you enjoy another career tip to help you on your journey to personal success through effective communication.

 

Should You Trust Your Instinct?

When I think about the things that happen to us in life, I see them fall into two categories. The first category holds the things that happen to us without our control. Things in this category can include being involved in a natural disaster or having someone run into your car. The second category has things in it that happen to you as a result of consequence of poor decisions. Those things can include damaging your health from over eating or too much smoking. Those are kind of easy examples to make a point, but what about the daily decisions you face like who to date, whether or not to make a purchase, or what career moves to take?

Alexia's Mid-year Review 2012 - Part II

Last time, I shared how I spent the first quarter of 2012 learning a lot of lessons. Some were a result of things that happened to me and others were lessons I learned from circumstances that resulted from my own poor decisions. After reaching a rock bottom, I reflected and learned and was esposed to the teachings of The Secret, which changed my attitude towards life. And as a result my life changed too.

After leaning all these things, I spent a lot of time envisioning my hopes and dreams as if they were true. In May, I started a job that I absolutely love, and I feel happy and blessed to go to my place of work each day. Shortly thereafter, I felt completely healthy.

The final joyful change was that I recovered emotionally and spiritually from my former poor decisions, and I entered a wonderful period of self-nurturing and loving. People always say you need to love yourself, and my mentor, Rhonda Shasteen, always taught me to be true to myself. These things are similar, and although I understood them conceptually, it never really clicked...until now. I'm in a wonderful love affair with myself, and enjoying every second of it. This may sound egotistical and selfish, but it's the healthiest place in which to be. It's a place of self-respect, healthy ego, confidence, self-esteem, and gentle assertiveness. It's a place where I can finally listen to myself and be true to myself. If I'm true to myself then I engage better with the world around me.

I've spent so much of my life trying to please other people that every action was out of a motivation to make others happy to a point where I would make myself miserable so as to avoid conflict and saying no. Now I'm listening to that my inner voice and being true to myself and guess what! The reactions, interactions, and engagements I have with others are better and more honest too.

Maybe it's because I'm getting into my mid-thirties and this is something that happens at this age. At least, that's I hear. Whatever it is, it makes me feel happier than I've felt in my life.

Each quarter I go through the exercise of writing down my purpose tournament, from the book, The On-Purpose Person. This exercise gets you to define your top wants in eight major areas of life, like relational, spiritual, financial, etc. In June, I looked at my March purpose tournament only to discover I had absolutely everything I wished for, just like The Secret says. I can't wait to check it out again in September!

Normally, I've been fearful to share my joy with people for fear of it being jinxed. That's putting a wish out there. I'm choosing to face those fears in hopes that my joy will catch on for you too. The combination of a major shift in attitude plus coming into my own brought about the richest period of my life experience, and that's why this is turning out to be a banner year! Be joyful and happy now because you can!

 

Challenge Your Routine

Are you set in your ways? Most of us are. I know I am. I'm attached to my habits and routines and get a little out of sync when things don't always go my way. Finally, I got fed up with making myself miserable. I wanted to change my perspective and mostly my attitude. I decided I wanted to be more easy going and flexible in life. Guess what! Life's more enjoyable that way.

For example, I've been practicing certain eating habits, convinced they were working for me, when in truth, they were not. I decided to challenge the routine, and I discovered much more ease and success with my health, fitness and diet.

Sometimes we only go to the same five places for dinner or do the same workout, or take the same route to work. For example, one day I decided to take a new exit as an experiment, and that exit proved to shave five minutes off my commute.

Each time I choose to challenge the routine, I'm amazed to discover that I often like the experiment better. Then it makes it easier to challenge the next routine.

I hold on to some deep-rooted fears, that keep me in a rut, and now I'm gaining the courage and confidence to challenge even the oldest of routines.

Changing the way things have always been done exposes new joys in life. Sometimes, you may discover the old way was the best for you. The last thing any of us needs, is to be trapped in a world of self-created rules like Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory.

I encourage you to challenge one of your routines today because you can!