Real You: A post about Huffington Post

     I don't know about you, but when I have the opportunity to meet someone who is a mentor-from-afar (aka hero) and she turns out to be in person even more wonderful than you imagined, it's powerful. I had that opportunity yesterday when I listened to Arianna Huffington tell her story. She made an appearance at a brown bag luncheon to benefit the Venice Family Clinic. To get things started, an amazing woman came forward and told her story about how the clinic had been there for her family when they lost everything due to a child's illness. Her story brought the crowd to tears, including Huffington who onsite announced to the crowd she'd decided to feature the woman's story of reinvention on a new section of the HuffPost called Breakover.      That was cool. Spontaneous. Creative. Loving. After making that announcement, Huffington - who was introduced by her sister/best friend, Agapi - wowed the crowd with her newfound mission to get folks sleeping more. After collapsing at her desk from exhaustion, she has become a sleep advocate and she's taking time to inspire others to do the same. She's created NapQuest rooms at her new AOL offices (named after the company's Mapquest) for her editorial team. She's accustomed to using her wisdom and life experiences to help change the world.

     Huffington spent the majority of her talk reflecting on the positive consequences of rejection (she moved to New York because of a break-up with a man in London), the power inherent in giving back, the creativity explosion happening at this moment due to the connection and engagement the internet provides and using her own life as an example of how anything is possible if you keep the spirit of life in your heart.

     Can you tell I left the luncheon inspired? I'm still smiling. Use your gifts, she told us. Because Huffington is an eloquent writer and believer in the power of women entrepreneurs, because she tells her story - the good and the bad - from the heart as a way to inspire others, she is one of my heroes.

     "Use your gifts," she told us. Oh, and, "Don't sleep with a device next to your bed. A good old fashioned alarm clock is much healthier."

Real You: Passion Poppers

You recognize passion when you see it, don't you? It's that sparkle in a person's eye, the spring in her step. Passionate people exude pure, real energy. Confidence and a sense of empowerment. Everything they say is infused with enthusiasm.
We all recognize it - and hopefully - we all want passion in our lives. Unfortunately, the road to finding and remaining true to your passions is littered with the realities of life. Disappointments and setbacks abound, no matter your age, no matter whether there is a recession or not. (Although, it's especially true today.)
Disappointment is a fact of life. These events hurt our hearts and dampen our fire. Did you know Lucille Ball was kicked out of acting school and told she had no talent? True. But she didn't let that hurt keep her down, or dampen her passion for acting.
So if your passion has taken a beating lately, brush it off. Stand tall. Get a little sparkle in your eye. Don't let the passion poppers - whether they are snarks or events outside of your control - make you give up. You are better than that. You are much more.
You are a passionate entrepreneur taking your personal brand into the world as a unique competitive business. Remember, it's not who you think you are that holds you back, it's who you think you're not.
Don't let anyone or anything tell you differently! For more on passion, and putting it into action, see Chapter 2 of Real You Incorporated.

Real You: Are you marching forward on your purpose and vision?

If you are, you are stepping into your power. You are shining bright, sharing your vision with others and moving forward. You know who you are—The Real You—and you know where you are going. Your passions are defined (step 2 of the Real You process), and your personal brand is fully formed. You truly have found it within. When you are following your purpose in life—and applying that purpose and passion to your business—your competitive advantage crystallizes. You are able to use your fully formed Real You competitive advantage to delight your customers. And when you’re in business, that’s the end game. Truly.

Whether you are a full-time entrepreneur, considering becoming one, or somewhere in between, your personal brand and your business brand are unstoppable as long as they are aligned with purpose and vision.

Remember the strength found in conviction, in confidence. Remember, you aren’t alone. You are the only one who can define your dream and go for it. So, as the summer begins to wind down, the only question that remains is: Why aren’t you moving forward?

“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success.” ~ Norman Vincent Peale