Starting this month, I am going to be posting 30 posts on self reflection questions. They will let you to get to know me more and I hope you will share in the comments your own answers or blog them yourself!

I am really excited about this project. I know I am not the first to do it but I am going to do it and make it fun!! The Michael way.

I am not telling you advance what the questions are but they are part of the 30 Day Blog Challenge you are seeing on Facebook as well as many blogs all over the place.

I figured it was my time to get into the action. The purpose is to post for 30 straight days but I am going to break them up in the normal posting schedule I do here on this blog.

Enjoy the journey and I hope you reflect as well and share!

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

No Comments »

I had a few questions about this photo which is my new facebook picture for the moment.

What is funny how pictures can bring back so many memories of your life and help you remember details you didn’t even think about until you ponder the photo one more time.

This is me on a trip with my parents. I think this was taken at the Homosassa Springs resort in Florida. I remember that my mom wanted me to put my head in the gator’s mouth. I remember being OK with it and then I freaked myself out to thinking it might turn real and I wouldn’t do it. My mom reassured me that it would not come to life but I wasn’t having it. I finally agreed to just put my foot in the mouth and pose.

If you look closer to the shoes I am wearing, you will see they are velcro. That is because I didn’t know how to tie my shoes until I was much older. It wasn’t that I couldn’t tie them but I hated that they wouldn’t stay. It was just easier to have velcro so that is what I begged for until the 3rd grade where I got my first pair of silver converse sneakers.

The tan came from the wonderful pool I had when I was a kid. My mom and I spent our summers setting by the pool reading my summer books and swimming of course. I tan VERY easy.

The white socks pulled up to my knees is just my fashion statement. LOL

Now the dramatic pose wasn’t coached. My mom knew all she had to do was tell me to put my foot in the gator and I would bring the drama pose all myself. Nothing has changed from then.

So that is your glimpse into this photo and what I was like a kid.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

1 Comment »

I am not surprised I got asked a lot of questions on how to market yourself as a coach.

Here are my tips:

Be Authentic – This is the most important thing. Represent who you are and be real with any prospective clients. This allows you to create a better connection with people. I know that not everyone wants to work with me as a coach. That is OK because there is a coach out there to support them. I want to work with people who want to work with me. Who get me and I get them. It makes it easier. By being authentic with people, they relate to me faster and are able to make a quicker choice if they want to work with me or not.

Do not bug people – Everyone says you need to send 7 emails to get people to buy something. You need to give them something free to join a list and you need to ask, ask, and ask. I do not do that. I have enough clients who find me all on their own through my book, blog and referrals. I do not bug anyone on my lists. They receive exactly what they sign up for. To be my friend on Facebook, to receive my blog posts or to receive something I am sending out. I only contact my list 4 times a year, if that.

Speak up – If you want to market anything, you have to be able to talk about what you do and send a message out for people to reach you. There are thousands of ways to do this. You just have to pick 2 to 4 that speak to you. 2 to 4 that you love and you feel your client group would want from you. Then put out your message and watch people come.

Be realistic – Set goals to help you grow your business, evaluate your efforts and be real with yourself. Give it all time to grow and allow yourself to enjoy the journey. The clients always come. It is better to have clients who are ready and wanting to work with you than dragging clients along that you pressured to work with you.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

1 Comment »

As I move into answering a few of the questions I received on the blog, twitter and email. I start here.

A  lot of the question came around how I am the way I am. Or how you could be more than you already are. This could be thinner, sexier, happier. etc. Some of you said you just wanted to learn to be like me.

Baby, I was born this way!

I spent a lot of my life trying to be other things. I was hoping to be more masculine. To be more accepted by people. To be liked by more people. To be more built. To be taller. To be sexy. To be rich.

I learned that I was really bad at trying to be something I wasn’t. I needed to learn to accept who I was and know that is exactly where I needed to be.

I think a lot of times I was looking at others and wanted to be more like them. Not realizing I could never be like them. I could only be me and I would have to find my own way to be what I wanted to be.

So when you ask me how I became like me, well I was born this way. Through development, I learned not to hold myself to expectations that were not mine. I accepted myself and I create the life I want to live.

Now it is your turn.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

No Comments »

It is that time again!! I have been getting a lot of emails wanting to know when I would do another Ask Michael so here it is.

This is your chance to ask me whatever you want. What would you like to know? What would you like me to talk about? What random questions would you like me to answer for you? What topics would you like me to write about?

I promise this time I will answer them in a unique way…

Don’t be shy and ask a question…or 2…or 5…

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

7 Comments »

Exercise has been my new focus. I have tried so many times to find something I can do on a regular basis. Well, think I found it!

Dance Central for X BOX Kinect! Yes it is a video game but, boy does it make me sweat. Plus it gives me a chance to learn so many different sweet dance moves. (Yes! I totally said “sweet dance moves”)

It is a fun way to exercise and it is a game. It allows me to challenge myself and push myself into new levels. I really have been enjoying this as my cardio. Plus I think it is tightening muscles I didn’t even know I had.

So what does it look like to do it? Take a look….

Should I be doing more videos on the blog? Do you want more videos? LOL

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

1 Comment »

Oh, I am singing that Christina Aguilera song to myself, from myself.

With my dad being ill, I have been neglecting someone, me. You see I kep myself busy with taking care of dad, worrying about him, living life, work, friends, family and have left out one person. That would be me.

When I am stressed I am guilty of starting to doubt myself. This doubt feeds my insecurities which in return make me stop being Michael and “trying” to be what everyone wants me to be. I use the word trying loosely as, in the end, I fail miserably.

Why? Because I am only best being one person. That one person is me.

The good news about getting lost is you can always find your way back. All you have to do is vision where you want to be and draw yourself a new map. A map that supports what you want in life and who you are.

Part of this return to me will be with this blog. Starting this month, I am going to be sharing a lot of self reflection posts. Allow you get to know me more as well as allow me to reintroduce myself to myself. I hope you will reflect on them as well as respond to them yourself.

To start this journey, I want you to think about this quote:

It’s hard to be uniquely you when you are watching so closely what everyone else is doing.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe!

1 Comment »