Professional Speaker

Bring On The B.I.G.GEST You! Here’s how.

October 5, 2018 by Carol Schulte 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

And greetings from Chicago, where I’m still on an inspired high after speaking at Paylocity’s ELEVATE Conference.

I was fortunate to have been participating in the action over the last few days, connecting with delegates, Paylocity team members, and fellow speakers – not to mention busily prepping my presentation – hence the reason I’m a tad delayed in getting this blog out to you today!

Today’s session was entitled ‘Bring on the BIGGEST You: How to Step Into Your Power.’ And the room was a-buzzing!

You likely know I’m all about empowering people – female leaders and professionals especially – to step up, stand out, and bring all of themselves to the table.

Too many of us are playing smaller than we know we can.

And, at our core (as with every living organism) we are wired to grow as BIG as we can and live as LONG as we can.

So why aren’t we doing it?!?

Life. Responsibilities. Limited resources and competing demands. Expectations. FEAR. ALL kinds of fear…

You and I both know there are as many fears out there as there are ice cream flavours (maybe even more) and at one point I had to stop the audience because hands were being raised left, right and centre sharing types of fear… we simply had too much juicy content to jump into!

Here’s the thing.

Because of our fears, we tend to overcompensate.

We read MORE books,

We listen to MORE people.

We get MORE certifications, qualifications, letters after our name.

We want to prove ourselves good enough, capable enough, successful enough ~ when we don’t already feel ourselves good enough, capable enough, successful enough.

YET,

Success doesn’t exist so long as you’re chasing it.

Success exists the moment you realize you’re already there.

It’s not about getting a raise or a promotion,

it’s about putting your name in the mix.

It’s not about having more letters after your name,

it’s about continuing to learn and grow.

It’s not about crossing the finish line.

it’s about signing up for the race.

So it’s time to STOP.

It’s time to stop listening to the experts,
It’s time to stop reading Success Magazine,
It’s time to stop doing what everyone else is doing.

It’s time to stop chasing the carrot.

It’s time to start chewing it.

What do I mean by that?

Whether you’re seeking success, happiness, or another rung on the corporate ladder, you’ll only arrive once you realise you’re already there.

You already have all that it takes to bring the BIGGEST you to all you do.

Fear ‘aint going anywhere any time soon.

And so we may as well invite it along for the ride, and learn how to play BIG in spite of fear.

Having had the privilege of speaking to and working with thousands of women over the years, it really comes down to three things.

The biggest part of you is the part of you that is:
(I’ll even share some slides from today!)

BRAVE

INSPIRED

GETS INTO ACTION

And this is what today’s presentation was all about.

We looked at what it means to be BRAVE at work, and how to be braver.
We explored what it means to be INSPIRED at work, and how to be more inspired.
We discovered what it means to GET INTO ACTION at work, and how to get into more action, one step at a time.

When you bring the BIGGEST you to all you do everyone, and everything, becomes BIGGER. And you’ll be able to enjoy:

Bigger risks

Bigger ideas

Bigger action

Bigger results

Bigger connection

Bigger satisfaction

Bigger fulfilment

Bigger fun

Bigger growth

Bigger experiences

Bigger joy

Bigger insights

Bigger buy-in

Bigger opportunities

Bigger influence

Bigger impact…

The list goes on.

Life becomes, well, BIGGER.

You start to play a bigger game of life, and in return create a bigger life for yourself and all those around you.

And who doesn’t want that?!?

If you want to learn more about the content and the ideas discussed during this presentation, simply reply to this email and I’ll be happy to share!

And if you’re ready to GET INTO ACTION now, I shall leave you with these questions:

How are you brave? How will you be BRAVER?
How are you inspired? How will you be MORE INSPIRED?
How are you getting into action? And how will you get into more action?

Choose ONE action to take on.

Commit to ONE action to take on.

Take on that ONE action.

And then SHARE your action in the comments below; I wanna hear from you!

Because it’s time for you too, to bring the BIGGEST you to all you do.

Have a FAB week!

P.S. For all of my fellow Canadians, happy gobble gobble weekend! Be sure to be extra thankful this weekend! Wanna learn more about the power of gratitude? Read my post HERE!

This ‘C’ word may be scary, but it’s also a game changer.

July 27, 2018 by Carol Schulte Leave a Comment

This past weekend, while huddling under our club tent from the rain, despite the fact I was dripping and shivering, I also couldn’t help but be inspired.

Athletes from all walks of life – all shapes and sizes and ages (there was an impressive 78-year-old in the mix!) were competing at the Toronto Triathlon Festival.

Watching many of them cross the finish line was pretty magical.

It was fun to be a part of it as a volunteer, and, it also made me realize I’m ready to up my game.

And in order to do that, I need to bring the big scary ‘C’ word into my vocabulary. Because when you do, it becomes real.

Check out this week’s video to see what word I’m talking about! And find out why this single word is truly a game changer.

So now I’m curious. What is something in your life you are no longer willing to put off? And what are you going to do NOW to change that?

I look forward to hearing from you in the comments below.

Have a FAB day!

Is it time to cheat on your job?

May 25, 2018 by Carol Schulte 2 Comments

Happy Friday!

This week I had the privilege of speaking in Ottawa as part of the Association of Public Sector Information Professionals (DPI) Professional Development Week.

I have to say they were an AWESOME group… engaged, present, and ready to play full out. And considering it was a beautiful sunny day, the fact they chose to stay indoors, and to learn and grow, tells me how dedicated they truly are to their work.

It’s important to be dedicated to the work you do.

It’s important to be engaged in the work you do.

It’s important to care about the work you do.

(Although a scary stat ~ according to a Gallop study conducted last year, only 32% of the U.S. workforce were actively engaged in their work. EEK!)

That being said, it’s also important not to be too dedicated or care too care much about the work you do, that it ends up being ALL you do!

When was the last time, you had time, for a fun activity outside of work and personal obligations?

Well, it may just be about time!

It may be time to cheat on your work.

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not encouraging you to cheat while on the job, get extra friendly with your co-workers, or look for something new. I’m merely suggesting it may be time you got something going on outside of work.

Here are some ideas to do just that.

1. Reconnect, or connect, with your hobbies

Do you like to knit? Ever had a card, coin, or comic collection? Perhaps you get a kick out of bridge?

Perhaps it’s time to dig out those knitting needles, dust off those old comic books, or plan an afternoon for tea and bridge! Or maybe you want to create a whole new hobby…

When you’re making sure you make time for some of your personal interests outside of work, chances are you’ll be more engaged when you’re at work.

2. Learn a New Sport or Activity

For the past few years, I’ve committed to learning a new sport every Summer. I’ve tried ultimate frisbee, golf, rowing… This year, I’m going to tri (spelled that way on purpose!) my hand at triathlons (pardon the pun!) and signed up for a newbie training skills day on Sunday. Wish me luck!

When we learn something new, we put ourselves out there, allow ourselves to get in that beginner mindset, and challenge ourselves mentally, physically, or both. And according to studies it also helps keep us young!

Perhaps you’ve always wanted to learn how to play guitar, how to speak Italian, or how to ride a unicycle. Maybe now is the time to make it happen!

3. Volunteer

Volunteering can appear in many different ways. Maybe it means volunteering for the community bake sale, serving food at a soup kitchen, or sitting on a board. Maybe it means spending an afternoon picking up garbage at your local park, being there for a friend who needs you, or offering to mow your neighbour’s lawn.

Whether you are sharing your time or your talents or a listening ear, when you give something of yourself to someone else, everybody wins.

There you have it. Three easy ideas to start cheating on your work!

Now be careful here, and don’t jump too far in too quickly! Start with something small, before committing to five new evening events on your schedule!

The point here is not to add more stress to your life, it’s to add more fun and greater fulfilment! And when you do take on one of these ideas above, chances are you’ll be more engaged in ALL areas of your life.

So spend some time brainstorming what you may like to take on this weekend. It could be as simple as planning a night out bowling! And then GET IT ON YOUR CALENDAR!

Let me know what you choose to take on, and how it goes! Leave me a comment below.

Not sure where to start? Perhaps it’s been so long since you’ve thought about your hobbies you’ve forgotten what they are? I’m happy to gift you my ‘Spark Your G.E.N.I.U.S.’ workbook ~ it will be sure to get the wheels turning! Message me HERE.

Have a FAB week!