What is your elevator speech? Valerie Sokolosky talks about why an elevator speech is important when building your personal brand.

Bio: Valerie Sokolosky founded Valerie & Company in 1981, an international leadership development consulting firm focusing on people skills. Her executive coaching and training in Fortune 500 companies has motivated their employees which has resulted in significant profits for these organizations.

William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding talking about the 360Reach Personal Branding Assessment during his PMI Keynote in Calgary, Canada.

He gives you a details about how it works and the insights you can gain from this free tool. You can try it here.

Personal branding and color: Color is an important part of your personal brand identity system.

Is red the color of your personal brand? Does it represent your personal brand attributes?

Find out in this video from William Arruda at Reach Personal Branding.

Click on the microphone to listen…

REACH PERSONAL BRANDING INTERVIEW SERIES – October 2010

The Happiness Project Revisited: The Social Engagement Journey
Happiness is a universal aspiration and yet can be so difficult to attain. On October 21, 2010 The Reach Personal Branding Interview Series is bringing back guest expert Gretchen Rubin, author of The New York Times #1 bestseller The Happiness Project, who was previously interviewed in September 2008. Gretchen will discuss her literary and personal journey creating the project and the book.

In fact, The Happiness Project is more than a book and a blog, it’s a movement. Happiness Project groups have sprung up from San Francisco to Johannesburg, where people meet to discuss their own happiness projects. Dozens of blogs have been launched by people following Gretchen’s example; hundreds of book groups have discussed the book; and rights for more than 31 foreign editions have been sold.

Ms. Rubin was first interviewed by William Arruda, founder of Reach Personal Branding, before The Happiness Project was published. We have asked Ms. Rubin to follow-up with what she learned about happiness, social engagement, and her personal brand in the process of writing the book.

In this interview, which will be recorded, you will learn:

• Why The Happiness Project was both a book and a blog,
• What it takes to blog consistently and authentically on brand,
• How to handle criticism and negative comments online,
• Which tools can be most effective for social engagement,
• What practical, every-day activities can generate happiness,
• How online visibility can impact your personal brand, and
• How to balance online and offline social engagement.

Sign up for the interview with Gretchen Rubin and William Arruda above and do it soon! We rarely have guests on twice, but have decided to do this with our most popular past guests. Since we have a limited number of phone lines, we know registration will fill up quickly for this call.

Gretchen Rubin

Raised in Kansas City, she lives in New York City with her husband and two young daughters.
LINK:

• The Happiness Project: On this popular blog, Gretchen Rubin writes about her daily adventures in pursuit of happiness.
• The Happiness Project Toolbox: a site that provides eight fun, free tools to launch and track your own happiness project.

Handout:
Reach Interview Series Handout for October, 2010.

Click here to download the interview.

KEY POINTS – Five tips for making yourself happier in the NEXT HOUR:

1. Boost your energy: stand up and pace while you talk on the phone or, even better, take a brisk ten-minute walk outside. Research shows that when people move faster, their metabolism speeds up, and the activity and sunlight are good for your focus, your mood, and the retention of information. Plus, because of emotional contagion, if you act energetic, you’ll help the people around you feel energetic, too.

2. Reach out to friends: make a lunch date or send an email to a friend you haven’t seen in a while. Having warm, close bonds with other people is the KEY to happiness, so take the time to stay in touch. Somewhat surprisingly, socializing boosts the moods not only of extroverts, but also of introverts.

3. Rid yourself of a nagging task: answer a difficult email, do an errand you’ve been putting off, or call to make that dentist’s appointment. Crossing an irksome chore off your to-do list will give you a big rush of energy and relief.

4. Create a calmer environment: clear some physical and mental space around yourself by sorting papers, pitching junk, cleaning a closet, stowing supplies, sending out quick email responses, filing, or even just making your piles neater. A large stack of little tasks can feel overwhelming, but often just a few minutes of work can make a sizable dent. Try to get in the habit of using the one-minute rule – i.e., never postpone any task that can be completed in less than one minute. And always make your bed in the morning! For most people, outer order contributes to inner peace.

5. Lay the groundwork for some future fun: order a book you’ve been wanting to read (important: not something you think you should read) or plan an excursion to a museum, hiking trail, sporting event, gardening store, movie theater-whatever sounds like fun. Studies show that having fun on a regular basis is a pillar of happiness, and anticipation is an important part of that pleasure. Try to involve friends or family, as well; research shows that people enjoy almost all activities more when they’re with other people than when they’re alone.

*William Arruda also interviewed Ms. Rubin in October 2008. Here is the link to that interview.