Lots going on in the blogsphere about authenticity these days. For example, I just read this great post at the Passion Project Blog. And, Adam Kayce has a very awesome viewpoint here.

So, in the interest of being authentic, let’s share. First, I want to talk about my biggest fear. Rejection and Abandonment. I’m afraid that if I step into who I truly am at my core, my whole life will turn upside down. I’m afraid that if I shine my light bright enough, the people close to me will bail on me.

There. I said it.

Now, let’s talk about how I’ve managed this fear. I’ve actually had to learn to work with this fear - to function and build what I want to build even though this fear is very real and very alive within me.

I’ve learned to be an extrovert. It wasn’t easy, and people who meet me today cannot believe that I’m naturally introverted. These days, I think nothing of getting up in front of a group of people and giving a talk, or teaching. These days, I don’t bat an eye about going to a networking event by myself where chances are good I won’t know anyone. Today, I don’t hesitate to jump in the car and drive 4 hours to a speaking engagement in the middle of an unfamiliar state.

But - if you had met me 10 years ago - the thought of doing any of that would have terrified me.

Little by little, I’ve been shining my light… testing the waters if you will. And when I put myself out there, guess what happens? I end up meeting even more fabulous people, and the relationships I already have are strengthened and deepened.

Because when you bring your full self to the table, people are drawn to that. And it’s not in some egotistical sort of way. It’s in a deep, everlasting resonance between your Beings (yeah, that’s super woo woo - but you know it’s true ).

When you express your true self, you find all of the amazing, fabulous, wonderful things that resonate with your true self and life gets even better - and bigge, and deeper, and more meaningful…
I’ve spent time pretending - yeah, I’ve been down that road. What ends up happening is, I attract a bunch of stuff that really doesn’t resonate, and I end up moving away from it anyway.

You’re meant to be YOU. And it’s going to happen… you can’t deny your true self… your soul won’t let you - eventually, it’s going to happen… whether you go kicking and screaming, or willingly.

One of the things I love to do is build communities - unite like-minded people, connect and share. I love being involved in community because of the people it puts me in touch with, and the projects I’m able to get involved with.

There are lots of different types of communities you can get involved with - online and offline. Online, you can check out groups like Thriving Healing Business.

Offline, there is a lot you can get involved in. You can get involved in common interest groups like drum circles, or yoga classes. You can also look for networking communities in your area. In Southeastern PA, there are several Holistic networking organizations. For updates on their events, check out this page.

So what does community have to do with business? First and foremost - it eradicates that feeling of isolation in your business.

Running a practice can get lonely - even if your practice is in an office with other practitioners. Everyone is busy, and there isn’t a whole lot of time for connecting and relating.

Sometimes, you feel like an island in your business - particularly if you’re facing a challenge. Having a community gives you a rich support system to draw on when you need to bounce ideas off of someone, or you need to get through a challenging time.

Getting involved with a community also opens you and your practice up to new people. It gives you exposure to larger groups of people - particularly if you become an active participant in a community.

Being an active member means not just attending events, but seeing how you can assist, or what projects you can become involved in.

If you’re feeling isolated in your business, take a look at what communities you might get involved in. I invite you to share your favorite communities here - let’s expand our circle!

Alright - I know this is going to be shocking to some people… especially if you’ve heard me talk about how Twitter just isn’t right for me… If you’ve heard my thoughts on this, you know - I go into this whole schpeel about how we don’t have to be part of every single social network out there, we can do what’s right for our business - we don’t have to give into the peer pressure… I think I even throw in something about too much of this stuff can be distracting - and how it can be like chasing bright shiny new objects all over the internet - yadda yadda yadda.

Well, this week, I finally decided that it was time to try Twitter. I’ve heard enough about it, I’ve seen enough reviews, articles, and  information on it that I finally decided to join the club.

So what was it that finally pushed me over the edge? Well, someone in The Business Oasis said something about it being fun. What?!? Fun?!? I’m missing FUN?!? That was it - that was the last straw. I immediately went over, set up my account and started following people. God forbid I’m missing a party!!

So anyway - I’m still finding my way around Twitter - but if you’re so inclined, I’d love to follow you and have you follow me… even though as of right now I haven’t posted any updates… I know - I’m a little slow on the uptake with this thing!

I’ll share my experience with it, and let ya know how it’s going… heck, I may even share it on Twitter LOL!! If you want to follow me - @jenngivler

Yesterday, I had the honor of having an Intuitive Healing Session for my cat Sophie with Marti Wegner. This session was amazing, and incredibly insightful… I learned a ton about my kitty - and - about me!

Sophie is my oldest kitty. She has been with me for 11 years, and has helped me through some pretty rough stuff. The amazing thing is that, she always knows when I need someone to bounce things off of, and she’ll be right there for me.

What struck me as interesting is that, Sophie needs her own space. She’s naturally introverted in that, in order to re-charge, re-center, and reclaim herself, it’s important for her to have a space of her very own where she can go and just Be.

Hmmm… that sounded awfully familiar… sounds like a certain Intuitive Business Coach that I know…

When Sophie doesn’t get that space and time to just Be - she get’s really cranky. And she’ll tell me that she’s mad in her little cat way. The reason I had Marti do a session for me was, I knew she was mad, I just couldn’t always pin-point why.

Here - she’s just like her human!

I need space and uninterrupted time to just Be too. When I don’t get it - I get cranky… and the funny thing is, when the crankyness sets in, I don’t always understand why I feel that way… just like with Sophie - I knew she was mad, just couldn’t figure out why.

Marti so beautifully helped Sophie and I remember that we need that time to ourselves. And now, when I get cranky, or when Sophie seems grumpy, I’ll know that maybe we just need to just retreat from the world and just Be for a while.

I’ll let you know in a few weeks how it’s working, and what Sophie has been up to.

I’m so excited to be posting the very first installment of my new blog series - Answering Your Questions. If you have a question, please do feel free to e-mail it to me. I’ll answer it right here on the blog.

For this first installment, we are addressing a question about niching.

Sylvia Asks:
“My name is Sylvia Hill, and I am The Queen of Las Vegas at http://www.sylviaslasvegassecrets.com     I’m having some trouble focusing on a specific interest group or niche for my business.  Since Las Vegas is a huge subject to cover, am not sure what to present myself as and who to present to.”

Ahhhh the niche question - this remains one of the more challenging things for us to choose as we strive toward building a thriving business. Some people feel very resistant to choosing a niche because it feels like you might be excluding people - or putting up a barrier that says “Nope, sorry, I can’t help you” when really, you feel like you can help anyone.

And there is truth to that. Truly - any business CAN help anyone. But, as Sylvia has eluded to, there comes a time when you realize that trying to serve everyone is quite difficult. Trying to reach and connect with everyone makes your marketing more difficult, and really, as a human, you don’t have time or mental and emotional capacity to serve absolutely everyone.

This is where niche comes in.  A niche makes your marketing efforts easier because you can create targeted advertising, and you can use language in your ads that really helps connect you to the people you want to serve.

And niche is also good for helping you create a community-like feeling in your business. People really understand that they belong in your business because they can see that other people just like themselves are hanging out within the walls of your business.

Now, let’s talk about Sylvia’s specific question - how to choose a niche. I agree - in her business, Las Vegas has enormous potential as far as choosing a niche is concerned.

The first place to look is in you (you knew I was going to say that didn’t you?? ). Who is it that you absolutely LOVE to work with? Who are the people that just make your heart sing when you work with them? And what is it that you love helping people with? Sure, there’s a lot you can do in Vegas - but what is it that you just love to do for clients?

Next, look at your current client-base. Who are the majority of the people that are already attracted to your work? Can you see commonalities between your clients?

These questions will help get you started with the honing process. Once you’ve narrowed it down a bit, and have begun working with the people you love to serve, chances are good your niche will continue to evlove. My niche still evolves in my business to this day… I’m convinced I’ll never be done evolving…

Sylvia - if you have any other questions, please feel free to contact me, or post your comments here at the blog. Also - if any of you savvy readers have anything to add - please do share!

I was having dinner with a few colleagues last night and we got to talking about different ideas on getting the word out about our businesses. We started talking about all the great events that are taking place here locally - like the Grower’s Market, Swinging Summer Thursdays, the Turk’s Head Music Festival and the Restaurant Festival.

We were getting excited because these are going to be such good opportunities for us to get out in the community and meet new people. As you can see, these events aren’t typical networking events. These are community events and they will put us right in front of our potential clients. And the best part is, we can enjoy the events and have a great time, while energizing our business!

Here are three things to help you leverage the event.

1. Don’t make it about getting clients, make it about meeting new people. If you go to events with the expectation that you want to walk away with clients, that can put a lot of undue pressure on you. That pressure can make you pushy and edgy. The chances that you’ll sign a new client the first time they meet you are slim. Make it about having fun and just meeting new people.

Once you’ve met some new people, chances are good some of them will be potential clients and they’ll be interested in joining your newsletter list. Once they’re on your list, they can get to know you and may become clients down the road.

2.  Have an escape plan. My friend Lisa told me this tip. Think about how you might end a conversation with someone. There are always so many people to meet and there’s always so much to do at these events, it can be hard to break away from some conversations. Here are a couple of conversation breakers: “It’s been great talking to you, I see someone that has a question.” Or “I’m so glad we met, feel free to stop back and tell me how you’re enjoying the event!” Of course, remember to be sincere. Having a few phrases like this can help you easily end a conversation without feeling awkward or rude.

3.  Don’t wait too long to follow-up. When you make a great connection at an event, make sure you follow-up within a couple of days. If you let it go too long, you may just forget all together. I always have a small notepad with me and I make a to-do list during the event. I jot down who I want to touch base with and what I want to chat about. That way, I can focus on the event, and not worry about forgetting any details.

Community events are great opportunities to get your business in front of new people. Check your local area and see what you can get involved in!

**There are still spots available for my Thriving Business 1 on 1 Intensive Coaching Program. If it’s taking you longer than you thought it would to build a steady client flow in your business, this program may be just what you need. Check it out here.