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Jul 28

Chelsea’s Quotes – Volume I

By Ryan Avery Motivation 10 Comments

I have had several people come up to me after my speeches and ask if I was going to post “Chelsea Quotes” again?

For those of you who followed us on our 50-City North American tour, every week I posted quotes from Chelsea (my wife) while being on the road. Some made you think, most were strange and a lot of them made me laugh and I hope they made you do the same.

I wanted to bring it back because lately she has been full of good, motivational and funny quotes so every now and again I will post some of Chelsea’s best quotes. Oh, how much fun it is to work with you spouse!

“Babe you can’t leave these windows open at night. What if someone crawls up here and murders us?”

* in relation to us living on the 5th floor in one of the safest cities in America and her actually being serious

“Well, you shouldn’t have married such a funny wife.”
* in relation to me asking her to stop making me laugh while I was sick

“You should incorporate dance into your next keynote.”
* in relation to her being serious after watching this video

“Do it, or I will pour honey on your knees.”
* in relation to me not wanting to take a shower

“Guys with gold pinky rings… realllllllly freak me out!”
* in relation to…I 100% agree

“My PMS is really intense today so I am going to need you to tread lightly which means I need you to go away.”
* in relation to me just standing there

“I’d watch Jurassic Park.”
* in relation to the first thing she said when we woke up

“Do you know where a donut shop is around here?”
* in relation to her asking a stranger this question while she had a huge cookie in her hand and the stranger for sure judged us!

“Um, what is more American than a cinnamon roll?”
* in relation to… EVERYTHING!!!

This is my life. I am so thankful Chelsea is my wife because everyday she makes me laugh, pushes me to be better and I know I won’t ever have a boring day as long as I am with her. Take some time to write down some of the quotes you hear this week, they are fun to look back on and can be a great way to reflect on memories.

Take time to tell those who matter most to you, that you love them and are thankful they are in your life!

As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: What was your favorite quote from Chelsea this time and do you want me to continue to do articles like this every now and again?

Jul 25

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GIVEAWAY: Speaker Leader Champion

By Ryan Avery Motivation 4 Comments

Today I am giving away a new copy of Speaker Leader Champion in any format the winner wants (audio, e-book or a hard signed copy).

Two ways to enter. Do both of these things, get double your chances to win:

1) Subscribe, via email, to the blog in the right hand corner of this page

2) Share this article on any social media account and tag me in it so I know you shared it (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn).

Again, do them both, be counted twice! Like all my giveaways, I will put everyones name on a list, use the random number generator and pick a winner this Saturday afternoon! I hope you are enjoying your Friday and getting ready for and fun-filled summer weekend!

I write articles every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9am PST. If you’re new I hope you’ll stick around and if you have been here for a while, you are awesome, let me write you a letter! As always….

Dream BIG,
Ryan

UPDATE: Winner of today’s giveaway is subscriber (dachrismom). I will reach out to you via email as well! Thanks to everyone for sharing and stay tuned for another giveaway soon!

Jul 23

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Strategies of a Successful Book Launch

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Writing No Comments

Today’s question comes from Shruti Sharma from San Jose, CA when she asks, “What advice do you have for making your book a success once it is written?”

First you have to be passionate about making your book a success (more than just making money). No one cares more about your book than you. The harder and smarter you work, the more books get sold.

Second, define what success looks like to you! Is it the amount of books you sell, the places you get to travel, the people you help or the speeches you get from those who read the book? What does a successful book look like? Only the author can answer that.

After you define your answer above, here is what I used to make our book a success:

Write it Down: You have to put a strategy on paper to know what it looks like. Then post it up in your office and look at it everyday. I broke my written strategy into three categories (Social, Educational and Business). What can you do to be social around your book, educate people with content from your book and make money from it? I focused 50% of my efforts on social, 30% on educational and 20% on business. List, outline and brainstorm ways you can address these areas with your book.

Podcasts Interviews: Reach out to as many podcasters as you can. Let them know you have a book coming out and you can add value to their listeners. Podcasters are all looking for new content, energetic people to interview and value to add to their subscribers. Make sure to ask them to launch your episode during a week before, the day of or a week after your launch. This will drive more traffic to your site, your book and you as an author because instead of a trickle of interviews happening throughout several months, you get a big serge of name recognition in the launch window.

Social Media Team: Put together a team of people who can help promote the book on various social media sites. I would recommend a minimum of 30 people on your team. The more you get, the more your book gets out there! What can you do to entice them to share your book and get them to join your team?

Book Signing Events: You don’t have to do a big book tour. You can do three cities, shoot you can even do one! Make sure you set up at least one book signing event and invite your friends, family, co-workers and your target market for the book. This is great PR! Take photos, videos and post all over social media! You can host it at your local book store, church, coffee shop, anywhere that will let you. Get your hand ready to sign some books!

Reviews on Amazon: This is an area I lacked in for this launch. Reviews matter on Amazon and will help you sell more over time (in fact, if you have purchased Speaker Leader Champion, I could really use your help with a review on Amazon). Reviews gives the author social proof that their book is valuable and people purchase books depending on the reviews. So the quality and quantity of reviews matter!

Valuable Giveaways: What giveaways can you do to lead up to and follow up with your book launch? Giveaway gift cards or signed copies of your book. Giveaway a free hour of coaching or the first chapter away if they sign up for your newsletter. Offer valuable giveaways to make your following happy and to also interest them in getting a copy or sharing it with their friends.

I am happy with the success of Speaker Leader Champion. The book has been translated into 3 languages and my goal is to have translated into 10. I still have more copies to sell and I enjoy getting emails that readers are getting value from the book.

I have learned an immense amount this first go around and will know how to make my second launch even stronger. You have to try these things now in order to make your next one even better. When Frank Llyod Wright was asked which house was the best he’d ever built, he said “my next one.”

You have everything you need to make your book a success and now it’s up to you to put in the work. Go out there and make it happen! You are part of 1% of the population who has written a book now be 1% of authors who make their book a success! Looking forward to seeing your name on the shelf! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Authors, what other advice do you have for those looking to make their book a success?

Jul 21

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3 Traffic Building Tools for Twitter

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Productivity 2 Comments

Do you want more Twitter followers? Some say “yes,” others say “I guess” and several say “I don’t use Twitter.”

For those who say they don’t, it is time to utilize this powerful tool and to stop looking at it as the social media for those who have”ADD.”

More than just collecting followers and pushing out 140 characteristics every 15 minutes, Twitter can be used to influence, connect, search and get opinions on current events.

I use Twitter to see what is happening in my world (#Speaking #NSA14 #Toastmasters #Leadership #CommunicationProblems #Authors #Question #Scuba). The (#) tool can be very powerful if you know how to use it and to connect with those who are interested in the same things you are.

I just reached 10,000 followers on Twitter with a goal to have 20,000 quality followers by the end of the year. In order to build traffic on Twitter, respond to ‘mentions’ and search for related topics I use three tools:

Click to Tweet: Allows you to embed a link in your blog posts where readers can click to tweet a line of text in your post. “Winners do things losers don’t want to do.” Dr. Phil (click to tweet)

Hootsuite: Allows you to auto-schedule tweets for a variety of social media channels and allows you to set up streams so you can pay attention to # you like. Every other Sunday, I sit down for about an hour and plug in about 100 leadership and communication related quotes into Hootsuite. This allows me to post to my followers at least three times a day. Instead of finding new content to post, I can now spend time answering questions, replying to mentions and sharing other articles I read throughout the week.

JustUnFollow: I think they need to change the name of this app. This powerful tool lets you find people who are interested in the same things you are (#leadership #communication) or part of the same groups you are (@Toastmasters @NSAspeaker) and follow them. This app has a tremendous amount of features that are worth checking out.

All three of these tools have a free option. I pay for the upgraded Hootsuite and UnFollow services (starting out I didn’t) and I think the free versions work great depending on your needs.

Growing your Twitter following is important because it will help you reach more people with your voice and connect with those who like what you like.

Don’t take your followers for granted or think “ugh, I only have 154 followers.” I did that at the beginning and it was the wrong thing because I didn’t think I could have real connections online; I was wrong! Actually connect with those you follow and those who follow you. This is your online tribe and they can be one of your biggest assets. Treat them well and add value to their life!

Get to

Dream BIG,
Ryan

Question: What others apps or websites do you use to help grow and/or monitor your Twitter?

Jul 18

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Why you should be more self-first!

By Ryan Avery Motivation 2 Comments

This isn’t a hard thing to grasp, “You can’t give what you don’t have!” yet why can it be so hard to remember at times?

If you don’t have energy, you can’t give energy.
If you don’t love yourself, it will be difficult to love others.
You can’t teach what you haven’t learned.

So…

Are you sacrificing sleep and not eating healthy in an effort to get more done?
Are you hard on yourself when things go wrong or you make a mistake?

Are you digesting enough new information on a regular basis to stretch yourself?

It is time to be more self-first so you can give more to those who need it most!

The past month I have been going so fast I forgot to take care of myself and those important relationships. I have worked out irregularly. I have been teaching more than I have been learning. I have not done as many “fun/non-work related” things as I have liked.

I have been so focused on the success of my businesses and helping others, I forgot to take care of the most important person, me! In a society where we can look down on those who are selfish, it can be hard to rationalize giving more to ourselves so we should redefine it as self-first (as my wife likes to say). The more you give to yourself, the more you can give to others!

But if we are serious about changing the world, helping others and making a difference then we have to start with us! So while we continue to do the 31 Days of Kindness Challenge, I want to encourage you to look at how you are being kind to yourself. What are you doing to be happy, have more energy and love yourself?

Should you go on a walk right now, set your phone down and look around outside?
Could you write down three things you have accomplished in the past three years that make you feel proud?
Can you take 30 minutes tonight to spend time with someone you love where you can laugh, play cards and have fun?

Yesterday I sat under a tree looking out at the water for a couple hours, read and enjoyed the sun. I slept in today, playing tennis with a friend on Saturday and am getting to work at a normal time. I learned from an old boss, “There will always be work to do, so learn to to be ok with never being finished, but always be hungry to do more.”

So you should be more self-first because the more you give yourself, the more you can give others and we can all benefit from what you can have to offer! As always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

“Everybody wants to change the world. Nobody wants to change themselves.” ~Leo Tolstoy

Jul 16

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What’s the best investment to make in today’s economy?

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Productivity 9 Comments

Today’s question comes from Indira Berikova from Alma-Ata, Almaty, Kazakhstan, when she wants to know “What is the best investment in the market right now?”

I have a good grasp on money management and taking care of our future as my wife and I are almost debt free, live below our means and give 10% of our income away to good causes.

That was not always the case.

Have you ever been so broke you had to water down your soap and struggle to find rent money? A couple years ago, Chelsea and I had to water down our watered down soap. We had $84 in our bank account, had no idea where rent money was coming from and almost got on food stamps.

I applied for 75+ jobs with no response (even Quiznos didn’t hire me!). I remember laying on our carpeted floor, not knowing what we were going to do. We walked outside to clear our minds and the phone rang. I got a job! An awesome job! They even paid me an advance so we could stay in our apartment and slowly get back on our feet.

I don’t like being crunched for cash. It’s not fun going to the grocery store and not being able to get the types of food you want. It’s not fun when you have friends who go out and you can’t join them because you can’t even afford one happy hour beer. It’s not fun to not be able to buy your wife a $2 flower to show her you love her because that’s not “in the budget.” I never wanted to be in that situation again!

Once we got that light of hope with a job offer, we did everything we could to advance our personal and professional career. We started reading, digesting, learning and taking in as much information as we could about life, success, money, happiness, family, goal setting and travel.

We agreed to always live below our means, take care of the things we care about most by sticking to our four pillars and to have a successful life. Four years later, we still live by these principles and it has helped us have a life we feel proud to live.

So I am not a financial advisor, I dabble with my E-Trade account by buying stocks and selling options and right now most of the money we make goes right back into our companies, but the best investment you can make in today’s economy, without a doubt, is yourself!

Invest in you! Read more books. Watch more educational videos. Listen to motivational CDs. Go workout and take alone time. Create goals. Stretch yourself. Do what it takes to make things happen in your life! When you invest in yourself, others will invest in you.

What are you doing right now, today, so that tomorrow you are stronger, better, more efficient and more successful than you were two days ago? Invest in yourself and not only will your family be stronger, our world will be better!

Keep investing in yourself and it will pay dividends for years to come. Thanks for the question Indira and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

P.S. My goal is to help you reach yours. I will be honest, open and share valuable content that will help improve areas of your life. If you like my content, sign up to receive articles in the right hand corner of this page. Thank you and keep working to make things happen!

Jul 10

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How to get over the past and focus on the future!

By Ryan Avery Motivation, Uncategorized 6 Comments

This post comes from Stephani Morris from Brooklyn, MI when she asked, “How do you get over the past and focus on the future?”

Whether your past is a good thing or bad, it can hold you back if you dwell on it for too long. I know people who won awesome awards and they never did anything after because they glued themselves to that one accomplishment. I know people who have life stories similar to the ones you see in a Lifetime movie and they stay so bitter because of their past that they can’t move on.

Let your past be stepping stones to your next success – not an anchor in which you think you have to stay (tweet). It’s time to get over the past, no matter how good or bad, and start focusing on the future.

You should be happy you have experienced the good, the bad and the ugly! As a leader, your past helps you relate and connect to more people and it helps you make decisions today that will dictate your future!

Ways you can get over the past and focus on the future:

Set up your vision board!
Get those scissors out, those old magazines you have thrown in the corner and set up a vision board of what you want your life to look like. This will help keep you focused and a visual reminder we can have what we want in life.

Ask yourself if you are being insane?
The definition of insane according to Albert Einstein is “Doing the same thing over and expecting different results.” Are you doing the same things to try and get over the past? Are you doing the same things that are keeping you stuck where you have been? What is something else you can try today to get you focused on the future and remind yourself to let it go (insert Disney theme song here).

Drop the negative people in your life!
You become who you surround yourself by. If you are around negative people, you too will be negative. If you surround yourself with those who are focused on the past… guess what? You too will do the same. It’s time to find people who are ambitious, respect their past but look to find ways to improve their future. Who can you get rid of in your life who is holding you back? Sounds brutal, but you know who they are!

Focus on yourself first!
Sounds selfish? Good, it should! Until you take care of yourself, you can’t take care of anyone else. I see so many people trying to help others yet they forget about their own well-being. What does the flight attendant tell you to do with your oxygen mask if the plane is going down? Put yours on first THEN help those next to you! The world is no good if you are no good so start focusing on yourself and how you can be stronger and get your mind focused on moving forward!

Find three quotes you like!
If you are focused too much on the past, open another tab in your browser and type “inspirational quotes” into Google. Find them, print them out and keep them around your house, car, office or bathroom to constantly remind yourself you have what it takes. Keep your eyes forward and focus on the future.

Three of my favorite quotes to keep me going:
“Whether you think you can, or you can’t, you are right.” – Henry Ford
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t Ask. Act!” – Thomas Jefferson
” Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Write down three good things that have come out of your past!
What good things have come from your past? Take three minutes right now and write these down. Tell yourself “parts of my past are good and now it is time to move on to bigger and better things because the world needs more of what I have to offer.” Don’t settle!

Make sure to take time today and if there is something in your past that has been holding you back, good or bad, start with setting up a vision board, finding three quotes you like and write down three good things that have come from your past that you are thankful for. This exercise might take 20 minutes of your day but will get you the boost you need as a leader to be proud of the past and focused on the future.

Thanks for the question Stephani. Let’s all keep using our voice to make a difference and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

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Jul 07

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9 Quotes You Should Pay Attention To

By Ryan Avery Communication 6 Comments

From hologram musicians to $35,000 live auction paddle raises, to meeting some of my speaking heroes, to learning about speaking bureaus, to content so good it makes your head swell and to friendships started that will last a lifetime, the 2014 NSA Convention was an event everyone should have attended (speakers and non-speakers a like).

As we move forward in growing the brand of NSA to now be referred to as Platform, I wanted to share with you quotes that if you read and implement will change your life and those you serve. They are taken from speakers I met this weekend who impacted my life. Please read these, digest these and revisit these as they are not meant to inspire you for brief moments but to light a fire in you that will help take your skills to the next level.

9 quotes you should pay attention to…

Are you trying to be perfect?
“The greatest damage to excellence is the pursuit of perfection.” – Alan Weiss (click to tweet)

Feel like you are not motivated to accomplish more?
“Always be happy, never be satisfied.” – Jim Jacobus (click to tweet)

Are you taking enough risks today?
“It pays to be risky.” – Eric Whal (click to tweet)

Are you being good, great or working to become the best?
“Everyone should ask themselves everyday… “What am I doing today, to make my craft better?” – Eric Chester (click to tweet)

What are you doing to build a loyal following?
“Give away everything you know, one bite at a time.” – Jay Baer (click to tweet)

Are you being a thought leader or someone who just passes though life?
“Create goals that don’t exist.” – Mike Rayburn (click to tweet)

What does it mean to really listen?
“When you rearrange the word LISTEN you end up with SILENT. Are you really listening?” – Freddie Ravel (click to tweet)

How are you interacting with your fans on a regular bases?
“Content is king but engagement is queen and she rules the house.” – Mari Smith (click to tweet)

What are you doing everyday to get used to change?
“If you don’t like change, you won’t like being irrelevant even more.” – Adam Witty (click to tweet)

Take one of the quotes today, write it down and put it next to your computer. You are capable of so much and sometimes all you need is a quick reminder!

Take time to consider being part of Platform (formally known as National Speakers Association) and learn how to grow your business, expand your network and provide value to those you serve in today’s changing world. As always…

Dream BIG,

Ryan

Question: Which one is your favorite and why? If you liked one of the quotes, please share this article with your friends by pressing one of the social media buttons below and let’s help them get inspired!

Jul 03

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The Pros and Cons for Changing the Name of NSA

By Ryan Avery Leadership, Motivation 55 Comments

Many of you are speakers and this post will focus on the name change of a very important organization to our industry. For those who do not identify as a speaker, you will still take away important lessons of what to consider when making a big announcement.

I attended the 2014 National Speakers Association (NSA) Conference this week in San Diego for the first time. I joined NSA in July 2013 and have been looking forward to this event for almost a year. Filled with life-changing content, building blocks to life-long friendships and inspiration from the world’s greatest speakers, this week was an event that will be remembered for a lifetime!

The organization made a HUGE announcement during the conference and over the past several months the Board of Directors along with staff, special committee, hours of deliberating, surveys and questioning- the leadership team has decided to change the name of the National Speakers Association to Platform.

I have mixed feelings about this and don’t know why we needed a major name change overhaul like this (As I have heard, membership has been at an all-time high and we had a $100,000 surplus in our operating budget last year) but they said “the rate of change in recent years has outpaced the evolution of the organization, and it was clear we needed to make a number of changes to stay relevant as the premier association that serves the speaking profession.” Here are the pros and cons to changing the name of NSA:

Cons to changing the name of NSA

It is SO broad that it doesn’t tell people who we are.
I like the word “speaker.” I understand that others don’t identify as speakers as many of our members are entertainers, comedians, bloggers, authors, etc. and we are wanting to be more inclusive but there are many other organizations, associations for those people to join. This group is focused on speaking and using our voice to inspire, educate and entertain. Speakers first, blogger/author/comedian/etc. later. It is a disservice to Cavett Robert (Founder of NSA), our members and those we serve for not including a form of “speaker” in the name of our organization.

It sounds like an event, not a group!

I feel like I am going to Platform, not that I am part of Platform. It doesn’t tell me who I am or what I do. TED is an event. SXSW is an event. Sundance is an event. As I heard it explained, the Medial Doctors Association is not changing their name to Emergency Room, Plumbers Association of America are not change their name to Toilet and the Sailing Association of Australia is not changing their name to Ocean. Just because we speak from the platform, it does not need to be the name of our organization. I am afraid this word is trendy and what will it mean in 10 years?

What does this mean for everything else?
When they rolled out the name change on stage, they didn’t explain what else was changing. What about the website? What about the membership requirements to join? Where do we learn more about this and how can we get more information about how we incorporate this into our marketing?

Pros to changing the name of NSA

It will help grow our industry to include more professions.
The term “platform” allows other professionals to join our organization who do not feel they are speakers but rather thought leaders in a variety of mediums (blogging, vlogging, writing, entertainment, etc.). As much as I like the word speaker, I think it will grow the organization and attract new members around the world.

It is no longer a national organization but rather encompasses a global scale.
We should have changed it to Global Speakers Association with Platform being what our events were called and breakout sessions focused on platform specifics for speakers, bloggers, entertainers, comics, etc. But Platform is a more inclusive word than National, as we now have 20+ countries represented around the world. But again, why not Global Speakers Association?

The tagline is spot on!
Inform. Influence. Inspire. This, as an industry, is what we do and they did a wonderful job summarizing what value we add as speakers to those we serve with these three words. This will be a great way to help explain to others what I do for a living and that I am more than a public speaker, I am a problem solver.

Regardless of what you think about the name change, this involved a big announcement and a HUGE change to an organization who has more than 40 years of history. I commend the leadership team and Board for making this change and actually taking action to try and remain relevant. So the next time you are planning on making a big announcement at work, home or to your members, here are things to remember:

1) Remain professional and get insight from the world’s experts
2) Be prepared to answer questions and have staff trained and ready to answer FAQs
3) Have a place for people to get in touch to answer even more questions
4) Ask the right person to deliver the news to the group
5) Do a great job explaining “why” but also the “now what?”
6) Do your homework on what others inside and outside the organization think
7) Practice, Practice, Practice delivering the announcement beforehand

However, I don’t think associations are dead, I think the way we market them needs to improve and how we reach our target market could use some work. Because we are in over 20 countries now, I understand the need to change the word ‘National’ and would have like to have seen it be changed to The Global Speakers Association.

We are moving forward with Platform and it is an exciting time in the organization’s history as we plan to continue to serve thousands of people around the world each year with our messages, our ability to solve problems and add value to the masses.

QUESTION: I want to know what other (speakers and non-speakers) think about the new name change. Do you like the name Platform, why or why not? As speakers, let’s do what we do best and start talking and creating a conversation by posting our opinions below.

Jun 30

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Why your ADD is a good thing and why it shouldn’t distract you!

By Ryan Avery Motivation 6 Comments

Today’s article comes from Chris Villafano out in Round Rock, TX. He asked after one of my speeches I gave in Austin, “Is your ADD a blessing or disadvantage?”

Truthfully I probably have ADD but I have never been diagnosed for it. The reason why I want to address this issue is because Chris’ question is not the first time I have been asked this. In fact, I get questions about ADD and ADHD a lot (Whether I have it, what you can do to stay focused if you have it and how can you use it to your advantage?). With these questions, they usually come with shyness or looking at having ADD/ADHD as a weakness and that is the wrong way to look at having ADD in my opinion! So it is about time we address the issue!

If I objectively look at my speaking style it is definitely, and not purposely, geared towards focusing on those with ADD. I tell a very very short story, often give relevant tangents to drive home my point, give my point and move on to the next tip, strategy or story! I take about two or three minutes on each point and move on!

If you have been to one of my workshops or keynotes you know it is not uncommon to hear 30 stories in a hour keynote and gain 15+ new strategies! I mean I teach two-hour workshops and one of the most common things I hear afterwards is “I literally thought I was here for 20 minutes” or “I have ADD, how did you keep me engaged the entire time?”

Did I plan to make my presentations geared towards those with ADD? No! Do I think those who don’t have ADD still enjoy my presentations and workshops? Absolutely! Because if you can engage, entertain and educate someone who might have a short attention span or trouble focusing, think of what you can do for those who are not diagnosed with ADD?

As a leader, here are four reasons why your ADD/ADHD is a good thing and why it shouldn’t distract you!

1) It is more common then you think = According to The American Psychiatric Association states that 5% of children have ADHD and is growing almost 1% a year. Studies in the US have estimated higher rates in community samples. It is estimated that 60% of those will continue to have symptoms that affect their functioning as adults.

2) It makes you unique = One thing I learned working at Special Olympics is that our athletes didn’t have disabilities, we all have different abilities and if we focus on the ones that make us great then the world will be better, our life will be better and those around us will be better. Be proud of what makes you unique, focus on minimizing what distracts you so you can be more productive and keep adding value to those you serve!

3) Major celebrities, successful people and athletes are diagnosed with having ADD = Look at this list of celebrities who have ADD! If anyone is making fun of you or trying to tell you that you don’t have it, who cares! Look at these brilliant minds who do and remind yourself you are part of a group of people who have changed the world, broken records, grew billion dollar businesses and deliver valuable content to millions! If you do have ADD you should remind yourself it is a blessing!

4) You will add more value to those you serve = Where some speakers might share three stories and three points, I might share 15 engaging stories and give 15+ strategies that empower leaders to be better speakers on stage! They are easy to remember, easy to share and easy to use giving the audience member value they can use! Remember… you are valuable!

If you are struggling with your ADD and feel like you are not being able to accomplish anything, take on too many tasks or get easily distracted which leads to you not being able to be productive then take time to accomplish something small. What one small step can you take right now, this minute, the help you accomplish the goal you have for yourself?

We all get distracted! We have social media alerts on our phone as we are typing on our computer, while sitting in a coffee shop, listening to music as someone is trying to talk with us and you are thinking about what article you want to write, what your family is doing and hearing the email chime that lets you know you just got two new emails (literally this is happening as I speak).

So what I have to do sometimes, is turn off my wifi, wake up early so I won’t get distracted from text messages or social media alters and sit at my computer and get things done. I just had to remind myself to turn off wifi, turn off my phone, get out of that coffee shop and finish it in a quiet area. I am constantly reminding myself to stay focused. Identify when you are most productive and take charge of being in charge or getting rid of those things you know distract you from making your dreams happen.

With anything in life, how you look at it, changes everything. If you think of it as a negative, it will be negative. If you see it as a positive it will be. If you don’t even realize it and live your life focusing on delivering valuable content then that is what you will become; known as someone who might have ADD but they add value to those they serve. Whenever you feel like you are down or your ADD is distracting you and in the way, review the list of celebrities who have ADD and what contributions they have made! You too can fit that group one day!

Remember to keep using your voice to make a difference and as always…

Dream BIG,
Ryan

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Jun 26

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How to write powerful headlines (BONUS: Easy to use formulas)

By Ryan Avery Leadership, Motivation 7 Comments

This article comes to you with request from Matt Maggio in Miami, FL.Matt reached out last week and gave insight in how to provide bloggers with information on how to write headlines so engaging anyone who sees it, will click to read it! He’s been studying copywriting and how the words you choose in your headlines makes all the difference!

He said consider three things when writing powerful headlines:

1) Focus on creating a “how-to” or “why” or “number (#) series” while adding value and/or providing entertainment elements. He says, “The how-to is very powerful because it engages the prospect on a deeper psychological level. It’s self-centered and most of us pay more attention when we hear how-to and whatever follows after it.”

2) Write for your audience in mind – Do you know who your audience is? Identify who your ideal reader is and ask them what they want to learn more about. I do this through my social media accounts all the time; last week I received 20 article ideas! My audience gives me direction for what they want to hear and who is paying attention to my articles.

3) Base it off your experience – Why are you the one to write this? For example, it might be strange if I wrote an article called “How to win a basketball game if you are under six feet tall.” Not only do I know nothing about basketball, my audience knows I don’t play the game and I can’t speak for those under six feet! Write about what you know with those in mind you want to reach!

Moving forward when you are writing an article for your blog or a chapter in your book, think of these formulas to catch your readers attention and get them to click on what you just wrote!

Powerful Headline Formulas include:

“How to (eliminate pain) (without more pain)”

“How to get (specific result) (in short amount of time) (with very little risk)”

“Why (common-sense approach) doesn’t work… and what to do about it).”

I can say first hand these have worked for me. Starting out blogging I would spend hours on one article and find very little engagement after I hit publish. Other articles I would spend five minutes writing and boom my stats soar for the day! Why? When I look back at the articles, the content nor my writing was better, what the main problem seemed to be was the title in which I used to grab the readers attention. People will not click to read your article if it does not click with what interests or grabs their attention!

What sounds more powerful and more intriguing to read?
How to get more clients without sounding to pushy? – OR – Lessons I learned from an encounter with a recent client!

If I used the same content for the body of the article and used those different titles I guarantee I would have a larger open rate on the “how-to” compared to the “lessons learned.” I mean which one would you most likely open? Plus, in the first one I have considered my focus, my audience and my experience!

Take Matt’s advice and start writing powerful headlines so your writing gets into the hands of more people. Your stories, message and insight matter and if you are taking the time to add value to people’s life, take the time to write engaging headlines! Keep using your voice to make a difference and remember to always…

Dream BIG,

Ryan

Question for comments below: Who is your favorite blogger? Why?

P.S. Have an idea for an article you would like me to write? Send me an email to ryan@averytoday.com! Thanks and if you enjoyed this article remember to share it with those you know on Facebook, Twitter or email by pressing one of the buttons below!