By Elizabeth Gordon

You often hear about entrepreneurs getting lucky - getting on Oprah or selling their business for $50 million to a big conglomerate. When you hear these stories of seeming overnight success, it makes you think, “Wow, they are sooo lucky.” But what sometimes appears to be luck is actually the result of a well laid plan and strategy that is finally coming to fruition. Every time you hear the story of an entrepreneur’s big win, you are probably not going to hear about the 100 times before that they failed, but trust me, they did.

What allowed them to eventually get to their big win? They didn’t beat themselves up after they failed, nor did they let it make them fearful of taking future risks. Instead, they viewed each small failure as simply a stepping-stone on the path to success. The good news is you can improve your luck. When you recognize that there is no such thing as “the overnight success story” and instead make the goal of each day to move the ball one step closer to your goal, you’ll increase your odds every day. If so-called good luck is really just persistence, creativity and determination that have finally paid off, there are some ways to stack the deck in your favor.   Continue Reading »

Every time you share your ideas you bring value to others. Ideas come in many forms. They can be as simple as a suggestion, create clarity out of confusion, or give insight that is transformational. Your ideas are a reflection of who you are, how you think, what you feel, and what you’ve learned from your own experiences.

Willingness to share ideas is powerful. There is no way of assessing the impact we have on someone else by offering them our point of view. Each of us is unique. Our experiences are unique. Our perspectives are unique. No one has traveled your road, been faced with your specific challenges, or possesses your knowledge. You are uniquely qualified to be you. Your ideas matter.

This is part of the series “Personally Speaking: Volume 1“ to purchase the entire series click here.