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Jul 26

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Virtual Assistant for Event ProfessionalsWelcome to my first blog as Elizabeth Coopersmith Consulting! It's my birthday today, so I'm going to have to run in a minute, but I wanted to introduce myself. Tim Ferris (I'm a fan of Tim Ferris and you'll see more of that in a couple of days) wrote a book called Tribe of Mentors, where he asks some of the most influential people on the planet the same 11 questions. It's a great way to get to know someone, so I thought I'd start with those, quoting directly from the book.

"What is the book (or books) you've given most as a gift and why? Or, what are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?"

Most of my friends are readers, telling them about a book is interesting because they've either already read it, heard of it, or already have a stack of books five high and won't be able to get to it! But, when Tim Ferris wrote Tools of Titans, I did end up giving that to a couple of people. As far as what I've read more than once and highly recommend, grab The Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes, and The Universe Has Your Back by Gabrielle Bernstein. But If I had to name the one book that's influenced me most in life, it would have to be The President's Daughter by Ellen Emerson White. It came out when I was in middle school, and it's about the daughter of the first woman President. I was so happy when I found my original copy a while ago! And, yes, we are all still waiting. And the best last novel I read was The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid, which was so, so good.2. "What Purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months?"A couple of months ago, my computer was stolen (I KNOW) along with my tech travel bag. I had to re-purchase a lot of stuff, but the thing I loved the most was the RAVPower Rotate Plug 4-in-1 Mini Surge Protector. It has 3 usb plugs and one AC outlet and it's tiny! Great for travel, great for co-working, I love it.Now that we're done with the commerce part of our blog...3. "How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for success?"This year has been interesting. This spring, I tried to turn one of my books into an online class, and ran into a multitude of (embarrassing) technical and logistical problems, not the least of which was that this was all taking place in the middle of my full and busy wedding planning season. And then my computer was stolen! It forced me to put on the breaks and reassess what it was that I wanted my career and life to look like, and what the next level was for me. Which is why I'm typing to you fine people right now.4. "If you could have one gigantic billboard anywhere with anything on it, getting a message out to millions or billions, what would it say?""Give yourself a break, and just do what you can with what you have, where you are."5. "What is one of the best or worthwhile investments you've ever made?"Long term, I'd say the five years I spent writing the "Ask Liz" column for the Broke-Ass Bride.com. It boosted my business, fulfilled my dreams of being a paid writer, and really forced me to have a different perspective of the wedding industry at the customer service level. Giving people what they want vs. giving them what they need vs. giving them what they need to get what they want.6. "What is an absurd habit or an unusual thing that you love?"I collect Starbucks City Mugs! Every new city I fly into, I always go into a Starbucks to buy a mug. It's also become a thing with my friends, before they go anywhere, they ask, "Do you have a mug from there?" and if not, they bring it to me. I have close to 100 now, stacked three deep in a bookshelf in my house. Probably going to have to do something about that soon. If you follow me on Instagram, the mugs occasionally pop up.7. "In the last five years, what new belief, behavior or habit has most improved your life?"I have a goal to walk 10,000 steps a day. Exercise and getting out of the house is a good combination. Belief wise, the idea that if you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. And that everything is, as Marie Forleo says, figure-outable. All good to remember when you're trying to move a metaphorical couch across a metaphorical room.8. "What advice would you give to a smart, driven college student about to enter the real world. What advice should they ignore?"Acknowledge to yourself that you're just starting out, so you don't know everything. This does not make you stupid. And because you're not stupid, that means you can ask questions and learn, so do that. Oh, and if you get the chance to move to new city, move. You can always go back, and the experience is invaluable. Advice to ignore? Pick a profession that's going to pay well, instead of going for your dream/passion. You can do both. You might have to do the first one for a while before you get to the second one, but keep your eye on the dream.9. "What are bad recommendations do you hear in your profession or area of expertise?"Bad: DIY'ing your wedding is going to save you money. Nope, not if you've never done that project before. Bad: Renting a blank venue where you have to bring all rentals, food and decorations in will also save you money. Nope, because you still have to pay for what you're not getting at the venue. So, basically that DIY is going to save you time and money! Both are a strong "probably not". That also applies to your business. It's always better to get professional help, if you can.10. "In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to?"Advertising with no ROI. Travel time drains.11. "If you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?"I ask myself a couple of questions: 1. Did you get enough sleep? Did you eat? What's actually bugging you, Elizabeth? If I'm not into it, whatever it is, I try to focus on something else. I've found that it gives you more clarity. You also have to believe that you will accomplish what you're trying to do. It will get done, it always gets done, but apparently not right now, lol!Again, welcome to Elizabeth Coopersmith Consulting. While you're here, grab my free guide, 8 Work/Life Balance Tips That You Will Actually Use, and get signed up to get my weekly newsletter!And, if you'd like to talk about virtual assistance so you can work on your work/life integration, go to my contact page, or email me directly at elizabethcoopersmith@gmail.com.