Thursday, October 2, 2014
I saw an interesting post on my friend David Avrin?'s Facebook page where he talks about about receiving a message from someone he doesn?t know who challenged his wisdom of posting trivial things such as the breakfast cereal he likes, strange people he sits near on a flight, or funny comments about his kids. "You are an international business marketing expert," this person wrote. "This makes you look like an amatur!" David?s response was: "Speaking and consulting is not who I am, it is what I do. And while I would never want to do anything to harm my reputation, I believe that people do business with people they like and people they trust. Social media can really 'humanize' someone that you may only know from their books or presentations. As I teach in my work: 'If you want people to be interested, you have to be interesting.' I try to keep my connections 'connected' by mixing it up. Besides, I have fun with it."
I couldn?t have said it better myself. We are people first and speakers second, and we engage with others through our personality. Whether I?m speaking, coaching or whatever, I am true to myself?it?s called ?authenticy?.
I am who I am.
And that phrase reminds me of the occasion of my ?21st" birthday party this year when my dear Michael Allosso (below) and his equally fabulous wife Peggy created and sang their customized rendition of ?I Am What I Am? from La Cage Aux Folles aka The Birdcage movie with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. And to quote myself, ?If I wasn?t born a girl, I would be a drag queen today.? It all just seems appropriate.
To the tune of "I AM WHAT I AM" (La Cage aux Folles) if you can?t hum it, go to YouTube!
She is what she is
Queen of show biz
Warmly contagious
Glitz with a big brain
Never mundane
Always outrageous
It's her night: we're her minions-
Mikki's presence gels us
Her night! So we'll wear whatever clothes
She tells us
Part Mame, Part Les Mis'
We all enjoy that Mikki is what she is
She is what she is
Every a.m. and every p.m.
She bangs her own drum,
Telling us all to carpe diem
And so what if she's raunchy,
Likes it in the trenches?
We know she's one of Chicago's
Biggest mensches
Chair, speaker, a whiz
We're proud to say "Hey, world,
She is what she is!"
She is what she is,
Likes what she likes,
All right, she's picky
Go look at her place;
Watch her perform
All right she's shticky
Be loud!
Don't just say your words.
