As we spend more and more time in front of our computers and iphones, take time to disconnect, step away for a period, and be thankful of what is really important to you this Thanksgiving.

Can you do it? I challenge you to turn it off, leave the rat race behind, and enjoy the moment you’re in, with gratitude and thankfulness.

I’ll get to see so many of you in person this Thanksgiving weekend, and I am looking forward to it. It’s the offline relationships and time with you that I treasure!

For those I won’t see, I want you to know I am so grateful for you – together we have overcome extreme challenges this year. You’ve encouraged me, supported me, and given me the inspiration to take HUGE strides forward that I could have never done without you. Thank you!

Wishing you abundant blessings this Thanksgiving!

Photo credit, x-ray delta one

Use your social media tools and your personal brand to help your favorite charity or cause this holiday season.

Here are 5 simple things you can do right now:

• Write a blog post. Your readers have built up trust in you, so you already hold an influential platform to easily spread awareness among your network.
• Use video to share your passion. It’s a great way to express your message in a real and authentic way, and allows you to get really creative. If making a video isn’t your strength, find other videos that are already being used for your cause and share them with your friends.
• Embed a widget on your site to show your support to your charity of choice. Or add a widget to Causecast where others can use this platform to find a cause that they connect with.
• Share stories and links about causes you’re passionate about, using your social networking sites.
• Organize a tweet-up using your online tools.  Connect in the real world with like-minded people to support your charity. This is a great opportunity to take on a leadership role and demonstrate your skills. Your enthusiasm will be contagious!  5 W5Learn how to do it, using Mashable’s step-by-step guide.

There are so many other ways to use your strong personal brand to support your favorite charity. What are your ideas for the holiday season?

Photo credit, HowardLake

In tough times: GIVE.

Is there a local cause in your city that really, really resonates with you? What passion do you share with a non-profit organization in your community? How can you give?

This is the season when you’re looking for holiday happenings –  grab a friend and take them to an event hosted by your favorite non-profit. There are events of all kinds going on: dinners, holiday concerts, performances, or fitness events just to name a few.  You’ll be helping your charity, and aligning your passions with your personal brand while  creating fun,  holiday memories of your own!

Here are some charity events coming up in the Seattle area:

• EtsyRain Holiday Art & Craft Show – Nov 21-21, at the Intiman Theatre, to support Treehouse, an organization that fills the gaps for kids in foster care, providing services that no other agency addresses.
• Great Figgy Pudding Street Corner Caroling Contest, Friday Dec 4 at Westlake Center. This is is a “not to be missed” event, and is guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit while you’re supporting the Pike Market Senior Center and homeless seniors of Seattle. Don’t just watch, bring a team and sing!
• If you’re a fitness guru, how about signing up for the 21st Annual Stair Climb on Dec 3. Scale 56 floors of the former WAMU Tower to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Give extra support by getting a team together.
• Get the little ones involved, and support the Arthritis Foundation and it’s programs for children, at the Santa Breakfast, Dec 13, 19, and 20.
• Annual Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel is one of my favorites, and supports Seattle Children’s Hospital. Beginning November 22, it’s a time honored tradition that kicks the season off in style!

For more events, or to find some in your community, check out Upcoming, Eventbrite, or Google Calendar. Find a charity that you believe in, and celebrate the season with them.

Photo credit, Christopher S. Penn

We’ve been sharing ideas on how to align your values and passions with a charity this holiday season, and creative ways to support them.

How about turning your holiday party into a fundraiser?

Highlight this on your invitations, and have a designated area set aside to collect gift donations when your guests arrive.

Be sure to have your computer out and visible, turned on to the charity’s homepage, and make it easy for guests  to donate electronically. This makes gift giving easy; make a donation in a friend’s name instead of buying a gift.

Add meaning to your holiday party this year, and let everyone take part!

Photo credit, allerleirau

Have you teamed up with a charity that shares the values and passions of your personal brand?

Once you’ve aligned your personal brand with a charity that matches your values and passions, it’s exciting and fulfilling to jump in and make a difference.

As we approach the season of giving and helping, what are some creative ways we can use to support our cause?

Did you know you can shop, sell and donate for a good cause on Ebay?

Through ebay Giving Works, you can support a charity in three ways:

• Shop – Browse listings that support your favorite nonprofits.

• Sell – Clean out that closet that has been haunting you, and donate 10% – 100% of your sale to your favorite charity.

• Donate – simply make an online gift through paypal, as small as $1, to your charity.

What other unique ways can you align with a cause this holiday season?

I had the pleasure of speaking to a group of professionals in career transition yesterday, for the Puget Sound American Marketing Association, and shared the steps to uncovering your personal brand to land the ideal job.

My favorite part of doing an event like this is having the opportunity to connect, meet new friends, and hear their stories. I always leave inspired and full of new ways to look at things. A few of us were talking and someone mentioned how soon the holidays will be here. And that was followed up with, “I really want to get involved this year, and give back to those who need help.” That resonated with me, because it was coming from someone who has been unemployed for many months.

How can we give if we don’t have the financial means to give? It got my wheels spinning, and I’ve decided to dedicate these next few weeks to sharing creative ideas of how you can align your personal brand with your favorite charity this season, and give back in so many ways, using your strengths and unique attributes.  Even when you’re experiencing tough times.

Are you with me? You have ideas. Share them with me here. You may be in career transition, out of a job, and wondering how you’re going to get through the season yourself. You may be a business owner operating in the red. I challenge you -  let’s turn it around. Let’s put the focus on others, and take it off of ourselves. Using the resources you have, how can you help?

Photo credit, I, Timmy

Here’s an example of some authentic personal brands!

Be helpful

Personal Branding: You’ve defined your ideal target – now how do you make a connection?

You’ve defined your unique personal brand, and now you’re focused on your specific target audience: those people who need to hear about you to make you wildly successful.  You’ve not only made a list of the general audience, but you’ve written down specific names of those people you want to reach.

I often get asked this question, “ I know exactly who I want to connect with, but how do I do it? How can I connect directly to them? How can I get noticed with my authentic personal brand and build a mutually viable relationship?”

In today’s world, you have all the tools you need to build a relationship directly with that person you want to connect with. Here are 8 things you can do to get started:

1)    First, do your homework on google. The internet offers personal information we were never able to access before. Start with a simple google search, and begin to look for common bonds.
•    What organizations and groups are they involved in?
•    Are they supporting a project you have strengths in?
•    What can you learn from their business profiles?
•    Do you have common interests? Did they run in the same 5K you just did?
•    What topics are they reading, writing about, and commenting about online? What articles do they have “favorited” online?

2)    Follow them on Twitter. RT them, and ask them questions. As you build your relationship, you can direct message them, and soon after, they will recognize your name in an  email.

3)    Join their Facebook Fan Page if they have a business. Don’t just join the group as a spectator. Really listen, and join the conversation with valuable content.

4)    Connect on LinkedIn. Always take the time to write a personal introductory note. Comment on a shared interest, group, or a core thread you have discovered.  Before writing your     note, always ask yourself, “In what ways can I give to this person?” Be genuine, without sounding  “salesy.”

5)    Subscribe to their blog if they have one and make valuable contributions. You won’t go unnoticed.

6)    Join the same organization. What types of organizations and community outreach is this person involved in? If it’s something you share a passion with, get involved in the same     group. Go to the next meeting. Volunteer on the same projects.

7)    Ask for an introduction. Who do you know who knows this person? Explain to them the value you have to offer, and they may be willing to make a warm introduction.

8)   Be helpful. Find a project they are working on, and offer to help – with no strings attached. What would they think if you called and said, “I’m willing to devote a chunk of my time     and resources to make this the best fundraiser ever. What’s your greatest need and how can I help?”

The key here is to focus on your target, and be authentic to your personal brand.

There are so many other ways to make a connection. Let’s make the list complete. What can you add?

Photo credit: boodle131

What do you offer that nobody else can?

It’s become inescapable. Today’s marketplace is as competitive as ever, and to stand out and prosper you need to build your personal brand. We’re hearing it all the time, yet, I still get asked, “Why do I really need a personal brand?” and “I’ve gotten along without it until now, so why now?” or “Tell me again, how will a personal brand help me land a job?”

There are so many reasons why you need to build your authentic personal brand, but here are my top 5:

1)    Nobody is going to manage your career for you. Your hiring manager, or supervisor, doesn’t have the time. You need to be your own boss. You need to create your own talent development program. And you need to be thinking about your career with every single thing you do – every agenda you write, every meeting you attend, every voice mail you return. Be deliberate in communicating the value you have to offer using your authentic personal brand.

2)    Keep the job you have by consistently demonstrating your unique value. When the company is laying off employees, are you worth keeping? Have you taken the time to discover what’s relevant to the company, and made your talents resonate with that? It’s critical to use your personal brand to support the corporate brand, to keep your job.

3)    If you find yourself, looking for a job in this crowded labor market, you need to stand out. You need an edge. You need to clearly communicate the unique value that you have, and use that to separate yourself from everyone else. What do you offer that nobody else can? What do you layer on top of your credentials and education that gets them excited about you? That is found in your personal brand.

4) A personal brand consistently “demonstrates” your value; it’s no longer enough to just “tell” them. When people google you, what do they find? Does it support and align with the things you have told them? Do they see and hear examples of your personal brand in action?

5) Create the visibility you need to reach your goals. When you pro-actively build your personal brand, you stay focused and not only achieve your goals, but you’ll do it in a way that’s fulfilling for you.

What can you add to the list?

photo credit, NixieMichelle

Yes! The event was sold out, but I’m here with the highlights of what you missed! Straight from the mouths of some top Tweeps:

The guest speaker, Sean Moffitt, from Angel Wildfire was fabulous, and since you couldn’t be there, he’s sharing his presentation right here! It was all about branding, and some key points :

• Brands still matter but there’s a big shift in how we build them.
• We’ve got to engage with the customer – they expect to be involved.
• Treat your customers like fans – reward them.

Check it all out in his presentation:

Join us at the next event October 27 at the Zoopa offices!