Happiness Coach Blog

21 Years Later - Why The Change?

2010-01-26T02:44:00Z

Change is good. Change is necessary. Change is progress. We all need to change our perspective, our views, our goals and our habits if we’re to evolve. This is why after 21 years; POWER Consulting has evolved into Buzz Worthy Success.

When POWER Consulting was started, we lived in a different world. It was 1989. Two years earlier, Gordon Gekko taught us all what true power was in the movie “Wall Street”. The power brokers ran just about everything and power was, well, it was power! The companies with the most power grew the quickest and those in power made the big decisions. Power was cool and power was hot. It was 1989 and it was about being the most powerful and not making excuses for it.

As time went by, POWER Consulting took on many roles to many photographers. The one constant that always came to the surface was success. Everything we taught and everything we believed in was about creating more successful photographers. Why did we push so hard in this profession? It’s because we both believe in the medium. We believe in the magic of creating images. We believe in the spirit of stopping that one instant in time for people to enjoy. We love photography!

A few years ago we realized that our dream and our mission were getting much bigger than POWER Consulting. What could we do? We had been POWER Consulting since 1989! After all, we couldn’t just change direction, could we? After much soul searching, we knew that we had outgrown POWER Consulting. The spirit behind POWER had changed. The world had changed. It wasn’t about “power” anymore. It wasn’t even about marketing anymore! Everyone was on the “marketing” bandwagon and we knew that success had become so much more than just marketing! Success was now about something different. Success is now about sharing a story with a community of interested people. We wanted our new company to encompass everyone with a spirit of success. We wanted our new platform to be about a community; a community of people all caring about each other; caring about the profession of photography; caring about each other’s success and most of all; caring about the success of the group as a whole. This is how Buzz Worthy Success was born.

Every business wants and needs to create a buzz. The buzz your business generates creates clients, delivers cash flow, builds your reputation and allows you to dominate your market. One thing leaders in every industry have realized is; the need to create a constant and never ending stream of buzz that will attract new clients who will become clients for life is one of the biggest keys to success there is! One thing you can never have too much of is buzz. Yet, buzz is the one thing that’s overlooked at most businesses.

Will you be a part of our Buzz Worthy community? Will you answer the call? This is more than a company with a new name. This is a mission that has been 21 years in the making. This is going to be about a group of people all working together to foster new ideas; new concepts and new ways of thinking about success. Every member of this community will have a voice and we will do everything in our power to be sure that everyone who desires the life of their design; will live that life!

Change; do you need it at your business? You know the answer.

These Are A Few Of Our Favorite Things!

2009-12-21T16:54:00Z

It’s no secret that this is my favorite time of the year. I LOVE the lights, the songs, the cookies, the anticipation; I even love the crowds at the stores! I LOVE everything about the holiday season, EXCEPT; it doesn’t last long enough! In a recent POWER Thought, I wrote about a conversation I had with a friend who gets angry that people turn off their good will after the holidays are over. People who needed help before the holidays still need help after the holidays. Smiles and pats on the back that were so freely given out in December are harder to come by when January rolls around!

Can we change that? Can we, as a group, make a difference all year round? I believe that we can. I vote for good will towards everyone all year round. Now, what does this have to do with our mission as success coaches? The answer is; EVERYTHING!

All that you do; the hard work, the long hours, the heart and soul you pump into your business MUST have a reason for happening and your reason MUST fulfill your heart. Whether it’s your love of Christmas, spending as much time with your children as possible, going away for a month at a time, running marathons or anything else that you’re passionate about; your work MUST give something back to you AND you must give something back to the world day in and day out! This has to be a mission without a season!

Why am I at my desk some nights until 4:00 a.m.? I do what I do so I can enjoy a few of my favorite things with my family AND so we can give in a way that we feel is important. WE love giving to children at Christmas. In our world, there is nothing more devastating than a child with no anticipation on Christmas morning. Children are innocent and don’t always understand why they aren’t visited by Santa. We become Santa’s helpers and do as much as we can to give the children a brighter Christmas morning. That is one of the reasons we work as hard as we do and this year we are going to keep the giving going throughout the year and be an example for what we’re asking you to do!

What are a few of our favorite things?

A night at the Magic Kingdom watching the holiday parade

Buying soft, cuddly stuffies for kids who will love them

Going to the mall to people watch

Delivering the toys knowing that they’ll bring joy

Getting a hot yummy drink and then driving around looking at holiday lights

Listening to as much holiday music as we can

Picking out new cookie recipes and then making them

Watching old and new holiday movies

Christmas day together

These are a few of our favorite holiday things! To be able to enjoy them and have the freedom to do them is a gift we never overlook. We are grateful for the opportunity to work hard to get what’s important to us. That is the key for all of us. Know what’s important to you and enjoy the journey!

Happy Holidays and have a very merry Christmas!

Four Lane Revelation

2009-11-10T02:28:00Z

It was a crystal clear night; I was keeping an eye on the gas gauge and the taillights off in the distance in front of me. Sondra was asleep in the passenger seat and the puppies were curled up behind us. Everything in our SUV was right.

We had left on our drive to New York at 10:30 this morning. After countless towns and rest stops that were all designed using the same blueprint, we still had hours to go before we found a pet friendly stop for the night.

Our trip has duel purposes. On Sunday, we’ll be celebrating Sondra’s parents 50th wedding anniversary with a big surprise party for them. This was also going to be the first time in over a year that I was going to see my mother, who has been in a nursing home since last November. I was alternating my thoughts between these two distinctly different reasons for going to NY when my emotions kicked into overdrive and my eyes started tearing up.

Honestly, I was dreading seeing my mom in a nursing home. Perhaps I had put it off on purpose. My mother had always been so independent. Until about 4 years ago she and my Godmother, (94 year old, Aunt Lora) would routinely go to Wal-Mart at 1:00 a.m. just to walk around!

When my sister died three years ago, it was like a switch was flipped in my mother’s brain and the dementia happened so fast that it was astounding. We tried letting her be independent and live in her own apartment next to my Godmother, but she just couldn’t do it safely. My nephew had to get her in for medical treatment last year and the doctors told us that she couldn’t take care of herself on her own.

I was thinking about everything surrounding my mom’s situation AND how incredible it was that Sondra’s parents were enjoying 50 years together. What an interesting combination of thoughts.

The question that I kept asking myself as a drove down the just about deserted stretch of highway in South Carolina was; had I done everything I could during the times I had shared with my mother? The only honest answer that I could come up with was “No”. I started thinking about all the times that I was irritated with my mom because she called me while I was working or the times I was short with her when she would just stop in at our house at lunchtime to see if we wanted to take a break and have lunch with her. My logical business reasons for my negative reactions to those moments seem really silly to me now and if I could go back in time and make different decisions each of those times, I would. The reality is; I can’t; none of us can!

I’m a success coach. If this were you, what would I tell you? How would I tell you to handle these emotions that hit me so hard as my life partner was sleeping softly beside me and my puppies were dreaming of getting their tummies rubbed as they slept behind us? I weighed that question for quite a while before the answer came to me.

I can’t change the decisions that I’ve made. I can’t take back those moments of stubborn business logic that seemed righteous to me at the time. None of us can ever change anything that has already taken place. The only thing we can do is make sure that from this point forward we use our history to remind us to do better from now on. I can’t erase all of the moments I may have gotten wrong, but I can make sure that I try to get them right as I move forward.

I’m still not looking forward to walking into the dementia ward at the home where my mother is, but I now have a different mindset about how I will handle it now that I’ve had my “Four lane revelation!

"UP" was a great lesson!

2009-09-09T21:32:00Z

Recently, we had the pleasure of seeing Disney’s movie “Up”. I was deeply moved by it! As a success coach, I tend to see lessons in many things; some average, some good and then some just seem to stay with me for a long time. “Up” was one of those movies that really affected me.

One of the philosophies that is constantly running in the background of my life is, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”; and this movie brings that lesson to the forefront like few I’ve ever seen! It’s about never ending love, trust, devotion and friendship. It’s also a great lesson for those of you out there who are looking for the end result. Through the eyes of 79 year old recently widowed Carl Fredricksen, we are taken on a journey that seemingly has a definite end. As the adventure unfolds, we see how the actual journey and the events thereof are the true essence of life.

It made me sad and it made me happy. It also made me so grateful of who and what I have in my life every single day of my adventure.

Don’t chase the ending. It will be here too soon for all of us. Savor the adventure and all that it brings to us. Savor the relationships and savor the lessons that we’ve learned and those we still have to learn! Go see “Up” if you can still find it at the theater. I’ll own a copy and watch it whenever I lose track of my adventure!

In Pursuit Of Happiness!

2009-05-13T17:32:00Z

I’m still perplexed by blogs! After teaching the concept for 20 years that talking about one’s self is a bad idea, here I am writing things that I expect all of you to read! With that in mind, I have started and stopped this blog posting about 30 times since the last posting!

I am a business-life-happiness-personal development coach. My number one goal in life is to help people live happier lives because of something we did or taught them. That concept is simple; isn’t it? Why is it so hard for some people to grasp the concept that in order for their life to change; they must change? We are all living in the exact moment that we have put ourselves in. Bad business? You put yourself there! Poor cash flow? You put yourself there! Weak relationship? You put yourself there! The place where you are right now is a result of every decision you’ve made up until this point! What’s that? This isn’t ground breaking information! Well guess what? You’ve probably heard all of the lessons you need to change your position in life already. The key is; most people “hear” the lessons, they just don’t do anything different afterwards! In my opinion, the key isn’t the pursuit of happiness, the key is living happy!

I don’t want to pursue happiness only to reach it years from now. I want to live the life of MY design and be happy every day while on the journey. And yes, you have heard that before; probably many times! It’s not the destination; it’s the journey. Do you know why you’ve heard it before? It’s because it’s one of the KEY success principles of life! The question to ask yourself is; are you willing to do something different with the information?

Do you really want to know what goes on inside the mind of a happiness coach? What makes me tick? Here it is! I want everyone who I ever come in contact with to live the life of their design. I want to live what most Americans see as a fairy tale life. A life filled with fun, creativity, friends, laughs, surprises, abundance, wealth, health, travel and sharing. And, the thing that keeps me going forward? I want that life for all of you! That’s what’s inside the mind of this happiness coach right now!
Later,
Jer

Diary Of A Happiness Coach – The Missing Three Weeks!

2009-03-19T16:42:00Z

OK, I’ll warn you at the beginning; this is probably going to ramble a bit.

This whole “blog” thing still has me a bit perplexed. While at WPPI, I discussed the social networking thing with as many people as I could and got as many opinions as there are colors in Crayola’s Big Box Of Every Color In The World crayons! Is this blog for me? Is this blog for the industry? How self indulgent can I be? For years I’ve stood on a platform of “It’s never about you, it’s only about the client”, and here I am spilling my guts about what we’re doing and how we feel as we do it. Is this OK? I’m really not sure, but it’s the direction I’m going to take for a while. Let’s see what happens!

So, you may or may not have noticed that there’s been a gap in my postings. My intentions were to continue posting right after WPPI and stay consistent. My best intentions were met with massive resistance from life in general! Which leads right in to the question, are happiness coaches happy all of the time? Yes, this is a real question we were asked! The answer is, NO! Of course not! Life happens to throw us stuff that isn’t very happy and we each have our own ways of dealing with it. I will say that as a happiness coach, my goal is to bounce back from adversity quicker than the average person and I’m very pleased to say that most of the time that’s what I do. The times right before and right after WPPI were another story!

*** WARNING – THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH CONTAINS WHINING! ***

My biggest fear before WPPI each year is catching a cold. Yes, it happened and yes I took EVERY medication known to man. It subsided while at the convention, but I wasn’t 100%. I just didn’t feel good! My mom was moved to a dementia unit at the nursing home the day before we left for Vegas; again, not an easy thing for me to put on the back burner. While at WPPI, we did have an incredible time. Huge THANK YOU’s to all of you who made yourselves available to us with help in the suite and at the programs! Seeing our friends/clients (it’s one in the same) was a massive boost for me! When we got home, we thought everything would just calm right down and we would be massively productive! HA! That’s when life started throwing more of those dreaded curve balls! My cold made a comeback; I started having some really painful back/kidney issues; our teleseminar phone system broke; a virus made its way into my computer; our puppies had to be rushed to the emergency hospital at midnight; my mom’s dementia seemed to get worse and my email stopped working! I felt like I was in a batting cage, duct taped to the backstop without a bat! Was I happy during any of that? What do you think!

Oh my gosh! I just admitted that we go through all of the stuff that you go through and we don’t always react in the manner that we would want you to react in! That’s life!

Today is a better day. We got through all of the yucky stuff. Will some of it pop up again? Of course! The object is, don’t let it stop you. Don’t let it change your positive core. I AM a happiness coach and I knew that I would get through the last three weeks. Did the last three weeks work out the way I wanted them to? No they didn’t, but now I’m back, I’m positive, I’m focused and I’m ready to use the lessons I’ve just experienced to help you when you have a bad stretch.

What did I say this blog was going to be about in one of my first posts? This is about what goes on behind the scenes, in the minds of happiness coaches. There you have it. The last three weeks; unedited and definitely NOT sugar coated!

Later,

Jer

Spreading The Word

2009-02-18T08:04:00Z

It may have been 8am, but we had an incredible audience for our platform program! This was one of my favorite presentations. If any of you are out there; thank you! Many of you have become members of the POWER Consulting "family"; we appreciate your trust!

After the program, another mad rush through the trade show and back to the suite for more meetings.

Just locked the suite up... Been up since 5am; Adrenalin rush ended 15 minutes after our program this morning; I'm beat!

Tomorrow is a new day of the Success Revolution!
Jer

At The WPPI Trade Show!

2009-02-17T06:20:00Z

Time to see old friends Mike & Julie Colon! If you haven't seen Mike's work; check him out. He's a great asset in our industry!

We had to run through the trade show today. Had to get back to meetings in the suite. We're gathering some really cool ideas and info. I wish we could have launched our new secret concept here at WPPI but the timing wasn't quite right.

Got to get to bed! Our platform program starts at 8am!
Jer

Old Friends - New Friends!

2009-02-16T15:27:00Z

Here we are at the opening reception with WPPI President, Skip Cohen.

                             After the reception, it was time to have some fun with our clients who are at WPPI!

One of our clients asked me a great question at our Sunday night get together; he asked me what my Big Original Definable Outrageous Goal was for my next year. Hey, isn't that my job? It took me a second, but I did think of one. I would like to positively change the lives of at least 50 photographers. So, what goes on in the mind of a happiness/success coach who stakes such a bold claim?  I ask myself; how can this be done?

Last night, there were 1000's of people streaming through the walkway after the reception. How can I tell them that Sondra and I want to be instrumental in leading them on a success charge? How can I let them in on the master plan that we have for this profession? How will they know that the current marketing model being used by most photographers is broken and needs to be fixed with one that works?

Read on as we explore the answers to those questions.

So, between now and midnight tonight, walk up and introduce yourself and you will be rewarded. We're here to see old friends and make new ones!

See you later!
Jer

And we have our first winners!

2009-02-16T00:59:00Z

Well we made it! 12 hours on planes and at airports and we landed in Vegas. This IS NOT the same Vegas that we lived in! I can't get over how much construction has taken place since we left!

We weren't here long before Matt and Teresa stopped us for a photo! They got the first prize of the convention! Yes, we do have more!

Introduce yourself to us at the opening reception for prize number two! It's been a long day setting up the hospitality suite! Gotta take a short nap and get ready to see everyone at the reception!
Jer

We’re leavin on a jet plane

2009-02-13T23:41:00Z

It’s just about time to head to Vegas for WPPI. As I talked about in my last entry; I still remember my first WPI, way back when. As we get ready to go, I’m fighting a major sinus infection. Hopefully I’ll have it beat before our platform program on Tuesday! Don’t make me talk too much if we run into each other!

So, here’s the FIRST of a few surprises we have in store for our blog readers!

Be the first person to approach us in Vegas and ask for a photo with us and you’ll get a prize! Yes, it’s that simple!

We want this to be fun! Our blog may not appeal to everyone, (more about this after we get back from WPPI) but we’re sure going to make it fun for those who want to play along!

See you in Vegas!

Jer

11 Days & Counting!

2009-02-04T21:10:00Z

So, the Super Bowl is over; what’s left? WPPI is coming! WPPI is coming! Would you believe that I remember the feelings I had prior to the VERY FIRST WPPI ever! Back then, it was WPI and I fondly remember the excitement and anticipation of that first convention. I remember it well because it was also my first trip to Vegas. There I was, a kid in Vegas; It was so cool. I sat in the front row taking fast and furious notes from every big name platform speaker there; Rocky Gunn, Monte, Tibor Horvath and a plethora of others. It was truly magical! Did I think back then that someday I would be a regular speaker for WPPI? Of course I did!

Fast forward 29 years and again I’m feeling that same excitement and anticipation before WPPI. To me, WPPI has always been a time marker; a spot that I have used to measure where I’m at and how I’m doing. WPPI has always been a time for renewal for me.

Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about my life as a success/happiness coach. As I listen to people talking about the gloom and doom of today’s economy I’m struck with the thought that positive, forward moving actions will solve most people’s problems. Is this too simplified? Perhaps it will seem so to those who would rather stay negative. I’m going to say something right now that we’ll repeat during our WPPI platform program on February 17^th; there has NEVER been a better time to own your own business and reach the highest levels of success! This IS a time filled with opportunities for those who want to EARN the lifestyle of their design!

Very shortly you’re going to hear about a new success tool for portrait and wedding photographers. It’s HUGE and you’re going to be in on it first! It’s about our success as an industry being bigger than any one of us alone. It’s about positive, forward thinking business owners joining together in a way that hasn’t been done before. It’s about being a part of something bigger than ourselves. The time is coming for a success invasion and we’re going to lead the charge! Keep reading! Ask me about it at WPPI.

Until Later,
Jerry

Am I Addicted?

2009-01-28T16:11:00Z

Recently someone asked me if I was addicted to success? I thought it was a rather odd question until I contemplated it for a bit. Am I addicted to success? I don’t think so. I would say however, that I am addicted to excellence! Yes, I’m sure of it; I am positively addicted to excellence!

I love the thought of evolving every day. Do I feel that I always do it? No; I’m a lot tougher on myself than any of you can imagine! I love the thought that I’ll always have more “success oriented” reading than I’ll ever be able to consume! I LOVE the idea of being a part of something much bigger than all of us. I love thinking about what it would be like to have EVERY client on a cruise with us. I am “that guy” who loves happy endings and good sequels! I want everybody to ride into the sunset together. Anti-excellence drives me nuts! When a client is tough to motivate or tough to get forward motion from; I’m devastated. I take excellence personally!

I am addicted; I’m addicted to cool people who want something better than the commonplace. I’m addicted to great conversation that makes all the participants think. I’m addicted to happiness and all that entails. Am I a success coach? Am I a business coach? Am I a motivation coach? Am I a marketing coach? Yes to all, but most of all; I am a happiness coach! I’m your happiness coach; and
ALL that entails!

Jerry

They all say "quick and easy!"

2009-01-23T22:55:00Z

OK, this is the start of our real life, grown up blog site. Week after week I've been writing blogs, pouring my heart out and sending the entries to our clients as a saved word file. I know, not really a blog! So, I called GoDaddy.com and asked them about their quick and easy blog product. Here it is! I know that once I master the 25 page quick and easy tutorial, I'll be a blog "master"! We'll see.

So far, you see what I'm capable of. I see words on a page. Now for the tricky stuff; images, videos and podcasts! Why a podcast? I have NO idea! The manual says that I can do one, quick and easy!

So for now, here's the first official blog posting from The Happiness Coaches! Why happiness coaches? Read about it in an upcoming blog!
Jerry Deck - POWER Consulting