THE HUSTLE BETWEEN MY EBB AND FLOW

shannonayersspeaks

dream is free but the hustle is sold separatelyOver the last year I have had my share of EBBSand FLOWS.  I was so excited about starting a business and began the process of taking the necessary steps toward readying myself for the big six month start-up.  Everything appeared to be working well at a nice pace until I got a phone call that ended up spinning me into a whirlwind.  The phone call was about an opportunity to work with a potential NFL draft pick.  Therefore, I began the “NEW BUSINESS HUSTLE” of prepping myself for this potential client by moving into overdrive.  I was so excited and ready to embark upon an incredible journey of entrepreneurship that I knew would be an exilerating leap into the world of consulting.  This meant late nights, lots of research and spending a few dollars to get going.   Bear in mind, I work full-time, go to school full-time, I am…

View original post 992 more words

What are you doing today that encourages your path for tomorrow?

shannonayersspeaks

procrastination-breaking-habit

I just spent a couple of months in a funk because my life isn’t where I want it to be. I was a bit grouchy with my husband and kids. Every little thing irritated me. That time of the month only made it worse.

My job situation is far from inspiring. I still have two classes to finish a Masters degree and three classes to to finish another, yet it still seems so far out of reach. The kids won’t clean up after themselves without me yelling from the time I get home from work until they go to bed. Lastly, I really want to lose weight.

Okay, that’s everyone’s life right? One day I had to ask what was I doing to encourage myself into a better tomorrow.  It was a slap in the face question because I realized at that moment that I am the culprit hindering my progress. I had…

View original post 325 more words

The Psychology Of Customer Service!

Tags

, , , , , , ,

   Anyone that knows me really well know that bad customer service is a huge pet peeve of mine.  It breaks my heart every time I roll into a drive thru and see our babies without any type of work ethic and could care less about providing good customer service.  If they get your order wrong and you send it back for a replacement, you better say an extra prayer over your food.

 There have been a few that have surprised me and have taken their job seriously and delivered top notch service.  However, what’s unfortunate is the greater percentage that I have experienced and others alike is the tragedy of a generation of kids with no actionable skills to progress them further in their career or life in general.


What most may not realize is that the main component of customer service is psychology!  Yep, plain old psychology.  Psychology is defined as “the scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.”  Now think about this for a minute.  You have two main points in this definition, the human mind and affected behavior.  To get to the point, customer service basically boils down to how you make someone feel about something.

Have you noticed that Walmart’s employee’s do not wear those smocks any more that says, “How May I Help You?”  Raise your hand if you receive great customer service here all the time?  Okay, moving on……

When you go into a store, restaurant, hotel, car dealership, etc., at the end of the day, it’s all about how that business or service made you feel.  The service can be superior, mediocre or just outright bad, but it’s all about how they made you feel that determines whether you will give them your service again or at all.

The main point of this post is to drive home to those of us who are either in the business of servicing others in some type of capacity whether it is for work, church, volunteering, etc., you are in charge of your customer’s experience.  You get to be a significant part of the determination on whether that person will come back again.

What is Bad Customer Service Costing Your Business?

Take the time to not only provide superior customer service, but also demand it.  This is the only way it will get better.

 

Please encourage your teenagers who are working part time jobs for the first time to care about what they do on their jobs.  It doesn’t matter if they are working fast food, custodian, bank teller, or interning at a law firm, teach them work ethic and how to take pride in doing the best and being the best. Some people actually got their biggest breaks at young ages where someone took them under their wing because of potential they saw in them at an early age working at some place like McDonalds and set them up for a great future.

To my entrepreneurs or future entrepreneurs, pay special attention to who you hire and how you want to brand your business.

Remember that the human mind and affected behavior all boils down to basic psychology and the experience that is provided.  It can truly make or break your business.

Blessings and Inspiration,

ShannonAyersSpeaks

Not Happy With Your Work Environment — Change It!!!

Tags

, , , , ,

toxic1-images1    How many of us have had or are experiencing a work environment that is either unpleasant or unfulfilling?

Businesswoman in cubicle with laptop and stacks of files

I have most certainly been there.  I had an epiphany one day and realized that I was in complete control of my own environment.  I had more control than what I previously realized.  I am sure you’re probably thinking, well I can’t change my crazy mean boss or my messy overambitious co-workers.  I can’t make my boss give me a promotion or a raise.  Well, I say to you that those things may very well be true.  However, you are in complete control of YOU!!  It is a natural reaction to get down on someone else’s level when you are offended, hurt, let down, overlooked, etc.  How about making them come up to your level because you refuse to come down to theirs.  That comes with a level of confidence and faith that you demand better and expect better.

Happy Co-worker

At what point do you take the initiative to change your situation.  Now, I must warn you, it will call for some sacrifice and maybe even a bit of discomfort, but the payoff is far more rewarding than anything you would have to endure to get you there.

Here are some options:

  • Start with changing your “stank” attitude, it’s counterproductive.  Find one thing to be happy about and ride that wave until it’s time to clock out…even if it’s just to be thankful for having a job.

Ghandi

  • Be of the mindset that your situation is temporary and you’re only passing through.
  • Never allow anyone to change who you are by doing the “tit-for-a-tat” or becoming something you’re not.
  • Understand your rights and entitlements on your job as well as available opportunities.  That just may be your “in” to making a change in your job situation.  Maybe there’s tuition assistance to take some classes.  There may be an opening in another department where you can transfer or you may be entitled to additional training and resources.
  • Do your research!!!  When all else fails look for free webinars, on-line tutorials, free classes at your local library.
  • Look to cross-train or outside opportunities to learn something new.  There may even be a vacancy that needs someone temporarily until filled.  You could also volunteer to take on other responsibilities.
  • Help someone else do better and be better.  It does wonders to be able to offer something useful and meaningful to someone else.  It also helps you to exercise your leadership skills by imparting your knowledge or wisdom to help others.
  • Believe your way into a better situation.

Tired

  • Refuse to settle for the here and now when you have greater aspirations.  A dream only becomes a reality when you WAKE UP!!!!!

So WAKE UP!!  Your new life awaits you!!!! Ghandi

Blessings and Inspirations,

SMCSpeaksBusiness

Permission To Heal

shannonayersspeaks

  Have you ever had your heart broken into tiny little pieces to the point of feeling like there is just no repair possible?

  Have you lost a loved one such as a spouse, best friend, child, sibling, close relative or maybe even a mentor?

  Have you been fired or let go from a job or found yourself in a humiliating and embarrassing situation to where you just want to hide your face in the sand?

Have you experienced infidelity in your marriage/relationship or you were the one who did the cheating and feel like there is no recovery?

 

Have you been down the road of not wanting to live any more because of your heartache or a feeling of worthlessness?  Are you there now?

The one constant in those situations is always the permission to hurt, cry, feel bad and just be depressed.  This is most certainly…

View original post 685 more words

Permission To Heal

Tags

, , , , ,

  Have you ever had your heart broken into tiny little pieces to the point of feeling like there is just no repair possible?

  Have you lost a loved one such as a spouse, best friend, child, sibling, close relative or maybe even a mentor?

  Have you been fired or let go from a job or found yourself in a humiliating and embarrassing situation to where you just want to hide your face in the sand?

Have you experienced infidelity in your marriage/relationship or you were the one who did the cheating and feel like there is no recovery?

 

Have you been down the road of not wanting to live any more because of your heartache or a feeling of worthlessness?  Are you there now?


The one constant in those situations is always the permission to hurt, cry, feel bad and just be depressed.  This is most certainly part of the healing process.

I remember going through some really tough times where I felt rejected, unloved, unworthy and unwanted.  The crazy thing is that none of those things were true.  I also realized that is was easier to believe those negative things because they gave me the permission to feel sorry for myself for as long as I wanted to with no end.  The more time I spent alone, the more I fed my mind with all of the negative things my brain cells could hold.  I also went through that, “God where are you?” phase as well.  I was in a state of depression for quite sometime.  If I thought positive that would take away my right to sulk, pout and cry.  If I thought positive, I would be responsible for picking myself up and moving on with life which I just wasn’t ready to do.  BUT, God’s love never ceases and never fails. I’m a living witness!

After a while I began to realize that I was just wasting precious time dwelling on what could not be changed.  I then literally looked in the mirror and decided to put an expiration date on my pain.  I set a month, day and time so that I would hold myself accountable to give up the pain.  That was the best decision I ever made in my life.  What that did was to force me to choose between pain and happiness, both of which were completely in my control.

We often put our happiness and peace of mind in the hands of others not realizing that no matter how loving, dedicated and trustworthy these people are, they all have the ability to hurt us or leave us whether through break-ups, death, or even things unbeknownst to them.  Generally speaking, people are just that, people who do people like things, some good, some bad, some in their control and some not.  But now it is time to take back your rights to happiness by giving your pain an expiration date.

Giving up the pain does not mean giving up the memories.  What it does mean is that you are forced to make a decision on how to process and deal with your pain in a more positive and beneficial way.  People often say things like forgive and forget.  I understand what that means, but do we really forget?  Of course not, but what we can do is NOT waddle in that pain.

If you choose to forgive then forgive and move on, learn and grow.

If you experience the loss of a loved one, choose to remember the best memories possible to counter that empty feeling of loss or the tragedy of their demise.  If it is a breakup, choose to look at the lessons learned to prevent repeat offenses.  You can also look at a break-up as a blessing.  I know I wouldn’t trade my husband for anyone or anybody.  The break-ups I experienced regardless of the pain were the biggest blessings of loss I could imagine.  Without those break-ups, I wouldn’t have my husband who helped me to create four beautifully talented and God-fearing children.

When you choose pain over happiness, this can affect your entire life such as your job, home and basic well being.  Ask yourself, is it really worth it?


No matter what you have been through or currently going through right now, I, this day give you the permission to HEAL.

Therefore, you must now come up with your own realistic expiration date.  What this means is that you will have a celebration of choosing happiness over grief for that which is beyond your control.  You will then give God back control over the joy he so intended you to experience all along.  You no longer have the permission to feel sorry for yourself, live with regrets or bask in a swell of grief that no longer has a place in your life other than to delay the blessings God has in store.

I dare you to try it!!!  It works! Now go in peace and LIVE by divine intention!!!!!!

Blessings and Inspiration,

ShannonAyersSpeaks

2015: A NEW YEAR OR JUST ANOTHER YEAR????

 

image or will it?  How many times must we go through the ongoing cycle of claiming a year to be “my year” when we have done nothing to prepare for a new beginning?  There is a scripture found in Mark 2:22 that states, “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles: else the new wine doth burst the bottles, and the wine is spilled, and the bottles will be marred: but new wine must be put into new bottles.” 

?????????????????????????  Wine bottle breaking

I don’t know about you, but the clichés of the “New Year” are comical at this point in my life. I have come to realize that waiting for January 1st of any year to change my life is fruitless if I still have the mindset of December 31st the previous year. I understand that attempting to start afresh and new at the beginning of the year makes sense mentally to get our minds geared up for new changes. It’s no different than pigging out all weekend because we will start a diet on Monday. I know this because I have been telling myself this for years.

image

You have to ask yourself, “What’s so special about now that will prompt me to seriously make a change?”  There has to be something more than just because it’s a new year.  We have to have a present state of mind that recognizes that the current condition of our lives dictate that there is much needed change for survival and growth whether it is the beginning, middle or end of the year.

image Take control of your life now by taking inventory of what you have, decide what needs to go, what needs to be added and/or what needs to be deleted.  If you have been wallowing in self-pity and doubt or making excuses for why you cannot do better, or even the age old mentality of “not now but tomorrow”, then you can just…same bat channel To be continued batman robinYou will find yourself in the same place talking about what you did not accomplish the previous year and what you will do in the new year in a repeated cycle of failure.

image

We are already one full month into the New Year.  Ask yourself:  Am I on the right track?  Is my life going in the right direction?  Am I being true to myself by honoring my word as to where I want my life to be?  Am I getting an early start next year for more resolutions I never intended to keep?

image

What’s your breaking point? Will this be the time you say, NO MORE!!!! I have to get serious about my life and my life’s purpose. If you don’t, all you will be is just an aged failure by one more year. Before you know it time will have just passed you by and you will find yourself sharing wisdom with some young person about how not to squander life’s precious gift of time. Instead, how about make your life a testament of wisdom as to how you overcame and finally decided to make the best of your life by living it to the fullest and in the best possible way ever. I don’t want to be a cliché any more. I want to only look forward to making my life better with the passing of each year instead of constantly making fresh starts that only lead me back to…this will be my year, NOT!!!!

image image

Let’s make this truly “our year” by doing those things we have been putting off for years that will make us healthy, stronger, better and triumphant!!!

Road to success

Go back to church, Lose weight, Go back to school, Get a new job, Study harder, Be more loving and kind, Mend relationships, Read your Bible, Laugh more, Put the cigarettes down, Be faithful to your spouse, Be honest, pray more, Praise God more, Forgive others, Forgive yourself…

Whatever it is you need to do to be better Just do it!

Blessings and Inspiration,

ShannonAyersSpeaks

ShannonAyersSpeaks Again!!!!!

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

image It’s been a few months since I have posted last.  Several of my readers have been asking me when I would start up again.

Well….image

Thank you all for your continued interest in ShannonAyersSpeaks.  I pray it will have been well worth the wait!!!

image

Let’s fill this new year with goals and expectations met, dreams fulfilled and great testimonies of endurance and survival!!!

image

Thanks for reading and do read again!!!

ShannonAyersSpeaks

STAR MANAGEMENT CONSULTING SPEAKS BUSINESS — NEW BLOG

Today’s FEATURE FRIDAY highlights my new blog for my business, STAR Management Consulting.

SMC Logo Green Transparent 2

Please check it out at http://www.SMCspeaksbusiness.com.  My team and I are hopeful you will find information that help you reach for the STARs and achieve your business and/or career goals.

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

We are so excited for your visit!

WORD CLOUD MARKETING

At STAR Management Consulting we take pride in offering the best tools and resources to get you started on that path to your greatest successes and achievements.

 5 w's

Please feel free to make comments, ask questions, offer tips or even share some of your success stories.

business team

We have a team of dynamic individuals that will be contributing their expertise, experience and tips on how to be the best at what you do and let the world know all about it.  Thank you for reading and please do read again!!!!

SMC Speaks Business

THE REAL MVP – MY MAMA

Feature Friday

 

 

As I listened to Kevin Durante’s MVP speech, I found myself, just like others caught up into the emotion of his gratitude for his mother.  It was beyond moving to see the love and pride his mom shared with him on that special day as he declared her the REAL MVP.  As I listened to him tell his truth about growing up poor, yet with love and admiration for his mother’s sacrifices, I began to reflect on my own mother.

This FEATURE FRIDAY is dedicated to my mother as an early HAPPY MOTHER’s DAY”.

image                            image  image

I want you all to understand that as a kid growing up and as a teenager and even some moments as an adult, I did not like my mother.  I even went through a dark period where I felt I hated her.  Now that I am married with kids of my own, I often reflect on my childhood and made a discovery.

image  For every bad moment I had growing up, I have at least a dozen good memories of experiences with my mother.  We were always broke, couldn’t keep a telephone most of my childhood, lights and water were constantly being disconnected, and we did not have the money to keep up with the latest trends.  However, I can remember my mom taking us to the park and the lakefront to play, to A & G Buffet to eat. I can remember when in the 6th grade, my mom took me to the World’s Fair in New Orleans where I tried frog legs for the first time.  I can remember her taking me to my speech contests at Xavier University.  I can remember the kites she use to buy for us and the paper airplanes.  I can remember the $15 bicycle she purchased for me at my school’s fair.  I can remember her coming to my school at my request for my birthday to bring cake, ice cream and chips.  I can remember the makeshift costumes because we didn’t have money to purchase the ones in the store.  I can remember how when our lights were off she would constantly buy batteries for this little portable television.  We had so many batteries until my sister and I created a game by turning an ottoman upside down and stacking the old batteries.  We had half the neighborhood kids waiting to take a turn to play this elaborate, made up game.  Why is this relevant?  We took what most kids would be too embarrassed for anyone to see and turned it I to a fun experience for others to enjoy.  I can remember her sitting in the audience so proud when I sang in talent shows in college.  I can remember her driving up with my then fiancé’ to Maryland from New Orleans to watch me get married.  I can remember my mom riding a Greyhound bus for 24 hours just to be there for the birth of my first child.  As you can see, I have many awesome memories throughout my life that far outweigh the bad.

My mom taught us how to make the best out of adversity.  Now she never told us to do that, but instead she demonstrated it by what she did for us.  Did I mention it was nine of us with a single mother, just to put things in perspective.  My siblings and I were too silly at times to know just how poor we were because we wer rich in so many other ways.  My sister and I often joke about how we have loving and dedicated husbands to help us and with fewer kids than mom, and we still struggle to stay sane.  How in the world did my mom manage taking care of us as a single parent?

We didn’t have a perfect mother growing up.  In fact, she made many mistakes that I am sure she would do over if she had the opportunity.  But one thing I do know is that she was the best mother she knew how to be.  She taught us love through hard work and perseverance by working two and three jobs at a time.  She taught us love by teaching my siblings and I to stick together.  She taught us love by making sacrifices no mother should have to make to keep her children strong, healthy and safe.

image   image   image   image   image   image   image   image   image

All of this started with my mom.  So take a bow Mama, you deserve to be featured everyday for all you have done and sacrificed so that I could be who I am today…a strong, beautiful, educated wife , mother, daughter and woman of God–JUST LIKE MY MAMA!!!

 

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO MY MAMA AND ALL THE MAMAS BOTH PAST AND PRESENT

WHO HAVE DEDICATED THEIR LIVES TO THEIR CHILDREN!!

Blessings and Inspiration,

Shannon Ayers Speaks