The elevator pitch is your response when someone casually asks, "What kind of work do you do?" and you give them a brief answer in roughly the time span of an elevator ride. You can have an elevator pitch for job search, marketing your business, or pretty much any other situation where you need to get your message out.

The goal is to cause some kind of further action on the part of the listener. Ideally, an opportunity to further discuss your pitch. Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs are not prepared when the opportunity arises be it at a wedding reception, alumni lunch or even a chance encounter with a potential investor.

The ideal elevator pitch should be approximately 30 seconds and certainly no longer than 60 seconds. Don't explain your entire business plan. There just isn't time. You need to provide a hook to engage the listener. The first thing out of your mouth should explain the problem you solve. Remember you are not selling the drill, you are selling the hole. Once you have set the hook you can elaborate a little further.

You should constantly refine and practice your elevator pitch but make sure the preparation doesn't smother your enthusiasm for you business or product. Finally, practice in front of a mirror. Tape yourself and let others critique your pitch. It can be a humbling experience but the sting is more than made up for by increased business.

There's a difference between a reason and an excuse. It's simple. A reason is what you can speak about today that explains what happened to you yesterday. However, if the same thing happens again to you tomorrow, then any story you come up with then becomes an obvious excuse.

For example, in Britain every older person has the experience of – one time or another – having to invent something as 'an excuse' for why they didn't hand in their High School homework on time when they were younger. Usually it was an outlandish tale like 'My dog ate it' or 'I left it on the bus'. Okay, the teacher might say. That gets you out of having it here, done, but – why don't you do it now? And, more important, why can't you have it done by tomorrow? Answer – no reason. That's the point. You've got a second chance, so if it doesn't arrive by tomorrow, there's no reason that will sound reasonable. It really will be clear to everyone that whatever you say is just a made-up excuse.

Let's look at another example. Suppose I was walking down the street and suddenly came across a huge hole in the pavement. I hear someone shouting for help. It's you. I look over the edge of the chasm, and there you are ten feet below, looking trapped. Now, no doubt you will be able to tell me a good story about how you got down there. There might be all kinds of reasons for how such a situation came about. That will be interesting, but since I'm in a hurry, there's only one thing I want to know: do you want a hand to get out of there? Don't get me wrong. There's no pressure. It's completely up to you. You can take my assistance if you like, and maybe with my help, you can scramble back out onto the level ground of the street. But the offer's there, and if you don't take it, that's your choice. What I'm saying is, that if I come walking back the same way tomorrow morning – and you're still there – well, there isn't really any excuse that would justify that, is there? You're in a hole. Your choice.

It's a bit like current trends in literature. Read any newspaper and they will tell you that the big new thing is 'Tragic Life Stories'. In fact, if you go into a big bookshop like W H Smiths or Waterstone's, you will see a whole set of shelves devoted to this new trend. (They're right next door to Romantic Fiction – which gives you some idea about who reads this stuff.) Only one problem, most readers love the misery of an abusive and deprived childhood, but – according to the critics – they also want a 'happy ending', (or at least an end in sight). That tells you something. It says that people are both horrified and inspired by tales of kids being locked in cupboards, beaten and starved, but they then want things put right. They want justice to prevail. Fine, same goes for your life story. Tell me you're in a job you hate, going nowhere, feeling awful, and I'll sympathise. But hey, you tell me the same thing next week and I'll be thinking – 'Doesn't this story have a happy ending?' Or, 'If it's so bad, why doesn't s/he stop putting up with it and start doing something about it?'

Here's your problem. A reason that worked yesterday is not necessarily going to be still good tomorrow! Sorry. People get bored. They get inspired by hearing about other people struggling against the odds and overcoming adversity, but that means, at some time or other, you're going to have to climb out of that hole – not wallow in it for ever!

Here's a real-life example. Here in England we're used to living with the shame of the fact that 40% of our young people leave school at 16 with no qualifications whatsoever. No certificates, no exams passed, no subjects studied and absorbed. Maybe these kids think 'it doesn't matter' and they'll 'get a job anyway'. Big surprise. Employers don't like it, and if they've got a choice between the youngster with the certificates and the one without, well, which one would you you choose? That's right, which is one reason why the person with no bits of paper to their name finds recurring problems in finding work and keeping it. Now there might be all sorts of reasons for how this situation came about, and yes, it might have something to do with the media, and too much TV and not enough books in the house, and the pressure of pop culture with 'role models' of singers and football players. The point, of course, is that it's a sickness with a cure. In this country we have the 'Careers Office' which is open to anyone up to the age of 25 for advice, especially about college courses and adult training. Also, that's recently merged into a bigger department, with so-called 'Connexions' advisors (right spelling!), who work with teenagers in or out of school. So, no excuse, right? You've got no qualifications, okay, I get it – it's all your parents' fault, or it was the school, or the area in which you lived. Fine, blame them. My question is this: what are you going to do about it now? It's simple. If you've left school at 16 with no qualifications then I'm interested in the reasons behind that and the obvious struggles you must have had, growing up. But if you've still got nothing at 21, don't give me your excuses. It's your choice.

Finally, here's another distinction between the two words. When you wake up tomorrow, what will happen? If you bound out of bed and get going, odds are that you'll have a reason. If you stay in bed, it's more likely that you'll have an excuse. What could be clearer than that? More important, which one would you prefer in your life right now?

It's so amazing how everything about you can change from one moment to another depending on what you are conscious about. When you operate from a different state of consciousness, you will have a different set of thoughts and feelings flowing through you. Your entire range of thoughts can shift from one to another when you move from one state of feeling into another. The frequency of vibration you are experiencing puts you into a whole different reality altogether. That is why it is important to be in the right emotional state in order to communicate and act in the right way. When you act from right states, you will have the right effects. The energy you give out is the results you get. Whenever you want to do something that is important to you, first change your state of consciousness to one where you are experiencing positive feelings and then go ahead and act from that state. Of course you may not always be able to get yourself into a positive state with positive feelings at first. You may have to start off with a less positive state and emotion but as you move through with that state and work with getting it engaged in the beginning, you can fulfill the purpose the negative state is meant to serve and then shift it to a more positive state and emotion. Then you can bring the emotional state to higher and higher levels from there. When you are in a low state of vibration and emotion, you find that there are many things you can't seem to do. The truth is that we can't do anything unless we feel like doing it. Even if we do it without the necessary emotions for it, we will not be able to do it with the quality and effectiveness it should have. Our emotions affect the quality and effectiveness of our actions in a big way. Your actions have more effectiveness when you act with positive states and emotions. When we are in a high state of vibration and emotion, we are able to express ourselves in ways that we never thought we could in the place and setting we are in. Positive states and emotions opens up our most amazing abilities and talents to display. Higher states of consciousness gives you greater freedom of expression. When you are moods are lower, you are more heavy and stuck. When you are happier, you are lighter and freer. When your state of consciousness and emotions and free flowing, your thoughts and actions will be free flowing. What seems real to you in one moment of thinking and feeling can seem totally the opposite in another moment of thinking and feeling. There are two kinds of truth in reality. Truth that is based on objective reality is objective truth. Truth that is based on subjective reality is subjective truth. Subjective truth changes from moment to moment according to how you feel in the moment. Remember that perception shapes reality, literally. You are constantly creating reality with your consciousness. When your emotional states and vibrations are low, you tap into a timeline where your future is bleak, hopeless and negative. When your emotional states and vibrations are high, you tap into a timeline where your future is bright, happy and positive. You are moving towards an alternate probable future when you resonate with its vibrational frequency. When you want to get someone to do something you want them to do, first put them in a positive state of emotion and then make your suggestion while they are in the midst of that state. Putting them into positive states and emotions opens their heart and makes them receptive to your suggestions. When you change their feelings, their decisions will change automatically. Their behavior changes as soon as their emotion changes. You find that you are able to experience creativity, inspiration, insight, guidance and intuition when you are in positive states and emotions. That is because those things exist at a higher vibrational level of reality and you tap into that level when your emotional vibrations are higher. Positive feelings unlock the door to all those inner resources within you and allows them to flow freely into your conscious perception. It is amazing how much power, ability and success you have access to when you are in higher states of consciousness. Seek first the kingdom of God and all those things you desire will be added to your life. The kingdom of God is within you. It is your consciousness and emotional states. The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy in the spirit. When you intentions are positive and you are feeling joy with an underlying serenity, you will attract and manifest all that your heart desires.Enoch Tan aims to help people achieve greater awareness in living and experiencing life. To evolve human consciousness to higher levels. To change lives and to create possibility. To revolutionize the way we understand the mind and reality. Because that is what governs every area of life and destiny. Get Free Ebooks that contain the Most Powerful Knowledge and Learn Mind Blowing Secrets that will Rock Your World Now at: Secrets of Mind and Reality]]>http://www.caniwarrior.com/imported-data/2007/2/19/the-power-of-your-words.htmladmin2007-02-19T22:29:23Z2007-02-19T22:29:23Z
When you are talking to someone ask yourself this question: "Who am I being and what is the impact of my words on the people around me?" The power of your words lies in the intention behind them. Is it your intention to create a resolution or to be right? Do you intend to help the organization accomplish its mission or to satisfy the need to take someone down? We communicate best when we are clear about who we are and what we intend. This kind of clarity prevents us from saying words that are harmful to ourselves and others. It may prevent us from engaging in harmful gossip and complaining.

Gossip is usually destructive. It is often a careless use of our words. We just aren't thinking about how we are affecting others. Sometimes gossip is mean spirited and intended to cause hurt. Whether gossip is careless or intentional, it causes pain. We may be hoping for a little humor or self justification, but the results of gossip are anger, suspicion, embarrassment, and fear. These creations of gossip negatively affect morale, service, and productivity. You cannot both care about someone and gossip about them. If you think back to the last time you either heard or offered gossip, it probably didn't make you feel good. Gossip disempowers us.

Similar to gossip is chronic complaining. Complaining about people and situations makes us feel and look powerless. Managers who complain in front of their employees lose credibility as leaders. Chronic complaining leads us into a dead end street where there is nothing to be done. We become victims who are powerless to change anything. While venting frustrations to a trusted friend can be helpful in releasing negative feelings, complaining to everyone tends to reinforce negative feelings. Like gossip, chronic complaining disempowers us.

Our power to do harm is exceeded only by our power to do good. A simple, sincere apology (given without expectation of return) can heal a relationship. An uplifting word at the right moment can change a life, launch a career, or convince someone to go beyond perceived limitations. By consciously looking for evidence of greatness in others, and by using our words to tell them, we help others to build confidence. When we sincerely speak well of others we uplift ourselves.

There is great power in making the commitment to keeping our words as positive and life affirming as we are able. As an affirming presence our influence grows. We feel better about ourselves. Constant negative speech imprisons us and prevents us from finding joy and success. Developing the habit of speaking well of self and others frees us to enjoy life more. We become a blessing to ourselves and to others.

Our spoken words originate from our thoughts. The best way to increase the positive power of our spoken words is to clean up our thinking. We must become willing to think well of ourselves. Constant self criticism needs to become unacceptable. We free ourselves to think and speak well of others by thinking well of ourselves.

Consider practicing the following:
- Affirm life in your thoughts and your words. (To affirm life is to build up, to nurture, to support, and to bless)
- Refuse to gossip. Commit to saying only words that are uplifting or helpful to others.
- Refuse to listen to gossip. Compassionately tell others it is beneath them to gossip.
- Refuse to indulge in complaining about another person.
- Refuse to dwell on self critical thoughts. Learn from mistakes and move on.
- Intentionally look for positive qualities to think about yourself. Make a list often.
- Intentionally look for positive qualities in others. Tell them.
- Don't take the words of others personally. Their words are more about them than about you. Let go of your grudges and your hurts and wish others well. This practice will make you happier.
- Do not allow negative emotion to control you. Accept it. Be willing to let it go. Stop feeding it with negative words. Choose words that will refocus you on who you are and what you really want.

Gossip and complaining are distractions and a misuse of your energy. Decide what you really want and apply your energy to it. As you become more life affirming in your thoughts and words you will experience more joy and success, and your sense of well-being will affect others. More people will trust you and want to help you. Your life will change. Affirm life with your thoughts and words and you will find that your organization, your family, your community, and you will benefit greatly.

There are three primary steps, what I call phases, that must come first before the Law of Attraction can be 100% successful. These three phases are not complicated or foreign. They are extremely simple and natural. However, when something is simple that doesn’t mean it is easy. Since most of us were guided away from this natural knowing from the time we were born, it is not easy to change what we have been taught for so many years. Expanding and evolving takes time and patience. This, in fact, is the most important thing you must know. The Law of Attraction is a process. It takes time to become the deliberate creator of your life. As Abraham, one of the modern pioneers of this law so eloquently says, “You never get it wrong, because you never get it done.” Be easy with yourself and allow the journey and the process to unfold. The process is this. The first requirement in being a deliberate creator is acknowledging where you are starting. Just like the airplane pilot must know where the plane is taking off from in order to know how to get to the desired destination. You must tap into where you are right now. You are there for a reason. You are always the creator of your life – be it deliberate or by default. You may not consciously know why you are where you are, but parts of you in your subconscious do know. In fact, those parts have manifested exactly what they desired. Simply imposing your conscious desires on the other 88% of your mind, cannot work. You have to start with where you are. The second requirement of being a deliberate creator and allowing the Law of Attraction to work is articulating what you desire based on the totality of your life; accounting for all segments. Your life is divided into multiple areas of living -- called environments. You don't choose one environment to create, and leave all the others to fend for themselves. You create for all areas simultaneously. If you desire increased responsibility at your job, you don't forget that you also love and need your pastimes or that you want time with your family. You must take into account all your environments to ensure you are not creating conflicting intentions that end up sabotaging your focus and canceling out everything you think you are creating. The third requirement is clearing the slate for pure, focused energy. There is a wonderful analogy that explains the importance of this missing element. Most people know that when you cook, there are multiple things that must be in place to ensure an amazing result. If a professional chef buys all the best ingredients, has an incredible recipe, and has access to all the best utensils and appliances, but uses a dirty bowl to mix, no matter what that chef does, the meal is ruined. It cannot work. If you start creating from a bowl that is caked with old food (ideas, habits, beliefs and behaviors), no matter what you attempt to create on top of it, it is tainted. This is the same as creating your life. You cannot create what you desire if you have not cleared away what is already in your bowl. The way I found to remove those blocks is to go where those blocks are structured – in the subconscious mind. Through the use of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), the blocks can be addressed, embraced and released leaving a clean slate for your pure, focused energy. By combining four philosophies into one process (universal laws, the Nine Environments of Holistic Living, NLP and the Law of Attraction) and taking into account where you are now, deliberate creation is absolutely possible and the Law of Attraction really works! And, remember, this is all a process. You don’t learn this and then, poof, you are a master. You must give yourself time to practice and learn. The key is that you cannot go through the process until you know the process is needed. So, now you know! Enjoy the amazing journey ahead.