Check in for inspiration, motivation and entertainment from this PR pro who wraps her stories and musings around day to day interactions with strangers, surfing with friends, connecting with family and loved ones, and entrepreneur life. Subscribe and Live Inspired!
It’s new year’s and a perfect time to think about this. You know the dash between year born and gone? That. The Dash. 🙌
We’re all in The Dash, so what are you doing now to make the most of it… to really define your life. What are you doing now to live a full and rich life? To truly be present and make things count. To put your all into your relationships, career, health and yourself.
Let’s all challenge each other this year to live in The Dash and make 2022 the best year yet!
So let me know in the comments… what are you doing in The Dash?
What if I told you it’s quick and easy to wrap any gift so that it looks like a pro did it? And that no matter how bad your wrapping skills were before, your gifts can now look amazing!
Y’all asked for it, so here’s a video guide to wrapping gifts and making perfect bows from scratch so that your packages can look extra special this holiday season. Drop a comment with any questions and please share!
First Rule of Skin Cancer: The Sun is Not Your Friend!
I love the sun, but the sun doesn’t love me. I knew something was wrong when two spots on my face and one on my chest kept itching and hurting. My dermatologist confirmed it: I was dancing with skin cancer and they had to be removed. I didn’t want my face to be cut and scarred, so I put it off. Bad idea. 3 years later, those 2 spots turned into 8, but by then, my amazing dermatologist @drdouglaswu @cosmeticlaserdermatology told me about a workaround that wouldn’t cut my face.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). It’s expensive, painful, and insurance doesn’t cover it. PDT is a 2-stage treatment combining light energy with a photosensitizer drug that destroys cancerous and precancerous cells after light activation from a laser that makes them toxic to the targeted tissue.
The laser felt like I was being stung by a bee, but I knew it had to be done. It took 6 hours. Afterward, I looked sunburned and had to wear sunscreen and completely cover up and stay away from the sun for 24 hours. I was quite the sight when I left the doctor’s office!
What I learned:
👉 Always wear sunscreen, rain or shine, whether I’m staying inside or out. Sun exposure gets through windows.
👉 It was a bad idea to put off treatment just because of the expense. PDT was worth every penny to save my skin and health!
👉 PDT is not covered by insurance. Insurance prefers to pay for the less expensive method.
👉 Recovery is fast and leaves no scarring.
👉 My face, neck and chest look better than ever now.
👉 Thankfully, all signs of skin cancer are gone!
Are you taking care of your skin?
Photos:
Bottom left: Last sunny hoorah the day before my treatment.
Top left: Yikes! 8 lesions the doctor found and outlined to laser of my face, neck and chest!
Top right: My Unabomber look to cover & protect my skin for the drive home.
Middle right: 12 hours later… still spotty. Just give it time, said my doctor.
Bottom right: My skin by day #18 wearing only sunscreen, eye makeup & lipstick.
Me. Yes, me! I joined a gym and was offered a free personal training session that started with the trainer asking my height, weight and calculating my body mass index (BMI) and fat.
“You have too much fat,” he told me as he showed me my BMI at 18.3 and body fat at 35.2%.
I laughed. He was so wrong.
“Find it,” I wanted to challenge him. I told him I like the way I look in a bikini. I was pissed!
He asked me about my diet and tried to “fix” it, although there was nothing to fix, and kept questioning my weight to the point that he asked me to step on the scale. Because I lied about how much I weigh?
I stepped on the scale for him. And weighed exactly what I told him I weighed. The same as I’ve weighed since 5th grade. He scratched his head and said he’s never seen anything like it and was having trouble understanding. What? That a woman can have that body fat and not weigh much?
“You’re what we call skinny fat,” he explained.
Seriously? This idiot tried to body shame me.
Except it didn’t work. I know I’m not fat. Not even close. He tried to convince me. I didn’t buy it.
I left that evening with the whole experience playing in my head because it bugged me so much.
Research shows I fall in the body fat percentage range I need to be for my age. I’m healthy, which is something I’ve known and felt in my heart and intuition for a long time.
Humans need fat to lubricate our joints, keep our skin supple and plumped and our hair smooth. It protects our heart and so many other things.
That guy tried to shake my confidence and it didn’t work.
What happens if we don’t have a solid body image and fall for these lies others tell us that we should believe about ourselves?
What if someone wanted to be fat, liked rocking a thick body and carried it with sass and confidence? Why should that bother anyone else?
Why is it so important to some people to control what others eat, whether they work out or how they look?
Can we accept everyone for who they are and please stop this body shaming?
Your mistakes and achievements don’t define who you are. What you do with them does. Think about that for a minute.
Did you mess up somewhere along the way and are you still holding it against yourself, thinking it’s a permanent scar, whether big or small?
Or on the flip side, have you been successful at most things — career and personal life — and keep coasting along feeling as if your winning streak won’t end?
It’s not what you’ve done, it’s what you do next.
Are you going to wallow in a big mistake you’ve made? Or are you going to turn that mess into a message to inspire others? 🙌
What about your success? It’s so much sweeter when you share with others… not only your material wealth, but insights on how you navigated through the ups and downs to get to where you are now… to keep improving and making the world a better place. 🌟
It’s time we talk about the elephant 🐘 in the room. Because sadly, it’s there and we all know it.
On the outside women talk about cheering each other on and supporting each other. Behind the scenes, it’s a different story. Many tear each other down in jealousy. 😤They make snide and snarky comments to other women in order to discredit the ones who are crushing it. It’s not pretty or ladylike.
Women can be mean. And it starts when they’re little girls in elementary school deciding who should be in their inside circle and who should be outcast. They can be backbiting and gossipy, sabotaging each other’s success instead of lifting each other and celebrating.
Is this a learned behavior or one that is a natural part of being female? 💋
Ladies: why can’t we form a sisterhood that stops this behavior and teaches our daughters that this isn’t acceptable? It starts with us refusing to participate in gossip.
Guys: Let’s hear from you!
Do men experience this in business or your personal lives? I have two grown sons (ages 25 and 30) and have never heard them complain of this type of behavior from their friends or colleagues.
Maybe we’d celebrate each other if we truly believed:
✅ There’s enough success for all of us!
✅ Her success is uniquely hers and your success is uniquely yours.
✅ Her success is not going to stop your success from reaching you!
6 Easy Steps to Getting Comfortable (and actually good) on Video!
Nervous at the thought of going on video? 😬 No matter how much the thought of it makes you cringe and how much you think you could never do it, I'm here to tell you that you can! 🚀
Here are 6 easy steps to getting comfortable (and actually good) 🌟 on video!
👉 1. Practice when nobody's looking! That's right. Shoot yourself on video knowing that you'll never post it. You're doing it for practice and to get used to seeing yourself and hearing your own voice on camera. That's one of the hardest and most embarrassing things to get used to, and the more you do it, the easier and more natural it becomes. (Even experienced web creators went through this when they were getting started!) Once you're somewhat used to seeing and hearing yourself on camera, believe me... that confidence will show when you're on video and your jitters will be reduced exponentially!
👉2. Now that your confidence is up, start shooting your messages in video format. Please do us all a favor and do not use a script! Not only is using a script so much harder to do than just speaking naturally into the camera, but your followers know when you're reading a script because it's stilted, unnatural and distracts them from genuinely connecting and engaging with your content.
👉3. Do not worry if you make mistakes on camera. Nobody likes perfect. It’s not normal and it’s tough for your followers to approach. We're all human and making mistakes actually makes you warmer and more relatable. I've found when I mess up a little, my engagement goes up because people can relate.
👉4. Look at the camera when you're shooting a video and talk to it as if you're talking to a friend or neighbor. Don't overthink it or complicate your message. Keep it simple and relax.
👉5. Your followers are not thinking about your performance. They're paying attention to your message. Remember that!
👉6. Smile and have fun!
So tell me❓ ... what are your biggest challenges holding you back from showing up on video?
I’m Embarrassed to Admit This [part 2 of 1-14-2021 post]
True confession and I’m embarrassed to admit it, but after I posted that video Jan 14, so many of y’all sent me private messages asking what I learned from that experience. I’m not proud of this, because it says a lot about who I used to be and I have trouble imagining I was ever like that… a person who didn’t know how to forgive.
Forgiveness… how to truly let go of hurt and resentment, was my lesson from those long and painful years. I learned it, embraced it, and have been practicing it ever since. It’s second nature to me now.
Something profound happens to us when we’re shattered. We’re brought to our knees and can either stay there long enough to admit we’re helpless, examine ourselves, make changes and rise up, or we can blame others and carry on with a chip on our shoulder angry at the world.
I truly believe that if you really strive to become a better person, you’ll face experiences and tests that will force and mold you into a better person if you pay attention.
What are you life experiences trying to teach you? And… are you paying attention?
Hey, Y'all! What are you doing to set yourselves apart? What do you do to make sure that your clients keep coming back to you? I woke up with a splitting headache today... Sunday morning. And where do you go to get a quality massage at a place that's open on a Sunday morning? So I found this place and I was blown away by how they set themselves apart. I've never had a massage like this... and it got me thinking, what do I do to set myself, my PR firm and our services apart? And I want to ask you, what do you do? What are the little details that you do? How do you make sure your clients keep coming back and refer others to you ? This place blew me away. I'm definitely going to go back. I've never had a massage like it and I've never seen a massage studio like this. So what are you doing to make sure your clients keep coming back to you and refer others to you? I want you to WIN! 🔥🔥🔥 XOXO, Marisa Vallbona Get Noticed ❤️ . . . . . . . . . #marketingtips #PRtip #PR #salestip #howto #branding #brandingtips #brandinginspiration #brandingstrategy #getnoticed #cimincpr #marisavallbona #branding101 #marketing #marketingstrategy #marketingtips #marketing101 #sales #winning #success #businesstips #businessideas
Have you Ever Asked God to Make You A Better Person?
Be careful if you do. Because the journey from where you are now to where you’re going can get rough. Like it did for me in 2005 when my life was a fairy tale.
By the end of the year it had shattered into a million pieces.
The beginning of the year is when we all set goals, right? So the other day, I was reviewing where I am in all areas of my life.
That year, I was setting goals and asked God to make me a better person.
I had a very happy marriage — at least my kids and I thought it was happy. My business was booming, my parents, kids and I were healthy. My finances were better than ever, and I was happier than I had ever been in my life.
Deep inside I knew I was a little selfish and lacked compassion. I wouldn’t admit it then, but deep inside something in me knew I needed to improve.
So that prayer was very appropriate. I said it and meant it.
And then my life fell apart. It came crumbling down. Big time.
My happy marriage shattered in a huge way and I was left feeling as if the oxygen was sucked out of the air I breathed. I seriously didn’t want to live anymore. My kids had to prepare my meals because I couldn’t cope. I was that devastated. That led to a domino effect of one loss after another in my personal life, my business, my parents’ health, financial loss…
And then I went through the rebuilding, experienced huge personal losses again here and there and all the while I was growing in a big way.
It wasn’t fun. At all.
I definitely don’t think God made that happen just because I said that prayer.
What I do believe is that I asked to become a better person and it was like saying…
“I’m ready for the challenge. Bring me to it and as long as you’re leading me through it I can overcome it.”
Now, on the other side of all those years and tough lessons, I’m a lot more generous, compassionate and empathetic . I know I have many more lessons to go. They’ve definitely made me a better person.
So let me ask you again: Have you ever asked God to make you a better person?
Want to know a super easy way to make sure your 2021 is massively successful?
Here’s a strategy I love for easily achieving that one big goal you’ve set this year.
I used it in 2020 and had one of my best years where I was able to finally crush a daunting goal I had set years ago but never seemed to be able to achieve it.
I’d set the same goal at the beginning of the year, give up part way through the year disappointed in myself and then move it to the next year.
Y’all, this went on for three years. Three years!!! Until I figured out an easier way.
And can I tell you how effortless and amazing it felt to finally meet my goal?
Knowing I FINALLY DID IT was amazing! 🙌
I want you to feel just as great if not better 12 months from now when you’ve crushed your one big goal.
This is so easy, you’ll wonder why you didn’t do this before.
Live inspired! ❤️
XOXO,
Marisa Vallbona
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How My Clients Are Using Zoom to Win Big and You Can Too!
We all get lazy on Zoom. It’s like walking into an important meeting without paying attention to details. It doesn’t matter that the other person hasn’t paid attention to details. It matters that YOU have paid attention to details. It shows respect for yourself and for them, and it communicates that you are beyond capable of handling their business better than anyone else.How many opportunities have you lost because you've overlooked this important fact?I like to win and help my clients win, so I did a deep dive, researched and tested everything I could find on making the best impression on Zoom. There’s a lot of bad, skimpy and incomplete advice online.So I created my own system that anyone can learn in about an hour: a video course of real insider secrets you need to know to level up your Zoom presence and make the best impression.It already resulted in one of my clients finally getting a yes valued at MILLIONS OF DOLLARS! She had been turned down during bank Zoom meetings before and thought her Zoom presence was just fine. It was okay but not professional, and it had nothing to do with her attire image. It was her lighting, camera angle, background and technology. She was making the same mistakes people make every day.After my course, she hopped on a Zoom meeting with a bank that said YES for a close to $17 million commercial construction loan!This system works! Click below to get it now! (With A 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee)How to Look Amazing on Zoom to 10X Your Success in Less Than 1 Hour: https://lookamazingonzoom.com/sales-page1604862140209
Click here to get it now: https://lookamazingonzoom.com/sales-page1604862140209
It’s so exciting to get gifts beautifully wrapped in sparkly packages, no matter what’s inside. It almost doesn’t matter, because half the fun is the anticipation of finally getting to open it. Here’s a short “How To” video showing you how you can quickly make your gifts sparkle and wow with handmade bows. Once you see how easy this is to do in 3 easy steps, you’ll never buy a ready-made bow again!
PS. If you want tips on how to quickly wrap a package department store style, let me know and I’ll shoot another video for you.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Holidays to all… and especially during this season, don’t forget to…
Live inspired! ❤️
XOXO,
Marisa Vallbona
Instagram @mvallbona
Instagram business @cim_incpr
