Product Development

Fitting In Is Not What You Do To Be Extraordinary

October 27, 2015 By Cara Lumen

It makes me feel better to think that fitting in is not what you do to be extraordinary because I certainly do not fit in. The idea of purposefully not fitting in encourages me to look at my individuality as my personal path to being extraordinary. I love that! Are you extraordinary? Do you wish you fit in more? What does extraordinary mean to you?

Extraordinary people follow their passion

Passion is your “have to” place. I “have to do this.” Your passion is found in the core urges that you eagerly follow throughout your life. It has always expressed itself. You just have to identify your passion and put it to work.

Extraordinary people are true to their passion. They follow that burning desire, that deep-seated calling. They make it the cornerstone of their lives. Not only do they encourage the expression of their passion, they put it to work in different venues.

Extraordinary people cultivate their gifts

We each have unique gifts, those combinations of talents that we must hone and combine and use in order to express our passion. All my life, I’ve expressed myself through writing. I use my voice to share and teach and inspire others. To me, those are obvious and cherished gifts. But there are subtle gifts too, like curiosity and love of learning. What gifts have you been given and how enthusiastically are you using them?

Extraordinary people constantly question and make new choices

Life is a series of cycles, which means everything is changing all the time. That means we have to change too. In order to make aligned choices, we have to know what we want and need, we have to be clear about the values we have chosen and we need to make certain we are as deeply in service as we can be.

A year ago I repositioned my web presence. Recently I looked again to see where I am, how far I’ve come, and what needs to be done next. Time and distance gave me a much clearer picture of my purpose and direction. Once I noticed how I’d changed, I could ask more aligned questions. What do I need to let go? What do I need to add? How am I changing and growing because of what I do? Self-awareness is the key to making aligned choices. Question everything and pay attention to the answers you receive.

Extraordinary people have clear values

The first time I was asked to name my values I realized I had never given them any thought. Not only do I now understand my core values, but each year I chose three new words that keep me focused on values that are important to me.

“Unfolding” is a core value that influences everything I do, from non-planning to no deadlines. I let life and circumstances unfold around me. What values are you exploring and bringing to the forefront of your life?

Extraordinary people express their authentic self

When we are authentic, we cherish our gifts, we are true to our values, we follow our passion. We are true to ourselves. The more you express your authentic self, the more aligned you will be with your core purpose and the less you will fit in. You will stand out in your individuality. You will be different. And you will be very happy.

Extraordinary people have the courage to stand alone

Not fitting in looks lonely but in reality it’s not. It is actually a very strong position. Because I stand alone, I’m free to go exploring exactly where I want to go. I’m not held back by anyone—not by their ideas or their opinions or their words. I am free, truly free to expand my gifts, to question my beliefs, to explore everything that shows up and decide, in the moment, what I want to do and what I do not want to do. I do not have to compromise my time, my work, or my values. Standing alone gives me great freedom.

I’m in an unusual circumstance of truly being free to write about, talk about, learn about the things that matter most to me. I’m exploring my essence and, although I had to go online to do it, I have found others who are interested in taking a similar journey.

I’m standing alone in a group of people who are also standing alone. None of us fit in our local communities. None of us want to. But we do welcome an opportunity to walk along beside others and share a part of our journey.

Extraordinary? It means outside of ordinary, beyond ordinary. I like that.

To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
My Three Words for 2015

Decision as a Dream Carrier

How Are You Harvesting Your Crop?

Why I Love Being a Freak

05-Do You Have the Courage to Stand Alone

06– Unfolding And The Art Of Wu Wei

07- How to Find and Express Your Distinctive Voice

Your New Statement of Solution

May 12, 2012 By Cara Lumen

Seth Godin suggests that we can attract new prospects simply by rewording our statement of the problem and providing a new statement of solution. I began to consider how I would apply that to my own business.

People don’t buy unless they recognize their need

If I don’t know that I have a problem, I certainly won’t seek out a solution. For instance, a proffered telecourse described some of the characteristics of an introvert, a label I had never applied to myself. However, words like “loner” and “needs big personal space” resonated with me. Those descriptive phrases helped me recognize myself as a potential participant in the course and the solution the course offered helped me realize that the course could help me learn to modify those tendencies. How can you restate the need or want you meet so people will recognize themselves?

Your headline must indicate who you serve and tell what problem you solve

As a consumer, I have to be able to recognize myself in the headline. I personally am not going to read more if the headline speaks to young people who want to learn to salsa because I’m not young and the salsa is not of interest to me. But I will read more if a specific need is met, like a product that helps me see the need for a strong opt in offer and how to craft one or understanding why I should write my landing page first Why did you create this product or service in the first place? What was the need or desire that you saw that you meet? How can you reword it so people know it is meant for them?

What’s in it for me?

The most common error we make in our content is to talk about ourselves – our process in developing a product, the reason we created it. The hard fact is that people don’t care about us; they don’t care how we created it or how many pages or classes it contains. They care about what’s in it for them. Tell them what’s in it for them in your headline and in your landing page content. Talk about the recognizable results they will achieve.

A new statement of their problem

Write down what you see as the problem you will solve or the needs you will meet in as many ways as you can imagine. Approach it from the emotional comfort it will produce, the physical results to be gained, and the personal growth it fosters. Brainstorm 10 or 12 statements of the problem. Then choose the statements that have the most emotional appeal to include in your content. People identify through their emotions.

I prefer to state problems in the positive but the negative approach does work. For instance rather than a headline that says, “Do your knees hurt when you go down stairs?” I’d rather hear, “Think how great it will be to take long walks with your dog again.” Tell me what results I will achieve. If I learn to format my book for an ereader will I be more attracted to your offer if you show me how easy it is to format for an ereader or that that process can make me more money? That’s two different reasons for wanting to engage. Know the needs and desires of your target community. If I buy your product, what is it going to do for my business? What’s in it for me?

A new statement of the solution

Now write 10 to 12 new statements of the solution. Is the solution to invest in a new software program or is it to learn a few simple, repeatable steps for creating compelling content? the solution an easy way to craft an ebook or does it offer ideas on how to hire a ghostwriter? What results can I expect if I purchase your product or service? What solution to my problem do you offer?

The product promise

For every product or service I write a product promise. “At the end of this… (book, course, video, coaching series) you will… (what?).” Before I even begin creating my product, I have to know what results I want my participant to achieve. What is the compelling need or burning desire that I am answering? The product promise for this article is that “at the end of this article you will understand the need to express the problem you solve with your product or service in a way that emotionally connects with your prospect so that you can improve your results when you look for new ways to express the statement of solution.”

Rethink your landing page.

Look at your landing page from the viewpoint of the first time visitor. Will they recognize themselves as the exact type of person this site addresses? Is the problem that you solve one that they have? Is the need that you fulfill a need they have? Is the solution doable? Do the results seem achievable? Get empathetic. Put yourself in their place. How would you feel? Would you be drawn to the person who offers this solution?

How can you more effectively state the problem you solve and the solution you offer?

Creative Freedom vs. Sticking with the Plan

May 6, 2012 By Cara Lumen

Does having a plan squelch your creativity? On one hand, I love to submerge myself in the creative muse. On the other hand, if I don’t have a plan I’ll end up taking an entirely different journey than the one I intended. Having a well thought out targeted result in mind before you start writing will help achieve the results you want even as you allow your creative muse free rein.

A plan sets boundaries

When I create a new information product, I write the landing page first . That helps me make major decisions about the scope of the project and the results I want to achieve. It gives me an opportunity to decide who I am writing to, what they need and want to know and what results I want to achieve with this product.

A plan eliminates idea clutter

When I make the defining choice of writing an ebook on creating an opt in offer that choice immediately focuses the project. It eliminates a big portion of the idea clutter that was present when I began the project. It tells me I’m not going to write about the mini-ecourse in that book. I’ll save that for another book. I’m not going to make a telecourse or a video from this idea, I’m going to write one book on a specific topic for a specific audience. Any idea that is not going in that direction is set aside for another project.

A plan identifies the most important points

An outline is vital. When you start to craft your information product put yourself in the Beginner’s Mind. What do they need to know first, then second? What do you want your readers to understand by the end of this project? How do you help them achieve the promised results? What topic needs a fuller explanation, what do they already know? Keep your ideas in outline form as long as possible so you can recognize the organic flow of the content and make certain it takes your reader on the journey you want them to experience.

A plan helps you get measurable results

When you help people get measurable results they begin to understand that you know what you are talking about and that you can help them. In every project, you need to take your participant through a series of steps that lead to a measurable end result. You need to point out the results they have gotten so they recognize their progress. What measurable results do you want from this project?

A plan can expand your own understanding

A plan helps you capture and organize your ideas. It helps you clarify what you think and what you want to teach. As you explore what you want to offer your community you may see the need for a series that takes them step-by-step through a process. As you create your plan you will see how some ideas can become ebooks or a videos or telecourses. You may explore your core concepts by writing great Cornerstone Content. A plan offers you a place to store ideas that don’t fit into this project while allowing you to keep them safely in mind for the next project. A plan is about making choices and choices clarify your intention and focus the result.

A plan keeps you from feeling overwhelmed

Once you have a plan you can work on it in segments – one chapter at a time, one article at a time, one teleclass at a time. Working in smaller chunks keeps you from feeling overwhelmed. Your plan will keep you on target.

A plan helps you stay creatively focused

As you create your interactive elements, as you add stories to your content, as you come up with more ideas, your plan will help you made relevant choices. A plan makes you look at the end results you plan to create and choose or discard each idea based on its value to that ultimate goal.

A plan can simplify

When you make an outline, it’s easy to see whether you have too much information for the format you have chosen. A plan allows you to break an idea up into a series, or make a beginning and intermediate level of a teleclass series, or write a series of ebooks.

Your product promise

For every project, write a product promise. What you do want to deliver to the consumer of this product? Your product promise guides your plan, it focuses you outline and colors the content. The product promise for this article is “At the end of this article you will understand that creating a solid plan does not take away from your creative freedom, it allow you to communicate in a meaningful manner that will change lives.”

Start with your product promise and design a great plan.

How to Let a New Idea Unfold

March 19, 2012 By Cara Lumen

I’m forming a new idea. It’s swirling around in my imagination. Bits and pieces show up but the overall form is not yet clear. It is still emerging. I’m not forcing it. I’m allowing it to show up when and how it needs to. I’m allowing this new idea to unfold.

In the past, I would have grabbed those ideas and immediately put them into a form. I even have developed a great system for organizing ideas. However, what’s happening for me right now is the realization that this is not the time to be specific. I have an unformed idea that is slowing coming in and I don’t know what it’s going to look like. I need to be patient.

Don’t do it the old way

Since I don’t have an objective for whatever this is, I cannot choose a specific purpose for this idea. I don’t know what it will do or who it will serve. I am listening to my inner self, noticing the signs and signals that keep showing up and testing how I feel about them. I have no target community in mind because I don’t know what the purpose of this idea is yet. There is no business goal because I have no clue how it will fit into my business or if it even will. I’m simply being and allowing and recording what shows up.

Don’t organize your ideas too soon

It is super easy for me to see a pattern in nearly everything but I’m trying not to look for a specific structure in this one. I know only that I am being prompted to write a series of philosophical articles. This is not new for me but I have not done it for ten years. In the process of this unfolding, I have intuitively chosen some esoteric books to review for concepts to explore. I pulled a ton of ideas from the collection of inspiring quotes that I have saved for myself over the years, and looked back over the philosophical articles I have written in the past. If “philosophical” is the only clue I have for the purpose of whatever this is, what does that mean to me? Right now, I’m simply putting these ideas in one document. I’m resisting the urge to organize them too soon. To label and sort these ideas will be to stop the flow of the emergence of the whole.

Allow the idea to reveal itself

If I start putting labels and categories on whatever is emerging too soon, I will limit it with my human mind. I might look at one piece and make a decision about what the whole is about when it really is only one piece of the overall concept. When I allow it to unfold and simply be with what shows up it remains in my unconscious mind where it can make unlimited connections that I am unable to make with my physical mind. On a personal level, I have many questions about how to live this next portion of my life (I’m 79) and I want some answers. That specific desire may be prompting the emergence of whatever this is. I’m in search mode, not teach mode. If I slap on my physical plane reasoning too soon I will miss the revelations that are coming.

Record your ideas as you go

The one thing I do know to do is to record each discovery as it appears and keep all the ideas together. I may take time to explore what organically shows up or I may just write down the basic concept. The connection and sequence of these ideas will show up when it does. For now, I can only put dates on what I discover as a record of my journey in case that is part of the sequence. This segment is certainly part of what is emerging but where does it fit into the overall concept? Meanwhile, I will figure out ways to personally apply these emerging ideas and see how they work.

Don’t be so eager to share your idea

Whenever I learn something that excites me, my tendency is to turn around and teach it. However, since I’m allowing this to unfold and don’t know where I’m going yet, I will keep it for myself for now. I will write for discovery, for my own guidance and decision making process. At some point, I will understand the whole, the purpose of whatever this is and that will allow me to find ways to effectively share it with others.

Why will you share this idea?

As I allow this idea to unfold, I’m not looking to reach and teach a specific target community (although there is one waiting for this message). I have no reason to add it to my business other than I am curious where this exploration will take me personally. I will write these ideas down but only to stimulate thought and curiosity in others. There, I just found my purpose for whatever this concept turns out to be – to stimulate thought and curiosity in others. As I post these parts and pieces as they emerge perhaps the comments of those who are drawn to it will move us all forward. I will allow the whole to unfold.

How will you share this idea?

I do not want this esoteric idea to be limited by the physical plane. The minute I decide that this is a telecourse or an ebook I put a limit on what it looks like, how long it is, how it will be offered and its specific purpose. I want to be patient and allow myself to be shown what it should be. I am willing for it to be an eclectic format. Some ideas may need to be videos, some blog posts, and others may move into ebooks. I don’t know. The content will tell me. I will wait and let it unfold.

Who needs this idea?

At this moment, I have no idea who needs this other than me. I need to think these concepts out. I need to write for my own understanding. I need to explore what resonates to me. I’m going to ignore all my marketing training and let it unfold organically. What I need to understand someone else does too and they will find me. The energy and passion I feel for this discovery will attract those who need this message.

This is a process of discovery

I have no plan. I have no purpose. I have only the stillness and a need within myself for some guidance. I’m looking for new awareness, perhaps new projects, maybe new friends. I have an undefined need and it is being answered – one disclosure at a time.

When an unformed idea nudges, take your time. Let it tell you what shape it should be when it is ready. Be a steward of your idea and let if unfold in its own time.

What a Jigsaw Puzzle Can Teach You about Project Management

October 1, 2011 By Cara Lumen

Working jigsaw puzzles is an organizer’s dream. Every step is about sorting in smaller and more connected elements while keeping the end result in mind. Just like project management.

Choose a project that appeals to you

It’s no fun to work on an ugly puzzle or even one that is too easy or too hard. You have to pick the best project for you at this point in time. If you are not enthusiastic about the end result you will achieve, if you will not be proud of your end product after you have completed it, choose a different project. You don’t want to spend a lot of time working on something that is not fun, satisfying, stimulating, rewarding and has a great end result. There are thousands of potential projects from which to choose. Choose one you can get excited about.

Handle the logistics

When I started working jigsaw puzzles in my living room I had three problems, a cat that would inevitably end up on top of it, the fact that it took up a good portion of the room for as long as I chose to work on it and I had no real way to put it away for another time. Once I started it I lived with it until it was completed. I solved the cat problem by doing the puzzle on the cardboard back of a poster whose frame broke. I work on the cardboard and put the plastic “glass” on top when I stop work to protect it from my cat. I could solve the putting away part by investing in a jigsaw carrying case. Before you begin a project solve some of the logistics. Can you fit this work into your schedule? Will you rely on others for part of the work and how booked are they? What equipment, knowledge, and reference material do you need before you begin? Beginning a project is like preparing to take a long trip; you need to take your car in for a complete check up to be sure it can make the trip. Plan ahead for all the elements and working environment you will need for your project.

Sort the pieces

My improvised jigsaw puzzle system includes 12 clear plastic plates that I sort the different colors into. I can use these plates to work on one color scheme at a time. It allows me to focus only on that particular aspect. Look at your project and divide it up into segments. Put a time line on each segment so you know how far ahead of the deadline you have to begin working on it in order to complete it in time. What is your launch date? How far ahead do you need to start marketing? Put that on your schedule along with time to write your marketing material a few weeks before that. Do you need to schedule a completion date for each module? Chunk your project up into three to five projects. For instance if you are creating a web presence you can break that down into 1) clarify what you offer and who you offer it to, 2) define your services and your content by writing your landing page, 3) make the technical decisions on your theme and back end support hire someone to set it up and 4) write your opt in offer and Cornerstone Content that helps convert readers into community members. Each one of those steps is filled with important decision making and by doing them in order and addressing each step as a separate project piece you will avoid the overwhelm that could easily appear. Allow one action step to build on the other

Work one section at a time

In my jigsaw project I began by working with the pieces that I could easily identify. In my folk art puzzle I recognized parts of horses and buggy wheels and the specific color of each building. When I began to assemble each section I had to look at the picture and see where it fit into the overall picture. Then I could place it in the right place. I had to work with the end result in mind.

Here’s a major difference between jigsaw puzzling and a project: you know what the puzzle will look like, you know that eventually all the pieces will fit and there will be no extra ones left over. That is not true of a project. You have to pick and choose the parts and pieces you will include. You have an overall picture in mind but you design and adjust as you go. How many weeks in your teleclass? What do you need to leave out in order to teach what you really want to teach in that length of time? Do you need a follow up, second level telecourse? I developed my Magnetic Content Development System to help you manage those very decisions but this article is about sorting what you have chosen.

Sort by similarity

In my puzzle I sorted by edge pieces, trees, sky, building colors and people. One way of organizing your project is to sort by similarity of the action needed – planning, crafting, editing. On your time line allow a week for outlining your table of contents, another few days for developing your stories and interactive elements. You could work on the video for a week and could set aside time to develop the handouts and bonuses. Brain work, the decision-making process requires great uninterrupted concentration. Editing a second draft or strengthening your subheads can be done in smaller time segments.

Approach your project organization from different angles

It was easy to put together the puzzle pieces that had a pattern. It was another matter to work on the pieces that were all one color like the sky or ocean. Then I had to look at the shape of each piece, I had to try to put pieces together by looking at the parts of the piece that were sticking out and the parts of the piece that were ready to have another piece fit into them. And that’s what got me excited to write this article – as I worked I saw myself use different reasoning techniques. I wanted to explore how can apply my jigsaw organizing technique to the sorting of my ideas for a project? When you move deeply into the fine points of your project you need to examine the pieces from different angles. Does that idea belong here or is it more effective if presented over there? Change your perspective. One minute you are trying to fit the protruding pieces into the puzzle and the next you are looking at the shape of the indent in each piece to find a matching piece. As you look where to place closely aligned elements into your project come at them from different angles before you decide where to put them.

Keep looking at the whole

Every time you begin a new segment look to see how that section fits in with the whole. When you examine your project as a whole you will feel a sense of accomplishment as see how much you have accomplished. You can begin to get a feeling of the overall shape and the learning steps you use to take your participant on their journey. You can identify the elements that need more work or more time. As you work on a project periodically go back to your original outline and the landing page you wrote in the beginning to clarify your objectives and see if you are still on track. Keep referring to your original who and do what statement – the purpose of that particular project.

Keep your end result in mind, sort by the major points, work in sections keeping an eye on their place in the whole and take time to look at each piece from different angles. That’s what working a jigsaw puzzle taught me about project management.