Amazing Authors

oh, wow!

Tonight I attended the 12 Books of Christmas Party, hosted by my friend and author Polly Letofsky. She gathered twelve of her local author friends, each a vibrant, creative woman with an inspiring story to tell.

And she invited a whole bunch of others, including me! Together we all contributed to Project Linus, a non-profit that provides handmade blankets to needy children around the world.

So yeah, how cool is that?

I've never done that before. I've never walked into a room full of authors, each welcoming and sharing a snippet of her life journey or her publishing journey, with a glass of wine in hand, just so open to dialog.

I asked Jan Haas when her book was published. She paused and said, "um ... two weeks ago!" I offered a High Five and we laughed a triumphant laugh. She said her story happened sixteen years ago, but the time wasn't right, until recently, for her to write it down and get it published. "Hmmm," I thought. I have stories in me...."

Here's to the storytellers among us, folks who have written & rewritten & edited their thoughts - and then stood behind their thoughts with a firm belief, a firm resolve that their thoughts were valuable enough to be printed and promoted and sold. Gosh, I admire that! And I enjoy it, too, every time I curl up with a book.

Tricia Downing Cycle of Hope: My Journey from Paralysis to Possibility
Lauren Miller: 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Stressing Out
Jan Haas: Moving Mountains: One Woman's Fight to Live Again
Cara Lopez Lee: They Only Eat Their Husbands
Tracy Fagan: Gratitude, Giggles & Grace
Carmen Swick: Patch Land Adventures
Melissa Kline: My beginning
Andrea Costantine & Lisa Shultz: Speaking Your Truth -- Volume Two
Carron Barrella: More than 36 Days: Four Ordinary Men Face Extraordinary Circumstances
Lynn McLeod: From Simms to Zanzibar: A Story of Hope and Transformation
Karen Loucks Rinedollar: Working for Peanuts: The Project Linus Story
Polly Letofsky 3mph: The Adventures of One Woman's Walk Around the World

Success Defined

I've recently been following the blog and tweets of a national "big name" sales coach.

Are sales coaches 'big names'? Or just 'medium names'?

Well, he's a big name in his field.

Anyways, late last night I decided to try and connect with him on LinkedIn. I'm not sure what I expected; perhaps I didn't have any expectations. But guess what happened: Mr. National Sales Coach accepted my invitation at 6:04 this morning and he sent a personal note to me:

"Thanks for the invite Kathie!  Here's some additional contact information:  (facebook, twitter, etc.) Enough about me, where else can I connect with you?"

How very cool. Nationally-known coaches are past the place where they need to connect with every random person. And he more than connected, in the LinkedIn sense of connecting. He reached out, and in doing so, he modeled an important lesson in sales:  Engage every prospect.

But his final phrase took it one step further. "Where else can I connect with you?" implied that I, a stranger yet, was valuable - valuable enough to try to know in other places and in other ways.

In one brief sentence, he affirmed me.  And he caused me to pause and reflect: Do I affirm my connections, on LinkedIn and in every other segment of my life? Because really, when you get down to it, the way you make others feel about themselves is the most important measure of your success in this life.

So here's to Mr. National Sales Coach ~ thanks for taking that extra step, for validating me as a businessperson. It was such a little thing, and yet it meant so much.

Slopping the Hogs

Tonight, Steve and I went on a double-date with Nick and Caroline, catching J Edgar at the AMC Castle Rock 12. We followed the movie with a visit to the deservedly packed CRAVE burger joint. It was the perfect ending to a too-brief holiday.

I wanted to dine at CRAVE because it’s a newer restaurant located in an under-developed strip mall. I figured we’d be helping a poor restauranteur stay in business one more day. And then we walked in. The place was wall-to-wall people, a crush of humanity. Scribbled on the chalk board above the line cook, a sign read “78,515 burgers served since July 4, 2010.” We were going to have to wait our turn to support this fledgling venture.

Our server at CRAVE quickly landed on the Top 10 Servers list, a theoretical, hypothetical list of amazing waitstaff who have made our dining experiences “oh-so-perfect” over the years. I say “theoretical, hypothetical” because, in fact, I have no such list. I just remember the way the guys at Oceanaire took care of us on our anniversary. And the way the waitress at Augustine Grill nursed me through a late-night craving for a decadent chocolate dessert, though I walked in as they were closing up. There are those moments that are imprinted on the memory, and tonight’s server was a brilliant hue of indelible ink.

Sadly, I didn’t notice his name, which is a testament to his skill in creating a diner-centered experience as well as an indictment of my inattentiveness. The diner-centered experience, by the way, was a zany but not overpronounced menu presentation. He could speak as fast as the JimmyJohn’s commercial voice, but more distinctly. And with a smile and a wit.

And CRAVE has (until now, unbeknownst to me) 70 Yelp reviews and 248 Urbanspoon reviews averaging 4½ stars – for creations like the Colorado – a burger topped with shredded lamb, poblanos, onions, pepper jack, avocado, chipotle mayo and tomato. And the Luther – a burger topped with bacon, cheddar, egg and onion with 2 LaMar’s glazed donuts as the bun. There are 14 crazy choices in all, and I mean, crazy.

Anyways – back to our server – he excelled at quietly breezing the table to check food quality and beverages. And when we engaged him, he was really funny! – but not too; he was informative, but not excessively so. You know the difference. Simply put, his service was perfection – or as close to perfection as you can get, when a hoppin’ joint is exceeding it’s capacity by a crowd.

So, here’s to superb servers. Guys and gals who excel at the art of slopping the hogs and entertaining them, too. Tonight, we especially appreciated you.