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Category Archives: Hot Topics

Compromising Makes You Irrelevant

Posted on by Posted in Activate Your Life Today, Blog, Hot Topics, Lead-her-ship 1 Comment

#1 Irrelevant tip: Be all over the place, become a Jackie of All Trades and a master of none.
#2 Irrelevant tip: Low ball yourself and let others know that you are afraid of success…this really helps you to become passionately poor quick.
#3 Irrelevant tip: Keep listening to other people, start listening to your dream snatchers and your haters in disguise. You know the ones who don’t do much but always have a lot to say.
#4 Irrelevant tip: Keep procrastinating and thinking you have all the time in the world.
#5 Irrelevant tip: When you get rejected the first time, take that as a sign that this is not for you.
#6 Irrelevant tip: Keep comparing yourself to others. The more you mind other peoples biz, the less you will focus on your own.
#7 Irrelevant tip: Never ask for what you want, never raise your standards, never stand up for what you believe in.
#8 Irrelevant tip: Never ever build a platform, just keep waiting by the phone or hoping that someone may recognize your talent.
#9 Irrelevant tip: Don’t blog, don’t write, don’t package, don’t position, don’t network and don’t you dare tell someone you have a dream.

All of these tips will keep you irrelevant in the marketplace. Please do something about this. Join “Team Red” at The Activate Intensive http://tinyurl.com/as5a6hv

Black America Web Interview w/ Nikki Woods: Take Your Expertise to the Masses

Posted on by Posted in Activate Your Life Today, Hot Topics, Lead-her-ship, Speaker Success Leave a comment

Are you ready to take your story, your expertise or your experience and create a signature platform?

Do you want to turn your experience, your story and your message to the world and create profitable opportunities for success by setting your own stage and building your own platform?

If you are ready to BE the voice of change by using your two most valuable assets, your power to write and the power to speak?

Then I want to introduce you to Lucinda Cross who travels the country to show women how to do just that.

We both believe that you have the power to heal, educate, inspire and uplift using your expertise or life experience. Join our conversation as we discuss tips and strategies on how to help you get your message to the world.

Click here to watch this cool vlog.

 

Lucinda Cross

Find out when we will be in your city or ask us how to get us in your city www.activateyourlifeweekend.com

 

Part 2: The ABC’s of Being an Irreplaceable Presenter

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Speaking at The Girl Exhale Conference in FL 2012

Today we are going to take a look at letters D, E and F when it comes to presenting with power. By learning and applying the alphabet speaker tips, you will become more valuable in every phase of your presentation. And as your value increases, you will become more confident in your presentations, more productive, more vital to event planners, coordinators and those who seek to hire you. This is the alphabet soup for presenters, speakers, or anyone who has something meaningful to say.

Let’s begin…

D-Double dip.  Prepare yourself for the opportunity within the opportunity. This means that you set yourself up for the next ____________(fill in the blank). As a presenter or a speaker you must learn how to be an opportunist. How can you leverage this opportunity to build your list, join a future webinar, tele-seminar or smaller event based on your topic? Find out how you can partner or further support the organization that hired you to speak. This way you can engage the audience and the organization to hear more than your 15min-45min spiel. Presenting is one opportunity but look for an additional opportunity within the opportunity to build your platform and establish a stronger relationship.

E-Energy. Come prepared to fill the room with vim and vigor. Consider some techniques that will help shift the energy. Keep in mind your audience is just as nervous as you are. Ice breakers, music, affirmations or prayer are great ways to initiate the energy in the room. I found props and exercises to be a huge hit for my presentations. It calms my nerves and allows me to find out where the energy in the room is. Once you find out where the energy in the room is, then you can pull from that side in order to engage the other side of the room. If you feel the presentation is running dry or the energy is too low, consider giving them an exercise to do, give away some prizes, call up a few volunteers. Keep the ENERGY flowing. (Know your audience as well, based on the age range and the seating in the room, don’t ask everyone to stand up when the seating is awkward. Avoid the “butts in the face” and “boobs on the back” exercises because of limited space.  Avoid breathing exercises especially after lunch; the worst thing is to have someone breathing on your neck after an onion salad or fish sandwich ~ewwww).

F-Face locution. Remember that your face is talking just as you are presenting. What do I mean by “face locution”? You must be aware of your facial expressions and keep in mind that people are watching your facial reactions. If you look in the mirror and start to do a mock presentation, watch how your eyebrows move, your lips, your eyes, your forehead, etc. Your facial expressions in addition to your tone of voice give your words more definition and power. Your audience is going to respond based on your facial talk. So take a look at a past video you have done, or record yourself and see if your face is in conflict or agreement with your message. We all know the faces our mother used to give us and we know what those facial expressions meant without her opening her mouth. The same goes for us presenters. Watch what your face says…lol It may be cursing your audience out…

More speaker tips tomorrow…. (G, H, & I)

Please leave a comment, share the love by tweeting, posting, or pinning.

Lucinda Cross, The Activator

Are you coming to the One Day Activate Intensive? This is the place to be if you are in the process of building your platform. Check it out and sign up if you feel this is your time to speak it, write it and live it. www.activateyourlifeweekend.com

 

 

Faith lessons from an 8yr Old

Posted on by Posted in Blog, Hot Topics, Lead-her-ship 6 Comments

A pep talk is just what I need sometimes to get me going. Here is a pep talk from a kid who calls himself Kid President, but before we get to the video I want to share a valuable lesson I learned this weekend.

Those of you who follow me on social media know that my daughter is one of my biggest inspirations and she is constantly dropping jewels of wisdom.

This week she introduced to a new level of what some call the Law of Attraction and what I call Faith. Here is what I posted and I would love hear your thoughts or any ah ha moments you had from your children or any child/youth in your life.

Facebook post Part 1: Faith like a child. Today my daughter said “mommy if you pretend enough, God will give it to you.” I said, “what should I pretend?” She said, “start pretending that this is your mansion, and we should start pretending now.” I think I will take her on a visit to Saddle River NJ. I need to see who is occupying my future home.

Facebook post Part 2: This is getting deep. After watching a long movie with Ms. 8yr, I told her I will take her advice and we can go look at some mansions for the vision board. She said “MOMMY NO, that is not the way to do it. Why are you searching for something you already have.” She said its a waste of time to search. She then said “when God checks on you, he is on his big iPad searching for mansions just for you, and checking to see if you really want it.” She then had the nerve to say, “the way to pretend is to go into the living room and act like your walking into your movie room. When you go into your bedroom act like your walking into another room in the mansion.” She said I need to change the way I see every room in the house, starting now. I hope this just set some folks free because I can’t sleep after this, about to go into my Library Room and work on Chapter #4.

 

Now that I got that out of my system, on to the Pep Talk from Kid President.

 

Trading in Busyness for Effectiveness

Posted on by Posted in Blog, Hot Topics, Lead-her-ship, Life strategies, Speak Life, Write from the Heart 2 Comments

This video is just a confirmation as to why Activation is required.

Bishop T.D. Jakes talks about using 80% of your time to do the things you were created to do and 20% on the things you don’t have to do.  Please watch this video and make a list of things that you are going to stop doing, start doing and what you will continue to do.

We must maximize our lives and it starts with editing your life to do more purpose driven activities and less of the busy bee stuff.

The Activate Intensive is a purpose driven 4 week online seminar to support you in getting on track and staying focused on the things God has called you to do. http://lucindacross.com/op/activateonline

 

Lucinda Cross

The Activator

 

Do you remember your childhood dreams?

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Do you remember your childhood dreams?  I was inspired after reviewing this video by Randy Pausch on his lecture called “The Last Lecture.”

What are some of your childhood dreams?

How many of those dreams have you achieved?

Make this year the year that you begin to pursue some of those childhood dreams.

Here is a list of some of my childhood dreams:

  • write a book
  • meet the President
  • be a late night talk radio show jockey
  • be on the Huckstables show
  • travel to Africa
  • fly a plane
  • be an Actoress
  • be in the Guinness Book of World Records
  • be on the cover of a magazine
  • walk a modeling runway

 

Comment and share a few of your childhood dreams?

How to find comfort in the uncomfortable zone

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Welcome to a new day and a new opportunity to do better and be better.

 

Today is a great day to step out to be brave and bold.  I know you hear this all the time, “get out of your comfort zone”. What does this really mean?  When I first heard this saying I said to myself, “I am not in my comfort zone, I am quite uncomfortable with how my life is operating”. I was broke, single mom with lots of expenses and not enough money or time. All I had was potential. I was used to luxury cars, having nice things and the ability to do what I want, when I wanted with my kids. So stepping out of my comfort zone was a statement that just pissed me off every time the cashier would yell, “your card declined Miss”, or the ATM machine would hand me an insufficient funds receipt instead of the cash I requested.

Today is a new day. Today is a new year and today marks a fresh start for me to do better and to be better.  My journey from broke as a joke to feeling slap happy as my grandfather would say, required me to be more than uncomfortable. It required me to be comfortable in the uncomfortable, if that makes any sense to you.

My life changed in 2006 when I turned away from the predictable, cliché, and reliable ways of being. I had to evaluate what was working in my life and what was hindering me from excelling.

I needed a fresh start. I needed to get my groove back. The answers to these questions changed my dry season of broke to a season being bold and brave enough to embrace uncomfortable opportunities.

If you were starting from scratch, and you wanted to make an income offering your advice and how-to information to the world, what 5 things should you focus on?

If you wanted to become a highly-paid expert in a matter of months, based on what you already know and have lived through, what would you need to do first?

This incredible event with me, Lucinda Cross and a few other experts will answer these questions for you. On November 2nd-4th you are invited to attend the Activate Your L.I.F.E 3 day Incubator. We are offering a 2 for 1 deal.  We are encouraging everyone to bring someone along. Click here for more information.

 

Love and Light,

Lucinda Cross

 

Get a new ’tude

Posted on by Posted in Blog, Hot Topics, Lead-her-ship, Life strategies, Mindset, Passion, Platform and Purpose 2 Comments

Yep, you need a new attitude if you are walking around with stinking thinking and expecting other people to cover up the funk. Please change your attitude towards your situation so that you can see the goodness and greatness in what you already possess.  In order to maximize and leverage your personal or professional life, you have to be grateful for what you have and who you are becoming.

Why should your business increase if your attidue is the same? Why should your marriage improve if your attitude is still the same? Why should you be called and chosen if your attitude is the same ole stinky thinking?  Get over yourself and move on.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.” Charles Swindoll

 

I had a conversation with someone who often times goes into a complaining spree.  She complains that things are not working out, that she can’t find a job, that she hates where she lives, that she is tired of “making do” and needs some real money.

Now I am completely sympathetic to her needs and her cry.  But the pity party is where I draw the line. Let’s do a little compare and contrast.

Compared to someone sleeping on a concrete floor or wooden bench, she has a warm bed and clean sheets.

Compared to the dirt under that pan-handlers nails and the hole in her sneakers, she has a $45 french gel tips and $18 pedicure.

Compared to the  bedbugs, this child lost everything from being in shelter after shelter, she has $75 hair extensions and a perm, including the extra $$$ to get conditioner.

Compared to her Victoria Secret bra and the lady who just got the news that she has to have a mastectomy.

Oh here is one more….

Compared to the fact that she graduated school and has skills she can build on, compared to the child who doesn’t know how to read because she was told to quit school and work.

I think most people need to have a gratitude check.  When you look at the comparison above who has the advantage? Who needs a new attitude of gratitude?

We do need to realize that God does not give us more than we can bare, and this too shall pass.

What are you grateful for? Go ahead and take 2 seconds to post it…take time to do a gratitude check right here, right now.

Free – Journey Box Media from journeyboxmedia on GodTube.

 

New Author tip #1: Please don’t expect to get rich tomorrow

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August is dedicated to new authors.

New Author Tip#1: Please don’t expect to get rich tomorrow.

 

There’s a big misconception going around that if you self-publish a book you will have overnight success on your launch day, and have thousands of sales, and can take four vacations a years, buy a house and quit your day job.

 

While I wish this was true, it is not.

 

Most of the self-published authors I know (including myself), are on the marketing and promotional grind—daily, hourly.  Why? Because writing doesn’t generally make you stacks and stacks of money. There are some exceptions to the rule. But unless you are one of the 1% that strike a chord with OWN network and somehow end up on Oprah’s reading list, then keep your day job or your business in full operation. Write for the message, for the love, for the experience, for the potential opportunities and write to YES make a profit but to also make a change in the hearts and minds of your readers.

 

If you are considering self-publishing your works, it is true that sites like Amazon, Smash words, Create space, Lulu.com, Lightning Source and Barnes & Noble make becoming an independent author much easier. Yes, you can now self-publish your books and have as much visibility to the public as Jack Canfield. But you still have to do the marketing, and you still have to write a quality book. Key words are marketing and quality.  You have to start to develop your reader fan base ASAP.

 

Self publishing is about hitting a trend while it’s hot and riding that trend till the wheels fall off, or in our case until the words fall off the pages.  The book is like your business card, your access key to really make the big bucks. So when considering your first or third book, consider the trend, the reader fan base and position you want the book to place you in when published.

 

May 21st was my book launch, I sold thousands of copies but the real work started 6 months before the release and now I am on double time positioning my book in a way to set me up for government contracts, workshops and empowerment trainings.  The Road to Redemption is not paying the mortgage, the contracts I receive while I am on the road to redemption is.

 

Set your expectations and intentions right at the start, everything else will just flow.

Resource: www.shewrites.com (great community to be a part of)

 

Want to be a part of the next Write It Already 6 week workshop that starts in September sign up now by clicking here.

 

 

New York’s own Lucinda Cross to be Recognized at the United Nations

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ACTIVATE! New York’s Lucinda Cross to be Recognized at the United Nations-BMORENEWS Global Forum on Women’s Empowerment

Lucinda Cross is an award-winning business leader and one of today’s most dynamic voices on the subject of personal and business success. She’s a popular speaker and the founder of several successful and interesting businesses. She also counsels and coaches growing entrepreneurs to flourish.

 

ACTIVATE! Lucinda Cross: Cross was recently featured on the Tom Joyner Morning Show and announced to be a featured author at The Congressional Black Caucus Author Pavilion in September.

(NEW YORK – June 15, 2012) – BMORENEWS announced that Lucinda Cross will be recognized for her dynamic entrepreneurial spirit and determination to succeed. Cross will be recognized with honorees on Friday, June 15th at the United Nations during the BMORENEWS Global Forum on Women’s Empowerment.

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Lucinda Cross is an award-winning business leader and one of today’s most dynamic voices on the subject of personal and business success. She’s a popular speaker and the founder of several successful and interesting businesses. She also counsels and coaches growing entrepreneurs to flourish.

Lucinda started her career in Risk Management and Performance Improvement. Her journey into entrepreneurship began when she became a mom and she has been building businesses ever since as a mompreneur. She has defied the odds in life and in business and has mastered the ability to turn adversities into advantages. She travels the world sharing her message and inspiring women to Activate! in all areas of life.

She is the best selling author of  Corporate Mom Drop Outs, and the Road to Redemption, founder of PrayingMoms.org and the co-owner of the Super Mom Entrepreneur Conference and Expo.

Today Lucinda runs Activate! offering products and services in personal development, and organizational leadership. She’s committed to helping individuals, entrepreneurs, and those seeking greater achievement to benefit from the personal and business lessons she’s learned in creating and building high value ventures from scratch.

Lucinda writes and lectures extensively and her clients include many prestigious organizations. She’s been featured in a wide range of national media.

 

For media or bookings please contact Jeny Murillo at assistant@lucindacross.com. Cross is available for in person and virtual media appearances as well as conferences, seminars and symposiums.