This past Wednesday I leaped out of my comfort zone…that is as opposed to stepped, which would imply a small little…step. I actually took more than a little step…it was a leap, a jump, a hurdle! For those of you who work with computers and computer programs all the time this may not seem like a very big deal…but for me, who even a year ago did not know what a blog was, along with many other venues available online nowadays, this was a very big deal!
A few months back the opportunity arose for me to speak to a group of specialty retailers attending a Primitive Decor wholesale market in Philly. When asked if I would teach two classes to this group I said “yes”! It sounded like fun…I’ve spoken to numerous groups of all sizes over the years and I really enjoy public speaking, even more, I enjoy sharing what I know and inspiring and motivating others to “step outside of their comfort zones” and “do their dreams”! After committing to this engagement, I realized that the best way to illustrate all that I would be covering would be through PowerPoint presentations. That is where the challenge arose! I had never done a PPT , not only that…I’d only ever seen a handful of them presented…hard to believe, I know, but nonetheless, very true!

Now I knew I had a PPT program on my computer and that it was something I wanted to learn….someday! You know…when I had nothing else to do! Now, I had to learn something about it…I had no idea what it was capable of…nor how to even begin! That’s when I started praying! Then asking for help! Fortunately for me there are two very talented young men I know, one is my sons roommate, who happens to be a computer whiz…it’s what he does everyday! He was kind enough to take some time and show me some of the possibilities as well as some of the basics I could get started with…very helpful! The other is my son in law, Renaissance Man, who by the way happens to use PPT regularly as part of his job. He creates PPT’s all the time (lucky for me)! Not only that, he likes it! And he’s very creative…he talked to me about creating continuity from slide to slide and reflecting my brand throughout the presentations…which was something I had no idea how to do….especially considering that these PPT’s were to be presented to Primitive/Rustic retailers…so not my design style!

Renaissance Man spent several hours putting ideas together for me and showing me how to organize my notes and my slides. The picture above is what he designed for my title page, which we carried through out…that is one example of how we were able to reflect my brand through out the presentations…pretty, isn’t it? clever, too! I love it! It truly reflects my brand!

After several weeks of being totally absorbed with putting these PPT’s together (hence, my absence from the blogging world) I can confidently say the two classes were awesome! I had great information to share with my audience, some very nice people, eager to learn how to step out of their comfort zones and bring their businesses to the next level. With the help of these two very talented young men, the PPT’s were spectacular! I am forever grateful to these two young men for their talent and willingness to help me and to the very gracious audience of retailers I spoke to.

Are you ready to leap outside one of your comfort zones? Remember…you don’t have to do it alone! There are many talented people who are willing to share their expertise in an area you’re unfamiliar with…just be sure to pay it forward and share your area of expertise with someone who is stepping outside of their comfort zone!