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Sunday, October 18, 2009

redux of deux book events

last week i was blessed with attending 2 book events: 1 planned, 1 spontaneous. the two books were crush it and women, work & the art of savoir faire. i wanted to share my takeaways from both events as lord knows i was there with pen in hand. yep, i'm that girl.

i was super, super excited to head to nyc to see mireille guiliano on the day her new book launched last tuesday. i haven't read her other books but know they are loved by many women. she is coming to dc this week but i was supposed to be heading to oklahoma so i didn't want to miss my opportunity - especially with complimentary bubbly being served! took the bus bright and early, indulged in a yoga class, hit my fave accessory shops, and headed to borders to do some work (and bookstore browse) before the event. it is always exciting to see authors live and in person. mirelle is lovely and presents well. her story is fascinating although i prefer when speakers avoid scripts and speak extemporaneously. i'm still reading her book and find it engaging. was hoping for more catering to entrepreneurs versus corporate settings. it's a thoughtful roadmap for someone newer to the business world. here are my scribbles from her presentation:



life is lived in stages. success is not definted by others' expectations. ask yourself, "what's the worst that can happen?" give yourself 4 anchors: good health, family + friends, good employment, time + space + values. take time each day to live in the moment. take risks. excellence is a habit: practice, practice, practice. manage expectations. set agressive, achievable goals. be realistic, provocative, constantly innovating.
the next day a friend invited me to hear gary vaynerchuk speak at american university about his new book crush it. although i wasn't compelled by the book's title, his message of social media mixed with working your passion was exciting. he was a fun, engaging speaker with quite the potty mouth which i found amusing. i skimmed a lot of his book during the lecture and highly recommend it. here were my takeaways from his chat:
what you do in your spare time should be your business (love THIS notion). if you love what you're doing, you can win at life. no market is oversaturated. spend time with your fans. know who you are, know the key players in your life, and be sure to communicate fully (this was in relation to a question from the audience on how he balances family and a busy career). the message is key, not the mode of delivery so do what feels best - writing, podcasting, speaking, etc. take care of your team. best business question: what can i do for you?
read any fab books lately? any good recommendations? also reading the gospel according to coco chanel and loving it! books, books, books = true bliss.


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3 comments:

Kristen said...

Seeing your tweet about going to the Mireille Guiliano event last week, inspired me to run out and grab the book on Tuesday. (I loved the title and felt compelled to buy something french (I think it was the fact that I had eaten 6 pieces of french bread that day.)) I went into Barnes & Noble and said "I'm looking for the new book - out today - by the woman who wrote 'French Women Don't Get Fat.' I can't remember the title, but the last word is 'joi de vivre'." The kind lady said "Women, work..." I said "That's it!" She told me where to find it (Business/Career) and I was super embarrassed when I saw that my recollection of the one french term in the title was off. (uhg!) Clearly I had much more joi de vivre in that moment than savoir faire! :) I've only read the first couple of chapters, but I am enjoying it so far. Thanks for sharing and always being a great source for inspiration!

Healthy Skin Enthusiast said...

I purchased women, work & the art of savoir faire yesterday and was planning to save it for next excursion, but am inspired by your takeaway and going to dig in immediately. Thank you for sharing.

moi said...

The same day you tweeted from NYC, an invitation to the D.C. event arrived in my in box. Thrilled to see Merielle in Washington, D.C., tonight!