Isn't She Pamtastic?

"Sissy Belle." That's how my mother addresses me. It is much preferred over the name she used when I was an infant, "Chunky Tuna." Although very appropriate as I was definitely in the higher percentiles in weight as a one to twelve month old.


That loving nickname has stuck with me for thirty years. Sissy Belle, NOT Chunky Tuna! But it's not the only thing that my mother has stuck on me for the last thirty years. So as Mother's Day came and went this weekend, I reminisced on the lessons of life she has imparted to me thus far. 

Here's what my mom has taught me in the last 30 years:
1. Work. It's ok to be a working mother and to want to be a working mom. My mom has worked her entire career except for the first nine months of my life. She has been the epitome of the working mom. In my childhood, her days ran something like: 8-5 in the office, to shuttling my brother around to baseball and wrestling practices and weekends full of games/meets, to helping me with homework, to doing all (Sorry Pops! You ain't got nothing on Mom in this department) of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, emptying the kitty litter, feeding the dogs, and tucking us all in with a kiss each night. I never wanted for more attention or time from my mom, because this was all I knew, it was my normal. She multi-tasked with a smile and showed me that life is about working hard, professionally and personally.
2. Be Selfless. If you go back and read the list that I just wrote out, you'd realize that everything I listed was work she was doing for someone else. My mother taught me that to be fulfilled in life, you have to be selfless. If you give all you have, you'll be repaid in full happiness, plus the profits of joy and love.
3. Fight. Not a lesson you would expect from a mom, but my mother took the time to teach me that you have to fight for what you want in life and love. Professionally, I've watched my mom fight against stereotypes. With only a high-school degree she has climbed to the top of a company where only the boys play. She's got balls. And thankfully, she's taught me to fight on the boy's playground too. Personally, the greatest lesson she taught me is that you know you will have found "the one" when you are willing to fight with them and fight for them.
4. It's never too late. To do whatever you want to do. If you find something that makes you happy and gives you joy and peace, do it. And for my mom, that's baking the most fantastic, correction, Pamtastic cheesecakes. She decided to go for it and while she isn't overloaded with orders quite yet, she taught me that when you love to do something, when you have a pamtastic passion, you have to follow through, or you will never know. And why live a life of "what if's?"
5. Have Faith. My mother has repeatedly told me to have faith: strong, heart full of conviction, faith that will carry you through every triumph and tragedy. I watched my mom go through the long process of losing her mother to Alzheimer's. For seven years, she traveled three hours, every Saturday, to visit her mom (and dad) who didn't even know who she was. She showed up without hesitation or question, long after the recognition had vanished from her mom's eyes. She has unwavering faith. She has taught me that faith and for that, above all else, I am forever grateful.
While I couldn't spend Mother's Day with my mom, I spent the day thinking about all of these life lessons and capturing them for you, but mostly to remind myself how lucky I am to have my very own Pamtastic mom.


Happy Mother's Day Mom!
With love and admiration,
Sissy Belle


Want to see a picture of my mom and "Chunky Tuna?” It's posted here, on my Sales Barista Facebook page.

I'm your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email at hirestephanie@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.

Super Tuesday

419 delegates.
10 states.
4 candidates.

Who will win?

You may be saying – who cares? To which I would respond: a lot of Republicans do.

But don’t worry, this isn’t going to be some political tirade (because I’m not a donkey) this is about you winning – winning your race.

Don’t think you are in the running? Haven’t proclaimed your candidacy?

Wake up and smell the Starbucks (I gave it up for Lent, so these days I would have to say, wake up and smell the fresh-brewed Keurig K-cup), of course you are in the running! You declared your candidacy the minute you entered the workforce. And there are no age or citizenship qualifications in this race - just you and your reputation are all that qualify you to win or lose the career election.

So…who’s managing your campaign? Who’s running attack ads on you? Who’s voting for you?

Haven’t thought about your career in this way? Maybe you should.

Think about how differently you would act if you knew all of your dirty career secrets were going to be public knowledge? That you were going to have other candidates attacking you and trying to take you down. Haven’t I just described your competition? Aren’t they trying to take you down so they can win, either your job or your customers?

So how do you run a campaign that gets you all the votes?

Here’s how to win your career election:
1. Build a positive reputation. Your reputation precedes you. You have heard this saying millions of times. And before social media it was 100% true, now it’s 500% true. With the revolution of social media, it’s easier than ever for someone to learn everything about you, good and bad, way before you ever meet. Keep this in mind while you are building your image and interacting with colleagues, customers, your family and friends. Every step you take, word you chose, and action you make builds your reputation. Walk positively, speak positively and act positively. This will guide you to a positive reputation. How’s your reputation? Positive? Are you positive about that?

2. Get endorsements. Want to win a race? Find someone to endorse you. Get someone to publicly announce they are supporting you and your efforts and it will work wonders. Especially if it is someone who also has a positive reputation, is trusted and looked to as an influential person. And the best person would be someone you have done business with, not your mom (sorry Mom!). This person can speak to your strengths (and shocker, your weaknesses) but also talk to how you work, how you serve, how you communicate, and how you perform - your end results. Who is willing to endorse you? Do you have more than one?

3. Fight fair. Represent yourself with integrity by fighting fair. If you are going to go up against a competitor, talk about the facts, not your opinions of them. No one gets ahead by trash-talking the competition. It makes you look petty and low. Instead, find a way to elevate yourself by singing your own praises. Highlight your own competitive advantages instead of harping on their disadvantages. Fighting fair allows you to look good two-fold, by showing how you believe you are the best and also how you are a bigger person. It’s easy to attack the other party, it’s a lot more difficult to look in the mirror and talk about what YOU bring to the table. How fair are you fighting?

This Super Tuesday, people are casting their votes on a republican candidate for their party’s presidential nomination. And today, people are casting their votes on you and your competition. Who will win? Will it be you? Or will you be forced to withdraw from the race?

I’m your Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista. How may I help you help yourself?

Stephanie Melish, one of the few, hand-selected, Gitomer-Certified Speakers is the ONLY Double-Tall, Non-Fat, No-Whip Sales Barista in the world! Stephanie trains, sells, and speaks to companies and associations all over the country. To book Stephanie for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer via email at hirestephanie@gitomer.com or by calling 704-333-1112.