Annie Meehan

Dynamic Speaker and Coach

Blog

Be the Exception workbook

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When I first started my Professional Speaking Career, I only did 30 to 90 minute keynotes but as I grew my business I got more requests to do half-day, full-day and up to a 3 day retreats with clients so I created and wrote my first workbook. My workbook is based on my award winning book Be the Exception. Today I am able to encourage clients to take the idea of Being the Exception and transform into an Exceptional Life. They walk away with many tools they can use to encourage and lead their teams. Tools are a tangible way to apply and remember all we have learned in our time together. #BetheException #LiveExceptionally #ExceptionalWorkbook #MotivationalSpeaker #InspirationalSpeaker

This workbook is filled with tools you can review and apply over and over again with your team and individually.

Be the Exception workbook tools that keep teaching so you can take action right away to apply what you have learned. 7 keys to living Exceptionally

Be the Exception handouts

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Everytime I speak I offer a handout so my clients walk away with actionable steps they can apply right away. Motivation is great but without out action nothing changes. For me I want my clients to have a simple way to take what they learned and apply it to their work & home life so they can start eliminating their Excuses and become the Exception! #BetheException #MotivationalSpeaker #PineapplePrinciple #ActivationalSpeaker

Handouts take ideas and add action

Being Busy or Living Fullfilled

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Being “Busy”

So often, people say to me, “Wow, your life is so busy,” which always makes me smile and chuckle a bit. I never feel busy, even when my schedule is packed like it was this summer, with nine trips in six weeks. I don’t often feel busy at all because I love what I do and who I get to meet along the way.

Every year I try to pick a word that I want to focus on for the coming twelve months. This year, I gave a lot of thought to the word “busy” and how I can reframe it in conversation to demonstrate to others how I see my life in relation to being “busy.” That said, my word for 2019 has been “full” as in “I have a full plate,” or “I live a fulfilling life,” rather than “busy” which means something different to me than it does to others.

I don’t like to label myself as “busy” because to me, that term can feel empty, tiring, and without meaning; whereas a full life, a full plate, or feeling fulfillment thanks to the people and experiences in my life, feels rewarding and wonderful to me. These days, I’m no longer busy. Rather, my life is full and I’m living a fulfilling life.

This week, I encourage you to challenge your “busy” mindset and lifestyle by trying on how relieving and empowering being “full” can be in so many areas.

What does living your exceptional life look like to you?

What does the word “busy” mean to you? Is it positive or negative?

Do you feel busy? Are you running in circles or do you feel like you’re going someplace?

Are you living a fulfilled life? What would it take to shift from feeling “busy” to feeling “fulfilled”?

Tipping, When and how much should we tip?

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tipping

Tipping

Is anyone else bothered by the way tipping is handled in today’s society? I think it’s important to earn tips when working certain jobs and I don’t mind tipping when it’s appropriate. I’ve been a waitress many times in my life and loved the job every time though it can be hard and often tiring while working late into the night. The tips were a great help to me, but I worked dang hard for them. I offered refills and acted like it was my pleasure to serve all customers even if I didn’t feel good or was incredibly tired from working a double.

Occasionally, I would be left a kind note or rarely, a hundred dollars on a twenty-dollar tab. People would tell me I was the highlight of their day because I was always kind, friendly, and smiled brightly. I knew that was my job and I valued the company and my customers. However, today it often feels like twenty percent or more is expected as a tip while servers seem inconvenienced by a request for a refill, smiling, or bringing the check.

Increasingly often, restaurants now have customers using a machine to order where no one talks to you; yet when it’s time to pay, the button quickly pops up asking what percent of a tip you’d like to leave and even suggests what they feel it should be. I’ve even gone to massage places that request you to pay in full, including a tip, before your appointment even begins. In my days of serving work, tips were earned based on service and experience. Why is it we’re now expected to tip like it’s part of the full price rather than a choice?

In my opinion, everyone should wait tables for a minimum of a few months in their lifetime to gain the perspective of earning tips based on hard work rather than automatically feeling deserving. While I agree we should appreciate others who do hard work for us, I also feel tipping should be a choice customers make based on service and experience without pressure from society to pay out no matter the circumstance. This week, I encourage you to pay close attention to the service you receive and tip what you feel is right, not what society says is right.
What does living your exceptional life look like to you?

When and where do you tip? What’s your average tipping percentage?

Do you tip based on service or what society tells you is appropriate?

Do you feel it’s wrong to be asked for a tip before receiving service or when ordering from a machine?

https://www.bankrate.com/personal-finance/smart-money/a-cheat-sheet-on-tipping-dos-and-donts/#slide=1

 

The Pineapple Principle, Will you be a Pineapple too?

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I am often asked what makes me a human Pineapple so I decided to write a book to explain why I am a Pineapple & why I invite you to join me in being a Pineapple. I believe we all have a story behind our story. So I asked myself does the Pineapple Poem have a story behind it. Does I silly poem have a powerful Message to teach us? Can looking up and really seeing people change the world? This book is little, easy to read, a gift book, A simple message that can make a significant difference. Will you join me in being a Pineapple? #PineapplePrinciple #MotivationalSpeaker #BetheException

Will you go the extra mile as you serve your clients in 2020?

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Extra mile

Going the Extra Mile

When was the last time you really went the extra mile? Our national organization just had an auction and we were invited to donate biddable items as well as bid ourselves at the event; I did both. First, I started by donating two gifts, then I kept my eye on two items I was interested in and ultimately bid on, and won, both. One of the items I won was a retreat hosted by a woman named Marilyn Sherman who went beyond the extra mile for me.

Not only did Marilyn open her home, her mind, and her heart to create a safe space for us, she also created a place for us to listen, learn, share, speak, and trust all while knowing she had our best interests at heart to help me grow my business. With her, we were challenged, pushed, encouraged, and loved. It was an amazing experience. We spent time digging into how to take our business to the next level and spent lots of time laughing. We also shared with each other what we’re working on personally and professionally because we all recognized we have a common goal that requires us to come together to serve our audiences.

After the three-day retreat, we exchanged a few calls and texts right away to celebrate the books read on the way home and the winning journals we started once home. We then set up a check in call via Zoom to see where we were at on our timeline for the goals we set out to accomplish. Then, while I was on the road for a speaking event three weeks after the retreat, in the time between then and our check in call, my husband told me I had a package waiting at home from Marilyn; it was a book.

What I didn’t know then was this book would bring me to tears. It included our welcome, moments shared together, our goals, our vision, and our goodbye to the special retreat time. In this instance, Marilyn chose to go the extra mile. She spent not only her time, but her own money too, ensuring we would never forget all that we did at the retreat, what she taught us, what we shared, and how we learned. She dated it and included thirty four pages of photos and words from early morning workouts to late night TED talks. She captured each moment and sent it with love and encouragement to show us that she believed in us. She truly went the extra mile. I’m not sure she understands the depth of what the book means to me and how incredibly special it makes me feel.

This week, I encourage you to go the extra mile for someone in your life; make them feel invaluable to you and unable to imagine what life would be like without you there. You never know what going the extra mile for someone might do to change their life

What does living your exceptional life look like to you?

When was the last time you went the extra mile for someone?
When was the last time you showed someone how important they are to you?

What could you do professionally or personally this week to go the extra mile for someone?