achievement – Alissa Finerman

Alissa Finerman talks with Possibiliteas about the Creative Process

March 30, 2012 By Alissa Finerman Leave a Comment

This interview was featured on the popular site Possibiliteas

Alissa Finerman is the author of Living in Your Top 1%, a book that encourages and helps readers create a personal roadmap to excel in life. Alissa is a life coach and speaker, who traded in a Wall Street career to pursue her passion: helping others bring out their greatness and making “Living in Your Top 1%” a way of life. She has appeared on national radio stations including CBS, Citadel Broadcasting, Clear Channel Radio, and Heartbeat Radio. She is also a regular blogger for PositivelyPositive.com and Virgin.com. Alissa holds an MBA from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She received her coach certification from New York University. She is also a former professional tennis player, and was ranked #1 in the USTA National Women’s 40 Doubles in 2008, 2009, and 2011.

Define creativity. What does it mean to you? And how has it inspired your career?

For me, creativity is about innovation, thinking differently, creating space, being expansive, and going beyond what’s possible to see things in a new and different light. The amazing part is that creativity will shine its light for each of us in different and beautiful ways. I don’t consider myself an overly creative person but I’m much more creative than I used to be.

Thankfully, the need for creativity influenced me to leave a successful Wall Street career and look beyond my current career path to explore a non-corporate lifestyle. As a result, I left my finance job and moved from NYC to Santa Monica, CA and became a Business/Life Coach, author and speaker. It has inspired me to go after my dreams, take chances (i.e., writing my first book, Living in Your Top 1%) and see what’s possible outside the finance world. Creativity is about tapping into your natural strengths, opening new doors, and letting yourself shine.

How do you navigate the creative process?

Each project is always different but I do practice consistent rituals. For example, when I was writing my book, which is a creative process, I wrote every morning for 4 hours regardless of how I felt. Sometimes the result was only one sentence that I liked and other times I wrote several chapters. For me, I need to create an open space in my mind to let my thoughts flow…to do this, I may go for a run in the early am, go on a hike, take a yoga class, or read. I need to quiet my mind and clear away all the distractions (phone, email, Facebook, etc) and just focus on what I’m doing. You never know what the result is going to be. That part is exciting to me.

When I’m writing an article, I’ll create my draft and then let it sit for a day before I come back and read it again. I like having some time for my ideas to settle, think through something, and gain clarity.

I also train myself to think in terms of the ideal outcome rather than let any obstacles come into my thinking. I like to focus on the “what if” rather than the “why it’s not possible.” This mindset is powerful for me.

Describe the biggest creative obstacle you’ve faced in the past. How did you hurdle it?

Writing my first book and figuring out how to do everything from A to Z. I talked to as many people in various parts of the industry to learn as much as I could about the writing, publishing, and marketing process, best approaches and then ultimately, I had to make the decisions. There are lots of good people out there who are happy to talk to you. Sometimes you have to check your ego and ask for help.

Who is your favorite creative figure? How have they inspired your creativity?

There are so many creative geniuses, it’s hard to pick just one. I admire and gain inspiration from many people including Steve Jobs (for his amazing innovation), Alvin Ailey (amazing dance company), Roger Federer (creative genius on the tennis court), Steven Spielberg (creating some of the best films and sharing the power of story), and Ellen (talented comedian) to share a few.

If you could choose one quote as your life mantra, what would it be?

Two words that I say everyday in my mantra are love and abundance. One of my favorite quotes is,

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” – Henry David Thoreau

About Alissa

Alissa Finerman is an Executive Coach and Gallup Certified Strengths Coach, speaker and author of Living in YOUR Top 1%. She works with managers, C-suite executives and teams to leverage strengths, shift beliefs and achieve meaningful goals. Alissa has an MBA from the Wharton School and a BA from the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked with Ross Stores, Petco, BNP Paribas, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, Brookfield Property Partners, Neutrogena, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dress for Success. To learn more about coaching with Alissa, please visit her website and follow her on Facebook

Developing As A Leader

March 24, 2012 By Alissa Finerman Leave a Comment

Are you ready to step into the CEO role for your life?

A theme that continues to emerge this week with my clients is LEADERSHIP. Whether you run a business, your life or your family, there is a need for leadership in your life. The question is what type of leader are YOU? And would someone want to be on your team?

Defining your leadership style is essential to move into YOUR Top 1%.

One of my clients is taking over a non-profit organization, another runs a residential real estate firm, one is building her jewelry business and brand, another is an investment advisor, and still another is a mom and CEO of her family. Some people manage themselves and others manage a team (yes, kids are part of your team just like employees).

I encourage you to consider the following questions to help build your personal leadership style:

How would you define your leadership style?
Are you laid back or a micro manager? Do you support and have time to listen and mentor the people on your team or are you always stressed out and too busy? Do you encourage people on your team to take chances or to stay within the dotted lines?

Would you want to be on your team?
Switch roles for a moment and think if you would want to work for yourself.

How effective is your leadership style?
Are you getting the results you want and what if anything needs to shift? When was the last time you asked for feedback?

Do you clearly communicate your vision and goals?
This is a tricky one because you need to have a vision and goal to be able to communicate them. Often, ineffective leaders are not clear about where they want to go so it is challenging to share a clear path forward. Clarity and communication in this area is critical.

What does it cost you NOT to step up and be a great leader?
This is one of my favorite questions because you have to consider how you are holding yourself, your team or your organization back by not being your best as a leader. What does it cost you in morale, energy, productivity, $$’s, time and even peace of mind?

Top 1% Bottom Line: Defining your leadership style and practicing it is a ritual that can help you have a breakthrough year both in your personal and professional life. All you need is the desire to learn and grow.

About Alissa

Breakthrough To YOUR Top 1%

March 8, 2012 By Alissa Finerman Leave a Comment

“Ask what you want, WHY you want it, and HOW you are going to get it.”
– Anthony Robbins

And set a GOAL! By now I hope you know I’m a big fan of setting goals. The YOU INC. blueprint from Ritual One of my book, Living in Your Top 1%, is what I use with my clients to help them set goals in each area of their life. This tool is highly effective to assess where you are and where u want to go.

Living in Your Top 1% is a process, not magic.

WHY GOALS?
Goals are the best way I know to turn yourself into a dream maker from a day dreamer (see 5 Strategies for Success to achieve your Goals).

When you take a vacation you think about two things for starters:

1. Where you want to go? (warm vs. cold, beach vs. skiing, domestic vs. international, etc.)
2. When you want to go?

The same two questions apply in your goal-setting process:
1. Where do you want to go? (write a book vs. change jobs)
AND
2. By when? (this year or in five years)

If you have no idea where you want to go for your vacation, you probably won’t go anywhere. The fact is most people take more time to plan their one week vacation then they do to plan their goals for the year. This sounds ridiculous but it’s true.

This post is going to push you one step further with your goals. Read on only if you want to move into YOUR Top 1%…

BREAKTHROUGH GOALS
A powerful tactic I love is to set a breakthrough goal. This is a goal that would catapult you to the next level in your career, finances, brand, confidence, or knowledge etc. Breakthrough goals take you into your Top 1% and present a world of possibilities. They make your eyes light up and put a huge smile on your face. They provide a spark of energy and excitement.

Let’s take a moment and dream about what would be thrilling to achieve this year…

Will this be the year you become a bestselling author, complete your masters degree, start your own profitable business, move from NYC to LA (yes, go for it!), be on Good Morning America, say goodbye to a toxic relationship, work with ten Fortune 500 companies, be the keynote speaker for a conference inspiring women around the world, be on the cover of Forbes for developing a product that changes lives or finally be debt free?

Breakthrough goals are empowering!
They are game changers!
They are a little crazy!
They are possible!
They are available to all!
And most importantly, they HAPPEN!

TOP 1% BOTTOM LINE: It doesn’t cost you anything more to set a BREAKTHROUGH GOAL. We were meant to dream and think about what’s possible for you to Live in YOUR Top 1%. The real question is what does it cost you NOT to set a Breakthrough goal? Can you afford THAT?

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About Alissa

Follow-through to Reach YOUR Top 1%

February 7, 2012 By Alissa Finerman 1 Comment

“You don’t kind of let go, you don’t kind of ride waves. You either ride them or you don’t.”
~ LAIRD HAMILTON

I’ve played tennis since I was four years old and competed in college at UC Berkeley, on the Professional Tennis Tour, and, most recently, on the USTA Women’s Doubles 45 Circuit. These experiences have taught me one thing that I know for sure, as Oprah likes to say….

You have to follow-through if you want results on AND off the tennis court.

When you hit a forehand and stop your swing midway, the shot will be subpar. To hit your best forehand, you need to be in position, make contact with the ball, and then follow-through. This is a simple and proven principle for success on the court and applies to life as well.

The question is…

What ideas are you going to follow-through with off the court? You either do or you don’t follow-through. There’s no middle ground!

Having great ideas and doing nothing with them is similar to talking about planning a great vacation with your 80,000 frequent flyer miles and then letting the miles expire. Sounds silly, right?

We all have lots of great ideas — some of my clients want to change jobs, start their own side business, become an entrepreneur, create passive income, or make a difference and start a foundation. Some people are daydreamers and others are dream makers. The key is to make choices that align with your values and goals so that you naturally take action on your ideas.

Creating Top 1% moments is heavily dependent on your FOLLOW-THROUGH!

Winners have great ideas + put them into action.

What priorities will you take action on to “Live in Your Top 1%” and have your best year?

TOP 1% BOTTOM LINE: Think about what it costs you NOT to Follow-through on your ideas?

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
~ NAPOLEON HILL

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About Alissa

Got a Goal, Now What?

January 24, 2012 By Alissa Finerman Leave a Comment

The beginning of the year is both exciting (with all the amazing things you want to accomplish in your life) and overwhelming because you have so many things you want to achieve and are not sure what to do first. So congrats on setting a goal. That’s a huge step and a big win. Now the question becomes how are you going to get from where you are to where you want to go?

Goals are a starting point and they help you step up to the plate and get in the game. The only way to stay in the game is by taking continuous small steps to make progress.

Here’s a simple process to get started AND keep moving forward (key word is simple):

1. Write down all your goals, just do a download.
In an ideal world what would you accomplish this year?
– Pursue goals that genuinely excite you rather than someone else
– Ask yourself why the goal is important
– Vague Goals = Vague Results. So be specific!

2. Prioritize the goals that need to get done first
Some goals you pursue to meet basic survival needs and others can be for pure enjoyment.
– Focus on goals that are both important and a priority to you (important is not enough, you need to narrow them down)

3. Identify your top tier goal and focus
The challenge is to identify the most important goal which becomes your Top Tier Goal. These are the goals that help you live in your top 1%! You can also refer to Ritual Four in my book which focuses solely on goal setting.
– The reason we get overwhelmed is because we focus on too many things at once. Choose one goal for starters. You can bring more goals into the mix once you are rolling.

4. Breakdown your top tier goal into small steps
Small steps help to build confidence by generating a series of “wins.”
– Write down all the small steps you can take to make progress on this goal.
For example, I have a client who wants to start his own advertising company. This is a big goal that can be overwhelming. But once you break it down and look at each of the areas of the company (financing, marketing, operations, sales etc), you can start taking small steps in each area.
– Take action on your small steps.

Small Steps = Big Results!

TOP 1% BOTTOM LINE: Setting a goal is a major part of creating something but it’s only the beginning. Growth occurs in the gap between saying what you want to accomplish and making it happen.

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About Alissa

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