Growing up, I think everyone had at least one favourite superhero, right? I, myself, grew up with a lot of male cousins, so there were always comic books lying around, Saturday morning superhero cartoons, and we watched it all. I was an X-Men girl, and I loved all things Storm. I still do, to some extent, and I think I channel that superhero energy and persona when I’m feeling particularly intimidated or anxious with anything at work.

You see, Storm, even being surrounded by the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops, and the other strong male personalities of the X-Men team, was a powerhouse in her own right. She has the foresight to remain cool in heated situations, the intelligence to devise complex plans and lead her team to victory when needed, and the power to manipulate and control the elements around her and her enemies. She’s strong, smart, beautiful, and let’s face it, she kicks major butt. She may not be a living, breathing example of a powerful business woman, but for me, she’s become a very tangible symbol of female empowerment within a male-dominated industry or team.

So when I’m in a meeting dominated by males who are speaking loudly and laughing at jokes, I think of how Storm’s voice can cut through the din in the calmest and most powerful manner, bringing the team back to focus while maintaining her aura of cool, collected control. When I’m walking into a business situation where my confidence is lacking or I don’t feel secure or superior, I walk like Storm, as if the winds follow at my heels the sun shines because I’ve told the clouds to stand at bay.

The fact is, while I stand firm behind my assertion that businesswomen must be capable, competent, and confident, the latter is not always a given. We’re human, after all, and sometimes that confidence wavers.  So, why not channel your very own superhero and borrow that strength, that power, and that killer instinct, for the task at hand?

So, my superhero is Storm.  Yours might be another comic book heroine, but it could very well be your mom, your sister, a celebrity, an old colleague, or your dearest friend.  The best part is that in 2012, there is no shortage of positive examples for female business empowerment around us, so the list is long and the choice is ours.

I’m especially excited at the prospect of the generation of business women who’ll come after me; the little girls who won’t be restricted to one of a handful of super heroines on a team predominantly led by males.  Maybe – just maybe – if I play my cards right, when it comes time for them to channel their own superhero example, they’ll choose me!

Like most entrepreneurs, I approach social media profiles from a strictly business perspective. I advertise my articles, my listings as a real estate professional, my book, I network with other professionals, advertise events, and update with what I consider to be valuable industry information religiously. With the saturation of this type of branding though, I’ve been wondering lately if marketing like this actually works.
Nowadays, it’s become common place to see the ads strategically placed on the right hand side of my Facebook profile or the “Sponsored” trending topics on Twitter, but I have to admit, I don’t think I’ve ever clicked in to one of these advertisements, and apparently I’m not alone. According to customer satisfaction analytics experts, ForeSee Results, who surveyed 300,000 consumers on more than 180 websites across a dozen private and public sector industries, reported that fewer than 1 percent of website visits come directly from a social media URL. So, when it comes to how much money I’m willing to invest in this type of marketing, I’m a bit confused.
Granted, most social media advertising techniques cost nothing but time. Setting up a Facebook page costs nothing, and if you can build up a solid fanbase of “Likes” from relevant and possible consumers, than you have a direct line to speak to people who can influence the bottom line of your business. But as far as the paid advertisement spots on these social media sites, I’m still not convinced that this investment would result in actual money being made for my company.
Of course, there’s also the concept of brand awareness, and any entrepreneur knows the worth of a recognizable brand. Perhaps the key with social media marketing is getting your name out there enough times to enough people so that when they do require the services you provide, your name will be front of mind and, even more than that, you’ll probably be pretty easy to find.
I’m not sure what the balance is exactly between how much energy and resources to put into social media marketing and how much return to expect in terms of website traffic, brand awareness, or sales, but I have a feeling it’s just like any other channel. There’s no panacea here – just another marketing tool that we’ll all need to grasp and learn and use appropriately for our business needs.

It’s usually around 4 o’clock on a Sunday afternoon when it starts. It’s worse in the winter when days are short. Dark, slippery, and foreboding it’s difficult to explain exactly what this feeling is about without sounding slightly ridiculous.

Given that it happens so often, I should be less vulnerable but getting sucked in is part of the problem. It’s a little bit “first day of school” tremors, a little bit “I’ve-just-been-lucky-so-far-that-no-one-has-noticed-that-I-resemble-a-Komodo-dragon” and an unwavering conviction that I cannot face my job in the morning.

Much has been made of Monday morning blahs, but I venture to suggest that I am not alone in my experience of the more menacing hours that occur before Monday ever gets started.

I first noticed this pattern after reading an article about anxiety – although this is more rumination than specific worrying – but anyway, the author suggested that close observation of one’s thoughts would reveal that most of our concerns are the same movie we watch repeatedly. It’s exactly the same set of random thoughts. I need to hit the gym more; this week I really will eat better; I should look into that dance class I’ve been meaning to find out about and actually, why, unlike other people, do I never have all of the ingredients for a kale smoothie? (Including kale, which seems especially important).  I find this fascinating; and all the more so since, as a self-help devotee, I should be striving to eliminate such destructive thoughts patterns. Instead, I not only allot them top billing in my mind, but throw in a dressing room and some complimentary kindling as well.

Personally, I believe that the Internet has a lot to answer for. What better way to nobly distract yourself from Sunday Night Fever than by spending hours reading about how to make your own soap or – less nobly – looking at Jessica Simpson’s pregnancy photos? Suddenly, the light is failing and once more you haven’t been to the store to buy steel cut oats and blueberries.

Interestingly too – and I mention this here as evidence that the problem is universal – Buddhist literature calls this phenomenon the “monkey mind.” Thoughts fly from one branch to the next (I like to imagine a penetrating chimpanzee shriek here) and the meditator is supposed to wait until they subside. The only flaw here is that by that time, it could be Sunday night again …