Me, Inc. How to Master the Business of Being You

Advance praise for Me, Inc "Ventrella takes the best practices of Fortune 500 companies and shows how you can apply them to another important venture—you! Your life deserves at least as much attention as your job does, so read this book and turn your time on Earth into a satisfying, meaningful enterprise." —Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager and Leading at a Higher Level "Rarely does a book so authentically capture the essence of what a true personal brand transformation is all about. Me, Inc. provides a unique approach to discovering your personal brand and making it a reality. Through Ventrella's insights and invaluable self-discovery tools, readers quickly learn that when you build your personal brand, you build a brand of value—value that eloquently translates into success throughout every facet of your life." —Laura Tessinari, Senior Partner, Director of Training, Ogilvy & Mather "The Me, Inc. program has guided me on the path to even greater personal and professional achievement and life satisfaction than I ever thought possible." —Jack Hallahan, Vice President, Advertising and Brand Partnerships, MobiTV "In all of the thirteen years since I first heard Ventrella speak on this subject, I have consistently been impressed by the value of his approach and the responses of the hundreds of students who have benefited from his structured program. With the publication of Me, Inc., Ventrella reveals to a much larger audience the way to create successful, happy lives. His students at Fordham and executive coaching clients have been applying it with excellent results for years." —James A. F. Stoner, Professor Fordham University, Graduate School of Business Administration "Me, Inc. provides a clear road map to achieving your goals and finding greater work-life balance. Ventrella's approach offers an interesting and powerful way to assume control; by managing your life's ambitions as seriously as you might a business endeavor, you can clarify your thoughts, set priorities, and turn your dreams into reality. Ventrella is a very effective coach and, like any good boss, he doesn't let you off the hook. You want to change things? Look no further." —Teri Schindler, Media Consultant, Patrick Davis Partners

Introduction Living on Purpose: 1 Yes, You Can Have the Exceptional Life You've Always Dreamed Of ACTIVITY: Quality-of-Life Index 30 Phase I: Figuring Out What You Want and Why You Want It Milestone 1, The Burning Platform: 34 Week 1 Making a Case for Change ACTIVITY: Cost of Inefficient Living (COIL) 37 Milestone 2, "I Always Wanted to Be . . .": 43 Week 2 Establishing Your Platinum Standard ACTIVITY: The Big Dig 53 Phase II: Creating Your Exceptional Living Plan Milestone 3, What Matters Most: 62 Week 3 Getting Your Priorities Straight ACTIVITY: Priority Pyramids 74 Milestone 4, Who Matters Most: 77 Week 4 Incorporating Others into Your Plan ACTIVITY: Circles of Customers 80 Milestone 5, To the Horizon and Beyond!: 85 Week 5 Setting Goals and Uber-Goals ACTIVITY: Idea Juicing 93 Milestone 6, Now You've Got It: 95 Week 6 Putting It All Together ACTIVITY: The Exceptional Living Plan 97 Phase III: Turning Your Plan into Reality Milestone 7, A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: 105 Weeks 7-8 Figuring Out What's Working and What's Not ACTIVITY: Picturization 108 Milestone 8, Firefighting: 113 Weeks 9-10 Leaving the Crisis Zone ACTIVITY: The Five Why's 122 Milestone 9, The Art of Anticipation: 125 Week 11 Wowing Your Customers ACTIVITY: Quick Pulse Check 128 Milestone 10, Free to Be: 131 Weeks 12-13 Empowering Yourself and Others ACTIVITY: Outsourcing 139 Milestone 11, The A-Plus Player: 143 Weeks 14-15 Entering the Purpose Zone ACTIVITY: Supercharge Me! 147 Phase IV: Keeping Your Momentum Going Milestone 12, The Only Constant in Life Is Change: 152 Week 16 Embracing the Spirit of Continuous Improvement ACTIVITY: This Is Your Life 155 Epilogue Would You Follow You?: 161 Being a Leader Acknowledgments 163