3 Ways Associations Can Live Dangerously in 2013

What if 2013 was the year of living dangerously for associations? What kind of changes would we see?

Fear is such a pain. It saps our energy; develops more of the same old thing. Fear creates doubt in the place of excitement. Fear sucks. 

And yet, when we drill down into why many decisions are made the way they are in organizations, we find fear at the root. Or the budget. But the budget only reflects priorities, so we're back to fear and why it kills in the most uninteresting ways imaginable. 

Fear in associations creates decision making that kills by boredom, repetition, and a disregard for changing societal landscapes. 

So what if we lost our ability to fear for a year? 

1. Experimenting With The Membership Model: A new pricing structure...the Freemium model...a new membership type...virtual membership... what options are you offering your members? Do you have several ways your members could get and stay involved with your organization. In a year of living dangerously an association would try something new with their membership model. What do you think? Are you ready for a new Blogger/Social Media Ambassador Membership type? What would the requirements for that member be? What would they receive in return? 

2. Identifying Better (READ: Kick Ass) Member Benefits: Is your magazine worth it to me to be a member? Do you have varying levels of benefits I could choose from at different price levels? Do I have options as a member for each level of membership? Does your organization provide me with ways I can easily BUY MORE ENGAGEMENT? Identifying some smart member benefits for on-boarding new members and thrilling existing members would fit in well in a year of living dangerously for associations.

3. Taking a Deeper Look At The Annual Meeting: Do you need it? Is it what it should be? Could there be a dramatic overhaul that refreshes the Annual Meeting? What if you invested more? Invested less? What would the most ideal Annual Meeting look like for attendees? Start from scratch. What could you do instead of an Annual Meeting? Several events? Should your Annual Meeting take place with a different format? What if you had to do it without a budget? What if you had all the money you needed? Associations who were taking up the mantle to live dangerously would take a chance with their Annual Meetings recognizing they could have a huge impact be doing more than allowing for small "tweaks" to their meeting. 

Happy New Year's Eve! What do you think? What else would associations do in a year of living dangerously?

Non-Negotiable Time

Are you tired of the rat race and sick to death of your job and everything about it ESPECIALLY as we approach 2013? Fierce guru for women entrepreneurs, Marie Forleo, talks about her NNT (non-negotiable time) that she uses to avoid burnout and it really got me thinking. The holidays tend to overwhelm many of us (I am no exception) and so any ideas of ways to combat fatigue catch my attention. Forleo's NNT topic actually got me thinking so much that I took this idea of NNT over to my new community, Amplified Growth: A Group For Women Entrepreneur's so I could get their feedback.

So what's NNT all about? NNT consists of things you do for yourself on a daily basis to keep you on an even keel, avoid burnout, and maybe even help to inspire you along the way. Writing in a journal, prayer, meditation, a walk around the block, a coffee break, or even a daily retreat into a broom closet for 15 minutes of quiet time can count. The point is, it is non-negotiable so it is something you give yourself every day to keep you going. 

What three things do you do on a daily basis to keep you positive and forward moving as opposed to swampy and burned out?

I thought about this question and realized I had no good NNT plan in place! So I decided to test out a new one to see how it would impact my productivity and how it would make me feel about my work (and myself) at the end of the day. Here is what I'm testing out:

KiKi's NNT Plan
1. Each day list 3 brags, 3 gratitudes, and 3 desires I have. 
2. Incorporate green juice into every day for a boost of nutrients and energy.
3. Schedule 2 dance breaks (mid-morning and mid-afternoon) to boost my energy, metabolism, and happiness. I actually scheduled these on my calendar. The rule is I must dance to at least ONE full song before getting back to work. (I'm starting to keep track of my dance breaks and green juice on this blog, as well.)

What does your NNT look like, or do you need to create your own NNT plan? Please share below in the comments. 

Dance break #1 today was Maroon 5's "One More Night" - enjoy. ;)