This year, since I’ve been taking it easy writing, moving into my new house, and reevaluating the next chapter in my professional career, I haven’t had the need to send out any press materials for a while. I recently signed up for an event hosted by Larry Winget (who I will finally get to meet in person!) and Joe Calloway, a business speaker. I want to learn the right way to market myself. I filled out an extensive questionnaire so Larry and Joe can better understand where I am and where I want to go.

They asked me to send a press package and copies of my book.

To my disappointment in myself, it took me an hour to find my new speaking DVD and another fifteen minutes to find the printable files I wanted to send them. I blame no one but myself. The DVD should have been on my desk and I should have had multiple copies of my press kit ready to go. It should have taken me one minute to get everything together instead of an hour and a half.

The lesson here is you should always be ready for something unexpected. What if a colleague called me and said, I’m going to an event tonight. Can I swing by and pick up your press kits?

The question is are you ready for something big to happen in your life? If you were to meet one of your potential clients or potential employers, do you have everything that you need? Is it at your fingertips? For example, I have my press kit online. I can go to any Kinkos and print it out. Is your resume updated? If you are an actor, do you have copies of your demo reel in the car?

I understand that we can’t anticipate every situation, but we can anticipate more than we can think.

Timelapse - Lighthouse (Oct 2012) from IMK Digital Multimedia on Vimeo.