Creative Career Tips, from Lisa Messenger

Lisa Messenger has never settled for anything second-rate. It is not part of her makeup or ethos. As Managing Director of Messenger Marketing and Messenger Publishing, Lisa makes people's dreams come alive on a daily basis by empowering them to publish that idea or motivational speech that has been latent within them for years - that perhaps sits latent in most of us. She oozes passion and drive at every corner and readily admits she never wants to "settle" or be "ordinary".A country girl, Lisa grew up in Coolah, attended Ascham Girls School in Sydney and after two years working abroad, she returned home to what quickly became a whirlwind career of conferences, incentives, marketing, sponsorship and now publishing.

"Every job I ever had I wanted to become a partner and have equity in the company. I think it was my destiny. I've always wanted to make a difference, suck the best out of life and live my dreams. I never want to live a discontented life. The one constant has been that I like to push parameters and explore opportunities to take a creative and non-traditional approach."

In October 2001, she took the entrepreneurial plunge and left corporate life to create Messenger Marketing. "I love being my own boss and making time for the things that increasingly matter to me in my life - family, friends and my interests outside of work. I don't want to be one of the 95 per cent who are dissatisfied with their jobs or unfulfilled in life."

Lisa draws inspiration from anywhere and everywhere. "The brain of an entrepreneur works a million miles an hour and there is always some new crazy project that I am thinking of creating or working on. I read broadly, get out and about as much as I can. I attend courses, immerse myself in new and different groups of people. I just get out there and try to soak it all up. I avoid a lot of traditional meetings and networking groups. I feel incredibly lucky that I've managed to escape the rat race and create a life that I love."

Lisa has worked globally in events, sponsorship, marketing, PR and publishing - you name it - she's possibly done it!. Her publishing and distribution model and success of her first book, Happiness Is… led to being named a finalist in the 2005 Telstra Business Woman of the Year and then again in 2006. Lisa has just launched her second book, an edgy new business book that's the first of its kind in Australia. This new publishing model is debunking all myths about self publishing being stuffy and unprofessional. Never one to be constrained by traditions and conventions, Lisa's passion, imagination, creativity, energy and business flair have led her on many fun and outrageous adventures. Thriving on challenges, smashing barriers and taking people beyond their comfort zone is what drives Lisa's "nothing's impossible approach."

Lisa's Top 15 Tips for Success

Dream Big. Chase your dreams until they become a reality. Don't be afraid of your passions. If you believe in them enough, your will find an inner strength to achieve them. It was a dream of mine for years to have my own business. Every job I had, I wanted to become a partner and have equity in the company. I think it was my destiny. It's been a fabulous personal challenge and has given me the freedom to do what I want when I want and adopt a real entrepreneurial attitude. I have had some amazing journeys and met some incredible people since starting. The support I have received has been phenomenal.

Have confidence! Happiness Is... evolved so quickly I didn't have time to think about it. It might sound strange but it's almost as if I didn't choose to do this project - it chose me. I just put it out to the universe and had a huge belief in something higher than myself and it all miraculously fell into place. I think a turning point and huge boost of confidence occurred when I attended a one day self-publishing course. I quickly realised that whilst many people had great ideas for books, few of them had any marketing experience. What gave me the courage were my years in marketing, sponsorship and PR, and I never once imagined I wouldn't succeed.

Don't procrastinate. Try not to postpone anything for the wrong reason. If you have to postpone anything, make sure it's because now is not the right time rather than because you're afraid to start.

Ban negative thinking! Become aware of the negative patterns you are perpetuating and de-program them. Replace them with positive habits to create a new way of living.

Maintain a positive outlook. You can take on the world, you really can. Don't let anyone drag you down. Remain focused and do not be constrained by tradition. Wherever possible, break convention and take risks.

Find a level of inner peace. Adopt a belief in a higher power which will take you beyond your emotional and intellectual boundaries. You may surprise yourself with how exciting the journey of great personal discovery becomes.

Surround yourself with the best. With a brilliant team and with brilliant minds.

Dump. Leave behind anything you're not passionate about. Pursuing ideas that don't sit well with you personal philosophy or ethics is a waste of time and a drain on your energy that's best avoided.

Delegate. Pass on anything that doesn't require top-level strategic thinking to keep yourself clear for important projects, to think and to dream.

De-stress. Deal with anything that could become unmanageable or an issue as it arises - that way I find I manage to pretty much alleviate stress. However I have managed to create an effective "switch off" mechanism out of the office. I have an EXTREMELY full life with golf, tennis, boxing, kayaking, writing (currently working on a novel and four non-fiction books), meditation, walking, journaling or a movie for a complete zone out. I'll pretty much try anything once and have managed to create an amazing work / life balance and I love it all!!

Always be passionate about what you do! Take risks. Create a vision for yourself, be in love with life, stay true to yourself and use this strength to become the person you want to be!!

Know who you are and what you want. After years of experience I can now say that I'm content and accepting of who I am. I have a greater awareness of my values and my beliefs. I think it is important to look deep within yourself to realise who you truly are, where you came from and what made you the person you are today.

Love what you do. If you don't like what you are doing now, change it. Refuse to live a discontented life.

Do something to make a difference. Success is very different to individuals. I measure it whether or not I'm making a difference. Since I've been propelled into the limelight through the media etc, I find that I actually have a platform to try to influence things. I've loved being able to have Kids Help Line as one of the benefactors of my book and providing a book for budding photographers to showcase their work in. I also love being my own boss and making time for the things that increasingly matter to me in my life - family, friends and my interests outside of work. I don't want to be one of the 95 per cent who are dissatisfied with their jobs or unfulfilled in life. I feel incredibly lucky that I've managed to escape the rat race and create a life that I just love.

Never Give Up. When I know what it is that I want, I have an uncanny knack of never giving up and making it happen. Sometimes just knowing what it is that I want is the hardest part. I have so many dreams and never ever want to close myself off to any opportunity. I suppose that is the true essence of an entrepreneurial mindset. My brain works a million miles an hour and there is always some new crazy project that I am thinking of creating or working on. It's never boring - I love it all!

If you'd like to read more about Lisa's business and careers tips, you can find it in her edgy new business book, Cubicle Commando. Kick-start your career or shake-up your current job with this revolutionary guide to creative business. Cubicle Commando hit bookstores in September for just $29.95 and includes a stack of case studies from leading businesses like Love Communications, IBM Australia, Mercedes-Benz Airport Express, 3 Minute Angels and Joie de Vivre Hospitality. See www.cubiclecommando.com.au and www.messengermarketing.com.au

Written by: Lisa Messenger and Zern Liew
Title: Cubicle Commando
Publisher: Messenger Publishing
RRP: $29.95

More on Cubicle Commando

www.femail.com.au/cubicle-commando.htm