How to motivate yourself – and others

BY GIOVANNI ROSELLI

“The way you overcome shyness is to become so wrapped up in something that you forget to be afraid.” — Lady Bird Johnson, manager, investor, beautification advocate and former first lady of the United States

It’s obvious that we have all been affected by COVID-19 in many personal and professional ways. I make my living presenting corporate wellness, fitness education and keynote presentations in front of large groups, as well as in one-on-one interactions through my fitness coaching. Needless to say, both of these industries have been in a complete shutdown and it will be a slow crawl back.

With this downtime, and since I often get asked how you get into public speaking, I’d like to share what I’ve learned about this and the best ways to break in. The world as we know it will change and who knows how events, speeches and presentations will be affected. What you will find is that a lot of what I’m mentioning for public speaking is also applicable to other walks of life.

It is still ironic to me that I’ve gotten to a point in my life and career where I HEALTH & FITNESS WELL

Motivational speaker-trainer Giovanni Roselli addresses a group. Courtesy Roselli Health & Fitness.

present and speak on a regular basis. I could not have been any shyer growing up. Additionally, I had a huge fear of public speaking. Fast forward many years later, I present and speak on a monthly basis, providing continuing education for the fitness community and corporate wellness seminars/keynotes. So how the heck did I get here?

Throughout our lives, we are often drawn to situations that make us confront our fears. As I entered the fitness industry and jumped down the rabbit hole of movement-based training, I became so engrossed and passionate about it, it helped take away my fears.

FIND YOUR ‘THING’

The best presenters in the world have honed their skills in their particular interest. Get to know your product/subject so you can be comfortable and confident describing it.

Think about all the experts that you can: There’s a good chance you will say that they are known for something specific. They have done their due diligence to become true experts and have found much success in their lane of focus.

FIND MENTORS

As you work hard and stay focused on learning as much as you possibly can about your particular topic, find someone who knows more and has more experience. Soak up as much information as you can from this expert. Offer to help him or her in any way you can.

PRACTICE

How do you get to Carnegie Hall? “Practice,” the old joke goes. It goes for everything in life. And, at this point in time, you have plenty of time to practice. So: • Practice in front of your mirror. • Practice in front of your friends, family and anyone who is willing to sit in front of you either at a safe distance in person or virtually. • Practice by filming yourself and reviewing it and have others review it as well.

PERSIST, BE PATIENT AND PAY YOUR DUES

Starting out, you need to be knocking on a lot of doors. Reach out to organizations and affiliations that you can see yourself working with and adding value to.

Have a PDF outline of what you will offer complete with learning objectives. Try to get yourself on video so the potential client has something to refer to visually as well.

If you are looking to represent companies or products, they may not need or want any additional employees at the moment. Keep holding yourself to the highest standard possible, keep getting a deeper understanding of your lane of interest, wait and keep yourself on the top of their minds.

GOTTA START SOMEWHERE

To summarize: • Get really good and knowledgeable about what you want to do. • Find a mentor who can help you grow and learn from him/her. • Start practicing as much as you can. • Put yourself out there. • Have the perseverance, patience and work ethic that puts you in the right places at the right times.

Is it fair to say that every single one of these points apply to going after anything in life? Now is not the time to get lazy and down. Now is the time to set yourself up to be better than before.

On a side note, if anyone is struggling with his fitness and/or nutrition regiment given the current set of circumstances, please feel free to reach out to me at Gio@GiovanniRoselli.com and I will be happy to assist you with my virtual online coaching program.

SMART HOMES FOR SENIORS

For millions of adults around the country, taking care of parents and other loved ones is a fact of life. Millions of Americans act as family caregivers for their aging parents, providing support in all kinds of ways -- cooking and cleaning, offering rides to appointments, or managing caregivers, who assist with activities of daily living.

Whether you live next door or around the corner, caring for an elderly relative can be challenging – physically, financially and emotionally.

Technology is now making it much easier to stay in touch with elderly loved ones and monitor their care from a distance. Barbara Faruggio, a registered nurse/home care planner with Westport-based Task Home Care Services Inc., says that in order to age in place successfully, a senior has to be able to engage with others, remain healthy and stay safe. “If you skip any of these, you run the risk of depression, isolation and poor health.”

Solutions like Alarm.com’s Wellness Platform offer caregivers peace of mind. “Integrated with Alarm.

com’s Interactive Security Service, Wellness offers family members peace of mind,” says Nick Santarsiero, founder and CEO of Property Protection Consulting LLC, “by combining hardware and software to benefit caregivers and aging adults alike.”

Unlike an emergency pendant or other standalone devices, Wellness connects a broad range of sensors and devices around the home to monitor overall quality of life.

Machine-learning algorithms analyze activity data to understand routines and patterns, detect changes that may indicate a risk or issue and proactively alert loved ones and caregivers.

Unlike emergency pendants, Wellness uniquely reports changes in sleeping and eating patterns, bathroom visit frequency and medication adherence, as well as emergencies.

The solution connects security sensors, lights, locks, thermostats and video, as well as bed sensors, alert buttons and sensors for medicine cabinets and refrigerators, enabling discreet but comprehensive monitoring of the home.

Plus, the Wellcam sports a 180-degree Wi-Fi camera, Bluetooth speaker, activity monitoring sensor, two-way calling and integration with Alarm.com’s existing ecosystem. “Once enabled,” Santasiero says,”this allows family members or caregivers to drop in on the camera anytime to see how a loved one is doing while the audio can be used for checking in on a loved one in a “Dad, everything alright?” scenario.

“For baby boomers, this can work to provide the physical infrastructure necessary to ensure healthy independent senior living in later years,” Faruggio says, adding that it’s likely the ‘smarter” choice. “Collectively these eye-catching features – motion sensors that respond to a range of medical conditions, voice activated technologies, smart thermostats and automatic lighting are allowing our aging population to enjoy both high living standards as well as easy access to care in their own homes, where they’ve spent a lifetime gathering memories while remaining connected socially as they age.”

ASSISTED LIVING AND MEMORY CARE AT THE CHELSEA AT GREENBURGH

The Chelsea at Greenburgh provides a home-like environment for residents who are cared for and cared about. Located just off I-287 and the Sprain Brook Parkway, the Town of Greenburgh offers the perfect balance between the quaint villages of the Rivertowns and the city conveniences of White Plains, 119 and Central Avenue.

The Chelsea offers brand new, upscale apartments with large windows and high ceilings, gourmet meals served in a restaurant-style dining room, a 24-hour emergency response system and a registered nurse on site daily. Our signature Lifestyle Program has something for everyone on a daily calendar of activities including outings for shoping and entertainment. There are beautiful sitting rooms and common spaces to chat with new friends. Enjoy quiet time with a book or computer in our library. Have coffee or tea in our lobby lounge any time. Our beauatiful new building also has a fitness center, landscaped courtyard, patio, pub and full service beauty salon. The Chelsea at Greenburgh offers the perfect blend of privacy and community involvement. You can take part in as much or as little as you like and feel perfectly at home in your own apartment, decorated with your own treasured possessions.

We have a special program for those with Alzheimer’s disease and other memory impairments, The Country Cottage, that features 24/7 care, a separate dining room and a secure environment, all supervised by a Certified Dementia Practitioner.

We look forward to taking our place in the local community. We've already forged partnerships with regional first responders--police, fire and EMS--along with local civic leaders, volunteers and professional colleagues in the senior care industry. We feel at home here on Dobbs Ferry Road and hope our future residents will feel the same way.

In lieu of visits and in-person tours while Coronavirus restrictions are in place, we are offering Virtual Tours. Call now to arrange one, 914-275-0010. See the full range of services provided by The Chelsea at Greenburgh and other Chelsea communitieis by visiting chelseaseniorliving.com.

WE’RE OK. HOPE YOU ARE, TOO.

It’s a brave new world at Chelsea Senior Living, but we’re guring it out, keeping our residents safe and in touch with their families. It’s what we’ve always done, company-wide, 365 days a year. Until we can welcome visitors again, call to reserve a Virtual Tour! 914-275-0010

ASSISTED LIVING & MEMORY CARE • COMING IN 2020 715 DOBBS FERRY ROAD | GREENBURGH, NY 10607 chelseaseniorliving.com