It's amazing how things can change in a year.


I wasn't long ago when a family car trip consisted of quality time talking and listening to the same radio station. I used to love that bonding time.


On a long car ride to visit family, my husband listened to his customized radio station on his Blackberry, my daughter watched her own DVD with her headphones on and my son played a game on our laptop computer.


It really is amazing how technology has changed the way families spend their time together.


When my son has a friend over, the first thing they do (try to do!) is run down to the basement to play the latest Wii game. Forget about playing outside when the weather is nice. If I let them, they would never look at each other as they'd be glued to the tv to see where Mario was headed next.

Today, he told me, "Mom, I'm just not the kind of kid that likes to play outside. I like to play the Wii".

How absurd!!

What happened to the days that kids where outside after they eat breakfast and played all day long until you called them in and listened to them complain.

Technology is great, but it's like it's a crack addiction. We need an intervention!!

Gloom and doom?

There is so much negatively today, especially surrounding the economy.

Why don't I feel it??

I'm just amazed at all the wonderful people that are "out there".

As I continue to grow my business, I have found that I have surrounded myself with like minds. People who focus on success and want to give back. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have found so many extraordinary people who are willing to share their experiences in hopes to help me in my journey.

I have reached out to the "untouchables" and they have responded. . .

Exexutive coaches who choose to give me their expert advice because they care
International speakers who try to guide me where I want to be
CEO of a company sharing her advice
Regional marketing directors who share tips and techniques
Television "star" who is willing to share his experience working with the same
population as me

What better way to put yourself out there than to connect with the people you admire who have done what you have done. Learn from the best.

Of course there are so many more people locally who have given their time to me one on one. It just amazes me what happens when you put yourself out there and are open to receive what's waiting for you.

So if you are watching the news every day and reading the newspaper about all the gloom and doom surrounding us, surround yourself with something different.

Surround yourself with like minded individuals. Put yourself out there and see what comes back!!

Is your business doomed for failure?

I have found that being out on my own can be be a little scary and exciting at the same time.

Starting my own business was scary . . . I didn't have any formal training in business. Statistics show that many small businesses fail after three years. Was I going to be part of that statistic?

No way!

I enjoy learning new ways to improve my business. Although I'm an expert in my field, I have a lot to learn about running a business. To me that's where it gets exciting. I am not being formally educated at a college or university anymore, but I am continually educating myself. That's the key.

I go to the book store and library to find books to help me learn about various topics. I belong to associations and organizations to be part of a group and learn from others. I am part of an amazing business group where we learn and help each other grow. I participate in a mastermind group where we share our thoughts and aspirations with one another.

Here is a quote from Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich . . .

"The person who stops studying merely because he or she has finished school is forever hopelessly doomed to mediocrity, no matter what that person's calling. The way of success is the way of continuous pursuit of knowledge."

I welcome the challenge ahead of me. I know there will be temporary defeat, but as long as I treat each one as a learning experience and persist, failure can not compete.

Will your small business be here in three years? I know I will!

How do you breath?

So you need a little help getting rid of your stress . . .

Getting enough oxygen into your body is essential in order to remove toxins from your blood. Insufficient oxygen increases muscle tension and anxiety. Abdominal breathing elicits a relaxation response.

Below are some tips to develop deep breathing which will in turn reduce generalized stress.

How do you breath??

To determine if you breathe with your chest or abdomen, place your left hand on your chest and your right on your abdomen. Your pinkie finger should be just above your naval. Take a deep breathe and notice which hand moves more.

If your left hand moves, you are breathing shallow with your chest.
Chest breathing results in air being sent to the upper lungs where there is less capacity which results in shallow breathing.

If your right hand moves over your abdomen, KUDOS TO YOU . . . you are breathing abdominally, taking in sufficient oxygen with each breath! Abdominal breathing elicits the relaxation response we need to be able to control how we handle stress.

I need help!

To practice breathing abdominally, imagine your body is a balloon. Take a deep breath through your nose. With each inhalation, imagine you are blowing up a balloon. The air comes into your body and your abdomen (the balloon) begins to expand outward. When you exhale, the abdomen (balloon) releases the air. You should try making each inhale/exhale come through your nose.

Relaxation exercises must be practiced regularly to gain the benefits it has to offer. Reading about the techniques does little good unless you put them to use. To begin to form habits, start out spending 10-15 minutes twice a day practicing these exercises.

Make this time a reward for yourself ~ look forward to it.

Is it time to call the doctor?

Do you get sick frequently? The American Institute of Stress estimates that 75 - 90 percent of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. There are many signs that stress is causing physical as well as mental and emotional disorders ~ muscle aches, low back pain, insomnia, headaches, heart palpitations, irritability, frequent colds, trouble learning new information, change in appetite and jaw clenching are some ways stress manifests itself in your body.

But wait, before you panic, all stress is not bad!

Stress occurs when there is a challenge in front of you. Positive stress occurs when you react to something that creates pleasure or excitement, these are stimulating challenges. Negative stress occurs when you perceive the challenge is difficult, dangerous or painful.

What do you do to control your stress?

During a response to stress (flight or fight response), adrenal glands secrete corticoids (adrenaline, epinephrine, nor epinephrine) which inhibit digestion, reproduction, growth, tissue repair and immune and inflammatory systems. This could have negative effects on your body.

Relaxation response usually turns off this stress unless you accumulate many smaller stressors, in which case it could lead to stress related diseases. Research shows that many people hold their stress in a preferred system. For some it manifests itself in muscle tension and fatigue, for others it may affect the digestive track.

Know your body and how it reacts to stress. With awareness and attitude you can help to overcome much of the stress that attacks your body.

Who's in your inner circle and why?

Do you like who you’ve become since you have started that new school? Since you’ve gotten that new job? Since you’ve become part of that group?

Remember your parents telling you not to hang around with that crowd or that you couldn’t go to that friend’s house? Why?

According to Jim Rohen, self-made millionaire and successful author, take the average of five people you associate with and that represents, in a nutshell, who you are!

I like people. I think people, by nature, are good. I seek to find the good in others. I find myself wanting to emulate those who have become what I want to be ~ those who are nourishing, positive and uplifting. Others’ attitudes are contagious. Why spend time with those who will bring us down. If you do not like who you are becoming, then take a look at who you are associating with.

I choose to associate myself with people who are inspiring and motivating. In surrounding myself around these people, I can “catch” their positive attitudes and change how I feel about myself and events around me.

What are the qualities you admire most in others? Take a look at the people around you. Do any of them possess these qualities? Are they in your inner circle of friends? Who are the successful people in your school, team or job? Have you ever asked them the secret to their success?

When you associate with others who are successful, you can “try on’ their strategies and see if they work. If not, move on and try another!

Choose who you become by choosing those you spend time with.

You are in control!

We don’t have control of everything in our lives, so that which we can control should coveted!

Events occur throughout each day that are out of your realm of control. Although you can not control how or when something may happen, you can control how you will react to it. The events themselves are neither positive nor negative. It’s our reaction to them where we assign these perceptions. Take the following events for example . . .

You’re stuck in traffic . . .
You missed your plane connection . . .
Your boss lays into at you at a meeting . . .
You’re laid off from your job . . .
You lost a business deal . . .

Although you can’t control when these circumstances occur, you can control of how you react to the situation. You have a choice. You are in control of your response.

Possible outcomes to situations are a direct result of the situation and your reaction to them.

Although being laid off from your job or losing a business deal may originally be perceived as completely negative, ask your self some questions to find out how you can turn your negative perceptions of these events into something more positive. Remember, you have control over your response.

Perhaps losing your job will give you the push you needed to take a step outside your comfort zone. Maybe you will open a door that will allow you pursue your passion.

Things happen for some reason, but unless we are open to looking at how we can view these as something positive, we will never know what lesson we were supposed to learn from a particular situation.