Being at the forefront

Hi Everyone,

I was contacted recently by someone I worked with at one of the big seminars I went to about this new web page that will sweep the nation in the next few weeks. It's a way for you to have your own home page, get cash back on your purchases...and it's free. To me, that's a success secret if I ever heard of one.

Why have your own page? You can shop at some of the biggest companies - iTunes, Gap, BestBuy, Southwest Airlines, Dell and so many more and get great prices...and cash back! You can personalize the very beautiful site with your favorite news, sports, fantasy sports, music, games and social networks You can share your site with all your friends. When they shop, you get cash back from their purchases too

It's absolutely free!

Ever wonder how some people are lucky because they get in at the beginning of a big trend? Be lucky today and join at noon. It's estimated that over a million emails are going out at noon today so if you have the chance, join for free at noon and then send this email to your friends. You can customize your page later. The key today is to get to as many people as possible so you can benefit from their membership.

There is no downside to this even if you personally never shop online. I promised myself a long time ago to only share what I truly believe will help people and this is one of those opportunities. I'm lucky that someone chose to share it with me.

Check it out now at www.tinyurl.com/blastofftoday

Marianne

That makes me happy!

Autumn in New England - the temperatures are perfect, the air smells sweet and the foliage is breathtaking! It makes me happy.

I recently noticed myself saying those exact words for things that bring a smile to my face or warm my heart in some way. Working every Saturday with my cousin Val and my brother Bob makes me happy. Being able to help both my parents through some major projects makes me happy. Sleeping in on a Sunday morning makes me happy. "Makes me happy" is a simple phrase but it's loaded with significance because those times are windows into the soul. They define the best parts of life.

What makes you happy? Do you know? Or do you find yourself stumbling along from chore to appointment, waiting for the end of the work day, the weekend, or the vacation? Those times feel so fleeting that we hardly can capture them. Unless we stop and begin to notice the times, the events, the people, the surroundings that make us happy. Start noticing and collecting those moments. Pay attention to the little...and big things...that make you happy. And if it's a person who does that for you, let them know. I'm sure it will make them happy too!

Have a happy day!
Marianne

PS...my cousin recommended this website to help get good deals at restaurants. IT's www.restaurant.com for some deeply discounted certificates. Just type in your zip code.

PPS...this did NOT make me happy and I'm sharing it so the same thing won't happen to you. Be careful when you rent a car. Some now come with stickets on the window saying that you don't need to stop to pay tolls. When I saw that, I figured the toll amount ($1 for the bridge I went over) would be added to my total rental. Nope! I was charged $11 by a company called Plate Pass who charged me $2.50 a day for the privilege of having that sticker on my window. Not nice Hertz for connecting with a company like that. Am I at fault for not reading the small print? Yes but I've rented cars for over 20 years and didn't expect to have something like that sneaked in.

Maine rumblings....

I just got back from Maine and heard two statements that really made me take notice. The first was from Marie, a lovely woman who I thoroughly enjoy visiting with when I get up that way. We were talking about people we had lost - her wonderful husband Dale and for me, my dear friend Annie. She told me that Dale had a motto for life: if you want to do something, do it now. And they did - from traveling, to camping, to golfing to snowmobiling to who knows how much more. What an amazing life they must have had together. And what fascinating memories she has now.

Some look at people who live full lives and say how lucky they are. Lucky, maybe. But it seems like they decided to make the most of every day. And that's something we all can do any time we make that decision. What are you putting off that you really want to do? Can you find a way to do whatever it is, without jeopardizing anything important of course? Then go do it. Do it now.

The second statement was overheard in the Black Dog store in Portland. I have no idea what the context was but the statement jumped out. "We've all done something stupid. Laugh and move on!" How many people get stuck wallowing over the memory of something stupid they've done, something they can't change, something that in the grand scheme probably has been forgotten by everyone but them?

We've all done 'stupid'. We've all made mistakes. Look at the mistake, figure out what you're supposed to learn. Laugh at the life lesson. And indeed move on. Pretty much everyone else has. Why not you? And if you don't look for ways to make your life fun, who will?

So go out. Find a way to do the things you always wanted to do. And if you make a few stupid mistakes along the way, just laugh and move on!

Marianne

PS...some gorgeous bluebirds just popped in front of my window. Could they be the bluebirds of happiness? Maybe! :)

The beauty of change...sometimes...

Things changing a lot for you? Summer tends to be a time of change, most of it fairly good unless you have the weather we've had in New England for the past 6 weeks. I'm not complaining because it's allowed me to catch up on work...and sleep. I don't mind change and have to admit, I often seek it out, which I know is not the most comfortable scenario for most people. But sometimes simple change brings great rewards.

Case in point. I have a small house with small rooms. I like open spaces but am not ready financially and emotionally to start tearing down walls. The worst room has been my office...the place where I create...books, seminars, websites, newsletters. My desk faced the wall and there hardly any room around it. I don't work well in that environment...it makes me feel closed in both physically and creatively.

This week I got a new computer (I'm setting up my 85 year old parents with my old ones so they can go online - watch out world!) Since I needed help to get everyting unplugged and reassembled, I figured it was a good time to move the desk. Now I sit here with the desk up against the front window and what a difference! I actually enjoyed coming in here this morning becuase now my view seems unlimited. Ok, there are still boxes and piles of stuff to be put away which is never any great fun, but the space in the office and the space out my window is so worth it!! Besides, I can't see them easily because they're behind me. It may not be Feng Shui (sp?) worthy but it's sure working for me!

What simple change can you make that changes everything? Wayne Dyer says, "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." Absolutely right!

Middle of the night quesions...and answers

Why am I up at 3 am? I never get up in the middle of the night! Then I remembered listening to Wayne Dyer a few years ago who said when you wake up like this it's for a reason. I struggled to find something on TV that would help me fall back to sleep because I need to work at the annual CVS Charity Golf Classic later today and need to be rested. Scan the channels...old TV classics, cable news...informercials...no, no, no...wait...

Tony Robbins...the person who started my journey back in the mid '90's with his first Personal Power II tapes. The man who answered when I wrote 10 letters to his company saying his work was powerful and that we needed to bring it to teens. The man whose company invited me to attend his first youth leadership workshop back in 2000, the one that inspired me to create my award winning Strategies program. The man who really inspired me to seek out what truly makes people successful. Ah...and here he is at what is now 4 am...

You see, I've been struggling lately with my life. Many good things have been coming my way and I'm grateful but I have been miffed at why I can't seem to cross that last big divide, the one that separates the reasonably successful from the truly successful. It's why I read Jean Chatzky's The Difference and ended up on her radio show and Oprah.com. It's why I started with Tony all those years ago.

And now I need to find that answer...in myself but with Tony's guidance one more time....before I turn my program into weekend seminars for teens and adapt it for college freshmen..to guide my nephew who needs the help to move in the direction he can't quite figure out yet...to give me the boost I need to bridge that gap...one more time...to be the person I was truly meant to be...

That's why I'm up...that's what I needed to figure out...and the funny thing is that I found his Get the Edge CD's the other day as I was cleaning out my den...when you truly know what want...the universe, God, Buddha, Allah...is waiting to bring you what you asked for...

My message to you? Be open to the proven resources out there...the people whose life work has been to guide and teach us...we can all learn from each other if we don't block the pathways to learning and growing...

How can I help you?

Taking action...

Another week of paying attention to what's missing in my life, telling myself that solutions to those problems are close by...and then whoosh! Watch them show up in ways even I couldn't envision. You can do this too..here are the steps.

1. If something's bothering you, stop and think about what it really is. (for me, it's the working alone at home situation which doesn't work for my social nature)

2. Tell yourself that you're going to figure out a way to solve whatever it is. You don't have to fully believe it...just tell yourself (better than telling yourself you'll never figure it out!)

3. Take some action of some sort that moves you closer. Believe me when I tell you it can be small. All I did was go to dinner with some friends who I've been trying to connect with for a year.

4. Stand back and watch the solutions present themselves right in front of your face!! (I had 4 separate solutions to my problem all appear within 24 hours of following these steps!)

I can't guarantee that it will work as perfectly for you...but it's worked so well for me so many times that it's my go-to solution.

What's not working in your life?? Are you ready for it to change? Hang on for the ride!

Oprah...Air France..

Hi Everyone!

More random thoughts.

First of all, my deep sympathies to the friends and families of those on the Air France flight that disappeared over the Atlantic this week. We're lucky that air travel has become so safe but every now and then, a series of events causes an event such as this. In my training to be a pilot, we were always told that accidents were always a series of circumstances rather than one issue. They'll probably find that's the case here as well. I hope it doesn't turn you away from flying. If you have a fear of flying, I highly recommend the letter I got from retired Captain Tom Bunn reading this article from a former airline captain who helps people overcome this fear.

Second, as I mentioned last week, I did end up on Oprah.com!! If you want to check that out, click here. I'm pretty excited about being there. And I'm even more grateful that they allowed me to post a link to my leadership/success site. I'm not sure where this will take me next, but if it let's more teens learn the strategies in this program so that they can design great lives for themselves, then my goal is getting closer every day!

Next, a former student had a description of what a teacher makes which really was wonderful. I don't know where it came from so I can't credit anyone in particular. If you've ever heard the phrase, "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach," and maybe even a little piece of you believed it about teachers, then read this story. The bottom line is no one really knows what someone else's job is like so it wouldn't hurt for all of us to be a bit more understanding and appreciative of what we all do. We need all the different occupations that are out there...and treating each person with value can only improve the situation.

One final thing. We take so much for granted especially our senses and our health. I do my best to note a few thing I'm grateful for each night (well every couple of nights). Today it's for my vision. Why? I was sorting through some old beauty products this morning when one of them exploded literally right in front of my eyes. Made of a variety of alchohol based products, it burned upon contact. Luckly I was able to splash water on it and get an eye doctor to check me out. Seems no permanent damage has been done. Talk about gratitude. What simple - or not so simple - thing are you grateful for???

'See' you next week!

PS...Women who want to see movies made for women need to go see the new movie by Nia Vardalos "My Life in Ruins". Why? Because the studios say that women don't go see movies so they shouldn't make any for us. Again...we need some for all of us. Grab your friends and support the movie if you so desire! (No, I'm not in it!)

Never giving up...and gratitude

Hi Everyone,

I just got off the phone after speaking with financial guru Jean Chatzky, author of a new book, The Difference. I read the book recently and really liked it. It is an optimisitic view of the current times because it puts the power to succeed in our own mind and hands. This meshes perfectly with my Strategies of Success program. In fact, I'm in the process of updating it a bit as I'm about to donate it to 300 schools. As I read her book, I kept thinking how great this would be in terms of making my program better. She not only talks positively about life and money - she has the extensive research to back it up.

Why am I telling you about this? Three reasons:
1. If you like to read, and even if you don't, get the book. It will help you see things in a new way and will inspire you to be more successful. It not only tells you about the different financial groups, it tells you what the characteristics are of each one. And better yet...it tells you how to move up. She knows it's possible...and you will believe too after reading it.

2. This is another lesson in not giving up. I've been trying to reach the Oprah show for years to talk about my program. Anyone who knows me, knows this. So today, not only was I on the Oprah and Friends radio network, but I'm also going to have my picture and a short bio on Oprah.com!!! I'm getting closer...to being on the show and letting many schools know at once about the Strategies program.

3. And finally, things come to you when you least expect it. I've certainly done the work - I write to people constantly, visit schools, try to tell the world. But this came to me - not when I was trying to get my program noticed - but when I was expressing gratitude. I loved her book so much that I went to Jean Chatzky's site to tell her. Pure and simple...just to say thanks.

So thanks, Jean...for writing your book, for never giving up on finding ways to reach and help people, for giving me the chance to tell the world about my program.

What are you grateful for today? Who can you thank? Not because you want to get something...just because you truly are grateful...

Swine flu, friendship, social networking and other random thoughts

First of all, you can now find me at Twitter and Facebook. I will be writing short messages there to share quick tips and messages. I know how busy everyone is, including me, so often there is little time to read (and write) the blog. Just search for my name on both and you'll find me (Marianne Douglas. I'm also on Digg, Squidoo, MySpace, Plaxo, and Linked In.)

Are you worried about the swine flu? I can't say I am. I'm more worried about those that spread the fear. Check out these Tweets from Tony Robbins that I read this morning and that I have also been saying:
* the misdiagnosis of swine flu and its treatment in 1976 killed more people than flu
* the L.A. Times now reports that this swine flu is so mild it will probably be less than a normal flu season
* "Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world." Ralph Waldo Emerson
* "The enemy is fear. We think it is hate; but, it is fear." Gandhi.

Everyone is running around scared. The airlines even tossed the pillows and blankets (which to be honest weren't all that sanitary to begin with but I sure could have used a blanket when I flew home Saturday!!) Another lesson in being better prepared!

Don't let fear rule your life. Fear is worry about things that most likely will not ever happen. Try to balance your thoughts by thinking and seeing in your mind's eye the opposite of what you fear. All the great inspirational leaders ask us to see what we want, not what we fear.

Someone sitting next to me yesterday said she was going to give someone "a piece of her mind". Will she have less mind left if she gives some away in anger? Hmmmm....

And finally, here's a great message from one of the people I subscribe to - the Happy Guy.

FRIENDSHIP

Everything is easier with friends. They are so important to our sense of well-being. In an interesting experiment, researchers took 34 students to the base of a steep hill with a weighted backpack on each. They were then asked to estimate the steepness of the hill. Some participants stood next to friends, while others stood alone.

Those students who stood with friends gave lower estimates of the steepness of the hill than those who stood alone. Eevn more telling was that the longer the friends had known each other, the less steep the hill appeared to them.

Our lives are full of steep hills. Injuries, Illness. Loss. Stress. Financial. A friend can make the hill seem much less steep. Have you called up a friend recently?

Have a great day!!

A great seminar to change how you look at money...and your life

I don't usually pass along ads for seminars but this is one I have gone to and plan to go to again (I'm going to the one in NJ in late June - they're being held all over the US and Canada). And it's free (you have to pay $100 to hold your seat but you will not be charged if you sign and then attend.)

This is one of the best seminars I've ever been to (and those of you who know me, know I've been to quite a few). It's called the Millionaire Mind Intensive and it's from T Harv Eker of Peak Potentials. You probably haven't heard of him. I hadn't before 2005 when I heard him speak at a conference by the author of Chicken Soup for the Soul. I've now attended 3 of his seminars and they are wonderful.

This seminar which is free, not only helps you reset the way you think about money, but it also helps you in many other areas of your life that you're looking to improve upon. And if money is an issue for you right now...and that's the case for many people...this may be just what you need to get your life going in the direction you want.

If you know someone who might benefit from this seminar, please feel free to forward the link www.horizon4success.com/millionairemind.hmt to them because it is truly a Secret of Success. I highly recommend bringing other family members including teens who will benefit greatly from what this program teaches - plus it's great fun!!

Marianne

PS...They will offer you upgraded seats but if you want the free version, that's right below it.

Columbine Ten Years Later

Hi Everyone,

With what's happened in the economy recently and to reflect back on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy of Columbine, my company will be donating 300 copies of the award winning leadership/success program titled "Strategies of Success".

I began writing my program on the day of Columbine when I was vacationing in Florida and heading up to MGM at Disney to surprise my students from Mt. Hope High School band who were marching that day. Like the rest of the country, I was horrified by the events that day and felt that someone, anyone had to do something to give our teens the tools to not only survive but to thrive in high school. I didn't know what I could do but I grabbed a pad on the ride up there and started writing.

The list of over 100 strategies I felt teens needed became the course that debuted in my school two years later. It became the go-to course for students in grades 9 to 12, from special ed to honors. It won numerous awards because students took it to heart and made the kind of changes they wanted to create positive, successful lives for themselves, their friends, their fellow students, their parents.

If you know a high school that would like a chance to win this program for free, go to www.strategiesofsuccess.com and enter. The deadline for entering is July 2 with winners being announced September 2. Schools who win the program (or even those who buy it later) can choose to rename the course so it meshes with their own program of studies.

I'm back in Florida now ten years later. And my goal is still to help teens so that a Columbine-type event never happens again. If you know of a high school that would like to enter this contest, please forward them this email.

Thank you!

For those of you who are educators, thanks for all you do for kids! And to those on my mailing list who were my students, thank you for all you taught me!

Sincerely,

Marianne Douglas

'There are only two ways to live your life. One, is as though there are no miracles. The other is as though everything is a miracle.' Albert Einstein

Doing your best work...

Two newsletters this time - one that I started on February 25 and one that I started in the emergency room last Friday night.

What an amazing place this is. I'm here more as a precaution than anything else at my doctor's request. I want to share with you how great the staff is here because I think they're a great example of what it means to do a job well. They're efficient, kind, pleasant, fun. They came in one after the other checking in on me, doing whatever job they were assigned, making me feel safe and well cared for. If I had to cast my ideal staff for an movie or a real life emergency, these people would be who I would choose. What a lesson on how to act in what is indeed one of the most stressful environments around - but they're graceful, efficient, professional and yet personal. They're the kind of people you'd want to choose to be friends.

I wonder if we give each other enough credit for the jobs we all do. We all think our job is the toughest, th most stressful, the most underpaid. Yet here they are from the young man taking info on a laptop to the nurse drawing blood to the gurney driver taking me for a cat scan - yes I do have brain cells and they look good - Yay!

Let's take a minute in our busy lives to thank the people who do all the jobs that our society needs to function - the medical person, the teacher, the mailman, the person pouring our morning coffee. People who are good at their jobs aren't looking for our thanks...they choose to perform well for their own reasons...but wouldn't it be nice if they randomly received a thank you note, a spring flower, or even a smile. These little gestures go a long way..

This is my big thank you to all you great folks at the Miriam Hospital Emergency room in Providence, RI, USA...you are the best!!

The little detais

I had lunch this week with my insurance agent and friend of many years. He mentioned that he and his wife were struggling with the decision of what school would be best for their daughter next year. Ah, the decision making process! Such a challenge but one we all have to deal with.

He mentioned that she had been accepted to two very wonderfuls schools. How to choose? One factor that he mentioned resonated with me. One school had sent an acceptance letter. The other had sent a lovely packet with brochures describing all the school offered, letters of welcome from various parties and much more. Interesting. It reminded me of a quote that is said repeatedly at any Peak Potential seminar, "How you do anything is how you do eveything." Or when Oprah says love is in the details.

That wonderful packet says much about the quality of the school. If they're willing to take the time to create such a welcoming invitation to their school, then they probably pay as much detail to everything else they do there.

Are you paying attention to the little details of life? Showing the people you care about how much they mean to you by the little extras you do? Applying for jobs with good quality paper, sending a thank you note to follow up? Despite the economy, despite how busy we are, despite the time it takes - take a moment to think about how important the little things are. And in difficult times, they mean even more because so many of us feel overwhelmed by circumstances and events.

Be well and don't forget to check out the Survive & Thrive page for tips to help you along!

Adversity and you

Problems...they're all around us. In fact, some would say that life is a series of problems. Others would say opportunities. Guess it depends on your outlook on life. My horoscope in the paper the other day said, "The beautiful part about having problems is who you become because of them. The ancient philosocopher Horace said, 'Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.'"

I believe that. I've known that for a long time. Comfortable times make us complacent, satisfied with the status quo. Nothing wrong with comfort - just not what you'll remember most about your life when you look back. In those times, creativity dwindles because it's not needed.

But aversity makes us dig deeper to discover our talents and forces us to do things we never would have challenged ourselves to do. I became a better teacher because of the struggles I faced selling my beloved flight school after the untimely death of my business partner. So much of my strength, determination, creativity, and compassion evolved during that horrific year that saw the loss of a my close friend, the loss of an airplane on September 10 (no injuries gratefully), owning a flight school on 9/11 and all that implied both emotionally and from the sharp decline in business because we weren't flying at all, trying to find a buyer since my partner left no will (who would want a flight school after 9/11??),and ultimately having to leave a business and the employees that I truly loved.

Who will you become during these turbulent times? Who do you want to become? We are capable of so much more than most of us believe. If we choose to look at the problems as opportunities to grow, to change, to step up then these are times we'll be grateful for because they opened the doors to the person we most want to be. If you're following the goal a month plan, maybe March can be the time you decide to step a bit out of your comfort zone. Don't jump out, don't freak out, just step out slowly, patiently, determindly...because those talents that lay dormant within you are just waiting to emerge.

MD

PS...check out the new additions to the Survive & Thrive list including how to get over fear of flying at http:www.horizon4success.com/survive&thrive.htm

What have you forgotten?

A friend let me pick out a book as part of my birthday present. I found one titled
101 Things You Already Knew But Had Forgotten which I really liked. That title made sense to me. We all know so much these days. It's really easy to forget the simple lessons that get pushed into the background, lessons that could really help us get through each day a little easier and happier.

I got reminded of that lesson twice today unexpectedly. First, I was sitting by the water today editing the Strategies of Success textbook I wrote a few years ago so that I have a more updated version. I was reading one of the lessons that I wrote and that I had taught over 20 times, the one about physiology. How we hold our bodies partly determines how we feel. Ok...yeah, I remembered that but didn't really focus on it.

Later in the day, I got a phone call from an old friend who lives far away. We hadn't seen each other in a long time and I felt the loss. I also read a pretty negative article which made me feel less than peppy. Between those two events and a few other issues that came along, I was not having the happiest of afternoons. But then I came into my living room and put on the TV. One of my favorite old movies was on - a musical - and I started watching it. I grabbed my mini-trampoline (yes, I bounce around for exercise - just not too high because I have a low ceiling and there's no point in knocking myself unconscious). Between those two activities, I began to feel better. Not just a little better...a lot better. Why? Two reasons - I had changed my physiology by bouncing and had set myself up with a movie that always made me feel good. I had forgotten that I have these tools on hand whenever I need them. I may have studied this, taught this to teens, written about it...but I forgot it. And it's so easy to do.

Feeling low? Take a minute and remember what makes you happy and find a way to experience it, if only for a few moments. And find a way to move..change that physiology...get the body moving...and you'll be amazed how different you feel.

ps...My thoughts and prayers to my Australian friends on this email list as you deal with the terrible fires that have swept through your country.

pps...Don't forget to check the Survive & Thrive page on my website. I'm adding new links to help you do both in these tough times. You can find them on my Horizon4Success website by clicking here.

Survive & Thrive days...

Hi Everyone,

I read this quote today. "If you have the courage to step outside of your comfort zone, you will not only be amazed by the marvel and sights of the world, but also with the wonders that lay deep within yourself." Rosanna Ienco

I've spent time this past week talking to people looking for work, all for very different reasons. Although they range in age from 19 to 60, my advice to them was similar. Maybe some of these tips will help you this week whether you're looking for work or just working on your 2009 goals (got a new one for February?)

* Look at this as a chance to create a new life for yourself. We get to create our life every moment by what we choose to think, say and do.

* Look at the things you do best and enjoy doing. Is there anyone who would pay you to do that for them? I've made a part time career on this tip. I'm pretty good at computers so I taught myself web design. Now I ask small biz people who don't have a web site if they need one. I've never advertised but I'm working steadily (www.horizoninternet-marketing.com). Do you like to shop? Bake? Are there people you could do this for? If you have a job, maybe start this biz on the side to see if it flies.

* Keep learning. The more you know how to do, the more valuable you are. Remember that www.lynda.com I mentioned? Use it to teach yourself how to do something that other people might need and are willing to pay you for.

*Some of the best opportuntities present themselves in tough times. The Today show featured the Snuggie today - perfect for keeping warm when we're saving a bit of energy and keeping our houses cooler. As Al Roker said, "Some guy woke up in the middle of the night, put his robe on backwards and created a business." Look around...what do people need (not want, need) right now? How can you give it to them and get paid in the process?

* If you're in need of a job, go somewhere that isn't advertising and offer your skills to help them fill a need - maybe even one they weren't aware they had. Tell them how you're just the person to help their business. I've gotten quite a few jobs that way. Works because you're not competing with all those people who are answering an ad.

OK, I could keep on going but then this would be much longer than it already is...but you have the idea. I'm collecting lots of ideas to survive and thrive in this new world we're in. Check out the page I made for you at www.horizon4success.com/survive&thrive.htm Check back often as I am going to try to add things weekly from all sorts of resources(my February goal).

Hang in there everyone - get out of your comfort zone and stay positive!!

Yikes! I'm being tested!!

Ok..I know some of you think I've got everything figured out and that I'm never stressed. I do have a lot of strategies that get me through tough times and even mundane times but I sure have been tested lately!! Why? Two words - technology and winter!

These past 2 weeks have been fraught (sp?) with cold and snow up here in New England. My car has slipped and slid all over the place and I never seem to warm up. It's not as bad as other places to be sure and it's nothing compared to the fact that technology has waged war on me!! I've lost internet at home, then on my wireless and to top it off, all my web sites (about 20 of them counting mine and the people I make them for) went down in the last 2 weeks!

Ok...that's it for complaining! Here are some random things I've learned lately in no particular order that I hope you will find helpful:

* There's a great site to teach you info about your computer programs. Stuck on Excel or PowerPoint or any other program? Just go to www.lynda.com. Some of it is free and the rest you have to pay for. They actually show you how each thing works with video. It's relatively inexpensive compared to going back to school which I had been contemplating but didn't want to spend the bucks or the time. Search for a coupon online if you decide to buy the training. I got $50 off the $250 year fee.

* An Allstate commercial said that they began their business in the middle of the depression in 1932. They have survived 12 recessions and noticed that once the fear subsides, people notice that a funny thing happens - people start enjoying the small things in life. It's back to basics and the basics are good and worth protecting. Yes, the basics ARE good. They are part of the reason why I created my leadership/success course - common sense, civility, ethics, leadership, team building... Thanks All State for reminding us of what's important

* So much tough news. When they say that's it's the worst...or the coldest...or the snowiest...since whatever year...take that in stride. If we got through it years ago.. and we did...then we will again.

* If you're a business owner, be sure your company goes back to the basics. Treat your customers right! I went to a baby shower Sunday that had free coffee, free food, free dessert. But if you wanted a cup of tea, you had to pay $2.50!! What??? Is that good business? Why would a tea bag cost $2.50??? A simple little decision is going to hurt their business because the women there thought the 'pay for tea' policy made no sense. And when things don't go right, we tell EVERYONE!!

* If you're an employee, this goes for you too. You are the face of the company and a company that does not do well in this business climate fails. No company - no job. How you perform even the simplest job matters. As one of my mentors T Harv Eker says, "How you do anything is how you do everything!"

* How are those changes coming along for the new year? Have you tried the one small thing a month strategy? I've added on morning exercise which I have always hated. I started REALLY small. But I add one additional rep/stretch/crunch/minute a week and already feel the need to do it every morning. Even I'm shocked and I know how well this 'one small change a month' works! Even if you haven't started changing something you've always wanted to change, why not start something small for February? You deserve the results!! And what better time than the love month...love yourself and start creating a change that will make you happy and proud of yourself.

Ok..that's it for this week. Panera is going to kick me out if I stay much longer!!

Working with that 'one thing' and a free 2009 financial book

Hi Everyone!

How are those resolutions coming along? If you're trying my 'one thing' concept, then you are working on making small changes on one goal right now.

The idea of doing one goal a month for last year was not a planned event. I just wanted to get my house to be neater and began to work on it. I noticed that by the end of the month, the house was staying much more organized than it ever had and all I had done was to put things back every time I used something and resisted putting something down 'just for now.' The good old 28 days makes a habit rule had kicked in.

As I went along during the month, I used a phrase over and over again until it was as stuck in my head as "It's a Small World" does at Disney (sorry if I just stuck that song in again!). I just said "pick it up, pick it up, pick it up...or put it back, put it back, put it back." I said it often in a kind of sing-song way...and it worked. It's still tucked away in my brain when I go to put something down that i should put away.

Sound too simple?? It is...most strategies that work are very simple. And that's a good thing. Who needs one more complicated, worrisome thing on our plate? It's the same repetition strategy that advertisers use to get their product stuck in our heads.

Give this a try...it's relatively easy and it works. Find a simple phrase to say to yourself as you begin to change that one thing you want to change this January...it could be as simple as "breathe" or "eat slowly" or "stretch" or "smile"....and start to reap the benefits of getting your life to reflect who you really want to be.

PS...Here is a great financial tool for this troubled year. Financial guru Suze Orman has written a book to help us navigate tough times and she is offering it for free on Oprah.com. Click here to download it.

Do you make New Year's resolutions?

Happy New Year!!

I hope the holidays were wonderful for you - even the tricky parts dealing with relatives and maybe not having as much money to spend as in previous times. Mine was crazy and hectic and fun especially the time when all the generations in my family play board games after Christmas.

So here it is January again and if you're like most people, you're resolving to make 2009 better than '08. Seems especially tough to do despite our best intentions. So many things pull us away from our goals - well intentioned friends and family members, busy schedules, overwhelming negative news (shut it off please or at least limit it!!) and worst of all, our own brains that don't really want us to change at all.

So what to do? Here's what I did last year. I didn't make any resolutions per se. I decided to change one thing per month. Just one. By doing that, I changed 8 big areas of my life (Ok, I know there are 12 months but I'm really OK with 8 big changes!)

By focusing on only one thing at a time, I wasn't overwhelmed with the huge list of changes. I could deal with one issue slowly and master it. As many of you know, it takes 28 repetitions or days to build a habit. With a month being 30 days, it was perfect. After a month, the new behaviors was a part of me..and they still are.

Here's what changed for me in 2008:
* I now have a much neater house
* I have a much better handle on my finances
* I increased my business income 100%
* I got my singing voice back and went back to theatre
* I dropped my cholesterol 50 points
* I either renewed or began several new friendships/relationships

If I can do this, without a doubt, so can you. If you'd like to try this technique,this week, pick one thing you want to change and start slowly to work on just that.

Check next week's newsletter for tips on working with that one thing (and don't beat yourself up if you're not perfect at changing...I certainly wasn't!!)

Here's to a fabulous 2009!