Avoid Being or Getting Sucked Into a Networking Black Hole at all costs...

Are you a Networking Blackhole?

Well, are ya?

You know, that dreadful & scary networker that people at meetings avoid at all costs? (Cue Gary Nelson’s 1979 “The Black Hole music here…).

The person who, upon approach, immediately sucks in all people at close range into their lair- forcing everyone around them to listen to their pitch, whether they want to or not… All the while sucking in and cutting off any sounds, interjections or attempts by others to escape.

You can only recognize the look on their face that is the same look contorted on your own face…

…”NOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Kind of like Hotel California’s “You can check out any time you like but you can never leave…”

We’ve all been there before- at some meeting, seminar or networking event; and just after we introduce ourselves, we mistakenly get sucked in by a networking blackhole.

Yes, it’s happened to me too, and happened just recently once again, where I barely escaped with my life (or dignity) in tact!

I was at this great seminar, a seemingly-innocuous and innocent-looking hotel conference room, and we were on our break early the event. There was a small group of us- about 5 in all- all of whom knew each other at least a little bit. And as we started going around the circle and doing the friendly, “How have you been, what have you been up to?” chit chat, we realized that we had wondered unknowingly perilously-close to Networking Black Hole.
Disguised as a nice, middle-class lady, this Networking BlackHole had us cornered! Our simple words of “How have you been” opened up, unbeknownst to us, a vacuum that started sucking all of us into her Black Hole sales pitch.

“Well, I wasn’t feeling too good for a while…” she started to say (Ah, we all started to feel bad for her)…
“…and doctors didn’t know what was wrong with me…” (okay, we’re listening, but starting to feel like we’ve heard this storyline somewhere before…)

“…until a friend introduced me to this miracle water…” (and THEN we knew- we would not
escape, unless we shredded all social graces)…

“…and my husband was sick too and didn’t listen to me at first about the great affects it would have on him…” (hmmm, I wonder why he didn’t want to listen at first, and anyways, okay, here it comes- she’s got to take a breath soon where one of us can say something- our eyes dashed around the group- wondering who would be brave enough to break this cycle of sales-pitch madness… but n0- she was too good- probably has the lungs of Michael Phelps!)…

“…and when he got better, he was amazed, just like you’ll be…and then I introduced it to my children and to my sister” (okay, she’s running out of family members, so I bet I can get a
word in edge-wise here soon)…

“but then my dog got sick, so I gave some to her, and then my neighbors cat, so I gave some to
him… and they all got better got better…”
(I tried to politely interject a few times, but she just talked on over me!
No! The only way I could possibly escape was to be the brave & rude one to just simply walk away. Yes, be brave, and without apparent reason, just walk away…

So that’s what I did: The only way that I escaped with my life (but not my dignity) was when I bravely excused myself in the middle of another run-on-sentence of yet-another-life-or-death-
description-of-the-miracle-water, with some lame excuse about needing to find someone before the break was up!)
As I walked away, I could just feel the hatred and envy of those who didn’t escape burning my backside… How could I just leave them like that??

Needless to say, this networking blackhole, while she did force us (and probably many others that weekend) to hear her, there were probably very few who actually listened, and even fewer who wanted to take a look at the miracle water once they got home. I’m not knocking the water (I actually know the product- it’s a water filter- and it’s actually a very good product. Hoever, if I didn’t already know about it from other sources, I would never bother to look into it because I was so annoyed by her sucking us in, and I’m certainly not going to get it from her!).

So, if this fits the description of you or of someone you know, then hear me now: This IS NOT the way to network. It doesn’t work, it just annoys people. If you are now or ever were part of a network marketing group (probably everyone one of us, right?) then you’ve heard that you’ve got to “share your story,” and this is absolutely true… But do so upon invitation, not by force.

Here’s a few quick tips on how to Network the Empowered Way Powerhouse without having the destructive side-affects of a Networking BlackHole:
Step 1: Say Hello. Be friendly when you say this, and try that whole smiling thing.
Step 2: Offer your name (and perhaps a handshake). Ask for their name.
Step 3: Ask what brings them to this event (meeting etc.) and what their top goal or goals are in both business and life.
Step 4: Listen. Just listen.
Step 5: When you’ve shown some real interest and actually heard what they have to say, find the commonality between you and them, and get a dialogue going.
Step 6: Then, and only then, give a summary description of what it is that you do that will somehow help them or their business according to what you just learned about them. Remember, at these events, networking should be like dating: You don’t ask them to marry you on the first date, nor should anyone ask someone to buy on the first meeting (and certainly not within your first breath of hello). Make it a process and create a relationship.

Back to my friend, the Networking Blackhole.

Yes, we’re actually friends. And as nice as this friend is, she’s always had this challenge, being a Networking Blackhole. I suspect that this is due to underlying insecurities that people won’t actually like or want to buy if she just listens to other people as much as she talks. I, myself, find the opposite to be true.

The more I care about others, the more they seem to care about (and yes, even like) me!

And while I’ve gently brought this up to her before, she’s still not convinced, so I suspect that she will continue to be unsuccessful (unfortunately, she is) until she learns that she has to care about others before they will want to care about what she has to offer.

For the rest of us, let us strive to be beacons of light in the networking world. People who put a create a good feeling about “Networking” for the rest of the world, by spreading connection and good intentions, and in turn creating greater opportunities for us and all those who know us!

If you want to meet a truly great master of powerful, effective and feel-good networking, go to my friend Larry Benet’s site- www.LarryBenet.com, to learn how network powerfully and meaningfully with the “Who’s Who” of any industry! Larry believes in the idea of “Six Degrees of Separation” and shows you how you’re probably only really one degree of separation from anyone you want to know and work with. It’s here that he has great stories, tips and ideas on how to connect with power (and he knows a vast majority of the “famous people” that you and I both know in entertainment and in business, simply because he’s a great connector!).

Now get out there and make some connections!

Face it- we all do it: Multitasking!

In fact, chances are, if you’re a woman in north America, then it’s a badge of honor to brag about how good you are at it!

You know that you’re a great multitasker when you find yourself writing that Proposal while talking to a customer on the phone while considering what to make for dinner while encouraging your child to “try that homework problem just one more time!”
It’s so that we can get more done all at once and save time, right?

(Yeah, me too sometimes).

Well, here’s the skinny on Multitasking: If you’re a chronic multi-tasker, especially where your business is concerned, you’re probably hurting your productivity, business, and your bottom line!
Plus, it’s annoying to those people with whom you’re splitting your time, because they can tell that you’re not entirely “with them” (unless it’s your children, of course, in which case they usually expect you to be able to do five things at once)!

And don’t you just feel burned out after a long-string of multitasking taskings?… I mean, where did the fun and passion of what we do go?

I’ll tell you where- it seeped right out of our brains and hearts at the same time that our focus did!

We’re trying to do five things at once, there’s just no room for passion and emotion (except for maybe frustration when none of anything is getting done well!) .

Sometimes, we multi-task because we’re looking for instant gratification of accomplishment in the middle of a big project by detaching and momentarily focusing on some other task.

Consider this: A scientific study mentioned by Tim Ferris (the “4-Hour-Work-Week-Guy)
was once conducted that tested the efficacy of multitasking.

‘Know what they found?

Multi-tasking lowers your IQ more than smoking marijuana does! (This is according to The British Institute of Psychiatry).

You wouldn’t hire a “pothead” for your business, would you?

So why work like one?

Here’s why multitasking dumbs you down, and actually causes you to spend more time on all combined tasks when trying to do them all at once (as opposed to focusing on one thing at a time):
For starters, brain activation for listening is cut in half if the person is trying to process visual input at the same time as listening, for example.
The above-mentioned study showed that checking your email while performing another creative task decreases your IQ in the moment 10 points.  That’s like not sleeping for 36 hours! Or, having smoked a “joint”- twice- before getting on the phone with that client!

It then takes 20 minutes to get back to the same mind-set of our original task when we let ourselves get distracted in the first place, and focus may not be as good.

So that previously-brilliant thought you had about that proposal you were writing in the beginning of this post?  It’s really going to take you 20 minutes to get back to flow and same frame of mind as when you started writing, and possibly twice as long to solve that customer challenge than if you were just focused on it.

…And you still won’t know what to make for dinner

…Nor will your kid’s homework won’t be done because they want you to take a focused look again.

So the question becomes: How do we get better at Multi-Tasking?

Answer: Don’t!

What you can do in this age of Multitasking, especially when our lives seem to be set up to function as a multi-tasker, is to integrate each of the following 7 steps into your business and home life, in order to be more effective, more productive, and to have better over-all results:

1. Work on projects only during focused blocks of uninterrupted time.  Peter Drucker, from his book, “The Effective Executive,” recomends working in focused blocks of at least hours at a time.

2. Schedule your most important work during your most productive times.  (I’m a morning person when it comes to writing and computer work, but can be a people person all day long, so long as I don’t have some major projects hanging over my head!)

3. Train those around you- youremployees, your co-workers, your family etc… to not interrupt. You set the schedule as to when you’ll be returning e-mails, phone calls, helping with homework (for you home-based entrepreneurs), and when you will not…

4. Keep marching toward your goal, making progress, even if you’re not seeing instant gratification….

5. Take mini-breaks (inbetween those focused blocks of productivity) and you’ll likely find a surge in creativity, focus and productivity.

6. Take care of your body in order to do a better job with your mind.  This means eating well, drinking plenty of water, and exercising.  Doing this alone will help your ability to focus better, and make sure that your energetic presence is all  that it can be!

7. Meditate. Yep, I’m saying that meditating will help you to get more done too.  Why?  Meditating helps to clarify your challenges and all of the issues swirling around in your head… and to bring the answers to your challenges right to the top!  We can create triggers for our peak performance states, and through meditation learn how to instantly funnel emotion into deep focus and creativity.

Peter Drucker opens his book by stating that, “To be effective is the job of the executive.”
Now, are you or are you not the executive of your business?

“Intelligence, imagination and knowledge are essential resources (for executives)… but only effectiveness converts them into results.”

Okay, now that you know the steps, while you’re reading this post- put down the phone, turn off the stove and take a deep breath.

In…Out…

Now, doesn’t that feel better?

Okay, now empower yourself to be more effective by putting a stop to multitasking, scheduling your projects into uninterrupted blocks of time, and integrating the other 6 steps above.

When you do this, I promise you that your overall productivity and your bottom line will improve dramatically!  Not only will you be more productive, but you’ll also find yourself having more fun with everything that you do, more of the passion behind “what you do” will flow back in, and the people that you work, live and play with will all appreciate a more-connected and more-present you!

It’s official ladies- I am SUPER-PSYCHED to be writing this post and to renew and revive my own efforts to be an, “Architect of Change.”

I just recently wrapped up my Women’s Conference 2008 experience with Bonnie Raitt serenading us as we went off to be our own “Architects of Change.”

The collective talent, accomplishments and mind-blowing energy that was collected together in the Long Beach Convention Center was Second-To-None and undoubtedly a Life-Changing Experience!

My question to You, an Empowered Woman, is this: How will YOU be an Architect of Change in these coming days, weeks, months and years?

Let me first describe a little bit of my experiences at the conference, and how the speakers are, themselves, Architects of Change.

At the Conference, I was just 30 feet from…

* Madelein Albright (former Secretary of State, first female Secretary of State) and certainly the first UN Council

* Christiane Amanpour (International CNN Correspondent extraordinaire!)

* Cerue Konah Garlo (organizer of women to bring Peace to Liberia and Executive Director of the Women NGOs Secretariat of Liberia [WONGOSOL])

* Cherie Blair (Human Rights Advocate and wife of former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair… but so much more)

* Cecilia Maria Attias (CEO of Experience Corps)… to hear their stories of how they found the Courage and Voice to change the world for the better was inspiring beyond words.

I mean, they’re just “regular women,” women just like me, except that they’ve taken their dreams to affect the world for good a few steps further… And now I know even more than ever that I can do the same!

* Indra Nooyi- Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo

* Marian Wright Edeleman- long-time defender of Children’s rights and founder of the Children’s Defense Fund

* Gloria Steinem- American Feminist Icon, founder of Ms. Magazine and founder and supporter of many equal-rights and equal-treatment movements.

(How can a woman not look at how far we’ve come- appreciate it- and be inspired to do more!

* Condoleeza Rice- current US Secretary of State, 2nd African American and 2nd female Secretary of State

By the way, Condoleeza summed it up well when she spoke about the philosophy that binds us as Americans:

“It doesn’t matter where you come from; it matters where you’re going.“

Amen to that!

More Speakers:

* Leslie Blodgett- CEO of Bare Escentuals

* Sylvia Boorstein- PhD, Co-founder & Teacher, Spirit Rock Meditation Center

* Sally Field- Actress

* Michael J. Fox- Actor, Author & Activist

And while I could go on all day about all of the speakers, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favorites. A woman who’s a role model for Me and all women who are “trying to do it all“… Okay, I get it, we don’t have to try be “Super-Women” per se… but there’s a whole lot of us who DO want it all, and for her to be the Strong, Effective, Career Woman/ Instrument of Change, Impactful-on-Society …Great Mother, “Babe” as Bono put it (yeah I know, this is a point of vanity, but we all want a little of that for ourselves too!)… as well as Human, At-Times-Scared, Imperfect-and- Yet–Still-Amazing gives SO MUCH HOPE to the REST OF US who are also “…human, at times scared and imperfect” that WE, TOO, can be AMAZING!

Who? Maria Shriver, of course. Award-Winning Journalist, 1st Lady of California, Best-Selling-Author, and the woman who took the “Governors Conference” and transformed it to the Amazing “Women’s Conference” that it is today!

And while each of the women (and the sprinkling of men) who spoke had different stories, took different paths and made different impacts in the world (in business, in politics, in movements and causes around the world), they all had a common thread in their journeys, which was this:

Each achieved what they did by taking one step at a time, being persistent, and having the courage to use their voice and forge their path anyways even when others disagreed.

Maria and all of the Conference Organizers, all of the Visionary Speakers as well as the women who attended really set the stage for creating new batches of “Architects of Change!”

So now, I return to YOU: How are You being an Architect of Change? What can you do NOW to be an architect of change? Whether it’s forging a creative, new “Blue Ocean” niche in business; starting or growing the impact of a charity or service organization; or having an positive impact on the world… You can make an impact, and you can be an architect of change!

For more ideas, go directly to the Women’s Conference “We Empower” site, check out what programs they’re supporting directly here as well as going to the individual pages of each of the speakers here, to see what programs, businesses etc. that each of the speakers have started here: and lastly, check out what others are doing on various topics such as Business & Entrepreneurship, Business & Finance, Environment & Conservation, Family & Parenting, Health & Fitness, Spirituality, Activism and more on the Discussion Boards

Please leave your comments here about More Architects of Change, as well as ideas that you have to impact the world and how you would like support from others.

In case you didn’t see my earlier post, The Women’s Conference 2008 event is the largest and most dynamic gathering of women in the nation. Recognized for its unparalleled capacity to empower and inspire women to become architects of change, the annual conference unites more than sixty internationally-acclaimed leaders and visionaries with 14,000 women in one arena, plus thousands more virtually, to share enriching stories of transformation and success, words of encouragement and life lessons.

If you’re not lucky enough to attend this amazing event live, you can… …see the live webcast! Just click on the link below to connect. I’ve included the agenda (PST), so you can see who you want to hear and when. And, while you’re watching the amazing speakers- just look for me! I’ll be one of the just 14,000 or so women in the background with a smile on my face, occasional tears of hope on my face, and super-charged inspiration in my heart!

I will return to write about the conference after the event, and would love to get comments from YOU about what you thought about the conference!

http://www.californiawomen.org/agenda/

Webcast Schedule

8:00 – 10:00 AM PDT: Morning Session

• Jennifer Lopez, Actress, Singer and Entrepreneur
• Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Warren Buffett, Chairman and CEO, Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
• Chris Matthews, Host of Hardball on MSNBC and The Chris Matthews Show on NBC
• Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent

10:30 – 11:30 AM PDT: Morning Conversation
“It’s Your Voice: How You Can Use It To Change The World”

• Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent
• Madeline K. Albright, Former Secretary of State
• Cecilia Maria Attias, Chief Executive Officer, The Experience Corp (USA)
• Cherie Blair, Human Rights Advocate and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair
• Cerue Konah Garlo, Executive Director, Women NGO Secretariat of Liberia (WONGOSOL)

12:30 – 2:30 PM PDT: Lunch Session

• Sister Joan Chittister, O.S.B., Author, The Gift of Years
• First Lady of California Maria Shriver
• Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
• Indra K. Nooyi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo
• Campbell Brown, News Anchor, CNN

3:00 – 4:00PM PDT: Conversation Session
“Life’s Biggest Hurdles: How to Overcome the Unimaginable”

• Lynn Sherr, Author, Outside the Box: A Memoir
• David Sheff, Author, Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Journey through His Son’s Addiction
• Mary Tillman, Author, Boots On the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman

5:00 – 7:00 pm PDT: Afternoon Session and The Minerva Awards™ Presentation

• First Lady of California Maria Shriver Presents The Minerva Awards – Recognizing Remarkable Women
• Bono, Lead Singer of U2 and Co-founder of the anti-poverty campaign ONE
• Musical Performance by Bonnie Raitt, Singer, Songwriter and Guitarist whose unique style

You already know what I’m going to say to this, don’t you?

Of course you can!

In honor of Blog Action Day and Empowering Women in Business around the world, I’m bringing to you today a Great Resource to do all of the above: MicroPlace.com!

So, are you ‘worried about your investments over this coming year give the stock market drops?

No problem! To build your portfolio with a guarantee that’s probably better than the FDIC, help out an aspiring entrepreneur, lift them out of poverty, and get Karmic Brownie Points all at the same time by investing in MicroFinance!

(And, Oh yeah, and you get a return on your investment equivalent to that of CD’s, without worrying whether or not the government will bail out the bank where your CD is held!)

What is MicroFinance?

Basically, it is the idea of giving credit to the working poor to help lift them out of poverty.

(from MicroPlace.com) “In 1974, famine struck Bangladesh. At the time, Dr. Muhammad Yunus was a professor of economics at the University of Chittagong. Disillusioned by the elegant theories of economics that could not explain the thousands of poor people dying of starvation on the streets, he was determined to find a practical way to help the poor. During a visit to the nearby village of Jorba, he was astounded to find that a sum of $27 could radically change the lives of 42 people in the village. This was the sum of money they collectively needed to buy bamboo to make the stools they sold to make a living. He took $27 from his pocket and made 42 loans to the stool makers in this tiny village. They were able to pay him back with interest and take a step towards lifting themselves out of poverty.”

“This simple idea that the poor could use credit to lift themselves out of poverty, led Dr. Yunus to create The Grameen Rural Bank in 1983. Since its inception, it has made over $983 million in loans to over seven million borrowers. Its methodologies have become the cornerstone of the microfinance industry. In 2006, The Grameen Bank and Dr. Yunus were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. ”

At its core, microfinance is about human dignity. It is based on the old adage: “Give a man a fish, you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish, and you have fed him for a lifetime.”

“Repayment of loans and interest from borrowers allows the microfinance institution to make subsequent loans to the working poor, multiplying the value of each dollar in breaking the cycle of poverty.”

Repayment rates of micrloans is about 97%, and there’s no goverment bailout necessary to make it work. Borrowers have proven to be exceptionally creditworthy and repayment rates have historically averaged 97 percent. That’s much higher than in the US, right?

It benefits the working poor around the world, and in our own neighborhood,

I asked a MicroPlace representative a few questions that I thought you might be interested in as well, such as:

* How much of the investment goes to borrower?

Answer: “The entire amount of your investment goes directly to the borrower.”

* Then, how are overhead expenses covered?

Answer: “Interest rate charged to issuer.”

* How is MicroPlace different from other microfinance organizations?

Answer: “It’s a one-to-many investment, so your loan has a bigger and wider impact. For example, you purchase a security in the women’s fund of your choosing. Then, the loan is made to the institution in that country, which is then disbursed to several borrowers.”

Translation: You help more people with the same amount of money, which is like getting compound interest on your Cosmic Karmic Brownie Points!

* What is the minimum investment?

Answer: “$100 is the minimum initial loan amount, and you can make investments as small as $50 for any subsequent investments.”

* Who Started MicroPlace.com?

Answer: “MicroPlace was started by a woman who is a Cool, Hip and Wise Entrepreneur like You by the name of Tracey Pettengill Turner, a seasoned business exec who’s started lot’s of charitable organizations!”

(Okay, that last answer has my wording, not theirs, but you get the point!).

* So, who do microloans from MicroPlace benefit anyways?

Answer: By investing in microfinance at MicroPlace.com, you can help people like:
Basanti Pradhan, from Rural India, with a Dairy Production (she bought her first dairy cow with her loan),

or
Irina Kontratovish with a loan to help keep her market stall going when her husband suddenly died
https://www.microplace.com/investments/borrower_detail/132

to folks right here in the United States, with amazing “couldn’t-get-started… found a microloan… and now is amazingly-successful” stories like Claudia Mirza.

(And yes, I DO think that we need to take care of our own here in the US, as well as reach out to those around the world… I’m so glad to see microfinancing here in the US!)

* ‘Anything else that’s innovative about Microplace that we should know?
Answer: Yeah, we have a holiday program where the minimum investment is only $20. You invest it in honor of somebody, who is then sent a microplace mails a piggy-bank . This piggy bank holds about $100 in change, so that they can save up enough to make their own investment. Look for this program on our website starting October 27.

I think this idea is especially neat for a couple of reasons:

1. Your children, family, friends, co-workers and even competition (yes, competition, ’cause we’re moving into an enlightened age, remember?!) can receive a meaningful gift for the holidays that they won’t soon forget.

(Look out kids! Momma’s not getting you as many socks, underwear or useless-toys-that-will-break-in-a-day-and-be-forgotten-in-a-week this year…!)

2. It’s a gift that keeps on giving, kind of like “Paying It Forward.”

3. It’s a great way for an Office, a Classroom or Civic Club to make help jump-start somebody’s new livelihood by breaking the investment into smaller, totally-doable amounts!

Imagine! YOU get to be responsible for helping a woman (or man, or family or co-op… you choose) start a business, instead of stagnating in poverty!

And, what if you don’t have $100 lying around?

Well, to start with, I encourage you to implement some of the 88 Ideas to End Poverty as recommended by BlogActionDay.org to find that $100 (there’s some really good ones in there!).

Next, team up with somebody else (or a few somebody elses) to come up with the $100.

Then, go to MicroPlace.com, pick the area of the world, length of investment, and who you want to help and invest today! If you have any questions, I found the folks at MicroPlace to be especially friendly!

Most Importantly, no matter who you are and what your situation is: Commit to doing something today to help end poverty… Even if you’re down and out… There are always folks who are worse-off-somewhere, and since that whole “Do unto others” thing seems to pretty much be how the world works, when you choose to “do unto others something nice,” those “cosmic brownie points” will come back to help lift you up too!

Please return here tomorrow and comment on how you, or somebody you know, did something to help end poverty! Thank you!

We’re going to look at various “creative marketing campaigns” on future posts…
Today, we’re looking at memorable commercials and what makes them that way…Then I’ll ask you to write down at least 5 things that you’ve noticed from the memorability of these commercials and apply it in your own business and marketing strategy.

NOTE: If you’re worried, you Do NOT have to produce multi-million dollar commercials to apply the same principals and have same affect as those things listed below.

These commercials are memorable because they they’re either Funny, Elicit Strong Emotions, or do something really unique to get us to remember their brand or product.

Got your notepad (or “Word doc”) ready?

Good!

As you watch (or remember) these commercials, ask yourself the following:
Why are they memorable?
How do they touch minds or hearts of viewers?
Does the memorability do a good job of tying to the brand and/or product?

How can YOU apply the same ideas and techniques to your marketing (even if you don’t have a multi-million dollar marketing budget)?

Happy Viewing!

Emotional:
* “What’s on Your Powerbook”
* “I’d like to buy the world a Coke” and a holiday version of “I’d Like to buy the World a Coke
* “I Love This Game- Kobe Bryant”

* Pantene Commercial that shows a deaf girl playing the violin: (I never saw it before until I searched YouTube)

Funny:
* Monster.com commercial Funny and effective:
* McDonald’s Larry Bird & Michael Jordan’s “The Showdown”

Good Brand Memorability:
* California Raisins Commercial
* Apple- I’m a PC
* Dude- You’re getting a Dell!
* The Budweiser Frogs

And while this wasn’t on TV, who didn’t see the the dancing baby?

This was one of the greatest viral campaigns ever ’cause people passed it around like crazy! We then started to see the dancing baby popping up all over in various ad campaigns.
One of my favorites as a Mom who mostly-works-from-home and occasionally finds myself “working” and “entertaining the kids” at the same time, but I haven’t found a link to it yet (if anybody knows where I can find it- please leave a comment or contact me… Thanks!) is the Netflix commercial where, at the end, the lady screams to her kids who are demanding her attention, “Mommy’s making a commercial!!”

Not effective in terms of remembering a brand, but darn funny anyways!

Please Comment Below:
What did You get from the commercials that can apply to your overall marketing strategy, both in the short term and in the long term?
What are some other memorable commercials and why?

Okay, get writing, and I’ll see you tomorrow!

So, what in the world is Blog Action Day, and what does it have to do with Ending Poverty?

It’s purpose: for bloggers everywhere to come up with actionable ways to help end poverty, spur their readers to DO something about it, and then for they themselves (the bloggers) to take action as well.
(In case you didn’t know it, it’s estimated that there are over 112 million blogs, according to Technorati… If 1/10 of 1/10 did something about ending poverty… that’s still over 1,000,000 people doing something on the same day to help end poverty~!)
We at Empowering Women in Business will be blogging about some powerful ways to empower women, decrease poverty (and, incidentally, still increase your bottom line!), and multiply ways of empowering others as much as possible with as great an effect as possible!

In the mean time, below is a great list of “88 ways to DO Something About Poverty Right Now, found on the BlogActionDay.org website.  I’ve bolded my favorites!

(’Got an idea to add to this list?
Please leave a comment and I’ll be sure to post it and link back to your site!)

88 Ways to Take Action Against Poverty Right Now: 1. Eat meatless meals 2x a week. Donate that grocery money to a local food bank. - TarotByArwen
2. Be homeless for a day/night. - Lex
3. Stop putting off adopting a child through an organization like Compassion International (or adopt another one). - Lex
4. Make a loan on Kiva, or buy a couple gift certificates and give them away to friends. - Lex
5. Get a group together to go door-to-door collecting canned foods for your local soup kitchen/shelter. - Lex
6. Take a homeless person to dinner and actually sit/talk with him. - Lex
7. Stop being lazy. Find a way to do your job better so that you can save an hour a day, or be that much more productive. - Alex Shalman
8. Stop buying junk to make yourself look pretty and donate it to homeless people and hungry people. - Craigsnede
9. Make flyers to stick in the local library. - Craigsnede
10. If you have a musical instrument you no longer use, donate to the still-struggling musicians and students in New Orleans, who are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. A few great organizations that will accepts musical instruments are Tipitina’s Foundation (www.tipitinasfoundation.org) and The New Orleans Musicians Relief Fund (www.nomrf.org/donations.html).
11. I’m interviewing a Capuchin monk vowed to Poverty about his work with Detroit’s poor for my blog, and I’m trying to arrange a fund raiser with my author and PIVTR radio station friends.
12. Find a gripping picture or video having to do with poverty and publish it on the Web.
13. Stop drinking Coke and bottled water for a day and save on plastic. Will save a lot of plastic if each of us does it for only one day.
14. Share your skill or knowledge (with someone who’s poor…), so they can improve their knowledge to increase their life/prosperity.
15. Visit an orphanage.
16. Stop being lazy.
17. Give comfort to the poor.
18. Donate.
19. Check your closet and make sure that anything you have not used last winter is taken to a charitable organization.  Ask your friends and neighbors and volunteer to pick up the clothes, launder them and deliver them to those organizations.  They will do no good in your closet and a world of good to someone in need.
20. On one day only eat food that you have asked someone for directly or for the money you need to buy it. Pay attention to the feelings. Ooooh.  This is a good one.  ‘Not sure if I’m brave enough to try it, but it sure makes you think, eh?
21. Have a “sponsor me” day. Donate money to a poverty relief cause for everyone who leaves a comment on your blog that day.
22. Designers for Blog Action Day group on Flickr.  Submit your designs: http://www.flickr.com/groups/bad2008design/
23. Organize a Hunger 101 Program for a local youth group.  Our Girl Scout community learned about what they could do to help the working poor in our community. http://spedr.com/da5f This inspired them to organize several Take Action events: http://spedr.com/krfw
24. Add the “Women Rock” badge to your website or Facebook page.
25. if any of us knew or aware about any organisation which can help educate them, like, skills centre, entrepeneurship centre..u know, stuffs they do to help these pople actually do something to improve their life, we might try to collect name cards from these organisations (NGOs or ministries), and walk around and passed these cards to them, with of couse, maybe some donations of any supplies.
26. Skip a weekly trip to the grocery store and donate the money saved to a food bank. I do this once a year for my family of 5. For that week we only eat what is left in the pantry or fridge.  By the end of the week, pickings are slim and we get a sense of what it feels like to not have the luxury of tasty, well balanced meals every night.  Done!  I’m definitely doing this one…
27. Make a personal fundraising page in 5 minutes on Firstgiving.com. Raise money securely online for any US-based nonprofit committed to ending poverty in the US or around the world. Here’s an example page:
http://www.firstgiving.com/bapbwm.
28. Have dinner on the floor and make it a very small meal (like chicken broth, watered down milk, and maybe a small piece of bread?) Talk about the blessings you have and that the meal represents those who don’t get to eat “big” on a daily basis.
29. Volunteer at a soup kitchen!
30. Play freerice.com!
31. If you have take out coffee, skip it for an entire week, donate the savings!
32. Give 5 bucks to a homeless person who looks hungry!
33. Talk with your children about poverty and who it affects.
34. Save your old stuff and sold it for charity
35. Support charity organization in your country. Reducing poverty may start in your nearest region.
*36. Do something to touch 3 people or to reach out to 3 people and get them to pay it forward.
37. Give a gallon of water to each of 3 people who need it?
38. Give a $10 gift certificate to each of 3 homeless, single mothers so that she and her children can have one hot meal at a fast food restaurant?
39. Ask 3 entrepreneurs to each make a donation to 3 people or causes?
40. Holding perhaps daily or weekly community classes for imparting knowledge from our side and educating the local masses is something we all can do by coming together at grass root level.
41. Avoiding overconsumption.
42. Contributing to relief funds which can assist this cause.
43. Host a 1 day famine and collect donations. With the donations, pass it to a Welfare/Poverty
44. Plan a pot luck/BBQ or a get together inviting close friends and neighbours, to bring awareness and also to raise funds for a shelter home. Funds can be used to purchase the necessary groceries for the home.
45. Pray for the comfort and safety of the world’s poor. Pray for the strength, wisdom and courage to help each of them find prosperity.
46. Combat corruption!
47. Don’t just talk to your kids about poverty - get them involved by having them go through their toys and clothes to find concrete things to pass along. The next time they want you to buy something for them - talk about what that money could buy for someone who had no food… then follow through and donate the money you didn’t spend.
48. Donate your time and expertise to teach a class to those trying to find a new way to earn a living.
49. To add to the previous suggestions, rather than just donate money to homeless people, why not use the money you would use on yourself for a coffee to buy one for someone else. If you get coupons for free beverages or meals, keep them with you and give them to someone in need.
50. As you find organizations to which you like to donate food, clothing, etc., spend some time volunteering for that organization. Contribute to the organizations you are already supporting in other ways.
51. Educate others. (This is probably every single one of you in some way or other, right?…) If you are a teacher, talk to your students about poverty. Get their opinions. Inspire them. If you work in other areas, strike up a conversation with your colleagues in the lunchroom or lounge. Get educated so you can answer questions and provide information that might spur others into action.
52. Visit The Hunger Site every day and click the link to feed the hungry. It’s fast and it’s free and there’s absolutely NO excuse not to do it every day you’re online!
53. Be compassionate.
54. Invite friends to watch documentaries how poverty destroyed ones life,family and their future.
55. Do not waste water on that day.
56. Express your love and compassion for one street child by having an enrollment conversation with her.
57. Ask your child to share her food with the child of your maid on that day.
58. Make a list of five items you haven’t used for long and have no plans to use them in future either. And distribute them among local poors with all humility.
59. Compose a poem on the theme ‘Making Poverty A History’ and get it published in a local magazine or paper.  Also, ask your baby to recite the poem in her school.
60. Talk to your five relatives about the poverty issue and invite them to come up with their suggestions to eradicate poverty.
61. Organize a drawing competition for kids on the poverty theme and exhibit their works in a local school or community centre.
62. Do not overeat on that day.
63. Save electricity on that day and contribute the equivalent savings to a local charity.
64. Contribute your one day salary to a child rehabilitation centre.
65. Get a few friends, gather all your unused items, sell it and buy something a meal for the poor in your neighborhood.
66. Si tan solo los gobiernos hicieran mucho mas por este flagelo, la pobreza se reduciría en un 70% por no decir 100%. Observo como a algunos gobiernos que han prometido en sus campañas electorales que acabarían con este mal, luego de llegar al poder y por motivo del oro negro les entran grandes cantidades de dinero, ¿y que es lo que han hecho con el, en vez de ayudar al pais? Financiar con ese dinero (que se supone es del pueblo), proyectos políticos solo para sus intereses personales… da tanta tristeza ver cuanta gente tirada por la calle, sin tener que comer, o donde dormir, mientras estos señores se gastan el dinero de tantos ciudadanos, comprando poder para satisfacer su ego.
67. Travel to a poor country or area. Look for ways to make a difference on the ground there.
68. On your next off day from work, go to a homeless shealter and help serve food to those who are there, talk with them, listen to their stories, you will find that they were at one time, alot like yourself.
69. Let’s learn to love and respect one another, and to give to those who have less.
70. Pictures. It’s one thing to say that the milk my son spilled at lunch this afternoon was more than some kids get.  But some people don’t see how real that is unless they’re looking at a picture.So, I’m looking for them.
71. Talk about poverty.
72. To most Americans, it’s not real unless we see it. I’m going to be revamping my blog so that poverty is prominent, and I’m talking about it more often.
73. Don’t stop at the generalities. War, famine, corruption, etc. all happen, and should be resisted. However, let’s dig deeper and go into the specifics. Not just talking about thousands of people dying of thirst … let’s talk about a real person.
* 74. Pull out the hearts of the readers, and make them confront what they know is right and wrong.
75. Instead of video games and other toys, give your neighbors and friends gift certificates for classical music lessons.  For every $1 spent on music education, by my calculations, you get a $4.57 return on your investment from age 4-22 and that investment can never be taken away from you. Throughout one’s lifetime it pays much, much more. Take the money you save and give it in music lessons to the next person.
76. Go to your school board meetings and demand better music education. The arts are part of the core curriculum of “No Child Left Behind” and as I’ve been telling people for a few months now, the less we have to pay for health care and crime, the more we have to spend on food and shelter and doing good for our neighbors.
77. The more intelligent we are and the more productive we are, the more fruitfully we can spend our time, and the more we can produce to give away.
78. The reason why poverty still exist in Indonesia is because people is giving cash money to the poor at the streets and those money usually being used for things that usually destructive/not good (buying drugs, etc.) In order to stop poverty, the government already got their program to fight it but it didn’t go successfully for people still think that they are better off at the streets and there’s this what-so-called ‘mafia’ that organize these poor people at the streets.
79. In order to fight this, the people started to give food/meal/clothes to the poor instead of cash money so it would stop the process.
80. I think in order to stop poverty is to give what the people really need, not just giving it away for the sake of ‘being kind’
* 81. Fund educational programs for women.
82. Ensure that women have legal protections.
* 83. Educate people about the plight of women around the world.
84. Educate yourself on one aspect of poverty that affects women, whether it’s educating yourself on what’s going on with rape or abortion legislation in your own local area, or finding out what you can do to help women in other countries attain the basic human rights they deserve, by doing research on organisations that help women and contributing to those organisations in some way.
85. Do a campaign of creative advertisements for public awareness and a call to action. Do a poster, do an ambient campaign, write a radio or TV spot.
86. Breadline Africa is launching a Blogger Bake Off to help raise awareness and funds. If you want to do something on Blog Action Day, you should turn your talking (which is very worthwhile) into action: donate to a charity. Organisations that use funds directly in poor communities will be using your money where it can do the most good: at the grass roots level.
87. Educate yourself.
88. Prepare a space in your home for the poor to stay as needed.
Well, what are you waiting for? Pick something from this list. Go NOW. Do it.

Do it.

And the world will be richer in mind and body.

To see the original article, go here:
http://site.blogactionday.org/poverty/fight-poverty/

Okay, ’see you tomorrow!

If you’re reading this post, then This Conference is For YOU!

Here’s what it’s about:
“Under the leadership of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, The Women’s Conference has grown from a small government initiative for working professionals into a far-reaching organization, a life-changing experience, and an international network of women from all walks of life, backgrounds and perspectives.”

“The Women’s Conference event is the largest and most dynamic gathering of women in the nation. Recognized for its unparalleled capacity to inspire and empower women to become architects of change, the annual conference unites more than sixty internationally-acclaimed leaders and visionaries with 14,000 women in one arena, plus thousands more virtually, to share enriching stories of transformation and success, words of encouragement and life lessons.”

This year, The Women’s Conference is providing more opportunities to “Be Who You Are — An Architect of Change.”
Talk about Empowering Women in Business!
This year’s speakers includes:* Maria Shriver- First Lady of California
* Arnold Schwarzenegger- Governor of California (and famous for, “I’ll be back!”)
* Madeleine K. Albright- Former Secretary of State
* Christiane Amanpour- Chief International Correspondent, CNN
* Cecilia Maria Attias- Chief Executive Officer, The Experience Corp
* Jean Chatzky- Author of Make Money Not Excuses
* Dianne Carrole- Singer, Actress and Barrier- Breaker
* Jamie Lee Curtis- Actress of a lot of cool roles and children’s book author
* Dr. Mehmet Oz- Health Expert dude that you see on Oprah a lot, plus co-author of “”YOU” Series of Health Books
* Russell Simmons- Chairman, RUSH Communications
* Condoleezza Rice- US Secretary of State

In the past, it’s had speakers such as Maria Shriver and Arnold Schwarzenegger (of course, since it’s hosted by her!), the Dalai Llama, Martha Beck, Jean Chatzky, Tony Blair, Dr. Mehment Oz, Leeza Gibbons, Deborah Roberts (Correspondent, ABC News), Jamie Lee Curtis, Geraldine Ferraro, Gayle King, Dee Dee Myers, Cindy McCain, Michelle Obama and many more!

Topics Covered:
* Business
* Business & Entrepeneurship
* Environment & Conservation
* Family & Parenting
* Health & Fitness
* Money & Finance
* News & Politics
* Religion & Spiritiuality
* Service & Actvism
* Strength & Courage
* Style & Beauty

To find out more, go directly to their site here:
http://www.californiawomen.org/

Tickets for the day-long-event are currently sold out (but you may find tickets here for people who now cannot attend: http://www.californiawomen.org/discussion-boards/)

Also, you can try going on the site’s “discussion boards” where I’ve seen tickets for sale, as well as E-Bay, Craigslist and other venues where people may sell tickets they can no longer use.

If you can’t attend, sign up for their waiting list so that you can watch the webcast on October 22. All of the main stage speakers will be featured live from Long Beach. Please check back on the website for details.

Okay, ladies, stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to get inspired and empowered in a really big way!

Are you Crazy?

Well, no, not really.
Afterall, 3-year-olds still naturally feel good about themselves and are shameless about asking for what they want.

Of course, not all promoting and networking will turn a prospect into a customer or business partner… In fact, sometimes it can backfire.
However, if you can learn to promote like a 3-year-old, then you will get more clients, more qualified business partners and more life-long-friends than we even know what to do with!

‘Wanna know how?

Okay, so why and how do we “promote like a 3-year-old?”

I mean, come on now, we’re all adults here, right?
We are “Professionals!”

Well, yeah, and that may be part of the problem.

You see, sometimes we let our “professionalism” get in the way of being real people, and then our promotional efforts start going down like the Hindenburg.

So today, I invite you to turn back father-time and look to an age in your past when

you were less cynical, still a self-promoter, and yet a bit more authentic.

Look back to when you were 3… okay, maybe 3 and a 1/2 (or whenever it was that you first learned about sharing…) and bring out the inner child promoter in you!

Let me give you an example using the way my 3-year-old son, Joseph, promotes himself and gets what he wants…

Joseph is a natural-born self-promoter! And he gets results!

Not only is he cute (no bias here, right?!), but he has a sunny personality.
And Joseph assumes that everybody will like him.

Furthermore, he’s “3 and a few months,” which means that he’s now wise enough to know that you don’t go up to somebody and say, “Give me your truck!” and assume that they will.

Rather, that you have to offer something of interest or in return first.

Here’s a typical Joseph-self-promoting and networking moment.

Step 1: He assumes that everybody will like him, and therefore approaches pretty much everybody without hesitation or inhibition.
(Man! Don’t you wish that YOU had that in high school!)

Step 2: He flashes his irresistible smile! You know, a genuine smile. The kind that you give off when you’re laughing about something incredibly funny and cute (as opposed to the kind some people flash when they smile at somebody but don’t mean it).
So, he establishes rapport by showing that “he’s friendly.”

Step 3: He greets them: “Hello Friend!” or “Hello Brown Boy!”

(Okay, I HAVE to explain here: Joseph, remember is 3, and he sometimes refers to people by the color of clothes that they’re wearing when he doesn’t know their names.

(Or until he has established that their “his friend.” )
If they happen to be wearing a blue shirt, it can be confusing-but-fine when he says, “That blue girl…”.
However, you can imagine what other parents think when Joseph walks up to their child and says, “Hi white boy!” or “Do you want to play with me black boy?”
(He’s talking about the color of their shirts, and has no idea that parents of the kids he’s talking to think
he’s being brought up by a racist, biggoted…well, you get the idea.)
And yes, I’m working with him on changing his choice of descriptors…)

In any case, ahem…

Step 4: He notices what they’re doing, and tries to relate it to what he wants to do. In other words, he figures out what might interest them first, order to get what he wants second.
For example,
“Hi friend, I’m playing firefighter- do you want to play with me?”
or
“Hello friend- I have a truck. Would you like to play trucks with me?”

Step 5: If the first way doesn’t work, he tries again, in a new way.
For example,
“Oh, you don’t want to play trucks with me because you’re playing tag with your brother? Okay. Can I play tag with you guys?”

Step 6: If they still don’t want to play, he goes and finds somebody else. Something like, “Okay… I’m going to find a new friend to play with. Maybe we can play later.”

So, what does Joseph and these steps have to do with us “professional adults” and self-promotion?

Lots I tell ya!
Joseph has an incredibly-high “close ratio” when seeking out new friends and creating relationships with the kids who have the big toys on the playground. So, I think that we can learn a thing or two here.

Let’s figure out this process from an adult’s point of view who’s using networking
to promote in order to get more business (find a JV Partner, get a new customer, sell a product, etc.):

Step 1: Be friendly and assume, as Jack Canfield says, that the world is conspiring to make you succeed (rather than approaching people, wearing years of insecure baggage on our sleaves, ready to either slink away at the first sign of defeat or “bully” somebody into talking with us in case they don’t like the real us!)

Step 2: A smile never hurts. Really. A real smile, one that says, “Hi- it’s nice to see you. I’m glad that we’re in the same space together… whether or not we end up doing business together” can really go a long way. Plus, it can make the day of somebody who’s wearing their own years of insecure baggage on their sleeves!

Steps 3 & 4: A Greeting! Something that connects you to the other person long before you ever talk about business. It’s the difference between going up to somebody and saying,
“Hey- give me your truck!”
versus
“Hi- how are you? Wow- Do you like playing at the park? Yeah, me too. I see that you have a truck- what a great truck!
Would you like to see my truck? Maybe we can trade trucks for a little while…”

Or, in adult world, the difference between,
“Hi there! I am God in what I do and who I am, and you need what I have, which is x, y or z! Buy some today or you’re a fool!”
versus
“Hi there. “‘Nice party, eh? What brings you here? Oh, you know so-and-so too? Cool. So, what do you do? Besides having fun, what else are looking to get out of this party? Oh, you want to make more connections to promote your skincare business? Hmm, I know some people who are looking for great affiliate products, so maybe I can help you…”

(This is a good time to ask for their business card, by the way).
(Then, insert more tuned-in chit-chat here)… What do I do? Well, thanks for asking. I (insert what you do here, being sure to talk more about your goals of serving your clients and less about how great you are…).

(This may be a good time to offer your business card, so long as it’s done to give them a way to follow up on something they’re interested in, and not because you’re shoving it in their hands.)

Step 5: If you sense that the connection still hasn’t been made and they’re not yet interested in what you do, you may need to listen more to them in order to find out more about them. What do they really need and want? Where is there a connection between you and the other person?

Find it, and look to connect again based on that commonality.

Step 6: If there’s still no connection, well, some will, some won’t, so what, who’s next?

Yep, that should pretty much do it!

It’s the way a successful little three-year-old I know does it to network and promote himself, and it’s not too far off the mark from some high-end successful adult networkers!

If you’d like some more in-depth tips on how to promote like a pro and connect with anybody from an adult’s point of view (and not only get them to “play” with you, but get them to become life-long friends and business partners,) check out Larry Benet’s “Connectology bootcamp” I’ve learned more about connecting with cool people in a powerful way from this guy than from just about anybody else! From what Larry showed me (and who he introduced me to!) I met and got the opportunity to work with some of the best-of-the-best in the business!

He also has some great free tips and creative ideas on Larry Benet.com, where among other things, you can learn 4  Tips for Making a Lasting Impression

The next time you get stuck, or feel like a dud at your next coctail party or BNI networking event, remember: just think and act like a 3-year old!

With the right plan and precise implementation, you absolutely thrive in this economy!
‘Wanna know how?
1. Don’t listen to negativity, and don’t listen to the naysayers. Yes, they might be losing money, and maybe people in your industry and people in your community are losing money, but that doesn’t mean that everybody has to lose money. Many people are thriving and will do so ten-fold during these “tough times.”
2. Find people who are thriving, and learn from them. Not just people who talk about it, but people have done well in both up times and down times. People who are ethical and authentic. Ideally, look for people in your industry. If not, go outside of your industry (in fact, as Dan Kennedy suggests, sometimes you MUST go outside of your industry so that you don’t do things like everybody else in your industry is, especially if they’re not thriving).
3. Go back and revisit your grand plan and vision. See the end result, and plan backwards to now, step-by-step. ‘Any adjustments need to be made? Well, get to them then!
4. Ask yourself, how can you add leverage and velocity to your business plans? In other words, look beyond the standard ways of doing business and expanding, and find new ways.

If you an info-preneur and can create one product a month, who or what can you use to create 2 or 5 products a month?

If you’re marketing, besides adding clients yourself, how can you accelerate your client acquisition process (think strategic partnerships!)
As somebody I respect recently said,

“We’re still transitioning from the industrial age to the information age… we’re still growing. Those who can learn and transition faster, will thrive. Those who don’t will stagnate and deteriorate. ”

5. As with Plato Oracle of Delphi, Socrates and the door that Neo (from the Matrix) chose to enter: “Know thyself… and you will possess the keys to the universe and the secrets of the Gods”

Inspired by a friend, I’m reminded just how powerful “Knowing thyself” really is, because when you know yourself, you’re led to the people who are meant to further teach you (or for you to teach them). Dig deep to find out more about yourself. Meditation is one great way to do this. When I meditate, besides bringing some peace to my life, I am led to people who are not only successful at what they do, but who present a sense of authenticity, joy and vision for themselves and the world.

Over the next few days, I will be spotlighting some of these people- both men and women. These are people who are thriving in the stock market (yes, even today, with it dipping 500 + points), thriving venture capitalists (yes, even today- yesterday in fact- still getting money from banks for businesses and investments), increasingly-successful marketers, entertainers and more…

People who are talented in bringing out the best and “Wow!” in others… Bottom line, I’ll be bringing to you people who are kicking butt and taking names in many fields simply because they know how to stick to, believe in and work towards their visions.

Take a few moments today (and every day hereafter) to meditate, find and enhance your:
* Vision
* Mindset
* Knowledge

If you’d like a little help getting there quicker, my friend Lynn Rose, has a free download of here of her “Guided Visioning Process for Realizing Your Goal or Dream“.

I first experienced this guided meditation-leading-to-vision process live with Lynn in one of her “Wow! Factor” Workshops, and it was and still is one of the best “visioning” sessions I’ve ever experienced! I use her audio version now whenever I need to get in my most powerful space, re-claim my vision and get into the mindset to find the knowledge I need to move forward!

Remember, to do and be like wealthy people today find positive and successful people, create and enhance your vision, hold on to a powerful mindset, and learn and apply specialized knowledge that will cause you to thrive tenfold too!

Happy Visioning!