Making Choices…

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Dear Friends:

It’s hard to believe, but another year… a new decade has just rolled in front of our eyes — 2010.  Where did the time fly?

As part of my new year’s resolutions, I’ve been working on my inner growth.  Just as the bamboo plant must be watered for seven years before it finally sprouts up and becomes a glorious wonder, so too must I work on my inner self to grow.   It’s not always easy.  But consistency is the key. 

I’ve been re-listening to the wisdom of my esteemed teleseminarian teacher, Alex Mandossian (www.profitableteleseminars.com).  I admire Alex’s talent so much.  Alex reads and re-reads regularly, and even said that you need to re-read to get the most from each book.  Alex regularly quotes from the great sages, and I appreciate this quote by Aristotle…  ”We are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, the, is not an act, but a habit.” 

That quote has been ruminating inside my mind for awhile.   To attain excellence, I’ve also been doing a fair share of reading.  I’ve especially enjoyed learning from some of today’s great leaders — Loral Langemeier (”The Millionaire Maker”), Esther  & Jerry Hicks (”Ask and It Is Given”), Karim Ismail (”Keep Any Promise”) and Steve Taubman (”Unhypnosis”), along with many “classics” like Napolean Hill’s “Think & Grow Rich” and Wallace Wattles’, “The Science Of Getting Rich.”

Repeating daily affirmations is also a great tip to help implant a positive mindset every day.  Happiness, as I’ve learned, is a choice.  We choose our thoughts, and that’s what becomes our emotional state. 

So, I’m going to keep focused on choosing positive thoughts.  ”Every day, in every way, I’m growing stronger… My life is filled with abundance…. I’m grateful for the blessings that fill my life.”  

Happy 2010!

Over the weekend, I just watched two wonderful, old-fashioned movies.  It was so delightful to slip into another world for a few hours.

The first movie – “Mrs. Pettigrew Lives For A Day” whisked me into London, on the verge of World War II, where a down and out governess slyly got a position as a “social secretary” for an aspiring actress.  

The other movie, “Becoming Jane” revealed the little-known story behind Jane Austen’s loving relationship during her youth with an up-and-coming future lawyer.  Unfortunately, this man’s future wife was already chosen by an uncle, so Jane didn’t have a chance to marry him… unless they eloped.  Besides, Jane’s bold, unladylike desire to have a writing career was not considered acceptable. 

In the past, women didn’t have many choices if they wanted to live well.  The only choice was – marry well.

So – why do I bring this topic up?  Because I’m mulling over how easy it is to slip into our predetermined limitations.   In “Mrs. Pettigrew,” no one of the elite upper class would

want to mingle with a lower class lady.  Mrs. Pettigrew has to keep her past secret, even though there are those who threaten her one day of incredible fun and glamour.  And dear Jane Austen must weigh society’s judgment against her vs. her own convictions to live life on her terms.

So – even though these historical films allow us to drift into another world, how do we choose to live differently today?

Fortunately, we are now blessed with choices… many choices.  But do we allow ourselves to take advantage of all that we can be?  Do we dare to move outside our prescribed “box” of limitations?  Can we push ourselves to risk becoming who we need to be? 

As one of my new mentors, Loral Langemeier advises, “First you act… then think and plan… “  Loral comments that most people think and plan so much that they never actually move themselves forward into action.  To simply leap into action can be daunting.  But how long can we straddle the fence between supposed “security” vs. a new adventure? 

As I keep learning, I realize more and more the importance of kind, encouraging friends and business coaches… people who cheer you on vs. those who prefer to negate your dreams.  As the saying goes, “We are the company we keep.” 

So – let us move forward through reading positive books, listening to inspiring tapes and seminars, and contemplating on our vision.  Let us attract what we want… instead of focusing on what we don’t want. 

  It’s all a choice.  And we’re lucky in today’s day and age that we have choices.  We can choose to live out loud… and follow our passion.  If we dare…     

The power of thought.

Most of us are so easily distracted by the outside world… the stuff.  The houses, cars, jewelry, clothes… you name it.

But when it counts, it’s really what’s inside that matters.  There is

a wonderful book, “The Science Of Getting Rich” by Wattles, which focuses on the power of thought to bring about whatever your dreams.  The key is belief.  It’s not easy to change our core of belief.  We’ve been living with our self-imposed limitations for a long time.

I’m reading Dr. Steve Taubman’s wonderful book, “Unhypnosis…How To Wake Up, Start Over, and Create The Life You’re Meant To Live.”  It’s an Amazon best-seller, and I’d highly recommend it.  (See:  www.unhypnosis.com or www.stevetaubman.com)

I’d like to share an excerpt with you…

 “One of my favorite lessons to share is that we are not trapped by our circumstances in life. We aren’t defined by job, family, current finances, or education. Whatever we are doing can be changed, and we can start over…now!

 Of course, it takes courage and vision: courage to step out past the familiar and risk failure, ridicule, and fear; vision to be able to first see ourselves in new circumstances of our own creation. Most of us have stopped using our God-given right to dream, to fantasize, to imagine. We stop before we start, and we rob ourselves of the wonder and awe of life’s adventure. Imagine if we dared to dream and take action on our dreams!”

Steve Taubman calls the process of realizing our potential — “unhypnosis,” because we’ve been hypnotized by our limited beliefs.

To change our outlook, we must work on “inner selling.” 

If you’re intrigued with this perspective, then I’d suggest taking action steps to be consciously aware of our pervasive thoughts.  You can state positive affirmations to yourself each morning.  Put up optimistic quotes by your desk.  Focus on counting blessings and visualizing positive outcomes.  Concentrate on what you want vs. what you lack.

It’s not easy… but it’s worthwhile.

The qualify of life is in our hands.  And we do have control over it.

I just finished writing this press release for Westside Health Authority, a community-based non-profit on Chicago’s west side, and the topic is so compelling that I wanted to share it with you. 

Perhaps you can pass it or help them out…

  PEOPLE’S RALLY ON JULY 14^TH

LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO DEMAND

RIGHTS FOR AUSTIN HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENTS…“WHY NOT OUR CHILDREN?” Chicago, IL. (July 1, 2009)… Since 2004, Chicago’s largest school district — the Austin community — has faced injustice by having no public high school to accommodate all its students.  Meanwhile, the site of the former Brach candy company, the only lot in Austin with sufficient space for a state-of-the-art high school — sits empty.  Austin also has the largest gap in the city between the number of seats available in high-performing schools and the number of students who need them.  To draw attention to this travesty, the Westside Health Authority (WHA), Every Block A Village (EBV) and the Austin Community Education Network (ACEN) are leading a protest march, “The People’s Rally” on Tuesday, July 14^th, at 5:30 p.m. from 4800 W. Chicago Avenue to 401 N. Cicero Avenue (Brach site). 

Despite recognition by Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education and prior CEO of Chicago Public Schools that “Austin has a huge unmet need for a high school,” the city’s redevelopment funds from TIF (tax increment funding) were primarily been spent on South Side schools.  Each year, about 1200 Austin youth need a high school to attend.  

Currently, the makeshift solution of adapting a few middle schools into a high school has been inadequate.  The local charter and private schools can only manage a small number of students.  As a result, about six hundred students each year – for a total of about 2400 STUDENTS are faced with challenges in attending school outside their district.  The problems of gang violence, bus fares, drugs and spiraling drop-out rates might be reduced with a renewed focus on providing Austin with a proper, state-of-the-art high school.  Chicago Police Department statistics rank Austin as #1 in overall crime.

“The sign of a healthy community can be measured by the quality of its schools,” says Jacqueline Reed, Westside Health Authority’s CEO/Founder. 

Virgil Crawford, Community Organizer from WHA and ACEN adds, “Other communities provide a good education for their high school students.  Why not our children?”

Community members, parents, students, clergymen and community advocates will be given a platform on July 14^th to express their concerns to local officials.  For more information about the rally, contact Chanel Glover (WHA), 773-287-6086.

#####

How would YOU feel if your deaf child was given the miracle of sound through cochlear implants, but then couldn’t hear the teacher or other students because of acoustical issues in the classroom?

 Nicole Hubert, a 6th-grader in Naperville, has been contending with acoustic problems in schools for most of her life.  It has caused many problems — both socially and academically — but she isn’t sitting back and doing nothing.

 Thanks to the inspiring encouragement by her dad, Greg, Nicole and her father spoke out on Capitol Hill today, along with an organization called ASHA (American Speech & Hearing Association).  Their objective is to have the nation’s public schools become sensitive to poor classroom acoustics. 

(I’d compare this issue to our country’s slow decision to finally install ramps in public places, so those who are disabled are allowed to enter.)

I wrote a press release and distributed it to many media people.   The news is JUST starting to come out.  Check out the latest story about Nicole Hubert from the Daily Herald.

Just returned from a FABULOUS seminar in Orlando, “Extreme Business Makeovers!” 

A BIG THANKS go out to Thom Scott and Bob Burg who created this heart-warming business extravaganza.

What a terrific weekend program.  Burg-Scott Communications, Inc.  brought together a group of  national leaders, who gave insights on how to grow your business more effectively.  (See:  www.extremebusinessmakeovers.com)

 To quote from their website –

“Three national bestselling authors, a branding expert who was responsible for launching Dr. Phil and a marketer so skilled in using online tools that his viral marketing pieces have received over 60 MILLION views, and more … Do you think that there is something you can learn from these people?”

Besides the depth of information that we all received over 2 1/2 days, an expert team was chosen, based on these three things:

• They must have RESULTS that demonstrate their true expertise in their field
• They must be entrepreneurs - successfully dealing with their own businesses
• They must have the heart to give more value than they receive in payment ‘

And BOY — was there a lot of “heart” in that convention space.  So many delightful people. 

The power of twitter suddenly became apparent to  me.  Many people around the room were “tweeting”  (sending messages) throughout the program.  Then, we heard from the Mayor of Twitter himself — Scott Stratten, known at twitter as “unmarketing.” 

I realized that this is a whole new world that I’ve been totally unaware of… a way to reach lots of new people in only 140 characters per message.  I’m sure there are many others like me who just aren’t aware of its power.

And yes — it can be quite addictive.  Like the thrill of opening up the mailbox and getting a letter in the mail.  You just want to keep checking to see if someone wrote a note or “re-tweeted” you… 

This has DEFINITELY got to be top priority on my marketing tips.  You can subscribe on my website — www.parkaveproductions.com,  or at the free tips” section on this blog.

My tweet name (created before all this knowledge was just presented to me) is lynnb0608.  The question is… can I change it now to something more memorable?   Or will I lose all my followers by doing that? 

What’s In A Name?

  How important is your company’s name?  To most of us, a name is everything.  It’s your image, your “brand,” and vital to attracting prospects to your business.   In some cases, your company name describes exactly what you do — i.e. “Topnotch Medical Center.”  In others, your name may not reveal your service.  But no matter what, your name can attract potential customers…  especially when you establish your brand on the internet… where many new prospects can find you. 

How do you get people to find you on the internet?  As one colleague shared with me, “you’ve got to think out of the box.”

One way is to build your online reputation around your name. To make your name stand out from the crowd, consider saving more than just your name with search engines.  For about $9.95, you can save descriptive names at Go Daddy or 1and1.com.  Think of names beyond your company name.

Think “out of the box.”

For instance, if your company name is “Smith Communications,” what other phrases   could describe your services in a positive way?  

T. Harv Eker, best-selling author of, “Secrets of the Millionaire’s Mind, branded his marketing seminar as, “The World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar.”  He confessed to his audience that he was surprised no one else had taken “that name” before.  Now,

that phrase, “World’s Greatest Marketing Seminar” is redirected to his website.  Wouldn’t you agree that it probably attracts business?

(Harv also went from zero to millionaire in 2 1/2 years, and he is the founder of Peak Potentials, the fastest growing success training school in North America.)As an affiliate for Harv’s work, I saved the phrase:  www.lynnsuggests.com, so I can get credit for referrals.  (Check it out…) 

I’ve also saved several names for my business.  One is for this blog:  www.greatmarketingmessages.com.  Another is my own name – www.lynnsanders.biz.  

What names might best describe YOUR services?  Search on Google to see if those names are available.  Consider saving a name – and then link it to your website.  The more traffic, the more business.

Make YOUR Brand Stand Out! 

It’s interesting how influential visual media has become in our daily lives.   Whether it’s television, movies or videos, our eyes are bombarded with images both day and night.  

Yet, equally important is the need to craft that story with effective writing.  Compelling writing can be placed in blogs, in articles, advertising and publicity releases.  Writing is the foundation of how others view our business.

Northwestern professor, Fred Shafer, shared his insights last fall at a writer’s meeting on creating effective writing.  To a packed audience, with my colleagues hanging on his every word, Fred offered his wisdom.  Here’s what he said…

1.  “Good writing is designed for the ear, not eye.  Long before I write stories, I listened for stories… ”

2.  “Narrative writing is all about movement.  Effective and pleasing movement is made possible by variations in sentence length and structure.”

3.  “Longer sentenes can convey an emotional rush.  Words can spill out… they can pull things together that belong together.”

4.  “Shorter sentences slow down the narrative.  They show urgency.  Emphasis.  And how a process is carried out methodically.”

5.  “Long and short sentences work together to create a pleasing movement.”

6.  “What makes writing beautiful?  It’s rhythm… Changes in paragraphs are not as much about subject but about changes in emotion.”

So, the next time you’re sitting across an empty page, imagine how you’d talk to someone about your message.  

Listen to the rhythm of your sentences.  Do they vary in length?  What choice of words are you using?  Do long sentences alternate with short ones?  As you become more conscious of your writing, you’ll be honing your skill in creating a compelling story… even if the story is about you. 

The great philosophers of all time recognized that our thoughts ultimately determine what happens to us.  It’s not the other way around.

“We do not quit playing because we grow old, we grow old because we quit playing.”  Oliver Wendell Holmes

 When we realize that we all have innate power to reach out and make a difference, then all kinds of wonderful things happen.

I’ve been greatly inspired lately by the deeds of our youth.  In completing research for my first children’s book, “Social Justice:  How You Can Make A Difference,” I did internet research and discovered a number of non-profits, started by kids, who have helped millions of others. 

What’s fascinating to me is that kids often don’t have a preconceived thought in their mind that they can’t accomplish their goals.  They just go out and DO IT! 

In my book, one of the youth I talked about was Bilaal Rajaan from Toronto, Canada, who started fundraising for earthquake victims at age four.  He heard about children who had lost their parents and happened to be eating a clementine at the moment.  So, he decided to go door-to-door and raise funds for these kids by selling clementines.  That first effort netted him $350.

Now, Bilaal has literally raised millions of dollars, and has just published HIS first book — at age twelve.  If you’d like to hear his interview with Alex Mandossian, check out Alex’s blog — www.alexmandossian.com, and scroll down to his audio clip with Bilaal. 

On Bilaal’s website (www.makingchangenow.com), you’ll find that Bilaal has raised over $5 million for various causes and is the youngest Ambassador ever for UNICEF, worldwide. He has been granted many awards for his tireless efforts these past eight years.

Bilaal’s  ultimate goal is to inspire one million kids in the next three years to maximize their true potential and get involved in creating a better world, to have fun and to MAKE CHANGE NOW. There is only now, because tomorrow isn’t here yet. Now, today, is when change starts.

It’s amazing to hear from youth what it takes to make a difference.  As Bilaal recommends, “Just go for it!”