In case the print is too small to see on the bottom it says:
Back in WWII when the UK was being bombed daily the government posted these all over the country in an effort to help lift spirits.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
My Mantra for 2009....
In case the print is too small to see on the bottom it says:
Back in WWII when the UK was being bombed daily the government posted these all over the country in an effort to help lift spirits.
Books to live by, and with...
Ok, so I love more than movies and TV, I kinda really like books too.
In my mind, heaven is a super-duper big library with books full of knowledge and answers to all we have been seeking here on earth. I even have a picture in my mind's eye of this library. It looks like the library of my first-grade elementary school. An old beautiful school that was set up high on a hill. The library was large and had tall columns and cozy window seats and old books. I loved that library. Not that I ever met a library I didn't like. I spent many years of my childhood in Madison, WI. A fairly larger city with several libraries. After, I read out my local branch, I would hop the city bus (unbeknownst to anyone that may have been put in charge of me) and travel to other branches, spanning further and further out as I sought out new material to read. And, the BookMobile, did you have one? Cuz' that thing was awesome, I'm sorry if you know not of what I speak!
Anyway, as a kid, I read to escape. As an adult, I still do a bit of that but now I read to enjoy but mostly to learn. Learn what? Anything, everything.
For personal enjoyment, I read fiction. Lots of suspense (King is a favorite) and I have read almost every Oprah book club book (Lamb, Oates, Kingsolver, Hamilton come to mind). I also enjoy reads that inspire (Morrison, Angelou) and even those that confound (Cormac McCarthy) and those that paint beautiful visual pictures with their words (Marquez) and I even enjoy a frivously light read now & again (Binchey, Charolette Harris). And last but not least, I have read and been helped by PLENTY of self-help books (Toxic Parents, Co-Dependent No More, etc.)
But the point of this post is to discuss what I read to encourage and educate myself professionally. I read business books with all different sorts of focuses. From entrepreneurial books, to marketing, to sales technique, to managerial etc. I also like to read biographies and auto-biographies about people that have had great success in their life or even great learned-from-failures. There have been hundreds of books but I will list some that have made the most impact on my business life:
In my mind, heaven is a super-duper big library with books full of knowledge and answers to all we have been seeking here on earth. I even have a picture in my mind's eye of this library. It looks like the library of my first-grade elementary school. An old beautiful school that was set up high on a hill. The library was large and had tall columns and cozy window seats and old books. I loved that library. Not that I ever met a library I didn't like. I spent many years of my childhood in Madison, WI. A fairly larger city with several libraries. After, I read out my local branch, I would hop the city bus (unbeknownst to anyone that may have been put in charge of me) and travel to other branches, spanning further and further out as I sought out new material to read. And, the BookMobile, did you have one? Cuz' that thing was awesome, I'm sorry if you know not of what I speak!
Anyway, as a kid, I read to escape. As an adult, I still do a bit of that but now I read to enjoy but mostly to learn. Learn what? Anything, everything.
For personal enjoyment, I read fiction. Lots of suspense (King is a favorite) and I have read almost every Oprah book club book (Lamb, Oates, Kingsolver, Hamilton come to mind). I also enjoy reads that inspire (Morrison, Angelou) and even those that confound (Cormac McCarthy) and those that paint beautiful visual pictures with their words (Marquez) and I even enjoy a frivously light read now & again (Binchey, Charolette Harris). And last but not least, I have read and been helped by PLENTY of self-help books (Toxic Parents, Co-Dependent No More, etc.)
But the point of this post is to discuss what I read to encourage and educate myself professionally. I read business books with all different sorts of focuses. From entrepreneurial books, to marketing, to sales technique, to managerial etc. I also like to read biographies and auto-biographies about people that have had great success in their life or even great learned-from-failures. There have been hundreds of books but I will list some that have made the most impact on my business life:
- WishCraft by Barbara Sher ( a "What Color is your Parachute" type of book for those trying to figure out what they really want to do)
- Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers (title speaks for itself)
- Manifest your Destiny by Wayne Dyer (took the principles of this book on as a personal philosophy)
- Clicking by Faith Popcorn (trending for the 21st century)
- Specialty Shop Retailing by Carol Schroeder (this is by a local retailer that I admired and took all her advice in this book to heart when opening my first store)
- If Life is Game, These are the Rules by Cherie Carter-Scott (this was a life-changing book for me personally, but it comes in a "success" version too, so I included it in this list)
- Leadership by Rudi Guiliani (I really admire Guiliani's leadership principles)
- Purple Cow by Seth Godin (this man is a marketing genius)
- Now, Discover your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham (you may have seen him recently on Oprah)
And for my new #1 favorite business book of the year 2008......
- The Answer by John Assaraf & Murray Smith. (I love, love, LOVE this book! It is kind of a combination of "The Secret" meets "Business Principles 101". It is written in two parts. The first part by one partner who explains the science or brain activity behind the Law of Attraction. The second part by the other partner who couples the first part with real-world, practical business principals and advice).
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
I have a confession...
I am a junkie. That's right a junkie.
A movie junkie. Oh, and a TV junkie. But this post is about my movie "junkiness".
It helps that my son works at the movie theater and we get free movie admission. Has there ever been a better job benefit than that, I ask you?
So, I go to alot of movies, I rent alot of movies and have every pay movie channel available. My son refers to himself and I as "movie snobs". Which if asked to explain, he would say "we like good movies, not shitty ones", ha! Really what it means is that generally we prefer smaller, indie, non-big-box-office commercialized flicks. Really, I can like or maybe even just respect a movie on many levels and enjoy a film for any of several different reasons. I love movies that "have a message or a lesson" pertaining to something I am searching for meaning about.
You know that song that goes 'round this time of year. The one about "the most wonderful time of the year"? Well it is! It 'tis the season! OSCAR SEASON that is. I have had an obsession with the Academy Awards as far back as I can remember. I am one of those weirdos that get up early on nomination day in Feb, just who hear "who's up for what". I watch the Golden Globes because they are the pre-cursor to the Oscars. It is on my bucket list to someday attend the Academy Awards even if it is just outside in the bleacher seats. I would prefer to attend with my someday-perhaps-famous singer daughter or my son who aspires to write the perfect screenplay. And I watch every award, even the boring ones. And I try to make it a point every year to see every movie nominated so I can correctly predict.
I have seen alot of movies in the past few weeks, because the "good ones" are starting to come out. The ones that are most likely Oscar-worthy. So I've seen alot, but have many more to see. My problem is that we live in a smaller city and our theaters don't get alot of the smaller, more obscure movies that I would like to see. Like "Slumdog Millionaire" or "Synechode, New York", not gonna come here. I will wait for them on video.
But there is still plenty to see. Seen recently:
The Changeling (not a horrible movie, but I'm sorry am I the only one who hates Angelina Jolie?)
7 Pounds: Thumbs down (didn't care for message)
Benjamin Button: Thumbs up (visually beautiful)
Doubt: Saw it tonight, Two thumbs WAY UP (phenomenal acting, Streep and Seymour-Hoffman, who could ask for anything more? Amy Adams was surprising good as well.)
Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Good movie (but perhaps not the best choice for a feel-good family Thanksgiving movie?)
Movies I am anxious to see:
The Reader (love Kate Winslet, and this was a great book)
Revolutionary Road (again with the Winslet)
The Wrestler
Milk (with the awesome Sean Penn)
Slumdog Millionaire
Synechode, New York
Gran Torino
Frost/Nixon
The Road (again an awesome book, brought to you by the same author as "No Country for Old Men")
Well that got long. For those of you that stayed with me, thanks, and Happy Oscar Season!
A movie junkie. Oh, and a TV junkie. But this post is about my movie "junkiness".
It helps that my son works at the movie theater and we get free movie admission. Has there ever been a better job benefit than that, I ask you?
So, I go to alot of movies, I rent alot of movies and have every pay movie channel available. My son refers to himself and I as "movie snobs". Which if asked to explain, he would say "we like good movies, not shitty ones", ha! Really what it means is that generally we prefer smaller, indie, non-big-box-office commercialized flicks. Really, I can like or maybe even just respect a movie on many levels and enjoy a film for any of several different reasons. I love movies that "have a message or a lesson" pertaining to something I am searching for meaning about.
You know that song that goes 'round this time of year. The one about "the most wonderful time of the year"? Well it is! It 'tis the season! OSCAR SEASON that is. I have had an obsession with the Academy Awards as far back as I can remember. I am one of those weirdos that get up early on nomination day in Feb, just who hear "who's up for what". I watch the Golden Globes because they are the pre-cursor to the Oscars. It is on my bucket list to someday attend the Academy Awards even if it is just outside in the bleacher seats. I would prefer to attend with my someday-perhaps-famous singer daughter or my son who aspires to write the perfect screenplay. And I watch every award, even the boring ones. And I try to make it a point every year to see every movie nominated so I can correctly predict.
I have seen alot of movies in the past few weeks, because the "good ones" are starting to come out. The ones that are most likely Oscar-worthy. So I've seen alot, but have many more to see. My problem is that we live in a smaller city and our theaters don't get alot of the smaller, more obscure movies that I would like to see. Like "Slumdog Millionaire" or "Synechode, New York", not gonna come here. I will wait for them on video.
But there is still plenty to see. Seen recently:
The Changeling (not a horrible movie, but I'm sorry am I the only one who hates Angelina Jolie?)
7 Pounds: Thumbs down (didn't care for message)
Benjamin Button: Thumbs up (visually beautiful)
Doubt: Saw it tonight, Two thumbs WAY UP (phenomenal acting, Streep and Seymour-Hoffman, who could ask for anything more? Amy Adams was surprising good as well.)
Boy in the Striped Pajamas: Good movie (but perhaps not the best choice for a feel-good family Thanksgiving movie?)
Movies I am anxious to see:
The Reader (love Kate Winslet, and this was a great book)
Revolutionary Road (again with the Winslet)
The Wrestler
Milk (with the awesome Sean Penn)
Slumdog Millionaire
Synechode, New York
Gran Torino
Frost/Nixon
The Road (again an awesome book, brought to you by the same author as "No Country for Old Men")
Well that got long. For those of you that stayed with me, thanks, and Happy Oscar Season!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Blog: Take 2
I feel like I have a million things to write about, ummm...or nothing. I can't decide. The important thing in BlogLand is the update tho, no? The new blog for today, so I will just go for it and not get tripped up by the pressure of it. Deep breath innnnnnnnnnnn, okay.
Business Tip for today:
GET TRIPLE AAA IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT!
Our beloved old red Dodge Caravan that has traveled us to more shows than we can count, died a quick but hopefully painless death right before Christmas on the way home from our last show of the year.
Bob was on his way home from Cincinnati and the van died in Chicago. She (the van) made it almost all the way home, close but oh so far. But not too far for Triple AAA to come carry her home at no cost to us, thank goodness. That tow would have cost 400.00. Triple AAA is 150.00 a year for our whole family. Between the 4 drivers in our family, with all the lock-outs, gas run-outs and lengthy travels, Triple AAA is quite well worth it! So it is my business tip for today but also a personal tip as well. I cannot see any driver that would not benefit from having Triple AAA.
What we need to do next: Find a new van! And quick! We need a new van by the time we go back to work (Jan 10th). We are looking for a bigger van than we had before. Either a conversion van or a 15-passenger. Craigslist, Craigslist, Craigslist! But, I don't understand why I keeping writing to new ads on Craigslist but get almost no responses? Do they want to sell their stuff or not? If anyone knows of a vehicle such as described please feel free to share :)
What else is going on: Nothing! I am trying to rest, really I am. I am not a good rester. All work makes Jack a dull boy. Yes? Yes.
One of the hardest things about being self-employed is that it is hard to know when you are off. Now a lot of people tend to think "Boy, if I was self-employed, I would, stay in my pajamas, I would have all this time, I could pursue all these other things" and while that should be true, what ends up happening is that there is always work to be done. And it is always staring you in the face and you have trouble saying to yourself "we already worked 10, 12 hrs today, let's take a break". So, I am trying with all my might to rest a bit as we have a very busy season coming up.
That's all for now, goodnight.
P.S. I write at night, I am a night person.
Business Tip for today:
GET TRIPLE AAA IF YOU DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT!
Our beloved old red Dodge Caravan that has traveled us to more shows than we can count, died a quick but hopefully painless death right before Christmas on the way home from our last show of the year.
Bob was on his way home from Cincinnati and the van died in Chicago. She (the van) made it almost all the way home, close but oh so far. But not too far for Triple AAA to come carry her home at no cost to us, thank goodness. That tow would have cost 400.00. Triple AAA is 150.00 a year for our whole family. Between the 4 drivers in our family, with all the lock-outs, gas run-outs and lengthy travels, Triple AAA is quite well worth it! So it is my business tip for today but also a personal tip as well. I cannot see any driver that would not benefit from having Triple AAA.
What we need to do next: Find a new van! And quick! We need a new van by the time we go back to work (Jan 10th). We are looking for a bigger van than we had before. Either a conversion van or a 15-passenger. Craigslist, Craigslist, Craigslist! But, I don't understand why I keeping writing to new ads on Craigslist but get almost no responses? Do they want to sell their stuff or not? If anyone knows of a vehicle such as described please feel free to share :)
What else is going on: Nothing! I am trying to rest, really I am. I am not a good rester. All work makes Jack a dull boy. Yes? Yes.
One of the hardest things about being self-employed is that it is hard to know when you are off. Now a lot of people tend to think "Boy, if I was self-employed, I would, stay in my pajamas, I would have all this time, I could pursue all these other things" and while that should be true, what ends up happening is that there is always work to be done. And it is always staring you in the face and you have trouble saying to yourself "we already worked 10, 12 hrs today, let's take a break". So, I am trying with all my might to rest a bit as we have a very busy season coming up.
That's all for now, goodnight.
P.S. I write at night, I am a night person.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Blog: Take 1
Hello blog world!
Well, finally. One of my big New Year's resolutions for this year 2009, both personally and professionally, is to start and keep a blog.
Here are a few purposes for this blog:
1. To keep our family, friends and customers abreast of where we are, how we are doing, where we will be next etc.
2. To share and communicate ideas about about all kinds of things, business, personal viewpoints, parenting, maybe even just silly stuff!
3. Ummm, because every one else is doing it and I want to hang with the cool kids? Lol, I kid, I kid (a little bit).
Here are a few purposes for this blog:
1. To keep our family, friends and customers abreast of where we are, how we are doing, where we will be next etc.
2. To share and communicate ideas about about all kinds of things, business, personal viewpoints, parenting, maybe even just silly stuff!
3. Ummm, because every one else is doing it and I want to hang with the cool kids? Lol, I kid, I kid (a little bit).
A few basics about us:
-We are a Mom (Amy) a Dad (Bob), a college-age daughter (Lexi), a 17yr son (Christian), and a baby (Callie, not a baby really, she's 12) and two suuuuuuuper cute maltese dogs (Pepper and Sugar).
-We lead a bit of an unconventional lifestyle. We have a traveling retail floral & gift business. We travel all over, all the time. Our kids (except for the college daughter) are virtual-schooled. They do school online through our public school district. Most of the year we travel in an old-school, retro 70's RV, the rest of the year we do the hotel thing.
-We have been self-employed for the most part for 13 years. It has been a real struggle at times. A trial by fire. A learn-as-you go. But, WE LOVE IT. It is not just what we do, it is our life, it is who we are.
Well, I guess I got through my first post. Please bear with me as I learn how to "shnazzy" this thing up with links, pics and more!
Keep comin' back!
-Amy :)
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