Cyndee

Warren Buffett’s Suggestions for Economic Recovery and Congressional Clean-up . . .

Nov 082011

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Occupy Wall Street . . . We are the 99 % . . . The Tea Party . . . The Coffee Party . . . “Them vs Us” . . . Us vs Them . . . what a state we are in.

Let’s rally as ONE: “The American People”, and PUT CONGRESS ON NOTICE!

Warren Buffet’s, Simple truth . . .

His simple strategy . . .

“Warren Buffett, in a recent interview with CNBC, offers one of the best [solutions] about the debt ceiling: “I could end the deficit in 5 minutes,” he told CNBC. “You just pass a law that says that anytime there is a deficit of more than 3% of GDP, all sitting members of Congress are ineligible for re-election”.

According to Snopes the remainder of the quoted part of this post cannot be attributed to Buffet but it still warrants consideration.

“The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971… before computers, e-mail, cell phones, etc. Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land…all because of public pressure.

*Congressional Reform Act of 2011*
1. No Tenure / No Pension. A Congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.

2. Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund move to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, and Congress participates with the American people. It may not be used for any other purpose.

3. Congress can purchase their own retirement plan, just as all Americans do.

4. Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.

5. Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.

6. Congress must equally abide by all laws they impose on the American people.

7. All contracts with past and present Congressmen are void effective 1/1/12. The American people did not make this contract with Congressmen. Congressmen made all these contracts for themselves. Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, so ours should serve their term(s), then go home and back to work. If each person contacts a minimum of ten people then it will only take three days for most people (in the U.S.) to receive the message. Maybe it is time”.

“THIS IS HOW YOU FIX CONGRESS”

(The quoted part of this post has been copy and pasted from an eMail to share it as it was written).

Share this post, and help make this information go viral so we can put congress on notice and get this mess cleaned-up!

Blog Writing Simplified—7-Steps to Get You Blogging!

Blogging, Writing and Publishing No Responses »

Oct 142011

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When it comes to blogging, you may have heard the saying, “Content is the King.” Cliché as it may sound, it could not be truer. The quality of your blog content, or lack thereof, will ultimately determine your blogs success. High quality blog content not only draws targeted traffic and improves your site ranking, it also builds trust and credibility with your readers: both of which are key to building an online community, and a loyal following.

Providing quality blog content requires blog writing. Unfortunately, writing can be a daunting task, and many entrepreneurs shy away from it. They claim, “I am not a writer,” but the truth is, if you can talk, you can write . . . AND you can write a blog. When writing, you simply get more time to consider how you are going to say the thing you want to say . . . and you get to edit and polish it . . . which can make you sound waaaaay more articulate.

Ok, so there is “one” more thing: blog writing does require time, effort, creativity, and commitment. No argument! But if you are going to have an online presence, with a quality blog, you are going to have “pony up,” take up the “pen,” and write the damn thang! The good news is, there is a deeper truth, even to that: Like with anything else, blog writing does get easier with practice. The following tips can help simplify the process and get you on your writing and blogging way.

1. Invest some time learning about the subject. (This step is unavoidable. So “pony up” and pay your research dues).

Grab a journal or a notebook.
Go to Google, and see what others have written on the subject.
Jot down things that jump out at you. If you see something that inspires you, directly, and it is well written, quote the author and give them credit. Then, elaborate on it or share your “spin.”
Notice how other authors have organized their piece.
Look for their main points.
Take note of how they support their position.
Get inspired and let your creative juices flow.

2. Know your objective before you start writing. After you have done your research, and organized your notes, decide what you want to accomplish in your post. Note: Make sure you give your reader valuable content.

3. Start writing . . . your first draft.

4. KISS – Keep it short and simple! Short and simple blog posts benefit both the reader and the writer. Shorter posts are easier to write. L ikewise, they are also easier to read and remember. If your subject is more involved, break it down into multiple short pieces. Your reader will thank you, and their comprehension and retention will increase.

5. Edit as needed so the piece makes sense.

6. Send it to a friend to make sure someone outside of your head can understand it, make any necessary changes.

7. Post it!

The goal, when writing blog posts is not perfection. It is: good enough! If you have given your reader ample value, and the blog post makes sense, let it go. Fortunately, the blogging grammar gods are more forgiving than your college professors. The information—the valuable content that makes up the body of your blog–is what your readers seek, not perfect grammar or style.

Soooooooo, what are you waiting for . . . get researching . . . GET BLOGGING . . . GET POSTING!

Success Starts when You “Jump!”

Leadership and Success No Responses »

Sep 102011

: Image by ArSiSa7 via Flickr

Last week at “The Enchanted Business Woman’s Luncheon” I shared a simple Leadership and Success tip, about business. “Just jump in,” I said. “No matter where you are . . . just jump in and get started.” The journey will answer the questions and show you the way.

As the week progressed, I penetrated some of the deeper layers of that tip. Here is what I learned: So many of us get paralyzed in a desire for perfection that we don’t ever jump; or if we do, we jump out as quickly as the difficulties set in. We feel like “staying where we are” keeps us safe, but the truth is, it doesn’t. It just keeps us small.

I have been shape-shifting both my business vision and mission for several years. I have had multiple names for it and muse that I have enough business cards to “quilt a baby blanket.” I was sorta in it with one foot, and I was playing it safe. I reasoned that it was because I was still raising my last “dependent” child. And, while that was true, it was also true that my business vision is BIG, and that scares the hell out of me.

Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, as I transitioned through the final stages of the empty nest syndrome ” my business vision called to me, louder and louder. I didn’t want to listen. A long story short, the pain of not listening grew, and I eventually heeded the call and jumped more fully into “my business game.”

By jumping in, I learned that jumping in, exactly where I was, and not waiting until I had everything perfectly inline yielded the best insights. It brought to my awareness insights that I needed to competently move forward. Insights
about:

Me
My project
My values and objectives
Those whom are a part of my vision—Clients, Colleagues and
Strategic Partners

Jumping in also brought clarity, showed me where I ultimately wanted to go, and the adjustments I need need to make to “get there” and achieve success.

Yes, I have hit my share of bumps along the way, and so will you, but as long as we stay “open to the learnings,” and stay the course,
we can mine the experiences for knowledge and data. In the words of J. Michael Derem, we can “Fail our Way to Success.” Walt
Disney did it! So did Elvis, Sylvester Stalone, and many others who became “household names.” Those people dared to dream. They pushed
beyond their fears, and they jumped. They inspire us. They have also shown us that “jumping” and being willing to find our way as we go will ultimately get us to our goals.

What is your Dream? What are your goals?

What say ye? Shall we jump?

Self-Love

Personal Development No Responses »

Sep 042011

: Image by artnoose via Flickr

The topic of self-love is often misunderstood. Some see it as vain and selfish, and if experienced through that lens it isn’t really self-love at all. It is an ego clone that misses the heart of the concept.

Authentic self-love is about learning to love yourself unconditionally, the way a “healthy” parent loves a child. It’s about forgiveness, self-nurturing, patience and understanding. It’s about being self-supportive and reaching for your dreams. It’s about bringing your unique gifts and style into the world. And, it’s about service.

How do you do it? To borrow from an overused analogy, you put the oxygen mask on yourself first: You unlearn bad programming, typically layered in in your youth, and you learn to become the “thing” or person you want others to be.

This “learning” became evident for me when my youngest child was three years old and I reckoned with the fact that I could not teach him, or his siblings, to be something I myself wasn’t. I also learned that I could not teach them values or a way of life, I myself had not lived, and therefore did not understand on an experiential level.

With that wisdom I started my journey of self-love. My first assignment was to look in the mirror and say I love you. But I was so angry at life that I couldn’t.So, I had to start my “self-love travels” with a sideways glance in the mirror glance and an affirmation that I was “willing” to love myself. Little did I know that with that I was on my way.

Along the way I learned that:

I had to loosen the grip I had on old beliefs so new concepts could offer themselves up: in the form of insights, “ah ha’s,” and/or epiphanies.
I had to stay mentally and emotionally flexible.
A person desperately seeking to fill their own buckets lives through a bankrupt account and takes from others who have more in their buckets.
The fuller my buckets were the more I had to give—and give, I did, in copious amounts. (Actually, the giving showed up naturally and unsolicited. I guess when your personal coffers are over-flowing you just want to share what you have with others).
As I continued on my path of self-love, my confidence grew, and I experienced more peace.
I learned that love is a self-refilling commodity, and that the more I spent it the more I had to give.
I learned that to love myself is to trust myself, and the unfolding of my life.

Finally, and most importantly:

I found that the more I loved myself, the more I came to know myself, and the beauty of mankind in their heart of hearts.

Here’s a 2-part tip to get YOU started on YOUR journey of self-love:

STOP the negative self-talk!
Learn to talk to yourself with kindness and respect.

Most of us have been conditioned to be unnecessarily harsh on ourselves. This behavior will never bring about any good, and over time it will erode your confidence and suck you deeper into anger, resentment and despair.

Remember to:

Encourage yourself as you would a young child.
Keep your internal chats upbeat and supportive.

Through the filters of self-love you can truly find yourself, be yourself, and fill the buckets of those in your circle of influence.

Fat Burning Foods

Health and Wellness No Responses »

Aug 212010

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I’m on a quest to drop 30 pounds (don’t ask me how I’m doing, yet) so I picked up a copy of Clean Eating, magazine while at my weekly mastermind at Barnes and Noble. As I was thumbing through it, looking at all the mouth watering clean recipes, I landed on an article about vinegar.

It turns out that the tangy liquid is a natural fat fighter. According to the article, Japanese researcher Tomoo Kondo conducted a lab study, in 2009 and found that animals given a high fat diet with a “splash” of vinegar accumulated 10% less body fat than their study group counterparts that were given only water.

The skinny on this study is that Acetic acid appears to “turn on genes in the liver that produce proteins that help break down fat.” I do have to add: the article also said that further study is required to see how this translates to humans, but heck it isn’t gonna hurt to do your own case study, with you as the subject. . . . Sorry the article did not say just how much vinegar is required to kick start these liver genes. I’m thinking 1 – 2 tablespoons per day.

Oh, and by the way, if you are not a fan of the pungent juice try rice vinegar. It’s not as sharp so you might find it more palatable. I do. Trader Joe’s carries a really good one for about $1.70 a bottle. I use it in almost everything I would use regular vinegar in; including my Good Seasons, Zesty Italian salad dressing—and my husband, a devout carnivore loves it too. This tiny change actually got him eating cleaner salads.

So, why not add a bit of vinegar to your daily menu and burn some fat.

7 ½ Secrets to Networking Success Revealed

Networking No Responses »

Aug 072010

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7 ½ Secrets to Networking Success Revealed

Networking is a key part of building community and business success. If it isn’t already a fundamental part of your Marketing and Success Plan: ADD IT!

Now-a-days there are two primary ways to network: online and in person. Commit time to both and let your efforts be driven by an intention to connect and build rapport. Remember: The quality of your network depends on the quality of your connections—that, by the way, is the second half of secret #1, and the most valuable of the secrets.

Alrighty then, let’s get on with the rest of those secrets . . .

Serve: People who show-up at networking events with a desire to connect and serve, build higher quality networks. So, if you want to get the most out of your networking efforts, don’t ask for anything until you have given first, and remember: networking is, first and foremost, a social experience . . . forget that you’re “networking” and connecting will be easier.
Have a Networking Plan: Networking can be intimidating. You can make it easier by having a networking plan. Go over your introduction so you know what you are going to say when it comes time to introduce yourself. Write down a few questions that you can ask to start conversations. Start with simple questions such as: name and hometown? If it feels right you can ask about children, too. When you ask about someone’s business, show genuine interest. After they have shared the preliminaries you can ask how they got into their field, what they like most about it, who their strategic partners are . . . and so forth.
Show Up: I’ve heard it said that 90% of success is Showing Up. In the context of networking that means just showing up will get you exposure; just showing up provides the opportunity for you to refine your networking process; just showing up will earn you credibility, etc.
Build a Network Not a List: There are two basic ways to network: You can either go to a networking event to “work the room” and build your list or you can go with an intention to build relationships. The former might get you more business cards but the latter will get you a better quality connection . . . and possibly a new client or referral. It’s the people we build rapport and relationships with that end up “playing” with us and referring their friends.
Consistency: Statistics say that most people need to be exposed to something 4-7 times before they will act. Translated to networking, that means that you are going to have to be seen at least 4-times before the average person will consider trying your product or services. Additionally, the more consistent you are about networking the more recognition you get. The more recognition you get the more professionalism people attach to you. The more professionalism you have the more people will trust you . . . and did I mention that TRUST is critical in conversion.
Follow-Up: Have a follow-up plan in place. It can be as simple as an email template with a call to action —a free report or an invitation to visit your blog. Follow the email up with a simple, “Hello, it was nice meeting you. How can we help each other to even greater success,” phone call. Don’t wait for them to call you. Call them. If you have sent an email you can place the phone-call 3 to 4 days later. If not, call within 2 days of the event. . . . A tip: if you are not calling to get a client, make a sale or some other form of immediate cash conversion the call is easier to make. So, follow-up with some sort of “free sample” offer that’s even better than the one offered in your email. It can be a free consultation, a free assessment, a free ticket to a mini or “sampler” workshop where you can show your value and sell them “seamlessly” into a larger package.
Enjoy yourself!

There you have it: the Alchemist’s Secret Potion to Networking Success. Networking opportunities are, or can be made, available in any town from local chambers to Meetup Groups. There are fee based groups and free groups. There are women only groups, casual groups, professional groups, corporate groups, etc. If one doesn’t exist that fits your style or needs, start one—it’s a good way to set yourself up as a leader in your community.

Why Should I Blog

Blogging No Responses »

Jul 212010

: Image via Wikipedia

Hmmm, that’s a good question. I’m glad you asked. But, before I roll out a list of reasons may I tell you a bit about what the thang is and how it got started:

As you may or may not know a blog, or weblog, as it was initially called made its debut in the late 1990s, but it really goes back, even further, to the early 1990s when people like Justin Hall kept online diaries or journals. And, if you dig even deeper you will find some relics arguing that they were posting stuff of a similar type on Usenet. So, where ever it began, it has evolved, and I am happy to say that it is here to stay.

Why, is it here to stay, you might ask: because it is about extending our reach, communication, sharing our thoughts, and connecting . . . and everyone has something to say.

One awesomtastically cool thing about blogs is that the author of a blog is usually also the publisher. And, for those of you who are not from a writing background that means you get to:

Personalize it
Have a voice
Share your opinion
Share your humanity
Share knowledge and wisdom on all your favorite subjects . . .

and you can even share pictures, videos, poems and rants

Invite guest bloggers to share their thoughts

It also means:

You can feel a sense of belonging and contribution
You can build a community and share yourself within it
You can develop yourself as a writer
You can be perceived as an expert—if you know your subjects well.
The playing field is wide open
You get to make the rules—but don’t get too crazy: you do want people to read it
You get to decide what to write about, and how you want to present it
You can use words like: thang and awesomtastically, if you feel so inclined

And finally, the grammar and writing gods are more forgiving—but you’ll need to keep enough structure so people can understand what you have written.

So, if you are writing for personal fulfillment it is a great vehicle to self-express and share. If you are writing for business reasons, and you know what you are talking about: it builds credentials, community, and dare I say– it can increase your bottom line.

So what say ye: What are your reasons for blogging . . . or not blogging?

Love–What is Love

Musings No Responses »

Jun 182010

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Love

I woke up this morning and pulled myself close to my husband: I didn’t feel like getting up and I wanted to snuggle in. As I lay there, my thinking mind did its morning stretch and started to run its series of checks and balances. Fortunately, it was asking some pretty cool questions. I didn’t take much heed, at first, until I asked me: “What is love.” My usual answers didn’t pacify and I asked myself again: W-h-a-t is love?

Understanding that, “square-up-with-me” tone, I knew I was asking for a considered response. Upon quiet reflection I answered: Love is a feeling of complete acceptance. Love is compassion. Love is found in the moments when you look at another and see them beyond any judgment and appreciate them for who they are, as they are, in that moment. Love is found in those moments when another person makes your heart smile. Love is found in knowing that someone else makes your life even better. Love can be found when a dog eagerly awaits their owner to finish a tantrum so he can lick away the wounds and say I love you as the person you are under the fear that drove those behaviors.

And then I asked. . . How much do I love myself?

How ‘bout you: What are your thoughts about love?

Welcome to The Enchanted Woman Blog

Uncategorized No Responses »

Jun 102010

: Image by alicepopkorn via Flickr

Welcome to The Enchanted Woman™ a blog designed to help shortcut your Personal and Professional Success. This blog is for people that Live or desire to Live Life with Vision, Intention and Purpose. I will be blogging about subjects in the areas of Business, Business Development, Personal Development, Leadership, Sustainable Success, and Spirituality—because you can’t take the you out of anything you do. Because it is my goal to encourage and empower readers to Live, Lead and Work with Heart and Purpose everything will be delivered through the lens of Authentic Empowerment™.

You might be curious about the name: The Enchanted Woman™ so let me shed a little light on that.

I suppose at the core, I chose that name because it’s not traditional, and I’m not very traditional . . . Well, I’m not completely untraditional. I mean, I love to research, I love raw data, and I love facts, stats, logic and unfolding the mystery of life in an empirical way. But I also realize that “traditional” usually means a heavy left brain/logical slant that holds little to no room for Imagination, Creativity and Fun. I’m not saying that left brain intelligence and logic aren’t important. They are. It is that side of the brain that allows us to figure out patterns, formulas, and chart a course for our own success. But I am saying that intelligence and logic are lifeless without Imagination and Creativity, and boring if you can’t Enjoy the journey.

So, anyway . . . I tried names like: A Woman’s Way, Self-Defined, Strategic Woman, Empowered and On Purpose . . . But none of those opened the door wide-enough to convey the message that everyone of us has the tools to create a Meaningful, Fulfilling Life; filled with plenty of Enjoyment, Delight and Fun. The concept of Enchantment also leaves room for The Enchanted Formula™—created no doubt by my left brain, which is: Imagination + Intelligence & good old fashioned, Follow-Through create the Magic of Sustainable Success. And lastly, it embraces a return to Self and Authenticity.

The Enchanted Journey is not necessarily easy. Each of us has undergone the socialization process, whereby we are conditioned by the influences and good opinions of others. But, as Alice discovered: the journey belongs to each of us, individually, and we must make our way back through the weight of our programming, retaining the lessons learned and re-connecting with our own hearts desires, if we are to live The Enchanted Life™.

So, while at first glance being an Enchanted Woman might sound inviting, glamorous and even easy, but the truth is: an Enchanted Woman is a person of character, courage, and vision, she has a 9-lives attitude and unwavering determination to “Go the Distance,” she is resourceful, she lives with heart and purpose, she is authentic, loving, and true to her own life vision . . . to live such a life requires work and commitment. It is not a finite goal. It’s a way of life.

Are you up for the journey?

The Enchanted Woman™ Women in Leadership, Book & Writing Coach Coach

Cyndee

Blog Writing Simplified—7-Steps to Get You Blogging!

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Fat Burning Foods

Love–What is Love

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