When I tutor or lead my book group at EHS, my biggest challenge is showing relevance. What does the material being taught at school have to do with the student's experiences in life so far? Why should they care?
One recent assignment had to do with Barack Obama's surprise win of the Nobel Peace Prize, why he won, what the committee's reasoning was for their choice and who else historically has won. The student has superb memorization ability, remembers what the article covers very well and can repeat it back easily. The article talked about how Barack Obama negotiates well to bridge differences between nations and has made a strong stand for the elimination of weapons of mass destruction.
The last question on the homework was whether he agreed or disagreed with the decision. I found his answer quite profound and utterly relevant to a young person's life. He said that Obama said that if kids are not doing well in school, it does not mean they are stupid but they need to study harder and put away the DS (electronic game). Apparently, the school showed the video of Obama's speech.
While it did not match the committee's reasons precisely for giving Obama the Nobel Peace Prize, clearly Obama reached children, or at least this one, when he gave that speech. I saw that Obama had bridged the gap between himself and this student (and any child will tell you that most adults don't listen well to children) with a powerful, actionable message. Even if you are struggling in school, you can learn if you work harder and avoid distractions.
I could take a lesson from what that student and Obama said myself at times. It's amazing how much I learn when I'm teaching these students because they see from such a different angle than I do, out of their own experiences. Wow!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
On Working With Passion
"Work with all your intelligence and love. Work freely and rollickingly as though you were talking to a friend who loves you. Mentally (at least three or four times a day) thumb your nose at all the know-it-alls, jeerers, critics, doubters." by Brenda Ueland.
Any action has consequences. Working with everything we have in us or holding back... which are you and I doing today?
Any action has consequences. Working with everything we have in us or holding back... which are you and I doing today?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Missing a Human Face: the Juggernaut of Banks and Foreclosures
When the human element disappears from bank service departments with foreclosures rising, something needs to change.
When I lost all work for seven months, off and on, in 2009 and was relying on unemployment to pay my bills, there simply was not enough money so, right or wrong, I used some of the funds from the rents in the investment properties to supplement and fell behind on mortgages. Once I got another job, I began paying my mortgages with Sovereign again but, since everything was behind, I could only just keep up from where I already was... four months behind. I made two payments on both properties (4 mortgage payments) and I called to make sure that the bank would not send my account to foreclosure and never got a return call. I had sent a third set of two payments when I got notice from the bank's lawyer that they were pursuing foreclosure action. SURPRISE!
I called many times to plead my case and was told, "Sorry, nothing we can do... It has already gone to the lawyer. Apparently, there is no human override for the systems. I was advised to do a loan modification with the bank and tried to do it alone - filled out the papers, sent them in, incomplete, refused, ask again. Departments did not seem to interact with each other. For example, loan modification could not see that I was making payments, foreclosure did not know I was pursuing loan modification, although supposedly they were meant to be working as a team to resolve these kinds of situations... missing a human face.
In the meantime, the lawyer that the bank hired sent a process server to me to serve me with papers and to the duplexes with the paperwork to let the tenants know. OK, that is their right. However, this person told my tenants, all of them, that "You might as well get out now because you are going to be thrown out in a month." I have heard other investors report similar tactics. One friend successfully concluded a loan mod, sent back paperwork with a check, and his bank sold the property on the court house steps anyway. It did not sell so they bought it back for $100 and then notified him that they were forgiving the foreclosure entirely. CRAZY STUFF!
The tenants got scared and began withholding rent (totally understandable), making my already challenging financial situation worse. In the end, I was forced to evict two tenants and my best tenant left with no notice - 3 vacancies in two properties now bringing in $309/mo gross, instead of over $2000/mo. gross, going on three months. I think my property manager has filled those as of November 2009 - we shall see. Sovereign said the bank was not responsible except that they hired the lawyer who hired the process server who said this to the tenants and exacerbated the situation.
It seems counter-intuitive to me to refuse to deal in person with homeowners and investors who are actively trying to catch up. In addition, taking actions that make it likely that the bank will have to take back the house (decreasing their ability to lend), that the owner will short sale, walk away or even declare bankruptcy, makes no sense. My speculation is that the systems in place are insufficient to deal with the number of houses being taken back by the banks and human beings at the banks, trying to resolve difficult situations, are afraid themselves of losing their jobs if they intervene outside the bank system.
I think the people at the banks are probably doing their best but are overwhelmed by the volume of properties. I have hired a lawyer to stall the foreclosure in the courts, hired a loan modification expert to deal with the banks, all of which cost money that I could have been using on paying the mortgages. Also, since Sovereign was taken over by Banco Santander, my paperwork is now wrong and I need to resubmit. At the beginning, before Sovereign sent my case to the lawyer, I could have held steady and caught up once there was more work. Now, I just don't know because the bank's actions have made things worse. I am doing everything I can but may or may not be able to turn it around.
Did you know that the foreclosure process continues even while a loan modification application has been submitted so it is possible to lose the house while appealing the foreclosure, using the proper channels?
Did you know that a homeowner or investor can have someone short sale their property and, unless the bank forgives the balance in a letter, will be taxed on the difference by the IRS?
Did you know that banks must hold capital in reserve (I was told by a fellow investor it's a 10:1 ratio but have not been able to confirm that - does anyone know?) to cover the cost of taking back houses so that the more REOs they have in inventory, the less lending they can do?
Did you know that the adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) on luxury homes are scheduled to accelerate in November 2009? What will that do to the banks' ability to lend money?
Did you know that many banks are simply not foreclosing because they can't afford to hold any more houses? In the meantime, perhaps the homeowner or investor has given up because they can't see a way to catch up in the current economic environment and move out. In or out, without the pride of ownership, the house will be vacant or more poorly taken care of because the owner already sees it as belonging to the bank, which benefits nobody.
Taken from www.responsiblelending.org site:
Projected new foreclosures in 2009 - 2,400,000
Projected homes lost through foreclosure over next four years - 8,100,000
Why do these numbers matter?
Foreclosure starts from 2007-2008 more than doubled from those in 2005-2006. For the entire nation, foreclosures in 2009 are expected to reach 2.4 million. This epidemic of home losses has a devastating impact on working families, and by depressing the housing market and increasing unemployment, also weakens the entire economy.
How were these numbers calculated?
This number is based on the annualized rate of foreclosure starts reported in the 3Q 2008 MBA National Delinquency Survey, adjusted to reflect the entire mortgage market (the MBA survey covers 80%).
Alabama - 17,471
Alaska - 1,702
Arkansas - 8,450
Arizona - 97,383
California - 380,324
Colorado - 31,479
Connecticut - 14,569
Delaware - 4,567
District of Columbia - 3,192
Florida - 348,743
Georgia - 72,358
Hawaii - 4,594
Idaho - 8,583
Illinois - 84,731
Indiana - 40,682
Iowa - 8,575
Kansas - 8,870
Kentucky - 14,883
Louisiana - 12,136
Maine - 5,636
Maryland - 40,537
Massachusets - 24,368
Michigan - 77,166
Minnesota - 34,641
Mississippi - 9,936
Missouri - 26,576
Montana - 2,105
Nebraska - 5,114
Nevada - 59,388
New Hampshire - 6,162
New Jersey - 49,838
New Mexico - 6,321
New York - 58,217
North Carolina - 38,328
North Dakota - 803
Ohio - 72,049
Oklahoma - 12,542
Oregon - 16,547
Pennsylvania - 42,141
Rhode Island - 7,247
South Carolina - 22,017
South Dakota - 1,379
Tennessee -27,744
Texas - 81,735
Utah - 13,425
Vermont - 6,162
Virginia - 40,155
Washington - 28,499
West Virginia - 4,087
Wisconsin - 20,620
Wyoming - 912
My fundamental question is how do we, as a nation, restore the human face to solving our nation's issues with foreclosures and unemployment? Clearly, the systems are broken and need to be fixed somehow. Together, we are resourceful. What can be done? In challenging times, the old rules must be renegotiated because they are insufficient to the needs of homeowners and investors and banks. Please comment with questions, ideas, thoughts...
When I lost all work for seven months, off and on, in 2009 and was relying on unemployment to pay my bills, there simply was not enough money so, right or wrong, I used some of the funds from the rents in the investment properties to supplement and fell behind on mortgages. Once I got another job, I began paying my mortgages with Sovereign again but, since everything was behind, I could only just keep up from where I already was... four months behind. I made two payments on both properties (4 mortgage payments) and I called to make sure that the bank would not send my account to foreclosure and never got a return call. I had sent a third set of two payments when I got notice from the bank's lawyer that they were pursuing foreclosure action. SURPRISE!
I called many times to plead my case and was told, "Sorry, nothing we can do... It has already gone to the lawyer. Apparently, there is no human override for the systems. I was advised to do a loan modification with the bank and tried to do it alone - filled out the papers, sent them in, incomplete, refused, ask again. Departments did not seem to interact with each other. For example, loan modification could not see that I was making payments, foreclosure did not know I was pursuing loan modification, although supposedly they were meant to be working as a team to resolve these kinds of situations... missing a human face.
In the meantime, the lawyer that the bank hired sent a process server to me to serve me with papers and to the duplexes with the paperwork to let the tenants know. OK, that is their right. However, this person told my tenants, all of them, that "You might as well get out now because you are going to be thrown out in a month." I have heard other investors report similar tactics. One friend successfully concluded a loan mod, sent back paperwork with a check, and his bank sold the property on the court house steps anyway. It did not sell so they bought it back for $100 and then notified him that they were forgiving the foreclosure entirely. CRAZY STUFF!
The tenants got scared and began withholding rent (totally understandable), making my already challenging financial situation worse. In the end, I was forced to evict two tenants and my best tenant left with no notice - 3 vacancies in two properties now bringing in $309/mo gross, instead of over $2000/mo. gross, going on three months. I think my property manager has filled those as of November 2009 - we shall see. Sovereign said the bank was not responsible except that they hired the lawyer who hired the process server who said this to the tenants and exacerbated the situation.
It seems counter-intuitive to me to refuse to deal in person with homeowners and investors who are actively trying to catch up. In addition, taking actions that make it likely that the bank will have to take back the house (decreasing their ability to lend), that the owner will short sale, walk away or even declare bankruptcy, makes no sense. My speculation is that the systems in place are insufficient to deal with the number of houses being taken back by the banks and human beings at the banks, trying to resolve difficult situations, are afraid themselves of losing their jobs if they intervene outside the bank system.
I think the people at the banks are probably doing their best but are overwhelmed by the volume of properties. I have hired a lawyer to stall the foreclosure in the courts, hired a loan modification expert to deal with the banks, all of which cost money that I could have been using on paying the mortgages. Also, since Sovereign was taken over by Banco Santander, my paperwork is now wrong and I need to resubmit. At the beginning, before Sovereign sent my case to the lawyer, I could have held steady and caught up once there was more work. Now, I just don't know because the bank's actions have made things worse. I am doing everything I can but may or may not be able to turn it around.
Did you know that the foreclosure process continues even while a loan modification application has been submitted so it is possible to lose the house while appealing the foreclosure, using the proper channels?
Did you know that a homeowner or investor can have someone short sale their property and, unless the bank forgives the balance in a letter, will be taxed on the difference by the IRS?
Did you know that banks must hold capital in reserve (I was told by a fellow investor it's a 10:1 ratio but have not been able to confirm that - does anyone know?) to cover the cost of taking back houses so that the more REOs they have in inventory, the less lending they can do?
Did you know that the adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs) on luxury homes are scheduled to accelerate in November 2009? What will that do to the banks' ability to lend money?
Did you know that many banks are simply not foreclosing because they can't afford to hold any more houses? In the meantime, perhaps the homeowner or investor has given up because they can't see a way to catch up in the current economic environment and move out. In or out, without the pride of ownership, the house will be vacant or more poorly taken care of because the owner already sees it as belonging to the bank, which benefits nobody.
Taken from www.responsiblelending.org site:
Projected new foreclosures in 2009 - 2,400,000
Projected homes lost through foreclosure over next four years - 8,100,000
Why do these numbers matter?
Foreclosure starts from 2007-2008 more than doubled from those in 2005-2006. For the entire nation, foreclosures in 2009 are expected to reach 2.4 million. This epidemic of home losses has a devastating impact on working families, and by depressing the housing market and increasing unemployment, also weakens the entire economy.
How were these numbers calculated?
This number is based on the annualized rate of foreclosure starts reported in the 3Q 2008 MBA National Delinquency Survey, adjusted to reflect the entire mortgage market (the MBA survey covers 80%).
Alabama - 17,471
Alaska - 1,702
Arkansas - 8,450
Arizona - 97,383
California - 380,324
Colorado - 31,479
Connecticut - 14,569
Delaware - 4,567
District of Columbia - 3,192
Florida - 348,743
Georgia - 72,358
Hawaii - 4,594
Idaho - 8,583
Illinois - 84,731
Indiana - 40,682
Iowa - 8,575
Kansas - 8,870
Kentucky - 14,883
Louisiana - 12,136
Maine - 5,636
Maryland - 40,537
Massachusets - 24,368
Michigan - 77,166
Minnesota - 34,641
Mississippi - 9,936
Missouri - 26,576
Montana - 2,105
Nebraska - 5,114
Nevada - 59,388
New Hampshire - 6,162
New Jersey - 49,838
New Mexico - 6,321
New York - 58,217
North Carolina - 38,328
North Dakota - 803
Ohio - 72,049
Oklahoma - 12,542
Oregon - 16,547
Pennsylvania - 42,141
Rhode Island - 7,247
South Carolina - 22,017
South Dakota - 1,379
Tennessee -27,744
Texas - 81,735
Utah - 13,425
Vermont - 6,162
Virginia - 40,155
Washington - 28,499
West Virginia - 4,087
Wisconsin - 20,620
Wyoming - 912
My fundamental question is how do we, as a nation, restore the human face to solving our nation's issues with foreclosures and unemployment? Clearly, the systems are broken and need to be fixed somehow. Together, we are resourceful. What can be done? In challenging times, the old rules must be renegotiated because they are insufficient to the needs of homeowners and investors and banks. Please comment with questions, ideas, thoughts...
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Pet Peeves of an Out-of-Town Landlord
Real estate investing long distance was much harder than I expected in real life. I have known for a long time that being a real estate investor, business owner and entrepreneur was my chosen direction in life. In today's economy, it is essential for every individual and family to build a financial net for themselves because working for a company in a job is a potentially precarious situation. I have become a strong advocate for creating multiple streams of income.
I began learning about how to buy real estate in January 2007, reading, listening to CDs, going to boot camps, joining my local REIA and taking bus tours out to nearby markets to look at houses because the NYC market was so expensive. In August 2007, I bought my first investment property, a single family 3 BR, 1 BA house in North Philly, PA, in what turned out to be a war zone area. I bought my second duplex (1 BR, 1 1/2 BA & 4 BR, 1 1/2 BA) and third duplex (3 BR, 1 BA & 4 BR, 1 BA) properties in Syracuse, NY in October 2007 and Countrywide collapsed that month. It's called the school of hard knocks for a reason...
Pet Peeves
1) Acquiring an Effective Property Manager - deciding whether to choose a single person manager or a team; staying informed about tenants, houses and repairs in a timely way; getting accurate accounting of repairs and expenses for tax accounting, preferably beforehand; being overruled on direct orders; not being close enough to keep an eye on things myself; being told something has been completed only to find out it wasn't; getting rental payments; figuring out what systems I needed to put in place (communication, reporting, payments, invoicing, etc.).
Building a Power Team at a Distance - realtor(s), lawyer, property manager, appraiser, property inspector, handyman, painter, contractor, plumber, electrician, etc. Who do you ask for referrals when the property is outside your backyard?
Knowing the Neighborhoods You are Investing in - It's much harder to walk the neighborhood in the daytime, at night, when kids are getting out of school and weekends to see who lives there when the property is 2-6 hours away.
Knowing Who to Trust About What - Lacking confidence in my own competence in investing in Philadelphia and Syracuse, I trusted what others said when I did not know what questions I needed to be asking.
That said, I belong to a group of eight women entrepreneurs who are also real estate investors and, by sharing our real estate experiences, trials and tribulations at least twice a month, we help each other find solutions to our long-distance investing challenges. When it isn't you, the answers seem so clear... Ha ha!
I began learning about how to buy real estate in January 2007, reading, listening to CDs, going to boot camps, joining my local REIA and taking bus tours out to nearby markets to look at houses because the NYC market was so expensive. In August 2007, I bought my first investment property, a single family 3 BR, 1 BA house in North Philly, PA, in what turned out to be a war zone area. I bought my second duplex (1 BR, 1 1/2 BA & 4 BR, 1 1/2 BA) and third duplex (3 BR, 1 BA & 4 BR, 1 BA) properties in Syracuse, NY in October 2007 and Countrywide collapsed that month. It's called the school of hard knocks for a reason...
Pet Peeves
1) Acquiring an Effective Property Manager - deciding whether to choose a single person manager or a team; staying informed about tenants, houses and repairs in a timely way; getting accurate accounting of repairs and expenses for tax accounting, preferably beforehand; being overruled on direct orders; not being close enough to keep an eye on things myself; being told something has been completed only to find out it wasn't; getting rental payments; figuring out what systems I needed to put in place (communication, reporting, payments, invoicing, etc.).
Building a Power Team at a Distance - realtor(s), lawyer, property manager, appraiser, property inspector, handyman, painter, contractor, plumber, electrician, etc. Who do you ask for referrals when the property is outside your backyard?
Knowing the Neighborhoods You are Investing in - It's much harder to walk the neighborhood in the daytime, at night, when kids are getting out of school and weekends to see who lives there when the property is 2-6 hours away.
Knowing Who to Trust About What - Lacking confidence in my own competence in investing in Philadelphia and Syracuse, I trusted what others said when I did not know what questions I needed to be asking.
That said, I belong to a group of eight women entrepreneurs who are also real estate investors and, by sharing our real estate experiences, trials and tribulations at least twice a month, we help each other find solutions to our long-distance investing challenges. When it isn't you, the answers seem so clear... Ha ha!
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Check Out These NYC In-Person and Online Meetings for Business Networking
I keep running into people who are actively networking and building businesses but don't know about all the incredible networks and information readily available to entrepreneurs, network and affiliate marketers, salespeople and business owners. Of course, there are also social, food, exercise, entertainment meetings and more. I look at the mission statement for content, agenda and to get a sense of the people participating and the numbers to see if it's worth my time - no less than eight confirmed is my usual criteria (meetup lists the number confirmed). I have been attending at least four meetings a week so I am getting good at assessing their usefulness for my purposes. I think about what I want to get out of the meeting before I agree to attend.
995 meetups on all topics within 10 miles of NYC this week
October 26-November 1, 2009 from www.meetup.com
October 26 at 6pm - EXCELLENT for community, content and networking
New York Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN) run by Andrew Ran Wong - FREE
mad46 Rooftop Lounge (Roosevelt Hotel), Madison Ave & 46th St
"Find us at the registration table at the entry of Roosevelt Hotel"
November 4, 9:15am - Speaker Series 1: Skills You Need to Succeed in Your Business
November 12, 6pm - NYEBN "Small Is the New Big" Networking Reception
I Attend All Events Andrew Ran Wong Puts Together, If My Schedule Allows. Register at meetup.com for the group and you will get updates on events.
October 27 at 8:30am - EXCELLENT content on business building & upsell
CASH FLOW EXPLOSION hosted by SalesPartners New York (Ben) - FREE
11 Penn Plaza (FUSE Building) opposite Penn Station on 32nd Street & 7th Avenue
"Ask for SalesPartners New York at main lobby kiosk"
October 28 at 6pm - LOOKS INTERESTING
A Fast, Fun Way to Connect-Speed Networking for Business Professionals - $24
Wealth Advisory Group
355 Lexington Avenue - 9th Floor near Grand Central
October 28 at 7pm - GREAT for networking, more social
Business Networking Reception for Professionals by moxieinthecity - $15 in advance, $20 at the door
Mercer Conference Room, 1166 Avenue of The Americas
Entrance on West 45th Street - 40th FL, room 40 sutton place
October 28 at 7pm - LOOKS INTERESTING
The New York Affiliate Marketing October Meetup - FREE
New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, 8th Floor Bar/Lounge
October 29 at 7:30am - GREAT for networking, community
The New York Small Business Breakfast Club October Meetup - $12+tip for breakfast
Chelsea Square Restaurant, 368 W 23rd St, Btwn 8th & 9th Ave, NY
"We'll be in the glass atrium facing 23rd Street"
I always attend these breakfast meetings
October 29, 7:30am-12pm
New York Enterprise Report - LOOKS INTERESTING
THE ULTIMATE SALES WORKSHOP: SMART SELLING WITH JACK DALY - $249
The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave (at 34th Street)
October 29 at 6:15pm - LOOKS INTERESTING
BizSpark. Entrepreneur Bootcamp. Avec Microsoft - FREE
Microsoft, 1290 Avenue of the Americas
"5th Floor, Studio 54 meeting room"
HEADS UP, the Learning Annex in NYC has gone to a monthly enrollment fee and is having a 14-day trial for FREE. Go check out the classes at www.LearningAnnex.com.
I have been attending grant and government funding workshops lately so I will put together some of those and the names and monthly schedule of meetings I ALWAYS attend shortly. Spread the wealth!
There are scores of FREE and inexpensive networking and business resources here in the Tri-state area. Do you know any more that you would recommend? If so, I would love to have you comment on the blog and say what the group is and why you like it.
995 meetups on all topics within 10 miles of NYC this week
October 26-November 1, 2009 from www.meetup.com
October 26 at 6pm - EXCELLENT for community, content and networking
New York Entrepreneurs Business Network (NYEBN) run by Andrew Ran Wong - FREE
mad46 Rooftop Lounge (Roosevelt Hotel), Madison Ave & 46th St
"Find us at the registration table at the entry of Roosevelt Hotel"
November 4, 9:15am - Speaker Series 1: Skills You Need to Succeed in Your Business
November 12, 6pm - NYEBN "Small Is the New Big" Networking Reception
I Attend All Events Andrew Ran Wong Puts Together, If My Schedule Allows. Register at meetup.com for the group and you will get updates on events.
October 27 at 8:30am - EXCELLENT content on business building & upsell
CASH FLOW EXPLOSION hosted by SalesPartners New York (Ben) - FREE
11 Penn Plaza (FUSE Building) opposite Penn Station on 32nd Street & 7th Avenue
"Ask for SalesPartners New York at main lobby kiosk"
October 28 at 6pm - LOOKS INTERESTING
A Fast, Fun Way to Connect-Speed Networking for Business Professionals - $24
Wealth Advisory Group
355 Lexington Avenue - 9th Floor near Grand Central
October 28 at 7pm - GREAT for networking, more social
Business Networking Reception for Professionals by moxieinthecity - $15 in advance, $20 at the door
Mercer Conference Room, 1166 Avenue of The Americas
Entrance on West 45th Street - 40th FL, room 40 sutton place
October 28 at 7pm - LOOKS INTERESTING
The New York Affiliate Marketing October Meetup - FREE
New York Marriott Marquis, 1535 Broadway, 8th Floor Bar/Lounge
October 29 at 7:30am - GREAT for networking, community
The New York Small Business Breakfast Club October Meetup - $12+tip for breakfast
Chelsea Square Restaurant, 368 W 23rd St, Btwn 8th & 9th Ave, NY
"We'll be in the glass atrium facing 23rd Street"
I always attend these breakfast meetings
October 29, 7:30am-12pm
New York Enterprise Report - LOOKS INTERESTING
THE ULTIMATE SALES WORKSHOP: SMART SELLING WITH JACK DALY - $249
The Graduate Center, CUNY, 365 Fifth Ave (at 34th Street)
October 29 at 6:15pm - LOOKS INTERESTING
BizSpark. Entrepreneur Bootcamp. Avec Microsoft - FREE
Microsoft, 1290 Avenue of the Americas
"5th Floor, Studio 54 meeting room"
HEADS UP, the Learning Annex in NYC has gone to a monthly enrollment fee and is having a 14-day trial for FREE. Go check out the classes at www.LearningAnnex.com.
I have been attending grant and government funding workshops lately so I will put together some of those and the names and monthly schedule of meetings I ALWAYS attend shortly. Spread the wealth!
There are scores of FREE and inexpensive networking and business resources here in the Tri-state area. Do you know any more that you would recommend? If so, I would love to have you comment on the blog and say what the group is and why you like it.
Friday, October 23, 2009
The Unemployment Sinkhole and the Way Out
Unemployment rates by state for September 2009 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Geographic Profile of Employment and Unemployment, highest to lowest, and population projections for 2010 from the U.S. Census Bureau, "Table A1:Interim Projections of the Total Population for the United States and States: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2030; published April 21, 2005.
Michigan - 15.3% - 10,429,000
Nevada - 13.3% - 2,691,000
Rhode Island - 13.0% - 1,117,000
California - 12.2% - 38,067,000
South Carolina - 11.6% - 4,447,000
Oregon - 11.5% - 3,791,000
District of Columbia - 11.4% - 530,000
Florida - 11.0% - 19,252,000
Kentucky - 10.9% - 4,265,000
North Carolina - 10.8% - 9,346,000
Alabama - 10.7% - 4,596,000
Illinois - 10.5% - 12,917,000
Tennessee - 10.5% - 6,231,000
Georgia - 10.1% - 9,589,000
Ohio - 10.1% - 11,576,000
Indiana - 10.0% - 6,392,000
New Jersey - 9.8% - 9,018,000
Missouri - 9.5% - 5,922,000
Massachusetts - 9.3% - 6,649,000
Washington - 9.3% - 6,542,000
Mississippi - 9.2% - 2,971,000
Arizona - 9.1% - 6,637,000
Idaho - 8.9% - 1,517,000
New York - 8.9% - 19,444,000
West Virginia - 8.9% - 1,829,000
Pennsylvania - 8.8% - 12,584,000
Maine - 8.5% - 1,357,000
Alaska - 8.4% - 694,000
Connecticut - 8.4% - 3,577,000
Delaware - 8.3% - 884,000
Wisconsin - 8.3% - 5,727,000
Texas - 8.2% - 24,649,000
New Mexico - 7.7% - 1,980,000
Louisiana - 7.4% - 4,613,000
Minnesota - 7.3% - 5,421,000
Hawaii - 7.2% - 1,341,000
Maryland - 7.2% - 5,905,000
New Hampshire - 7.2% - 1,386,000
Arkansas - 7.1% - 2,875,000
Colorado - 7.0% - 4,832,000
Kansas - 6.9% - 2,805,000
Wyoming - 6.8% - 520,000
Iowa - 6.7% - 3,010,000
Montana - 6.7% - 969,000
Oklahoma - 6.7% - 3,592,000
Virginia - 6.7% - 8,010,000
Vermont - 6.6% - 653,000
Utah - 6.2% - 2,595,000
Nebraska - 4.9% - 1,769,000
South Dakota - 4.8% - 786,000
North Dakota - 4.2% - 637,000
This blog from Atlanta Fed (http://macroblog.typepad.com/macroblog/) discusses some of the economic research and data involved which include permanent loss of jobs, giving existing employees more hours or hiring freelancers, no longer filing because they have run out of unemployment and tightening of lending from the banks which has put many small businesses out of business.
I myself have been out of work and drawing unemployment, off and on for seven months in 2009, and it has just run out so I have personal experience of this phenomenon. In the course of this time, I have fallen behind on bills, caught up when I got work, only to fall behind again when the work disappeared. I have lost my health insurance with Freelancers Union and cannot find enough work to requalify for eligibility for the group rate. I have become very familiar with payment plans. I am attempting to work with the bank that has placed two investment properties on preforeclosure status and that's a whole other horrific story for another moment. I have felt discouraged, ashamed, fearful and depressed. Looking at the numbers, I know I am not alone - that there are many others in similar situations.
My feeling is that, first of all, the unemployment numbers are much higher than portrayed and secondly, the biggest deterrent to the recovery of this economy is low morale and loss of self-esteem - in short, just giving up. I hear people complaining that Obama has not delivered on his promises but the problems are much bigger than any one man, even such an extraordinary one, can solve alone. In my opinion, this crisis provides an opportunity for people to step up and become self-reliant and financially independent. It is a time for us to build businesses, big and small, and pursue passions to make money for ourselves, to stand up individually and together, and be counted on to help solve the problems we face as a nation and a world. Together and united, our range of influence is vast.
Margaret Mead, the famous anthrolopogist said, "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Michigan - 15.3% - 10,429,000
Nevada - 13.3% - 2,691,000
Rhode Island - 13.0% - 1,117,000
California - 12.2% - 38,067,000
South Carolina - 11.6% - 4,447,000
Oregon - 11.5% - 3,791,000
District of Columbia - 11.4% - 530,000
Florida - 11.0% - 19,252,000
Kentucky - 10.9% - 4,265,000
North Carolina - 10.8% - 9,346,000
Alabama - 10.7% - 4,596,000
Illinois - 10.5% - 12,917,000
Tennessee - 10.5% - 6,231,000
Georgia - 10.1% - 9,589,000
Ohio - 10.1% - 11,576,000
Indiana - 10.0% - 6,392,000
New Jersey - 9.8% - 9,018,000
Missouri - 9.5% - 5,922,000
Massachusetts - 9.3% - 6,649,000
Washington - 9.3% - 6,542,000
Mississippi - 9.2% - 2,971,000
Arizona - 9.1% - 6,637,000
Idaho - 8.9% - 1,517,000
New York - 8.9% - 19,444,000
West Virginia - 8.9% - 1,829,000
Pennsylvania - 8.8% - 12,584,000
Maine - 8.5% - 1,357,000
Alaska - 8.4% - 694,000
Connecticut - 8.4% - 3,577,000
Delaware - 8.3% - 884,000
Wisconsin - 8.3% - 5,727,000
Texas - 8.2% - 24,649,000
New Mexico - 7.7% - 1,980,000
Louisiana - 7.4% - 4,613,000
Minnesota - 7.3% - 5,421,000
Hawaii - 7.2% - 1,341,000
Maryland - 7.2% - 5,905,000
New Hampshire - 7.2% - 1,386,000
Arkansas - 7.1% - 2,875,000
Colorado - 7.0% - 4,832,000
Kansas - 6.9% - 2,805,000
Wyoming - 6.8% - 520,000
Iowa - 6.7% - 3,010,000
Montana - 6.7% - 969,000
Oklahoma - 6.7% - 3,592,000
Virginia - 6.7% - 8,010,000
Vermont - 6.6% - 653,000
Utah - 6.2% - 2,595,000
Nebraska - 4.9% - 1,769,000
South Dakota - 4.8% - 786,000
North Dakota - 4.2% - 637,000
This blog from Atlanta Fed (http://macroblog.typepad.com/macroblog/) discusses some of the economic research and data involved which include permanent loss of jobs, giving existing employees more hours or hiring freelancers, no longer filing because they have run out of unemployment and tightening of lending from the banks which has put many small businesses out of business.
I myself have been out of work and drawing unemployment, off and on for seven months in 2009, and it has just run out so I have personal experience of this phenomenon. In the course of this time, I have fallen behind on bills, caught up when I got work, only to fall behind again when the work disappeared. I have lost my health insurance with Freelancers Union and cannot find enough work to requalify for eligibility for the group rate. I have become very familiar with payment plans. I am attempting to work with the bank that has placed two investment properties on preforeclosure status and that's a whole other horrific story for another moment. I have felt discouraged, ashamed, fearful and depressed. Looking at the numbers, I know I am not alone - that there are many others in similar situations.
My feeling is that, first of all, the unemployment numbers are much higher than portrayed and secondly, the biggest deterrent to the recovery of this economy is low morale and loss of self-esteem - in short, just giving up. I hear people complaining that Obama has not delivered on his promises but the problems are much bigger than any one man, even such an extraordinary one, can solve alone. In my opinion, this crisis provides an opportunity for people to step up and become self-reliant and financially independent. It is a time for us to build businesses, big and small, and pursue passions to make money for ourselves, to stand up individually and together, and be counted on to help solve the problems we face as a nation and a world. Together and united, our range of influence is vast.
Margaret Mead, the famous anthrolopogist said, "A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Pace Yourself or Pick Up the Pace?
When somebody says, "Pace yourself," what exactly does that mean? Is it the opposite of "Pick up the Pace" or are you saying the same thing?
In a physical sense, it could be walking the length of your stride. Or walking the ley lines of the earth and feeling its rhythms. Or being true to yourself. In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron encourages writing morning pages, three 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of whatever is in your head, without editing. She claims writing with the hand (not typing, not taping) rights the story you tell about your experiences and life. Perhaps pacing yourself does the same.
Pick up the pace feels like an external incentive, somebody else saying to move faster, going too slow. Who determines what is too slow, anyway? For example, I am 5'3" and my husband is 6'3" so if we match our pace, one of us is either shortening or lengthening our walk to accommodate the other. So that's either an aggravation or a dance, depending on perspective.
This morning as I headed for the subway, I passed a school where the students were walking for health. There were over 100 of them, probably kindergarten to fourth grade from the size of the students. Two-by-two, they headed out into the streets of East Harlem, carrying signs saying "We walk for health," and "We eat healthy." As I passed, I heard one of the teachers say to a child, "Feel the strength of your muscles," and the child answered, "I can feel them. My muscles feel strong."
I started thinking about how fundamentally oblivious I am most of the time to how extraordinary the functioning of my body, of any body, really is. And of how poorly I take care of it in how I exercise and/or eat healthy (or don't) or listen to the pacing of and connection to my spirit (or not) in the physical realm, what many call the mind/body/spirit connection. Watching those children helped me realize that my busy life often obscures important truths and my rushing to pick up the pace damages the serenity I must seek to pace myself. Breathe and walk.
In a physical sense, it could be walking the length of your stride. Or walking the ley lines of the earth and feeling its rhythms. Or being true to yourself. In The Artist's Way, Julia Cameron encourages writing morning pages, three 8 1/2" x 11" sheets of whatever is in your head, without editing. She claims writing with the hand (not typing, not taping) rights the story you tell about your experiences and life. Perhaps pacing yourself does the same.
Pick up the pace feels like an external incentive, somebody else saying to move faster, going too slow. Who determines what is too slow, anyway? For example, I am 5'3" and my husband is 6'3" so if we match our pace, one of us is either shortening or lengthening our walk to accommodate the other. So that's either an aggravation or a dance, depending on perspective.
This morning as I headed for the subway, I passed a school where the students were walking for health. There were over 100 of them, probably kindergarten to fourth grade from the size of the students. Two-by-two, they headed out into the streets of East Harlem, carrying signs saying "We walk for health," and "We eat healthy." As I passed, I heard one of the teachers say to a child, "Feel the strength of your muscles," and the child answered, "I can feel them. My muscles feel strong."
I started thinking about how fundamentally oblivious I am most of the time to how extraordinary the functioning of my body, of any body, really is. And of how poorly I take care of it in how I exercise and/or eat healthy (or don't) or listen to the pacing of and connection to my spirit (or not) in the physical realm, what many call the mind/body/spirit connection. Watching those children helped me realize that my busy life often obscures important truths and my rushing to pick up the pace damages the serenity I must seek to pace myself. Breathe and walk.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Amazing Buying Power and Influence of Women
I just read an astounding book called, Why She Buys by Bridget Brennan that I highly recommend to any individual or business marketing solely to women OR seeking to add women to their market share.
Let me share with you statistics from Why She Buys (pages 36-40) about the percentage of direct buying power or influence that women in the US and globally have or will have on purchasing decisions in many industries.
Apparel: 65% of purchases made by women
Automotive: 52% of new vehicle purchases made by women; 80% influenced by women
Consumer Electronics: 45% of purchases made by women; 61% influenced by women
Health Care: 80% of family health care decisions made by women
Travel: 70% of decisions made by women
Insurance, Investments, Retirement: 90% of women participate in these decisions
Homes: 20% of purchases made by single women; 91% influenced by women
Wine: 55% of all purchases made by women
Gaming: 40% of players are women
WOW! Why She Buys is chock-full of insights on what women's purchasing power means for companies, advertising and marketing, trending information and real-life examples of campaigns that did and did not work. Two other interesting books you may enjoy are Blue Ocean Strategy and microtrends. What I can see and what is underneath what I see can make the difference between success and failure in my business, and in the shape of my branding. Exciting times to be an entrepreneur!
Let me share with you statistics from Why She Buys (pages 36-40) about the percentage of direct buying power or influence that women in the US and globally have or will have on purchasing decisions in many industries.
Apparel: 65% of purchases made by women
Automotive: 52% of new vehicle purchases made by women; 80% influenced by women
Consumer Electronics: 45% of purchases made by women; 61% influenced by women
Health Care: 80% of family health care decisions made by women
Travel: 70% of decisions made by women
Insurance, Investments, Retirement: 90% of women participate in these decisions
Homes: 20% of purchases made by single women; 91% influenced by women
Wine: 55% of all purchases made by women
Gaming: 40% of players are women
WOW! Why She Buys is chock-full of insights on what women's purchasing power means for companies, advertising and marketing, trending information and real-life examples of campaigns that did and did not work. Two other interesting books you may enjoy are Blue Ocean Strategy and microtrends. What I can see and what is underneath what I see can make the difference between success and failure in my business, and in the shape of my branding. Exciting times to be an entrepreneur!
Monday, October 19, 2009
Connect, Disconnect or Both?
Does all the new technology connect or disconnect us or does it depend...?
I got on the subway this morning and saw no less than twenty-two Blackberrys, iPods, Gameboys, Kindles, electronic phones and organizers. Many people were listening to music - sometimes audibly from five feet away. My thought was, "setting themselves up for hearing loss later," and then I felt very old for even thinking it. People were watching movies, playing games and starting their day of work on these tiny devices. Fascinating! There was little interaction with anyone else on the subway car, like looking around, making faces at a fussy baby in a carriage. Disconnect. But many were savoring their activities. Connect.
Social media is much the same way. I babysat for my cousin's new baby this afternoon, just four months old and very sweet. He and his wife met on eHarmony, fell in love, married and have a beautiful little girl together. They would never have met because they don't move in the same circles but, through online dating, they connected in a profound way.
The world is now much smaller as we can reach people across the nation, in other countries, cultures and ethnic and religious traditions, etc. Since not understanding people who are different sometimes leads straight into anger or fear, the possibility in online conversations is to learn to appreciate the commonalities between people of all backgrounds. Families, Love, Work, Community, Beliefs and more. Connect. At the same time, if I spend all my time talking online on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and my computer interactions keep me from participating in my own life - Disconnect.
This Talking Tall blog has become a very profound connection vehicle for me to express curious thoughts, quirky reflections, passionate convictions, ongoing conversations. Connect. But I can spend hours here, lost in this new world, eagerly learning what I didn't know. Disconnect. Both...
I got on the subway this morning and saw no less than twenty-two Blackberrys, iPods, Gameboys, Kindles, electronic phones and organizers. Many people were listening to music - sometimes audibly from five feet away. My thought was, "setting themselves up for hearing loss later," and then I felt very old for even thinking it. People were watching movies, playing games and starting their day of work on these tiny devices. Fascinating! There was little interaction with anyone else on the subway car, like looking around, making faces at a fussy baby in a carriage. Disconnect. But many were savoring their activities. Connect.
Social media is much the same way. I babysat for my cousin's new baby this afternoon, just four months old and very sweet. He and his wife met on eHarmony, fell in love, married and have a beautiful little girl together. They would never have met because they don't move in the same circles but, through online dating, they connected in a profound way.
The world is now much smaller as we can reach people across the nation, in other countries, cultures and ethnic and religious traditions, etc. Since not understanding people who are different sometimes leads straight into anger or fear, the possibility in online conversations is to learn to appreciate the commonalities between people of all backgrounds. Families, Love, Work, Community, Beliefs and more. Connect. At the same time, if I spend all my time talking online on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and my computer interactions keep me from participating in my own life - Disconnect.
This Talking Tall blog has become a very profound connection vehicle for me to express curious thoughts, quirky reflections, passionate convictions, ongoing conversations. Connect. But I can spend hours here, lost in this new world, eagerly learning what I didn't know. Disconnect. Both...
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Volunteering at EHS and Giving Back Time
Volunteering is, for me, a way of giving back to my community and my world in gratitude. It make my life richer along the way. I believe that giving money alone is great but not enough so I give of my money and my time. It keeps a balance and everything in perspective, whether my life is easy or hard in that moment. Today was NY CARES day when volunteers go into the schools and paint murals and clean up. I have also, from time to time, worked with Habitat for Humanity and even got my photo taken with Jimmy Carter at 135th Street once
EHS stands for the East Harlem School at Exodus House, an amazing middle school on 103rd Street with, in my unbiased opinion, extraordinary students. I have tutored there for 11 years and led book groups for the last 3 years, as well as acting as chaperone for trips and leading after-school programs periodically. EHS was started by my friend since high school, Ivan, and his brother. I went by to say, "Hi," and Ivan pulled me into their assembly where the students (ages 10-14) were learning about NGOs. I got a tour with two students and fell in love and the rest, as they say, is history.
To work with the students makes me think, how can I explain these ideas clearly? What is the key to helping this child learn? How can I make books come alive for them the way they do for me? What are they passionate about? And with math, which I am not excellent at, how do I teach the building blocks when it isn't easy for me either?! How can my experiences help them discover how to study, read and do their homework better? What makes their studies relevant to their lives and how can I communicate that? When I volunteer at EHS, my interaction with the students enriches all of us.
What is your passionate commitment in the world? I've never met anyone who could not think of some place or community where they really wanted to contribute when I asked them. For one IT guy, it was a computer lab. Volunteering takes time but it's also fun and rewarding. If you aren't already, try it for yourself and see.
EHS stands for the East Harlem School at Exodus House, an amazing middle school on 103rd Street with, in my unbiased opinion, extraordinary students. I have tutored there for 11 years and led book groups for the last 3 years, as well as acting as chaperone for trips and leading after-school programs periodically. EHS was started by my friend since high school, Ivan, and his brother. I went by to say, "Hi," and Ivan pulled me into their assembly where the students (ages 10-14) were learning about NGOs. I got a tour with two students and fell in love and the rest, as they say, is history.
To work with the students makes me think, how can I explain these ideas clearly? What is the key to helping this child learn? How can I make books come alive for them the way they do for me? What are they passionate about? And with math, which I am not excellent at, how do I teach the building blocks when it isn't easy for me either?! How can my experiences help them discover how to study, read and do their homework better? What makes their studies relevant to their lives and how can I communicate that? When I volunteer at EHS, my interaction with the students enriches all of us.
What is your passionate commitment in the world? I've never met anyone who could not think of some place or community where they really wanted to contribute when I asked them. For one IT guy, it was a computer lab. Volunteering takes time but it's also fun and rewarding. If you aren't already, try it for yourself and see.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
In building my business, I KNOW what to do to make it successful. The question is, am I doing those things, or am I making excuses about why not?
1) Set written goals - numbers for the business (USD$ amount in sales;# of customers/referrals/downline members, etc.). Make a specific plan to make them happen. Be clear on the tracking and financials. Act and correct, keeping goals in mind daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. Assess plan periodically and make adjustments as needed.
2) Make sales - directly or in partnership with other entrepreneurs
3) Build a team - choose people with complementary skills and strengths
4) Be organized - consistently make new contacts, follow up and close; order work space, contacts and schedule for effective action
5) Set up efficient systems - be clear about roles, responsibilities and timelines for each individual and the team as a whole to accomplish stated business goals
Off the top of my head, these are fundamentals as I build my successful business. Yesterday morning, I went to a very good Sales Partners meeting. And last night I had a phenomenal evening of networking at a meetup on Fifth Avenue, put on by Andrew Ran Wong who organizes NYEBN. I met many interesting people in different industries who were open to taking a look at my business or to referring others they know to take a look. Perfect! I made over 21 great professional contacts who would be wonderful additions to my team and/or potential customers, if they like the business opportunity and/or savings (Cool Links on left - AP Flex Plus).
This morning, I was meant to attend a meetup at 7:15 am (NOT a morning person), doing a spotlight for my business in front of 8 other entrepreneurs. But this morning, I hit the snooze alarm three times and slept through the whole thing. Aaargh! So this morning I have excuses instead of results - so far. I am discovering that it takes fortitude to keep on going and discipline to shift my habits to consistent action. I have a choice now to either give up on today or continue to invite new team members and customers to take a look, despite the fact that nothing, so far, has gone as planned. And the only failure is giving up.
In Maine one morning, I was crossing a sand flats that the tide revealed when it went out. Usually I had to go the long way around on the granite rocks. I spied a tiny crab, perhaps an inch wide at the width of its shell. As my shadow fell on it, the crab backed a step away from the giant. Then, raising its claws, it advanced two steps towards me.
I need to remember, even on a day when I hit the snooze button too many times, that two steps forward, one step back is still being in action and moving ahead - in my business and in life.
1) Set written goals - numbers for the business (USD$ amount in sales;# of customers/referrals/downline members, etc.). Make a specific plan to make them happen. Be clear on the tracking and financials. Act and correct, keeping goals in mind daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, etc. Assess plan periodically and make adjustments as needed.
2) Make sales - directly or in partnership with other entrepreneurs
3) Build a team - choose people with complementary skills and strengths
4) Be organized - consistently make new contacts, follow up and close; order work space, contacts and schedule for effective action
5) Set up efficient systems - be clear about roles, responsibilities and timelines for each individual and the team as a whole to accomplish stated business goals
Off the top of my head, these are fundamentals as I build my successful business. Yesterday morning, I went to a very good Sales Partners meeting. And last night I had a phenomenal evening of networking at a meetup on Fifth Avenue, put on by Andrew Ran Wong who organizes NYEBN. I met many interesting people in different industries who were open to taking a look at my business or to referring others they know to take a look. Perfect! I made over 21 great professional contacts who would be wonderful additions to my team and/or potential customers, if they like the business opportunity and/or savings (Cool Links on left - AP Flex Plus).
This morning, I was meant to attend a meetup at 7:15 am (NOT a morning person), doing a spotlight for my business in front of 8 other entrepreneurs. But this morning, I hit the snooze alarm three times and slept through the whole thing. Aaargh! So this morning I have excuses instead of results - so far. I am discovering that it takes fortitude to keep on going and discipline to shift my habits to consistent action. I have a choice now to either give up on today or continue to invite new team members and customers to take a look, despite the fact that nothing, so far, has gone as planned. And the only failure is giving up.
In Maine one morning, I was crossing a sand flats that the tide revealed when it went out. Usually I had to go the long way around on the granite rocks. I spied a tiny crab, perhaps an inch wide at the width of its shell. As my shadow fell on it, the crab backed a step away from the giant. Then, raising its claws, it advanced two steps towards me.
I need to remember, even on a day when I hit the snooze button too many times, that two steps forward, one step back is still being in action and moving ahead - in my business and in life.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Filling the Well
A feast for the senses... NYC Polish Day Parade on October 4, 2009. Julia Cameron uses the term, "filling the well," to mean going out of your way to see, touch, taste, smell, hear something outside of your normal routine. She claims, and I agree, that doing so stimulates the creative imagination to make us more hopeful, more vibrant, happier, healthier and more prosperous.
Below is what I observed, longing for a camera:
I saw a little boy with a bright yellow Honda motorcycle toy in his hand discover a REAL yellow Honda motorcycle. He got his photo taken, dazed and enchanted, sitting on the motorcycle, toy in hand, with the biker behind him. A realized dream...
A troupe of cheerleaders with brilliant flags, doing routines down Fifth Avenue, to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
More Miss Polonias and Junior Miss Polonias than I ever knew existed, all in long white dresses, riding in convertibles, waving the Queen's wave and smiling from side to side.
Drummers, trumpeters, bands, choirs, some of which I thought were marvelous and others cacophonous... a matter of taste.
A boy with his face painted half red and half white, hair spiked up in a Mohawk. Did you know the colors of Poland were red and white? I didn't.
The marchers waiting to go on in a side street: some were already 'on,' others were clowning around, entirely indifferent to the whole scene or enjoying the parade before their march began.
Dancing doctors and nurses in front of a float.
The part I found most engaging was the sheer number and variety of people participating or watching, many in red and white clothing, ranging in age from infants to seniors. Even the teenagers got in on the action. The power of this diverse crowd expressing their enthusiastic pride in their Polish heritage was inspiring to me.
What did I learn? Passionate commitment to anything is compelling and it is important to my own happiness to look for what delights me in my daily life.
Below is what I observed, longing for a camera:
I saw a little boy with a bright yellow Honda motorcycle toy in his hand discover a REAL yellow Honda motorcycle. He got his photo taken, dazed and enchanted, sitting on the motorcycle, toy in hand, with the biker behind him. A realized dream...
A troupe of cheerleaders with brilliant flags, doing routines down Fifth Avenue, to Michael Jackson's "Thriller."
More Miss Polonias and Junior Miss Polonias than I ever knew existed, all in long white dresses, riding in convertibles, waving the Queen's wave and smiling from side to side.
Drummers, trumpeters, bands, choirs, some of which I thought were marvelous and others cacophonous... a matter of taste.
A boy with his face painted half red and half white, hair spiked up in a Mohawk. Did you know the colors of Poland were red and white? I didn't.
The marchers waiting to go on in a side street: some were already 'on,' others were clowning around, entirely indifferent to the whole scene or enjoying the parade before their march began.
Dancing doctors and nurses in front of a float.
The part I found most engaging was the sheer number and variety of people participating or watching, many in red and white clothing, ranging in age from infants to seniors. Even the teenagers got in on the action. The power of this diverse crowd expressing their enthusiastic pride in their Polish heritage was inspiring to me.
What did I learn? Passionate commitment to anything is compelling and it is important to my own happiness to look for what delights me in my daily life.
Friday, October 9, 2009
When Moods and Circumstances Collide
Moods are infectious, good or bad. Have you ever noticed that, not only can a mood color the entire day but it appears to shape the circumstances of that day? Yet they don't really. The circumstances can be exactly the same but how I interact with them varies.
In a good mood, I observe different things than I do in a bad mood. I am looking for people, events, circumstances, colors, smells, sights and tactile sensations that delight me. And I find them. Once, a stranger followed me ten blocks because I was wandering along singing to myself. He eventually stopped me and said, "Why are you singing?" I answered, "I'm happy." "Why?" he asked. "I just am. No reason." He left smiling himself and shaking his head.
In a bad mood, my head is down and I am seeing very little, except I am listening in my own head to a negative, self-doubting, blaming conversation about how badly the day has started, and how I expect it to continue that way. And, if I stay there, the day and its circumstances WILL unfold as I predicted and one thing after another will go wrong.
But how can I shift from a bad mood to a good mood? I have discovered a few actions that work for me. Listen to inspiring music or motivational CDs. Watch a great movie. Lift my head and look around. Walk or dance. Observe my husband painting. Read a book. Talk with my 97-year old grandfather about his life. Go to a book store or library and browse. Be in Maine. Play with my nephews and nieces. Hold a baby. Blog. Learn something new. Tutor or lead my book group at EHS. Sail. Visit with my family and friends. Travel. Do something, anything that makes me happy. The faster I notice and stop wallowing, begin striving up, the easier it is to get happy. Sometimes I try one thing after another, if I'm deep in a blue funk, until my mood shifts and I feel like the sun came out (it may have been out all the time) and I am joyful.
The power in observing that moods and circumstances interact and collide is that we control, to a degree, our own reality. Not the circumstances themselves but how we live into them. Then we have choices and are not powerless to define ourselves in our own lives.
In a good mood, I observe different things than I do in a bad mood. I am looking for people, events, circumstances, colors, smells, sights and tactile sensations that delight me. And I find them. Once, a stranger followed me ten blocks because I was wandering along singing to myself. He eventually stopped me and said, "Why are you singing?" I answered, "I'm happy." "Why?" he asked. "I just am. No reason." He left smiling himself and shaking his head.
In a bad mood, my head is down and I am seeing very little, except I am listening in my own head to a negative, self-doubting, blaming conversation about how badly the day has started, and how I expect it to continue that way. And, if I stay there, the day and its circumstances WILL unfold as I predicted and one thing after another will go wrong.
But how can I shift from a bad mood to a good mood? I have discovered a few actions that work for me. Listen to inspiring music or motivational CDs. Watch a great movie. Lift my head and look around. Walk or dance. Observe my husband painting. Read a book. Talk with my 97-year old grandfather about his life. Go to a book store or library and browse. Be in Maine. Play with my nephews and nieces. Hold a baby. Blog. Learn something new. Tutor or lead my book group at EHS. Sail. Visit with my family and friends. Travel. Do something, anything that makes me happy. The faster I notice and stop wallowing, begin striving up, the easier it is to get happy. Sometimes I try one thing after another, if I'm deep in a blue funk, until my mood shifts and I feel like the sun came out (it may have been out all the time) and I am joyful.
The power in observing that moods and circumstances interact and collide is that we control, to a degree, our own reality. Not the circumstances themselves but how we live into them. Then we have choices and are not powerless to define ourselves in our own lives.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Fail Faster
What a curious idea... "FAIL FASTER." I have heard the phrase many times in sales positions where it means to introduce whatever product or service I am selling to lots of people or companies in order to find the ones who want and/or need my offer. Let the rest go.
The temptation for me with a "yes" is to congratulate myself and rest, wait for the sale to complete. With a "no," I want to heal and step back to recover, stop. But Fail Faster means "yes" or "no" to keep on going, evaluate what went right or wrong in the meeting or on the call, correct and call or meet the next person. It might be more accurate to say, "Fail faster to close more sales, be successful sooner, make more money, earn time freedom." That is exciting and motivating!
Below are a bunch of inspiring quotes from famous people who experienced failures in their lives that I found in April 3, 2009 Million Blog:
Thomas Edison on the making of the light bulb, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Albert Einstein, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
Walt Disney, "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."
Henry Ford, whose first two automobile companies failed, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely."
Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." and "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings."
Sir Winston Churchill, "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
Michael Jordan, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Pretty amazing, don't you think? What I gather from this is to keep going with velocity and never give up if I am sure of my own destination. I learned to be careful whose opinion I listen to because perhaps I have a vision of a possibility they can't see. Every individual interprets life through their own filters. It requires courage to go through the failures to success because the passage is often marked by doubt, ridicule, shame, embarrassment, discouragement and despair, and is fundamentally made alone. Leaders don't travel in the pack but ahead of it... before the result is certain.
The temptation for me with a "yes" is to congratulate myself and rest, wait for the sale to complete. With a "no," I want to heal and step back to recover, stop. But Fail Faster means "yes" or "no" to keep on going, evaluate what went right or wrong in the meeting or on the call, correct and call or meet the next person. It might be more accurate to say, "Fail faster to close more sales, be successful sooner, make more money, earn time freedom." That is exciting and motivating!
Below are a bunch of inspiring quotes from famous people who experienced failures in their lives that I found in April 3, 2009 Million Blog:
Thomas Edison on the making of the light bulb, "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
Albert Einstein, "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."
Walt Disney, "All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me... You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you."
Henry Ford, whose first two automobile companies failed, "Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, only this time more wisely."
Bill Gates, the richest man in the world, "Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose." and "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure."
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "I pay no attention whatever to anybody's praise or blame. I simply follow my own feelings."
Sir Winston Churchill, "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."
Michael Jordan, "I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."
Pretty amazing, don't you think? What I gather from this is to keep going with velocity and never give up if I am sure of my own destination. I learned to be careful whose opinion I listen to because perhaps I have a vision of a possibility they can't see. Every individual interprets life through their own filters. It requires courage to go through the failures to success because the passage is often marked by doubt, ridicule, shame, embarrassment, discouragement and despair, and is fundamentally made alone. Leaders don't travel in the pack but ahead of it... before the result is certain.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Unemployment & Freelance Uncertainty
When all your hard-won skills make no difference... It's the economy, the job market, the unemployment figures, the housing market, downsizing/rightsizing/layoffs, the budget, whatever.
I have worked steadily as a freelance proofreader and copy editor for over ten years. I have added to my skills as I saw markets shifting from legal and financial proofreading to publishing to medical copy editing. As an experienced freelancer, I keep my ear to the ground at all times wherever I am working and pay close attention to whether and where the company is gaining or losing clients, or outsourcing staff abroad. For me, that means added hours or cut hours.
For the most part, being a freelancer has suited me well until last year. I was paid well when I was working, worked steadily and had flexibility of time to study, tutor, travel, build a side business, buy investment properties. I liked it. Despite my skills, I have been out of work in the last year for seven months. My first reaction was disbelief that unemployment could happen to me, then panic when I discovered no jobs to be had, despite my best efforts. Even the temp agencies said they had never seen it so slow. Right now, I am in a job, already trying to figure out when it ends and what my next job will be. That's no way to live!
Multiple streams of income... as I work in my job for a bi-monthly paycheck, I am also building a small business (Cool Links: AP Flex Plus - saving money & earning extra income) with an exceptional team and I have investment properties in Syracuse. When the income from my business and real estate investments matches the income from my paycheck, I will quit my job and the income I make will be at least equal to the paycheck with no ceiling on the upside, except my own efforts.
Massive actions equal massive results in a cumulative effect... so I am acting...MASSIVELY. This uncomfortable year has been the perfect and urgent motivator to make change to my own circumstances, no excuses, permanent. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
I have worked steadily as a freelance proofreader and copy editor for over ten years. I have added to my skills as I saw markets shifting from legal and financial proofreading to publishing to medical copy editing. As an experienced freelancer, I keep my ear to the ground at all times wherever I am working and pay close attention to whether and where the company is gaining or losing clients, or outsourcing staff abroad. For me, that means added hours or cut hours.
For the most part, being a freelancer has suited me well until last year. I was paid well when I was working, worked steadily and had flexibility of time to study, tutor, travel, build a side business, buy investment properties. I liked it. Despite my skills, I have been out of work in the last year for seven months. My first reaction was disbelief that unemployment could happen to me, then panic when I discovered no jobs to be had, despite my best efforts. Even the temp agencies said they had never seen it so slow. Right now, I am in a job, already trying to figure out when it ends and what my next job will be. That's no way to live!
Multiple streams of income... as I work in my job for a bi-monthly paycheck, I am also building a small business (Cool Links: AP Flex Plus - saving money & earning extra income) with an exceptional team and I have investment properties in Syracuse. When the income from my business and real estate investments matches the income from my paycheck, I will quit my job and the income I make will be at least equal to the paycheck with no ceiling on the upside, except my own efforts.
Massive actions equal massive results in a cumulative effect... so I am acting...MASSIVELY. This uncomfortable year has been the perfect and urgent motivator to make change to my own circumstances, no excuses, permanent. ONWARD AND UPWARD!
Friday, October 2, 2009
When Urgent Hijacks Essential
Have you ever had a day neatly planned out to accomplish your specific and essential goals (work, family time, exercise, leisure, writing or reading, volunteerism, whatever) and you have eagerly begun BUT your phone or Blackberry/iPhone rings or texts you suddenly? EMERGENCY!
...and your perfect day is derailed.
What happened? Your child threw up in the lunchroom and needs to be picked up NOW. There's a leak in your bathroom floor, the tenant downstairs is complaining, the landlord is calling, the super needs to get in NOW. The sewer pipe in your 89-year-old investment duplex in Syracuse burst with the winter cold - call the plumber, call the property manager, reassure the tenant or put them up in a motel, fix it NOW. A diabetic family member is rushed to ICU, blood sugar crashed or soaring, get there NOW. A friend calls crying because they broke up with their boyfriend of four years, reassure them NOW. A colleague contacts you about an urgent project when you have 25 other top-priority projects on your desk already, get theirs done NOW.
Does any of this sound familiar? So what's the point? The issue is not the time it takes to take care of whatever has occurred. Life happens. It's inevitable. The problem is that it shatters our focus and distracts us from the underlying values, goals and dreams that were the foundation for our day's plans.
If you are anything like me, it's disappointing and discouraging to look at my essential to-do list for TODAY and have to move everything to TOMORROW. Tomorrow already has its own essential actions to be taken. Piling on Today's does not help.
What Can Be Done?
Evaluate your own priorities and values beforehand and act with those in mind. Otherwise, you will find yourself ricocheting around like a bb in a tin can to somebody else's urgent needs. Here are your options:
Act NOW
Delegate NOW
Negotiate NOW
Schedule Appointment NOW
Decline NOW
It does not always have to be YOU! But, if ACT NOW to address the emergency aligns with your fundamental values, goals and dreams, reschedule today's essential actions to a different day. Forgive yourself for not finishing everything and move on. Superman and Superwoman only exist in the movies and you are doing exactly what you are meant to do TODAY.
...and your perfect day is derailed.
What happened? Your child threw up in the lunchroom and needs to be picked up NOW. There's a leak in your bathroom floor, the tenant downstairs is complaining, the landlord is calling, the super needs to get in NOW. The sewer pipe in your 89-year-old investment duplex in Syracuse burst with the winter cold - call the plumber, call the property manager, reassure the tenant or put them up in a motel, fix it NOW. A diabetic family member is rushed to ICU, blood sugar crashed or soaring, get there NOW. A friend calls crying because they broke up with their boyfriend of four years, reassure them NOW. A colleague contacts you about an urgent project when you have 25 other top-priority projects on your desk already, get theirs done NOW.
Does any of this sound familiar? So what's the point? The issue is not the time it takes to take care of whatever has occurred. Life happens. It's inevitable. The problem is that it shatters our focus and distracts us from the underlying values, goals and dreams that were the foundation for our day's plans.
If you are anything like me, it's disappointing and discouraging to look at my essential to-do list for TODAY and have to move everything to TOMORROW. Tomorrow already has its own essential actions to be taken. Piling on Today's does not help.
What Can Be Done?
Evaluate your own priorities and values beforehand and act with those in mind. Otherwise, you will find yourself ricocheting around like a bb in a tin can to somebody else's urgent needs. Here are your options:
Act NOW
Delegate NOW
Negotiate NOW
Schedule Appointment NOW
Decline NOW
It does not always have to be YOU! But, if ACT NOW to address the emergency aligns with your fundamental values, goals and dreams, reschedule today's essential actions to a different day. Forgive yourself for not finishing everything and move on. Superman and Superwoman only exist in the movies and you are doing exactly what you are meant to do TODAY.
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