From the page:

un·a·bashed (?n’?-b?sht’) adj.

1. Not disconcerted or embarrassed; poised.
2. Not concealed or disguised; obvious: unabashedly female!
The Art of being Unabashedly Female is about being what we are…Female, without hiding or disguising any part of ourselves, and finding the joy and peace that come from this.

As a Creativity Catalyst and Women’s Leadership Coach, she’s sure to get the creative leader out of you! At the very least, she’ll introduce you to the pain of self-deception, putting down the self-improvement project, and the power of being you (sounds like sections right out of my book . For more details, click here.

I chimed into an interactive teleseminar lead by Julie years ago. I specifically remember the depth in which the women opened up confidently and forthrightly. It was intriguing because I couldn’t believe how women were so open with themselves with others in a brief 1-2 hour call, especially with total strangers listening in (such as myself). It was something I never experienced before, thus I remember it so vividly.

Julie and I discussed this experience afterward. I recall telling her that I believe she’s a woman who feel you’ve known all your life. Women open up to her without inhibition, because she helps you discover more about yourself by simply allowing her to lead you forward as you strive to become an Unabashedly Feminine Woman Leader.

If you’re in Berkeley, California or know some one who does, I recommend that you consider attending her 10-week course.

I’m glad I’m back online and reconnecting with old colleagues and friends. Julie and I got back in touch via Facebook, on this thread.

If you plan to attend, give Julie a big hug for me–ours have always been virtual

Course Details:

Dates:
Tuesday evenings, September 1 – November 13, 2009

7:15 – 9:15

Location:

Rudramandir
830 Bancroft Way (at 6th Street)
Berkeley, California 94710
Cost:      $295
Please contact me if you have any questions or would like to enroll:

510.644.9442  OR

juliedaley (at) gmail.com

Before you make another complaint to a boss, coworker, spouse or friend I encourage you to pick up a copy of Jon Gordon’s “The No Complaining Rule”. It’s been awhile since I’ve completed a book that has left me so challenged to evaluate the negativity that can float around in my own thoughts and then fly right out of my mouth without being conscious of it. Is it safe to say that we’ve all been guilty of that a time or two? Complaining can sometimes seem like such an effective solution at times, but Gordon states that people complain “(1) because they were fearful and helpless and (2) because it had become a habit” (39)

Complaining can sneak up on us whether at home, at work or even at church. Gordon encourages specifically in his introduction, “one of the most important things we can do in business and life is to stay positive with strategies that turn negative energy into positive solutions” (xvii) and he shows us just how to by composing these truths into a story creating a very identifiable setting for the readers.

The story begins with Hope, a recently divorced mother of two, who is Vice President of Human Resources at EZ-Tech. Hope, already worn down with the complaining she faces day after day from fellow employees walks in early one morning to discover that her company is in severe jeopardy. The computer batteries that EZ-Tech produces have been catching on fire and the media has picked up on blogs created by EZ-Tech employees complaining of management. The company is now in a fight for it’s life to regain the credibility that is slipping away. As Hope not only struggles with the fear of an arising health issue she must also put together a plan to save the company at the request of the CEO. At a doctor’s appointment Hope is then introduced to her nurse who in turn inspires Hope with a radiant plan to save the company and renew Hope’s look on life, The No Complaining Rule.

Even before addressing ways in which we can go about fixing the negativity in our lives, Gordon reminds us of the damage that it can cause such as,

1. “Ninety percent of doctor visits are stress related, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention” (28).

2. “Negativity affects the morale, performance, and productivity of our teams” (29).

3. “Negative emotions are associated with the following:

* Decreased life span and longevity
* Increased risk of heart attack
* Increased risk of stroke
* Greater stress
* Less energy
* More pain
* Fewer friends
* Less success” (29)

It’s obvious from these stunning facts that to survive a change is in order. What I think can be most be learned from this book is that there is hope and with some determination “you can get off the negative road and hop on the positive road right now” (44). Gordon provides some excellent ideas to jumpstart your positive thinking including a guideline to a No Complaining week that refocuses your attention with activities such as creating gratitude lists and beginning your day with a little exercise focused on the things you are most grateful for in life. In the book Gordon provides the “Three No Complaining Tools” (49) which you can also find and print out on his website at www.nocomplainingrule.com. This is a wonderful resource that even I have printed out to encourage my family during the day.

Gordon’s tips are endless and the best part is that they are not just compatible to the workplace or to adults only. These guidelines can do some wonderful things within the home environment and are unbelievably good habits to instill in young children.

Megan York is a small business owner and writer residing Texas. You can read more at her blog, A Boy, A Girl and A Pug.

Be the first two to comment below for your free copy of “The Complaining Rule” by Jon Gordon!

This summer, take the time to extend your gratitude to the women in your life that help you find the answers to your questions. Treat a colleague you admire to lunch. Send a thank you note to the friend whose ability to juggle toddlers and an impressive career make you believe you can do it too. Thank your sister for believing that you could make a break from the corporate world and succeed as a freelance consultant when you had your doubts.

For a unique twist on tokens of appreciation, you might want to let these women know, You Are My Inspiration. Created by Step Up Women’s Network, You Are My Inspiration provides a meaningful way for women nationwide to gift the women that inspire them, while paying it forward to the next generation. 100% of funds raised will be directed at Step Up’s innovative work with underserved teen girls, the majority of which live below the poverty level.

Not only will your inspiration have a daily reminder of your appreciation (a product from Ulta’s private label collection or a limited edition private necklace), but you’ll have paid it forward to the next generation of girls by directing your purchase price towards the cost of program equipment, like digital cameras for the photography program; a college tour for 10 girls and instructor stipends.

A simple thank you can make a world of difference.

Andrea Zak is an aspiring social change agent.

Step Up Women’s Network is a national non-profit membership organization dedicated to strengthening community resources for women and girls. Through teen empowerment programs for underserved girls, women’s health education and advocacy, professional mentorship and social networking opportunities, we educate and activate our members to ensure that women and girls have the tools they need to create a better future.

Kathrien Ahn, Community Manager at docstoc first reached out to us to see if we’d feature their innovative software that “provide bloggers with the ability to embed any document (word, pdf).

Then, they announced some really exciting news.

So, I thought it’d be great if we ran a quick interview with Kathrien so she can to share their news herself.

So, Kathrien, besides developing an innovative program, what’s your Great New News?

Sure, I’d be glad to share.

On April 29^th, we secured our Series B round of financing for $3.25 million which was led by Rustic Canyon Ventures. It was a crazy day for the entire team and we were all over the blogosphere from Techcrunch, Mashable, GigaOm, and many more

But, now the REAL hard work begins as we’re working to continually innovate docstoc, something that we believe, can touch the lives of all people via their documents.

We’ve also launched our Content Partnership Program (CPP) that allows organizations and professionals with either a vast quantity of content or a set of premium content, to share their documents on docstoc and include advertising and promotion built into each of the document pages free of charge. This will allow you to monetize your content and use your docs as valuable marketing and self- promotion, whether you’re a service-based professional, small business, or large organization.

Since you’re a *very* young and new company can you share any empowering words to our readers (entrepreneurs and small business owners) who’d LOVE to be able to express the same incredible news one day?

Yes!

First of all, anyone can be an entrepreneur.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the quiet, bookish type or someone who can “work” a room. All that matters is that you have a great idea, the passion to pursue it, and the work ethic to have it come to fruition. Oh, and having the ability to raise capital is definitely a plus. (tongue in cheek) But seriously, what it comes down to is doing the work, implementing your idea. Action. Late-nights. Luckily, when you have a great team, It’s definitely easier. [I'm all about Quality Team work!]

What’s so unique about docstoc and why do you think it’s crucial for us busy entrepreneurs and small business owners?

Docstoc is the “youtube” for professional documents where you can find and share any document for free, with categories ranging from legal, business, financial, educational and creative. Granted, we’re not saying that having a document will take the place of a lawyer, but it does allow the consumer to have access to legal and business documents that would enable him/her to be better informed about their business/legal needs.

Also, in the state of the current Economy, free advertising is widely sought after, as we’re pinching pennies in the midst of rising food and gas costs. docstoc proves useful for free advertising because when you upload your professional documents, you are essentially allowing them to be highly indexed in search engines because docstoc is looked upon as a reliable source. This is why it’s important to have specific tags and titles when you upload your documents. Also here are ways that docstoc has helped users:

Entrepreneur Gets Multi-Million Dollar Term Sheet from Using docstoc

Local LA Entrepreneur finds business plan templates and spreadsheets on docstoc for his business, customizes it for his potential Financiers, and receives Multi-million dollar Term Sheet

Stay-At Home Mom Starts a Successful Business At Home using Business docs from docstoc

One user took various documents from docstoc and started a jewelry design business. Then she uploaded documents promoting her business, her bio, and several local press clippings. And traffic to her business website increased by 25%.

docstsoc Levels the Playing Field for Small Firm Attorneys

Many Small firm attorneys, who do not have access to Westlaw or Lexis Nexis, have been visiting docstoc on a regular basis to find documents such as operating agreements, real estate deal docs, and sample contracts.

Administrative Assistant Finds Legal Templates on docstoc for free.

An admin at a fast-paced law firm was frustrated because she couldn’t find the right legal template for her boss. She went to several other sites but was discouraged by the fees for paying for documents. Luckily, she came across docstoc and was able to download several versions of legal templates for free.

Graphic Designers Get Opinions from Strangers on their Work

Fashion designers, shoe designers, graphic designers, or fashion bloggers can upload their articles, press clippings, portfolios, and work to their docstoc profile, and hear what people REALLY have to say.

Authors Sharing their Books Across the Web

A number of authors are using docstoc to promote their books. They upload a couple chapters of their published work. Then 1) It gets indexed at the top of search engines on docstoc, 2) we promote some of their work in our featured section and 3) They use the embed feature on their blogs to have their content virally spread all around the internet.

Professionals Getting Business Leads by Sharing Documents.

We have numerous examples of attorneys, accountants, and consultants who have posted documents with all of their contact information. Those documents get thousands of views, and in turn they have had people who visit their document on docstoc, contact them through our site and turn into paying clients.

docstoc is Where Students Find/Share Notes

docstoc has become a popular source for MBA students, Graduate, and Law School students to share their outlines, class presentations, case write-ups, and financial spreadsheets.

Dude! Those are impressive testimonials—and some great publicity tips too !

BTW, I literally *hate* attaching docs to email, or zipping files, or making sure I updated my latest file into my flash-drive. Will docstoc save me from all these hassles of daily livin’?

Yes!

Attaching docs to e-mail and zipping files are definitely annoying which is why the docstoc embed feature is so useful. You can embed everything from powerpoint presentations to PDF’s on to your webpage, allowing your readers to stay on your page instead of going to an outbound link. Or if you just need to e-mail a doc to someone, just use the URL of the document on docstoc, so that it eliminates the need for you to “attach” documents.

How would you categorize docstoc? Like a social-media-user-generated-document-sharing community? With an optional revenue-sharing-model built in? Talk about Web 2.0 biz-application.

Our goal is to be the largest repository for professional documents on the web including legal forms, business presentations, financial templates and technical white papers. We’re also the premier online community for professional content, facilitating the sharing and promotion of docs as well as being the platform for processing, storing, and indexing documents that can be viewed anywhere as embedded objects.

And going back to our Content Partnership Program, you will be able to easily embed your documents across the Web, get referral traffic, more customers, subscription and sales, get indexed in search engines, and sell premium content. (in select cases) Here is more info. once again.

Well, this has been great Kathrien. Anything else you’d like to share? Closing remarks? Empowering tips? Instructions? Contact info?

Yes, well, first of all, thanks for taking the time to interview me and giving docstoc a shout-out on “Empower Women Now.” I think your blog is a tremendous resource to women entrepreneurs and just anyone who is looking for inspirational tips as well as important business related information. [Aww...you're too kind, Kat]

And I’d just like to say that we have an really hard-working team, Jason Nazar, our CEO, Alon Shwartz, our CTO, and our amazing developers, Ilya Tchak and Andrew Belous [Don't see you're name there chickie…you’re too modest ]

…but now that we’ve gotten the Series B, we’re looking to hire several Front End .Net developers and Flex developers, so if you’re interested or know anyone, feel free to submit a resume at www.docstoc.com/jobs

[What a wonderful opportunity for anyone qualified to jump in.]

As for empowering tips, I’d just say that the thing about tech is that people are open about sharing helpful information and advice to the newbies. They’re not afraid to admit their mistakes because it’s kind of a rite of passage here because when you screw up, you learn from it and you move forward. So I’d say that if you’re an entrepreneur or small-business owner who is looking for advice on how to start or grow your business, read A LOT, from blogs to top magazines, get advice from anyone you can, get a business plan (you can get a template from docstoc…I needed to get another plug in. Sorry! [No apologies necessary ], and then the most important things: Take Action. Stay Pro-Active. Be positive. [Here, here!]

And if you have any questions, feel free to message me on docstoc, as I usually respond to all user mail. Here is my profile.

And thanks again, Ponn! Your story, in general, is an inspiration to female entrepreneurs everywhere.

Thanks so much Kat, the honor is all mine!

I really look forward to reading our community’s experiences and thoughts below.

[At the time of this interview, this cute and funny blogpost shares the kind of entrepreneurial atmosphere surrounds docstoc! hee hee. ]

Yes, I’m peeping and poppin’ around ever-so-slowly throughout the blogosphere…gathering more strength with every new day.

Luv U All for your patience, understanding, love, support, prayers, gifts and well wishes!

With much anticipation & exhaustion…I’ll be on a plane for much needed travels and proud to introduce a full week’s slate of regular contributions here at EWN (EmpowerWomenNow)!

So, with Entrepreneurs & Internet Branding as our on-going focus please welcome:

Monday: Internet Branding – yours truly

Tuesday: Family Life Balance (spouse-support for entrepreneurs): Mark of Successful Together Coaching

Wednesday: Beyond Web Design (Internet Branding focus): Amit of WIX

Thursday: (interchanged): Home Office: Julie Lenzer Kirk, and Health & Wellness Cindy of Go WorkOut Mom! (but will be gender-neutral for all entrepreneurs and small business owners needing a healthy tip or 2)

Friday: Online PR/Public Relations (Internet Branding focus): Teresa of Key Business Partners
Saturday: News, Opportunities, Interviews, Updates, etc. (As it comes in…which you’re always welcomed to contact us).

Sunday: Book & Product Reviews by our growing group of book reviewers! Thanks Cindy & Megan. More to debut soon…and you’re always welcomed to join us!

Amanda and crew are working diligently to update this ‘ol blog with all the newest frills (which I don’t even know about since I’ve been totally outta’ the loop).

Anyways, we look forward to debuting a prettier-more-community-friendly format during the upcoming months too. So, feel free to share your suggestions or recommendations below

Last, I ask that you will continue to support EWN and me, as I make my slow return online with a goal to have EWN’s presence less about me–but more on my mission “to continue to empower you to be your very best–despite any and all odds”.

I’ve been found saying a lot lately…”I have a disability, but I am NOT disabled.” I pray this attitude for all.

So, thank you for allowing me to be me, and I pray we all continue to grow together.

We’ll all strive to empower you to your fullest: first, as a balanced (mind-body-soul) person; and second, as an entrepreneur eager to gain the visibility and profitability your business deserves with our humble tips, tools & resource articles and posts!

We’ll always welcome regular contributors or one-time guest blogs!

In the last thirty years I have been involved in thousands of business meetings. There were business owners, lawyers, bankers, accountants, plant managers, and consultants in the room. Most of those people were men. This is a special blog for www.empowerwomennow.com written for my new blog friend, Ponn M. Sabra. And while it may seem politically incorrect to state some of the obvious things that you already know, this is coming from a man’s perspective, in an effort to give you that point of view.

Fortunately the times they are a changing! During the last ten to fifteen years more women were Judges, and owners, and everything else listed above. One common trait women have unfortunately easily caught up with men on is business failures. I have raised three daughters and want them to rule each of their perspective worlds, and I have spoken before several women’s groups with this message, so I have thought about this for some time.

A lot of men start a business who shouldn’t. There are owners left a business by their father or uncle and they are ill equipped to run a company. But they are the male heir. And since the reality is that more men work than women, we go deeper into the gene pool and come up short. Fewer women own or start a business, but the ones that do are usually the most educated, the most motivated, and are willing to work harder to make their business a success. But, what could make you even more successful is to understand how to separate yourself from being a worker to being in charge.

Men have played sports all of their lives. It is ingrained in them what a team is all about, how to handle a loss, and also that sometimes there is only one guy who calls the shots whether it is the quarterback, the best hitter on the team, the coach or the guy who owns the company. They accept that power because they have experienced wins and losses following that system. While it seems that this is a strength, it is also a weakness. Many men can’t think alone. They need their frat brothers, their teammates, their buddies to cheer them on and support their egos.

Women have started playing more sports and forming more groups and that is a wonderful thing. But don’t give up the independent thinking a woman brings to the table, spending her life making decisions without a coach, a teammate or their friends. Women entrepreneurs still scare men. They juggle home life and a business because men don’t pull their weight. Do not use a group of other women to just lean on and be like men, make your groups about education and sharing resources and maintain your independence. True entrepreneurs want to have huge success to get the reward of respect by others…but while you are laboring to become successful you really must rely on your feeling good about your self, your own effort, and never give up the trust you have that you are on the right path…it doesn’t really matter what others think. Please subscribe to my blog at www.hermanisms.com and let me hear back from you.

Please welcome once again, Julie Lenzer Kirk, Author, The ParentPreneur Edge: What Parenting Teaches About Building a Successful Business(John Wiley & Sons), Speaker, Consultant…as a beautiful follow-up guest post to her previous “Juggling the True Values of Home Office Entrepreneurialism”.

I am really hard on myself. In talking with a good friend the other day, I was complaining about something (that now I can’t even remember what it was) and she yelled at me.

“Stop! Listen to yourself! You have achieved what many people only dream about – you have published a great book (The ParentPreneur Edge) that is positively impacting people all over the globe. You built and sold a successful business and you have a great husband and beautiful children…what’s your problem again?”

Julie – pity party of 1, you’re table is now available. I was busted! I encourage my class and clients to celebrate success and here I was, not taking my own advice. She was right – I needed to look at the positive – but why is that so hard sometimes? Through further discussion and another glass of wine, we decided we were both founding members of “The More Club.” It wasn’t that we wanted more money or more things; it’s just that with every accomplishment we had, we continued to raise our artificially-and-personally-imposed bar for what we had to do next. Rather than celebrating our success, we were already moving on to the next hurdle we had to cross sometimes before we’d even finished with the one we were currently jumping over. Why do we do that!?

Out of that discussion, I decided to create a “Book of Woohoo!” The name comes from a tradition we do in our family called “The Family Woohoo.” Whenever we are out as a family having a good time, any one of us can call a Family Woohoo and we all put our hands up in the air and say “WOOHOO!” Just TRY frowning after doing that…it’s pretty freeing!

So the book is going to be a small, blank notebook that will fit in my purse and in it I will write anything good that happens. Big or small – it doesn’t matter. I won’t write my to-do list or items I need to shop for, just accomplishments and positive things that happen in my life. Next time I’m wallowing in self pity, I’ll open the book and remind myself what a wonderful life it really is.

What about you – are you a member of the More Club, too? How do you celebrate your accomplishments?

Please visit Julie’s blog for additional WOOHOOs

Thank you for all your loving concern, comments, prayers, kind wishes, and MANY personal and professional phone calls. The vast number of calls alone prohibits me from returning any Many of them…

I’m sorry that I can not be more personal in my explanations, or personal replies to phone calls, emails AND comments!

I started going down hill at this post, so any commentators since that date please KNOW that I did NOT intentionally ignore any of you!

Just to show how crazy bad things have been the past couple of months:

I haven’t even had time, energy or strength to talk to my year-long, Virtual Assistant, and Dear, Dear Friend Jennifer over the phone to take care of biz. Life with a disability and moving to a new state (new MDs, life, etc.) took an obvious priority.

Oh, and I did NOT even know about this post by Amanda until just last week after talking to Jennifer…and it took that long just to get this post up. I talked to Amanda since, but we never even discussed that post…[talk about being away from the PC!]

With the dear blessings of our beloved All-Mighty God, my husband is doing everything in his power to take all pressure away from me to “feel” the need to work (even for fun, leisure, or my “mental”-get-away).

I’m chugging through my days “accepting” that nearly once a week now my hands freeze–actually paralyzes…as opposed to my partial paralysis of periodically losing sensation and feeling.

Unfortunately my ability to handle this physical disability has been everything BUT empowering

After all, I’ve been writing in a journal since I was 9, I became a work-at-home professional writer who secured a syndicated column, and best-selling book…

So, take my Great blessings of life + Harsh physical/mental/neurological limitations means I’m Simply Just-Okay.

At my worse, I was at least able to talk on the phone and type from my bed…but sadly I wasn’t able to do either the past few months. So, here’s my plea for help:

Can YOU Please help me, Jennifer and EmpowerWomenNow.com?

a. Jennifer will be overseeing nearly everything:

- Guest Bloggers: We have at least 4 unused guest posts that will be future post. Thanks for your patience!

- Book Reviewers: We have only 1 of nearly 8 book reviewers who all received their complimentary books. We have ~ dozen more books to give away! We want to future post at least 1 per week–so get your reviews in & please anyone else want to share an entrepreneurial book review on this site…be Our Guest!

- WordPressReWorked.com blogger/designers: Please consider guest blogging here! Links and All

- You: Please offer a guest post, interview, book or product review. Want to offer something new? Give it a shot!

Very basic criteria: 500+ words. In return you’ll get a bylines of 2-5 lines with up to 2 link backs!

Help Jennifer by offering 1-2 image files (such as, your personal picture, a book cover, your avatar, an image that captures the essence of what you’re writing about), link-outs, etc.

If our pay-back is not enough for our “huge” demands, please just write us and let your voice be heard.

Topics: Based on our Categories–of course!

For example: Internet Branding, Business Empowerment, Work at Home Entrepreneurialism.

- YOU: PLEASE tell US what you liked best about this site? What areas/categories helped you the most? How we can improve?

Jennifer will be working diligently to see how we can make this site more free-standing, non-dependent on my presence and personal health limitations…we’ve come such a LONG way to let my our time, efforts and love be wasted!

To our shocking glee–while some stats went down, our readership, RSS feeds, ezinelists, etc. have ALL increased and we’re ranking #1 in MANY of our top keywords & phrases. Google LOVES us–Thank you! {Not with PageRank…but we’ll take traffic & subscribers ANY day over a mere “score”}.

Jennifer will be monitoring all business emailboxes, and will be replying to as many emails as she can find; please be patient my dear.

As for me?

This is NOT a Good-Bye by any means!

While my hands may not be writing or typing much…One can NOT keep my mouth shut!

My mind and mouth hasn’t stopped yet! Believe me, I still always have TONS to say

God willing, I will return to some capacity, some time…but not regularly any time soon.

The sun always rises. God Bless

I’ve been on drugs non-stop since my car accident in July 2004, and have been monitored for the narcotics (addictive drugs) by health care specialists and family all these years.

This recent hospitalization caused me to really take notice, because for the first 3 weeks, I spoke to my health care specialist on a near-daily basis to assure that I wasn’t “abusing” the drugs I had. The mental and emotional pain (strain–really) of “rationing” the different level of pain drugs was such a pain in my…Brain!

I had to figure out if my pain was worth an over-the-counter med, should I take double the dose of over-the-counter pill, take a less than the prescribed “light” pain med, the mediocre prescribed pain pill…or the, I’m ready to go to the ER, let’s try this heavy-addictive-drug! URGH!

I’m already anxious and nervous thinking about all these decisions again!

Yet, when in doubt, I opt for the lower-dose medication…

But Dude! Whenever I took 1 of the 7-heavy pills (allocated for the month)…WOW did I feel better!

HA! There was NO doubt in my mind, Why Drugs can be ARE Addictive!

I started freakin’ myself even more with this whole “addictiveness” subject, that I started reading the horror stories of equally “drugged-up” [to say it lightly ] medical patients ON perscribed meds who fall victim to this addiction–Not by their own doing, but due to the effectiveness of these narcotics themselves!

[Man, There is NO doubt in my mind WHY the pharmaceutical companies are SO rich! And, with their consumer-"friendly" TV commercials luring in the general public to ask, plea, and insist that their medical professionals perscribe them the "miracle drug" they just saw on Public TV! Poopie-o-li! That's a whole other subject in and of itself!]

This is why I totally applaud my highly-addicted co-patients for seeking out the much needed intervention!

But, there are MANY…I mean MANY who are in the “denial” phase as described in 4rehabilitation.com’s page:

“Denial is a part of the addiction cycle. The addict does not and will not addmit [Typo] they have a problem or that thier their[Typo] problem is out of control, in many instances they will not even admit it to themselves, they live in a state of denial. “

4rehabilitation.com is a non-profit drug rehabilitation referral service that provides those seeking help with addiction with a referral to a drug treatment facility.

Yes, one would think that this service-provider online resource center should be for those with an illegal drug or abusing-alcohol problem…but, I beg to differ!

I believe all drugs (illegal AND prescribed) long-term stink like the crap that surrounded me at the local Winterfesh and horse stables we marveled at this past weekend!

So, yes–I’m on a mission to Empower You to help any and everyone you know on a drug, alcohol or Perscribed-drug problem to seek help, and Happy to see that wealth and depth of resources available at 4rehabilitation.com!

As for me personally–Yes, I failed at being timely in my business this past couple of weeks…but, I’m on a mission to be Drug-Free! Actually its my family’s mission…because I *really* (no lie) want to give in! [Addicted, you think!?!?]

Being back home with parents, hubby and girls to support me–for 7 days now I am Drug-Free.

I am admittedly Nasty in the morning and night because I am in SO much pain…and they all take it! My hands have frozen stiff (literally “paralyzed”) throughout my days–which scare the Crap outta me! And, my anti-anxiety drugs never let me “feel” this fear naturally before…I actually slept through it all!

But, my family insists that I “talk” it out with them, literally “walk” it off with them to the park or at the mall, enjoy a fun movie with them…just Relax and Deal With Them! Not alone and Not with drugs!

They actually make jokes, lighten up the situation, or even send me to my room for a time-out when I most need it!

Funny–hubby & the girls put me in time-out so often that my parents don’t have too (they are actually glad they don’t have too!) Very interesting dynamic and change of roles!

They all “take” much more than I’d EVER allow any of them to force on me…but, once my storm ends…they all “lighten” the mood by saying “It’s SO great your off your drugs!” WHAT!?

But, I was such a Witch!…Yay, but then they remind me of all the good things:

• I don’t sleep all day anymore,
• I can wake up to the girls in the middle of the night when they really need me,
• I’m happier, livelier, more energetic, pleasant, Awake! Living! Being a part of their lives! Fun! [For a limited amount of time...I'm Not pain-free by any means!]
• I gained weight–yee hah!
• I’m eating healthier, and
• Much more!

So, maybe I’m exaggerating my witchiness…but, as long as they are using the Drugs as an Excuse…I’m gonna hafta agree with them and just live with the long-term goal to be Drug-Free!

Granted, I am extremely Blessed to have such a lovable, supportive, patient, and understanding family and support system!

This is why, Again; I find it critical that if You are living with Drugs or Alcohol (or know someone that is) please seek the help or just begin to educate yourself about the problem itself! And, 4Rehabilitation.com is just one-place you can start!

PLEASE share your thoughts, support, and opinions below! Even better, please share additional resources, options, support to those in need, and more importantly, those who don’t know they need help yet!

Please do NOT feel it can’t happen to you…it can happen to anyone!

P.S. I’m on my way to the doctors right now to get “monitored” of my progress, and see if there are any light-light alternatives to my body, neurological and paralysis pain…I know I will may always need my back-up meds…But, I AM looking into more natural methods too. Over the past 5 months, many people have offered suggestions….my emailboxes each have 1000s of unread mail…Please share your suggestions, recommendations, below!  

No, that’s Not a double-negative in the above statement.

Simply, you have to know what you are not capable, able, willing or even interested in doing for yourself and your prospective business associates, clients and customers!

Here are some critical questions to ask yourself in determining what you are not!

1. What is the market share you do NOT want to attract?

2. What kind of customer/client do you NOT want to work with or for?

3. What are the services/products that you are NOT willing to offer? promote? share?

4. Who are you turning away from your business? website? blog?

5. Are you rejecting enough bids, request for proposals or shaddy consultations of people or businesses you don’t want to be associated with in the first place?

It’s Time to

Just like Julie Lenzer Kirk shared  “Excuses are just a noisy way of not getting something done”…complaining about doing things you don’t want to do in your business or life revolves on your inability to just “Say No”!

Your profitability depends on it!

If you’re not turning away traffic or clients, then you’re simply not sticking to your brand well enough. Worse, you probably still don’t even know who your ideal target client/customer is!

Now, I work hard to always underpromise and overdeliver with every opportunity comes my way…hence the flood of happy recommendations and clients keep a steady flow.

Take on a crappy client who’s destined to be crappy through the process AND crappy even after the job is done…is just plain Crappy! So, WHY take them on in the 1st place?

To make a buck!?!?!

Girl–a single buck for all the emotional turmoil one single crappy client can wear as a heavy noose, and I always tell, recommend to colleagues, staff and friends…to RUN far away from these business transactions!

• So, do you RUN away from enough pains in your tush?

• Do you regret taking on a crappy client and you had a gut feeling not to take him/her on during your initial consultation phase?

• Are you such a person-pleaser, that you’d rather be poor and out-of-business than lose 1 single “friend”?

Girl–then, that “Friend” never deserved that coveted title in the 1st place!

Okay…Truth be told: I was a tom-boy growing up and had very few girl-friends while growing up…oh heck, I have very few girl-friends today! And, I’m DARN proud of it!

I have 1 sister and my 2 younger bros and I were much closer to the boys that my sister…age and maturity changed that now

Nonetheless, I found loyalty in the males in my life…and never understood nor participated in girl-talk, chatty-crap and all the jazz that goes on in being a chick.

I actually had more “friend”ships with all my teachers, coaches, adults in my life than with kids my own age as well…I couldn’t then, nor can I now, deal with idle-talk.

I’ve always been about quality and quantity, and when I wrote my Girl-Friends poem it was for one of my dearet and best girl-friends…who miles now part us; but our friendship is ever strong!

This is why, my marriage is something I’m most proud of in my life…my dearest and best friend through think & thin makes all life worth living for!

I take my experiences with relationships and apply them into my daily business practices–hence, building powerful networking opportunities. And, you should strive to this level always.

My powerful network is built our high-quality relationships built professionally and we have a “girl-friend” fun, personal and personable aspect to it…but, do I feel sad or as if I”m missing out? No Way! Cuz’ girl-friend…while I’m a hard wise-worker I am a party freak too

Now, a mother of 3 girls, I see the caddiest, arrogance and back-biting all over again…and I teach them with great pride and joy that quality matters NOT quantity.

The more we turn away the “bad” people in our lives; the more we open ourselves to more “good” relationships to pass by and enter into our lives.

Ironically, in grade school & high school, I was voted ‘most popular’…but, I believe this is NOT because I befriended everyone; but because I respected everyone and gained their respect in full.

Also, everyone knew me; although I didn’t know everyone. So, in biz–this is what you’re trying to achieve. Everyone “knowing” you…rather than the other way around!

So, as for knowing what you aren’t…its about how you position yourself, that you turn on your loyal fans, readers, subscribers, staff, colleagues, mentors, etc…so they turn people on to you! Meanwhile, turning away the “bad” vibes, people, whatever so they are not associated with you!

While I DO turn possible clients down, I never turn down an opportunity to grow together. When, I mean “run”, you can “run” from the biz transaction; yet stay popular by your strong work ethics, personality and ability to network effectively; so even the “crappy ones” are speaking highly about you behind your back!

Knowing what you aren’t also allows you to only attract the best people and opportunities into your life. Start under-cutting your fees, rates, etc…then, you short-changing yourself for the person and business you can become.

Simply, if you don’t believe you’re worth more and short-change yourself…those around you will not believe or respect you either and start walking ALL over you in the process as well as in the future!

Not, a very successful, prosperous business model, huh?

To answer your question: “Yes, I’ve been burnt once or twice in business only. I’m a fast learner, and will NOT let anyone walk over my domain.”

How? I kill with kindness! For my loyal readers who experienced something “bad” or “indifferent” with me before; and I took our relationship to the next level…please share below.  If I did anything “crappy” to you and didn’t know it; please do NOT blast me in the comments, just email me first and let me know what I can do to help or correct the error.

As always, Please share your honest opinions, thoughts & concerns below!

Humbly yours,

Ponn