A New Day Always Dawns

Yesterday, our quiet little town was on fire. More than 500 acres and 60 homes burned flat to the ground. As we all struggle to get by in this economy with reduced hours, job losses, mortgage issues, and any number of other life challenges, those issues are nothing compared to being run out of your home with little more than the clothes on your back.

Today things seem to be contained, but we have a hot and possibly windy day on schedule for today. I'm going to see what I can do even if it's donating some of our clothes to the Red Cross. If we can help one family, or feed animals that have been safely recovered at the shelters, we will. Give to your local Red Cross, Salvation Army, and other local charities that help people in desperate times of need. Even $1.00 adds up if we all give just a little.

State Fair Savings

Here's a success story right from my own family! When we went to the California State fair in 2005, we purchased two of the large plastic cups that are really expensive if you only have the drink they come with. The deal is that after you buy the cup for $6.00, each refill there after is only $2.00. Now don't get me wrong, both of these numbers are high for a soda, but I've managed to out smart the program.

I still have those two cups from 2005 and we have used them each year since. Let's do a little math and assume that we get three drinks over the course of the time we are at the fair. $6.00 each initial investment equals $12.00. Two more drinks each equals $8.00 for a total of $20.00. In 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009, we took the same cups and had our three drinks, but this time all six drinks (three drinks, two cups) only cost $12.00. Keeping in mind that a single drink costs from $3.50-$8.00, over four years, that's a savings of $68.00! The savings not only adds up for fair-going, but we use the cups during our everyday life, too. This is a win-win-win situation!

Next time you have an opportunity to spend a little more up front to save a little on the backside, think about it for the long run, not for the few hours you are at the fair or amusement park.

Social Media. Do You?

Do you twitter? I bet you at least have a page on facebook. If not, why?

Facebook has been a great place to reconnect with friends from high school, former jobs, and other cities you may have lived in. You can simply post bits and pieces of your life and interact with people via e-mail updates on your facebook wall. You wall is the place people post notes and messages that all your friends can see. There is also a message feature that works much like e-mail and it's private. Facebook has so many other things to do, I won't even go into all of that. If you're so inclined, you'll snoop around and see the virtual world you're missing out on! Search me and add me as a friend! www.facebook.com

Twitter is a little different. It's what's known as micro-blogging, so you can only tweet 140 characters at a time. Twitter is much more like the old fashioned aol chat box...remember those? The difference is that the culture has changed and it seems that more professionals are using social media to connect with clients and potential customers. You can find me on twitter by searching @Zbgloves and @Kdpartak. www.twitter.com

Check it out and see what you think. You don't need to spend hours on the computer, 15-30 minutes a day can bring many new, wonderful friends into your life!

I'm Not MIA

Hey friends, I'm up to my eyeballs in details for the upcoming ABC show in Las Vegas. We are only just over two weeks away from packing up the car and the list of things to do is growing by the moment! I have some exciting news and updates, but I have to be in a place where I can sit quietly and write. I'll get everything updated before the end of this week!

Say Something Original

I'm loving my friends on twitter. If you don't engage in the social media circles like twitter, facebook, and myspace, let me invite you to join us. For the most part, we all just your average Joe's (except for the celebrities), and we are building real relationships. My only complaint is when some people on twitter have nothing to say. They follow thousands of people and Re-tweet those people all day long. Re-tweeting or RTing is when you send along to your followers what other people you follow have said. It's certainly fine when someone says something obviously funny, or poignant, but every little thing? Not so much.

For me, it's so much more fun to have real conversations and share our lives than it is to quote Henry Ford, Zig Ziglar, or any number of other over-quoted successful people. Aren't we all successful in our own rights? I think yes! Say something original and make my day. Heck, I might even RT you! Smiling!

Happy Monday!

It's a new week and like the new year, nothing but opportunity for success awaits you! It's all in how you think about it, every new year people make resolutions, set goals, and in essence, feel the sense of a new beginning. Why not see the start of a new week the same way we see the start of a new year?

Today, just for grins, take a moment and jot down some goals for the week. Maybe look back at your new year list and revive something that's fallen to the bottom of your list, and find a single action you can take on that item. It's possible that one single action on that item can being it back to life and move it forward significantly. I would love to know what you think of this and if you actually follow through. Share your wins, I can't wait to hear!

Is It Good Or Is It Bad?

Perspective. It's a simple answer to almost any question. It's all in how you see it. There are many influences that shape how we see things, but if you can embrace the idea that you have a choice, you can change your life. Let me give you an example. I grew up with a dad who didn't know a thing about showing love to his kids. He had a very difficult childhood, to say the least, and without any idea of what loving parents were, how could he parent any differently? All through my childhood years, I thought I had the worst dad ever. It wasn't' until I grew up that I could see that despite his difficult life, he did love me and he did show me that love, in his own way. He didn't speak kindly and visit with my friends like some dads did, but he would leave a candy on the kitchen table for me when I woke up for school. He didn't take me on father-daughter outings, but he did come to one of my little league games. He sat in his truck the whole time, but I could see he was there. My dad wasn't good or bad, he was just trying to be the best dad he knew how. I choose to see him as a loving father despite how the textbooks portray what a good father is. Would I have liked a few father-daughter outings, not really. He just wasn't that kind of dad! Smiling!