Huntington Beach, CA

Huntington Beach, CA
Making Waves

Friday, July 23, 2010

Opening Your Eyes to Opportunity

As the single career-driven friend, I have been finding opportunity following me wherever I go. The trouble with this is the matter of sorting out what is truly an opportunity and what will leave me feeling as though I have sucker written on my forehead.

Beware of the so-called “gurus” in the business of simply telling you seminars instead of the business of sincerely wanting to see you succeed. You know the ones I speak of. You sign up for a free two-day seminar and the Guru stands at the front of the room, says all the right things and completely wins you over, You’re a believer. You are so pumped that there’s a more “in depth” seminar! It will only cost you $997, you fly to LA and enjoy the seminar in the Guru’s house…and for the WOW factor he will even take you to his box at the Staples Centre for a game! You buy it and make arrangements to go to LA. The seminar itself isn’t bad, but needless to say you never get to go to the Staples Centre, he is selling more and more…WHEN DOES IT STOP? When will me, myself and I good enough? To teaching? To be the one making money with this?.

Everyone knows the key to opportunity and success is knowledge, and to never stop learning, once it starts costing you more and more, it is time to take a step back, analyze and research what best suits you and your needs.

I didn’t let that one Guru’s initial subterfuge deter me, and I have recently bought into a program that works with you personally to ensure that you succeed. They said all the right things but they did one thing no one else seemed to ever do….THEY FOLLOWED THROUGH.

Look for the follow through. Now, Im not saying not to go to an event, because by all means GO-this is the essential opportunity to network and build your connections (we will talk about that next week). The larger your network, the more opportunities you will have to partner, support, utilize and learn from.

BE AWARE that not all seminar “Guru’s” are bad but when they say that your seat is the last one, well you might want to think twice……..

To Mint or not to Mint

Did you know there is now available mint flavored water? Believe it or not there is! It’s Metromint http://www.metromint.com a no calorie, no preservative, no added sweetener – a unique taste in a cool, retro styled 500ml bottle.

Refreshing, Cooling and Soothing, I could definitely see this helping to give you that “pick me up” we all need at least couple of times a day!

It left me feeling refreshed and revitalized after I picked one up in the subtle spearmint flavor at my local Whole Foods store http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com.
It was like drinking water while chewing gum without having to worry about swallowing the gum and having it waste away in your stomach for 7 years, my breath was fresh after the experience and my thirst quenched.
With their modern/ retro packaging and reasonable price, no calories and organic ingredients this alternative to fruit flavored water is a winner in my books.
There are a few more flavors to try: Original Peppermint, Tangy Lemonmint, Citrus Orangemint, Cherrymint and back by popular demand Chocolatemint so stay tuned as I review the other flavors.

For more information, please visit their website: www.metromint.com

Continuing Education

“If you want to be successful, don’t let hard work deter you….Learn as much as you can.”
As mentioned in my bio, I took courses on and off by correspondence for 10 years some of them include a diploma International Business and a diploma in freight forwarding. I took and completed my certificates for CIFFA (Canadian International Freight Forwarding Association http://www.ciffa.com) which led into my FIATA diploma (http://www.fiata.com)I knew this was not something I wanted to do for the rest of the my life but it related to the industry I was in and as it turns out (depending on what sector you end up getting into) Freight and Brokerage is an integral part of most everyday business. I don’t know everything there is to know but I know enough to hold up a conversation and get by. I tried my hand at brokerage but after one course I KNEW this was not for me and I moved on to try purchasing and supply chain, again related and there was one section out of the whole course I remembered. That was learning about how each different culture has unique ways of dealing with business, family and socializing….i.e: What is acceptable and not acceptable. From there I started my long journey to obtain my FITT diploma, meanwhile I was working in the operations department and then starting my career in sales. It was NOT easy, I failed a couple of courses and had to retake the tests, it took 3 and a half years which was a year more then I was hoping it would have taken and there were a few times (not many) that I was at home studying while my friends were out partying.
I guess what I am trying to say is that for the average person who isn’t good at everything first time or has to work hard to achieve, perseverance is everything. I didn’t go to college or university purely because I thought it was a waste of money and I educated myself while working at the same time, it truly allowed me the freedom to live life and try different things to find out what I truly believed in and wanted to do with my life.
Even after I had finished my diploma I still dedicated myself to continuing education through books and cd’s. Whenever I am in my car I pop a cd to learn about Communication, public speaking, financial education, sales and anything else I can get my hands on. By maximizing the prescious time I have available, I am able to expand my learning even more. Before I start work for the day and before I sleep at night and I alternate between self educational books again on public speaking, communication, working from home, world domination and the 4 hour work week (sadly only a titles) and Fictional Novels that I love to read. Besides allowing me to expand my knowledge and read more books then I would normally by rewarding myself with the fiction.!

Knowledge is key in any interaction whether it be business, family or social. It provides you with the power of wit, the winning upper hand and furtherance.Always Remember you can do anything you put your mind to, just try, try again.
Don’t get me wrong there are days where I get sidetracked and just wanna listen to the radio or put in my favorite Melanie Fiona or Michael Buble cd. At the end of the day I will allow myself these luxuries but for the rest of the time will always push myself to learn as much as I can.

3 closets and only 365 days in a year

According to my boyfriend I have too many clothes...and then I buy some more, because we as women can ALWAYS use some more work clothes, another tank top, one more pair of sweet pumps or a different color running shoe!.
He also says the instant I buy something new I have to wear it the next day, I beg to differ….I wear all the new stuff within the following week NOT just the next day because I usually buy too much. That’s because WE (who’s with me?) cant pass up a bargain, am I right girls?
Why don’t they (men) understand that if a pair of shoes is $10-20 why not buy 3 or 4 in different colors, SERIOUSLY what is WRONG with that??? The only problem I see is that there are only 365 days in a year. How do other women cope with this lack of time to wear everything in your closet? Twice a year when I change my clothes over for the seasons, yes there are only two seasons: summer and winter here in Toronto, I have to do a purge for goodwill because there are just garments/shoes/purses that I didn’t get around to wearing….its such a shame and things go out of style SO quickly.
Sometimes I feel that I have to change at least twice a day regardless of where I am going so that I can wear the clothes I love, I mean I cant even begin to imagine what it is like for new moms. Not going to work and having all those work clothes sitting in the closet until the dreaded day and then after the baby having all those maternity clothes going into a box to wait for the next time around.
And then there are shoes, when do you say goodbye to a pair of shoes? I seem to be a bargain hunter when it comes to shoes….even designer ones. This allows me to buy shoes at VERY competitive prices and therefore leaves me with more shoes then I can count. Every year we vacation in Florida, well between Marshall’s (http://www.marshallsonline.com/) , Ross (http://www.rossstores.com/) and Target (http://www.target.com (If you have never been in one, can I say find one NOW!) and their FANTASTIC prices I usually come home with 3-4 pairs of shoes at least and then there is my annual trip to the UK to visit my family….well, you would think with prices in UK pounds (approx 1.59 to Canadian dollar) shoes would be much more expensive. Think again! There is this wonderful department store over there called Primark, they sell anything from shoes (of course!) to bedding to Jewelry. Their shoes are priced anywhere from 10 to 25 uk pounds and everyone who has been to Europe knows that what is considered cheap quality in Europe is actually good quality here in Canada.
So, how do you deal with all the clothes in your closet and only 365 days a year to wear them? We’d love to hear from you.