Success Strategies
Motivate. Inspire Your Personal Growth
Trunk Or Treat!
I love Treats!
Join in on the fun at Calvary PSL’s Trunk or Treat event. Tons of candy, games, prizes and surprises! Safe family fun event.
Can’t wait!
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Minimum Wage On The Rise…
Hospitality leaders gained first hand knowledge of the changes at the NLRB, fines for violations of Human Trafficking laws and Minimum wage changes from Board Certified Labor Attorney Bob Turk. Thanks Bob for encouraging leaders to Heed the warnings.
Minimum Wage rose from $8.65 to $10 an hour.
The Sonesta Hotel hosted the HHRABC Association and Dade Membership event. We are grateful to those who joined in virtually and those who came out to meet in person to learn about these important compliance updates.
For more info and updates visit http://www.HHRABC.org
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Health. The Vaccine Way…
We don’t see sick people
~Doctor’s Receptionist
The pandemic has turned the world upside down. “We don’t see sick people.” That’s what the receptionist at the doctor’s office said. Haley’s symptoms included running nose and nasal congestion but it was annoying and missing work was even more so. After all, she had bills to pay.
So the office proceeded to setup a virtual appointment for her to see the doctor. Without the necessary tools to do her vital signs at home, ‘seeing’ the doctor only meant them collecting her co-pay and telling her to go to the urgent care. More cost and even more time away from work. Several hours and doctors charges later, she tested negative for the recommended Covid test but was down several hundred dollars and lost worktime. Worse yet, she was told to visit the pharmacy to pick up something for the common cold she knew she had from the beginning. Believe it or not, this situation is repeated multiple times everyday.
Covid. Covid-19. The Pandemic
Sad times indeed. the pandemic has wreaked havoc around the world. There’s no escape. Many wander in despair. Some become house-rats. Businesses slowed. Some even closed. Entertainment suffered. Travel, hotel stays took a nose dive. With no entertainment, economic devise, anger soared. Panicked consumers wander in fear. Deaths are many and goodbyes are few. Too many have lost hope. Let’s just gallivant. Live our best life before we die. So they play. It’s not going to make a difference, they say.
Enter the vaccine. Hope indeed! Personally I jumped at the opportunity to get the two doses of the Pfizer vaccine. Adorned in short sleeves, I rolled up twice and got the shots. I’d take more if needed. Having worked in pharmaceuticals for a decade and more, I know what goes into research and development to help people do more, feel better and live longer. Critics will always exist but it’s well needed to prolong life, or to ease pain and discomfort.
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The Anti Vaccine Movement
The anti-vaccine are either afraid or make things political warding off and spreading fear. Oh the side effects of the vaccine will make you impotent, they say. Or you don’t know what’s going to happen later in life and the list goes on. But if something provides you with the ability to live a better life, wouldn’t you go after it? Who in their right mind would want to experience discomfort when there’s an alternative? I find it strange as most of us growing up had to be vaccinated against diseases such as MMR, Chicken-Pox and more. Chances are we are not able to enjoy epic travel trips unless we have proof of being vaccinated.
So I encourage those skeptics, to do the right thing. Get vaccinated. The life you save may even be yours. A colleague at the hairdresser was mourning. Her best friend of many years had just passed away due to Covid. She took all the necessary precautions. Stayed home, sanitized, cleaned, and sanitized again and again. Then her beloved young adult son went out, contracted the Covid virus. Unknown to him because he was asymptomatic. He passed it to her. Sadly, within a few days, she died. Another young mom decided to stay home after testing positive because the hospital wouldn’t allow family visits. That night she died. And there are many more sad stories.
There Is A Vaccine
Again there’s no cure. But there’s a vaccine. Yet many refuse to take it. Politics? Ignorance? Rumor-mongering? Fear? Who knows? But it makes sense to take it.
I close with the wise well known quote “Prevention. Is better than cure“. Choose wisdom. Save you. Deal with the consequences (if any) later. There might not be any.
Prevention is better than cure
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What are your thoughts on the vaccine? Have you got it? Scared? Do share. We would love to hear.
Cheers!
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Show Up. That’s All He Did.…
It’s through curiosity and looking at opportunities in new ways that we’ve always mapped our path. ~Michael Dell
Steve Harvey
Opportunity comes when we are ready for it. Comedian and entertainer Steve Harvey share his story about his writing jokes for a colleague for sometime in exchange for $10. One day the guy didn’t show and he was encouraged to go check out the venue himself. Curiosity got the better of him and he did. He subsequently put his name in the bag for a future show but was called on when another contestant didn’t show. Suffice it to say he won and the rest is history.
Steve Jobs
Steve Jobs showed up to classes out of curiosity after he was fired from the company he started. His curiosity led to one of the greatest innovations of all times. The iPhone which global users compete daily with its competitor, the android.
Les Brown
I also think of Les Brown who was yearning for an opportunity in radio though he didn’t have training or experience. One day the host didn’t show because he was sick or something and he was invited to fill in with just music on the radio. Les Brown proceeded to be the talk show host. And the rest is history.
Opportunity. It’s Your Turn
What opportunity are you ready for what’s your desire are you showing up to where it is you need to? If not you really need to because you never know when opportunities will arise. If you are not prepared then you may miss it.
Always Show up is my mantra. Do it today. Are there any person stories you can share of an opportunity gleaned just by being there? Or are there any that you missed because you weren’t there? Do share. We would love to hear.
Cheers
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What You Need To Do To Achieve Success…
Set your Goals High and Don’t Stop until you Get There
Richard Byerley was ‘officially’ the oldest person to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro. Byerley reached the summit in October 2010 at the ripe old age of 84 years and 71 days. However, his record was surpassed by Martin Kafer (85) and his wife Esther (84) in October 2012 (Kilimanjaro Guide).
Not to be outdone, the oldest woman to climb Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m; 19,340 ft) Angela Vorobeva, reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, at age 86 years 267 days, on 29 October 2015 (Guinness book of records).
Naturally, these examples of goal achievement is no small feat. What of athletes, professionals, politicians, and more? We all have goals. But what really are they? Are goals just a wish or a figment of our imagination of some ideal place that we want to be in the future? Think carefully…
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Love. The Ties That Binds Our Hearts…
Two peas in a pod…literally. The Mr. and The Mrs. They were always together seated either in the front, second or third rows during mid-week meetings. Never-apart. They were the esteemed example couple to anyone of 60-years of true love.
At age 70 she fell ill. To date we are not sure of what ailed her but she passed away during a life changing year. How could he live without her? Lady B as she was affectionately called. The truth is, he couldn’t. He lost his thoughts to the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease a year after she passed. He began to make errors. Things got mixed up. Soon he could no longer adequately take care of himself. Death took him away quietly one night after several bouts of strokes, hospitalization and rehab stays.
Like that couple, life is bitter-sweet. The memories live on through offsprings. Today, be encouraged to live your life. Be kind. Enjoy each day like it is your last. Love binds no matter the kind. The love of a couple, friends, family and more.
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Sell More Books This Holiday. Here’s How…
Writers write. Readers read. Together they are one.
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The holiday season brings many opportunities for authors. Families, co-workers, friends, networkers and even the Grinch shop for the perfect Gifts for book-lovers. From fiction, non fiction, Poetry, Sci-fi and sweet holiday romance for those hallmark enthusiasts who dream not only of movies but to curl up in the warmth of Christmas bliss. Their goal? To get lost in the world of the ideal relationship.
Marketers go crazy to capture the holiday magic for those on the naughty or nice list. So why shouldn’t authors…well author-preneurs participate? It’s become a common trend for non-traditional publishers to want to optimize the sweet fruits of their labor. They want to see their hard work nicely wrapped under the Christmas tree or at minimum, stuffed into Christmas stockings.
So how can authors prepare? I was chatting with a group of self published and traditionally published authors who long to boost their holiday sales. Why have the books gathering dust on Amazon’s platform or even yours? It seems the practice is to write it, publish it, and forget it, with the hopes that writing and publishing the book will attract sales. Not so. It does not work that way. Not for any type of author. The point is, after your book is published… unfortunately that’s when the hard work begins. You have to make the world know that it exists. So here are a few simple tips to help get you started. Don’t be overwhelmed. Choose one, two or a few and prepare for the most wonderful time of the year.
Create That Holiday Plan
- Create a plan for the holidays. I am a firm believer in the saying if you are not planning you’re just practicing.
- Evaluate where you are now and where you would like to be at the end of the holiday period. For example, you could include factors like doubling or tripling your year-to-date sales. If you are an experienced author with several books, take a loo at your past holiday sales. Project an increase in sales over past years.
- Plan to up your Marketing and Promotional strategy. Sometimes just a little effort goes a long way from doing nothing at all.
- Update your book covers. Make it festive (easier if you’re self-published) but whatever you do, make sure your cover looks professional.
Your Holiday Author Platform
- Become more visible
- Get your website holiday ready
- Update your Amazon Author Central profile
- Get more amazon reviews
- Make your book covers more festive
- Update your book description
- Update your author bio. It’s a good idea to edit and review often on your amazon page. You would be surprised when you look back you seem to be looking at a stranger who essentially is a person you hardly recognize. Think of this like a resume. Update frequently.
- Get a professional photo done and spread it across the different media networks
Build That Strategic Audience
- Set up or expand your mailing list
- Write blog posts
- Create a newsletter… if that’s on your agenda
- Find and connect with your audience. Engage, engage, engage them
- Offer free holiday shipping
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Get Social
- Update your Social Media Profile
- Do a holiday-themed hash tag search
- Dig a little deep and find out who your followers are
- Create images of your books in holiday settings on instagram
- Create your own 12-Days of Christmas
Show. Don’t Tell
- Increase your book reviews. Aim for 25 which means you have to go after many in order to get this done. You will receive promises but usually only lower percentage will come through
- Create gift bags and other swags for giveaways
- Create holiday videos. Already doing that? Do some more
- Have a series? Make the first book FREE
- Prep your own 12 Days of Christmas Giveaways
Holiday Party Connect. Collaborate.
- Collaborate with other authors in Holiday Book Events
- Participate in Holiday Book Guide
- Gifts for the Poetry Lover
- Gifts for the Sci-fi lover
- Gifts for the child reader enthusiasts
- Invite your fans to an “ask the author” virtual Holiday party on social media
- Get involved in local festivities (holiday markets, local fairs etc.)
- Contact local independent bookstores
Hope these few tips will help get you underway. There are tons more but these few will get you started. Don’t get overwhelmed. Choose one, two or a few and Sell More Books this Holiday!
Cheers!
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What’s Life All About?
Life is what you make it
What’s your life all about? That’s the question i asked 10 year old Xavier. Seriously and Without hesitation he replied Video games, basketball, God, watching TV. Gotta give him credit, he knew exactly what he was about.
At that young age, life can be easy but what a you and me? As we grow older it’s important for us to ‘get a life’ as the common saying goes. Mine is about and encouraging personal growth of anyone in my sphere of influence.
Today I encourage you to Reflect, start planning abs action.
What’s your life all about? Do share. We would love to hear.
Cheers!
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Traveling? Top 11 Things To Do Before You Board That Flight…
We love to travel! The warmth of new places brings smiles and memories that last. But getting to the pleasures of our vacation destination often comes with a nightmare. Travel and Leisure shared their top 25 Things to do before getting on a plane. Here are my top 11 Favs, which by the way makes business travel a breeze.
Pre-Travel Stress Reducers
- Get the airlines credit card which offers perks like priority access and other rewards
- Download your airlines app. No check-in and free onboard entertainment
- Signup for TSA Pre-Check. Forego It’s a smart strategy for a smoother walk through and some airlines refund you the application fee
- Check your bags size and dimensions. Airlines are reducing the space. Rid yourself of the headache and follow the rules before you leave home
- Compile your gadgets. Being organized makes your life easier
- Lounge around the departure lounges instead of sitting at the gate. Life’s simple
- Wear comfortable clothing. But I dare say remember airline rules. For example Sometimes short shorts makes the morning news when tempers flare
- Disinfect. Need I say more?
- Reserve airport parking before you leave. Works like magic and you will walk away looking at cars circling the garage or squeals at missed flights
- Grab and Go is a great idea for starving passengers. Get the app and order ahead
- That wretched life-saving Mask. Don’t forget it.
BONUS
Read. Bring a book
So these are my top favs. What’s yours? Do share. We would love to hear!
Cheers!
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Binge-Watching For Personal Growth. 9 Must-See…
People are hungry for something Different
Miles Millar
Binge Watching is the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of DVDs or digital streaming.
Dictionary.com
Patty’s text excitedly read “hey, I’m here binge watching your YouTube videos”. Hmmm an untapped medium, I thought about it and decided to share a few of the top videos. Below are 9 listed and shown below for your convenience. Go grab a snack and tune in. Build your personal growth as a writer, leader, new entrepreneur and more.
Happy watching!
- A Conversation With Reggae Music Matriarch Pat Chin On Overcoming Barriers As A Woman In Business
- 15 Leadership Traits
- Get Unstuck. A Literary Conversation with Lawyer Turned Author Meg Nocero
- Authors Of Color Books, Literary Hooks And Nooks
- LIVE Interview with Journalist Grace. How She took The Step From Career To Entrepreneur
- Simply The Best Or…
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What Are The Requirements To Be A Writer? 25 Authors Share…
What does it take to be a writer? That was the question asked in a writers’ forum. Some think it’s rather scary to become a writer. They believe they can’t do it. But isn’t that the case with many new feats that we decide to embark on? The unknown is scary. But I always encourage you to step out afraid, scared, trembling… but do it anyway. Here I share basically verbatim responses as Professional Writers dived in assiduously with their opinions.
Characteristics Of Good Writers
- Patience and determination
- Perseverance, self-awareness, optimism, logic, self analysis, the ability to listen to expert input, communication skills, your own writing voice, attention to detail
- A willingness to learn the skills you don’t have and 50 percent sanity and 50 percent raging eccentricity
- “What kind of writer? What do you write? But let’s say FICTION. First of all endurance. You’ll write a lot of ‘crap’. I am not sorry to say. It’s just that the first few years of your writing will. General advice aside, you’ll have to work hard by writing, reading, getting the “feel” for a storyline and characters. And get a touch of the flow. You’ll begin to understand what makes a character, drives a character, what characters fear and desire. And most important what they need. You begin to feel the pulse of the story and where it goes on too thin/long and where things could be expanded on. You begin to understand archetypes too. It is a long path. But at some point you “feel” the story is right. My suggestion is to read a lot and watch good movies. Movies with well done stories and characters. Classic movies. I watched Lord of the Rings many times, it heavily uses archetypes and characters with strengths, desires, and flaws. And yes I read the book many times too! You could read Dracula, watch The Godfather and so on. The classics is where many of the deep archetypes lay”.
- Imagination
- Words. Words written down. Words woven into a great story.
- Write. Simply write
- First, ‘butt’ in the chair, pen in hand
- Desire, persistence, and the willingness to learn the craft – that’s all.
- Passion for writing
- Read, read and read. Then you write
- Commitment, imagination, and a touch of insanity
- Tell a complete story. Beginning, middle and end. It’s shocking how many people can’t do this.
- A touch of talent and a ton of hard work.
- Keep on learning each day and move forward and up.
- Thick skin
- Lots of practice.
- A good writer just needs something important to say
- Faith
- Learn to Finishing things.
- Keep a journal
- Time
- Just be yourself. Lots of people grow up feeling like the main character of a crazy adventure novel. At least that’s how writing came easy to me. Know that revision and editing is essential. Don’t see it as too daunting and make sure you save your work. Develop that habit.
- Mindset and practicing are the most important basic requirements to become a writer. The other crucial steps are the ability to experiment and research. You need to have the ability to think from different POVs and develop a strong ability of imagination by reading a lot. Building up a proper balance between your fingers and mind is important and that may only be achieved by writing on a regular basis.
- To be a good writer, you have to have something to say. Writer’s block is a sign you don’t have a message. I keep a diary of daily observations and what they mean to me. Good writers have an uncanny sense of the motivation of others, and they can capture the human condition in words that repeat their/our thoughts. My diary is often the storeroom for those words. I learned long ago that eloquent words come from eloquent thoughts. You have to write them down in the moment or lose them forever. The rest is ‘craft’ (the tools of the trade, so to speak). There are so many writers, so caught up in craft, they struggle with content continually.
So there you have it, authors giving their feedback to newbies and/or those who aspire to start something new. Just do it!
Cheers!
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