Category: Inspiration

To forgive…now is as good of a time as any. We have all been hurt, have had our heartbroken (and I do not only mean by a significant other ~ it’s much deeper!) The hurt and sorrow are real, but why hold on to it? The only person you are really hurting is yourself.

So, let it go…FOrgive, FORgive, FORGIVE! You are not doing it for them, you’re doing it for you & you deserve it! Love yourself enough to let go of the pain. It begins in your heart, forgiveness is love!

Let 2017, be your year for dignity, success, love and forgiveness!

“Forgiveness doesn’t excuse their behavior. Forgiveness prevents their behavior from destroying your heart” ~ Unknown

 

So, it has finally come and gone. The day we have all been anxiously awaiting, highly anticipating and praying to come to an end. There has to be a reason beyond our scope of knowledge as to why and how it turned out as it did.

The time is now for us to come together…more than ever to unite. We cannot give in to the hatred and despair. Let’s pull each other up from our bootstraps, hang on tight because it is going to be a bumpy ride.

Make no mistake, we live in a great place but it is not without issues ~ MAJOR ISSUES. We must remain prayerful, hopeful, loving and caring. It is unreal but IT is our reality for only a moment in time.  

“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs” ~ Proverbs 10:12

May God Bless America!

 

 

 

There comes a time in a women’s life when priorities shift and an imaginary switch goes off in your brain. It’s like you wake up one day and you wonder where did all the time go? Is there still enough time to do everything you wanted? You know, simple things like get married, have children, watch your babies grow up and experience the trials and tribulations of life. Trying your hardest to keep them safe and protected but not sheltered.

But for whatever reason there is no marriage. No babies to love. No house with a family to come home to. And while you recognize the grass is not always greener on the other side, you also realize how nice it would be to step on that grass…if only for a moment.

You know at some point you start to reflect and wonder how’d I get here? How did my life choices take me to where I am today? You try desperately not to get pregnant in your 20’s, and in your 30’s you are more open to it but still focusing on your career all the while, contemplating the possibility of marriage and family. But it just doesn’t pan out that way, at least not for you. Now well into your 40’s and still no marriage, no kids and ALL your friend’s kids are teenagers and in some instances, they are grown, married and considering starting a family of their own. So, you sit back and ask yourself…How did I get here?

Surely there were some great guys in your life. You were even proposed to but not by the right person. So, it all comes back to choices and priorities. Never wanting to be a single mother or a desperate woman rushing into something because you yearned for a baby (not that there is anything wrong with either of those decisions, just not what you wanted for yourself.)

You just think …. you’ll always have the option to have a family. BUT then things change. Your body starts to do weird things. And you realize the hope is no more. It’s not that you don’t want it, it may be that you just can’t at this stage in the game. Who wants to be the mother that is constantly confused as the grandmother?  But also, your selection of men is just NOT what it used to be. Many are married and well that’s just taboo, some have no desire to be in a serious relationship, while others just don’t meet your standards.

Sure, it would have been easy to just get pregnant, but what if you made calculated choices not to have kids with just anyone and what you really wanted was to have that family unit ~ consisting of father, mother, kids all in one household. Is that so wrong?

So, you continue to reflect and ask yourself more questions. Did I party too much in my 20’s? Focus too much on my career in my 30’s? Now in your late 40’s ~ wanting nothing more than a family. You think there will ALWAYS be time for that…but really? Is there? One day you wake up and POOF it’s a little late.

But life is a journey. Remain faithful and all that is meant for you will be for you!

“Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” 1 Corinthians 13:7

Always remember ~ “Family is everything!”

I was recently at a local grocery store and watched a mother struggling with her young son. He was having a straight up melt down in the 90+ degree weather. I sat back and watched several people walk by and gawk at her with contempt in their eyes and a sense of judgement.

It was clear to me, the young boy had a form of autism and was simply having a moment. And was in much need of a break as did his mom. So I approached her and asked if I could help. She accepted my offer and as I sat on the ground with him, more people walked by with a look of judgement. He eventually let me hold his hand as we walked into the store and picked up some grapes and a cupcake.

His mom was so gracious and thankful. She acknowledged how difficult it was and that her son was on the low end of the spectrum with autism. I was proud and thankful she accepted my assistance. But at the same time I was saddened by how many people walked by and looked as if they were simply disgusted.

As a society we have to become more acceptable of people and celebrate all of our differences.

“The first step towards change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.”                                             ~ Nathaniel Branden

 

Just as You Are!

We are all different and special in a unique way. I know, this is nothing new but it’s always nice to get a reminder, because it’s often easy to forget. As we grow, mature, live life, experience pain and heartache it’s easy to get lost and fail to remember ~ “You Are Perfect…Just as You Are!”

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve had some intriguing conversations with remarkable people and one thing we all have in common is life just didn’t turn out like we expected. Not that it’s been bad; just not what we expected in our 30’s, 40’s and 50’s.

It’s imperative to be mindful of the important things in life and I can tell you, you will not find your peace in a career or solely in what you do for a living. What you do DOES NOT define your worth. But how you treat people and the way you make them feel, your family, love for God…these are the things that are important and make you Perfect…Just as You Are!

Your crooked smile and corky ways are what make you special. You’re not always going to be happy and easy going but you being you is a blessing. And how you treat people on the daily and the way you touch people’s lives are what’s important.

Life is really simple. Focus on what is important, you know God, Family, Friends, Relationships, Giving Back…just being a blessing to others. Whatever you have is enough and makes you Perfect…Just as You Are!

So the next time you’re feeling low and getting down on yourself, remember no-one can take away what’s for you and you are exactly where you need to be. Find your blessings in being a blessing. Give without expectations and love without conviction.

As the late great Muhammad Ali said, “Live everyday as if it is your last because someday you’re going to be right.”

In loving memory of Richard Kelly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At some point in life, most of us have struggled with the crossroad of “What’s my next step?” Or “Where do I go from here?” Facing this dilemma is scary and agonizing. The thought of the unknown makes us feel vulnerable, but that is precisely when you need to dig deep in your soul and put in the hard work at finding your pathway.

When you reach this impasse in your life now is the time to focus on what you can do and not give in to the obstacles standing in your way. Now is the time to flex your creative muscles and keep striving for what you want even after you have been beaten down. Now is the time to tap into your power of choice. You can choose to wallow in self-pity or take responsibility and keep moving forward. This is the perfect opportunity to wake up your conscious mind and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.

Enter the next phase of your journey with these three “E’s: Energy, Excitement and Endurance.

1. Energy: Find the energy to take the time and figure out what you really want to do with your life.
2. Excitement: Embrace the change and the excitement of the unknown. Take action and tap into your competitive side making it fun.
3. Endurance: Exercise is a great release to keep pushing forward when all you want to do is give up.

So the next time you’re faced with this dilemma ~ stay prayerful, worry less, take calculated risks and develop a going forward mindset.

“If you can believe it, the mind can achieve it” ~ Ronnie Lott

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the last several years I have taken my marketing expertise to the classroom. Teaching collegiate level courses on subject matters ranging from entrepreneurship, marketing, international marketing, consumer behavior and many, many other classes all surrounding the primary premise of business with emphasis in branding and marketing.

Let’s take a look at the 2016 Top 10 Marketing Trends you can expect to cause a ripple:

1. Embrace the Customer Experience: Use integrated tools to engage your customers, track buying behavior, measure sentiment and loyalty.
2. Ad Blockers as Game Changers: Consumers have had enough of in-your-face marketing tactics. If your advertisements are not relevant, they are annoying. Create ads that are seamless in their approach to blend in rather than interrupt the user’s experience.
3. Dream and Market in 3-D: Although 3D technology is still evolving ~ it is poised to move from novelty to mainstream.
4. Social Media as a Channel, Not a Strategy: Social media is one platform of many and is great at supporting broad campaigns.
5. Omnichannel will be Retails Best Friend: An integrated customer experience is essential ~ creating smooth interaction in lieu of several mini events. i.e.: Tweet for pizza! Domino’s was one of the first companies to put this marketing effort to work.
6. Big Data IS For Marketers: New tools are constantly entering the marketplace making mining and managing data easier.
7. It’s All About Going Mobile: The number of people who do their browsing on devices passed desk top users a while ago. At a minimum you should have a mobile-optimized and responsive website including custom apps and mobile-targeted campaigns.
8. Video Use Explodes While Live Streaming Finds a Purpose: If you want to engage with millennials video is a must-have. They prefer to find entertainment and education on YouTube over conventional means such as television.
9. No Rest For Content: Content is STILL king. Natural relevant content in the right channels will drive content campaigns.
10. Data, Data and More Data Will Be The Overarching Theme: Feel good marketing is a thing of the past. CEO’s, CMO’s and all other C-Suite influencers are looking to marketers for data before, during and after campaigns to validate return and gauge their marketing investments.

Over the last year we have experienced a lot of change. But as these trends indicate the driving factors are not new, they’ve simply matured. Focusing on the customer, delivering value and making decisions based on data as well as good ideas are the same factors that marketers have used for decades. It’s just packaged a little differently now. What is new is the innovation and creativity required to deliver value to your customer when and where they need it.

“Creativity is intelligence having fun” ~ Albert Einstein

 

 

 

 

You’ve heard it a million times – your future is in your hands. Well that’s partially true…there are many other factors that come into play. Hard work. Vision. Tenacity. Timing. God. Belief in yourself and your abilities. All of these things play a huge factor in Your Future and Your Destiny.

I can’t say one is more important than the other but everything you do and have done in your life makes a difference. Dreaming – don’t give up on your dreams. You have to dream and make goals because once you stop dreaming or setting goals you may as well stop breathing. No matter how big or small your dreams keep believing in yourself if you don’t; no-one else will.

I can relate to losing site on what seemed to be such a promising, bright and successful future. You stop dreaming, hoping and setting goals for yourself. You know when life happens – it kinda sucker punches you in the stomach and knocks the wind out of you for a moment in time. I’m sure I’m speaking to someone who knows what I’m talking about.

The important thing is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off and keep it moving. Keep dreaming. Keep hoping. Keep setting goals. Keep moving forward and most importantly – Keep believing in yourself and before you know it, the perfect storm has swept you away.

That’s what I’m doing; I’m living my dream, setting goals and keeping it moving. And Saturday June 4th is a huge dream comes true for me. I am hosting with a business partner the LaUNCH & LEARN Workshop. Many of you have inquired about it but have not yet registered. But do not fret; there is still time to register. I am confident this workshop will help many aspiring entrepreneurs come one step closer to reaching your dream of starting your own business.

I would love to see you there and to help you come that much closer to reaching your dreams and setting goals of becoming the person you desire.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you”                                                                                                                                                                                                                               ~ Oprah Winfrey

Its Never Too Late to start your business, change your career or your visual identity/branding, go back to school or start marketing your current company with the proper marketing mix.

Just because “I’ve/we’ve always done ________ (fill in the blank) this way” does not mean you have to continue to do “it” (whatever “it” is) the same way. I know we’ve all heard this before and some of us have even been guilty of espousing this non-sense.

It’s real simple – Its Never Too Late to make a change. And sometimes a change is exactly what is needed to move you or your company forward. Often times we just need a little push or reminder that change is a good thing! I know change may be scary and the fear of the unknown can be intimidating – but sometimes a little fear is what is needed to jump-start our new brand, marketing initiative or career (interchange with what is important in your life.)

Recognizing a change needs to be made is the first step in the right direction, but often times we get stuck in first gear. Think about what it will take for you to actually pull the trigger to get you or your company moving in the right direction.

It could be your company is losing market share or brand recognition or possibly you haven’t updated your skill-set and you are being overlooked for that well deserved promotion. Or it may be you are sick and tired of being sick and tired.

Whatever your reasoning I’m certain you will find the below tips helpful while you contemplate your transition.

1. Are your current or future business decisions based on an established brand strategy?
2. Have you identified your business goals and tied your brand strategy to them?
3. Can you quickly identify your audience, who the decision makers and influencers are?
4. If your brand no longer existed would your customers/boss/associates feel the loss?
5. Can you articulate the difference between what matters to you and what matters to your audience?
6. Can your customers or audience clearly and simply state why your brand is important to them and how it is radically different?

The above is referencing branding but you can relate them to every aspect in your life. No matter whom your audience is; think about the image you want to portray and what it is you want to change.

Keep the above tips in mind to help steer you in the right direction and remember: It’s Never Too Late!

A great resource on change is “Who Moved My Cheese” by Spencer Johnson M.D.

“If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.” ~ Jim Rohn

“Without strategy, execution is aimless. Without execution, strategy is useless.”         ~Morris Chang

Like a Waterfall

Life and business are like a waterfall~

A few weeks ago, I was sitting near a fountain in Campus Martius (Downtown Detroit) and it hit me…as beautiful and peaceful as waterfalls are – they are similar to life in general and as I thought about it even more I realized they are also closely related to business. So, I decided this would be a great topic to write about.

Like a Waterfall

How? You may be asking yourself. Well, I’ll explain my thought process to you and it is my hope you will find it as intriguing as I. Waterfalls are not only peaceful and tranquil but they splash unexpectedly and at times, crash down harder than expected.

When droplets of water land in the fountain or on the ground they absorb and become exactly what they are to be; exactly where they should be at the exact time. Just like in life and business – sometimes we don’t know why things happen or what you want doesn’t happen fast enough – but you need to know whatever “it” is; is exactly what “it” needs to be.

Similar to life and business waterfalls bring enjoyment, peace and in some instances heartache, pain and struggles. The flow of water has a natural course and when you go with the flow you are where you need to be.

Take a moment out of your day to enjoy the flow…