We have had a lot to celebrate in our household this past month. Our son graduated last month from Chico State , and our daughter graduated last weekend from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo . After a 4:30 AM wake-up call we attended the traditional "Dads & Grads" (Mom’s welcome too!) in the local bars at 6:00 AM ~ BEFORE the actual ceremony! I’ve got to tell you I have "closed" many a bar, but this was a first to "open" them. I thought we’d be the only parents crazy enough to go along, but was I wrong! There were lines out the doors and standing room only ~ 50% were parents ~ guess we were all pretty excited….
During the ceremony most of the speakers addressed how this is a very different time for these graduates to be looking for work. How they will need to get creative and be resourceful. How they will need to remain optimistic and positive, and to not take a "no" personally. There are numerous markets that are still growing, it’s just the competition is greater. Not too far in the past it was a "slam dunk" to get hired if you had a business degree in marketing . Mikaila has that, plus another in continue reading »
It feels like I’ll be getting a pay raise anyway. Those of you who have kids in college know how expensive it can be. If you’ve been following my posts you’ve read that our youngest son graduated from Chico State a couple of weeks ago. Well, tomorrow our “baby” daughter graduates from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo! YES, two out of school ~ so in my book, I’ve just received a raise!
I’m heading out now for all of the festivities, and will let you know next week how it’s all gone…. (which includes the packing her up and moving ~ that part won’t be fun)
Yesterday there were many proud parents watching as their kids names were called to receive their college degrees. We were one of them - wow - where did the last four years go? Our youngest son, Jeremy (22) was amongst the ranks to graduate, actually making it on the “4 year plan” even. There was a time we weren’t so sure though! Now, many are wondering too, does a college degree ensure employment these days? It used to, but these are different times….
As with many kids their 1st year away from home is a “testing the waters” time frame so to speak. It’s not that he did poorly in school, but he certainly had the candle burning on both ends….(oh to be young again!). We knew though that he wasn’t performing his best, (because this kid is smart) and as important as “social” is to round a person out - he needed to get with the program a bit more in his next year or “Club Chico ” would be on his dime and not on ours. So he did focus more, but really started to kick it up when he went away to Spain continue reading »
What a great weekend! In part due to the incredible 1st ride of the season, and in part because of the system I have in place to run my business while I am out enjoying myself! If you’ve been following me on Twitter , then you know this was our first "kick off" ride of the season, which we host. We have a number of couples from out of town stay with us for the weekend, and then other local friends join us on a day long ride through Lake County. We end up riding about 180 miles through beautiful vineyards, foothills, and lake areas. Then back to our place for a big BBQ. We encountered some incredibly hot weather - 102 degrees - very hot for this early in the season, but everyone still had a great time!
Well, we broke "tradition" this past Easter Sunday…… we did celebrate as a family (however, only 17 of us were together). We did have a wonderful meal too. The difference was that not one of us hosted the afternoon, as we met at the race track - Golden Gate Fields - to watch "the pony’s run"! (After the races we were escorted to the barns to see some of the horses up close - the photo above is of my daughter, Mikaila, with one of them)
I was amazed how many people were there in their finery. I was more amazed how many people were lined up at the "$500 minimum window" to place bets. (And they say we’re in a recession - didn’t look like it that day!) Being new to it, I stuck with the $2 - $5 bets!
As I watched the races and observed those in attendance, I noticed that having a winning horse is similar to having a successful business. Here’s how: continue reading »
Lately Harley-Davidson has been getting some sad press saying the bike is over the hill , with articles saying it’s the motorcycle of the past. Once considered a luxury bike, it now is becoming in some eyes a bike your “grandfather” would ride. Well it is true that many of us “active boomers ” are grandparents, but please don’t tell me that HD will be a company statistic because of it. Although their stock is down and sales might be slumping, I’m still behind them 100 percent!
In fact, we just went on the first ride of the season this past weekend, now that the weather is warming up. In my opinion, there is no better way to travel and see the sights. You not only see the sights, but feel them (whether warm or cold) you can smell them (whether the salt air at the ocean, the pines in the mountains, or sweet oranges like this past weekend in the groves). It is true ladies that it is tough on the complexion - but I’d rather look ten years older than I am, and be ten years younger in my mental health. Did I mention the wildflowers were spectacular this past weekend?
While many people love to exercise to clear their head, my ZEN time is on the back of a bike . We have a number of ladies who ride their own bike with us, but I’d rather be a passenger so I don’t need to concentrate! I can put a question in my mind when we start, and without realizing it I have formulated an answer or approach to that question by the end of the day. Some things I reflect on might be:
What’s the best use of my marketing dollars this month?
What will our household be like in a couple of months when our two college graduates move back home?
What new skills should I learn this month?
What new plants do I want to try in the garden this year?
Can I add more volunteer hours to my week or not?
One of the other great benefits of riding is to just get out and clear the cobwebs in my mind. My husband and I have some of our best talks then too, while we’re relaxed, just the two of us taking in the sights - plus we always meet some incredible people on the road!
So as long as Harley is around, as long as our bike runs, and as long as I can swing my leg over the seat, I plan to keep on riding!
What activities allow you to clear your head and feel “Zen like” to you?
Last week was a blur with business activities, classes and preparing for my Mastermind Group which consisted of 3 days away sharing marketing strategies, business goals and objectives, as well as tips & tricks. Much of the time was spent on being exposed to some of the “new” technologies (for me anyway…..) that may be used to not only stay ahead of the curve, but to also assist with streamlining certain business tasks potentially taking your business to the next level.
One of my favorites was the Livescribe Pulse Smartpen. While this is marketed predominately to students and journalists, those of us who attend live events, trainings and seminars will benefit from it as well. A couple of the key features are:
You can transfer digital copies of your notes directly to your computer;
While you are taking handwritten notes you can record what is being said at the same time;
You have the ability to replay any of the recordings by clicking on a word and it will “find” the associated audio;
You can share notes and collaborate with others online by loading both the handwritten notes and audio
Take a look at this short video which explains the features and benefits of this pen in more detail, as I barely scratched the surface…..
There have been numerous reviews of the pen over the last 6 months, including those which can be found at continue reading »
What a terrific weekend! We decided all work and no play lately has been making us very boring! So we headed down the coast to Carmel , Ca. We were in no hurry, so the stop to Cannery Row in Monterey was relaxed while we had a window seat to enjoy an afternoon snack and watched a beginning scuba diving class swimming amongst some sea otters. They were sure having fun!
Then we took the infamous 17-mile drive along Highway 1 which meanders around the Pebble Beach Golf Course and some spectacular homes with amazing views. If you haven’t done this before, I recommend it. There are miles of beaches and paths to walk…… lots of seals, birds, and an occasional whale sighting.
By the time we reached Carmel, it was late afternoon. Normally the downtown is buzzing with activity, but not so on this particular weekend. Carmel is an artist enclave with galleries, restaurants and boutique hotels on each corner - and relies heavily on tourism. I know the businesses were not enjoying the quiet, but we sure were. We decided to not make dinner reservations anywhere (usually can’t get away with that) and chose to visit numerous locations having an appetizer at each instead of a full sit down dinner. The weather was perfectly mild, and the rain held out until late Sunday afternoon, making walking a pleasure.
So why did I bring up working on my “Mindset”? Because although I love to read, there are times I get much too far behind on my “list”. This is when I love the fact I can slip a CD in and listen to “The Greats”, which is what we did. We had hours in the car to listen and then discuss these “lessons”. Here were some of them on our list the last couple of days….
To be productive it’s sometimes best to be non-productive at times. It will clear your mind of business related issues, allow you to regenerate, often giving you better ideas when you get back to your office.
How many of you live near a really interesting place, but seldom take advantage of all it has to offer? Well, I live about 30 miles east of San Francisco . People come from all over the world to take in it’s beauty and activities - but I seldom do. I have been to places like Hong Kong , Mexico, Hawaii , the Carribean, the Bahamas , Italy, and about 20% of the U.S., however I have never walked across the Golden Gate Bridge . I’ve driven over it, just have never walked it - until Sunday!
What a different perspective one gets when walking. You can actually take the time to look, smell, and feel (which is why I like motorcycles too). The intention initially was to visit the new museum in Golden Gate Park. It houses the new planetarium, aquarium and rain forest . They even have an albino alligator in resident. The lines were so long to even get in though, and the thought of standing 6 deep to see a display didn’t appeal to me. Another time….. so Plan B - the bridge! (Another thought - do you have a Plan B for business activities that may not come to fruition?) continue reading »
We have had a lot to celebrate in our household this past month. Our son graduated last month from Chico State , and our daughter graduated last weekend from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo . After a 4:30 AM wake-up call we attended the traditional "Dads & Grads" (Mom’s welcome too!) in the local bars at 6:00 AM ~ BEFORE the actual ceremony! I’ve got to tell you I have "closed" many a bar, but this was a first to "open" them. I thought we’d be the only parents crazy enough to go along, but was I wrong! There were lines out the doors and standing room only ~ 50% were parents ~ guess we were all pretty excited….
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