LjjSpeaks BlogPost: Yes You Can! Let's continue to "LiveIt!" Up in 2011! (30 Pounds Later...)

Happy New Year!  Let's continue to LiveIt! in 2011!  Today I  share with you success.  

I was very public about my desire to be more healthy and make my “liveit” a reality.  I posted in December of 2009 (reposted below) that I would lose 25 pounds in 2010.  It took until August to really kick this goal into high gear.  I am not able to pin point why August - why 3/4 of the year went by with me continuing to embrace a lifestyle of poor choices. I do think it shows that you need to give yourself time and keep a positive attitude to succeed - to not berate yourself for lost time  - but to start and then keep on starting! 

 I am proud to be able to say “Yes You Can!” because I did!

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YesYouCan!.pdf (342 KB)

Here are my 7 steps to success for this year (and my liveit goal beside it for 2011)

Step One:  Took the Interleukin Genetics, Inc. Swab test that came back showing I have metabolism craving for extreme exercise and pathetically low carbohydrate intake.    

   2011  LiveIt Goal:  Continue to research new technologies and healthy options)

Step Two:  Complained about the test results

    2011 LiveIt Goal:  Take each day at a time - don’t complain about that chocolate kiss I sometimes reward myself with!

Step Three: Embraced the test results and make slow changes.  

   2011 LiveIt Goal:  Slow is the key word - keep focus and continue to make every day and every meal count!

Step Four:  Purchased a Natuilus Mobia to jump start my exercise.

    2011 LiveIt Goal:  Begin placing diverse exercise into my routine - daily movement.  Just learned about aquatherapy research  (Thanks HydroWorx!) and am excited to get rocking. 

Step Five:  Actually get on the Mobia 2 times a week 

    2011 Repeat LiveIt Goal above!  Tone the body!!! 

Step Six: Begin eliminating carbs. Deleted all pastas, breads and potatoes from diet.  (Once this happened the results were dramatic.)  I still “liveit” with chocolate! 

    2011 LiveIt Goal:  I now don’t think about pastas / breads and fatty starches.  It’s just a new lifestyle of choice for me and I feel better than ever! 

Step Seven:  Began to park farther away and walk up stairs to all meetings/ events. 

     2011 LiveIt Goal:  Plan time into the day to walk to/from more  places

My “liveit” mentality has allowed me to embrace new and exciting ventures and to embrace my number one goal to create changes in my life that will have long-term positive impact for myself and others.   What are your “liveit” goals for 2011?

My December 2009 I repost below: 

Diet and exercise rank as one of the top New Year Resolutions year after year after year.  Have you made your resolution?  40-45% of American adults make one or more.  How many are maintained? 

Nearly 1/2 of Americans who make resolutions keep them in the first 6 months.*
- past the first week: 75%
- past 2 weeks: 71%
- after one month: 64%
- after 6 months: 46%

The Wall Street Journal reports only 19% of us have kept a resolution 2 years after making it.

My resolution as many of you already know from a previous posting is to lose 25 pounds in 2010. (goal is 39 long term).  I’ve written it in my work and play blog - I’ve posted for all to see.  This is one of the recommendations given to me by motivational coach Tony Gates.  I’ve definitely followed his recommendation and made my goal public! 

To ensure my success, I am going to now focus on the steps I will take to LIVEit! In 2010.

LIVEit!

1. Laugh!  Let it be said that I will not go on a diet. Diet has the word DIE in it - I’m going for all out lifestyle change. I will laugh at myself and laugh more in my life. I am not afraid to laugh out loud I refuse to let others laugh at me, I will instead welcome them to laugh along with me. Laughing keeps me healthy from the inside out.  Let’s make laughter our #1 ringtone in 2010!
2. Invest.  I will invest time. I will invest in the time it takes to listen to others. I will listen to my inside voice telling me what I truly want to do professionally. I will invest in learning new ways to make my goals a reality.  I will be proud in the knowledge that my most important investments are time with my family, and time spent helping colleagues and clients become better at what they do! Let’s invest in each other in 2010!
3. Visibly post my goals.  I will keep a visible reminder of each goal in a very public place for me to see every day.  I will encourage others to know what that reminder is and to help me stay excited about the goal I’ve set. I will stay visibly involved in my goal. Let’s become visibly supportive in 2010!
4. Engage.  I will engage others to join in the Liveit! mentality. I will engage my passion each day. I will engage in learning new skills to help me reach my goal. I will be engaged at each meeting, Each day I will engage in a conversation with a stranger.  I will also engage others by learning about their goals for success.  Let’s make 2010 the year of engagement! 

We can LIVEit! Up together in 2010! (and now 2011!) We can beat the bad economy mentality. We can enjoy a new year and a new reality and make our resolutions positively affect each and every day!

Posted via email from LJJ Speaks!

MarketingProfs.com: Turn an Business Blog into a Bottom Line Success

MarketingProfs.com

Original Article:  ttp://www.marketingprofs.com/short-articles/2125/three-ways-to-enhance-your-blogs-lead-generation-potential

"Most corporate blogs are ghost towns, in terms of both content and reader engagement," writes Ian Greenleigh at the MarketingProfs Daily Fix blog. "Abandoned blogs litter the web, making the businesses that own them look lazy, uncommitted and anything but current." A well-executed blog sets your content marketing apart from the competition—and will enhance your lead-generation efforts. To get the best results, Greenleigh has this advice:

Pace your publication schedule. Don't post at breakneck speed when you first launch, only to slow down once your initial passion wears off. Rather, maintain a steady pace with a consistent number of posts per week. "Like any good publisher, you'll need an editorial calendar," he says. "Plan several weeks in advance, but realize that you'll also need the flexibility to blog about business-relevant hot topics as they come up."

Vet your sources. You might accept contributions from a variety of sources with a variety of voices—but posts should conform to general standards of quality and tone. It's OK to reject submissions that don't fit. "Establish official content guidelines and an approval process that your employees can reference during content creation," notes Greenleigh, "and use this to inform and explain your approval decisions."

Edit your content. Sloppy typos undermine your credibility, so make copyediting an important part of the publication process. "[Microsoft] Word or another word processer [sic] should be used until the post is ready to go up," he says. "[N]ot only do you then have backup copies, but Word's editing features are more robust than those of WordPress and most other platforms."

The Po!nt: Blogs have become serious business—and though they're still less formal than many content-marketing channels, they still need your careful and consistent attention.

Source: MarketingProfs Daily Fix.

If you're not already a MarketingProfs PRO Member, Upgrade Your Membership and gain instant access to hundreds of exclusive, cutting-edge articles, case studies, templates, tools, online seminars, research, and how-to guides to make your marketing smarter and more effective.

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"Practice isn't the thing you do once you're good. It's the thing you do that makes you good." Malcolm Gladwell- Outliers

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LjjSpeaks Blogpost: All Is Calm. All Is Bright.

By Lynne Jarman-Johnson

It is a beautiful eve of Christmas Eve. Are you running around trying to get end-of-year projects complete or wrapping up last-minute shopping?  We all try to be super-people this time of year when the true spirit unfolds in these lyrics: All is calm. All is bright.

All is calm. There is Hope in the words included in the song Silent Night. A Hope that your world can be organized, peaceful, and smooth.  Do you find yourself calm? Or are you stressed, hectic and disheveled?

I woke up this morning late. I arrived to a meeting 15 minutes late, only to learn I was 45 minutes early. All is now calm as I write this post, sipping coffee while gazing at a perfectly lit Christmas tree downtown. A man came in and ordered coffee to go - hurriedly sat down to put pen to an important Christmas card. I asked him if he was on a mission. He said "yes - to not get caught writing this before my friend arrives." The friend showed up after the card was sealed. All is calm.

Last night my husband and I reconnected with old friends - colleagues who are now so much more than that. We shared the stresses in our lives. We shared the updates of children becoming adults and the harried lives we lead. We shared our fears for our works and successes. When we wrapped up our evening we all celebrated the shared connections that keep us grounded in knowing we are all on paths intended for us, wherever those paths may take us. We have the solid foundation of deep and lasting relationships to fall back on. All is calm. 

All is bright. The year has been an amazingly topsy-turvy roller coaster of life. In work there is such change. There is not many people who can boast the economy did not impact their focus. Perhaps you suffered a job loss or disappointment in the workplace. Maybe something happened in your personal life to shake you to the core. Major changes in life, even exciting announcements like engagements or a child's accomplishment's that take them to exciting new places are wonderfully accepted with the underlying fault line that rocks your world. Will you  fall into the crevices created by a changing landscape or seal the cracks with mentorship, support and Faith? 

I choose to celebrate the hustle and bustle. I choose to wrap up the year on the highest note of Hope. I am grateful for colleagues, friends, family, and smiling strangers. Bring on the New Year!  All is bright!

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LjjSpeaks BlogPost: The Ultimate Process

The Ultimate Process

Processes, when created and implemented, can turn organizations into well honed, profit-making, economy generating works of art.
Often times people push back on processes - broken processes immediately highlight a lack in employee accountability.

There is a way to create the ultimate process and have colleagues jump on board. Turn a process into a tradition.
Everyone likes traditions. Even the groans about the same marbles or socks Aunt Ruthie gives each year have a smile within the sound emitted.

When you think differently about processes you can re-energize teams that may be just "punching in." Implement new traditions for "old processes" and see what happens!

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Kenrob Tree Toasting!

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LjjSpeaks: It takes exactly .5 seconds to wrap up a smile. Hands down my favorite gift to give and receive!

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LjjSpeaks: From a Saugatuck Art Gallery: Don't Go Out OF Business... Go Out FOR Business!

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#WJRW 2-3PM LjjSpeaks: Nab that job! Rule #6 Civility: Speak Kindly! Holiday Giveaways #GoodLifeGranola & #BCMeats! http://bit.ly/En25M

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LjjSpeaks: Open your windows to let the light of new opportunities shine through!

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2010 Christmas Cards!

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Ljjspeaks Blogpost: Instill Accountability Versus Blame

Accountability can be a scary word. When you are held accountable you may immediately think you are being called on the carpet vs., being called in for collaboration. All of us have the power to turn accountability into a positive experience, one that brings productivity to the table. Below are three ways to help you and others instill accountability through positive, clear direction.

1) Ensure everyone has the correct time table for a project. Missed deadlines can easily become a fast track for frustration which leads to blame.
Keep timelines in visible places for team members to see. Use project management or cloud computing for more effective time management.

2) Keep the tasks and who is responsible for each task very clear. Written delegation of who is completing tasks is critical in any project or work.
No one can be accountable if they are unsure they had a responsibility in the project in the first place. Create a simple chart that helps with
What is the project, Who is responsible, When is the Deadline, How they can receive assistance if needed.

3) Help colleagues with friendly reminders when a project task is due. Note the word friendly in the last sentence.
Review the two sentences:

"Your task is due tomorrow - don't be late again"
"We have a lot of tasks due, is there anything you need to ensure (X task) comes in on or before the due date?"

Which communication will receive a more positive response and most likely a more positive work flow?

Feeling accountable brings pride and ownership. Being made accountable brings fear and rejection. Which type of accountability would you like to instill?

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LjjSpeaks: Listen in to latest podcasts - Customer Service | Listening | Be Inclusive

Thank you for Listening In! http://bit.ly/6zNaP8

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LjjSpeaks: Slip Sliding Away? Get a grip & let the steering wheel of life/love help you drive through the icy patches!

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Top Myths That Kill Your Productivity - Time isn't the issue - Attention & Focus is! | Bnet |Mark Hendricks

David Allen on the 3 Reasons Your To-Do List Keeps Getting Longer

By Mark Henricks | November 30, 2010

Original Post:  http://www.bnet.com/blog/business-myths/david-allen-on-the-3-reasons-your-to-do-list-keeps-getting-longer/516?promo=857&tag=nl.e857

At 10:59 a.m. one day last week, I told my daughter I expected the phone to ring in one minute. I was about to interview a personal productivity expert who makes his living helping people get things done, I explained, and he was scheduled to call at 11 a.m.

I didn’t actually think the phone would ring in 60 seconds. I’d interviewed time management and personal organization gurus before, and I knew they were about as likely as anybody to run late.

Not David Allen. My desk phone jingled precisely at the scheduled time, validating my half-ironic prediction.

Mindful that I was dealing with the author of the near-iconic “Getting Things Done” personal management system and book first published in 2001, and the subsequent slew of products and services built around it, including the 2008 book “Making It All Work,” I didn’t make a big deal of his promptness, or indulge in chitchat. I explained what the article was about and started in.

The Debunker: What are some misconceptions people have about time management and personal productivity?

Allen: The main one is, if I organize my time, I’ll be organized. But you can’t manage time. You don’t manage five minutes and come up with six minutes — or four and a half minutes. Time is an important resource, just like money and space. But managing time isn’t the issue. It’s an inappropriate framing of the issue. That’s why there haven’t been a lot of good solutions. It’s not about managing time, it’s about managing your attention and focus.

The Debunker: What’s another myth?

Allen: The second one is, if I just have a calendar and to-do list, that will do it. It’s sort of productivity porn: “My new app will get me organized. This is going to be the perfect app that will do it for me.” But personal organization tools don’t get you organized.

And another is that you can simplify prioritizing by using A-B-C, 1-2-3, high-medium-low. It’s much more complex than that. I want to get everything done on my list. I’m constantly making judgment calls about which one will give me the highest payoff now given the time, context, and energy. That’s much more subtle than a simple set of priorities.

The Debunker: Is it going to get any easier? Will technology help?

Allen: It’s getting worse, in the sense that it’s getting more evident when people don’t handle this well because it’s coming at them so fast and in such volume. All the technology is doing is making it easier to have a lot more potentially meaningful stuff coming at you. But you have to decide what’s meaningful and create a systematic way to manage that.

The speed and volume are forcing people to have to come to grips with what they’re about and what’s important and what’s a good systematic way to manage that. That’s why my stuff has hit a nerve. It’s the thought process about what you have to do to capture meaning. You can capture all this stuff. But you still have to decide what it means to you. There’s no technology that does that.

Mark Henricks has reported on business, technology and other topics for The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, and other leading publications. Follow him on Twitter @bizmyths.

To-do list image courtesy of Flickr user Florian, CC2.0

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