Dear Melissa,

Mom's Day is May 11! I always think particularly of my own Mom this time of year. Her birthday was May 7 and she passed away suddenly 22 years ago from a brain aneurysm. She was on the way to the hair dresser in Manhattan and collapsed on the street, never regaining consciousness. I miss her every day but she inspired me to write Celebrate Your Life! So many people, and Moms particularly, forget to embrace and rejoice in the gift of each day. We get caught up in taking care of everyone else so that we forget about ourselves. Life is incredibly perishable and unpredictable and I believe firmly in sharing with others how they can make each day a celebration. I created a special Mom's Day gift pack, and we'll even take care of the mailing with a card just from you! Check it out , by clicking here.

What makes my day? Comments like this one! By the way, I enjoy your online newsletter. It is always so personal. I've passed it on to some of my staff members because it is always uplifting and positive.
- Mary Frye, President, Home Furnishings Independents Association, www.hfia.com

Live well and beautifully, succeed by design!

MG

"Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey! "
~ Barbara Hoffman

What She Wants Most

I remember well the conundrum my sisters and I always ran into on Mother's Day, what to get Mom? We'd provided many a scarf over the years, books, records (way before the CD era), flowers, of course and the usual assortment of Mom's Day trinkets. But I didn't listen to what my Mother was asking for until well into my teens. She wanted a letter. That's right, a simple letter sharing with her how I felt about her as my Mom. It sounded to easy, yet was one of the most challenging tasks I'd ever embarked on. She wanted to know that she mattered and how.

I wrote that letter and enclosed it in a card. My Mother burst into tears of joy upon opening it and it meant more than anything I could possibly have bought her. Moms can be funny as they rarely seem to care much for tangible evidence but instead want the intangible heartfelt gifts. My Mom and the memories of that Mother's Day and much more is why I wrote Celebrate Your Life! I wanted others to have a chance to celebrate their Moms and that special relationship while they were still alive. I understood many of my gifts after my Mom had passed away. If by sharing my own experience I can somehow impact even one other to embrace the celebration of life now and show their Mother how much she means not just at Mom's Day but always, I've added to the world's joy.

Get It Done Now!

Beating procrastination is an art in and of itself! But it is essential to the success of every business. Here are 5 tips on getting more done every day the easy way:

1. Put Your Subconscious to Work:
Before you head to sleep at night, think about the outcomes you most desire the following day; give real thought to how you see your day unfolding, the successes you feel, and challenges you will conquer. This allows your subconscious mind an invaluable opportunity to go to work on this while you are sleeping and often come up with creative solutions and methods for realizing your success more effectively.
Sleep not only improves our health and well-being but is essential to our success and productivity.

2. First Things First:
Determine your most productive time of day and schedule your most challenging tasks for that time. I am an eagle and find my mind is sharpest at 6-10am. Late at night, I fade and can miss important details. I can get the better part of a days work done in my office if I jump in early, don't allow the distraction of email and hold phone calls until later. Tackle the mountains first and the molehills will disappear.
Use your personal productive peak to get ahead.

3. Three Steps Forward Every Day:
Mark Victor Hanson and Jack Canfield of 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' fame made a conscious effort to each do 5 things daily to drive their book to the best seller position. It took a year of focused dedicated efforts, though most of us thought it was overnight. Overnight success rarely is. Instead it is the culmination of determination and many little accomplishments over time. It is usually 20 year overnight success! Do you send out three mailers a day to client prospects? Do you follow up on three new leads each day? Do you cold call or social network to three new contacts each day? Do you write three pages for your book each day? Do you send a note to three existing clients each day just to touch base? Do you send out three estimates or invoices at least one or two days a week?
What three things can you commit to every day to drive your major goals forward?

Read the Rest of the Article Here!
 

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Printing For Less

I had an extraordinary experience recently with Printingforless.com. I had my Virtual Assistant get a handful of quotes from large online printers for a brochure I am releasing. I called the printer whose quote was least (though not by much) and found myself lost in a maze of phone recordings, pushing buttons as told and getting into a queue that had me at number 18! Well, those of you that know me, know that my time is too valuable for that kind of customer service nightmare so I called the next printer on the list.

At Printing For Less Dawn answered directly. I was honestly so delighted, surprised, and relieved to get a live person I didn't consider going anyplace else. She informed me that there is a team of three experts assigned to each client, and we can reach a real live human being directly at every call! Since I am out of my office most normal hours, Dawn volunteered to find my graphic designers contact (don't ask, I didn't have it with me) and got in touch directly to get the correct file versions. She has provided exemplary service by her incredible professionalism, prompt replies, and unerring patience. Printing for Less is my new resource for all brochure, one sheet, postcard, magalog and more printing needs. I got a print proof by fedex within a day and they are working against the clock to get my order out.

Best of all they can also handle the bulk mailing to a list provided which saves us the enormous hassle of a trip to the airport US postal office, the only place Atlanta accepts bulk mail applications! I've wrestled with the details required in bulk mail sorting in the past, this is a huge time saver! Print for Less will also, at no additional charge, proof my list for any undeliverable addresses.

Celebrate Your Health and Wellbeing!

Excerpted from Celebrate Your Life! The Art of Celebrating Every Day, for your autographed copy or to pick up your convenient easy listening audio program go to www.theartofcelebrating.com.

So often we get caught up in our daily routines only to forget the most important element in our lives, our health and well being. We are so busy taking care of everyone and everything else that we ignore ourselves until we either get sick or end up at the doctor with an injury. While none of us will ever admit to having the time to be ill or injured, we often don't allow the critical time for health and wellbeing. When we honor ourselves and our bodies we will have a greater opportunity to experience the wellness necessary to keep up with and care for our families, enjoy time with our friends, succeed in our work, make a positive difference to ourselves and others.

Daily Exercise

Make a point of establishing a routine that works for you. If you are a morning person and can add in even 30 minutes a day at the front end for a brisk walk, a spin on a bike (stationary or otherwise), yoga stretches, pilates, or whatever makes you feel good, do it. I have found that I literally block my fitness time on my calendar and won't schedule anything over it. It is my time to feel good, get my heart rate up, and break a sweat! So many of us spend so much of everyday sitting in a car, in an office, on the sofa, at a table, we really do need to make an effort to keep our body active and in tune.

If you are a night owl and prefer to schedule your routine later in the day, make that commitment and create it to work for you. Usually doing exercise right before bed is not recommended as it tends to generate more energy than rest, but perhaps after work or before dinner you can salvage 30 minutes for fitness.

Often we get trapped in the thinking that if we can't devote at least an hour, it isn't worth it. This is inaccurate thinking and creates an excuse for not stepping up to take care of ourselves. I have found as have many others that a short regular routine that I do literally every day energizes me and renews my commitment to myself.

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