Share your Brain: Take Action #22

Each of us has the gift of having our own personal experiences, relationships and lessons.  I believe it is part of our job to share those with others so that we all can learn from the knowledge we have gained.  For example, if I just started a business and went through the process of getting a loan, forming an LLC, creating a website, buying a phone system, and more, it would be great to share that knowledge with someone else who wants to start a business.  This helps to short-cut the process for the new business owner. 

If I am expert at gardening, rather than watch my friend suffer through planting the wrong flowers in the wrong place at the wrong time, perhaps I could help save her frustration and an ugly garden by giving her some tips.

We do this every day in our personal relationships with our children, co-workers and friends, but how about sharing it with a larger audience?  Creating a blog is free and there are various resources  wordpress, blogger, blog.com.  Or, if you have a Facebook account, you can write a note and tag all of the people you think would get value from your advice.  You can write an article for the community newspaper or an on-line newsletter.  You can provide advice through groups on LinkedIn.  You can go to lunch with someone who needs advice or ideas.

So, go share your experiences and your brain with another person today!

Have fun Taking Action.

Angela

Take Action #21: Own Your Name

I read an interesting article  the other day that said that some parents have e-mail addresses for their babies before they are born and 80 percent of children have a profile online before they are 2 years old!   People thought I was nuts when I reserved my kid’s domain names – i.e. www.angelalieb.com   I did this when my daughter Jessica was producing a music demo cd.  I thought that if they were ever going to do something where their name was part of it – then I wanted to make sure they owned their domain.  It makes it difficult for folks like John Smith or Julie Jones – but if you can, I would encourage you to reserve your namesake domain – you can get one for less than $10/year.  GoDaddy, Register.com, NetworkSolutions are just a few places to purchase your domain. 

Another benefit to having your name as a domain is if someone does a Google search, the first thing that will pop up is your namesake website.  For example, I meet you at a networking event.  I want to learn more about you but I forgot who you work for or the name of your business.  I do a search for you on Google.  If you have a domain name, that will be the first item to pop up on Google.  Even if you aren’t using the domain, it will come up.  You can always point your domain name to your existing website or you may be able to point it to your LinkedIn or Facebook account.

So, if your name is important to you and you think you will ever want to promote yourself online, make sure you own your domain name.  So Take Action and go claim your name online!

Have a great rest of the day!

Angela

Take Action #20: Laugh!

I read a great article in Fast Company about Oxytocin and how it affects our brains - it is known as the "love hormone" and we all have it - mostly known for the bond between mother/child - however it is also the hormone for empathy, trust, and connecting.  Our Oxytocin levels have been known to increase when we are face to face with a friend or loved one.  Researchers have also been studying if our Oxytocin levels also increase with online relationships and they are finding that yes indeed they do AND companies need to get on board with understanding how they can interact with those consumers online and build trust.

Here is a link of a baby laughing that was uploaded by a dad video taping his baby - cost = FREE - number of views on YouTube = 140,673,872.  Here's the link to the video. 

Today is an awesome day because it is 10-10-10.  It is also a beautiful sunny day in St. Louis, MO.  Take Action and find something to laugh about today.  If you need help, see the video above - or interact with someone online that makes you laugh or go out with a friend or family member that makes you laugh.  Life is short and those who laugh live longer!

Have a happy day.

Angela

Take Action #19: GWI (Get With It) and Learn Text/IM Language

If you have been texting for a bit or have kids, you are probably familiar with the acronyms ASAP, TMI, LOL, BFF, BRB, B/C or GR8.  But how about BBL (be back later), WE (whatever), GAL (get a life), or HIH (hope it helps)?  If you need some help, as I do, go to this website to figure out how to get a clue with this new texting language.  PAW (parents are watching), PA (parent alert), PAL (parents are listening) are codes that parents might need to clue into. 

I gave a social media workshop a couple of weeks ago to some agents and one older gentleman said that one time he got a text and all that was on there was “K”.  He didn’t know what to do with that.  He also said that he was trained (as many of us over age 40) to use proper grammar when writing.  So the older Gen Y, Boomers and Veterans are spending 10 minutes to write out a text that is grammatically correct, as well as spelled correctly.  If we are going to be in business or communicate with the younger Gen Y, Gen X and Gen Z, I guess we should start learning how to use their language – seems crazy.

However…..I also think that the younger generations need to learn to communicate with “us” – especially if they want jobs J  For example, learning how to write a proper cover letter and send a professional e-mail would be helpful if they would like to be hired. Maybe that will be a future post.

HTH B/C even if U R OTL, OOO, or OTP, U don’t want to B OOT.   Perhaps, UNTCO, GWI and TA.

Translation: Hope this helps because even if you are out to lunch, out of the office, or on the phone, you don’t want to be out of touch.  Perhaps you need to chill out, get with it and Take Action (I added that one – like it?).

CYL,

Angela

Take Action #18: Write an Encouraging Letter Today

In an earlier post I talked about sending hand-written notes and thank-you notes.  I would like to elaborate on that one and ask that your Take Action item be to write a letter of encouragement to someone you care about – you have no idea the long-term impact that it could have.

E-mails and Facebook messages are great, but they are rarely keepers.  A hand-written letter with your personal hand-writing style is unique.  My dad just passed away on Sept. 25^th and 3 days before his death I got to read to him two letters that he wrote to me.  One was to me and my sisters when we were only 7, 4, and 1.  I also scanned the letter and sent it to my sisters so they would have a copy.  It was at a time when he was not with us at Christmas and he wrote about the true meaning of Christmas and what love was all about and wrote it just as if we were grown women – although we were so young.

The other letter was written to me when I was 18 and away at school for the first time.  He told me what made me special to him.  He listed all the qualities that he recognized in me and reassured me that I would be successful, find love and be a leader – not a follower.  One part of the letter that was powerful to me since I am divorced and recently ended another relationship was this: “Because you have esteem for yourself and a healthy love of self, you are not likely to have love forced on you because of lack of security.  You will wait and choose.  You will love everyone, yet reserve that “LOVE” for the right one.  This of course won’t guarantee you a life of bliss, but at least will put the odds in your favor.”  I saved this letter for 25 years.  I read it to my dad on Wednesday September 22^nd and he said he didn’t remember writing it and said “I wrote that? with tears in his eyes.”  I wanted him to know how much he helped to define who I was as a woman.  Sometimes when we write, we release it/share it and it is out of our mind because we have made our peace. 

At my dad’s visitation service, a long-time guy friend of mine came to see me and pulled me aside and said, “Do you remember the letter you wrote to me after my brother died?”  I was a little worried because I didn’t remember writing it and I would have been 9 months pregnant and it was 20 years ago and wasn’t sure if I professed my love or what.  He laughed and said, “No, you just said some things that were powerful, heartfelt and basically said that we will be friends for a long-time and will go through many life events together like births and deaths.”    I was mainly shocked because I don’t remember writing that letter and it was interesting that he brought it up because he knew nothing about my dad’s letter to me. He saved that letter for 20 years because I guess it impacted him just as my dad’s letter did for me.

You have no idea how powerful your message can be to someone during a major life event.  If you have a child going off to college or a friend who needs to be encouraged or told how great they are, get out that pen and spiral notebook and write down your heart-felt message.  Who knows, you may be responsible for shaping the life of another human being AND they may be reading your letter at your funeral.  I read the letter my dad wrote at his service because I wanted those in attendance to know what kind of man he was.

Enjoy writing – don’t worry about spell check or having crappy handwriting – they will love it!

Take A Hike - Take Action #17

What’s the one thing a person without use of their legs wants to do?  Run. 

What’s the one thing a person who is struggling to breathe wants to do?  Walk to the front door. 

What’s the one thing a child who has been hospitalized for weeks wants to do?  Swing at the playground.

Do you have legs?  Can you breathe?   If yes, then step away from the computer and go outside while the weather is beautiful and take a walk.  Make it more fun and take a kid or significant other along.  Been a while since you exercised regularly?  Commit to 3 times a week.  Already work out 3 times a week?  Make it 4.  It’s time to get moving people!  I am watching my father struggle to breathe. If he could walk to the park right now, it would give him such joy.  Yet it seems that some people can, but choose not to.  God gave us the ability to use our bodies far beyond what we think is possible.  It is amazing how much I will push my body when I am working out with my trainer as opposed to when I show up to the gym by myself.    I tell my trainer, “I can’t do it”.  He says “yes you can”.  He is right. 

Here’s a good article on how to incorporate exercising in your life.  Also, instead of obsessing about calories and diet, just start exercising.  Here is an article about how exercise changed one woman’s life.

I know….You are busy.  Really busy.  I get it.  I feel so sorry for you. Here’s’ a link on how busy people find time to exercise.   If you are still stuck on what to do for food and exercise, visit my friend Maureen's website Making it all Fit.

Be thankful you have the heart and the lung capacity, as well as the working limbs to exercise and get out there and do something.  Better yet – tell your kids to get out there.  I see more and more young kids entering high school who are bigger than women who have had multiple child births.   Some weight problems are hereditary, but most are because the kid’s exercise routine includes Facebook, texting, video games and MTV.  Take them to play tennis, throw a Frisbee, or go for a hike.  There are some awesome parks in Missouri if you are from here. 

Other ways to get exercise without thinking about it:

• Push a wheel chair at the park
• Push a stroller at the zoo
• Give a kid a piggy-back ride
• Do leg lifts while your toddler hangs on to your leg
• Do laps around the house or in the house when you are on a call with a chatty Cathy
• Park in the a spot the furthest from the entrance at the restaurant you are going to
• Take the stairs in every building you enter for crying out loud.  Elevators in 3 story buildings were NOT made for people who can walk.  They are for people in wheel chairs and parents with strollers and old/sick people.  If you aren’t any of those things, then take the dang stairs. 
• Walk the escalator stairs at the mall.

Anyway, I hope I’ve encouraged you to TAKE ACTION by getting some exercise.

Angela

Turn Off The Phone - Take Action #14

Somehow, I went straight from Take Action #13 to Take Action #15.  I neglected poor #14 - so here it is.  

Put the Phone Away

OK – I know it’s like I just asked you to cut off your right arm – but really – that little box with all the keys, applications, messages, and pictures sometimes keeps us from our work and our face-to-face relationships.  Last night I took my kids out to dinner to celebrate my oldest daughter’s 20^th birthday.  I asked them to all put their phones away so that we could enjoy each other.  We did great – we made it an hour without looking at that box and we had a great time.  I also made the other 3 say something they loved about their big sister – they told me I was weird.  Whatever.

As I found the other day, not having my phone for 24 hours was a struggle - especially since it is my life line to my kids, parents, and especially my job.  On my way to my 9:00 in Litchfield, IL I got stuck in traffic which set me back 20 minutes and then I was in such a hurry since I had no way to communicate with my client – that I decided that driving faster would be the answer – then I got pulled over – got a ticket. I wonder if I can put it on my expense report....I blame my cell phone.

Anyway, we have become so addicted to our phones, that we literally have panic attacks when we can’t find them.  Here’s an article on cell phone addiction.

As much as we think we are more productive with the little box that we carry around 24/7, it can actually jeopardize relationships and be a huge distraction when working.  I challenge you to try for one day to take two (2) one-hour breaks from your phone.  Turn it off for one hour during your work day to see how much work you get done without stopping to take a call or reply to a text.  Even though most phones have e-mail, it is a heck of a lot faster to type on the computer.  The second hour is reserved for someone you love.  Give them your undivided attention.  There is nothing worse than having a conversation with someone and they keep looking down at their phone while you are spilling your guts.    Makes you feel insignificant. 

Can you do it?  Give me your feedback on how it went.

Take Action – Turn the phone off!

Angela