You are here: Home / Blog

Free Webinars

June 15, 2010 by Leave a Comment

When you hear the words free webinar what do you think?  Not worth my time?  How good could it be if it were free?  Well I would like you to look at free as an opportunity to try something and see if you like it.  It is the same as going to the Supermarket or Cosco and trying a sample food item or beverage that they are running a special on.

Normally you probably would not have considered trying the item that the store has to offer but since it is free you thought you would try it.  The same thinking applies to attending a free webinar.  The best part is you can listen to the information via phone or by computer.  A webinar allows you to see what is being taught.

If you are a visual learner like me you enjoy watching what is being taught and retain it better by watching.  My friend Toolie is conducting a free webinar tonight, Tuesday night, June 15th, at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern time as part of her “I Can Fix My Web Site” series.

If you think your website could use an improvement I would recommend signing up to attend this free webinar.  This is an opportunity to learn great information and sample my friend Toolie teaching style.  Don’t miss out.  Click the link to register and please feel free to tell me what you thought of the Webinar.

Filed Under: Business, Website Tagged With: , , , ,

Daily Goals – Do You Have Them?

June 14, 2010 by 6 Comments

So many of us talk about the goals that we have and that is it.  It does not go any further, it is just talk.  I suffer from the same problem so I know what I am talking about 😉 .   If you suffer from the same problem no need to worry.  I would like to share a strategy that you can use to address this problem.

Writing down your goals makes them real and not just a dream that you have.  Putting a date to the goal makes it a focused goal that you can work toward.  We have all heard that goals need to be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely but writing it down brings it to life.

So let’s talk about the things you accomplished today.  Those are goals that you reached.  Why don’t you write those accomplishments down on paper so you can see them?  It is good to look at them and realize the number of accomplishments you completed today.  In our fast paced world we don’t spend the time acknowledging our accomplishments.  Please take the time before you eat dinner to write down your accomplishments for the day, when you do please include those things that you did not have a chance to complete today.  These unmet goals are opportunities for tomorrow’s success.  Make sure you write a to do list or a goal sheet and pursue them for tomorrow.  Do not feel bad about not reaching those goals.  Develop a plan and go out tomorrow and make it happen.

Filed Under: Leadership, Video, Your Talents Tagged With: , , ,

Leadership in Toastmasters

June 13, 2010 by 2 Comments

Looking for an opportunity to become a leader?  Consider joining a Toastmasters Club.  Toastmasters is an International Organization that helps members become better communicators and leaders.   To be honest, I believe Toastmasters is the best kept secret for anyone who is  determined to improve themselves, willing to work and not afraid to leave their comfort zone.

I joined Toastmasters because I was deathly afraid of speaking in public and it was something I had to do more of as a Director of an Admissions Office in a level one trauma center.  I will discuss my accomplishments in Toastmasters in a future posts.  But I do want to talk to you about leadership.  In a Toastmasters club there are 7 leadership positions (Club Officers) and it is their job to help the club member reach their goals.

The individual member goals help the club become a distinguished club. There are several levels of being distinguished, from distinguished to select distinguished and president distinguished.  I am currently an Area Governor in my Toastmaster District and responsible for 5 clubs.  I work with the club officers to help them become distinguished.  If a club meets all 10 goals they will be president distinguished.

Last year I presented a workshop which focused on Toastmaster Club development at the Spring Conference in both New York and New Jersey.   Below is an excerpt from that presentation which focuses on the Distinguished Club Program (DCP).  There are a number of acronyms in Toastmasters.

So many times the idea of club development is a boring topic to present in a workshop so I decided to spice it up by being a Michael Jackson Impersonator (This was before Michael’s untimely death).   I preformed a different Michael Jackson song parity for each segment of my club development workshop.  Humor is one of my talents and I love to make people smile.  I hope you liked the video and if you are not a member of Toastmasters consider joining a club near you.

Filed Under: Leadership, Speaking, Toastmasters, Video, Your Talents Tagged With: , , , ,

Free Cool Web Site Features Webinar

June 12, 2010 by 2 Comments

Do you have a blog or website that you feel could look more up to date?  You really want to be able to make these changes to your blog or web site yourself but you just don’t know how?  Or maybe you have a little knowledge to get started but you are just not that confidant to go all the way and start to fix those things that have been bothering you about your site.  Help has arrived.   Jocelyn “Toolie” Garner has been my web coach for a number of years.  In fact I learned HTML from one of her courses.

Let me tell you I was scared out of my mind when I started blogging.  There were so many things about a web site that I just did not understand.  Toolie made the secret language of HTML come alive for me.  Now I am building web sites for Physicians, Speakers and Coaches.  It is amazing to think that I am doing this at all.  And Tollie has played a major role in providing me with the knowledge to be successful.

This is why I am so excited to share with you Toolie’s free Cool Web Site Features Webinar.  Toolie is a great teacher.  She explains things in easy to understand language and does not make you feel like a dunce when you ask a question.  She will be teaching a class on the web this Tuesday on cool web site features.  And her class is free.  All you have to do is sign up for Toolie’s free Cool Web Site Features Webinar here.  I forgot to tell you the time.  The class will be Tuesday night, June 15th, at 6 pm Pacific, 9 pm Eastern time.

If you have always wanted to make your web site unique with special features that will attract your visitors to connect with you, then you must attend this call.  I know you will benefit from the call and be happy you invested the time to learn how to do it for yourself.

Filed Under: Business, Free Offer, Website Tagged With: , , , , ,

Building Your Irresistible Brand

June 11, 2010 by 5 Comments

Do you have a dream or idea about your business?  Have you thought of developing products and services for people you know can benefit from them? But you have not been successful because you have not determined your brand identity.  This is a problem that a number of us face when we are starting a new business.  The best thing to do is to get someone to help you.  You need someone who can provide you the strategy you need to be successful.  You need someone with a proven track record and results that you can measure.

That person is my friend Lethia Owens.  Lethia is a certified personal branding and social media marketing strategist with a track record of measurable proven results. She knows there are a number of people across the country that could benefit from the information she has to share so she decided to meet the people where they are.  Lethia has embarked on a 7 City Tour that extends from one end of the country to the other.   Check out her TV news interview below.

I met Lethia about 5 years ago at the National Speakers Association Annual Conference in Orlando, Fl and she is a dynamic international speaker.   When she was in the process of putting this tour together she asked if I would be a co-manager of her affiliate program for the tour.  I accepted and would like to invite you to become an affiliate too. 

If you are not familiar with the affiliate process it is a great way to help others and make money too.  With that said I must reveal that I will make money as an affiliate if you purchase from the links in this post.  But if you become an affiliate you can make money too.  You will get all of the details from clicking the 7 City Tour Link and scrolling to the bottom of the page and click the “Earn and Learn” Affiliate program link.

If you cannot attend one of the tour dates yourself consider sending this information to a friend who can.  Better yet there may be a way for you and your friend to attend the tour at a city near you for the price of one admission.  Check out the city and tour information for details.  You and your business will benefit from the information that Lethia has to share.  If you plan to come to the New York City Tour I look forward to meeting you there.

Filed Under: Branding, Business, Soical Media, Video Tagged With: , , , , ,

Chairing A Conference

June 10, 2010 by 4 Comments

Last year I chaired an Anti-Racism Conference for the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey.  The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey has more than 158 parishes and covers the area south of Newark to Cape May, New Jersey.  How I came about this position is really funny.  I happened not to attend a diocesan committee meeting and was selected as the conference chair.

Tip # 1 – Be sure to attend all committee meetings

I had been a committee member on the previous anti-racism conference team and had experience as the inaugural fall conference chair for the newly formed Toastmasters District 83.  One of the challenges was coordinating group meetings because the location that we met previously was not going to be available.  The rising gas prices and logistical issue prompted me to come up with alternative solutions.

Solution # 1 – Establish a free Teleconference line for the committee

Solution # 2 – Meeting time will not exceed an hour

Solution # 3 – Record conference call so people who missed the meeting could hear it

Solution # 4 – Built and internet membership site to post the recorded meetings

These solutions introduced the committee members to technology that they had not used previously.  This allowed the meetings to be more efficient and productive.    In fact this process worked so well that they have adopted this process and currently use it for meeting.

I presented the results of being an anti-racism conference chair at my local Toastmasters club as part of a high performance leadership project (HPL).   High Performance Leadership is a module project in Toastmasters in which you establish a committee, a vision, a leadership project to work through and give speeches along the way.  In the video I am presenting the results of my HPL and hope you enjoy it.

Filed Under: Business, Leadership, Speaking, Team Work, Toastmasters Tagged With: , , , ,

The Winds of Change

June 9, 2010 by 2 Comments

As we grow and learn each of us have to deal with the winds of change.  These winds of change can come in the form of job loss, relocation, or career change to name a few.  What the actual change in is not as important as how we react to the change.  At times we may feel overwhelmed, confused and unsure what to do next.

I suggest that when we feel that way we take inventory of ourselves.  In our hectic lives we need to take an assessment of where we are and what we have done.  What are your accomplishments?  What do you want to accomplish next?  Sometimes the winds of change blow to send us in a different direction other than the one we were planning to take.  I recommend that you take a long hard look at this change of direction and try to project the new destination.

Why not look at the winds of change as an opportunity to actually make a choice to change.  Change your point of view, your attitude, your out look on life.   I believe, if you make a choice to go with the winds of change you will be happier and you just might enjoy your new point of view.

Filed Under: Leadership, Your Talents Tagged With: , , ,

Be Flexible Explore and Develop Your Creativity

June 8, 2010 by 4 Comments

For some people the thought of being flexible give them angina.  If you are normally not open to being flexible please indulge me for a few minutes.    The reason that you get chest pain or feel uneasy at the thought of doing something different is probably out of fear.  Do you know the fear of the unknown impacts the majority of us, but it is how we react to it that makes all the difference in the world.

So let me ask you, when was the last time you did something that was totally new to you?  For example explore a place you had never been before?  If you said not in a long time or you cannot even remember then I would like to extend an invitation to you to do so as soon as possible.  Why?

Being willing to explore opens up your mind to new things and provides the opportunity for you to develop your creativity.  When you experience new things it causes your brain to think in a different way, especially if you are not use to exploring.  When we were children we explored all the time.  That was the way we learned.  As we get older a number of us became more sedentary and set in our ways.  The routine becomes the norm and we stop exploring.

Exploring is fun. There are wonders to discover if you are willing to be a little adventurous.  Don’t you want to have some fun? Have you ever seen an indoor beach with lounge chairs suspended above the Atlantic Ocean?  Well if not take a look at this video.  You will discover that and more.  Join me on a little exploration journey.

Now that you have seen this video I hope that you will be willing to become more flexible, take a risk and start exploring again.  You never know what you may discover.

Filed Under: Branding, First Impression, Leadership Tagged With: , , ,

Relationship Building the Key to Social Networking

June 7, 2010 by 10 Comments

As humans we are social beings.  This means that we place value to developing meaningful relationships.  This started back in childhood when we played with other children. We wanted to be friends and make friends with others.  We were interested in what the other children liked to do and the common interest we shared.   We were excited about new things that we discovered through others.

The things we did to develop good relationships with others when we were children are the same things that we need to do now with our social networks.  Why, because although there is technology that allows us to connect to one another in our social networks, the people are the same on either end of the technology.  This means that we both are looking to develop meaningful relationships if we are interested in developing a great social network.

To be successful we need to do the same thing in our virtual relationship as we do in our face to face relationship.  These points were mentioned in a recent blog post that I read by Kathryn  Griffiths, (a fellow 30 day challenge blogger) and I would like to bring them to your attention.  Kathryn said we should:





  1. Use our own picture on social networking sites not an avatar
  2. Use audio with your voice when possible
  3. Be transparent  – using an e mail and other means of contact where possible
  4. Be open to connecting off line –  in person or via phone

While I do agree with the first 2, I would like to provide an air of caution on numbers 3 and 4.  We live in a different world then we did when we were growing up.  This means that we need to not give out too much personal information when on social networks.  Using a P.O. Box is a way to provide an address without revealing your own.  This is important especially to avoid identity thief or if you have a business.  Meeting people in person may not always be practical, because of the physical distance between you (living in another state or country) and this too may be unsafe.  I encourage you to use caution and meet in a public place if you choose to meet in person.

There is one more format that I would like to suggest you use to connect with others online and that is video.  Video allows the viewer to connect with you in a way that is stronger than a picture and audio alone.  I recommend that you consider these tips when connecting with others in your social networks and I invite you read the “Virtual Relationship” post by Kathryn.

Filed Under: Relationship, Social Network Tagged With: , , ,

Fishing For Your Talents

June 6, 2010 by 10 Comments

Finding your talents can be a kin to going fishing.  Not familiar with fishing, let me share what is involved.  You must be willing to take the following 5 steps:

  1. Make the choice to go fishing
  2. Check the weather report and be prepared
  3. Make sure you choose the right bait
  4. Get ready to spend the time needed
  5. Be prepared to catch the fish

Let’s review this list as it relates to finding your talents.

  1. You must be willing to take the journey to find your talents. This means you are willing to take the next 4 steps in the process.  If you are not, you will not be successful in the process.
  2. What is your mindset?  Are you open to the possibility that you have hidden talents? Are you willing to take assessments, and be coached to help you find your talents?
  3. It’s homework time.  Are you willing to do the research with the people who know you best, family, coworkers, your spouse or significant other to find synergy?
  4. Take the time to reflect?  Look at all of the data that you have compiled from assessments, coaching, homework and reflection and get the help you need to interpret it.   Having someone to help you in this part of the process is a key aspect to being successful.
  5. Flexibility and open mindedness are keys to embracing your newly defined talents.  How open are you to change?  Your talents may reveal that you would be better served taking a different approach to your work and the things that you do.  This will allow you to be more productive.


To emphasize this process I made a video.  I would like to encourage you to take the fishing trip to find your talents and I guarantee you will not return home empty handed.

Filed Under: Video, Your Talents Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »