You Are the Leader of Your Own Life

     I’ve been talking to numerous people in the meetings industry, from speakers to meeting planners, to suppliers and hoteliers. The economy and various public incidents have not been too kind to the meetings industry in this past year. So, here’s a little rouse-you-up commentary written for you, in the face of dismal public statistics about the job market and economy:
BACKGROUND:
     The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported recently that October 2009’s national jobless rate was 10.2 percent — the highest rate since April 1983. The rate was 9.8 percent in September, 7.6 percent in January and 4.7 percent in November 2007.
SOME RAH RAH, AND PERHAPS NEW WAYS OF THINKING, FOR YOU
     I know many people here are looking for work.
     Please don’t let the numbers get you down. They (the officials and economists) had predicted they might get higher before it gets better. These are unusual times. Tough times for many. And no one knows when these times will end.
     But the economy goes in cycles. It won’t stay in one cycle forever. You may just have to work harder and smarter and out of the box to find the right work right now. Do not give up. Giving up would just make you sad and feed a downward spiral.
     Be productive, even if it makes you nothing for the moment. It is good for the mind and morale. It keeps you circulating, where someone may know of a job. It might create a job.
     Do temp work if you must, and can find something that’s a match. I’ve done it. It was fun and I learned new skills, too. It placed me in areas offering new opportunities, if I wanted to take them.
     Consider working at something new, too. Sometimes you have to move with the times, and be flexible. Flexibility is a good quality.
     Remember, you are not your job. Your job is a part of who you are. You are not a failure if you are unemployed. Just about all of us go through those stages at some point in our lives. Consider this a test of persistence, if it’s taking a while.
     And if you wonder why I say all this, I’ve had tastes of some of this. I know.
     I just wanted to share these few thoughts, so if you are reading about the current economy and it upsets you, that you don’t just fold up and give up.
     These are the times that test people. It’s true.
     Hold on, persist, adjust, expand, create. When you want to quit because it seems there’s no light at the end of your tunnel, think about the stories of those who faced challenges and had disabilities such as blindness or paralysis. Or think of those who had even less than you or came from really tough backgrounds. And yet they forged forward and didn’t give up. And over time, they succeeded. Use your full abilities. Think bigger, broader, wider. See things differently.
     You are not the victim. You are the leader of your own life.
     A little life/job motivation for you,

     Andrea
Andrea H. Gold, President
Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
Tucson, AZ USA
www.goldstars.com
The best celebrities, speakers, consultants & entertainers globally for 20+ years!
Co-author of The Business of Speaking: Proven Secrets to Becoming a Million Dollar Speaker

Meetings Have Value, And YOU Can Help Communicate That Value!

     I am a moderator on MeCo, Meetings Community (www.meetingscommunity.org). In that capacity, I sent the following letter to our membership of nearly 3,000 meeting professionals. Please join us in our quest to speak out on the fantastic value of meetings!

Dear MeCos,
Many of us here on MeCo have been asking about who is speaking out for the meetings industry. We’ve seen a number of “flaps” lately, such as the “AIG Effect,” the location blacklist, and the Phoenix Social Security Administration meeting issue. All of these have put meetings in a negative light, and have caused a negative perception.
     While Roger Dow and USTA/Keep America Meeting are taking positive steps, especially focusing on travel and hospitality, we believe there is more that can be done through a grassroots campaign. We, as MeCo, can help promote the value and positive impact that meetings have on business, personal and professional growth and the world economy.
     We would like to see a dedicated spokesperson who reaches out and counters negative press and promotes the value of meetings. After some direct inquiry to some trade associations, we know that our industry leaders have some limited activity in this area, mostly responding to any inbound press inquiries. There is no dedicated spokesperson for the meetings industry at this time.
A GRASSROOTS VOICE…and we need your help too!
     We want to see a louder meetings voice in the general public. A number of the moderators on MeCo have created a committee to head up and to create a “VOICE” –-so we in the meetings industry can all be heard. From planners to suppliers, we want to reach out and share the good word in a grassroots effort. And we will need YOUR help to do this in a big way. Here are some initiatives that we are working on:
Communications Tools (more to come):
     Name of our “voice”: YES2MEETINGS
     TWITTER Account: YES2MTGS
     Website: To be live soon. In development stage.
     Social Media: We are creating additional sites for Yes2Meetings and will let you know.
Who we wish to reach:
Businesses, especially C-level management
Government
General public
Media
Additional Action Items:
Create a core of spokespersons, assigned to respond to any crisis in our industry.
Document our industry by video and other media
Specify steps for you to communicate specifically with your local media
Identify stakeholders-those who will share the message
Communicate on MeCo about this initiative: please use “Yes2Mtgs” at the start of your subject line (kind of like “OT”). This will help people sort these messages from other types of messages.
Getting Started:
Please follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Yes2Mtgs
Submit ideas for content on the new Yes2Meetings website.
Think of influential people in the media and social media who would carry on our message. Think of influential people with whom you have a relationship. We will talk more on this soon.
Get your Flip video cameras and camcorders and digital cameras warmed up and on the ready. Fun assignment to come soon. 
     Please email me or the moderators offlist with any ideas or questions.
     Want to help speak out FOR meetings? Stay connected here and look for the Yes2Mtgs subject line communications!
YES TO MEETINGS!!! That is, YES2MEETINGS!
Andrea 

Andrea H. Gold, President
& MeCo Moderator/Expert Day Co-Coordinator
Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
www.goldstars.com

Life Is On The Fast Track! And Are YOU Living Yours Fully?

     I took a slight sabbatical from blog writing, as I had been writing a new book for speakers with my esteemed co-author, Gary Yamamoto (The Business of Successful Speaking: Proven Secrets to Becoming a Million Dollar Speaker).  I also am helping lead a movement to create more “voice” in the world of the meetings industry.  Plus running the speakers bureau, among other endeavors. I wanted to let you all know I had not fallen off the face of the earth. Actually, I have SO much to share, and have saved ideas and emails with blog information in a file, just for you, dear readers! I’m all about sharing information that makes YOUR life better, buddy, so what are you waiting for? Go out, learn, be, do and forge ahead with your creative ideas! Make your life count, contribute all you can to the world with your unique skills, and enjoy it all in the process.
     And be assured that many more insights and helpful information are coming in the near future!
     Andrea H. Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau

I survived the Heart Attack Grill-and laughed with every bite!

     This is mainly a business blog. However, business can combine fun and information too. I was recently at a meeting in the Phoenix area, and just HAD to experience the Heart Attack Grill. It was just featured on national TV news on Sunday Morning this past week with the humorous Bill Geist of CBS.
     We can thank Gary my husband for going through the trouble of playing cameraman for this “report.” Gary actually created a casual little video of our adventures at Heart Attack Grill in Chandler, AZ yesterday (May 9, ‘09)!
     It’s easy to find and is located a few miles east of I-10, south of Phoenix proper in Chandler (Kyrene & Chandler Blvd., south side). It used to be a Burger King, I understand. As you walk into the burger place, you are greeted by big red warning letters on the glass doors warning you–dangerous to your health! The tone is set…
     VIDEO LINK HERE:  Go to: http://www.goldstars.com/about-us.html. Approx. 6 minutes long.
     Warning: it’s a very noisy place and I did not have a microphone on me. So you won’t be able to hear everything I am saying. But you will see everything and that’s the fun part! I just came from a meeting so I was all dressed up (WAAAY out of dress code for this casual place). At the end of the video, I’m joking about loosening my belt, in case you were wondering. That’s my friends Joanne and Rick, eating with us. They also gave the place a thumbs up–was their first time there too.
        

CALORIE COUNT: One of the humorous visuals at Heart Attack Grill

     The guys had a Double, which is TWO 1/2-lb. patties, with cheese and all the topping, and fries; we had a single bypass). No chintzy burgers here!
     They place a tape on your wrist (the patient wristband) that says I ate at Heart Attack Grill.  The menu is like a report for your doctor, also listing the food and beverages. Burgers range from $7.29 -$12.95 (that’s a quadruple bypass burger: 4 1/2-lb. patties—yikes!)
     Fries: additional $2.00 buys you ALL YOU CAN EAT for two people. And they are delicious fries. MMMMM.

Their incredibly tasty fries-made in (eek) lard!

     There’s big screen TVs playing all over in the central bar area. It shows entertaining video created by the restaurant, about the restaurant. A large headline along one wall reads, “Worth dying for…”
     Nothing green is served there (except pickles and jalapenos), and no diet soda is served. Anyone 350 lbs. or more can eat free as long as they wish, after a weigh-in. I didn’t qualify.
     The waitresses love to play this to the hilt and have fun with the customers.
     Check out the catering truck at the end of the video. THAT is too funny, too!
Too bad I didn’t have a microphone to record this clearly.
     The funniest thing was in our meeting, just before I went to the Grill, the speaker had given out these little flashing heart doodahs that you put on your clothes. You can see it for a second or two in the video. I forgot we still had them on when we walked into the HEART Attack Grill. How perfect was that? After the waitresses spotted those hearts, they just HAD to have ‘em. And we did gift them to them as we left.
Andrea, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau
P.S. The food was REALLY good (the fries and the burger)! Very fun! (Of course, the rest of the customers thought I was nuts taping this, but who cares?)
P.P.S. I was very nervous to weigh myself today after that meal. Guess what? No gain! Good thing I didn’t measure for body fat index, ha ha! Would I go back? You bet!

MeCo Offering HOT, HOT, HOT Social Networking Basics Chat Class!

Technorati Tags: Twitter,Facebook,blogs,LinkedIn,Andrea Gold,Patti Shock,Jessica Levin,MeCo,Meetings Community,Meeting industry,social networking,social media

     If you are involved with the meetings industry in some way: Have you ever heard of MeCo? It stands for Meetings Community (www.meetingscommmunity.org). I help to volunteer-moderate this lively educational chatroom community. It’s a virtual (and free!) membership group of meeting planners and suppliers to the meetings industry, now over 2,500 strong. One of the features for this great group is that we periodically offer Expert Days to help expand our knowledge about various aspects of the meetings industry. Expert Days feature one or more experts who will take live questions in a given period of time, so there’s interactive chat with helpful questions and answers.
     Look forward to a very useful May 7, ‘09 session on Social Media Basics. I wanted to share this here so everyone in the meetings industry can learn and benefit.
      This session promises to be HOT, HOT, HOT!  (and there will be more sessions after this!)
There’s tons of questions floating around about how to get set up on social media sites. (You know, those networking sites that are all so personal.)
Questions of how to use them. WHY use them?
And what’s appropriate and what’s a no-no.
What’s a tweet? Who needs Twitter? How ‘bout LinkedIn? And why do I have to do Facebook?? Isn’t that just for kids and teens? 
     And do I have to do a blog? What’s the best platform for a blog? How often should I write something? What’s the real purpose of doing this? I thought people were just glorifying themselves!
….and more questions…

How do I resend a message and what does RT mean or all those little niggly shorthand things on Twitter?
How do I make it all logical and useable?
How many followers must I really have and is it all worth the trouble?
How much time should I spend on all this new gobbledygook?
And, and…there’s enough questions to sink a ship!

     SOOOO, we Expert Day coordinators heard your pain (and curiosity). And felt you should benefit on MeCo by having an extra special Expert Day with two guests.
     Patti Shock and Jessica Levin, who live and breathe social networking on a daily basis. They don’t talk. They TWEET! They don’t write. They BLOG! And they are kind enough to set aside time to share some secrets with you!
Mark your calendars…May 7!

     End your social networking frustrations! Dash those fears of falling behind because you have no clue where to start!
     MeCo in the form of Expert Day is here to help you! Why should you have to struggle when we did all the muddling already for you? We can save you the trouble!
     Start thinking of your questions.
     This is going to be very hands-on and practical. Get ready, set aside time and tune in on the MeCo chatroom on May 7. (NOTE: You have to be a member of MeCo to see this session. Go to the website and sign up now!)
     Fasten your seatbelts because you are going to become much wiser on Thursday, May 7!!  See you right here then! HOT, HOT, HOT!!!  It’s fun to share something to help you learn more about social networking, which has reached critical mass!

Andrea H. Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau

Living Life @ the Speed of…140 Characters?

    Having a gr8 time eating seafood. Wish u were here! 

     I saw a fun movie last nite. U gotta see it soon! 

     I am an addict on Twitter. I can’t stop typing here!!! 

     EEK! I am thinking in 140-character bytes! It’s all Twitter’s fault. You know, that Twitdom of social media. That communication of the abbreviated, Internet kind—Twitter! The new shorthand for playful adults, perhaps? 

     Adults these days are all aflutter with Twitter. It’s the “in” way to talk to 1,000s (I mean, THOUSANDS) of people—including the ones you know and love…and also those you have yet to meet. U just get out there and “tweet” & hope it sticks & is even seen by someone.

     And now I catch myself processing my thots & work world in Twitter mode! That means, I think & tend 2 rite thru Twitter shortcut communications! Egads! What would my old English and journalism teachers say?

     OMG! (Oh dear, I meant to say, “oh goodness” in spelled out, bona fide words.) Am I no longer capable of a thought deeper than 140 characters?

     But, maybe, just maybe, the act of tweeting is a good thing in the long run. Maybe it isn’t so destructive to your intelligence. Maybe it doesn’t spell doom for the English language as Webster’s recognizes it. For one, it forces you to be concise in your communications. Very concise, for that matter. That’s a good thing… uh, right?

     Some of the most memorable lines in ancient times could have been categorized as “tweets.” How about the famous one, “I came, I saw, I conquered.” (Well, I am giving you the translation from Latin so it more easily qualifies as a tweet to make this point; heck, I needed something credible as an example, didn’t I?)

Wow, there’s even space left for more characters—I feel tweet-rich! Or let’s think about the phrase on the good, ol’ U.S. currency: “In God We Trust.” That’s only 15 characters used up! How wise the government was, planning ahead like this. How foresighted! Just think of the character wealth we have–so much capacity to tweet even more…in the same flighty breath! Perhaps we can give back some of that wealth to balance out the deficit created by our government’s recent bail-out activities. It needs every dime and cent it can get!

You get bountiful advantages by using Twitter!

     Back to Twitter…you’ll appreciate your well-honed skills to tweet. Why’s that, you may ask. Because when you talk to the media someday, for your 15 minutes of fame, you’ll already be trained to talk in small sound bytes! Just what the media doctor ordered! Thanks Twitter, for the TWEET training!

     I’m also thinking that there’s additional advantages to the Twitter platform. If you happen to be approached by a tweeting salesperson (#%&!grrrr), just think (in short bursts, Twitter-like, of course), any sales pitches that come your way will be short and to the point! How cool is that?

     You can now, due to Twitter, live life in the high-speed tweeting lane! Just put on your magical Twitter helmet to stimulate a hyper-tweeting mind set. And since we’re speaking (briefly!) about advantages, don’t you wish some of your unwanted telephone conversations were that short? What if you required the unwanted caller to communicate in Twitter mode?

     We can make Twitter a part of our everyday communication culture. It could act as a form of etiquette, which we desperately need in today’s society. Let’s use the word “tweet.” And let’s decide together to make “tweet” a specific definition, meaning “TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY IN 140 CHARACTERS OR LESS, OR I AM LEAVING!” So then, for example, if you get trapped into a conversation with a long-winded individual when you really have other priorities on your agenda, you can ask that person, “Can you please TWEET that thought?” That would be a polite way of saying (but without saying it), “Hurry up, I need to get going and I really don’t want to listen to you right now–but I don’t want to be rude!”

     Can you imagine a tweeting society? How fleeting it would be! There’s so many applications! Here’s one:  I can see a couple being married the tweet way…

“Do u? YES! Do u? YES! I now pronounce u husband & wife! U may kiss the bride!” (78 characters with room to spare! How admirable and what a time and space-saver that would be!)

     Now, looking back at this writing, I realized I made a mistake. I’m preaching about the virtue of tweeting. The article, in its entirety, should’ve been written as follows:

“Tweeting is good. Try it! U’ll like it! Ur life will be better! And wishing all…Tweet dreams!” (94 characters).

     (And I bet you can find a whole bunch of OTHER applications for tweeting in our fast-paced society; be creative, have fun, and COMMENT HERE!)

     ~Andrea Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau

How’s the Business World Doing? Step by Step, Looking UP!

      The world is focused on the doom and gloom of the current economy. The stock market took a dive since last fall. The unemployment rate reached a new historic high, since the 1980s.
     I have my own observations on the status of the business climate. In my line of work, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau interfaces with many types of businesses and industries worldwide. We get a sense of what’s happening out there firsthand, not based on statistical information. We talk to the decision makers for the corporate world.
So what do we observe in the world of business these days?
     Based on our interactions with those managing businesses and trade associations, we are observing the following trends:

• The trend seems to be “less bad.”
• Businesses are eager to move forward.
• The business world is taking baby steps in a positive direction.
• Business is coming back—s-l-o-w-l-y.

     These, of course, are only our individual observations. We do usually see the trends accurately even within the reach of Gold Stars Speakers Bureau’s own business activity.
If you are involved with business, what are you going to do about it?
     That’s my question to you. The answer depends on you! I would be arrogant to tell you what you HAVE to do to make things better for you. The steps differ per business and per the people within the organization.
     My awareness about business is raised up greatly because I work with some of the leading business speakers and consultants “out there.” You can check out the wisdom of some of those great business thought leaders by reading some of their articles here.
     I will leave you with one tip to help you get going. I am all about kicking people virtually in the rear in order to help you to focus your energy wisely, to start the process. Regroup and use this time to inspect, analyze and to rethink your business strategy. Where do you REALLY want to go? And this applies, whether you are a business owner or if you are an employee working for another. If you would like more insights in this area, please comment and let us know! And share your wisdom here too!
            ~Andrea Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau.

 

 

What’s a Competely Digital Meeting Like?? I’ll Tell You!

I just attended a completely digital meeting.
     Have you ever listened in on a teleseminar? Or taken a webinar? If so, you’ll have an inkling of what a completely digital meeting is like! But there’s MORE to a complete meeting.
     Here’s just a few tidbits and features I observed, so you can see what’s coming to your neighborhood–sooner rather than later! Uh, more like NOW.
What features did I have access to at this digital meeting?
     First, you should know what meeting it was. Digital Marketing World, a free virtual conference that lasted a half day (April 1, ‘09). I have no affiliation with these folks so my observations are completely objective, no agenda attached. This was a function coordinated by MarketingProfs. I am not sure how I lucked into this event but I am glad I did! It was geared to those exploring the world of digital marketing (which includes a variety of means such as websites, emails, blogs, social media sites and more).
     Once I logged in with my unique password already established at the time of registration, I found myself in a virtual space, with many navigation keys at the top to direct me to places such as exhibit hall, agenda, auditorium, resource center, briefcase, prizes, HELP and other options. I used the majority of these options, first out of confusion of where to find my classes and later out of curiosity. I had access to:
     * All speaker presentations
     * Exhibition booths and prize drawings
     * Educational documents, PDFs, text in all forms, videos all available for downloading
     * And networking in a lounge.
My actual observations and experience
     I guessed my way to the first session, having arrived at work just minutes before the opening session (ah, the disadvantages of being on Western time zones when everything is greared to the East coast)! I frantically logged in successfully (to my relief–one hurdle overcome!) and searched for where those darn classes would be. I figured it was either auditorium or agenda…and I found the class links easily, clicking on the concurrent class of choice. I had to guess a little to connect (ah, you click “View” to get the visuals!) and grabbed my Internet-hooked-up headphones and listened smugly like one who knew what she was doing to class # 1. This aspect was similar to a webinar, with the audiences muted, graphics displayed and the ability to IM any questions on the left column area. Classes lasted about 45 minutes, with Q & A.
     We had about 15 minutes between classes (more like 10 minutes after closing remarks, so I was  skidding along the floor to grab my snacks or drinks or to “rest” in the facilities for a minte (got my drift?) before the next class began.
UH OH, techy hiccough
     Everything was going smoothly until I tried to click on the next class link and nothing happened. So I logged out and couldn’t log back in for some reason. I recall the email link provided today also gave easy tech support email info. I frantically raced to email to explain my dilemma. Hurry! I didn’t want to miss the next class! Within a minute, that tech suppport had me getting a new login and I was functional right away.
TIP: Always prepare for the unexpected with digital meetings; techy things can go wrong. In this case, it was probably something screwy with my own computer. Their system seemed quite solid.
One speaker spoke too fast-I needed to see his slides again
     My chosen session speaker had to race through some data so I missed reading some of the slides (he had them up and down in seconds!) so I knew I’d need to see them again. We were told the resource center would have them afterwards. Nice benefit! So after his session, in my 10 minute allocation of “free” time, I clicked on the resource center. Wow! Many, many kinds of data were available here and will remain so for 90 days! Impressive data, PDFs, podcasts, you name it. All there–except the PDFs I wanted. However, with a minute to spare and just before real despair, I found what I wanted! I had clicked on auditorium. And it held the PDFs of the presentations! I searched for my presentation in the search box and Voila! I had my data, downloaded for later perusing.
How many classes did I attend?
     If I sound like I am babbling, forgive me. I attended 6 classes nonstop, from 8 am-1 pm my time, with those little breaks. I wanted to experience this fully. It was done extremely well and went smoothly! After the classes and 17 pages of typed notes (yes, I type while I listen; years of hearing people’s needs for speakers and recording all details).
     I also accessed the HELP (information) booth, where someone must have been typing continuously on her end, answering endless questions…where to get prizes, how to do this, when will we see that? I had asked to find those graphics for the talk I heard, and was directed to the resource center. After all of the sessions, I explored there a little further. It holds an extensive array of data, almost overwhelming but a learner’s absolute delight. All free for the downloading.
Heard David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential Campaign Manager
     One of the highlights was hearing a presentation from David Plouffe, about his campaign efforts. His presentation was done completely in streaming video, and it was seamless in its delivery. It was fascinating to hear some of his logic and experience in using social media applications for the campaign. I think if you sign up for Marketing Profs you may be able to get access to this presentation. (I really do not work for these folks, promise!)
Learned a lot, and about those exhibition booths…
     I learned a lot. and was grateful for the mind-opening sessions and data sharing. I missed out on the networking lounge as there was no time when taking all those classes. I only wish they had time so I could’ve spent more time in the exhibit hall DURING WORKING HOURS, because they had live people interfacing with us visitors on IM chat boxes. Some booths had video playing within their booths on top of offering a variety of downloadable information from media kits to sample cases to videos or other graphic/text data. You could click on it to add it to your virtual briefcase (brilliant!). 
     And everyone was entered to win prizes from the sponsors, the exhibitors–verynice prizes for the lucky one or ones who had the highest points. Points were awarded for visiting booths, taking classes, and participating in various manners. Everyone had the incentive to attend booths and to learn about related products useful to digital marketing.
WAS IT WORTH IT?
     You bet it was. My brain is a bit full and I learned to navigate in a whole new environment quicikly and easily. I am aware of a few other virtual type meetings. This one was the most comprehensive and well put together that I have seen except for Virtualis in Second Life., which incorporates an almost real feel with avatars interacting and speaking with each other in real time.  The data says this event was put on by InXpo, Inc.
     I hope you are not afraid to try this relatively new platform of meeting experience. Speakers can perform within this environment, but their words, voice tone and graphics will mean more since there is no body language component unless they are on webcam or other video means. And speakers will not have audience feedback. I sure enjoyed the ease of attending at no additional cost, time-wise or money-wise. And I could type on my own computer. I missed the in-person contact but for a half-day event, this was a very efficient way to disseminate info, and great also for the sponsors to share data without actually “selling”!
     So how do you feel about attending a meeting like this?

Andrea Gold, President, Gold Stars Speakers Bureau, Tucson, AZ USA. andrea@goldstars.com.

Overcoming Adventure Deficit Disorder-Jeff Salz’ phrase

     Overcoming Adventure Deficit Disorder…I totally relate to this title and article by speaker and author Jeff Salz. Read his wisdom at www.goldstars.com/articles/095.html and open your eyes to the possibilities you are probably passing by in  your very own life!  Are you really living your life or tentatively side-stepping around life? Jeff gives you some pointers such as leaping before you look or working some magic. Are you perhaps caught up in your own belief systems? Do you buy into everything you see and think that is all the truth there is? Do you feel dull about every day life?
Life is full of possibilities…if you choose to check them out!
     You do have a choice, my friend. I for one would like to give you a virtual kick in the butt to do something about it and to make your life as fulfilling as possible! No one else will live your life for you…
     Take a read and then comment here on how YOU are or can make YOUR own life more exciting and ALIVE! Help yourself and help others who will read this and be motivated to take a closer look at the choices both you and they make about your lives!

Do You Expect to Find Money? Are You Lucky?

Do you envy those people who always seem so lucky? You know, the ones who find money seemingly effortlessly, the ones who bend down to tie their shoe and…surprise! There’s a gold chain just waiting to be found. The ones who almost always seem to win contests and raffles?

Why is it that some people can do this and others don’t win anything, ever? Hmmm, if I could wave an enchanted wand that could help everyone reading this to experience this wonderful magic called “luck,” I would! I have found that I am often one of those lucky ones. If I added up all the money I’ve found in my lifetime, it would be in the hundreds at least. And it’s not just finding money. It’s jewelry. And contests. Many free hotel nights, free books and tapes, you name it! I even find large bills in a mud puddle or in the dark of night! It’s almost like I have a sixth sense, or else there’s some kind of magnet that brings the money to me.

One of the most delightful experiences occurred on our honeymoon ages ago in Hawaii. My husband and I were just starting a business, so funds were in the minus-zero range. As we were snorkeling in the widly popular Hanauma Bay in Hawaii on Oahu, we spotted a floating bread bag coming right at us. There it was–trash–floating in the beautiful clear blue waters. Being good citizens, we retrieved the bag. we discovered that it had some contents. And it wasn’t peas or bread to feed the fish, either! 

Curious, we opened up the bag to a big suprise. Inside was $67! Being honest folks, we looked at the beach to survey who may have lost it. After eyeing an array of probably 1,000 or more people at the water’s edge, we realized it was going to be a gift to us. There was no way to find the rightful owner!

What’s the Point?
Why bring this up? It makes a fun story, but the point is for your benefit. Do you feel lucky? More specifically, do you ever EXPECT to win? To find valuable items or money? I have a tip: change your mindset from that of, “I never win anything,” to one of, “I am lucky and deserve to win!” Have a sense of EXPECTATION. I have always operated this way and it has served me well. You have to feel this sense of being lucky deep down inside. It goes deeper than a simply intellectual game of stating an affirmation. You have to truly believe it is so. And it can’t be forced.

You’ve probably heard people talking about manifesting what they want. I am not posing as some expert on the whole manifesting topic. However, I do believe, from observation, that our minds and desires can help CREATE what we want and truly attract it to us. By reading this, I want you simply to be aware that you DO have the power to create opportunities and luck in your life.

Tips to Being Lucky
HINT #1. Keep your desires positive. It could backfire otherwise.
HINT #2: Be open to receive opportunity or whatever it is.
HINT #3: Be aware of your environment and what’s around you. Keep your ears and eyes open, so you capture the opportunity when it comes. It may not come in the form of a big foghorn announcing YOU ARE THE WINNER!

So, that said, here’s the question for you: Are you a lucky person? Do you have any advice to add to this? Or questions that people can help you answer?