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July 28, 2009

Mom’s Coffee Break Weekly Ezine

In this issue:

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Upcoming MCB Show

Everyone sets goals in their lives, but not everyone is able to succeed at their goals.  This week on the show we are talking about setting and accomplishing goals.  It doesn’t  matter how big or little or what area in your life that you are setting goals there is help to get you where you want to be.

Tune in to the show on Blog Talk Radio , Wednesday July 29th  @ 8pm cst / 9pm est and listen LIVE as we talk about Goal Setting for your life.

The show will also be replayed on July 29th @ 10pm cst / 11pm est at http://blogtalkradio.com/momscoffeebreak.com

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Personal Development with Coach Tonya: Overcoming Self-Sabotage

Accomplishing goals can be a daunting task; especially, when one has to overcome obstacles in order to reach the desired result. It is easy to identify external obstacles that block our goals. Yet, those are not the only obstacles that stand in the way. Often times we have internal obstacles that prevent us from following through on our goals. Think about your goals and the course of action that you have taken to move towards them. Are you where you want to be? Have you accomplished your goals despite obstacles? If not, take a moment and think about what has held you back from your success. Are you justifying the lack of progress towards your goals on something external? What most people forget to consider is internal obstacles that prevent them from moving forward, often times it is a subtle, almost unknown to the conscious mind.

Not truly feeling you are worth your goals, or worth the time it takes to put into accomplishing your goals, often lies at the heart of unconscious self-sabotage. If you do not feel that you are worth your goals then all efforts are futile. Check in with yourself by doing a self-evaluations to see if you are the one that is indeed holding back your own progress. It can manifest itself as in many ways.

Procrastination: putting off action steps or things that need to be done, or tasks that you find unpleasant. Procrastination also puts undue stress and can lead to feelings of being overwhelmed on a person because eventually what is put off needs to be done, by that time tasks have piled up.

Indecision: not having a decisive action plan or going back and forth about your course of action. Indecision can lead to self-doubt in your abilities.

Acting as “Lone Ranger” or martyr: not asking for help when you need it, not utilizing resources that are available to you, not seeking out education that you need to.

Not saying “no” when you need to over commits yourself and does not leave time for you to work on your goals, it is important for you to put you and your goals first before considering other requests.

Not saying “yes” to opportunities that will lead you to your goals. Lack of self-confidence or self-esteem could lead you to pass on opportunities that would benefit you.

Tolerating conditions that are not conducive to your goals instead of changing them

Not being truthful with yourself or others

Overcoming self-sabotage can be difficult, that is why it is best to start with the source. Why are you procrastinating? Why do you not say “yes” or “no” at the times you need to? What are you not being honest about? When you find out the reason behind the behavior, you are on the way to overcoming your internal obstacles and will be able to get to working on your goals.

Tonya Ramsey

http://LifeByDesignEnterprises.com
Helping you build the foundation to your success!

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Business Buzz with Jody: Is there a Recession?

Recession is a word that I hear most every day lately. It’s on the news shows, newspapers, online, twitter, you name it. Is there a recession? YES. Most of these people are talking about an economic recession. We hear about people losing jobs and companies closing. Is this an economic recession or another kind of recession?

Last Friday I went to a networking meeting. It’s an open meet up with no agenda and each Friday it’s rotated to different locations so that several people from the same area can meet up. The person who arranges these meet ups looked for  a local coffee shop for us to meet at. The group looks to support local businesses and encourages all attendees to make a purchase. That’s fair right? One would think that businesses are sprucing up their images and promoting great customer service.What happened last Friday was shocking and shed some real insight as to why so many businesses are closing.

This meet up was arranged with the owner of the business. It was not a great surprise for us all to show up there. I have been to this coffee shop before and I have never seen more than8 people in it at a time. We had 15 people at this event. Once it were to get established, there would be a lot more people show up. That is a lot of business. We got there and the teenager working looked dazed when we started showing up. Apparently the owner had not communicated the information to this teen girl. The owner had a family emergency and had to leave town suddenly which is understandable, however, she is a business owner and should have had things in place for us. This teen girl could not stay past 1:30. Amazing isn’t it? When the person who arranged this talked to her, she asked to speak to a manager, this manager was at another location so she had to be contacted. When we said we had people expecting to show, she said she had no one to send over nor would she come herself. WOW! They made no effort to accommodate or apologize.

So here we are scrambling to secure another location and this was even more incredible. When we looked up coffee houses to find another location, many that were near by closed up. Of the local businesses that were close and open, they closed at 2 and didn’t offer to stay open or required us to book a room. Rent a room? For us to meet at your place and bring you business?? Really?

This is so telling. Considering how many places have closed down one would think that the coffee shops left would be more interested in staying open because all the people that would have gone to the other coffee shops are now limited in their choices. The recession isn’t financial, it’s a service recession.

I live in Mesa, Arizona, part of the Phoenix metro area. So many businesses have closed down here. Many restaurants and coffee houses have closed. Yet I find the remaining ones have dreadful service. In the next city over, Gilbert, there is a man who owns 2 restaurants and a cafe. His businesses are always packed! There are people lined up outside some nights when I drive by, there is always hustle and bustle in his places. He has the most popular cafe around. Does that mean that people in Gilbert have more money to spend? NO. It means that this guy gets what customer service is. He’s not in a recession. He has a wealth of service, attitude and ambition. He is successful because he cares about his customers. He interacts with them, makes them feel special. He responds to me on Twitter and recognizes me from my twitter picture and says hello to me when I visit his establishments.

There is a great recession of customer service, in follow up, in care, in good attitude. Those who understand this, are the ones who are not in a recession. Those who get this are making money. Rather that be upset by what the news might have to say about finances and having a bad attitude, people who are wealthy in attitude, customer service and follow up are the ones who are not suffering financially. They see the importance in making people feel wanted in their business.

There are people out there willing and wanting to spend money, they just don’t want to hand it over to someone who doesn’t care about them, someone who doesn’t want a relationship with them.

So is there a recession? For some there is. Are you in a recession? If you feel you are in THE recession, think twice…. we address Customer Service & how to get people lined up to YOUR DOOR.

Jody Maley

www.DesignedforDivineDestinations.com
“It’s not just about the Destination, it’s the Journey to Get There!”

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The Domestic Goddess Corner: Spring Cleaning

For those of us who get the “spring fever”  and feel the need to scrub our entire house with a toothbrush to make it sparkle, you know how manufacturing companies have created “needs”, things we supposedly absolutely have to have or our dwellings are not clean. Obviously, this is a myth. It does not take $100 worth of products and “stuff” to make our houses sparkle. I do a major cleaning twice a year, towards the end of spring and the beginning of winter. Never have I spent more than $15.00 on cleaning products  to clean my home. New items like the Swiffer products are not necessary, convenient and time saving, yes; but not necessary. The chemicals in the cleaning solution on the swiffer and like items can actually be harmful, while the pads take up landfill space. These are all the items and cleaners that you need to spring clean your home.

Broom, dustpan, mop, bucket, rubbing alcohol, baking soda, all purpose cleaner or a bucket of mild soap and water, rags, and yes: a toothbrush.

Use the bucket of soap and water and the toothbrush to get into any cracks or small areas of furniture to clean away winters grime and dust. Rinse tootbrush with clean water and wipe any soap out of crevices. Use a rag to dry.

Clean all windows, glass, and mirrors with rubbing alcohol and a rag. They will really sparkle. If you worry about lint on these surfaces, use newspaper(black and white print only).

Use a bucket of mild soap and water and a rag or scrub brush to clean walls, base boards, floors, etc. For grungy looking wood furniture you can scrub the wood with mild soap OR my personal favorite, Murphy’s wood oil soap. Rinse with a clean, wet rag then use an oil like olive oil or linseed oil to make the wood shine again!

Use a paste of baking soda and water for “soft scrub”. Use on sinks, tub, and tile.

Don’t buy expensive smelly powders for your carpet. Just sprinkle your carpets with baking soda, let sit for 15 to 30 minutes and vacuum as usual.

Wash all washable rugs, curtains and table cloths in the washing machine. Curtains can actually be hung back up wet and let them air dry. The smell from the soap will make your rooms smell wonderful.

Sweep and mop all washable floors. Apply any floor wax treatments if you choose to do so.

Open your windows and let the entire house air out. Bacteria, dust, possibly mold, and other allergens build up in enclosed houses over the winter. Let them all out!

Following these steps will make your entire home smell and look wonderful! Don’t forget to declutter also! Most often we let mail, magazines, newspapers, old clothing build up over the winter. Recycle and donate whenever possible!

Mandy Sly, The Domestic Goddess

http://embraceyourdomesticgoddess.com
“The quality of our life should not depend on the quantity of our possessions”

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~ Mom’s Coffee Break ~

Helping working mothers not just survive, but thrive!

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