Dr. Wayne Dyer and Mrs. Louis-Charles – Their Legacies, Lives and Love Impacted Many

Posted on August 31, 2015 by MarleneMB

Two of my favorite people left this realm, yesterday: Dr. Wayne Dyer and Mrs. Louis-Charles. They existed in different physical places on this planet, but reside in the same place in my heart.

On one of my restless nights at approximately 2 a.m. in the morning in the year 2003, I came across a PBS show. The person on the screen was talking about “Intention.” He mentioned about being connect with the “Source of the Universe.” I was intrigued by what he was saying so I didn’t change the channel. As I watched, I learned that his name is Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Ever since watching that show, my outlook on life “shifted” to reading, learning and implementing more of Dr. Dyer’s teachings of: Connection, the Power of I Am (respect of the God within us), encouragement, the importance of embracing life’s journey and of universal love. His teaching had such a great impact on me so much so that I included him in my book: “Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters.” He was one of my Spiritual Diamond Cutters.

Wayne Dyer touched millions of lives in his time here on earth. Maybe he even touched yours. I didn’t get the chance to meet him face-to-face. I was looking forward to doing this at his events in Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. Interesting enough, one of his daughter, Serena, and I were classmates in our Masters Degree program. She exudes her father’s teaching. I truly believe she will continue on with his legacy.

Mrs. Louis-Charles was not as famous as Dr. Wayne Dyer, yet she was famous in my heart. You won’t find her on social media or television. She was my sister’s mother-in-law. This woman was love personified to me. From the first time I met her, I felt love. She was always welcoming with her words of encouragement and her grace towards others. Mrs. Louis-Charles met my son, Tarik, a few times. My sister said she always asked about Tarik because she saw something special in him.

Whenever they met, Mrs. Louis-Charles would give Tarik a great big hug, She would also tell him he has talents. She encouraged Tarik to develop and share his talents wit others. Each time I think of her, it brings a smile to my face and my heart. I hope to be like Mrs. Louis-Charles that when someone thinks of me, they smile. Do you know someone like that? Are you someone like that?

Mrs. Louis-Charles loss her battle with cancer the day after Dr. Dyer made his transition. Here is my simple tribute to two beautiful human beings: one well known to others and one living a quite life. Though they are not with us in this physical realm, they continue on within my spiritual heart. Their examples of love, encouragement and kindness towards others have permanently imprinted on my soul. Their legacies live on in us, the ones they have touched.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page to allow me to share more Purposeful thoughts, ideas and experiences with you. Feel free to leave a comment or share the article with others.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the Toastmasters District 47 Media Manager,. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a Speaker, an Author and a Business Coach.

Magic in Manhattan

Posted on June 18, 2015 by MarleneMB

Buckets of rain kept pouring down as we drove through the streets of Manhattan. My nephew maneuvered in and around the traffic to get me to my book signing event at Sister’s Uptown Bookstore. He was determined to get me there on-time for my “Special Event” as he called it.

The torrential rain was just another obstacle I had to face on Tuesday. The day started with me arriving at the airport only to be told that my flight. This was cancelled due to some difficulties at the arriving airport. My heart almost stopped! I told the valet that there is no way I will miss getting to New York that day. I had my book signing after all. He instructed me to go to the main reservation desk.

Wheeling my bags frantically and praying unceasingly, I found one of the JetBlue personnel who directed me to the front of a line. She told me someone would be able to help me. When I approached the counter the young man said there is a seat available at the same time to JFK instead of Westchester, my original destination. I told him I would take it. A little over an hour later I was on my way to New York.

Knowing that I made it to NYC on-time gave me the strength I needed to be optimistic that folks will turn out for the book signing despite the rain. This faith proved to be true. When we walked into the store, I was greeted by one of my sorority sisters. She came all the way from Sheepshead Bay to support me. This was more than an hours ride on the train.

Not long after, others turned out for the event. My heart was filled with joy as my friends and family came out to support me. I saw folks I hadn’t seen in years, including my brother that lives in the United Kingdom. This will be one of my favorite moments in this journey called “Life!”

If you are faced with obstacles today, here is what I recommend:

Don’t give up.
Take a deep breath and believe that it will work out.
Have faith in yourself that you are strong enough to handle it.
Enlist the aid of others that will take some of the burden off you.
Push forward and see the magic unfold.

It was a thrill to be able to conduct one of my book signing in one of the few books stores left in Harlem. I am so grateful to the owner, Jenifar (I even like the way she spells her name), and her assistant in being such wonderful hosts. If you are in Harlem, check them out at 1942 Amsterdam Ave. They were a part of my Magic in Manhattan.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach.

Press Forward. Press Harder. Press Smarter.

Posted on April 6, 2015 by MarleneMB

“Failures, repeated failures, are finger posts on the road to achievement. One fails forward toward success.” ~ C. S. Lewis

Tempted to give up? Don’t. Think of all those that have failed or have fallen, but they kept pressing forward to reach their goals. The numbers are too many to count. Just take a look for yourself across the global and throughout history.

Know that you are not the only one that may be struggling to achieve building your dream business. Instead of quitting, focus on what to do next. Focus on the steps that will get you there. Then take the time to celebrate each achievement to keep your spirit up.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint of hearts. It is for those that dare to dream; those that live each day pressing forward, harder and smarter to achieve success.

I’m continuing my quest to press forward, harder and smarter. The reward I get each day that confirms that I’m on the right path far outshines the desire to give up!

Don’t quit now. Press Forward. Press Harder. Press Smarter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Marlene M. Bryan is a Distinguished Toastmaster, DTM. She is a certified speaker and leader by Toastmasters International. She is currently the District 47 Public Relations Officer, and leader of the Public Relations Team. She provides her services to over 3800 members throughout the district. Marlene is the owner of Marlene M. Bryan, Corp and Small Biz Evolution, LLC. She is a speaker, an author, and a coach. Pick up the latest copy of her book:

Live a Diamond Life, A Life of Purpose: Diamond Cutters

Before You Start – Shred Your Fears!

Posted on February 23, 2015 by MarleneMB

What’s holding you back from starting your own business? What fears are lurking in your mind? What is keeping you from pressing the start button?

In my last article “What are You Waiting for? Start Your Business Today,” I mentioned three common fears that plague would-be entrepreneurs:

Fear of Failure
Fear of leaving the familiar, i.e. working for someone else
Fear of the level of effort it takes to start and run ones own company

The strongest of these is the Fear of Failure. This fear involves fear of what others may think or say about us. We are worried that folks might think of us as failures. We are worried about being rejected.

A friend of mine conducted a Vision Board seminar this past weekend. She had the attendees write down three fears on a notecard. Then she told them to put them in the shredder. This was to help them visualize their fears being shredded to pieces. These fears will no longer be there to haunt them.

Now this doesn’t mean that they will not experience periods of doubts. The method my friend utilized was a step in facing ones fears. I’m encouraging you to do the same with your fears.

Here is how you face your fears about starting a business:

Admit that they are there.
Write them down. This will bring them to the forefront and allow you to address them.
Write down the emotions associated with them. Are these emotions based on fact or fear?
If it is a fact, write down the worse case scenario that may occur should you fail. Make a plan that will counter the possibility of failure and act upon it. For example, if losing investment money is the fear; then, make a plan that involves a budget that you can start the business without laying out that much money. Or seeking out other sources for investments such as an investor or partner.
If it’s simply a fear – shred it!

Here is a great quote to remember when you are worried about what others think.

“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

If you feel stuck, unfulfilled, scared or in a place where you are not moving towards your dream about…”Starting Your Own Business….. WE CAN HELP!

Join us for this informative Webinar on what it takes to make “YOUR” dream of self-employment a “REALITY”!

What You Will Learn…

Characteristics of a successful Entrepreneur
Defining The Vision
The 5 Steps To Starting Your Own Business
Transformation: from Dream to “Reality”!
The Business Plan!

RESERVE YOUR SPOT NOW!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page. This will allow me continue to write and share with you on a variety of topics.

Guard Your Time Wisely – 5 Reasons Why Using an Agenda is Powerful

Posted on February 13, 2015 by MarleneMB

© [www.emotin-flash.de] / Dollar Photo Club

“Is it possible for us to meet sometimes next week? I am changing my business direction and I would like your advice on my plans.” This was the call I got from a former colleague. I said: “sure.” I believe in not charging for my first consultation session with anyone. Thus I agreed to meet with her to see how I may assist her.

When the former colleague and I met, she went around in circles about this new business direction. She also brought up a subject not quite related to the business. She also brought up a subject not quite related to the business. I shared some information with her while trying to figure out what was the true objective of the meeting. Finally, I told her that I had to meet my obligations to my current clients and walked her out to her vehicle.

Before her departure, she turned to me and said: “I know you are very busy and your time is limited, but I hope I am able to show you the value of my product. I didn’t get the chance to demonstrate it to you.” It immediately clicked in my head that this was her true objective. It wasn’t that she wanted my advice; she wanted to sell me her product!

As you can imagine, I was a bit annoyed that she approached it in such a deceptive way (in my opinion). I would have appreciated that she was more direct about her true intent. I probably would have listened to her pitch in the first place. Instead she wasted her time and mine.

My fellow business owners guard your time wisely. Ask for an agenda prior to meeting with someone that wishes to conduct business with you. Provide an agenda; if you are the one leading the meeting. Here are five reasons why using an agenda is powerful:

1) Clearly Defines Meeting Objective: When you put an agenda together for a meeting, it is wise to state the purpose of the meeting. I generally put that in the overview section of the agenda. It is the first item I list. This reduces any confusion the meeting attendees may have about the reason for the meeting.

2) Keeps the Meeting On Track: It is so easy for a meeting to spiral out of control and run overtime when you don’t have an agenda. People may agree upon the objective of the meeting, but someone may go off on a tangent that veers the meeting in a different direction. This often results in the objective not being met.

3) Respects People’s Time: Time is precious. If you are a business owner, you may realize that times flies quickly. The day is done in flash. Providing an agenda for your meeting shows the folks attending that you value their time. It also helps the meeting time to be utilized more effectively.

4) Uncovers Any Open/New Item: The agenda should include a question and answer period to ensure that all undisclosed items are discussed. You will find that an open/new item section helps to reduce conducting multiple meetings about the same thing. Generally, clearing the air by using the open discussion segment brings everyone to the same understanding.

5) Schedule Follow Up Meetings or Discussions: It is not often that one closes a deal on the first meeting. Usually a one-meeting close occurs during a commoditized product and/or service sale. For the most part, larger or more complex sales take more than one meeting. If you are just doing business with the person for the first time, you often find that you have to build a relationship with you clients in order to close these types of deals. Putting “Follow-up” on the agenda makes it easier for everyone to coordinate his/her schedule immediately in ordet to set a date for the next conversation.

There are more great reasons for incorporating an agenda into your next meeting. These five methods are the ones that I use to better serve my clients an me. I also suggest that you send the agenda prior to your meeting. This will give the decision maker an opportunity to add necessary items or remove ones that are not relevant.

Again, guard your time wisely. Give your meeting Power. Try these tips when creating your meeting agendas. Let me know how they impact the effectiveness of your meetings. Have a Happy Meeting!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for reading my post. Please hit the “follow” button at the top of the page. This will allow me continue to write and share with you on a variety of topics.