Do-It-Anyway-Thursday

Posted on February 21, 2013 by MarleneMB

Do-It-Anyway-Thursday, especially when you don’t feel like doing it…

1) Want to work out but don’t feel like it, get up, get dressed, get going
anyway
2) Want to write that book but the words don’t come, start typing anyway
3) Want to give that speech but feeling fearful, give it anyway
4) Need to make more sales call but fear rejection, pick up the phone, smile
and dial, call anyway
5) Want to start that non-profit foundation, but not sure how the start,
research, reach out and start it anyway
6) Going on that audition and not sure if the role is for you, give it your best
anyway

The sky is not the limit, when you do it anyway. Keep pushing and see you on the side of Living the Diamond Life! Living a Life of Purpose!

Live a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose!

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He Sent Me Angels

Posted on February 19, 2013 by MarleneMB

Excitedly, I drove along I95 towards the venue for our Toastmasters’ Area Contests on Saturday morning. As the contest chairperson, I left out early to ensure that I was in place to get everything ready prior to the attendees’ arrival. Daydreaming about how I wanted to arrange the room and envisioning the guests and contestants having a great time, I suddenly heard an unpleasant sound coming from my car. You know the one, the thud, bump, blop, and blop of a flat tire.

In complete disbelief, I started bargaining with God: “Please don’t let it be a flat, please don’t let it be a flat.” But the dashboard indicator light for tire trouble came on…yes it was a flat. I looked around and saw an exit was only a few feet away. I got off and my prayer changed: “Please let me be able to change this tire quickly!” (My brothers and taught me how to do this when I was younger. But who wanted to change a flat when one is all dressed for a meeting!)

As I exited the highway, I recalled that a gas station was a block away. I pulled into the station and open the door only to smell and see my tire smoking. A man walked out of the convenient store at the same moment. He asked: “Do you need any help?” It was as though the clouds parted and a ray of light shone around him. “DO I NEED HELP! Heck, Yeah!” I thought. I simply told him, pleadingly: “Yes. Pleaaasssseee.” He told me to move up more and he immediately started to help me. As I emptied the trunk to get to the spare (note to self…don’t keep junk in your trunk), he told me to leave the heavy lifting to him.

Then the next problem occurred. It seems that the lug nuts on my tire did not match the opening of the wrench for the car. He tried, but nothing worked. At that moment, another vehicle pulled it. The driver saw our struggles and asked if we needed help. We told him our dilemma and he pulled out a four-pronged wrench and one of the heads fitted. Hallelujah! Another parting of the clouds, another angel in place. Between the both of them, my tire was replaced. The second angel sold me the wrench for $5 and they both refused to take money for helping me change the tire. Hugs were given in place of money!

I happily drove off and made it to the venue well before most of the guests arrived. We had a most wonderful event! Afterwards, I drove to my mechanic and had to purchase a new tire for the car. He said I was very lucky that the car didn’t go out of control, because the tire was so badly damaged (see picture). I told him luck had nothing to do with it…God had His guardian angels around me that day!

Live a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose!

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Social Media – Attraction or Distraction

Posted on February 12, 2013 by MarleneMB

I joined social media to promote my businesses and to build my brand awareness. I started out on LinkedIn in 2007 because it is a viewed as “the” professional social media site. Since then, I have joined Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, etc. In its Nov. 2012 Internet report, Pew Research states that over 69% of adults in this country are on one form of social media. (63% are men and 74% are women…no surprise there!) We women are social creatures.

I have found that managing these many social media sites is a full time job; if one is not careful. At first I was happy to post information about the products and services we offer and updating my professional information. I grew my market base and met new business partners via social media sites and social media events generated from these sites. Life was great.

Then I got hooked into Facebook with my family and friends updating every life’s events: vacation trips, trips to the movies, trips to the mall, etc. OMG (Oh My God), WHT (What the Heck) as I have learned to type from social media. These sites were eating up my time. I developed a love-hate relationship with them. If someone followed me on Twitter, I felt obligated to follow him or her. If they mentioned me in a tweet and retweet (RT), I had to thank them and mentioned (MT) them if I want to grow my followers.

I was drowning! One day, I had a revolt and decided that I was mad as heck and I wasn’t going to take it anymore. I decided I’m not going on for the rest of the week. That lasted about ½ day! Can we say addict? Anyway, I found out that I was not alone, about 54% of the women and 42% of men that are on social media get on every day. (Pew Report 2012)

Many people said that social media is a distraction. In a recent Mashable, an online technology news site, article, reporter Jennifer Shore writes that social media distraction may be costing the U.S. economy $650 Billion or $4,452 per company! We spend over 12 billion hours on social media, annually. Wow! Think how many pairs of shoes or power tool one can buy! (Hahaha).

Don’t hit the panic button yet. We still have some control. As with any self-indulgent activity, we have to power to moderate how much we do or use something. I have resorted to use tools such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to manage most of my social media sites. These tools allow me to view the sites simultaneously and to post information across all. I also have allotted specific times when I will jump on these social sites. According to Pew about 61% of people state that they generally take breaks from Facebook. This is due to boredom, too much gossip or simple as a way to fast for Lent.

Personally, I take breaks to focus on getting my projects done and to stay focus on being creative and connected offline. When I feel like I have sometime important, or inspirational, I jump online and share it. I have learned to use social media as an attraction and not a distraction. See you on LinkedIn or Facebook or Twitter or YouTube or whatever!!!!

Live a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose!

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Please visit our websites: www.marlenembryan.com and www.higherroadconsulting.com

Realizing a Dream

Posted on February 10, 2013 by MarleneMB

There are many things I want to experience, accomplish and/or learn in life. I wanted to learn more about Emerson’s and Thoreau’s works, I got that in my Masters program. I wanted to live near the water; I got that when I moved by the Bay. I wanted to learn to ballroom dance; I did last year, thanks to my friends, Anita Fain Taylor and Miguel Seca. There was one thing that was a desire from a long time, one time that seemed far from my reach. This was to learn how to paint. I have painted rooms, chairs, etc., but I wanted to paint a picture.

My father painted when he was alive. My brothers know how to paint. They seem to acquire the talent naturally. My sister and I were not that fortunate to have this talent. Like a lot of people, I thought I could only draw stick men or do painting by number for the rest of my life. Then, appeared Conni Gordon. This almost ninety-year-young woman conducted a painting class that I was fortunate to be one of the students. The other participants and I had lots of doubts about our ability to paint anything, much less the ones we created. This painting included in this article is now one of my proudest possessions. Thank you Conni Gordon for fulfilling one of my life’s dreams.

Now to learn how to scuba dive, play the piano, a guitar and the drums; travel around the world; learn to speak French, Mandarin, and so on and so on!

Live a Diamond Life! Live a Life of Purpose!

Please click to like our Fan Pages: MarleneMBryanLLC and HigherRoadConsultingCorporation

Visit our websites: www.marlenembryan.com and www.higherroadconsulting.com