Unemployed and feeling useless?

There are a lot of people who are going thru challenges right now. Some have lost their jobs, some have had hours reduced. Others have the same income, but with prices rising they are trying to figure out how to feed the kids, or get Halloween costumes, or Christmas gifts. Or just get by.

For those that are feeling unwanted due to a lay off, downsizing, realignment, deselection (or whatever word they use where you work), it may be a good thing to remember that one of the best ways to combate depression is to do something for someone else.

There are only two ways we can help anyone, with our time and with our money. So take some of your time and find a way to give. Volunteer with an organization like the Second Harvest Foodbank, or with the local school, or a youth organization. Or go to a neighbor and volunteer to sit with their kids while they go out to cheap movie, or just to watch the sunset and breathe!

The benefits to volunteering are many, and include the fact that you are sowing good seeds (which will come back to you multiplied!), and that you are getting to know others. And getting to know other people is also known as - tada - networking! And since most jobs are found through networking, you are benefiting yourself.

So go give to others and give to your self esteem at the same time.

God bless!
Robin

And how does the newest economic news affect me?

Wow, things have been really, um, interesting, in the past two weeks. The financial sky is falling according to some, and according to others, it's just a low cloud ceiling that will break up soon. Regardless, a lot of folks are concerned.

The concern has done a couple of things. It has reinforced that the financial security of your family does not come from your employer (we learned that years ago, when companies began wholesale layoffs!). Nor does it come from your employer's "secure" retirement pensions and 401k. If the company uses loans to do business and is traded on the stock exchange, security is not available any more!

A lot of people are asking for my help in developing their financial security. The look of relief on their faces as they realize they can control their future is wonderful. It's why I do what I do!

People are also feeling very depressed that they cannot support the charities they have in previous years. In a way, they take on a guilt that they don't have the disposable income to share. I took this on as a challenge and am having a lot of fn and great success helping charities to raise funds with no stress, no hassle, no financial exposure, and no need to ask families to spend money they would not normally spend.

In short, the economy is an opportunity to serve more and I am loving every minute of it! Success is often defined as 'how many people are better off because you lived?' I hope you are finding ways to serve and give, and be successful, too. Please let me know how. And if you know anyone who has a need, would you let me know? I'd like to help!
Gratefully,
Robin

Self Fulfilling Prophecy

When I was in undergrad (Special Education at Indiana State University) I learned about the concept of the self fulfilling prophecy. In a nutshell, studies show what we all know. Kids will live up or down to what they hear you say about them. If a kid hears, "This little girl is sweet, but she probably won't be very good in school, she just doesn't have the smarts," odds are she won't be that great. And she will not think of herself as smart. The more they hear it, the higher the chance they won't succeed.
While I was in grad school I was exposed to a great book, "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself" by Shad Helmstetter/ It helped me understand more about how the concept actually works and how it is even more powerful for ourselves.
And tomorrow, I will have a great example of the truth of this principle. Tomorrow, I walk in the Walk From Obesity at Concord Mills, Concord, NC. I care about this cause because I have dropped 180 pounds in the past three years, through diet, exercise, and gastric bypass (Roux en Y with Fobi Band). But the actually journey began a couple of years before that, when I started using self talk to change my self image to be at 180 pounds (rather than the 423 that I was at when I began). I still have 60 pounds to go, but I *know* that I would not be where I am if I had not changed my self image through influencing my self fulfilling prophecy.
So I encourage you to get the book and use this to make your life more enjoyable!
To your personal success!
Robin

Do it yourself!

Just Sell has a quote today that is awesome! "There is no path. The path is made by walking." Antonio Machado (1875-1939) Spanish poet.

That is so true. All the great achievements come because someone just did it, and continued to do it, till it became reality. They may have followed where one or two went before, but not on the beaten path, instead, on the road less taken. Never did the great successes come from doing the exact thing that many had done who had come before.

For me, that means coming up with unique ideas to help my friends and customers succeed. Life is all about helping others. And if I can do that and be creative (or at least as creative as I have the ability to be! LOL) then that's a blast.

One of my favorite poems is The Road Less Taken, and it was one of my Mom's too.

So today, take action, start walking, and make a path for others!

Who made a difference for you?

Thinking about the people who have made a difference in my life, I find a common thread. My parents, my business coaches, brothers and sisters, in-laws, significant managers, others in the family. They all believed I was more than capable of doing something special, at least in one area of my life. And they told me so. Often. I never doubted how they thought of me.

When I think of them all, the greatest gift they gave me was to believe in myself. And it has shown up in interesting ways. Going to law school in my late 30s while working full time, no problem. Starting up and running several successful businesses over the years, done deal. Having an incredible marriage because we work at it and because I believed I was worthy of being married to such an incredible man; it's a given.

The most important part, I am obligated to pass it forward. If you notice that I'm not, will you remind me please? Thanks!