Honor Those Who Came Before Us

By on November 15, 2010 in Uncategorized
Suffrage Parade (LOC)
Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr

“Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.” - Albert Einstein

Just for a moment, let’s be grateful to those that paved the road to where we are.

I am grateful for those who guaranteed my birth in a free country, those who won me the right to vote, to bear arms, to disagree publicly with my government, to choose my work or to stay home with my children.

I honor those who came before me to begin works of charity and organizations dedicated to human betterment, those who cure illness and those dare to blaze new and unknown trails.

They inspire me to ask what can I create and what I can give.

What can you give?

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Why Do We Need Permission?

By on November 12, 2010 in Life Juice, Mind Matters

Sometimes it can be lonely working from home. I had been thinking about getting a fish for some time now, but I had to get past, the “pets are for kids, we already have two dogs and a hamster and it’s another responsibility” thinking.

A few days later I happened to be having a conversation with a couple women I know minimally and somehow the topic of my “fish desire” came up…no idea how we got on that topic, but… I offhandedly mentioned that I would like to have a fish in my office to look at, talk to, to help me relax.

One of the women, whom I’ll call Kay, very simply leaned over and said to me, “and so you should have a fish.”

And somehow I heard her words in my head “giving me permission” to have something I would like. Then, I had to ask myself why I would need permission to have something I want. Why does indulging in our wants, our wishes cause many of us to break out into “selfish guilt” hives?

Still trying to figure that one out…but in the meantime…

What things do you long for, but deny yourself because you “need permission?” I’m not talking about extravagant budget-breaking expenditures, I’m talking about often small things that your very soul desires, that you refuse for no real reason.

I give you permission and in Kay’s simple words, “and so you should…”

An update: It is now Nov. 2012 and “Fin” my red fish is still alive and well and keeping me company as I work every day…

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51 Tips For Saving Money on Technology

By on November 9, 2010 in Uncategorized

This article was originally published in September 2009, but as I was reviewing it I find that it is still just as relevant today.

By The Readers of Small Business Trends

PRACTICAL TESTED TIPS

We asked the readers of Small Business Trends to contribute their best real-world tips and advice for how small businesses like yours can save money by using  technology, or how to save money on technology purchases. The following tips and pointers represent the combined wisdom of small business owners, their staff and stakeholders.

– Anita Campbell, Editor, Small Business Trends

BUY POWERFUL COMPUTERS TO LAST LONGER

“Initially purchase more hard drive, memory and a larger monitor than comes standard. It will increase the useful life of your computer and decrease your costs in the long run.”

Shared by: Leslie Knight, Knight Performance Management, LLC, www.knightpm.com

Twitter: @ITMinefield

USE GOOGLE ALERTS TO FIND DEALS

“Before I make a decision on a piece of technology, I scour the review type websites like CNET and PC Magazine. I pick two items that have great reviews, and set Google Alerts for them-with the word “deals” next to them. For the next few days I monitor the prices that come up, and buy when the time is right. This works!”

Shared by: Joel Libava, The Franchise King, www.TheFranchiseKing.com

Twitter: @FranchiseKing

GO EASY ON WEBSITE BELLS AND WHISTLES

“Talk to your customer before you build your website. You may be surprised that she will not use more than 50% of what you are going to build. That’s 50% savings in technology budget and time.”

Shared by: Chaitanya Sagar, People to Work With, p2w2.com

Twitter: @Chaitanya

USE HOSTED SERVICES AND OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE

“Many are free, like Thunderbird, and are better than most paid alternatives. Others, like Jive’s hosted PBX, are significantly less expensive than the traditional products. Switching from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice alone will save you about $100 per user per year.”

Shared by: Brent Thompson, Jive Communications, www.getjive.com

Twitter: @GetJive

SWITCH TO FREE ONLINE BOOKKEEPING SOFTWARE

“I had a tough time when my computer crashed right before April and so I scrambled to find another solution where I would not have to depend on doing books on one computer. I chose www.outright.com and like it very much as I can enter my expenses from any computer. It’s FREE.”

USE DISCUSSION FORUMS TO LOCATE DISCOUNTS

“When shopping for technology products, this site can be addictive: www.Slickdeals.net . The forums are full of deals submitted by users and sometimes there are great bargains. Check this site first for coupons or deals before shopping for technology products. I saved $5 in Best Buy last week with a coupon from here.”

GO TO SWAP/EXCHANGE WEBSITES FOR BUSINESS BOOKS

“Read business books by renting them or swapping them: bookcrossing.com, bookins.com, bookmooch.com, and PaperBackSwap.com.”

Above 3 Tips Shared by: Shashi Bellamkonda, Network Solutions, blog.networksolutions.com

Twitter: @Shashib

Read more…

© Copyright 2009, Small Business Trends LLC – http://smallbiztrends.com Reprint/ posting permission granted so long as this work is published in its entirety.

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Lessons Learned: Month 4

By on November 3, 2010 in Health & Wellness, Life Juice, Mind Matters

My husband has been deployed for 4 months now. Looking back gives the impression that time has flown by, but as it is passing it seems excruciatingly slow. A few more months to go, but we are on the downslide now.

Lessons Learned: Month 4

  • Put yourself at the top of the list – Don’t just give it lip service, do it! You’d think I would have figured that out in month 1, but for some odd reason human nature turns us into martyrs. We consistently slip to the bottom of the priority list, the section that we never get to. We tell ourselves that it’s only temporary and that sacrifices are necessary. Sleep – who needs it, meals – sitting or sometimes eating is optional, breaks – yeah right, relaxation – what’s that? If we are not careful, we sacrifice ourselves right into burn-out.
  • Approach a deployment as a 2nd job – We absorb dual parental responsibility, extra household responsibility and sometimes additional family responsibilities. In addition we need to set aside time to communicate and care for our partner from afar. Whether that takes the form of email, phone, Skype, mailing packages or all of the above, it is an additional time commitment that wasn’t there before. I received some very wise counsel this month from a brutally honest confidant. “You were operating with a full plate before your husband left. How did you honestly expect to absorb all of these extra demands and still keep everything in the air?” Well, I guess I never thought about it that way. Now I will.

This month’s take-aways; self-care is non-negotiable, delegate, defer or delete responsibilities to make room for extra demands.

Today I am grateful for the biggest lesson I have learned so far: Taking care of myself is the foundation for a fulfilling, purposeful life.

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Do You Have a Supply Strategy For Your Office or Home?

By on November 2, 2010 in Uncategorized

Here’s a hint: You should.

Do you know when to order and when to wait? How you can make the most of your limited dollars without sacrificing in other areas? Have you identified your usage cycle?

Let’s look at some examples of supply strategies that I have seen:

The “just in time” model:

  • The rationale behind this strategy is “There’s always more.”
  • These people keep just what they need on hand and no more. When they run out of paper, pens, paper towels, notebooks, cleaning supplies, materials or whatever, they pick up the phone or run out to the store for more. Why should I spend my money on buying extra when I can just get it when I need it?
  • The upside – You don’t spend money or waste storage space before you need to.
  • The downside – You risk paying top dollar by missing sales and quantity discounts, work is delayed when you run out of something and time and effort are required now to procure more supplies.

The “hoarder” model:

  • The rationale behind this strategy is “Never run out.”
  • These people keep stores of supplies so they will never run out of anything. They have full storage areas, shelves and basements. They order in bulk and buy at a discount whenever possible.
  • The upside – You never run out and supplies are within arm’s reach.
  • The downside – You spend money upfront that could be spent in other ways, storage space is required that could be utilized for something else and you risk “spoilage” – damp paper, dried up pens, obsolete supplies that are no longer useful or necessary.

Isn’t there a better way? A more sound supply management strategy? So glad you asked.

I suggest the “maximizing” model:

  • The rationale behind this strategy is “Make the most of all available resources.”
  • Asses your usage cycle – know how much of each type of supply you require in a given time period. I recommend 3–6 months.
  • Purchase supplies when they are on sale or at a discount, but only enough to get through your 3-6 month cycle. Batch by ordering different supplies together to minimize time spent ordering and save on shipping or purchasing costs.
  • The upside – You won’t run out, you reduce storage space, you save time and money and cut supply waste. You gain the satisfaction of knowing that you are maximizing your resources.
  • The downside – Uh…You have to be careful not to appear too smug to your friends and colleagues.
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