Thursday, October 30, 2008

What Does Bear Breath Smell Like?

About 10 years ago, I was a photojournalist.
I was on a wildlife shoot at Prairie Winds Wildlife Rescue Center.
They set a bear free (I did it a few other times, one with a mountain lion, another with wolves).
While all the other photographers were keeping a safe distance from the bear, I, naturally, got down to her level, and in her personal space.
She trotted right over to me, kissed the camera, then stood on the camera and gave me a smooch.
My thoughts in the first photograph were "Wow! This is amazing!"
My thought in the SECOND photo were: "Um, ok, a little close!"

And lastly, I thought.. "Did ANYone get that on film??!!"
If you ever wondered, a bear's tongue feels like moist velvet!





A little while later when the "smart" photographers were still keeping a distance, she was chomping on my sturdy leather boot because she thought it was prey. I still have the boot with her rather sharp teethmarks in it!

Friday, October 24, 2008

Our First Car Show!

I'm in the process of restoring a little 1980 MGB Limited Edition. Only about 2,600 made it to be sold in the U.S. between 1979 and 1980. The LE model only comes in black, with rubber bumpers.

So I've been doing work on her bit-by-bit and though she's not finished (I'm going to put chrome bumpers on her, and a new dash), there is a classic car show this weekend not too far from my house.

CLICK ON THE FOTOS TO ENLARGE


They are expecting about 1,000 classic cars, and you can enter your car and compete in your class. During the show, you parade the cars down the local streets for spectators to oooo and aaaa at.


SO... this is my first car show with this little classic car. Any girl should be fluffed and buffed before being put on display, so I spent a couple of hours today lovingly washing, waxing, and detailing her. And as a special treat, I repainted her lugnuts a shiny black, because every girl should get a manicure before going out on the town!

Check out her license plate...
Wish us luck at the show!!
Barbara

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I'm Taking the Plunge!

With the lack of attractive alternatives for people qualified to run our country, I decided the US people couldn't do any worse...
I'm running for President! VOTE FOR ME!
http://www.tsgnet.com/pres.php?id=46832&altf=Cbscbsb&altl=Esb9hb

Monday, September 17, 2007

I was attacked by a mountain lion

Ok, that's the story I'm going with.

It beats telling people I tripped and fell on my face while hiking the Grand Canyon!

After hiking back to civilization, I found a cute Ranger to take me to the Canyon's clinic where they put a few stitches in my knee, and bandaged of various extremities. Xrays showed I also broke my nose (nice shiners, huh?)

How, you may ask, am I going to tie this into a business lesson... well, I've found a few ways:

1. it is ALWAYS possible to find the positive in any situation. I did NOT break my hand or my knee caps, which would have been a much greater handicap than breaking my nose. I don't type with my nose (although I have tried it after too many glasses of red wine).

2. I had to stay an extra day in the Canyon after being put back together again by all the king's men at the great clinic. However, because I have processes in place, and most everything is outsourced, I didn't have to worry about my business grinding to a hault. My incredible team took care of everything.

3. The personal lessons were numerous, but the most important seems to be to slow down. I was hiking at a fast pace. Now that I can't walk so well, I have to hooble slowly everywhere. It's changed my normally fast pace of life into a more deliberate pace, where I watch every little thing that's happening.

4. Misteps will occur in life and in business. It's HOW we deal with them that counts. After I fell, my brain kicked into survival mode. I felt no emotion, just focused on problem solving. I found myself creating a process in my head!
Step 1: hike back to civilization;
Step 2: Assess and clean injuries;
Step 3: Get medical attention.

So when emergencies happen in your business, reacting emotionally may not get you to a solution. Rather, assessing the damage and devising a plan of action will more quickly help you past the situation.

So when faced with a "mountain lion" stay cool, get help, and above all... remain positive!

Barbara (aka Scarface)



Sunday, July 22, 2007

Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

I live in beautiful arizona where in the summer, it is common to have temeratures in the low 100s.
It is also equally common to hear people complain about the heat, which is starting to annoy me to no end.
So for those of you complaining about the weather, wherever you live, I offer you a fresh perspective:

When I CHOSE to move to Arizona, I was well aware that it got hot in the summer. So during my house hunting trips in the winter to AZ, I would crank up the heater in my rental car and close the windows, to simulate the summer heat. Then before I moved, I spent everyday in the dry sauna at my gym for as long as I could stand it, to acclimate myself to heat.
Lastly, I did a mental adjustment. During the "heat training session" I would visualize my body sweating out all its emotional and physical toxins. I left the sauna feeling renewed.

So now, when the temperature reaches 117 degrees in Arizona, I simply visualize the cleansing of my body, heart, and mind। Afterall, I did CHOOSE to live in Arizona, so I frankly have no right to complain about the weather.

Ok, now I'll hop off of my soap box and ask you: what things in your life are you complaining about, but you've chosen to be there or do that?
Now change your perspective on it and turn it into a posiitve.

REVEL in the heat!

Barbara

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Do you ever want to strangle your spouse?

I know it's a strange title for a newsletter issue... but let's talk reality here.

Do you ever have days when you just want to strangle your significant other, business partner, best friend, colleague, etc?

Go ahead, you can admit it... we're all friends here.

We all have a gripe:
"My spouse is getting under my skin today."
"My business partner just doesn't understand what I need."

Sometimes, the relationships in our life cause us more grief than we think they're worth. And relationship hassles can definitely effect our business success.

This week, I'd like to share my musings on relationships, and how you can create ones that will support, encourage, and help you grow in your business life.

Here are my 12 Tips for when your primary relationships are getting on your nerves:

1. Take responsibility for YOUR part in the conflict or misunderstanding. It always takes two to have a conflict!

2. Make your expectations clear to your partner in a loving manner.

3. Be the kind of partner YOU'd want to have (Yes, this will involve taking a hard look at yourself).

4. Take a breather. Sometimes, you just need some space to care for yourself.

5. Look in the mirror. Ask yourself what you can do to improve yourself as an individual.

6. Write down your gripes. Now burn them.

7. Create a plan of action with your partner - put it in writing and sign it. That way it's not you vs. them. It's a mutual commitment.

8. Engage your intellect. It's impossible to THINK and FEEL at the same time. Choose thinking during times of emotional upheaval.

9. Lighten up. Not every conflict has to be solved right away. Sometimes you just need to walk away and come at it again later.

10. Recognize you have multiple choices in how to feel and act. The beauty of being human, is you get to CHOOSE your perspective. Take responsibility for all of your reactions.

11. Be clear on your expectations of yourself, your partner, and your relationship. Communicate them in a calm manner.

12. Focus on business. When it comes down to it, you cannot let emotional stress effect your business decisions, or your ability to get things done. Just keep pushing through and focus on your REVENUE-generating tasks.

BONUS: Act with kindness. No matter how bad you think it is, negativity will ALWAYS make it worse.

BONUS 2: This is the hardest one: Do something NICE for the person you're mad at, when you least want to.

As an entrepreneur, you are solely responsible for your income: an equally frightening and exciting proposition. SO when relational problems are causing you stress, make sure you are at least getting the #1 things done in your business that will generate revenue - then be sure to take time to process and address the challenges after you've handled business.

I'd love to know how you handle relationship stress when it invariably occurs. Email me your thoughts and I'll share them in future issues.

To your success,

Barbara Drazga (Check my new entrepreneur resources http://www.wealthpromotion.com/)


p.s. Remember, "Wealthy people are programmed for success." Learn How to Follow Your Dreams Now!

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Thursday, April 20, 2006

Marketing Lessons from a 4 Year Old Boy...

I just spent a week visiting family in Denver. I stayed with my brother's family that included my 11-year old niece Amanda, and my 4-year old nephew Ryan. I've not spent a great deal of time with Ryan, and I learned a few things this week about 4 year olds, and about myself.

For instance...
-Did you now that a little boy's brain never stops working, and delivering its musing to his mouth... unless he's watching a cartoon?

-I learned that there is no filter between a little boy's brain and mouth, resulting in the purest form of honesty I've ever seen. This particular item can cause much embarrassment to surrounding adults when sensitive facts are revealed loudly in public places.

-It is almost impossible to have an adult conversation around a 4 year old without him picking up only the words he shouldn't be hearing and repeating.

-I learned that you can't get away with ANYTHING with a 4 year old. He'll call you on your "stuff."

-I learned of a child's incredible capacity for spontaneous affection and expressions of love.

-And I learned that to a little boy, the song his aunt quietly sings to him to put him to sleep doesn't have to be on key. It just has to be sung from the heart for him to believe it is beautiful.

On the last evening of my visit, little Ryan asked me to put him to bed. I discovered that this process involves a structured procedure. We did the normal things like going potty, brushing teeth, and turning on the closet light to keep the "dream monsters" away.

It involved reading a Furry Kitty book, with "voices," as we cuddled together in his bed.

Lastly, to my surprise, his final request was for a "beuford" song. (I think he meant "beautiful" song). In response to this unexpected request, I defaulted to the song that is closest to my heart, as the first song I sang on stage with a choir, and later as a soloist: "Over the Rainbow."

I felt more pressure than I ever have as I quietly sang the entire song, while my darling nephew patiently listened to every chorus. When I was through, and after a few beats of silence, Ryan opened his eyes and said to me "Aunt Barbara that was a "beuford" song." Then he closed his eyes, turned over and snuggled up for sleep.

As I left his room enveloped in my nephew's unjudgemental love and acceptance, I decided for his birthday in July, he'll be gifted a CD of Aunt Barbara singing his "beuford" song softly to put him to sleep when he wants to remember me.

Thought I don't see my niece and nephews often, my goal is to create little moments during our time together that they'll remember and treasure about their Aunt Barbara. It's memories like these that make me feel connected to them when we're apart.

To tie this into an entrepreneurial issue, here's my lesson for this blog post:
It's about Quality over Quantity.

Some marketers think that if they just "bug" their email lists enough, people will buy. They beg, plead, use every copywriting "trick" they can, and wonder why their sales are still low.

My nephew has taught me that the quality of the information is so much more important than quantity. While you may not communicate with your list every day, when you do send something to them, make sure it is useful, timely, and gives more value than they expect.

It's simple: Give people what they want, plus more than they expect, and make every communication count; and they will give you their business.

And when they want a "beuford" song… give it to them. It will pay off in spades.

To Your Success,
Barbara Drazga