How to tell if your cat is "stoned"…

Well, this weekend I made the 15 hour trip from Denver to Phoenix to take the cats and my car down. I fly back in a few days to collect my belongings in a truck for a leisurely 3 day drive to Arizona to visit the sites, take lots of pictures, and reflect on my old life, and new adventure.

The first 4 hours of the drive were noisy, as the cats loudly declared their unhappiness at being stuffed into separate carriers and sequestered in a hot car. I did have the windows tinted before making the trip, naturally, and even gave them each a dose of kitty tranquilizers before starting the adventure. The vet told me that when their inner eyelids partially close, I'll know they are "relaxed." "They'll feel like you do after having a big turkey dinner," he explained.

Now for those of you who don't know my little bundles of fur, Michelle is a 15 year old skittish Russian blue with a sweet heart. Scooter is a 16 lb 15 yr old male who's sole purpose in life is to kiss and cuddle with as many people as he can (kinda like an Italian!). Megan, the baby, is a 3-year old angel. Being a calico, she is especially vocal.

The girls did alright on the trip, but Scooter - my sweet, cuddly Garfield cat, metomorphed into a vicious psycho cat from Hades. In 15 years, and several moves that included an overseas jaunt, this big ole' lover suddenly turned into a spitting, hissing, scrappy drugged up psycho demon with glowing red eyes. (Ok, his eyes didn't glow, but they certainly looked weird with that inner eyelid half shut - ewe!). I've NEVER gotten that way after a turkey dinner… except when they make me do the dishes.

It wasn't until the "kitty downer" wore off that my sweet boy reappeared to kiss my nose and cuddle with me in the hotel we stopped at after 12 hours of driving. This complete change in personality gave me food for thought (hey, it was a long trip!). Was the sweet cat his true nature, or did the drugs bring out his true secret character, the vicious hell-kitty? I did not give him sedative the 2nd day just to gauge his reaction. He reverted to his "normal" sweet self the rest of the trip. While I have my darling Scooter back now, I will likely be cautious for a while when he asks for a tummy rub… hey you never know…:-).

Ok, enough of the drugged cats… now onto the important stuff. As I started my drive, I passed a billboard with a saying that hit home for this adventure. Now grant it, since this decision to move began 6 weeks, I've liquidated almost 70% of my belongings, having had to sort through everything. This gave me plenty of opportunity for reflection and introspection as I evaluated the pieces of my life. I decided that a full housecleaning both literally and figuratively was in order at this point in my life.

The billboard read simply: "Plant Yourself in Richer Soil."
I have no recollection as to the purpose of the message, but it certainly hit home for me metaphorically. I am moving to Phoenix to plant myself in richer soil. Isn't that something we all could do from time to time? We attend events where we're surrounded by intelligent, stimulating people and new ideas, meet new and exciting colleagues, entrepreneuers, move… plant yourself in richer soil.

To pass the time I listened to audio books the entire way down. I discovered that the sound of a male voice speaking for hours is quite calming for the cats! And, I now have the most enlightened and multilingual cats on the planet, having learned some Italian phrases, and listened to two wonderful books! My cats now know how to ask for directions to the post office should they ever get lost in Italy.

I am undergoing a transformation with this move. The beauty of moving to a place where you know nobody is that you can basically reinvent yourself! You can create new habits in your new environment, and be anyone you have wanted to become, because no one knows who you are anyway! That said, I listened to the Celestine Prophecy, and the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People… twice. Steven Covey is amazing. I highly recommend this book to read at least once a year. You get something new from it every time!

(Hey, I have to drive my belongings down next weekend so I need more audiobooks! If you have any book recommendations, please email me or post them here!!) barbara@wealthpromotion.com

I want to share one thought with you that I heard on Covey's audio book. It's a quote from T.S. Elliott.
"We must not cease from exploration. And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we began and to KNOW that place for the very first time."

This saying can apply to business, relationships, and our internal lives. I see this as the ultimate in self-exploration; rediscovering ourselves over and over and learning each time we do it, the person who we’ve become through the process.

And no, I haven’t taken any of the kitty drugs. ;-)

Hugs,
Barbara

p.s. I've finished my Tuscan kitchen! See it here! www.rainbowproperty.net/AZhome.htm

p.p.s. I'm considering producing the "Wild Web Workshop" and a "Real Estate Investing Summit" here in Phoenix. Email me with your input! Barbara@wealthpromotion.com

The Art of Moving Home and Business

One of my readers suggested that “someone” write tips on how to move a home and business. Not one to back down from a challenge, I took the bait.

I’m not sure if I’m doing the move from Denver to Arizona, “right,” but I’ll share the tips I’m using to make it a smooth process.

On the flight home from Arizona, a few days after signing an offer on my new home, I wrote a project plan that included three Stages:

1. Stage 1 involves sorting through my life belongings, and either a) discard, or b) give to Goodwill. What remains, gets packed to move.
1. I chose to sell almost all of my furniture, except the antiques, and rent my townhome.
2. Stage 2 involves moving everything that is packed or going to Arizona in a rented storage unit, to free the house up for cleaning and selling furniture in a house sale.
1. I’ve put up a website listing what I’m selling, and have listed a lot on eBay (www.rainbowproperty.net/movingsale.htm)
3. Stage 3 involved cleaning and selling and renting, then calling a moving company to pick up the contents of storage and cart them to Arizona.

An added challenge is the existance of 3 cats, and running 3 businesses.

(If you have ideas on how to rent a 3 BR townhome in Aurora, CO, please send me your tips to info@rainbowproperty.net).

So I put the businesses into maintenance mode, hired a few people to handle orders, and put expansion plans on hold for 60 days until the move is done. As for the cats, well Megan keeps filing herself in the file boxes, Scooter set himself aflame on a candle that was used to freshen the air, and Michelle, well, she’s pretty much cowering under the bed until the whole process is done (or until I pack the bed!).

I can’t *wait* for the 14 hour drive to Arizona with three yowling cats in tow!

I packed everything in the kitchen, eat off of paper plates, and gave away all the food to my local church, and eat out. I’ve also packed my entire office, except for the neccesary office supplies.

Then, I placed an ad on Craigslist.org for moving and packing help, and hired two people, both with large cars, to help pack and move everything to storage.

I’ve kept two small boxes for last-minute packing to put in car.

There is a packing SYSTEM, naturally. Everything is photographed, then packed for shipping, labels applied, inventoried, then stacked carefully. All furniture is placed on left-hand side of storage unit so movers can load it into truck first. The lables are printed with the ROOM NAME first (so the movers know where to put it), then a number (ie: Den-1, Den 2, etc.). Beneath that, a brief description of the contents (office supplies, books, education, files).

I print “FRAGILE” stickers on flourescent stickers for the breakable boxes, wrap all furniture in buddle wrap, cardboard, and shrink wrap to hold it all together. The boxes to be opened first, I’ve used a pink highlighter to color the packing label. The photos and inventory list go to my insurance agent who wrote my home owner policy.

I am tackling the move as I tackle a business challenge or project: I created a plan, developed systems, and hired people.

If you have any input on making a move painless, leave your comments!

"I'm moving to Arizona!"

I‘ve been saying these words to friends and family for just two weeks now. At first, I was confused by the two most common questions I received immediately upon stating that I was moving:

1. “Are you moving there for a job?”
2. “Did you meet a guy who lives there?”

It occurred to me after fielding these questions multiple times, that the people who asked them really didn’t know me at all.

They simply gave me blank stares and nodded politely when I told them that I am moving for neither of those reasons.

Society expects that these are the two main reasons for someone to move to anywhere, I suppose.

As an independent, adventurous entrepreneur, it didn’t even occur to me to a) move because I’m dating someone (he can come to me, too, ya know), OR b) move for ANY job. My businesses come with me. That’s one of the incredible perks of creating a business structure that can be run from anywhere in the world: freedom to go where you want, when you want.

I now accept these questions with a certain amount of amusement, and recognize that this is the “normal” mindset. But as my CLOSE friends, colleagues, and students will attest to, I am anything BUT normal!

For the record, I am moving for several reasons:

1. I’m sick of snow
2. Extreme heat a few months of the year, is the lesser of two evils: snow and heat
3. Phoenix contains a huge entrepreneurial sub culture
4. I LOVE the house I’m having built, and the community in which it rests
5. Moving can be a very cleansing experience as you sort through, discard, and pack your LIFE
6. I just feel like a change after 8 years in Denver

So if you live in or near Phoenix, AND you can relate to my reasons for moving, pop me an email. I should be up there end of July.

You can see photos of the new digs at www.rainbowproperty.net/AZhome.htm

Back to packing!!!

Corey Rudl-1970-2005

I learned through a friend and colleague in the Internet Marketing community today that one of the industry's leaders died in a car crash yesterday.

Corey Rudl, just 34 years old, was brilliant young man who made life-changing contributions to our industry. After I heard the news, I called and emailed some mutual friends to ask them about their experiences with Corey... how they met, and how he enhanced their lives.
The consensus was that Corey left this world LIVING it to the fullest. He encouraged all of his friends and students to live life with passion and enthusiasm, which he did till the end.

Some of my friends share their thoughts...

Perry Marshall, the Google Ad Words guru says:
"I learned a lot from his email newsletter, and many practices he pioneered are standard today. He was one of the very first people on the planet to build an affiliate program, and he was the first to apply many offline DM methods to online marketing."

John Alanis of WomenApproachYou.com added:
"He was one of the very few people who I can say I have the utmost respect for-- he was a good man."

Michael Murdock, DocMurdock.com
"The man did some amazing things with our internet and taught so many of us marketing tips and tricks that helped propel our businesses skyward on the Internet. His muse will be truly missed."

Heidi Richards, Founder & CEO, WECAI.org
"I am sending a card on behalf of my entire board of advisors.
Wishing you all the best… and then some."

I received many other stories about how Corey helped people build their businesses, how private a man he was, and how he responded quickly and openly to people who asked his advise.

I heard a song this afternoon, not long after I got the news that I think is befitting of this event. It's a country song "Live Like You Were Dying" that tells a story of a man diagnosed with a fatal disease and the doctor recommends for him to live the remainder of his life with passion, love, and daring in every act.

The man spends his next days skydiving, Rocky Mountain Climbing, riding mechanical bull, and watching an eagle fly, forgiving old hurts, and loving everyone and everything deeper. I submit that Corey did just that, not knowing of his fate. A lesson I believe we can all learn from.

Corey was married just last year. I send my sincerest wishes and prayers to his family and staff, and all those who loved him.