Tag Archives: positive communication

Foursquare Needs Some PR and PC Cleaning

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Foursquare is getting a potty mouth

How were you punished when your mom caught you saying a “not so nice” word? Did she make you wash your mouth out with soap? Did you get sent to your room or were you grounded for a week?

FOURSQUARE’S BLUE-NESS

As I was using the geo-tagging, hyper-local service Foursquare today, my eyes stumbled upon names and words that I normally do not like to read – and I was offended.

I know some peeps will call me old-fashioned with this post – and I do understand freedom of speech – but I never expected to see what I read today and the volume.  For you see, I simply wanted to check into my local grocery store this afternoon on Foursquare and in doing so I had to scroll through so many crazy dumb names before I landed on Vons.  Such places were listed like “Whore House,” “Sexy room,” or the “Sex Cave,” etc., etc., etc. I even noticed that someone in my vicinity listed her home as “the town drunk lives here!” What’s wrong with people?

I’ve noticed this happening for some time, but it wasn’t as prevalent as it is now.  Try searching the word “whore” on Foursquare and you’ll be astonished what comes up! You will see what I mean.

There's Always Some Rotten Apples that Taint A Good Thing

With potty mouth taking over this platform, I would like to recommend Foursquare start to enforce some policies where certain terms (i.e., whore) are not appropriate and thus are banned from the service.  Other services do watch what’s posted, like Facebook and myspace. Sometimes we have to police people for themselves.

I do like Foursquare and have enjoyed it, but if it continues to get more and more vulgar, I will stop and recommend others do so as well.  It’s getting quite the potty mouth lately.  Have you noticed it too?

FOURSQUARE MAY NOT BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS

I have a been a giant fan of the application and think it is a tremendous service for businesses. I would hate for it to become a place where childish blue humor hangs out.  I’m all for creativity…but seeing ho and drunk and sex all over the place isn’t good for business. For what business wants to be listed being near “the town drunk?”

Note to Parents: In addition to checking in on your kids Facebook comments, also check about how they have listed your crib on Foursquare.  You may be surprised what they’ve labeled your lovely home as and more specifically, their bedroom.

I wish Foursquare would issue a badge for good behavior on Foursquare! Now that’s an idea I would endorse.

Cindy

The Importance of Controlling PR Messages

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PR, staying on message

When Changes are Made, Is Everyone Aware that Needs to be Aware?

How many people at your company are allowed to directly communicate with the media and customers?  For some corporations that possess customer call centers the numbers can be in the hundreds.  And perhaps for you, the answer is just one.  You’re the chief cook and bottle washer – and that’s OK — for this post today addresses the need for clear communication no matter the size of the company.

Communication Messages Need to Be Planned Ahead

With that, I would like to address the need for every sized company to have a six-weeks communication plan in conjunction with your media strategy.

What’s a communication plan? A communication plan is document that spells out what messages you want to promote for the next six-week period.  For instance, in the case of timeliness, the next six weeks in real-time includes Thanksgiving and pre-Christmas events. Therefore, a company that provides services should plot out in advance what discounts, promotions, special offers and other such things are to be conveyed to the customers via advertising, PR and/or social media during that period. This plan helps your company stay on track or stay on message.

As an example, if you offer spa treatments as your service, perhaps on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) you could offer a 25% discount on foot massages for weary shoppers.  Or on the day before Thanksgiving, you could offer $10 off on a pedicure, so your customer’s hands look wonderful as they stuff the turkey!

These messages are important to your business and as such, should be a part of your marketing and/or business plans.

Now the next question is, how do you convey these messages to those who interact with your customers? Is every layer aware of your objectives so that they can clearly communicate the message?

Don’t Forget the Layering Effect of Messages

When you are the decision maker it’s very easy to switch gears and make changes without thinking about how it effects the rest of the company.  What may seem like a good idea to you, make not to your head of marketing. The head of marketing has a very involved media plan that she’s implementing that is in motion.  One change could absolutely topple a beautiful, synergistic launch of a product.

Per the diagram below, I’ve outlined how many layers go into communication departments.  In most companies, PR and/or Corporate Communication departments have substantially less staff than does marketing.  And when dealing with social media, depending on which department is responsible for its duties, either PR or Marketing, it’s imperative that a plan is in operation that can quickly filter down any changes in messages to all involved in interacting with the public.  One bad message can shoot down the best intention of efforts. Therefore, it is crucial that the persons involved with implementing the messages are always kept informed.

Stay on Message - PR Tips, Cindyronzoni.com, social media

It's Important to Remember to Alert Everyone Involved of Changes in the Message

Stay on Script

On movie and television sets, there is a person who’s main responsibility is congruency. This person makes sure that the set is the same, the clothes, the hair, the lighting, etc. matches from take to take.  For instance, if there’s an apple in the scene and at the end of the scene it has two bites out of it…the head of congruency makes sure a fresh apple is in this particular scene for every take and that at the end two bites are taken out.  A script supervisor does the same. That person makes sure that the script is followed word-by-word and that any changes in it are recorded thusly.

And that’s the new job you must do if you are engaging with customers over such things as Facebook. You must make sure that the staff responsible for answering comments on Facebook is aware of your script.  They must know that your $10 discount on pedicures is only for one day only and not offer it the entire weekend. You are in charge of congruency and the script up keep. You can do it for the only way to be a great communicator is to communicate.

I’d love your thoughts on this topic.  I do plan to address the need for a communication plan tomorrow when I speak on a panel at ProductCampSoCal. The panel is called  Social Marketing Panel: The Social Spectrum- Social Strategies for Both Large and Personal Brands and I be on the panel with some of the industry’s best brand practitioners, including Scott Schang of Broadview Mortgage; Stacey Harmon of Harmon Enterprises, Kirsten Wright of Wright Creativity and moderator Mel Alcaro, author of The Social Media Marketing Essentials Guide For Small Business Professionals.

PR AND SOCIAL MEDIA GO HAND IN HAND

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Social Media Conferences Provide Valuable Education

I’ve been asked to join a panel on Saturday at ProductCampSoCal addressing this particular topic: Social Marketing Panel: The Social Spectrum- Social Strategies for Both Large and Personal Brands. I am joined on this panel with some of the industry’s best brand practitioners, including Scott Schang of Broadview Mortgage; Stacey Harmon of Harmon Enterprises, Kirsten Wright of Wright Creativity and moderator Mel Alcaro, author of The Social Media Marketing Essentials Guide For Small Business Professionals.

In preparation for this panel, we gathered together last weekend to talk about what we wanted to address and as such I wanted to give you all a little precursor to what I would like to convey in the hour discussion.  I will be speaking from the point of view that public relations is an integral part in any branding process. That’s the hat I’ll have on Saturday and it’s one I’m comfortable wearing.  But, from what I experienced from our pre-meeting is that this is going to be an information-filled panel chock full of valuable take-aways. It will be a panel not to miss.

Did you know that if you participate in social media, then you are also doing the function of PR?

Yep, that’s absolutely true.  By putting yourself or your company out there, exposing it to the public (consumers) and allowing them to comment back…you have now opened yourself to handle customer service and public relations. Whereas, a few years ago, if a company wanted to advertise say either on radio or TV, an ad would run and it would be static.  The call-to-action was simply buy the product, not comment on its performance.  With social media, you are now giving your customers a pipeline to express their views and opinions about your efforts. And when social media is done right and people become engaged that’s when you need to ask yourself if you are ready to hear what they have to say, even when it isn’t nice or sometimes untrue.  However, once a comment appears that is negative against your company, that’s when you need to put on your PR hat and ask yourself questions such as:

  • How are you going to handle the complaint if its legitimate?
  • Will you take the comment offline?
  • Will you remove it completely?
  • What will you do if it becomes viral?

Social Media Isn’t for Everyone

I believe a company, nor matter the size, needs to take a hard look at whether or not it has the bandwidth to take on social media.  Social media isn’t just having a Facebook page and updating it occasionally. To do it well,  a strategy must be made, social policies need to be thought out (i.e., how you will handle off topic comments, trolls and negativity) and a staff must be in place to “listen” to what others are saying about your company online. It’s not something you simply can assign an “intern” to handle. It must be supervised by an employee who understands your product and one who understands messaging.

The Internet is Chock Full of Helpful PR and Social Media tips

If you are not prepared to start interacting with your customers online, then its best not to utilize this communication platform until you are ready.  By not entering into social media at the moment, it one of the wisest decisions you can make until you feel confident.

Social media isn’t easy and one that requires a learning curb. However, to help you understand if its for you there are workshops, meetups, clubs and camps like ProductCampSoCal that can help you navigate these waters and often at no cost.

It’s well worth the investment.

If you are attending the conference, be sure to say come and say “hi.”

Socially,

Cindy

GOOD PR STARTS AT HOME

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The Best PR Starts at Home

Do People Feel Welcome Working With You?

Imagine knocking on a friend’s door and your friend just opens the door for you to walk in. They don’t say hi to you nor call you by name, they just let you in and walk away. No, hellos. Nice to see you. Thank you for coming over. Nothing.

This is what happened to me recently when I volunteered at a major conference. I volunteered to work the event for a rather long time period. For this duty, the volunteers would be furnished lunch…it all sounded good to me and I was happy to be of some help.

But….as soon as I reported to duty things went awry.

I was told to be there very early in the morning and thus, was the first one on the scene. The staff I reported to showed up a hour later. And if that wasn’t enough, they never said hello, or thanked us for volunteering nor did they even care to know our names. And lunch, forgetaboutit. One of the volunteers had to remind them of their offer so they ordered a pizza.

This poor experience reminded me of this hard fact - the best PR starts at home. Here’s what I mean by that.

1) When working with volunteers – it is imperative that you make them feel welcomed and valued. They are as important to your event as the event. Without them, you would not be able to produce the event on a shoestring budget. So do your best to make them feel special.

2) PR people need to be friendly. I am embarrassed that I even have to write this statement. But, I am mortified to meet other colleagues that are not friendly to the press nor to people around them. Being relational in this field is a must.

Are you really Friendly

Are You Friendly or Just Appear to Be?

So, this little lesson isn’t just applicable to working with volunteers, it also applies to your Facebook page, website and reactions to the media.

Therefore, when people visit your Facebook page – do they feel welcome there or do you turn your back on them? Do you know their names? Do you not only listen to them, but do you truly hear them.

When a visitor lands on your website, how are they greeted? Can they easily access the information that they need most like how to contact you. Is your phone number prominently displayed or are you just selling them something?

As you can see a friendly welcome will go a long way in life and business. Check your attitudes online and in-person to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.

There’s no risks involved in being friendly and it all starts at home. Make sure when you put your feet on the floor to start the day, that you remember a warm hello and greeting will go a long way.

Thanks for reading and I hope you know that you are always welcome to leave messages or comments or can contact me directly. If I can ever be of any assistance, I hope you know my door is always open. You will always be greeted!

Thanks for the read.

Cindy

Twitter is the New Wire Service

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Tiger Woods learned about his Ryder Cup standing via twitter.

This morning while I was working out ESPN reported that Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin denied that Tiger Woods was getting one of the four wild card spots on this year’s 2010 U.S. Team.  Pavin further went on to say that the official announcement will be made September 7.

OK, you may be saying, big deal, Cindy – this is just an another announcement.  But, it wasn’t. This story broke on twitter. Yes, the Ryder Cup Captain held his own presser (press conference) via twitter. He controlled the news by breaking it –which led me to think about how different the present PR practices are from the past.

In the past, news was usually broken by a scheduled press conference. But, today, celebrities/politicians and those in the public eye are taking matters in their own hands.  No longer do these public figures need to rely on an establishment or a PR firm to announce their latest endeavors.  Now, they can just tweet it and the results are just as effective as a press conference.  Heck, besides messages, you can tweet out images, videos and power point slides too. twitter does it all.

So the question really is …are press conferences things of the past? The answer to that is definitely no.  However, they are not as prevalent or necessary as say last year.  Not only is this sad news for PR agencies, but for the news media.  I mean – how in the world is the news media going to monitor every one’s twitter account? You need a mighty big tweet deck to do that to catch breaking news.

Ryder Cup Captain Corey Pavin's tweet

However, if we unravel how Pavin was able to get the word out successfully today (@RC_Captain_2010), I’m sure that among his nearly 7,000  twitter followers, some of those folks were members of the golf media.  Thus, they must have seen it and retweeted and reported it. With one little 140 character message, Corey Pavin broke news in less than a minute and then went about his day. There was no need to set aside a block of time to phone the sports media.  All it took was a one short message to get the message out. I personally think this is marvelous.

This was a great case study and it’s only the start.  I think the journalists of the future will have large monitors on their desks and be assigned certain people to follow on twitter. I can only see this area growing…twitter has now become the new wire service.

Birthday Greetings in a Digital World

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Digital greetings are as sweet as traditional cards

So, yesterday, as many of your are well aware – it was my birthday. I usually like to lay low on my b-day and would rather deny that I’m a year older, but in this day in age of social media….the whole world knew about it thanks to Facebook and there was no way to duck it or run and hide.

My first greeting came when I checked in at my local gym.  After my fingerprint was scanned, the cute, perky trainer behind the counter shouted Happy Birthday. Boy, was that a surprise and it was a nice way to start the day. It totally caught me off guard.

Secondly, I took advantage of a Glen Ivy’s Hot Springs “free” birthday pass.  Yes, for those living near this Corona, Ca. day spa – guests get in free on their actual birthday. I love these promotions and I wish I could see the research on the effectiveness of such promotions.  I mean who attends alone – you always bring friends with you. I normally would not have visited this spa on my b-day, but this free gift was certainly inticing during this tough economy. I had a wonderful time.

Last year I took advantage of “free” admission into Disneyland on your birthday. They no longer have that promotion this season, but that too, was a wonderful marketing ploy.

Yesterday my phone was vibrating all day long due to a number of greetings coming from all parts of the globe from Facebook friends.  The power of Facebook is mind-boggling. And I mean that in a good way.  I must say I enjoyed each message – they were like wrapped gifts themselves. I was always wondering who might appear next.

Facebook Makes Your Birthdays Bigger Than Life

In summary, birthdays in my opinion have gotten better thanks to the digital age.  The celebrations are bigger for the reach now can encompass anyone on Facebook.

I loved getting these messages and I’m sure you’ve had wonderful Facebook examples too.  You don’t need to buy expensive gifts anymore – a 420 worded message is a gift worth giving over and over.

Until next year,

Cindy

PR Preparedness-Be Ready to Handle Crisis in A Moment’s Notice

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Sorry that I was absent for a week…I took a little breather from blogging, but I’m back with a vengeance.  While I was away did you get a chance to read Jeffrey Zaslow’s article in Wall St. Journal “Keeping Your Foot Away From Your Mouth.”

Sometimes Sorry Doesn't Clear Your Name (credit: imey0106)

This article reminded me of the importance of being prepared for when the time comes when your client (or executive) or even you may say something that the press may construe as being offensive.  And then in a matter of moments you are on the defensive.  These are the days that that you dread as a PR pro.

Every day we can find examples where people have publicly put their proverbial foot in their mouth.  Look at these diddies from this week alone.

First case in point – former USC Mike Garrett - When he learned about the sanctions imposed on that institution by the NCAA for recruiting violations  he told a gathering the following according to the Los Angeles Times.  “As I read the decision by the NCAA, I read between the lines and there was nothing but a lot of envy. They wish they all were Trojans.” Later he added, “Today I got a purpose for really wanting to dominate for another 10 years.”

These comments did not help secure his longevity as you can imagine and last Monday he replaced by Pat Haden.

Foot in mouth syndrome 2 – The premature firing of Federal employee Shirley Sherrod of the USDA.  For those of you following this case, some of her comments at a past speaking engagement were taken out of context and presented on the web. These comments were not positive and reflected upon her poorly.  As a result, the Agriculture department did not check the facts and thus, hastily fired her, when she actually was innocent in the incident. Whoopsy!  What was the result?  The Obama administration had to issue a public apology which in turn caused them much embarrassment. By observing The President over the last two years, I’m sure he was not happy about this incident and how it tarnished his efforts.  You can read more about the story here.

Celebrity Character killers – As a publicist there’s only so much we can do. Anyone who advises a client who has blatantly said or done something that cannot be excused by entering rehab or civic duty — is something that they have to live with.  I am a firm believer in truth and not in cover up.  And I have no problem in advising clients to be remorseful if that is how they feel if they acted poorly. And telling them that they are accountable for their actions.

Actions by celebrities are easily captured now through such outlets as TMZ, Perez Hilton, US, People, etc. These outlets are the prowl of the latest celebrity dish and it’s not that hard to find at times. All they need to do is watch a star’s twitter account these days.  So when a talent twitters something that sullies their reputation-there’s  not much a publicist can do.  What defense do we have?  Do we think this line works — excusing them for their actions because they were inebriated when they wrote it and it wasn’t their intention? The first time this excuse may work, but after that, their credibility get shot.

We all must be accountable for our actions.  Tiger Woods is experiencing this and is careful about his reputation now. He knows he is being watched by the public.  Kobe Bryant had to overcome a situation a few years ago and has kept out of the headlines with scandal.  Laying low does help people forget past issues.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words (credit: Getty images)

But, for those like Mel Gibson and Lindsay Lohan it is a different story.  For Mel, if those tapes are proven to be his voice, he needs to go get some help and then enter back into the limelight when he has changed his ways. And for Lindsay and the fact that she painted that profanity on her fingernail. She did that. No one else can take the blame. How can you defend that action as a publicist other than to say…that it was a cry for help?

With anyone now having the ability to broadcast and share their words through social media, we must be mindful of our words.  We all are held responsible for our actions and accusations. We all must filter our thoughts, actions and deeds online for you are accountable.  And at the end of the day, there’s only so much you can clean up. Yes, people can forgive others, but they also never forget.

Just today the facts came out about Facebook. Over 500 million humans have accounts across the globe. That breaks down to one-out-of-seven people who are using it.  And that fact makes me shudder. It scares me to think about how many of those users are unaware of the power behind words and the damage that can result by misinformation.  If you don’t think it can happen to you, just look at Ms. Sherrod.  Her comments were edited unbeknownst to her.  The same thing could happen to any of us. We need to be smart online.

In summary, be mindful of all that you say, do, write and text.

But, if you do find yourself in a spot of trouble…I’m just an email away.

Cindy

Fairness on the Job?

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If you had to downsize staff-would you let go Mary or Ted?

(Readers: This is a post I just wrote for www.JobWorkTeam.com and I thought it would be applicable to to the PR and freelancing world. I’d love your thoughts!)

We’ve discussed appearing desperate in interviews.  We’ve addressed how one shouldn’t talk about grievances about past employers and employees during the job interview and today, I’m going to talk about fairness on the job or better yet the lack of it.

This is a difficult post to write for I would like to say that companies treat employees fairly.  If I’m living in a glass is half full world, then I would say that I believe most companies try their best to be fair to their employees.  But, at the end of the day, every employee knows that the HR department is there to protect the company and not the employee. There’s just no way around that fact.  It’s written into the DNA of business.

If you have worked for any period of time, I’m sure you have witnessed some things that just made no sense and thus, you had to internally process it and move forward the best you could for there are some things that just aren’t fair like…

  • When you hear that a job/promotion you were up for and should have gotten, ultimately went to a friend of the boss who had no prior experience.
  • Or you’ve conducted several interviews for a position and then hear they’ve put the job on hold.
  • Or you’ve worked your tail end off and you’ve been promised a promotion that ultimately goes to the worker that you’ve been cleaning up after.
  • Or the company is downsizing by 3 percent, so they let you go and kept your boss who knows barely nothing.
  • Or when they change your shift and suddenly, you the one with tenure, has to work nights again.

I was talking to a friend about this phenomenon today…the phenomenon of when good people are let go and weaker ones get to stay.  And as such, he reminded me of the last episode of the 70′s hit TV show “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” where new management takes over the WJM-TV station.  The new executives fire the entire staff, except the klutzy, tongue-tied, vain, buffoonish newscaster Ted Baxter.  I thought how true that episode was.  How many times have you seen great people be let go and the better “sweet talkers,” less experienced people get to stay. It’s just the way of life.

In another side note, I had a different discussion with a fellow freelancer and he made another astute point that I never really thought of before. He recently spoke to a class of freelancers and he gave some great sage advice.  He told them the truth.  He said that we all have competition in our fields and usually it isn’t the best one who gets hired…it’s the one that the boss (client) wants to hang out with. He emphasized the fact that if the client is comfortable with you, then they will keep hiring you.  And you know what there is some truth to that.

So, when you’re on the job, expect that some unfairness will come your way and quickly learn how to brush that off.  Remember who you are and what you bring to the table and forget about that issue as best you can.  One tip that will help you stay at the job longer is my second point today – have a comfortable relationship with your boss. Be the go-to person when things are topsy turvy in his life. Help alleviate stress – be there for him/her as a support.  It will go a long way and if she/he loses their job, then they will want to hire you at their next position.  Why? Because that’s the fair thing to do.

Great advice for everyone

A Secret PR Tip

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Are secrets ever harmless?

I’ll going to let you in on a little secret. Secrets are a dangerous tool in your public relations tool chest any way that you look at them. When your client is keeping a secret from you – that’s deadly and when you use them in your strategy – that’s never a good thing. So my advice to all you budding publicists and those more advanced is to never go that route ever if you have the choice. For secrets, always have a way of rearing their ugly head.

And there are several examples to point toward regarding this “bad” practice. The primary example….Former President Richard M. Nixon. Did he or his cabinet ever think that they would be implicated in the Watergate break-in? And for more modern examples…how about Tiger Woods and Jesse James. Do you think that their “playing” the field with other women besides their wives would ever get them into trouble? Tiger even had a team surrounding him to keep things quiet – or for that matter secret.

This secret caused an impeachment. Heck, even the secret of "Deep Throat" was exposed.

Or corporately….Toyota. Did they think that they could forever sit on not warning some of their customers about the acceleration problem?

And on more personal grounds, how many people do you know that have had a secret in their family and it get uncovered. These secrets may have been not exposed during that person’s lifetime…but sooner or later they eventually did-a secret love child, a secret way of life, etc.

Here’s my best advice regarding secrets in communication matters.

  • 1) When something is exposed, whether its true or not about your client – ask your client point blank if there is anything that they should tell you about the situation. Get all the truth you can out of the person in the strictest confidence.
  • 2) After that, talk to the lawyers involved on your side and ask them if there is a secret that you need to know about…get all the facts you can.
  • 3) If there is a secret and you know it – work to position your client in the best way in the comments that you will craft surrounding the situation. But, you will have to start to expose the truth.
  • 4) When exposing the truth, make sure that you address only facts and keep it short. Say the least that you can. Have you noticed how short all of Tiger Woods’ press conferences are?
  • 5) And be sure to get in front of the story.
  • 6) And always work in conjunction with the lawyers on the case.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Owners Frank and Jamie McCourt are telling all their secrets in an ugly divorce.

Did you think that the McCourt’s (LA Dodgers owners) dirty laundry would ever be exposed? Well it is, thanks to an ugly divorce. Did Mark McGwire ever think that he had to expose that he used steroids? He came clean last January.  And now even criminals don’t stand a chance due to the incredible DNA process which identifies them more quickly than before.  So you see — Secrets are never a safe practice.

The saying the truth will set you free is always true. Work toward truth in all that you do, for lies and secrets, will eventually be uncovered. And they are no fun when it happens on your watch.

I’d love to hear your thoughts regarding secrets in the PR practice. Whisper them here in your comments.

Best,

Cindy


Be Kind To Yourself

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I love this message - Be Kind for everyone you meet is fighting a battle

Ahhh. The start of a new year…better yet a new decade.  If you’re like me you’re hearing from just about everyone that they feel big things are in store for us in 2010.

For the first time in my life, I feel that everyone wants to be optimistic about this new year and are hoping that their lives will turn around from what they experienced in 2009.

I too am optimistic that we will see more positive growth in 2010. But, my post today is about you and my hope is that you are being nice to yourself, nevertheless.

A new year does bring expectations as well as goals and resolutions.  If you are under pressure due to the economy or because you are in a career transition it is VERY IMPORTANT that you heed this advice.  TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME.  Don’t let the added pressure of a new year, cause you anymore stress than you already have.  Check your innards to make sure you’re not putting any extra importance on turning things around.  You can only do so much. The only thing that you can control is your attitude.  So make sure you are working on making yours one that will help you stay positive as you weather the change in your forecast.

So right now, hand your burdens over and take some deep breaths.  That optimism you feel, feel it for yourself.  Things will turn around.

In my work group meeting today, one gentleman landed the perfect job after looking since September. The position was with his ideal company and his pay even increased.  People are landing jobs!  I was very happy for him, but was mostly impressed with one of his statements. He shared with us that the best thing that happened to him last year was being terminated.  He found out more about himself in the job search than he ever imagined and it caused him to dare to dream and land a job that he would love as opposed to keeping a job he could perform with his eyes closed.

So view your struggles in a new light.  Is your character being built?  What good can you see or lessons are your learning?

My advice is stay positive.  Try your best to push those negative thoughts out of your path.  Forget about the new year.  Just concentrate on today.

Check your pressure gauge daily!

So, don’t despair.  Take care of yourself.  Set realistic goals.  Like air in a car tire, make sure you have enough pressure for a smooth ride, but don’t add anymore to it.  You don’t want any blow-outs. Be kind.

What am I doing to make sure I’m not over-stressing?  I’m resting when my body says so. I’m taking lunches with friends to stay balanced.  I’m reading books that are positive and I’m writing.

That’s what I’m doing and I’d love to hear how you care for yourself. Do tell!

Well, I heard from my good friend Christy that this post reminded her of Journey’s “Be Good To Yourself.” I have to agree…this song will make you happy so I definitely needed to include in it in this post.  Sing along!!!!!!!

Journey – Be Good To Yourself

Best,

Cindy

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