Quote for Today

"I trust that everything happens for a reason, even when we're not wise enough to see it." - Oprah Winfrey

The Golden Rules - Read on.

There was a one hour interview on CNBC with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share at age 11 and he now regrets that he started oo late!
2. He bought a small farm at age 14 with savings from delivering newspapers.
3. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. His house does not have a wall or a fence.
4. He drives his own car everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.
5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.
6. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEO’s of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO’s only two rules. Rule number 1: do not lose any of your share holder's money. Rule number 2: Do not forget rule number 1.
7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His past time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch Television.
8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for half hour. But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for ten hours and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.
9. Warren Buffet does not carry a cell phone, nor has a computer on his desk.
10. His advice to young people: "Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and Remember:
    A. Money doesn't create man but it is the man who created money.
    B. Live your life as simple as you are.
    C. Don't do what others say, just listen to them, but do what you feel is good.
    D. Don't go on brand name; just wear those things in which you feel comfortable.
    E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things.
    F. After all it's your life then why give chance to others to rule our life."

He is free!

Morning,

I am truly saddened to hear this morning on the news that the gentleman who sawed off his husky puppy’s head walked away free, with a suspended sentence. I was hoping that the petition and the outcry against this sort of behaviour would make our courts realise that this sort of action is just not acceptable.

But, once again, it seems that the innocent suffer and crime does pay.

Please help support the Animal Anti-Cruelty League in any way possible. As previously stated, I will be giving a percentage of sales on my site during the month of July to the League to support them. I also know that they are often in need of volunteers to help with the animals – whether it is walking the dogs, playing with them or bathing and feeding them. Anything helps!!!

Thanks so much!

Regards,
M.

Cooking

I can't say I'm much of a cook. Actually, I'm more of a restaurant and take-aways kind of girl. Not healthy, I know, but then neither is - or was - my cooking.:-)

However, that was before I discovered Tagine cooking. It is simply the easiest and best way to cook. The preparation can take some time (unless you buy everything pre-cut at Woolies) and then you simply leave it. I've tried this recipe and have found it to be quite delicous (I was even brave enough to invite some people around from work to try).

Just some background info on Tagines: Tagines, (Tajines) is the name given to both the cooking vessels and of the recipes themselves. Traditionally used by nomads as portable ovens over charcoal braziers, a tagine is made from glazed earthenware with a conical lid. The base is both a cooking and serving dish. It is very heavy to withstand constant use, and to hold the heat longer. The cone shaped cover acts like an oven and the entire lid is totally sealed to retain heat and moisture, which not only prevents it from drying out during the long cooking process, but also allows the slow infusion of flavors throughout the dish.

The low, indirect heat produces a rich, aromatic flavor as the food slowly simmers for several hours. Most tagines purchased nowadays can be used either in the oven or on top of the stove. The food is cooked in and served from the tagine, but remember to protect your table from heat from the base, when it comes off the stove or out of the oven. Of course, tagines can be cooked in more conventional cookware such as casseroles, however, to add an aura of authenticity you can serve the cooked stew from a decorated tagine which is a beautiful serving dish in itself.

Basically, tagines are a sort of stew, which are usually a mixture of vegetables, poultry or lamb, often with the addition of fruit. They have a thick rich spicy sauce which is thickened due to the long cooking process and are generally served with bread, couscous or rice. Originally, they would be cooked for many hours, however with modern cookers, a good result can be achieved in as little as 1-1/2 hours for poultry and meats and a lot less for vegetables, but bear in mind, the longer you cook them, the more developed the flavours. The fruits are usually added in dried form and contribute a subtle sweetness to the overall flavor. Often tagines contain preserved or salted lemons, which give the dish a unique flavour which cannot be duplicated by using fresh lemons. The idea behind tagine cooking is slow cooking, giving the meat and vegetables time to slow cook in its own juices and thereby savouring all flavours with the meal.

Why not try this delicious recipe below and let me know if you are as impressed as I was.

Lamb Tagine with dried prunes and almonds

• 1.2 kg lamb shoulder, cut into pieces
• 500 g dried prunes
• 150 g whole almonds
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 4 hard boiled eggs
• 3 chopped onions
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 4 sticks cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger (fresh or dried)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron
• 1 teaspoon flat parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 4 tablespoons groundnut peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 tablespoons caster sugar
• Salt, pepper

In a hot Emile Henry tagine, fry the pieces of lamb in the oil and butter, adding the onions, garlic, half the powdered cinnamon, ginger, saffron, cumin, parsley, coriander, salt and pepper. When the meat is golden, add three glasses of water, cover and cook for 45 minutes. Add a little water during cooking if necessary. Stir regularly. During this time, fry the sesame seeds in a pan without any oil. Cook the almonds in boiling water for 15 minutes, take off the outer skin layer and fry them in a little oil until golden. After 30 minutes, take a little sauce from the tagine, put it in a saucepan and add the dried prunes, the rest of the powdered cinnamon, cinnamon sticks, sugar and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Drain the prunes and remove the sticks of cinnamon.Once the meat is cooked and the sauce has reduced, add the prunes and sprinkle the sesame seeds and almonds over the top. Cut the boiled eggs in half and arrange them around the edge.

Serve directly at the table - serves 6.

For more info: www.easterngifts.co.za

Relaxation

Hi,

You've got to try this - I am now so relaxed, I may not get any work done:-)

http://www.meditainment.com/secret-garden/

Regards,
M.

The Big Secret

Hi, there

I’m not a very articulate writer, so please bear with me while I attempt to put into words what I am thinking. I truly believe that God, or life, will bring each of us into situations or circumstances to learn life’s lessons in order for each of us to become so much more than what we currently are. If we don’t learn the lesson, we will find ourselves repeating the same circumstances or situations (or mistakes, if you will) until the lesson is learnt. We will all, whether consciously or not, continue through this life. The only difference when we do it consciously is that we will be active participants in life’s lessons as opposed to just letting life pass us by – without ever growing as people.

Right, now onto what I really want to discuss. Yesterday, on my blog, I placed a post discussing the power of positive thought, relating specifically to the Big Secret. Now, I had never heard or read about the Big Secret before, so it surprises me somewhat that not only have I been invited to a seminar on Thursday evening, specifically discussing the Big Secret, but on opening Cosmo today (yes, I do read Cosmo) there is a whole article discussion the Big Secret.

While, I find it very hard to grasp that you can simply think yourself healthy or rich or popular, I definitely do think there is merit and some substance to the power of positive thought. Yet, I think it goes a little deeper than that. I think it’s not just thinking positively, it’s about changing that gut-instinct, that natural inclination that we all have to certain circumstance and situations. For example, if someone has a natural tendency to be unwell, e.g. suffering from headaches, a weak tummy, and general unspecific body complaints – their natural inclination therefore is to not feel well. They may wake up every morning with some sort of symptom, because their natural inclination is to expect that. Thinking positive thoughts over a couple of days or weeks may not necessarily change that – what has to be changed is that natural inclination, which goes so much deeper than just thinking “I feel wonderful”.

And while I do certainly believe that the power of positive thought can influence our lives tremendously and is definitely a start in changing that natural inclination that we all have, we cannot ever fully control life. And that is my biggest concern regarding the Big Secret. It almost comes across (from what I have read) rather glib – just think good and life will be good. And yet, there will be elements in this life that we will never be able to control – not by positive thinking or any other means. Cosmo goes on to state the following concerns regarding the Big Secret: “Of course, there are those who don’t buy the idea. ‘I see two traps in this secret,’ writes Anthony George from Washington. ‘One is that you can blow off compassion for your fellow humans because you think they’re suffering only because they brought it on themselves. The other trap is that when you get cancer or your child dies, you’ll be sucked into despair because you’ll blame yourself.’”

Right, going back to my first point, I believe that the lesson for me is just that – while bearing in mind that thinking positive may not change my circumstances, it will definitely change my attitude – and will be a step in the right direction in changing that natural inclination towards the negative that I have. My fear though, is that if I don’t learn the lesson now, I will keep on repeating it. Why else am I suddenly being given all this information on the power of positive thought and the Big Secret through e-mail, magazines and seminars? All from completely unrelated sources?

Let’s hope the lesson can be learnt, but I suppose only time will tell.

Regards,
M.

The Prosperity Doctrine

Hi, there…

I came across this article and was wondering what everyone thought on this Prosperity Doctrine. Part of me agrees, but part of me says that if it was that easy to make money just by what you think, we’d all be filthy rich. What are your opinions?

And an extract from the article:

“Attract abundance and focus on prosperity – the only reason any person does not have enough money is because they are blocking money from coming to them with their thoughts. Every negative thought, feeling or emotion is blocking your good from coming to you and that includes money. It is not that the money is being kept from you by the universe, because all the money you require exists right now in the invisible. If you do not have enough, it is because you are stopping the flow of money coming to you, and you are doing that with your thoughts. You must tip the balance of your thoughts from lack-of-money to more-than-enough-money. Think more thoughts of abundance than of lack, and you have tipped the balance. If you have held thoughts in the past that the only way money can come to you is through your job, then let that go immediately. From The Secret by Jack Canfield.”

Comments? Opinions?

Regards,
M.

What Sports Car are you?

Hi, there

I can across this the other day (all this time I spend on the Internet) and thought it quite entertaining: log onto http://www.easterngifts.blogspot.com/ and take the "Which Sports Car are You?" quizz.

Apparently, I'm a Ford Mustang. Not what I would have chosen personally, but at least I'm "fast, strong and bold". Or so they say:-).

You'll see the quizz on the left hand side.

Regards,
M.

Dreams

Hi, there

Does anyone have any resource to understanding or interpreting dreams? I had the most disturbing dream last night and would be quite interested in investigating and exploring the meaning of the dream a little.

Regards,
M.

IF WE COULD ONLY APPLY ALL THIS TO OUR BUSY LIVES…

Hey there ... I thought this was pretty amazing reading.

Regards,
M.

IF WE COULD ONLY APPLY ALL THIS TO OUR BUSY LIVES…

This was a speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.

“I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk or your life on a bus or in a car or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not so good.

Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and them to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre, at my job if those other things were not true.

You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are. So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon or found a lump in your breast?

Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.

It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the colour of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live.

I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face.

Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived”.

And this one is for the Ladies.

I often get asked why I decided to start my own business. Well, apart from the fact that husband got retrenched a couple of years ago that really knocked the wind out of our sales (and we’re still haven’t recovered from that), the statistics below are quite frightening and is part of my motivation in starting my own business. And next month we’re celebrating Woman’s Day (Yay!) and I thought these statistics were pretty pertinent to that as well. I’m quoting from Kim Kiyosaki’s book, Rich Woman – A Book on Investing for Women (pg 58 – 59).

“The statistics about women and money are very startling. The following are U.S. statistics, yet I find for other countries throughout the world these statistics are very similar or are trending in the same direction.

In the U.S.:

• 47% of women over the age of 50 are single. (This means they are financially responsible for themselves.)
• Women’s retirement income is less than that of men because a woman is away from the work force an average of 14.7 years as compared to 1.6 years for men. (Women are typically the primary caretaker of the home.) This, along with lower salaries, adds up to retirement benefits that are only about ¼ of those of men. (National Center for Women and Retirement Research – NCWRR)
• 50% of marriages end in divorce. (And who typically ends up with the children? The woman. So now she is solely financially responsible for herself – and her children. And what is the #1 subject couples fight about? Money.)
• In the first year after a divorce a woman’s standard of living drops an average of 73%.
• As of 2000, women are expected to live an average of 7 to 10 years longer than men, (Ann Letteersee June 12, 2000), which means they must provide for those extra years. However, married baby boomer women can expect to outlive their husbands by 15 to 20 years on average.
• The average female born between 1948 and 1964 may likely remain in the workforce until at least 74 years of age due to inadequate financial savings and pension coverage. (National Center for Women and Retirement Research, 1996)
• Of the elderly living in poverty:
  o 3 out of 4 are women (Morningstar Fund Investor)
  o 80% of the women were not poor when their husbands were alive.
• Approximately 7 out of 10 women will at some time live in poverty.

What are these statistics telling us? They tell us that more and more women, especially as they become older, are not educated or prepared to take care of themselves financially. We’ve spent our entire lives taking care of our families, but have no ability to care for ourselves in this vital way. We are either depending upon someone else to do it for us – a husband or partner, a boss, a family member, or the government. Or we just figure that it will all work out. The fairy tales we grew up with were just that.

Three final statistics to consider:
1. 90% of all women will have sole responsibility for their finances within their lifetimes … yet 79% of all women have not planned for this.
2. 58% of female baby boomers have less than $10 000 in retirement.
3. Only 20% of baby boomer women will be financially secure in their retirement (Ms. Magazine, 2002).

With all of the above, you can see why I wanted to and did start my own business.

Good luck to all the women out there! Be rich, be healthy and be wise.

Regards,
M.

Global Warming.

Hi,

Has anyone seen An Inconvenient Truth, by Al Gore? I haven't, but I watched Oprah yesterday as she interviewed him about the DVD. It is frightening to say the least. And yes, I do feel sorry for the poor Polar Bears. We all have a choice in this - they, however, do not.

My question however is this: on Oprah, Al Gore suggested purchasing energy efficient appliances in order to stop the emissions of Carbon Dioxide. Do we get energy efficient appliances here in South Africa?

And then, they have a website in America where you can donate money to have trees planted (which aid in combating the effects of global warming) - once again, is there anything like that here in South Africa?

Basically, what can we do, as citizens in South Africa to curb Global Warming – here in South Africa?

Looking forward to your input and info.

Regards,
M.

Celibacy.

I found this so cute - I just had to share.
Regards,
M.

Many aspects of human sexuality are very puzzling. Take celibacy for instance. This can be a choice in life, or a condition imposed by environmental factors. While attending a Marriage Encounter Weekend, Robert and Cheryl listened to the instructor declare: “It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other.”

He addressed the men. “Can you each name and describe your wife’s favourite flower?”

Robert leaned over, touched Cheryl’s arm gently and whispered, “Self-raising, isn’t it?”

Thus began Robert’s life of celibacy…

Agent's Wanted.

Hi, there

We are looking for agent's to market the site. The process is very simple, if you are interested, you will complete an application form and then be allocated with an agent's code. When family, friends and work colleagues register on the site, they need to register using your agent's code. Commission will be earned off any purchases made under your agent's code and paid direct into your bank account by the 07th of the following month.

For more information, kindly e-mail info@easterngifts.co.za.

Right, now that we have business out of the way :-), I was just wondering if we are ever going to see an end to winter. This has been the coldest winter I have experienced for a long time. Come on, Summer, come on!

Regards,
M.

5 Tips to get Organised

I don't know about you, but I am always fighting a losing battle against disorganisation. Just as I get my desk tidied, my office sorted - the next thing I look, everything is everywhere again. Which is why I found these five tips so pertinent (well, to me, at least :-).
Regards,
M.

5 Tips to Get Organised

Many entrepreneurs get stuck with the issue of general organisation of their workspace. I’d like to suggest you try applying the following tips this week, but before I continue, I must emphasise the importance of effectiveness over neatness. Sometimes we spend too much time trying to get everything looking neat and tidy, but then struggle to find what we’re looking for when we’re looking for it! What is most important is that your work area is organised in a way that works for you – it must serve a functional, effective purpose for you.

Here are 5 tips to help you get your desk and your office more organised:

1. Clutter is often the result of indecisiveness, or not acting on things immediately. Consciously work on becoming more decisive, and act on as many things as you can the minute they come in.
2. Do not use your entire desk surface as an inbox. Things that you cannot act on immediately, store in allocated areas on your desk. Create trays for unpaid bills, paid bills, filing, pending or to do, etc.
3. Don't save every piece of paper for filing. If you aren't prepared to file everything at least once a week, then even when it’s filed you will probably battle to find it. Only save what you need to file. Throw the rest away.
4. Don't become your own worst enemy by starting many different things but not finishing any of them. Take action on one item at a time and complete it before moving onto the next.
5. Come in early a couple of mornings a week to catch up on your admin. You can even schedule appointments with yourself to do things like filing or responding to all outstanding e-mails.

I have found these simple applications to be very helpful. Try them this week and enjoy a more organised work life.

Your Entrepreneurial Coach

Brian Walsh

Founder & CEO of Entrepreneur.co.za

Why do we do this?

Maybe its living in a country with the highest crime rate in the world, or coming from a family who has made panic and worry a national sport, but my husband is out cycling and on hearing about three or four sirens screeching past, I immediately panicked. I phoned him - he is fine and on his way home. But, my question is this: why do we automatically expect the worst? In whatever situation, we somehow expect the worst. Maybe its being drilled into our minds: expect the worst, hope for the best. Is that really the best way to go through life, though?

Regards,
M.

What's your fear?

Ah, a subject everyone loves to discuss. My fear? Spiders. Without a doubt - the little creepy crawlies just really "grill" (such an effective Safricanism) me completely. When we find one in the house, my dear Hubby has to sort the, err, little problem out. No killing, mind you. They are one of God's creatures - I just prefer to not have one of these creatures of God in my house. Let them roam free - out in the bushveld is what I say.

So, yesterday, I receive this e-mail. To say that it irked me is a complete understatement. Apparently said hand in the pictures was bitten by a violin spider (or vioolspinnekop) and this is the progress of the bite over 10 days. The e-mail does not say what the outcome was - if pictured hand lost thumb or if all was cured in the end. It just states that we need to educate our children. Well, seeing as I don't have any kids, I'll just educate myself and run whenever I see one of these.

Regards,

M.

From the e-mail: In SA it's the violin spider (vioolspinnekop) which has a violin shaped image on the back. Please take note of this spider – it is very dangerous. Please send to every one you know to alert them as well!

DAY 5:

DAY 6:

DAY 9:

DAY 10:

Your advantage.

I really find these articles motivating and inspiring; I hope you don't mind me sharing them with you.
Regards,
M.

*************************************
The Advantage You Have Over Every Other Up-and-Comer in Your Company
*************************************
By Michael Masterson

In terms of productivity, employees fall somewhere on a bell-shaped curve.
At the bottom of the curve are the loafers and goof-offs. In the middle is the silent majority that does just enough to get by. At the top are the relative few who are motivated to achieve.

When you understand the dynamics of any such group, you understand that a modest amount of hard work will put you beyond both the terminally slothful and the lump-along middle crowd. Just by being modestly ambitious, you will rise to the top third of almost any organization.

But getting up the last few rungs of that ladder will be tough, because the few you are competing against are competing hard. Chances are, they are as smart and talented as you, with the same (or more) basic resources. They may even have better contacts. But there is one thing they don't have more of, and that is time.

If you can use your time more effectively than they use theirs, you will move ahead of them. Hard workers eventually succeed even against those who have advantages. You can do better than someone who is smarter, richer, and luckier than you - so long as you are willing to work harder than that person does.

[Ed. Note: This article was adapted from Michael Masterson's book, Automatic Wealth for Grads... and Anyone Else Just Starting Out, one of Amazon's Top 10 Finance and Investing Books of 2006.]

Cruelty to Animals

After my post yesterday, I was amazed at the response - people commenting or e-mailing me about stories that they have heard of or maybe personally are aware of on cruelty to animals. One woman wrote in to tell me of a story of a young jack Russell being dragged behind his owner's car, while his owner merely continued to drive. Another story, also on news24.com is about a man who had an argument with his wife and stomped on the head of her three week old German Shephard puppy, killing it. And then there was the story of the cat in the microwave (I can't even go there, as we had to put my cat down after he was diagnosed with leukemia that started in his kidneys and I am still missing him so much).

My question is this: has this cruelty always been around, but we are now only becoming more aware of it because of new media forums? Or is mankind becoming crueler as time moves on?

This is a subject that I just feel so strongly about - how one treats animals, to me, is always an indication of how one will treat children, the elderly and our fellowman, in general. And if that is true, then solving crime in our country may be the least of our concerns.

Regards,
M.

The Husky Puppy Saga ... help the Animal Anti-Cruelty League!

Hi,

I’m sure you have all read or heard about the absolutely horrible story about the farmer sawing off his husky puppy’s head recently. If not, go to these links:

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2133044,00.html or http://www.news24.com/News24/South_Africa/News/0,,2-7-1442_2134946,00.html

The encouraging thing about all of this is the amount of people who signed the petition and who were outraged about all of this. It shows that those people who care are willing to take a stand.

I would like to take a stand as well - for all purchases made on my site from now until the end of July, Eastern Gifts and Things cc will donate 2.5% of all sales to the Animal Anti-Cruelty League. And my reason for doing this? Well, I have a husky puppy - Liska. Yes, she is naughty and yes, she is probably the most vocal dog on the planet (as husky’s are known to be), BUT she is just full of love. When you’re feeling ill, or you come to our house, all she wants to do is love you and make you feel welcome. It made me feel sick to think that someone could actually do something like this.

I have attached a photo of her for you to see how beautiful she is.


Kind regards,
M.

Don't let not knowing how stop you.

Another interesting article that I found that I thought would interest you - if you have a dream, make it a reality!

Regards,
M.

“I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge - myth is more potent than history - dreams are more powerful than facts - hope always triumphs over experience - laughter is the cure for grief - love is stronger than death.” Robert Fulghum

By Paul Lawrence

As I stepped into the casting office for my first professional audition as an actor, I was overwhelmed. The reception area was filled with gorgeous women and sharp-looking guys - and (unlike me) all of them had the air of confidence that comes with knowing exactly what they were doing. Uncertainly, I caught one young man's eye and asked if there was a place to sign in. He directed me to a table in the corner. That was the easy part! I tapped my foot anxiously as, one by one, people were called into the back office for their auditions. I silently wondered if it would be obvious that I'd never auditioned before. "What am I doing here?" I thought. "I don't belong here. I have no training, no experience. All of these other people are clearly professionals. How do I stand a chance?" I momentarily entertained the thought of dashing out the door.

But the same determination that drove me to that casting call took over. Being an actor had been a secret lifelong dream of mine. I'd wanted to audition for a role in a movie or TV show for years, but hadn't gotten the guts to try until I reached my 30s. Finally, my name was called. Once in the audition room, a casting director gave me a scenario about being a crazy truck driver on a wild drive, and I was told to improvise some lines as they shot some footage. After some still shots, the action began. It was quick and painless. Certainly not the best performance the casting director ever saw, but likely not the worst. I left without any fanfare. I'd love to tell you that I received a call the next day, and the job was mine. But that's not what happened. What did happen was that I turned that first day of overcoming my fears into five years of auditions. And along the way, I actually landed some parts.

I've had a few speaking roles in small films and a few brief moments on screen in a blockbuster titled Bad Boys II (where I had the good fortune to briefly hobnob - and actually exchange joking comments - with Will Smith, who was as nice as I'd heard he was). I'm proud to say I've got a listing on IMDB.com (the bible of the entertainment business) as an actor... which is not easy to come by. The truth is, being an actor was never my main career goal. Sure, I've made money from it - but, more important, acting has added a layer to my life that has been emotionally rewarding. I certainly hope I achieve more as an actor - but even if I don't, I have accomplished that lifelong dream. The point I want to make here is that I achieved this goal without any formal training. Admittedly, I was intimidated by my lack of experience. It took some serious determination to follow through with it. But once I took that crucial step to overcome my fears and doubts, I was able to achieve a dream I'd had for years.

Perhaps you have a dream. Maybe you want to own your own company. Maybe you want to finally publish that novel you've been writing. Maybe you want to usher your garage band into the mainstream. And maybe you haven't yet pursued that dream because you feel you're missing something - the "right" kind of education or insider knowledge of the industry. But I strongly urge you not to let "not knowing how to do it" stop you. You can learn all you need to know by simply going after what you want. In my case as an aspiring actor, I hired a professional photographer to take head shots, and I put together a resume highlighting every relevant credential I could think of (and minimizing my lack of experience). I sent those things to local talent agencies that I found in directories. To my pleasant surprise, a few called me to come in and sign up. Shortly thereafter, one of them sent me on that first audition I described at the beginning of this article.

Enough about me...

Jenny T. recently made her dreams come true, even though she got a late start. Jenny, in her mid 60s, has had a secret ambition since she was a little girl to be a glamorous show dancer. Her chances of making it to Broadway were slim to none - but that didn't stop her from making a different version of her dream come true. Although Jenny never had any formal training as a dancer, she began to perform show routines for live audiences. Along the way, she took lessons to improve her dancing skills. After a few years, Jenny is now a local celebrity. She's performed dance routines for audiences of up to 500 people more than 25 times... and admiring fans frequently stop her on the street.

Another fellow I know who recently began daring to live his dream has been nicknamed "Doc," because he is a medical doctor. In his 50s, he realized he had a yearning to become a stand-up comic. His wife and friends thought he was nuts. But he went out there, got himself immersed in the local comedy scene, and now performs regularly throughout his home state.

Whatever your dream is, you can pursue it - by doing the following:

1. Identify your dream.
2. Research the steps that will be needed to pursue it. Taking a leap into an industry you don't know is fine - but you don't want to go into it completely unprepared. Every field has accepted norms, rules, requirements, or (at a minimum) information that would be useful to know. For example, if you wanted to start a seminar business, you should study both public speaking techniques and how to market yourself. If you wanted to become a fishing guide, you'd study local licensing requirements and maybe take a job as an apprentice with a captain to learn the ropes.
3. Create a concrete plan of actions to take... with a workable timetable. Breaking your goal into easy-to-complete steps is one of the best ways to avoid being overwhelmed by it. A timetable is a critical component of any plan. The key to success in any field is to actually take action - and a timetable forces you to do that instead of procrastinate.
4. Execute those steps, no matter how intimidating they may seem.
5. Refine your plan as you learn and continue to pursue your dream.
6. Keep pursuing your dream... even when you hit bumps.

I've been able to make my dreams come true... and so can you. All you need to do is make the decision to go for it!

Sale Ends

Don't forget - sale ends 31 July 2007.

Regards,
M.

9 P's to a Money-Making Business

I found this really interesting article - thought you may find it interesting to:

"It's almost like a management report card. By getting a valuation done on some periodic basis, it can give a business owner a sense of how much their business increased or decreased during some certain time period." - Alex Kindler

By Michael Masterson

BB, the legendary copywriter and one of my biggest clients, is a constant articulator of powerful, business-building ideas. Recently, in a memo to his senior executives, he discussed the difficulty of starting and growing new businesses, and offered a brilliant synopsis of "what it takes to make (such) businesses work."

"You have heard about the Four P's of Salesmanship: Promise, Picture, proof and Payoff. Those are very effective guides in creating sales packages that produce. But, I have five more P's I'd like to share with you. These could be helpful in launching and/or growing your business."

BB's Five P's of business-building are...

1. Programme: You need a business model that works - one that can produce reliable, long-term profitability with an acceptable level of investment and risk.

2. Product: You want to sell products that are easy to sell the first time and even easier to sell thereafter. In other words, you want to sell products that give people what they are looking for at a price they can rationalize.

3. Prospects: You need people to sell to. And you need a sufficient number of them to meet your business's long-term goals. They have to be plentiful. And they have to be profitable. Where do you find such quality customers? Mailing lists? Websites? Keyword searches? Telephone calls? Finding potential buyers is a big part of any business.

4. Proposition: Every market is unique. So is every product. Figuring out the optimum way to sell your unique product to a given market segment is your first and most important priority. Until you do that, you can't produce profits.

5. People: Every business, no matter what it does, where it's located, or how automated its processes are, depends on people to create and maintain its profits. Taking a business to the next level - even to keep it from falling backward - is most easily accomplished by the hiring, promotion, training, and nurturing of a team of key people who can work skillfully and efficiently. You have to find them and then motivate them and then hold on to them.

To BB's very good list, I would add four more P's that you have to pay attention to...

6. Promotions: Discovering the right proposition for your business is the first - but only the first - priority of selling. To be able to keep your business profitable, you have to be able to produce a continuous flow of successful, customer-grabbing promotions (sales offers that attract attention, offer benefits to the customers, and persuade them to buy your products). A business that can't produce breakthrough promotions on an ongoing basis is a business that is doomed to mediocrity or even failure.

7-9. Procedures, Protocols, and Processes: If you get the first six P's working right, your business will never suffer from a lack of sales. But if you don't have effective operations - order-taking, fulfillment, accounting, and customer service - your profits will always be half of what they should be, and your stress will be double what it needs to be.

Take a few minutes right now to rate your business according to the nine P's. Answer the following questions:

Can you describe, in 25 words or less, the basic selling programme that is responsible for 80 percent of the growth and profitability of your business? What is the primary way you convert prospects into buyers? How do you maximise the lifetime value of your buyers?

How are your products better and/or different from those of your competitors? Why are they easy to sell? Why do your customers keep on buying them?
Who are your best prospects? Where do you find them? Can you afford to acquire them at the price you are currently paying? Is there a sufficient number of them available at that price? Which of your offers is best at acquiring first-time customers? What is your most profitable offer for existing customers?

Among your current employees, who are the superstars? Who is your superstar in marketing? Sales? Product development? If you are one of your company's superstars, who are you mentoring so that you can be replaced when the time comes?

Could you create your company's next breakthrough sales promotion? If not, who could you turn to? Do you have a machine that regularly creates successful marketing campaigns to fund your growth? Or are you dependent on an aging promotion?

Does your business run smoothly? Are orders processed quickly? Do you have good accounting? Do you get commendations from customers for your good customer service? Or are there problems that, despite years of effort, haven't gotten any better?

Give yourself a letter grade for each of these aspects of your business, based on how you think you compare to other companies in your industry. Be tough but fair. Give yourself an A if and only if you are among the very best. You will probably end up with just one or two As, and a smattering of Bs and Cs.

I did this exercise with Walt P. yesterday. We've had great success in bringing his business from nothing to more than $200,000 in 14 months. But problems are arising, as they do when growth is fast. Yesterday, those problems were weighing heavily on our minds. "Let's take an hour and analyze the business," I suggested, "using this simple system."

We gave it the following report card...

Programme: B+
We have a good idea how to make the initial sale (where to go to find prospects, how to intrigue them, how to sell them the first time) and how to sell them after that.

Product: A
We have great products. Really great products. Walt creates them, and he understands what makes a product great.

Prospects: C
So far, we are only scratching the surface in terms of identifying good media for our advertising. We are gradually expanding our marketable universe each month by about 2,000 prospects, but we should - and will one day - be growing our prospect file by 10 times that number. That is something we have to work on in a serious way.

Proposition: A-
The offer - what you charge for your product, the payment terms, and the guarantee - is critical to any business. In Walt's business, we have a very good idea of what that should be. That idea is based on my experience - more than 10 years in the industry - and from being able to see what our competitors are doing. There are certainly things about the offer that we can test - particularly in the area of continuity sales - but, for the most part, we believe we understand how to form our selling propositions.

People: B-
The employees that we have are very good, but to do a better job of expanding the business's marketable universe and improve operations we will need two more superstars. Getting them is our top priority right now.

Promotions: A
Walt and I work together on most of the leads, and then pass them along to a copywriter we've been mentoring for several years. The combination has been terrific. Our response rates are as good as we can hope for. We see a need to hire a junior copywriter to be tutored by our protégé so we can continue to produce more copy. But we feel confident that we have the creative power to produce good promotions now and in the future.

Procedures, Protocols, and Processes: D
Right now, because of the surge in business, we are doing a bad job of entering and fulfilling orders. We have to move our fulfillment out of house and learn to manage service companies. We also have to get our accounting and customer service departments working more smoothly. We need a VP of operations - someone really good and very detail-oriented (because we aren't) - and we need that person ASAP.

Based on that quick assessment of the business, it was easy for us to see the importance of hiring two more superstars - one to help us get operations in order and the other to take a lead in marketing so we can grow our prospect file as it needs to be grown. If we make it a priority to fill these two positions, we can have it done in 30 to 45 days, and then begin the process of integrating and educating our new people. In six months, if all goes well, we will be ready for the next step up - to the $5 million level.

Emile Henry

Emile Henry developed the 1st ceramics casserole which goes on fire. Five years of development and tests were necessary to develop this baptized single range «Flame®».

Advantages of the line «Flame®» :

All fires: gas, electricity, halogen (except induction)
All furnaces: traditional and microwaves
Keep hot longer
Easy to clean, vaiselle lava
Soft and natural cooking
Leger, easy to handle
Thermo-diffuser melts
Céradon®
Ceradon is an exclusive process unique to all Emile Henry cookware which improves the qualities of traditional pottery.
A highly resistant glaze which does not scratch or craze.

The glaze is so hard, you can cut inside the dish without harming the surface. Highly resistant to chippingFired at 1150°C, the clay is extremely strong and resistant to chipping. Highly resistant to heat and coldYou can bring your cooked dish out of the freezer and put it directly into a preheated oven at 250°C or microwave.

www.easterngifts.co.za

Educate Yourself to Success

From Brian Walsh, Founder and CEO of Entrepreneur.co.za

As my own choice of investment for myself, I spend about R7000 per month on acquiring and using products that educate me on how to run my business better, become more effective and generally achieve greater success. One thing that I have learnt over the years is that it is just plain stupid to think you can figure it all out yourself! It still baffles me why entrepreneurs don't seem to understand the power of learning, the power of educating themselves to do things better.

I have always said that the measure of achieving true success is the ability to create the same or greater results whilst expending less effort and using less resources. To do this, you need to acquire knowledge and expertise and continuously educate yourself - as the market and technology evolves, entrepreneurs need to work to adapt and evolve accordingly, and this means constantly keeping up with what works best now, and staying a few steps ahead. You need to be constantly looking out for better ways of doing things.

Commit yourself to learning. This week, go out and buy or subscribe to a product or learning aid that will teach you on an ongoing basis how to be a better, more successful entrepreneur and a better, more fulfilled person as a whole.
Remember that all successful entrepreneurs are committed life-time learners. Go out and learn as it is the greatest tool you have available towards becoming a more successful entrepreneur.

Your Entrepreneurial Coach
Brian WalshFounder and CEO of Entrepreneur.co.za

Learning confusing lessons the hard way.

Or shall I say learning hard lessons the confusing way? Here is my story: I manage a number of blogs, primarily (and yes, I do admit this) to promote my business and my site. However, while most of the platforms are primarily interactive and engaging, there is one platform where I received the following comments: "pimping myself and my site", "enough of the sales schpeel", "put more of yourself out there", etc, etc, etc.

Now, this is where my confusion lies. The platform where I received these comments was a business blog platform. So, now I'm wondering - if, on a business blog whose sole purpose is to promote one's business, I am getting these comments, what then exactly should the blog content be to satisfy the readers AND promote my business at the same time?

I can almost understand the comments if the platform was one of a personal nature, or relating to politics or religion - but this was a business platform. Which only adds to my confusion of this situation.

So, I thought I'd ask bloggers out there. Bearing in mind that my blogs have contained recipes, how to's, gift ideas, etc - what is it that you would like to read here that will serve both your purposes and mine? Is it really necessary to write a four page schpeel on being grateful (for an example) to elevate the interest of the blogs?

Let me know what you think.

Regards,
M.

The Two Choices We Face

The Two Choices We Face by Jim Rohn

Each of us has two distinct choices to make about what we will do with our lives. The first choice we can make is to be less than we have the capacity to be. To earn less. To have less. To read less and think less. To try less and discipline ourselves less. These are the choices that lead to an empty life. These are the choices that, once made, lead to a life of constant apprehension instead of a life of wondrous anticipation.

And the second choice?

To do it all! To become all that we can possibly be. To read every book that we possibly can. To earn as much as we possibly can. To give and share as much as we possibly can. To strive and produce and accomplish as much as we possibly can. All of us have the choice. To do or not to do. To be or not to be. To be all or to be less or to be nothing at all. Like the tree, it would be a worthy challenge for us all to stretch upward and outward to the full measure of our capabilities. Why not do all that we can, every moment that we can, the best that we can, for as long as we can? Our ultimate life objective should be to create as much as our talent and ability and desire will permit. To settle for doing less than we could do is to fail in this worthiest of undertakings. Results are the best measurement of human progress. Not conversation. Not explanation. Not justification. Results! And if our results are less than our potential suggests that they should be, then we must strive to become more today than we were the day before. The greatest rewards are always reserved for those who bring great value to themselves and the world around them as a result of whom and what they have become.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Quote for Today

"A good heart is better than all the heads in the world."
- Edward Bulwer-Lytton

Don't forget...

We have amazing specials of up to 25% off selected items - only until the end of July 2007. We have amazing gifts for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries - salad servers, figurines, cookware, home decor and so much more. Don't miss out! Massive savings and the ideal gift. And don't forget that we offer gift vouchers as well as gift wrapping. Delivered direct to you OR up to five delivery addresses you can store under your profile.

Happy shopping!

Regards,
M.

Quote for Today

Author Betty Bender said, "It's a mistake to surround yourself only with people just like you. Throw off that worn comforter - and replace it with a crazy quilt of different and imaginative people. Then watch the ideas erupt!"

What a great quote!

Regards,
M.

In the media!

Yes, we're in the media - our PR campaign has taken off and I am proud to share with you the first article to be released in this regard. Log onto the following link to read the article: http://easterngifts.co.za/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=6&osCsid=6df0576c745ac8952e12dffad69eb298.

As more articles are published, so the site will be updated with these articles - WATCH THIS SPACE!

Happy reading, and uh, happy shopping!

Regards,
M.