The first cut is always the funniest and most genuine, anything after that [...]]]> What Not to-do when filming!

Over the years I have had some great moments in front of and behind the camera. Thankfully I have saved quite a few of those blunders, all so that you can benefit from my hard learned lessons.

The first cut is always the funniest and most genuine, anything after that looks like it is rehearsed. With Youtube’s Improv style of filming it is the best way.

Video with my Top Video Mistakes

Top Tips for Creating Great Videos

• Have a camera person, someone who gets what you are doing and how you will be doing it. Make sure they have a steady hand for camera work.
• Make sure you have proper lighting and sound quality.
• Wear the right clothing for the situation. Have someone you trust who can help you with proper wardrobing.
• Be in the shot, if you are recording voice only it gets confusing for the viewer. Again back to the point of having a camera person.
• If you are interviewing someone and there is a substantial height difference, sit for the interview.
• To avoid getting creepy fetish people commenting on your videos refrain from highlighting specific body parts…I know this one from first hand (no pun intended) experience…..ewwww
• Hair and Make up really make all the difference, especially for the ladies. Look your best.
• Mute all potential noise issues like phones, children, pets and visitors.
• Make sure all the people involved; camera, interviewee and any one else who may be in the shot are in the know.
• Never open a segment with a challenging sentence.

My last and favourite tip…have willing participants. The end of that video even cracks me up.

Why bother really, 85% of people make resolutions and by January 20th 80% of those people have failed, the number actually increases and by the end of the month only 8% of people who have made [...]]]> New Year conversation starter

Everyone wants to know what you are giving up or doing more of in 2012.

Why bother really, 85% of people make resolutions and by January 20^th 80% of those people have failed, the number actually increases and by the end of the month only 8% of people who have made a resolution are actually still engaged in the resolution.

The other piece of information that is important to know is that the 8% that have achieved their resolution did so because they were thinking about it long before the hectic sleep deprived holiday sweet filled stupor that happens the week before the big day…that would be January 1^st.

The people that succeed are the people that make changes in September and work on them consistently throughout the fall with an added burst of enthusiasm at the beginning of the shiny new year.

For the rest of the population a new fresh outlook on the New Year and resolutions can make all the difference in whether you will fail by Jan 20^th. Perhaps this year you can achieve a new found feeling of control over the direction of your life in the next 12 months. Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result”. Perhaps 2012 is the year to STOP the insanity and approach the New Year with a different plan.

SUCCESS steps for achieving RESULTS in 2012

• Stop calling them resolutions…the word is associated with failure. Call it whatever you want but make sure what you name it means SUCCESS for you.
• Pick a few areas in your life that you are not happy with. Think about the five key areas of life for this, they are Relationships, Career, Financial, Health and Personal Growth. Get specific about what is not working, what you are frustrated with and write it all down. This is a very important step, if you miss this you will reduce your chances of SUCCESS…so go now and write it down!
• Once you are clear about what is not working in your life it is time to create clarity around what you DO want.  Take the statements describing the frustrations in your life and turn them around. For example if you stated that you are not happy with your health…ask the question ”What do I want?”. Now is the time to be specific. You need to get detailed and very clear about what it is you DO want. You may say….” I want to be able to fit into a pair of size 10 pants, to be able to go skiing with my children for the day without feeling fatigued, to run a ½ marathon by the spring. Now go and do this step…seriously. Michael Losier will show you in this video how to do the Contrast through Clarity process. Watch it now!
• The final step is to take the clarifying statements and put them into an action plan. An action plan that will be executed over the next three to six months. This is long term strategy, not a quick fix. Small changes over a long period of time will have a longer lasting effect and are key to SUCCESS in your New Years Action Plan.

If is it SUCCESS and achievement you are looking for in 2012 then an action plan is your key to making it happen.

All you need now is some paper, time to think about where you have been and where you want to be and the daily actions that you will do to get RESULTS this year.

It is never too late to make a New Beginning

After an advanced workshop last week with Law of Attraction Book author Michael Losier you would think I would  know better. Not! Some lessons are learned through trial and error.

I think I am getting the evil eye

On our long drive ( long [...]]]> Don’t hurt yourself on the ski hill…

Famous last words

After an advanced workshop last week with Law of Attraction Book author Michael Losier you would think I would  know better. Not! Some lessons are learned through trial and error.

I think I am getting the evil eye

On our long drive ( long if you live in rural New Brunswick) to the Sussex Hospital I was wondering how my words may have impacted my sons night on the ski hill, and his broken collarbone.

In the advanced class with Michael  we learned that;

Words…become Thoughts..which then become a Vibe + or – then a match happens

The words that Michael emphasized in the class were; don’t, not and no.

When we add these words to any sentence we attract that thing that we are actually not wanting. When I said to my son don’t get hurt on the ski hill…what I actually vibrated was ‘get hurt on the ski hill’.

The Law of Attraction works

Whether you believe that this works or not is irrelevant…have a look at the areas of your life that are working and not working.  Stop and be aware of the words you are using, you may be surprised at what you are attracting…positive and negative.

Instead of;

• don’t run through the house, say…walk please
• my client is not going to cancel, say…my clients keep all their scheduled appointments
• No one books business in January, say January can be a busy time of year.

Just for fun, over the next few days take note of the words you are using. When you start using these techniques you can become the ‘Master Manifester’  in your own life.

Asking Jack Canfield, Chicken Soup for the Soul Author, what Inspires him was scary yet exciting all at the same time.

He was so gracious and his answer is very inspiring.

I loved the video comment from SmeadOrganomics

This is hilarious Elaine! Thanks so much for posting. You raise some great organizing points in a funny way:)

From corporate boardrooms to casual gatherings the Meal Plan is always a hot topic. 

A casual mention of [...]]]> Meal Planning can be as easy as one two three!

I love this time of year where the slow cooker takes centre stage and we can enjoy flavor filled meals that only the crock pot can provide.

From corporate boardrooms to casual gatherings the Meal Plan is always a hot topic. 

A casual mention of a weekly meal routine and I have everyone’s attention. The kitchen really is the heart of the home and when this room rocks it sets the stage for success for the whole day.

However…Meal Planning is not always on the top of everyone’s list of to-do’s but when it is suppertime and you have a hungry crew looking for food…right now…without a plan you will spend more money on fast food and in the long run more time.

You will find success in the kitchen with a few very easy meal planning techniques.

Meal planning for the busy family needs to meet these minimum standards…
• To save valuable time you need quick dinner ideas.
• To save money and add convenience to you need to have easy dinner ideas.
• To provide energy and vitality you need to have healthy dinner ideas.

Organizing is all about planning. Here are 3 steps to ensure meal planning success.

1. Family Meeting Time-Get the family together and ask what each person’s favorite weekly meal choices would be. Make sure the choices meet the meal planning standards! Create a master list of all the choices for breakfast, lunches, dinner and even snacks…this is also helpful for those school lunches. This list can be added to as new meal items are tried, tested and given a thumbs up.

2. Master Meal List- With the list of possible menu items in hand it is time to pull the weekly meal menu together. This can be as simple as a calendar with the healthy, quick easy meal items written in the spaces or you can go virtual with a handy meal planning tool. Post the menu in a spot where everyone can see it and you may be surprised when you head to the kitchen one morning to find that someone has already started the meal…really…kids and significant others do want to participate…let go…you can do it!

3. Grocery Shopping- With a week of meal ideas in hand it is now time to grab the weekly flyers and map out the plan of attack. By paying attention to weekly specials and deals you can stretch your grocery dollars…keeping money in your pocket.

Organizing Today in the Kitchen can save Time, Money, add Convenience to your life and can lighten the load of responsibility….especially if there are other people who can share the load.

Have fun…test new recipes…let the kids get involved…make meals a family event.

A plant breaks through the surface of the soil at just the right time.

Many of life’s failures are people who did not [...]]]> Knowing when that Time will arrive is a Mystery

A tree branch grows when it is time to grow.

A plant breaks through the surface of the soil at just the right time.

Every business, business idea and entrepreneurial dream has its own germination time…

Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.
- Thomas Edison

Quotes help us when we need Inspiration, Please share your favorite Inspirational Quote…you never know who you might Inspire today!

Recently I helped facilitate a de-cluttering workshop. Specifically de-cluttering is the process of eliminating the obstacles that prevent us from moving forward.

Imagine, you are driving down a road and there is a road block…you have many options. You can sit and wait [...]]]> The Wheel of Life

It is all about the light bulb moments.

Recently I helped facilitate a de-cluttering workshop. Specifically de-cluttering is the process of eliminating the obstacles that prevent us from moving forward.

Imagine, you are driving down a road and there is a road block…you have many options. You can sit and wait until someone else move the obstacle on the road, you can turn around and go back, you can find an alternate route or you can move the obstacle that is in your way.

Some of the options mentioned are easy, some are difficult and some are just annoying.

Here is the thing, what if what you really want is on the other end of that road…you will do pretty much anything to get there.
Now think of that road as your life. How many times have you been stopped by a road block or an obstacle? What did you do? Give up and turn back, adjust the direction and try another route, or did you eliminate the obstacle.

Now you may be saying how does all this relate to organizing…organizing cannot happen until the de-cluttering process happens. The de-cluttering process cannot happen until the true reason for the obstacle is identified…this may all sound a bit foreign to you however at this moment if you are struggling with any part of your life it would help you on your journey if you identified the obstacles. 

One of the exercises we used during the workshop was the Wheel of Life exercise; if you Google image the term you can find a few examples of the wheel of life. Take a few minutes to print one off or draw your own.

The circle is cut into pie shapes. At the end of each pie piece there are areas of life such as; health, wealth, family and friends, playtime-hobbies-fun, relationships, career-job, physical space, contribution-spirituality. There are ones that are common but if you have another area in your life that needs addressing then add it please.

The next thing we did was to have a look at each area of the wheel and on the spoke made a mark relative to the contentment or discontentment that is happening in that area. Closest to the inside would be a ’0′ for that area and on the outside it would be a 10 meaning that area of your life is perfect and there is nothing you would change. So for example if you are very happy with your family and friends make a mark at the outside of the circle because you feel good about this area and it does not need changing.

Now that you have an indicator of the separate areas of your life attach the marks on the inside of the circle…now you can see the areas of your life that are working and those that aren’t.

This is where you can see the imbalances.

Next question is how you improve how you are feeling about for example the area of physical space. Let’s say you rated this area low and are very unhappy with the clutter in your home. What is one thing that you can do today to improve this piece of your life? It could be as simple as asking the family to pick up after themselves (I did not say it was easy…just a simple question), perhaps it is time to let go of things that have accumulated and you feel guilt or shame for the things that you have and no longer use.

Back to the road example…that guilt or shame associated with the stuff is the road block! Until you address the cause of the guilt and shame the clutter or obstacle is not going to go anywhere. For some it could be an event from childhood that triggers the guilt, for others it could be ego or loss of face about the stuff , for some it may be fear. Fear of the unknown and what is really on the other side of that road block.

I love this exercise and I can honestly say when I do this myself I have many light bulb moments that help me to see where I am stuck and what I need to work on to move forward. The participants of these sessions always have them too…the aha’s and the nods…a knowing of why and now a process of what to do next.

Please take some time and if nothing else do the wheel and honestly rate how you are feeling in each area of your life…you won’t regret the valuable time you will spend on YOU!

After spending the weekend with the folks out in the country; hanging out, playing cards, napping, watching the birds in the feeder and generally doing nothing I realized that in our overachieving world we do not value R&R.