Successful Blog

Thanks to Week 321 SOBs

by

muddy teal strip A

Successful and Outstanding Bloggers

Let me introduce the bloggers
who have earned this official badge of achievement,

and the right to call themselves
Successful Blog SOBs.

I invite them to take a badge home to display on their blogs.

muddy teal strip A

They take the conversation to their readers,
contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger.

I thank all of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on.
Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.

Should anyone question this SOB button’s validity, send him or her to me. Thie award carries a “Liz said so” guarantee, is endorsed by Kings of the Hemispheres, Martin and Michael, and is backed by my brothers, Angelo and Pasquale.

deep purple strip

Want to become an SOB?

If you’re an SO-Wanna-B, you can see the whole list of SOBs and learn how to be one by visiting the SOB Hall of Fame– A-Z Directory . Click the link or visit the What IS an SOB?! page in the sidebar.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

It’s All in How You See the Rain

by

cooltext443860173_ive-been-thinking

about rain.
It rained as I was thinking about what to put here. It’s been raining a lot lately, but I don’t mind.
Rain reminds me of something I wrote a few years back …

After the rain has fallen there is a moment, just a glimpse of a second when all of the world stands perfectly silent, when everything seems to stop.

I hear my heart beat. Heartbeats are the sound of waiting water, collecting from raindrops no longer falling. They’re still in my mind with the thoughts that made them come raining down.

Now that I’m quiet and the air is clearer. I see the world again as it truly is — filled with delicate beauty and wonder. Nothing is wrong or right, in tune or out of sync. Nothing is upside down.

There is only what happens, like the rain. There is only what is.

The sun shines through the drops making a prism, a rainbow of color that wasn’t there only a moment ago.

Sometimes we put our own meaning on things that happen, even things like rain.
Rain is only rain. It’s not good or bad. We decide things like that sometimes because we want to, sometimes from habit.

The next time you have an automatic response to a situation, ask yourself, “Am I making the rain something bad?”

Liz's Signature

Be Unshakeable

by

A Guest Post by
Rosemary O’Neill

cooltext443809558_authenticity

Be unshakeable.

It’s a famous scene in the Saturday morning cartoons: a character goes flying off a cliff, starts flapping, and starts to enjoy flying. Another character holds up a sign saying, “you can’t fly,” and immediately the first character drops like a stone.

You can create valuable content
You can contribute big ideas
You can have fanatically devoted customers
You can give your unique perspective
You can start something exciting
You can change
You can enjoy what you’re doing
You can treat people with respect
You can be recognized for your work
You can write

You can fly.

And if someone comes along with a “you can’t fly” sign, just shoot it with an Acme Slingshot.
_____

Author’s Bio: Rosemary O’Neill is an insightful spirit who works for social strata — a top ten company to work on the Internet. Check out their blog. You can find her on Twitter as @rhogroupee

Ideas & Infographs: The Effects Your Small Business Can Have By Hiring Just One Person

by

Guest Post
by Adria Saracino

It is hard to imagine a small business hiring one person having any lasting effect on unemployment in the UK. After all, the rates are now at a 17-year high. However, new data suggests this is the case; that small businesses can in fact reduce unemployment.

Simply Business. a company that provides insurance for small businesses, conducted some marketing research after new unemployment data was released by the British government. Of the small businesses surveyed, 27% said they plan to hire at least one employee in the next twelve months. And all of the sudden, that “one person” quickly turns into over 300,00 new jobs across the market.

Simply Business created the following UK unemployment infographic to display the effect small business owners have on the economy.

Click this link to see the full-size infographic.

Jason Stockwood, CEO of Simply Business, said:

“The optimistic picture these small businesses paint is heartening in these tough times. When you consider that SMEs account for 99.9 per cent of the total enterprises in the UK and provide over 59 per cent of the jobs in the private sector their continued success and growth is key to our economic recovery.”

With such a large number of new employment, there would be an estimated decrease in over 190,000 people claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance, resulting in the government saving over £10,000,000 each week.

Are you the owner of a small business? And if so, do you plan on hiring anyone in the next twelve months? If so, you just might end up being part of a large decrease in unemployment rates.

————————————

Adria Saracino is the Head of Outreach at Distilled, a creative Internet marketing agency. When not connecting with interesting people on the web you can find her talking about style at her personal fashion blog. Follow her on twitter @adriasaracino to stay in touch.

Thanks, Adria!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Social Media and Its Impact on Resumes

by

In this day and age when social media is all the rage, it behooves those either out of work and looking for a job or those looking to change out of their present positions to utilize social media on their resumes.

Quite simply, social media can go a long way in helping job seekers further place their foot in the door with a company of their choosing, especially those who grasp this form of communication.

So, how should you go about linking the various aspects of social media and your resume?

Among the ways to do it are:

  • Make sure you are using Facebook and Twitter for starters – Given that Facebook and Twitter reportedly have around a billion users between the two of them, it only makes sense to be seen and heard on both. Facebook is a great tool to share valuable information with prospective employers by befriending their companies. Once you’re able to do that, you can supply them with pertinent links to your work, be it full-time, part-time and/or internships. With Twitter, the same can be true, but be sure to use related hashtags such as #employment, #jobsearch, #careers etc. to network with potential employers or those who may know of an opening you would be qualified for. Sometimes it can be as simple as an alum of your college seeing you on Twitter of Facebook, knowing of a qualified opening, and forwarding you the details;
  • Put together a video resume – Whether your job will involve technical things like video does not matter, use video to express your qualifications. Unlike the old paper resume or even today’s electronic version, adding video to your resume gives a prospective employer the opportunity to see you in a visual light before you might even step inside his or her office for an interview. Yes, you may be a little shy in front of the camera, but this means of reaching out to employers can help get you in the door for an interview. Use sites like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter to name a few to promote the career video in an effort to get it in front of as many eyes possible;
  • Provide a Web site and/or web host for your resume – Some individuals have taken to making their own professional Web sites as part of their career aspirations. This too is a great way to get your name out there in the electronic world, whether it is your own site or by selecting a professional resume hosting platform;
  • Link up with your resume – Remember to provide links on your resume to the different social media tools that you use, including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. By doing so, potential employers can visit your URLs and hopefully see some of your creativity at work;
  • Clean up any social media issues – Those of us who have Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools at our disposal have undoubtedly posted something at one time or another we’re not too proud of. Before sending your electronic resume out to countless or even one prospective employer, be sure there are no social media gaffes that can come back to bite you;
  • Highlight social media experience – Given the fact that more businesses are using social media these days in their operations, any social media experience you bring to the table can be beneficial to you. In the event you currently blog, tweet, share etc. be sure to list your experience, including with working with things like HTML, WordPress, Blogspot, Dreamweaver, Tumblr and more.

The day and age of mailing off a resume or faxing it to a potential employer still exists in some circles, but those circles keep dwindling. Nowadays, having the social wherewithal to promote yourself means you have a much better chance of getting in for an interview than not.

Most importantly, don’t be anti-social when it comes to helping yourself attain the job you really want.

Photo credit: mensfitness.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other items starting a business and workers compensation, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

How to Make Your Surroundings Work for You

by

Guest Post
by Rachel Carlson

When life gets busy, a good exercise routine can fall by the wayside. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways you can make physical activity a part of everyday life — sometimes without going to the gym! Read on to discover just a handful of ways you can make small adjustments to your day so that you never miss a workout again.

Find Exercise in Everyday Activities

Reviews of elliptical trainers suggest that they can be a great way to burn calories and get in shape, but they are not the only method for achieving physical fitness. Back in 2002, the New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study which compared the fitness results of test subjects who only walked a bit extra every day to those who performed a set exercise program. The scientists discovered that the walkers got just as much benefit taking their exercise in small, manageable pieces as did the people who adhered to a schedule. Hence, it doesn’t matter if you exercise for one hour, or in fifteen minute increments. What really matters is the total amount of exercise you get.

Bryan Bordeaux, D.O., from Johns Hopkins University recommends taking a different approach to your everyday activities. He recommends using the stairs in your home as a means of exercise and also points out that things like yard work and house cleaning can actually burn a significant amount of calories. Bordeaux also suggests finding small opportunities for walking throughout the day. For instance, park farther away from your office and consider walking instead of driving to perform errands. You might also pass up the elevator in favor of taking the stairs. Any of these methods can get your heart rate up and burn calories.

Set Goals to Improve Fitness

Another important strategy for physical fitness is setting goals. The America On the Move Foundation cites goal-setting as being among the most important components of exercise. Begin by setting ultimate goals such as: Iíd like to lose twenty pounds or I’d like to put on ten pounds of muscle. To achieve them, you should also set incremental goals that will put you on the right track. You might decide to take 2,500 more steps every day and resolve to eat an apple as a morning snack instead of a Danish. Once you’re achieving these incremental goals on regularly, you can up the ante by adding another 500 steps every day, adding some light weight training, and having a salad with dinner every night. Achieving even these small goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and spur you on to the next level.

Keep Motivation Running High

Even with the best of intentions, we sometimes feel our motivation to be fit and active slipping away. Without realizing it, we begin to slide back into spending evenings on the couch with the television, without giving a thought to perhaps stretching or using a cardio machine while we watch.

The good news is that there are lots of strategies that can help you keep the importance of your fitness goals in mind. Certified fitness trainer Cindy Brotherston believes that people are motivated to exercise either through fear factors or positive motivations. Fear factors might relate to disease statistics, spending the balance of your life in debilitating health circumstances or finding yourself in danger of an early, preventable death. Positive motivation factors might include things like setting and achieving goals and using results of a workout program to help maintain inspiration. She also recommends taking a photograph of yourself before beginning an exercise program and then taking a further photograph several weeks in to see what kind of progress you’ve made. Noting any positive results can definitely supply you with any missing motivation.

Brotherson also recommends finding a reliable workout buddy who can give you external motivation to keep going with your fitness routine. When you know that someone else is counting on you to show up for a morning workout, it can definitely get you up out of bed and moving. Doing something you like can also help keep motivation high. Focus on fun-for-you sports like tennis, hiking at a nearby lake, or taking your dog for an extra long walk to keep moving toward your fitness goals.

Start Healthy Habits

Once you’ve resolved to live a healthier life, it’s important to begin in small increments. Cutting out every bad habit at once in a cold turkey fashion can actually be a good way to sabotage your efforts. Start by making a list of everything you’d like to either cut out or change. Your list might include things like walking to the store, eating four servings of fruits and vegetables every day, or giving up dessert three times a week. The list can be as long and detailed as you would like, but the important thing is to tackle one item at a time. Make each item on your list the focus of a week or perhaps even two. Once it begins to feel like a comfortable part of your routine, cut out something else or work on picking up a new healthy habit.

WebMD.com reports that changing even one factor for living a healthier life, like eating breakfast every morning, can significantly increase your ability to live a meaningful, active life. Involve your whole family in your healthful efforts by preparing a health-conscious dinner together on a Saturday night or spending Sunday on a long family bike ride. As a family, brainstorm for extra ways you can all get healthy and active together.

Make it Fun

Wellness expert Dr. Andrew Weil stresses the importance of making exercise fun in order to make it work for you. After all, when you enjoy your workouts, you’re more like to keep up with your routine. However, we all have a tendency to want to avoid certain exercises. Maybe you think developing upper body strength is no fun, for instance. Instead of avoiding weight training, try focusing on it instead. You have an opportunity to make significant progress and make this aspect of your workout a favorite by improving your performance.

When the routine starts to seem stale, change things up by adding a new twist. Purchase exercise bands, a new fitness DVD, or a exercise ball. Challenge yourself with a new class at the gym or resolve to change that one part of your body that you’ve always wished was different. Believe it or not, you are in charge and you can make a difference when it comes to your physical fitness.

————————————
Author’s Bio:
Rachel Carlson is a writer and student that works from home. While she spends a lot of her time writing, she also helps different companies like Clear Wireless with gaining exposure through various blogs and websites. She has recently started a new Twitter account and is finally going to give it a real shot. She can be followed at @carlson_rachel.

Thanks, Rachel!
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!