Women's Resource Network

June 21

Raspberries Can Be Green

                                   

 

I have a garden, actually several.
There is a vegetable garden and an area that I grow raspberries, throw in some flowers and that is “my garden”.

I LOVE to eat raspberries. YES

Actually, I love to eat all the vegetables and fruits that I grow.

 

I get the love of gardening from both of my parents.

The garden that I remember first, was a fairly small garden that had some veggies and small fruits.

The thing I remember the most was the blueberries and raspberries.

I was given permission to pick them and eat them right away.  NO SUPERMARKET

These were my first memories of wonderful fresh food.

 

There is a lot of TV, Magazine Articles and Internet Information about “greening” our way of life.

Recycle, use products that are not polluting and buy products that are responsibly or “green” manufactured.

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is of huge magnitude that will need to be addressed as the years go by, but right now I feel that I am doing my small part of being ecofriendly.

 

Why is eating raspberries in my backyard green?

Where do you buy your raspberries?

Do you drive to the grocery store? THAT TAKES GAS and a car

Are your raspberries in a container?

Is the container cardboard or styrofoam that is covered with plastic wrap?

Where did those berries get shipped in from?  CHILE, CALIFORNIA or locally grown

The grocery stores have to be heated or cooled and have lighting so you can see the raspberries to buy.

 

The point I am trying to make is that so much of what we do in one day, one week or one year has so much petroleum based products in it that anyway that we can cut down will be green.

My little vegetable/fruit patch is very green.

The preparation of the soil each year for the garden is manual labor.  MY MUSCLES

The planting of the seeds is done by me and mother nature helps with the watering sometimes.  THIS SPRING A LOT!

The transportation of my vegetables into my house is perhaps 30 steps.

The raspberries don’t usually get very far from the plant because I eat as I pick.  YUM

 

I take full advantage of growing vegetables that I can put aside for the winter, either by freezing or by canning.

Yes, it is a lot of work.

Is it worth the time and effort to grow a garden and preserve the produce?

Have you ever had your own tomatoes in the winter time?  OR RASPBERRIES?

I rest my case.

4:50 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

June 14

Problems Can Get Done, Solved

Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993 US Clergyman) once said:
"If you put off everything till you're sure of it, you'll never get anything done."

I would like to have you put this idea into practice.

It may be contrary to the way we all have been taught to do our jobs.

Your school work, for example, of getting finished one grade before you advance to the next is the correct process.

 

What if you are in school that has no art program?

You doodle and draw objects and pictures all over your academic notebooks.

Perhaps you should find a way to take art classes outside of school.

 

This thinking process is not easy.

Most people that have “vision” or “forward thinkers” can see the entire picture and don’t let small steps hold them back.

Putting this thinking process into action may be even harder.

 

Challenge yourself.

Work around the obstacles that are holding you back.

Let us all find a better way to get our issues solved or as Mr Peale said, done.

4:02 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

June 07

Newcomers to Networking

 

On the way home from a meeting, I thought of an analogy for what networking is like for people that have not experienced being at a networking event.

 

Have you have been to a family gathering?

Have you been to a college party for a dorm, fraternity/ sorority or social?

These events may be familiar to you and they follow basic guide lines.

            Show up

            Be friendly and interact with others

            Bring something to the party

 

If it is large party, you may know not know all of the people.

All the party goers there have something in common; they are friends with other people there.

You go to the party, looking forward to meeting new friends, having some fun.

 

Think of going to a business networking event as if you were going to that same party. 

            Show up

            Be friendly and interact with others

            Bring something to the event, maybe just yourself, at first

 

You are going into a group of people that already have a lot in common.

They are business people; they are looking to make connects and meet new people.

Go to the event, look forward to meeting your next new business partner and have some fun.

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May 31

Stress, Decode Your Stress

What does stress mean to you in your job? 

 

I have worked with stress in my job for years. 

For the first 5 years of my design career, I just did my job. 

The fact that stress was a major component of the job with customer service, late orders, missing pieces, broken components and contractors wanting to do the job their way was a normal day in my job. 

 

One day a management person came to me and asked if I wanted to go to a stress management class.

“Stress management,” what’s that?  REALLY!

So I went and learned that I had a very stressful job.  NOBODY TOLD ME 

That wasn’t the main impact of going to the class. 

It was realizing that I was handling stress well.

 

In taking apart the way I handle stress, it has been an interesting process and analysis of what I do and how I made decisions. 

If I have a problem, instead of looking at the entire problem and wondering where to start, I look at the end result and what needs to be done, and then break it into “pieces” or “parts”. 

This allows me to understand each part in the sequence of getting the job done without stressing about how to get the entire project done.          THE END DOES HAPPEN

 

I wish that I could totally explain this process. 

It has become a “simple” dismantling thought process for me in each project. 

For example, since I love to cook, I’ll use putting a meal together.  DID SSOMEONE SAY FOOD?

 

First thing to do is put together a meal plan. 

A decision as to what to eat is first on the list of things to do.  ONE BITE AT A TIME

Say a meal of roast beef, vegetables, a salad and dessert.

Now break each part of the meal into the pieces that are needed to accomplish putting the food on the table all at one time.

The beef will take the longest to cook. 

The vegetables will not stay hot easily without becoming overcooked if cooked too soon. 

The salad can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator. 

The dessert, if it is a pie, can be prepared and cooked just before the roast beef needs to be put in the oven for dinner. 

So you have a meal that is ready all at the same time and is hot or cold as the dish requires.  GREAT JOB!

 

Planning is the key to avoid stressing out on any project. 

Planning and breaking each project down into it parts becomes manageable.

Each part is not as overwhelming as the whole.  SMALL STEPS

Each part is easily done because it is a manageable piece to accomplish. 

You can easily eliminate stress in this way. 

It’s the way I work to eliminate my stress.  FOCUS ON ONE PART AT A TIME

Try it, you might loose some stress.  ENJOY THE MEAL!

 

 

3:01 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)

May 24

9 Networking Tips
    

1. Successful networking is about building a relationship. 

It may be with someone new or someone you already know.  

Connect with each person by find out about them, their business interests and needs by asking open-ended questions.

2. Be Prepared. 

Bring plenty of business cards.

Have something to write with, that won’t bleed on your clothes.

Write any questions or referrals that you will need to follow up with on the back of the business card.

Bring several brochures for really serious contacts.

3. You can only make one first impression. 

Dress appropriately for the networking event.  

A quick tip: wear something that has pockets.  

You can carry your business cards in one pocket and the cards that you collect can go into another. 

4. Understand what the networking event is about.  

Who will be your objective?  

What types of connections will you make?

Be open to meeting all the new people at the event.

Don’t try to meet everyone.  

5. Create your 12-second intro. 

This elevator speech informs people what you do from the heart. 

This intro should want to have people asking for more information.

(How do you do that?  Where do you get your resources?)

Practice your intro to be familiar with what you are saying and deliver a memorable impression.

6. Become a referral giver. 

Make connections with other networkers and new people.  

Give referrals whenever possible. 

7. Communicate with a smile and enjoy being at the event. 

People enjoy doing business with people they like and who make them feel good. Focus on the positive in your life and business.  

Focus on how to help others. 

Complaining attracts other complainers, maybe. 

8. Listening is an art form. 

Learn how to focus completely on the person with whom you are speaking. 

A busy and crowded event makes it challenging to connect with new contacts. 

Talk for a brief period of time then, set up a future meeting with them to really discuss each others businesses and each other.  

DO IT! 

9. Follow up. 

Fortune is in the follow up.  

If you make the effort to network it should be worth while. 

Use your business cards to create a database to connect with your contacts.  

Connect with your contacts to give them information, a referral or just an exchange of it was nice to meet you. 

Sending a card is unique way to connect.

 

 

 

4:02 AM GMT  |  Read comments(0)