Difficulty Blogging vs. The Black Widows Can Bite Me

Ironically, even though I’m a writer and written words ARE my reality, I’ve always had difficulty blogging.

It’s a little bit of “Do people really need to know my thoughts right now?” vs. “What if I write something immeasurably stupid, and I want to go back and edit it? When you’re typing in cyberspace, you’re writing in ink, not pencil.”

Despite my qualms about blogging, I’ve been making an effort to start putting myself out there more. And by “out there,” I mean on the internet, with my real name, not hiding behind a pseudonym or warrior-like avatar that allows me to engage in alternate egos, consequence-free. I’ve been playing this “real self” game on Twitter, Facebook, my website, my blogs, and lo and behold – the world isn’t ending like I thought it would.

To inspire myself, I’ve also been gravitating towards people who have nothing to hide. They’re out there, being themselves, and enjoying it. To my amazement, no mafia members are hunting them down or killing them as a result of this brazen straightforwardness. Quite the opposite – mafia members stay away far from them. (Can you tell I’ve been paralyzed by a secret fear of being tracked down and dealt with by fictional bad guys?)

In emulating my role models, I find that gradually, over time, ‘being myself’ is becoming easier. The desire to hide is melting away. Thank God, too, cuz it takes up too much time, energy, and effort trying to be something I’m not. (Metaphor time! Wanting to hide is the equivalent of driving in a gas-guzzling SUV, wasting all my fuel. I’d rather start being my authentic self, which is the equivalent of riding in a plug-in hybrid vehicle that averages at least 100 miles a gallon. Hehe).

Now I care less about who knows me, or whether they know about the work I do, or whether they have an inkling of my non-work-related preferences. That includes ex-boyfriends, ex-clients, ex-friends, ex-patriots, ex-whoevers. It’s just too much effort to try to hide all of it any longer. “Go ahead, Google me, find everything you you want on me – I’m busy caring about something more important” is my new motto.

Why am I so cautious? For one, I used to hang out with some real ‘black widow’ types of people, where if you encroached upon the secret reality of who they were, they’d be sure to bite you, or sting you, or prepare for some kind of revenge. Not one to be steeped in common sense all the time, I often engaged in a bit of warfare with these black widow types, simply for the fun of it (because I am a little nuts like that). That would have been OK, had the black widows understood it was all in the spirit of play. But I’ve learned there are people out there for whom playful warfare is grounds for actual revenge.

Trolling those people is a thing of the past. I’ll just let them do their thing, and I’ll stay out of it.

And while the ‘sick gene’ will always be in me, I’m going to take ongoing healthy steps to keep it turned off. I don’t want want that bad boy expressing itself at random hours of the day!

Bottom line: I’m done being unintentionally sick. And I’m done using the act of hiding as a way to fuel this unintended sickness. If I’m going to be sick, I’m going to do it intentionally, on my terms.

Multiple Email Blasts Really Do Increase Sales

I was always one of those people who thought it was rude to “blast” your email list with multiple messages, especially within a short timeframe. I even thought it was discourteous to send a single email newsletter once a month. How wrong I was.

The reality is that people who are on your list don’t mind. They signed up because they want to hear from you. More importantly, if they’re not interested in what you have to say at a particular moment, they can simply hit the delete key. And if they’re not interested in ever hearing from you again, they can simply hit the unsubscribe button. In both cases, it’s neither the end of the world, nor something to give the slightest thought about.

This past month – and more literally, this past week – I tested that theory by sending out 3 email blasts for one of my clients (my first official “aggressive” marketing campaign. Ha.). In one week, we generated 12 subscriptions for a new membership product. How exciting. Client was thrilled, I was thrilled… customers were excited to join a new program. Everybody wins.

Business coach Alicia Forest said something related to this, and her words now have a place on my wall: “Frequency will always outpull a single blast. Get comfortable not only with asking for the sale, but asking for it a lot.” Amen. (IIRC, Alicia was summarizing one of Ali Brown’s takehome messages from the Shine event this past November. Thanks, Alicia. I wanted to be there, but I was in Durham, NC, at Bria and Mark Simpson’s Excel Event – check out my testimonial for that, by the way.)

Bottom line – quit being shy about asking for people’s business. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, the super-email-blaster gets the orders, and the one who speaks out most often gets heard.

Michelle Lopez
Sugarlit.com | Online Business Management

6 Quick Tips for Writing Project-Winning Email Proposals – by Michelle Lopez

6 Quick Tips for Writing Project-Winning Email Proposals (plus an example letter)

When you are offering a potential client your services, it helps to give the reader an enjoyable reading experience so they become excited about working with you. Following are 6 easy tips you can use right away to increase your chances at securing new business.

1. Make the letter totally about the potential client. Use “you” way more than you use “I” or “me”
2. Show enthusiasm for their project, and helping them reach their goals
3. Reference their specific goals in the letter — mainly to acknowledge that you’re aware of those goals, and to get the client thinking about possibilities.
4. Offer lots of relevant ideas, then offer an easy place to start working with you, so they’re not overwhelmed
5. Be detached from the outcome. Be fine with the client saying “No,” “Maybe,” “Yes,” or “Yes, but later.”
6. Understand that each proposal you send out makes you better at your game.

Here’s an example of a proposal I just sent out a new potential client whom I met recently at a business event (all confidential info has been removed). For background purposes: this letter was written to someone who is developing a sports-related business.

———
Hi XXX,

I had a chance to look over your biz plan for XXX, and WOW. There is definitely huge potential here. I can see why this was a well-kept secret for a long time. How exciting! I’m honored that would you share this with me.

I’m not familiar with XXX, and not sure why they aren’t replying to your emails. However, if you want me to revise your business plan, I can definitely do that. Note that I don’t do “one-time projects” because of the significant amount of research involved in starting up with a new client. I like to get deeply involved with my clients’ work, and if it’s not something that could transition into a long-term partnership type of thing, then I would pass on it. So if you’re interested in hiring me, please consider it from the vantage point of how I could assist you long-term (and I have offered some ideas below).

I think your goal of securing $50k in funding is doable, and in fact – even doubling that, as [our coach] would suggest – is doable. You can take a variety of approaches to achieve that goal. In addition to finding an investor or bank financing, perhaps you could hire someone to launch a blog, sell sports merchandise, sell advertising, and/or create and sell INFO PRODUCTS related to basketball (e.g., an ebook called “Top 10 Secrets for Improving Your Game” for $29.95 a copy). That way you are creating some of the startup capital yourself.

My specialty is in creating and launching products online, and I was recently certified as an Online Business Manager. So there is lot I could do here for you. And if you don’t end up hiring me right away, you could always save these ideas for later. Here are my initial thoughts:

• Business plan can be rewritten and edited to be more compelling, more succinct, and able to clearly communicate the bigger vision of why the owner wants to launch this project. Revision would focus on tightening sentence structure, improving grammar, and ensuring all spelling and punctuation is correct (just from skimming your draft here, I saw several minor punctuation issues that can be easily fixed). Most importantly, make sure biz plan speaks to the “[game] lover” in the reader, excites them, and inspires passion in them. Slight reorganization to put the juiciest stuff at the beginning of the document.
• Do some “deep research” to find appropriate investors. Do you already have investors in mind? Assistance with preparing, formatting, and submitting proposals. Someone to manage all of the above.
• Create compelling proposal letters based on the biz plan, tailored to your targeted investors.
• Start a blog to get peopled excited about this idea. Hire 1-2 sports writers, have someone manage editing and content production. Doesn’t have to be complicated; can be a very simple
  process with 2-3 blog posts per week. Use the blog to sell related
  products & advertising.
• Produce online training manuals and other materials (videos, etc.) for “Association Manager training.” Someone to manage the training process.

First things first, I’d be happy to start with a simple project such as revising/editing your biz plan, with the explicit goal of making it irresistible to potential investors. We could use that initial project to see how well we work together…. then consider further projects later down the road.

If that’s something you’d be interested in, let me know and we can chat further.

Michelle Lopez
Online Business Manager (OBM)
Tel: (720) xxx
Fax: (303) xxx
www.sugarlit.com
I help small-business owners
make more money
and enjoy more free time.

———

Multiple Streams of Income metaphor

I hate the phrase “multiple streams of income,” it’s so overused, it almost means nothing. But what it stands for, what it refers to, is something beyond brilliant. If you’re not already implementing it for your business, you’re losing money, and your competitors are the ones receiving that money. I know, because I’m a prime example.

So imagine you’re out in the desert. You’re thirsty, there aren’t a lot of water fountains at your disposal, but you need a drink of water anyway. You stumble upon a cactus, which you spend a lot of time splitting open, or cutting open, or however that works out for you. For some reason you believe this cactus has water inside it – and it does, a little bit – but it’s really hard to access, and it’s mostly just a big pain in the ass getting at that damn cactus water.

It turns out that for YOU, it’s really unnecessary chasing after a few sips of H2O located in a green, stabby plant in the middle of no where. If you pluck yourself out of that situation (the desert), you can go to a place where there’s tons of water. Literally. Go to the well directly, and drink freely. Asketh and thee shall receive-ith. In fact, go to where there are multiple wells. Zap yourself out of thirst land and into another world where there are thousands of fountains everywhere you turn. Go the agua distance.

My question is – when you’re thirsty, wouldn’t you rather be standing near an abundant source of replenishment? It would be much easier to drink that way, yes?

And why are you in the desert to begin with? If you placed yourself there (unintentionally?) can you extract yourself (intentionally)? Yes. Duh. Just move. Leave. Say no to cactus water.

Multiple streams of income is where you leave the desert. You take a single source of your income, and you move it to a place where there can be more of it easily. Whenever you’re thirsty, you just drink. The water is always available to you, unless you decide there will be another drought.

You can make money one way, and be perpetually parched, or you can make money numerous ways, and have ample Wasser to satisfy your proverbial tongue.

“Where are you in your head?” is the main question. Mentally, are you in the desert, or are you where the wells are at?” (Nice tongue twister for ya.)

Here’s to finding your own wells filled with l’eau,

Michelle Lopez
Online Business Manager (OBM)
www.sugarlit.com

Leverage Metaphor

What is leverage? I can answer that question by telling you what it’s not.

Imagine you’re juggling ten balls in the air. You’re juggling them all by yourself, and you’ve been doing this for… hours. Maybe even days, or weeks, or months, or years. You’re freaking out a little bit, thinking, “How long can I keep this up? I might drop one of these balls. Hell, I might drop ALL of them.”

That’s NOT leverage.

On the other hand (not that you have one), say you hired someone – another juggler or two, or three, to come in and take some of these balls away from you. Then you went and hired someone else to manage those other jugglers!

To the outside world, it looks like you’re still the one still throwing the balls up in the air, keeping them in a continual, graceful movement throughout time and space. Everyone’s impressed with this beautiful act. The reality – the truth behind the scenes – is that you’ve a got a team in place to help you keep those balls in the air.  And they’re very capable team members. They do not drop balls. It turns out those team members are even better at juggling than you are. You learn something from them, because you intentionally hired people who were better than you.

So when you hire a team, what does that let you do? It allows you to work on something else. The juggling – that mysteriously synchronistic act –is still getting done. But you’re not the one doing the dirty work. Maybe you’re doing a little bit of the dirty work (a miniscule amount), but certainly not all of it.

That’s leverage.

 
Michelle Lopez
Online Business Manager (OBM)
www.sugarlit.com

The Butterfly Effect Prompts Me to Go on an Exciting Mental Journey

Ever notice how sometimes things happen, leading one to another, and then the next thing you know, a snowball effect of something great has occurred?

This happens to me often while I’m reading. Just that magic act of reading opens so many doors…

Anyway, tonight I was reading a newsletter sent by my new role model, JJ Virgin. In her email, she mentioned HER business coach and role model, Ali Brown – a woman I’d never heard of until a few hours ago. JJ recommended Ali’s live SHINE event, which is taking place this November.

I proceeded to a) read JJ’s original articles (loving them, of course) and b) research a bit on Ali Brown. I am quickly discerning a trend — JJ keeps amazing me with her brilliance, and now this person SHE recommends is also amazing me. I could go on.

The point is that when you focus on something, it grows bigger. In the past month or so, I have been deliberately imagining certain qualities of the kind of people whom I wish to start attracting into my life. I haven’t ever really known or associated with anyone who thinks really BIG, and who achieves big successes in their lives. Maybe 1 or 2 people like that have crossed my path, then gone away.

Now, suddenly I’m “discovering” these big-minded, successful people all over the place. Granted, I’m finding them through virtual mediums — the internet — but the power of this magical online land makes it possible for me to watch videos of these individuals, hear their voices, see them in action, and really take away something of value. I can do all of this while sitting on my exercise ball, in front of my laptop, at home.

I asked myself just weeks ago, “What would happen if I made it a goal to invest $30k into myself, in the next year, without going into debt? What does that even mean? That number was slightly less than what I earned in an entire year, 5 years ago, while I was working full-time and going to college part-time. And here I am proposing to invest that much into myself, in a single year.

Numerous new training opportunities are coming my way. It seems the exact programs I need are appearing right before me. I’m finding keys that can unlock doors which have been perpetually locked. None of this happened when I was restricting myself to a free mentor (i.e., a friend who, in actuality, was a very negative presence…despite all his life-enhancing suggestions).

Clearly something is happening when I open up my wallet and commit actual dollars to reaching my goals.

All these new mentors are all females, too. Very ironic, for a self-proclaimed tomboy who has typically spent most of her life with guys.

It’s not: “We’ll see if this works.” It’s: “I’m crafting my ideal job and life, right now.”

Ali Brown says, Make decisions today as though you are living how you want to be a year from now. I’ve heard this concept before, but never actually implemented it.

Moving on……here is the original JJ article I wanted to share (including all her extras that came with the newsletter). Check out her stuff. She’s the first fitness/nutrition expert I’ve ever taken seriously. Really inspiring woman. I’m signed up for her Breakfree Boot Camp that starts October 5…so I can finally break free of my last few bad eating habits.

Note From JJ I am writing this after 2 weeks of extensive travel.  First I took a semi-impromptu trip to Italy and then headed out to Scottsdale for a mastermind retreat and to tape some TV shows.  I hadn’t been to Europe for years and I was surprised at the food and the overall lack of variety (all dairy and gluten, all of the time).  Maybe it was the fact that I was heading to Italy right after Eat, Pray, Love came out and so my expectations of Italy and the food were overblown or that the last few times I visited I was over in the French and Italian Riviera where the emphasis is on Mediterranean cuisine rich in seafood.  This time it seemed like the entire menu consisted of pork products (bacon everywhere, even on the pizza!), flour products (pastries, sandwiches, pizza a nd pasta), dairy (cheese and gelato) and a very limited amount of veggies-zucchini, peppers and eggplant (and tomatoes but those are really a fruit), all washed down with red wine and olive oil. I felt like I was on a constant hunt for clean lean protein and low glycemic carbs!  I will tell you that my healthy travel strategies saved me, so I am going to share them with you in this issue. I also couldn’t help wondering about the Italians’ gastrointestinal health. I wanted to bring them all into our Break Free Boot Camp and yank the cheese and dairy out immediately. They seem to be eating it at every meal. I wonder if they have delayed food sensitivities? Interestingly, I never saw any soy the whole time I was in Italy and I was all over the place. They also have outlawed GMO foods so they don’t have that nasty issue to contend with.  I did however see a very interesting wrap style sandwich stuffed with sausage and French fries (where was my camera darn it?!) And I spent a few hours mesmerized in the food market in Florence where they sold everything from chicken heads to carved pork (which was being carved off the WHOLE PIG, head still intact) and of course every shape, style and size of pasta imaginable. It’s funny that I ended up at an Italian themed resort in Scottsdale.  I was attending Ali Brown’s last Diamond Mastermind retreat here so the experience was very bittersweet. Ali Brown has been my coach, mentor and friend for the past year and a half and she has helped me personally and professionally totally transform my life.  Her big event of the year, Shine, is November 2-4 in Las Vegas. I will be there with Leanne Ely, my Break Free business partner. I would love to connect with you there.  You can still get in on her ‘bring a friend for free” program.   I don’t attend many events but this is a must! For details click here. Best of health, Feature Article My Top Travel Strategies to Lose Weight (or at least stay the same) While Traveling By JJ Virgin Bring your magic bullet blender and pre-mixed shake.  I mix 2 scoops of Designs for Health PaleoMeal DF and 2 tbsp of DFH PaleoFiber (you will want to make sure you get that fiber in) and put in ziplock baggies so that I know exactly how much I need for my shake. Then I pick up fruit wherever I am to add to it. In Europe, quite often breakfast is included with the room but said breakfast is often a plethora of pastry items. Having our shakes saved us and the fiber kept things moving too J. Carry emergency food with you. I pack DFH PaleoBars, bags of nuts and jerkey (try grass fed beef or organic turkey).  You can also bring asceptic packed wild salmon.  I also bring my water bottle so I can get my water in without having to get a dose of pthlalates (from the plastic bottle) along with it. Wear a pedometer so you really do move more.  Find out where the gym is and improvise when necessary to get a workout in. In Rome, we did bursting up around the Vatican hill, climbed the Spanish Steps and got lost a lot (which helped rack up the miles). We went to the gym three times and did a variety of different exercises using their different assortment of machines and free weights.  We also got in 6-12 miles daily with walking. Search out stairs and take them whenever possible. Obviously, comfortable shoes are key here as well (and be proactive, pack some band-aids in case you should get a blister so it doesn’t become an “excuse” for not moving).  If I am driving somewhere, then I take my X-iser with me so that I can always get my bursting in.  If you are short on time, be sure you do this at the very minimum.  Also if you are going on a long flight, schedule a big workout for the day before (or better yet, the m orning of if time permits). Carry emergency “weapons”.  I brought along Carb Intercept by Natrol to help block some of the carbs from the pasta, pizza and bread (Hey, when in Rome, right….).  I also brought ThinSticks to help reduce my appetite but I found that I really wasn’t hungry.  If you have food sensitivities you can use DFH DairyGest and/or DFH AllerGyzyme to help you break up allergenic compounds from foods.  I also always travel with Magnesium Ascorbate or Magnesium Citrate – if you are suffering from constipation, a few of these at night will set things right.  And be sure to pack the Emergen-C packets and take 1-2 daily. Ensure you get your sleep. I brought melatonin to help me phase forward on my sleep. I should have brought some green tea bags but I forgot so I was “forced” to drink Italian espresso.  Be sure to bring ear plugs, a plane travel pillow and a blindfold too. We ended up at this amazing resort out in Tuscany that was having some kind of big charity party with loud American music that came flowing right up to our room.  While it was nostalgic to hear some of the tunes (listening to the Bee Gees and Rod Stewart in the middle of Italy was a big surreal) the charm definitely wore off after 1 am.  BTW, we engineered a new white noise technique should this happen to you and the earplugs just aren’t cutting it-turn the shower on full blast, works like a charm albeit not the most environmentally friendly technique. Travel isn’t an excuse to blow off your exercise, bag your diet or steal from sleep. When you take your healthy habits on the road with you, you will have more energy throughout your trip AND you won’t bring home a bloated belly for a souvenir. Recommended As we emerge from one of the most challenging shifts in business history, entrepreneurial women are poised to create a better world for ourselves than ever before. And it all starts with YOU! Join acclaimed entrepreneur and business coach Ali Brown for a transformational conference this fall to revive your business and your spirit. As we emerge from one of the most challenging shifts in business history, entrepreneurial women are poised to create a better world for ourselves than ever before. And it all starts with you! It’s your time to Shine. And this three-day event will jump-start your success like nothing before… guaranteed. Whether you’re a home-based mom with an idea for a part-time business or you already run a wildly successful million-dollar company, Shine 2010 will deliver stellar education, inspiration, and networking bar none.	Our Very Last Live Break Free Boot Camp For 2010 starts Oct 5th I’m excited by the enthusiasm and activity already happening on our interactive Forum! Don’t be left out – join us! Learn More and Reserve Your Spot NOW! New e-Program Sugar addiction is real, not some manufactured “syndrome” from Madison Avenue. Sugar’s addictive reach is beyond Snickers bars and donuts–pasta and bread could be the addicting foods as well. If you suspect that sugar is a problem, you’re probably right. Learn how to break free from this toxic substance once and for all. Learn what foods you can eat that will feed your body and repair it and keep the cravings away. This program includes a recorded audio teleclass with Leanne & JJ, course transcript PDF, quiz, and handy reference sheets (PDF). Order Break Free From Sugar Addiction today! See JJ JJ is the Nutrition Specialist on the brand new reality show Freaky Eaters. Catch new episodes on Sunday and Wednesday nights on TLC! See a clip of JJ and her co-host working with “The French Fry Girl” JJ’s Book Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy Reader Testimonial: “JJ, I just want to thank you! A total stranger commented on my arms and wanted to know how I got them! I told her Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy. She is buying your book!!!! Thanks and have a fabulous week!” - Lynn D. Ready for your own results? Order Your Copy Today! See JJ Speak Can’t wait to speak at Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women October 10-14 in Pittsburgh! Amazing lineup, unparalleled networking and a great opportunity to focus your personal and professional goals. Join me! CLICK HERE for info. (and if you can make it, be sure to use the code PATBD3 to get the Special Friend rate!) The Pennsylvania Governor’s Conference for Women, hosted by Governor Edward Rendell and the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, is a non-profit, non-partisan event that features dozens of expert speakers leading workshops and panels on the issues that matter most to women. Since the first Conference in 2004, this annual one-day event has grown to attract thousands of women from across the state each year. The Conference offers the information, inspiration, motivation and networking to help you discover what you want—and go get it! Stay in Touch Want more beauty and wellness tips? Follow me on:
©2010 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin is a the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy and the co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters reality series. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to grab her free audio: 7 Steps to Break Your “Freaky” Food Habits Fast & Forever.

Michelle Lopez | Online Business Manager (OBM)

The Trouble with Acronyms or — “Son of a B*tch* Management”

So after deciding to retire myself as a “writer/editor” and re-brand myself as an Online Business Manager (OBM), I’ve started toying with new potential names for my business, Twitter account, website URL, etc.

Since my first name is Michelle, naturally I thought of MichelleOBM and went out and registered www.michelleobm.com immediately after discovering it was available! Only after I forked over the cash did I realize the connection with “Michelle Obama.” Several people have confirmed that after seeing “MichelleOBM,” they’re reminded of Michelle Obama.

Not that there’s anything wrong with the First Lady, but branding is about making people think about YOU first whenever they see your name or logo. It’s not about reminding people of the President’s wife.

So I may scratch that idea and get a refund on my domain registration. Then I thought, what if I could reconfigure my beloved sugarlit.com site into one that focuses on OBM stuff? I could use the metaphor of finding the “sweet spot” in your business, and sweet naturally goes along with sugar.

I sent my lovely mother a few messages asking her thoughts on my email signature ideas. She saw “Sugarlit Online Business Management” and kindly pointed out the unintentional acronym: SOBM.

We laughed at this together. “Maybe I should name my business Son of a B*tch Management. Are you a SON OF A B*TCH manager? Then READ MY EBOOK now!” We were cracking up. I said, “I can see John Paul [my SOB Marine brother] using that name for his business…if he had one.”

Moral of the story: think deeply about committing to a name, or a word, or a business identity, before jumping right in. I’ve registered my fair share of website URLs, only to decide later they were cheesy, or wrong, or embarrassing. I’ve also had my fair share of randomly generated Internet usernames, pseudonyms, and pen names that only served as a smoke screen for my inability to decide on one name. (And for the record, “Sunni Markam” is a fictional character after whom this blog was randomly named. Go figure.)

What do you think is in a name? Share your thoughts on this blog.

Michelle Lopez

An Email to my Mom — On READING TO YOUR KIDS

I wrote my mom an email asking what type of books she used to purchase for me when I was little. Her answer reminded me how grateful I am for seemingly small things that add up to immeasurably priceless things. Below is a copy of the exchange.

—– Original Message —–

From: Michelle

To: Mom

Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 7:57 PM

Subject: Re: i took these notes during a nutrition teleseminar. highly recommended read,s ee website metnioned

I was up late.

Question for you: when you were reading me books when I was little, or when you sat me down in front of the TV to watch a video or program, what sort of books/stories did you *wish* were available to give to me? As a parent, did you ever say, “I wish they sold ________, that would be perfect for Michelle.”

I’m trying to think of what sort of products parents are absolutely craving for their kids, so we can start producing those. I’m obviously not a parent, so I don’t have that experience…all I can do is imagine.

—– Original Message —–

From: Mom

To: Michelle

Sent: Friday, September 24, 2010 8:37 AM

Subject: Re: i took these notes during a nutrition teleseminar. highly recommended read,s ee website metnioned

Michelle, The library was my source for books.  They were free and the assortment was huge. I would look for books with lots of colorful illustrations and appropriate for your age. Each day, I made time to play with you (especially puzzles) and another time to read to you.  You soaked the information up like a sponge.  Remember, by age two, you knew your ABC’s from building blocks.  : ) Also, I subscribed to Parent’s magazine – a great resource. Love, Mom

—– Original Message —–

From: Michelle

To: Mom

Sent: Saturday, September 25, 2010 3:02 AM

Subject: Re: i took these notes during a nutrition teleseminar. highly recommended read,s ee website metnioned

Michelle, The library was my source for books.  They were free and the assortment was huge. I would look for books with lots of colorful illustrations and appropriate for your age. Each day, I made time to play with you (especially puzzles) and another time to read to you.  I BELIEVE I AM ETERNALLY INDEBTED TO YOU FOR THESE TWO SIMPLE DAILY ACTIONS, FOR WHICH, YOU SHOULD HAVE EARNED THE MOM OF THE DECADE AWARD MUCH, MUCH SOONER. A PILE OF MACY’S GIFTCARDS TO THE MOON WOULDN’T BEGIN TO COME CLOSE TO EXPRESSING THE AMOUNT OF GRATITUDE I SUDDENLY REALIZED I HAVE…BUT HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING TO EXPRESS FOR MANY YEARS, DUE TO ATROPHY OF MY HUMAN SIDE, MY CRIPPLED EMOTIONAL SELF. HOW WOULD I EVER BEGIN TO REPAY YOU? You soaked the information up like a sponge.  Remember, by age two, you knew your ABC’s from building blocks.  : ) Also, I subscribed to Parent’s magazine – a great resource. Love, Mom

I love my parents very much and have always had such difficulty expressing it.

The importance of role models

Every once in awhile I come across a person whose remarkable accomplishments inspire me to rethink what’s possible for my own life and business. I was reading a sales letter for Kendall Summerhawk’s coaching event, “Money, Marketing and Soul® Intensive (MMSI).” I happened to see a testimonial from one of Kendall’s clients, JJ Virgin, who describes herself as a “Celebrity Fitness and Nutrition Expert.” I went to JJ’s website, www.JJVirgin.com, and really admire how she conducts herself. Her bio and credentials are amazing, she is eloquent in speech, plus she looks damn good. I had no clue she existed before reading Kendall’s letter, but now I’ve found myself a new role model. Highlights:

• JJ is a member of Mensa, and has a multitude of educational degrees and programs to her credit, including a PhD in Holistic Nutrition from Clayton College of Natural Health, a degree in Exercise Science from UCLA and graduate coursework in 6 different graduate and doctoral programs
• She has worked with performance athletes, CEO’s, and A-list celebrities from around the world, including Gene Simmons, Ben Stiller, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Tracie Thoms, Janeane Garofalo, Joshua Rexford, Stephen Bishop, Benny Mardones, and Superman Returns star Brandon Routh.
• JJ continually updates her education by attending multiple health-focused medical conferences and seminars every year.

That last line stood out for me, because I’ve been seeing signs all over the place from coaches encouraging people to “invest in yourself first.” I’ve been in the habit of spending very little money on myself, and wonder if this is not a way of shooting myself in the foot. What would happen if I put significantly more money into my own training and development?

As I was telling my 18-year-old sister earlier today, it’s crucial to find good role models — people who are where you want to be professionally, intellectually, physically, or whatever the case may be. You study them, model what they do, get an understanding of how they think, and eventually their wisdom seeps into you. Copy what they do, in your own way, and you are that much closer to reaching excellence.

I suspect that copying JJ Virgin by “continually updating my education” would be a career-enhancing move. The fact that she’s worked with Kendall (a million-dollar coach) indicates JJ was willing to put forth some serious dollars into her professional development. It seems to be paying off for her.

Michelle Lopez

The world is changing at a rapid clip

Remember the 90s when there were no cameras installed at every streetlight? People still used payphones. AOL chatrooms were to place to be on the Internet. Ha.

Those were the pre-Columbine, pre-September 11 days. My laptop weighed 50 pounds, and I was downloading Napster songs on a 56k modem. There was little to worry about. (I always grew up believing life in the 50s must have been so easy…today, 2010, I think life in the 90s was easy.)

Things have changed in too many ways to count. In fear of saying a permanent goodbye to the past, I continue to sport an outdated little typewriter on my homepage. I hang onto it for sentimental reasons. I can’t imagine ever actually using one to produce anything though.

Just recently, Google turned on their “instant search results.” (I’m sure by next month this text will be horribly outdated.) But seriously. How does a quaint, old-fashioned typewriter have any place in a world with “instant Google search results”?

The point? Sometimes we yearn for something that lasts.

Time appears to speed up as we approach the year 2012 (see the fascinating book The Mysteries of 2012: Predictions, Prophesies, & Possibilities by Braden, et al, on this topic), and this speeding up has to do with how the planets and stars are aligning.

Nonetheless, a part of humanity yearns to connect with something permanent, something that cannot change. We have many words for this “eternal” concept, just as we have many ways of seeking the answer to the question, “Why are we here?” I’m going to be exploring some of these issues on my website, www.sugarlit.com.

Michelle Lopez