BE EVERYONE’S FAVORITE!

As a Marketing/Event Manager I find it vital to have a personality that everyone can love. You want everyone to fall in love with you but understand that you cannot possibly please everyone. Once you’ve become everyone’s favorite, you will find it easy to get things done. Here are 5 ways on how to have a pleasing personality.

1. Make an extra effort to remember  names. As simple as this sounds, people tend to take for granted the importance of why “names” exist. As an individual, your name is your personal trademark and we can’t deny how “special” we feel when people know our first and last name.

Learn a trick that you can master to remember names. The most popular trick is repeating their names out loud as soon as you are introduced. The next step is to talk to them and learn something personal about them. Ask them about what they do for a living. And immediately put your creative thinking cap on and figure out how you can work with this individual.

2. Acknowledge people when you see them. This will make them feel special. Say hi/hello and ask them how they are and mean it! Make eye contact and be sincere.

3. Develop a personality! The top favorites are: bubbly/energetic, happy, thoughtful, polite, clever, entertaining, and funny. If you have all or any of the mentioned personality, you will definitely win people over. If you don’t, then you have some work to do.

How do you develop personality? Like everything else, it takes practice. And if these characteristcs aren’t naturally easy for you, it will take a lot of energy in the beginning but as soon as you start seeing the differences, you will love and own that personality.

4. When handling business, be stern but never rude. People respect those who stand for something. Sometimes, it’s hard to be stern without being rude but you have to help your counterparts understand your motive. When you are getting ready to negate an idea, learn to say the phrase “I’m not trying to be rude but….” Or “I hope I wasn’t being rude by saying that”. Remember that disclaimers like such can help them understand you.

5. Loosen up after working hours. Your counterparts want to see you relaxed and be yourself when you’re invited to an after work function. They feel more comfortable knowing you know how to have fun and you’re not just a working robot.

Everyone wants to be liked, whether they admit it or not. We all have a need to “fit in” – It’s human nature. The most important trait to have, and you can decide if this is nature or nurture, is self-awareness. Be alert and cognizant of how your behavior affects others. Think ahead and analyze what consequences you may face before proceeding with your final decisions. Don’t be reckless but if you do, then have the decency to take responsibility. People respect those who know how to admit their mistakes.

When you have mastered all of the above, your next big project is to learn how to be GREAT! Only then will you realize that to conquer the world is not a far-fetched idea.

For additional motivation:

Think and Grow Rich – ideas and principles tested through time…

One of the secrets to being the best is continued education. It is important that we take it upon ourselves to keep growing and developing through reading books, current events and research studies. Attend workshops on new technologies or marketing strategies or simply hang around “like-minded” people.

Think and Grow Rich, an oldie but goodie, simplifies the necessary steps and techniques to becoming successful. Here are the 13 principles to success according to Napoleon Hill.

  1. DESIRE – Knowing what you want! Wishing will not bring riches. But desiring riches with a state of mind that becomes an obsession, then planning definite ways to acquire those riches through goal setting and backing those plans with a persistence that does not recognize failure, will bring you what you desire.

Translation: you have to WANT it BAD! Then organize a plan to get what you want. Your passion will help you get one step closer to your success.

  1. FAITH – Visualization of, and Belief in Attainment of Desire.   “FAITH is the head chemist of the mind.  When FAITH is blended with the vibration of thought, the subconscious mind instantly picks up the vibration, translates it into its spiritual equivalent, and transmits it to Infinite Intelligence, as in the case of prayer.”

Translation: Everyone needs faith, regardless of religious identification. The ability to ‘BELIEVE’ in oneself in relation to a higher power can make a difference when it comes to the intensity of determination.

  1. AUTO-SUGGESTION – The Medium for Influencing the Subconscious Mind.   “AUTO-SUGGESTION is the agency of control through which an individual may voluntarily feed his sub-conscious mind on thoughts of a creative nature, or, by neglect, permit thoughts of a destructive nature to find their way into this rich garden of the mind.”

Translation: When your desire becomes second nature, your mind will subconsciously invite opportunities for you. I’ve read a quote once that said: “When you know what you want for your future, you automatically act differently in the present”.

  1. SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE – Personal Experiences or Observations  “Before you can be sure of your ability to transmute DESIRE into its monetary equivalent, you will require SPECIALIZED KNOWLEDGE of the service, merchandise, or profession which you intend to offer in return for fortune.”

Translation: General knowledge is good but specialized knowledge is better! It’s important to be an expert on something specific. This specialized knowledge will be your key to your success.

  1. IMAGINATION – The Workshop of the Mind.  “MAN’S ONLY LIMITATION, within reason, LIES IN HIS DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF HIS IMAGINATION.  Creative imagination allows the finite mind to have direct communication with infinite intelligence, through hunches, intuition and inspiration.

Translation: Do not limit yourself. Consider what’s beyond reality and challenge the limitations. Do you think Bill Gates was limited? His imagination fed his desire!

  1. ORGANIZED PLANNING – When creating and adopting a plan for success, it may be necessary to have several alternatives in reserve. If the first plan you adopt does not work successfully, replace it with a new plan, if this new plan doesn’t work, replace it in turn with still another, and so on… until you find a plan that works.

Translation: It’s now time to put your desire, faith, specialized knowledge and imagination into action! Consider this as your personal business plan!

  1. DECISION – The Mastery of Procrastination.   “Analysis of several hundred people who had accumulated fortunes well beyond the million dollar mark, disclosed the fact that every one of them had the habit of REACHING DECISIONS PROMPTLY, and of changing these decisions SLOWLY, if, and when they were changed.”

Translation:Although it’s ok to change your decision, it’s more important to learn to stand by them. Fast decision making can be practiced. Train yourself.  Start with the smaller decisions then gradually advance to bigger decisions to test your intuition’s ability.

  1. PERSISTENCE – The Sustained Effort Necessary to Induce Faith.  “PERSISTENCE is an essential factor in the procedure of transmuting DESIRE into its monetary equivalent.  The basis of persistence is the POWER OF WILL.”

Translation: Keep your eyes on the prize. If you want it that bad, you must persist!

  1. POWER OF THE MASTER MIND – The Driving Force.  “Analyze the record of any man who has accumulated a great fortune, and many of those who have accumulated modest fortunes, and you will find that they have either consciously, or unconsciously employed the “Master Mind” principal.”

Translation: Ask yourself: Who are your top five friends and how are they contributing to your success or how are they motivating you to reach your goals? A healthy competition is always good.

  1. THE MYSTERY OF SEX TRANSMUTATION “So strong and impelling is the desire for sexual contact that men freely run the risk of life and reputation to indulge it.  When harnessed, and redirected along other lines, this motivating force maintains all of its attributes of keenness of imagination, courage, etc., which may be used as powerful creative forces in literature, art, or in any other profession or calling, including, of course, the accumulation of riches.”

Translation: If you could re-channel your passion for sex to a passion for wealth, imagine what you could achieve.  Be honest and really consider analyzing your “active” sex life.

  1. THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND – The Connecting Link.  “The SUBCONSCIOUS MIND consists of a field of consciousness, in which every impulse of thought that reaches the objective mind through any of the five senses, is classified and recorded, and from which thoughts may be recalled or withdrawn as letters may be taken from a filing cabinet.”

Positive Emotions: Desire, Faith, Love, Sexual Longing, Enthusiasm, Romance, Hope

Negative Emotions: Fear, Jealousy, Hatred, Revenge, Greed, Superstition, Anger

Translation: Be careful with every thought; make it positive at all times if you can help it. Sooner or later, you will have successfully trained your mind to hone in positivity.

  1. THE BRAIN – A Broadcasting and Receiving Station for Thought.  “Operation of your mental “broadcasting” station is a comparatively simple procedure.  You have but three principles to bear in mind, and to apply, when you wish to use your broadcasting station – the SUBCONSCIOUS MIND, CREATIVE IMAGINATION, and AUTO-SUGGESTION.  The stimuli through which you put these three principles into action have been described – the procedure begins with DESIRE.”

Translation: Mind over matter! It sounds that simple but we know it’s a challenge.

  1. THE SIXTH SENSE – The Door to the Temple of Wisdom. “The sixth sense defies description!  It cannot be described to a person who has not mastered the other principles of this philosophy, because such a person has no knowledge, and no experience with which the sixth sense may be compared.”

Translation: Trust your instincts. Most of the decisions we make are initiated by our instincts. Avoid indecision, doubt and fear and allow your instinct to lead you to the right direction.

I’ve also found a “Think and Grow Rich” workbook that you can use to evaluate your probability for for success! I have personally filled this workbook out and it made me realize how much more work I need to do and how much more I could achieve with small improvements of habits and thoughts.  Download the workbook now!

Master these 13 principles and you will find yourself gradually narrowing your path to success! Self-assessment is important,  it’s good to know what others think of you but it’s better to be at peace with what you think of yourself.

A Checklist for a Successful Event

We sometimes focus too keenly on the goal that we tend to miss the details of the actual journey, which can sometimes directly be correlated to the quality of the finished product. In all of what I do, the most common compliment I often hear is how resourceful I am. Some call it “hustling” but in the professional world it is: “resourcefulness”.

Here is a quick guide that can help you make sure that you have exhausted all that you can to create a better finish product. The checklist below may work best for event planners and/or marketers but I wouldn’t be surprised if it will work for others, too.

  1. Start with your  community – how can your project help the community and how can the community help your project? Look for organizations, who would be interested in attending or participating.
  2. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel – most things already exist. Some things can use modifications while others should just be left as is. Google anything you are thinking of doing and it’s most likely already on the internet. Study how it was done and how you can do better.
  3. Keep your eyes on the prize – do not forget the main purpose of the project and apply it in as many aspects as you can: promotion, networking, sponsorship solicitation, post marketing etc…
  4.  Apply as many types of bait for participation as you can: raffle prizes, door prizes, giveaways, contests etc…
  5. Contact Companies that could most likely benefit from your crowd and convince them to participate by giving donations for your raffle or giveaways. If they say they are out of budget, at the very least, you can invite them to be at the event to offer valuable information.
  6. Promote your event at least two (2) weeks in advance; however, one (1) month of promotion is ideal. Send an e-mail blast one (1) week prior the event and start promoting everyday on social media five (5) days before the event. Ask your friends to post your event on their page.
    1. Promotion on Facebook should include different wall postings of who’s coming, who’s supporting, and who is featured in the show. Be creative!
    2. For a more effective mass emailing system, try http://www.constantcontact.com/index-new.jsp
  7. Write a Press Release and send it out at least 10 days before the event. If you are not familiar with press releases, go ahead and google a few examples.  Press Releases are sent to your media or city contacts. You can also purchase a list of media contacts online. For a quick “how to guide” visit: http://www.publicityinsider.com/release.asp
  8. Prepare a “Day Of” schedule of events. It’s important to list all the duties of all your volunteers or staff on the day of the event. List the specific times that each activity/event needs to happen to make sure that you are on schedule.  Schedule a pre-event meeting at least 2 hours before your event.
  9. Label all your staff/volunteers. Prepare IDs for all staff including Press, Volunteers, Security, Performers etc… Preparing proper credentials will contribute to the overall “look/organization” of your event.
  10. Do not underestimate the power of post marketing. After the event, there are still more work to be done: posting pictures, sending thank you letters/certificates of appreciation, filing paperwork and jotting down notes on how you can improve for the next event. Tell the world how successful your event was!

I want to conclude this with the last and maybe the most important thought: As the producer of the event, it would look great if you get to actually sit down and enjoy your event. This means you are organized enough to have sufficient volunteers/staff to take care of the whole event. You can concentrate on mingling and thanking your patrons and guests instead of running around behind the scenes. That’s how you become a SUPERSTAR :)!

The Comedy Industry is not that Funny!

One of the “gigs” I used to do was work as an Event Producer for Max Amini, an Iranian/Persian Comedian.  It was such a fun ride but the Comedy Industry, I have learned, is not that funny! It’s brutal and just doesn’t pay enough! Are you laughing yet?

I have learned a lot and met so many people along the way and let me share with you one of the many projects I worked on.  Funologues, a marriage between the words “Funny” and “Monologues”.  It was inspired by a combination of the top reality TV hits: American Idol, Last Comic Standing, America’s Got Talent and other similar shows.

Being an Event Producer is no joke! Especially if you are shorthanded. You end up working on flyers, writing press releases, sending newsletters (to a big list of emails that seemed to be such a tough crowd), promoting online and offline (keep in mind back then, I was new to Hollywood, I didn’t know many people… more reason to work harder to get the seats filled), managing ticket sales, finding volunteers, casting, etc…. (there is no punch line to this statement).

We invited celebrities to judge our contestants. Max pulled all his might to get some celebs in the house. We got Dominique Deruddere, an Academy Award nominated director; Kathleen Wilhoite, actress from Gilmore Girls, My Sister’s Keeper and more; Shaun Toub, actor from The Last Airbender, The Kite Runner and more, and Bo Hyde, Producer and Founder of Cherry Road Films.

Plenty of people came to support the Funologues event for charity. Some came to support their friends and others came to hear what our judges would say about the performers. Overall, it was a room full of energetic audience and there were no seats left open!

We designed this event so well that we packed the house!  There were literally no seats left!

We auditioned over 250 actors within 3 days and rehearsed with them for 3 weeks. We had a very talented pool of actors who all deserved to be on stage! The audience were able to vote for their favorite and the celebrity judges voted for the best!

Plenty of the Industry people came to the show including Principato, CAA, 3G Management etc…

Here are the pictures of all our contestants:

The audience favorite received a head shot session with William Cole Photography worth $500 and the Judge’s pick got an editing session with Matt Beard and a head shot session with William Cole as well!

There were so many great performances but one of my favorites was Brennan Murray (he just cracked me up!):

And the most exciting part is that our sleepless nights and 12 hour shift days paid off when one of the Wayan Brothers (Marlon) actually honored our invitation to come and attend the show!

This show was a lot of work but it was also a great success! It’s like giving birth (so I heard)… you’ll forget about the pain and want to have another one again! Unfortunately and fortunately, shortly after this show, I got hired as a Marketing Manager. Totally legitimate reason to leave the Hollywood scene.

So one might say Hollywood is all glamor…. it’s not! It’s hard work and it’s true when they say Comedians are broke. No wonder why… they have over saturated the industry and it takes a lot of luck (when preparation meets opportunity) to be a big hit!

 

p.s. I respect the work that all performers have to do to survive the industry.

Manager Switcheroo…. When is it time to shake things up?

Managers are fickle. One day they’ll be extremely motivated and other days, discouraged. One of the most important lessons that all business owners of multiple locations need to consider is: How often are you shaking things up at work?

Like it or not, your managers have a shelf life! Some stay motivated for a little longer than others and there are very few who are just naturally enthusiastic and motivated. When you find that bubbly personality, who takes initiatives without a lot of direction, make sure you give them constant challenges so they can continue to excel!

Have you ever noticed the sudden manager changes at your local cell phone stores, Jamba Juice stores, Subways, vitamin stores etc…? You need to realize that the managers were switched not necessarily because they weren’t doing a good job but because it was time to bring “fresh blood”.

Let me explain to you exactly what the psychology is behind this idea. Let’s take for example a local cell phone store at my mall. One day, to my surprise, I received a phone call from the new manager, wanting to know what events are coming up and how their store can become a part of the event. That was a foreign phone call to me because most of the prior managers have never proactively called to actually participate.

That was when it hit me… I love when they switch managers! They are more eager to participate and be a part of my marketing initiatives especially on their first month!  That was when an epiphany occurred. Stores need to consider switching managers once at least every six (6) to twelve (12) months! Tell them that you think their skills and personality will definitely take another store to a different level.

Remember, change is good and sometimes we need to shake up the environment to get a different result! And we need to keep trying until we get the results we are looking for. As Einstein so eloquently puts it, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results…” Don’t let success fool you. Just when you think you’re the best; think again… there is always room for improvement. Remember that the best results come from an innate motivation to become better at all times!

The former CEO of Macy’s Northwest once said: To be number one, you have to think like you’re number two. Meaning, if you already think you are the best then how else are you going to get motivated to always stay on top of your game?

Anti-Marketing Retailers… How do you shake ’em up?

I have been presented with one of the toughest challenges a Shopping Center Marketing Manager could ever ask for! A work place full of anti-marketing mom and pop stores have officially added five (5) more years on my age!

It’s time consuming enough to brainstorm ways to drive people to a low traffic shopping center, let alone convince retailers to participate in initiatives that will only help them in the long run.  Let’s take for example my latest attempt to drive BTS (Back to School) traffic.

Here’s a recent article from LA Times:

“Department stores are expected to see a surge in back-to-school traffic thanks to private label brands, promotions and aggressive social media campaigns. According to the survey, 57% of back-to-school shoppers will head to a department store, up from 53.9% last year and the most in the survey’s eight-year history. 

At the college level, parents and students will spend an average of $808.71 on apparel, electronics, dorm furnishings and food items, down from $835.73 last year.”

Since BTS is one of the busiest seasons next to the holidays, I thought Tenant participation would be a no brainer.  But I was wrong. So far, the national stores are the only ones that have responded to my request to participate but the ones that really need the attention are the mom and pop stores. Unfortunately, they refuse to participate. How will they ever grow if they don’t want to do any marketing? What’s worse is that they expect instant results!

If successful brands like Coca-Cola, Old Navy, Target, or Pepsi spend millions on marketing, mom and pop stores should consider the reason behind the madness. Entrepreneurs should never shy away from marketing initiatives, especially those that won’t cost much. Take advantage of local events, social media, and referral and loyalty rewards! Those are the top four (4) marketing channels that mom and pop stores must first explore.

What’s my plan? Well, I will be bringing in outside vendors to make my event more festive. That way, I can trigger the store owners in the shopping center to ask the question “Why are you bringing these people here?” then, I can say: “I wouldn’t have to if you participated.” It is a bit of a battle but it’s the right battle to fight! If the goal is to get more shoppers to the shopping center, then, I expect everyone to chip in.

The moral of the story is, whatever business you’re running, always remember that the best of the bests is always doing something more for brand exposure. Everyone is replaceable. So to climb to the top, you must first learn what it takes to get and stay there!

Mixing Business with Pleasure

It’s definitely not what you think 😉 – I’m just talking about work and my passion for dancing.  Dancing is one of my passions but ever since I’ve been hired as a Marketing Manager at a shopping center, I hardly find any time to dance. As a matter of fact, I’ve gained weight (yikes!). The beauty of it all is that I can organize almost any event I want.  After further research, I found out that the last Saturday of July is National Dance Day by Nygel Lythgoe (producer of “So You Think You Can Dance”).

So, any passionate dancer would do the same thing… partner with a local dance studio to produce an unforgettable Dance Production!  I allowed them to have a table at the busiest part of the mall to promote their classes at their studio, which is just five minutes from the shopping center.

To add to the excitement, we are organizing a Flash Mob for the event. If you have been TV deprived, a flash mob is a gathering of dancers to perform a routine at an agreed location and time, without any notice to the public.

Watch the AT&T commercial below to understand exactly what a flash mob is.

Here are some photos from our flash mob rehearsal:

The goal is to pack the mall for a few hours! With a production consisting of at least 60 dancers, we are going to have at least 300 people at the mall that day to see this performance.  With a three hour production, the dancers and bystanders will most likely buy food from the food court, which will be a great reflection of my hard work.

Here’s the flyer that I’ve designed for the event:

Read the National Dance Day press release here.

With a touch of creativity, anything can be done. Finding ways to enjoy your work is priceless.

Be Visually Appealing….

I hate to break it to you but (in case you haven’t figured it out) “looks” do count. As a Marketing Manager for a shopping center, I have learned the importance of visual merchandising. Vendors, who rent carts, are often at lost when it comes to the visual presentation of their products.

Let’s take for example, a vendor who sells handbags between $30 – $40 price points, who was afraid to leave any “style” out.  Let’s call him Vendor “A”. He had some stylish bags available but the problem was that he didn’t take the time to visually plan his cart. He was more astounded by the “deals” that he was making with his wholesale dealer that he failed to think about what his cart would look like with bags that didn’t complement each other. To add more horror to the dilemma, he displayed them like books – packed and showing only the side view.

After researching a few “handbag displays” google images, I showed him how to improve his display to urge people to buy.  Looking at other stores, specifically Loui Vuitton, Gucci, and other high end brand stores, I noticed how their handbags are isolated with matching accessories. These stores didn’t show all their styles up front. They showed the newest, the best, and their best sellers.

 

Talking to Vendor “A” was the next challenge. He seemed receptive but when I didn’t see any change in the next few days, I took matters into my own hands. I have never held a visual merchandising position, but I knew when something needed a little “makeover”. The beauty of today’s generation is that you can find almost anything you need online.  I took a few images of handbag display samples and put myself to work.  In the spirit of going above and beyond, I stayed after the mall closed one night and decided to strip his cart down to show only 30% of what he originally had on his cart.

At first, he didn’t like his newly designed cart, but after realizing that he was selling more handbags than before, he quickly admitted to the fact that he doesn’t like women telling him what to do. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him “I told you so” or be offended. Beyond it all, I was just relieved that my hard work paid off. Of course the ultimate challenge is maintaining the display. He had a hard time doing so, and I refused to do the work for him. I organized his cart and took a photo of it so he can learn to care about visual merchandising.

If we have to make displays visually appealing in order to sell, don’t you think we ought to think the same for our image? Trust me, if you look good, you can make deals happen more than those who don’t take the extra effort to polish their looks before a meeting, interview, presentation etc… Neat hair, light make up, professional outfit that shows your figure, white teeth, tantalizing perfume and manicured nails… they are all essential in order to sell yourself!

Non profits cry for help… Our School’s Got Talent is a great idea!

Has the recession shunned the community from caring about youth projects? In the past three (3) months, local organizations like Youth Family Student Community (YFSC) and Young American National Awareness Campaign (YANAC), through their Social Arts Production (SIP) division have been diligently asking for financial support from the community of Carson, CA. Their project, “Our School’s Got Talent”, includes ten schools in the district: Carson, Narbonne, Compton, San Pedro, Washington Prep, CAMS, New Millennium, HTPA, and POLA. It is a healthy talent competition between these 10 schools to promote the arts, encourage the youth to perfect their skills, provide a healthy environment where their talents are noticed, and give the youth something to be proud about.

In most case scenarios, an event that brings different high schools together typically sends an alarming caution to the city authorities. Why? Well, because an environment that attracts students from different high schools is seen as trouble. The possible gang related violence and the mere school spirit rivalry can create unwanted riot.

Last Friday, June 17th 2011, “Our School’s Got Talent” finale event took place at Cal-State Dominguez Hills (CSUDH) Loker Student Union. The Social Impact Productions miraculously pulled the show together even with the lack of financial sponsors. CSUDH staff was kind enough to offer the venue at a very affordable price. Not to mention, SouthBay Pavilion has supported the program by hosting the ten (10) preliminary rounds of the talent show.

What companies don’t realize is the golden opportunity for direct marketing. SIP works closely with the teens and their parents and any company that can benefit from that type of contact should definitely take advantage of this opportunity. Honda, Toyota, Sony, Nintendo, Chase, Bank of America, Netflix and all other youth related brands should come forward and take interest in this gold mine.

After careful analysis, “Our School’s Got Talent” will need at least $5,000, per season, in-kind donation to operate efficiently. The first season was a bittersweet experience for SIP. All of the volunteers spent at least 20 hours a week with no stipend, gas reimbursement, or food allowance. They all did what they had to do out of the kindness of their heart. But as we all can presume, working excessively, without financial support, took a toll on most of the SIP volunteers. Over halfway through the competition 4 out of the 7 volunteers had to focus on their personal financial situations to keep up with their bills.

Needless to say, “Our School’s Got Talent” was never the same after the falling out of the original group. This is a very important factor in any non-profit ventures. The loyal volunteers must know how to weed out the others. The biggest mistake in this production was trusting that everyone will be willing to work hard until the end.

Thankfully so, the CEO of YANAC took interest in the project and was able to fill a little of the gap that was created. The show didn’t finish as strong as I imagined it to be, but the important part is that we finished and there are now a few students hold the 2011 title!

I strongly suggest that YFSC, SIP, and YANAC should not give up on this journey. After all, the first one is always the biggest learning curve. It will get better as we now have more time to prepare for Season 2, which will start in February of 2012. I will continue to help these organizations as much as I can and I’m hoping that financial supporters will realize by the end of 2011 that this is a golden opportunity.

This talent show has been an inspirational journey. The staff and volunteers have differing opinions at times but each show ends  with a heart warming joy as we see the high school students really enjoy themselves.  There has been plenty of talented students that were featured in the show and SIP is hoping that it will create a buzz within talent agencies in the next season.

View videos from Our School’s Got Talent Season 1.

Photos from the talent show….

The judges and audience of the very first show
The Mayor of the City of Carson and one of the Judges: Madam Butterfly

The purpose…

I honestly wish that there were two or three more of me running around in this world. Not to sound arrogant, but it’s hard to train others to think the way I do.  It takes so much effort to explain why things have to be done a certain way, but if I had me as an assistant, I can skip the daunting task of making sure I am understood first before proceeding.

The psychology behind certain projects is just as significant as the result. If  someone takes the time to understand the purpose, then,  it wouldn’t be so hard to achieve the goal.

The purpose of this blog is to awaken the sleepy dragon inside of you. It’s not the task that is difficult, it is the intensity of your passion that can get you one step further to excellence.

Although an argument can be made that “excellence” is not for everyone, I find it hard to believe that we all don’t want our lives to equal “excellence”  if  “hard work” is taken out of the equation. Pardon me, but I think “YOU” + (“passion” x “hard work”) +”obstacles/distraction” = “excellence”!

Imagine how much easier it would be if “hard work” wasn’t a part of the equation? I think that “hard work” is God’s way of showing us tough love!

I encourage you to follow my blog, especially if you are a strong, independent, hard-working woman looking for a solid motivation or someone to relate to. I practice excellence in most – and I say most because I have accepted that no one is perfect – things that I do. I take the time to get to know myself and I have always tackled projects head on, regardless if I have prior experience or not.  I have developed to be a PINAY OF ALL TRADES! 🙂