A wonderful friend brought this interesting blog to our attention31 Days of Wishes.  What a thought-provoking way to engage readers!  In a time like this where the economy is still tanked and people are STILL out of work, it’s refreshing to see others participating in positive, “wishful” things. 

Halloween and Thanksgiving are over and one major holiday (dare I say it-Christmas) is fast approaching.  There is sure be trying times ahead with last-minute gifts to be found and family and friends all gathered under one small (or what seems to be small) roof.  Don’t fret!  It will all be over before you know it. 

But, with all the hoop la still left to go through, we here at Work at Home Life thought it would be fun and inspiring to participate in “31 Days of Wishes;” if for no other reason than to show others compassion, understanding, humor and a few other pretty little adjectives.    Each week we will come up with new wishes and we encourage you to share your wishes with us!

My first wish is for prosperity.  Prosperity in love, life and business. 

I purposely left out the word ‘money’ to indicate that there is more than one way to become prosperous.  Although we all know it would be great to prosper financially, my wish for prosperity is directed towards those other areas.  I believe that when we feel overwhelmed with the duties and stressors of everyday life, we tend to forget about those other meaningful ways we can prosper.  It is in those other areas of prosperity that we truly need to revisit. 

• Love – Marriage, Children, Family
• Life – Friends, Volunteer opportunities
• Business – New network connections, Strengthen client relationships

These are just a sampling of ways we can work on becoming more prosperous.  What ways can you think of? Let us know!

Tags: 31 Days of Wishes

Just because Thanksgiving Day is over, doesn’t mean we should stop being thankful for the ones we love and lost this past year. To those of my family and friends who have lost someone close to them….my heart goes out to you all. I am thankful to know you and to be a part of your world.

“A vacation is having nothing to do, and all day to do it in.” 

~Robert Orben, magician and comedy writer 

A few weeks ago, I took some time off.  My folks were coming into town for Halloween and they were only going to be in town for the weekend.  I had to make a decision…should I take the whole time off and spend what time I had with my folks or work around my family’s schedule?  I decided to actually take the whole time off.

To say I was a little apprehensive about actually taking the time off was an understatement.  I didn’t want to get behind on my projects nor did I want to feel disconnected from my clients.  However, I don’t get a lot of time with my folks, either.  So, I made sure to give all my clients enough notice and then went incognito.  YIKES!  J  It took every ounce of restraint I had, along with constant reminders from my hubby, to NOT answer any emails.  I actually took it as far as not evening jumping on the computer at all.  You know what?  It was really nice!  Not to mention peaceful.  I survived!

I learned something during this time off, as well.  Not only was I rested and clear-headed when I returned back to the office the following week, but I was able to give my family 100% of my attention.  We did a lot of fun activities with the kids along with Trick or Treating.  It was my son’s first time carving a pumpkin and I wouldn’t have been able to thoroughly enjoy that milestone if my mind was on a client’s pending project.  I had great one-on-one talks with my mom and dad and we even had a big BBQ and Smoke Out to welcome them to our home.

The quote I found below so perfectly sums up my time off that I wanted to share it with all of you.  I highly recommend taking some time off once in a while.  I mean, no client emails, computer time or phone calls.  Nothing.  You need the chance to recharge.  All of us do and we most certainly deserve it!  Show yourself that you are important!  I did and I’m much better off because if it.

“Your body cannot heal without play.  Your mind cannot heal without laughter.  Your soul cannot heal without joy.”

~Catherine Fenwick, motivational speaker and author of ‘Love and Laughter:  A Healing Journey’

I found this quote and thought of you.  I know things have been tough lately and I wanted to let you know that I truly do admire you!  So much so that I have renewed my interest in wanting to be a bigger part of finding a cure for Alzheimer’s.  My family has already been impacted twice and I know yours has too!

“Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being.  Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.”  ~motivational consultant Barbara Glanz, from her book The Simple Truths of Appreciation: How Each of Us Can Choose to Make a Difference

Tags: Barbara Glanz

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  ~ poet Maya Angelou

Make it a memorable day for someone that’s important to you-whether it’s a client or someone close to you.  A little unselfishness goes quite a long way!

‎”Growth comes when we aim for our ideal, and not necessarily when we achieve it.” ~Sheryl Towers, life coach (Her book: Seeds of Success: 17 Ways to Nurture the Greatness Within You)

Tags: Sheryl Towers

I came across a great article this morning in my inbox from Zen Habits.  It talks about clutter, what it is, how to identify it and how to let go of it.  I have come to look forward to those emails as I myself have been working really hard on creating a simpler, clutter-free lifestyle. 

I guess my friends would consider me a minimalist.  I don’t like knick knacks all over my house or all over my desk.  Aside from my two computers, a phone, a printer and a notepad, the only other “decorative” thing on my desk is a picture of my sister-in-law and me on vacation.  Actually, it’s not just a picture; it’s a picture on a pencil holder.  See…less clutter. 

At any rate, I really identified with this article.  There are nine (9) suggested tips to help you identify whether or not something in your life, work or home is actually clutter.  If it is, the article forces you (in a very gentle way) to honestly reevaluate whether or not it is necessary.  

For me, going through this small checklist was more of an affirmation than anything else.  That someone else out there was doing the same thing and coming up with the same or similar answers.  Or perhaps, dilemmas.  I have decided to make this an ongoing project and go through one room at a time throughout my office and house and start eliminating excess clutter.  With winter and dare I say it…Christmas fast approaching, what better way to past the time and thus free up space, right?

I encourage all of you to read the article – Nine Quick Tips to Identify Clutter and see where you can perhaps de-clutter yourself.  I promise you it’s a short read and can be read during your morning cup of coffee. 

Before I go, I liked to share with you all my favorite step:

• Is it nicely put away in an out-of-the-way place? One of my Secrets of Adulthood is: Just because things are nicely organized doesn’t mean they’re not clutter. No matter how tidily a thing is stored, if I never use it, why keep it?

Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?

Tags: clutter, minimalist, Zen Habits

A few weeks ago I mentioned that I wanted to start a small series about business coaches-who they are and what type of coaching they do.  Some of us may be feeling stagnant in our businesses and not sure how to turn things around.  This could be as good a place as any to possibly find that specific coach you need.  Still, there may be others out there who have settled on coaches as there “niche.”  These interviews may help you to hone your skills a bit and customize your services to better serve your clientele.  Over the next few weeks I will be introducing you all to several different individuals and their specific coaching interests.

So, without further ado, I would like to introduce you all to the first business coach in my series, Cesar Viana Teague.

Company:  NEXTLEVEL Consulting

Website:  http://www.nextlevelup.org

Contact:  Email – cesar@nextlevelup.org

              Phone – (888) 881-6164

What type of coach do you describe yourself ad?  For ex: Life coach, VA, Social Media, Career, etc.  Small Business/Home Business Coach

Briefly introduce yourself and tell us a little about what you do.  I work with small business/home business owners and entrepreneurs to break through current challenges, work smarter, and reach their desired goals.

What are three main concepts you talk about in your coaching program?  Helping you to Focus on the following 3 main concepts:

1. Your DMO (Daily Method of Operation)
2. Your IPA (Income Producing Activities)
3. Your Sales & Marketing Plan

What are some of the benefits of having a business coach?  And when is a good time to find one?  Some benefits include:

1. Getting out of being stuck
2. Becoming more proactive with defined activities & direction
3. Having a sounding board to bounce ideas off and receive honest feedback
4. Reaching goals quicker

A good time to align with a coach is ASAP.

Since this is a blog for VA’s and other Work at Home individuals, I have to ask – Even business coaches need an assistant from time to time, right? In what way would a VA be beneficial to you and your business?  I have been using a VA (Jennifer) and can highly recommend doing this to work smarter – leaving you to focus on your strengths and IPA’s (Income Producing Activities).

If you are a coach or know of a coach that would be a great fit for this spotlight series, please contact me.  I would love to “meet” them!

Tags: business coach

Things have really ramped up for me here at Virtual Assistance by Jen!  With that comes changes.  Starting October 1st, 2010, policies will be updated and rates will be increasing. 

If you were thinking of working with Virtual Assistance by Jen, now is the time to lock in your lower rate!  Contact me now to see how I can assist you in growing your business.

There are times in our lives, both professional and personal, that in order to grow, we need to let go.