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It seems that with the forward of the hour to mark the change in season, there was a flurry of fast forwards for me during the preceding week requiring so much to do and to handle. There were work assignments due; company coming over; personal projects due; learning of the passing of a friend; learning of two tragedies involving young people; a field trip; and a plumbing issue in my kitchen. I was dealing with things against a backdrop of turbulent rain and high winds teasing the continuity of electricity to my house over the weekend. Within 4 days there were so many things due, while I was hit with so much sad news, and trying to navigate the major inconvenience of non-usage of my sink while I await the repair person.

I was not frantic. I kept focused and did what I had to do, while finding breaks in time to relax, be still, contemplate, and sort out what to do next. I literally removed myself to a special space in the house to nurture myself in this way, often, each day.

I can’t say that I was full of joy during these days, but I used the time to contemplate; to trust that all is working out for my good and for those involved; and I just created a way to do light cooking and dishes with minor adjustments while plumbing was not functional in the kitchen.

My contemplation was soothed by beginning the huge task of clearing my basement and getting rid of so many things that are taking up space. Ripping up pieces of paper and tossing them in the garbage bag was therapeutic. The sad events, commitments, flickering lights from the storm, and delays in a repair person coming could easily have created havoc for me, but I used the time to be deliberate in my stillness, moving about in a slow manner, beginning a process of clearing out, and day dreaming as the rain hit the window, and most of all, to meditate and pray.

I was able to complete a major document for one of my organizations; guide someone in need of solace; and complete the field trip with notes needed for tomorrow and I managed to get out of the house for a couple of hours each day of the weekend for me-time.

I see the shift that staying on purpose and knowing that in the chaos, stillness and quiet helps to bring me calm, focus, strength, and effectiveness. Instead of being upset, hyper, irritable, and worried, I was able to be relatively peaceful. It is an ongoing practice.

Dr.Ethel Drayton-Craig

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Peace and light,

I am happy to have found this site

that is focused on black women being in community

and learning more about various ways to empower and heal themselves.

I hope to learn a lot from this site.

Blessed be!!!!!!

I feel that it’s a shame that African Americans can have arguments with people of different races about racism but is forever skipping over the racism within our own people. Why we have a light skinned VS dark skinned war going on I will never know. Why is it that we can ban together as a people when it comes to racism as a group but we can’t get ourselves together as a people and get the racism that we have within our self’s together. I don’t understand how we can work on racism in the world but not have our own racism under control.

People always wana say that they are not racist but, if you’re making judgments about a culture or even a skin tone that means that you’re racist against that cutler or skin tone. And to be racist against a skin tone is just plain sad because that means for the most part you are having racism on your own people, your own cutler, and your own kind that has had the same struggles that your ancestors have had, so what’s the point in having judgments’ about a certain skin tone

Now I don’t want for people to get me wrong, because there is nothing wrong with having a certain attraction that mainly lies on one skin tone or another; there’s nothing wrong with that at all, its just like how some males like “thick girls” and others like “skinny girls”. HOWEVER when you get to a point when you start automatically believing that one is better than the other, and thinking that one has more class then the other, YA that’s a problem, and it needs to get checked ASAP like a judge that lets a serial killer out on early bail.

Coming from a brown sugar complexion point of view, I feel that my skin is beautiful, and the fact that “dark” skinned girls come in so many colors is a beautiful thing. We are all wonderful as woman and as a people; our strength is amazingly passionate and will never fade away. If we could just come together and see that skin tone does not make you who you are and that being true to yourself is what makes you who you are, maybe just maybe the ignorant comments of “your hella cute for a dark skinned girl” will begin to dwindle away slowly like the idea of us never having a African American president. Its going to take some work, sometime, and some patience, but guess what we do it.

Hi LaShanda, I was wondering , I have an on-line biz for a while now. I did well then i hit a dry spell. I was thinking of doing your start up sista 30 day $79 or do you think I should do the other bundle discount that you for 15+ Ebooks and 30 video tutorials for $97.00? I might be better to start all over again reinvent myself and my business and get my customers back. - R.R.

Each and every day, millions of commuters hit the highways and city streets throughout America. By placing your company's name and logo in front of these consumers with vehicle advertising, you can rev up your marketing efforts.

Vehicular advertising options are plentiful and can generate a mighty return on investment whether you advertise on a single vehicle or on a company-wide fleet. Hitting the road with advertising on your business vehicles can:

1. Generate about 8.4 million impressions a year (according to a study by Driving Revenues)
2. Help you reach a wide variety of consumers
3. Be very cost-effective
4. Build brand awareness
5. Influence purchasing decisions

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Match up with magnetic signs: Removable magnetic signs let you decide when you want to use your car, truck or van as a marketing tool and when you prefer it to be sign-free. These easy-to-apply signs also let you switch vehicles or share signs with others.

I recommend: Order magnetic signs for as little as $25 each at MagneticSignsOnTime.com.

Explore vinyl lettering: When you want a more permanent solution, try self-adhesive vinyl lettering. These ready-to-apply letters come in several design options and can be applied to vehicles or vehicle windows.

I recommend: View vinyl lettering options as they'll appear on your particular type of vehicle at SpeedySigns.com.

Get better night-time exposure with reflective signs:Don't limit your vehicle advertising to the daylight hours. Make your vehicles visible day or night with reflective lettering.

I recommend: StreetGlo offers reflective fleet graphics and a free design tool.

Shout it from the rooftop: You don't have to be a taxicab to take advantage of signs atop your vehicle. Most restaurant delivery services opt for car toppers because they're magnetic and can be attached to any delivery vehicle.

I recommend: Find a variety of sizes and shapes of roof-top signs at CarSigns.com or at Autosox.com, which also offers antitheft cords to protect your car toppers.

Wrap your entire vehicle: Wrapping vehicles from bumper to bumper in vinyl graphics is one of the most attention-grabbing forms of fleet advertising. It looks like you've painted the entire vehicle in graphics, but the wrap is removable for seasonal campaigns and costs less than painting the vehicle.

I recommend: Bumper2Bumper Media and Custom Auto Wrap provide full-service fleet graphics wrapping.

Tout your business with truck graphics: There's no better way to get regional or national exposure than to equip all of your delivery trucks with advertising to drive your message to consumers.

I recommend: Graphic Concepts is a good choice for small businesses with a single truck because they have no minimum vehicles required. RoadBoardz Truckside Ads has an in-house team that can design your graphics and offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you aren't satisfied.

Tips & Tactics
Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

· When designing your vehicle graphics, choose contrasting colors and large type that can be seen at a distance. White type on a colored background is very difficult to see on the road, so if your logo includes white type, consider reversing the image to a dark colored type with a white background.

· Keep copy simple. Don't list your entire services, rather try to use a company logo, motto and phone number.

· When purchasing vinyl graphics and wraps for your vehicle, ask about warranties. Some vinyl will stay on five years, whereas other vinyl is meant for short-term usage.

· Always ask about the proper care and usage of graphics. Any warranties may be voided if you care for the graphics improperly

Marketing is a contest for people's attention. Traditional mass marketing fights for people's attention by interrupting them. A 30-second spot interrupts your favorite TV show, a telemarketer calls right when you are sitting down to dinner. In the past, this has been quite effective. But now, there's been a paradigm shift. There's too much information - too much going on - and we're being overloaded with interruptions.

Last year, the average consumer saw or heard over 1 million marketing messages - that's close to 3,000 per day. No one can pay attention to that many distractions. So what consumers have started to do is ignore them. So how does a small business owner combat that?

Most small business owners complain that "Nobody knows who we are or what we do!" I know the answer to that predicament: "They don't tell anyone!" And if they are marketing and promoting - they are not doing it effectively. They are forgetting who their customer is (target market) and they give little consideration to how to reach them.

Most companies market haphazardly. They are drawn in a million marketing directions and often fail to create a targeted marketing strategy.

Just like The David Letterman Show - Here's a list of Top Ten Small Business Marketing Mistakes:

1. a different logo, look and tagline with every promotional piece

2. Believing one or two print ads will give a business instant success

3. Not hiring professionals to do a professional job

4. Forgetting to make the most of a first impression

5. Not understanding, defining or remembering your target market

6. Creating a marketing plan but never looking at it or implementing it

7. Neglecting to track marketing dollars - return on investment

8. Ineffective use of time and money with networking and charitable giving

9. Selling features not solutions, benefits and value to the customer

10. Not reserving their domain/URL

Have you evaluate last year's marketing plan or do you have a plan at all?

Planning is the key to effective marketing - but it doesn't have to be complicated or costly.

STOP BEING THE BEST KEPT SECRET. STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD.

In theaters today! Take our poll and let us know if you'll be seeing the movie, Our Family Wedding.

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writer and speaker.

I have an online store featuring CDs and other products
You can browse and order to gain some great information.
You will be encouraged by the messages.

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Integrity in business is defined as an ethical action that includes speaking the truth and not telling lies. We seek to say what we mean, and mean what we say. Our walk should be consistent with our talk.

"Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity."

Henry Cloud points out in his book "Integrity" that in the end, character always rules. Integrity in business and life is a fundamental important attribute that will bring blessing in the end.

"Integrity is doing the right thing, even if nobody is watching."

Integrity in business is not optional if you are seeking longevity. There are no short cuts, blurred lines or adequate excuses available to cover up a lack of integrity. What characteristics people are looking for is consistency, knowledge in the field, competency, and trust.

Integrity in business is a quality that is highly under-rated these days. Many people are so "pushed and pulled" by a not so hidden force called the "profit motive", that they often find themselves compromising something, their values, their morals, their family, etc. They could also lose all credibility and trust from those they are trying to retain business from.

Integrity in business is as important as an individual's personal reputation and self-worth. The pride we all take in working demands that we be honest, fair and ethical. My goal is to develop challenging opportunities for growth, be a blessing to others and a balance between my business and home life.

Integrity in business is giving high-value, high-content, as often as possible. When you hold a teleclass, even if you're promoting product at the end, give really good content, material they can walk away with even if they don't buy.

There can be no friendship without confidence;
and no confidence, without integrity"

Just Remember:

Integrity in business is built and earned over a long period of time through prompt honoring of commitments and fair dealing with all.

By: Monique Hrebeniuk Business Developer

I'm celebrating my March 6, 2010 birthday by giving YOU 20% off on my jewelry website.

To claim your discount by March 13, 2010 enter the code:" Bday Celebration"

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Be Blessed Michelle