Do you ever just feel unlucky?
Always getting caught in a traffic jam when you’re running late, or the printer runs out of ink five minutes before you’re due to give a presentation?
Does everyone else around you seem to be getting their dream job, but you never seem to be in the right place at the right time?
So what is the key difference separating them from you?
They believe they’re lucky.
No really, that’s it. Read more
I can check something off my bucket list — Keynote Speech!
I was so honored to speak at the New York Women in Communications Student Communications Career Conference at NYU this weekend.
I started the day off with a visit from the GlamSquad for hair and makeup. If you haven’t used the service, you have to give it a try. The artists are punctual, friendly and very talented. I was super pleased and would use them again. They show up right to your door and you can get beautified in the comfort of your own home! Brilliant!
I spoke before a few hundred students about what it was like to be a producer, win an Emmy award and write Listful Thinking. Some of them told me afterwards they were thankful I shared my experience with the “F word” — failure. I talked about the ups and downs of my own career and how it wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows. I failed too. I took two jobs back to back that weren’t good fits for me and I was miserable. It happens.
I shared that I had gone on a tour of the set of World News Tonight with Peter Jennings when I was about 14 years old thanks to a childhood friend’s dad who worked at ABC. That Dad became a keystone in my keynote! He’s the one who got me hooked on the news business and on TV just by opening up his world to me and showing me what he did for a living. (PS Now we actually work together all these years later!)
His kindness though always stuck with me and I try to do the same for anyone who is interested in what I do. That’s why being asked to do this Keynote was even more special. I was able to tell young women who are aspiring journalists, publicists and marketers about my world. Being able to give back that gift is priceless.
Here’s a small video clip from the event, where I talk about what I wish I had known when I was 21!
You may have seen my recent emails about email overwhelm and my course Take Back Your Inbox. I’m determined to help everyone reach inbox zero! Our email overwhelm is really just a symptom of our much bigger problem… technology.
There are so many apps out there designed to make your more productive, you could waste a whole week downloading all of them. Too much technology can be counterproductive. So how can you target the right apps for you? How do you figure out which emails count and which ones can go? You can use websites such as my digital mate to research and read more about the latest apps and phone developments to help make a more informed decision about what to download and what to pass on. I’ve also heard of some people deciding to better understand their smartphone technology by buying components from websites similar to Octopart.com and building electrical circuits in order to gain new skills and improve productivity because of a newfound understanding of how this amazing technology works. But I digress.
Tonight I’m doing a teleseminar with ADHD expert and author Terry Matlen where I will be discussing some easy ways to use technology to be more productive. We will talk through a significant number of apps and how to use them throughout your day for maximum efficiency.
What we will cover:
If you’d be interested in joining us for the teleseminar click the link here. I’ll also be doing a Q&A at the end, so if there’s any burning questions you have, now’s your chance!
I get that we are all busy people and money is always tight around this time of year, but there is nothing I hate more than people who ring you one week before Christmas and say “Sorry we – insert excuse here – so maybe we just shouldn’t exchange gifts this year.” As though Christmas somehow managed to take them by surprise despite being an annual holiday.
I know most people don’t buy their Christmas presents quite as early as me, but the majority have them sorted by the week before and a last minute cancellation can really throw them off.
Be considerate of others this Christmas and follow this checklist:
Have the ‘Christmas’ talk – If you’re going to spend your time finding the perfect present for someone, it’s important to make sure they actually want it.
Now’s the time to drop your friends and family a quick text to find out “Are we doing presents this year?” Read more
My Mom (right) and Aunt Dee (left). Their friendship was always a source of inspiration to me.
It’s been a tough few weeks. My Aunt Dee — who is also my Mom’s best friend had several heart attacks on October 12th. Everyday since has been one step forward and then one step back. Sadly she passed away on Monday evening.
A week before her heart attack, Dee sent my Mom a card.
It was just a friendly hello, thinking of you type card. Dee wrote that she wanted my Mom to know that even though sometimes they didn’t talk or see each other as much as they’d like, she was loved and meant the world to her.
What a nice note to receive at any time!
Given the current circumstances — this note has been especially comforting to my mother.
The truth is she and Dee would talk all the time. They have a lifetime of memories, secrets and inside jokes. They would “touch base” as my Mom calls it, almost everyday even if it was just a quick email forward (my Mom is big on those,) an emoji text message, or a funny photo. They always kept on each other’s radar even when traveling or when things got busy.
It wasn’t uncharacteristic for Dee to send my mother flowers as a reminder that she was loved. They even have matching necklaces that say, “You Are Loved.” My mother is wearing hers now to keep her memories of Dee close to her. Dee was an amazing friend, mentor and woman.
Dee did it right. She never let anything go unsaid and everyone around her knew how much they mattered to her.
She always sent cards to everyone for holidays, birthdays and just to say hello. It made the recipient feel loved and special. Especially in this age of email and texting — it always made her stand out. She even would send me Halloween cards even though I’m not a little kid anymore! But it always made me feel loved.
To remember Dee I’m going to do something in her honor.
I went to Papyrus, my favorite stationery store, and bought up a bunch of beautiful cards. I’m sending them off to friends and family near and wide. I have a list of those people who have touched my life in big and small ways and I’m sending them a card to say “You Are Loved.”
I’d love it if you did the same. It can be a paper card, an email or even a text. I’m going to be doing it on social media as well and using the hashtag #YouAreLoved in honor of my beautiful Aunt Dee.
Feel free to use the graphic that I created below to send love to someone special today. You’ll be glad you did.
