Bob Seger is AWESOME!!

I went to the concert last night at The Palace of Auburn Hills, Michigan. No disappointments at all.

OUTSTANDING!!
I have been to dozens of concerts. This is my first Bob Seger show.
The energy in The Palace was bone tingling wonderful. I must get to another show. Mr. Seger, please, bring the tour back around to Michigan!

Perhaps I will need to have a road trip. I have never traveled to see a concert. A concert road trip is now on my "To Do" list for 2007!

Have you gone on a road trip to see a concert?
Do you want to road trip with me to see one?

Pick a artist & date and let's hit the road!!!

Watch out HERE I COME!!!

I am so pumped for 2007!!

I cannot recall EVER being excited about a new year.



Looking back at this past year. I moved back closer to my hometown November 2005 to be near my family. Which was difficult, because I had been away for 13 years living north of Detroit in Royal Oak and Rochester Hills, MI. I kept hearing the Green Acres theme song in my head during the whole moving process. I was scared and felt alone.

2006 has been wonderful for me. My boys and I are healthy, happy and very settled into our life in the "country." I have gone from knowing no one in this area to an incredible group of friends. It is amazing that I seem to always run into someone I know when I am out and about. Organized Solutions is doing very well. I have nearly broke even with my expenses for December. WOW! I didn't expect that! I am so happy!!
Life is damn good for me!


2007 is going to ROCK!!
I just feel like it is going to explode. I am in a Vision Group that will keep me on track with my personal, business and family goals. Organized Solutions is set to take-off like an F-16. I am so thankful to be at this point in my life--kinda sucked getting to this point. But, I would do it all over again in a heartbeat if I ended up as I am today.

Hold on tight....2007 is going to be great! I'm jumping in!!



How do you feel about the New Year?

Partners For Success --- BNI

I always have fun at my BNI meeting. I truly love helping others, and being apart of a BNI allows me to help others grow their business.


I have passed 38 referrals in 2 months of membership.

29 have closed business
5 are pending
4 did not work out

Not too shabby of an effort to grow the business of others. How much money did I make for my BNI members? I don't know. I listened to what their request were during their "manager minute." And I tried my best to meet the request.

Bottom line--76%, or 29 out of my 38 referral met my members requests, they made a business connection. 5 more could make them some cash. That brings it to 89% if all 5 pending turn to business.

How well have your referrals to others help their business grow?

Flip That Office

I LOVE MY JOB!

What a fun day today! Started out at my BNI meeting, then to help a client with her office, then a consult (and I got the job.....little happy dance for me).



These are the BEFORE pictures of the home office of Kim. A hard working woman (that phrase always seems redundant to me) who was frustrated with her office. I had her purchase some shelving and when I arrived we went to work. I assembled the new shelving, while she continued to work on sorting through the piles. I think we ended up with two bags for the garbage, 3 boxes of old magazines & papers, and 2 boxes of books added to the spring garage sale.

4 hours later the results were awesome! Kim did a fantastic job throwing stuff away.



Kim mentioned to me that she can really tell I enjoy my job. I truly do! I LOVE helping people feel better about their home. How lucky am I to do what I do? I am so fortunate.

Kim, It was my pleasure to help you with your office.

Why do you love to do what you do?

Birthday gift 18yrs in the making

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACOB!!

My youngest is 6 years old today. What a spectacular young man! He has a gift of making friends everywhere he goes. His energy for life is inspiring! I am so proud to have him as my son.


I started a tradition with both my boys, Matthew is 8yrs. Every year on their birthday, I find a quiet moment during the day, sit down and write them a note. I don't spend too much time on it, maybe 10-15 minutes. I write about their interests and accomplishments from the past year, and anything else that comes to mind. The note is sealed in an envelope. When they turn 18 years old, I will give them all 18 cards I have written. They do not know I do this.



I have not written the card for Jacob's 6th birthday, yet. Oh, I will find a quiet moment to write my note to him. I love this tradition.

What special traditions do you have?

The Power of a Song

OK, I digress from business to another post about music. I LOVE MUSIC!! A friend of mine brought up a topic about songs which has had me thinking for a couple days now.

What songs trigger you to think of something
that you will always recall?
There are soooo many songs that when I hear them I can recall certain details about my life. It is kind of freaky.
Here is a short list of some songs and their relevance in my life:

"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree," Tony Orlando & Dawn---
I was 4-5 yrs old swinging on a swing set, singing this at the top of my lungs. My mom yelled at me for repeating the chorus over and over.

"Chariots of Fire," Movie Theme Song--My Aunt Dottie died of cancer when I was 16yr. She loved this movie. I cry whenever I hear it.

"Blackwater," Doobie Brothers--study group for AAE364(more like socializing) at Purdue University's Union. We all sang along when this song played. Typically someone chose to play it 2-3 times a night.

"You Light Up My Life," Debbie Boone--Greatest College Party EVER!!
We had a "Tacky Party." We played cheezy, crappy music and everyone had on tacky clothes. You could hear people singing this song from our apartment 2 blocks away!!

"November Rain," Guns N Roses--November 1991. I was very sick. Never can listen to this song entirely.

"Iris," Goo Goo Dolls--This came out when my oldest son, Matthew, was born. What an amazing kid! One of my favorite songs.

"I'm Alive," Celine Dion--I heard this song as I drove home from filing my divorce paperwork. I had such a sense of peace. This song always brings me up when I'm down.

"100 years," Five For Fighting--It will forever remind me of a dear friend that pulled me through a most difficult period. Showed me how to enjoy myself, find myself, and rebuild.

"Joy To The World," Three Dog Night--My boys, 6 & 8yrs, know this song by heart. We belt out this song driving down the road. I crack up when I hear them sing the line "make sweet love to you." (I'll have to explain it someday)

These songs were the ones that came to my mind quickly.
There are so many more I could list. This is enough.

What songs remind you of some past event or moment?

Office Rescue 911

Life is crazy and busy. A home office, whether an area in the corner of the kitchen or a separate room in the home, is becoming essential. People use a home office for many different functions: paying bills, planning a vacation, reading news, playing games, listening to music, buying Christmas presents, doing homework, running a business, keeping in touch with friends, blogging with strangers (umm....hi there), etc.....











My latest client, "Lisa", wanted some help with her home office. These before pictures show how her office looked at the consult appointment. One of the first things I saw, the computer on top of the desk. Not only does this take up space, but it is noisy. Other things I noticed, she had plenty of great shelves and literature sorters.

When I arrived to start the project, Lisa did do a great job "jump starting" our work by getting some of her desk cleared off and she had garbage bag half full (Excellent!).

The first task was disconnecting the computer and moving it under the desk with the router and all the wires/cables. Then started pulling out all the literature in the sorters and consolidating the current and tossing the old. We moved to the wall of shelves then on to the file cabinets and desktop. "Wow! Throwing stuff away is fun," Lisa stated. Four hours later the after pictures show the change.











I am quite proud of Lisa for throwing away all that she did. She is delighted with her office and loves the room again. I will be following up with Lisa to make sure she keeps up all the work we put into her office.

Lisa, It was my pleasure working with you.

Who are you proud of this week?

The Value of My Service

I was working with "Cathy" again this week. I have been helping her sort through her boxes of items she has accumulated in her lifetime.




This BEFORE picture shows one of her three closets we worked on cleaning up.
I worked in 2 hour blocks of time with Cathy and have made 5 visits. Each visit I left her apartment with 1 bag for the trash, 1 bag for donations and 1 bag to be shredded.
(my boys had fun shredding
.....I love child labor!)








This is the closet AFTER our work. Many of her clothes did not fit or were quite worn. I helped Cathy consolidate her travel brochures from across the USA and labeled the boxes. Cathy and I sorted through all the "stuff" on the floor of the closet. In doing so, I made a discovery.....$80,000 in US Savings Bonds! Cathy had no idea these were there. She was beside herself and incredibly thankful for my service.

I have one more visit with Cathy and my work should be done. She is delighted. I am proud of her for letting go of sooooo many things. She will have invested nearly $450 in my services. In the end, she came across $80,0000 in bonds, but more importantly she told me her apartment is "finally feeling like a home."

I feel FANTASTIC for making Cathy feel good about her home.

Cathy, It has been my pleasure helping you.

How valuable is your business to your clients/customers?

"LET ME ASK YA THIS....."

You are stranded on a deserted island. You are alone.

You can only listen to one artist/band's music.


WHO DO YOU PICK?

I LOVE MUSIC!!! Classic Rock, Pop, Dance, Classical, Blues, Alternative, Bluegrass, Cajun, Jazz, Latin, Carribean, Soul, Reggae, R&B....ok, not Gospel or Polkas, and not the "twangy" Country. I love concerts. The feeling of live music is spectacular.

One of the best concerts I went to was Lucinda Williams. I went to her show having heard only one song, "Righteously". WOW! What a great show! Fabulous stories behind her songs. Paul Simon's concert at the Toledo Zoo was one of the most fun....Dancing barefoot in the aisle & ending up backstage on the tour buses!

But, if stranded on a desert island.....I pick The EAGLES.
I never change the radio station when The Eagles come on.
Great music and lyrics.
"Dick, It's got a good beat and I can dance to it."



OK, If the title of this blog sounds familiar, it is. Scott Ginsberg,that Nametag Guy, uses this statement in his blogs. Gotta give him some credit.

So, you are on a deserted island....Whose music do you listen to?

Helping those in need

I have not made one cent....nothing....nada....zlich this week.

I did have a consult with Margaret.

Margaret saw my ad in Mature Living News Magazine (no website....I need to talk to them). She said she was "desperate" for help with her home organization.

"It would be my pleasure to help you," I stated.

We set up a date and time. Then she gave me her address. Which then gave me the idea she might not be able to afford my services. When I showed up to her home, I was certain she could not. I did not let that sway my intent to help Margaret.

I met with her for about 45 minutes. Walked through the two floors of her home and gave some suggestions and tips along the way. Chatted with her mom, Mary, for a bit. Even joked around and talked turkey (well, Thanksgiving is next week).

As I left, Margaret was so thankful I took the time to help her with some ideas. Mary smiled and wished me a beautiful day. I felt good.

Now, should I have stated my fees up front? Did I waste my time? Why did I bother with this consult?

I had a very good idea that nothing (no income) was going to come from this consult. I went along with it anyway because I knew I could help this woman. And I did. She was thankful.

Margaret, It truly was my pleasure helping you.

When was the last time you helped someone just because you could?

Who are YOU?

I came across an interesting list while at the doctor's office. A self-quiz about yourself. Facts we should know about ourselves but likely do not take the time to know them (does that make sense?).



So I jotted them down.......Here we go:

Items you must know about yourself
1. Allergies
2. Family health history
3. Credit score
4. License plate number (just ran out to check my car)
5. Passport? (we all need passports to leave the U.S. starting Jan 2007)
6. Emergency contact numbers
7. A will....please, just go get one
8. Where is your parent's will? (calling mom and dad after this post)
9. Health insurance details....don't want to be bleeding profusely and wonder what hospital to go to.
10. Vital health stats: Blood pressure, cholesterol and glucose levels....get a physical, find your target numbers

NEXT....Items that are good to know about yourself
1. Ring size...OK, this is for us ladies. Guys what would you substitute?
2. Your correct tax form
3. Money or items to be inherited
4. Clothing measurements...always good to give and receive clothing that fits
5. Blood type.....me, A+

FINALLY....Fun things to know about yourself
1. 3 ways to make you smile when down
2. Strengths and weaknesses
3. Know how to give good directions to your home
4. What time were you born?....hey, everyone needs a precise astrological chart.
5. Names of the trees and bushes in your yard....visitors will think you are clever
6. Your mom's/mother-in-law's/best friend's favorite flower....I like this one.

Take the time and find out some info on yourself. Write these things down. You never know when this stuff could be useful.

I'm buying my mom some flowers tomorrow!



What did you learn about yourself?
Is there a question you would add?

Workin' through the "pain"

Well, I did not let a broken finger slow me down this week. I probably should, but those that know me understand I have to be pinned down to stop living and having fun. I had a few different clients this week, which makes my job so much fun!

I worked more with "Cathy" helping her sort through photo albums, scrapbooks and, yes, more papers.

I helped a woman get some pictures and mirrors hung in her home that she moved into 4 months ago. I guess her husband thought what I did was "cool" because he didn't have to do it....hey, it was my pleasure to help.

Another client was a man whose wife died last winter. I came to help him throw out some old kitchen items. We also sorted through items in his pole barn so he can get a car inside for winter.


This is the BEFORE shot. He has a ton of space just need to get rid of things not used or broken, and find a better spot for the remainder items to use the pole barn for storing his car.



This AFTER picture shows the area cleaned up. Ready for his car to be stored for the winter. The shelving (covered by the brown tarp) is used much for efficiently, with a system so he can find something.

Yeah...my finger still hurts a bit every night. My mom still gives me a daily lecture for doing too much. People just laugh when they notice my broken middle finger, so why should I not be out doing what I am doing? I'm having too much fun!!

Is there anything that slows you down in your business?

Weekend Survival

I made it through the weekend with NO PROBLEMS!!

(yeah--happy dance)


My weekend was great! Went on a fanatastic get-a-way to South Haven, Michigan. My finger is causing some pain, mostly it is annoying. Eating, tying my shoes, putting my coat on, typing this blog......is a bit challenging. Not that I am complaining, it is only a broken finger. It is my middle finger, so I am having fun with it.

Take some Motrin and enjoy showing people you have a broken middle finger. Hey, people are laughing with me about it (or are they laughing at me....I always get those confused).

Well, surf's up in South Haven!




When was the last time you made someone laugh?

One of those weeks......

Did you ever just have one of those weeks where not a single day goes as planned?

Sunday--My boys and I had a GREAT day. "Let's get in the car and see where we end up." We went to the Toledo Museum of Art for their "Creepy Creatures" Family fun day (every Tues, Thurs and Sunday--TAKE THE KIDS!!), on to COSI (4 hours later--We had a blast!), then to Tony Packo's for dinner. Finally home to baths, books and bed.

Sunday was a good day.....yes.....the calm before the storm.........

Monday--Matthew (8yrs) not feeling great, breathing sounds horrible. Cancel all appointments for the day, take him to the doctor...5 hrs later--We are at Toledo Children's Hospital. He has pneumonia. Yeah, they have a bed for me in his room.

Tuesday--All appointments cancelled (Wednesday's, too). Matthew is doing better, but we are not going home. Hospital staff is amazing. Love them all!!

Wednesday--We end up not getting discharged until 5pm. I was beginning to think we were stuck there another day. Very happy to be home!

Thursday--I am in the ER now! My finger which I injured 5 weeks ago is swollen, aching and red. It's broken. Hairline fracture. Lovely. 3 weeks in a splint. On the postive side: It is my right middle finger (I'll have fun with it).

So what will Friday bring? I am going to sit back and enjoy whatever happens.......better stay away from me.......



So how do you handle a cursed week?

Working with your Target Market

What a fun day today!! I helped an older woman, "Cathy", sort out some of her papers and boxes she has accumulated in her lifetime. Our goal was to make space in her living area to invite friends to her home. I did not get a before shot because she was so excited to get started, I just forgot. There were boxes and papers all over her sofa, as they were two weeks ago at the inital consult.

When I left the sofa was cleared off and ready for her friends to visit. She ended up with a partially filled box of important personal documents and memorabilia. I took away one large bag to the dumpster and one box of documents to be shredded.

Now, I mentioned lifetime earlier because Cathy had saved her father's paperwork from 1953! Interesting to see all these old documents, however no need to keep these records.

I enjoyed today because I love helping people, especially the elderly. Cathy told me some great stories about some of the items we sorted through. She began to get excited as progess was being made in finding her sofa again. When I finished, she was truly pleased with my help and I felt great knowing I did a good job.

What did you do for a client that made you feel wonderful?

New Toy!!!

I installed some shelving in a client's basement storage area this week. The great thing about it was the opportunity to buy a new toy.....well, tool. Not just any tool. A HAMMER DRILL !!! This may not be too exciting to most, but I am a rocket scientist/auto design engineer and I love stuff like this. This beast is a serious tool. I have a drill that I could have used, however I thought it would be best to get the appropriate tool for the job.

The before picture shows the storage area without any shelving. My client had the room cleared out before I showed up (thank you), then I went to work installing the shelving. The after picture shows the completed installation, ready for the "stuff" to find a home on the shelves.














My new toy made the installation a breeze.

What new "Toy" have you purchased recently for your business?

You become what you think about!

A late night internet searching (I don't know what or where), I came across an audio file that has me working on myself this week. I must have listened to this recording a 6-7 times so far.

Earl Nightingale's The Strangest Secret.

***********************************************
On December 7, 1941, Earl was at Pearl Harbor. Earl was one of only a hundred who survived. He was literally blown off the ship, unconscious, and another sailor pulled him to safety.

Earl said that he felt that he had been spared for some reason. After the war Earl became obsessed with why everyone in his neighborhood was poor and confused. He wondered why one person was able to create wealth and happiness for his family, while another with a similar background stayed ignorant and penniless. Answering these questions became Earl’s life work.

In 1956, he was about to take a trip but wanted to leave a message for his sales force. He got up in the middle of the night inspired to write a message that he recorded the next morning. That message became one of the most important and famous motivational recordings ever made. It is the only gold record ever achieved for the spoken word.
*************************************************

Back to my personal project: I am not quite ready to do the 30-day trial that Mr. Nightingale speaks of in his message. I need to sort out my goals. This will happen. I wish more people would listen to this recording. My boys, 8 and nearly 6 years old, have listened to this in the car with me. They were not thrilled about it at first and I thought they were ignoring it after awhile. At the end, when we got out of the car to go into Target. Jacob, my youngest, states "Mom I am going to be GREAT!" Matthew, the older, says "Yeah, well I am going to think about good stuff."

Kids are powerful! By the end of this week, I will have my goals in place.


So what are you thinking about?

Closets-R-Us

I had a BIG project this week--2 Closets, a laundry room and garage. My clients are moving into a new home and wanted to update the existing storage spaces to make them more useful. I came and listened to their needs, put some plans together and completed the project in one day.

Before
After













This first picture is the before view of the master closet--minimal use of the room with only one shelving unit. The after shows raising the height of the current shelves, adding 19 feet of shelving and two shoe racks! What a difference in use of space!!!

The laundry room had no shelves for storage only the washer and dryer. I came in and installed two long shelves and a set of corner shelves (not pictured). The room is much more useful now.

Laundry Before
Laundry After

This was a fun project! I was able to use a bit of my engineering side with the planning, and I was able to use power tools during the installation.



"Any day involving the use of power tools, is a great day!"

What was your "fun" project this week?

BALLS!

"If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes and the quitting time."
~Chinese Proverb

My mom gave me this book, BALLS! 6 Rules for Winning Today's Business Game, by Alexi Venneri in May 2005. I was about to leave on a solo trip to Key Largo, Florida to relax and plan the success of my business, Organized Solutions. The book has some fantastic ideas and true stories of success--and failure--in today's business world. (www.ballssixrules.com)

BALLS! is an acronym for:

Brave. Be brave enough to take risks. This is where it all starts. It takes guts to even think about starting a business. PERIOD!

Authentic. Be authentic enough to follow tried and true business practices. Don't hide your vision or goals. Remember businesse is about hard work, discipline, and the strength to learn from disappointment or failure.

Loud. Be loud enough to attract serious attention. Know that everything is a reflection on you and be consistent.

Lovable. Be loving enough to care. Build relationships, reward success, turn customers into fans.

Spunky. Be spunky enough to do things different. Do the unexpected, follow your instincts, confidently innovative.

!GO! Be inspired and excited to GO! and make something happen. Start doing something!

There are a lot of different books out there on starting a business, success of a business, making your business better. This was the FIRST book I read, so it is special to me (plus it was a gift from my mom). I love this book because it pumps me up when I am feeling frustrated in my business.

What do you to fire yourself up and get back on the track of success?

OK....enough time has past.....

FIVE MONTHS!! I can't believe how much time has past. I have a ton of excuses, but I believe you can only give one excuse, ever. Whenever anyone give me more that one excuse, they lose me.

For example: "I am sorry I was unable to help you move. I was sick." Alright...I am bummed you couldn't help. I hope you are feeling better. That is a valid excuse. Now,on the other hand...example: "I am sorry I was unable to help you move. I was sick, then my boys had a game, I had to clean my house...blah, blah, blah..." This scenario does not make me feel good.

So, my excuse for not blogging.......I didn't see the point. No one is reading this, why bother? That was until I came to Chapter 15 in Scott Ginsberg's book, How to Be That Guy. He is that nametag guy (www.hellomynameisscott.com). Anyway.....Chapter 15 is titled, "If You Don't Have a Blog, You're a Putz!"
Well, I am not a putz and I do have a blog. I just do not use it. Thank you Mr. Ginsberg for inspiring me to try this blog stuff out, again.

Welcome to my blog....Let's see where this goes.

How do you feel about excuses? Have you ever made a change after an excuse?

Time to Give Back!

Happy Easter!!

This is a great day for me. So much has change in my life in the past 3 years and I have come through it a much happier and confident person. Easter 2003, I was in New Orleans with my mom. Trying to reconnect but I was struggling with so many other issues. We still had a great time! Easter 2004, I felt free and alive for the first time in so long with the filing for my divorce. Easter 2005, My girlfriend invited my boys and I to Marathon, Florida for the week. Her gift came at the perfect time for us, we needed to step away from all the drama and enjoy ourselves. I will forever be grateful to her.

Easter 2006--I am a very fortunate person. I have great family and friends, 2 beautiful and amazing boys, a home and all the things I need. I am happy....I really am happy. If you have ever lost happiness, you will understand how great I feel. This Easter I have been selected to participate in a Global Village Project with Habitat for Humanity in Anchorage, Alaska in June. I placed a link for more information on the trip. I am excited about being apart of this team set to help build 12 homes. Yeah, it is in Alaska, but it will involve about 80 hours of work in 12 days, sleeping at a local church, showering at local gyms, connecting with some great people, helping others who need it and the opportunity to learn and grow as a person. My goal is to raise an additional donation of $2500. If you would like to donate, please see the Habitat link. Any amount is apprieciated.

It is interesting as I look back over the past Easters. They seem to be times of change for me. Next summer, I would like to take along a local high school student with me on a Habitat project. In 10 years, I hope my boys will join me.

My business is about helping people......I cannot wait for this project to start!!

Do you have a plan to help others?

Everyone starts somewhere....

This is "blogging" is going to be great! I like when you come across something and it just feels good. Just makes you smile inside. What a great way to get thoughts out of your head. Maybe someone will read it, maybe not. The idea that this is your little billboard to voice ideas and respond to others.

So how do I open my first blog posting? I am a new business owner, excited about the potential success I will have, and proud of having survived many events that have led me to this point in my life. I say "survived" because that is what I truly have done! Stories of these events will likely come out in the future. I truly believe EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON! Usually, when you are confronted with a "challenging opportunity" in your life, you wonder if you will survive it and why is this happening. In the end if you can accept the lesson, learn from it and move on with life, it all makes perfect sense.


Welcome to my Blog!! I'm excited to be here and glad you stopped by.

What lesson did you experience? What did you learn from it?