Oprah - You’re Going to Love Us!

Christine Lakatos and I are on a mission.  The Oprah mission.  We are self-publishing authors struggling to get exposure.  We have thousands of hurdles ahead of us, but we are determined to conquer them all.  We have the drive, the heart, the tenacity and NOW, we are allys. Read Christine’s recent Blog post, and you’ll understand how we met, and what an amazing a breakthrough she had with GOOGLE because of our alliance. 

I believe some of the important ingredients to our marketing success can be understood by watching a few of my favorite reality shows - The Apprentice, Survivor and American Idol.  Particularly, you’ll notice on the first two, it’s essential to have allies (at least at the beginning).  Luckily Christine’s and my books are complementary to each other, rather than competitive.  This is really fun - I will get to enjoy her victories and she’ll enjoy mine.  We’ll help each other race past our competitors.

We accomplished our first goal, which was to write reviews for each other - she wrote wonderful reviews of my two books, Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty and Dream Home Profile, and I wrote one for her book, My Diva Diet and posted it on Blog Critics.

That’s why I can confidently say, "Watch out Oprah, we have our eyes on you!"  Ladies, you can help us out by sharing our websites, books and posts with your friends.  Because of you, we’ll land a spot on Oprah and we’ll share our success with you.  How about it?
 

Take a Chill Pill

This is not meant to be a cliché.  It’s a real suggestion because I’m just like you, personally experiencing stress & anxiety related to the econmy.  And, perhaps unlike you, I experience it all day at work because home furnishing sales are directly linked to housing, and the mental mood of the country.

 ♥

So, I know firsthand how difficult it is to remain stress-free, healthy and happy.  But, I also know that I have resources available - my own personal Chill Pills.  The Chill Pills I take aren’t related to drugs, alcohol or professional intervention.  Rather, they are self-help, natural things I do to "chill out".  Here’s my list, and hopefully some of these things will be great Chill Pills for you, too:

Watch the Dream Movie.  (I’ve watched it at least 50 times in the last few months, and I never get tired of it - it’s tremendously inspiring and soothing.) 

 

I sometimes treat myself to a massage if I need a high dose of chill.

 

I talk about my feelings to my closes friend and loved ones.  But I never talk about my anxiety to any one else.  How boring is that?  I prefer not to add a heavier load to those around me.  I try to stay calm and unafraid (I give myself lots of pep-talks.)

 

I try to add more "Favorite Day" elements to my day, and eliminate my triggers for stress.  (The "Favorite Day Finder" helps me identify the good and bad elements of my days.  It’s available in The Duck Directory, The Ugly Duck Makeover, and The Not So Famous Celebrity Makeover.)

 

I use the Awakenings Program from Centerpointe to de-stress whenever I have an extra hour of quiet time.

 ♥

So, if you need a little something to take the edge off things, just pop a few Chill Pills, and see if you don’t feel a little better.   And as our friend from England, Duncan, says … Cheerio! 

Hope …

I woke up from a dream just 30 minutes ago - I quickly got my coffee so that I could write it all down.  I know this dream is a result of two MAJOR things I’ve experienced this week.  Let me tell you about these things and then I’ll explain the dream.

 ♥

1st thing:  After 4 years of writing my books and planning my website, I’m faced with the exciting (and looming) reality of finishing the project … which means - it’s now time to expose my "babies" to the real world … which means either I’ll make it as an author or I won’t … and ultimatley my success or failure will determine whether I’ve created a legitimate 2nd income, or simply established a hobby for myself.   So in preparation for this, I’ve been studying marketing ideas, and realizing how much I don’t know and how much money it takes to ‘do it right", according to the experts. 

 ♥

But there is something I must do, and it doesn’t cost a ¢¢¢ (just lots of sense) … it’s to concisely and confidently be able to explain EXACTLY who I am, what I do, and what makes me different.  In other words, what could possibly set Alie James and her books apart from all her competion in the Healthy & Beauty and Home Furnishings Industry?

So, that’s Reality Check #1. 

 ♥

The 2nd thing was Reality Check #2, and it was much more serious than the first … 

As you know, I work in the Home Furnishings Industry (in a Furniture Store).  I’ve made a living from this Industry and it’s been a very rewarding experience.  All of us in this industry have been experiencing very difficult times, as we are so closely tied to the economy - especially to consumer confidence, housing, the presidential election and GAS prices  - those things always affect it positively or negatively. 

 ♥

So ……………  we were visited this week from our reginal manager (Dan), whose mission was to bring us a Reality Check - a "state of the union" kind of speech.  And his message — the union just "ain’t so great".  But Dan also delivered a little bit more than the required "Reality Check".  He delivered "Hope" (at least I received hope from his message).  

 ♥

After his meeting, I realized that I didn’t feel too bad because I was hopeful that everything would turn out alright - I had "caught" his optimism.  But later, after I was speaking with some others, I found out that there were two very opposite points of view, and that perhaps I was being naive by adopting such hope.  

Ok - pretty emotionally draining week, don’t you think?  Well, here’s my dream:

The dream was about meeting a very old friend who was asking me to explain to her exactly what I was trying to accomplish with my books.  I was fumbling along, saying this and saying that, and she kept saying "no … they don’t need this", "no, … they don’t need that".  Finally, just a few seconds before I woke up, I said …

"I guess my books are about Hope" … 

 ♥

And then she reminded me that not everyone needed a message of Hope, only women who were very much like me (Diane).   When I woke up, I realized that there is so much energy and power in Hope.  Personally, it’s been "Hope" that gives me the enthusiasm, the optimism, the drive to get up every morning and give my best - to my friends, my family and my customers.  And now, more than ever, with such BAD NEWS, it’ll be hope that gets me going and through these challenging times. 

So, here are some of the things that I HOPE for:  I hope to maintain (and make even better) what I still have - my health, my youthful appearance, and thank goodness, my sexuality.   Also, I want to make the home I have my Dream Home.  And of course, I hope that I’ll continue working in the Home Furnishings Industry for a while longer.  

Here’s the bottom line - the Marketing Message from Alie James is … Hope … 
Hope that life can truly be Simple, Beautiful and Complete!

 ♥

In regards to Dream Homes … The Dream Home Profile™ has made it possible for everyone to have a Dream Home - because a Dream Home isn’t dependent on the amount of money or things you have - rather it’s about knowing exactly what you need to make "the place you live" (your home) "feel just like home". 

In regards to Health & Beauty, the market’s a little more defined - probably Alie James relates best to women between 39 - 69 years old.  "My hope" is to give hope to women who need it - who want to look and feel as young and beautiful as long as possible.  We women are transitioning between our "second season" and "third season"  (i.e., we’re starting to end "Summer" and begin "Fall"). 

So, to all my friends … use your Wings … 
And let’s hope for the Best Years of our Lives … Alie

 

 

A Diet Book for Tired-Of-Dieting-Dieters

Another diet book.  Thousands upon thousands of “wanna-be diet gurus” confusing most of us, most of the time with some recycled diet and weight loss idea. 

However, The Younger (Thinner) You Diet by Eric R. Braverman, MD is really different!  I’m inspired by a few things.  It approaches anti-aging, dieting and weight loss from a "brain perspective," not a "time and stomach perspective."  And Dr. Braverman uses an integrative approach in his medical practice, which puts him in the same niche as Dr. Andrew Weil.

The first rule that I use to evaluate a non-fiction book is to see if it sufficiently addresses the problem or situation addressed by the title and tag line. The title, The Younger (Thinner) You Diet, draws me in (as a resistantly aging baby-boomer) by suggesting that I can be younger and thinner with this particular You Diet.  What a hook!  It intrigued me!  Of course that’s exactly what I care about, and will likely care about for the next 20 years.  Next, his tag line, How Understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Help You Lose Weight, Reverse Aging and Fight Disease, places him in a very unique niche as far as diets go.  Wow, this tag-line promises all this from “Brain Balance!”

Okay, did he succeed?  Yes, he delivered a do-able, anti-aging diet and weight loss book - one that I’m going to use.  Of course, not all of it appeals to me. The beginning of Part II offered quite a few details, along with the rational of the Diet.  For me, this was TMI (too much information) for my time constraints.  However, the latter part of Part II was filled with fantastic recipes, which he coded to the specific brain chemical deficiencies that I discovered in Part I, when I took his Younger Thinner Diet Quiz.  The quiz was so practical, and completely held my interest.  I also felt the results were quite accurate.

Another interesting part of Braverman’s book is how he uses herbs, foods and supplements to balance out the four brain chemicals, suggesting prescription medication as the last resort.  The premise he uses in his medical practice is mind-body balance, and it’s the foundation of this book.  I totally buy into this primal connection in regards to natural beauty, health and wellness. 

Would I recommend this book to you?  Yes.  I would suggest that you get a support group started of “Tired-of-Dieting-Dieters” because you can have a lot of fun identifying with someone who is deficient in the same brain chemicals as you are.  I always feel that accountability helps in our diet and weight loss journeys. 
 

The Yin - Yang of Furniture

Today at work was a great day.  I didn’t sell anything, I didn’t get on the computer, I did visit with a sweet lady, but what made it nice is because I got to do a mindless task. 

I wrote sale tags for about 3 hours.  This is time-consuming, tedious work.  In fact, it’s mindless. 

Mindless activity is supposed to be beneath us, so “they” say, but I rather like it.  Finally, after days of mentally focused activity, I had an excuse to rest my mind and just think about whatever “came to mind”.   As you get to know my writings in “Secrets to Healthy Aging & Ageless Beauty“, you’ll realize that I believe that “less is more”. 

So, my theory held up.  This “less mind” (mindless) activity actually resulted in “more mind” for me.  What’s up, is really down?  What’s down is really up?  Oh yeah, what’s good is really bad … what’s bad is really good … yin or yang … oh I know - yin AND yang!

I know … weird, crazy Alie.  (no … maybe it’s really just interesting, normal, everyday stuff - we just don’t know it …)

Your Hairdresser REALLY Knows For Sure!

The other day was my hair day.  As usual, I came up with another plan for my hair.  “Lisa, I want you to make it darker so that my highlights will stand out.  I want to go back to being a “winter” instead of this false “autumn” look.”  I want you to do this, I want you to do that”.  She said - “Wow, you waited too long to get your hair done, that’s what’s wrong with you”.    Well after about an hour of explanation why she STRONGLY disagreed with me about going darker, I finally got it, and can again equate it to Photoshop. 

Here is the truth about aging from a Hairdresser’s view.  No amount of makeup, hair dye or clothes is going to recapture the ”vibrancy” of youth.  That’s because we are FADING with age.  I finally understood this because she said my skin is fading and that’s why she wouldn’t go darker for my hair - she insisted that it would look “witchy” even though not 10 years ago that was my natural color.

I get it now.  It’s like taking a layer of digital beauty (a photograph) and making it more transparent.  Each little bit of decrease in the opacity takes away the intensity of the color.  Well I guess that’s a good view of aging.  A more transparent picture is the same picture - it’s just a softer, paler version of it. 

Eventually, when it’s so transparent that it’s barely there, it kind of becomes “ethereal”.  If you have “The Ugly Duck Makeover” then look how I made the very back page - I faded it out quite a bit.  The more “opaque” (darker) version was just too harsh and sent the wrong message. 

So, friends, this is meant as encouragement for those of us who are NOT into aging (or as Arbonne says - looking younger, longer.)  There is just as much beauty in getting older as being younger.  We’re the same picture, just less opaque and more transparent. 

She (my hairdresser) knows for sure - she promotes beauty no matter what the age - “Black hair like your 28 year old daughter???? Come on, Diane, you’re 55, so be proud of it and quit fighting it.”  “Ok, Lisa … thanks, I guess?”

Take a Walk … Find some Truth!

The world of furniture is pathetic at the moment.  The question is whether it will recover or not.  The answer is OF COURSE, it will.

I’m a student of cycles - in fact, I’m fascinated by them.  I’m really rusty in what I know so here it is in a nutshell.  Everything is a cycle - there are very long cycles - 500 + years, there are business cycles, growth cycles, real estate cycles, planetary cycles, sunspot cycles … you get it.  The other thing hooked into this is the reality of "entropy", which means everything is fighing against the natural decline/decay of things. 

Healthy and proactive people and businesses know this, and reinvent themselves BEFORE they begin their decline.  They follow an "S" curve.  This means they grow, they plateau, and either begin their decline or reinvent themselves and begin a new "S" curve.

Yesterday I took a walk up my street and remembered about cycles and "S"s.  I made a loop.  I "worked hard" at walking up a hill, and I was thinking the entire time that I’ll get to the straight part any minute, in fact that was my goal.  And the straight part was easy … then I went down a steep hill, which was a slight bit of work.  Then, I naturally ended back at the straight part again.  

So I thought, hmm … just like life.  We struggle so to "grow up".  All of the sudden we’ve reached the plateau and walk along at a leisurely pace.  And then decline.  Maybe the deline part is the "fighting of the inevitable" and after that is the acceptance of it, so we just walk along evenly, till the end.

Ok, reality check.  Where am I?  The answer is - it’s all relative to what aspect of my life I’m inspecting.  Health wise, I’m in the first plateau.  Business wise, I’m climbing up the hill.  Age wise, I’m fighting the decline.  The good news is that I just started the decline (at least I’m claiming that to be fact.  The way I see it, I’m half-way to my goal of 110 years old.) 

Where are you?????