Sharing vs Survival … Necessity Always Wins
April 26, 2009
Friends -
Sometimes life’s about sharing, and sometimes it’s simply about surviving. I am heavy into survival-mode. I have yet to begin the process of rebuilding, like I had thought I was going to this spring; instead, I’m working very hard to keep the collateral damage to a minimum. What I’m talking about is another life change. (Details to come a little later on.) I’m very tired, I want to be able to finish the dream I started - my blog, my books, my passion to help you become the best you can be. But before I can do that, I have to stabilize some things in my life.
I can only imagine that I’m going through these difficult times so that I can encourage others that you can live through the tough times. So, don’t give up on me. I’ll be back soon, blogging and writing away.
One thing I have still been doing is writing some very interesting review pieces for BlogCritics. Click here if you’d like to read them. Also, I’m in the process of starting a video blog about Intuitive Design for "It’s So Me TV" (coming soon).
Oprah - You’re Going to Love Us!
March 5, 2009
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?
“Show Me the Passion!”
March 1, 2009
Having passion in our lives is a whole lot better than having money. Unfortunately, it’s not reality for most of us. I’ve come to realize that "passion" is a luxury. Do you remember when we were younger, how we were told to find a way to do what we loved doing no matter how much we got paid for it? Although I’m not one to fill my mind with "woulda, shoulda, coulda", I do wish that I could find a way to do what I’m passionate about rather than settling for what I know how to do.
Today marks the day for completing my first week at my new job. Rather than say negative things about the job, I should point it back to me and admit that I’m the one at fault. I haven’t found the right match for me. What I need to do is use the time at my present job to redefine the elements in a job that are important to me, and learn how to eliminate the elements that I don’t like. If I can do that, my time will be well-spent.
I hope that one day I wil report to you that I am doing exactly what I love doing, rather than doing what I have to do. Until then …
Decorating Ideas for Living Rooms & Bedrooms
February 24, 2009
How to naturally and intuitively
Design, Decorate & Furnish Your Living Rooms & Bedrooms
[Editor’s note: If you prefer, you can download the PDF with Pictures of this Post. This is the script from my video, “Home Decorating Ideas | Personalized Room Design | Free Interior Design.” You can watch it on YouTube or Go Here. And please, remember to share this video with all your friends ... thanks, Alie.]
Hi there. I’m Alie James, Home Design Consultant. Today, I want to give you some great home decorating and room design ideas to help you get started on your Dream Home and be able to Design, Decorate and furnish your home – these are the same ideas I recommend to my Clients and they’ll help you with natural and intuitive Do-It-Yourself projects for your Home & Garden.
Tapping into my experience of Home Design & Home Furnishings, I’ll tell you exactly how to Personalize your Room Design & HomeDecorating Style AND also how to save a lot of money when purchasing things for your Home. My sincere wish is for you to get to live in the Home of your Dreams! Also, at end of this video [article], I’ll tell you how to access a very good Free Interior Design service.
I’m going to give you 3 very cool Tips that’ll make it easier and more affordable to Design, Decorate & Furnish your home exactly like you want it – the operative words being: “exactly like you want it”.
Now going back to HGTV for just a minute more. It’s definitely become our “Go To” TV Channel and Website for Home Decorating ideas & Room Design tips, and the good news is that we know it’s just going to get bigger and better each year. But the one thing HGTV can’t do is “personalize” their Decorating & Design advice. Rather, it has to be GENERIC in order to make it useful for all of us. This means that it can be very confusing, and very hard to personalize and make our own.
So what’s the SOLUTION?
The Solution is to put YOU front and center of your HOME and Garden Design puzzle. If we can do that, then everything else will fall into place. Believe it or not, you actually have quite a bit of intuitive Design Sense, and I’m going to tell you how you can access it and use it! Ready?
OK, here are the 3 Ideas that’ll put YOU dead center in your Home & Garden Design Puzzle. These ideas will cost you less than $25 and I PROMISE, they’ll be worth far more than that – they’ll be ideas you can use for a lifetime.
Idea #1: Take about $5 and go to Barnes & Noble (or someplace like it.) Plan to stay about an hour. Go to the MAGAZINE rack (no books allowed). Look at all the covers in the Lifestyle & Home & Garden sections. The trick is to Stand back and study all the magazines in front of you. Then pick only the covers that draw you to them.
If I had to guess, you’ll probably pick 10-15 magazines.
Now get a cup of coffee or tea, and a treat. Find a cozy spot – preferably a table. The goal is NOT to buy the magazines. It’s to fill your heart & mind & your senses with colors, shapes, and new ideas about Home and Garden. Don’t take notes, don’t buy any magazines. Just take it all in. Get more magazines if you have time. But again, only those that draw you, and don’t buy any – although you might do so later. The reason this is so powerful is because you’re inputting this information to be used at a later date. Very important and be sure to do this as your first step.
IDEA #2: PROFILE your Dream Home. This will only cost $19. You can get your Profile from a program called Dream Home Profile, which I created so you could “Actualize your Dream Home.” What I mean by “actualize” is that the program is designed to generate ON PAPER a personalized and customized LIST of HOME DESIGN ELEMENTS – and the DESIGN ELEMENTS that end up on your paper are the ones that are most important to YOU, which will help make your Home FEEL Like Home. So you’ve heard the expression “DESIGN SENSE” (it’s all about your senses guiding you) Another thing that’s so fantastic about Dream Home Profile is that NO ONE will ever have the same Profile as you.
Another thing, it’s not like all the other “find your Home Decorating style” surveys you’ve seen before, and it’s not giving you generic Home Decorating Ideas either; instead, you’re getting a list of Design Elements for your Home & Garden that are totally unique to YOU. And on top of that, the reason I promised you that you’ll finally be able to save money is because you’ll know exactly what is (and what isn’t) a priority purchase for your HOME – and you’ll also have the knowledge that will prevent you from making unnecessary purchases.
(Just so you know - Dream Home Profile is found on under the HOME DESIGN tab).
I hope you enjoyed this information. My wish is that you’ll be living very soon in your own Dream Home … Alie
Remember, you can download the PDF with Pictures of this Post.
Last Chance … Not Even!
February 2, 2009
I bet the movie, Last Chance Harvey, is very niche specific and won’t get great reviews. Definitely a chick-flick for those of us a little down on our luck. That’s why I went to see it; so that I could experience the happy ending to Harvey’s sadness.
I’m bringing this up because I liked his last words. She asked him about what he was presently doing, His answer … "I’m in transition."
Transition is fine once you deal with the reality of a closed door. Oh, the pain of it. The questions, the sadness, the tears, the what ifs, shoulda, coulda, woulda stuff.
Well, today I bought a new purse. For me, this signaled my acceptance of that door. I looked at my tattered old purse and thought, it’s much like how I’ve felt for a long time. My new purse is soft, good-looking, and will meet all my needs. It’s new. So for a while, this is going to be my a symbol of all the new things that will come my way.
Old, worn out Harvey had a smile on his face and a renewed dignity. So will I.
Journey On …
February 1, 2009
I’ve been forced to go on a journey. To leave the comfort of a job I grew to love. The economy? Perhaps part of the blame, but it’s more than that. Corporate has mandated, “culture change – take it or leave it.” Their tactics are brutal. Apply intense pressure; create something new. Deliver … a corporate birth.
Mahalo, Monica
January 23, 2009
There is nothing more traumatic than listening to your Spirit tell you to release your grip on something you want to hold on to with all your might. You’re just so afraid that you’ll lose it if you let go. What I wrote about in I’ll Keep Travelin’ was probably what helped me begin to relax my grip; today I was inspired to release it a bit more.
Have I built it up enough? Well it’s no suprise that I’ve been dealing with a lot of changes in my life because I’ve written about it over the last few months. In the Real World, I’ve been very reclusive as I’ve worked through alot of it. Because of this, I’ve been putting off a visit with an old friend who recently came back to town - until today. OMG!!! Monica & I were so happy to be reunited. We both needed this reunion.
I decided to write this post as a tribute to Monica because she is celebrating the near completion of this website as much as I am. And even more important, I wanted to tell everyone that Dream Home Profile™ had it’s beginnings with Monica and tissue paper in the back of a bus. (Strange, memorable beginnings usually make great impacts!)
Mahalo, Monica, for welcoming me back into your life today. And you know what, Izzy’s "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is just the beginning …
Home Interior Design and Decorating Ideas
January 17, 2009
How to naturally and intuitively
Design, Decorate & Furnish Your Home
[Editor’s note: If you prefer, you can download the PDF with Pictures of this Post. This is the script from my video, “Home Decorating Ideas | Personalized Room Design | Free Interior Design.” You can watch it on YouTube or Go Here. And please, remember to share this video with all your friends ... thanks, Alie.]
Hi there. I’m Alie James, Home Design Consultant. Today, I want to give you some great home decorating and room design ideas to help you get started on your Dream Home and be able to Design, Decorate and furnish your home – these are the same ideas I recommend to my Clients and they’ll help you with natural and intuitive Do-It-Yourself projects for your Home & Garden.
Tapping into my experience of Home Design & Home Furnishings, I’ll tell you exactly how to Personalize your Room Design & HomeDecorating Style AND also how to save a lot of money when purchasing things for your Home. My sincere wish is for you to get to live in the Home of your Dreams! Also, at end of this video [article], I’ll tell you how to access a very good Free Interior Design service.
I’m going to give you 3 very cool Tips that’ll make it easier and more affordable to Design, Decorate & Furnish your home exactly like you want it – the operative words being: “exactly like you want it”.
Now going back to HGTV for just a minute more. It’s definitely become our “Go To” TV Channel and Website for Home Decorating ideas & Room Design tips, and the good news is that we know it’s just going to get bigger and better each year. But the one thing HGTV can’t do is “personalize” their Decorating & Design advice. Rather, it has to be GENERIC in order to make it useful for all of us. This means that it can be very confusing, and very hard to personalize and make our own.
So what’s the SOLUTION?
The Solution is to put YOU front and center of your HOME and Garden Design puzzle. If we can do that, then everything else will fall into place. Believe it or not, you actually have quite a bit of intuitive Design Sense, and I’m going to tell you how you can access it and use it! Ready?
OK, here are the 3 Ideas that’ll put YOU dead center in your Home & Garden Design Puzzle. These ideas will cost you less than $25 and I PROMISE, they’ll be worth far more than that – they’ll be ideas you can use for a lifetime.
Idea #1: Take about $5 and go to Barnes & Noble (or someplace like it.) Plan to stay about an hour. Go to the MAGAZINE rack (no books allowed). Look at all the covers in the Lifestyle & Home & Garden sections. The trick is to Stand back and study all the magazines in front of you. Then pick only the covers that draw you to them.
If I had to guess, you’ll probably pick 10-15 magazines.
Now get a cup of coffee or tea, and a treat. Find a cozy spot – preferably a table. The goal is NOT to buy the magazines. It’s to fill your heart & mind & your senses with colors, shapes, and new ideas about Home and Garden. Don’t take notes, don’t buy any magazines. Just take it all in. Get more magazines if you have time. But again, only those that draw you, and don’t buy any – although you might do so later. The reason this is so powerful is because you’re inputting this information to be used at a later date. Very important and be sure to do this as your first step.
IDEA #2: PROFILE your Dream Home. This will only cost $19. You can get your Profile from a program called Dream Home Profile, which I created so you could “Actualize your Dream Home.” What I mean by “actualize” is that the program is designed to generate ON PAPER a personalized and customized LIST of HOME DESIGN ELEMENTS – and the DESIGN ELEMENTS that end up on your paper are the ones that are most important to YOU, which will help make your Home FEEL Like Home. So you’ve heard the expression “DESIGN SENSE” (it’s all about your senses guiding you) Another thing that’s so fantastic about Dream Home Profile is that NO ONE will ever have the same Profile as you.
Another thing, it’s not like all the other “find your Home Decorating style” surveys you’ve seen before, and it’s not giving you generic Home Decorating Ideas either; instead, you’re getting a list of Design Elements for your Home & Garden that are totally unique to YOU. And on top of that, the reason I promised you that you’ll finally be able to save money is because you’ll know exactly what is (and what isn’t) a priority purchase for your HOME – and you’ll also have the knowledge that will prevent you from making unnecessary purchases.
(Just so you know - Dream Home Profile is found on under the HOME DESIGN tab).
I hope you enjoyed this information. My wish is that you’ll be living very soon in your own Dream Home … Alie
Remember, you can download the PDF with Pictures of this Post.
Gil Grissom
January 16, 2009
One of my favorite characters on TV is Gil Grissom on CSI. Last night he left the show. I can’t believe the writers were so kind and gave us the happy ending we all wanted. Gil found Sara. Alpha found his Alpha mate. Simple, Beautiful, Complete …
Such a little thing to write about. But it made me think how happy endings are the resolutions we need in our lives to keep us on the road, and going forward. It’s tied to my HOPE theme that I’ve brought up here and there. It’s the stuff of child hood … "Happy Trails and MIC-KEY-MOUSE … See you soon". 
Gil and Sara. Wow! A happy ending, indeed!
Just Give Me 15 Minutes …
January 1, 2009
of Fame. We all want it! And by golly, if we don’t get it one way, we’ll try another. Then we start questioning ourselves … if only I could be … if only I could do … if only I could meet …. if only I were younger … taller, smarter, prettier, skinnier. You know what I mean. If only …
I, myself, am suffering from this desire for that illusive "15 minutes". But, I have to remember a few things from all my years of studying history. Although, I know fame is a function of the “who-you- know- world”, it’s even more a function of an “already planned” world – not from a religious point of view, but from a Historical point of view – (a cyclical one, not linear).
I’ve recently offered a taste of my thoughts about “cyclical history” in my first article to Blog Critic – “Taylor Swift & Friends – Millennial Entertainers Remove the Gloom”. As I wrote, much of what I believe was validated by the book, “The 4th Turning”, which I still use to uncover likely future events.
Another way I consider FAME, is as a function of “The American Dream – Idol Style”. (I’ll soon have this article written.) Let me just say three words – Skill, Authenticity & Resonance. Last night, for my New Years entertainment, I watched Taylor Swift on GAC (Great American Country) count down the Top 50 Videos of the Year. I was blown away (again) about how adorable and confident she is. The Hottest Girl in Country!
Anyway, out of 30 Videos, there was one that totally got me – Sugarland’s “Already Gone”. It’s one my favorite Sugarland songs. Take a look at the Video and I think you’ll see how it captures their “Star Quality”, especially when they look into the camera at about the 3.40 mark. Awesome – they are 100% transparent – That’s what draws fans to them. That’s why people relate – they are HONEST and TRUE to themselves … and they let us see them for who they are … just like Taylor.
I’m a Country Girl from way back. America - We are Real Deal! Like Miranda Lambert sings, we can be famous in our small towns, and in our own little circles. I’ve got to remember that.
Watch other Videos
Taylor Swift’s You Tube Channel
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