Saturday, October 2, 2010

BACK TO LIFE ... LIFE GOES ON

Well it has been a while. So much has gone on in my life since last posting. I found out how important family is. I only hope and pray that my sons find this out. In April my father became ill with Congestive Heart Failure. I commuted 1250 miles every Thursday and returned on Sunday to help care for him. Those hours we spent together were hard but magical. I had such pride in taking care of my father. Life can be so unfair how a strong man, a top businessman and full of life person, who prided himself on independence and his health, became so frail and weak suddenly. In his illness however, he taught me a lesson.He taught me to continue to love life and be positive.
He was unable to do so many things now, and someone came to help him, and instead of being angry about it, he said that it made him feel like a king. He also would say - I can't walk, but when I sit I am in no pain and feel like teenager. What wonderful lessons for us all ... to concentrate on positives and not the negatives...to make the best of all situations. To be the best that you can be.
During the months and weeks of his illness and untimely death, as well as during a mourning period, my internet business continued for a while and then ceased. Now I am picking up the pieces and working very hard on counting my blessings and being the best that I can be.

This brings me to survival and growth. In order for a business to survive it needs a web-presence. You could have the most beautiful website in the world, and if no one is there to view it and get information from it, what good is it? It is like a billboard in the desert - no one will see it or learn from it. Businesses need to be seen. Most people turn to the internet super-highway to look for things that they need. When you Google or Bing something, how many of us go past the First Page? I rarely if ever do. AdzZoo GUARANTEES your business to be on the first page of the search engines like Google in a specific Geo-Targeted area (be it a 10, 20, 50 mile radius or multi- state area campaign). How exciting! There are so few guarantees in life.

I like to help people. I like to help businesses. That is why I like AdzZoo so much. I will write more about it in future Blogs. If you want to see more of what AdzZoo is and does, please visit http://winner.getfoundbylocals.com. Be sure to OPT-IN for a lot more free information.

So I will settle down on this Saturday night making a plan and then working my plan, for a successful life and career. I will always work hard at my job, but will work harder for me. IF IT IS TO BE, IT IS UP TO ME (a quote from somewhere, but it slips my mind where).

Saturday, February 20, 2010

ASK ME HOW

Well, it has been a while - about two months - and life keeps moving on. I have done my best to stay focused and want to talk about a few things that I have been working on. First I am doing my best to stay focused and plan my work while working my plan. I am a big note and list-maker. How wonderful it is to plan out on a list and cross out your accomplishments while progressing and having success.
Let me fill you in what what has been happening and I have been doing. I have kept up with my goal making and have remained focused while building my plan and business. I continue to work my job with my best work, but I have been so enthusiastic about working on my fortune and future.
Like many of us, I have bills and am in debt. Who isn't in debt? What I have found out however, is the secret of paying off my debt and mortgage, entering into financial debt-free freedom in half of the time.
Oh my gosh! The plan is so simple. I tried doing it on my own, but discovered the magic of a system to help me and make it almost a game. No, I am not debt-free or anywhere near it, but in these tough economic times, it is almost a miracle and pleasure that I found a plan to get me through this. It is something that anyone can do and that is the beauty of it. It seems that the more debt someone has the better this system works! Just plug in your anonymous numbers and get the secret f financial freedom. When I saw that my newly refinanced 30 year mortgage will be paid off completely along with my credit cards and debt within 10 years, saving me thousands in interest, I became ecstatic! Who would believe that I could save almost $250,000 in interest! I won't bore you, but the secret is easily shared and is not such a secret. If you want to know how, just ask me! You can contact me at lauriegriffel@gmail.com for the magic of lessening and even eliminating your debt. What a great time this is, in these tough economic times, to become enlightened and have a new goal to focus on and work towards.
I have been doing so many things, but I wanted to share one of them with you. I am focused in and making my goals with friends and a great team. How wonderful it is to work with others. It makes working on my fortune and future so much more worthwhile when doing it with others. Imagine a whole team of people with one common goal and helping each other?! That is magic!
My next goal for this week if to listen to others on my team and help others. I am lucky enough to be on a team of people who host webinars to explain goals, dreams and what I need to focus on. Email me to find out more. I will have a grand opening of my new website within the next few days. I will fill you in on my progress and goal-setting.
Until next time, focus in, set smart-goals, speak with positive people and remember - ASK ME HOW to pay off my mortgage and debt in one half to one third of the time without changing my lifestyle. I have the answers, and if I don't I can plug you into someone on my team who does!
-Thanks for reading!

Sunday, December 13, 2009

HAPPY CHANUKKAH! HAPPY, HAPPY!

Music is in the air. Happiness is everywhere..but so is stress. Don't let yourself get sucked in. Everyone wants to be happy. But no one is happy all of the time. That is the key to happiness - accepting when you are not and making yourself happy.Happiness in my opinion, is more precious than wealth - but often they go hand in hand. You need to commit yourself to being happy, just as you need to commit yourself to creating goals for wealth and success.
Everyone has the right to be happy. Just by being alive we have the right to be happy, but happiness does not just come. It is our decision. Some things in our lives we have no control over. Some things we have control over. We need to accept things that we cannot control. We need to control our thoughts to be more positive and be thankful for all that we have and not grieve all that we do not have.
When we let gratitude and appreciation enter our lives then we allow ourselves to reach our potentials. We are about to embark on a new year...2010. All who want to have a good and successful year join with me and find mentors to help emulate. Stop the 'I should haves' and 'If only I could haves,' and start with the 'I will' and 'I ams.' I am going to end today's blog on this Hanukkah night to light my candles and watch the flames flicker as I work towards goals of helping others while helping myself. Have a great week. Drop me a happy thought or tip for success. My mind is open and I reach out to you. Please reach back. Smiles to all.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

LIFE HAPPENS...DONT QUIT

Hi everyone - It has been a while since I blogged - life happens. This was a stressful week all around, but it passed as everything does. I did my best not to let things get me down but had some tests from GD about it this week. The sky fell a few times, work overwhelmed me, traffic stopped me and made me late, the bank sent me a 'skinny envelope (overdraft note) and a friend had a death in his immediate family, which affected me, not to mention my loving dog who was ill and could not express himself except by messing up my floors and bed (lol...he s better now and back to his tail wagging self).
I am still very focused in with my goals and actions to accomplish them.
When things go tough, as they will - don't quit, because nothing stands still. Life has twists and turns, and part of being a winner is being able to take the cards that GD gives us daily and play with them. Know when to fold and know when to hold, sort of. You are stronger than life. You are stronger than problems.
How many times have I had people arrive late at meetings because they were stuck in traffic caused by an accident (it happened to me this week - I had given myself extra time to get to a focus group and I was caught behind an accident and was five minutes late and therefore not allowed to participate - after driving 50 miles to get there...good-bye $150 plus gas and tolls (lol)) and take it personally ('It only happens to me'). How selfish is this attitude to think it only happens to you and makes you late - when someone else had an auto accident and is hurt or worse. Make an effort when you pass an auto accident or a tragedy like a fire to think "There by the grace of GD goes me." This will help us all appreciate life and what we have.

What have I done this week that is positive? I wrote out December Smart Goals and did the first steps towards attaining them. I read positive things. I have been associating with positive people. I also did something new; I listened to some positive CDs and worked on sharing with others.

I have been trying to get up a few websites but am running into some difficulties...technology is not my true calling, but I am learnind and want to thank those who came to help me via telephone and email.
I need to focus in on what I can do, and not on what I cannot do. That is what we all need to do to be successful. We need to be proud of our successes and not dwell on the failures that we as human beings are entitled to have.

I am also finding positive mentors to follow.

So what does this coming week have in store for me and all of us? No one knows what GD is planning, but our happiness is up to ourselves. No one can buy happiness and success in a store. We must strive for it and decide we will be happy. We need to know that "It is ok to be unhappy." No one can be happy all of the time. Once we as people accept that the world will be a better place. I often ask my students 'who thinks that they should be happy all of the time?' - Instantly most hands in the room shoot up in the air. Then I burst their bubble and tel them that they are wrong. It is ok to be unhappy. That as adults no one can't be happy and get our way all of the time. It would be awful if all of our wishes came true. We all need to compromise and accept when things do not go our way. We cannot let disappointments ruin our day. We cannot take all things personally. If your favorite team looses, it is not done to spite you in particular. If your boss criticizes you, it is done to help you and not to insult you. If you don't success with something, you are not a failure but just need to try again a different way. People who walk around with chips on their shoulders bring misery to themselves and others. We all need to work on pushing the chip off of your shoulders. We need to focus in on things that matter and find people to be your cheerleaders as you cheer them on.

Anyway, once again I was a chatterfingers. I am sitting here late at night (almost early in the morning) watching the snow fall. Have a beautiful week and stay positive and focused on your goals. I will do the same. Success to us all.

Here is an anonymous poem that inspires me and I hope you:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and its turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When they might have won, had they stuck it out.
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor's cup;
And he learned too late when the night came down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit!

Monday, November 30, 2009

HAVE A BACK UP PLAN

Hi again - Tonight will be short and sweet. It is important to have a back-up plan and be flexible. Today was a day that I needed that advice. Today was the kind of day that was written about in the children's book "The very bad, no good,terrible day." But it is ok.
I know that tomorrow will be extra special because of it.
I did accomplish a few goals and I celebrated them. I read some positive blogs and articles and made a very difficult phone call which was a accomplishment.
Pay Pal messed me up with something and instead of loosing it I was calm and collected. This is a good lesson for life - be calm. When you get upset over things that you have no control over you never can win. So I was cal and then envisioned a solution. Computer glitches happen and this one could have cost me an awful lot had I not caught it. My classes today were fair and one in particular drove me bananas. I kept cool though and was flexible enough to change my lesson agenda/plan. This is how life works sometimes. One of my favorite sayings is "You plan and plan, and GD laughs." How true. The good thing was that no administrator came in to see that I was not doing my original lesson plan from my planbook. I needed to improvise and go with the flow of this particular class. Another life lesson...be flexible and change when necessary. When I got home I was greeted (or in this case, not greeted) by a sick dog. The poor guy. I put on my nurse's hat and calmed and cuddled him with TLC (only pet owners would understand this...that a dog is a person). As I type, those two big brown eyes are looking up at me and his head is on my lap (I am sitting on the bed to be near him). This is yet another lesson in life...appreciate your health and take the time to care for others. We all need caring and TLC at times. No one is an island. Then dinner did not exactly turn out as I would have hoped, but my children (young men) smiled and ate (actually one went out with friends after - probably to eat). Yes another life lesson...follow a proven recipe and don't make up your own thing. When something works go with it. So I will do the same in turn keying things that work. Then the PayPal mix-up got me frazzled but I ended up laughing at the craziness of the mix-up. Someone was trigger happy when they deleted the amount from my account and bank THREE TIMES. How good it was that I loooked over my account. It did not pay to get mad - I gave myself a few seconds to be frazzled and then took it into my own hands. All in all, it was a good day. I am alive. I am in my home. I am enjoying life. Today some things went wrong, but all really is right. Keep a positive attitude on life and positive things will come your way. I rambled on a bit, but this is what a blog is about. Enjoy! Tomorrow will be a Terrific Tuesday!
-Laurie

Sunday, November 29, 2009

SUNDAY SUN SETS

Here it is Sunday night. The dishes are cleaned and the dogs are walked. I sit here at my desk with my list of goals that I want to achieve this week. What is the most important and what is the least. What can I get help with from others and what can I do to help myself grow as a person. This is a very packed week for me and I just had the sad news of a death in my friendship circle of friends,which means all plans must be pushed aside to attend the funeral on Tuesday.
Thinking of my short-term goals, I have made lesson plans for my classes and written out my weekly schedule of meetings. I made a promise to myself to surround myself with positive people, and I have a plan to do that this week. I had a SmartGoal that by the end of November I would have at least one website up and running. I will have that goal met by tomorrow night (I just have to figure out Filezilla - I have the site made, but am not sure how that works).
This month has been a good one and I have made strides in helping myself and others. Now I need to make attainable and measurable goals for December. In December I have so much I would like to accomplish. Some people think I am crazy and overworked, but I am driven by my enthusiasm and positive outlook. I just wanted to write to let you know that writing steps and goals is always worth while. Never depend on your mind to remember things. When they are written down they are easier to see, believe and do. Let's encourage each other and cheer each other on. I hope that my blog touches some lives. I hope that I can help others and others can keep me going.
As for now - I am going to do what my body is telling me it needs... rest and sleep. I am also going to give some love to one of my dogs who is under the weather. I hope he will be ok - He is rarely ill but is not doing well tonight. I will give him an extra hug for everyone out there.
Sweet Dreams and Positive Thoughts are wished to everyone out there. Let's all plan our December goals. Remember a Smart Goal is one that is attainable, measurable and has a time limit. For example, by the end of December I will be able to set up some web-pages with 85% accuracy by myself and I will be able to help a minimum of three people online. These goals are realistic, attainable and have a date by which they will be assessed(measured). By the end of December I will have mastered one new illusion with coins, rope or cards. This is attainable, assessable and realistic. By the end of December I will have spoken with and learned to turnkey from at least four positive and successful mentors, people successful and positive, and have read at least four positive articles.
Good luck to all of us as we wind November down and begin the wintry month of December.

THOUGHTS ON SUNDAY AFTER THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

The weekend is coming to a close. Four days without teaching. Four days to sit and think. Sometimes I think of myself as a failure, not yet reaching my potential. Other times I consider myself 'The Little Engine That Could.' I sit nightly and go through my goals and lists, and proudly cross off the ones that I have accomplished or completed. But I am never finished, because new ideas, goals and thoughts get written, almost faster than I can complete the others. That is what life is about. Here re some of my philosophies:
-Life is like a deck of cards. Sometimes you get a good hand, and sometimes a not so good one, but you know that nothing ever stays the same and you need to play with the cards you have until another hand is dealt.
-Today's problems are soon history, replaced by new ones that you are challenged to solve. Nothing stays good r bad forever.
-Think positive and go for the gold, but remember that rest is a key to life and get sleep.
-No one can do everything, and no one has all of the luck. Everyone has something, but some people just don't advertise their 'something.'
-The only 'perfect person' is someone who never tries anything, so never has the opportunity to fail.
-It is not a sin to have a messy home.Sometimes life takes over and there is no time to clean - you choose --> life with family or scrubbing the floor...I would choose family life.
-You need to give respect to get it.
-Don't go around thinking that everyone burdens you and you are the victim of everything bad. GD has better things to do than choose you to have all of the heartaches. Everyone has them - but you need to be mature enough to let go of them and don;t let them overpower you. If you can't do this, that is ok, but get some help fro a friend in making small steps to get there.
-Make peace with your past so it won't screw up your present.
-
It's never too late to have a happy child-hood. But the second one is up to you and no one else
-Friends are the family that we choose ourselves

I have written a lot and could go on and on. I am here thinking about life and what I want from it. Life is not tied up with a bow but it is a gift. I want to be as successful as possible (more than monetary success). I want to be able to help as many as I can, and be helped by others. I want to have people respect me and touch many lives.

I am on a mission at the moment to not only become the best teacher that I can, but to create an internet career that can not only help me, but help others. I will keep you posted on happenings and things in my life.

About me personally, I am a mother of two young adult men, two dogs and a teacher of many. I teach in the South Bronx during the day at a poverty-stricken inner city school, and afternoons and weekends at a suburban after school program where the student come from professional and middle to upper class families. I love both my jobs. I help out at times in an animal shelter and am on the Board of my Condominium complex. I have a sister who lives about 40 miles away with her husband and family, a niece in graduate school in the midwest and a father in Florida. My mother, GD bless her soul, died in 1986. I love music, art, puppeteering (ventriloquism) and sleight of hand (although I am not so good at this). I write poems and parody songs and love to laugh. I hope that I am a good friend and I hope that this blog gets me through good and stressful times.
Thanks for taking the time to read this.
-Laurie