A Small Success by Gidget Giardino

There are lots of small successes leading up to a big success. One of my small successes has just happened and I wanted to share it with you.

For more than 25 years I owned a retail florist in busy Fort Lauderdale, FL. Recently I sold it and have felt kind of sad. After all, that business was a huge part of my life I let go. All three of my sons were raised right there in the shop. Every milestone was made primarily in my office among the flowers. And, before I go any further... that is not the small success I am talking about.

For the very first time EVER in my life, my Christmas tree is up AND decorated before the end of November! Usually I am throwing ornaments on in a hurry somewhere around the 15th of December (and I'm lucky if the tree isn't lopsided when I'm finished.) This may not seem like something to consider as a success in life for most people, but for me it surly is.

Success is measured in may different ways. Today I am considering this small success a stepping stone toward a bigger success. I LOVE WORKING FROM HOME!

Don't Settle by Gidget Giardino

Life has so much to offer each of us. Why, then, do we settle for less than exactly what we want? Today there is too much doom and gloom being spread around us. The daily news spouts unemployement woes and future economic projections show more of the same; doom and gloom. Don't you think you deserve more?

If every month you made more money than you did the previous, wouldn't you want to share how you made that happen? It goes back to the age old question: which would you rather have, a million dollars or the way to make a million dollars? Well....?

Let's make a million dollars together.

Key To Happiness by Gidget Giardino

Burned biscuits

When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad. I remember waiting to see if anyone
noticed! Yet all my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that biscuit and eat every bite! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I'll never forget what he said: "Honey, I love burned biscuits."

Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's real tired. And besides - a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!"

Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I'm not the best at hardly
anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what
I've learned over the years is that learning to accept each others faults - and choosing
to celebrate each others differences - is one of the most important keys to creating
a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship.
Learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He's the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn't a deal-breaker!

"Don't put the key to your happiness in someone else's pocket - keep it in your own."

Celebrating Differently by Gidget Giardino

I am celebrating Thanksgiving differently this year. And, man, am I excited about it!

One thing missing from my glorious life of owning my flower shop has been the joy of spending time with family. Traditional business can rob you blind. Because the days and weeks before a major holiday are full of deadlines and long hours, when the actual day arrives, I am so worn out I can’t really relax and enjoy it. As a matter of fact, my mind replays the holiday weeks events taking into account the amount paid out for supplies, payroll, added contractors, perishables, pending paperwork, etc. It’s like a broken record playing out of tune.

And, flower shops are not the only business that I am referring to. Restaurants, gift shops, specialty stores, and the like, all these owners experience a back draft of sorts. Sure, the money made may make you think you are doing great, BUT, are you really? Is it truly worth it?

There are lots of reasons traditional business is right for some people. But for me, after 25 plus years it was time to re-think. Realizing I needed a change made me look to Network Marketing for the income and lifestyle I was missing.

So, because I chose to take charge of my life, this year I am able to travel to North Carolina for a family reunion. A reunion that has taken place at my cousin’s house in High Point, for God knows how many years, that I was forced to miss year after year because my traditional business kept me tied to the boss’s seat.

This year I am celebrating Thanksgiving in a whole new light. One shared with my family, surrounded by joy and happiness, totally relaxed. I am thankful for XanGo bringing me into that light and shining so bright you can see it from anywhere.  



Want To Earn Money by Gidget Giardino

Want to earn an extra $500.00 - $1,000 before the holiday bills come due?

It's easier than you'd think. And, best of all you don't have to do it by yourself.

Work with the best team now and make this year end on a positive note.

Happiness really is the joy of achievement.

Road To Success by Gidget Giardino

We all start our lives small and grow considerably into our adult bodies. Along the way our brains develop similarly. The things we learn through our experiences make up much of who we become as adults. This is important to think about because when we set goals sometimes it is difficult to picture the outcome. Our goal has not fully developed in our minds. It has not grown into its full size yet. It is still a baby.

That baby goal needs to be loved, cherished, cared for, and most importantly it must be fed.
So, how do you do that?

Write it down. Use lots of details like where, when, how much, what color. Project what the outcome will look like once you've reached that goal. Visualize your goal as already achieved. Then take that written goal and write a few more copies of it. In your mind see the goal completed while you write. When you've finished, put one in your purse or wallet. Stick another in your sock drawer. Set one in the dashboard or console of your car. And, tape one to the mirror of your bathroom and look yourself in the eye as you read it out loud.

Every time you see your goal you need to close your eyes and visualize once again what it looks like accomplished. How does it feel? What does it smell like? Where are you standing? Who is there sharing it with you? Then, read your goal aloud.

The Game Changer

http://www.lifeasitcouldbe.com/Gidget&Mark/frontier

Success In Life by Gidget Giardino

You will find no new revelations here.

Integrity

Self-discipline

Kindness

& Courage

These are the secrets to living a successful life.

Sure, you can add in a few other ingredients, but if you do not have integrity people will certainly figure that out and you'll have egg on your face. Without self-discipline the actions you take will not be consistent, thus you may move one step forward and two steps back. Kindness is such a simple thing yet it is so unbelievably powerful. People do not ever forget your kindness. You absolutely must have the courage to see your success through. Courage makes you go after what you want in life and not take no for an answer!

The Pricks In Life by Gidget Giardino

Have you ever  seen a
baby porcupine?   

    

  Fable of the Porcupine 

It was the coldest winter ever.  
Many animals died because of the cold.

The porcupines, realizing the situation,
decided to group together.  
This way, they covered and protected themselves.

But, the quills of each one wounded their closest companions even though they gave off heat to each other.

   After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their  companions or disappear from the Earth.
 Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were caused by the close relationship with their companion, but the most important part of it was the heat that came from the others. Thus they were able to survive.  


  Therefore:  
 The  best relationship is not the one that  brings together perfect people, but the  best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.
 

Decide What You Want by Gidget Giardino

When we were babies we knew exactly what we wanted. We knew when we were hungry, needed to be changed, wanted to be held. If we saw something we liked we moved toward it. No question, we were born to instinctly go for what we wanted.

So what happened?
Someone told us we couldn't have everything simply because we wanted it.

The problem with that is, we can have what we want, do what we want, be what we want. Scientists used to believe we responded to information flowing into our brain from the outside world. Today they are learning we respond to what our brain expects to happen. Because our brain expects something to happen a certain way, often what we expect is exactly what does indeed happen.

Stop settling for less than what you want. When you are confronted with a choice, no matter how small or insignificant, act as if you have a preference. Be clear about what you want. You will find yourself taking control and feeling better and better about having exactly what you want in your life.

Decide What You Want.

See It And Seize It - John C. Maxwell

6 Steps to Turn Your Dreams into Realities by John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell is an internationally respected leadership expert, speaker, and author who has sold more than 19 million books. A New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Business Week best-selling author, each year he speaks to the leaders of diverse organizations, such as Fortune 500 companies, foreign governments, The National Football League, the United States Miliary Academy at West, and the United Nations.

In this excerpt by Joyce Meyer from John Maxwell's book Dream: See It and Seize It John gives you the steps to achieve your dream. Since even those people who have defined their dreams often lack both the strategy and the knowledge for what must be done to attain their dreams, his plan will put the clarity into the vague notions so many people have about their dreams. Janet

Dream: See It and Seize It

If you are unsure of what your dream might be - either because you are afraid to dream or because you somehow lost your dream along the way - then start preparing yourself to receive your dreams by doing six things to put yourself in the best possible position to receive a dream.


Once you do these six things, focus on discovering your dream. As you do, keep in mind the words of my agent Matt Yates, who says, "A dream is what you desire if anything and everything is possible."

Mental Preparation: Read and study in areas of your greatest interest.

Experimental Preparation: Engage in activities in areas related to your interests.

Visual Preparation: Put up pictures of people and things that inspire you.

Hero Preparation: Read about and try to meet people you admire and who inspire you.

Physical Preparation: Get your body in optimal shape to pursue your dream.

Spiritual Preparation: Seek God's help for a bigger-than-self dream.

"God will help you be all you can be, but He will never help you be someone else."

Originally Posted by Janet Callaway

Beauty Is Pain - But It Doesn't Have To Be

There is a saying, “beauty is pain,” which we at the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics never much cared for. After a hair salon worker complained about bloody noses and breathing problems after using "formaldehyde free" Brazilian Blowout, Oregon OSHA tested the product and discovered it's up to 10 percent formaldehyde. The search for miraculously smooth hair should not cause acute pain or long-term health problems.

Because formaldehyde is a nasty chemical linked to cancer and allergies, the governments of Canada and Ireland issued recalls of Brazilian Blowout in the last few weeks, after their own tests confirmed its presence.

But guess what the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has done? Nothing.

This is unacceptable. The high levels of formaldehyde in Brazilian Blowout pose a serious threat to salon workers giving the treatment on a daily basis, and are dangerous for customers, too.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics sent a letter to the FDA asking for immediate action, and now the agency needs to hear from you.

Please join us in asking the FDA to issue a voluntary recall of Brazilian Blowout products!

Even if you've never gotten a Brazilian Blowout treatment, this issue shows that we need a real change in the beauty industry. Under current law, it's perfectly legal for a product to contain carcinogens and other harmful chemicals, and the FDA doesn't have the power to issue a mandatory recall of any cosmetics. That's why the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics is working to pass the Safe Cosmetics Act – a law that will close the loopholes and protect our health.

But right now, we need to get formaldehyde out of salons ASAP: Ask the FDA to issue a voluntary recall of Brazilian Blowout.

Mia Davis, National Grassroots Coordinator via Campaign For Safe Cosmetics

Toxic US by Gidget Giardino

Why is there a governing body in Europe for the ingredients used in making personal care products yet there isn't anyone looking out for the US? We are supposed to believe something is safe just because the bottle has the word "natural" on it. That is a crock of crap. A big one.

The United States does not have an kind of true rules and regulations in place to protect the American people from the poisons in the personal care products we use each and every day. We should all be outraged. Even some baby products have harmful chemicals known to cause cancer. Why? When the European Union forbids known toxic chemical use, why doesn't the US?

The very same companies who produce these toxic products for the US are doing business in the EU, and producing the same products for them toxin-free! I don't know about you, but..... that makes me angry!

Art in the Street with a Side of Cold by Gidget Giardino

Today I bundled up and went out in the chilly 50 degree weather to view something I can never get enough of - art. For the past 28 years Downtown Gainesville has held a festival and art show that spans several blocks and has everything it should. There were paintings galore, gorgeous one-of-a-kind jewelry, fantastic wood crafts, amazing sculptures made out of all sorts of stuff (literally!), beautiful photography of everything from nature up close to architectual masterpieces, and unusual sculptures and glassart. Along with musicians, dancers, jugglers, etc.
The kids enjoyed puppet making, face painting and various other activities meant to attract the entire family. And, WOW, the number of dogs I saw there was incredible. Many of the booths offered doggie bowls full of water, and we saw one man carrying his very large and heavy Golden Retriever while the dog napped. (Wish I had taken a pictue of that.)

But, the reason I am writing to you today is.....
I want to share with you something I had never seen before. You already know, art comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and mediums. Many times you see art that resembles someone elses work. Today I saw art that pictures will NEVER do justice. This artist takes a white material and starts applying thousands of super tiny squares of fabric. She builds her art up one teeny piece at a time and mixes colors to come up with a fabulous look that is so intricate a picture simply cannot show the beauty and patience. The stitching used is also in various colors and patterns. These one-of-a-kind works are accompanied by a very special poem. Special because each poem was written by the artists grandmother, Margaret H. Brooks.

The artist I am speaking of is Rhanna Nyman. A very lovely lady who took the time to not only explain in full detail how her pieces are created, but allowed me to take photographs. She even stopped to chit-chat about our names and their uniqueness. I felt I had known her a lifetime.
Visit her website: http://www.rhannanyman.com/  It's worth taking a peek.


There I am. Bundled up in the white coat. You can't see the turtleneck sweater underneath, but trust me it's there. Boy was I glad, too. The large buildings kept most of the sun from reaching the streets where it would really have helped the masses to stay warm. Funny. Here in Florida, we would normally prefer the looming concrete structures known as buildings because we like to hide from the sun's rays. But, not today. Today was pretty darned cold.
There was another artist who deserves to be mentioned. Hugo Cruz is a self taught artist who uses other mediums aside from photography. What I saw today were photographs of typical things around us which we take for granted everyday, captured through an infrared lense. His infrared photos were absolutely gorgeous.
Visit his website at:  http://www.hugocruzgallery.com/

It was 38 degrees when I woke up this morning and I seriously thought about ditching the art show. I'm grateful I didn't though. I would have really missed out. The 29th Annual Downtown Festival and Art Show in Gainesville, FL was a treat for all who attended. (Even the dogs enjoyed it.)

Where I Began - Where I Am Now by Gidget Giardino

The people viewing my page that already know me might say I've been lucky. Lucky because my first business was a family-owned full service florist, and, so, I lucked out on not having to choose a career path. It was expected that I would take over the family business when the time came. The good news is they were right. The bad news is, well, there really is no bad news.

My friends would tell you I am a hard worker, very friendly and caring, quite dependable yet silly at times; I like to have fun and make people laugh. They would also tell you I love children. In fact, I love children so much I decided to start a family early. Very early. I was a Teenage Mom.

Pregnant at 15; I delivered my first son at age 16. Richard was my reason for everything I did in life. I was young enough that the thought never occurred to me there were things I could not do. While pregnant I worked two jobs; I was a file clerk for a group of four Jewish doctors in Hollywood, FL, Mon.-Fri. and I worked at my florist located in Fort Lauderdale, FL in the evenings and on Saturdays. (We were closed Sundays, thank God.)

I quickly proved I had what it took to manage our florist and after Richard was born I worked six days a week with him right by my side. It was perfect for me. I never liked school (I am dyslexic, if you see any typos - just laugh and move on so going to college was NOT going to happen.

My second son, Anthony, came two weeks after my 20th birthday. (Yikes! Another Taurus!) I still had the Superwoman mentality. It was typical for me to attend conventions regularly having to visit the ladies room to breast feed or change diapers. I was good at juggling my family’s needs with my own desires. Growing my florist business was important to me. You could honestly say, I am stubborn through and through. No one really ever told me no. Probably because they knew I wouldn't listen.

Two years later I was divorced with three sons aged 5 years, 2 years and my youngest was three months old. Everyone thought I was bonkers for calling my marriage quits, but I knew I could not have been saner. You see, my youngest son Shawn is a special needs child. My rationale was with three little kids I could not afford to waste time on a relationship that was not able to be fixed. It was tough to do it alone yet at the same time a huge weight was lifted. You see, I was still in control of my future.

Over the years I really enjoyed working with children. For 14 years I held leadership positions in my sons' Cub Scout Packs and Boy Scout Troops, as well as volunteered in their schools. Giving time volunteering at our local wildlife center, our local American Cancer Society fundraisers, local Entrepreneurs Clubs and Kiwanis Club gave me great pride.

Now, let's skip ahead to the present day. My two oldest sons are making their own lives and have been doing a really great job; I am so proud of them. Recently I sold my florist which I owned and operated in Fort Lauderdale, FL for over 25 years. And, for the fist time in my life, I moved. (Deep breath.) Today I live in central Florida with my fiancé', Mark, my 17 year old Autistic son, Shawn, and my 4 Dachshunds, 4 kitty cats and a bunny rabbit. However, I am not retired. Not yet. I still have a lot to give of myself to others and contribute to society.

Several years ago I started a second business primarily working with stay-at-home moms. What I do is teach them how to work from home and be successful. While I do work with lots of different kinds of people, not just mothers who work from home, my passion is children, so, I chose to focus this page on helping moms take care of their families by working on a part time or full time basis. I teach them that they can have it all. They design the life they want to have; I help them to achieve it.

This makes me very happy. .   .  

Do you love what you do?

 

 

STP Serve Teach Prosper - Making A Difference Why do people start their own business? 40% Want to love what they do. 24% Want to be their own boss. 21% Want to have a more flexible schedule 15% Want to spend more time with family. I agree with all of them, but am most passionate about the 40%. Life is too short to not love what you do every single day.

• 
  

  Janet Callaway Very interesting statistics, Connie. Thx so much for posting. I with you on the 40%!
  
• 
  

  Gidget Giardino Being in the 40% myself, I cannot say enough about the importance of loving what you do for a living. It sure makes the days happier, and the people around you notice.
  

Velocity- The Metric to Watch

Velocity- The Metric to Watch

3 Reasons To Own A Home-Based Business by Gidget Giardino

How people make a living has drastically changed in the last few decades and the future will continue to push jobs out of our American market place.  Because if this more and more people are trying new ways to earn money. Maybe it's time you took control.

ONE. Job Security Is Declining
It used to be that working for a large corporation you had health insurance and a nice pension if you stayed with them your entire career. (Maybe even a gold watch when you retired.) Frequent layoffs and downsizing have hit government and state jobs, too. No longer are these jobs considered secure. Budget cuts and lack of decent paying traditional jobs have forced many to consider other opportunities.

TWO. Technology Is Taking Over
Where your office is located has little to do with the way we communicate today. Glorious computer technology, Smart Phones and the Internet allow small-business owners to reach far beyond their geographic boundaries. You can now be global almost overnight. Millions start their business right out of their homes.

THREE. You Want More
Living paycheck to paycheck has become a way of life for many Americans. Creating a better life for yourself and your family is on your mind. It may seem like the economic black cloud that has been looming over our heads will not go away. The truth is: A new generation of entrepreneurial-minded people are fanning the clouds away and starting their own business.

It's time you took control of your financial destiny. Stop struggling. Stop worrying. Take control.

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