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MaxLife News
Volume 10, Issue 15
November 24, 2010
In This Issue

Thankfulness ~ Now or later?

Creating Social Networking Balance

Gary Barnes

Gary Barnes is a global premier business, money and relationship coach; an author, and an international speaker. He is the founder of Gary Barnes International, dedicated to helping people create wealth in all areas of life. 

Gary believes anyone can lead an empowered life, no matter what their circumstances are. He has built three successful businesses from the ground up. To do this, he developed principles and tools that helped him increase his business 2000% over a three-year period.
 
He also understands dealing with adversity - he has fought life- threatening illness and won. He believes that your worst day is the day you meet the man or woman you could have been.  It's a choice.  That's why he's dedicated his life to helping people maximize their lives and their businesses through workshops, teleconferences and individual coaching. His mission in life is to make a difference and to empower everyone he connects with.
Bubba's Networking Corner

Everyone likes to be told "Thank You". When you do, add a specific detail of what you are thankful for. That way your "Thank You" becomes personalized.

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Greetings!

With the Holiday Season upon us, it's sometimes a bittersweet experience. We look back at the current year and take stock of our results and, at the same time, start to anticipate the coming New Year. My article this month reflects on how to connect with this season of giving.

My hope for you and your family is to make lifelong Thanksgiving memories.

To your success,


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Thankfulness ~ Now or Later?

As I write this article, I'm enjoying my family in the Colorado mountains. Summit County is the hub for some of the best ski resorts in the country. A week's vacation is just what the doctor ordered to help me reflect on the past year. "What am I thankful for?" is the question most asked this time of year. So how do I answer? I don't want to just say the obvious: my wife, children, new granddaughter, the opportunity to work with fascinating coaching clients and more.

While this is all true, it occurred to me also to ask "What obstacles and challenges am I thankful for?" ...

Click here to read the rest of the article on my blog
Creating Social Networking Balance
Karen Schatzby Karen Schatz, Virtually With You

This month, my article is a contribution from a client of mine, Lisa Almeida of Planit Production.  Lisa is an Online Marketing Strategist and she offers simple online marketing solutions for busy business owners through social networking, email marketing and strategic profit planning.  Enjoy her article below.
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All things have a cycle or stages.  One of the most awkward and difficult stages of life is puberty.  Not only is it tough on you when you're in it, it's a rough ride for the people around you too.

Believe it or not, there is a social networking equivalent to puberty.  I call it Twuberty and it's a natural part of the cycle many entrepreneurs go through on the road to embracing social networking.  The process goes something like this:
  • Labor - This is a place where resistance wrangles with resignation.  You've pretty much come to the conclusion that social networking needs to become part of your marketing plan but you're pretty ticked off about it.   
If you're here you know what I mean.  You don't want to learn something new or figure out how to add one more thing to your already busy schedule.  These tug of war contractions continue until acceptance is finally born - often accompanied by tears, like most newborns.
  • Infancy - You've reluctantly taken the plunge but find yourself whining about it a lot and wishing someone else could just socialize for you.  Full blown temper-tantrums that include screaming at your computer screen are not uncommon at this stage.

  • The formative years - You're not sure exactly when it happened but one day you notice that you're actually enjoying tweeting and growing fake vegetables on cyber farms.  You've done a complete 180 and gone from, "I'll never understand what the big deal about this is," to, "I can't believe I waited so long to get on board.  I LOVE social networking!"

  • Twuberty - As quickly as you fell in love, you fall out of it and with as much warning - none.  You suddenly realize that you've become obsessed with looking for some tweet to re-tweet or a YouTube video to post on your wall and you fear you might soon succumb to tweeting about what's on your breakfast plate!  You're angry.  You feel tricked and trapped and are quite sure it is someone else's fault that you feel this way.  You begin to doubt the value of this social networking thing after all.

I'm not making this up.  I have watched more people than I can count travel this exact path.  Twuberty is your moment of truth - the place that separates the men and women from the boys and girls.


If you are able to pause, take a deep breath and resist the urge to toss the baby out with the bathwater, you may just move into the final step:

  • Maturity - The place where you find your sense of social media balance and cross into virtual bliss.  The place where obsession is replaced by strategy.  The place where profitable business relationships begin to take form.
The good news about all this is that it's usually a pretty quick process; taking just days for some and weeks for others and never more than three months, in my experience.

The even better news is that there now exists a tool to help you get to maturity faster and provides firm and steady support once you get there.  It's called the KISS'em Klub and I'd love to tell you all about it.

About the Author: An E-marketing Strategist, Lisa Almeida, shows business owners how to leverage technology with ease using her KISS'em Solutions. If you are in the market for simple and effective client attraction strategies which are designed to generate repeat sales then visit http://www.kissemklub.com/ today.