I Remember 9/11...

I can't tell you what I ate for breakfast this morning, I always miss my best friend's birthday, and I can never leave the house without forgetting something important behind. 

My parents would always tell me they remember what they were doing when they heard the news about JFK, and ten years later, I am not surprised that I remember every grimacing detail about September 11, 2001. 

I was a 15 year old sophomore at Emerson High School in Gary, IN taking the GQE (the required Graduating Qualifying Exam) sitting front row center with my approved No. 2 pencils ready. I was wearing my favorite red tank top that had a faded scripted "Cowgirl" on the front with bronze rustic looking stones outlining the tank top's straps. Along with my favorite shirt, I wore my favorite sized 12/14 dark faded jeans with the red stitching and red sandals. I always thought that looking your best for test day would result in, well, good results. 

During GQE testing, students are required to stay in a classroom undisturbed for hours. We tested non-stop from 8am -12noon. 

As soon as our moderator opened the doors releasing us for lunch, an eerie feeling swept the hallways. I had no idea what was going on but fear settled in my stomach as I passed my open classroom doors with teachers huddled around tiny tv's whispering, shaking the heads, and covering their mouths in awe. What was going on?

"...terrorist attacked New York...war"

"The World Trade...."

"...they're coming for Chicago..."

I picked up phrases here and there but still had no idea what was going on. All I knew for sure in my 15 year old brain that something really bad had happened and America no longer felt like a safe place to be. 

Blame my social studies class, but I had no idea what or where The World Trade Centers was, why the existed, or why anybody would want to blow them up. 

Well, the day went on and the awkwardness of being left out of the news loop only made me more paranoid because the only sources I could rely on was my 15 year old peers who were equally if not more ignorant then me about the situation. 

I road home on the bus in fear that it was going to blow up. I walked home from the bus stop in fear that Chicago was going to be attacked with some "nuclear weapon of mass destruction" (a term I picked up that day) and cause radiation to seep into the pores of Gary, Indiana residents. 

Finally when I got home, to ease my worries, I flipped on the TV. Cartoons will do the trick. However, every channel was filled with horrible images of one plane hitting one tower and a second plane hitting the other tower, and a third plane in a heap in a field. My fears were confirmed. America was attacked and I was very scared. Rumors of America at war flung across the breaking news screen of every new channel. I fixed a snack in fear. I got ready for bed in fear. I went to sleep in fear. I woke up scared. 

10 years later, I am no longer fearful but there is definitely a sense of "Post 9/11 Anything Can Happen At Anytime" feeling that nobody talks about but we all walk around with. My heart goes out to all the people who lost friends, families, and co-workers. My heart goes out to all the 15 year old who had to grow up without their parents.  

Lisa B. 

www.TheLisaBExperience.com

www.youtube.com/lisabpoetry 

Kindle Release of One Hour To Wealth

The Amazon Kindle is one of the best e-readers on the market. However a lot of people don't realize that you don't need a Kindle to actually purchase books. There is an app that is made for your PC, your Smart Phone, the iPad, let me just give you the link. The great thing about the Kindle App is that it is free.

This means that you don't have to worry about paying money for an app and then paying for the book. You can simply download the App to your device of choice and in a few minutes you can download my new book One Hour To Wealth and begin reading. Shameless plug? Yeah Buddy!

One Hour To Wealth is the first book that actually gives you a definition of wealth and then takes it a step further than simply restating mantras and facts.  The book gives you a plan of action to either copy or develop your own plan.

Grab a copy, read it and let me know what you think, or ask me questions. Of course you could wait for me to continue posting the Key Points here on the site, but why not use the five that you were going to grab some momentary Mickey D's with to improve your life?

Here is the link. One Hour To Wealth

25 Key Points: Key Point 4 - You Need A Business Plan

Key Point 4: You Need a Business Plan – While I have failed to cover business plans, I am adamant about the importance of organization. The reason I made the mistakes I made with my first business is because I failed to analyze my market and understand terminology and create projections that would enable me to generate a better path through the wilderness of small business. When I began developing my sneaker business, the second time around I took one year to develop contacts and the ideas to establish ARCH. I included in that plan the fact that I would have to grow slowly because I did not want to create debt. I also added an expanded plan which included creating a sneakershop that carried more than just my brand. My business plan is over 40 pages in length and it includes, Purchase Forecast, Sales Forecast, Marketing Strategies, and of course Mission Statements and my personal story (developed after reading Primal Branding). If you are talking to someone about business and you ask them if they have a business plan, and they don’t…Get the hell away from them as quickly and nicely as you can. Oh, run away also if the person tells you that they don’t revise and add to their plan every now and then. I would like to add that spending too much time on a biz plan can prevent you from ever actually starting your biz.

Key Point 1: Be Creative
Key Point 2: Capitalize on Opportunities
Key Point 3: Stay In Your Lane 

25 Key Points: Key Point 3 - Stay In Your Lane

Introduction: 25 Key Points to Stay Motivated in Small Business

Key Point 1: Be Creative

Key Point 2: Capitalize on Opportunities

 

Key Point 3: Stay In Your Lane – Once you’ve decided to try one of your ideas, it will be tempting to try other things that look like they are working for others. You may see a friend or associate selling flowers and making pretty good money, so you start thinking that you can do that as well. The thing about doing this is taking this kind of action leads you off of the path. Your business may be mobile detailing for vehicles which is a good business. You could add selling air fresheners to your job but deciding to sell tamales and do mobile detailing would be way out of your lane. Stay focused on the idea that you believe in and learn as much as you can about it. Then place the time and effort into that idea. Don’t weave in traffic unless you want the idea cops to pull you over for drunk thinking.

25 Key Points: Key Point 2 - Capitalize On Opportunities

Introduction: 25 Key Points to Stay Motivated in Small Business

Key Point 1: Be Creative

Key Point 2: Capitalize on Opportunities – Sometimes people approach you with ideas, but you are so consumed with work that you pretty much blow them off. Someone can be interested in giving you the tools to launch your own business, but these are the general comments made,

“Man, I don’t have time for that.”

“When I get home all I want to do is relax.”

“It’s not that easy.”

“Easier said than done-”

“I have to pay these bills.”

I can list a host of other words used to explain why people fail to take action. The thing is though none of those are as serious as not capitalizing on opportunities. When a person makes any statement of negativity, the mind produces the reaction, so in a sense your reality is what you have made it. There are often workshops or events that promote entrepreneurship. Sitting at home and pretending to be busy is a lot easier than getting up and acting on those opportunities that are presented. Honestly, are you really that busy? Probably not.