I recently read a blog post where one line really stood out for me;  “It’s about the willingness to!”

Building a business on-line takes that willingness to do what ever it takes, to be willing to keep going even when you want to quit.

There have been lots of times I was ready to quit but I didn’t, and I am so very glad I didn’t.

One of my inspirations comes from an unlikely source, my dog Tyra.  She demonstrates to me what it takes in her own way!

;

She gives what ever she does her “ALL” and that inspires me.

Plus she has also taught me the importance of taking care of yourself and getting the rest we all know we need.

We had a great day at the dog Off-Leash Park today, she even got me running!

What inspires you?  Who or what demonstrates to you they are willing to do what it takes?

Comments and questions are always welcome here on the blog.

Butterfly Networking

Do you find some days that you just spend too much time on the computer?  I have a couple of very good indicators when it is time to take a break, and this is one of them.

Finn does not like to have attention all the time, he is a very independent cat, but when he does he can also be extremely persistent.

When Finn decides it’s time for him to be my social media assistant, I know that it is time to take a break.

Because…

When he walks across the keyboard he has been know to wreck havoc!

While building this business online I used to think that I had to do everything myself.  A social media assistant only came into my thoughts about 6 months ago.  I used a service called Replace Myself to find and help me train people.  It was the best thing I ever did, take that leap and hire a VA!

Yes, this is an affiliate link, however if you decide to make this smart decision and get yourself some help I’ll send you the emails I use to hire people.

Butterfly Networking

Will Smith has some awesome ideas on how to live your life.
I found this video very inspirational and just had to share it.

His movie Pursuit of Happyness is one that I have watched again and again
and with each watching learn something that assists me in living my life
just a little bit better!

This mindset will definitely have an impact on your social media presence.
Whether you are speaking words in a video or Tweeting the all have power
and represent who you are.

What kind of words are you using?

Butterfly Networking

When building your business new ideas are always welcome! Just the idea of how Steven Johnson delivers this video is awesome to watch!

Join in the conversation by leaving your comments here on the blog…

Butterfly Networking

Get some stress relief just by learning to say NO!
Find more time for your business by learning to say NO!
Discover more energy for yourself by learning to say NO!

Saying “no” is something that tons of people in our society today are not very good at. We can all become a little healthier and happier by learning to say NO.

This Terrific Tuesday Teleclass provides 10 suggestions so that you too can learn to say “no” even better than you do now.

4) Don’t Apologize

6) Say no to your boss, business partner or associate

Listen in and get the other 8 suggestions…

CLICK HERE to listen now

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Baby Boomers’ outlook toward life, work and enjoyment in their next life’s chapter

Del Webb, America’s largest home builder of active adult communities released in April its 10th Baby Boomer Survey since 1996. The Survey reveals new and compelling facts and opinions from the generation of Americans born between the years of 1956-1964 and estimated to be 80 million strong by 2020.

Arguably “growing up” during one of the most defining eras of the 20th century, the Baby Boomer generation is now moving into Del Webb communities today. Their attitudes of the 1960s have shaped much of the world today. Unlike previous age groups, the Baby Boomer mindset towards growing older and retirement is as revolutionary as their culture, which continues to exert a huge influence on art, music, media, civil rights, politics, self-expression, sex and relationships, and social interaction, among many other areas of American life.

According to the findings from Del Webb, Baby Boomers feel that the concept of “old age” is simply a state of mind and that “age is nothing – attitude is everything!”

Among the many highlights of the Del Webb 2010 Baby Boomer Survey Include:

* Boomers opine that “old age” officially begins a 80
* Boomers feel much younger due to their “mental attitude”
* Distance between their real age and perceived age grows
* They feel 15 years younger than they actually are
* More than 50 percent of Boomers exercise regularly
* A high percentage of Boomers feel that they are “in better shape” as they get older
* 72 percent of Boomers plan to keep working in some capacity after retirement
* Boomers turning 50 this year believe they need to save more money than older Boomers
* New hobbies and multiple interests are key to Boomer happiness
* One-third of Boomers have pursued additional educational opportunities
* Volunteerism is important to Boomers
* Boomer Migration: the cost of living and access to health care more important than warm climate considerations

The Del Webb 2010 Baby Boomer Survey
In late 2009, Del Webb conducted two surveys among different baby boom populations: Survey one included younger baby boomers turning 50 years of age in 2010 and older baby boomers turning 64 in 2010; Survey two included current Del Webb residents with a median age of 65 among respondents. The purpose of these surveys was to understand the similarities and differences between younger baby boomers and older baby boomers (Survey 1); and how those specific age-cohorts compared with residents of Del Webb communities across the nation (Survey 2). Also used in the analyses are responses from a survey conducted in 1996 among baby boomers turning 50 that year. Survey 1 was conducted by a third party research firm with the results analyzed by Del Webb research experts and Survey 2 was conducted among current Del Webb residents internally by Del Webb. Survey 1 was conducted among 504 turning 50 year-olds and 510 turning 64 year-olds and carries a sampling error of +/- 4.4 percentage points at the 95% confidence level among questions asked of all respondents. Survey 2 was conducted internally among 1,230 randomly selected current Del Webb residents and carries a +/- 3.1% sampling error at the 95 percent confidence level. Sampling errors for the various subsample results within the main populations are higher and vary.

Press release on Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey
PowerPoint on Data and Results of Del Webb Baby Boomer Survey

Butterfly Networking

This excellent video is all about why I chose the name of Butterfly Networking for this Social Media Marketing site.

From Wikipedia…
“The butterfly effect is a metaphor that encapsulates the concept of sensitive dependence on initial conditions in chaos theory; namely that small differences in the initial condition of a dynamical system may produce large variations in the long term behavior of the system. Although this may appear to be an esoteric and unusual behavior, it is exhibited by very simple systems: for example, a ball placed at the crest of a hill might roll into any of several valleys depending on slight differences in initial position. ”

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When I first read this article I thought YAHOO!!  More and more business are encouraging the younger generation to get started in entrepreneur ship, it is very exciting.  Today there are so many people who are just scraping by, had they had knowledge and support like this when they were younger I am sure it would be a different story for them today.

PR Log (Press Release) – Apr 19, 2010 – Austin, Texas (April 19, 2010) – Sweet Leaf Tea, a producer of organic, southern-style iced teas and beverages, is doing its part to turn today’s youth into the successful entrepreneurs of tomorrow through its participation in the annual nationwide event, Lemonade Day. Occurring on May 2nd  in 12 cities across the nation, Lemonade Day is an event dedicated to teaching children some of the necessary skills for a bright future.

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I just wanted to show off my beautiful city which is getting all prettied up for the Olympics starting in just 12 days.

It’s a cool time lapse photography, in HD, of Vancouver City.

Best to change to full screen mode, click pause, let it load up fully, then click play.

Butterfly Networking

What is a friend? I believe a friend gives advantage, not takes advantage.

A friend can be many things: a partner, because two people together, focused on the same goal/direction, are better than one; someone who helps you, not beats you when you are down; someone who is there in hard times to help you get through your challenging situations; someone who protects you.

A friend doesn’t harp or gossip on things! Who wants to be reminded again and again of something one did wrong. We are all human, we all err. Friends assist us with the situation, assist us to grow and then move on. And then there is no gossiping about it to others!

In my journey of personal development the biggest challenge has been “friends”. I never realized there could be so many different levels of friendship, I figured if you were my friend, then you were my friend in everything. I was wrong and learned many lessons the hard way.

A few years ago I took a 6 month contract away from my home base. While I was away I found out that two of my “best” friends had gotten together and had a bash-Carla fest. Then they both had to tell on each other to me! I was devastated – that, however, was my most effective “training” event about friendship.

From that experience, I learned about different levels of friendship and that not everyone is going to be my best friend. The price for that lesson was pretty high. It cost me two friends, one that had been my friend for over 10 years. It was a huge part of my lesson on “Letting Go”!

I have found there are 5 ways to recognize True Friendship.

1) Friends will comfort and support you when trouble or disaster shows up in your life

2) Friends are devoted to you, are loyal and willing to change their plans just for you.

3) Friends love you no matter the situation or what you have done. Through thick and thin they are still there. We have all done something “stupid” in our life but we do not want to be judged on that one action for the rest of our lives.

“A friend is a person who knows all about you, and still likes you.” Elbert Hubbard

4) Friends will speak constructively – even when it hurts. We all know that we have behaviors, habits or actions that could use a little improvement. After all we are human beings and to “err is human”. It is the true friend who will let you know about those challenges in a constructive way because they want what is best for you. Remember friends give advantage. If done in a constructive way without malice or cruel intent, it will provide us the opportunity to become better people and improve our own life.

5) Friends will help you. Have you ever asked for something and had everyone run away? People who you thought were your friends? Helping is giving advantage. I know when I help my friends that it will be returned in kind. Maybe not from the same friend I assisted but I know it will come from somewhere in my life.

Last week I had a friend tell me that something I had assisted them with months ago is currently having a positive impact in her life. She thanked me on a day where that positive feedback was just what I needed! I have found that it is always best to be the first to offer that assistance. No sitting around waiting for our friends to help us!! Who wants to have that kind of friend?

Remember all five of these keys apply both ways. Are you being all of these to your friends as well? We all need to evaluate our friendships; some that we may have thought were good friends could turn out to be acquaintances.

I used to think I had some real friends in my “job”. Turns out in many cases I was wrong. When I answered these five questions about some of my friends I was surprised that they were not as close as I had originally thought.

The real deciding factor for me was “am I that kind of friend for them?” When I was honest with myself and answered “No” it was a very eye-opening experience. We must always remember what we expect from our friends they have the right to expect from us in return.

“A real friend is one who walks in, when the rest of the world walks out. Never above you. Never below you. Always beside you ” Walter Winchell

Treat your friends as you do your pictures, and place them in their best light.” Winston Churchill’s mother, Jennie.

Brought to You by Carla McNeil – Baby Boomer Social Media Queen

Because friendship is what social media is all about!  If you get involved just to post tons and tons of affiliate links and nothing else you will find that after a while you really don’t have any friends any more!  Remember to BE a Friend!

Butterfly Networking