Focus on Your Strengths

In Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham encourages us to identify and play to our strengths rather than to eliminate or work on our weaknesses. I think the hardest thing about this approach is actually knowing what we are good at since our tendency as entrepreneurs is to want to be good at everything. Yes being at least competent in most things is a necessary part of the entrepreneurial life, but I’ve realized that we don’t have to be super-human. It may seem obvious, but what I have learned about myself is that I am really good at starting things—having a vision and doing what is absolutely necessary to at least execute on enough of that vision to get it off the ground. Others, however, are better at making my vision beautiful, transforming it into a lovely perfect rainbow that even I could not have foreseen. Recognizing these facts about myself and others is quite freeing and has allowed me to be more open to the world around me and to what each unique being in it has to offer.

Read more: Ladies Who Launch

A Historic Day in America - The World Reacts to President-Elect Obama

Miami Book Fair International 25th Anniversary!

Interview with Co-Founder, Mitchell Kaplan & Lissette Mendez (Comix Gallery Event Coord)

MBFI Co-Founder, Mitchell Kaplan & Lissette Mendez (Coordinator of the Comix Gallery Event) will join me on tonight's program to give you a sneak peak of the upcoming Miami Book Fair International event.

The mission of Miami Book Fair International is to promote reading, encourage writing, and heighten an awareness of literacy and the literary arts in our multi-ethnic community.
First called Books by the Bay in 1984, the two-day street fair has evolved into the largest and finest book fair in America. Attendance grew steadily and, by the late 1990s, hundreds of thousands of book lovers were eagerly participating in the annual literary festival.

Today, Miami Book Fair International is a full-scale international event that includes a Sunday-to-Sunday schedule of stellar programs, readings and special activities.

The centerpiece of the Book Fair is the highly impressive Festival of Authors. Previous year’s guests have included prize winning authors, recipients of the Pulitzer Prize, National Book Award, Casa de las Americas Prize, Pushcart Prize, O’Henry Award, National Magazine Award, Commonwealth Prize, MacArthur Fellowship, and Edgar Award. Along with many American voices, there will be international voices from Argentina, South Africa, France, Cuba, Guatemala, England, Mexico, Hong Kong, Spain, Nicaragua, Jamaica, Bosnia, Trinidad, Russia, Taiwan, Haiti, Finland, Canada, and the Philippines.

Mark Your Calendar & Join the Conversation here on TRB!





AND ...

We'll be broadcasting LIVE with interviews ...

over 2 dozen authors during the event.

Friday & Saturday, November 14-15 starting at 9:00am Eastern.

You don't want to miss it!!

Live Broadcast by Ustream.TV

Barack Obama 'Dreams from My Father' Interview Transcript

Watch the historic vote:
Barack Obama & Family go to the polls, November 4, 2008


Barack Obama Dreams From My Father Transcript

6 Interesting Things About Me

One of my Twitter buddies, @neosoulsister (www.neosoulessentials.com), tagged me for the 6 Interesting Things Game. Now I have to tell/confess 6 things that people don’t know about me.

1. I was baptized in the Jordan River in Israel.

2. I was a speech writer for the CIO on detail to GSA from the State Dept in Washington, DC.

3. I was married at historic Ft Myer Chapel, horse-drawn carriage, honor guard, the whole 9.

4. I traced my genealogy documented in the US back to 1811.

5. I am a member of the Official Elvis Insiders Fan Club

6. I love all the old cartoons & b/w movies of the 50s & 60s, especially musicals & quote/sing songs from them daily.

Okay now to tag six more tweeples.

@davidbullock
@romanticways
@roxanneravenel
@radioproducer1
@pastor_robert
@sacredglo

Show Me the Money - Preparing For College

Most college students are paying anywhere from $15,000 to $28,000 a year for a college education. That isn’t cheap.

The good news is you can find a lot of financial assistance for college very easily. You don’t have to go searching around the world. In fact, you can do it from the comfort of your very own home or desk.

You can search for financial aid for college on the Internet. NOW…

Here is the catch.

There are a lot of information or internet sites that “claim” to offer information about college financial aid and tuition assistance. 95% of these don’t offer really helpful information. In fact, they are nothing more than ads placed by spammers or advertisers looking for pay-per-click income.

So, you may find within a few hours of searching on your own on the Net, that you are frustrated with it. You may give up. This is the last thing we want you to do, because there IS information on the Net you can use to finance your college education, whether you are an undergraduate or a graduate student.

What you need to know is WHAT and WHERE.

You need to know WHAT types of information is available and WHERE to look for it, so you don’t spend hours and hours looking up information on those phony sites that are put up by affiliate marketers and spammers.

Here are a few helpful websites.

Feel free to leave a comment with resources that you recommend!

Grants.gov – http://www.grants.gov/ - This site is not for students alone, however students can use the information on this site to find grants that are available for students whether undergraduates or graduates. There are even opportunities for PhD candidates looking for grant opportunities to support their research. You can perform an online grant search or request email alerts for grants that fit the criteria you are searching for.

Education Week - http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/grants/index.html - This is a site provided by GrantsAlerts.com and edweek.org that works to provide information on a weekly basis about grants offered primarily by the US Department of Education and related institutions. These grants are primarily for research or for educational purposes. There are also related articles and stories you can research and information on educational job opportunities. The types of grants offered are less likely to be those that would appeal to undergraduate students. Researchers may benefit from many of the posts applied on this site.

FinAid - http://www.finaid.org/ - This is a good site for someone that wants information on loans, financial aid, savings plans, military aid, and wants to de-mystify financial aid forms in general. You can use their free scholarship search sponsored by “FastWeb” which is another Internet “powerhouse” for financial aid gurus. You can take advantage of financial aid calculators and other tools, even EFC or “expected family contribution” calculators. Why not take advantage of information on savings plans if college is a ways away or if you are preparing for college when your child is still in preschool? It is never too early to plan ahead!

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Using Natural Oils for Skin Conditions

You’ve all heard that the skin is the largest organ on the body; not only does it help protect your body; it is an important part of your appearance. However, it can be difficult to keep the skin healthy at all times – rashes, sunburn and acne may occur and compromise the health of the skin. When this happens, it is not always necessary to reach for an over the counter remedy that may or may not work. Natural remedies are often better for the skin and are more effective.

Natural remedies are safe, but it is also important to proceed with caution where the skin is concerned. They should be treated with the same caution as an over the counter remedy. Each person’s skin reacts differently to different medicines, including the ingredients in many home remedies.

“Natural” does not always mean that it’s right for everyone. After all, arsenic is natural! Don’t use any natural remedies that contain an ingredient to which you are allergic. In addition, be careful with large portions of the skin that need to be treated. For example, if your arm has broken out in an eczema rash, test on a small part of your arm before covering the whole area. By doing this, you ensure that the natural remedy that you use will not irritate the skin condition any further.



Here is a quick list of natural oils that are good for the skin:

Shea Butter – A product of the shea nut, shea butter can be used on the skin for the treatment of sunburn, eczema, stretch marks, scars and wrinkles. Shea butter may be combined with a liquid oil to improve skin “spreadablity”. Of course, it is advised to do a small patch test on your skin to determine there is no allergic reaction.

Hemp Seed Oil – Products that contain hemp seed oil can help reduce inflammation in the skin, such as what occurs in eczema outbreaks and penetrates deep into the skin to help alleviate dry skin and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.

Virgin Coconut Oil – An excellent oil for the skin, virgin coconut oil (VCO) may help delay wrinkles and serves as a great moisturizer for the skin. VCO is also wonderful for skin massage.

If you try these natural oil remedies for the skin or products that contain these natural oils, you may find out that they work better for you than those over-the- counter remedies.

Please note that this information is not meant to diagnose or treat any skin condition or disease, nor is it meant to give medical advice. Contact a medical professional on advice on how to treat your specific skin conditions.

This article was provided by Christine Woolard, Owner of NeoSoulEssentials.com