Betsy's Biz Talk posts

The "mmmmmm pie!" edition - weekly recap

THIS WEEK

Happy Friday, everyone. Thanksgiving is upon us, and whether you are cooking for guests, being a guest, or heading out to your favorite restaurant, there is a feeling of excess in the air: an abundance of food, a newspaper bursting with ads for Black Friday sales, and perhaps too much togetherness with those relatives (we all have them - if you don't, you might be them! ;))

I've been staring at a quote for the last week that has come to mean more than what I originally intended. Hopefully it can help you in appreciate what you have without overindulging like most of us do this time of year (and later regret).

"Feel that you have enough and your sense of hunger will diminish" ~ Barbara Ann Kiefer

It applies to so many things, don't you think?

EVENTS

Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth. If you are at all interested in Twitter and social media you should check out Biznik's Innovator Series with guest Dom Sagolla, co-creator of Twitter, on December 1. You get to hear his take on how to use Twitter, sip wine, eat delicious appetizers, and get a copy of his book "140 Characters, a Style Guide to the Short Form." The cost varies from $25-$40 depending upon your membership level. I'll be there and hope to see you, too! https://biznik.com/events/dom-sagolla-a-co-creator-of-twitter-shares-his-style-guide-for-the-short-form

NEW MEMBERS

We are now up to 177 members! Have you reached out to say hello to others in the group? You can find our member list by looking on the left sidebar of the groups page. Reach out, make some connections, and let me know what happens. I'd love to share some of the success stories - new friendships, business deals, joint ventures, etc.

CLOSING THOUGHT

I get a lot of questions about goal setting once people find out we're on track to leave for our 3-year world tour in a mere 316 days (but who's counting?). You may not want to travel around the world, but the same steps we used to change our lifestyle, save money, and take small and large steps toward our goal are pretty universal. We put together a Frequently Asked Questions segment on the site this week and it may inspire you to start planning your own happily ever after if you are still dreaming about it. Seriously, guys, I want you to have what I'm having! Check out the post here: http://www.marriedwithluggage.com/2009/11/18/frequently-asked-questions/

We will not have a weekly recap next week due to the holiday, but we'll be back on December 4 with my "pre-birthday" edition - you won't want to miss that one!

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

The "Friday the 13th" Edition - weekly recap

THIS WEEK

Happy Friday, everyone. I'm now finishing week 1 of my Couch to 5K program, which is the first milestone on my goal of running a half-marathon next summer. Feeling pretty good right now, but it's always easy in the beginning, isn't it?

To stay on track, I'm preparing myself for the point at which I don't want to workout anymore and convince myself that I'm not really a runner anyway. Need proof? Just look at these hips! (see, I'm really good at this). I have counter-arguments ready and rewards built in for continuing the program and think this will help me get over the hump. Or else I'll look really entertaining as I have this conversation with myself.

What do you do to keep yourself on track when you know you'll be tempted to fall off?

EVENTS

Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth.

A lot of business events seem to slow down at this time of year, but there are still plenty of ways to network and grow your business with social events. Remember, the connection is the most important thing, not making sure your contact hears all the details about your latest widget. So relax and focus on making a connection, not just a contact.

NEW MEMBERS

Lots of new members this week!

DENISE JONES is an inspirational teacher from Dallas, TX http://biznik.com/members/denise-jones

NATASHA KASSAM is a naturopathic physician from Portland, OR http://biznik.com/members/natasha-kassam

EDEN DEGENOVA is an intimate apparel retailer in Forest Park, IL http://biznik.com/members/eden-degenova

DONNA THOMSON is a spiritual and creativity coach from Queensland, Australia http://biznik.com/members/donna-thomson

GINGER PRICE, DDS is a cosmetic dentist in Phoenix, AZ http://biznik.com/members/ginger-price-dds

ERICA COSMINKSY runs a transcription business in Murfreesboro, TN http://biznik.com/members/erica-cosminsky

WINSOME TAYLOR is a virtual paralegal in Atlanta, GA and also wins the best name of the week contest (how can you not like and trust someone named Winsome?) http://biznik.com/members/erica-cosminsky

SHANELLE WINTERCREST is a freelancer from Kent, WA http://biznik.com/members/shanelle-wintercrest

CLOSING THOUGHT

Are you the superstitious type? You know, we chuckle at old wives' tales, but at a certain period of time those beliefs had a lot of power over people. We can also develop our own false beliefs about our strengths and abilities, and those are far scarier than crossing paths with a black cat on Friday the 13th. Today's post on the blog is about our own personal superstitions and how they hold us back. Check it out: http://budurl.com/4v2f

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

The "I can't believe I'm going to eat all that candy!" edition - weekly recap

THIS WEEK

Happy Friday, everyone. Do you have your Halloween costumes picked out yet? Some people say you should pick something completely opposite of your life as the perfect costume. If that were true I'd be going as Michelle Duggar with 19 baby dolls attached to my body and my hairdo from 1988. Imagine it if you like, because I usually spend more time coming up with great costume ideas than actually executing those ideas. What about you? Are you dressing up?

ON THE BLOG

We're continuing with our theme of saving money for debt reduction and pursuing your big dreams this week on the Married with Luggage blog. Start with how much money you need for your big dream (http://www.marriedwithluggage.com/2009/10/21/how-much-money-do-you-need/) and read through today's post, which is how to have fun on a budget. Sign up for the RSS feed to get the remaining posts delivered to your email inbox or feed reader. Topics include everyday ways to save, what to do with unexpected money, how to make money off your junk, how to handle the holidays, and the online tools to make your budget monitoring a breeze. Sign up here http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MarriedWithLuggage

Last week on the Personal Bloom Chat I talked with Diane Easley on the subject of fear and how to work through it in both your personal and professional lives. It is a power-packed 25 minutes, so be sure to check out the replay at http://budurl.com/ms8a.

EVENTS

Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth.

Our own David Ebaugh is hosting a self-paced 8-week Be Happy course. You can monitor his progress on Twitter as he goes through the course or do it along with him. Check out the details here: http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth/events/be-happy-8-week-course

And this week I attended the Ignite Your Marketing workshop with Maria Ross and Whitney Keyes. Wow! This was a huge help to me, and I felt like I learned all the things I should have learned before I started my business. You will find out everything you need to know to build an authentic brand and have your marketing efforts flow from that. Contact Maria to find out when the next class will be - worth every penny! http://biznik.com/members/maria-ross

NEW MEMBERS

Say hello to your new members this week:

CORDIA HARRINGTON is the owner of a bun company in Nashville, TN http://biznik.com/members/cordia-harrington

ANDREA RAE is a massage therapist and co-owner of a mobile spa company in Seattle, WA (I met Andrea at Maria Ross's workshop this week - she is delightful!) http://biznik.com/members/andrea-rae

PAIGE FEESER is a writer in Fairfield, VT http://biznik.com/members/paige-a-feeser

CLOSING THOUGHT

I recently signed up for something that is a huge challenge for me, something I've been saying I wanted to do for years. The Rock-N-Roll Half Marathon is in June, and I just paid my $85 to do it. (Did I mention I don't yet run...at all?) And I've recruited friends to join me and told many other people that I'm doing this. How in the heck can I back out now? Well, I can't. And that's the point.

What is it that you've been putting off for "someday" that you could be doing now? And who are the 10 people you could tell about it for moral support and accountability?

So what are you waiting for? I'll see you at the finish line.

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

The "Don't Get Spooked!" Edition - weekly recap

THIS WEEK

Happy Friday, everyone. This week on the Personal Bloom Chat I talked with Diane Easley on the subject of fear and how to work through it in both your personal and professional lives. It is a power-packed 25 minutes, so be sure to check out the replay at http://budurl.com/ms8a. You can listen to last month's chat with Debbie Rosemont on ways to make this last quarter a productive end to your year at http://budurl.com/rrfh. The chats are always free to join or listen to on replay and showcase some of the talent of our members.

On the Married with Luggage blog we are spilling the beans on how we saved $75,000 for our trip around the world. Want to know how we did it? Start with the first post from Wednesday and stay tuned for the whole series. It's hard work, but well worth it when you get to follow your dreams! http://www.marriedwithluggage.com. Sign up for the RSS feed and have each post delivered to your email or to your feed reader (http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MarriedWithLuggage) as they are published.

EVENTS

Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth.

How many of you went to the Gary Vee talk at the Wine Warehouse this week? It was a big deal for Biznik to nab a star like that, and if you are interested in how he built his own brand with a corny daily video about wine into a 10-book deal and $60-million dollar business, you should invest in his new book Crush It. I'm about halfway through this now and love his passion and straight talk. If you are on Twitter, you can follow him at @garyvee. Hey, if you're on Twitter and we're not connected, let's fix that! I'm at @marriedwluggage.

Next up in the Biznik Innovator Series is author Susan Scott, author of Fierce Leadership. Check out the details here: https://biznik.com/events/the-fierce-susan-scott-shares-a-bold-alternative-to-the-worst-best-practices-of-business-today

NEW MEMBERS

Say hello to your new members this week:

SHIRLEY GARNER is an interior designer from Bellevue, WA http://biznik.com/members/shirley-garner

E-STEALTH LLC is so stealth they don't have a specific person's name listed, but they are located in Lawrenceville, GA http://biznik.com/members/e-stealth-llc

CLOSING THOUGHT

How often do you ask for what you really want or need? As indie business owners we often "go it alone" and wonder why it is so damn hard. This week I reached out to a few core people in my network and asked for a simple favor that took them no time at all and made a huge difference in my business. One even said "it's about time you asked for something - I've been thinking we were uneven for a while now!" If you need help, reach out and ask for it. You'll even the scales from all the help you freely give others and learn a valuable lesson about "going it alone, together."

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

Are you spooked? How to work through fear to get things done.

Did you miss my chat with Diane Easley today? No fear (pun intended)! You can listen to the replay below - a short and powerful interview that will put you in the right frame of mind for conquering your demons.

http://marriedwluggage.podbean.com/2009/10/22/dont-be-spooked-how-to-work-through-fear-to-get-things-done/

The "Show Me the Money!" Edition - weekly recap

Show me the money edition

Happy Friday, everyone. Do you have enough money to follow your big dream? Or maybe you have the cash flow, but your debt is keeping from you going all the way. Next week on the Married with Luggage blog (http://www.marriedwithluggage.com) we'll be starting a series called Show Me the Money that details how we saved half of our income in the last year to go on the big trip around the world. It isn't for the faint of heart, but even if you don't go all the way like we did, you can pick up some great tips for saving more money for your own dreams. Sign up for the RSS feed and have each post delivered to your email or to your feed reader (http://feeds2.feedburner.com/MarriedWithLuggage)

Be sure to come to our next Personal Bloom Chat with special guest Diane Easley on Thursday, October 22. Diane and I will be talking about COURAGE and how to break through your fear to reach your goals. No Halloween tricks here, only treats! And you don't even need to get in the car for this event since we hold our discussions over the phone and record them for your convenience. You don't want to miss this one! http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth/events/are-you-spooked-how-to-work-through-fear-to-get-things-done

Events: Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth.

I went to the Power Chicks networking lunch this week and met some great people. Lynn Baldwin-Rhoades is expanding this event so it should be much easier for you to get in now. Be sure to check it out!

NEW MEMBERS:

Say hello to your new members this week:

JOANNE VICTORIA is an author and speaker in Silverdale, WA http://biznik.com/members/joanne-victoria

ANGIE CANAVAN is a professional organizer in Seattle, WA http://biznik.com/members/angie-canavan-0

MICHELLE PANZLAFF is a professional organizer in New Westminster, BC http://biznik.com/members/michelle-panzlaff

Have a great weekend, and don't forget that in Seattle ballots will start arriving in your mailboxes next week. Vote!

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

The "I like who I am" Edition - weekly recap

Happy Friday, everyone. Do you like who you are? That's a question a lot of us struggle with. Biznik's own Chris Haddad sent out an email earlier this week about the "I like who I am" game, and I took his lead and followed it up with a post of my own today, including my results. You can see mine and get a link to his by going to the post today, and if you are so inclined you can share yours in the comments. It is a powerful exercise and I highly recommend it. http://budurl.com/l7yh

We'll be sending out the call information for our next Personal Bloom Chat next week. I'll be talking with Diane Easley, affectionately known as Homegoddess to her friends and fans, and we'll be talking about living well. We record these chats for playback later, but it is always more fun if you can join in live. To listen to our last chat with professional organizer Debbie Rosemont, click here: http://budurl.com/n3jz

Events: Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth.

Did you know that you can now get a daily digest of what's going on at our group page? Just look on the left side of the screen and you'll see a green check mark next to "Enable Activity Digest." Click that to get a daily email of what's happening on the groups page. You will also see that you can now share Biznik events, profiles, and articles on places like Facebook, Twitter, Digg and StumbledUpon. I like it that Biznik is becoming more open as a social network.

I hope you are all planning for a fun and relaxing weekend. It looks like the rain is coming back next week, so be sure to load upon your vitamin D.

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggageliving w

The "Who's Doing it Right?" Edition - weekly recap

Happy Friday, everyone. Do you know someone who's doing it right? Let them know! I wrote about this today on the blog (http://www.marriedwithluggage.com).

In other news, I did an interview recently on my decision to not have children, and today I got an email from the interviewer talking about the great traffic the interview is getting on her blog. The best part about her email?
"Your interview is proving to be more popular than my interviews with the prostitutes." How's that for a testimonial!?

Last Friday we launched our Personal Bloom Chat series with Debbie Rosemont as the special guest. She talked about how to add six weeks of time to your year, among other things. If you missed the call you can hear it online at http://budurl.com/n3jz You can learn more about Debbie at http://www.itssimplyplaced.com. Stay tuned for our next chat in October with Diane Easley, the Homegoddess. You won't want to miss it!

A big welcome to our newest members:

SANDY HALL is a personal chef in Dallas, Texas http://biznik.com/members/chef-sandy-hall

SHEILA RANKIN is in global staffing in New York, New Jersey http://biznik.com/members/sheila-rankin

ALLYSON HOLMGREN is a printer in Renton, Washington http://biznik.com/members/allyson-holmgren

Events: Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth.

The 3-day Create the Best Life You Can Imagine workshop is being promoted by member Meisha Rouser: http://www.awakenedwisdom.com.

Member Maria Ross wants you to know that if you’re serious about growing your business and want to spend your time and money wisely on marketing, then definitely check out this workshop: Ignite Your Marketing! Seattle workshop with marketing mavens Maria Ross and Whitney Keyes. Wed Oct 28 6-9 pm:. Get solid and actionable branding, marketing and media advice to boost your biz, plus a fab Marketing Jump Start Kit full of tips, tricks and tools (and 2 eBooks) worth over $600. Bring your questions and pick their brains for help with any marketing challenge you have. Register today, space is limited. More info: http://tinyurl.com/y8wc4cr

On the Married with Luggage Blog this week: This week marked our one-year countdown to the big trip, and we listed what we've accomplished and what we still have left to do. It has taken us a lot of work to get where we are!

If you need help with your simplification goals, check out the ebook I just reviewed on the blog by simplicity master Leo Babauta of Zen Habits. Well worth a peek at only $10! http://www.marriedwithluggage.com/2009/09/30/the-sim/

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

Personal Bloom Chat starts today

Happy Friday, folks. Are you gearing up for the last 100 days of the year? I wrote a post on that earlier this week (http://budurl.com/r47r), and my goal is to add 30 minutes of exercise to each day until the end of the year. When January 1 comes, I want to be well on my way to becoming a regular exerciser!

What are you going to do to further your goals? If you are stuck or need a little inspiration, tune in to today's Personal Bloom Chat with me and Debbie Rosemont. She'll be revealing some Jedi Mind Tricks to help you overcome some of your mental blocks to getting yourself organized around your goals.

Time: 1 p.m. Pacific Number: 712-775-7300 PIN: 155246#

(The call is free, but the number is not toll-free. Most people have free long distance these days, but if you do not please keep that in mind.)

A big welcome to our newest members:

SHARON SENGER is a real estate virtual assistant in Woodinville, WA http://biznik.com/members/sharon-senger

JACKIE SCHROEDER is a business change agent and psychotherapist in Portland, OR http://biznik.com/members/jacke-schroeder

MARIA MARSALA is a profitability advisor in Poulsbo, WA http://biznik.com/members/maria-marsala-0

MARK LAFARGUE is a commercial general contractor in Allen, TX http://biznik.com/members/mark-lafargue

Events: Check out all the events at http://biznik.com/groups/personal-productivity-and-growth. And don't forget today's call with Debbie Rosemont. We will be recording the call, but it is always more fun to attend live and ask your own questions.

On the Married with Luggage Blog this week: Is it Selfish to Not Have Kids? I was interviewed recently on the subject and decided to write more about it. You can see the interview and my followup here: http://budurl.com/htdd. What do you think?

Until next week....be good! Or at least be memorable. ;-)

Betsy Talbot | http://www.marriedwithluggage.com | Twitter @marriedwluggage

Where Can We Find You Online?

One sentence biography: What is something funny, interesting, or unusual about you? And where else can I follow you online? (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)

Where Can We Find You Online?

One sentence biography: What is something funny, interesting, or unusual about you? And where else can I follow you online? (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)

The Closet Declutter Challenge - $50 Prize!

This week at Married with Luggage you can participate in the April Closet Declutter Challenge.

Details: Take a before picture of your closet, and then follow along this week as we learn how to effectively declutter a closet. Take another photo of your "donate/toss" pile, and then a final picture of your newly decluttered closet.

Readers vote on the best declutter job next week, and on Thursday the winner is announced.

Are you up for the challenge? Announce it in the blog's comment section today and I'll support you all the way!

http://budurl.com/bayp

How many sizes are in your closet?

We all do it - keeping clothes because maybe we'll fit into them again, or they remind us of a happier time in our lives, or we're just too lazy to remove them.

Do you keep clothes that don't fit? Why? Check out my blog next week for information on how to declutter your closet and let go of all that negative energy. http://www.marriedwithluggage.com

How do you tame the paper?

This week I'm writing about home office decluttering on the blog, but in order to keep an office decluttered you have to have a system for paper.

How do you keep the paper, mail, magazines, newspapers, and books under control in your home or office?

What drives you crazy about your home office?

If you work from home even part of the time, you have to worry about meshing your personal life with your work life. What challenges do you face in organization, productivity, and separating life from work?

April is Decluttering Month at Married with Luggage

For those of you interested in getting rid of some of the material possessions that may be holding you back, check out my blog for a month-long series on decluttering in April.

Small, sustainable progress is the goal, not a repeat of Clean Sweep or Clean House to embarrass you over your junk.

Join me in making room in your life for the things you really want (and I mean that in both a mental and physical way). Besides, I'm going to share pictures of my junk to make you feel better, and you can do the same.

The series started April 1 here: http://budurl.com/hrqf

What is your favorite productivity tip?

Today I had a lunch date and we started talking about time wasters. You know, the things that keep you from doing what you really should be doing.

We came up with a few solutions between us - what can you add to the list?

*Limiting email to 15 minutes twice a day (yes, this can be done no matter how important you are)

*Using a tool like http://www.rescuetime.com to show you where you are spending the most time (I came up with the 15-minute email rule after using this and finding that 30% of my day was going to email)

*Setting a timer for your internet surf time, like 15 minutes after you finish a project. This gives you a mental break but keeps you from going off the rails. Use a timer if you need to (I use my iPhone timer)

*Forwarding all your newsletters and nonurgent reading to a specific folder to be read once a week instead of during your 15-minute email time.

What productivity tips can you add to this list?

Can you learn to be happier?

http://happier.com/ is a new online site that teaches people how to be happier. It is not a new concept (basically a self-help book turned into a website), but it is pretty well done.

I scored a 72 out of 100 on the Authentic Happiness Index, and I wrote a review of the site for my blog at http://budurl.com/pky4.

Have you tried http://happier.com/? Do you think a website can help you become happier?

Cook for a day, eat for a month!

Karen Rosenzweig, the Incredible Chef, will be hosting a workshop at my house on April 8. Learn how to shop and cook for a month's worth of meals and save yourself a lot of time and money.

Karen has been cooking for me for about 9 months now, and I've finally convinced her to share her expertise with those who want to learn how to be their own Incredible Chefs.

More information and signup here (limit 6 people): http://incredibleapril8.eventbrite.com/

Interested in hosting a class at your house? The host attends for free! Contact Karen at http://biznik.com/members/karen-rosenzweig

Me and My Multiple Personalities

Hi, Bizniks! Romy Caldwell (www.romycaldwell.com) is my company, and it is also the pen name of a team of writers who do everything from technical writing to romance novels for clients (we prefer to indulge in a bottle of wine when writing bodice-rippers). We normally work as ghostwriters, though we also do freelance work.

I'm looking for really smart people who have something to share with the world. If you have a special talent, skill, or expertise, my company can put it into an article, blog, ebook, or book form so you can make $$ or attract more clients - or both!

I am a serial indie-preneur, so I am always interested in talking with like-minded folks and look forward to meeting some of you at future Biznik events.

Cheers!