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When you are in the deep
end of the creative pool surrounded by others full of energy and ideas
and
examples, you learn to swim a lot better.
~ Danny Gregory
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| Buon Viaggio Blog |
We'll be talking about Habitats on the blog all month. | |
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TIME TO PLANT
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 Years ago, my mentor Bob Conklin wrote a
memorable essay called The Planters and Pickers. I've never forgotten it
and today seems like the perfect time to pass it along to you since I've been
thinking spring thoughts.
The population, it seems, is divided into two groups-the
planters and the pickers. There are those who have the patience, confidence and
perseverance to plant an orchard.
They fertilize, water and stand watch as the infant trees shove
their antenna like spears through the ground in the struggle to become fruit
trees. They stand guard to protect these young trees from frost, weeds, insects
and hail, until they reach maturity and start bearing fruit.
Now come the pickers. These are the shortsighted ones whose
efforts must gain benefits that are quick and obvious, although the returns are
far less than for those who planted the orchard.
The planters have created something of lasting significance;
the pickers leave nothing behind but bare branches.
The planters seem intuitively aware that the more they put
into life the more they get out. The pickers seem blind to this truth by
inclination or choice and go wandering through life forever seeking the fast
fortune or immediate benefit.
Spend a portion of your time every day in planting. Invest
your effort wisely and unselfishly in growing, serving and sharing. What you
learn today will be your harvest of the future.
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| GIVE ME LIBERTY |
No trip to London is complete for me without a trip to
Liberty's department store. I have spent happy hours admiring their signature
fabrics, lovely print notebooks and portfolios or browsing in their needlework
department.
You can imagine my delight when I learned that Target is now
carrying a wide assortment of Liberty products. Although the look is decidedly
feminine, your office will look like
it's had a spring tonic if you add their jazzy file folders, clip boards,
notebooks, storage boxes or note cubes. If gardening is your passion, Liberty
watering cans and garden gloves will add even more color.
Click on the link below for a tiny sampling of Liberty at
Target.
Liberty at Target
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PHOTOGRAPHY AS A PROFIT CENTER? GET STARTED HERE
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Love to Travel? Love to Eat? Love to Play with Your Dog?
Whatever you love, you can turn photos of it into cash (in
your spare time)-and get paid to do something you'd gladly do for free.
Listen in on a special call on April 1, 2010 as three
professional photographers talk about how they do it-and how you can get
started, too-no experience necessary.
Details here:
Spare-Time Photo Income Conference
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| BEST BUSINESS ADVICE EVER |
 I wanted to let you know about a no sales pitch, no charge
interview series I'm participating in this month. When I think about all of the
advice I've been given over the years to start and grow my business, I've often
thought that it would have been so much easier had I only learned some of it a
lot sooner!
Like many of you, I started out by devouring every piece of
information I could get my hands on. I turned to the standard government and
industry sources for start up information, and quickly found out that most of
it didn't apply to me.
So then, I looked online and was soon overwhelmed by ALL of
the information out there. As I've grown my business, I've seen the choices
multiply too.
Wouldn't it be great if you could skip all of that, and go
directly to what works? What if you could simply hear from others who already
waded through all of this stuff and distilled their best secrets to success?
And what if you could listen to these entrepreneurs at your
convenience, without paying a cent, and without anyone trying to sell you a
hyped-up offer?
This month, my colleague Sherri Garrity is on a mission to
gather the best business advice ever. She's known for her reassuring,
value-packed advice that is highly strategic, yet practical so that you can
implement it immediately. And her style is most definitely not the hard sell.
She's calling it the Best Business Advice Ever Series.
Check it out right away. The series starts today.
Best Business Advice Ever
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RICK STEVES AT WORK
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It's no secret that I consider Rick Steves an entrepreneur
worth studying. His travel empire was built from the ground up, one step at a
time, and reflects his travel and life philosophies. He's also done more for
small businesses in Europe than any other writer. As he reminds us, he loves
small businesses run with passion and so that's what he recommends.
Last week, Rick posted a four minute video showing him at
work. Besides getting to see him in action, he has some wonderful things to say
about doing work that you love. Take a look.
Updating Guidebooks the Rick Steves Way
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STILL AVOIDING TWITTER?
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 Bill Gates once pointed out that the reason why it's easier
for kids to master computers is that they're used to living with confusion.
Adults aren't always so willing.
I think of that when I hear people talking about their
uncomfortable experiences trying to navigate the new world of social media.
At the last Follow Through Camp, Sandy Dempsey did a
terrific intro to using Twitter and now she's offering her Twitter Basics
Teleclass so more people can start building personal and professional
connections. The 60-minute class is happening on March 30 and is a terrific
opportunity to learn how to make the most of Twitter.
As a bonus for registering you will also receive Growing
Your Business with Social Media and Other FREE and Almost Free Online Tools-
A 34-page ebook designed to give you a brief introduction to the many online
tools available to you today to help you start, build or expand your business
at little or no cost. This guide also includes an in depth look at using
Twitter effectively.
Twitter Basics Teleclass
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MORE FERTILIZER
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For me, this is the year of Special Events since this is one
of my favorite ways to spend time. Here's what's coming up-all quite quickly.
Inspired Livelihood
Although social entrepreneurship has gotten a lot of
attention recently, there's still much confusion about how to create such a
business. This movement isn't, after all, a 21st Century return to the land of the
hippie.
During this two-day event in glorious Sedona, AZ you'll have
an opportunity to examine what it takes
to bring your values into alignment with your livelihood. April 16 &17
Inspired Livelihood
 JJJ Pardnership Posse
Although the Posse is almost full, we still have room for a
couple more entrepreneurial spirits who want to help shape this upcoming
celebration we're calling the Joyfully Jobless Jamboree.
Not only will the Posse be contributing ideas to the October
15 & 16 celebration, it's also an opportunity to showcase their businesses
and up their visibility. Best of all,
you'll temporarily be part of a team of creative thinkers.
Want to join us?
Pardnership Posse
The Un-Job Fair
About a year ago, I was seeing stories on my local tv news
about the weekly Job Fairs which were attracting thousands of participants,
most of whom were leaving empty-handed. Why isn't anyone talking about
alternatives to getting a job, I wondered.
And so the Un-Job Fair was born. The event will debut
on May 1 in Denver, CO with a day long series of workshops designed to introduce
participants to the rewards of making a living without a job.
If you're in the Denver area, pick up the latest catalog
from Colorado Free University to read all about it. You can also see what we're
up to by going to their Web site and finding it listed under Special Events.
Un-Job Fair
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Buona fortuna,
Barbara Winter
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