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Have you been running at the speed of light? Too
much to do and no time to do it? Join the club.
Instead of running faster to keep pace, sometimes we
are reminded to slow down.
Life was meant to be lived fully, not just passed
through. Take a few minutes to appreciate the beauty
of the flowers, to smell the roses, to talk to your
neighbors and to hug your loved ones. That's what life
is about.
Wear Clean Underwear!
Do you recall your Mom saying this to you? "If you're
ever in an accident, you better have your clean
underwear on." Well, let me tell you, she was right.
You just never know when the unexpected will happen.
Last week on our way to a benefit concert for the
Wellness Place, my daughter and I were hit by another
car. One minute we were driving along with our
cookies and punch bowl in tow, looking forward to the
inspirational concert. The next minute, I was rushing
to get her out of the car. Her passenger side door
would not open. The smoke filled the air as she
climbed over the console to get out my driver's side
door. The smoke, as it turned out, was the powder
from the deployment of both air bags during the
collision. A driver had decided to turn into my lane just
as she got near my car. I swerved and was finally
stopped by a telephone pole, hitting the other front
wheel. The police later informed me my car had also
collided with a parked car before we hit the pole. It
seemed like only seconds. I remember swerving, I
remember a muffled thump and I remember the dust.
What happened in between is a blur. The duration of an
accident is only a matter of seconds.
The car was three years old. I had only 17 loan
payments left. According to the tow truck driver,the
police and the Good Samaritan living in the house
nearby, the car was totalled. Despite the financial
ramifications caused and the inconvenience incurred,
when all is said and done, my precious daughter and I
are grateful that our Guardian Angels were on duty.
Material possessions are just that. Often we become
so caught up in the maintenance of day to day living
we take for granted the really important things. Today
we are alive. We are still here for each other.
Everything else can be replaced. Nothing is as
important as the lives of those we know and love.
That reality only comes to the fore during an
experience like this. We have learned lessons that I
hope we shall not soon forget about the really
important things in life - Ok, go hug someone you love
and appreciate their being! Till next time...
Yours, Mine and Hours
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Some Work/Life Statistics compiled by Katharine Giovanni |
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*In 2000, 26 of Fortune Magazine's "100 Best
Companies to Work For" offered personal concierge
services versus 15 companies in 1998.
*3:2 is the ratio of mother's time to father's time spent
on all weekday caregiving activities in dual earner
families. Yeung, W.J., et al, University of Michigan
Institute for Social Research, American Fathers, 1999
*Time stress is highest among married men and women
aged 25 to 44 who have children and who hold full-time
paid jobs. * 85% of women and 79% of men in this
category reported that weekdays were too short to
accomplish what they needed to do. Statistics Canada
(1999, November 9). General Social Survey: Time Use.
The Daily (on-line) Available at: http://www.statcan.ca
More work life statistics from Triangle Concierge »
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Hot Tips |
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Problem:
My fresh flowers wilt so quickly. What can I do?
Solution:
To keep fresh flowers longer, add a little Clorox bleach,
or 2 Bayer aspirin to the water OR, just use 7-up
instead of water.
I'd be happy receive any of your helpful hints to
share with readers. If you like, E-mail them to me at:
deb@yoursmineandhours.com and I'll include them in
upcoming issues.
Yours, Mine and Hours »
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A Meeting of Peers |
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On May 22nd I attended the Mid-Atlantic Chapter of
the International Concierge and Errand Association
meeting in Doylestown, PA. Eighteen personal
assistants and concierges gathered at a seminar
offering business start-up information and a Transitional
Marketing Program.
Our main objective was education. The secondary
result was a terrific networking experience. We all
agreed that ours was an up and coming field. Each of
us provided services offering a different spin on things.
One concierge found that her ticket business was the
most popular. Another did some pet-sitting, personal
service, computer work and childcare. Still another
specialized in meeting and party planning. The
President of our Chapter found her niche in estate
management in Bucks County.
Our work is always interesting, sometimes suprising and
always appreciated. We help people take control of
their lives and their time. We enjoy flexibility to create
our own schedules. At the same time, like all
business owners, we are responsible for every detail of
the business. We noted that our clients sometimes
find it hard to let go. That, however, is what it's all
about. Until you stop spinning your wheels doing those
jobs someone else can handle, you'll never grow your
own organization or business by doing what ONLY YOU
CAN DO BEST!
In the future I'll provide articles from Jim Donovan, the
business coach I met. What a positive and inspirational
speaker he is. If you'd like to know more now, click on
the hyperlink to his website, listed in the last section.
News about his upcoming Business Seminar in
Doylestown is listed here.
Grow Your Business Seminar Details »
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Summertime Treat and Oh, so Neat! |
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In conversation with a friend and business associate, I
learned about Cold Stone Creamery. The nearest
location is in the Clemens shopping center in
SpringHouse, PA.
Delicious, creamy ice cream (including a sinless no
sugar added version), a young energetic staff behind
the counter that "sounds off" on occasion and a mixing
show interesting to watch.
There was a line, but it was a neat experience. The
portions are generous. You can choose a Cold Stone
Original mix or you can create your own customized
version and see it mixed before your very eyes.
Like a chef at a Japanese hibache restaurant, the
staff at Cold Stone Creamery will create your order in
front of your eyes. They work on frozen granite slabs
and start with your ice cream choice then mix and add
in your topping choices by hand, chopping oreos,
macadamia nuts, heath bars, etc. as they mix it up. At
intervals, they'll all begin chanting in unison.
Sometimes a military-like "sound off", sometimes
another cold stone creamery chant. The kids will love
it -
Cold Stone Creamery Experience »
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Quotable Quotes |
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"American women expect to find in their husbands a
perfection that English women only hope to find in their
butlers." -- W. Somerset Maugham
"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say
you cannot do." --Walter Bagehot
One thing you can't recycle is wasted time!
Quotex »
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Keep in Touch with your Clients |
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Have you started your own e-newsletter yet? If not,
try Constant Contact.
For a free 60 day trial, click on the link below.
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Education before Information |
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Since the personal concierge field is so very new, a big
part of my marketing is educating the prospective
client. Until they understand the role a personal
concierge can play in their life, they will not realize it
would benefit them to "let go."
We all like to be in control. Well, most of us do anyway.
We each have tasks and jobs we enjoy doing and we
have other duties we absolutely hate to do. You
will be more productive and happy keeping only those
things you like to do. Why not give away those other
tasks? By concentrating on your favorite work, you
earn more, you are more productive and you reach a
greater number of clients for your business.
Meanwhile, while you're having fun doing your most
exciting jobs, a personal concierge can be
automatically handling the other routine tasks she (or
he) deals with all of the time.
Click on the link below to read my article "The New
Personal Concierge". The article was published in the
North Penn Chamber Prospector Newsletter and also in
the International Concierge and Errand Association
Newsletter.
The New Personal Concierge - At Your Service. »
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Copyright Information |
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© 2004 Deborah Stanek Reast - Yours, Mine and Hours
Personal Assistant and Concierge Services
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