Knee Deep Blog

I Started My Day Crying Over Paul Potts

I broke my rule this morning and instead of working off my big rocks list thought I'd spend 20 minutes clearing out my in box of junk.  Instead I ended up on internet marketer's Mark Hendrick's blog and crying over Paul Potts.

Paul came out of no where with an amazing voice (singing opera no less) to win Britain's Got Talent Show this past summer.  Mark Hendricks does a good job of summarizing it up...hope, hard work and preparation meet opportunity. 

Literally on a flip of a coin Paul entered the show.  He is wearing a cheap store suit and is very nervous when he comes out - aren't we all when we finally break through our own glass ceiling of fear.  The first video is his audition when he broke through his own limiting beliefs and showed up.  It had my mouth hanging open and tears in my eyes. 

Paul Potts BGT Audition Video - truly amazing

In a later video he said he didn't know who he was and if he was some body, now he knows, he's Paul Potts - Pure inspiration for any of us to reach inside and have that clarity.

Deep Thought: Think Long Term

I've been focused and working away on a project...namely reconnecting to the who, what and how of my core client.  Some how while doing this I ended up a mostly clean and flowing desk and a huge pile on the floor of files and stuff.  I didn't realize how big it was until I literally slid into it as I made my way to the white board to scribble a few more ideas.

So instead of cleaning I've stayed focused and stopped jumping over to the pile and moved my brainstorming over to Mindjet Mind Manager Pro.  Of course that meant reloading it because it got lost in the shuffle of the new hard drive this summer, but the 15 minute shift has been well worth it.

The pile also started to affect my head and I began to feel a bit out of sorts...so I took a minute to pull an inspiration card and to refocus.

Think Long Term

Rich people think long-term;   They balance their spending on enjoyment today with saving and investing for freedom tomorrow. 

Poor people think short term:  They live based on immediate gratification

One inspiration card and one short blog post and I'm back off and running working "as if" all is perfect and letting go of the other want to clean the floor because when it comes down to it, my focus and flow are all about thinking long term and investing in my business future.

Until next time,

Michele Corey, writing for Knee Deep A dose on insight and a little crap from your not always average home based business and Internet mom and Money Wise Women: A Blog for Women that are ready to get their financial house in order

Growing Up With Eli: We "do" the Puyallup Fair

  Eli and I took our German neighbors Sabine and Fauna to the Puyallup Fair for some good family fun.  It was a hoot.

Here some highlights...

• maggot painting - doesn't every fair have this?  Next to the fishing for trout was a booth about invasive species that are infecting our fresh and salt waters.  Eli loved looking at the crabs, clams, etc...and pointed over to painting.  We walked over and asked if we wanted to paint.  Sure.  Put a few drops of what ever color you want.  Now pick out your maggots.  Put them on the paint and they will walk across your page to create a picture. I was both grossed out and sucked in wanting to watch.  I will admit that we didn't go back to the area to pick up our picture, I just didn't want maggot art in the house.

The Plum Cordial is Brewing - Our Special Recipie

We completed our special plum cordial recipe just in time - it was the last plums on the tree and in a few more days they would have been past prime.  Each and every year it also amazes me that I can't find the recipe for the few weeks prior to making it.  It's as if that damn recipe eludes me long enough to think I'm becoming more wacky and then it always just shows up. (The recipe is below)

Literally I  had made a copy for a woman down the street and thought I had put the book back but I just couldn't find it.  This year I looked up a new jam recipe (from recipe-zaar - its the one with just plums, sugar and lemon- nothing else) but I couldn't find a good plum cordial one and was feeling pretty bummed because we loved the changes we made to the original recipe we found. 

Heck any time I write down how I made some thing  in the kitchen Tim celebrates - because there are very few things we have more than once. I'm a creator when it comes to the kitchen, I take a bit of this, that and the other thing...and some how people think I'm an amazing cook.  Kind of makes me laugh.  Anyway, I wanted a recipe with the vodka and brandy combo and spent close to the our on the Internet and couldn't find what I wanted.  I figured it was our 4th batch and I'd just wing it when low and behold there was the book just sitting on the counter. I guess that was the universe knocking...um-mm lady please do use this recipe.  At least next year I can just search my blog for the recipe!

Mom's are Master Jugglers at Work and Home

Priorities and Juggling

I keep looking at the business focused "to do" list of four items, but in the recess of my mind I know it's really more like 76 things - both business and personal I'd love to get done by the end of the week, before my Saturday speaking engagement.  Plus it's really more than four because some of them are big and really do need to be broken down.  Remember, be productive and not just busy....my mantra.

Hence the life of a mom and master juggler of home and business - tossing A (the focused four from work and a bunch more from my home life), B, C and a few interesting D priorities around and around.

Posting to my blog Knee Deep today is not an A or B, rather a C priority but I just can't stop myself.  Writing often helps when I feel at sorts and a bit overwhelmed.  In my mind there a dozen posts that are waiting to be written and keep getting put off as I focus on the A's and B's which are pertinent to my home life and home based business. 

Backpacking In the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness and Painted Mountains and Getting Sick

I still haven't posted pictures from our amazing trip to the Strawberry Mountain Wilderness area the end of August and will add a couple here.  Of course that's when I first got sick which lasted for a good two weeks and really slowed me down and allowed my list of to do build up.  I got well enough for Eli to pick up a similar illness which  became croup (this means he wakes up multiple times during the night coughing and at times gasping for air - also known as stider for you medical folks).  In the last three weeks I've been to the doctor three times myself (the first times this year) for my own version of adult croup and feeling like shit and then a menacing bee sting and bee allergy.

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My Client: With A Little Helps Wins The Mayor's Small Business Award

Last night was exciting...a long time client of mine, Marcia Ives of With A Little Help, Inc. was one of ten small business in the Greater Seattle Area to win the Mayor's Seattle Small Business Award. Seattle Mayor Greg Nichols hosted the event along with Susan Shannon, Director of the Office of Economic Development and Jan Hildebrand, the Business Banking Manager from Wells Fargo.

Marcia was of course glowing during the evening and had the adoring eyes of her office staff, friends and me - Business Coach and friend. 

Mayor, Greg Nichols shared a few stats that really helped what this award meant sink in....in the greater Seattle area there are 79,000 small businesses which employ just over 400,000 people and bring in $15 Billion dollars of gross revenue.  That is no small potatoes when you really look at the numbers, and this is just one city in the US.  Small business play such an important role and are the backbone to most communities.

Marcia is a walking billboard for many hopeful entrepreneurs, her business has tripled in income during our time together and she will be breaking that $1 Million small business glass ceiling.  She also employs more than 60 full and part time staff and works with over 100 clients.

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