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This question came to Maritza while reading an article by Suze Orman. We have been dealing with debt and for this question period we wanted to focus on rebuilding your credit. It is truly my belief that you can change your financial position in a very short period of time. It is about taking baby steps — it may take some time.

Question: How can we rebuild our credit after it has been damaged by unpaid debts or we had to go through a bankruptcy? The answer, according to a recent article written by Suze Orman, is to get a prepaid credit card. Instead of going to a bank, she recommends going to a credit union and apply for a secured credit card.

For those that do not know what a secured credit card is, here is a more detailed definition:

A “secured credit card” is a credit card used to build a good credit record for people with a damaged or poor credit score or for people with little or no credit history. A secured credit card requires a security deposit in order to be able to establish a line of credit. Typically, the line of credit you qualify for will be equal to the amount of money deposited with the bank or financial institution that issued the secured card.

For example, you can open a $500 secured card line by depositing $500 in an account associated with the credit card. Many secured cards charge fees for opening the account, and then charge fees for accessing your funds. In some situations, a prepaid debit card with a credit builder option may be a less expensive way to build credit.

Secured credit cards are also referred to as “prepaid credit cards“.

To find out more go to credit unions to search for one in your area. Request that the credit issuer will report your payments to at least one of the credit bureaus – Two well known ones in Canada are Trans Union or Equifax.

I recently asked for my credit rating from Trans Union – this is free — I wanted to know how I stood in the “eyes of my creditors”. I received it and now I want to run through it with someone. I saw a lot of 0s which I believe is good. I too need to find out!

AS FOR THE CLOSET… once you have dumped everything out of your closet and decided what you are going to keep then you can begin to rebuild. It will take some time. Decide how much you will put into this endeavour of rebuilding. Once you know your budget and how much you can spend – you will know how much you will budget for new items. You must be committed to sticking with this number. Like the prepaid credit card, you will only be able to spend that $ figure that you have committed to.

One day you will look at your closet and say – how did I do this? I have a full closet and I know where everything is and I feel good about this.

Take the baby steps to rebuilding your credit history!

All our best,

Sandra & Maritza

There is a movement that is going and it is called the Halo Effect…check it out…

“Unlike random acts of kindness, The Halo Effect is about forethought. Planning 28 things that people can do as individuals or in groups each day takes the focus off yourself and directs positive energy towards others. Join the movement and spread the word. Find the Halo Effect on the web at“…http://haloeffect.infinity-pr.com andhttp://twitter.com/haloeffect2010

I have known Saskia for over a year now. She is an inspiration to me. Her article touches me for I lately have been teaching most what I need to learn: SLOW DOWN. Take note of what you are sharing, teaching, guiding … for this is likely your lesson.

All my love,

Sandra

This article was posted on First30Days site

23FEB
We Always Teach What We Need to Learn

Let me be frank: I have mixed feelings about getting up in public to speak before large groups. This should come as no surprise since the fear of public speaking tops almost everyone’s list—surpassing death itself! As Jerry Seinfeld puts it, “If you were invited to give a eulogy at a funeral, you’d rather be the guy in the casket than the one at the podium!”
But what may come as a surprise is that for almost 30 years I have made a handsome living from coaching others to speak in public—before large groups and small; before juries deliberating complex issues; in Congress; at shareholders meetings; and with clients giving keynote speeches.
My career has surprised me: I never imagined I’d have landed in the Boardrooms of corporate America, nor the courtrooms where major cases were being hashed out, nor in limousines coaching CEO’s en route to a flight, nor in airplanes, posh hotels, and on expense accounts.
The work was demanding and exhilarating. The high fees I’ve commanded, the accolades, the prestige, and the perks made my work fun and gratifying. So why, then, would I rather avoid doing the very thing I coach others in? Because staying behind the scenes was my comfort zone. Stepping out meant stepping up!
I am reminded here of a line from Woody Allen’s classic Annie Hall: “Those who can do, do; those who can’t do, teach; and those who can’t teach, teach gym!”
For years, I preferred to help others hone their message, find their passion, and convey their joy (or at least, their information). But now, it has all come home to roost, for I am on a different path, having completed a book on the subject called, More Than Words Can Say: The Making of Inspired Speakers. It is now my turn to do the lecture circuit, market my book, speak before groups, and sell, sell, sell!
For years, I dreaded the thought. I avoided it and even vowed that I’d never write a book. I kept that pledge for well over 20 years, happy to be running seminars, coaching brilliant clients to open their hearts & minds, proud as a mother hen when her children succeeded, and content to remain behind the scenes.
Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I never went before an audience. I had my fair share of presentations, keynote speeches of my own, and informal talks. But the thought of appearing before a huge audience, one I did not know, and speaking about my book, made me feel like a used-car salesman in a tacky, plaid suit, hawking his wares.
So, I had to coach myself. And my coaching always starts with awareness—self-awareness (the hardest kind to come by). But there I met resistance. Resistance is the dance partner of awareness. They waltz around, sometimes one leading, sometimes the other. And when resistance had stepped on the toes of awareness once too many times, awareness finally waltzed off alone.
Dancing solo is most liberating. No one else pushing you where you don’t wish to go. No one else’s agenda is besting your own. When my own awareness found its voice, I realized that speaking with others holds no fear for me. One-on-one is my medium.
Total strangers are constantly confiding in me. New acquaintances appear to be old friends. Old friends share deep parts of themselves that they share with very few others.
Small groups hold no fright either. I have been running seminars for almost 30 years. I have been in classrooms with 6 – 200. My seminars get consistently rave reviews and in some firms have had waiting lists of two years. So, you might ask, what’s your problem? Why do you resist larger audiences? After all, you know what it takes to charm, seduce, embrace, inform, and inspire? You’ve seen clients transform from boring to sparkling all the time. You’ve been there, yourself! What’s up?
Here’s the deal (and I think this applies to most people): Speaking to one or to a small group is real. You see them; they see you. You can tell if they’re listening, if they’re alive, awake, with you, against you, daydreaming, etc. You can read their body language. You can meet their eyes. You are real. You’re talking—not performing.
But when the room gets large, when the lights go down, when you are in a spotlight that says “perform,” the real you gets as shy as a nervous kitten. You loose your self-confidence. You imagine all manner of horrors. You are certain they’ll see through you and not be taken in by your façade. And you’d be right!
As long as the real you is hiding behind a façade, you cannot feel at home at the podium.
You must strip: not your clothes, but your mask. You may assume that your mask is protecting you, but in reality, it is obscuring your light. And your light is what must shine for others to be engaged when you speak.
You must reveal yourself, share your private thoughts, expose your vulnerabilities, be honest with yourself and, thus, with your audience.
The greatest awareness I gained about myself is that I am not a performer: I am, though, a very good communicator. The difference is where I am shining the spotlight of my mind. When it is directed at me, I am ripe for self-consciousness; when it is directed at another, I am open to real communion. I stop asking “how am I doing,” and move to, “Are you with me.” I stop worrying about, “Will they like me,” and start considering, “What can I offer them.”
I now know from testing the waters with individual readers and with small groups, that the book I’ve written is transformational. It is meant to take your fear of public speaking and turn it into your forte. It is aimed at all speakers—in any setting—for whom authenticity and connection are paramount. Readers tell me it has changed forever the way they look at getting up in public. It has changed the way they speak to their spouses … the way they speak to their children. It has, indeed, changed their relationship with themselves.
I could not be more pleased. And I am glad to say that although I may still feel butterflies at the prospect of standing before a large group, I have taught those butterflies to fly in formation. I also figure that if Pavarotti was always nervous before every performance, I can be too.
The difference now is that I do not see it as a performance; I see my role as a sharer. I am in the spotlight to share my passion, my insights, and my pleasure. And when I share, I am engaged in an interchange . . . I am not there all alone. My listeners are up there with me; they just happen to be a few feet away. And I’ve learned to make friends with the spotlight.
The spotlight is there to illuminate me until my own light can shine on its own.
By Saskia Shakin
Author, More Than Words Can Say: The Making of Inspired Speakers
www.TheKeynoteCoach.com
If you felt moved, inspired, touched, helped, annoyed, or anything after reading this, please let us know. Our wonderful bloggers really do appreciate your comments and feedback. It’s super easy and takes a minute. Click on comments below.
Posted by Saskia Shakin on February 23rd, 2010 in Speaking Events | No comments

Here is a music video of a man named Damian who is playing guitar solo that is inspirational.

Have you ever tried to run away from your problems?  Well, trying to push something out of sight and out of mind does not work.

Here is a something I got from an email:

This quote highlights the importance of spirituality….

”

Our spiritual work is the real work. It must be regarded at least as important as our day-to-day responsibilities, as important as the work that pays the bills – because it’s what makes the difference in every area of our lives. Working on ourselves is precisely what brings the prosperity, the health, the love and the success, in abundance. Today, work on you, and the rest of your life will reap the rewards.

“

Here is a wonderful quote about life experiences, I found from Abraham Hicks…

”

There is not something you’re supposed to do. There’s not something that you should do. There is only that which you are inspired to do. And how do you get inspired except by the contrast? It’s the life experience that gives you the idea of the desire, and then as you focus upon the desire, the Energy flows. — Abraham Excerpted from the workshop in Philadelphia, PA on Tuesday, April 14th, 1998

“

What is a dog’s purpose?

This is description is so touching.  I wonder why most people do not think this way?

I AM NOT AN ARTIST YET
I recently moved to a new home and befriended a woman on my street who I adore. We are connected through a women’s group we belong to, The Spirituelle Divas, through our interests and now mutual friends. Our children have also met and they get along.

This woman has brought a lot to my life and I know that I have touched hers as well. We both agree that this is meant to be in so many ways.

One evening in late December we were at a coffee shop and through a discussion and me mentioning that my friend is a great artist – it was suggested that she hang some of her pictures in the coffee shop. The discussion continued over the next few weeks and before my friend new it she was having her first showing.

She was excited and nervous and wondering if she was ready for this. I told her to breathe and sure enough the night before her showing in February she trekked down to the coffee shop with her art in hand. She even had a great idea to take prints of her work and sell both the original and prints. It is an exciting time for her.

She has joined a group of artists and she was telling me a story that she was out for dinner with them this week and as they went around the table to introduce themselves she started with, “I am not an artist yet”. This wise older man stepped in and said, “You are an artist, you are a starting artist”. This profound message gave a new perspective to my friend.

This message is not just for my friend, rather for EACH ONE OF US who is beginning or just starting something new – a passion or interest that may be just for fun or something that you want to turn into a business.

The point is we need to begin somewhere, likely at the very beginning. Even the most successful, call them experts, started at the very beginning, not knowing much, not having experience. It was a journey of highs and lows that brought them to where they are now.

When you are clear of who you are and what you want in your life, you begin to trust, believe and know that it will all work out! When you vibrate at this level you begin to bring more of the experiences that you want into your life and eventually time passes– one day you look back and say WOW I AM A THRIVING, SUCCESSFUL ARTIST(or whatever your passion/purpose) WHO IS MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Exciting. As I always say — it’s baby steps, one step at a time. Surround yourself with unconditionally loving people and see your journey unfold.

All my love,

Sandra

This is an email I received from someone from Thunder Bay, Canada.

Baby Moose 12 Hours Old -

Born in the middle of downtown Thunder Bay , ON, CANADA

In my whole life  in Thunder Bay, I have never seen a new born baby moose.

And then there was this.

The mother picked a small quiet neighbor  in Thunder Bay and had her baby in

the front yard, just off Kuznier Crescent (George Burk Park) ,at 5:30 am.

The lady across the street from this house said she saw it being born.

We saw them at 5:30 PM. So the little one was 12 hours old.

What an awesome thing to see.

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