Get To Know Your Customer Day

The third Thursday of the beginning of each quarter (January, April, July and October) is Get To Know Your Customer Day.  This is a day that happens once a quarter to remind us to put emphasis on getting to know our customers or clients.

Of all the businesses that you patronize, I wonder how many will tell you in some way how much they appreciate your business? I can't remember the last time someone let me know they appreciate my business except at Christmas.

The biggest asset to our business is our customer.

How Valuable is a Loyal Customer? 

Peter Drucker once said the only purpose of any business existence is the customer. Do you connect with your customers when you are not trying to sell them something?

"There is more hunger for love and appreciation
in this world than for bread." ~Mother Teresa

Here are some tips for showing customer appreciation:

Send a thank-you note to every client past and present. Do not attempt to sell them anything, simply thank them for the business.

Make connections by sending cards on special occasions including key dates such as anniversaries and birthdays. Customer Relationship Management tools help us recall family, pet names, spouses and significant others. Customers think we have a great memory and they admire the attention. Sending cards takes no time, little investment and pays a huge return.

Click Here for the Customer Relationship Management tool I use.

Here are some more Tips:

Pick up the phone and call a customer you haven’t talked to in a while or don’t know that well. 

Take someone to lunch or coffee.

Have a reception for a few of your customers. 

Our goal is to take dedicated time to build a stronger relationship with a few of our customers. People do business with people they know, like and trust.

Use the "comment" below to say how you let your customers know you appreciate them!

I appreciate you for reading my blog!




Updated 9/29/15

Sing For Your Health

Café Singer
Edgar Degas
GNU Free Documentation License

A friend of mine posted on her FaceBook page a poster extolling the health benefits of singing which inspired me to write todays article. Here's a tip! Try singing and chanting for your health!

Singing, laughing and chanting make the sternum (the breast bone) vibrate which stimulates the immune system as the oscillations boost the thymus, a small gland in the chest behind the sternum which controls the production of the body’s key defense cells called T lymphocytes. When you sing or shout, pray or chant, laugh or listen to music, whether it be recorded or played live by many musicians, the Thymus is stimulated.

The early Greeks referred to the Thymus as the "Seat of Life Energy", but western medical science has not always understood the function of the thymus gland. Now the thymus is recognized as a gland closely related to the immune system, stress, and general well-being.  It directs life-giving and healing energies of the body, and is strongly influenced by an individual's physical environment, social relationships, food and posture.

The thymus becomes smaller and smaller with age and almost disappears in the end. It is largest and most active during the neonatal and pre-adolescent periods, but by the early teens, the thymus begins to atrophy.

Some researchers believe that different infections and cancers in old people are closely linked to the decline in T lymphocyte production. Hence, stimulating the thymus in some way either through laughing, chanting or singing can be helpful in maintaining or improving health as we age or experience illness.

Chinese Medicine uses Tapping the Thymus to help stimulate the production of T-cells, which are primary immune factors. Practiced daily, tapping will also increase the size of the thymus.

Vibrations in the throat also stimulate the Thyroid, the gland which produces hormones that regulate metabolism and the body’s energy consumption and body weight.

So now you know! The Fountain of Youth was inside YOU all the time. Keep laughing and singing for a long and healthy life!

What do you do to stay young and healthy?

Learn more about Chanting

Edited 4/30/17

A Video For Mom

An art project with a Mother's Day message using PostIt notes!
Here's a cool video for Mother's Day!



"Such a cool project. apparently they were not quite finished and somebody asked if the Post Its were for writing on. From then on people kept streamin up to write messages of love for their Mums. As yet another testament to why I love Kiwis, this was up all weekend and nobody vandalized it at all." ~~Shanti, Shanti

Click here for photo

Happy Mother's Day 2009

Happy Mother's Day 2010

edited 5/9/17

Celebrating Winter Solstice In The Year 2012

On December 21 share with me the rebirth from darkness into light as our annual cycle of life begins again in the Northern Hemisphere.

Winter Solstice has always been one of my favorite days of the year. One reason is all the holiday celebrating, decorations and focus on giving. The other reason is I know that from this day, the light begins to return, the days begin to get longer instead of shorter and I know that spring will come.

This year people seem to be paying a lot more attention than usual to this pivotal day because of all the media attention with "end of the world" predictions. Truth be told, the world we knew began "ending" in 2001. Is any part of your life the same as it was before 9/11? We have been moving into the new world for 10 years.



The following information is a good explanation of what I believe is happening around this Solstice without the hype of many other things I've read or heard. I would love to hear what you think about this info.

"All prophecy is fluid and changeable. The future is not set in stone. The reason is simple. We create our own reality through our collective thinking otherwise known as the mass consciousness. What a prophet "sees" is one of the probable outcomes of our future. If we don't like what the prophet has to say, we have the power to change it.

Cosmic cycles are nothing new to our ancestors. They are a part of the lore and history of many ancient civilizations. The Mayans studied them with a passion, and they served as the foundation of their sky religion. Even Plato was aware of the most important cycle for our planet occurring every 25,920 years, which he and others called the Great Year.

Today we find ourselves at the end of the 2160-year Age of Pisces, the beginning of Aquarius, the close of the Mesoamerican fifth world, the ending of the Kali Yuga (Iron Age) of the Hindus, and the extreme end of the Great Year."

source: fromthestars.com



And then this from Griffith Observatory

"Some have claimed an alignment of planets occurs on winter solstice, 2012, and will cause a catastrophic reversal of the earth's magnetic field. There is no such planetary alignment on winter solstice, 2012, and even if all the planets did align in this fashion, it would not cause such a reversal of the Earth's magnetic field. There have been numerous planetary alignments and they have had no effect on the Earth."

Click these links if you want more info about
the Winter Solstice
or Celebrating A Celtic Christmas

Check out this Solstice poem and photo

Tell me how you celebrate the Solstice.

winter solstice

winter solstice
with it a reckoning
in falling snow
~William Sorlien

poemshape.wordpress.com

Celebrating A Celtic Christmas

c pts images

An Irish Christmas Blessing

The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you
The love of the Son and God's peace to you.

Many people don't realize that a lot of the customs we use to celebrate Christmas are deeply rooted in Celtic Culture, which is much older than the Christian tradition.

Advent Wreath, Holly and Christmas Trees come from Celtic traditions. Maybe you will want to celebrate a Celtic Christmas. To learn more click Celebrating A Celtic Christmas.

edited 12/23/15

Our Story In 2 Minutes Video

 

Our Story In 2 Minutes by drivinman687

Song: Mind Heist (from Inception) by: Zack Hemsey 

According to YouTuber drivinman687,  he created this 2-minute history of the world in pictures video as a final project for his high school video production class. Good job, drivinman687!

Are you ready to become a Business Goddess?

UPDATE 7/2014 The Goddess Circle name has changed! It is now The Amazing Biz & Life Academy! 

 Training and Mastermind Resource for 

Creating Your Own Amazing Life and Busineess.
Transform Your Business, Life & Soul

I just recently joined the Goddess Circle and the next round of Leonie Dawson's uber popular + powerful Business Goddess e-course will be my first e-course with Leonie. If you think this might be something for you, keep reading.

.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•.

Are you ready to change your business &  your life? Sign up now for the Business Goddess e-course!
5 weeks
5 Business Goddess Classes!

"There’s over 190 pages of wisdom + genius + experience + love in this baby. All the business goddess goodness you could need." ~Leonie

If you created the creative business of your dreams...Where would you live? How would you live? What would it mean for you and your family?


The Business Goddess program begins on  October 1!  I am really looking forward to participating in this program and learning how to create more income and time freedom. Will you join me? If you are ready to change your business and your life, I'd recommend you check it out!
Click to join Business Goddess e-course
Click here to join Goddess Circle
I am a Goddess Ambassador. You can become one also. Info is on the website.

If you are inspired to take this course, let me know. We might create a space to share the journey together.

Take as much as you need

Take as much as you need, originally uploaded by vonderauvisuals.

It's February and Valentine's Day is just a few days away, so our thoughts turn to LOVE!

An Irish Blessing For Christmas

May you have:
A world of wishes at your command.
God and his angels close to hand.
Friends and family their love impart,
and Irish blessings in your heart!

May you always walk in sunshine.
May you never want for more.
May Irish angels rest their wings right beside your door.

May you always have walls for the winds,
a roof for the rain, tea beside the fire,
laughter to cheer you,
those you love near you,
and all your heart might desire.

~~Irish Blessing

image CC St Malachy's Roman Catholic Church,
Alfred Street, Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 2010 by Ardfern

Winter Solstice

Winter Solstice 

This photo was taken the morning of the 2000 Winter Solstice near Ames, Iowa. The halo is made by sunlight shining through millions of ice crystals.

The Winter Solstice begins Wednesday, December 21 as the Sun begins its annual trek through Capricorn. We experience the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere and the longest night.  

In this time of the longest night we share the rebirth from darkness into light as our annual cycle of life begins again. 

This is the time of the great Goddess preparing her movement from spirit into matter again, a time of the lessening of Yin Energy and the rising of Yang Energy.

 The yin yang symbol to the left reflects this cycle. If you think of the top being the summer soltice in June and the bottom the winter soltice in December then you can see the white yang energy slowly rising as the season moves into spring. 

Even at its peak the yang energy still has a dot of yin or darkness within the light. As we move into the autumn the black yin energy increases again with a dot of yang or light within the dark

.

Humans have made calendars, or measurements of time, beginning near this time of year for thousands of years. A famous example of this is a solstice calendar of surprising accuracy, Stonehenge dates back almost 5,000 years. 

Image Winter Solstice (Nasa photo)
Philip Appleton (SIRTF Science Center),Caltech

Edited 5/1/17

Friendship

"We are all travelers in the wilderness of this world, 

and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend." 

-- Robert Lewis Stevenson 

Because it is International Friendship Day, the subject of "friends" has been on my mind. As I reread the following post, I wanted to share it. I hope it will speak to you. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I'm posting this with permission:

_.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-._.-.

Unexpected Blessings

On Thursday morning I was at my easel when a courier appeared at the door. He was delivering an envelope from a friend, a local lawyer of my acquaintance. The letter stated that in 1974 I had brought some of my work to his office, and a recent bookeeping search revealed he had never paid me for them. Lorne's note was filled with contrition and guilt. "How much do I owe you?" he asked. "Do I owe you a ton for arrears? Do I pay you the current market value? What about the money you would have earned on the money you should have had for the paintings?" As I was contemplating these thoughts a $10,000 "down-payment" cheque fluttered from the envelope.

Thinking back those thirty-odd years, I vaguely recalled the delivery. More recently I had noticed two paintings in his office when I'd been getting his help in transferring some property. I had thought nothing of the earlier transaction, took it for granted that he owned the paintings, and only noted their need for cleaning.

Over the phone, Lorne and I had a good laugh. I put his mind at ease by disclosing my own sloppy billing and sieve-like mind. Carol Ann and I looked over our ancient records and came up with nada. A subsequent visit to Lorne's office found four, not two paintings. I measured them, determined their probable cost when new, ran them by my current price list, cut that in half, and he cut me a cheque. I'm now in the process of cleaning and reframing them for free.

As I was removing three decades of lawyer-office-cigar from the surfaces, I was thinking of Samuel Johnson's remark, "We need to keep our friendships in constant repair." Deeper than this, I thought, there's a sort of Karma and integrity that mystically guides the creative life. You might say it's one of our unexpected blessings. Every one of us has such a story. People respect artists and look out for them. The surprising and singular finding of my lifetime has been the value of friends and the sense of trust that builds between them. This includes not only collectors, but fellow artists, dealers, agents and curious observers. Sometimes I think friendships are even more important than the art. "Life is human relationships," said the wise man from the East. By sharing our creative magic with others we reap the magic of their friendship. 

Best regards,

Robert

PS: "Friendship multiplies blessings and minimizes misfortunes;
it is a unique remedy against adversity and it soothes the soul."
(Baltasar Gracian)

Esoterica: That's not to say humour and passive amusement do not play a part in friendships. Among artists and their patrons I notice a mild form of banter. Perhaps it's some sort of jealousy that lies beneath both surfaces--something to do with the fragility of the human condition and the fickle mystery of art. George Bernard Shaw wrote a note to Winston Churchill: "I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play;
bring a friend... if you have one." To which Churchill replied, "Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second... if there is one."

(c) Copyright 2008 Robert Genn. Used with permission

Contact Robert Genn by email: genn@saraphina.com

Yes, please go ahead and forward this to a friend.

If you think a friend or fellow artist may find value in this material, please feel free to forward it. If you would like to subscribe to Robert's Twice-Weekly Letter, you can find out about it by going to Painter's Keys

I have been a long-time fan of  "Painter's Keys" Robert Genn's website, and receiving his Twice-Weekly Newsletter.

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National Friendship Day is on the first Sunday in August.
For quotes, stories, videos and more, go to my website Friendship Day

updated 8/12/18

Midsummer

Midsummer night's dream
encounter with the fairies
Puck enchants our souls
~~ sydsjaanu

Be sure to read up on the Summer Solstice and enjoy your midsummer day and night!

Tartan Week: Celebrating Scottish Heritage

What butter and whiskey won't
cure, there is no cure for.
-Celtic Saying

We celebrate the legacy of our shared Scottish heritage 

every year during March and April's  

National Tartan Week

In the United States, there are more than 20 million people who can claim descent from Scotland, most of whom take immense pride in their Scottish heritage. Throughout much of the country, the first week of April has come to be known as Tartan Week as the festivities of Tartan Day have increased and are now celebrated throughout the week. The festivities include a wide range of activities, cultural events and ceilidhs ('KAY-lees' - parties with singing and dancing) that celebrate the vibrancy of Scottish culture, past and present.

Woodrow Wilson said: "Every line of strength in American history is a line colored with Scottish blood." And this year's Scotland Week once again confirms Scotland's place in the hearts of Americans - and Canada too!

April 6 designated TARTAN DAY by a Resolution passed by the U.S. Senate March 20, 1998

Numerous groups and societies throughout Canada and America have taken the anniversary of the Declaration of Arbroath (1320) as their national date to celebrate their Scottish roots.

On December 19th 1991, in response to action initiated by the Clans & Scottish Societies of Canada, the Ontario Legislature passed a resolution proclaiming April 6th as Tartan Day, following the example of other Canadian provinces. America followed suit on March 20th 1998, when Senate Resolution 155 (S.Res. 155), proposed by US Senate Republican majority leader Trent Lott, was passed unanimously.

For as long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.
From The Declaration of Arbroath 1320.




How will you celebrate?

Hugs for you on Valentine's Day!

I'm sending you love and tea,
To warm your winter's day.
Think of me as you pour your cup
And all the good things we would say.

If we could be together now
Instead of miles apart,
We'd sip our teas and memories,
The sweet warmth fills the heart.
 ~~Susan Young

I appreciate you so very much!

Happiness in a Cup of Tea

...the freedom and happiness to be found in a simple cup of tea.

Oprah is interviewing Thich Nhat Hanh. She asked him "What is Happiness?"

He answers:

"Suppose you are drinking a cup of tea. When you hold your cup, you may like to breathe in, to bring your mind back to your body, and you become fully present. And when you are truly there, something else is also there—life, represented by the cup of tea. In that moment you are real, and the cup of tea is real. You are not lost in the past, in the future, in your projects, in your worries. You are free from all of these afflictions. And in that state of being free, you enjoy your tea. That is the moment of happiness, and of peace. When you brush your teeth, you may have just two minutes, but according to this practice, it is possible to produce freedom and joy during that time, because you are established in the here and now. If you are capable of brushing your teeth in mindfulness, then you will be able to enjoy the time when you take a shower, cook your breakfast, sip your tea."

To which Oprah responds "So from this point of view, there are endless conditions of happiness."

Nhat Hanh's response

"Yes. Mindfulness helps you go home to the present. And every time you go there and recognize a condition of happiness that you have, happiness comes."

Then Oprah says to him "With you, the tea is real."

Nhat Hanh answers

"I am real, and the tea is real. I am in the present. I don't think of the past. I don't think of the future. There is a real encounter between me and the tea, and peace, happiness and joy are possible during the time I drink."

Then Oprah comments "I never had that much thought about a cup of tea."

Read the whole interview The O Exclusive Interview

Visit the following sites for more:

More info about Thick Nhat Hanh
Mindfulness Bell

edited 1/24/2015

January, drink a cup to Hot Tea Month!

January is a time for new beginnings, health and home. 

It's also National Hot Tea Month. 

Let's drink a cup to Hot Tea Month and read a poem about home and tea! 

Is your tea kettle on? 

A True Home

 
"A roof to keep out the rain. Four walls to keep out the wind. Floors to keep out the cold.

Yes, but home is more than that. It is the laugh of a baby, the song of a mother, the strength of a father.
Warmth of loving hearts, light from happy eyes, kindness, loyalty, comradeship.

Home is first school...for the young ones where they learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind. Where they go for comfort when they are hurt or sick.
Where joy is shared and sorrow eased.
Where fathers and mothers are respected and loved.
Where children are wanted.
Where the simplest food is good enough for kings because it is earned.
Where money is not so important as loving-kindness.
Where even the teakettle sings from happiness.

That is home."

~~Ernestine Schumann-Heink / Drawing by  Anton Pieck 

edited 1/24/2015