What does a romance hero do for a living? When I was much younger the hero in romance comic books, these books were my favorite right after Betty, Veronica and the gang, was usually the boss in an office. I don’t think it mattered what he did, he was simply “the boss.” The secretary, receptionist, etc. usually kept her infatuation a secret. She may have told her gal pals but never let the boss know. Then it happened, maybe a ride home in the rain, perhaps they had to work late at the office, she or he had a life emergency and…the rest is romance history.

Romance novels are as popular as ever, perhaps more so now that you can download your novel and read it online ;) Some women (and men) never admit to reading these books, but the numbers tell us that someone is reading them. And far more than those who stand up and freely admit, “My name is Vannie, and I am a reader of romance novels.”  When you admit to this, you are also admitting that you don’t want to read about someone who is a fast food worker or an accountant. Although sometimes…well.

Romance novels have such an impact on readers, the magazine Psychology Today performed an analysis of over 15,000 romance novels and the heroes that live within these pages. See the list of the most common occupations of romance heroes in fiction, not one works at Mickey D’s:

• Doctor
• Cowboy
• Boss
• Prince
• Rancher
• Knight
• Surgeon
• Monarch
• Bodyguard
• Sheriff

Where are you gonna find a knight to romance you? Hey we are talking fantasy, remember? That’s also why he always has rippling muscles, a killer smile and can charm honey from a stone! BTW, did you know that August is Romance Awareness Month?

Source: Psychology Today Magazine: http://www.psychologytoday.com/
Visit Romance Genre: for Tweets about romance and romance authors http://twitter.com/RomanceGenre You will have to join Twitter first.

Was the concept of personal branding started way back in 1997, when Tom Peters’ wrote “The Brand Called You” in Fast Company magazine? Or was it before that? I think years before. Think of actress Mae West, her brand was definately sex. Not just sex, but SEX.  She ran with it and was a success. So, it does not matter when or how it started, it is a smart and legitimate career practice not just practiced by actors, but used by entrepreneurs, CEOs, and regular workers who want to distinguish themselves from the crowd.

How to do this? First take charge of your career and your life by constructing your very own personal brand and hit bullseye everytime. Or at least most times.

First and foremost know who you are. Your brand should be as near to who you really are. Then run with it.

Identify your passion. Your brand won’t stand the test of time unless it’s based on something you feel strongly about and want to do for the rest of your life.

Specialize. Plant your banner in a niche that’s narrow enough for you to stand out in. Look at what you already do better than anyone else, and concentrate on keeping your skills sharp in that area.

Market yourself. Position yourself as a service provider. Let your manager and co-workers know what you’re capable of and what you want to do. Think of yourself as a CEO, even though you have an employer. Your career is ultimately your responsibility, after all.

Keep a record or scorecard. You know that setting goals is important to your career progress, right? Decide what you want your brand to accomplish, and establish some milestones—your next promotion, a new client, a completed project, etc. Track your brand’s success over time.

Source: Fast Company: Tom Peters “The Brand Called You

According to a report by eMarketer, online networking continues to rise.

As one who recently joined Facebook, I am feeling like the proverbial country mouse coming to the big city. Wow! What a exciting life–yes I know I said I had no interest in joining. To be perfectly frank I had none until I was given my own Facebook URL. Stepping in this world has reunited me with an early Internet connection; as I have said many times, though world-wide, the Internet is actually a very small place. Much like ones own real life social/business network. Even when you don’t remember the name, you remember the face and vice-versa. Facebook helps you find former co-worker’s, old beaus, lost family members, old friends and more. And you can connect with those you have wanted to meet. Very cool!

So how many individuals in the US are on Facebook? eMarketer says that in 2011, the Facebook social network “will have 132.5 million U.S. users. That’s more than half the number of Internet users overall in the U.S., and about five times higher than the number of subscribers to Twitter.

By 2013, eMarketer predicts, 62% of all domestic Web users will have a Facebook profile—47.6% of the U.S. population. After that point, Facebook’s growth will probably peak domestically, although expansion is likely to continue around the globe.”

My advice to those not on Facebook, go ahead and connect. It’s painless and fun. I guess it’s a good thing I have no problem saying, I was wrong!

Source: www.emarketer.com/

I give you one more reason to be careful what you post online.

In the past year or two there has been much publicity about married people using social media to share their eagerness, sometimes graphic longings to be with someone other than their legal mate. As the headlines have shown nothing online is really private.

A survey by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers found that 80 percent of divorce lawyers say they’ve seen an increase in the number of cases relying on social media for evidence of hanky-panky and other wrong-doing.

When social networking get into the mix, 66 percent of the lawyers say Facebook has been used as the primary source of evidence, followed by Myspace (15 percent), and then Twitter (5 percent), with other sites making up 14 percent. You will note that Twitter is only 5 percent, I guess it’s not that easy to post hot and heavy longings in 140 character’s. 

American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers http://www.aaml.org/

We all think we know what success is and how to achieve it. But sometimes we don’t know what success is until it bites us in the face and nips at our nose. Usually (because nothing is 100%) success is based on our personal goals and achievements that are uniquely our own and are shaped by our individual personalities.

   Where is your success? Examine your own ideas about success, then;

Learn to recognize your success. What will your success look like or feel like? Will you be able to recognize it when you reach it? (Trying to keep up with this one or that one is not the way to success.) When you do the best to your ability isn’t that success too? The truth is you can’t do more than you can do.

Define success in your own terms. Forget about other people and their vision of success. Think about what you value, not what others value or say you must or should do.

What do you need to do?  Identify specific things that must be achieved before you reach your own goal. Select one thing that you have already done, and two or three things you can do right now, that will bring you closer to your ultimate success. Then start working on them–today.

Are you close to success now? Take a look at what you’ve already accomplished, and compare your current situation with your position when you started working toward your goals. If you are not closer, maybe you are allowing excuses to get in the way of accomplishment.

After looking at your accomplishments are you closer to your success than you thought?

Kudos.

When answering questions or giving advice, be as open and honest as you can be without your advice or response turning into a lecture.

  1. Be sure you understand the question.  Miscommunication often occurs when you don’t pay close attention to what others are saying. Make sure you understand what you’re being asked before trying to answer. If you do not understand the question, repeat to clarify what you think you heard.

2. Please don’t ramble.  If you know the answer, provide it quickly and succinctly. Don’t spend a lot of time discussing irrelevant information. (“That reminds me of . . .”)

3. Keep in mind that you are the expert.  Don’t be intimidated when someone who has more responsibilities or may know more in a different area asks you a question. Give the answer then back it up with facts and details. You may want to put them in a note or memo to memorialize them.

4. Give facts and data, not opinions.  If you’re asked for facts or data, give that. Refrain from adding observations to your answer. If asked for your opinion, then give it.

5. Don’t guess at answering the question.  If you can’t immediately answer a question, don’t try to fake it. Let the questioner know that you will get the information and get back to him or her. Get the answer as soon as possible, when you have it, respond immediately

6. Never be condescending.  Do not respond to a question with a condescending remark. That includes facial expressions, ie; a credulous look with eyebrows raised, shaking of the head, deep sighs. This may make the person hesitate to communicate further with you. You will lose a valuable source/resource.

7. Admit what and when you don’t know.  Being an expert can sometimes mean that you don’t know the answer to the question, but you do know who does. Refer the person to good and proper sources who can be of better help.

Are you an online shopper or a hold out? If you are a mall shopper you will notice a few empty stores. While I have no plans to give up mall shopping, I do like the convenience of shopping online, especially comparison shopping. To add to the lure of online shopping, there are coupon sites that give you coupon codes for $$’s off purchases at certain online stores. One such site is Sherpa Coupons, they have compiled this shoppers online information :

• 63 percent of online shoppers are female; mothers are the fastest-growing demographic group.
• Americans spent more than $115 billion online in 2008; some forecasters say online shopping will hit almost $330 billion in 2010, or about 13 percent of total retail sales.
• U.S. consumers aren’t the world’s most prolific online shoppers. South Koreans are, with 99 percent of Internet users in that country making online purchases. Germany, the United Kingdom, and Japan run a close second, with the United States at No. 8.
• The most popular online product? Books, followed by clothing, videos and games, airline tickets, and electronic equipment.
• 60 percent of consumers confine their shopping to a single site. The most popular shopping site is Amazon.com.

Sherpa not only gives coupon code information about online shopping; it has a blog and a free weekly coupon newsletter that gives you the 411 on shopping. The site also offers coupons that can be downloaded. I realize that some people are hesitant about using computer printed coupons, for the most part they are trouble-free. I have used them for a couple of stores and have used several for TGI Friday’s without a hitch. However, you should keep in mind that no all stores and restaurants will accept computer printed coupons. You may want to call before you head out with your coupon.

Visit the Sherpa Coupons site. Don’t forget visit its blog and sign up for its newsletter.

When shopping online, check out Sherpa or your favorite coupon code site before you hit the purchase icon, you may save anywhere from five to twenty percent off the final cost. Remember to search as many coupon code sites as possible as the savings vary.  Just type “coupon code” to start saving dollars.

Analyzing your value to the organization can help to protect yourself from being laid off. If you are laid off, getting another comparable job–or a better one–will be far less of an ordeal you can document your contribution to the company’s bottom line.

Ask yourself a few questions to test whether your work makes a difference to your company.

How are your technology skills? Have you taken any new courses to stay abreast of technology? Network with others in your field to identify industry stars to compare yourself with. What skills do they have? What do their job descriptions look like? Search consultants can tell you what organizations demand when seeking candidates for a job like yours. If your job was created specifically for you, you should be sure to keep your tech skills high and broaden your scope. Often when  there is not a market for your specific skills, or you can’t find others who do approximately what you do, you may be in a trouble spot. Expand your skills.

Is your role essential? What impact does your job have on the big picture? Does your work exclusively benefit internal departments? What would happen to your department or division if the company got into a financial bind that forced it to cut back? Would profits or customer satisfaction be damaged if your department disappeared?

Can you be replaced easily? Assume that your managerial and technical skills are top-notch and cutting-edge. Could someone years younger who has the ability to perform equally well as you; and at half your salary take your place? Perhaps. However, if you have something extra, something that puts you steps ahead of the young dynamo, you can secure your place. Make it your business to show that your knowledge is essential. It does not matter what it is, do you have a great memory? Use it to show that you have a full grasp of your company’s history. Are you good with graphs and forms, use that expertise to help remove a cumbersome step in a process. Good event planning may be considered gold at your business. While no one is indispensable, make it harder for your boss to get along without you.

Update your resume. Do you keep your resume up-to-date? If someone wanted to see your resume today, would you be able to pass it on without apology? If you can’t do that, then it is time to update your resume and keep it new updated. A resume should be new employer ready at all times.

Some great quotable quotes from well-known people. It all boils down to, “Persevere to reach your goal. Find happiness.” Now that sounds like a plan, I wish good health and good fortune to everyone in 2010.

~~ “Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and, above all, confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something and that this thing must be attained.” —Marie Curie

~~ “The road to happiness lies in two simple principles; find what interests you and that you can do well, and put your whole soul into it—every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.” —John D. Rockefeller

~~ “Every day you may make progress. Every step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch out before you an ever-lengthening, ever-ascending, ever-improving path. You know you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, far from discouraging, only adds to the joy and glory of the climb.” —Winston Churchill

~~ “The difference between perseverance and obstinacy is that one often comes from a strong will and the other from a strong won’t.” —Henry Ward Beecher

~~ “The discipline you learn and character you build from setting and achieving a goal can be more valuable than the achievement of the goal itself.” —Bo Bennett

~~ “One only gets to the top rung of the ladder by steadily climbing up one at a time, and suddenly all sorts of powers, all sorts of abilities which you thought never belonged to you suddenly become within your own possibility, and you think, ‘Well, I’ll have a go, too.’” —Margaret Thatcher

~~ “If I were asked to give what I consider the single most useful bit of advice for all humanity, it would be this: Expect trouble as an inevitable part of life, and when it comes, hold your head high, look it squarely in the eye, and say: “I will be bigger than you. You cannot defeat me.” —Ann Landers

~~ “For every failure, there’s an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour.” —Mary Kay Ash

~~“It’s a helluva start, being able to recognize what makes you happy.” —Lucille Ball

~~ “Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open.” —John Barrymore

I came across yet another group calling itself “Wednesday’s Child…” I am familiar with the term “Wednesday’s child” and know there are numerous children’s help organizations, etc., called by that name in some manner or another, “Wednesday’s child is full of woe.”

Now this got me to wondering about the poem and the actual day of the my birth. I searched for a retro calendar and found one, it turns out I am a Monday baby. Next, locate the poem. It is titled Monday’s Child.

MONDAY’S CHILD 

Monday’s child is fair of face,
Tuesday’s child is full of grace,
Wednesday’s child is full of woe,
Thursday’s child has far to go,
Friday’s child is loving and giving,
Saturday’s child works hard for its living,
And a child that’s born on the Sabbath day
Is fair and wise and good and gay.

If you do not know the day of your birth and are curious, check out this site, Time and Date and for some background on the poem, see Monday’s Child at Wikipedia.org.   

Mmm–I think I have just proved  that you can research anything The computer makes it quick and simple.