I offer quotes for the heart, mind, and soul to end one year and start another. I am hopeful that some will make you go ‘mmmmm.’

• You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. —Desmond Tutu
• There are people who have money and people who are rich. —Coco Chanel

• Mankind’s greatest achievements have come about by talking, and its greatest failures by not talking. —Stephen Hawking
• Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. —Dee Hock
• Statistics are no substitute for judgment. —Henry Clay
• Science is simply common sense at its best. —Thomas Huxley
• There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns. —Edward de Bono
• Succeeding is not really a life experience that does that much good. Failing is a much more sobering and enlightening experience. —Michael Eisner
• Good management is the art of making problems so interesting and their solutions so constructive that everyone wants to get to work and deal with them. —Paul Hawken

• Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go—purge yourself. If you are unhappy with anything, whatever is bringing you down, get rid of it. Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out. —Tina Turner
• And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. —Anais Nin
• The arithmetic of life does not always have a logical answer. —Inshirah Abdur-Rauf

Happy New Year to all.

Vannie Ryanes

Sometime earlier in the year in one of the many forums I belong to, a question like , “Do you share business tips or do feel they take from your own business.” I do not remember the actual wording, but I kept my response because I thought it was a good one. Hey no shyness here

 ”…I too am a sharer, I always have been. I think that is my slight edge in business and in personal life. That may not make sense but it works for me. I am always ready to share an idea, etc., I often say “Have you thought of this or that?” I have known people who say, I never tell everything I know. The truth is no one is asking for that, but a sharing a tip is often so appreciated it comes back two-fold.

This question seems to be two-part. How do you feel about sharing and do you share when it may have a negative impact on your business? I say sharing is no big deal, it is always good to share. It is my firm belief that your circle grows wider when you do. Also, I do not think sharing success ideas have a negative impact on any particular business.”

I believe that you empower yourself by sharing. That being said, I had to learn early on to memorialize my contributions in meetings

Referrals and networking top tactics for job hunters

     What’s the best way to land a new job? High rates of unemployment make that an urgent question for many people. A study of more than 700 job seekers who found employment between July 2009 and January 2010, conducted by the IMPACT Group*, identified these winning tactics:

Referrals from inside the hiring organization were the most successful strategy, cited by 18 percent of job seekers. Social networks like LinkedIn+, Facebook, and Twitter+ helped candidates identify opportunities for referral. Referrals from outside the organization were successful for 9 percent of job hunters.

Posting résumés online was successful for 8 percent of job seekers, the same as in 2003.

Networking was most effective for older workers (50 and up), with 46 percent reporting that it led to employment. For candidates earning more than $100,000, networking was successful for 50 percent.

Never under estimate the power of being kind and friendly, I got my dream job because a former coworker gave my name to a director at her job. Although I was not looking, I have never turned down a job interview. I went, they liked me, I like them. They held the job for a month while I waited for my bosses  return from vacation,  and to give proper notice.

Read Harvey Mackay’s book (from Amazon) about networking basics, Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty: The Only Networking Book You’ll Ever Need Mackay says it is “the only networking book you’ll ever need. His advice? Do not disregard people because of their job title. A store clerk may have a mucky-muck relative.  

Read this interesting Wall Street Journal article How to search for a job online. And finally, connect with me :) my profile at: LinkedIn my Twitter page: @Vannie_Ryanes

December is a month of holiday celebrations crossing different cultures and nationalities. It seems to be the season for all holidays. How appropriate is that December is also Universal Human Rights Month. 

See this list holiday celebrations and observations:

Hannukah. An eight-day Jewish holiday beginning this year at sundown the day before Dec. 2, 2010, Hannukah celebrates the rededication of the Temple of Jerusalem after the Jewish victory over the Maccabees in 165 B.C. Each night, families light one candle on the menorah, observing the traditional story of how the one-day supply of oil for the temple’s eternal flame burned for eight days.

Al Hijra. The Islamic new year observed in 2010 on Dec. 7 through Jan. 4, 2011, this marks the emigration of the Prophet Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D.

Christmas. This Christian holiday, observed on Dec.25, celebrates the birth of Jesus between the years 7 and 2 B.C. The date may have been chosen to correspond with the winter solstice, or to coincide with a Roman holiday honoring the sun during the same period. Christmas became a federal holiday in the United States in 1870.

Kwanzaa. A seven-day celebration of African heritage and culture, Kwanzaa is observed from Dec. 26 to Jan.1. Activist Ron Karenga created Kwanzaa in 1966 to emphasize African-Americans’ shared history and experience. The name Kwanzaa is derived from “matunda ya kwanza,” a Swahili phrase meaning “first fruits.”

Thanksgiving. It’s all about attitude, gratitude, family and friendship.

Although Thanksgiving is purely an American tradition and celebration, there seems to be no better time than now to think about attitude and gratitude, family and friendship which is universal.
    I share my attitude and gratitude about and for a long-time friend. I have known her since we were 19 or 20. Not only do we share ties as former co-workers, we also share a birth sign, and other thoughts and ideas. We have just returned from a short vacation and will soon take another to celebrate our birthdays in a few months. We have never lost touch with one another, but as we grow older we have become as close as we were when we were young. In the old days it was about going out and having a good time–and make no mistake, we had good times. Now we each share DVD’s and talk about movies we love; after all of this time, we just now realize that we like the same quirky movies.  

While away, we talked about ourselves, our families and anything else that came to mind. Sometimes we talked about the old days, but not as much as one would think. At night we went to our respective rooms for personal alone time and to get ready for the the next day. One morning as we shared a leisurely breakfast we talked about green tea. I told her that I love Bromley Green Tea but had just run out. I expected her to say that she was not familiar with Bromley, as it is not the hot green tea of the moment. Instead she looked at the teabag tag hanging from her cup and pointed, it was Bromley tea. We laughed and shared a special moment. What does this story have to do with attitude and gratitude? It made my attitude about our friendship soar even higher and once more made me grateful that she is my friend. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

“The best mirror is an old friend.” Attributed to George Herbert, 1651. English clergyman & metaphysical poet (1593 - 1633).

What’s the best way to land a new job? High rates of unemployment make that an urgent question for many people. A study of more than 700 job seekers who found employment between July 2009 and January 2010, conducted by the IMPACT Group, identified these tactics:

 Referrals and networking were the top tactics for job hunters.

Referrals from inside the hiring organization were the most successful strategy, cited by 18 percent of job seekers. Social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter helped candidates identify opportunities for referral. Referrals from outside the organization were successful for 9 percent of job hunters.

Posting résumés online was successful for 8 percent of job seekers, the same as in 2003.

Networking was most effective for older workers (50 and up), with 46 percent reporting that it led to employment. For candidates earning more than $100,000, networking was successful for 50 percent.

So what does this mean to you? It means cast a wide net. My personal recommendation is LinkedIn.com. If you are not on LinkedIn, you should join. Do not pay to hide your information, people can do a search and see that you are connected, but privacy will keep people from seeing what you do and your qualifications. Join groups there and participate in discussions, answer questions, show that you know your stuff. If you see someone you want to meet get an introduction, this is no time to hide or be shy. Networking is not easy, it is almost a job itself!

Source: IMPACT Hiring Solutions Job Search Network 

Don’t jump to conclusions about saving money on food. Do you rely on coupons to save money, or buy in bulk to get the best value? Those are reasonable strategies, but they’re not necessarily the only way to cut food costs; the thing is to combine several cost-cutting strategies.

This way you can save money and buy the food you really want, instead of buying certain foods because they cost less.  If you have children, you know that you cannot make a child eat a brand he or she does not like. Ever try getting a kid to eat an off-brand cereal or jelly?

Some common misconceptions:

Coupons are the only way to save money. No way!: You can save money without coupons with a little planning. Look for the two-for-one sales and special holiday sales. A store’s shopper club also has deals available only to its members.

Wholesale stores offer the best value. Not aways! Certain items bought in quantity may save you money, but your favorite brand might not always be available. Also, check and compare prices, calculating the per-unit price of the bulk against the single-item price. Sometimes the single-unit item costs less.

Store brands are always cheaper. Just plain not true! Sales frequently bring brand names close to store brands, especially when combined with coupons.

More $$ saving ideas:

1. Re-think the way you shop and check out all ‘ways’ to shop and save, not just one.
2. Everyone is familiar with ShopRites yearly Can Can sale. If you are a family of one or two, and don’t want 10 cans of corn, etc., find someone to shop with and split the cans and the cost. You will have a good time and save money by sharing costs and goods.
3. For good take-out, skip fast food restaurants and the deli counter. Go to your local diner instead, they are known for over flowing dinner plates. Order a meal (or two) take it home and enjoy. Plus you will probably have leftovers. You will also save money.  

Humor can help you cope with even the most dire situations. Writing on the EmpowHER.com website, a man tells about the time when his wife was diagnosed with cancer.

For several years they’d been subscribing to a newsletter on health and nutrition. About six months after the cancer diagnosis, they received a renewal notice.  He gave the renewal notice to his wife who wrote the following note on the renewal: “I’ve been receiving your newsletter for several years, and I did what you said. I got cancer anyway. Now I eat pie.” She sent back the notice and never heard from the newsletter people again. The husband realized there was a humor lesson here, however the humor is served up. The lesson is you can use humor to cope, even if the humor is just for you.

Most people think of humor as something that you laugh about out loud, and with others. There are no rules, though: Who says you have to have an audience?” And who says the humor has to be slapstick or cause loud guffaws? Well you don’t be slapstick and you do not have to have an audience, but you often do; especially if you have a gift of gab and a little positive humor. My good friend Linda (Miss Dazey), is often in pain, but she does not let that stop her from a heavy online presence. She has gained an audience even though she started blogging just because…

However, she is a good and humorous storyteller and it is reflected in her blog posts, especially the posts on her Elder Generation Blog. It is understandable that it has not taken long for people to find her blogs and her presence on Twitter. She can be found at on Twitter @Miss-Dazey. Visit her there and tell her pal Vannie says “Hey” and “Thank you.”

You don’t have to be a child to enjoy corny Halloween jokes. If you are having a grown-up Halloween party, go ahead and have a bit of childish fun. Print one full-sized copy of this cute article for yourself, then shrink the article so it fits on a half-sized typing sheet–remembering to delete the answers on the bottom of this article for the hand-out copies. Now, copy and paste two copies of the reduced size article on one full-sized sheet of paper and print the desired number of copies. You will have two documents on one sheet. Cut in half. Use as is with this cute kitty in a pumpkin or place your own a Halloween sticker. A prize of your choice goes to one who gets the most correct answers. Boo!

• 1. How do you mend a broken jack-o-lantern?
• 2. Why didn’t the skeleton dance at the party?
• 3. Why don’t mummies take vacations?
• 4. Why do witches use brooms to fly?
• 5. What did one ghost say to another ghost?
• 6. What do you call someone who poisons a person’s cornflakes?
• 7. What kind of streets do zombies like best?
• 8. What does a vampire never order in a restaurant?
• 9. What do birds give out on Halloween night?
• 10. What is a vampire’s favorite mode of transportation?

Match the answer below with the questions above. Have fun.

A-Dead ends; B-Do you believe in people?; C-Tweets; D-A cereal (serial) killer; E-A blood vessel; F-With a pumpkin patch; G-A steak (stake) sandwich; H-Because vacuum cleaners are too heavy; I-He had no body to dance with J-They’re afraid they’ll relax and unwind

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Be sure to remove these answers from bottom: 1F; 2I; 3J; 4H; 5B; 6D; 7A; 8G; 9C; 10E

As one who never opens forwards, etc. I share with you one that a friend sent to me with a note in the subject line: I Know You Don’t Read Forwards-PLEASE READ!  How could I not read it? She knew she would have hell to pay if I felt she wasted my time. It is below.

On the bulletin board of a California company, someone once posted this sign to remind everyone of how time is relative—but the value of time is priceless:

• To realize the value of one year: Ask the student who has failed his final exam.

• To realize the value of one month: Ask the mother who has given birth to a premature baby.

• To realize the value of one week: Ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.

• To realize the value of one day: Ask the daily wage laborer who has 10 kids to feed.

• To realize the value of an hour: Ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.

• To realize the value of a minute: Ask the person who has missed the train, the bus, or the plane.

• To realize the value of a second: Ask the person who has survived an accident.

• To realize the value of a millisecond: Ask the person who has won a silver medal in the Olympics.

I sent my friend an email telling her she did good.