In the USA, Thanksgiving barely gets noticed in the media. This is a holiday that is celebrated in other places in the world so I wonder what attention it gets there. Are you ready for the bombardment of the commercialism already on us for the winter holidays?

It seems here in Virginia at least, we went right from Halloween to Christmas! Hooray for Capitalism, right? But what happened to the tradition of giving Thanks? Why is the media and your corner coffee shop seemingly ignoring a day that could be steeped with thankful traditions that might help us out of the mess that so many countries are in now?

I doubt my sickness of how we celebrate Christmas with all the red, green and glitter, is related to my introvert preference. So I had to do a little research about this ignored holiday. Continue reading this post...

Image by The Shed1 via Flickr

Since I've been decluttering – or clearing clutter – I've been taking notice. Feeling better. More focused. Losing pounds - thank goodness.

First, I have this overall feeling of being freer. Lighter. Moving forward. The weirdest thing is that this is the first time in a long time that I haven't set an end destination yet. I'm actually enjoying the maze like direction. I'm not sure what has taken me so long but I can say the coaching program I am in is a motivating factor.

What about those shedding pounds? Continue reading this post...

Getting more organized has been energizing for this introvert! I've always liked the metaphor that clutter is to our lives like cholesterol is to our bodies: it clogs us up! Starting with our kitchen counter tops put my husband in high spirits – he's a neat, obsessive, extrovert, Virgo around clutter. His desktop and drawers are always neat. One week after my cleaning up, he was still checking in on my office and saying how much he likes it. But one month after my initial clutter cleaning, I am still staying organized. Maybe it's here to stay.

Every night before-clutter-clearing, I would leave my office with my desktop looking like the photo here - or worst. And because I have a bookcase, a credenza, a filing cabinet, and two small shelving units and yes, it also meant that every one of those surface tops in my office was in disarray.

Getting organized and leaving some empty space has proved to be quite a positive experience.

Can I offer a few findings that might, as one of my subscribers who emailed me said, give you that kick in the butt for your cleaning? Or maybe even give you a chuckle? Continue reading this post...

Speaking about collaborating, this article is a collaboration between one of my Canadian joint venture partners, Monique MacKinnon, and myself, Patricia Weber.

Are you a solopreneur or small business owner who is frustrated about being able to increase revenues in this dour economy? Maybe it's about time you give collaborating with others a serious look. It's not just for the online elite or celebrities! Inspired by the article, 50 Benefits Of Joint Venture Marketing, here are the top ten pain in the butt reasons to get your rear in collaboration or joint venture gear: Continue reading this post...