The Green Edition

I Didn't Forget About You!

Sat, 19 May 2012 06:52:27 -0400

Hi! It’s me. It’s been a while since we’ve talked but I have been thinking about...

New Book: The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 15:33:54 -0400

New Book: The Three Laws of Performance by Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan

I received this book today from some training at Lenovo. We talked about Performance (or the lack thereof) today. I learned today that the real trick behind meeting the performance goals you set for yourself, personal or professional, is to empower yourself to ‘just do it’.

Take charge of that moment right before you take action (or no action). That point in time is when you decide how you will react, move forward, and decide the very best action to take for yourself. We forget that the decision is ours, and ours alone. You can choose to do nothing, you can choose to do something. Without having read the book, my advice to you, as it relates to performance, is filter the motivation/the occurrence, that sets you in action and make sure it represents the authentic you, the you that meets the brand standards you’ve set for yourself. Yes, you should have your own personal brand standards.

I’ll check back to review the book as I dig in.

34 going on 24

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 08:12:14 -0400

When the planets line up, or all the hard work pays off, or that little angel watching over you does...

Home! Look at that green grass! All the landscaping has been...

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 13:51:22 -0400

Home! Look at that green grass! All the landscaping has been done by yours truly! Still a good amount of work to do. :)

Fortune Cookie Mis-hap Normally I would not admit things like...

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 20:32:16 -0400

Fortune Cookie Mis-hap

Normally I would not admit things like this, but today I ate part of my fortune (yes, the fortune itself) by mistake.

How do you think this will affect the likelihood of my fortune coming true?

Marketing is a Trip! A trip in both senses: a journey and wildly...

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:28:36 -0400

Marketing is a Trip!

A trip in both senses: a journey and wildly fantastic!

But let’s stick with the journey analogy for now. I’ve come across a lot of smart smart people who get stuck when it comes to hammering out a real marketing plan that is dynamic, measurable, descriptive, legible, and revealing. Does this describe you? It’s okay, smarty pants (may I call you smarty pants?), there is a cure. Stop making it so hard, smarty pants! It’s probably the easiest thing to do if you approach it like planning a trip.

Marketing Map:

1. When are you going?

2. How long will your trip be?

3. Where are you going?

4. Why are you going?

5. How are you going to get there?

6. Who is going with you?

7. What are you going to do when you get there?

8. What are you going to put in your suitcase?

9. How much do you plan to spend on this trip?

10. What’s your escape route?

See, it’s a 10 step program. No problem right? Now here comes the fun part, smarty pants, you cannot possibly need the most expensive software, the coolest gadgets, the brightest colors or crazy predictions to make these 10 decisions. You have to just write the plan, based on what you can control and know to be true; understanding that you cannot necessarily control all of the conditions surrounding the trip.

You just have to look for warning signs and adjust accordingly, stay alert and respond quickly, be willing to take a few extra potty breaks, and please gosh, smarty pants, no applying make-up or texting while you’re driving.

In future posts, I will provide more details about each step of the process. You real smarty pants out there are probably thinking this is too simplistic. It’s just simple, that’s all.

Lettuce Pray: I am so in love with my lettuce plants. I have...

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:03:31 -0400

Lettuce Pray:

I am so in love with my lettuce plants. I have already had several salads and man, they taste so fresh and delicious! Sad part, I’ve seen these little red mites crawling on the leaves. What’s up with that? I’ve never grown lettuce, so lettuce pray they make it a little while longer.

Creativator

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 22:20:18 -0400

A creative activist. Someone that fosters an environment most suitable for creative explosion,...

"The difference between being worthless and worth less is space. I do not like either."

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

“The difference between being worthless and worth less is space. I do not like either.”...

Blue Velvet and Acacia Wood Nope, it’s not a sultry slow...

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Blue Velvet and Acacia Wood

Nope, it’s not a sultry slow jam, some cheap cologne or a petite cigar. It’s my two new favorite things at home. Recently, Rick and I invested in a new dining room table and chairs. I’m in love (this includes with Rick). Somehow this new table and chairs makes me feel more grounded and happy at home.

Is it because this is a great new place for our family to connect? Is it because the other table was so wobbly and wiggly? Is it because it really demonstrates a collaboration of design between Rick and me? Is it because I am nearly in my mid-thirties and this is the type of stuff that will excite me from now on?

Regardless of why, I love it. I love it so much I haven’t even sat there yet. I just stare at it.

Fourteen

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:53:00 -0400

Twenty cool years ago I was 14. That year was quite a pivotal point in my life. We will not go into...

They call me the Iron Cupcake! Why, you ask? Well it’s...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 10:42:00 -0400

They call me the Iron Cupcake!

Why, you ask? Well it’s simple, I’m actually pretty sweet but I do not take any crap.

The cupcake pictured is actually a little box. I have cut out a few paper ‘dolls’ and put them in the cupcake. Those are bad people. It’s like voodoo but less scary.

Cute Little Old Men!

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 10:03:10 -0400

[In the center atrium of my office building. I am walking by coming from the mail room] Cute little...

I came out of the house this morning headed to my car and...

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:31:00 -0400

I came out of the house this morning headed to my car and stopped to notice a squirrel (I’m assuming), or two had a little feast on the table outside. I really love that.

It would have been nice if they could have cleaned up after themselves. What, are they wild animals or something?

I must be sick. Right? There is no reason why I should be...

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 12:18:00 -0400

I must be sick. Right? There is no reason why I should be disgusted by my very favorite comfort food, french fries? I stopped off today, I know my healthy friends are shaking their heads at me, to get lunch and ordered my usual. Everything looked the same. Smelled the same. It just didn’t taste the same. I hated my fries. I could only taste salt and grease. No potatoes. Such a sad day when fries aren’t awesome.

Was it my body rejecting the poor quality of the food? Was it my conscience telling me I don’t need this stuff? I must be sick.

What is Your Mission? With a little help from Keith Ferrazzi,...

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:44:01 -0400

What is Your Mission? With a little help from Keith Ferrazzi, author of ‘Never Eat Alone’ I am trying to figure things out. :)

All By Myself! March 13, 2012 was an exceptionally bad day for...

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 16:21:00 -0400

All By Myself! March 13, 2012 was an exceptionally bad day for my company. The executives were forced to lay-off hundreds of fantastic individuals (including some of their own). None of the remaining employees are sure of the fate of the company but I AM sure my girls: Becky, Breann, and Michelle are going to be just fine. I’m the only one left in Marketing, charged with helping to transition the company to “the next phase”, whatever that is.

So, here I am nestled in with the BigMac Computer, Dell Laptop, Monitor, my Iron Cupcake, Amber Elephant, Nickel Elephant, Acorn, and Valentine’s love note. Oh, you can’t see the “soy sauce Miriam”, cupcake ornament, seashell, zebra and flying pig on my desk.

What do you have on your desk at work? What does it say about you? Snap a picture and send a photo reply. Keep it clean, though, okay?

Four Great Lakes - One Great County! It was such a nice day...

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0400

Four Great Lakes - One Great County! It was such a nice day outside, I wanted to be there, in a kayak. Wait, relaxing with a book. No, riding my mountain bike through the park. Fine. It’s too hard to choose.

I know you Wake County natives are naming off quite a few more lakes in the area than those on my list below, but I wanted to highlight four lakes in the Wake County area that are managed by the City of Raleigh Parks and Recreation Department:

1. Lake Johnson: Located off Avent Ferry Road, Lake Johnson Park is composed of a 150+ acre lake and 300+ acres of land surrounding the lake. The lake/park offers boating, picnic shelters , concessions, facility rentals, greenway trails, and a vast array of classes, special events and recreational opportunities for the entire family. Lake Johnson has 3.5 miles of paved greenway trails and 1.9 miles of unpaved trails.

2. Lake Lynn: Located off Ray Road, Lake Lynn is a 75-acre park with a mixture of paved and boardwalk trails and a fabulous Recreation Center. Lots of opportunities to see ducks, geese and turtles sunning on logs. Great for walks, biking, jogging, rollerblading, etc.

3. Lake Wheeler: Located off Lake Wheeler Road, Lake Wheeler serves as Raleigh’s secondary auxiliary water supply, and this 800-acre lake park (650 acres of lake; 150 acres of park and land buffer) has rapidly become a favorite capital city getaway. Powerboats of most types may launch at Lake Wheeler; however, Personal Water Craft (PWC) are not allowed to launch at the Lake. Enjoy the abundance of nature and picnic areas available at the Lake Wheeler Park.

4. Shelley Lake: Located off Milbrook Road, this 53-acre lake/park provides two miles of paved, scenic greenway trails with exercise workout stations. Visitors may enjoy fishing, canoeing, sailing, rowboating, pedal-boating, biking, hiking and picnicking.

Which of the many parks in our area is your favorite?

Yours Truly!

Beth Green

Belts! Belts! Belts!

Sat, 03 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0500

I would have never guessed this time last year that I would own so many colorful belts, well,...

Zombie love! Sadly, my husband, Rick, has gotten me hooked on...

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500

Zombie love! Sadly, my husband, Rick, has gotten me hooked on Walking Dead on AMC. I can’t believe the Season Finale is so soon! Season 2 has been a joy to watch thus far! Can’t wait until this Sunday!