Goodbye to a legend - Dan Fogelberg

Hi

Today I sadly read the news that Dan Fogelberg had died.

He was one of my all time favorites. I have finished writing many of my books with his "Run for the Roses" song. It was my theme song for inspiration when I got tired of looking at the book and just wanted to be done. My family would hear it over and over and over and over. They would joke that they knew I was close to being done when they'd hear me do this. When I recently started on my exercise journey, that's the inspiration as well. In fact, throughout life when I needed the inspiration, that was my song.

I'd wake up in the morning to his song "To the Morning." Peace, Joy, Serenity. Often times the stress of the upcoming day would just leave as I listened. If in the afternoon, I was having a bad day, I'd listen. Take 5 and reboot. I'd feel better. He had that power.

I was fortunate enough to see him in concert once. It was the best. This weekend I even thought about it quite often as I prayed to get tickets to Hannah Montana for my daughter. Unfortunately those sold out in 3 minutes. Even though Amber had me practice typing to be quick to order (I type like 160 wpm, but that wasn't fast enough). I'll get it next time. I thought how much that concert meant to me and how much I wanted her to have that experience. I truly had no idea he was even sick.

I remember when I met my husband I had a picture of Dan Fogelberg on my desk at home. For months he wondered "who this guy was." Never asking. I just assumed he knew as often as we talked about and listened to his music. He finally one day said, "are you ever taking that guys picture down." We are now celebrating our 24th Wedding Anniversary Christmas Eve.

For all those who love Dan as much as I did, stop and say hi and leave a comment.

Good bye my friend! - Diana

Discovering Balance in Your Daily Life With The Brain Gym 101 Seminar

Ventura, CA (October, 2007) What does having more balance in life mean to you? It differs for everyone. For some it’s being able to focus more and stay organized on tasks. For others it’s reducing stress and learning how to relax. Yet, for many facing learning and behavior challenges, it can be successfully living with ADD, ADHD or Autism. Wouldn’t it be great to learn how to achieve this in just a few days? You can at the upcoming Brain Gym 101 Seminar in West Palm Beach, Florida. February 1 - 4, 2008. Are you living the life of your dreams? Are you doing the work you love? Are you and your children excited about learning and achieving to your potential? All of this and more are available to you when you have the Brain Gym® Program working for you in your daily life.

If you’d like to discover an easy way to enhance your memory, organization, concentration and creativity, this workshop is for you. The Brain Gym 101 Seminar is an extensive 32-hour event presented by Dr. Paul Dennison, founder of the Brain Gym Program. The workshop is open to new students, Brain Gym 101 graduates, and those licensed Brain Gym instructors looking to further develop their Brain Gym skills. The course is centered on the simple, fast and fun 26-targeted movements that make up the Brain Gym Program. These movements consciously activate the mind/body system to release learning blocks and prepare your brain and entire nervous system for optimal learning. Participants are taken step by step through each movement with the detailed Brain Gym 101 Handbook as a guide.

The course promotes efficient communication between the brain and the rest of the body, increasing play and creativity and alleviating stress as it enhances performance, all ingredients for better balance in your life. The success of Brain Gym can be attributed to its effective movements, and balances, as well as to its addressing the physical skills of learning.

Since the 1980s the field of Educational Kinesiology, the study of movement and its relationship to learning, has touched people of all ages and cultures. Brain Gym has been introduced in homes, classrooms, businesses, and places of learning in more than 80 countries on all seven continents with rapid and often dramatic improvement in reading, writing, language and numerical skills. Many others use the work to profoundly enhance the quality of their attention and concentration, memory and organizational skills, athletic performance, and more. The popularity of brain exercises today supports the positive and dynamic effects of stimulating brain movements.

The workshop also explores the five learning principles central to Brain Gym Work. They include:

1) Draw Out: Intelligence is Inborn

2) Focus: Attention Follows Intention

3) Notice: We Learn What We Actively Experience

4) Move to Learn: Growth Is a Search for Balance, Imbalance a Search for Growth

5) Interconnect: Each of Us Is Affected by Each Other

Come and engage with others who believe movement is the key to whole brain learning and overall better health and well being. For more information please contact Dr. Patty Shackleford at 352.475.3311 or drpatty@pkconceptsinc.com. Stop by the Brain Gym site today to learn more about the Brain Gym Program, http://www.braingym.com. Dr. Dennison’s latest book, Brain Gym and Me: Reclaiming the Pleasure of Learning is available on Amazon and other leading bookstores.

Shop Online This Holiday Season - Free Shipping

Hi

Stop by our site this week for GREAT holiday savings!

Shop Online This Holiday Season With Fabulous Books at Great Prices
Virtual Word Publishing Online Bookstore Has it All

Margate, FL (November 2007) – Shop online this holiday season and with just a quick click of a mouse, get gifts the entire family will enjoy. At Virtual Word Publishing, http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com, find children’s books, matching coloring books and paint by number books, science fiction thrillers, business books, and more. From delightful children’s books like Zip, Burp and Hula, to the fiction thriller, Sledgehammer, readers of all ages will find what they are looking for and so much more. Plus through December 15th, free shipping applies to many selections and Virtual Word Publishing has a large selection of ebooks available as well.

For those entrepreneurs who always wanted to start a business, nothing can beat business and how to books written by Industry Leaders who are walking the walk and talking the talk. For example, Virtual Assistant the Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and the accompanying VA the Series Workbook as well as Corel Word Perfect Office Ready Virtual Assistant Solution Pack is perfect for the work-at-home mom who wants to start a business or the corporate professional who wants to be their own boss. The authors, Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker are also offering the following holiday specials: For the first time ever the Virtual Assistant The Series Workbook will be sold as an ebook (for a limited time only), with an added bonus a 15-minute consultation with either Ennen or Poelker and a coupon for 10% discount on a future coaching session.

Christian and inspirational books, books on marketing and sales, disaster recovery books, cookbooks, e-books, and more are all found in the bookstore as well. But what makes this bookstore unique is that the bookstore offers more than just the books alone. For example, the children’s book, Zip, Burp and Hula comes with a matching coloring book and paint by number book so children can delight in coloring along with the characters of the book. Virtual Assistant the Series comes with a workbook. Virtual Assistant Solution Pack comes with over 70 templates of business forms needed to start a virtual assistant business.

The fiction category features the highly acclaimed Sledgehammer, a gripping medical fiction thriller. This book sets theme in a Los Angeles emergency room where an alert ER doctor detects a potential case of smallpox but must convince the hospital staff and government officials before its too late and terrorists release it into several sports arenas, airports and shopping malls. This book has received numerous five star reviews and begs to ask the question, “What if?”

And for holiday cooking, look to the Bizymoms Cookbook. 151 pages of recipes perfect for holiday cooking as well as yummy desserts, crockpot delights, and meals the whole family will enjoy.

Stop by the bookstore today at www.virtualwordpublishing.com and experience the magic that only a good book can offer. Ennen and Poelker are available for media interviews by contacting diana@virtualwordpublishing.com. Also available are numerous free samples of business templates, booklets, sample cookbook, sample chapters of VA the Series, etc. Email for details.

Cyber Monday Sale At Online Bookstore

Cyber Monday Special at Online Bookstore at Virtual Word Publishing

Start your own virtual assistant business with this Cyber Monday Special ...

For the first time ever (and for a limited time) the Workbook Edition of Virtual Assistant the Series is available as an Ebook -- November 20 - December 1st

Special Also Includes: 15 Minutes of Free Coaching from either Author Diana Ennen or Kelly Poelker - And ... 10% Off Next Coaching Session - $24.95 (Additional coaching not required)

Also on special , 30% off all books in the bookstore at Virtual Word Publishing, at www.virtualwordpublishing.com

Also, please stop by Virtual Assistant Startups at www.virtualassistantstartups.com. We are redesigning it and our forum is operational again as well as our directory. We hope to have our monthly chats coming in January.

Happy Shopping!

Diana Ennen
President, Virtual Word Publishing
www.virtualwordpublishing.com
(954) 971-4025

Virtual Assistants - A New Breed of Work at Home Entrepreneurs

Virtual Assistants – A New Breed of Work at Home Entrepreneurs

According to a 2004 study, the Center for Women’s Business Research reports there are an estimated 10.6 million privately-held, 50% or more women-owned firms in the U.S., accounting for nearly half (47.7%) of all privately-held firms in the country. Astonishing, isn’t it?

It’s the dream of millions to start their own business and utilize their computer to make money at home. Now, with the help of Diana Ennen and Kelly Poelker’s book, Virtual Assistant – The Series, 3rd Edition ($29.95, Another 8 Hours Publishing), it’s a reality! With the latest technologies, the rapid growth of the Internet, and the business community recognizing the benefits of partnering with a qualified virtual assistant, the virtual revolution has begun. And there is no end in sight!

What started out in the 80’s as home-based word processors has grown into what we are seeing today. The local limitations are gone. The boundaries are erased. Modern advancements and the sheer power of the Internet coupled with enterprising, cutting edge entrepreneurs such as these authors have skyrocketed this industry. They know the technology. They have the resources. And they’ve written the book on it! A book so powerful that it’s cited as the “bible” for the virtual assistant industry. Virtual Assistant – The Series is currently used as training material for VA courses including: Red Deer College’s VA Certification Program (in Canada); and other higher level learning organizations and colleges who are recognizing the potential for growth and continued education in the VA industry.

Priscilla Y. Huff, Author of 101 Best Home-Based Businesses for Women, 3rd. rev .ed, states, “It’s more than just a startup manual, it is written by professional virtual assistants (VAs) who combine their knowledge and experience with practical tips from other successful VAs to help ensure your own success in this exciting new venture. Virtual Assistant – The Series is an essential tool for launching one of the most exciting new entrepreneurial ventures–becoming a professional virtual assistant.”

This book leaves no stone unturned. Virtual Assistant – The Series is a complete guide to starting and running a successful and PROFITABLE practice. It covers the nuts and bolts that are the foundation of a successful practice including business and financial planning, bookkeeping, marketing, and setting up a business. Plus it offers information on domain registration, creating a web site, and most importantly, how and where to find clients.

Virtual Assistant – The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA 3rd Edition Revised ISBN # 0-9742790-5-6 is available at Amazon, Borders, and online bookstores everywhere also at www.VA-TheSeries for $29.95 plus $5.00 shipping and handling. (First and second editions published under the title Up Close and Virtual).

Also available is Virtual Assistant the Series Workbook, a must have to complete the set. For a limited time the Virtual Assistant The Series Workbook will be available as an ebook, with a holiday special of 15 minutes free coaching from either author, Ennen or Poelker, and 10% off next coaching session (if requested). Authors are also available for media interviews by contacting Diana Ennen at (954) 971-4025 or diana@virtualwordpublishing.com

Contact:

Diana Ennen
www.virtualwordpublishing.com
(954) 971-4025
diana@virtualwordpublishing.com

Holiday Marketing Magic for New Year Success

Can you believe it’s November already? The holidays are here and then the start of a new year will be upon us. Now is a perfect time to reflect on your business and see if it is all that it can be. Is it running at full speed and do you have all the clients that you need?

If not, it’s time to get those engines moving and start into action before the New Year begins. I know, it’s the holidays and there’s a lot’s going on. But also it’s the perfect opportunity to connect with your clients and get a head start on potential work for next year. You will find that communication is so much easier when you can utilize holiday greetings, holiday goodies, and holiday presents. Holiday gifts and candy will ease the way to a “Hi, how have you been? Send me more business!” Or for those new potential clients, “Hi, how are you—You need ME.”

First, reconnect with ALL your clients and let them know how you appreciate them and perhaps how you can help them with other needs they may not even know you offer. Send a personalized holiday card or greeting. For local clients stop by their office and drop off presents, popcorn tins for the staff and/or their favorite coffee for their afternoon pick-me-up. For potential new clients, drop off a Holiday cup full of wrapped candy with your business card or perhaps get your business name printed on the candy bar.

For all you Virtual Assistants or word processors out there, don’t forget to stop by any small post offices or UPS shops and offer to put your business cards there. Many of these places will add your business card holders directly to the counter. Think how much traffic is going through these places shipping out those presents and what great exposure that can be. And the best news is that they usually do allow business cards with a business card holder. Just think about it, people waiting impatiently in line, pick up your card and BINGO—New Client.

Other tips include:

Ø Read and research new things. So many great promotions are going on now with the holidays and New Year coming. Look to them and see what’s out there and how you can apply it to your business. Take advantage of the teleclasses and seminars that are offered by the pros. Yes, they are going to try and sell you something, but by golly the information you receive will be worth it and you don’t have to buy.


Ø Join Associations: Join the association that you’ve heard about by so many but haven’t made the commitment yet. Start the New Year with a firm commitment to attend at least one engagement a month or more. See what a difference it can make in your business by talking with pros in your industry or networking with businesses, who might utilize your services or products.

Ø Get moving online. Go to the message boards and chats and network. Meet people and introduce you and your business. Offer tips and suggestions and actively be a part of the forum. I’ve been in business since 1985 so this year I will be celebrating 21 years in business. I owe a lot of my success to being active on the boards and letting people get to know me and trust me.

Ø Your Website. Now it can all go to waste if they these potential clients get to your website and see a unprofessional, poorly built, error-ridden, mess of a site. Take a look at your website and see if it is the best that it can be. I constantly update mine at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com to try and provide tips and suggestions for those starting a virtual assisting and also tips on publishing and, of course, our new books in our online bookstore. I know the importance of changing it frequently, so people will come back to see what’s new.

Look to the overall appearance, the professionalism of your wording, the explanations explaining the benefits you provide, etc. In fact, everything in your site needs to convince a client to work with you. Now ask yourself, does it do that? Is this something I can be proud of? Too often we throw together a website, just to have it done. Remember this can often be a client’s first impression of you. Is it selling you well?

So this year as others are shopping and preparing for the holidays, you can instead be preparing your business for the New Year. What a gift that would be for YOU—to start your business off with a bang and lots of new clients you secured in your holiday marketing efforts.

November is a great time to reflect back on the year and plan for the next. Why not plan to make next year, your best one ever! Good Luck and Happy Marketing.

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Diana Ennen, Author of numerous books including Virtual Assistant - The Series: Become a Highly Successful, Sought After VA and Accompanying Workbook; WordPerfect OfficeReady Virtual Assistant Solution Pack, (http://www.corel.com) and Visit Diana at http://www.virtualwordpublishing.com. Diana@virtualwordpublishing.com. Free booklet available on starting a virtual assisting business, as well as other great articles and tips. Feel free to pass this article along as long as the author’s block is included.