Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teamwork. Show all posts

Monday, May 12, 2008

Donating Blood

Are you afraid of needles? Admittedly, there are different sizes of these, and some just look HUGE! Maybe it is the size or maybe the temporary pain that makes people afraid of them. There are things a person can do to get through this fear in order to donate blood. So, how do you become a hero if you are afraid of needles? I do not know if I can really answer that in a way to calm the fears of someone terrified of needles. Maybe it is just an issue of mind over matter. I tell myself I am doing it to help people, as one donation can save as many as three lives. It is not something I need to do on a very regular routing. You can give six times in a year, as you are only eligible to give every 56 days. So what is an hour of my time if someone needs my help? I am not going to be losing the blood for long, as the body quickly replaces it. It only takes an hour to give – less than 10 minutes for the actual donation. I have enough to share, as the average adult body contains 10-12 pints and you are only giving up one.

There are several blood types: A, B. AB, and O. There is also the negative or positive aspect. Type O blood donors are a critical member of the life-saving team. It is the most common blood type, so it is also the most in demand. If you are O-positive, more than 1/3 of the population can be transfused if they have O-positive, A-positive, or B-positive. If you are O-negative, you have the universal blood type. In emergencies, this means your blood can be transfused to anyone, regardless of their blood type. As a Type-O donor, you can save more lives in more ways than any other blood types, so you are what is refereed to as a her"O" (hero) donor. Actually, anyone who donates blood is a hero to anyone who needs it.

The American Red Cross is a wonderful organization that comes to people’s rescue in the time of need. This can be in the time of disaster, casualties, diseases, or sickness. Thankfully, because people donate blood to the American Red Cross on a volunteer basis, there is a blood bank from which patients can get what they need in either quantity or blood type. Because of certain diseases, a person may require a full transfusion – it is there for that. Blood loss from an accident or surgery may require several pints – it is there for that.

There is a 97% chance you know someone who will need a blood transfusion. Every 2 seconds is how often someone in America needs blood. So next time you see the ad for the American Red Cross wanting your help to save lives, please consider doing it. Just take a deep breath when you arrive, tell yourself it is for a good cause, tell the assistant it is your first time and that you are nervous (they will help calm those fears) and just look the other way when they are ready to insert the needle. You will be surprised how much difference that can make. It is like having a honeybee or wasp land on you. If you don’t know they are there, you do not know when (or if) they are going to sting. But if you start freaking out, even when they just start swarming around you, you tend to tense up and get scared, and it makes things so much worse.

Donating blood is a good example of teamwork. I look at it with this analogy comparing it to my online business that I can work from home:
Patient + donor + Red Cross = blood for those in need
Mentor + help + Internet = success for building an online business

Either way you look at it, teamwork is what makes either of these scenarios work.

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.
www.InternetToWealth.com

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Prom and Post-Prom

Not all schools have continued the tradition of prom towards the close of the school year. It is a last chance for the juniors and seniors to have a formal event together before the seniors graduate. In our school, a few sophomores are included because they are there as servers for the banquet meal. The classmates, and dates if they have one, are adorned in gorgeous prom dresses and elegant tuxes. The girls wear accessories that compliment their outfit such as shoes, jewelry, a purse, and a beautiful hairdo. Both boys and girls sport corsages and boutonnieres to complete the look.

Our four sons went to both their junior and senior proms, but they did not take a date. They were content to go by themselves, as did some others, just to have a good time together. Several of our boys were even a little contrary to the typical prom clothing. A tux coat was only rented for one of the eight proms attended. That was by the oldest boy who realized that in his opinion it was a waste of $50. He voiced that opinion to his brothers and none of them bothered with that attire when they attended. (That particular son did get married five years later in a full tux though!) So the rest of the boys just dressed in a nice pair of slacks and dress shirt and tie. But two of our sons prefer the western look, so they went in new jeans, a western shirt, and cowboy boots and hat both of their years. A few of the adults at the prom did not think their attire was appropriate, but they looked very sharp, and it was more dressy than the one who showed up in the camouflage look!

Our prom festivities include the meal, the dance or socializing (by playing cards or games and visiting, which is what our boys did instead of dancing) and then the post prom. The kids are given one hour from the time the dance is over to show up for post-prom for lock-in until 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. Alcohol is absolutely not tolerated in any way, and they will not be admitted to post-prom if there is any evidence of consumption between the two events. For about four hours the kids are divided into teams and compete in fun games. They try to have a different theme each year – a few being bowling, Wild West, casino, and boot camp. Kids realize they can have a lot of fun without the influence of alcohol. At the end of post-prom, the juniors and seniors each receive a gift bag full of stuff and a sizable gift card ($100 for seniors and $50 for juniors) that are donated by area businesses, which can be spent at the place of their choice.

The kids usually have a lot of fun just being together and getting to stay up late without parents complaining. And the parents are either at the post prom helping with the festivities or home in bed knowing the kids are safe because they are locked in to an alcohol-free environment with adult supervision. The kicker comes the next day though in trying to get caught up on sleepJ Our school had it’s last prom and post-prom this year, as we are consolidating with another neighboring school starting the next school year. Hopefully the kids will always have fond memories of our prom celebrations.

Prom and post-prom remind me of my Internet business in several ways.
It takes a lot of work to get them kicked off and keep them running smoothly.
This means teamwork – having people willing to do what it takes.
Even though it takes a lot of work, time is made for fun at the end as a reward.
You develop friendships that can last a lifetime.
You may have lost some sleep in getting in accomplished, but it is worth it in the end!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Saturday, April 19, 2008

Genealogy Nuts

Quite a few years back, I took an interest in my family’s genealogy. When I got married I took an interest in my husband’s genealogy. Then when we started having kids, I started wondering where some of their features and traits were coming from. I decided it was time to do some serious "tree climbing" and just find out what was out there on those branches.

I was so thankful that time I was ready to do this little venture that many people had already done research and posted it on the Internet to share with others. That saved me a whole lot of time and effort, and they don’t know how much I appreciate it. I already had as far back as our great-treat grandparents on both sides of the families and farther yet on some lines. Fortunately, others that had posted information on the Internet came from at least a twig or leaf from the same tree and could be traced back to the same branch as ours.

So just who were some of the "nuts" I found in our trees? The four trees I researched were Barnes, Patterson, Dougherty, and Winchell. I was rather impressed to find that I had such a notable person as Samuel Chapin, who came to America in 1635. Most people do not recognize that name, but he was portrayed as a statue in the history books as "The Puritan." The famous statue stands in Springfield, Massachusetts, of which he was one of the founders of that city. Henry W. Longfellow wrote a poem about an inn entitled "Tales of a Wayside Inn." Located in Sudbury, Massachusetts, this was originally known as Howe’s Tavern from 1716 to 1861 and was owned by David Howe – one of my ancestors. Along with the good comes the bad. There was a second wife to one of my greats that was burned at the stake in 1655 in Windsor, Connecticut after being accused of being a witch. At least she wasn’t a blood relative – just married to one of mine! And then there was a rumor passed down through the generations, but with no substantiated proof, that there was a horse thief in the family that was hung. I could have done without knowing that distasteful piece of history, but I guess we all have skeletons in our closets!

I started researching my husband’s lines and of course he had to outdo me. I found he was related to lots of royalty – yes, kings, queens, princesses, dukes, duchesses, and knights. I couldn’t believe who I was digging up. It started unraveling when I came across an ancestor by the name of Maud D’Aubigny. This was where it all started tying in to the royalty. Maud’s granmother was Adelicia Princess of Brabant, whose grandfather was Henry II, whose great-grandfather was Berenger II, King of Italy, and his great-great-great-grandfather was Henry I "The Fowler" King of the Germans. Some of the other notables in my husband’s tree are: Charlemagne, Charles the Great, Pepin the Short, Pepin I, Clovis, Baldwin V, Charles "The Hammer" Martel, Louis I and II, Charles II, Thor of Troy, Alfred the Great, Henry I King of England, William I, Charles III King of France, Claudius II King of France, Edward I "The Elder" King of England, Pompey The Great, Julius Caesar, Constantine Emperor of Rome, Claudius Nero King of Rome, Marcus Aurelius Emperor of Rome, and many other kings of England, France, Ireland, Denmark, and Troy. Researching back from these kings, some of this information must have been fairly easy to acquire, as kings and queens had to have proof of their lineage to be able to take the throne. Consequently, some of these families were traced back to biblical times, of which a lot of that is then recorded in the Bible.

I had to laugh though at three of his ancestors that I found, which most people think are fictitious characters. They are Old King Cole (Coel "Old King" King of Britian), Conan the Barbarian, and Lady Godiva. Those have made some interesting conversations! I did find I had some Sir Knights on my side of the family, so I tell my husband that we had people protecting his royal people!

I haven’t had as much time to work on our genealogies as I would like, but it is definitely one of my passions. On thing I can recommend to others is to get a list of your ancestors as far back as possible to have to pass on to your children and grandchildren. Also try to include as much information as possible, such as date and place of birth and death, same information on spouse along with marriage date and place, and a listing of their children with as many details as possible for them. Try to keep it updated with current information. You never know when someone in your family may get a hankering for tracing out the family tree and that information would be a gold mine to them. Or you may decide to do some digging for yourself after reading this to see just who YOU are related to. If you do, you will find there are many sites out there on the Internet that can help you with your search. If others have submitted information you can use, that’s teamwork – just like I have for my online business. Happy tree climbing and nut hunting!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to ean money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

What's the New "BUZZ" on the Internet?

Honey, according to the dictionary definition, is a sweet sticky yellowish fluid made from nectar. Honeybees are what carry the nectar to the beehive where it is stored in a honeycomb.

Rumors and speculations have been flying about like honeybees about the next thing to hit the Internet that’s comparable to Microsoft and Google. Ground level members had been sworn to secrecy about all the details that had been revealed to them until it officially launched on April 1, 2008. The joke was made about that being April Fool’s Day, but the joking response was that only fools would not see this tremendous income business opportunity. Admittedly, Internet marketing is not for everyone, but for those who know how powerful it can be, they will not want to miss out on taking a look. By watching a webinar via the Internet and being on a conference call, we members now have the answers to why we had been sworn to secrecy. Wow! This business has got to be the best thing since sliced bread! See what the "BUZZ" is all about that is bringing people to it like bees to honey! We offer a team of business leaders that are willing to help people get their online business going. They WANT people to succeed! This business is the most advanced duplicatable cash-generating system on the Internet!

I like to look at this with this comparison:
Business (honeycomb) + people (honeybees) + teamwork (beehive) = money (honey)

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

What's That Smell?

I was recently visiting with a lady that mentioned a problem she was dealing with, and I gave her a couple of suggestions. She said, "Well, you should write a book of your household hints!" I don’t have enough hints to publish a book by any means, but I am more than happy to share them with people. These three hints concern getting rid of odors.

1. To keep your trash from stinking, don’t throw food scraps in it. Instead, put them in a disposable container (like a cottage cheese carton) if it has liquid in it so you don’t run the risk of clogging up the kitchen sink. If it is more of a solid form (and this includes bloody meat wrappers), place it in a plastic grocery sack. Either of these temporary trash containers can then be put in the freezer until your trash goes out that week. No more stinky trash!!!

2. When preparing fresh fruits and vegetables to eat, there is some waste that goes in the trash or down the garbage disposal. Rather than doing that, try keeping a small plastic bucket under the kitchen sink to throw those scraps in. If you plant a garden, this makes wonderful compost material to put in it. Just think – no stinky trash, less work on the garbage disposal, and a benefit for your garden. Just remember to empty the bucket with regularity or it will become stinky. If you don’t have a garden to dispose of the waste, just put it in the bag in the freezer mentioned in hint number 1.

3. Dry coffee grounds work wonders for absorbing odors. I specifically use these to sprinkle in my puppy crates that have a wire grate over the removable waste tray. The coffee grounds absorb the waste products so you don’t smell that horrible distinctive odor when they eliminate, but rather you get a burst of coffee smell that reaches your nose throughout the house. Use your imagination for dry coffee grounds as an odor eliminator. They can even be sprinkled on carpet and left set to absorb odors and then vacuumed up. Coffee can be good for something besides drinking!

The freezer, the garden, and the dry coffee grounds. This is what I call diversification and teamwork. If one doesn’t work, try something else. Those are also two principles I use in my online businesses. My Mentors4U team and I can help you to diversify your income. We are business leaders that are willing to help people get their online business going. We WANT people to succeed!!!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Killer Dust Balls!

When I was growing up, my mom gave me the regular task of dusting the house. Because I did this so often, I got to where I absolutely despised that chore. I would rather wash a stack of dishes six feet high than get out that dust rag. I asked her once why I always got that job and she said it was because she didn’t like to do it!
Once I left home and was out on my own, I did not do this chore with nearly as much regularity. One day when my mom stopped by my house, she called attention to the fact that I had quite the layer of dust covering my furniture. I just looked at her and asked, "You know why I leave that on there don’t you?" She gave me a funny look as if she couldn’t imagine there could be a reason and asked, "Why?" I said, "Well, because it’s a protective coating for the furniture."
I know my mom couldn’t believe I had come up with some lame excuse like that. As long as it was undisturbed, you didn’t really notice it. But with having four little boys, they naturally thought it was as fun to draw in the dust as it was on foggy car windows. I just couldn’t see much sense in dusting because it seems like all you are doing is wiping it off and the next thing you know it is right back on there. I don’t think you ever actually get rid of it – you just rearrange its location.
It wasn’t too far down the road that my mom brought me a little present to hang on the wall that she had done in counted cross-stitch. Amongst five gray pompoms she had glued on were the words – "This house protected by KILLER DUST BALLS!" I had to laugh, but I display it proudly!
Keeping the dust at bay is something I try to do for my online businesses however. It’s best to keep them polished and running smoothly. If I don’t, they soon don’t function properly. I also have a mentoring team that helps me keep my businesses polished. As with their help, whenever my mom would get out another dust rag and assist me, it didn’t seem like near the chore to accomplish as it did when I was doing it by myself. Teamwork does make a difference!

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to earn money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/

Construction Zone Ahead

With four little boys and all their toys, it didn’t take us long to realize that we had outgrown the house we had originally purchased shortly after we got married. The boys were doubled up in bunk beds, and there was no room under them for dust bunnies because that area was used for storage for all their "stuff." There was one closet in the whole house and it was totally full. When the boys were ages 2, 4, 6, and 8, we decided it was time to put on an addition to the house and remodel the original part of it, so we started drawing up house plans. We also knew there was no way we could afford to do what we had planned if we hired it done because of the cost of labor, so we knew it was up to us to make it happen with our own hands. We knew it would take time, as my husband had a full time job to work while doing it. We also did not want to go into debt, so to save money we advertised for used lumber. We ended up tearing down seven buildings on an old farmstead. We traveled about 34 miles round trip almost daily to accomplish the demolition project. We hauled the lumber all home and went through the grueling work of pulling nails out of the boards. Just before winter hit, we accomplished the feat of having it all sorted, stacked, and covered with tarps to protect it through the winter for the beginning of our huge project in the spring.

The hole for the basement was dug in March and then we got spring rains, which slowed down plans. Once we got momentum, we were able to get the 30’ x 40’ two-story addition up and enclosed before winter hit again. This also included getting a new roof put on the old part of the house and tying it in to the new roof over the addition. That was an experience in itself with a month’s work getting the old roof off, new rafters up, sheeting on, and shingled. Luckily, there was only one really bad rainstorm that came through in that month. My husband was in the attic area trying to hold tarps in a way to make a trough or funnel for the water to flow down to keep it out of the house during 50 mph winds. I was inside the house running around with butter dishes, cottage cheese cartons, and ice cream buckets, trying to catch any leaks that were making its way into our living quarters. What a nightmare!

Once the addition was on, we were able to work inside from then on out. We worked on the upper story first to complete it. That was followed by the lower story. Our boys now had their own bedrooms and closets for all their "stuff." We even had one room designated as a playroom where they could drag out their toys to play with and not have them strung throughout the house. Next on the list was remodeling the original structure of the house, which was close to 100 years old. We had to hang tarps or blankets for dust and dirt control at the openings into the addition. Taking down the old lath and plaster from the walls and ceilings was such a disgusting job. There was dirt that had remained from the "Dirty Thirty’s" dust storms in Kansas. We put drywall back up and painted as we worked our way through the house. The kitchen was the last room to be done, as it required the most work with installing new cabinets and countertops. Last on the list was putting down all the flooring in the house. We had not done any of that yet so we didn’t have any of that dirt tracked across it. Then at 3 ½ years from the time the hole was dug for the basement, to the final stroke of the varnish brush on some trim around the doors and the baseboard, we could officially say, "It’s DONE - all 3,760 square feet of it!!!!! We have a new house!"

What an experience it was to help build and remodel our home. Believe it or not, I actually learned to swing a pretty mean hammer with the rest of the crew – which was basically my husband and my father. I even finished shingling three roof slopes out of four by myself while my husband was at work. I did not want to have a "chase the rain" game again. Once of that was enough! I often compare that whole construction experience with that of my online business. Both require planning, setting a goal, lots of work, and continual maintenance. Just as a house will not build itself or be free of the need for personal attention, neither will an online business. It also takes team work in both cases to make it happen, and that is something my business offers with a great mentoring team to help people succeed.

Author: Linda Dougherty
Specializes in working with people to show them how to market effectively to ean money online.

http://www.internettowealth.com/