Hi All!
Here is hoping you are enjoying the Holiday Season!
I am excited to announce my second book, just in time for a late holiday gift or an early Happy New Year đ
‘Black Session’ is collection of fictional stories about the Black Experience by a small group of very talented writers and gives you a glimpse into my upcoming novel.
Available for sale HERE!
Enjoy!
So, remember I told you about the fellow âsecret writerâ at my corporate job?
I had bought her book and am very happy to review and promote it here.
The book NINE is a humorous look into the mind of a young woman going through nine months of pregnancy to have her first child.
Pregnancy and birth is such a peculiar experience and is so completely different for everyone. Some women fall right into it. For others, it is not so easy. This is definitely worth investigating and writing about.
Amber, the protagonist, goes through a lot during her experience, causing her to question herself, her relationships and indeed her very existence. This is SO true!
I absolutely love the film and TV references, the cultural diversity (which raises questions of its own) and the wry humor in the midst of all the uncertainty. And of course, being a New Yorker myself, I love when this awesome city plays its own role.
Now we will need to check in on the sequel and see how Amber is coping with motherhood in New York CityâŚThatâs a whole other story.
I also am loving the ebook series, The W Series, this writer has written about an unconventional FEMALE urban superhero working on keeping the streets of New York City safe.
Meet Annalisa Conti
Hi Everyone,
I am so happy and excited to announce the Official Release of my debut novel, It Takes Water.
Since a main character in the book is stricken with breast cancer, we chose to make the event a fundraiser such that all ticket sales would be donated to an organization supporting cancer patients – The Cook For Your Life Organization
We were able to raise $833 through this event.
You can view the invitation HERE
And here are some photos from the event:
Being interviewed by Ann Ogden Gaffney. Founder of The Cook For Your Life Organization
With Jacqueline Tam, the talented artist who designed the fabulous cover of my book.
So, I am at the office chatting with a colleague, who congratulates me on my book and tells me that he has purchased a copy online in anticipation of my Book Release event.
âThank you,â I smile, âI would give you a copy right now if I had a spare, but I only have the one I am about to give to Annalisaâ
âAh, yesâ he replies, âBecause she is a writer tooâ
âShe is?â
âWell, unless her Facebook page is lying, she already has two books to her name?â
âShe does?â I am in total shock, mouth hanging open.
This lady has been extremely excited and supportive about my book, so to think that all along she was a published writer already, has me completely astonished.
As soon as the other colleague leaves, I log into Amazon.com and look up her name.
There she is in a delightful photo, Hey, I donât have a photo on my Amazon profile page yet, I scroll furtherâŚthis girl has THREE novels and a ten part super hero e-book series. WHAT???
I am excited. I am jealous. I am annoyed. Why did she not tell me??? There I was, talking about my self-publishing experience and inviting her to my book release. I felt like a right idiot.
I bought her book on my kindle immediately.
The next morning, I sent her an email – âI have discovered a writer I think you might like. Let me know when I can come over to chatâ. She indicates that she is available, so I walk into her office bubbling with excitement, âI just read this really awesome e-book by a lady writer, I really enjoyed this book. I think you might like it too. Look, isnât this a cool cover picture? Do you know this writer???â I show her the book.
We share a good laugh!
And so began a new side to our relationship. We are no longer just corporate colleagues, no longer just fellow moms to young children, no longer just immigrants loving our New York experience, we have discovered much more in common â we are passionate about stories, we are passionate about Womenâs Stories, we are passionate about telling these stories in writingâŚeven as we show up as our âusualâ selves daily at the office.
We are Secret Writers!
Hats off to Nike for the new Colin Kaepernick Ad and to Goeffrey Owens who was âjob-shamedâ this week.
For both of these men, I say the Nike Ad makes all the sense in the world and should give us something to think about.
Remember the saying âif you donât stand for something, you will fall for anything?â
Unfortunately, these days there are fewer and fewer examples of people who really believe and really stand for something.
Last month, we lost two of Americaâs heroes â Aretha Franklin and John McCain â Heroes because they stood for their beliefs. They did not hide from their responsibilities and they did not cower in the face of opposition.
So here is Colin Kaepernick. He is standing, or kneeling, for what he believes. He is making a statement. He never insulted anyone. Just knelt to make a statement. He didnât rally everyone to do the same. If others wanted to, they did. If they didnât want to, or were too scared to, or were paid not to, they didnât. No matterâŚhe was making his statement loud, clear and fearlessly. He has not played on an NFL team in two years. So yes, he sacrificed âeverythingâ.
But whom should we emulate? Whom should we want our children to grow up to be?
We talk about Martin Luther King and others who paved the way, and yet now when someone stands up for us, we turn away and say ânot meâŚlet others fight this battleâ
Did you see the number of people who marched with MLK? Who is marching with Colin?
Well, Nike decided to. And their stock price fell immediately. People posted videos on Social Media of burning Nike merchandise.
Really?
You are burning your $200 shoes on Facebook because Nike says you should actually believe in something and not just be a follower and mindless consumer?
Guess you just proved that you are. Because if you really thought about it, Nike is a corporation like any other and is making money off of you, the consumer, because you have to be like all the other âcoolâ folks around you wearing Nike stuff. I guess that bit didnât offend you enough to not buy their stuff.
Mindless Consumer!!!
And donât you worry about Nike. This was a calculated risk I am sure, and there is no doubt that they will come back from this. Already, the entire Nike family like Serena, LeBron and Kobe, are rooting for them and for Colin. So, go ahead and burn your shoesâŚyouâll be back at the store soon enough to buy another pair to replace them. Nike will be fine!
And then another âreally smart personâ decides to post a picture of Geoffrey Owens, who played Elvin in the Cosby Show, as he worked the register at Trader Joeâs.
Boy, do I have some unpleasant words to say about this person. But hereâs another famous quote: âwhen they go low, we go high!â
Here again is another man who believes in something enough to sacrifice everything.
Unbeknownst to most people, that is what being an actor/artist entails. People are all too happy to watch TV and movies, to go to concerts, plays and shows, to read books, comics and magazines. But many havenât the first idea how hard it is to create, promote and distribute these pieces of Art.
It is easy to look at the performers, ridicule them and criticize them but there is no thought of how much effort, finance and yes, sacrifice goes into their livesâŚbecause their art IS their life and their livelihood.
A true artist like Goeffrey Owens, a trained Shakespearean actor, is willing to sacrifice the security of a regular 9-5 lifestyle to be able to create, perform and share the beauty and blessing of his God-given talent. And there are so many more like him.
There is no support for the Arts! So we are forced to live in two worlds. And it is not easy.
Show some RESPECT!
And also in Arethaâs wordsâŚYou better Think!!!
So, as I jump off my soap box, even though I am not a Nike shoe wearer myself, I have always loved the slogan âJust do it!â and I absolutely LOVE and support this new campaign; for artists and entertainers, sportsmen and women, politicians and 9 â 5âers, moms and dads, students and teachers, everywhere and everyone, even YOU!!! â
Believe in Something! Even if it means sacrificing everything!!
Just do it!!!
Most of us dread this day and the time leading to this day. We complain about the money we give the government and we complain even more about the process of filing.
And we do this every year. Same way every time. Much like we wait for Christmas to get all excited, we wait for tax season, so that we can complain.
But John Oliver did an awesome piece about the IRS and taxes on last Sundayâs episode of Last Week Tonight on HBO and with the help of a really good sport in Michael Bolton, he made some solid points.
We never think about it, but truly, we need to pay taxes for our government to run and for us to be able to live life as we know it. In fact, if we paid more taxes some things might even be better, but that is a whole other story.
The point is, instead of waiting for tax season to come and then complain bitterly about everything to do with it, why donât we take a new approach and be happy about tax day.
To that end, before letting you enjoy the John Oliver/Michael Bolton skit, I want to give a few tips of my own, to make it a more happy tax time for you next yearâŚ
Happy Tax Day!
And Now ThisâŚ
In honor of Martin Luther King Day, I have decided to finally join the discussion that has set social media on fire. When all the talk began, I was determined to keep silent on this issue. But the other day, while searching for âNewsâ, I was bombarded three times by the Selma-Oh-So-White-Oscar headlines in both digital AND paper media. First of all, I am appalled that this is what we have come to deem as âNewsâ. Secondly, I was finally pushed over the edgeâŚI need to say something!
It is not my intent to push my opinions on anyone. It is not even in my nature to do so. I am only giving my own humble opinion of the matter, maybe just in the hope that it might continue to add dimension to a discussion that seems to be a little too Black and White (pun intended), not enough shades of grey (there are 50 of themâŚanother lame joke LOL)
As a preface, I love historical pieces. I love civil rights movies. I love movies in which slaves overcame in some way or other, sometimes just by surviving. I love films that honor the black struggle and the sheer strength and incredible courage black people have displayed to bring us to where we are today.
Growing up in Nigeria, I devoured television series like North and South, Roots, movies like A woman called Moses and countless documentaries about the civil rights movement in America. I was amazed at what had evolved from the misery and gloom of slavery â talented, well-spoken people like Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis, Harry Belafonte, Diahann Carroll, James Earl Jones, Oprah Winfrey etc etc etc What black person did not want to come to America where black people overcome?
I say all this to say, that I was looking forward to Selma. I was at the movie theatre on opening day not only to see it, but also to support it. And so my chagrin beganâŚ
A lack of support
We got to the movie theatre with a bare 15 minutes to spare before the movie began (meaning before the trailers began). At the box office, I was concerned that we would not get tickets because I had overheard a group of black folks nearby lamenting that something was sold out. But turns out, there were still tickets available. We ran up the 7 flights of stairs worried that we would not get a good seat but when we arrived at the theatre, it was empty but for four people. YesâŚFOUR!!!! I was shocked! In the minutes that followed, before the film began, the theatre only got about half full! I also have to add that the demographic of the audience that was there was predictably predominantly white and older. My husband and I were just two of a handful of the younger black audience.
I was very annoyed! This was the first Martin Luther King biopic. Made by a female director of color. Where was everybody?? Where was the support??
Turns out, they were all in the theatre down the hall watching Annie â Which was SOLD OUT!
Ok fine! Maybe folks didnât want to see a downer on Christmas day, Maybe they had plans to see it later, Maybe they had missed the ten million commercials and posters EVERYWHERE. I am sure they all had a jolly good reason for not supporting black history and black filmmaking. But as the weeks have passed by, looking at the box office numbers, there has not been much of an improvement.
We all hail Martin Luther King, sing songs about him, rap about him, call on his name and his dream every time we feel wronged and yetâŚ.hereâs a film about a big turning point in the civil rights movement andâŚwhere are we now???
Questions Questions Questions
Putting my annoyance aside, I relaxed to enjoy the movie. It was well made, not a bad film, but leaving the theatre, I found myself filled with questions.
I said to my husband as we walked âdo you really think all those conversations happened like that?â
Something in the way the story played, made me question it. Some of the conversations were so on the nose and unlikely sounding, that I just couldnât help but wonder how much of the film was creative license and how much was historical fact. It is expected of course, that we can never know what was really said in certain historical situations, but then the job of the writer is to make it sound real enough to make the audience believe that it could have happened that way. Somehow that did not work for me. I left the theatre with so many questions, when I got home I got on the internet and began researching any and everything about the Selma march.
And so my chagrin grew.
I was extremely disappointed to find out how much of the film was factually inaccurate or incomplete. Things where added for dramatic effect while other things which would have had way more of a dramatic impact by being TRUE, were left out.
Now I was not sure whether to be mad that no one was seeing the film, because I was not sure if they should see a piece of history portrayed inaccurately.
I decided to remain silent about it, because as expected, it would become a discussion of black vs white and of LBJ vs MLK, which it did, and which it did not need to be. It is a simple matter of artistic choices which did not necessarily work for the film or for history.
Personally, I would have preferred a more honest portrayal. It would make Martin Luther King no less of the hero than he is and always will be.
And all this talk of not wanting to have a âwhite saviorâ in the film is hogwash. The reality is that we live in a country that is predominantly white, and especially in the time of Dr. King, the law was completely run by white folks, so guess what? You are not going to be able to do it on your ownâŚ.yesâŚyou DO need the âwhite saviorâ, exceptâŚthat is the name you have given himâŚthat is not what he is. He is a partner! A helper! Same as all the white people that came to join the march and any other white folks that supported the cause. Are we going to deny their help just because they are white?
Needless to say, the inaccuracy of the film led to a lot of controversyâŚbut that was just the beginning.
Reviews and Critics
Before the movie opened nationwide, it had a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. However, when I saw it, I questioned that rating. Yes it was a decently made movie but 100%??? No way. And the more I thought about the film after seeing it, the more I disliked it.
The main problem with the film is that the script is not strong enough. It needed a great deal of tightening. Conversations, speeches and scenes dragged and felt cumbersome. Dialogue was heavy and on the nose. It was so unsubtle and in your face, it felt unreal. Like in the scene when J. Edgar Hoover was telling President Johnson that they could âsilenceâ Dr. King or âget to his wife…since there are already problems in the marriageâ. It just sounded ridiculous.
And there were way too many conversations anyway. Long, drawn-out, un-necessary for the story. They just slowed the story down way too much.
Scenes seemed to be thrown in for no strong reason, like Martin Luther King waking up Mahalia Jackson in the middle of the night to hear her sing to him over the phone. Really? You want to show me a man of faith and this is all you could come up with? Or what about the opening scene showing the famous church bombing killing four girls in Alabama? Yes, we know this was a tragedy but that was a whole other story happening in 1963, years before the Selma march. The bombing was not even mentioned again until later in the movie during Dr. Kingâs speech at Jimmy Lee Jacksonâs funeral. In other wordsâŚit had nothing to do with the story at hand and if it did, it was not clearly shown. The movie could just as well have opened with the scene of Oprah playing Annie Lee Cooper, a woman who was rudely denied her right to vote. That felt real and was the basis of the whole darn march in Selma anyway.
Other scenes felt too staged for my liking, even the scene when James Reeb, the young minister from Boston was beaten by Klan members which should have had a profound impact. Little digression here, interesting fact; the minister died later after he had to be driven 2 hours to the nearest hospital in Birmingham after being turned away from the public hospital in Selma. Thatâs how bad it was in Selma. How is that for dramatic effect?
The wicked white men, were just that – wicked white men. They, like most people in the film, were so one dimensional, they felt like caricatures. Of course we know white men really did treat black people in the most evil of ways in those days, but the movie could have added some depth to make it a little more human. Even the vilest person you can think of has another side. Human nature is complex in that way. Look at 12 years a Slave – Michael Fassbender’s character. Evil! But layered! Not the same way all the time. Showed vulnerability, jealousy, fear, even love. A complete human, no matter how wicked.
I personally did not feel that the supporting characters were properly introduced, I realize there were many, but if they were important enough for a little blurb to be written about them at the end of the movie, then we should have known who they were during the movie. For example, I did not realize who Andrew Young was till the end of the movie.
It felt to me as though everyone of import had their chance to do some kind of a monologue. So the movie felt like it just moved between monologues and you just had to wait till the next person had their turnâŚlike Coretta eventually got her moment when she responded to the recording the FBI had sent them of Martin Luther King supposedly making love to another woman. Too stagey!
And even though some people feel that this movie took a closer look at the relationship between Martin and Coretta, I felt that it was not strong enough. To me these scenes felt rushed and flushed over. At the risk of repeating myself – no depth.
I have too many complaints about this film to give it 100%. Itâs more like a 60% to me. And much of that score is thanks to the good performances given by the ensemble cast.
I am a fan of David Oyelowo and I was thrilled that he was going to play this role. I thought this would do for him what Ray did for Jamie Foxx. But alas, Selma is no Ray. David is an excellent actor, but he did not have enough to work with here. Apart from being a great orator, he did not have a chance to really show the depth of the man. Like I mentioned when speaking about the wicked white men, his character was somewhat one dimensional. I guess we were supposed to take his implied infidelities as layers to his character? or maybe his blurting out that Coretta seemed enamored when she supported Malcolm X was supposed to add color? Well, if that is the case, the movie did not do a good job of it. Just briefly touching on it here and there and mostly from Coretta’s point of view. We still did not get to know how he really felt or what he really did. No, not enough to work with.
Selma was not an awful film, it was good, I just wish I could love it more.
And along came Oscar
And now we really got the controversy wheel turning. The âSo-White Oscars snubbed Selmaâ!!!
I canât believe we are having this discussion. Instead of realizing that maybe the film is not as strong as some may think, we immediately play the race card and accuse the Oscars of discrimination and exclusion.
One article pointed out that this will be the whitest Oscars since 1998. Okay, so I guess all those white Oscar people must have been sitting around all those years just waiting for a chance to NOT nominate a black film. Ludicrous!
Some say âNo blacks were nominatedâ-False! Selma was, after all nominated for best picture and last time I checked John Legend and Common were still Black.
So is the complaint that Selma did not get more nominations? Or that there are not more films being nominated. Well, to address the second questionâŚwhat other films should have been nominated? Ride Along? Fact isâŚthere are not that many good black films being made, seen and supported enough for us to have more contenders. How about we start there? Support these talented black filmmakers who are telling wonderful stories that are just not getting told.
As to Selma getting more nominationsâŚ.for what? Screenplay? Directing? Performance?
As the saying goes, âyou can make a good screenplay into a bad film, but you cannot make a bad screenplay into a good filmâ It all starts with the screenplay, and unfortunately the Selma screenplay is not nearly strong enough. And with that, a lot of the other things fly out the window.
Ava DuVernay did what she believed was best for the film, and I, for one, am ecstatic to have a black woman directing a film of such caliber, but just the fact that she is black or a woman is not enough to garner a nomination. The work has to speak for itself. It needs to be “great” or at the least “very good” to be nominated, not just “good enough”. No matter! Ava has made it into the big league. She has a career ahead of her. We rejoice with her for that.
Performances? These were killed by the screenplay. Like I said before, David Oyelowo could have been great, if heâd had more to work with other than just being a gifted orator.
Before we all cry wolf, it is important to understand the Oscar rating and voting system to understand how movies are chosen for nominations. If we would do our homework better, we would save ourselves a lot of misplaced aggravation about racism. I believe that even Dr. Martin Luther King would seek to understand it better before he called a meeting to discuss Oscar racism as Rev. Sharpton is doing. We are too ready to jump on the band wagon the media builds for us before really asking where it is heading or what it involves. So the Huffington Post (which I usually love) and many other outlets declare the Oscars are too white and take the Black anger upon themselves to promote and they rile up everyone else so that once again we have a black vs white discussion. But before all the followers began to follow, did we look up what films there were to choose from? Did we watch every film and break it down by art and craft to determine which was the better film? Did learn what directing is and why a person would be voted as being a good director? Did we look up the Oscar Preferential Voting System (Google it! – there are several articles out there) to understand how all this works? Of course we didn’t! We just did what they knew we would do, What we have been programmed to do – join in the uproar and shout “RACE!” We need to learn to do our own homework and think for ourselves. Not the Media, nor the government, nor our black leaders should be doing the thinking for us.
People please!!! Deciding what film to nominate is a lot more subjective and a whole lot less serious than judging whether a policeman used inappropriate force against an innocent man. Let’s not make this subjective entertainment matter as serious as Ferguson or Staten Island.
Jennifer Aniston did not get nominated for her performance in Cake which everyone said was Oscar worthyâŚ.oh, but sheâs whiteâŚso thereâs no controversy in that.
Unbroken was touted as an Oscar contender when it came out â But nope, did not get the Oscar nod! But then that was a white Angelina JolieâŚso who cares? Right?
Look, I am not naĂŻve enough to think that race never comes up. This is America after all, EVERYTHING is tarnished by race.
Last year, 2014 we had ample black Oscar nominations – Chiwetel Ejiofor, Barkhad Abdi, Lupita Nyong’o, Steve McQueen…And guess what? 12 years a Slave actually WON Best Picture!!! And Lupita won best actress!!
Chiwetel’s performance as Solomon Northup was totally deserving of best actor, but I don’t recall everyone up in arms calling racism when Matthew McConaughey won instead.
Steve McQueen could have had best director over Alfonso Cuaron. But where was Al Sharpton then???
Oh, I get it….Hollywood is racist when the film WE want is not accepted as good enough (i.e.Selma) but at other times it’s not so racist?!?!
My dear people, it is not ALL about race, we need to accept that sometimes it actually has a lot to do with quality? Do we want to be handed Oscars based on race? Or based on being the best?
Selma got nominated as best picture, Yay! We should rejoice at this triumph. It is not likely to win!
The song Glory was nominated as Best Song and will most likely win, not because it is black, but because it is truly the best song.
And that is the way Dr. King would have wanted it. Dr. King would have wanted a black film to actually BE the best film to be voted as such. Dr. King would encourage us to support each other, to support our black talent, to make better, stronger films.
Instead of calling out the âOh-So-White-Oscarsâ, letâs come together and build up and lift up new black talent. Letâs support our films, help out when we can and put an end to the crab-in-the-barrel syndrome so common among people of color. We have come a long way, but have a long way yet to go. But the great news is that we will get to Dr. King’s proverbial mountain top.
And as we make our way, hereâs something to add to the soundtrack of our journey, Glory by Common and John LegendâŚ
And after that, if you have not already done so, go see Selma – show your support for Black Cinema where it matters – in Dollars!
Ok, and it is in this very way, that the “legitimate excuses” of life begin to sneak in against your resolve.
Today is day 3 of my 30 day “Back in the Saddle” quest for a healthy life style challenge. And already, I see the disasters.
On day 1, I went to the gym…as I documented in my last post.
On day 2, my muscles somewhat sore, and having received a little bad news about a financial situation, I opted for bed instead of the gym.
Today, Day 3, I have been gong ho all day, ready to head for the gym after putting the kids to bed. But lo and behold….I had forgotten that it was my mother-in-law’s birthday, and she was being taken out for dinner by the family.
So I planned…”fine…I will have only a salad at dinner, and then go to the gym after”
Great Plan…Greater problem…did not organize child care!!!
So guess what? I am home babysitting! I am not at dinner and I am not at the gym.
Sigh!
Well, at least I am here writing. That’s a good commitment to keep too đ
And I am very happy to share that I have a few beautiful women who are taking this challenge with me. I am very excited about this. And for their benefit, because I allowed myself to be distracted since announcing the challenge, I am hitting the RESET button and we are going to officially start again!
Remember, the first goal is to simply work out for 30 minutes, 3 times a week!
No pressure about what to do, just do something! You could take a brisk walk for all I care, just MOVE!!!
OK, so the countdown is on. Let’s do this!
Join the challenge with me on Facebook HERE!
I did the NYC half Marathon earlier this year. Right afterwards, I gave myself a “well-deserved” break from working out that lasted two weeks. Looking back now, I donât think that was such a good idea. I think I could have taken a break for a day or two, but no more, because that two week break stretched into months and now we are in November and looking back I can see that I totally fell off. I have gained back 15 of the 25 pounds I lost, a few unwelcome health issues have resurfaced, and I cannot see myself running what used to be my usual 3 miles talk less of a half marathon.
SoâŚ.itâs time to get back in the saddle.
Early on this fine Sunday morning, I took myself to the gym. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill and ended with some weight training. It was a quick and simple start, so as not to overdo it, and I have to tell you, it felt SO good. I honestly LOVE working out. I asked myself how could I possibly have stopped doing this???
No matter what is going on in life, no matter how tired I may be, no matter what “legitimate” excuses may continue to present themselves, Working out has GOT to become a NON-NEGOTIABLE in my life!!!
The reason I fell off is just the usual, age old, plain and simple lack of discipline, but the reason I could allow that to happen, was because of another favorite subject matter of mine: Goals!
With the race behind me, I no longer had a goal to work towards. And apparently, the exhilaration that working out elicits was not a strong enough goal to keep me going. Shame!
So I need a new goal. But the point is, my ultimate goal is a complete life style change. I donât only want to run and work out when I am preparing for a race, I want to be living that healthful life style ALL the time. Like I said, I want working out to be non-negotiable.
So how do you set that as a goal? It is so big, so vague, so âforeverâ. And we know that Goals have to have a specific time line and be measurable. So how do I set a goal like that?
I have mentioned this in an earlier blog post: Chunking!
Break the big goal down into little bits â bite sizes â Chunks!
So here is my new goal. I am going gently ease myself back into the working out healthy life style over the next 30 days.
And all I have to aim for is to commit to work out for a minimum of 30 minutes, a minimum of three times a week. 30 minutes 3 times a week.
Thatâs it!
It canât get more chuck sized than that.
I am not getting into details of how much weight I need to lose, what and what I need to eatâŚor not, how many pounds I need to be lifting, what speed I need to be running or how many miles.
All that will come later. (And probably sooner since I am not a total rookie to this stuff â you can always adjust as you go) For now, all I need to do, is know that I am making a decision, I am making a commitment and I will work out 30 minutes, 3 times a week.
And the wonderful thing about the mind is that, once the decision is made, and action is taken, the feelings begin to follow, and once that happens, the mind continues in this direction and before long, you know that you know that you are achieving your goal, even before you actually see it. And soon enough, you WILL succeed and your goal will be yours.
My healthy lifestyle will be mine đ
If you would like to, you are welcome to follow or join me on my month- long quest.
Send me a private message and letâs make it happen.
Hereâs to our success.
When I started in the world of entrepreneurship, I paid my investment and said to myself ânow I am going to make some money!â
Months went by. I attended every meeting, actively participated in every teleconference, bought leads and called them diligently and even traveled to Orlando for our convention.
I was with that company for about two years before the company changed names and leadership and I left. I never made a sale, I never made a dime. And I had invested so much money, that I actually had to consolidate my credit.
One of the biggest lessons, I learned from that experience, was that you have to be a product of the product.
Sure, we all get into business because we would like to earn a little more than our usual paycheck, but if all you are thinking about is the money, chances areâŚyou are not going to make any.
You need to be able to explain why your product is useful. Not in a sleazy salesman kind of way, but honestly. And the only way you can do that is to use the product yourself.
Personally, I donât believe in representing anything I do not believe it myself. For one thing, I am a terrible sales person. I need to really know what I am talking about and really believe in it and then I don’t need to do any convincing at all. I am just naturally excited about it.
I believed in the product my company was selling, but I had never âexperiencedâ it.
So when I told people about it. I would try to rush over the details and get to the money part as quickly as possible. But I felt weird about the money too, because I was not totally convinced it was worth it since I had not experienced it. In short, I sounded dishonest.
Many of us shy away from business because we are afraid to âsellââŚ.but itâs not that daunting when all you are really doing is telling people about a great product YOU use, YOU trust and YOU believe in. You do that every day anyway.
âhey, did you see that last episode of Scandal?â â you just âsoldâ a TV show
âOh I just love the banana pudding at Magnolia Bakeryâ â you just âsoldâ the bakery AND the banana puddingâŚwhich I DO love by the way đ
So, if you are already in the business, make sure you know what it is you are representing. Take a look around your websites and Product Pages, USE the product, do you love it? You need to be your best customer.
So this is my rule number one. No matter what business you are in,
You need to be a product of the product!!
Susan Olupitan - Storyteller 