This blog post is dedicated to Tim Storey, a Life Coach and Motivational Speaker who just released the new book, The Miracle Mentality. I read an article about him that began with his experience at church hearing the wails and prayers of those at the altar when he was just a boy. He talked about how mesmerized he was. Being drawn to the altar along with the many others who were there receiving their healing. He mentioned that amazement must've dawned his face completely because the pastor pointed out, "Little Timmy Storey finds this fascinating." And the congregation responded in laughter.

But little Timmy just took it all in. He was standing there with about a dozen people who believed they'd received their Miracle that day. And he did too. In the article he really clung to education, observation, and conversation as the linchpins for this innate ability he calls, The Miracle Mentality. I totally agree with him.

I found as I read through, he was right. With the education we receive (public, private, parochial or hard knocks) we've learn. The overarching ideas, thoughts and stories we tell ourselves and others create the world we live in, whether big or small. Are you able to see the Miracles in your life or can you only see the obstacles?

Observation is helpful. We gain from both,  good bosses and bad ones. We learn what works and what doesn't; what motivates or dissipates are enthusiasm. We see those who when went about it the right way and those who went about it the wrong way. Whether quietly or openly, we observe.

What about the conversations we have with ourselves and others? These are  important too. Do you get drawn in and can't back out? sucked into potentially negative uttering that you have no control can't gain on the outcome? Or do you steer clear of the commotion and noise to keep your heart and spirit clear? Are you bubbling over with The Miracle  Mentality? If so, share your story.

To Your Success,

MG

It’s First Thursday when we are challenging ourselves to examine where we are. Well, today is no different than last month with that conversation. But today, I’m steering the conversation around your thinking about wealth & wealth creation.

Ask yourself this question: Do I have an “occupational or industrial age” mindset. This can be characterized by minimizing, restricting and living within your means.  Or are you in the “entrepreneurial” mindset, which is characterized by expanding, creating and generating wealth.

If you’re an occupational thinker; don’t fret. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s how we were raised. Many of us were raised in the post-Great Depression era where we learned from our parents, teachers and those around us that getting a job and working hard would get us the American dream. It would be a secure future and we’d survive. This industrial way of thinking made sense back then since it got us out of that first depression. BUT times have changed. Although it may not be completely outdated to think like that and tie yourself to extremely limiting behaviors and conversation about wealth. It’s no longer serving us.

However, if you’re an entrepreneurial thinker, your mind is open to wealth-building, it readily accepts new challenges, and meets opportunity at the door. You take risks, you self-start, you’re visionary, you’re outside of the box, you demonstrate agility, you’re innovative, you’re resourceful and you’re poised for much more and far greater.

So…what conversation are you having around money and wealth? Business or career? Moving or standing still?

Right now, the work world is having this conversation. Men and women across the world are challenging themselves into a new mindset. What about you? Since March of 2020, US workers have quit their jobs more than any other time since they began recording labor statistics. Although COVID pushed many; many more made a different decision stemming from the internal question that only you can answer for yourself. Am I going to build wealth for them or will I build this wealth for my own family? You get to choose. 

This is just a conversation starter about the future. Do you have a plan for it or are you letting someone else plan it for you? I’d like to know. Share thoughts.

Always- To Your Success,
MG

It’s Thoughtful Thursday! This is one of the four times a year when we do a survey to see what you need from us. Are we helping you? Do you need more help? Do you need more services? This is when we would like to hear from you so we can provide the best service and experience from our teams.

Here’s the link to our Customer Satisfaction Survey. Thank you in advance for your feedback.        
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6NSN5GD

To Your Success,

​MG

It’s Thankful Thursday! This is the time that I share with you one amazing tool that I really love! Well,  I’m thankful for all the wonderful tools that make my life as an entrepreneur easy to plan, navigate, support and run my business. Today, I’m sharing 17Hats.com!

Have you heard of 17hats? I use it to organize and automate my small business, and I swear by it. Their feature-packed platform saves me time and money, and lets me focus on what I do best – not paperwork.

And only because you’ve been referred by me, a 17hats member, can you get this special pricing. But be sure to use this referral code bxnbdzwpzw to get this invitation-only pricing. Just click on the link below.
 https://www.17hats.com/r/ncxphfvbrd

I'll be happy to share my 17hats experience with you as well!
​
To Your Success, MG

It’s Thrifty Thursday! There are three major components to every book like; Writing the book, Publishing the book and Selling the book.

Of the three, selling the book is probably the most difficult. How in the world do you get people to buy this thing you’ve just written? Especially when we live in a world where anyone can publish a book. We also live in a world where many people expect to get art for free. From streaming music to free book downloads, we can easily be entertained without paying for anything. So, here are a few cool ways that you may not have heard before or in a while.

Become a Walking Billboard
The best way to advertise your book is to make sure it’s in front of everyone all the time. Create a collection of homemade t-shirts with your book cover. Wear them to work. Don them at the clubs. These shirts will make great conversation pieces. Everyone you bump into will say, “Wow, that’s a cool shirt. What is it?” And you’ll say, “Oh, just the cover of my new book. Want a copy?” Of course you will then pull a copy out of the briefcase you always carry with you. If anyone fails to ask about your book cover shirt, make sure you bring it up. “Hey, do you like my shirt? If so, I have a book for you!”

Meaningful Giveaways.
Give away signed copies of your book for all gift-giving occasions. This includes birthdays, Christmas, anniversaries, wedding, baby showers, and so on. These gifts will do more than just spread the word about your book. They’ll make your authorship an important part of everyone’s life.
 
Buy Your Book in Bulk.
Reaching the Amazon bestseller list in your category can really help boost your sales. Since actually getting people to buy your books is a lot of work, you can get the ball rolling by purchasing tons of copies yourself. Buy a couple hundred or even a couple thousand of your latest title and watch your Amazon ranking soar!

To Your Success,

MG

Let’s Get Creative! Today is THINK TANK THURSDAY which is the time when we want to get our juices flowing for any creative projects that you might be starting or working on. I think it’s an amazing undertaking to do something creative whether it’s writing a book or a bedroom makeover. But here are a few of my best ideas for getting those creative juices flowing as the year is already half way over.

I’m not sure if any of you are Netflix subscribers, but I recently watched a documentary on a company called WeWork. It was interesting to ay the least, but they were totally into creating creative workspaces for soloprenuers and have recreated the space of work across the globe. When scanning the internet recently I came across an interesting article that I thought would be a good read of juice flowing ideas from some other creatives. These ideas come directly from WeWork and some of their entrepreneurs.

Check it out here at https://www.wework.com/ideas/professional-development/10-ways-get-creative-juices-flowing
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

Hello everyone, it’s THERMOSTAT THURSDAY! You know that the first Thursday of the month I encourage you to take a look at where YOU are. It’s time to take our temperature. It’s already 3rd quarter, can you believe it? The time is surely flying and we do not want to stay in stagnant places -wondering where all the time went, but not making the most of the time we have.
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I’d like to share a quick story with you. As we were planning our vacation this year we knew that our trip was going to include being on the water. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve always gotten motion sickness (planes, buses or boats; carnival carousels or even roller coasters). I just did not feel very good after riding. Bring it up to adulthood, I’ve done well as an adult because I could pick and choose what things I would do or not do based on how it made me feel. In 206, we took our kids on a cruise. Like most cruises, we took a few excursions onto the smaller islands. Well, on this day we had to take a smaller boat over to the island of Belize. Oh my goodness, the boat and the waves was too much for your sister and like clockwork, I started getting sick. I tried my very best not toss my cookies in front of my kids or the other passengers. But it was hard. I swallowed hard, over and over. OMG! My eyes were watered, my throat was burning and pushing my breakfast back down my throat was trouble. Needless to say, my sweet kids and husband are all attentive to me. I couldn’t even answer them for fear of anything I didn’t want to fall out of my mouth. I just nodded my head yes and closed my eyes until we got to the shore. Of course, I was the first person off the boat and I had to take it easy on the island. Well, since then my kids have been freaked out about mom and boats.

Well, fast forward to just about 4 weeks ago and my kids started asking me about if I was going to get sick when we went to Miami. Collectively, and each one of them individually asked me with real concern in their eyes. I told them all - I would be fine. And to make good on that promise, I called my PCP and asked him to give me a prescription for motion sickness. I shared we would be traveling. Plus, it was confirmed that we’re going to be chartering a boat and I DID NOT want to ruin the trip by getting sick. Plus, I really wanted to enjoy it. It’s been a SUPER long 18 months of lockdown with no travel. My kids are growing up or should I say, just about grown. The traditional family vacations with my husband and our kids will be changing. They’re older, will be wanting to add plus ones and I wanted to savor a moment with the Gines Group. There was no way I was not going to give any chance of a puke fest happening on this trip. Absolutely Not and especially if I could help it. So, I felt very good when I picked up my prescription a few days before we left for the trip. My PCP came through, whoop whoop.

Now , let me tell you the REALLY good part. The part that was good for me, but good for you too. The day we chartered the boat and we were getting on the elevator of our hotel headed to the dock. The kids asked me again, “Mom, are you good?” I said “Yes, I am.” When we got to the marina and saw The Wave Mistress, I stepped aboard as though I’ve been on yachts all my life. I was feeling it! For real, I was feeling it. We had gone to the grocer to pick up what we wanted the captain to prepare for us and we gave everything to the concierge. I took my seat right out front deck and just looked at the water, the amazing homes around the Marina and I enjoyed Miami in a way I never had before. It was breathtaking! I removed the obstacle. It was so much better than trying to rely on my own ability to handle it. No, it was gratifying to not even have that as an issue. Now, this is for you. There was a time in my life I wouldn’t have dared to even get on a boat other than a cruise ship and even those made me somewhat sick, but I’d muscle through. I would make myself handle it. But this time, I got the help I needed and it made all the difference in the world. It was not only the way I felt, but in the way I was able to experience life in a new way, unhindered and unafraid. I stood up out there and just yelled, “YES!” Yes, I Can. Yes, I feel Great. Yes, my life is Amazing! It was a liberating moment for me.

I hope that as you look ahead to 3rd Quarter 2021 and your goals, your challenges, your triumphs and your charge. Ask yourself this question, what do I have to do to remove obstacles that might be getting in the way of me living your best life NOW? Is it a real obstacle or perceived? Can it be changed with the change of your mindset? Can it be changed by asking for help? Do you want to remove the obstacle? I challenge you this week, ask for the help you need? Think about an obstacle that’s been troubling you and write it down. Now, think about who might be able to help you think about that obstacle differently or help you remove the obstacle altogether. I want to encourage you to do it. I made a phone call and got what I needed to remove the motion sickness challenge for me and it made ALL the difference in the world, to me, my children, my vacation and my life.

Now, I have no fear about going on the water and getting sick. I can go anywhere I want on any method of transportation and have no issues. I’m so psyched about that. As always, I want to help you with your goals for success and the final word for today is remove the obstacle. You can do it! I did!
 
To Your Success,
MG
 
P.S. If you need assistance with writing your book, organizing our thoughts for a book, or maybe even you’ve written a book but you want to breathe new energy into again. That’s where I can help. Reply back and ask about the new AUTHORity ACADEMY™ Coaching Program. It’s new and it’s me- helping YOU get the obstacles out of the way and making you an AUTHORity in your field. Click the link here,  to download the pdf to learn more.

It’s time for me to introduce you to my little friend, Otter.ai. I’m telling you- if you are writing a book, wanting to remember a recipe or take notes from the talk you’re sitting in on. Oh baby, have I got the tool for you. With the Otter.ai App, all you have to do is open it up and let it listen and transcribe for you. I mean this tool is perfect for the pastors who have a million ideas, but absolutely no time or wherewithal to pen every single thing you say. Now you don’t have to Otter will do it for you. It’s the most convenient gift you can ever give yourself for speaking and having it written for you.

Best features:

• Every spoken word is recorded for you.
• Time stamps included between pauses and breaks.
• Email the captured note and you won’t believe how accurate the transcription is and half the time.
• You have 600 free minutes per month, again for free.

This is a must have for any secretary or speaker who wants to be a writer. It’s too easy not to download this one today. Tell me what you think when you get it.

To Your Success,
​
MG

Marketing – especially on a low budget – can be a challenge. Because it’s a necessary component of your business, you’ve got to get it done. Luckily for you, there are a myriad of ways to get the word out about your company. Here’s another 2 low-cost, and potential high upside ideas.

Think Seasonal Marketing

I love to celebrate everything and almost anything. But this can work to your advantage with some creative thinking around seasonal marketing tactics. Now, you must keep it simple like grouping some of your related products or service just in time for the upcoming holiday or season. Think in terms of bundles or special packages. Then, gift it a holiday name. Who doesn’t love a cute namesake! Or even consider creating something unique to capture your customer’s seasonal interest. People do still by things just because it’s that time of the year!

Text Message Marketing

This idea for marketing is especially great if you have a business where customers can physically come to your spot or location. Create a customer opt-in to receive text message specials and updates. I’ve seen companies and I know you have to do this very well. Just send out regular text messages with discount codes for free or special discounted products or services. This is an awesome way to connect with people when they are out and about.

Now give one of these two options a try and see what happens. You’ll be surprised just how easy it was and how much your customers and friends will enjoy it.

To Your Success,
​
MG

Let’s get those creative juices flowing today. If you’re writing a book or blog OR you may be knee deep in a huge project and haven’t come up for air. Well, let’s take a moment to get our creative mojo working for us again. Here are two quick ways I do it and boom, I’m flowing on all cylinders again.

     1. Change your surroundings. Taking a trip to a foreign land which could just be a new neighborhood or subdivision coming up on the other side of town. Sometimes my husband and I will take a drive around the city to inspire ourselves to keep dreaming. Years ago, there was a concept called Dream Building in which you went to places that may be out of your reach then, but could be within your reach if you worked hard and pursued it. It was a way to stretch what you believed was possible.  We still do that today. For someone else it may be going to the park with a cup of coffee or head down to a new part of downtown you've never been. The point is, new places, new restaurants, new cafes all get you to open your eyes. Just don't forget your notebook! You never know when a change of scenery will cause you to think of something brilliant. 

     2. Jot down your goals. It's so easy to get stuck in your daily routine that you forget about the bigger picture. Stay focused and motivated by putting your goals to paper and keeping it close by. Every time you get bogged down with challenges or minor upsets, look back to your goals. They won't fix your problems but they will remind you why those problems need to be fixed. I absolutely love writing down everything. I have so many journals and notebooks of ideas, dreams, prayers and thoughts – you would see why I am an author and publisher. 

Of course, this is my way of getting my creative mojo back and staying attune with myself and my creative flow. I want you to give it a go yourself and see what you think.  I can’t wait to see what you do next.

To Your Success,

MG

​I know, I know. As if you need another tool, but this one is truly a must have. Remember, the last Thursday of the month I’m focusing completely on Tools that make life just a little bit easier. And this my friends is one of them. Let me introduce you to: Unroll.me. The best thing about Unroll.me is that it is as simple as it can get. It cleans up your inbox. Email a headache? This is your Ibuprofen, quick fix! Try it.


The best thing about Unroll.me is that it is as simple as it can get. It cleans up your inbox by categorizing your subscriptions in the form of a virtual roll-up. You can access it whenever you have some free time.
Here are the Very Best features:

• The roll-up allows you to read emails at the time chosen by you.
• Makes your mailbox clutter-free
• Secure and easy to access

Try it and tell me how you like it.
 
To Your Success,
​
MG

Anyone who knows me knows that I often have a very hefty load on my plate. You too? Most everyone I know has a lot going on, so I think you’ll find this blog a little helpful. Does your brain get busy? At least that's what I thought last Tuesday night. I was frazzled, a bit overwhelmed and wasn't sure how to get myself out of my creative pothole.

Instead of whining or complaining, I decided to embark on a mini mission. Much akin to the “Happiness Project” where the book's author taught herself how to truly be happy. Well, my project wasn't so much about being happy but more about letting my creativity run freely. I had gotten sucked into a place of thinking about the same things, days, work and stuff that I realized I hadn’t thought of anything fun, new or exciting for myself in a while. Isn’t it funny how you can do all that for others, but run dry when you try to do it for you? Well, I wasn’t going to let that go. Instead, I decided to shake my brain up a bit and get my creativity working for me.

Here was the first thing I did and it worked, so I’m sharing it with you.

Unplug. I made it my mission to spend at least one afternoon completely unplugged. Sound impossible? It isn’t, it just takes doing it. I promise, you’ll live to blog about it. In fact, you must do it. Not only is it great for your data plan (data plans are the worst) but it actually refreshes the mind to mentally check out from your phone. Why? Because mobile devices are entirely distracting. What I've noticed with mobile devices is that my mind is constantly focused on it, even when it isn't in my hand. “What next on my list to do? Who is calling/texting/tweeting me? Did I send that email?” Sounds familiar? So many of those questions pop into my mind and it can be overwhelming. I'm not the only one who thinks this way. Did you know there is a ‘National Day of Unplugging' that calls for users to “Stop the constant emailing, texting, tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Unite with loved ones. Cherish your health. Go outside. Find silence.” This mobile-silence can reset your mind and get you back on track in no time. Don’t just take my word for it, try it for yourself. Then, come tell me what happened. I can’t wait to hear it. The more you find a way to refresh, the further you’ll be able to go.

To Your Success,

MG

I share tips and tools each week that I hope can help you do what you’re doing successfully. But II wanted to take some time out to ask you about you and what your needs are. I know as I’ve grown and Purpose Publishing right along with me, there is much that I’ve learned but so much more that I’ve needed help with. Whether it’s time to reinvent yourself and start maximizing your full potential. Let us know. We turned 11 years old this month. As a wonderful birthday present, we want to hear from you. Take this quick 7 question survey and help us help you.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/VSTFBQ9

Take the survey and be entered in a drawing to win a $10 Amazon Gift Card.

To Our Success,
​
MG

Productivity doesn’t happen by accident. It happens by preparation. I firmly believe it is fundamentally the result of your intelligent planning, drive for excellence, and steady efforts. I’d like to introduce to some and present to other one of my favorites ‘Go To Tools’, Evernote.

Evernote is like my second brain that helps me remember everything. It’s a reliable note-making app (and you all know how I love taking notes). But it also reinforces and keeps me organized and enables me to get more done. With Evernote, I capture, organize, and share notes from anywhere so that my very best ideas are always with me and synced. This is a must have tool for those of you writing books because every idea for a chapter, book title, funny story or thought. You won’t lose it and you’ve got a place to keep them all for you. I LOVE it!

I’m a Fan of these Evernote Best Features:

• Collect everything at one place and make it more accessible
• Scan and search information from business cards
• Add attachments, links, and audio recordings
  
  

What tool do you use that you can no longer live without? Tell me about. I want you to win.

To Your Success,
​
MG

​Small businesses often have an extremely constricted marketing budget to use, if at all. Often, this poses a challenge to promoting your business successfully. But that’s okay because today I’m sharing an uncommon marketing tactic that many big companies use to share their products and/or services. So, why not you?  There are plenty of ways for you to market yourself to your customers without spending any (or much) money. Let’s start with this one: Team up and Jump out!

Connect with a business related to your industry (but not a direct competitor) for a joint project. This can be done locally and offline through some kind of special event, or online (which could still be done locally) with a class, webinar or promotional giveaway.

Partnering with another business means twice as much notice and exposure. It also introduces each of you to a whole new audience related to your niche. It’s a win-win!

Industry partnerships are a great marketing tactics because they allow small business owner’s access to marketing know-how, technology, and customer bases that they could not have achieved on their own. You must put careful thought and effort in if you want to form a profitable partnership. Clarify expectations, engage with and vet different businesses, assess how you can work together, and have several conversations before making things official. But once it’s official and yielded good success, take a bow. You made a new colleague and garnered new business for yourself.

Do you want some examples or ideas? Reach out to us and share. We’re happy to give you some feedback and things to consider. We’re here to help you.

To Your Success,
​
MG

I recently thought about listening to the excellent NPR podcast episode a few years back. It was all about how Instagram got started.

Truly a remarkable story. Instagram Founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, launched the app in October 2010. By April 2012 only a year and a half later – Facebook acquired the service for $1B dollars! Yes, that’s right – a billion dollars!

Are you asking yourself? How could someone make a billion dollars in just a year and a half? That’s an incredible TRUE story!

I learned 6 success lessons from this story, and I’d like to share them with you. But I’m doing bite sized- so we can really dig in to this. Here’s the first 3 and I will come back next time with 3 more. Here they are:

1. Find untapped potential.

How do you make something people want? A good way is to find untapped potential, something that could be done but hasn’t been done yet.

For Instagram, the untapped potential was the power of cell phone cameras. In 2010, cell phone cameras had become good enough, comparable in quality to point-and-shoot cameras. But nobody up to that point had made it easy for people to share photos right from their cell phones. Other apps at that time required you to transfer photos to a computer first before uploading them.

The founders saw this untapped potential and decided to make the most of it. They made it easy for people to share photos right from their cell phones.

2. Meet emotional needs.

Finding untapped potential is vital, but it’s not enough. For people to really want what you have, you need to meet their emotional needs.

Instagram did it well. First, it meets social needs. Instagram makes it easy for people to share pics with their friends.

Second, it meets self-confidence needs. A pivotal moment in the story was when one of the founders realized it wasn’t enough just to help people share pics; the pics should make them feel good. So what did they do? They built filters right into the app so that users can polish their looks and photos before sharing.

3. Make something people want.

Making something people want is the key to success in business. You can only thrive if people want what you have. If they don’t, nothing in the world can give you success in the long term.

In the case of Instagram, people want to share their life stories in a visual way. Instagram is still winning today because it meets this desire better than most.

With the app meeting users’ social and emotional needs, it’s a no brainer people love Instagram.
 
Now think about yourself, what creative thing do you have or does your business product? Consider these 3 things as you begin to work on your next big endeavor. Then, come tell us about it. I can’t wait to hear what you’re doing next. Until Then.

To Your Success,
​
MG

Productive members of society are the backbone of our world and our communities.
Individuals that make little or no contribution to society are an encumbrance to it. That said, all work and no play make Jane a dull girl as they, so there’s no plea to look down on people that want to have a little enjoyment in their lives.

However, productivity is critical to your work and success.

No matter if you are an employee or you’re self-employed, your level of productivity will determine how far you will go. It makes it easier to be productive when you like what you do, but no matter how much you love your work, sometimes you need an extra boost.

Here is 1 Quick Tip to boost your productivity at work.

Set a Schedule for Yourself with Time Blocks

Regular employees have work schedules, but that does not mean they are productive the whole time they are at work. I don’t have the data, but I’d bet there has been some increase to productivity with Work from Home situations. Let’s face it water cooler talk- seriously shut down, breakroom besties- that’s done and the casual chat at your colleagues’ desk for 7 minutes-it’s over!

Now, the self-employed are even in worse case, because they don’t have a regular schedule unless they set one they lived by. But often, that isn’t really the case. But a schedule provides structure to your day, and narrows down your choices on what you should do at any given time. I live by time blocks. Without them, I could literally spend my day in ‘Squirrel Mode’ and who can really get everything one like that.

An American psychologist named Barry Schwartz says in his book The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less, “choose less and feel better.” With too many choices, you feel unhappy and anxious, and tend to make bad or wrong decisions on what you should do based on emotions (how you are feeling).

Eliminate the pains of indecision by scheduling your tasks according to priority. What needs your attention now? Then, consider how much time you need to accomplish the task?  If you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work to be done, for example, you may be tempted to simply walk away from it and take too long getting back to it.

Scheduling your tasks helps you concentrate on one thing at a time. With this type of plan, before you know it, you’ve done everything you planned to do. Dice up a major project into lesser, more manageable blocks to avoid the feeling of overwhelm.
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Setting a schedule with realistic time blocks will also help you decide what you need to delegate, and when you should say no. I hope this tip helps you. If it does, drop me a note and let me know how. I’d love to hear from you.
 
To Your Success,

MG