Are you prepared?

Are you prepared for an emergency or a disaster? As I was being prepped for an emergency surgery, my husband and I quickly learned, we were not!  In this day and age, disaster recovery and business continuity don't only apply to the workplace. Here are some tips to consider:

1. Keep documentation in a secured location (such as a lock-box). Include:
1. A list of bank accounts,
2. A list of investment organizations (personal investments, 401k, etc.)
3. Passwords to computers and important accounts
4. A current copy of trusts, wills, living wills, etc.
2. At least twice a year, ensure the information above is current.
3. Make sure you have an emergency contact who can access your secure location (and make sure they know!)
4. Kids schedules and contacts (sitters, teachers, coaches, team managers, etc.).  While not critical, I would have gotten a lot more rest if my husband was able to figure soccer out on his own!

Just a few "lessons learned".  Enjoy!

Be Inspired

If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.Dolly Parton

Wendy's Wonderful Kids

Tell your friends, One Fateful Night is currently running a Kindle promotion to earn funds for Wendy's Wonderful Kids!

For the last few hours of February you can download One Fateful Night on Kindle for only $1.99!  Every 40 hours the price will increase by $1 until it reaches the daily price of $5.99.

http://www.amazon.com/One-Fateful-Night-Wendi-Finn-ebook/dp/B00757TN18/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393641683&sr=8-1&keywords=one+fateful+night

Communicating with Tact, Professionalism & Diplomacy

I attended a fantastic training on effective communications last week.  Below are the Top 3 Take-Aways from that session:

1. It takes 20 minutes to get back "in the zone" after an interruption.  Those of you looking for an excuse to work from home, this fact is a good one!  I truly believe there are a number of positions where folks could work more effectively from home a couple days a week.  Programmers, for instance, could go to the office M/W/F to attend meetings, obtain requirements, perform testing, collaborate with the system users, etc.  Then on T/Th they could find a private closet in the house where phones don't ring, cell phones don't work and co-workers don't interrupt their creative flow and simply code. The speaker shared a story of a new CEO coming in to a company that was floundering. While a number of changes were made to save the organization, the change with the most profound effect was this, "Across the organization employees were not able to access their e-mail until 3 pm.  From 3:00 - 5:00 e-mails could be received and responded to. E-mails could be drafted and sent prior to that point, but with the exception of Customer Service, IT had configured the e-mail system to not receive until 3:00 pm."   I think this is a great idea. 

2. It is impossible for your brain to focus on two tasks simultaneously. When you are talking to somebody or in a meeting, put the phone down!  If the person you are attempting to communicate with is focused on something else, as for their attention or schedule a better time to talk.  

1. "Your brain just can’t take in and process two simultaneous, separate streams of information and encode them fully into short-term memory."  www.Forbes.com

3.      Treat communication as a two-way street.  If somebody is talking to you, acknowledge their statements. "Yes, I can do that," or even, "Duly noted," works.  Likewise, be sure to obtain an acknowledgement.  If you ask your son to take out the garbage while he's engrossed in a video game, be sure he at least gives you a thumbs up in acknowledgement of the chore.  Since the brain can't focus simultaneously on you and the game, odds are he just wrecked and can now take out the garbage!

Launch Pictures Are Now Available!

Thank you for all your support during the launch of A Leap of Fate. Pictures taken by my great friend, Catie Christensen, have been uploaded to www.OneFatefulNight.com.  I hope you will take a few minutes and check those out!

Lucky winners from the raffle include:

Colin Appell - Rocky Boots Gift Certificate
Jennifer Clark - DK Fitness (Update: Jen completed her first spin class yesterday.  She is getting Pelotonia ready. Go Jen!
Catie Christensen - A Twist on Olives sampler
Jessica Roseman - Bob Evans Gift Card
Tony Poggiali - Bob Evans Gift Card
Tammy Clark - 31 Gifts Cooler
Jenni Hunter - Body by Juana Unlimited Fitness Pass
Katie Fell - Rodan & Fields Beauty Pack
Ellen Farquharson - Marzetti's Gift Basket


Enjoy!

Thank You!!!

I can't thank my friends and family enough for all their support and assistance yesterday. To those who came out or downloaded One Fateful Night and A Leap of Fate, "Thank you for supporting The James and The Ronald McDonald House!" 

Proceeds will continue to be donated throughout the summer.

Happy Reading and Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!

Wendi

A Leap of Fate is Now Available!!!

Order your copy or download A Leap of Fate today!

http://www.amazon.com/Leap-Fate-Fateful-Night-ebook/dp/B00DINE1HO/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1371901220&sr=8-10&keywords=a+leap+of+fate


Hope to see you at Java Central between 9:00 and 11:00 this morning or at Easton's Celebrate Local from 4:00-6:00.

Thank you for all your support!