“Change before you have to,” says Stormy Wellington. Do not be conformed to this world and follow the masses. Too many people wait until it’s too late to decide to do something different, even though they know they need to change.”

This network marketing guru boldly walked away from a company where she was at the top of her game, breaking records, and earning $25,000 to $100,000 a month, to start all over again with a company that sells healthy, organic coffee, Organo Gold.

Why? Stormy was attracted to the company’s stable environment, great leadership, compensation plan, and a product that people consume on a daily basis. You don’t have to teach, train, or educate anyone to drink coffee, they drink it anyway.

Breaking records is the norm for Stormy … becoming an Emerald Consultant in only eight short days and being the first single African-American woman to achieve Diamond Consultant status. She’s truly a Storm and has already become a rising star in the company.

“I am a visionary,” says this powerhouse woman. “So many people are stuck worrying about the fear of loss instead of seeing the possibility of gain. You have to learn to change your mind, in order to change your money. Make up your mind and raise your expectations in life. You deserve the best — both quality and quantity of life.

Stormy knows from personal experience what positive thinking can accomplish. As a young child, she always believed that she was going to be wealthy, but didn’t have a vehicle. Stormy was never a fan of school, so she found it hard to discover a true career path. Those whom she knew who had become wildly successful, became wealthy from their intellectual property, not their degrees. Yet, Stormy never lost hope and knew without a doubt one day she would take the world by storm and be successful and wealthy.

By walking in her purpose and remaining strong in her faith, Stormy was able to turn adversity into accomplishment, becoming a self-made millionaire, a motivational speaker, an author, and now a star with Organo Gold.

“I want people to know if I can do it, so can they,” Stormy says. “You possess the key to all things. With a positive mental attitude, belief, courage, faith and hard work, there is nothing you can’t accomplish.”

People You Need to Know Magazine would like to congratulate Dr. Shai Hall and Anthony Miles on their recent wedding in Florida.

Dr. Shai Hall was a client for nearly 6 years. She attended many of our events and took advantage of the opportunities that our magazine provided in terms of getting great exposure for her business. We sincerely wish her the best and she will definitely be missed!

Nevertheless, we know without a doubt that with her commitment to excellence, courage, great attitude and indomitable spirit, she will continue to excel in all that she does!

Congrats again and many blessings as you begin your new life together … Dr. Shai Hall and Anthony Miles!

~People You Need to Know Magazine

It was Barbara Garwood’s first trade show. She had seen intricately designed jewelry in Hong Kong, pursued the craftsmen to a small village near Chinese Mongolia, gave design instructions through an interpreter, and was displaying her imported wares at one of the biggest wholesale shows – The Atlanta Gift Mart.

“A jeweler kept bringing people over to our booth saying our pieces were amazing,” she says. “He would tell people this is the same as the Faberge eggs, this is an ancient art, and this is not done anymore. The whole time I’m taking notes, and telling my business partner, ‘Hey, I think we’ve got something here.’”

“I liked it. I designed it. I picked the colors, but actually I knew nothing, “ says Garwood, who invested $5,000 on her initial inventory. “After all, my background was in designing home furnishing textiles, what did I know about jewelry?”  While Barbara lost money on that first show, she found she had something much more valuable: Good Instincts. From that learning experience in 1993, Garwood realized her Mongolian-style filigree and enameled handmade bracelets, necklaces, pendants, and pins are far too unique to sell to mass-market, mall type jewelers.

That is why the Atlanta-based designer is bringing her collection where you can see and buy her works of art. Currently you can see Barbara’s designs in National Geographic and Smithsonian gift catalogs, as well as in the Uno Alla Volta designer catalog, and Ross-Simons and Stauer catalogs. Also, in addition to museums, Garwood’s designs can be found in high-end boutiques, gifts shops, and art galleries throughout the USA and internationally. Barbara also has been commissioned to design the Queens’s Brooch for the Genghis Khan traveling exhibit.

Barbara has been refining the designs over the last 18 years to fit Western tastes and fashion. It took some fast talking—through an interpreter—to break thousands of years of tradition, on how the pieces should look. Asian custom dictates that the jewelry fit the countenance of a Chinese Qing Dynasty queen in the 1600-1700’s.  Think big and ornate. Her sterling silver pieces, including many that are 24kt. gold plated, feature Russian and Chinese influences handed down by master craftsmen over the last 1000 years. Barbara’s challenge was to make the pieces smaller, more feminine and practical to wear while using a computer at the office.

Other changes involve the stones and the color of the glass enamel. “Asians have yellow skin and they wear more olives, oranges, red and brown; things that compliment their skin. Much of the Western population is pink-toned and wear more blues, purples, teals and pinks and those type colors. The gold looks great on darker skins and so I’ve been able to design something for everyone to look great in!” You don’t realize it until you start working and designing with it and you see the difference.

However in rural Asia, old habits die hard. “In Oriental craft, you can only make changes when you are a master,” says Garwood. “Here I was some American designer trying to mess things up. You can only become a master when you have copied your mentor a zillion times and you have the age of an old Buddhist monk!  That is just the way they look at it.”

On the other hand, when Barbara’s orders flooded in, the keepers of the faith began to see things a little differently. Garwood says, “They began to ask me what NEW designs did I want to do next!” While Barbara is now able to flex her creative muscle without too much resistance, she emphasizes, “I do not change the craft; I only change the shapes and colors and add things like safety clasps. In fact, one of my major goals is to preserve this dying art and provide steady employment for the 20 women who put the pieces together.”

Initially an artisan uses tweezers to hand-fashion the filigree: sterling silver wire turned into intricate patterns, as well as butterflies and flowers. Also, they design very small shapes that will later gleam with multi-colored enamel glass. All the filigree wires are fused together with silver dust in a kiln, fired to approximately 1700 degrees Fahrenheit.

After the filigree work, the enamel artists take over.  The designed forms are filled with blends of very fine ground enamel powder according to Barbara’s drawings. The entire piece is then fired once again in 1500 degree heat. This turns the enamel into beautiful glass tints with a permanent high gloss finish. Because the filigree and enameling skills are so different and precise, each piece of jewelry typically requires two different craft persons to make it.

During the process, the enamel artist must use extreme care not to melt down the silver body of the jewelry with all its painstaking detail. “It’s very intuitive,“ says Garwood. “It’s an art. They just know how much time to leave the pieces in the kiln and how to control the temperature. It is all part of this incredible handmade process, handed down from generation to generation.”

Today Barbara continues to fly by the seat of her well-worn travel trousers, buying different eye-catching stones that adorn her designs. “When starting out, we didn’t know what type of stones they really were” says Garwood,  “so we actually took a few pieces to the Nature Store at the mall to figure out what all the stones were. I use many unusual stones such as iolite, chrysocolla, serpentine, and exotic jaspers from far away places, as well as semiprecious stones such as garnets, peridot, amethyst, topaz, lapis and turquoise. We bought a book to help us, too. It was a learn as you go experience.”  The last step is to set stones, and to either 24kt gold plate or antique finish the pieces.

The entire process takes 4-7 days to make one piece of   jewelry. Widely recognized arbiters of good taste—and good art—have kissed Garwood’s designs with their seal of approval. With such a ritzy pedigree, you would expect to pay a small fortune for these museum pieces, especially those with the deep, rich color of 24kt gold. But that’s where more beauty lies.

“You get the look of high karat gold without paying the price, especially NOW with precious metals at an all time high,” Garwood explains. “People say ‘Wow, your prices are great for all that work!’ You can‘t tell it is 24kt gold over sterling silver.”

Garwood says, “The craft is marvelous. Because you don’t see this type of jewelry, people often stop me and ask if what I’m wearing is antique, and where did I get it.  I have one longtime customer who paid me the highest compliment. She said, ‘I’ve come to the conclusion that if I don’t want to be bothered on a particular day I don’t wear your jewelry because people stop me all day long!’”

Experience the Art….Compliments Included™

If anyone is interested in this line of jewelry, there are two web sites:
For consumers: http://www.HandmadeArtJewelry.com
For wholesale: http://www.BarbaraGarwood.com

The other day I spent the entire day writing … I had to force myself to sit still and write. I had a list of writing projects I wanted to finish immediately, so I cleared my schedule and locked myself in my office and got busy. The funny thing about writing is that it doesn’t always feel productive. For me (unless it’s a book project), it’s more of a preparation task needed so I can take action on my pending projects. And with all the pending projects, I’m often thinking of what needs to be done. Writing is a thinking kind of action and sometimes it can feel like I’m not doing enough! My biggest challenge was stopping myself from wanting to get up and out, but I was determined to finish so I silenced my mind and got focused—and finished.

Another one of my “Thinking Actions” is thinking and meditating on my future. Sometimes your key action step needs to be: pause and reflect, so that you can stay focused on your vision and hit your goal targets. Even with a full calendar, I schedule think tank days to meditate on my future.

During this time, I look through my Millionaire’s Dream Book and see myself fulfilling my goals. The Dream Book is a vision casting and dream planner and workbook that business owners use to plan for the future of their business and life. (You can learn more about this tool at www.LifeCoach2Women.com)

I have been able to consistently seize the right opportunities, and manifest my dream life, because I am meditating with my Dream Book.

And though it would seem like with all the busy-ness of running several companies, managing my family and being a wife … I would lose sight of my goals, but because I’m working according to a plan, all this action is breeding more and more clarity for what I’m seeking to accomplish!

This led me to share with you my secret of taking action that breeds more clarity! My experience has been that when you are faced with a large task or several tasks, it’s better to get started and do something rather than nothing at all. So taking action quickly and consistently can help you gain more clarity on achieving your goals.

As I mentioned earlier, there’s certainly a time for thinking, meditation, planning and writing … but you can’t get stuck there. When you are done, you have to get up and get busy. All the answers to how to get the project done won’t come while you’re sitting around … they will come once you start taking action and figuring it all out along the way.

So, here’s a 3 step boost to get you going full speed at getting the success you desire.

3 Ways Action Breeds Clarity

1. You Learn By Doing

Don’t sit on your ideas because you don’t know how to do it right or perfectly … Just go ahead and do it! I didn’t know how to create my own perfume, but I knew I wanted it … so I started with a name, then a logo and look.

Then I bought several perfumes to figure out my perfect scent. I also read books on perfume creation, perfume notes and what different fragrances mean. Next came the marketing plan: how to sell, who would buy, a price point, etc. Then I found a chemist who led me to a factory— which led to creation! Now I have my very own Inspire parfume. (styleshoppe.com)

I moved forward with action, and as the days went by, I gained more and more clarity! What are you sitting on? Is it a business you want to launch, a book you want to write or a product you want to produce? Whatever it is … decide to take action today. Ask yourself what is the smallest action I can take right now to yield results? Start there and then gradually move forward … taking step by step.

Action Packed To-Do List to Get You Going…

• Write out a plan
• Get books on your topic
• Hire help
• Get a coach or a mentor
• Research
• Visualize your outcome

Do something right now that is action oriented!

2. You take Leaps when you Listen

Who’s pushing you to take action? When I see people winning, I know they’re listening and learning from successful others all the time. They’re in an environment that keeps them with an edge. When I see people losing, it’s usually because they have made the terrible mistake of thinking they can do it all by themselves. These are usually people who either have cut off valuable relationships with inspiring leaders or are too hesitant to make the right connection with inspiring leaders.

You must keep listening to star people who inspire you; that’s why coaching is so valuable. I’ve seen my clients take huge leaps while coaching with me; then I’ve seen just a few stall their progress by getting out of coaching. Unfortunately, in many cases, they get sidetracked, seeking advice from their peers and novices who all lack the ability to help them go higher.

Who you listen to determines how big you leap! You can’t grow with your peer acting as your coach. You must be pulled into your future by someone much further along than you are, who has experience and knowledge that you don’t have. You have an amazing ability to do the extraordinary—you were created to create! You can pull off outstanding ventures if you keep company with action-oriented individuals! One conversation with them can cause you advancement, achievement and spark your ambition to succeed.

My 30-Day Entrepreneur’s Makeover Kit changed one of my friend’s life. She bought the kit at the Women’s Success Conference and began to listen to it the day after she arrived home. The first day, she went to the coffee house with a journal to be alone and take in action step #1. She continued going to the coffee house for the next 30 days to listen to the kit and something amazing happened…

While listening, she said each day it was like having her coach right there with her! She took action on the daily assignments and began to get more clarity about her passions, purpose and what she really wanted to pursue as a career. Then she began to take actions that led her right into her new career as a celebrity assistant.

Now she’s pursuing her passion, making more money than ever before and building a name for herself as a top-notch assistant in the industry. Her clients love her and she comes highly recommended.  She even got me booked with one of the top photographers in the nation! Investing in the 30-day coaching program and being committed to listening and taking action caused her to leap into her dream career!

Take Action Now!

Gather your listening tools. Get inspired by CDs, programs, talks, and seminars and start listening to business leaders who will cause you to leap.

Get in the company of greatness. Set lunch dates with people whose conversations will cause you to leap! I had lunch with someone who paid me $5,000 for two hours. They left with a $75,000 idea that really turned into a profit of much more.

Brainstorm with optimistic people that have ideas that will cause you to leap into action.

Get into a coaching program: One of my Millionaire Mentorship Club members, Rheami, wrote me yesterday and said, “Thank you for pushing us to meet with another industry leader. Because of you, I’m excited to be moving from dreaming to action. I want to stay very connected to you—and I’m excited to make real money!”  I was excited when I got this, because I knew I had caused her and her husband to leap! …  And that’s what I live for … to inspire people to leap and live big! Coaching is the catalyst to help you make big advancements and big money!

3. Leverage what you Love To Do

In order to profit from your passion, you have to turn your dreams into action steps. I dreamed of having a jewelry line that had all unique pieces that upscale, fashion-forward women would like. But it was just a dream with no real clarity until I actually began putting together a jewelry line. Once I started the ball rolling, I easily came up with the name StyleShoppe.com … and soon after that, I had the sales strategy, the packaging, the promotion and the grand plan! Fast-forward 6 years later, and now www.StyleShoppe.com is a six-figure income business. I learned how to leverage the love of accessorizing into a viable enterprise! Here are a few powerful steps you can take to leverage what you love, take action and gain clarity!

• Create a passion profile.
  List your loves, your intent and your long-lost desires. What makes you joyful? What can you get lost doing for hours? What really makes you happy? Put your true authentic dreams down here with no worries about what others think.

• Write a list of all the ideas that have come to you … or that are coming to you right now … that you haven’t taken action on.
  If you could only see how much money you are literally sitting on by not taking action on your ideas! Most people sit on ideas waiting for more and more clarity before they conquer!
• Gather and get going fast!

Take a class, get informed, read a book, get knowledge, take a walk, get wisdom, talk to inspired others, get motivated! Actions create momentum!
Get into action today and watch how much clarity you’ll have!

Enjoy every step of the process as you go–and grow your entrepreneurial enterprise. I want to hear about your success story … leave a comment below, post it on my Facebook page or email me at Stacia@lifecoach2women.com

Fashion-Knorr-bly Determined ~ Beauty and the Green

By Robin LoRé

There is a theory that our given name often defines our destiny. Many believe that who we become and what we accomplish may very well be determined by what we are called. If there was ever proof of that theory, it would manifest itself in the woman that is Renée Knorr. Ms. Knorr endlessly re-invents herself; a haute couture fashion model, an executive producer, a fashion director, a mother, a mentor, a golfer, a humanitarian—and a soon to be author. She is all these, yet remains grounded, devoted and dedicated to her passions through it all. A renaissance woman to the core, it doesn’t surprise those who know her that Renée is a French name meaning “re-birth” or “re-born.” If you wanted to take the name game theory one step further, then Renée was doubly blessed. Born and raised in one of the most beloved cities in the country, it has been called The City of Saints, The City of Mystery and, most famously, The Big Easy. There is no doubt that the vibrant New Orleans influenced Ms. Knorr. It was where she made her very first transformation. Her stunning beauty launched a successful modeling career, but her intelligence allowed her to evolve into a savvy, globe-trotting businesswoman.

A decade ago, Renée decided to call Atlanta her home. The rich diversity, abundance of culture and large concentration of Fortune 500 companies proved to be a perfect fit for this multi-talented powerhouse. She quickly became a true Atlantan and set about bringing her substantial energy, lust for life and extensive experience in fashion to—“The City too Busy to Hate”.

Her newest reincarnation is rapidly becoming the perfect place for her to combine her fashion talents and experience, philanthropic interests and love of golf, all under one roof. As Fashion & Beauty Director of The 19th Hole Magazine, she is on a mission to re-invent golf.

A current golfer herself, Renée noticed a lack of women and teen girls playing. She made a commitment to empower more females to learn and play the sport. Also on the agenda—a desire to help more young ladies pursue a college education with the assistance of golf scholarships. The result was a collaboration with The 19th “Girls Golf by Day, Ladies Night Out” event and Future Seekers. The Atlanta based non-profit helps teens achieve and set positive future goals. In three years, Renée has mentored over 100 students of Future Seekers.

On the fashion front, Knorr is bringing high style to the game. With the expansion of The 19th Hole Magazine’s Golf Chic, Golf Glamm Fashion Shows and editorial photo shoots, she is helping make The 19th Hole Magazine golf’s most fashionable publication, even more stylish than it already is. She stays a major player by accepting various celebrity judge and hosting invitations, some of which include: the 2011 Miss Georgia Latina Pageant, Rene Miller Atlanta’s Best 3.0 Jazz, the 2011 ABMDC/Project Fashion Show, Keynote Speaker of DreamMart International “Dreaming in Living Color” – A Golfer’s Dream, a panelist speaker of Spelman College and now being featured in People You Need to Know Women’s Magazine.  All of which has earned her the title of “Ms. Atlanta Fashion.”

Her mission is to help realize the goal of The 19th Hole Magazine becoming a global brand. She’s well on her way to doing so. In February, she completed the 1st Global Golf Model Search. The five winners will grace the cover of the 2011 summer issue. The chosen winners were: 2011 Miss United States, Jessica Black; America’s Next Top Model 2009 Anna Maria Bradfield; former figure skater and singer Lexi Walters; dancer, actor, and University of Georgia student, Martha Kim; and former basketball star and beauty, Synthia Beauvais.

In June, she kicked off a “Girls Golf Day & Ladies Night Out” affair for The 19th Hole Magazine. It was the first all girl and all women golf outing and clinic for the company, which was in recognition of Women’s Golf Month and Black Music Month. She is also working toward completing her book, Soaring Beautifully With No Limitations. “I was inspired to write this book from my life experiences of learned opportunities impacting others lives. I will dedicate this one to my fans on Facebook”, says Ms. Knorr.

Renée Knorr has indeed lived up to her namesake. Her tenacity and faith transformed her from self-proclaimed, “ugly duckling” to enlightened swan. She realizes the majesty of helping other women bring their own inner beauty and talents to the surface. She has an innate knack for evolving herself and brings that spirit to all of her endeavors. This includes her latest role at The 19th Hole, where golf is becoming “A Whole New Game.”

Women in business need confidence in order to succeed. Having a strong level of confidence means living a healthier, better leadership and business life. Here are 7 confidence building ideas for women in business and leadership.

1. Recognize Your Unique Talents. Having unique talents can mean being and feeling different from other people. For instance, you might have an unusually strong sense of intuition. You might be able to see a problem before others by putting loose ends together in your mind. Instead of seeing this as a detriment because no one else seems to be able to do the same thing, learn to recognize where you are different as a unique talent. Embrace your unique talents and use them to move your business to new heights and to be a stronger leader.

2. Use Personal Potential. Recognize that you have unusual personal potential. In reality, almost every person has the potential for brilliance in life, but few people really move outside of their small box that they grow accustomed to. Being a confident woman means trying new things. Take risks, go to new places, and make new contacts. Exercise your personal potential to build your levels of confidence.

3. Try New Things. This leads to the next point for building a stronger sense of confidence, which is to try new things. One reason people don’t have a lot of confidence is because of the lack of trying something that takes them out of their comfort zone. Try something new and unusual every day. Once you give something a try, it breaks the feelings of anxiety or fear from that thing. The power of that situation, thing, place, or person to control or limit you in some way evaporates once you give it a try.

4. Create Your Wealth. While that’s a statement with truth attached, you also need to know what it really means to create your wealth. You can only create your wealth when you know how. Knowing how requires knowing your real strengths. Women can function for years without ever really knowing their real strengths. Your confidence will soar when you know that you are working from your strengths. That is how you can confidently go about the activities necessary to create your wealth.

5. Embrace Your Power. Power is a good thing to have when you’re in business. Power gives you the ability to get things done. A confident woman in business must understand and embrace her power. Understanding power means knowing how to influence others to get things done. It also means knowing what to say, when to say it, and whom to say it to. There are obvious and not so obvious ways to deal with power and a confident businesswoman learns how these nuances work to increase her effectiveness.

6. Answer the Urge to Create. Confident women in business have creative minds and a creative mind is always finding ways to create new things. Creativity means being able to take things that might seem commonplace in everyday life and combine them in new ways. You come up with solutions by looking at situations from a different angle. It takes confidence to speak out when you have a new idea that runs contrary to normal thinking of the group you’re involved with on a daily basis.

7. Learn to Unblock. It takes confidence to face obstacles and go through them anyway. Every business professional will face obstacles; this is a normal part of business operations. But not everyone can look at those obstacles and decide to do what it takes to move through them to reach their intended goals. The confidence to do this comes in knowing that the best possible solution can be found. Seeking solutions in spite of the obstacles unblocks the barriers to success. Doing so is a true sign of confidence in business and leadership.

Being a confident woman in business and leadership is possible when you take the steps to maximize your confidence in business and leadership. You can practice being a powerful problem solver who excels with confidence in your profession. When needed, you can find the mentoring and assistance that will support your business and leadership efforts.

_____________________________

Consuelo Meux, PhD is a Mastermind Executive Coach/Consultant with expertise in personal and organization change strategies. She is an expert in women’s leadership styles and assists women to build the confidence to succeed in business and life. Women learn to embrace levels of confidence needed to maximize success and to live an authentic life on purpose. Go to the website to find out more.

Deep in the recesses of every human soul, a mighty power is always at work. It serves as a constant reminder to press onward, achieve more, be more, give more.

Until we take the first step toward rearranging our lifestyle in a more positive way, this power will cause us to become as restless as a pregnant woman, held hostage by the piercing pain of intense labor.

Giving birth to positive change will not come without shedding old habits, some old friends, old fears, and old ways of thinking.

It will not come without tossing and turning, sometimes even crying a river of tears, or perhaps lying awake in the still of the night, staring at the ceiling, praying for answers.

Answers will come and positive changes will too.

Though often wrapped in struggles and disappointments, torment and rejection, heartaches and pain, sickness and suffering, weeping and wailing … still, they come.

~Jacqueline
Excerpt from Grow Through It & Lead

Spark Plug Radio Show

Spark Plug: Welcome to People You Need to Know on Spark Plug Radio. I’m your host, Spark Plug, publisher of Metro Atlanta’s premier business spotlight magazine. At People You Need to Know, we’re dedicated to helping business people make a big splash in Metro Atlanta.

In this segment, we are going to be talking about giving your child the early learning advantage. My guest today is the president of Ideal Early Learning, LLC, a service company devoted to providing quality consultation and training for early care and education programs. Our guest is a public speaker and published author. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s of Early Childhood Education degrees from Albany State University and has a doctorate from the University of Georgia. We are excited to have on the phone today, a woman whose life goal is to enlighten the minds of parents and teachers in hopes that all children will have sufficient opportunities to learn … Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis … welcome to the show.

Dr. Bisa: Thank you. Good morning, Spark Plug.

Spark Plug: How are you today?

Dr. Bisa: I’m wonderful. How are you?

Spark Plug: I’m fantastic and I’m trying to get better.

Dr. Bisa: Great.

Spark Plug: Are you ready to talk about the Early Learning Advantage?

Dr. Bisa: Oh, always, always I love to talk about children.

Spark Plug: Alright … well, let’s get right into it. What are some of the necessary skills young children need to acquire to be successful in grade school?

Dr. Bisa: You know, Spark Plug, I often hear kindergarten teachers say … just show them how to learn, show them how to use their brain, show them how to talk, and what they mean by that is children need to learn critical thinking skills, problem solving skills and language and literacy. They need to understand, when they have a problem, they have to work it out on their own. Sometimes, as parents and teachers, we’ll solve it for them. For instance, with the toddlers, if a ball goes under the table or crib, we’ll run and get it for them versus allowing them to try first, so that problem solving, that critical thinking, and also that language and literacy are very key elements. Children need to know their actual names. Sometimes as they start kindergarten, they’ll say their name is TJ … no … they need to say their name is, Thomas Williams, Jr.

So things like that could really help children to have their early learning advantage. The work that they have now in the grade school that we discussed is really major and a majority of performance standards are really high. So they don’t just have regular feedback questions and worksheets that we had sometimes when we were children. They have problems where they have to look at it and use the information they’ve learned to figure it out. So it’s not just one plus one anymore, they have that, but they also have problems based on that.

My children come home every day with problem solving worksheets in math and reading … language arts. They don’t just have sentences where you have to find the word that fits in the blank, they have to make sense of these words and use the word in three to four different ways. And if a child does not already have regular language and literacy skills, it’s a problem for them. The parents need to make sure that their children are ready with those critical thinking skills, the problem solving skills and language and literacy, and whatever that teacher puts in front of them, they can learn it.

Spark Plug: Dr. Lewis, since many families depend on a two-parent income to make ends meet today, more young children than ever before are enrolled in day care. So … what should parents look for when seeking a child care program that gives their children the early learning advantage?

Dr. Bisa: Parents need to choose a high-quality child care program and oftentimes, they can see an award when they walk in the door, when they go on that particular school’s website. And in the state of Georgia, we have what we call “centers of distinction or state accreditations.” We have homes of quality and if they go to that center and see that banner stating they are a center of distinction or a center of recognition or if it’s a family day care home where people can keep 6-12 children in their home, family or group day care, they may be a home of quality or home of distinction. That’s one of the first signs.

There are also NAEYC accreditations, which is a national award that is given, meaning this program is one of the top programs in the nation. Parents can go to a couple of websites to actually look. They can put in their zip code and some of these centers will pop up. The website for state accreditation in Georgia is decal.ga.gov. Once they go there, they can go to the parent section and actually find day care programs and specifically look for those that are accredited.

Child Care Aware Checklist

They can also go to the national site if they want a nationally accredited program. Those are even higher standards and that website is naeyc.org and there are nationally accredited programs there. I also have a checklist that Child Care Aware puts out. Child Care Aware has a checklist that parents can take to the day care when they are going to visit and they could just check off items to see — is this a quality program? That checklist is available at ChildCareAware.org and some of the examples of items that are on that checklist are:

• Are the children generally happy?
• Do you see happy children when you come in the door, when you walk in through the classroom or given a tour?
• Is the entire staff interacting with the children? You will know the quality of the program if wherever the children are, the staff is working with the children. You want to also pay attention to their demeanor with the children.
• Is the environment clean? You know when you walk in the door and you walk in a classroom, how does it smell, how does it look? Cleanliness is very important.
• Is it a positive learning climate? Make sure that teachers are not yelling at the children; they are using a positive voice with them and they are redirecting them and not punishing them. Also, make sure that the children are engaged in learning and discovering. A quality early learning program has children who are moving about freely in different areas of learning and it’s equipped appropriately as well. There are a lot of materials for them to work with to learn.
• Also, finding out from the director, is the entire staff trained? Are they well-trained? Research tells us that if one teacher in a day care program has at least a bachelor’s degree, then the whole program is a higher quality program.

So those are just some of the items that are on that checklist that can help parents, and again, that website is ChildCareAware.org. In the Metro Atlanta  and in Macon, quality care for children is with Child Care Resource and Referral Agency. Parents can go there or go onto their website at QualityCareForChildren.org and they can help them find a day care that fits their needs. So they have a parent coordinator on site and they can call or they can go by and visit the website, one of the other, and they can help them to find a program that fits their needs.

Spark Plug: How can parents tell, during the early years, if their child would be a successful learner?

10 Characteristics of a Successful Learner

Dr. Bisa: Well, there are ten characteristics of a successful learner, and children don’t have to possess all of these skills, all these characteristics, but some of them are:

• Being independent. If your child is generally independent, do they like to do things on their own?
• Is your child responsible, meaning, are they dependable or accountable?
• If they are curious, I know it’s aggravating to parents sometimes, but children who ask a lot of questions, they are always thinking and they wonder a lot, that curiosity is actually a characteristic that they are successful learners.
• Showing initiative, would they try on their own first, before asking for help?
• Are they cooperative, meaning, are they helpful, are they supportive?
• Risk-takers … that’s huge. Will they try anything? And I know, again, that’s one of the things we think is aggravating for parents, but when children would try something that looks risky, that looks impossible, that’s actually a characteristic that they may be a successful learners.
• Are they creative? Creativity is huge, especially with children who maybe gifted. Are they full of ideas? That creativity is key.
• Do they persevere? Do they have that “stick with it-ness” versus trying to quit as soon as they can’t get it right, so perseverance is key.
• Confident. If your child is confident in their abilities or self-assured, that’s actually a characteristic that they may be a successful learner.
• Finally, are they resourceful? Would they find what’s needed to complete a task or to bring that task to fruition? If your child is resourceful and always looking for items to put together to make something happen, that’s a characteristic.

So again, all of those characteristics don’t have to be present for children to be successful, but a number of them must be present and that’s what helps parents to figure out, “Would my child be successful?”

Spark Plug: Well, what advice as an early learning specialist and parent of elementary age children can you offer to parents of pre-school age children to help them cultivate successful learners?

Dr. Bisa: Parents have to remember, Spark Plug, that they are the child’s first teacher. Parents are the child’s first teacher and the home is the child’s first classroom. Learning does not start when they get to kindergarten. It starts when they are born. So, parents need to make sure that those first five years really count because they can determine their success in those first five years.

Exposure is education. I always tell parents that exposure is education, so it’s taking children to places. When you go to the grocery store, don’t always go on your own. I know it’s easier to go while they are in school or with a family member, but take them and show them the items that are in the grocery store. Tell them the names for the different areas of the grocery store. Tell them about the people who are there.

When you go to the produce section, let them know that this is a produce section and this where we find fruits and vegetables. Tell them the name as you look through the different fruits and vegetables and this helps children to develop schemes. They understand that when I go to a grocery store, first, we get a cart and then we go down the different aisles. If we find what we want, we put them in the basket, and once we are done, we take the basket to the cash register or the shopping cart to the cash register.  We stand in line and a person, and we give the name of that person … the cashier scans our items. We pay. They put them in bags and we have a person who goes out to the car with us and helps us to put those items in the car. That’s a scheme that children develop and that actually helps to build their language.

Children Need to Know at Least 2,000 Words

Children need to know at least 2,000 words. They need to have 2,000 words in their vocabulary by the time they start kindergarten, we say, in order to be successful. That includes mommy, daddy and their name. So exposure is key. Making sure that you are taking children to different places, as I said, and engaging them in conversation is huge and making sure you use correct language. It’s difficult for them to engage in those problem solving activities when they are in schools, and to get those answers correct, if they don’t understand what’s the appropriate language. So, on a daily basis, it’s important to talk with your children using correct language. You can talk with your girlfriends and your family members using slang and whatever you want to use.

But when those children are in front of you or you yourself are in front of your children, it’s important that you use the right words, the correct language, and not always just directive language where you are telling them to do something. It’s important that you engage them in conversation, “What are you doing?” Ask them those important questions and ask them open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are questions that don’t just have one answer. Sometimes we say, “Well, what color is that? Or what number is that?” Those are close-ended questions. They are important as well. But by asking them a balance of open- and close-ended questions where we say, “Well, why is that your favorite color? Why do you like this book? Why do you want mommy to read this book tonight or today?” And that encourages them to pull, to speak from their brains, “Hmm, why do I want mommy to read this book today?” And that engages them in that critical thinking that we talked about earlier.

Also building learning is very important. As we are asking them questions, we call that “scaffolding.” We are building learning and that allows children from birth, as they begin to talk and later on they begin to reason, we build those skills for later learning. When they get to school, they won’t be the only precious angel in the class, so it’s important that we teach them discipline. Discipline is not a dirty word. It means to teach. So it’s very important that we discipline our children and tell them what’s right and what’s wrong.

In the Metro Atlanta area, I mean we have so many different family members.  We have different people in our community. We are very diverse, so they need to learn how to work with people from all over, so that they are successful. We don’t know who their teachers will be. We don’t know who their classmates will be, so we need to teach them now how to get along with others and to discipline them. And one of the final things, Spark Plug, I wanted to mention with that is making sure that our children have a high self-esteem and high self-concept. We have to instill in them that they can be anything they want to be. This is a great time with our new president to show them that, “Yes, we can. Whatever you want to do, honey, you can do it. There are no limits in this world for you.” So making sure that they know that up front and that builds this self-fulfilling prophecy, “What you see equals what you are.” Let children know that you can be anything and then they will be whatever they want to be.

Spark Plug: Dr. Lewis, what are some readily available resources parents should take advantage of to prepare their young learners?

Dr. Bisa: We have a list of websites that I want to offer because there are so many different items and they can be found on these wonderful websites. So listeners have a pen and paper handy because this is helpful.

In the state of Georgia, we have standards from birth to three-year-olds and then we have standards for four and five- year-olds to pre-K. If they go to the decal.ga.gov, that’s the Department of Early Care Learning, they should pull down the Georgia Early Learning Standards and that would tell them what children from birth to three should know socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically and there is also a parent guide that they can download or they can pick it up from Quality Care For Children, and this guide gives them activity ideas that they can use in the home to help their children to be prepared from the ages of birth to three.

Also, parents, while they are, can visit the Georgia Pre-K content standards. There are also resources … a book list. If the parents are wondering, “What books should I read to my children? What are the best types of books,” they can go to the book list there. Another website that is awesome is the Get Ready to Read website and that’s GetReadyToRead.org. They can go there and they can give their child screening tools and this screening tool will help to find out if their children are ready to read. It helps to figure out if they know language, if they know how to understand and speak language, if they know certain words, if they know about a book … those things are very important. So visit Get Ready to Read and there are a lot of materials there that parents can download.

Also, the other great websites are ReadytoLearn.org/parents. Along with that, PBSKids.org and all of that is sponsored by the Georgia Public Broadcasting. Their website is GPB.org/parents. Those three websites, ReadytoLearn.org/parents, PBSKids.org and GPB.org are great for building literacy skills — that’s listening, speaking, reading, writing and understanding language. There are all kinds of computer activities you can engage them in.

Spark Plug: Before we bring this interview to a close, I want you to tell our listeners about your new book and where they can purchase it.

Dr. Bisa: Okay, my new book is Let’s Potty and it gives the stages of potty training and it’s very illustrative. It has lots of different pictures in there.

Spark Plug: Alright, and finally, how can you be reached for speaking engagements or additional information?

Dr. Bisa: Okay, my email is bisa@idealearlylearning.com and visit me on the website or email me and I would be happy to come to any engagements. I’m available to come and address you.

Spark Plug: Alright, well, Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis, President of Ideal Early Learning, LLC. … thanks for being with us today.

Dr. Bisa: Thank you, Spark Plug.

Spark Plug: You’ve been listening to People You Need to Know on Spark Plug Radio, the radio station connecting you to Atlanta’s top business professionals like Dr. Bisa Batten Lewis. I want to take a moment and thank my producer, Ms. Jacqueline Benjamin-Thomas, for doing another first-class job. To listen to even More People You Need to Know, just Google Spark Plug Radio or visit our website at SparkPlugPeople.com and be sure to follow us on Twitter.com/PYNTK. Until next time, always remember that you can add a spark to whatever you do and thanks for tuning in.

I believe creativity is the highest form of self-expression. To me, being creative means exercising the freedom to let my soul manifest itself through my work, or hobby. It is difficult for creativity to thrive in an environment of conformity, imitations and limitations — trapped inside a stale, suffocating box. It must be allowed to breathe fresh air in order to really come alive and grow. Don’t be afraid to express yourself and let your creative energy flow at full force. Resist those who will try and mold you into the image that THEY would prefer you to become. The world is waiting to experience your uniqueness, so let it flow.

Below is an article from Avish Parashar that can help you tap into the power you already have  …  starting now.

~Jacqueline

Creativity is Hard Work!

Creativity has a mystique about it. People who consider themselves uncreative believe that some people just are creative, and that they have the ability to just go off into a room somewhere and emerge a few hours later with new brilliant ideas.

Here’s the big secret of creativity: Creativity is hard work!

Just like any other endeavor, tapping into and applying your creativity is less a function of natural talent or inspiration and more a function of discipline and effort.

If you want to unlock and apply your creativity, do the following three things:

1) Be consistent

Creative inspiration is wonderful; it is also rare. Once in a while, I will be suddenly struck with an idea for a story, article, or speech. When this happens, it’s great. But if I just waited for these moments, I would accomplish very little.

The problem is that most people wait around for inspiration. They are paralyzed with non-action because nothing comes to them.

This is where consistency becomes important. People who write for a living will tell you that the most important thing is to “get the butt in the seat.” That is, every day, inspired or not, they need to sit at their desk and write. This type of consistency generates a volume of creative work, regardless of inspiration.

If you are trying to use your creativity for any purpose, then be consistent! Put some work in every day, even if you feel blocked up. By being consistent, not only will you continue to generate ideas, but you will also be cultivating your creativity so that inspiration is more likely to hit.

This approach can also be applied to cultivating creativity. There are drills and exercises that can unlock and develop your creativity. However, these drills and exercises are useless if not used. They are also ineffective if not done consistently over a period of time. Just like a physical muscle that needs to be gradually strengthened over time, so too does your creative muscle.

How do you keep going even when you feel blocked up? That’s the next point…

2) Be willing to be bad

When someone uses their creative skill to generate a new idea, the only thing the outside world sees is that one brilliant idea. What the world doesn’t see is the dozens, or hundreds, or even thousands of bad ideas that led to the one good one. As you develop your creativity, be willing to be bad. Be willing to tap into your resources and keep coming up with bad ideas. The willingness to do that will unlock and increase your creative flow to a point where the good ideas will come.

Julia Cameron has a great quote, “You take care of the quantity, and let God take care of the quality.”

Use that as a reminder when you feel that your ideas aren’t good enough.

3) Be persistent

Consistency is coming back day after day. Persistence is sticking to a task until it is done.

Because of the romanticized notion of creativity, people believe that ideas should come immediately. If nothing comes in a day or two, there is a great temptation to quit. We believe that we are out of ideas.

This is where persistence becomes paramount. Be willing to stick to it and keep creating when you feel you should quit. You must realize that your creative mind is more powerful and more resourceful than your conscious mind. Your limitations and desire to quit are in your conscious mind.

The person who comes across as truly creative is the one who persists in these times. Not because they have a great idea, but because they trust that by persisting, their creative mind will give them something.

If you want to be a super creative person, be willing to keep at it, even when you are sure you have exhausted all ideas.

It is hard work to be consistent. It is hard work to be willing to be bad; to be willing to keep creating when you feel the quality is not there. It is hard work to be persistent. And yet these three things will help you unlock and apply your creativity immediately.

Stop thinking of creativity as a magic tool only a few special people possess. With some hard work and discipline, anyone (including you) can be immensely creative!

____________________

Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!

People You Need to Know Magazine welcomes guest blogger, Koddi Lester-Dunn.

Being Swallowed Up By All of Your Responsibilities?

If you find that your life is being swallowed up by all of your responsibilities, then here are 5 things you MUST do to get your life BACK ON PURPOSE…FAST!

#1 . – Get QUIET – There is too much noise surrounding you, and the truth is all of that “surround sound” is just holding you back, and stifling your progress. So quiet down…..Spend some alone time with yourself and the Holy Spirit. Allow Him to guide you and show you the real you….and help you deal with some of those issues, fears, and choices that keep you one step behind.

#2. – Find your PURPOSE. — God created you with a specific need and purpose in mind. It goes beyond just being someone’s mother, sister, daughter or friend. There is something that He has chosen you to do, and until you get with Him and let His will be done in your life….you are walking OFF point. Your dreams and aspirations didn’t disappear, just because you have a child now. So stop believing the HYPE of everyone else who says you can’t do the EXACT thing God has placed you on this earth TO DO. No matter how far off course you may seem to be right now, if you YIELD your life to Him, He will lead you and guide you BACK TO YOUR PURPOSE.

#3 – Get a PLAN. — Once God has shown you WHO you really are, develop a plan to get to your life going again! You don’t have to go through every day by day just living for others or just maintaining to pay bills. You can begin to develop and implement the smallest steps towards working, walking, and living out your dreams.

Sure you may have challenges, but you can rise above any obstacle or distraction sent to keep you off point!

#4. – REMOVE toxic relationships and people from your inner circle. — This may mean deleting some people from your phone or even, FB, but your future is worth preserving and protecting. I have learned that people are pouring life and love into you….or they are taking it from you. Selfish relationships have no place in your future, so if you find that you have given someone TOXIC access to you – then you need to remove them. Either this person is a help or they are a hindrance…..nevertheless, choose, remove and move forward.

#5. – FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS! — Life has taught me that the enemy will often bring distractions and problems to you just as soon as you get on point….so recognize what all the drama is REALLY about. It’s a ploy to get you off track. So, if you find that the phone rings, or the “ex” is tripping…right around the time you start working on your life’s plan, then take it as a SURE sign, that you are on THE RIGHT TRACK! (If you weren’t on your way to something big, your haters wouldn’t be working SO HARD to try and stop you!) No matter what’s happened or what’s going on, you must FOCUS! FOCUS! FOCUS!

Written by: Koddi Lester-Dunn
CEO of SingleMomsTV.com & SingleMoms365.com

Copyright 2011.

For more information visit www.SingleMoms365.com