Joani Plenty

Born With A Desire To Inspire
April 24th, 2012

Today…Have a cup o’ambition on me! Mmmm

UP AND AT ‘EM!!!!! TODAY…you CAN do it (whatever “it” is). Just START. I’d rather see you start today and not finish than to not start at all! Have you been wanting or needing to get something done (i.e. make a dentist appointment; open and sort bills; clean a closet)? Set a small goal JUST for today. Make a dentist appt and just gather the bills together or JUST go through and pay a few bills (marking “paid” on the envelope feels great)! You could just focus on shoes in the closet…nothing else. And, if you’re like me with millions of shoes, then how about you organize the red shoes or put away the winter shoes/boots. That’s it! Then tomorrow, tackle another small task. You’ll find that it was fast and easy come the end of the week when you’re smiling and you have, what I like to call, “better” chaos. Yes, it’s still there…for the most part the mess may still be there, some bills won’t get paid (OF COURSE) and some of the shoes weren’t tackled (unless you surprised yourself and, while listening to your iPod, got carried away and completed way more than you expected, he he he!) but the shoes and/or mess are not the issue. Really. WHO CARES?! I’ll say it again…WHOOOOO CAAAAARES! In the big scheme of things, I don’t know about or care that you can only find just the left shoe to each pair. The goal is to FEEL GOOD. THAT is what life is all about. Doing things and being surrounded by people, places and things that make us feel good.

So, if a mess, unpaid bill, annual check-up, cleaning out the fruit drawer (brown apples creep me out and at the bottom of this post I’ll give you a tip on how to keep them from turning brown) are just a few of the things that are hanging over your head, just starting can actually make you feel good.  You may find that you feel less overwhelmed if you do it on YOUR terms.  Not someone else’s terms that have you believing it must all be done today (and that includes your own alter ego, your “perfect” BFF, your mother/M-I-L, your kids’ teacher, your boss etc.). Doing things on your terms and, more importantly, being OK when you decide to stop though the task is unfinished, can make you feel GREAT!  Because you know that it will get finished finally. How do you know? Because you started and you are moving toward completion each day no matter how big or small the steps.  Success is INEVITABLE!  How ya like THEM apples! :p

I think I’ll go open ONE bill (if I could open half a bill I would  because that’s how I’m rollin today)!!

I have a couple of free hours to live today (instead of hours to kill…see how I did that?) so I’m off to commit some fun random acts of kindness then home to do some writing and read the new book ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ by E.L. James because I’m on a “feel-good mission” too! You go ahead and decide to have a GREAT day! Then do it! Have you decided?? *I’ll wait while you wake-up and try to get behind this decision* Ready? Set? GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!  *Oh geez…I can hear the ‘Rocky’ theme music from here*

Below you will find my tip to keep apples from turning brown so quickly and a FREE goodie to help you with those tasks mentioned above!

xoxo

J-

 

 

P.S. – Since you’re such a hotshot now, how about adding this one last task to your list:  Click here to vote for me for the 2012 Nations United Social Media Award!  I am the only woman (and 1 of only 2 nominees from the US)!  Every single nominee is deserving and I am so glad to have met them virtually and look forward to meeting them in “real-life” at the awards!  So, I thank you in advance and TRUUUUULY appreciate not only you taking the time out of your busy day (which by the way, should not be as busy now that we’ve got the plan mentioned above *wink*) to click and vote but to have been nominated at all.  I was so focused on the other types of awards that were right under my nose to intentionally go for and add to the virtual wall of my website when… BAM!  I’m nominated, for the most meaningful award I’ve ever been nominated for, behind my back!  As if!!  All for my ‘Random Kindness Rally Project’ where, instead of fearing my 40th birthday and wallowing in self-pity, I decided to come up with a plan to feel GOOD that day…make it the BEST birthday instead of the worst.  So, knowing that nothing makes me happier than to make others happy, I set out on a mission to commit 40 acts of kindness; one for each day of life that I’m grateful for!  To get others involved in such fun, I started a project.  I created an annual Twitter “Tweetrally” for others to follow and interact with me as I go, through-out the day, paying-it-forward and hopefully get inspired to do the same.  I asked, in lieu of gifts this year, that everyone commit one random act of kindness and share what they did along with pictures if they chose to do so!  My video and pictures will be up on my website soon!  I’m so looking forward to watching this project grow as I now have an R&D team to bounce my happy ideas off of, making next year an even bigger success!  March 15th, the Ides of March, will now be a happy day of kindness instead of a sad day of betrayal!

Thanks again for your vote…it will come back to you tenfold!  Kindness begets kindness.  ;)  While you’re there, check out some of the other WONDERFUL nominees and their projects.  www.nationsunited.org/awards/nominees

Nations United…beautiful people doing beautiful things.

 

As promised: A GREAT apple tip for keeping apples from turning brown right after you cut them so that you, and especially the kids and their lunch boxes, can enjoy them longer: Click Here!

ALSO…since we’re talking about completing tasks (and to help make this even EASIER so that you have NO excuses), I’ve asked my friends Matt and Nick over at Time Dog if they could help a few of my readers out as well!  Being the awesome, sincere (and funny) guys that they are, of course they would absolutely LOVE to help you with your tasks and complete some FOR you for FREE!!!!  That’s how they roll!

Now, if you know me you know that I am always searching for great finds, deals, products and services online.  You would also, then, know that I am honest and NOT one for quick schemes (even if it were to put money into my pocket…blahhhh) and have a very low tolerance for BS!  This is why many people (friends and total strangers alike, who have followed me and learned this about me) come to me when they need to find the perfect product, gift or service and fast!  Because they know that I am honest, I have OCWSD (Obsessive Compulsive Web Surfer Disorder…I don’t sleep and have come to the end of the internet several times) and I want the best for EVERYONE, including success for the good, legitimate, businesses that are out there marketing to us.  Nothing boils my blood and gives me “crow’s feet” more than internet BS!  Even some of the legitimate businesses get you to their website and then bash you over the head with their sales pitches and now, not-so-interesting “deals”.  So, though I may have originally been interested in their product or service, if you  make me think that I’m getting one thing and then I realize that I’m not (or I am as long as I pay a million and two dollars and give up my first born) I frown and go back to Pinterest.

But that is NOT what Time Dog is (and believe me, I TRIED to grill them to find the “Ah Ha! I KNEW it!” when I first found them but there wasn’t one.  Then I just stared at them…made them listen to the crickets and the wind between my ears).  But it’s true, these guys are actually providing busy people, like myself, FREE virtual assistant services and then if you like them (which you will), they charge you like $35 a month to do an UNLIMITED amount of stuff every day that you don’t have time to do (or don’t feel like doing)!  They do all of this without a contract so you can cancel if you must (Time Dog is confident that you’ll return, no worries, they understand that your $35 may need to go to a more pressing issue that month ), without paying them up front for the year etc.  There are absolutely NO disclaimers needed here when I type this because not only was I not asked or paid to say these things, but Time Dog has no idea that I’m adding it to this particular post which will be read by many, making even more work for them (so get OVER there!  Sheesh, I’ve given you the link like 35 times now!  You’ll want to find out what it is that they do not do ’cause they looked at me as if I had two heads when I asked them to bathe my kids and wash my car.  BUT, I need a new car anyway and finding me what I want for the price that I want with all of my quirky, picky must-haves and betta-not-haves is right up their alley *pulls out phone to call Time Dog)!

Thankfully, Time Dog is fully staffed and love what they do!  FREE to try though guys?  Ten tasks a day (unless you decide to keep these cinderfellas after the FREE 15 days, then it’s unlimited) for free?  Everyday??  They even have REALLY pretty gift cards to give the gift of a virtual assistant to someone else!  See…I told you it was crazy but hey, that’s what happens when you stay positive and surround yourself with positive people…that’s what happens, man!

 

Until next time…Warmest wishes,

Joani  <3

 

Twitter: twitter.com/joaniplenty

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about.me: about.me/joaniplenty (see the pattern here?  lol)

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February 23rd, 2012

Where Can I Get More Fear?!

Though I received extremely bad news of a family emergency last Fri., you would never know it…I’m still me.  I talked to one of my very first twitter friends, Valerie Haight (@valeriebrbr), over the phone (and everyone KNOWS how much I despise talking on the phone…don’t have 5 min. to eat let alone time to talk) but she made me feel great about being me when many are so good at being something else.  I thought maybe I was the “odd woman out” and should try to contain myself…that this is what everyone had to do for the sake of business.

But it didn’t feel good.  And I’ve always been the first person to say that if it doesn’t feel good…then it’s NOT good!  My “gut gauge” is rarely wrong.  So, I stopped allowing others to live rent-free in my head and focused on my novel, a few projects I’ve been asked to take part in as well as my birthday, (you’re invited too!  I’ve placed more info below about my ‘Random Kindness Rally’ 3/15).  Not to mention a new site launch and starring in a stage production hoping to find time to run lines.  #grateful

Right after that quick and awesome call, I watched a video showing the inspiring launch of  www.30secondmobile.com and felt even better about my business decisions and the hard work that it’s taking to bring them to life!  But what I’m doing, following my dreams, is not the norm, unfortunately.  While some are taking the stairs, others allow the elevator to go by because there are so many taking the same elevator or they waste time wondering which is best…waiting for the next elevator or taking the stairs (click here for full elevator analogy).

Take it from me, GO FOR YOUR DREAMS!!  I promise you will not regret it or be “worse” off than you are right now!  I mean, you can always go back to just dreaming so what have you really got to lose, right?  Like “they” say: A goal without action is just a wish.  What seems like a scary step or jump due to sacrifices and hard work (especially if you’re sitting there saying, “I have no idea where to begin and I don’t have any extra money, Joani Jackass!”) you’ll find that the resources are all right there in front of you (Google is my BFF) and the hard work doesn’t seem like work at all because you are going to love doing what you love!

Yes, there will be tons of sacrifice but trust me when I say that your imagination is like kryptonite when it comes to thoughts of what may go wrong.  The more creative your imagination is about what “may” happen, the more you know that you should really be doing what you love.  ’F’ fear!  I know that’s a strong word (or…um…letter) but it’s THAT serious!  Are you going to allow one word…one feeling to come between you and ten words  that describe how you feel when you are doing what you love?  Acknowledge the fear but use it to motivate you.  Tell yourself that the more fear you feel; the more reason you have to go for it!  Because people without passion don’t have that strong sense of fear.  THEY are the ones who may be unsuccessful, but you…you should ENCOURAGE fear.  Hope to have so much fear that you need an Rx for motion sickness!  Hope to  have so much fear that your hair turns white!  Because only then will you know that you have the passion needed to get what you want!

Here are just a few small (but important) tips to help you get started:

  • Take a step…any step, each day toward your goal.  No matter how small.

 

  • Stop avoiding crutial parts of the process like creating a Twitter account (or using the one that you have) because you don’t know much about it or how to use it.  TWITTER WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE and speed the ride to your goal!  We (my  tweeps) are here to help not hinder.  I’ve never seen a more positive and supportive social site in my life!  I say it all the time but it sometimes falls on deaf ears because you won’t know the impact of the Twitter pool until you dive in!

 

  • Feel the fear and do it the hell anyway!  You’ve got this…you DO!

Whatever you need to do to stay motivated…do that!  Listen to the effin ‘Rocky’ theme song (Gonna Fly) 5 times before breakfast if that’s what it takes.  Then say, “Is that ALL the fear that I have?!  I KNOW that I want this badly and I know that I’m passionate…so, if fear indicates passion, PUHLEAAASE tell me that I’m going to feel more fear than THIS!”

Then, finish your bowl of ‘Frankenberry’ and go for what you KNOW!

 

It’s the…eye of the tiger, it’s the thrill of the fight.  Rising up to the *den neh neh neh nah naaaah*!  And the last known survivor of the *den neh neh neh…dun dun dun dun dun dun dun* the eeeeeeye…of the tigerrrr!

J-

xo

Twitter: @joaniplenty

Join the tweet party Thu. 3/15/12, as I commit 40 random acts of kindness for my 40th birthday and tweet about them along the way!  To be a part of this awesome ‘Random Kindness Rally’, just sign into Twitter on March 15, 2012 (great time to create an account don’t you think?)  :)  at 10 AM (until I’ve completed all 40 random acts of kindness).  To join the awesome live stream and meet some of the best people on Twitter, type the following into the search box: #HappyBdayJoani

*You want to be sure to type “bday” and not “birthday”

Facebook: /joaniplenty

about.me: /joaniplenty

pinterest: /joaniplenty

 

www.joaniplenty.com

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November 9th, 2011

Holiday Decor

With the holiday season, well…here, I’m starting to get that feeling.  You know the one; the excited butterfly feeling in your stomach that you get when you sniff nostalgic holiday smells like pine, apple-cinnamon or my fave, the smell of logs burning in a fireplace nearby.

 

These feelings can also cause a bit of anxiety because holiday cheer and financial fear go together for many of us.  I say that I am going to start shopping in January while everything is on sale for the following holiday season and never do.  So why do we get “jammed-up” come November?  We know when Christmas (or whatever holiday your household chooses to celebrate) comes each and every year!

 

So, here it is Nov. and I’m considering myself still ahead of the game (found cute no-spill bottles of blowing bubbles in a cart on clearance in K-Mart for $0.49!  On my way to being labeled as a badass mom for that stocking stuffer (that’s a good thing)!  ; )

 

One thing that I find each year is that I never seem to have what I thought I had stored in my decoration bins the season before so when I go to decorate, it never fails, the decoration bandit has cut out with half of my Christmas ball booty.  Hence, several trips to Target for lights and mistletoe are inevitable.

 

This year, my obsession is with mercury glass!!  I Can’t wait to pick up some more things and start decorating!  If you like it as much as I do…here are my top 5 FAVE spots to not only shop for mercury glass but everything for my home (especially during the holidays…amazingly beautiful):

 

Now, I don’t buy EVERYTHING from my favorite online spots listed above, that would be way too expensive… soooo, my little design tip of the day is: To fool the eye.  Buy a few high-end, expensive items to place strategically around the room among your favorite Target, Marshall’s, Home Goods and thrift store finds for a completely fabulous luxe layout (I just picked up the most beautiful, heavy/quality Ralph Lauren low-ball glasses with the RL Crest etched on the front from Home Goods for $3 each)!!  So head to the sites above for inspiration and check the clearance/sale links first!  You can also make much of your holiday decor yourself and it’s a lot easier than you think!  I will be posting my fave sites on home-made decor and gifts soon!

 

If you haven’t started either your holiday gift shopping or your holiday home item shopping…get crackalackin!  Start small if you need to (“Oh, look!  Those snowman dish towels are so stinkin cute!”  PICK THEM UP!  Don’t wait!  You don’t have to buy everything at once.  If you love it, buy it and put it away…build your holiday design glass ball by glass ball)!

 

Next post on ‘Helpful 4 The Holidays’ will be on Sunday 11/13/11: Favorite Holiday Tradition!  I will share with you some of my favorite holiday traditions and explain my obsession with adding new ones each year.  So please, feel free to stop back and take a few of mine with you to use in your home.  From holiday kick-off traditions to get the family in the spirit early, to warm and fuzzy Christmas day traditions that I couldn’t live without!

 

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October 3rd, 2011

Haterade…drink responsibly.

As I sit here staring at my computer screen with half a smile on my face, I take a deep breath. All that I can think about is not the negativity that has been creatively dished to me but what I am going to do from this day forward so that I never live a life that would have me serving this type of hate.

I’ve been living my dream and, almost overnight, sledding down a hill of motivation and positivity for several months now. I’ve been “sledding” before but the bottom of the hill was always in view; from the very beginning, while mounting the sled, it was there smirking at me to let me know that the enjoyment will be short lived. But this time was different. This time there was no end in site. The crisp white snow ahead was infinite and seemed prepared like a well groomed golf course. The ride was over an open wide space with minimal trees. Trees which were not blocks or difficulties but, instead, slight protection whether needed or not. This allowed a ride without fear of stumbling…stumbling upon obstacles. Clear of fundamental branches and twigs, free of “throwing-stones” that scraped the paint from my sled.

Yup, this ride was different. No one calling my name. No hunger or thirst. Everything that I needed seemed to be right where I needed it to be and if it wasn’t, there was no worry or doubt that it wouldn’t appear when the time was right.

It’s night time but the moon seems to be shining a path just for me. A circular, continuous, life-long path of repeat; occasionally bringing me back to the beginning spot. A spot not to start over but the start of a new project; a new thrilling ride. Every hill was a favorite. When something would appear as a sure ride stopper, my sled would swiftly maneuver itself as if magically steered by a higher power…this was bigger than me.

I sometimes thought about the others…whose ride did come to an end, continually start and then end or creek like old floor-boards while teetering but never leaving the top of the hill. Do I wait for them? Do I feel sorry for them? Do I downplay the excitement of my great ride to make them feel better about their accomplishments or lack there of? Maybe. Once…maybe twice. But then less time is spent creating, dream catching, and hustling. My time. Time is fair, it waits for no one which means that I have just as much time as they do. Do I spend it worrying about how someone else feels about my success? Regardless of how big or small, success is success is success. It’s much easier to dismiss, even patronize, someone else’s fortune than to create your own. To wish with fingers crossed and eyes tightly shut that my sled would malfunction or that it was me, waiting for a turn to sail effortlessly down the path, instead of them. Standing on the highest hill yelling just about anything to distract me from my ride. But like I said, a higher power took over the rope-like reign a long time ago.

I’ve dragged this same sled to this same hill for years knowing that I was cutout for this jaunt. Instead, I allowed others, hence, myself, to minimize my talents and build up my doubts like a snow drift piled against a wall with nowhere else to go. To tell me that my head was in the clouds because life doesn’t work that way. There are no magical sleds, no limitless hills, no feeling of complete happiness because “all good things must come to an end”.

It wasn’t until I tried something different, decided not to allow jaundiced thinking to cloud my vision, that I realized my thinking is the correct way of thinking…for me. Whatever it takes to live a truly happy life for me is what I just needed to do. It’s as simple as that. I just needed to do. I was doing a disservice to myself and others, especially those who loved me most and knew that I was destined for my own kind of greatness. I’ve been hated, I’ve been rated, but these actions come to the surface mostly when I’ve “made it”.

Naysayers do serve a purpose. Without them, it may not be possible to truly know how great you are. Greatness is in all of us it’s just that some of us are unable to see it and more importantly, feel it. Instead of over analyzing a “hater’s” every word and feeling bad, empathize…feel sorry for them because they sled uphill by choice. They are people who, unlike you, don’t know how to recognize or create their own happiness so they go through life with a half empty glass. They are wonderful teachers and mentors…on what not to do. Defeatists help us treat others better because we know first hand how it feels to receive a negative, because of a positive. Trust that they do not feel any better after slapping you with their thought-out/well calculated words of envy and sadness.

Going forward, I will control any feelings of jealousy that I may have (as they are normal). I will not allow anyone to live in my head “rent-free”. I will be understanding of others’ actions and toxic words. I will continue to go out of my way to uplift those working hard towards their goals and dreams because there are more of “us” than there are of “them”.

As I stare at my computer screen I take another deep breath. A breath that I initially took to release the feelings of anxiety and disbelief, I now take-in with a full smile on my face. It’s a smile of calmness. The calm before the storm. The snow storm that is the start of my purposely productive day tomorrow; life forever. My sled and I are ready. We want action and we want it now!

I hope your sled soon has a life of its own, allowing you to take that incessant snow ride. I hope that you smile, with your arms over your head and permanent tingle in your stomach.

That’s my wish for you; my misanthrope.

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