Cover via Amazon

It was during the early 70′s that my school in Mississippi was intergrated- white children & black children coming together as students under the auspices of The Civil Rights Movement. I know this because in 1970, I was taking the yellow school bus along with other children of Color to attend school as a freshman on Mississippi school grounds that once served only white kids!

The auditorium where we all gathered for introduction from the schools’ principal & personnel was thick with anticipation, curiousity, and wonderment as children of both races looked around to size each other up. I’ll never forget that time and space in my life. Pearl Carter was a friend since 4th grade. We were two peas in a pod back then. Our friendship lasted throughout High School until our graduation, when Pearl headed off to college and I headed to Chicago to follow my dreams:)

All of those years being friends with Pearl, I never knew of her family’s history. SILVER RIGHTS  is a book written by Constance Curry. It tells the story of the Carter family‘s brave decision to send their children to an all white school in the 60′s!  I became aware of Silver Rights a few years back and put it on my book to-do list. About a year ago, Pearl and I reconnected via Twitter! We are now twitter pals and email back and forth. I’m so envious of her huge executive offices (told her so) and she likes my freelance writer work (sort of)

Pearl Carter’s family were the first black family to intergrate the segregated schools in Mississippi! I look forward to bringing you a review of Silver Rights very soon. Shh, Pearl doesn’t even know:)

Peace & blessing…

Did you find out a big, wonderful, secret about an old friend? Please share…

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Image by glennharper via Flickr

Working smarter is a catch phrase that includes everyone from parents in the home, to teachers in the classroom. This solution to problem solving is far reaching, extending from the lips of sage Pro Bloggers to best-selling authors and their number one fan. Working smarter, not harder, has become a phenomenal motivator.

The essence of “working smarter, not harder” is a good reminder on the how-tos of alleviating long winded avenues to finding a simpler mode of achievement. It is on the basis of good and well meaning intention when those in leadership provide potential clients this same definitive take-away value in their startup business endeavors . As leaders, it’s imperative how we define this ideology of working smarter for ourselves.    

 I recently had an opportunity to participate in a ten week Leadership and Coaching course offered at  Illinois Depaul University. It was an eye opener in the instance of how the word “smarter” is perceived. I knew the basis behind working smarter, but taking the class reawakened a better understanding and conceptual method to working smarter.

 The participating class were given weekly modules for learning . The bold lettering spelling out the word S. M. A. R. T. E. R in the first session , served to set the tone for the course premise in relation to freelance writing, leadership, coaching, and marketing. As a professional writer and entrepreneur, this information seemed an important addendum to an already awesome way of problem solving.

Below you’ll find the module’s lettering and wordage. The definition to each word is how I perceived my goals and vision as an individual freelancer. Defining  what these words mean for you, whatever your platform can only add to your success.

S.M.A.R.T.E.R:

S. Specific _- be clear in your goals. What is it that you’re focused on accomplishing. As a nurse it would be to provide the best possible care and return a patient to their activities of daily living. As a writer, I will focus upon my passion and purpose as I work from a place of helping others.

M. Measurable- Have you mapped out a master plan, as in a business plan? A map to guide you on your journey to achieving your goals? Is it doable?

A. Agreed-If you are a solepreneur with a family dynamic to consider the question arises; have you and your spouse discussed the potential for failure? finances? support? Is everyone of concern in agreement? If not, what avenues must you initiate to come to an agreed upon conclusion?

R. Realistic- Are your goals doable? Are you going to write what you know? Will research suffice. Are you “walking the talk”?

T. Time-bound- What’s your time frame here? Have you prepared  yourself for failure? For success?

E. Ethical- As professionals, we are bound by an indelible code of honor. There should be no question about how we want our work to encourage and inspire, empower and entertain. As leaders we should base our motivations upon teaching others the path that leads to truth and humility.

R. Recorded- How do we want the world to remember our contribution to society? What we leave as legacy should find favor with our loved ones, our colleagues and the world, as a permanent record. A deed to the the life we’ve lived.  

Working smarter, not harder, when viewed from where I’m standing as a freelance writer, activist and motivator, suddenly takes on a whole new meaning!

Happy 2012 to all of my readers and thanks for visiting clara54 during my absence. Lots of good stuff, hard decisions and career motivators to update y’all on in future posts. Meanwhile feel free to weigh in on the components of working smarter as it applies to your freelance endeavors!  

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Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 3,600 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 60 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Happy Monday! Christmas is Sunday!!!!!!! As a result of the Holidays, Clara54 is taking a sabbatical until after New Years, possibly will return 2nd week of January-another year, another birthday:)

I thought I’d look back at a few things accomplished in 2011 on the journey from nurse to freelance writer:

2011 a wonderful year in the life of Clara54 because I got to expand my horizons in writing, publishing & entrepreneurship:

1. Published my ebook- A Life Toward Authenticity; My Authentic Woman Story- one reader praised the journey of how I turned challenges into opportunities this way: “Clara Freeman Walks the Talk.”

2. Bought my self-hosted website at http://Authentic-Woman.Net where I share insights and offer affordable services that will help women turn their challenges into opportunities and live out their passion and purpose at any age. The move to hosting my own domain was one of the best decisions of 2011! 

3. Earned a certificate in Leadership & Coaching from Depaul University under their Hay Project

4. I’ve been retained by a London website as their American entertainment correspondent…the editor seems to like my work:) check out my latest post now; www.city-connect.org

5. Clara54 was recently placed on the Reflections from Women Book Tour  Blogroll as one of their favorite blogs to watch in Terri S. Nelson’s Reflections From Women Book Series…

6. Published in the November Issue of Costco Magazine’s Health Column.

I’m still waiting for Tyler Perry to answer my tweets in regards to that laptop request ( hey, Oprah and Gale got cars) and George Clooney haven’t taken me up on my invite to explore his Italy digs—nor has that limo driver, personal chef and country home somewhere in Georgia I’m pining for came to fruition, but, let’s not get it twisted people, there’s always 2012!

How was 2011 for y’all? I’m all ears!

P.S. Want a shot of Holiday motivation? Purchase a copy of My Authentic Woman Story for Xmas! Simply go to http://authentic-woman.net and stroll down the site to buy (cheaper than a glass of the finest wine… believe!)

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Also was happy to see a post at blogher gain viewers of 700 plus readers since posting on the 6th. The post “Why I Won’t Watch Baseball Wives” was a random little spill about reality tv and wow, it hit a home run!

Busy today -super comming to fix a leaking faucet

Shooping online & off for kiddies

Penning posts for clara54′s T blog and authentic woman site

Making secret plans for granddaughter’s 17th birthday tomorrow! and she still looks forward to Christmas

Anyhoo, I’m only going to post once more before taking downtime for XMAS, cause life is grand and I must participate!

Blessings! 

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Doing laundry- an early morning habit retained from an “up with the chickens” sorta mom:)

 Working with &trying to remember “I’m not my hair” because it’s growing back faster than a speeding bullet- cut it 1 year ago:( 

Preparing for an interview this afternoon!

Cooking comfort foods-yummy

Keeping an ear out for delivery-xmas comes early for the grandchildren at my house- Love playing Ms. Claus ( a reasonable ms. claus, doncha know?)

Glowing from my most recent accomplishment in continuing to hone my coaching & mentoring skills…admiring the certificate I just received after completing a ten week Leadership and Coaching class via Depaul University’s online Values- Centered Leadership Course, under The Hay Project.

Anyone interested in this awesome skills enhanced course, can go here for details http://leadershipdepaul.edu/secure/eng/lEduCP.asp or email hayleadership@depaul.edu

Sooo, Whatcha Doing my fellow scribes!?!

• Key # 1: Know your value. While you can’t know every possible result that the other party would want, be sure to understand what your offer or position can do for them. This means researching all the potential benefits and ways that your idea, product and/or service could help the other party, whether it is solve a problem, increase earning potential or simply make their life or business more convenient and enjoyable. If your argument is lacking some key benefit, then it is up to you to figure out how to adapt it so that it can serve the needs of your target audience while also achieving your own objectives. This takes time, effort, forethought and sometimes research, but it is well worth it when it’s clear to the other party that you not only understand their needs, but you also seek to structure an agreement that’s in their direct best interest as well. 

• Key # 2: Personal relations. Relationship management is the key to showing the other party who you are as an individual, what you can do, where your values lie and how the deal at hand will benefit everyone involved. You learn about them; they learn about you – it’s a two way street. Both parties must feel that there’s synergy – a chemistry of sorts; only then can a mutually beneficial relationship be forged. From there, you present your win-win case, handshakes are offered and agreements are signed. Frequently, deals can close quickly and easily because people have come to know and trust you, either directly or by referral, making them comfortable to do business with you. If you create a strong enough brand and a stellar enough reputation, others will want to be part of the success you’ve amassed.   Your opposition will clamor to close the deal with you.

 • Key # 3: Get buy-in on your vision. Getting others on board with your plan can be challenging, especially when there are many people involved and/or there is much at stake relative to risk and potential upside. A critical step in artful deal making is to convey and articulate your vision of the outcome in such a way that the opposing party will desire that very same outcome.   The “WIIFM’ – “what’s in it for me” – factor must be made crystal clear to the other party as you present your position. Of course, to do this effectively, you must first understand, or predict based on sound preparation, what the vision of the other party is likely to be at the onset of negotiations. This way, you can appropriately integrate synergistic ideas so that the visions ultimately meld.  In addition, vision buy-in will be facilitated if you underscore to the other person that they will still be involved at a conceptual level as the project ensues. 

• Key # 4: Be humble. You have to be humble, but firm, to effectively broker a deal. There’s a fine line between the two, particularly when you’re dealing with people who have already attained a measure of success.  Always respect the positions of the other people involved in your negotiations, no matter how badly, or not, you want the deal. It’s important to be fair and honest about the negotiation and to keep your intentions pure. You need to let people know you have the ability and desire to perform the task you’re charged with. You also need to showcase with quantifiable examples that you put 100 percent effort behind everything you do. At the same time, you must express genuine respect and appreciation for what the other parties, what they have done and who they are—even if they’re, well, jerks. Even a jerk can grow to appreciate, respect and ultimately benefit you, and once that two-way street is established negotiations can ensure and deals can be made. Humility with backbone. It’s a tricky combination to maintain, but one that’s absolutely mission critical. 

• Key # 5: Finesse. No matter how large or small, almost every deal takes finesse, which is where skill and natural ability meet. This is where you get to have fun and allow your personality to shine. It means being able to explore different angles and try the somewhat weird and wacky—maybe even a bit of the fearless and crazy. It’s problem solving with a twist. It’s poise and diplomacy. It’s art. In the end, when finesse comes into play, the parties genuinely like each other and all sides look for ways to make sure the deal becomes a reality. For the best wheeler-dealers, finesse comes naturally; they don’t even know they’re doing it. If you’re lucky, it works that way for you as well. If not, develop it, let it flow and have fun trying it. Before you know it, you’ll be finessing your deals, too.

 • Key # 6: Swagger. Swagger is an attitude you implement through finesse; it uses finesse as a tool. If finesse is about problem solving and outside-the-box thinking, then swagger is about having commanding and authoritative disposition and demeanor but without being pretentious or arrogant. It’s about knowing how good you are and hinting at what you are capable of but without being braggadocios. Swagger is a spirited characteristic that you possess and radiate without ever compromising your integrity or sacrificing your general likability. In a deal-making situation, your swagger should exude confidence, success and fearlessness. Hit the right notes with your swagger, and you’ll walk away with what you want. Just one more step in perfecting your life-wealth plan.

 Master the six steps outlined above and you’ll be ready for some high stakes deal making. Remember, though, that Rome wasn’t built in a day, so conquering negotiating skills isn’t going to happen that quickly either. Start small before attempting to hit the Big Leagues. You may have to stumble a few times, but just get back up and go at it again.  Along the way, keep both your successes and your failures in perspective, remembering that they are just stepping-stones along your lifetime of deal adventures.  Once you’ve mastered the art, aim high—just like those seemingly crazy and fearless billionaires. 

Internationally-regarded investing and entertainment mogul Arthur Wylie is the author of “Only the Crazy and Fearless Win BIG!: The Surprising Secrets to Success in Business and in Life” (www.CrazyandFearless.com) and serves as CEO of Arthur Wylie Enterprises – a brand with diverse practice areas, including include business consulting, real estate, investing, speaking, entertainment/film production, book publishing and philanthropy.

I love scary & “whodunit” shows. Something about good versus evil.  I’ve seen all of these shows and I’ve become their #1 fan. Clara54 recommends for your viewing pleasure:

GRIMM-  based on the Grimm fairytales, This has one detective who is suddenly thrust into the  position of having to save humans from the evil existence of creatures that no one else in town can see but him. (an aunt who died in the line of Grimm duty) In the process of learning about this unique gift he possesses, the detective encounters an odd ally in of all people, a werewolf! 

Grimm can be seen on Wednesday nights on NBC. 

The Secret Circle- A group of young people find out they come from a bloodline of witches. Something happened back during the time when their parents were younger- Something that caused some of the parents to succumb to mysterious deaths. What is it with the newest girl who has come to live with her grandmother? Is she good, or is she evil? 

And what’s with the elders in this town? Are they still practicing witchcraft?

The Secret Circle airs Tuesday Nights on the WB…

SuperNatural- okay, the Winchester boys are back in town! Ladies if Y’all  haven’t seen the two hunters of evil for the last 5 seasons, where the heck have y’all been? This is one of my all time favs & it’s not just because of the acting, er, seriously, the beefcake is slammin’!

Supernatural with Sam and Dean Winchester airs on Fridays on the WB!

Ringer- Sarah Michelle Geller, aka Buffy The Vampire Slayer aka, Mrs. Freddie Prince Jr, is back in business. She plays a twin to her twin. Okay, Sarah plays 2 roles in this drama about sisters, one good, but, flawed .and the other? Just plain evil and no one has a clue that she wants her “good, but, flawed” sister dead.

What is the motive for killing your sister? And why would Shiobann want to kill Bridget? Catch episodes of Ringer on Tuesday night on NBC-

Oh, forgot about Vampire Diaries! Well, they’re on again in December:)

Remember recaps of all shows can be seen on Affinity Comcast…

 Happy Thanksgiving all! 

What movies are you watching on Thanksgiving?

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Successful non-fiction books have a balance to them.  They don’t just give readers dry facts, intense feelings or a list of action steps for self improvement.  If a book was all facts, it would be as entertaining to read as the phone book.  If it was filled completely with feelings, the experience of reading would be an emotional roller coaster.  A book filled just with lists of things to do would be dull and uninspiring, providing no context or explanation why the recommended action steps are important.

To create a book that is both enjoyable to read and creates a positive change in the lives of your readers, seek to balance information which will appeal to the head, heart, and hands of your readers.

Head – Involve the minds of your readers by providing facts, statistics, case studies, results, and concrete information about your topic.  This information will speak to the logical, left brain of your readers.

However, when you provide facts, share them in an interesting way. Readers are too stressed to spend time with boring books.  You can make your facts interesting by expressing them crisply, linking them to things the reader really cares about, and providing new information that sparks further thinking for your readers.

Malcolm Gladwell, author of Blink, and other best-selling books, writes about factual, scientific material in such an engaging way that readers can understand the material easily and feel inspired to learn more.

Heart – To appeal to the heart of your readers, enhance your writing with stories, motivational quotations, and information that produces an emotional reaction from your readers.  This emotional content will appeal to the creative, right brain of your readers and help them remember the facts more easily.

Do this thoughtfully and monitor the intensity of the emotional journey you provide for your readers.  If you produce very intense emotions in the beginning of your book, give your readers a break by producing a more gentle emotion in following pages.

Mix up the emotions just a bit to provide variety.  For example, in the book, Flunking Sainthood, author Jana Reis tells touching stories about her failures when living spiritual practices.  She also sprinkles in some humorous stories as well so the reader alternates between a giggle and a sigh of shared pain.

Hands – Give your readers something to do with the facts and feelings in your book. Create action steps, journaling exercises, or suggest concrete physical actions that will help your readers implement what they’ve read immediately.  Getting your readers to move their hands or bodies to do something during the course of your book will help them to integrate what they are learning and create results for your book.

Many authors who write in the personal development or self help arena do this naturally.  One example is Byron Katie, who provides worksheets for readers to complete, both in her books and on her website so that readers can complete her signature process, The Work.  Completing the worksheets is a much more powerful experience than simply reading about it.

When you balance your book to appeal to the head, heart, and hands of your reader, you will create a book that teaches, inspires, and motivates your reader.

What more could any aspiring author ask for?

How does this information inspire you?

Lynne Kipple is a best-selling author, publisher, and book coach who specializes in helping non fiction authors write books that build their business and transform the world. For a f.r.e.e. assessment that will help you see your author strengths and opportunities, visit http://www.BusinessBuildingBooks.com

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“If you’d like to be loved, then love” Sex and the Single Girl

In 1962, Helen Gurley Brown, editor and chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine all but galvanized a single women’s movement with the publication of her bestselling book Sex and the Single Girl.

Sex and the Single Girl became the go-to guide, advocating for women to use their wit, brains, and beauty to capture the man of their dreams.

Fast forward to 2011′s new millennium to a single 30-something author and journalist named Anna David who doesn’t believe in soul mates or cupid’s arrows, but, after experiencing several dsappointments in life, love, and shrinks, decides to become a self-proclaimed prote’ge’e of Sex and the Single Girl.

Armed with determination and a few “whatifs”, David sets out to find ’the one” by following the rules of Helen Gurley Brown’s dating and relationship etiquette.

Anna David’s memoir, Falling for Me, takes us on a whirlwind of experiences as she share insights into her past drug abuse & family dynamics. She bravely and sometimes fearfully, tackles cooking , pottery classes, rollerblading, online dating , decorating, fashion, traveling and slight escapades of sexual naughtiness.

Falling for Me might not be for everyone to read in order to get to that “aha” moment in their lives, but, I recommend that you do.

Anna David is the author of 2 novels, Party Gir (2007) and Bought (2009). She has appeared on many television shows, including CNN Showbiz Tonight, Hannity, Red Eye and the Today Show. She is Executive Editor of the addiction and recovery website, The Fix.

Visit www.annadavid.com and www.amazon.com for more information.

Clara54 received no compensation for this review.  Are you a single Sex in The City girl?  Helen Gurley Brown follower? or,

Have you read Anna David’s Falling for Me? Share your thoughts!

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