Join The Revolution by Janet Callaway The Natural Networker

Subscribe to Janet Callaway The Natural Networker by Email

It's your time. Join the social media network marketing women's revolution.

As social media continues to expand into every facet of society we are seeing the positive economic effect it can have on our individual businesses.

Read more »

Retired – Now What – Social Media by Janet Callaway | The Natural Networker

Subscribe to Janet CallawayThe Natural Networker by Email

Retired, find you and your friends moving in different directions, losing touch? Have you considered social media as a means to stay in touch? The Internet is not just e-mails and pictures. You can use online social media to bring your community back together, even if everyone lives in another State or even in another Country. And it's free.

Not only that, social media makes everything from shopping, researching, talking to friends, making new friends, convenient and fun. While main street merchants may be more interested in Generation X online merchants are becoming ever increasingly interested in us.

Read more »

10 Reasons to Own Your Own Business by Darren Dahl

Top 10 Reasons to Own Your Own Business was recently published in Inc.

Because the article is lengthy with many hyperlinks, I am including the link to the article for your convenience.

As a long time business owner and consultant to those who want to start a business, I agree with this article. Owning your own home business and being in control of your life, is a great way to live. Today with the growing consumer acceptance of social media marketing and network marketing the opportunities are unlimited.

Janet

Listed below are the top 10 reasons shown in the article.

Read more »

How to Get What You Want by Janet Callaway

Here are two powerful keys to help you get what you want.

1. Admit that you want it. Seems obvious, doesn't it? However, far too many people are unwilling to acknowledge that they want something. This applies to relationships, learning new skills like marketing with social media or social networking, athletic achievements, losing weight or even building a home business or network marketing business.

Read more »

How to be the CEO of Your Life by Janet Callaway

Sounds good, doesn't it? The CEO of Your Life means that you are in charge, you make the decisions; you're in control of your life. Guess what, you already are the CEO of Your Life; you already have 100% responsibility for whatever happens in your life. You need to recognize it, accept it and take action.

If you were a Company, you would be doing year end reviews and planning for next year. As the CEO of You, it is time for you to do the same. Let's begin.

Read more »

Let Go to Have by Janet Callaway | The Natural Networker

It may sound contradictory yet it's so true. Richard Bach, author of the best sellers Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah says it this way: “Argue for your limitations and sure enough, they're yours.” Let's take a look at how this might show up in your home business or network marketing business.

Read more »

How to Make 2011 Your Best Year Ever by Janet Callaway | The Natural Networker

2010 is drawing to a close and the promise of 2011 is drawing near. This is the time of year when people think about how next year will be different. Unfortunately, just thinking about how it will be different, will not make it so. If you want it to be different, you have to think about it, plan it and then action--consistently!

On December 20^th, Mari Smith, dubbed the “Pied Piper of Facebook” by FAST Company and a “go to” lady for most all things social media or social networking, wrote a terrific article on what she does to plan for each year. Below are a few excerpts from her post which I particularly like. For your convenience, I have included the link to that blog post because from there you will be able to connect to Chris Brogan's similar post. He chooses 3 words each year; in his blog post, he explains the how and why of them.

Read more »

Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips For Writing Well

No matter what it is you do, being able to communicate effectively by writing well is essential.  Brian Clark of Copyblogger wrote this excellent article on Ernest Hemingway's tips.  What a great advice; now to follow it.

Who better?

Many business people faced with the task of writing for marketing purposes are quick to say: Hey, I’m no Hemingway!

But really, who better than Hemingway to emulate? Rather than embracing the flowery prose of the literati, he chose to eschew obfuscation at every turn and write simply and clearly.

So let’s see what Ernest can teach us about effective writing.

1. Use short sentences.

Hemingway was famous for a terse minimalist style of writing that dispensed with flowery adjectives and got straight to the point. In short, Hemingway wrote with simple genius.



Perhaps his finest demonstration of short sentence prowess was when he was challenged to tell an entire story in only 6 words:



For sale: baby shoes, never used.

2. Use short first paragraphs.

See opening.

3. Use vigorous English.

Here’s David Garfinkel's take on this one:

It’s muscular, forceful. Vigorous English comes from passion, focus and intention. It’s the difference between putting in a good effort and TRYING to move a boulder… and actually sweating, grunting, straining your muscles to the point of exhaustion… and MOVING the freaking thing!

4. Be positive, not negative.

Since Hemingway wasn’t the cheeriest guy in the world, what does he mean by be positive? Basically, you should say what something is rather than what it isn’t.

This is what Michel Fortin calls using up words:

By stating what something isn’t can be counterproductive since it is still directing the mind, albeit in the opposite way. If I told you that dental work is painless for example, you’ll still focus on the word “pain” in “painless.”
• Instead of saying “inexpensive,” say “economical,”
• Instead of saying “this procedure is painless,” say “there’s little discomfort” or “it’s relatively comfortable,”
• And instead of saying “this software is error-free” or “foolproof,” say “this software is consistent” or “stable.”

5. Never have only 4 rules.

Actually, Hemingway did only have 4 rules for writing, and they were those he was given as a cub reporter at the Kansas City Star in 1917. But, as any web writer knows, having only 4 rules will never do.



So, in order to have 5, I had to dig a little deeper to get the most important of Hemingway’s writing tips of all:

“I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit,” Hemingway confided to F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1934. “I try to put the shit in the wastebasket.”

Read more »

Never Complain, Never Explain by Greg Hickman

A number of years ago, motivational speaker Greg Hickman wrote the following piece. What he says sounds simple to do, however, day-to-day living often intrudes. Recently I sent this piece out to colleagues and friends alike to see if they were up for the challenge. I am and, I am happy to say, so are friends and colleagues. Together, we are doing our part to make our worlds and the BIG world a better place. Janet

Quite a number of years ago, I stumbled across a phrase in a magazine that really piqued my interest. The phrase simply said "never complain, never explain." From the moment I read it, those four words really hit home with me. To my way of thinking, they summed up the philosophy of all winners. A winner should never waste his or her valuable time complaining or making excuses.
I decided to tape a piece of paper containing this phrase to a wall in my office along with an accompanying challenge. As soon as I went an entire day without voicing a complaint or offering up an excuse, I could take the message down.

I have always enjoyed a good challenge and I figured this phrase could provide a tough test of my will for a day or so. The first day or two quickly passed without me accomplishing my goal. "All I need to do is toughen up a little and I'll get the job done.  No problem," I confidently reassured myself. A month later, the piece of paper was still taped to my wall. 

 
I couldn't believe it. I still had not gone just one day without making a complaint or offering up some sort of excuse. In fact, I had complained about something and made an excuse about something else at least one time every single day for a month. Not one or the other - but both!
I was disappointed that I had failed to accomplish what had originally seemed like such an easy goal. But more than that, I was embarrassed. Now I was really motivated to answer the challenge and get this message off my wall once and for all. Make no mistake about it; I would get the job done this time for sure! 

 
Five years later that torn, tattered, yellowed piece of paper with the simple little message was still hanging defiantly on my office wall. 

 
How could this have happened to me? I really gave it a good shot, but one way or another, I would always find a way to slip up at some point during each and every day and start complaining or explaining about something or another. One thing I learned from this challenge was we all complain a lot more than we think we do and we make excuses left and right. 

 
We blame people and things and circumstances for just about everything. If you think not, go ahead and put the phrase up on your wall and see if you can go one entire day without offering up one single excuse and without making one single complaint of any kind. No blaming, no complaining, no criticizing, no excuses -- for one entire day. 

 
I know what you're probably thinking right about now. You think it will be easy, don't you? Ha! I thought so too. I now realize that the fulfillment of that simple little pledge will be a lifelong pursuit of mine. 

 
Even if you and I fail to live a single day devoid of any personal complaining or explaining, we can still significantly cut down on the amount of complaints and excuses we make and that is indeed a very good start, isn't it? When you take on this challenge, you will begin eliminating a lot of negative feelings and destructive actions from your life and consequently will become a much better person to be around. 

 
There is no better time for you to get to work on your very own "never complain, never explain" challenge than right now. All you have to do is stop complaining and quit explaining and get started today.

 
Janet's Question: Are you up for the challenge?

Read more »

Two Problems with Whining by Seth Godin.

Seth Godin has the ability to convey Huge concepts with few words. While he entitled this piece "Two Problems about Whining," quite honestly, I think of this blog as a Success Tip. Janet

Two Problems with Whining by Seth Godin.

The first is that it doesn't work.

You can whine about the government or your friends or your job or your family, but nothing will happen except that you'll waste time.

Worse... far worse... is that whining is a reverse placebo. When you get good at whining, you start noticing evidence that makes your whining more true. So you amplify that and immerse yourself in it, thus creating more evidence, more stuff worth complaining about.

If you spent the same time prattling on about how optimistic you are, you'd have to work hard to make that true.

Janet's question: How would things change for you if you followed his advice in the last sentence?

Read more »

Kina'ole — My Cat's Name is a Concept by Janet Callaway

Recently a friend asked me if my cat's name meant anything.  The answer to that question is a resounding Yes. My cat's name is Kina'ole and the word, as applied to her, is perfect because it means without flaw.  In her younger years, Kina'ole was a champion show cat.  Now, even though she is 15, she is still majestic with magnificent markings.

Okay, you may say, I “get” that your cat is beautiful, however, I don't see how Kina'ole is a concept.  Let me explain. In ancient Hawaii, Kina'ole is a concept of “flawlessness” defined as:

“Doing the right thing in the right way, at the right time, in the right place, to the right person, for the right reason, with the right feeling, the first time.”

WOW! Imagine what a powerful philosophy this would be to adopt into your life.  Based on ever rising standards, Kina'ole stimulates us to be the very best we can be and thus ensures we better serve everyone we touch along life's way—personal, business and casual encounters.

What a difference this would make in our lives, for the people who are a part of our lives and for the world as it radiates out from each of us.

What if you challenged yourself to value and be guided by Kina'ole? What if you lived and experienced the power of Kina'ole?

Read more »

5 Tips for Quality Connections on Facebook by Jackie Ulmer

In this article, Jackie speaks from experience—and it shows! She built a large business from home and online in a company that would normally be considered a “party plan.” Her common sense approach and clear writing style will help “newbies” as well as be a great reminder who those who may have become lazy with their Facebook relationships. Janet

How many times does it happen to you (or do you DO it?) You get a random friend request from someone you don’t know; they have a picture of their dog; their wall is blocked from the public and they don’t send a personal message saying why they want to be friends?

ARGH!?! What is up with that?

Facebook and Social Media sites are NOT the place for Drive By connections! If you want to use Facebook successfully for your business, here are 5 key tips for making real connections with people.

1. Send a personal message

2. Use your REAL picture

3. Invest time in making sure you are networking with people who share your values

4. Keep your wall clean

5. Engage regularly

Tip #1 – Send a personal message.
If you don’t really know someone, and you want them to accept you as a friend, take the time to make some type of connection for them. Tell them why you are requesting their friendship; tell them who and/or what you have in common; share something about them that makes you interested in not just adding them to your “posse” but connecting with and getting to know them.

Tip #2 – Use a real picture.
You’ve probably heard this before, but is it called FACEBOOK for a reason. I don’t know about you, but I have no interest in connecting with someone’s dog or bottle of juice in cyberspace. That’s not a connection. You don’t have to be a supermodel; but you do want to be smiling; dressed appropriately; and preferably by yourself in the picture so we know with whom we are accepting a connection.

Tip #3 – Invest time in making sure you are networking with people who share your values.
Personally, I check out the profile and wall of everyone who makes a friend request, and of those who I make friend requests of. I’m not interested in profanity, your politics (within reason) or how wasted you got in Vegas last weekend. And, I am not interested in your Farmville, Mafia wars or Blingie things either. What things will I see immediately on your wall or profile that let me know we have things in common?

Tip #4 – Keep your wall clean.
People will make an immediate judgment and evaluation of you within seconds of landing on your wall. What impression do you want them to make? If it’s filled with nothing but opportunity ads and game scores, what do you suppose that perception is going to be? Your wall represents you, every bit as much if not more than your picture. Visit your wall regularly and make sure it is “representing” well for you and that others aren’t cluttering it up, either.

Tip #5 – Engage regularly. Adding a “friend” is one thing; developing a friendship is another.
Make it a point to get to know people. Send a personal message; visit the profiles of friends regularly and just say hi; start a conversation; get to know them. Your goal in social media marketing is to stand out from the crowd; to be memorable; even more, to become unforgettable! This is done by having a voice and engaging it with others!

Facebook is an amazing tool for finding others; connecting and developing your business when used correctly. I hope these tips have been useful.

Read more »