Sherri Otcenasek

• Are you cooped up in your comfort zone?
• Are you playing it safe?
• What are you already doing on a daily basis?
• What are you not doing that could explode your business?

These are great questions to think about.  It’s so easy to keep doing what we’re doing.  It usually means we avoid potential criticism or rejection…so we do nothing and stay cooped up in our comfort zone.  As women it’s important for us to understand and truly believe if someone says no…it’s not about us!  It just means:  no, not right now or no, I don’t know enough to say yes. Do something today that will change your business…escape the coop, ignore the poop and soar to the top!

I’m Lisa Montgomery and as of 10 years ago with my first serious fishing trip I fell in love with sports fishing. I went to Alaska and was in a remote and pristine region. My family and I had no distractions. There was the sheer beauty of the earth and sea – friendly, kind people – IT CHANGED MY LIFE.

Why? Because sports fishing is not just about the fishing.  It is about your friends or the people you meet on the boat.  It is about the captain and crew that are great with people working hard for the best fishing day you’ve ever experienced.  It is about the travel to get there, the great food, and the dead sleep at the end of the day.  It is also about the photos taken and the experience you have with Mother Earth.

My favorite place to fish in Alaska is Kodiak Sportsman’s Lodge in Old Harbor on Kodiak Island.  The lodge is comfortable with a great staff, fantastic food and the best fishing in Alaska!  Fishing 30 miles of straights for king salmon, halibut, ling cod, silver salmon, yellow eye, and sea bass makes for great days of wildlife viewing on the banks and in the water.  This is a wonderful trip to take during the heat of the summer and to get away from it all.  Your cell phone won’t work here!  I will be fishing for a trophy king salmon this June, feel free to come with me!

Costa Rica is another beautiful place with an abundance of sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo, dorado, rooster fish, cubera snapper and many types of Jack fish.  My preference is Los Suenos Resort and Marina as the fishing is great, run times are only an hour to the offshore fishing and there are many amenities for those that don’t fish.  Face it, who is going to let you go to Costa Rica in the cold of the winter and leave them behind?  If you get your fill of fishing there are multiple adventures in the neighboring rain forest to keep you busy!

I am hosting and escorting a group to Los Suenos in Costa Rica March 13 – 18, 2012. This is fishing a friendly tournament with the catch and release of billfish.   My packages include round-trip airport transfer, 5 nights accommodations at Los Suenos, 3 days fishing, tournament welcome dinner, VIP cocktail party, tournament fees, tournament awards dinner.  Give me a ring and I’ll be happy to help you!

I now have the daily pleasure sharing these experiences by speaking, blogging and sending new friends to the most beautiful places in the world. If there is an adventure you would like to take, let me know and I’ll find the experience you are looking for – and that will your ‘trip of a lifetime’ and a beautiful memory for years to come.

Lisa Montgomery

http://www.theguideline.com

http://www.facebook.com/fishingadventure

Lisa@theguideline.com

866-744-8777

321-327-5059

On February 2, Lauren Book a survivor of childhood sexual abuse is visiting the Women’s Center. This is Laura’s third year bringing awareness to Childhood Abuse.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services revealed that over 3 million reports of child abuse are made every year in the United States; however, those reports can include multiple children. In 2009, approximately 3.3 million child abuse reports and allegations were made involving an estimated 6 million children.

 If anyone is interested in participating, the Women’s Center is looking for walkers. Lauren will begin her walk from the Hilton Rialto in Melbourne at 9am and will visit the Center for a meet & greet, hand out tee-shirts & bracelets. If you are unable to walk all are welcome to come and welcome Lauren and her team at the center. For additional questions please contact Jackie-victim advocate at 242-3110.

Guest post by Elaina Garvin

Sherri O is a long time acquaintance and has become a great friend and inspiration in pulling people especially women for a cause. I enjoy her energy on projects and she has such a following in all she touches. “go big or go home” as Sherri puts it is many times my thought but now it’s on the table as a motto.

As a Financial Advisor for a large firm, I feel it is extremely important for women to be self sufficient and understand how to plan for their financial future. I mention to all my clients that money and their health are two very important things in life and should not be handled lightly. Women are the best shoppers and also make great investors. Be a great consumer and buy on sale even in the stock market. Plan for emergencies and for your family.

I support women’s organizations because i feel that many women do not realize how much they do or can do. If they have a core group or people they can turn to they will have the confidence to accomplish so many things.

Women have the ability to do many things. The power of motivation and encouragement helps make goals attainable, girlfriends stick together and have the ability to set aside competition to move forward and support each other.

Elaine Garvin
Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC
elaina.garvin@wellsfargoadvisors.com
https://home.wellsfargoadvisors.com/elaina.garvin

Christmas is just around the corner, you know what that means! The season is full of excitement, lights, carolers, and non-stop togetherness. But there are some people who are less fortunate with no families, no homes, and definitely no presents. This holiday season participate in the season of giving. You can help out and spread some holiday joy by giving back to your community. No matter how big or small, good things follow those who have a joyous and giving spirit. So why not spread the happiness today? Here is a list of things you can do this Christmas season to give back.

1. Donate to a charity. You can either write a check or simply go shopping for a needy child. Either way you can put your money to a good cause. There are many areas where you can call and ask for a list of gifts to buy such as gloves or mittens. Another option is looking for the big green Christmas tree. All over the metro areas there are trees covered in letters from less fortunate families. Give them a Christmas to remember and donate a gift to a family in need this year.

2. Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Many homeless people are fighting for survival with not enough food or shelter to keep warm. Contact your local church or community center and serve dinner to the needy this season. There is nothing more rewarding than giving to those less fortunate.

3. Participate in random acts of kindness. This can include anything from giving a dollar or two to somebody without a home or donating a pie to your favorite homeless shelter. You can turn everyday occurrences into tiny acts of giving. All you have to do is give a little piece of yourself to somebody. If that be through song, through presents, through words, whatever it takes. You don’t have to be rich or well-off; you just need to have a heart.

4. Make some clothes for the homeless. If you are good at crafts and sewing Christmas is the best time to do so. Make some gloves or hats for those in need. It’s chilly out there and a lot of people need them. If you don’t happen to saw you can always donate your old winter clothes to a shelter. In this white, snowy Christmas we all need a little shelter from the storm.

All it takes is a little bit of time and caring on your part. Donate a portable easel to a young artist in foster care, give money to your favorite charity, or cook for the hungry. Christmas time is the season for giving so dig deep into your heart and give a little hope to someone in need. Good things come to those who do good deeds.

Many of us have a generous heart during the holidays, but don’t stop there.  Why not help all year long?  Your group or organization can adopt a family in transitional housing for a year. By adopting a family, you help provide for their opportunity to become self-sufficient and live independent lives.  Adopting a family would include car repair, back to school supplies, birthday presents and many other opportunities.

If you are a member of a Rotary Club, women’s group, church group or any other organization that is looking for an opportunity to help your community, please give the Women’s Center a call at:  321.242.3110.

“Together we can change lives for the better forever.”

Successful women in business have well-defined daily success habits. These habits have unconsciously become part of their daily routine and seem to be a major factor in business success. Here are ten daily habits successful businesswomen seem to share in common:

1. Successful women in business set goals. They have long term, short term and daily goals. They know what they want to achieve, why they want to achieve it and how they’re going to make their goals reality.

2. Smart businesswomen have a carefully written plan of action. A goal is just a dream without a written plan. Successful women know what they want to accomplish each day, week, month, year and even five years from now. This plan of action is a well thought out blueprint for the future.

3. Goal achieving begins one small step at a time. Successful women have daily to-do lists. They know how to break their plan of action into bite-sized pieces. These workable bite-sized pieces turn into daily lists of activities that take them closer toward their goals.

4. A common trait among all profitable business owners is that they know how to keep the important things important. Success-oriented women are not easily distracted from achieving their goals. Their daily to-do lists are prioritized, making sure the important moneymaking activities are accomplished first.

5. Visualizing the future as if it were already reality is a powerful success tool. Successful women in business see their future as fulfilling and productive. Profitable entrepreneurs talk about the future with optimism and confidence.

6. Successful women manage time wisely. Women who own moneymaking businesses are in control of their time and don’t allow time to control them.

7. Happy entrepreneurs know when to rest, relax and rejuvenate. All work and no play leads to emotional and physical burnout. It’s important to take physical and mental health breaks during the workday.

8. You can’t enjoy success if you aren’t healthy in mind, body and spirit. Successful women know it is important to eat healthy. A bag of chips and a soda is not a power lunch! Meditating, visualizing and affirming all seem to be part of the successful woman’s daily routine.

9. Breathe! Smart businesswomen know what they can change and know how to make peace with what they cannot.

10. Finally, one of the most powerful success habits is to regularly make time to sit back and appreciate your accomplishments. Successful women in business celebrate their victories, both the small and the large ones. Here’s success tip: Enjoy your accomplishments because the more you appreciate, acknowledge and enjoy your day-to-day successes, the more successes you’ll have to enjoy!

It is easy for women to lose sight of their goals. Women can face all types of external pressures from their friends, family, coworkers, or media. Sometimes dealing with external pressure is easy to fix. Other times it gets internalized and becomes negative criticism. Both types of pressure are hard to identify and eliminate in order to achieve your goals.

One way women can overcome this negative pressure is to have confidence. Confidence is easier if you identify your goals and work to achieve them through a focused effort. Be a visionary. Look forward and figure out what you want to accomplish in the future.

Once you have a set of either long or short term goals, write them down. Writing down your goals will help keep you on track. When you accomplish a task related to your goals write that down too. Keep a running list of goals that you can refer back to.

When you are facing negativity, take a look at the list to remind yourself that you are making progress. Staying focused is the key. A list that tells you where you are at, where you want to be, and what you are doing to get there is absolutely necessary. It will help lessen the negativity that comes from inside or outside.

With some focus women can do anything they put their minds to. Keeping track of your goals helps you to achieve them. There is no reason negativity needs to block your success.

Are we forgetting how to communicate in real life?  I’m not even surprised anymore when I see a family having dinner in a restaurant; the kid’s heads are bowed as if they’re praying, only to find out they have an iPhone sitting in their lap.  Their little fingers are dancing across the keypad at lightning speed.  By the way they’re not just teens, they learn early and they are proficient at a very young age.

What are we teaching our kids and what bad habits as adults are we adapting?  Kids today have been exposed to computers and technology like no other generation almost from birth.  Will they have the skills to interact or communicate with others?  I’m not so sure, I can only hope!

I admit I do text, but mostly to respond to my friends that have become “master texters”.  However, when the texting is more than a few lines; I put the phone down and call them.  Texting with my friends is actually one of my pet peeves.  I would rather hear their voice and chat for a few minutes, than peck a way at keys that are no bigger than an ant.   I remember as a teenager the family phone was always glued to my ear.  There was no such thing as a cell phone or even a computer back then. We talked all the time.  I wonder is texting popular because you can send one line updates of your daily activity 24/7 so there is no need for conversation or are we avoiding meaningful conversations with our friends?

Whatever, I think we spend too much time texting and communicating in front of a computer.  Next time you pick up your phone to text a message to a friend, try pushing CALL instead of SEND…I’m sure you’ll make someone’s day…and for all my friends…I just want to hear your voice!!!

I’m curious what are your thoughts about texting?   Please leave a comment or pick up the phone and call me!!!

When it comes to getting involved in your local community and doing some volunteer work, there are many things that you can do. I feel it’s important to figure out how much time you can donate and what really interests you, before signing up for the volunteer work.

Here are 8 ideas you might want to consider.

1. The Local Library – Contact your neighborhood public library and offer to come in and read books to children. Our library is always looking for a few good volunteers.

2. Community Clean Up Days – Twice a year we help to organize a neighborhood clean-up day. Call your local center to see about a program in your area.

3. Meals On Wheels Programs – Does your area have a local Meals On Wheels Program? If so, call in and offer your help. There are thousands of seniors who need hot and healthy meals delivered to them on a daily or weekly basis.

4. Habitat For Humanity – This is a well-known national program that you can get involved in. You don’t need to be a professional carpenter, painter or plumber. Call them up and get involved.

5. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army – If you have a local chapter in your area, they are always looking for a few good volunteers to do a variety of tasks.

6. Public Parks and Recreations Department – Do you enjoy spending time outdoors? If so, this would be a great group to get involved in. Contact your local agency and see what is available and where they need some help.

7. Local Women’s Center – Your local women’s center such as the Women’s Center South Guild is always looking for new members as well as volunteers to help out in their organization. The Women’s Center strives to address the needs of women by giving them a step up towards safe, healthy, self-sufficient lives. Every day, women come to us without the ability to provide for themselves and their families. These women often are abused and battered, and looking for advocacy, guidance, and support. To learn how to you lend a hand or become a member, contact the Women’s Center South Guild at http://www.womenscenterinbrevard.org.

8. Local Hospitals – The majority of hospitals across the nation have some type of volunteer program. Hospitals need volunteers to help transport patients around the hospital, to bring deliveries of balloons and flowers to the patient’s rooms, deliver the newspaper and other helpful…but small tasks.

Because my interests are helping women, I found the Women’s Center Guild was a great fit for me. The Guild is the fundraising arm of the Women’s Center; not only have I helped raise money for the Center, I’ve made new friends, too. Whether you have time or money to donate, they are both needed, especially now with the state of our economy. It’s so important to give back and to pay it forward. I came across this quote that I think sums it up about giving back. “Volunteers aren’t paid because they’re worthless; it’s because they’re priceless.”

I encourage you to find a charity or organization that aligns with your passion or your gifts. You really can make a difference in your community even if it’s only one person at a time.