Check it out... and join!
AND check out the TWITTERMOMS HOLIDAY CATALOG! Seriously cool stuff and deals on ZoomAlbums in there too!
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AND check out the TWITTERMOMS HOLIDAY CATALOG! Seriously cool stuff and deals on ZoomAlbums in there too!
As I mentioned previously, I was just in Utah at the Start Up Princess Retreat, with some amazing, successful entrepreneurial women. Here is definitely one of my favorite "fairy godmothers" and genuinely wonderful human beings, Barbara Jones, the founder a very cool network for women, One2One Network. Please watch the video to meet Barbara and find out why that's where I'll be hanging out!
If you aren't a member yet, JOIN NOW and:
I love their theme...Fun Projects. Cool Perks. Nice People.
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Because of my 9 year old daughter, I have a song from Camp Rock running through my head...Click here if you want to watch my daughter and her best friend singing it!
"This is real, this is me.
I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be now.
Gonna let the light shine on me.
Now I know who I am.
There's now way to keep it in.
No more hiding who I'm supposed to be.
This is me."
There is so much to share from the Start Up Princess Retreat that it's hard to know where to start. HUGE thanks to wonderful mentors,
Holly Buchanan, Barbara Jones, Gabrielle Blair, Gwen Bell, Janet Meiners Thaeler. Thanks to other fairy godmothers and inspiring friends , Kelly King Anderson, Carol Rice, Rachael Herrscher, Leigh Anne Willkes, Quinn Curtis, Jenny Johnson, Sarah Jane, Marie LeBaron, Amber Passey, Michelle McCullough, Kris and Kim .
One thing I know for sure is that I will be putting tons of new ideas into action over the next couple of weeks that will include lots of link love offering inspiration that will blow you away. In the meantime, I want to share a few changes that are coming soon...
ZoomAlbum will be launching a new website shortly that will be DRASTICAllY improved and easier to navigate. When this happens...thanks to amazing suggestions from Janet Meiners Thaeler (aka, newspapergrl), I'll be launching a new blog specific to ZoomAlbum. I hope to have testimonials and guest submissions and LOTS and LOTS of link love to everyone that has made a ZoomAlbum! Additionally there will be awesome ideas and contests. You'll be amazed at how many ways these little buggers can impact your personal and professional life!
Once the new site and blog is introduced, I'll be continuing to evolve Zoom About Ellen by adding video journaling, photos and written thoughts, ideas, tools and sharing about validation, empowerment, intuition and essentially ways to make your busy life easier and more fulfilling! It's the counselor/art therapy seeker in me, I know! So I've decided to take the advice of one of my favorite blog goddesses, Angie Pedersen and GO FOR IT!
In the meantime I want to ask that you all participate in my contest for November. IT"S SO EASY! As I mention over and over again, I am all about empowerment, intuition and keeping your dreams close to you. All you have to do is share what you do or are going to commit to doing to keep your dreams close. Here's how to enter:
Submit a picture/quote/idea/strategy that you use to help you remember your dreams and continue down the path of pursuing them. You can:
A. Submit the comment here or
B. Email me at ellen@zoomalbum.com with an attached picture or comments or
C. @zaellen on twitter referencing November contest
I'll choose randomly from what comes in 1 person who will receive enough to make 10 FREE ZOOMALBUM pocket-sized photobooks! THINK GIFTS, and STOCKING STUFFERS!
Can't wait to hear your inspiration! You never know...it may empower someone else to keep their dreams close to them and MAKE IT HAPPEN!
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Channeling Nancy Sikes from Oliver Twist, I almost sang this instead of writing it out, but the kids were pulling me out the door to go trick or treating and we fell into candy coma after. SO, you've been spared another karaoke like performance from me today...don't worry, I'll be sure to sing for you later. I PROMISE!
I also thought this was fitting given what's going on with the economy...
SMALL PLEASURES, SMALL PLEASURES
WHO WOULD DENY US THESE?
GIN TODDIES---LARGE MEASURES---
NO SKIMPING IF YOU PLEASE!
I ROUGH IT, I LOVE IT.
LIFE IS A GAME OF CHANCE.
I'LL NEVER TIRE OF IT---
LEADING THIS MERRY DANCE.
IF YOU DON'T MIND HAVING TO GO WITHOUT THINGS, IT'S A FINE LIFE!
IT'S A FINE LIFE!
AND THOUGH IT AIN'T ALL JOLLY OLD PLEASURE OUTINGS, IT'S A FINE LIFE!
IT'S A FINE LIFE!
WHEN YOU'VE GOT SOMEONE TO LOVE,
YOU FORGET YOUR CARES AND STRIFE
LET THE PRUDES LOOK DOWN ON US.
LET THE WIDE WORLD FROWN ON US.
IT'S A FINE, FINE LIFE!
A few weeks ago on a flight from Detroit to Seattle, I sat next to a university professor. We started talking and as you can imagine, on a hour flight, we covered many topics including education, politics, the economy, etc. As we learned more about each other, he fell into the role of "father figure," and started giving me advice for steps I should take to protect myself and family in coming uncertain times. His biggest push was that I should go back to a job working for the school district (I used be a School Counselor) so I have security, benefits and stability in the tough times ahead. I left the airport feeling sapped.
Throughout my life, I have always thought that I was impulsive, forgetful, even flaky. Lately in my quest for heightened self awareness I realized that my successes have been based on my trusting my intuition and awareness of energy around me. Right now, the path I am moving down intuitively feels right, exciting and like it will lead to something bigger. Maybe I will eventually go back to school counseling. I am resourceful and have enough sense to do the right thing should the need arise. I'm tired of others telling me that I am too idealistic or too enthusiastic or if you can believe it, too passionate!
I shared some of my more practical concerns with my brother, wanting to see if I needed a wake up call. I've been so incredibly excited about the new information I'm gathering and the people I am meeting and the world of social media. It speaks to me. It allows me to be myself and more "out there" than I've ever been before. When I feel passionate and excited about something, I tend to become obsessed and want to spend 100% of my time pursuing that passion. With me the sparks go in many directions and I can finally see the potential to bring all of them together in my pursuit of this "bigger vision" which includes empowerment, reaching out, sharing, listening, receiving, giving, being helpful, etc.
My wonderful brother called me 3 hours later because he had been thinking about what I'd said about being practical and getting a "secure" job and narrowing my goals and objectives to eliminate the parts that may not be profitable. His thoughts were that I am deliberately moving forward using my intuition, passion and guidance from many forward thinkers and my intuition has never been wrong before. He said that it seemed to him that instead of focusing on being "practical" based on a "fear" of what may happen in the economy, I should continue to pursue a passion and trust the excitement and electricity I feel about learning, evolving and acting. I am resourceful and creative. Now this does not mean being careless and unprepared. I have taken steps like hiring a financial advisor, consulting with my more organized "virgo" friends for guidance and have been reading and listening to books and blog posts that will help me maximize my productivity and organization.
My thing is not to willy nilly allow myself to jump on and irresponsibly obsess on the first creative spark that excites me, but move forward deliberately, trusting myself and putting myself out there authentically. If the need arises for me to secure something more grounded like my school district job, I'll trust myself to know when and act. For now, I choose to see beauty and possibility on the horizon and I'm going to run toward it!