Never Question It!

Never question what God has planned for you. I lost my very high profile job three years ago and yes it was very public - who knew at the time what doors God would open for me - never question it! 

Who knew he would free me and allow me to be a visionary and align myself with so many positive people - never question it!

 Who knew that what I thought was MEANT for me was just a mere stepping stone and I was being prepared for this moment that allowed me to create Women In the Spotlight Goinglobal!

 Ladies - never question the struggle, pain or the journey, HE knows exactly what he's doing.

Behind the Mascara

http://www.blackenterprise.com/career/behind-the-mascara-confidence-building-tips-for-women/

Women In the Spotlight Goinglobal 2nd Annual 2012 Brunch

Thank you for being a part of the Women in the Spotlight Goinglobal (WITSGG) Annual Brunch. This was, by far, our most successful event to date.

This past year, WITSGG grew to over 1000 members. Putting women in touch with other women they may have never had the opportunity to meet, influence, network with, or become friends. Each and every woman in the network is critical to our future success. Without you, there would be no mixers, no vendor showcases, and no opportunity to network with likeminded professionals.

WITSGG is evolving and expanding. In the near future, we will be launching an expanding network with many new and exciting membership and sponsorship opportunities. 

Our reach is tremendous. As a valued partner, you will have the opportunity to be in on the ground floor as we announce the new and improved Women in the Spotlight Goinglobal.

Look for the exciting announcement soon!  Check out the link below...enjoy.

http://www.kristytascablog.com/?p=2657

"You're Fired!" Great. Now What Do You Do?

How much of your identity is tied to your work? How much of it SHOULD be tied to your work?
I recently watched a movie, The Company Men, and was deeply touched. The movie follows the crumbling lives of three men who, having climbed the corporate ladder for years, “had it all” in terms of material possessions, until sudden downsizing in their company had proved that when everything you “own” is financed by debt, you don’t really own it.
As the main characters get stripped away from their “wealth,” facing the reality of giving up luxury and dealing with the difficulties – and humiliation – of trying to land new jobs, we are reminded of several important things (the following post does contain spoilers, so watch out if you’re still planning to see this movie):

If It’s Financed With Debt, It’s Not Yours

The movie opens showing us the lavish lifestyles that the three main characters have grown accustomed to – huge mansions in upscale suburbs, luxury cars, private golf club memberships, using the company’s private jet when going on vacations. We see this blatant consumerism, and we see how their entire identity is tied to their perceived wealth – perceived, because this wealth is financed by debt and evaporates as soon as they can’t make the payments.

Corporate America is Cold and Soulless

Maybe you happen to work in an amazing company, but it’s true for the vast majority of employees. As much as a company pretends to “care” about its employees, it does so only in the sense that happy, healthy employees perform better. Your company probably does not “care” about you (the bigger the company, the more this is so), and if the bottom line will demand it, someone higher up will get rid of you, fast.

Ageism Runs Rampant in Corporate America

One of the most depressing topics the movie tackles is how nearly impossible it is for older employees to compete. In past generations, age used to be an asset – experience and wisdom admired and sought. But today, technology and fast evolving trends mean that experience has less and less value, because everything keeps changing so fast. In some professions, such as medicine or the law, over-50 may mean more experience and better performance. But in a growing number of fields, if you’re over 50, you should watch your back carefully – Corporate America might soon grow tired of you.

Material Possessions Can Define People

And when they do, it can be dangerous – one of the characters in the movie, pushing 60 and unable to find a new job, chose to kill himself, stating that “his life is over” now that he doesn’t have a job anymore.

But If You Don’t Let Them Define You, You’re Better Off

Of course, even in bad times, even in recessions and depressions, the vast majority of people don’t end their lives. This can simply mean that the will to live trumps financial hardship, or it could mean that most of us are smart enough to realize that life isn’t all about work – that work is just one aspect of it.
In fact, losing your corporate job can create new and exciting opportunities. The two characters in the movie that dealt with the situation better, did it by focusing on things other than their corporate identity. One of them rediscovered his family, the other became an entrepreneur.
The movie is not an easy one to watch, especially because it was released so soon after the Great Recession and when unemployment rates are still so high. It certainly grates on some raw nerves, and my husband and I felt quite shaken as we were leaving the theater. But despite the many implied warnings the movie contains, it’s not all negative – there’s definitely a positive message of “It’s not the cards you’re dealt, but how you play the hand, that matters.”

This is a repost of an article written by by Vered DeLeeuw on www.blackenterprise.com

Don't Go To Work Without Your...Lipstick?

Leaving for the office or running to an important client meeting? Take time to throw on some mascara and lipstick. A fascinating study by Nancy L. Etcoff and othersfrom the Department of Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital shows why.
Etcoff et al suggest that it’s worth the extra few minutes it may take to put on your game face before heading into work. They examined the effect of women’s makeup on four factors that were judged by men and women in the study:

• Likeability
• Attractiveness
• Competence
• Trustworthiness

Respondents in the study – men and women – were shown photos of the same woman with varying amounts of color cosmetics, with looks from “natural” to “professional” to “glamorous,” and were then asked to rate the woman on the four factors above.  To no one’s surprise, women with more makeup were found to be more attractive and in most cases more likeable.

Makeup = Competence

But what about competence and trustworthiness?  Here’s the surprise: respondents who studied the photos for both brief periods and for an unlimited amount of time all found the version with more makeup to appear more competent. Yep. More competent.
And those who studied the photos for a brief time also judged the women with more makeup to be more trustworthy than the same women with the natural look. Unlike with competence, however, given a longer look respondents downgraded the trustworthiness of the photos with the “glamorous” makeup and selected those with the “professional” look as most trustworthy.

The Feminist View

Decades ago, as the feminist revolution was in full swing and I was starting my own career, I would have gasped and railed at these research findings. Though a fan of lipstick and stiletto heels myself, I would have been outraged that we women were judged on our competence by our makeup. How superficial! How unfair!
I now take a more mellow view, however, and think of what were to happen if roles were reversed. What if men were making 70 cents on the women’s dollar. Would they then have the right to cry: How unfair! Women get to wear makeup and just by putting on a little lipstick, they’re judged to be more competent!
Today, where I come out is pretty simple: wear makeup in a way that enhances your look if you like and understand that it will influence what people think. Or don’t choose makeup if that’s your choice. It’s all good.
Beauty may be skin-deep. Or in the eye of the beholder. Or come from within. Competence and trust, a little less so, perhaps. I’ve come to believe authenticity trumps them all. Being yourself is the best makeup.

This article is a repost of a feature posted by sandystyer on forbes.com

Say the name “Suze Orman” and you immediately know what you’re in for: tough, honest, plain talk about how to get your finances back in order—whether you’re reading one of her bestselling books, watching her on TV or listening to her on your drive-time radio hour. You also know what you’re NOT getting: you won’t get a fashion line, you won’t get her latest single, you won’t hear about how she’s taking acting lessons or going into rehab.
You’ll also get something that’s hard to come by these days: authenticity.
Says Orman’s literary agent, Amanda Urban, about her decision to hire an unknown how-to author when she didn’t represent how-to authors, let alone unknown authors, at the time,:“She had such an authentic voice, and that’s because she completely cares about what she is doing…”
Orman, whose story of going from struggling as a waitress on $400 a month to becoming the author of nearly a dozen bestselling books on personal finance is the stuff of legends, has helped millions of personal investors—most of them women—through her various television, radio and live events all over the country. The little girl who, because of a serious speech impediment, never thought she’d amount to anything, the former waitress who, after getting customers at her restaurant to invest thousands of dollars in her idea for opening her own eatery lost it all to an unethical financial broker, has succeeded in becoming what Investor’s Business Daily calls “one of the most popular self-help financial advisers in America.”
She is also one of the most popular personal brands on the market today. And she is not alone—many modern, successful women today are also very modern, successful personal brands. From Oprah Winfrey to Martha Stewart, from Condoleezza Rice to Nancy Pelosi, from Madonna to Beyonce, women as brands is nothing new.
There are, however, three critical lessons we take from Suze Orman’s playbook for branding success in the marketplace.
Brand Strategy #1: Compassion. I have always believed that people do not care what you know until they know that you care.  Make sure that people understand why you do what you do.  If your colleagues and clients can relate to you, they are more likely to trust you and want to stick with you.
Brand Strategy #2: Credibility. Never underestimate the power that increased education can have in reinventing your brand, especially if you are making a career change.  Education can come in many different formats, but it is important nonetheless.  Suze clearly worked diligently to develop her skill set and expertise.  Passion, while important, is not enough.  You must invest the proper resources in order to become an expert in your space.  If you want to earn more, learn more.
Brand Strategy #3: Consistency.  Understand exactly what it is of value that you bring to the marketplace.  The “it” that you bring forms the foundation of your brand equity.  From there, make sure you evaluate what you do, say, and offer through the filter of your brand objectives.  Suze Orman is very consistent with the nature of her brand message.  When you become more consistent in what you deliver and how you deliver it, you actually teach others what to think about you and the value of your personal brand.
To learn more strategies about how you can develop a compelling and profitable brand in the marketplace, please check out ME University: The Ultimate Business and Branding Bootcamp, sponsored by Black Enterprise.

Repost of an article in Black Enterprise Magazine 

Audrey Griffin's - The Day I Took Off My Cape

The Day I Took Off My Cape is a brilliant guide for today’s active and multifaceted woman. An offshoot of her celebrated blog site Remove Your Cape, the debut book is an exciting chronicle of Audrey’s personal experiences, adventures, tips and techniques for leading a fulfilled and balanced life. A valuable handbook for power moms and CEOs alike, the book is an empowering tool for women who want to achieve greater family, career, and personal balance.
Covering everything from parenting and family management to relationships and personal growth, The Day I Took Off My Cape encourages women to remove their cape and let go of superhero mindsets and behaviors. Through simple, yet useful strategies, Audrey provides readers with the keys to take charge of their lives. Her messages are clear and focus on how women can reclaim their sanity, enhance their quality of life, and effectively manage the demands of family, work, and more.