Buildng a business is a process, and you will meet many people along the way. Some are like the foundation of a building, they will be there even after the building is gone, some are like scaffolding and will help the building go up-assist in the construction and beautification process.

Some will work closely with you in the design phase and create the look and feel internally that no outsider will see. The people I am talking about, usually are not friends or family as many may testify, but sometime they are.
Don’t rely on your spouse or significant other,  you may wind up disappointed or in divorce court. The most important -PERSON- in the venture is YOU! The visionary, the believer, the warrior, the faithful ONE. The most important-THING- is FAITH in yourself and what you discovered your purpose to be in this venture. The most important -FEELING- is ACCEPTANCE- of who you are and what you bring to the venture. Learn to identify people for what they bring; this takes time. Appreciate people while they are around, help them when you can, you may need them again in the future , and they may turn out to be fans (FB) You are a leader!,  but if your out front and turn around and no one is following you, then your just taking a walk… Remember people choose to do business with you so just “BE YOU”! … It wil be like a breath of fresh air … Thanks for reading and until next time “BE YOU”

Now is the perfect time to have a discussion about prosperity. Economic advisors and forecasters are saying  now is the perfect time to start a new business, invest in real-estate, go back to school, and go green. These things may be true, but you can also build a house without the proper tools and materials, but it won’t stand for long.

More people are making money on the get rich quick scene than ever before, because rather than adjust in difficult times most people want to avoid the difficulty that is facing them. Like a child learning to walk, new challenges force us to gain balance on weak and wobbly legs. It is like trying to learn to walk for the first time or learning to walk again after a serious accident; you don’t quite trust your own legs will hold you up. The biggest blow to many peoples lives over  the last couple of years has not been just to  their bank account , but in their self confidence. The truth is that we human beings are capable of dealing with a lot more than we care to admit.

We have endured wars, disease, wild beasts and natural disasters, now another natural disaster is here to force us once again to greatness. Economic disasters like the great depression, and now the great recession are a type of natural disaster. You may be thinking what in the heck I am talking about, so let me explain. Clearly the Maddoff scandal took place due to the nature of mankind. There is no way anyone can deny that-greed- caused people who invested tens of thousands and in some cases millions to overlook the possibility that something was wrong. The types of returns this man was able to deliver on investments that no other financial organization could deliver created a don’t ask don’t tell scenario, and it was-greed-that allowed this fiasco to continue until Peter had nothing left to pay Paul. In the end human nature is what destroyed the system we trusted in.

There are however some people who lost nothing and some who did lose money, but did not lose their balance, or self esteem. This is the type of prosperity in hard times that would be wise to imitate. Prosperity to me exists in many forms and hopefully we have learned financial prosperity is the most risky basket to put your eggs in. In essence there is no one answer to what prosperity is, and I intend to prove it. I will be going on a quest to find out if I am the only one who thinks we have been sold down the -prosperity- river as a nation and as human beings in general. “I believe that prosperity is equal to quality of life, not quantity of material possessions.”

Having a positive, balanced, healthy perspective of who you are, and on life  is going to allow you to prosper in the hardest of times. In order to create this type of balance you have to be able to first accept yourself no matter what situation you may find yourself in. You must be able to do this so the moment you are living, which may not be a good one does not consume your inner fire. The key to a powerful you is self -acceptance. To be content or as I say to “Be You” is liberating once you begin the practice. Outside opinions, bosses, co-workers, and yes family who are constantly trying to tell you how live your life have no power when you are not moved by their negative review of your life choices. I don’t mean to say that we should live in opposition to what everyone else says, I learned that you have to filter what you decide to take in. Even a good cup of coffee has to be filtered.

Choose your friends carefully, because you don’t get to choose your family. While as I said “you can’t choose your family” you can choose your career, boss, your spouse or significant other, your church, and the next networking group you decide to join. Be sure that what you choose fits the lifestyle you want to create and if you don’t know what kind of lifestyle you really want- Get help!. There are image consultants, business consultants, and life coaches who can help steer you in the right direction. Pay attention to the negative emotions- that feed thoughts- that become behavior- that ultimately can destroy your quality of life. Emotions are real, but you have to learn to deal with them in a healthy way. I believe that peace is achieved not by rising above certain circumstances but by- digging deep - inside to anchor who you truly are regardless of whatever circumstances life may bring your way. Remember Your prosperity begins with You.

Thank you for reading and until next time “Be You”…

It is serious business trying to communicate with women. If you don’t do your homework and practice you will definitely fail this class. With all the bad examples and crazy relationships that women have found themselves a part of, it is no wonder why they are tired of men trying to monopolize their time and take over their lives. The truth is when a man steps into the room a woman sizes him up and knows whether he has a snowballs chance in… well you know what I mean. Women have the ability to spot their type of man like a plane flying on radar and this is where we men can actually reduce the rejection factor.

I am now convinced more men miss opportunities to meet women and there are probably a lot of frustrated women as a result.  This is what I believe is the problem.  Men don’t understand women, and I mean we haven’t got a clue.  If you want to be successful in meeting women the- key- is identifying which women want to meet you.  As a man I want to share a story.

“In high school I was the skinny kid with glasses, I was not popular and even though I was pretty good at sports I suffered from serious low self esteem. I was into gymnastics a bit and played basketball against some of the guys on the school team.   Many times we outsiders beat the team players on the street court, but still I would be the last to be chosen in a pick up game.   I was convinced girls wanted nothing to do with me, and every pretty girl struck fear in my heart.   Now, fast forward to graduation. It was a hot summer day and an outdoor ceremony, I was sweating from the heat and I spotted her.   Penny whose last name will remain unknown, was a fine young girl and I had a crush on her forever.   I finally got up the nerve to approach her in the midst of the crowd and I said to her “I wanted to say goodbye now we are all graduating and I might never see her again, I told her I always liked her” I remember what that felt like to this day, sweating palms locked jaw, and I could not speak loud because my throat was almost closed from the tension on my vocal cords. It almost killed me, but what really stuck the dagger in my heart was her response.   In the sweetest voice she said to me “you know, I always liked you too”.   I flashed back over the last two years of my life; it really felt like I was dying. How could I be such a punk, idiot, fool, loser.  God knows at that moment I could have cried. My reply was “really”.  I was too embarrassed to do anything so I said “goodbye” and walked away.  I still did not get it even after she gave me the biggest clue (when she told me how she felt) and I never tried to talk to her. I just realized that I blew it.

The moral to the story is that women are sending -signals- all the time to the men they are interested in and rare cases may even tell you (in code) she wants to meet you, and even take it further she may see you as a potential mate. A man can increase his odds of success and reduce the rejection factor if he pays attention. I can’t tell you all the signals but I learned after missing out on the love of my life (Penny) it is up to me to recognize I have certain qualities that are attractive to women and to stop judging myself and them and start paying attention. So having a little TACT, and being GRACEFUL in conversation will go a long way but if she isn’t hot for you, you’re still gonna come up empty. So FELLA’ S
Below are a few clues LADIES tell me if I’m right >>>

TELL TALE SIGNS A WOMAN IS INTERESTED WHEN SHE SEES YOU

-SHE STRAIGHTENS HER BACK QUICKLY WHEN YOU WALK INTO THE ROOM OR CROSS HER PATH

-SHE PULLS HER HAIR BACK AND AWAY FROM HER NECK LINE

-SHE CROSSES HER LEGS AND SUDDENLY YOU SEE MORE OF HER

-SHE TUGS AT HER GIRLFRIEND AND SNEAKS A PEAK

-SHE LOOKS AT YOU, MAKING EYE CONTACT THEN LOOKS AWAY, BUT 30 SECONDS LATER SHE IS CHEKIN YOU OUT AGAIN.

-SHE LOOKS AT YOU, MAKE EYE CONTACT AND GIVES YOU A PARTIAL SMILE

OK that’s all for now and remember that for men and women it is up to you to deal with you’re self esteem. That’s why they call it SELF ESTEEM. Don’t look for others to approve of you, first accept yourself. You are one of a kind and that is a good ting -you are special-you are beautiful. Self acceptance -This is the first strep to releasing the -powerful you- that is hidden under all the negative emotions and experiences life may bring your way. Until next time, “Be You”

Michelle is a wonderful example or I should say a-model-example of the importance of loving what you do. When I first met Michelle I was introduced by a friend, who I happen trust in his judgement of people. Michelle had never been on a professional photoshoot, and coming from Puero Rico still had some challenges understanding certain things when communicating in english.

Since I am not fluent in Spanish, as a photographer I knew what I wanted from Michelle but was not always able to tell her. I even had to show her what I wanted before we were clearly understanding one another. I remembered from our first meeting Michelle was able to tell me one important thing, she said “I love taking pictures” and showed off her portfolio shot by her husband. Within an hour in the field Michelle overcame our language barrier, and I know she may have been unsure of some of my instructions, none the less this did not stop Michelle. I want you to understand the three obstacles Michelle overcame, one external and two internal; (1) the language barrier could have eneded our shoot before it began, (2) she was very shy in the beggining, and (3) she had never done a photo shoot out on location before. To add a fourth hurdle Im sure she was a little afraid of what the outcome would be. I was impressed because out of the models I had worked with over the previous four months, Michelle was far more confident, dedicated, and by the way after about 2 hours in the field she was telling me (the photographer) what she thought would be a great shot to try out. Michelle is a working mother of two girls and a wife and I was fortunate to work with her again shortly after our initial shoot. The reason I am sharing the experience I had with Michelle is because I know there are things each of us dream of doing. Perhaps we put them on hold for one reason or another. We may be afraid of what the outcome might be if we try; would we succeed or fail?. I think the confidence Michelle has in herself combined with her -love- for taking photos gave her the ability to make a choice and go for it. Remember this part everything comes down to choices. If you are reading this story, and it brings to mind something you desire to do, Michelle and I would probably say to you “go for it!”. Accepting yourself, your weaknesses and strengths an you have just taken a key step in achieving your goal. Until next time “Be You!”