Author Archive
Logical Soul Talk: Working Moms and Social Media
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Jackie Tulos
Jackie Tulos is a working mom with over 21 years of experience in the dental industry. But there was a time when her challenges met an opportunity.
In 2006, Jackie’s mother had cancer, she had three kids, and needed more time to spend with both. So she looked to the Internet as a possible solution.
Ms. Tulos will talk about these and other challenges (and opportunities) as Michael’s guest tonight on Logical Soul Talk at 6 pm. Learn about some of the struggles she has overcome, and her continued efforts to balance two careers and a family. Ms. Tulos will also touch on her current passion: teaching small businesses how to brand themselves using social media.
Since 2006, Jackie has become one of the leading experts in small business-related Interent marketing. Through her own small company, Infinite Possibilities Marketing, LLC, she works with clients to help them build an effective online presence, raise their Google ranking, and increase traffic. She shows how this can be done from her own blog/website.
In the beginning, she admits, it was just about convenience. “It (Internet marketing) was a great business to start,” says Jackie. “I could do it any time of day, 3am or 1pm. This was great because I never knew when my mom was going to need me.”
Today, that business is growing enough to where Jackie soon hopes to quit her “day job” and devote full time to her passion. With help and support from her husband Joe and her three children, Madison, Taylor and Blake, she is getting there quickly.
So if you are a working mom looking for home business ideas, want to learn more about social media, or a business that just needs more customers, tune in tonight to learn how to turn your hassles into opportunities. The call-in hotline is (347) 843-4544.
Overwhelm: Another Way to Say “Life Happens”
Posted by: | CommentsI feel overwhelmed today. Not that there’s anything wrong with that . . .
What Me Worry?
Somehow, the amount of “stuff” I have to do almost always exceeds the time and resources alloted to do them. But it wasn’t always like that.
I remember – as a hippie musician in the early 70’s – that life took on a more existential hue. Life was new and fresh . . . stressful to be sure, but not overwhelming. I was young, full of hope, although I understood that the older adults I knew seldom shared these feelings. There was stuff to do, but no real urgency to do them. Responsibilities were still a distant idea.
These days – as an older adult myself – I understand how their anger and pessimism crept in. I, too, feel the burden of responsibility and share their growing fear that maybe the world will eventually succumb to the weight of the media angst and drama that gets more blatant every day.
Of course, things change. People change. Nations and cultures rise and fall. What else is new? Meanwhile, I’m occupying this little spot on a virtual reality called Now-on-Earth-Current-Time-Space and often forget that this whole dizzying pace of change will eventually come to a halt . . . when the Big Bang decides to call the troops home!
So I’ll give you the advice I’ll probably forget to take myself . . . Relax. Chill out. Learn from guys who know how to relax AND get stuff done. Or drink a beer and watch the game. Do what you can and leave the rest. Like Scarlett, worry about that tomorrow.
Then watch all those OTHER workaholics freaking out because they thing all this stuff’s serious, and you are being irresponsible! Imagine that. It seems like overwhelm is a mandatory participation sport called “life.”
Peace and love. Dude.
How to Save Your Business in 10 Minutes, Part 2
Posted by: | CommentsThe Logical Soul(tm) is a process involving 4 phases: the Interview, Discovery, Access, and Resolution (or Intergration). Each of these four are crucial for hidden decisions to change and results to “take.”
The first phase – the Interview – is taken from the Socratic method. This method, obviously, was derived from the habit that the philosopher (and “corrupter of the Athenian youth”) Socrates developed to ask questions, more questions, then still more questions, until the truth is revealed.
This 20-question approach actually pinpoints the problem needing resolution. Without digging beyond the surface and finding that “needle in the haystack,” or hidden factor that truly motivates us, we are unable to change our results. Period.
Brett McFall from Australia does an excellent job with the Socratic method in getting to the truth of why customers don’t buy. While he uses audience feedback instead of muscle testing the way I do, the results are similar. Check out this second installment from the World Internet Summit he sponsored down under:
Logical Soul Talk: How to “Read” a Person
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Brigitte and Michael Craig
I am interviewing myself as guest tonight on Logical Soul Talk at 6 pm. Why? I think I have a few awesome secrets to share to help you “read” another person, whether they are your lover . . . or that neighbor of yours you can’t stand!
Understanding motives and behavior is the fist step towards knowing your place in the world and finding that happiness you’ve been missing. Knowing your “place,” however, does NOT mean “giving in” or “submitting.” It refers to a sense of belonging that all of us seek, but rarely take on. Its a sense that, no matter what happens around us, I’m OK right here . . . content with being inside my own skin.
While happiness follows me these days, I made sure it never found me while growing up. As a very awkward child, I could never have imagined myself being an elegant speaker or radio host. In fact, as a child I was so physically and emotionally uncoordinated, I had difficulty forming complete sentences without lapsing into bodily jerks, silly sounds and sputtering. I couldn’t look anyone in the eye, and remember thinking that no one wanted to hear anything I had to say! Consequently, from an early age I learned the art of listening . . . and it served me well over the years.
Tonight on the show I’ll go into some of the beliefs and attitudes that brought me out of my own inner maze, and how you can develop some of these same inner skills needed to develop confidence as a good interviewer and speaker. This information will certainly come in handy for your next job interview, negotiation, or argument with your spouse.
Call in tonight at (347) 843-4544 to enter the conversation!
Families Are Forever – Like It or Not
Posted by: | CommentsI just spoke with about two dozen relatives about a family reunion coming up in March. This is significant only for the fact that one of the biggest pieces of the Logical Soul work came together after I agreed to organize a reunion back in 2008.
Michael with Mary Tootle, age 95
I discovered the missing link to ancestral influence, i.e., that decisions based on our past – even by those we never met – can affect our current-day relationships, health, motivation, and even finances. I call there “ancestral decisions,” and they are much more anchored than we can imagine.
As I spoke with my kinfolk, I began to feel the fear, hope, and love that binds us and makes us feel connected. Some of them – like my aged cousin Mary Tootle - has a special way of bringing out a huge wave of love every time I speak with her.
Family can do this when nothing else can. I need it now especially since I just said goodbye to my beloved wife Brigitte who is visiting her family in Germany, and will be attending our neice’s and nephew’s church confirmations their in Munich. (Gruss Gott, ya’ll . . . Nicola und Christoph!!)
If you’re having problems with your family, get over it!
In fact, resolve to love every minute of their nagging, bitching, moaning, anger and fear. Right in the middle of some upset, go over and give them a hug (I know its not “cool,” but we are always so worried about looking good we don’t have time to see what’s right in front of us!)
We all want to be loved, and the best way to get it is to give some. Tell each family member at some point that, because you won’t live forever, you want ensure that love remains a legacy for those who follow you both.
Love family members – right now! This is the best gift you can give YOUR descendants . . . and heal your ancestors at the same time.
Do it today.
If You Ain’t Happy Honey, It’s Just “Stuff” . . .
Posted by: | CommentsI remember the “stuff” lecture from the old black woman in Savannah who used to cook and clean for a friend of mine. It seems like every time I was there, old Frederica – we called her “Freddie” – would throw out some pearl of wisdom based on her long and hard life that I now consider priceless.
Freddie was always smiling. She took life with a grain of salt and a pinch of mustard, then added her own sweet flavoring to shake and bake her experiences. And we loved her for it. Whenever there was a pressing problem, crisis, tragedy or upset, she would usually wave her hand in the air as if to wipe it away.
“They ain’t no reason to get your drawers in a wad honey,” she advised,
“Things has a way a comin’ and goin’ . . .”
And she was right. Just like a heavy fog settling in over our brains, “stuff” has a way of confusing us, upsetting us, confounding us, and hypnotizing us to believe its actually real. But its usually not.
“Stuff” – as I define it – is a type of negative energy, flotsam, jetsam or what the Ghostbusters called “etheric slime” that comes along and sticks to our brains and nervous systems. These hidden decisions are easily able to spread and multiply, primarily because our ego associates these functions as “me,” “mine,” or “ours.” Because of the “mine” blinders, we fail to see this as some kind of invading energy or force that may or may not have anything to do with us!
“Stuff” may have come by simply walking into a room after a big fight, for example, and you feel “weird” or “angry.” It may also have been directed at us consciously or subconsciously from other people when their emotional conflicts, ancestral beliefs, or cultural obsessions spill over.
“Memes” or mind viruses – are like this, but the meme is primarily a conscious factor that can be traced back to some statement or construct. For example, You may have heard some catchy jingle, a particularly political point of view, or an ad about “the starving children” that triggers your emotions. These are all advertising gimmicks that harness the power of the emotions to make you act.
Grandma's Stuff. Ancestral Keepsake?
“Stuff,” on the other hand, is a deeper, more universal manifestation of memes. It is usually not directed at you per se, but exists on its own – like a Venus flytrap waiting for its victim – the fly – to arrive. Once you experience these archetypal traps you’re gone, i,e., caught in a web of emotion that comes over you like waves on the beach. You are snared.
As soon as you become aware of them, the fears of your dead ancestors, the anger and resentment of a total stranger, or the horror and blank stares from victims of terrorism grab you and don’t let go. Most of the time this Stuff happens by subconscious transference, but even if you know what is happening, it still gets you!
So long as you consider these are YOUR thoughts and YOUR feelings, you will hold on to them with conviction and reverence. I remember this happened for years after my father died. I was gripped in a type of self-righteous anger that used to be his trademark expression.
It took me YEARS to finally come to grips with this malaise based on some misguided (and subconscious) decision to honor him. I finally released it, but the toll it took on my financial and personal life during those years was staggering.
There is a way out of the stuff. My wife and I do it daily, and you can too: discover the source of your emotional trigger, acknowledge it, sometimes get permission from it, then let it go. It takes practice, but hey! What else do you have to do??
Just don’t get your drawers in a wad.
German Bakery in India: Legacy of Happiness
Posted by: | CommentsThis one hit close to home. My wife is a German citizen and former part-time resident of Pune, India during the years her master Osho was alive in the 70’s and 80’s. To this day she speaks reverently about those days and her wish to return someday soon.
Something terrible happened to the German Bakery there this month, however, that tried to shake the happiness of those who only knew Pune as a retreat from the world’s craziness. Personal and group Transformation happens in different ways. Some are more violent than others . . .
George Carlin on Aging
Posted by: | CommentsComedian and social commentator George Carlin had much to say about everything, but what I enjoyed most were his views on aging. Since this kind of affects us all, I thought I’d reprint it here for those who have been in a dark cave over the past year and have not received the e-mailed version of this floating around . . .
As a side note, I just met with my first cousin Mike who informs me he will soon ‘make it to 60.’ While this is not significant in and of itself, and I knew his mom – Aunt Hilda – will be 90 in April, it suddenly hit me that I’m only 2 years away from this sixty milestone myself.
Here’s what George had to say. Take notes and pass it on:
George Carlin’s Views on Aging
Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we’re kids? If you’re less than 10 years old, you’re so excited about aging that you think in fractions.
‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m four and a half!’ You’re never thirty-six and a half. You’re four and a half, going on five! That’s the key.
You get into your teens, now they can’t hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.
‘How old are you?’ ‘I’m gonna be 16!’ You could be 13, but hey, you’re gonna be 16! And then the greatest day of your life! You become 21. Even the words sound like a ceremony. YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!
But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There’s no fun now, you’re Just a sour-dumpling. What’s wrong? What’s changed?
You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you’re PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it’s all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50, and your dreams are gone….
But! Wait!! ! You MAKE it to 60. You didn’t think you would!
So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50, and make it to 60.
You’ve built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that, it’s a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!
You get into your 80’s, and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn’t end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; ‘I Was JUST 92.’
Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. ‘I’m 100 and a half!’ May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!
HOW TO STAY YOUNG
- Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. Let the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay them.
- Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.
- Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever, even ham radio. Never let the brain idle. ‘An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.’ And the devil’s family name is Alzheimer’s.
- Enjoy the simple things.
- Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.
- The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves Be ALIVE while you are alive.
- Surround yourself with what you love, whether it’s family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.
- Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.
- Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.
- Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.
AND, ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. Life’s journey is not to Arrive at the grave safely In a well preserved body, But rather to skid in sideways, Totally used up and worn out, shouting ‘…man, what a ride!’
Logical Soul Talk: Author & Mentor C.F. Jackson
Posted by: | CommentsAuthor, website trainer and mentor C.F. Jackson is Michael Craig’s guest on Logical Soul Talk today at 6 pm. The call-in number is (347) 843-4544.
Author C.F. Jackson
Originally from St. Petersburg, Florida, Ms. Jackson graduated from Georgia Southern University with a degree in Criminal Justice and moved to Atlanta. For the past 12 years she has flourished in the big city, writing about her experiences and teaching others how to discover their talents and potential.
In 2005, C.F. discovered the power of the Internet, where she began studying on how to use it for publishing and promoting her books. Now she teaches others how to do the same to create their own success stories.
Her novel Won’t Be Denied has become her brand – the code by which she takes action in life. Her Internet web presence is everywhere, and she has been published in the Find Your Why and Fly: The Ultimate Success Factor, Atlanta Creative Loafing, Entrepreneur Magazine, and others.
C.F. Jackson has been interviewed on The Sumter Television Show, The Louie Jones Show, Millionaire Monday Series by John Di Lemme and Atlanta’s WVEE (V-103 FM), to name a few.
Today, it is her goal to help those who are like she once was, i.e., lacking in training, not having a proven system, and lacking the basic principles of a successful website, etc. She provides abundant resources, workshops and tools to address these needs.
Budget Woes: An Awareness Problem?
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I ran out of money this month. And last month. And the one before that. That’s really all I knew . . . until just yesterday when I sat down and actually did a budget.
What’s scary is how long I kept myself from knowing how much I actually owed on credit cards, lines of credit, and even how much I needed for basic monthly expenses that never change. You see, I have this problem. When money is coming in on a regular basis, I pay attention to the amounts, pay all the bills, and budget whatever I have for other things I want.
The problem arises when money is NOT coming in regularly. Its at these times I tend to go unconscious. I stop entering stuff into the checkbook, and stop looking at the items on my credit card statement except for the minimum payment. My reasoning in the past has been – I’m going to borrow money to pay the bills – no matter what – so I’ll pay attention to the amounts when I have the money to pay them. Tomorrow . . .
I also figured we would never starve because my wife has a good job. And that’s true. But the cost of my lack of consciousness has been huge. The conscious belief that “Universe will provide” suddenly clashed with some hidden decisions based on an inner feeling of lack and helplessness.
About a month ago, this Marley’s Ghost came back to haunt me big time. The actual pain caught up to me when, after discussing the matter with my wife (who is very frugal and good with money, by the way) hit the ceiling.
I realized I had a problem, and promptly stopped. Cold turkey. No more credit cards. I’m closing my line of credit and cutting up the cards. I’m actually even writing down all my debts and expenses and working on a plan to PAY them!
With little money coming in, this is not easy. But not knowing is deadly!!
My resolution is to do this budget thing the way I used to . . . with daily numbers, tracking expenses, using monthly budget envelopes for cash, cutting up the credit cards or LOC’s, and start tackling this mountain of debt. For the latter, I’m focused on generating more income through my books and course, and with private sessions.
It will take time. And dedication. And the continued love and understanding of a fantastic mate. And it WILL be done!
