"Work hard, get ahead."   Our parents circa 1970

Was it ever really that easy?

The job market is tricky territory now. We‘re looking for new jobs, trying to keep ones we have, vying for promotions, and starting new businesses.

Our success depends on our ability to become free agents, self marketers, and CEOs of our own personal brand.  

Me Inc.  is becoming part of the DNA of the 21st-Century marketplace.

Business and marketing guru, Tom Peters, author of The Little BIG Things: 163 Ways to Pursue EXCELLENCE, says, “Forget your job title. Ask yourself: What do I do that adds remarkable, measurable, distinctive value? What do I do that I am most proud of? Most of all, forget about the standard rungs of progression you’ve climbed in your career up to now. Ask yourself: What have I accomplished that I can unabashedly brag about? If you‘re going to be a brand, you’ve got to become relentlessly focused on what you do that adds value, that you‘re proud of, and most important, that you can shamelessly take credit for.” Fast Company December 2007

Our personal brand is threefold. It’s the image we reflect to the  world, the combination of characteristics that make us unique, and our value as viewed by employers, clients, co-workers, team members, colleagues, and those who report to us.

The Elements of a Personal Brand  

    - Appearance.  This is how we come across without saying a word-dressing, grooming, and body language included.

    - Qualifications. What we‘re good at, our key talents.  

    - Competencies. Cognitive, business, communication and technical skills that enable us to perform our jobs.  

    - Achievements. How have we made an impact?    

    - Passions. What we love and how it infuses our work.  

    - Value. What we offer an employer, client, etc.  

    - Reputation. How we‘re viewed by others.

    - Personality. Our values, goals, identity and behavior.  

    - Differentiator. The talents that make us unique.  

We‘re already branded by marketers, politicians, employers, co-workers, and everyone who meets us. If we don’t take control of our brand, we‘re at the mercy of how the world judges us, and it could cost us money, jobs, and clients.

Note: Me Inc. continues, February 10, 2010:
How to Develop a Personal Brand.

There’s something about the holiday dinner table that can bring out the best in some and the beast in others.  

Good guests and a gracious hostess are as critical to a memorable party as the quality and quantity of the food.  Here are some Thanksgiving and Holiday party pointers to keep your social muscles tuned up.

The Guest List  

Do  RSVP as soon as possible.  Holiday dinners usually require extra planning for food and place settings.  

Do  arrive with something for the host.  Wine, chocolates, or flowers are appropriate (but avoid bouquets that require your busy hostess to stop and look for a vase).

Don't  double dip, even with family.  Take the shrimp, dip it once, end of story.

Do  inform the hostess of special dietary needs when you RSVP.  That way, she'll be able to plan around your nut allergy or your sudden serious veganism.  

Do  offer to bring a dish that suits your diet and the occasion.

Don't  use the holiday dinner to announce your divorce, come out of the closet, or impose your political views.  

Do  bring what you committed to.  If you offered to bring 3 pies and show up with a salad instead, there may be too much salad and no dessert.

Don't  arrive with an unfinished masterpiece.  Your dish shouldn't require complicated assembling, use of the stove or oven, or too much of the hostess's attention.

Do  love the ones you're with.  Even if you have a bone to pick that doesn't involve the turkey, save it for another time.  And most importantly, the dining room should be a cell-phone-free zone unless you're a doctor or fireman on call.

The Hostess List  

Don't  wait until the last minute to decide to host the holiday dinner and then be upset that your invitees have already made other plans.

Don't  drink so much that you lose control of the bird.  Cooking under the influence is dangerous.

Do  be a master of deflection.  Don't let nosy questions upset you.  Simply change the subject: "Yes, Uncle Charlie, I was thinner last year. How about those Yankees?"

Do  delegate tasks.  This leaves you time to make sure everyone, including family, gets the red carpet treatment.

Do  create a festive atmosphere.  Your mood sets the tone for the party. Be upbeat, then add music, candles, flowers, and a creatively set table.

Do  serve killer desserts.  It'll be the last thing your guests will remember.

Good manners never go out of style.  Emily Post wrote Etiquette, her manners manifesto, in 1922.  Almost a century later, manners are still important, and particularly, around the holiday dinner table.

What best describes your living room?

A.  New York storage unit  (chaotic & cluttered)
B.  Floor set at Pottery Barn (staged & contrived)
C.  Airport waiting room (sterile and uninviting)
D.  Serene & sophisticated (your private nirvana)

Most homes have a little bit of all of the above.  Ideally, home should be a harmonious sanctuary to relax and revive but sometimes things get a little out of hand.

Read Flashionista’s “Go Home and Fix It” at the following link-

http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs069/1101967726524/archive/1102727897067.html

Why do some couples seem to get along splendidly while others generate nothing but heartburn and gas?  

For better or worse, some are just meant for each other.

For this article we found evidence why some culinary couplings have a lot more going for them than just good taste.  

Read more...
http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs069/1101967726524/archive/1102749481707.html

The Flashionsista Report is a voice for interpreting popular culture and inspiring new ways of living, loving, and thinking for modern, fashionable, self-aware women. I launched in response to a lack of interesting content for the style-conscious, female boomer demographic.

The Flashionista Report delivers fresh and appealing content to women 45 and older. We cover hot topics and cool information relevant to our demographic to sharpen, empower and motivate new thinking. The Report also introduces new products and cutting edge services.