Happy Valentine's Day!

Life/love is what we make it ...

• Celebrate the blessings!
• Give thanks for the trials ... God doesn't give you more than you can handle ... he has faith in you!
• Love with your whole heart!
• Share a hug today, and every day!
• Make a long-over-due phone call or visit!
• Remind someone how special they are!
• Don't forget to love yourself, too ... God created you in His image, and He created you to be special! 

I am blessed with a wonderful, beautiful family ... husband, Mike who gave me daughters Kristian and Megan, son, Zach. We have a son-in-law, Brian, who loves our eldest, his wife ... we couldn't ask for better children!

Plus, we have an incredible extended family; lots of friends we are thankful are part of our lives, and a church family that we love, and most importantly, a God who loves us unconditionally!

Life really is good ...

Happy Valentine's Day to you and yours!
Lisa

Still awake at 4:07 a.m. ...

and the alarm is set to go off in two hours and three minutes ... probably not a good sign for my Friday, but at least it is Friday!! I'll nap Saturday?! Have a physical this afternoon ... perhaps the no sleeping thing will really mean something when the blood shot eyes are evident : ) Funny, yet not!

In any case, during part of these waking hours I have read the Book of James (NIV). Talk about a life action plan within a book of life action plans!! Simply reading the headlines alone gives an idea of the topics covered, and all within only five short chapters.

• Trials and Temptations
• Listening and Doing
• Favoritism Forbidden
• Taming the Tongue
• Two Kinds of Wisdom
• Submit Yourselves to God
• Boasting About Tomorrow
• Warning to Rich Oppressors
• Patience in Suffering
• The Prayer of Faith

My Bible happens to have devotions intermingled among the pages of the chapters and verses, and the entire Book is still only eight pages. But wow, is it packed with things to consider.

Here's my short, sleepy take on the first headline:

Trials and Temptations: We all have them, and though it's tough, we have to push through! It's hard to swallow when James tells us to "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

But what if we think ours is already developed to the point it's all we can handle? No more trials, please, really! But thanks, anyway! Not our choice to make, I suppose. So, with that noted, we should keep in mind, it's often the trials that help shape us, make us stronger. It's what helps us move forward. Sometimes, our trials and seeing how we handle it might even be what helps someone else through theirs. I'm just sayin'.

What could some of those Trials include? - People are losing jobs every day, often times completely unexpectedly after years of service. People are losing homes. People are losing money that they planned for retirement or were going to use to help send children to college.  People are stressed to the max and facing serious health issues as a result ... heart attacks, high blood pressure, depression and giving into Temptation which creates more stress ... a vicious cycle.

We have to learn to overcome the temptations. It's not easy, and we are bombarded with them ... they  are every where, every day. All you have to do is start your day and you will be hit ... in the media, in the refrigerator, in the cabinet, at the office, at the shopping center, at the bar, in the medicine cabinet, with that person, at the/in the/with the _______. (Fill in the blank with your temptation.)

That is some of the bad news. You know what that means though? There is also good news!  There is opportunity for reinvention, for rescue, for relief, for recovery! There is hope! There is help! There is life! James says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." 

Call on God ... to help get you through your trials, to help you overcome the temptations ... to help you persevere! Call a friend, call a healthcare professional, a counselor, a pastor, a rabbi, a priest. There are resources in all communities that can help.

OK ... it's too late to go to bed now, but I think I can squeeze in a workout ... I think I'm going to SNAP! I'm gonna need some energy to get through this day!

Have a fantastic weekend!
Lisa
LRigoni@PRwithPurpose.net

Networking = Relationship Building

Yes ... it's all the same ... at least from my viewpoint. However, in the business world, you can't typically put on the sales report, "Went to a relationship building event. Or spent time at lunch on Thursday working on a relationship with _______, especially if it happened to be a person of the opposite sex. GASP! It doesn't sit well with others, even though it's what you are doing. Right? At least, that's how I perceive networking. So, with that in mind, I thought perhaps I should look up
Merriam Webster's definition.

He says: Networking is "the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions; specifically : the cultivation of productive relationships for employment or busines."

I suppose, yes, though, I really think it runs deeper than that ... it's more of a progression, perhaps in stages:

Networking 101: with a new person you typically go to lunch or meet at an after hours event, for example. There is typically small talk, maybe about the weather, introduce the name of your businesss, your title, your product, etc. It's sometimes awkward. Maybe you feel compelled to give your elevator pitch. And then, if you are in sales, especially, you can't help it, it comes spewing out! You give the sales pitch, all the numbers, all the product details. On the first "date"?? YIKES!!

Networking 201: introductory information was shared during Networking 101, so you are beyond that. Moving on.  It gets more fun. You start learning more about the actual person. Who is he or she? Family? Married? Children? Career track? There is a real person behind the nametag and sales pitch! YAY!

The personal level:
Same scenario, lunch, after hours event, professional organization meeting, etc. Yes, small talk is usually part of it, as well as the normal introductions, finding out what each other does, if you don't already know ...  your titles, if applicable, your products/services, if the topics come up, but maybe not.

What if you actually started by getting to know your clients or prospects or fellow networkers on a more personal level right from the get-go? That way, each time you saw them you would have something more to talk about. You wouldn't have to start with, "Wow, sure is a nice day, sure is cold/hot out there, sure is raining hard, etc., and so on. We've all done it. It's likely that you might even have something in common. 

I'm working to be better at this myself. Not just asking the questions, but remembering the answers : ) Hobbies, kid's names, favorite beverages and foods, places travelled ... places they wish to travel, sports teams they like, the ones they don't ... why? The best part, really, is that it's all part of natural conversation.

So, start talking .... but more importantly .... start listening!! That is always the hardest and most valuable part of networking! Be more interested in the person/people in front of you, than in telling your own story. Eventually, someone will want to reciprocate and hear yours. The other part of networking ... it's a two-way street!!

Any networking tips you'd like to share?? What has worked for you? What hasn't? Would love to hear from you!!

LRigoni@PRwithPurpose.net or FB at Lisa Templeton Rigoni or @LisaRigoni on Twitter.

Explosions of emotions ...

Has it happened to you?

Sometimes explosions of emotions just have to happen! And sometimes it begins before you realize it. It's a bit surreal ... in fact, more than a bit. Then you wonder ... oh, no, what WAS that? WHO was that? Then it hits you, in that very moment, OH NO ... THAT is ME! It's my voice, a bit shaky perhaps, yet strong at the same time. Yes, that's my arm waving, yet I can't seem to make it stop. Yikes! Did I just stomp my foot while trying to make a point?

Yes, a week ago today I had one of those very explosions ... you know when you care about something in your life so passionately that you just have to speak out! Perhaps you have been hanging on to thoughts and words for so long that once you let go, the words just keep spilling out of your mouth, and whether right or wrong, there seems to be no shut-off valve, no volume control, no censoring, no control, until you are at the point of exhaustion and then suddenly, with no warning, just as quickly as the words began flowing, they simply stop.

I turned from the microphone, abruptly, I think, and left. Today ... I felt some of the sting from last week's display; the repercussions of my actions from some, as a result of that emotional explosion. And I also felt love and community from others. And I felt strength and growth. I felt God and his presence in the connection and reconnection of others. Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we can begin the re-building process. It's the way life works.

One of my friends reminded me that even Jesus overturned the tables in the tabernacles. Sometimes, we have to stir things up to help get the mix right. The first ingredient should always be God. Sometimes we forget that, thinking we can take care of everything all on our own. We cannot!

I remember taking a deep breath before I initially spoke. And I remember someone else was already talking before me as I marched to the microphone on the opposite side of the room. During that time I prayed for God to guide my words. Maybe He controlled the volume, did the censoring, and shut me down when He wanted me to be done! I know that I was in a room full of people I love, and I trust that God was right there with me, for I felt His presence and His strength.

When have you felt God's presence? God's strength? When was your last "Explosion of Emotions?" Would love to hear from you!

You can reach me via FB at Lisa Templeton Rigoni or on Twitter @LisaRigoni or via e-mail at LRigoni@PRwithPurpose.net.

Have a fabulous week!

Lisa