Tag Archives for " inspiration "

Caine’s Arcade Part 2 – Sharing the Joy of Imagination

What better way to end this blog challenge than to spread some joy.

This video is part 2 of the Caine’s Arcade short film.  It will fill you with awe at what has been created worldwide.   The film has inspired a wave of cardboard creativity and caused the filmmaker to create the Imagination Foundation to foster creativity in more kids, and a Global Cardboard Challenge culminating in a Global Day of Play.

Don’t miss this film.  It’s speaks directly to my heart and brought tears to my eyes and much joy.

What are you doing to support children’s imaginations?

It’s been a pleasure to blog with you over this past month.

 

Caine’s Arcade 2: From a Movie to a Movement from Nirvan Mullick on Vimeo.

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Entrepreneurship Quotes By Teen Entrepreneurs

Quote largerAs this day comes to a close, with less than 30 minutes left before Day 7 in the UCB, I find I need a little inspiration.  So, I went looking for some quotes about entrepreneurship that would mean something to me and to my young clients.  And now I’m sharing them with you.  I hope you enjoy them and that at least some of them speak to you.

 

“Everything started as nothing.” – Ben Weissenstein

“To any entrepreneur: if you want to do it, do it now. If you don’t, you’re going to regret it.” – Catherine Cook

“If you’re not doing the things that you love, then your life is not worth living. What are you here for?” – King Sidharth

“Manual labor sucks, dude.” – Alex Fraiser  (I found this especially relevant today after spending hours planting the organic garden in gale force winds that suddenly started up.

“A lot of people have said that the internet is a teenager. Guess who understands a teenager best: a teenager.” – Syed Balkhi  (This is why I empower teens to become entrepreneurs)

“Start today, not tomorrow. If anything, you should have started yesterday. The earlier you start, the more time you have to mess up.” – Emil Motycka

“There’s no committee that says, ‘This is the type of person who can change the world – and you can’t.’ Realizing that anyone can do it is the first step. The next step is figuring out how you’re going to do it.” – Adora Svitak

“Every single person I know who is successful at what they do is successful because they love doing it.” – Joe Penna

“Over-deliver every time.” – Alex Maroko

“There is no reason to be hesitant… becoming an entrepreneur is a learning experience.” – Savannah Britt

“You’ve got to stop doing all the things that people have tried, tested, and found out don’t work.” – Michael Dunlop (Duh, how much sense does this make?)

“I think what teenagers lack is the belief that they can be unique and extraordinary in life. Make the most of your age because you’re not going to be a teenager forever!” – Sabirul Islam

“You could have a million ideas, but they’re all worthless if you don’t get them done.” – Lauren Amarante

“Success comes down to hard work plus passion, over time. If you work really, really hard over a long period of time, it will pay off.” – Stanley Tang

“If you have a goal, be relentless in your pursuit.” – Keith J. Davis Jr.

“I’m going to reinvent the wheel. My vision of the wheel is unique.” – King Sidharth

“It’s not about how many years of experience you have. It’s about the quality of your years of experience.” – Jacob Cass

“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not making decisions.” – Catherine Cook

“If you pursued something that you felt strongly about, then I call that success.” – Adora Svitak

“I like the idea of working hard now, so you can earn big later.” – Alex Fraiser

“The hardest part about being an entrepreneur is that you’ll fail ten times for every success.” – Adam Horwitz

“You always want to surround yourself with people who are rooting for you and who want you to succeed. Stay away from the naysayers who couldn’t do it themselves.” – Arjun Rai

“If you can’t communicate, you’re going to find yourself a lonely businessperson.” – Keith J. Davis Jr.

“I don’t want to look too far ahead. The journey is what’s happening right now, not what’s on the finishing line.” – Sabirul Islam

“Starting your own business is like riding a roller coaster. There are highs and lows and every turn you take is another twist. The lows are really low, but the highs can be really high. You have to be strong, keep your stomach tight, and ride along with the roller coaster that you started.” – Lindsay Manseau

“If you start with nothing and end up with nothing, there’s nothing lost.” – Michael Dunlop

“The biggest failure you can have in life is not trying at all.” – Emil Motycka

“If you can find people who think that what you’re doing is great, they’re going to do everything in their power to make it a success.” – Juliette Brindak (I have this kind of support right now.)

“All that you need to become an entrepreneur and change the world is a working brain – and pretty much nothing else.” – Adora Svitak

“Make it happen now, not tomorrow. Tomorrow is a loser’s excuse.” – Andrew Fashion (Amen!)

“I like computer games and I treat business a bit like a computer game. I count money as points. I’m doing really well: making lots of money and lots of points.” – Michael Dunlop (Hey, whatever works, right?)

“If you think that you are going to love something, give it a try. You’re going to kick yourself in the butt for the rest of your life if you don’t.” – Joe Penna

Do any of these strike a chord with you?

If you are interested in hearing some of the speakers from the telesummit, there are a few more days left and the replays will be available until until April 14th.  We are also pre-selling the recordings with three options at discounted prices.  After April 14th, the prices go up significantly.  The CD package would make a great unique gift for anyone parenting (Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are coming up), teaching or otherwise working with tweens, teens and young adults.  It would also be perfect for counselors, therapists and coaches who work with families.  You can find out more at http://TheYouthEmpowermentTelesummit.com.

In another note, I am offering a deep discount on my coaching program “The Monetize Your Passion Blueprint – Empowering Young Entrepreneurs” for anyone registered at the telesummit.  That discount is good through April 14th as well.  Contact me via email at julia@julianeiman.com if you’re interested in more information.

 

 

How to Advertise Your Business with a Limited Budget

Today’s post is by guest blogger

Sara Dugan

InterviewingAs a teen in business you know that you need traffic to your website or shop in order to make a profit. You can get that traffic through word of mouth or direct advertising. For a start up business you need to find advertising that will reach a large audience and fit you budget.

One way you can reach a lot of people and save on your marketing budget is through your local media. You can contact news stations, local radio stations, newspapers and even magazines. For online media connections you can try podcasts and blogs that cater to your target market.

Before contacting anyone you want to be sure you have a media kit ready. A media kit is simply a little packet of information that makes it easier for reporters to write about you.

What should you include in your media kit?

Include your name and contact information as well as your company history, the product you sell, as well as news about current events of note that the media might want to highlight in their piece. Be sure to include a photo of you and your product, your company’s logo and any brochures or catalogs.

Justina of A Bent Piece of Wire shares her experience with contacting and speaking with media to further the reach of her blog.

1. Did you approach media or did media approach you? If you approached them, how did you do that? Phone them, email them, sent a press release etc..

It depends on the situation at hand. When I did a segment on my local news about teen holiday fashion, I contacted them, because I thought it might be something fun. I have been contacted at other times to do interviews and such, by reporters who came across my blog.

You would be surprised at how easy it is to contact local news stations! Most have contact emails or a contact box on their site, which makes it super simple to send them a message. I have also written a few press releases, but these are for when an event or something big is happening, like when I was featured in Teen Vogue. When you’re writing press releases, or even just the emails, it’s good to have someone double check it, just to put some fresh eyes on it.

2. Once media does contact you, how do you prepare for the interview?

I don’t actually do much in the way of preparation. I don’t memorize anything or practice answers, because I feel like that blocks you off from being natural, and turns you into a weirdly stiff automaton. As a teenager, my best bet is to be relaxed and relate-able, which are not the vibes coming off at all if you rehearse every word that comes out of your mouth.

I do consciously attempt to avoid using words like “um” and “and” a lot during interviews. If it’s over the phone or in person, it’s really annoying for the reporter, and if you are on television, it makes you sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about.

3. Any advice you’d give teens wanting to spread the word about their business?

Join sties like Twitter, where you can network with anyone. I’ve made some huge connections in my industry through twitter, from editors, to stylists, to celebrities. Take advantage of the fact that we have the internet, which can take you anywhere, and introduce you to anyone, in seconds.

With a bit of research and work you can take your business further than you ever dreamed. Three things you can do right now are Google a simple press release template, email your local news anchor or call your radio station to add your event to their calendar. Be sure you have your media kit ready and good luck.

Justina is a 15 year old fashion blogger with a serious vintage addiction from the Land of the Palm Trees (California).

Justina’s URL is: http://www.abentpieceofwire.com

Sara writes about crochet, crafts, and family at http://www.saraduggan.blogspot.com and crochet business blogging at http://www.crochetbusiness.com

 

 

 

 

“Attitudes Are Contagious. Is Yours Worth Catching?”

Since attitude is so important and has such an enormous impact on the level and quality of success, I am offering some inspirational quotes to consider.  I hope that you enjoy these quotes, find a few that have meaning for you or apply to your situation.  Change your thoughts and change your life.

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, the education, the money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our Attitudes.”  Charles R.  Swindol

“Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.”  John  N. Mitchell

“Having a positive mental attitude is asking how something can be done rather than saying it can’t be done.”  Bo Bennett

“You cannot control what happens to you, but you can control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it to master you.”  Brian Tracy

“Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.”  Winston Churchill

“The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”   Scott Hamilton

“Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thoughts, and habits can be acquired. An action repeated becomes an attitude realized.”  Paul Myer

“Take charge of your attitude. Don’t let someone else choose it for you.”  Unknown

“Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”  Kahlil Gibran

“Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”  Albert Einstein

“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult undertaking which, more than anything else, will determine its successful outcome.”  William James

“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.”  William Clement Stone

“Pathetic attitudes are not in keeping with greatness.”   Friedrich Nietzsche

“Attitude is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than what people do or say. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill.”  W. C. Fields

“Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.”  Thomas Jefferson

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Using the Ultimate Blog Challenge to Write “Pick From The Passion Tree”

It’s very exciting to be joining all of you in the October 2012 Ultimate Blog Challenge.  For those of you who don’t know, I address the crisis of youth unemployment by proposing that we guide our teenagers and young adults to develop an entrepreneur mindset.  My first book, 31 Powerful Lessons: Empowering Teens and Young Adults to Develop an Entrepreneur Mindset is currently on sale as a digital book and as a perfect bound paperback book at my website and will soon be on Amazon.com and Kindle.  I wrote that book during the last Ultimate Blog Challenge using the daily posts as the foundation for the book.

Using this new blog challenge in the same manner, I plan to write the second book, Pick From the Passion Tree in what I call the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs series.  It is my sincere hope that you will read the posts and share your constructive criticism, positive feedback and any ideas you have that will enhance the topic I’ve written about.

I am also accepting guest posts about how to decide upon and start a business and other entrepreneurial ideas appropriate for teenagers and young adults.  Steve Eason has already provided a guest blog post about selling solutions to the customers’ pain.

I’m looking for exercises designed to help youth focus on identifying their passions and how to make decisions on how to build a business around those passions.  Checklists would be useful as well as free resources that young people can access to help them build their foundation and start down their path.  Some of these guest posts may be included in the new book (with your permission of course).

Additionally, if you have any advice you would like to share directly with young people, I would be happy to consider those posts as well as real stories of other successful, young entrepreneurs, both for the blog and possibly for the book.

There is no particular order to the posts as I have not yet organized what content will be in the book.  I do know that we’ll have some reality check exercises (two that I’ve already posted on this blog during September), some exercises for our youth to identify what they are passionate about.  The book will include information on social media, blogging and other business building blocks.

I am looking forward to reading and commenting on as many of your posts as possible during the course of the challenge.  It’s nice to meet you and it will be nice to get to know you.

2 Easy Steps to Identify a Potential Business Based on Your Passion

Step 1:

This is an easy and fun exercise.  Think about times when you felt really passionate about what you were doing or times when you felt really alive and happy when you were doing something.

After you’ve thought about this for a little while, write down three memories from your life that you felt passionate about.  For example, “I loved learning survival skills at summer camp.  I really enjoyed backpacking in the wilderness.  I love traveling and enjoyed our vacation in the tropics.”

Look for a common theme in these memories.  The examples above might mean you love adventure.

You have now identified a potential passion around which to build an entrepreneurial business.

Step 2.

The second exercise is a mission to gather facts about building a business around your passion.

Possible businesses/careers regarding adventure could include being a travel agent, leading guided tours, running a white water rafting business, fishing, teaching camping and backpacking skills or simply selling outdoor supplies and accessories.

Do research on the internet or at the library about being an adventurer.  Find out what sorts of businesses already exist around your passion.  Good sources of information can be found using Google, Safari, Bing, or any other major search engine.

You have now started thinking about being an entrepreneur and creating a business doing something you love and will be happy doing.

What common theme did you identify from your memories?

Top 3 Tips to Cultivate Gratitude

by Alexandria Barker

Gratitude. It’s been called the most spiritual of all the emotions. It’s also one of the most powerful habits you can cultivate to help create a prosperous fulfilling life! When you feel gratitude, you can’t be angry or afraid. These emotions simply cannot inhabit your body at the same time. Feeling gratitude and appreciation puts you in a high-flying vibration that draws other wonderful things to you to be grateful for!
Cultivating an attitude of gratitude is as simple and basic as counting your blessings. There are many ways to incorporate this beautiful, powerful feeling into your life – here are some of my favorites:

1)  Gratitude Lists

Writing gratitude lists is simply counting your blessings and writing them down! It’s great to have a special journal for this, then whenever you need a lift, you need only review your book to be reminded of all the good things in your life! I recommend you write 5 items before bed. This sets you up for success, because your sub-conscious will keep processing these thoughts as you sleep, and you’ll wake up in a more positive state of mind.
Then, in the morning, write 5 more things you’re grateful for. Spend a moment thinking about each one, dwell in those beautiful feelings. This sets a powerfully positive tone for your day, and because you know you’ll need 5 more positive things to write that night, you’ll subconsciously be on the look-out for more things to be grateful for all day.

2) Gratitude Walks

As you begin your day, say “thank” with one foot and “you” with the other. Thank you is a beautiful powerful mantra! And by actively choosing this as your ‘go to” thought, you’re taking control of your thought processes, leaving less room for negative habitual thoughts.

Taking a walk in nature is the perfect time and place for a gratitude walk, which is also like a moving meditation. Simply focus on gratitude, either repeating the thank-you mantra, or by focusing on things you’re grateful for, like green grass, sunshine, birds singing, and being able to walk. Not only will you be burning calories and building muscle, you’ll be developing your gratitude muscle, paving the way for even better things to come your way!

3) Speaking Gratitude

It’s all to easy to do these practices, then slip back into familiar internal and external dialogue about things you don’t like — about the government, neighbors, your body, your boss. With a little practice you’ll find it easy to turn that around. Just say the opposite, find something good in all situations. It’s always there, though you may have to dig a bit. The more you make the effort, the easier it gets to be positive even if those around you are not.

Put these principles into practice, and you’ll see your life get better and better. Try and see!

Today’s guest poster is Alexandria Barker.  For more practical stress solutions, please visit her Wishful Thanking page.

Alexandria is an author, speaker, Life coach, and creator of the Wishful Thanking Manifestation System. As a Reiki Master/Teacher, Crystal Therapist, Akashic Records reader and Yoga teacher, she specializes in teaching the Law of Attraction and energy work.

Alexandria is happily married, has 4 children and 5 grand-children, and can honestly say she loves her life! Her goal is for you to be able to say the same!

20 Entrepreneurship Proverbs: Ancient Thoughts on Developing an Entrepreneurial Mindset

Welcome to day 29 of the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Series. I ran across these 20 ancient quotes from several different cultures that I believe are worth pondering. They are all related to the entrepreneurial mindset and include thoughts about integrity, responsibility, failure, attitude and more.

Which one speaks to you the most? Is there one over all the others that you needed to be reminded of right now? Or one that you find inspirational or motivational?

1. “The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” Chinese Proverb

2. “Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare.” Japanese Proverb

3. “Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.” Chinese Proverb

4. “A bad workman blames his tools.” Chinese Proverb

5. “A fall into a ditch makes you wiser.” Chinese Proverb

6. “Defeat isn’t bitter if you don’t swallow it.” Chinese Proverb

7. “The diamond cannot be polished without friction, nor the man perfected without trials.” Chinese Proverb

8. “A jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated.” Chinese Proverb

9. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Chinese Proverb

10. “The loftiest towers rise from the ground.” Chinese Proverb

11. “Building a castle is difficult. Defending and maintaining it is harder still.” Asian Proverb

12. “A person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the man doing it.” Chinese Proverb

13. “All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws.” Chinese Proverb

14. “Don’t stand by the water and long for fish; go home and weave a net.” Chinese Proverb

15. “Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength.” Hasidic Proverb

16. “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” Chinese Proverb

17. “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” Chinese Proverb

18. “Make happy those who are near and those who are far will come.” Chinese Proverb

19. “Teachers open the door. You enter by yourself.” Chinese Proverb

20. “Find a job you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.” Confucius

7 Inspirational Quotes From Walt Disney About Entrepreneurship: Lesson 18 in the Empowering Young Entrepreneurs Series

Whew, we’ve reached day 18 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge.  We’ve considered skills, qualities and tools that young entrepreneurs need to develop an entrepreneur mindset.  I thought for today it would be nice to have a little inspiration before we transition into talking about building a dream business.

I turned to Walt Disney to provide that inspiration today.  Walt Disney has always been a role model for me; he helped me learn that I should dream big and have confidence in my dreams.

Here are 7 statements that he has made based upon his own experience in making his dreams come true with the Walt Disney empire.

 

“Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.”

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“We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.”

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“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.”

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“You reach a point where you don’t work for money.”

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“All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

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“Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating those who work with me and aiming their efforts at a certain goal.”

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“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

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I hope you are feeling inspired by Walt Disney’s words.