MAXIMIZE SUCCESS

On Julie and Julia,, The Movie, II

2009-08-21T10:09:00.021-04:00

Hello again, everyone.

I am back, with the second installment of my call to you all:

Go to see the movie, Julie and Julia !

Two days ago, I posted a Summary of Talking Points,
because just my initial writing out of the Talking Points
spanned several pages.

Now here is only a part of the full outline of the Talking Points.

I simply do not want to swamp you with the full outpouring of words that this outline has turned into :-)

TALKING POINTS (Partial Outline)

*The movie is a Hoot – it got me to belly laugh, loudly!
Not once, but a number of times
(probably every ten minutes).
Which is great achievements!
Normally, you can barely get me
to smile at a very funny moment or line in a movie.

*The movie is about JOY -
no , no,
the movie is the Experience Of Joy.

Many kinds of joy, too.
The joy of cooking, most specifically.

But also the joy of eating.
The joy of hosting eating parties.

The joy of triumphing over nasty,
competitive fellow cooking
school students.
The joy of facing hurdles of all kinds,
and coming up roses –
no matter how long it takes to do it.

Let me stop now...

*The movie celebrates The importance of
Perseverance and Patience
in the struggle for success.

Many people see success as resulting from talent.

Or from Luck.
Or from Selling Oneself/Marketing Oneself
ingeniously.

Few people appreciate – as this movie does –
the Pivotal Power of Patience +
Perseverence in overcoming
obstacles, large as they may be,
and winning the final prize: success.

Julia Child, an
Unknown Expat in Europe, spent eight(8)
long years trying to write AND get published a book –
eventually titled MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING -
of French Cooking recipes aimed at Americans readers.

She did so at a time when this was a novelty,
with no perceptible readership or market for it.

Julia persisted, and persevered patiently.
Julia also kept her joy + her funny responses alive
through it all.

Julie Powell,
seemingly very different kettle of fish - but not really.

An unknown with an unpublished novel,
working as a lowly secretary,
who decided to spend a year writing a blog –
THE JULIE/JULIA PROJECT.

A blog whose secondary title reveals her own comic gift :
“Nobody here but us servantless American cooks...”
[See http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/]

Julie Powell, a 'nobody' according to the movie
reviewers, who started a blog about spending
365 days
learning to cook - from scratch -
all of 524 French Cooking recipes
in Julia Child’s book.

Julie, accused by one reviewer of finding 'a Gimmick.'

Who in fact took on a huge challenge: to cook her
way through Julia Child’s book,
learning to cook along the way.

Julie who wrote daily about all of it –
the trials and errors,
the failures and the glitches,
and the successes, too..
Julie, who like Julia did it –
risked investing time and effort
and money and heart -
when there was no visible market or prospect
for an audience at the time.

Both of them DID IT – they got to the finish line.

They managed to do it with patience
and perseverance –
and a large dollop of humor,

AND the whole-hearted support of
their loving husbands -
they made it to the end goal.

As Faulkner my GREAT teacher would say, sonorously:
they Prevailed.

With an Exclamation Mark:
They Prevailed!

Not a small feat, in either case.

So, my readers, for those of you who have come to
this second installment,
and its Partial Talking Points outline:

RUN to see the movie.

And then see where the inspiration(s) take you.

If you need to see how they may show up,
read or reread the first installment, below this one.

Have a great belly laugh, everyone!

Dinnah

Copyright C 2009 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D. All Rights Reserved

On Julie and Julia - The Movie,

2009-08-19T15:23:00.007-04:00

Alert: This is the First of several posts on this topic.

I have not blogged for a long time - almost exactly two years - due to health challenges (not terminal, thank God).

But the Movie Julie and Julia has sent my juices flowing, and here I am with a little message for you all out there:

Go to see the movie JULIE AND JULIA. As soon as you can.

You will laugh. You may cry. You will be entertained.

You will have fun. You could be provoked.

And you may possibly be inspired. To something unexpected.

And/Or :

You may be energized enough to look up Julia Child’s 1967-edition classic book, Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

And/Or you may alternatively pick up Julie Powell’s book, My Year of Cooking.

Hopefully, you will find some time to peek at Julie’s original blog:

The Julie/Julia Project (http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/)

Or you may do all of the above.

Which of course is Not what the mass of movie reviewers have been saying, in their many condescending, dismissing, patronizing and fault-finding summations.

I read many of these before I saw the movie. I checked some of them afterwards.

In my view, they are blind and deaf here.

Possibly with a big BLIND spot when it comes to the matters the movie deals with.

So why do I find Julie and Julia so praise-worthy ?

Because I have been thinking about the movie for the last three weeks, I suspect I may as long-winded in writing about it as my BIG Teacher, William Faulkner.

You know, William Faulkner – the Great American Novelist who has taught many 20^th Century writers how to craft modern fiction.

Who never saw a polysyllabic word he did not like.

Faulkner, the writer who wrote such long sensuous sentences, one of his sentences could run to two and three pages…

And Faulkner who makes you – entices you – to read it to the end , such sound-rich, image-rich, thought-filled sentences they were and are.

So I think I shall begin with the main points – Not in order of importance. Then circle back and elaborate on each.

Having written several pages on these main points, I now whittle them down to the bare bones of Main Points Summary, for this first installment of my discussion.

Make it easy for you, right ?

So here goes. Keep coming back for the following installments, too. With comments.

TALKING POINTS SUMMARY

*The movie is a Hoot

*The movie is about JOY - no , no, the movie is the Experience Of Joy.

Many kinds of joy, too.

*The movie celebrate The importance of Perseverance and Patience in the struggle for success.

*The movie quietly dramatizes The Art of Teaching.

Or, Teaching as Inspiration. Or the Joy of Teaching.

*The movie also explores the question : Are Artist Born (via talent) or Made (by commitment?)

*The Movie modestly underscores an unexpected point: Little Things, So-Called, can and DO change lives

*The movie is excellently done.

Conclusion

To conclude this installment, here is a quote from Julie’s Homage to Julia upon Julia’s death in 2004:

"Who changes their life under the influence of a saint?

Okay – don’t answer that. But the point is –
Julia was so impressive, so instructive, so exhilarating, because she
was a woman, not a goddess. Julia didn’t create armies of drones,
mindlessly equating her name with taste and muttering “It’s a Good
Thing” under their minty breath. Instead she created feisty, buttery,
adventurous cooks, always diving in to the next possible disaster,
because goddammit, if Julia did it, so could we. "
(Emphasis mine)

Final note to you, my own readers.

If you want to take a look at a seriously perceptive essay on Julia Child’s contribution, on the movie ‘Julie and Julia’, and on the disappearing art of cooking in the US, read Michael Pollan, “Julia's Children: Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch" in the New York Times Magazine, August 2, 2009.

Kafkaesque Situation - How Do I Defuse it ?

2008-08-13T19:54:00.006-04:00

Calling on All Experts in On Line Publishing - How Do I Defuse a Kafkaeque Situation ? 8.13.08

I am going public with a message I posted , a few days ago, on the 'How To - Blogger Help Group'.

I have not received any response to this cry for help.

Since - as you see below - I have been the recipient of what seems a very threatening Anti Sapm message, supposedly from GOOGLE, aimed at me and my Maximize Success blog, I am asking you out there who have expertise in this topic, for advice:

How do I defuse and Heal the situation ?

Here is my post on the Help Group:

- - - - - -
Hi All 8.9.08

I have received a threatening, anti-spam message concerning my blog, Maximize Success, which I have not been able to act on or to respond to in any
meaningful manner.

I need help in either taking the 'request review'
action the message demands.
Or in preventing the deletion of my blog,
which the message threatens.
-------------------------
THE ORIGINAL THREATENING MESSAGE
On July 31 I received an email, whose heart is the following threat
and criciticsm:

"Your blog at: http://maximizesuccess.blogspot.com/ has been
identified as a potential spam blog.
To correct this, please request a review by filling out the form at http://www.blogger.com/unlock-blog.g?lockedBlogID=5178140403426579732

Your blog will be deleted within 20 days if it isn't reviewed, and
you'll be unable to publish posts during this time.
After we receive your request, we'll review your blog and unlock it within two business
days.
If this blog doesn't belong to you, you don't have to do
anything, and any other blogs you may have won't be affected."

UNDEFINED ORIGIN OF MESSAGE

The email purported to come from Google and from Blogger, but gave no
return address:

"show details Jul 31 (9 days ago)
Reply

from Blogger <no-reply@google.com>

to coachdinnah@gmail.com

date Thu, Jul 31, 2008 at 11:09 PM

subject http://maximizesuccess.blogspot.com/ - ACTION REQUIRED
mailed-by google.com

signed-by google.com

hide details Jul 31 (9 days ago) "

ACTION STEPS I TOOK
I assumed that the message did indeed originate in Blogger, and tried
to click on the links identified.

NONE of them led me to any form that 'requests review.'

So I was unable repeatedly to generate REQUESTING a REVIEW.

Then I tried to find a Google and a Blogger HELP dept., to get relief
from .

I emailed 'info @" ;Support@; 'Customer SErvice @; Service @;

I received no reply from any of them, with the exception of a form
email sending me to the HELP ONLINE section of blogger.

I do not want my blog to be deleted.

I also want to protest the absurd claim that my blog is spamming,
given that I only publish my blog once every two or three months, at
best.

KAFKAESQUE SITUATION

I find myself in a Kafkaeque situation.
Some impersonal and unknown source accuses me of wrong doing; and threatens me with punishment.

And I have no means or avenue of defending my self and asserting my innocence.

Help me, please. I need help in resolving this ASAP.

Best

Dinnah Pladott"
---------- ---------- -----------

I repeat the same heartfelt call to all you who are now reading this online:

Help me, Please.
Help me defuse and heal this Kafkaeque situation.
Help me keep my blog from being deleted arbitrarily and anonymously.

HELP !!!

Dinnah Pladott

Copyright © 2007 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com
www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=================================

Celebrating Our Differences to Enhance Collaboration + Teamwork, Pt. I

2008-02-15T12:20:00.005-05:00

CELEBRATING OUR DIFFERENCES

for BETTER COLLBORATION + TEAMWORK, Part I

I have been disheartened and saddened by what has been happening during the last few months in the primary elections campaigns. This is going to be the first in several posts on this issue, and its implications to our capacity, as a nation, to build collaboration and teamwork, or to accomplish our declared goals.

COSTLY ACRIMONIOUS COMPETITION

Negative advertising, libelous attacks on candidates – we have seen them all in previous years (anyone remembers the scurrilous attacks on John Kerry ?).

What is really troubling me this year is the fact that we are viewing a double momentous watershed: the simultaneous candidacy of a white woman and of an Afro American man for the job or President of the United States. A huge Break-Through is happening.

Yet what could be a time of festivity is turning into a blood letting, on both sides. What could be a cause for celebration is turning into a fight that will leave both of these extraordinary candidates diminished, no matter who wins.

It could have been a landmark election, in which two ‘minority’ candidates are running for the presidency. Instead, it is fast becoming the year when the very consolidation of the democratic party seems increasingly less probable – and that at time when it is most needed.

In total disregard for real needs - of the party, of the nation - a dramatic rift is taking place within the democratic party.

This is a year where it looks possible that the Republican Party can lose the presidency. A year when coming together in collaboration and teamwork are more needed than ever among democrats of different hues. But instead, wounds are inflicted by the followers of both of the groundbreaking candidates. In the name of ‘My View are Better than Yours’, the common ground is forgotten. Worse, the prospect for eventual partnership once a candidate is selected is being shredded as we speak.

NO ONE IS FREE OF BLAME HERE

Sadly, the fault – the acrimonious nature of the race – is equally divided among the adversaries. The so-called ‘old’ and ‘new’ guards, the Caucasian women and the Afro Americans, the idealistic and the pragmatists, the younger voters and the middle-aged ones, have all have cast the other side as ‘demonic’ and ‘the enemy of the people.’ They all violated their official principles. No one’s hands are clean.

ACHIEVEMENT of GOALS - How, What's Necessary, What Aides its Completion ?

I will direct my attention away from the spectacle of this blood-thirsty election process, and speak of the practical value of diversity and differences in an arena I am an expert on: accomplishing goals most effectively, and building collaborative alliances and teams.

I have several underlying questions here:

Are we as a nation willing to truly stop casting those different than us – whoever they are - as ‘diabolical’ in order to freely attack and damage them?

Are we as a nation ready to give up the Lone Ranger mythology, and truly appreciate the power and productive effect of building alliances and teams?

Are we as a nation willing to sincerely and fully relinquish prejudices and bias, in order to collaborate and team up with others, across gender, race, ethnic origin, creed, or age?

Are we as a nation willing to access, and benefit from, the immense advantage that comes when we build such teams and partnerships, and include, rather than exclude, members with diverse viewpoints, backgrounds, race, cultures, education levels ?

WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOES NOT WORK ? WHAT CAN BE IMPROVED or INVENTED?

My aim in this series of posts is to bring all of us from the level of abstract ideology and catchy slogans, back to some basic pragmatic questions:

*What is the best way to determine how to act, in pursuing a highly cherished goal ?

*What can we do to discover the most effective means to expedite the Goal Achievement process?

*What role do Collaboration and Teamwork play in such a process?

*How do we weigh the needs of short-term objectives against the requirements of long-term goal(s)?

More specifically, how do we balance the desire to win a battle against the need to be victorious in ending the war?

*What price do we pay when we divorce ‘winning’, or ‘accomplishing our objective,’ from the manner in which we achieve that ‘win’ ?

*Do ethical principles, such as loyalty or trust, have any pragmatic value in accomplishing any goals? Do they play a practical role in the building of alliances and teamwork?

*How do we prioritize our use of assets, strategies and techniques, so that we accomplish our long term objectives as well as stay true to our declared values?

A discussion of these points will follow in the next few post.

May all of us find the way to bridge and heal the growing divide, so that we as a nation may win.

Yours

Dinnah

Copyright © 2008 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com
www.myspace.com/coachdinnah
http://facebook.com/profile.php?id=1062321913

=================================

Releasing the Old, Attracting + Embracing the New

2007-12-31T21:19:00.000-05:00

THE ALPHABET OF ENDING + BEGINNING -
Letting Go of the outdated, Inviting In the untried

Old OUT, New IN

I was doing my New Year version of the Solstice Ritual described by Robert Wilkinson* – letting the Old stuff Out, and inviting, allowing, the New stuff IN.

Then a game began to unfold. Movement, dance, play. I move from Old to New.

From the bitterness of Lemon (old useless stuff I am releasing) to Lemonade (the invigorating New stuff I am attracting and bringing in).

I began to play at formulating a sequence of pairs – A (old) OUT, A’ (new) IN.

I started being fun ! So I decided to systematize - S for Systematic. P for Persistent. P for Playful. Before I knew it, I was going through the whole alphabet.

I tried to be real - to discover the words in each 'letter category' for an actual quality or item I am releasing. The same for concrete elements or traits I am intentionally attracting and nurturing. But the serious search for 'the word that touches' was accompanied by giggles.

More and more giggles. Unexpected giggles in a Serious Ritual of .... You know. E + B.

Here are the results.

On the left, the Old items or qualities I am letting go of.

On the right, the New items or qualities I am bringing In.

OLD Items – I Release /NEW Items I Attract

OUT You Go / Come IN

----------------------------------------------------------------

Awkward /Attractive

Bitterness /Bliss

Clumsy /Confident

Difficulty /Delight

Exhausted /Ecstatic

Frumpy /Feminine

Grating /Gentle

Hefty / Healthy

Heavy /Humorous

Intemperate / Inspirational

Indecisive / Intentional

Jumpy / Jubilant

Klutzy / Knock-out

Lumpy /Lithe

Mutinous / Merry

Nerdy / Neat

Ogre /Original

Ominous / Open

Pushy / Patient

Quarrelsome / Quick-witted

Rageful / Restful

Self-conscious / Self-expressed

Spiteful / Serene

Sorrowful /Svelte + Sinuous

Troubled /Tolerant

Uptight / Useful

Vain / Valued

Vehement /Vulnerable

Vengeful / Voluptuous

Weak / Warm

Withdrawn / Witty

X -- / X--

Yearning / Yummy

Yo Yo / Yogi

Zonked / Zippy

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well, my dears, there it is : my List on INs and OUTs.

I apologize for the sinuous right column - make of it what YOU will.

If you want to adopt my New Year game, and have a whole lot of fun yourself with this ritual, be my guest.

I admit, never before had I so much giggling and laughter as I marked and honored the ending of an old year, the beginning of another.

May we all generate much delight and merriment during 2008, attracting and generating Health, Wealth, and lots of Love in all its forms and varieties :-)

Dinnah Pladott

* www.aquariuspapers.com/astrology/2007/12/winter-solstice.htm

Copyright © 2007 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com
www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=================================

HONORING THE ENDING + BEGINNING TIME

2007-12-30T23:04:00.000-05:00

Greetings, everyone!

We have jingled bells last week, and are now getting our Playtime gear to celebrate New Year's Eve.

It occurred to me that we may return to an older, more ritualistic form of marking the ending of one cycle (the old year) and the beginning of a new one.

I am borrowing here the notes for the Astrological Blog of Robert Wilkinson, www.aquariuspapers.com , "It's the Winter Solstice," 12.21.2006. http://www.aquariuspapers.com/astrology/2006/12/
its_the_winter_.html

Robert, whose writing shine a beam of light as he comments on the upheavals, storms, spirals and twists of the last few years, celebrates that ritual around the Solstice.
I find, however, that such ritual has power whenever we use it - as long as we apply it to mark and honor the ending time, when we have to let old and no longer useful items go; and the beginning time, when we open to allow the new and untried element to enter.

I trust that doing this ritual will facilitate the transition from old to new, from the familiar to the unknown, and from the outdated to the experimental.

Try it, and see what happens.

- - - - - -
Robert Wilkinson's Solstice Ritual

This is not a very elaborate ritual, but it's very powerful in its simplicity.

First, I make a list of everything I want to leave my life in the coming year. Then I either find a disposable object associated with each thing (or person, or personal habit) I want to see leave, or I draw a picture that represents those things, people, or habits. Then I burn each individual picture in a fire, one at a time, while saying goodbye to each of those.

I also make a list of things I want to see come into my life in the coming year. I try to make it realistic, but also allow my imagination to bring forth what might be or could be, even if improbable. After all, it's supposed to be fun! I play with possibilities, and write them down, without getting hung up on specific forms. This is about content more than form. Then I draw pictures symbolizing those things, and burn them, one by one, in a fire, welcoming those things to come.

Over the years I've done this ritual, I find very often that every single thing I want to leave actually does leave. And, I usually see most if not all that I want to appear show up in the following year. Even when one or both lists falls short by a thing or two, overall I've seen great progress year after year. Dec 21 2006

http://www.aquariuspapers.com/astrology/2006/12/
its_the_winter_.html

- - - - - - - - - - -

May the year 2008 be a year of Bliss and Abundance for us all!

May it also bring Peace and Prosperity to the world !

Dinnah Pladott

Copyright © 2007 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com
www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=================================

PLAYFULNESS

2007-12-23T22:33:00.000-05:00

DOUBLE YOUR FUN WITH BLOGGING

Reminder: Please forgive our appearance while we go through our
MAKEOVER

HAVE A HAPPY HEALTHY WEALTHY HOLIDAY

And may all your visions and dreams come true this New Year

Dinnah Pladott

Copyright 2007 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com
http://www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=================================

FUNKY MAKEOVER

2007-12-23T20:15:00.000-05:00

MAKEOVER

Please pardon our appearance while we are going through a reconstruction of the blog, Maximize Success.

We shall be back soon, with new features as well as new appearance.

Meantime, I want to share with you one pithy idea I took from a stimulating and scary and funny book, called Funky Business: Talent Makes Capital Dance by Kjell Nordström and Jonas Ridderstråle of the Stockholm School of Economics:

"[In this environment ] Traditional roles, jobs, skills, ways of doing things, insights, strategies, aspirations, fears, and expectations no longer count. In this environment, we cannot have business as usual. We need business as unusual. We need different business. We need innovative business. We need unpredictable business. We need surprising business. We need funky business."

Have a wonderful, funky business day!

Dinnah Pladott

Copyright 2007 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com
http://www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=================================

BLISSCIPLINE - The Free Gift

2007-11-06T00:42:00.000-05:00

FREE GIFT - Discipline 4 The Law of Attraction

Hello everyone,

Those of you who know me, are familiar with my belief:
to benefit from the Law of Attraction, you must develop
a number of structures, or Habits.

That requires discipline.

Some of you are already wrinkling your nose.

Well, here is another opportunity - freely provided - to
strengthen your discipline-following muscle.

It is called, not surprisingly, Blisscipline.

Check it out at

http://www.powerfulchoices.net/BLISScipline_AIM.htm

It will test your patience and persistence.

But if you persevere, the rewards are enormous.

Let me know if you try it.

Share your experience, insights and 'WINs'.

Then, I will tell you some of mine.

Blessings and Bliss be upon you !

Dinnah Pladott

Copyright 2007 Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., All Rights Preserved

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com

http://www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=================================

THE TOP 10 HABITS 4 FINANCIAL HEALTH

2007-11-03T14:24:00.000-04:00

THE TOP TEN HABITS 4 BUILDING FINANCIAL HEALTH

The bottom line in Building a Healthy Financial Foundation has been all but obstructed by all the rosy cotton-candy hype surrounding the Law of Attraction.

There is really ONE (1) basic or foundational habit that you must master. That is, you must master one habit if you really want to enjoy financial health: KNOW YOUR NUMBERS!

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS, I

1.Track all your expenses and income, daily.

2.Track all your assets and liabilities, weekly.

3.Track your investment portfolio, weekly.

Start this habit early – when you have little or no money, and little or zero investments and assets.

Continue practicing this habit as your wealth increases.

Making money is not difficult. Keeping your wealth from flying out of your life is the big Challenge.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS, II

A.Know and track the APR you are paying on your credit cards.

Unaware of the nature or number of APR? Learn all about it

http://www.federalreserve.gov/Pubs/shop/

B.Know what this APR costs you for every $100.- you borrow or charge.

C.Know what Compound Interest is, and how it works when you borrow or charge $$..

If you have no clue about Compound Interest, go here:

http://math.about.com/library/weekly/aa042002a.htm

D.Know how much you need to pay every month (beyond the Minimum Payment) in

order to prevent your CC debt from mushrooming out of control.

KNOW YOUR NUMBERS III

1. Know how Compound Interest can work for you, when you bank your money

http://math.about.com/od/formulas/a/compound.htm

The more you understand these numbers and how they work, the more you will see

where your money gets a better return.

A higher APR AND a better Compound Interest can make a big $$$ difference. (Compounded weekly ? Monthly ? Quarterly?

Not All Compound Interest rates are created equal).

2.Know the strengths and the weaknesses of various ‘parking’ options for your money:

Certificate of Deposits (CDs) and Money Market Accounts (MMs).

Understand the value and the shortcoming of the liquidity of one,

the higher rates of the other,

and the way each specific offer provides its own Compound Interest formula.

http://www.bankrate.com/brm/news/DrDon/20020926a.asp

Overwhelmed by all these numbers and terms? Start learning.

Step by Step.

A CAUTIONARY TALE

Listen to the cautionary tale of a rock star – one that luckily ended well.

In the Sunday, October 28 2007 Business Section, Duff McKagan,

currently of the Velvet Revolver rock band,

remembers back to his Guns N’ Roses heady days in the 1980’s;

when “torrents of money streamed into his wallet from multiplatinum albums”.

He had, he says, little interest in tracking his cash,

a lack of interest that grew out of ignorance: “we knew nothing about money.”

Only after losing wads of cash, did Mr. McKagan make a wise decision:

‘he gave up partying and went back to school to study business.’

Today, the reporter, Janet Morrissey tells us, “Mr. McKagan, 43,

tightly monitors the finances of his current band, Velvet Revolver.”

Be smart; start learning all about money and numbers NOW.

Have the solid foundations ready for the Law of Attraction to fill your coffers.

Warm Regards

Dinnah Pladott

www.leadership-skill.com
www.astrocoach.com

http://www.myspace.com/coachdinnah

=========================================

Update Registration Links, Develop Financial Foundtions 4 Success

2007-08-27T10:46:00.001-04:00

Developing Financial Foundations 4 Success to Benefit from The Law of Attraction. I. Tracking Your Money

Hello, everyone.

Sorry, there was an html mistake in yesterday's blog, which made registration to the teleclass more difficult.

Best ways to register for the FREE teleclass are:

I. Go to go to www.teleclass.com, and search for class #9766-1.

OR

2. Send an email to free@teleclass.com, and include in the Subject Line 'class # 9766-1.'

So, it would look like this:
TO: free@teleclass.com
SUBJECT: Class #9766-1

To recap:

Class Title: Developing Financial Foundations 4 Success to Benefit from The Law of Attraction. I. Tracking Your Money
Dates/Times: Four non-consecutive Wednesdays, September 19,26, October 10, 31, 2007, 8-9PM Eastern/NY time.

Hurry up and register. Space is limited.

I look forward to 'seeing' you all on the calls.

Dinnah G. Pladott

Copyright Dinnag G. Pdadott, Ph.D 2007, All rights Reserved

FINANCIAL FOUNDATIONS 4 SUCCESS TELECLASS

2007-08-26T10:35:00.001-04:00

9766. Developing Financial Foundations 4 Success to Benefit from The Law of Attraction. I. Tracking Your Money (TeleClass)
Section: 1

Following my last post, I decided to Give Away a gift to those who would like to build a financial foundation, in the form of a FREE teleclass.

To see the details of this class on www.teleclass.com, search for Class #9766-1.

You can also register via email, by emailing to www.teleclass.com, with the following details:

TO:free@teleclass.com
SUBJECT:9766-1

This class is given on four non-consecutive Wednesdays, September 19,26, October 10, 31, 2007, 8-9:00 PM Eastern/NY.

SPACE IS LIMITED !

So, what are you waiting for ? Register NOW.

I look forward to 'seeing' you there.

Dinnah Pladott

Copyright Dinnah G. Pladott, Ph.D., 2007 All rights Reserved

Visit www.leadership.com

TOP TEN HABITS TO DEVELOP TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY

2007-06-24T20:53:00.000-04:00

TOP TEN HABITS TO DEVELOP TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY

* * *
This is the first post in a series, covering the steps and stops along the continuum 'Making money, Tracking money, Saving money.....Creating wealth'
* * *

It is a well kept secret that basic money management skills are essential if you want to achieve any of your financial goals.

These skill must become ‘habits’ – something you use naturally, consistently and systematically. Like you brush your teeth in the morning. No exception, no excuse.

The list below may look ‘basic’ – and these skills or habits are, indeed, basic.

But in my experience as an individual person, and as a coach, they have to be re-learned and re-absorbed each time we move ‘up’ a grade.

In each successive ‘higher level’, these habits have to be newly embraced, and applied afresh to the new situation and the new challenges.

If you do not turn these skills into 'habits,' or 'second nature, ' you will NOT be able to meet your higher-level financial goals successfully.

Here are my choices for the Top Ten:

1.Develop and Keep Records of all your assets and all your liabilities (debt).

2.Balance weekly both your checkbook and your account(s)..

3.Check your Expenses/Income ratio, by tracking you daily expenses for a whole month.
Keep a record.

4.Priroritize the expenses you tracked as “HIGH”, “Medium,” and “LOW” priority. Keep a record of that list.

5.If your Expenses exceed your Income, or if you are in debt above Five Thousand Dollars ($5000.-), develop a Repayment Schedule and an Expense Budgeting Plan. The time-duration of the Budgeting Plan depends on the extent of your debt, or on the extent of the gap between your expenses and your income. For each successive Higher Level you go to, raise the sum of money by adding a 0.

6.Budgeting Plan: Reduce your expenses by cutting out lower-order priority expenses, starting with the lowest priority.

You cut out first all “low priority” expenses on a monthly basis. If necessary, you cut out “medium priority” expenses for as long as it is necessary to balance your Income/Expenses ration, and to pay your debt.

6.ALERT: One of your High Priority expenses is paying the Minimum Payment on all Credit Cards. Each Past Due payment gets reported to the credit bureaus, and damages your Credit Rating.

7.Paying down your Credit Card debt, or your other loans, is a High Priority expense. Making substantial payment to bring your debt amount down must come BEFORE any “medium” or “low” priority expenses.

8.If you have substantial credit card debt (your expenses exceed your income), carry only ONE credit card in your wallet.

All other credit cards should be placed in a locked box that you cannot access easily.

9.Do NOT cut out or cancel credit cards indiscriminately.

KEEP your two oldest credit cards, even if they are in the locked box.

The fact that you carry credit cards over a long time adds to your credit score.

10.Become informed about APR – the annual percentage interest rate. .

Check what each credit card is charging you. If you are to cancel any, the Higher interest rate cards should be canceled before the Lower interest rate ones.

Does the thought of practicing any of these habits make you groan ‘boring, b-ooo-o-ring?

Well, get over it.
Consider the fact that in order to build a strong building, a strong foundation must be put in place.

These ten habits are the foundation for your capacity to achieve financial success.
Isn’t it worth it to be bored for a while ?

Let me know how you are doing in implementing these habits!

Dinnah G. Pladott

LESSONS 4 CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS

2007-03-09T23:21:00.000-05:00

THE FATE OF ‘OBSCURE DVDs’ – LESSONS for CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS ?

Part 5

IT IS GOOD BUSINESS TO TURN A CRISIS INTO AN OPPORTUNITY

You can see how excited I get just remembering these two very inventive, very UNUSUAL productions.

But you see, Gelb might not have been able to convince his board to go with the irreverent changes and inventions, had they not all been aware of the ‘dire future for operaa’ consensus.

So I am going to end where I begun – with the question ‘how will the slump in the DVD market affect the culture in the US’ ?

People from Europe often blame the Americans for being ‘all about business.’

I do not agree. I have the greatest respect for ‘Yankee ingenuity.’

I also remember that this is the land of the Melting Pot. Where immigrants from many disparate countries keep coming in, and beginning to contribute to the mix.

I am calling upon anyone and everyone who is interested first, in maintaining a robust and divers mix of cultures. And Second, in maintaining a robust business building culture. Give us your innovative, creative ideas and suggestions.

How can we provide distribution to such foreign, excellent films as those of HONG SANG SOO? How can we suggest new business models to those interested in making culture, in general, and foreign movies in particular, as attractive and as popular as pop corn ? (Well, that IS a stretch. But as popular as whole wheat bread???)

TEAMING BUSINESS AND THE ARTIS/THE ARTIST

Business can learn from the arts – the examples are too numerous to mention. Whether you learn to develop new models for team work and for leadership, or you adopt new types of communication and even social ethics, to make your business and product attractive to your customers..

The arts can learn from business to ‘market’ themselves to wider audiences not by ‘dumbing down’ but by being inventive, as Mr. Gelb is demonstrating.

Above all , I would remind us all to heed Roosevelt’s famous saying:

We Have Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself.

When we are steeped in fear, creativity shrivels.

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LESSONS 4 CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS

2007-03-08T23:43:00.000-05:00

THE FATE OF ‘OBSCURE DVDs’ – LESSONS for CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS ?

Part 4

FIRST HAND REPORTS

MAKING AN OLD ART FORM ATTRACIVE TO YOUNG AUDIENCES

I was personally in attendance both for the celebrated SEASON'S Opening, the Season Opera Madame Butterfly , directed by the film director, Anthony Minghella.

It was a feast for the eye, as well as for the ear.

It was a dance performance (with traditional Japanese dance elements, costumes and props).

It was a theatrical performance, with the singers giving time and attention to slight facial expression changes, slight movements of head and hand, to details of voice intonation in speech, as well as in the singing.

Paradoxically, the very strong use of Japanese elements – such as kabuki theatre movements and makeup, puppets, and traditional clothing - made this production much more modern and immediate. .

I also attended the performance of Mozart’s opera, The Magic Flute, directed by the talented theatre director Julie Taymor. Who is famous, of course, for her direction of The Lion King on Broadway.
How ‘popular’ can you get ?

I love her work, by the way, and for me, ‘popular art’ is NOT a derogatory term.

Moreover, using these elements from the popular forms is part of the ingenius as well as Genius Marketing Vision of Gelb – reaching out in different ways to the Young Audience, in order to cultivate and build the future audience for the Metropolitan Opera in New York in particular, but also for Opera in general.

In a thoughtful and inventive attempt to make the opera more accessible to people who are not used to this art form, the Magic Flute was sung in English.

And it was cut to a shorter 100 minute length, as a special draw for kids ranging from 8 to 18 (from what I observed during that matinee performance on a Saturday afternoon) – the audience of the future.

Remember, we are talking about the people of the sound byte. The people of the instant messenger and text messaging. The people of Short is sweet.

It was also a colorful, delightful fiesta - a public celebration of music, dance, sight, sound, and more.

There was true magic in Taymor’s weaving together of old and new elements: incredibly modern and symbolic use of revolving sets, and old style Dancing bears, flying birds, and even a giant serpent.
The clowns of the circus of yore met and waltzed with the abstract art of today. And in that dance, they came into diverse combinations. They harmonized with each other; they counter-pointed one another; they clashed.

Above all, the sum was greater than the parts.

The adults as well as the children of all ages in the audience were focused and entranced during this almost 2-hour long carnival. The fact that they rarely moved around, and kept consistently silent, told me that they were all mesmerized.
You know how rambunctious kids can be - even in the most arresting movie.

But not during this Magic Flute. It was true magic, for us all.

I can easily see this production affecting young people of all social strata and backgrounds, due to the use of non-verbal , universal, archetypal symbols.

HERE IS A PERSONAL WISH: Mr. Gelb, extend the reach of this opera, in its magic production, to the diverse audience of kids and teens of all races, ethnicities and colors throughout the five boroughs.

How: by inviting the kids, or making tickets accessible financially and literally to kids, in all the five boroghs whose parents cannot pay for the tickets.

If you have your own wishlist here, let me know, OK?

After all, magic is in the air, isn't it ?

LESSONS 4 CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS

2007-03-07T21:12:00.000-05:00

THE FATE OF ‘OBSCURE DVDs’ – LESSONS for CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS ?

Part 3

IN BUSINES AS IN CULTURE, IT PAYS TO BE CREATIVE

EXAMPLES

Take a look at Netflicks And take a look at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.

Both have been following business solutions that are completely ‘counter-intuitive’, which is another term for non-linear in our highly linear- thinking western world.

NETFLICKS

The success of Netflicks, based largely on its early and consistent avoidance of the old model of ‘a store selling product,’ is illuminated when you read Beessman’s detailed discussion of how many difficulties attended the retail selling of DVDs, and of the wholesale marketing of DVDs through the large retailers.

Instead, examine the tactics Netflicks has chosen, again and again, and you discover a creative, inventive mind at work. Continuously creating alliances and partnership with Netflicks' customers (wish list), with its vendors, and with other businesses (ICF), that are involved in providing the ‘arts/films/DVDs’ to a greater and growing client base.

THE METROPOLITAN OPERA

The Metropolitan Opera is an even more interesting example.

More interesting not because I love Opera, which I do.

But because The Metropolitan Opera has long operated as a stodgy, linear enterprise.

<>And because EVERYONE has been forecasting the Death of Opera as a viable, self sustaining

enterprise or art form (that is, popular and salable to the masses).

The Death of Opera seemed imminent - At least as far as selling Opera to the larger public was

concerned.

THE GENERAL MANAGER AS AN ARTIST

Enters a new General Manager, Peter Gelb , with a broad view of the whole array of arts.

And he begins to create a cross-pollination between the High Art of opera, and other, more ‘popular’ (that is, ‘lowly’) arts.

He chose to bring movie makers to direct the operas; to bring simulcasts of the opera to radio and video.

And then experimented in SIMULTANEOUSLY staging/distributing the MOVIE VERSION of the operas playing at the MET to selected movie theatres throughout the US and throughout the world.

Let me tell you, the first season is not over yet, yet the results are overwhelmingly successful.

WIN/WIN for EVERYONE

The interesting fact I heard on the news is that not one, but two things occurred.

First, the broadcast of Opera in movie form supported a larger than usual ticket sales volume for each of the Operas produced and playing at the Met.

In addition, a second, unexpected bonus:

In cities where the movie version of an opera playing at the MET has been shown, ticket sales To the Local Oprea Houses have risen !

Which means that yoking the Celestial Opera Form and the Earthly movie form is a successful undertaking for everyone concerned.

My favorite Win/Win formula.

LESSONS 4 CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS? Part 2

2007-03-06T19:11:00.000-05:00

THE FATE OF ‘OBSCURE DVDs’ – LESSONS for CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS ?

Part 2

CREATING AN OPPORTUNITY OUT OF A CRISIS

To play on a famous Chinese term, which connotes both ‘crisis’ and ‘opportunity’ – what will enable a business to turn a crisis into an opportunity ?

A little bit later, I will point to two current examples that show to what extent a successful business is built first and foremost when the driving force is Creative Thinking, or Creative Problem Solving.

For now, take a look.

The buzz words, INNOVATION, INVENTIVENESS, and their terrible step sibling, Thinking Out of the Box, do have a valid point.

If you want to discover viable, successful strategies to overcoming great business obstacles, you cannot think in a simple, linear fashion. (BTW, check ‘linear thinking’ and ‘non-linear thinking’ by Googling it online. You will be enlightened…)

One of the great things that I have learned over the years - by absorbing various forms of Far Eastern thought, philosophy, arts, and religion - was to value the ‘non-linear’ approach as an important tool for the business leader’s tool kit.

Sometimes, you have to see the value of inverting the linear into the non-linear perspective: Small is Beautiful. Less is More.. Fast is Slow, Slow is Fast.

THE NON-LINEAR APPROACH

In fact, one of my clients aced his second GMAT – after getting a very low score on the first round – by repeating my slogan at the beginning of each 2-minute segment allotted to answering a single question:

‘Go Slow, you Get there Faster.’

In ALL the past trial tests, and in the actual first GMAT round, he was constantly short of time, and his score was low.

At the end of this second GMAT go- round, he raised his score by a hugely substantial number of points. But in addition, as he screamed at me jubilantly over the phone, he also had an unexpected bonus: more than ample time to complete his replies .

“ I raised the score to XYZ” he yelled , laughing and crying; “And you are not going to believe this: I had time left over in each question, at least 20, sometimes 30 seconds. I had time to review, to regroup. Unbelievable.”

In the first GMAT round, no Business School would look at his application.

After the second GMAT round, he had his pick of Business Schools.

And he chose The London School of Economics.

Who ever said that non-linear solutions do not bring good business results ?

It becomes especially handy when the odds seem very unfavorable to ‘our side.’
---------

Want to hear how some current organizations are implementing non-linera solutions to turn

<>a crisis into an opprotunity ?

Come back for the next segment.

Have a glorious day !

LESSONS for CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS ?

2007-03-05T23:33:00.000-05:00

THE FATE OF ‘OBSCURE DVDs’ – LESSONS for CULTURE + BUSINESS SUCCESS ?

Part !

Introduction

I set out to write a short blog, and ended with a longer one.

I therefore decided to post it in five separate segments.

To make it easier on you to read and - hopefully - savor it.

Dr. Dinnah

The New York Times, Arts and Leisure Section, Sunday March 4, 2007. Two disparate items caught my eye, and mind, and heart.

On page 4, in FILM, A.O. Scott informed us that a new DVD will appear of the 2004 “WOMAN IS THE FUTURE OF MAN”. The Korean director of that film, HONG SANG SOO, we are told, “belongs to a fast-growing category of international filmmakers, masters at the height of their powers, who remain almost entirely unknown in the United States.”

THE DOWNTURN IN DVD BUSINESS

On page 14, Bryan Reesman places a Title or Heading that does not do justice to his detailed, and thought provoking discussion of the DVD business difficulties: “For Obscure DVDs, A Precarious Future.’

He enumerates the various forms in which the DVD business has been stymied and economically hammered.

He also reminds us that in the beginning, DVDs provided renewed life to old artsy movies, and to various forms of films that do not fall into the ‘mainstream.’

He raises the business question:

who will be able to supply interested buyers with movies, old or new, that belong to those very special or specific ‘niches’ (‘obscure’ is his term ) ?

He also raises a larger question: What will happen to American Culture, already largely homogenized, when the small companies that have given DVD form to the quirky movies can no longer do so ? How will it be possible to interrupt the flattening influence of the major studios and large retail stores ?

FOREIGN MOVIES ARE MY HOBBY

Disclosure:

I LOVE foreign movies, and have a special soft spot for Korean, Chinese, and Japanese movies.

I am also very interested in the dialogue between movies and culture.AND between movies and business.

WHAT’S THE KEY TO A BUSINESS’S SUCCESS?

There is however a central question that keeps coming up for me.

I am a Business Development and Executive Coach because I am always studying the answer to the questions: what makes a business succeed ?

In the discussion of ‘Obscure DVDs’, there seemed to be only one business option or outcome: down down down we go.

Yet my experience leads me to observe the elements relating to a second, sister question:: ‘What will enable a business to succeed in a given situation, when others do not ?’

===

TAKING A SMALL STEP

2007-02-23T11:49:00.000-05:00

"The longest march begins with a small step" said Lao Tse, a venerable Chines philosopher.

My mantra, in the last eight months, has become 'small steps, persistently taken.'

Naturally, then, I begin my journey in the land of blogging by undertaking a small step.

In case you miss the tremor in my fingers, I have no idea what blogging entails, and how to overcome any technical and technological obstacles that will show up.

But isn't that true about anything we ever try for the first time?

BEING A BEGINNER IS NEVER EASY, BUT IS A KEY

Being a Beginner is never easy.

But I learned, from William Faulkner (you will hear me say that often) that if you want to grow and develop, professionally and in all other ways, you'd better make peace with the 'hateful' position of being a Beginner, again. and again. And again. As often as necessary.

Where you do not know what the ----- you're doing.

I therefore invite you to come along on my journey, with any HIGHs and any LOWs that may occur along the way.

COIMIC JOURNEY, APPRENTICESHIP

True to my contrarian methodologies, I will not make this a grand, HEROIC journey.

Our western culture is built oon the heroic myths we inherited from the Greeks, and other ancient forebears.

However, much of the heroic journey involves being battered, being hammered, and winning victory, when the hero succeeds, at a great expense. Expense for both Self and Others.

In our own times, think of Gandhi, Martin Luther King, JFK, Anwar Sadat and others.

Years ago, I have learned from my greates teacher, the American 20th Century fiction innovator and Nobel Prize winner, William Faulkner, to distrust the heroic bent of Tragedy.

I have learned from him, as well, to really relish the laughter-filled pleasure of the comic anti hero(ine)., and the non-heroic comic stories that end with reconciliation and delight, not with pain and alienation.

PARTNERSHIP + PLAY = PROFIT

So, following Stephen Covey's command 'begin as you intend to go on,' I place myself firmly in the land of the comedy and laughter.
Here victories are collaborative.
Here triumphs lead to the regeneration of community, not its destruction (see Shakespeare's Midsummer's Night Dream).
Here you may find the Treasure of Success in partnership building.

Be warned - I have been collecting P words. For now, you need both Partnership and Play to get Profit.

If my central contention - SUCCESS CAN BE FUN - is of interest to you, keep coming back.

In a truly interdisciplinarian manner, I will range across all imaginable fields, from management theory to the new psychological theories of Happiness. I will draw on all of the disparate fields of knowledge I have sampled during a life rich in both tears and laughter.

PRAGMATIC VISION FROM EAST + WEST

I will draw on both Western and Far Eastern ideas, philosophies, and tricks.
I will often suggest practical tips that seem totally irrational, too.

But always, the visionary aspect will be coupled with a very practical concern for the bottom line.

A pragmataic interest in discovering and distilling what encourages or fosters the accomplishment of simple or complex tasks around 'getting things done.'

You see, what people rarely notice is that the HERO(ine) always have their heads up in the clouds.
It is the comic anti-heroes who keep their feet on the ground, and never for a second lose sight of the 'nitti gritt' mundane and pragmatiac details and questions.

TIME TO TAKE A BOW + SAY 'FAREWELL'

I think this post has gone on long enough for a first 'small step.'

Let me know what your thoughts are on the post or its topic.

And if you cannot yet find a way to post her, please bear with me. And try again in a few days.
It is simply because I have not yet mastered the intricate details of designing this blog.

Have a playful weekend!

Dr. Dinnah

All Rights Reserved C2007