Happy Halloween!

BOO! Hope you are having a fun time on the scariest night of the year! We are in a rural area and we had some rain tonight...these two items seem to have scared the little goblins away. We were only entertained by two tiny trick-or-treaters tonight.

What's a girl to do with all this leftover candy? I'll let the ghost in me eat it up! Just so you know, I am a ghost writer. This is work I truly enjoy. Wikipedia explains a ghost writer is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other content which are officially credited to another person.

Now you can say you know a real ghost!

Complaints - 5 Cents

(I've written briefly on this topic before, here are some tips to help with the process.)

Do you have a complaint? Well, you could pay Lucy 5 cents to simply leave your complaint, or perhaps you would like some results, or positive action to come from your complaint?

The choice is yours and here are 5 quick tips to help:

1. Write down the details of the complaint in a timeline format. This will help you organize your thoughts.
2. Review your timeline and pull from it the significant points you want to make in your letter.
3. Complain to the right person - do some research and find out who to address your letter to for the quickest results.
4. Include photos, receipts, or any other pertinent documentation with your complaint letter. This will help strengthen the case that you make.
5. Make it clear what the provider/vendor/store can do to make it right. What do you expect from them? An apology, or more than that? Be clear so they don't have to guess.

If this process seems daunting, send me an email, I can help you out. My letters really do get results for me. as well as my clients.

On the flip side, I also take the time to write kudos letters to the managers of those folks out there that do take good care of me. It's a great opportunity to give praise when it is due, and to encourage the great customer service to continue.

Let's Pull the Plug!

Have you been reading all the tips lately on how to save money? I sure have, just because I would rather spend my money on nice vacations than on unnecessary bills and expenses. This topic seems to be on the news just about every night.

I wanted to share with you a great way to save a bit of money and have some quality family fun at the same time. At my house we pick one night of the week to have a "planned power outage". The kids love this! We use candles and oil lamps to light our evening and we play games, tell stories and cook our dinner on top of our woodstove.

This is great for family bonding. Give it a try sometime and let me know how it goes for you!

Time for a Break?

Where do you go to take a break? For me it's usually the beach. I am very fortunate to be living on the beautiful Olympic Peninsula of Washington State. Here we are surrounded by water and many nice walking beaches.

I took this picture of the beach up at Fort Worden. This is where the filming took place for the movie "An Officer and a Gentleman".

It's great to take the time to leave your worries and stress behind and walk the beach, collect shells, and listen to the waves as they meet the shoreline. The seagulls above certainly do agree :)

So tell me, where do you go to take a break?

Make A Difference Day

The annual Make A Difference Day is right around the corner! This year it will be on Saturday, October 25th.

For those of you that already volunteer it is a great day to up your game to the next level and do just a bit more for your favorite charity or organization.

If you are new to volunteering, you can get more information about Make A Difference Day and volunteer opportunities by visiting this website.

Have fun and let me know about your experience!

Complaining the Right Way

If you have a gripe with a product, company or service, I highly recommend putting your thoughts down on paper. You are more likely to receive a positive result if you take the time to document your experience and address it to the right person.

Let me know if you need help with your letter. I've helped many people organize their thoughts and compose their letters in a polite, yet assertive manner.

Giving Back

In tough economic times we must take a moment to think of those organizations that are doing their very best to assist the less fortunate. They struggle to provide what they normally provide to the public during rough times.

You can make a difference, whether it is monetarily, or with your physical presence as a volunteer. Get out there and get that warm fuzzy feeling inside knowing you helped to brighten someone's day.

On the Olympic Peninsula we have a great organization that believes in helping people to help themselves. You can read more about it here; Olycap

Resume Makeovers

How does your resume look? Does it get lost in the pile with the resumes of others, or does it stand out and scream, "Hey! Look at me! I'm perfect for this position!"

Does your resume get you the interviews you want? If not, perhaps it is time to take a look at why your resume is not working for you. The top 5 problems I see with resumes I receive (for makeovers) are:

1. Too wordy, way too much text. Keep it concise and clear.
2. Tiny margins, very little white space. This makes your reader tired.
3. Listing too many jobs/years. Just list the past 10 years.
4. Too much personal info. Do they need to know you are single?
5. Using the wrong tense. Remember you are presenting what you did in the past (except for your present position).

It is in your best interest to always keep your resume up-to-date. This allows you to quickly respond to a job ad that interests you. You are a professional and you need to be ready for any change in your current employment situation. Need help? Send me an email.

Tick, Tock, Check Out My Clock

My how time flies when you're doing what? If you need help staying focused and on task, here is another trick that works really well. Place a loud ticking clock on your desk.

For some this may be a distraction, however for those I've shared this trick with they found it to be most helpful. You see with every tick you are reminded you can no longer get that second or moment in time back. Thus, you are determined to stay focused and on task.

I was given this cute little, loud ticking clock at a business expo. It is a great marketing piece for the company that gave these out. Has their company name and their mission statement printed on it. Too bad there was no room for their phone number or website. That would make it absolutely perfect! Let me know if this trick works for you.

Suffering from Daily Distractions?

FOCUS...FOCUS...FOCUS

What are your daily distractions? For me it can be the mama deer peacefully grazing with her fawn in my backyard, or my new grandson coming over for a visit.

Above my desk I post items on the wall that are encouraging, inspirational and motivational. One of the items is a postcard with a photo similar to the one I have posted here. On top of the photo the words; FOCUS...FOCUS...FOCUS are printed.

This photo is both calming to me and motivational at the same time. I have another great tip for staying on track that I will share in my next post. Let me know what keeps you focused.