The January 2005 Issue of the Gots To Have It, Newsletter contains:

Where will you be February 1 st , 2006?

So, a New Year has snuck up on you again and boy, you have a lot of things to do, eh? Welcome to the club, we all do. But oh no, you have way more, right? You have to start working on your business more so you can finally leave that job you are bored to tears with. You have to start saving at least $400 a month for a little cushion in the bank — that $67.02 is looking kind of lonely in your savings. You have to start getting fit , because you gained some extra 'holiday weight'. You have to start reading more, oh yeah can't forget, spend time with family and friends…the list goes on. I'm tired just thinking about your list, you sure have a lot to do!

Sometimes we like to create these enormous tasks list of things we need to accomplish in our busy lives. Over ambitious or unrealistic at times? Maybe... B but it’s a good start to at least have a list.
For all of you New Year's Resolution makers out there...WATCH OUT NOW! Don't make a promise you can't keep . !A recent survey finds that only 9% of Americans are serious about achieving their goals. Fifty-one 51% percent don’t have New Year’s Resolutions and of those who do, 79% don’t have a plan to achieve them.

What I've learned about goal setting is that it's best to work with the end in mind. If you can visualize what your life will look like, feel like, sound like, and hey, even smell like on February 1st, 2006 February 1, 2006, then we're getting somewhere. I smell lobster dripping in butter and I hear the waves of the ocean crashing against the rocks. Oh, I'm on vacation in St. Thomas, don't be jealous. LOL ! And I have a strong team holding down the fort, my business will be running just fine without me on my one-month break. Where will you be?

If you can see how much money you have in your bank account, what kind of free time you’ll have, what people are in your life and in some cases…not in your life on February 1 , st 2006, then we are making major leaps and bounds. Are you with me? ~Nod politely.~ You have to see it first, then work on making it a reality.

Painting that vivid picture, making that dream transform into your current situation will get your taste buds wet. The mind is an amazing thing . … Y you can pump yourself up by just closing your eyes and thinking. But the fun part is TAKING ACTION!

All the dreaming in the world will do you no good , because if when you open your eyes, you'll still be looking at your long list of things to do and plucking lint out of your pockets. You'll just be a talker and not a doer. Talk is cheap, baby . … I say it all the time! TAKE ACTION … !
Sounds easy enough , but I've been working with entrepreneurs for 10 years now and I’ve seen many businesses come and go . …y You have to have staying power, you have to really work on your dream. "Get cracking!" is what I always say. They don't call me Sergeant Simi for nothin'. I work with various clients and help hold them accountable. I'll brainstorm with them, strategize for them, and help them plan out their goals and stay focused.

I have a coach and advisors that hold ME accountable, they know what's on my to do list and check in with me to make sure I DO IT! Who's going to be on your team? Think about it and ask for help. Support is an integral part of the process i In achieving goals. Enough of my chatter…let's get STARTED RIGHT NOW. Put your helmets on and get ready to jump in my Time Machine and go into the future! Get a notepad and spend at least a good 30 minutes on the following exercises. Let your creativity flow and don't be afraid to dream big!

JAN 2005 <--------------------TO-------------------> FEB 2006


1. "It's February 1st, 2006 and I've accomplished even more than I could imagine, personally and professional. Can you believe that I…."

Finish this sentence with a short story of a few paragraphs. Write it as if it already happened. This will be your inspiration when you feel like giving up.


2. Now that you've painted the picture that took you into the future, close your eyes and think about how happy you'll feel, how accomplished you will be. Remember how you got to where you are. It didn't happen over -night. Think about some of the goals that you need to accomplish before you get to February 1, 2006.

GOALS YOU'LL ACCOMPLISH:
1 YEAR:

6 MONTHS:

3 MONTHS:

1 MONTH:

1 WEEK:

IN 24 HOURS of reading this:

What can you do by tomorrow to take that first baby step into realizing your goal?
Baby steps are quite amazing, even if it's something that takes you 15 minutes to do, make the cause and you'll gain the effect that you want!

Let's Review :

1. Begin with the end in mind. Make the dream your reality. Positive visualization is a powerful tool … . w Writing it down just adds the icing to the cake.

2. Get an accountability partner. A friend, a spouse, a business coach or consultant, etc . …This person should check in with you each day or week to give you support. They should know all of your goals and you can possibly help them as well.

3. Break it into Baby Steps!
List your goals by working backwards …
1 Year
6 months
3 months
1 month
1 week
24 - hour turnaround.

Do you know where you will be February 1st, 2006? Take ACTION to make it happen!
Good luck with Taking ACTION and let me know if this exercise helped you in any way.

Dig a little deeper and understand what drives you by adding Jack of All Trades, Master of None? to your personal library. Also SIGN UP for the special one-on-one 8 week course based on the book. Get affordable personalized coaching from Simone Kelly-Brown to help you streamline your business and get focused! Go here for more: www.gotstohaveit.com/8weekcourse.html BECOME A GTHI AFFILIATE AND EARN CASH! Get paid by spreading the word about Simone Kelly-Brown's New Book, Jack of All Trades, Master of None? Become an Affiliate: http://www.gotstohaveit.com/affiliate.html

Brave the New Year: 6 Ways to Take the Fear Out of Data Security and Virus Threats
by Lena L. West

Another year has come and gone. We've all made our resolutions and as you begin the New Year, you probably have several items on your 'to do' list. But, no matter what, if you want to avoid being crippled by data loss or virus Îhappenstances', you should take time to focus on two areas: data security and virus threats. If, however, you don't mind being out of business for several days, fumbling to pick-up the pieces, then this article is not for you. Here's how you can prepare:

1. Back it up. If you are a not doing a regularly, scheduled, off-site back up of your company's critical data, that data is in a perilous situation. On September 11th, many companies learned the hard way about how important off-site data back ups can be. If your office or computer were to be ruined in a flood tomorrow, how long would it take for you to regroup and get back to business? If your answer is more than 2-3 days, that's too long. Your clients, vendors and suppliers will have moved on by then. Remember: you would be the one with the emergency - not them. Business will go on. Clients will move on. Once your back up is configured, it doesn't take any effort from you to back up data, in fact, most programs run automatically. If you have a back up plan in place, add it to your calendar to run a test back up every month. But, always remember, if you are backing up to a storage device (CD, tape or zip drive), take the media with you and store it off-site. Your back up is totally useless if it's in the flood with your computer. If you have high-speed Internet access, consider off-site, Internet back ups. They are reliable, secure and cost-efficient.

2. Keep it current. Take the time to get the latest security patches and upgrades for your business hardware and software. Printers may have new drivers and software may have security holes that need patching.

3. Install anti-virus software. The best protection comes in the form of software. Buy, it, install it, activate it - but most importantly, UPDATE it. Due to the fact that a plethora of virus threats are spawned on a daily basis, you must update your anti-virus software to ensure adequate protection. Make an entry on your calendar to update your anti-virus software with the latest virus definition files each week or set your software to automatically check for and download updates as they become available.

4. Keep your eyes peeled. The usual suspects are attachments that end in .exe (executable) or .vbs (Visual Basic Script), both popular virus carriers. Want to take it a step further? Disable macros in your word processing and spreadsheet programs. After which, when opening a document, you will be prompted to enable or disable macros.

5. Don't trust 'trusted sources'. If you get an unexpected attachment with a non-descript or odd message ("I sent this for your review"), be on alert -- even if the source is known. Many virus programs manipulate the sender's address book and automatically send nonspecific email messages and attachments to the addresses listed in the address book of the victim's email program.

6. Stop it in its tracks. What do you do if you've already opened the attachment? Disable your computer's connection to the Internet, immediately. This will stop the virus from being able to send any email. Run your virus protection software, if you've followed the advice in #3, you'll have the updated software. If the virus has done serious damage, try to restore your system files from your backup (see #1). If you don't feel comfortable slaying the beast yourself, enlist the assistance of a technical professional.

Keeping up with your business technology can be a little scary. But, just as with any fear, if you are prepared, you've already won half the battle!

Lena L. West is the Founder & CEO of xynoMedia Development (http://www.xynoMedia.com), a technology-consulting firm that specializes in helping companies make strategic decisions about the use and implementation of technology solutions. Please email her at LWest@xynoMedia.com for a listing of her professional recommendations on products that will help you implement the above steps.

Give ‘N Take Network for WOMEN

Go here for DETAILS and to RSVP online: www.giventakenetwork.org/events.html

ABOUT US:

Simone Kelly-Brown is the President and CEO of Gots To Have It Marketing, Inc.. For over 10 years, she has been working with small business owners who are just starting out and want to get their businesses off the ground with innovative marketing.

GTHI is a firm that specializes in marketing and empowering entrepreneurs with a series of workshops and networking events.

For further information view:www.gotstohaveit.com

For Women's Networking view: www.giventakenetwork.org

Until Next Month!

Own your power and have continued success,
Simone Kelly-Brown
CEO/PRESIDENT, Gots To Have It Marketing, Inc.www.gotstohaveit.com
If you want it, you Gots To Have It!


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