Life Style Report

“YOU NEVER GET A SECOND CHANCE

TO MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION” Sound familiar? Of course, it does. Have you ever thought about how other people see you? Do you think that “they” see you as you see yourself? AND depending on how “they” know you (personally or professionally) this could be a very different description and opinion.

This past month I spoke to two very different audiences. I spoke about self-esteem, branding and social media at “The Me You See” youth conference, to help bring awareness and prevention to the horrible issue of human trafficking. I also spoke to an audience of beauty professionals about image, branding and social media. The topic was “Your Image is Your Business”. Now here is the craziest part, although the topics and audience were vastly different, the content and conversation were similar as it all

came down to your visual brand and your social media. We live in a day and time that people often see us before they meet us.

THINK ABOUT IT:

(Personally) If someone recommended a babysitter to you or perhaps your child wanted to go over to a new friend’s house, what is the first thing you would do? Google their name? Then formulate an opinion of them by their social media content.

Yep, of course you would, why?... because you can and because you have this resource in the palm of your hand. (Professionally) Say you are the hiring manager and you have a list of employees up for the next big promotion. You consider their contributions to the company and you have it narrowed down to three amazing candidates. Let’s also say you are also social media “friends” with them. You see their after -work (personal) activities. In your opinion, overall everything seems fine, but you do see a pattern on one account of negative talk or perhaps you see posts with lots of late nights out on the town...not really your business, but would this sway your professional opinion? Of course, it would...

Friends, in this day of social media your visual brand has never been more important, and first impressions have never been more influential. People are losing jobs, promotions, scholarships and more because of things that they post on their social media accounts. I spoke with social media consultant, Kimberly Swenk of Swenk Social about this and this was her response: “The main thing you need to remember is that you must live your brand online (personally and professionally). Social media is no different than your store front. It is an extension of who you are. You need to live the lifestyle of your product or service. Think of your social media platform as a pamphlet for you or your business, only digital and dynamic. A bad social media platform/page reflects badly on you.”

Scary but true!

So, here are my questions for you. What does your visual brand look like?

If you are not sure, maybe you should evaluate your style personality.

Does your social media look like the “store front” you would choose for yourself?

If not, that is a quick fix! Show everyone how amazing you are. Remember, there is no such thing as “privacy” on social media and digital dirt never goes away. I encourage you to be your best self personally and digitally!

Everyday, get up, dress up, show up and never give up!

I’d love to hear from you feel free to follow me on: IG @tarahillhanover FaceBook: Tara Hill Hanover email: tarahillhanover@gmail.com

Did you ever wonder why some tomatoes at the grocery store are cherry-sized and red or yellow, and some are shaped like plums, and some are huge? It’s because there are thousands of different varieties of tomatoes, every one of them grown from seeds saved by some gardener, somewhere, because that tomato was better than any other … in that particular garden. There are also lots of varieties of peppers, eggplant, basil, beans, watermelon and every other fruiting plant -- but to access the range of possibilities, you have to grow your vegetables from seed. While it requires planning and learning some tricks of the trade, the payoff is that you can grow things that nobody else in your neighborhood may ever have tried before.

What are those “tricks”?

1. Start with fresh seeds. Seeds are tiny living things that won’t last forever. You can help them stay viable longer by storing leftovers in a dry, cool place. 2. Use good potting mix and clean containers. At Our

Giving Garden, our favorite is coconut coir mixed with

Happy Frog growing mix. But many commercial seed

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starting mixes will work; just don’t use soil straight out of your yard, which could contain weed seeds and viruses. 3. Use a light hand. There might be 50 sunflower seeds in a packet, but you’re only going to plant three seeds in each pot, eventually thinning to just the strongest one. 4. Keep them warm until they sprout. There are so many ways to do this -- heat mats work great, but some people simply put their pots on top of the refrigerator until they sprout! If you can cover your pots with a clear plastic lid and put them where sunbeams will hit them during the day, it will probably suffice. 5. Give them LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT. You’re trying to replace sunlight; your kitchen is definitely not bright enough. At a minimum, your seeds need to be ON the windowsill of the window that gets the most direct light every day. If you see the seedlings leaning toward the window, either try to get them closer or turn them around every few days, so both sides of the plant get light. You should start tomatoes, eggplant, peppers and most flower seeds now. Don’t start beans, cucumbers, squash, peas, carrots or most greens indoors. Instead, buy those seeds, then follow the package instructions for planting them right in the ground. (Again, remember the rules: use fresh seed, a light hand, and improve our typical clay soil by adding lots of compost.) If you want to learn more, come by Our Giving Garden on a workday and ask a gardener! Sharing is our thing.

Kristin Lemmerman has an M.Ed from Loyola University Baltimore and has been a Primary Guide at Montessori School at Emory in Decatur, Georgia since 2013. She is also a planting coordinator at Our Giving Garden in Mableton.

MARCH EVENTS AT

OUR GIVING GARDEN

CALL FOR ARTISTS ALL MONTH LONG:

Youth Coloring Contest: Pick up a coloring sheet from Studio23 (1308 Roswell St SE, Smyrna) during business hours beginning March 2nd. Kids must drop back finished coloring sheets by April 11 back to Studio23. Winners will be announced April 18th at the Giving Garden Youth Art Show and Spring Fest. Call for Youth who would like to show their art at the April 18th Art Show: Contact the Garden for more information. Call for Youth who would like to sell their art/crafts: Free opportunity to sell local, homemade art/crafts for youth 17 years old and younger. Call for Adult local artists vendors: $20 to sell local homemade art/crafts at our April 18th event.