Hat Trick Magazine May 2014

Hat Trick Your Life

Taking Control Of Your Career

Corporate Rhetoric and Mood Get A Little

Naked

Volume 3 Issue 5

May 2014

Mike Fisher On Art& Anger

Why Boutique Business Is

Booming

about about Hat Trick (noun): 1. A sports metaphor for three achievements by a single player in a game. 2. A magic trick. We happily accept both deÞnitions.

Hat Trick Magazine is a special project targeted at sharing spiritual and professional growth with likeminded people from around the world. We share strategies that truly will change your life, business and career (with a little help from some pro friends).

WeÕve all been there: under/un/employed, in a bad situation, in transition, wondering what the options are and not knowing the skills we would need to get us there. We wonÕt lie to you. Coming out the other side isnÕt easy, but we can show you what we learned along to way and help you get the conÞdence to turn that leaf over and pursue that which is your destiny. Knowledge is power.

Not everyone fancies themselves to be an entrepreneur but the truth is, even when seeking employment these days, pulling together your resumŽ requires some sly articulation to showcase your skills, be keyword-optimized and with a strong, personable presentation to get noticed.

We feature inspirational people who have great careers, amazing businesses, tips and a host of amazing stories will inspire and amaze you. Our editors and contributors are some of the most connected in their industries and specialisms.

Hat Trick Your Life! Take control of your lifestyle, your career, your dreams and your journey. WeÕll share what we know and we invite you to join us.

If you or your business would like to be featured or simply would like to contribute a feature in an upcoming issue, please email us on content@hattrickmagazine.com

Hat Trick Strategies cannot accept responsibility for unsolicited coverage made by our contributors including reviews, articles, manuscripts or photographs of products, services.

While every care is taken, prices, details or availability of items are subject to change and we cannot accept responsibility for omissions or errors.

We reserve the right to publish and edit letters or correspondence received via email, social media or other communication.

All advice is given in general terms or as a matter of opinion, for entertainment purposes only, and may not be exhaustive nor suitable for all situations.

Always seek specialized professional advice, speciÞcally suited to you or your business needs. Absolutely no part of this magazine should be taken as medical, professional or other advice - always seek the advice of a qualiÞed practitioner.

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Hat Trick Strategies, 2013 All Rights Reserved

Make Somet hing Magic al Happe n TM

Published by

Hat Trick Strategies

TM

Unit 4 Vista Place, Coy Pond Ingworth Road, Poole BH12 1JY, United Kingdom Registered in England and Wales Number 07819796 UK: +44 1383 279 879 US: +1 501 588 2248 clientcare@hattrickstrategies.com

EditorialTeam Team Editorial

Michelle Fitz Editor-In-Chief, Page Design Michelle is originally from Arkansas and the head of Hat Trick Strategies, a UK firm for Emerging Technologies, Business Change and Corporate Strategy.

Her firm has served US and UK household names, government departments and a portfolio of business coaching clients, based globally. Michelle produces all page layout, custom graphics and ad designs for this publication. She holds professional qualifications in LEAN Six Sigma, PMI PMP, is a Practitioner in both PRINCE2 and MSP and is a leader in digital synergies linking content, the customer journey, social media and customer care words/SEO.

Michael Hartley Associate Design Editor Michael is a British entrepreneur based in Manchester, England and is an expert in graphic design, digital artistry, branding and design management.

He is a trained violinist, and brings a tremendous breath of creativity to projects. His firm, Michael Thomas Designs, are experts in brand research for target demographics, image and the production of a consistent brand identity for mid-sized companies.

Michael understands how to get at the heart of a firm’s offerings and customer base and works closely with select web designers to implement a consistent look and feel across digital, print and online platforms.

Eleni Sofroniou Illustrator Eleni is is an an illustrator illustrator based based in in Eleni London and and owns owns Fall Fall Into Into London London. She She produces produces the the London. majority of of the the illustrations illustrations which which majority appear in in Hat Hat Trick Trick Magazine Magazine appear (which compliment compliment give and give (which our our magazine its its distinctive distinctive look look and and magazine feel). She She has has previously previously created created feel). pieces for for ELLE ELLE Magazine, Magazine, Essex Essex pieces Style Magazine, Magazine, and and The The Female Female Style Entrepreneur Association. As Association. As Entrepreneur well as as creating creating personalised personalised well illustrations,Eleni's Eleni’sillustrations illustrationscan can illustration, be purchased purchased from from her her website. website. be

Andrea Sullenger Business & Tech Editor Andrea is a mix of “kick butt” sales / marketing coach and inspirational possible-i-tarian.

She has been working with solo-entrepreneurs for the past 16 years, helping them build their own thriving transactional businesses all while creating streamlined and successful digital products to maximize and leverage their income streams. Andrea shares many of her strategies via Hat Trick Magazine, but to get the latest, subscribe to her list.

EditorialTeam Team Editorial

Sandra Cunningham Career & Learning Editor Sandra contributes to the Careers column for the Financial Times and is the owner of Outside In Coaching and Communications, where she helps mid-career women make a successful transition from a soul-sucking, dead-end job to a meaningful and fulfilling career, while creating a lifestyle they can afford and enjoy. Sandra truly believes it’s possible to be wildly successful doing work you love whilst having the work/life balance most people can only dream of. Visit her website for free articles, resources and to sign up for your free e-booklet "21 Pointers to Sharpen Your Career Edge."

Shalanda Turner Style Editor Shasie has a B.S. Degree in Chemical Engineering and works as a Project Engineer for a Specialty Chemicals company in Houston, Texas.

When Shasie is not at work, she moonlights in the Fashion Industry. She is the creative voice behind the top Fashion Blog; Live Life in Style, Founder of Houston Fashion Bloggers, Style Editor for online media site FashionMingle.net, Fashion Brand Ambassador for Monarch Magazine, Owner of Shop Shasie’s Closet and Houston Fashion Examiner for Examiner.com.

Charlene SanJenko Wellness & Lifestyle Editor Charlene SanJenko is a serial entrepreneur with a successful lifestyle and fitness practice serving Canada. She is an accomplished figure competitor and has served her community in local government. As a social entrepreneur, she believes there is an intrinsic link between physical and emotional fitness, leadership and excellence. She is a thought leader whose emphasis is in helping transform ordinary ladies into “HIP�, High Impact Performance women. powHERhouse.com

Amanda Cook Brittany De Staedtler Beauty Editor Brittany is an entrepreneur and Amanda Cook is an awardowner ofCertified bath, beauty and skin winning Health Coach who brand helps women lookand & feel care Posh Brats naturallystore radiant! flagship Bathery, located in Macclesfield, England. She is an Through her and inadvocate foronline career progression person classes and workshops, for womenteaches from small Amanda her towns. clients to Being from the Southern she eat healthy whole foods,US, detox overcame what couldfeel have their beauty routines, good easily template in theirbeen skin, a and tap into their natural energy stores. predefined for her, but pursued a career and degrees in Cosmetic www.VintageAmanda.com Chemistry, leading to the successful career she has held to date. Brittany regularly shares simple beauty secrets you can make at home, as well as her thoughts and skills in business.

EditorialTeam Team Editorial

Tanya Jackson Food, Home & Family Editor Tanya is the author of our popular Southern recipe column and the editor for our Food & Home section. She is married to a pastor, her high school sweetheart, and is a proud Southern mother and grandmother. Tanya has lived all over the US, but wherever she has lived, she has brought her love and curiosity for local foods and flavors. Tanya believes the best aspect of having cooked in the four corners of the US, was learning to cook what grows around us; because it is our families that make a difference in our lives and sharing our love and enjoyment of good food together goes hand-in-hand.

Karen Salmansohn Faith & Self Help Editor Karen is an ex-Senior VP, awardwinning ad writer/creative director (at age 27) who left her successful advertising career (having worked as a writer/creative director/ image consultant for numerous household names), to pursue her passion of writing. She owns notsalmon.com, is an Oprah columnist and a best selling author and book packager with over 1 million books sold. Some titles: How to Be Happy Dammit; Enough Dammit; The Bounce Back Book; – and many more.

Journalists call Salmansohn “Deepak Chopra Meets Carrie Bradshaw”, merging empowering psychology/philosophy tips with edgy humor and stylish graphics.

Contributers

Lorraine Hill Head of Global Planning

Michelle Holmes Business Contributor

Sorelle Amore Style Contributor

Mina Muirhead Health Editor, Lifestyle

Gina Hussar Lifestyle Contributor

Manuela Wahnon Lifestyle Contributor

Mellissa Mallaya Lifestyle Contributor

Dara Avenius Career & Learning

Suzanne Perry Faith & Self Help (Victim Support)

Katie Clifton Faith & Self Help (Christian)

Cherie DeBurger Home Contributor (Life & Family)

Sukh Pabial Career & Learning

Marina Berberyan Style Contributor

Lisa Wynter Style Contributor

Joey Phelps Cartoonist

Amber Hamilton Henson Associate Home Editor

Ann Pissard Graphic Artist

Michael Phelps Cartoonist

Kate Spencer Lifestyle & Wellness

Nathalie de Ahna Lifestyle & Wellness

Katie Geddes Business Contributor

18 From the Editor

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Business & Tech Tips

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Quantum Leap Networking

Embody Your Sexy Geek

Career & Learning

38 Cover photography courtesy of Marina Cano www.marinacano.com

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Taking Control of Your Career

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Organisational Rhetoric & Mood

Graphic Art by Ann

Cover Story

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Style & Beauty

Shasie’s Style Picks

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“Get Through the Day” Spray

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Confessions of a Hollywood Stylist

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Faith & Self Help

Lil Nipper Snapper Cartoon

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Karen Salmansohn

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Get a Little Naked

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Lifestyle & Wellness

Leading From the Core

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5 Ways to Make People Want to be Around You Facebook... Has the Business Bubble Burst

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Food, Home & Family

Tanya’s Holiday Cocoa

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The Mystery of Lost Laundry

We Love Hearing From YOU: content@HatTrickMagazine.com

Inside every one of us is a gift which is not yet in existence.

Go get them

Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •

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From the Editor

Those Who Sell

Snake Oil We see it in consultancy, in business services, and certainly, it is the case that there are various degrees of snake oil being sold in vast quantities online, as well.

If you follow my editorials or know me personally, I have a very low tolerance for lies - all of them, equally of course, but there is nothing that brings my blood to a boil faster than a professional impostor.

There was a time when people were uneasy dealing, even in goods, via the internet. Much of Paypal’s success came from the early days of internet nervousness - most people in nearly every industry could not fathom a consumer giving their credit card information freely to a shop’s online front, let alone the far more personal information which is commonly shared and enjoyed via the Big Data industry, today. As time has gone by, public trust has grown to not only expect the convenience of online shopping with online checkout, but the lack thereof or a poor customer experience can actually deter them from transacting at all.

Five years ago, I had no reason to expect a service provider to have a swanky website or share amusing stories and/or 14 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

share tips about how they go about delivering those services. I wouldn’t have expected a freelance project manager to have a digital footprint of any description, let alone his entire pedigree displayed online for my viewing pleasure (complete with solicited reviews and recommendations).

These days, people without a digital footprint are increasingly dismissed even in the world of freelancing, and with quite good reason. After all, in the days of the Amazon review and Ebay feedback, this is seemingly a very good way to validate exactly the person we are deliberating and gage their track record while we’re there.

At least it used to be. These days, an online footprint can be engineered to the point where the first page of Google results represents not the leader but the fellow with the most time to blog (because they don’t really work in the industry they’re blogging about, let alone an actual leader in it).

People have gone totally the OTHER way - almost too much faith and trust in a footprint. I once knew someone who had never worked in her industry but thanks to a brilliant application to an online news outlet which later became popular, had engineered her name to appear that many times in search results that her self-appointed “expertise” was on show for pages upon pages in Google results.

Enter Facebook. The beginning of a global roll out of countless techniques already employed by charlatans (to establish careers for themselves by mastering the idiocentricities in Google’s algorithm) via a newly opened front door to a gold mine of perspective customers without that annoying need to wait for them to go searching for you ... you could just find them yourself and place ads which would turn up in their news feeds! Suddenly, you’re not a blogger, you’re either a serious Letter From the Editor, Michelle Fitz •

15

journalist gone “indie” for the sake of your so-called craft, or you’re a “savvy business person” with such serious advice that you give it away on a weekly basis on blogs, videos, email marketing campaigns, webinars and God only knows what else is coming... even though you don’t have clients and certainly no hands-on experience doing what you say you do. Turns out, it’s not only opinions that like assholes, but apparently also experts - every single one of us is one! You get my drift.

We have a crisis among us. Facebook clocked it and is clamping down because consumers were put off by the junk in their feeds. Their response being a swift return to their roots and a crack down on exploitation of their algorithm to prevent a mass exodus from the platform. Marketers are angry. Facebook page owners are livid. Is it any wonder that so many want to crack down and actually regulate and legislate the internet?

Can you blame Facebook?

As professionals, we need to take it further and identify and hold to account the ones who are polluting the internet with flakey, unreliable noise. We either make it happen together or it will be taken from our hands via the bigger boys in the industry and the internet will never be the same. There is so much we can do as a collective of honest, reputable proprietors, experts and shareholders, but it will take a change to radically shift that deeply-rooted tendency in the human condition to hoard information and keep our doors locked tight.

We need to open our network to allow opportunities for legitimate experience-building into our industries and specialisms, from up-and-comers. We need to help promote that it is not OK to “fake it until you make it”, regardless of the perception touted that this is fine.

We need to make space and show them that an honest conversation about who you are, your talents, your career 16 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

history (or pedigree as I’ve called it) and a willingness to work for free or at discount to get experience is tried and tested.

Throughout history, we have seen apprentices toil to learn a craft, only to become some of the greatest and most highly prized artisans of their time. We have seen interns become heads of department. We see liars, in contrast, escorted offsite, resigning in shame from public office, etc. We must not let “online” be the last safe-haven.

Readers, regardless of where you are in your career or your business journey, remember - the truly great ones make their way in the world where no space for them currently exists, by creating magical concepts and allowing those products, approaches, services, or whatever else that it is, speak for themselves because they ARE MAGICAL. They are so magical that people love them and use them because they are great.

YES. There will always be tricks we can employ to exploit any system - good or bad. We’ve seen it sensationalised in film and we’ve watched as a second dot com boom of millionaires has exploded all around us.

All booms eventually bust, and just as there are winners held up in film so also are the losers.

If you saw The Wolf of Wall Street, I encourage you to read and listen to Jordan Belfort’s interviews to learn “for free” what he learned at a very great cost, from his time in prison, about the fine line we each walk as we are maximising psychological tactics to manipulate the consumer .

By MICHELLE FITZ, Editor-In-Chief

Michelle

Letter From the Editor, Michelle Fitz •

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Cover Story

The Art of Anger Management How I got To Here

From There

Editor’s Note: Mike Fisher is my friend and mentor. I’m lucky to have had such a compelling and genuine man to lead and guide, to challenge me to stand, present, in front of myself and look hard at the reflection (behind the smoke screen, behind the party line.

Moreover, he showed me that this image was not only beautiful but also worth nurturing in a deep and emotionally present way. I met him when going through a horrendous divorce, hardly able to feel good about myself and certainly in an angry and frustrated place, emotionally. That three day weekend changed my life and was the

By Ann Pissard 18 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Mike Fisher

first really concerted thing I had done to understand myself, where I came from, what I had conquered and how to take control of where I was going. Truthfully, I owe it all to Mike Fisher.

Mike is an entrepreneur, gifted artist and photographer, thought leader, counsellor, author and founder of the British Association of Anger Management. With a quick whit and a barb that cuts through bullshit like a hot knife through butter, this South African native has been changing the way we understand, perceive and react to internal and external factors for 25 years.

Sharing this deeply personal connection with you brings me joy. There are so many angles from which he can connect with an individual, whether that initially be through his art, lectures, retreats, photography or the brilliance of his life’s work. I always tell people that however he comes, regardless of which side of the prism presents itself, to expect more, allow yourself to be taken in, and to listen carefully as he passes his wisdom on in surprising ways that will change your life. He’s a “been there, done that” sort of mentor. When he tells you he understands, it’s because he does.

In fact, his starting point, emotionally and geographically, means he effortlessly moves from mentoring and redirecting attitudes in a prison, inner city school, corporate boardroom, tropical retreat, or a university setting and, in every case, lead the room, fill it with his wisdom, affect each individual in a unique and deeply personal way, and leave every delegate present wishing this man was their father. Hell, we would have simply taken “teacher”. Mike will affect you, if you’ll open yourself to allow him to do so, and when he does, be prepared for the beauty that comes next as you bloom and flourish like a tree made clean by a forest fire.

Please check out the end of the article to explore his many ventures, which can be found online.

This is his story, as told to Hat Trick writer, Ann Pissard and I.

Beneath the Surface

I have been making art since I was about 10 years old, including drawing, painting and sculpting, and started taking photographs at the age of 18. I have never stopped, since! My passion for the arts are based on years and years of emotional neglect. It’s been my escape from pain and suffering. Making art since I can remember has been very therapeutic for me, and I’ve always loved the process of creating images purely out of my imagination. Never a day goes by without me drawing or coming up with concepts and ideas, then sketching them out in some way or another.

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Today, I love the fact that I can use my iPad to draw and sketch wherever I am, whenever. I use those as ideas to make paintings and sculptures at a later stage.

I have spent years exhibiting my artwork, but at the same time, I have never made much of an earning from it. This has been okay for me, as my main income for the last 25 years has been based on counselling, psychotherapy and group facilitation. There is something fantastic about being an artist who does not have to worry about making an income from selling his or her own work. To make art, sculpture and photography for the sake and sheer joy of it, is a truly amazing honour.

In the early years, after I had completed my studies in the fine arts, I became an assistant photographer before deciding to go freelance at the age of 24. I became very successful working as a photographer in Cape Town, South Africa, but I knew eventually that I would have to leave. I was very politically motivated and knew that it was only a matter of time before I left the country I loved so much. It was certainly one of the hardest things I ever had to do as a young person, knowing that in order for me to be true to my heart, I needed to leave a country riddled with oppression and find a new home, elsewhere.

I officially left South Africa at the age of 30, and went to live in Amsterdam, as I worked as a photographer and travelled between

“The first five years of training as a counsellor were very depressing for me; I was unemployed, an illegal resident in the UK, and was getting desperate with very little money or means to survive.”

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Amsterdam and London. Wherever I went, I also took a sketch pad to draw out ideas for paintings and sculptures.

I was still making a living doing advertising and commercial photography, and I felt very privileged working as a photographer because the money was good, which in turn allowed me to travel and enjoy myself...but something was missing.

I had a deep respect for British photography and British art at the time, so I naturally chose to make Britain my new home. I left Amsterdam in order to go to film school in the UK and train to become a film director. I have now been in the UK for almost half of my entire life.

I visited Israel in the August of 1987 - travelling, enjoying myself and having a fairly good time. My passion for film making was a strong passion indeed, however, upon returning to the UK, and reading some rather interesting books, I decided that instead of studying film I would actually study psychotherapy, and eventually make documentaries on the subject. One of the books I read, called The Road Less Travelled by M. Scott Peck, marked a turning point in my life. It so inspired me that I decided to apply for training in psychotherapy at a local psychotherapy school. It literally changed my life forever.

The first five years of training as a counsellor were very depressing for me; I was unemployed, an illegal resident in the UK, and was getting desperate with very little money or means to survive.

At the time I was still working as a photographer, but I also worked as a creative consultant which helped to keep me alive...well, just about alive. I really struggled financially due to the fact that it was very difficult to break into a market that was already very established, and my portfolio of work was not strong enough to support any income generation.This was when my entrepreneurial The ART of Anger Management •

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skills became active. I had to identify a variety of different opportunities in order to generate income, otherwise I knew I would have to go back to South Africa.

Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Man Swallowed Whole

I had to call on all my inner resources and identify opportunities for myself, even though I had so little money and there were days I was starving. I had just enough money to pay my weekly schooling fees. I started by making paper mâchÊ products and selling them at market stalls in the UK. To my surprise, the Japanese loved my work and bought many of my products at these stalls.

Being a student in the UK and earning very little money made it very difficult to survive.

Emotionally, I needed to be strong enough to actually deal with the depths that I had gone through whilst training in counselling and psychotherapy. I became very depressed and found it very difficult to emotionally and physically sustain myself. I was far from home, far from my family, far from my friends, and was very scared, however I was very determined not to fail and continue to complete my studies and eventually work as a councillor in the personal development field.

My artwork, photography and my sculpture was what sustained me emotionally, however, I did not make sufficient income from making art nor photography. The UK was in a recession during the late 80s and early 90s and everyone was struggling at the time. I knew I was not alone in this struggle. Where I felt really lucky was having entrepreneurial skills which allowed me to recognise and see opportunities. I learnt how to sell, promote and advertise my own services and products, and started offering these services to other people. Having been an advertising photographer and having a commercial background helped me to make sense of what it meant to market services for other people, who had no idea how to actually put services or products to market.

During my student years as a counsellor trainee, I set up a promotional business with a business partner, printing T-shirts, mugs and baseball caps. I hardly made much more money than before, so eventually I sold the business. I was also trying to establish myself as a counsellor both in London and Bristol, where I did my internship. At this time I was promoting and marketing other companies and small businesses.

The ART of Anger Management •

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Being an entrepreneur came very natural to me and I really enjoyed developing concepts and ideas; helping people to turn them into a viable business proposition. When I was about 38 I was actively involved in a business which promoted counselling and psychotherapy specifically to men in London, and this business turned out to be very successful. I was also training to be a group facilitator and had already set up a therapy centre in North London, delivering programs and offering counselling and psychotherapy to people in my local vicinity.

I was offered a part-time job teaching people marketing skills at an adult education centre in West London, and my approach was holistic marketing. The idea was to not just look at the product or service, but to also look at the environment and the community they were actually targeting their services and products to. It was important that the services and the marketing of products were conducive to the community as well as the environment. Those were exciting times. I honed my skills as a marketing consultant as well as a counsellor and group facilitator.

After many years of working as a marketing consultant and making some people very rich, I was trying to identify an opportunity in the marketplace for my skill set as a counsellor. Finding gaps in the market is really what entrepreneurs do. What makes them successful is recognising gaps in the market that help to support and make people´s lives easier. In an organisation I founded with three other men, The Centre for Men’s Development, we had found a gap and became very busy meeting the needs of men who needed our help. I was still working as a marketing consultant and teaching marketing skills at the time, and was looking to identify a gap in the market for something that I could offer myself...without any partners or financial help.

One of our most successful workshops for men at the centre was our anger management workshop. One day I got a call from a local but well-known newspaper asking me to do an article on anger

Moments

management. To my surprise, and after the article was published, we started to get calls from mothers, fathers, teachers, business men and women, as well as teenagers and young adults of both sexes. This was the point where I recognised I had found a gap in the market, and an incredible opportunity. Fortunately for me, I also had anger issues which I was trying to resolve in group therapy for over a period of three years, so recognising this gap in the market supported me in exploring both my own anger and the anger of others. At the time I signed onto three different anger management workshops in the UK, all of which were not of a very high standard, so I decided to go to the States for further training in America.

“My most recent book, Mindfulness and the Art of Managing Anger, was published two years ago and has sold very well in English speaking countries. It is currently being translated into Turkish.”

I read and consumed many books on the subjects of anger and stress management, and used whatever skills and tools I had learned as a counsellor and group therapist to develop a unique anger management program, which I called Beating Anger. We set up the British Association of Anger Management 14 years ago and I have never looked back. I have written two books on the subject and trained over 200 people in anger management skills. I’ve also worked with well over 20,000 individuals over the past 14 years. I have been on the radio, written articles, had articles written about my work, have made documentary films, and will continue to write on the subject. My most recent book, Mindfulness and the Art of Managing Anger, was published two years ago and has sold very well in English speaking countries. It is currently being translated into Turkish.

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As many of your readers might know Mindfulness has become the new ‘black’, and many practitioners, like myself, are promoting a whole range of different mindfulness-based workshops around the subject.

Throughout June 2014, I will be running a one-week retreat in Malaga, Spain. The subject: Mindfulness in the Art of Managing Anger - my very first European retreat dedicated to the subject. I have never delivered this programme in as beautiful and glamorous of a holiday environment such as Malaga before, and very much look forward to it. For more information check out www.mindyouranger.com Our focus is to offer this to people who have already attended other workshops on anger and stress, but it’s also for people who recognise that they have an interest in mindfulness and have issues around anger. This retreat will look at mindfulness, the practice of mindfulness, how it translates into anger and stress, and other similar issues that come up in peoples lives.

I have become very interested in seeing how people create obstacles for themselves, and how those obstacles often create suffering. For example, I was recently commissioned to write a book for the Dummies series on mindfulness and anger. I chose not to do it because they wouldn’t give me the required eight months to write it; they only gave me six, and on that basis I made the decision not to go ahead. This was a breakthrough for me because I knew that only having six months to write such a thing would have created lots of anger and stress within me, which in turn would have increased my unjust suffering.

Today in my work, I suggest and encourage people to choose their own suffering, and to not just suffer for the sake of suffering. Many of us think we don’t have choices when it comes to suffering, and in my work I help people to recognise that they do, in fact, have choices.

Heaven’s Door

The focus of this mindful retreat is to look at a few key components: one being Mindfulness and how to apply it in your life, the other being to look at the choices that we make. I also look forward to teaching people how to respond, as opposed to reacting, to situations in their lives.

There will be a lot of fun at this June retreat. The setting is so beautiful and the work that we will do, although intense, will be life changing and liberating. There will be time to make excursions, go horse-riding, walking, take photographs, eat fabulous food, relax, swim, and enjoy the company of new found friends.

As for my entrepreneurial skills and experience, I still pursue many opportunities; identifying new markets, new trends, and using the internet to create new business ventures. In recent years, I had a gallery in Cape Town, ran my own bicycle business, and worked for Marina Cano (the leading Spanish wildlife photographer) as her business and marketing manager, thus helping her to develop her photographic wildlife business into a global brand.

“ Many young people in our prisons today have amazing business skills that have been misdirected, but this is an opportunity for us to help them redirect their entrepreneurial skills so they can regain confidence and empower themselves.�

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I recently launched an online publishing company at www.a2zeq. com, developed a new website - www.mindyouranger.com, and am currently working on a very exciting entrepreneurial project to help young people to become entrepreneurs, via The young Entrepreneur Academy Y.E.A. This will be launched next year in January 2015. Furthermore, I am the leading anger specialist in a six part series called Angry Britain, which goes live in June 2014.

Finally, I am also currently co-producing a new documentary on entrepreneurship for young people in UK prisons. Many young people in our prisons today have amazing business skills that have been misdirected, but this is an opportunity for us to help them redirect their entrepreneurial skills so they can regain confidence and empower themselves.

Being a natural entrepreneur, I’m continuously looking for opportunities in the marketplace, and coming up with ideas whilst looking at different ways of delivering those ideas. I love the fact that we can use the Internet to do business in a way that we have never been able to in the past, and continue to learn about using the Internet to enable promotion, marketing and selling.

I am very excited about two exhibitions that I will be holding in September: One-on-one life photography sessions with Marina Cano (yes, I also take wildlife photos), and a group-art show in London, promoting my more recent iPad art. I’m also very focused on promoting Marina Cano’s Safari photos throughout Europe, Africa and Lapland. Check out her website for stunning examples of her photography - www.marinacano.com

In the coming months I will be completing my next book, entitled Beating Fear, which will be published by Random House, followed by writing a further book on the subject of stress.

Throughout all this I shall continue to make art, take photographs and enjoy my life to the fullest!

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Rape Against the Machine

The best thing about being an artist is that I can create art until I’m a very old man.

The best thing about being a social entrepreneur is that I can continue to identify opportunities whether they sell or not.

The best thing about being a therapist is that I can help and support people to make massive changes in their lives.

Here are a few of my websites. www.beatinganger.com www.angermanage.co.uk www.mindyouranger.com www.stressexperts.co.uk www.fisheye-studio.co.uk For further information and enquiries with regards to any of my services email me at fishermike@mac.com

Mindfulness and the Art of Managing Anger Retreat, June 2014 With Mike Fisher What to expect: We will develop more on your anger management skills and there will also be time for yoga, meditation, great conversations, eating, swimming, laughing, dancing, singing, walking, horse riding, taking photo’s and soaking up the sun. Engage in whatever you enjoy to slow down, meet some great people and engage in something bigger than yourself.

Key Benefits: - Lowers blood pressure - Improves concentration and creativity - Helps decrease anxiety and depression - Improves self-esteem - Reduces pain levels - Improves immune system functioning - Results in a greater sense of well-being and satisfaction with life

When & Where?

This 7 Day Retreat will be taking place in the beautiful Foothills of Malaga at Molino del Rey from the 8th of June 2014 to 14th of June 2014.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more, please get in touch.

MYA

Mind Your Anger

Mind Your Anger, The Studio, 14 Railway Approach, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1PB Email: admin@mindyouranger.com

Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •

Phone: +44 (0) 345 1300 286

37

Business & Tech Tips

Quantum Leap

Networking Networking Authentically

FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Andrea Sullenger 38 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Ever been to a networking event only to walk away with a bunch of business cards and nothing else? So has everyone else. Relax, there is an easy way to authentically connect with people, offer value and move your business ahead in quantum leaps.

Do the pre-work. Have you ever been in a networking event and met someone so dynamic and so magnetizing that you have never forgotten them or what their business is? Chances are the answer is no. If you said yes, I am curious how connected you are and also how many times that has happened to you. We have all met great people but the reality is most of them don’t stand out from the get go. Every live networking event works a little bit differently but most of them are either very structured and “agendized”, with very little time to actually connect, or they are a free for all and the movers and the shakers get the most done, but it is rare to make meaningful connections. In both scenarios you can maximize your visibility and plant the seeds to connect outside of the fast paced and rushed event.

STEP 1

The pre-work is doing something so

you will be remembered and stand out.

Something that isn’t vanilla or expected or just like everyone else. Be creative, but for an example, rather than just handing someone your business card, had them with it a smaller piece of paper (you can even fold it up so it is the size of a business card), paper clip it to your card and inside have it typed out: 10 fascinating things you should know about me. Take it a step farther and add a special treat. No one ever does this and people LOVE it and they remember. On my note it is simply the Quantum Leap Networking •

39

12 random things you should know about me (not boring business stuff). You can find the list HERE, and I attach the whole thing to a small box of lemon heads. Why? Well, they are my favorite, no one else does it, it’s fun, people remember me for it, and it is inexpensive. I don’t care if they don’t like lemon heads or they think I am beneath them or unprofessional for thinking and doing outside of the ‘business as usual’ box. To be honest, if they don’t like it, it is perfectly fine. That is just another filter for me to say, hello, goodbye and whose next.

What can you do outside of the norm to stand out at your next live networking event?

STEP 2

Go in with the focus to authentically

connect and make the most of the time you do get to spend with others. Slow down while you are meeting people, really hear them, their name, what they do. Make an authentic connection. Take notes on their card if you need to. Don’t try to pack into each conversation everything you want to know or tell them. This is just an initial connection point.

STEP 3

Get intentional and specific. Before

they jet off to speak to the next person, ask if you can reach out and connect with them next week to learn more about what they do and see how you may be able to offer value. I have never had anyone say no to this in 17 years. The kicker is that now you really need to do this. The freedom in this is that 1) you don’t have to feel like you need to connect with the whole room and 2) you now know that next week you have 5-7, or whatever your goal was, connections to make with possibly great business colleagues.

40 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

STEP 4

Make the connections you said you

would. Slow it down, ask specific questions, ask how you can provide value or benefit to them. They will most likely do the same for you. If it is at all possible for you to offer value immediately by way of an introduction, sending them an article or website, or referring them on to someone that could offer them what they are looking for, then do it. When it is your shot at sharing what you do and what you need, be specific. The more specific you are the better. Don’t say things like, “If you know of anyone looking for a coach let me know…” Truth be told, everyone can use a coach and most don’t

“They must be inspiring, have an inspiring mission, they must be fun, they must want to have big world impact, they must have a challenge, and they must be committed to breaking through with transformative work and growth...” realize it, however, it gives no direction to your colleague and they are likely to feel stumped and do nothing to help bring you a solid referral. Instead, you might say something like, “yes, actually right now I have one spot open in my Life Uncovered Coaching sessions. I have six requirements of clients that I take in for oneon-one coaching. They must be inspiring, have an inspiring mission, they must be fun, they must want to have big world impact, they must have a challenge, and they must be committed to breaking through with transformative work and growth. Let me email that list over and if you think of someone that fits that space call me. We can discuss who they are and why you feel they would be a match.” At this point many times they are already thinking of someone specific or maybe even themselves. You will find that the Quantum Leap Networking •

41

more specific you can be when asking for a referral the better the referrals you receive. You not only were very clear to the colleague you were making the request of but you made it easy for them to picture who they know fitting into that space. You did the leg work for them.

Remember that networking is continual. It is a conversation that you want to keep having on a regular basis. The more connected you can be and the more value you can continue to add to your network, the more referrals and value that will flow back to you. If you were to take a Quantum Leap this next month, attend one live networking event. Follow these steps and add five to seven new contacts and referrals sources to your business each week. Think of what it would do for your work, for getting you more paid clients by the end of the month.

Take a Quantum Leap!

42 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

WITH S E M L O H MICHELLE Click to Watch Online!

Embody Your Sexy Geek Quick Techie Tips to Let Your Sexy Geek Shine

Be Easy Not Cheap:

How to create easy, valuable freebies FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Katie Geddes 44 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Why a Freebie?

In the world of entrepreneurship, deciding how to work with free content is key. It’s an opportunity to provide value, to connect with your audience and to experiment a little.

To put this subject in context a bit, I’ve heard it said that it often makes more sense to work for free than to work for a rate that is not commensurate with your value. This makes sense for a lot of reasons. When you work or provide something for free, you are the boss or if you’re not actually the person in charge of the whole scenario, you will at least be most likely operating from a place of integrity because your reasons for doing or not doing the free thing generally stems from your real intent and wishes and not just because you’re getting paid to do it.

When you offer your audience a freebie — which is common practice these days in exchange for people’s e-mail addresses, which in turn offers you the opportunity to further engage with them and potentially turn them into a customer — it’s a gracious move.

You are saying basically, I’m giving you something of value and I hope it may serve you. Yes, you get their e-mail address but they are by law allowed to unsubscribe at any time so it’s not a huge risk on their part.

By creating a valuable free offer, it’s usual for people to feel that your paid offers must be that much more valuable. So you’re positioning yourself in a good light.

Embody Your Sexy Geek •

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You also allow people to get a taste for your style, your attitude, your way of doing things. With luck, many of those people will like what you’re putting forth and you’re on your way to deeper connections.

Easy Does It

Many business owners struggle with what to create for a free opt-in offer (your website or landing page signup enticement). People take months to create something of value and sometimes indeed do but it can become like a full-time job and while free is valuable, you still need to earn a living.

Like so many things, balance is needed. You can’t spend so much time creating your free offer that you’ve got none left to serve paying clients.

Here’s the good news. It’s been statistically shown, based on the number of people opting in, that simple resource lists and tip sheets are the most successful style of freebie.

You can create a successful simple freebie in one afternoon.

You’ve already got the information that goes into it. You just need to organize it.

What’s Your Client Into?

Think about what information your clients are always asking you for. What do they want? Worry about?

Wonder about? Dream of? Work towards? What do you know or provide that fulfils those wishes? Got something in mind? Make a list. Better yet, ask them.

Ask your ideal clients what they want from you.

Sometimes we forget that we can do that. They’ll tell you what their questions and concerns are.

46 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Tips & Resources Lists

Examples of tips and resource list ideas or approaches are things like:

For Yogis If you’re a yoga teacher, the 5 most common mistakes people make doing poses you thought you knew cold.

If you’re a musician or music teacher, For Musicians 11 fantastic music resources. These could include sheet music stores (online and offline), supply places for strings and parts, rare instrument makers, repair resources and digging deeper into the kind of resource only a pro in a specific area needs but that if that’s your client, they’re going to love you for it.

For Writers The best thesaurus, the most often misspelled words, the longest words, writers who were rejected 100s of times before becoming famous. Fun and interesting.

For Curious People Fun statistics like the longest this or the shortest that and “did you know” types of compilations.

Where to find unusual ingredients, how long different foods stay fresh, food pairings you never thought of that work great, 10 wines under $20 and dishes they pair beautifully with - simple things that will stand out more than recipes.

For Foodies

Embody Your Sexy Geek •

47

Your Unique Brilliance

Another fun thing about this simple but valuable sort of freebie is that you can share your uniqueness and your audience will love it. Your particular combination of loves and skills isn’t like anybody else’s. This is a nice chance to show that.

Do you love green ice cream? Who makes the best pistachio, mint chip and green tea ice cream bar none? Other green ice cream lovers will delight in your sharing and feel like they’ve found soulmates. And they kind of have.

What About Yours?

What is it that you know that’s easy for you to jot down that your clients would love to hear about? That makes a great freebie list.

We’re all inundated with things that demand our time. So short and valuable is smiled upon. The more involved undertaking will often by saved for a later day. And that later day may never come. Seize the day and seize your ideal clients with your captivating freebie.

Let me know what you create. I’d love to see it. I’ll pick my three favorite examples and highlight them on my blog with a shout out to your biz. Write me at sexygeek@embodyart.org.

Lovin’ Bytes,

Katie Geddes Katie Geddes can be found geeking it up at Embodyart. org, where she’ll show you how to profit from your passion. Katie designs thriving businesses for spiritual entrepreneurs. E-mail Katie at sexygeek@embodyart. org to say hi, ask a question, sing a song or apply for a FREE discovery session that’s worth a friggin’ fortune.

Embodyart.org

38

• Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Embody Your Sexy Geek •

YOUR AD HERE 50 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

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51

Career & Learning

Taking Control Of Your Career

Why It’s Such a Big Deal FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Sandra Cunningham 52 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

The majority of people in the western world spend more time, attention and money on their clothes, holidays and nights out than they will ever invest in their careers. And yet, when you consider that we spend the majority of our lives at work, I’d say this amounts to nothing short of madness.

For people who really want a successful career as part of a happy, fulfilled life – this is NOT an option. If you’re still reading, then – Congratulations! At some level you already know this to be true.

Perhaps you’ve already seen the signs. Despite what they say, employers do NOT put their people first, and when push comes to shove, we cannot rely on some other body or individual to look out for our interests. It’s a hard fact that many of us don’t want to face.

If you are in mid-career, you might be one of many people at this stage who have somehow slipped into a rut. Perhaps you’re getting increasingly anxious about it, even panicky. If so, you’ll know the damage this can do to your motivation, self-confidence and possibly your job performance. Never mind what it does to your home life. And your career prospects.

But, let’s be honest, waiting for a magic wand to turn things around in your favour is a high risk strategy – especially in today’s economic climate.

Treading Water is Not Enough Forget what other people tell you: “Think of the money,” “Any job is better than no job,” “Wait till things get better,” “Maybe it’s not all that bad,” “It’s really too late for you to change now,” blah, blah, Taking Control of Your Career •

53

blah… These remarks are a reflection of how they think and don’t get you anywhere. This is your life. Your career.

Now, this isn’t a typical doom & gloom guide which talks about the dangers of doing nothing. If you’re feeling anxious about this situation, then I am guessing you don’t need me to spell things out, and I am not going to tell you to bail out right now and find another version of the same. That would get you nowhere. That would be missing the point. I am going to talk about deciding to take control and why that’s a big deal if you want to have a career – and life – that makes you happy.

Hopefully you will see that it really does make sense to get on to the front foot – and the sooner the better, because when you do decide to take charge, amazing things start to happen.

The Major Pluses of Being in Charge 1. You STOP feeling like a victim and START being the boss.

Instead of dreading what’s awaiting you in the office each day, imagine how refreshing it would be to wake up, fully energised and looking forward excitedly to what’s in store – because YOU made it happen. It’s a mindset shift that puts your attention on creating possibilities and tapping into opportunities rather than batting off the risks, threats and negativity that gradually weaken and diminish you, and it’s achievable whether you work for yourself or somebody else.

Knowing that it’s you who gets to decide 54 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

what you want in your life and it’s you who gets to choose how to go about it, brings a dramatically different feeling compared with passively remaining at the mercy of your employer, customers, the market or any other outside influence. Yes, you sometimes have to make a compromise, but ultimately that’s your choice.

It’s thrilling, exciting, scary and one heck of a ride, and the great thing is – you’re at the wheel.

2. You start to believe in yourself again.

And – just like magic – others do too! It’s infectious. Imagine all the times when you wanted something but didn’t feel confident in asking for it. Or perhaps you had to re-apply for your own position but it all went to pieces? Well, believing in your worth is the key. If you don’t believe in you, then why should anybody else?

The secret lies in knowing exactly where and how you add value, and people who manage their careers are good at this. This is not about ego stroking or false modesty. It’s about gathering evidence for your achievements and being able to recognize objectively the impact you make in the organisation you work for. To be honest, most of us are quite sloppy about gaining feedback and measuring our own results, but it does pay off.

Once you have this information, it feels a whole lot easier to make a strong case for getting the things you want – whether it is a pay increase, a promotion or the chance to go on a year’s sabbatical.

Go on – try it.

3. You give yourself permission to create a new game plan.

This is huge. Imagine the power and freedom that comes with the chance to re-design your whole career – especially if you’ve been Taking Control of Your Career •

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in groundhog mode for far too long.

Again this is where it helps to have a solid appreciation of who you are, what you bring, the things you want to achieve and where you really want to go. Once you choose a career path that capitalises on all of these, the results can be nothing short of life-changing.

Suddenly everything flows in the direction it was meant to. The internal resistance you once suffered just dissipates, and decisions around the actions you will take, become clearer and a lot easier to commit to. It’s about having a satnav system for your life and your career.

You just key in the data and it guides you on your way.

So why waste your time trying to compensate for your weaknesses? Why expend a lot of effort doing work that is nothing short of meaningless to you? It’ll just take you in the wrong direction – and someone else will be running the show.

4. You become stronger, more resilient.

People who take charge know they can weather the storm, no matter what gets thrown at them. This lets them relax and enjoy their down time; they suffer from less stress than a lot of us – and it’s a much nicer for their friends and loved ones to have them around.

It’s important to say here that this ‘knowing’ is not based on false hope, positive thinking or a series of empty self-affirmations.

When you commit to taking the sorts of actions that keep you fresh, marketable and up to date with your skills and knowledge, you remain interesting and relevant to prospective employers and

business partners. When you invest in keeping your relationships alive, and maintain your most valued, personal connections on an ongoing basis you will never be short of resources and support when you need them.

And let’s not forget the CV. If you keep it updated constantly (and I don’t mean a few tweaks here and there) you will always be ready to begin your search immediately, if ever the need arises.

Strategies for Taking Charge Ultimately the Decision to Take Charge has the power to change your whole career experience – and your destiny. That’s without even leaving your job (at least not yet anyway).

So, if you’re not content to wait and hope for the best in your working life; if you think now is the time to recover control, develop your career resilience and build an independent sense of purpose and job security, then don’t rely on some external force to do it for you.

Here’s what you can do for starters Download my FREE e-booklet 21 Pointers to Sharpen Your Career Edge for some quick and punchy inspiration to help get you into action.

It’s just a beginning, and points you to some of the steps you can take to manage your career in a way that’s not only effective, but lines up with who you are and the work you most enjoy doing – and happen to be best at! You’ll also be signed up automatically to receive more short and digestable tips and Taking Control of Your Career •

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bulletins from me and other experts from time to time.

If you’re inspired enough to put some serious focus and effort into your career, take a look at my Services page or go right ahead and contact me via my website and we can arrange to talk. There’s no charge for this consultation – and I’ll be able to help you figure out where you have work to do and if I can be of help.

Remember, How you spend your Working Day is How you Spend Your Life, and you can choose – if you want – to make it a day and a life well spent – doing something you love – or at least enjoy most of the time.

To Your Success & Happiness 58 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Organisational Rhetoric & Mood

While I was spending time thinking about what I could get out of last week’s CIPD L&D Show, (aka being up my own arse) I forgot something about myself, and about what I was there to do.

Echo chambers are an interesting phenomenon. They exist because we allow them too. Someone says something and it disproportionately affects the way things happen. Conversations are had where there is violent agreement taking place. I’m preaching to the party who are all my buddies and I think I’m being clever and my insights are on the mark.

But it’s what happens outside of those echo chambers that worry me. Sometimes, people decide to share those comments to a broader audience. And suddenly they gain an audience, either pro or against their message, and it becomes part of a bigger conversation. Incidentally this is exactly how UK politics works, and most organised religion.

FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Sukh Pabial 60 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

What I’m interested in, is how emotion plays a part in all of that.

More specifically, how does the emotion of a few affect the emotion of the many. And I saw this exactly happen at CIPD L&D Show last week. A few of us, either unwittingly or purposefully, were voicing thoughts and frustrations about the content we were listening to.

“Look at the likes of Kodak and HMV. Once at the top of their respective games.

They got told about change and they refused to listen. The echo chamber was too strong and it couldn’t be penetrated.”

These started to become echoed by others. By the end of day one, a general mood of “meh” had beset most people.

How incredibly rude and arrogant of us all. I then read this piece

by Phil Willcox and was reminded that I control the experience I have and that I share. Well of course I bloody do. I just forgot. And got caught up in my own emotions. So I purposefully set out to appreciate and share better the content for all those not privy to be in the position I was. I wasn’t falsely positive. I just remembered that there’s far more meaning for me in sharing content that others may find useful.

No organisation is immune to these effects. The echo chamber can be a difficult thing to perceive and become aware of. Want to know how dangerous it can be? Look at the likes of Kodak and HMV. Once at the top of their respective games. They got told about change and they refused to listen. The echo chamber was too strong and it couldn’t be penetrated. There may have been people trying to stand up and be heard inside, but their voice wasn’t one of the influential ones.

Organisational Rhetoric & Mood •

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By Joey Phelps & Michael Phelps Lil Nipper Snappers Cartoon •

63

Faith & Self Help

FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Karen Salmansohn

Self Help for People Who Wouldn’t Be Caught Dead Doing Self Help

The Instant PepTalk App !

E RE

F

Hello!

Plus, Check Out My Shop!

How are you feeling today? Stressed?

Depressed? Working on a dream, and need a quickie faith-booster? Dealing with a grumble-grumble toxic person?

You’ve come to the right app – because you’re about to receive an instant pep talk – for FREE! My app’s name is also my app’s mission: Instant Peptalk.

(Click here now to see it on iTunes!)

Get a Little

Naked

There’s something beautiful that happens when you stop hiding. When you can finally shed all of the things that aren’t really you and step into all of the weird and wonderful things that ARE, something shifts. Changes happen.

FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Gina Hussar 66 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

You like yourself. It’s scary at first, but then you feel empowered.

People are attracted to your authenticity. Opportunities that were meant for the REAL you start flowing into your awareness.

You might lose a few people, but the ones you gain feel divinely connected. Here are just a few of my favorite quotes on the beauty of stepping into your truth, embracing it and shouting it until your voice cracks.

“Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.”

Brené Brown

“When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability… To be alive is to be vulnerable.”

Madeleine L’Engle

Because true belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”

Brené Brown Get a Little Naked •

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“All stories have a curious and even dangerous power.

They are manifestations of truth — yours and mine.

And truth is all at once the most wonderful yet terrifying thing in the world, which makes it nearly impossible to handle. It is such a great responsibility that it’s best not to tell a story at all unless you know you can do it right.

You must be very careful, or without knowing it you can change the world.”

Vera Nazarian

“Often misconstrued, authenticity is not about being an open book, revealing every detail of yourself without rhyme or reason. It is simply the act of openly and courageously seeing what needs to be seen, saying what needs to be said, doing what needs to be done, and becoming that which you are intent on being.”

Scott Edmund Miller

“High above the noise and fear mongering of critics and cynics softly speaks your true self.”

Mollie Marti 68 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

“In the beginning, it is difficult and even painful to see the faults in yourself, the flaws in your soul, the error of your ways. But I have come to love the moments when I see my flaws and I spot my errors! It is one of the most beautiful things, really! Because it is when we see our own flaws and our own errors that we can find the opposite of those things! It is when we see our own flaws and our own errors that we can see that there is so much more room to become better! And so I have come to actually rejoice when I find something wrong with me! And I know when it’s really wrong because I can see it and I can feel it in my heart both at the same time— it is a revelation. It’s not something that comes from any external source; but it is my own spirit and the voice of God revealing these things to me, unfolding them, rolling them out of a silken cloth at my feet. And I smile.”

C. JoyBell C.

Now… shed what doesn’t belong, reveal what does. Shine a light on it. And watch yourself bloom and grow and triumph!

Gina Hussar is a Spiritual Success Coach. She specializes in Integrated Success, Inner Peace and Purpose Clarity. She is a certified Law of Attraction Practitioner and a Certified Reiki Healer.

To learn more or to schedule a complimentary Strategy Session, visit www.30secondstopeace.com Get a Little Naked •

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Fashio

Style & Beauty 2

1

3 6 4 5

7

1

2 3 Kate Spade Mullberry Henri Bendel Notepad 4 5 Mont Blanc Fountain pen Ann Klein 6 7 Henri Bendel Compact Henri Bendel Keychain

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s e h t o l C d n o y e on B 1

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4 6

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FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Shalanda Turner

2 3 Kate Spade iPhone 5 Case Kate Spade Tory Burch 4 5 Samsonite Briefcase Kate Spade ‘Notes to Self’ iPad Case 6 Henri Bendel Pen & Stylus 1

Shasie’s Fashion Picks •

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Find Us On Facebook

72 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Shop Online BeaumontOrganic.com

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Welcome to the Home of Organic and Ethical Luxury.

Inspiring your Fashionable Palate, Whilst also Fulfilling a Desire to Give a Little Back to the World we Live in.

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Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com •

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“Get Through the Day”

Spray

Isn’t it fun when something that’s good for you, also feels like a little luxury?

Take dark chocolate for example. Delicious and indulgent … and also full of antioxidants!

Or getting a massage. Feels amazing, but also reduces stress, helps muscle pain and boosts your lymphatic flow.

FIND ME ONLINE HERE

By Amanda Cook 74 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

This week I’m sharing a quick and easy little project that fits this criteria too.

A stress relief aromatherapy spray that clears your mind, helps you cope with daily stress AND feels like a treat to use.

This isn’t your average lavender-filled pillow spray. This is a boosting blend to use during the day. Pop it in your handbag and spritz away!

Essential oils for clearing your mind, and handling stress.

I specifically created this blend to use during the day. Instead of a lavender-filled evening blend to wind down for sleep, this is the scent to take with you to work! Note: Because of the Clary Sage included, it is not appropriate for pregnant women.

Information below obtained from aromatherapy books (source 1, source 2)

Grapefruit Essential Oil: reviving and refreshing,

especially on an emotional level. Antibacterial, antidepressant, diuretic (promotes urination) and detoxifying.

Toning to the body.

Geranium Essential Oil: has a general harmonizing

effect on the emotions, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, regulates hormone levels, adaptogenic (can be both slightly “Get Through the Day” Spray •

75

stimulating and relaxing to the body), diuretic (promotes urination).

Helps anxiety, depression and nervous tension.

Clary Sage Essential Oil: has a general relaxing,

warming, uplifting effect on the emotions; calms the nervous system, antibacterial, antidepressant, and … aphrodisiac!

However, it also promotes menstruation, so do not use this oil during pregnancy.

Get Through the Day Spray A relaxing and uplifting spray to clear your mind, and help you cope with stress!

. . . d e e N l l ’ u o Y 7 drops Grapefruit Essential Oil 7 drops Geranium Essential Oil 7 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil (do not use during pregnancy) 100ml (approx. 6 tablespoons) distilled water (or pure rose water or rose hydrosol) A small spray bottle (holding approx. 100ml) 76 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

. . . o T How

Add water to spray bottle. Add essential oils. Shake to blend.

That’s it!

To use, simply spray the air around you several times, and then breathe slowly… relax.

Keep this blend in your handbag. Use it at work.

Before an important meeting. On your commute. You can even use it as a body splash or room spray!

. . . s p i T

• Shake well before use. Use within 3 months.

• No need to refrigerate (if you used distilled water).

• Tap water will make it spoil much quicker.

For more stress relief remedies, check out my Stress Relief Body Cream and 7 Home Remedies for Stress articles online

“Get Through the Day” Spray •

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natural

health & beauty.

Find simple tips & recipes at VintageAmanda.com

“Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.�

Dale Carnegie

SECOND ANUAL SPRING FASHION SHOW

PECHANGA RESORT AND CASINO

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By Marina BerBeryan 80 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

The Inland Valley Business Community Foundation presented the Second Annual Spring Fashion Show on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the Pechanga Resort and Casino to salute and recognize Temecula’s local charities, Project T.O.U.C.H., which provides services for homeless, and S.A.F.E. (Safe Alternatives For Everyone).

This elegant and highly attended event also highlighted the local companies in the fashion industry as well as many of Temecula’s local business professionals and talents The 300-guest ballroom gala was conceptualized by Marie Waite, Founder & Chief Executive Officer of IVBCF and her incredible team and hosted by Stephen Matley.

Some of the celebrity attendees were MTV artist Heart Hays, Confessions of a Hollywood Stylist •

81

Cristina Coria from Survivor, World International Champion Miriam Kim, talented artist Leon Guico, and professional models Chris York, Kelly Lenahan, and Angela Wyatt. More than 30 young men and women from the local schools participated in this spectacular fashion show along with the members of the organization.

Fashion models weren’t the only ones walking down the runway.

Children, men and women of all ages, from local business and community leaders, modeled designer gowns. Acclaimed singers and dance groups performed on the stage including Hear Hays singing “Straight for the Heart”.

This year’s fashion show featured the following designers’ bridal gowns of Elyse Reuben, sports clothing line of Sports Chalet, casual summer dresses of Kohl’s, formal and evening gowns of Talk of the Town, men’s suits of Men’s Warehouse, business professional attire of Jockey Person to Person, and latest trends of several other fashion designers.

IVBCF also nominated “Best Dress of the Night” award. There were five judges on the panel including myself, where we voted for one bestdressed nominee from either the guests or the participants from the show. The winner of “The Best Dress of The Night Award 2014” was Heart Hays. Heart was styled by myself, wearing a Sheri Hill dazzling-pink gown from the Runway Archives and Showroom.

As the LA Fashion Judge, I would like to express my deepest gratitude and heartfelt appreciation to Marie Waite and IVBCF for the opportunity in participating on the panel of judges of their 82 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Spring Fashion Show 2014. It is with great pleasure for me to join such amazing event for a great cause.

Also, I am truly honored to be recognized and to receive the “Outstanding Community Service” Certificate from the California State Senator Joel Anderson. I appreciate the recognition and I’m very grateful - Thank You! It was indeed a pleasant surprise.

Being the honorable Judge on the panel of IVBCF’s Spring Fashion show, I showed my personal style by wearing a vibrant red gown with Swarovski crystals embedded on the front and back of the dress. Last month, I saw a model walking down the runway wearing this breathtaking Zhang Jing Jing dress from the Spring/Summer 2014 Collection, at the Rock That Fashion show during the LA Fashion Week, and it was just the most beautiful dress I think I have ever seen. This dress definitely stood out to me and ultimately it’s all about the details. The dress is available at the Runway Archives and Showroom in Los Angeles, CA. Photo Credit: Anthony Young, Cheri Wilson, & Gregory Nickel

To keep up with my style, lastest celebrity trends and runway fashions, be sure to follow me on...

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Lifestyle & Wellness

Leading From the

Core

Raise Your Testosterone, Lower Your Cortisol and BE a PowHERful Leader!

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By Charlene SanJenko

When you hear the phrase ‘Leading from the core’, what does it make you think of?

What does that look like to you? Feel like?

This phrase is near and dear to our hearts and is one of the primary values of PowHERhouse, an educational and economic driver for women with a keen focus on Lifestyle Management and Leadership Development.

When I think of a leader who is ‘leading from the core’, in part I mean someone who is practicing authentic leadership. Authentic leaders…

Speak their truth

Lead from the heart

Have rich moral fiber

Are courageous

Deepen themselves

Are dreamers

Leave a legacy

nce Commit to excelle n perfection a th r e th a r Build teams and create communities

Care for themselves

But let’s take it a step further. Physiologically, what does it mean to “Lead from the core“? First of all, what is our core anyway?

Our core stabilizes our body’s movement. The core includes our spine, abdominals, pelvis, diaphragm and ribcage, and more. It knits all of our pieces together, and helps the body to function as one cohesive unit rather than various fragmented bits and pieces.

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Leading from the core begins personal leadership. The

change we would like to encourage or inspire (our purpose that attracts us to leadership) begins with us. In fact, it begins within us. It involves intuition, yes. But more than that. It is related to passion – yes – and also related to flow. It is not something we are grasping at externally (that we can lean on or blame) it comes from within. It’s what we’re all about and why we exist. It comes from our very core.

Building a strong core unifies how we are functioning and

who we are being in our bodies. The feeling of strength at our very center breeds confidence in ourselves, our gifts and our purpose.

A strong core reminds us that our leadership initiates from within. It keeps us present throughout our day as we utilize mindfulness to come back to our bodies and back to our core.

The following talk by Amy Kuddy provides us with great background info:

Amy states (and we agree!), “Our bodies change our minds!”

She provides proof that powerful leaders exhibit high levels of testosterone and low levels of cortisol. They are confident yet grounded. She also shares that “Tiny tweaks can lead to big changes.”

We want to take this conversation one step further: Leading from the core understands and celebrates this research.

PowHERful leaders proactively make daily choices (i.e. their Practice) to include activities that indeed increase our testosterone and decrease our levels of cortisol. We do what we need to stay confident yet grounded. That includes:

Regular resistance training: increases levels of testosterone;

Consistent cardio sessions: Even 20-30 minutes of

cardio most days pays huge dividends by lowering cortisol everyday and in the long run;

Mindfulness: Simply taking a few deep breaths and

coming back to the body helps to reduce anxiety and lower cortisol. Yoga and meditation are great, but mindfulness can and should be practiced in our daily lives – while washing dishes, preparing food, cleaning our homes. Our opportunity to stay present, appreciate and utilize all of our senses are all ways to practice mindfulness.

Magnetism: We know that exercise breeds energy and

battles fatigue but what we may not fully appreciate is that exercise also raises our vibrational energy. Movement encourages chi (energy) to flow in our bodies. Movement creates flow. As our vibrational energy increases we become more attractive and magnetic to the opportunities and people we are looking to attract.

Now is time to catapult ourselves forward utilizing the vehicle of fitness. The world needs more strong, powHERful leaders.

PowHERhouse is the vehicle to help you make it happen.

Leading From the Core •

89

Over the coming weeks we will video interview various female leaders and share their thoughts on Leading from the Core, the relationship Lifestyle Leadership and howIÕm their Julia : I think Ibetween would say I’m not&there yet. However, anPractice unÞnished of PowHERful Living.

StayÞnished, tuned asI would we share stories of product at all times; if I was be their dead.

The problem PowHERful Living Explored. what to do next… with achievement is determining

Suzanne I think thatabout would be awesome!

To find: our more our 90-Day Online Program, PowHERful Living Shelly : I would smile and sayhere "Thank You, I work at it!"

Explored, please click To find out PowHERhouse more information About We about build HIP Women (Highjoining our community of lifestyle Impact Performance).

Our mission: Helping women and leadership professionals, please build confidence, courage and capacity through the click here convergence of Lifestyle & Leadership.

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GET QUALIFIED 2013

5 Ways to Make Everyone

Want to be Around

You

We live in a world where people often think you have to be really pretty, slim, witty and smart to succeed in life. To get your dream partner. Your dream job. Your dream life.

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By Nathalie de Ahna 92 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

Of course, being pretty, slim and witty probably doesn’t hurt and it’s always a good idea to keep learning and growing. But do you know what I think makes the biggest difference between people who are genuinely happy and successful, and those who are not?

Their VIBE! That certain-something which no one can explain but which is so attractive that it makes want to be around them.

When I was in my early 20s, I had the exact opposite effect on people! I used to suffer from depression, an eating disorder, codependency and bacteriophobia.

My self-image was so poor that I sometimes wondered if I was missing the gene that gave you self-confidence. I reliably badmouthed myself every single day. Constantly told myself things such as: I’m fat. I’m weak. I will never find a decent man and be happy.

Fifteen years later, I’m a completely different person, with a completely different vibe. And there actually many things I love about myself. This is how I found my very own je ne sais quoi:

I forced myself to think about what I liked about myself As already said, in my early 20s my self-esteem was pretty much non-existent. One day, however, I sat down to make a list of all the things I DID like about myself. In the beginning, it was tough. But then I thought a little harder and I put down: 5 Ways to Make Everyone Want to be Around You •

93

• I’m a great listener • I have a talent for learning foreign languages • People often tell me they love my voice • I’m a good cook • I have a talent for design (plus a few other things) I never would have expected it but the list I put together was not only surprisingly long — it also made me feel really good!

I defined my ultimate goal in life After realizing I’d always get the same old results by doing the same old things, I wanted to try a different approach. The first thing I did was define my ultimate goal in life. After all we can’t put together a roadmap for our journey, unless we know the destination, right?

I was very specific and also described in great detail how I expected to look, feel and treat myself after achieving this goal.

And I became more determined to get out of my misery!

I broke down my ultimate goals in life into realistic interim goals Because I had already failed so many times, I knew that overwhelm would kill my motivation and throw me right back to square one. To make sure this wouldn’t happen again, I split my 94 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

big goal into small weekly goals, always asking myself: On a scale of 1 to 10, how certain am I that I can achieve this goal this week?

If I thought that a 10, 9 or 8 were realistic, I knew I was right on track. If I honestly felt that my chances were lower, I simply adjusted my goal until I saw a big: “YES, I CAN DO THAT!” right in front of me.

Guess what happened to my “vibe” after starting to accomplish one goal after the other?

I practiced visualization exercises every single day Whatever goal I set for myself, I visualized achieving it vividly every single day. I started and ended my days thinking about what I was going to achieve next. This way I always got out of and into bed with a positive mindset and my subconscious, which couldn’t tell the difference between “real” images and the ones I created in my mind’s eye, started to get used to my new reality.

I kept track of my victories No matter how great things were going overall, of course there were crappy days. I had moments when the nasty little voice in my head was trying to regain my attention and suck me back into my old ways of thinking.

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But just because we are born to fail every now and then, it doesn’t mean we’re born failures! If a plan didn’t work out, I tried not to beat myself up, went back to the drawing board and tapped into my creative potential (which had become pretty strong through my visualization practice). This helped me define new action steps.

Also, I made more lists and noted down everything which I was, were able to do and had achieved already. I forced myself to see and feel that I was amazing already. I heard a lovely buzzing that was telling me:

You are perfect just the way you are!

That’s how I found it. My very own je ne sais quoi, which raised my energetic vibe to a level where almost everything I attract is genuinely positive and which helped me achieve more than I would ever have dreamed of.

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why carry this? You are witty, loving, naughty out there and seize the world!

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103

Facebook.

Has the Business Bubble Burst?

I resisted Facebook for an age, the early adopters were already getting bored by the time I tentatively opened an account, and started to see what my friends were having for tea and whos kid had won star of the week.

The reason I didn’t want to jump on the social media band wagon was one of privacy. I’d had a rough time in my personal life a few years earlier, and I was quite happy hiding away in a world where I knew my own status (cyber hermit), and no one could poke me in any context.

Then my book happened, and as I finished my manuscript and started my final rewrite I started to Google publishers and agents.

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By Kate Spencer 98 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

I realized that I was missing a trick by not building a social media platform, and that I could be out there as a book or a business without putting my life in the spotlight. My research showed me that publishers expected you to have a strong online presence, and with that in mind I started to think about my market place and who my readers would be, and I created a page to draw them in, engage, and then hopefully buy.

This was a success, especially when I parted ways with my publisher and ended up becoming my own marketing department.

My debut novel Twelve Lessons moved in and out of the Amazon Top 20 for Personal Transformation, and the royalty payments started to trickle in.

Facebook in the main was helping me to drive my sales and my main page, The Lightworkers Academy, was growing by up to one thousand people a day! I had arrived for sure.

But then Facebook started to change the rules, and almost overnight my likes fell to about twenty or thirty and I started to panic. What on earth was going on? I hadn’t changed a thing, I was still posting across all time zones and scheduling memes and text posts that I knew my audience would love. I asked other page owners and some had experienced the same thing. I counted my blessings when I heard that Negative Likes were becoming more common.

It seems that Facebook had decided to “clean up” our news feed and was now screening what it thought you wanted to see. This Facebook. Has the Business Bubble Burst •

99

clean up is based on lots of different aspects and if I am honest I don’t understand it fully, but I know from speaking to others that I am not alone. Interaction is very important and if your audience don’t click ‘Like’ or ‘Share’ on a post, or leave a comment, after a few weeks your page may well disappear from their life. You can’t force people to do this of course, but you can encourage interaction, so look for ways to ask questions that people will want to respond to. Being active as your business page on other pages that have your audience is also helpful, although it will not grow your likes massively you will gain more exposure and a better reach.

And of course Facebook don’t mind helping you at all if you are willing to pay for it. Boosting posts and advertising to your niche is an option if you have the budget and are tech savvy. I have tried this tentatively but end up scared witless that I have not set the parameters correctly and I am going to owe a fortune by close of business.

So what can you do if your page has taken a nose dive?

‘Don’t take it personally’ is the message I get back time and again.

Apparently there is nothing we can do. Nothing, because there is no one to speak, complain, or get in touch with, that is. Contacting Facebook through their Help feature has proven to be fruitless for me on several occasions and I am assured by other page owners that this is simply the way it is.

Apparently we have no control at all over how much

exposure our posts get and how our page grows, its just the luck of the draw. I disagree with this on some level. I think that Facebook must have some of the most capable geeks on the planet and that in a blink of an eye they could help people like me reach 100 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

more people like you, and it doesn’t help that my inspirational Lightworkers Academy page is “associated” with pages that have no relevance at all to my audience. I am sure someone in Facebook Towers could tweak this, but getting through would be a different matter.

I know of a handful of big Facebook pages that have simply given up and walked away after spending years creating content, helping people, and stacking up a couple of hundred thousand likes. What is the point in creating a post that used to reach ten thousand, and now only gets to five hundred people?

I feel their pain and frustration, but I am not walking

away. I survived the ebay cull of metaphysical practitioners and I can survive this. I am going to keep doing what I am doing; keep creating and keep posting and hope that I fall into Algorithm favor anytime soon. Maybe my Facebook business bubble has burst, but they didn’t owe me anything anyway, and being resentful about it just robs me of my energy in the now time.

There are rumblings from disgruntled page owners that other platforms are in the pipeline, but I doubt anything will ever be created to rival Facebook. The glory days could well be over, so maybe we just need to do the best with what we have right now, and be as smart as possible with content and targeted marketing and realize that Facebook are a business too.

In other words, suck it up!

Facebook rules - in more ways than one.

Love Kate

I’m Ditching The Diets If you’d like to join Kate on her conscious weight loss journey you can get involved online.

This summer I am going to ditch the diets and think myself thinner, and change those nega>ve self-­‐beliefs that have been holding me back for far too long. I know that in my heart if I can really do this, then the rest will fall into place for me, and that weight loss will be a natural side effect to loving myself and healing my past.

About A Homemade Year

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Food, Home & Family

Tanya’s Holiday Cocoa Yesterday we had some volunteers from one of our colleges in town to help paint and freshen up our back porch. They do this once in the fall and once in the spring for the community. In the South this is where you live, on your screened porch; hanging out on the white swing, the tree frogs and mockingbirds competing for attention as the night crept darker. My dog and I spend many an evening contemplating and checking Twitter on the back porch, but yesterday it was overcast, gloomy, downright cold, and the volunteers were wearing summer shorts with jackets. You see, we don’t do Winter in the South. We want one good snow then we are done. Over. Finished with Winter. It’s time to move on to Spring.

The volunteers were getting rather chilled as they so diligently painted, so I gave them a cup of my hot cocoa. Because it had been a longer than usual Winter, I kept my hot cocoa mix on the counter for the not so welcome cooler days. I found

By Tanya Jackson 106 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

a recipe similar to this in a magazine when my kids were younger, and added items I thought enhanced the mix.

Here is the recipe for a big canister of mix (I make a huge batch to give out during the Thanksgiving/Christmas season). You could cut the recipe in half, but don’t worry, it keeps a long time!

Method!

Ingredients « 2 boxes (25.6 oz) non fat dry milk « 1 x 16oz jar dry creamer (unflavored) « 3 containers (16oz can) quick chocolate drink « 2 x cans 8oz Hershey cocoa (it is plain cocoa, not sweetened) « 1 x bag (2lb) of confectioner’s sugar

• Mix all ingredients together. Put a tight lid on container and shake upside down until it’s all mixed together (be careful when you open the container after shaking because a cloud of chocolate dust will plume out. Just saying).

A regular coffee cup will take 1/3 cup. A styrofoam cup takes 1/4 cup. When I write next month’s recipe, it will probably be hotter than blue blazes, so get those summer clothes out of the storage bins!

. a o c o c t o h d n a t s a Bubbly hot cheese to ! d o o g ’s it , s d n la y m Oh

The Mystery of

Lost Laundry

Cherie began as a weekly columnist for the main local newspaper in her area. Her articles focus on a humorous look at married life with five children and the ups and downs we can all relate to. She has won 2 international short story contests as well as being published in Our Canada magazine.

Cherie is a breast cancer survivor and a huge advocate of self-exams.

By Cherie DeBurger 108 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

There are things in this life that I fear we will never figure out. Things ranging from a cure for all diseases to how to get the meat and potatoes ready at the same time for dinner. I know that is a very wide range but something that is important to one person may not be to another, and yet to another it may be life altering information.

I have discovered that there are things that happen in my house that I can not figured out or explain, and this time it isn’t something that concerns my children or my husband’s way of reasoning.

Occurrences that baffle and continue to elude my understanding, and it’s not just me. It’s happening in other homes and to other families.

Since the invention of the dryer there has been an air of mystery surrounding it. Ask any person who is in charge of cleaning the clothes in their household and I think you will get the same answer, or should I say...question. Where the heck the matching sock disappears to during the drying portion of the laborious task called laundry? This question has never been answered or solved.

Somehow there was a mystical portal that was created and is forever sucking pieces of clothing into oblivion. I have five single socks on the dryer at this very moment to which the matches have gone onto that secret place.

There are those items that somehow miraculously appear in the most inopportune places and at the most inconvenient times. You never feel the lump in your sleeve or up your pant leg when you first get dressed. It is not until you are in a large group of strangers or with someone you are trying to impress, like your boss or a new someone special, when you realize you have a piece of clothing that you never intend to wear. One day my husband was at work, the sleeve of his shirt had felt a little strange when he got dressed but he was in a hurry and just ignored it. It became distracting and he realized it couldn’t be from an incorrectly ironed crease. After The Mystery of Lost Laundry •

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pulling on his sleeve and trying to adjust it to make it feel normal he reached in and felt something silky. To his surprise he pulled out a pair of my nylons. So at five o’clock I am standing at the stove cooking dinner and he walks through the door with a pair of nylons draped over his shoulder. Speechless, I stare at him as he smiles and begins with “You’re not going to believe this.” It’s a good thing I am an understanding, not to mention trusting, wife because that conversation could have gone south real quick.

Of course it could have been worse. One morning

my friend got dressed like any other morning, she had a quick bite to eat because of the errands she wanted to get done on her to do list. It was a warm and sunny Spring day and she decided to walk and enjoy the feeling of the warm Sun on her skin. She seemed to be “in the zone” as she crossed one after another of the items off her list. Unfortunately she must have been out of those static cling dryer sheets because sometime later she realized that there was a pair of underwear stuck to the backside of her pants. In an instant, a blur of the places she had been and the people she’d seen ran like a freight train through her memory. Then, and this is one of the reason we are such good friends, she had a good laugh about the whole situation.

Although this is embarrassing enough for us as adults it’s enough to send an image conscious teenager into the throws of posttraumatic stress disorder. My best friend and her family were sitting in church one Sunday. This church is located on the edge of a small, close-knit town where it is not uncommon to see three or sometimes even four generations sitting in a pew together. So needless to say everyone knew just about everyone. Just like the Sundays before, everything was quiet as the pastor made the morning announcements. My friend and her family as well as her mother and father were seated in their usual spot. As she looked over she noticed something bright pink in the hood of her teenage sons sweater. She glanced around and discreetly stretched her arm over the back of the pew, behind her husband

110 • Hat Trick Magazine • hattrickstrategies.com

trying not to disturb anyone or the service and reached into the hood to see what it was. After realizing the true identity of what she had removed from his sweater she squeezed it as best as she could into her hand and placed the item deep into her purse.

After the service was done and they were safely seated in the van to go home she informed her son of what had been in his hood all morning. To his horror he had been toting around his sisters underwear for all to see.

So it may appear that laundry has a mind of its own the way it seems to disappears when we are looking for it, or showing up and hanging around when we don’t want it. Maybe it is poetic justice to all those mothers who, load after load, are forced to check pants pockets for papers, Kleenex, and coins. I guess lost socks isn’t the only laundry mystery that has yet to be solved.

If you have any comments please feel free to email me at lifes.moments@live.ca

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