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Greetings!
Fabulous February ~ The month where love and
passion are in the air. While candy, flowers
(specifically red roses), and fancy dinners are usually
part of the romance associated with February 14th,
Valentine’s day is about love. Love can be defined
as a deep feeling of affection towards a person that
arises from kinship or a sense of oneness which is
why I believe Valentine’s day is a wonderful
opportunity to shower loved ones with gifts of
thanksgiving.
One of the 5 principles to increasing your sphere of
influence is “recognize to energize”. Thanking the
people we love through gifts or appreciation raises
our energy levels and makes us feel good, too!
Throughout this month, I encourage you to show
those special people in your life...family, friends,
business associates, loved ones...how much you
appreciate who they are and what they do for your
life. Say something you wouldn’t normally say, do
something you wouldn’t normally do and be
something you wouldn’t normally be. May the love
you choose to share come back to you 100-fold!
All the best,
Lisa Marie Platske, President
Upside Thinking, Inc.
| Featured Business with an Upside Attitude |
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Do you know an upside thinker who is a successful
business professional? If you spot one when you are
out in the community, please let us know. We are
always looking for those that exhibit an upside thinker
attitude. Click here to
send us your suggestions or articles for consideration.
Service Plus Credit Union’s Business Development
Officer, Crystal Rolling, entered the working world with
a job at Wienerschnitzel at the age of 14, becoming a
manager of the franchise store at 16 years old. After
her early graduation from high school, she entered the
financial industry. After trying careers in both a bank
and a credit union, she opted for adventure and
traveled the country working for The Outdoor Channel.
One year and 24 states later, Crystal discovered that
the credit union industry, with their “People Helping
People” philosophy, is where she belongs. In 2006,
Crystal became the credit union’s first active business
development officer.
Service Plus Credit Union’s overarching vision is to be
the #1 financial institution focused on service, within
Riverside County. Not the biggest or the most number
of members, nor the largest number of assets; but the
most member-focused and service-focused
organization. Crystal states Service Plus has a
relentless pursuit of improving the financial lives of
those who “bank” with us. This may mean
encouraging members to deposit their money in
higher yielding accounts, costing the credit union
more money. This may mean proactively calling
members with an offer to lower their loan rates on
certain products. And, it will mean making and saving
money for their members, even when it comes out of
the credit union’s bottom line.
Community involvement is significant to the credit
union industry and especially at Service Plus. Crystal
represents Service Plus at several community events
throughout Moreno Valley and Riverside, such as
chamber meetings, mixers, Ribbon Cuttings, The For
You Network – Moreno Valley, and much more. She
also serves as an Ambassador on the Moreno Valley
Chamber of Commerce (MVCC), is a member of the
Moreno Valley Education Committee and Vice-Chair
for MVCC Business-In-Action.
”A positive attitude and positive expectations brings
positive results” says Crystal. She is often found
demonstrating an “Upside Attitude” with her warm
smile, firm embraces and can-do demeanor.
Since 1960, Service Plus Credit Union has been
serving the Riverside community from their branch
near the UCR campus and now with their new Moreno
Beach Plaza branch in Moreno Valley. What started as
a credit union for UCR employees has grown into a
full-service financial institution for all of Riverside
County. Anyone who lives, works, worships or attends
school in the County of Riverside is eligible to join!
For more information on how you can benefit from
credit union membership, call, click or come in: (888)
680-PLUS, www.servicepluscu.org
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| Upside Quotation Station |
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“Success is not the key to hapiness.
Happiness is the key to success."
Albert Schweitzer
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| Leadership Tales and Trivia Corner |
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If your feeling like a strong cup of coffee and a good
book, try The Desiderata of
Happiness by Max Ehrmann.
If you're in the mood for popcorn and a
movie, try The Pursuit of Happyness
(because the leadership journey is about persisting
until you succeed and having courage with whatever
comes in life).
And, if you're feeling lucky, answer
our February
trivia
question! In what year and by whom was
St. Valentines Day declared an official holiday?
A prize will be awarded to the 1st person who
e-mails the correct answer to us!
2007 Trivia Winners Circle!
January – Mary Sharp, Cookie Lee Jewelry
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| LOVE everything you do? |
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Interested in learning more about how to develop
your clear leadership vision, increase your sphere of
influence/clientele and improve your long-term
growth and steady profits in 2007? Call Lisa Marie
today to learn more about our Upside Thinking
coaching packages!
Is your company planning a conference or board
retreat in 2007? Contact Upside Thinking, Inc. to
book Lisa Marie for one of her
amazing, motivational seminars for your company
today! You won’t be disappointed!
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| About Lisa Marie |
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As the President and Chief Excellence Officer of
Upside Thinking, Inc., Lisa Marie brings enthusiasm
and passion to
her work every day. Committed to transforming
organizations through individual development, Ms.
Platske believes lasting success in organizations
comes from recognizing that people have intrinsic
value and deserve respect, regardless of where they
are in the organizational chart. UTI's leadership
coaching and training programs teach individuals how
to develop their leadership ability, increase their
sphere of influence and strengthen their earning
potential.
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| Save the Date! |
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2007 International
Walk the Walk for Financial Freedom
Women Business Owners
Virtual Growth Summit
April 27-29, 2007
Click here for more information
Pre-Registration starts Februray 20, 2007
NAWBO-IE Monthly Dinner Meeting
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Speaker: Lisa Marie Platske -
"Developing Your
Leadership Potential".
Doubletree Hotel Ontario Airport
222 North Vineyard Ave., Ontrario
NAWBO members - $40.00
Non-NAWBO member/Walk-ins - $45.00
Student - $20.00
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| In the News |
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In January, Lisa Marie was recognized for her
vision, creativity, and service to others by the
National Association of Female Executives (NAFE)
and presented with a Woman of Excellence award.
In addition Lisa Marie has recently been featured in
the San Bernardino Sun, Press Enterprise,
TheBizPress.com and the monthly NAWBO newsletter.
To read the TheBizPress.com article, click
here.
Check out more of Lisa Marie's articles at ezinearticles.com.
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Are You Happy? |
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“Happiness doesn’t depend on what we have, but on
how we feel toward what we have. We can be
happy with little and miserable with much.” This
quote by William Hoard is a wonderful reminder for all
of us to examine what has real meaning, purpose and
enjoyment in our lives for happiness is sure to
follow.
This shouldn’t be too surprising because we see it
around us all the time – talented, successful and
driven people who have accumulated much in
possessions and even more in their quest to obtain
the next level within their business or organization
but are miserable in their personal and professional
lives.
I have a friend who works for a major consulting
firm. She is a brilliant person who has excelled in
helping companies become higher performing by
focusing on strategic execution. She is widely
respected by her peers, sought after by clients, and
has made partner through determination and drive
that only champions possess. Yet, during our rare
bit of quiet time when I can get her to “turn off” the
obsession with clients, strategy and professional
perfection, the tears well in her eyes as she explains
that she is unfulfilled in her work and failing as a wife
and mother.
My friend is not alone in her struggle with work/life
balance and the establishment of foundational
underpinnings that guide professional goals. Too
often people get on the accomplishments and
perfection treadmill, becoming wildly “successful” in
terms that society, the media or successful friends
have defined, but years down the line they
experience a crater of emptiness and regret.
My foundation is faith, family and profession, in that
order and I’ve used it as one of the foundational
principles of Upside Thinking, Inc. Resting upon this
foundation is a structure of health, happiness,
meaning and success, again in order. Whenever I
start to stray from these principles the
accomplishments and possessions become empty
and
my life seems as if it has been hijacked for an agenda
other than my own.
Do you have a foundation that your life is set upon,
one that you can clearly articulate and are
committed to or are you running aimlessly on the
hamster wheel towards a set of goals or
expectations that are unfulfilling? If you don’t, then
I encourage you take some time out of your
schedule – time that will truly be well spent – to
identify these aspects. Happiness and success are
not mutually exclusive and the principles of each can
and should be integrated into your life – just don’t
leave it to chance!
Lastly, remember you are where you choose to be.
Choose happiness, success, and meaning for your
life. If you need help identifying what this means to
you, ask someone close to you to brainstorm with
you or hire a coach. You are creating your amazing
one-of-a-kind life. What could be more important
than that?!? May who you are be so memorable that
everyone you meet wants to join you on your upside
journey!
Did you know?
188 million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged
annually, making Valentine's Day the second-most
popular greeting-card-giving occasion. (This total
excludes packaged kids valentines for classroom
exchanges.) (Source: Hallmark research)
The Sage Software Business Minds Survey is a study
of the ups and downs of business life in North
America. Survey results show that entrepreneurial
business leaders are hard-working and passionate
about the business, with 85% indicating they’d set up
business again if they had the chance, and 75%
would recommend the entrepreneurial life to their
children. Additionally, only 2% cited their job as the
single most important aspect of their lives. Their
spouse/partner was cited by 50% and children by 26%.
What was the most influential factor for starting
your business?
Needed a job to supplement my income 10%
Saw need for business in market 9%
To turn my passion into a business 23%
More flexible hours 10%
To be my own boss 40%
Spend more time with my family 4%
Better pay 3%
Results from a recent QuickBooks survey of over
1300 small business owners in the US.
Candy makers will produce about 8 billion
conversation hearts for Valentine's Day this year!
That's enough to stretch from Valentine, Arizona, to
Rome, Italy, and back 20 times, according to the
National Confectioners Association.
Find out more....
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