Learn from the Millionaires!

Learn money tips from 70 millionaires interviewed for this article. They only make up 2 percent of the population, but they have some really interesting habits. Some of them are no-brainers - for instance, make more money than you spend - and others are pretty neat like always buy used cars (so those Bentley's aren't brand new?!?!)

To read the article, click here.

Nicole

Nicole Featured in The Indianapolis Star

Check out this article which mentions Nicole's recent visit to Indianapolis to talk to teen parents who read Glori!

http://www.indystar.com/article/20090522/LOCAL18/905220404/1195/LOCAL18/Teens+with+babies+celebrate+school+feats

Monday (Tuesday) Morning Mantra - 5/25

Good morning everyone!

I'm posting this Mantra on Tuesday as opposed to Monday because I didn't have access to the Internet yesterday (we're transitioning the office at home to make room for the baby!). However, if you are on our E-news list, then you received the Mantra bright and early yesterday morning! :)

"If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is compromise." --Robert Fritz

This week, make choices that lead you to the impossible!

To receive Mantras right in your inbox each Monday morning, please click here.

Have a great week!

Nicole

The "Whine" Flu

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how we view the world and how that perception influences everything that we do. Indulging in too much negativity and complaining can ruin our situations. Citing only the bad things in our jobs, children, spouses, cars, parents, etc., will have lasting effects on our relationships, friendships, overall moods, and much more. I see this excessive complaining and negativity in children and adults - including myself at times - and it's something I like to call "The Whine Flu."

Calling it "The Whine Flu" immediately encourages us to think of continuous complaint and negativity as a bad thing - as something that we need to get rid of. If we don't get rid of it, people won't want to be around us, and we'll be a very unhappy person.

So what's the vaccine? Make a concerted effort to build more praise and positivity into your day than complaint. Make sure your ratio of positive-to-negative is skewed. By talking about things in a more positive way, you'll see the difference immediately. When I praise my daughter, her face lights up, and I realize just how much power this carries.

So get rid of "The Whine Flu." Don't be a part of this epidemic.

Here, I'll start it off - I love my friends, clients, and readers. You guys are awesome. :)

Nicole

Monday Morning Mantra - 5/18

Happy Monday guys!

This week's Monday Morning Mantra reminds us of what is most important - family. Carry it with you this week as a reminder to let your loved ones know how much you mean to them. (And it comes from sassy Carrie Bradshaw so we have to listen!)

"The most important thing in life is your family... Sometimes it's the family you're born into, and sometimes it's the one you make for yourself."
-- Carrie Bradshaw

To have our Mantras emailed directly to you each Monday, click here!

Nicole

Glori Recognized by AMCHP as a Resource for Adolescent Pregnancy

This week I was so delighted to see Glori mentioned in The Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs' newsletter as a resource for adolescent pregnancy! It feels good to be recognized and more importantly to know that more and more people are learning about Glori and the inspiration it offers. :)

Click here to find out more!

Nicole

I'm on Twitter

I'm not sure if I love it yet, but nonetheless, I'm on Twitter. Follow me - "NicoleLynnLewis" - for quick updates about what's going on in my world and beyond!

Also, you can see all of my Twitter updates on this blog! :)

Nicole

What Can You Offer a Child?

This week's GS Radio show asks the question, "Are You Ready for Motherhood?"

We thought it was a great topic considering that we celebrate Mother's Day this month and that May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. Also, there are so many women out there who are wondering if it's the "right time" to have a child.

One of the questions I suggested people ask themselves before having a child is, "What Can I Offer?"

I don't mean financially. I mean emotionally and spiritually. Often times when we think of bringing a child into the world, we think of it in terms of what that child can bring into our lives. In other words, how can it enhance our existence? How can it makes us happier? The real question is, how can we enhance their existence? What can we offer this human being in terms of our beliefs, perspective, outlook on the world, etc.?

What we sew into our children will dictate what they put out into the world. So if we offer them them selfishness and anger, then that's all we can expect them to give to others. Think about what dominates your life right now - what are the things you put the most time and energy into? Those are the things you can offer your child.

For those of us who are already mothers and parents, let's remind ourselves of this question every day. Children are sponges. What are our children soaking up?

Nicole

Monday Morning Mantra - 5/11

Hi there!

Happy Monday! I hope everyone enjoyed their Mother's Day Weekend. My sister and I treated my mom to lunch in Fredericksburg, and enjoyed the gorgeous weather. Riss surprised me with a big card and some coupons for me to redeem (i.e. "Riss will help cook," "Riss will clean her room," etc.). Very cute.

Here is our mantra for the week:

"Fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life, and the procedure, the process is its own reward."

-- Amelia Earhart

This week, don't let "paper tigers" get in the way of your dreams.

To receive our mantras in your inbox each week, click here.
Nicole

Something to Make You Smile On This Friday

I'm always looking for stories of hope and inspiration, and I've got one for you. This one reminds us of what we can give people when we come together. So much more than a simple donation, we can make their dreams come true - dreams that every one of us should be able to see come to fruition. A beautiful wedding. A celebration of love.

Last week, a church provided a beautiful wedding ceremony to a homeless couple who have been living on the streets of Washington, D.C. for years struggling to get by. Dante White, 28, was kicked out of his mother's home when he was just 14-years-old and has been living day-to-day ever since. His bride, Nhiahni Chestnut, 39, had battled a drug and alcohol addiction as well as poverty for many years.

When White confided to a parishioner at Grace Episcopal Church in Georgetown where he and Chestnut had been attending bible study that he wished he had enough money to marry this special woman, the church responded.

"Everyone at the church feels strongly that you don't need to have money to get married," said Margaret Davis.

"In good Grace church congregation fashion, everyone got behind the idea: one person managed flowers, I helped with the wedding rings, one woman made the cake, someone helped with the tux and someone else with the bride's gown," she said.

Another parishioner even provided a honeymoon for the couple.

"This is beyond my wildest dreams. This is exactly how I wanted my wedding to be," said the bride.

To read more, click here.

Have an amazing weekend, and a wonderful Mother's Day.

Nicole

Teen Pregnancy News

May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month so the topic is everywhere you turn right now. Yesterday was the official National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, and even the President weighed in on the current state of unplanned pregnancies among young women (check out his official statement by clicking here).

In other related news, Bristol Palin, the daughter of former vice presidential candidate Governor Sarah Palin, has been chosen as the ambassador for The Candie's Foundation campaign against teen pregnancy. This has spurred controversy since she herself is a teen mother. It reminds me of the flurry of comments surrounding Solange Knowles, another teen mother, being chosen as the representative for MTV’s Staying Alive Foundation/The Body Shop's “Yes, Yes, Yes to Safe Sex” campaign. Knowles is also a young mother.

I understand the backlash because I've come face-to-face with it in promoting Glori. The question I ask is, what are we afraid of? I'm for any abstinence and safe-sex campaign that young people will listen to, and that should be everyone's stand.

Nicole

My Presentation in Alabama

Last week I presented at the Alabama Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy conference and talked about reframing the issue of teen pregnancy and our overall need to be strategic and mindful of our communication.

Julie Kieth, editor and chief of Thicket Magazine, was in attendance, and blogged about the conference afterward. I thought you might enjoy reading her review...

http://blog.al.com/thicket/2009/04/an_old_problem_needs_a_new_lan.html#more

Monday Evening Mantra - 5/04

Good evening everyone,

Here are some inspiring words to carry us through the week from someone who endured so much... Ms. Billie Holiday.

"If I'm going to sing like someone else, then I don't need to sing at all."-- Billie Holiday

This week, sing your own song. Don't be afraid to be yourself!

To have our mantras emailed directly to you each week, click here.

Have a great week!

Nicole

An Inspiring Eulogy

Before getting on a plane for Alabama on Monday, I went to the wake of a good friend's mother who recently passed away. It was a sobering moment - one that reminded me that life is so fleeting and that I don't want to waste one minute of it. My friend, Erica, has been a an example of strength through this whole thing, and when she sent me her brother's eulogy for their mother, I realized just how wonderful a person and parent Gabriel K. Chan really was:

If this has taught me anything, it's that life is uncompromising, but if there is anything my Mother taught me, it's that you shouldn't compromise your life. My Mother is the perfect example of that. Through adversity, she let her light shine through and succeeded in living a "full" life. She got to travel the world and see sights that many us may not get a chance to; she started and ran a successful business for many years in a time when many business would come and go; she gave to numerous charities for she believed in sharing what she earned; enjoyed the little things in life. that could easily be over looked; but most importantly she dedicated herself to giving Erica, Priscilla and I a life with meaning and purpose. She did nothing less than an extraordinary job at giving us a warm, loving home, and raised us to believe that if we believe in ourselves, that we would be capable of doing anything. When I think back at how my Mother lived, I can honestly say that I do Believe. I believe in LOVE and that it is more than just a four letter word... that it is genuine feeling with endless potential. I believe in the word "family" and all the love and support that can grow from it's roots if planted and nurtured correctly. I believe in the way you can effect and change the world in small ways that you may not even be aware of it... just like my Mother did. But mostly, because of my Mother, I believe in life. In all the wonderful possibilities and dreams you can have and all of beauty we are all capable of seeing and creating. She was all of these things... love, family, change, life... my MOM. I can never thank her enough for instilling me with such undying love and faith, but I hope I can live on her dreams, her possibilities and make her proud of the fact that I aspire to be a full, complete person, just like her. I know that with the endless love and support of my family and friends, and that of my Mother's that is so deeply buried inside of me, that the cracks in my heart will fill only causing my heart to grow bigger. In the face of this hardship, we should all find the courage that my Mother had and not only remember her life, but remember how she lived.Rainer Maria Rilke wrote, "...let happy memories sustain you if your strength fails you, they are always there, and their current does not run backwards, even across foggy country it floats toward the future." We are so lucky to be able to share so many.

Love,
Nicole