WOW BLOG

In order to create a lifestyle of true happiness, balance and well being you first must journey deep down inside yourself. The answer lies deep within where no one else is looking but you. Happiness is not just something that comes to you; it’s something you choose to create for yourself. Waiting for something to happen or change in order to be happy is putting your life on permanent hold. It is not what happens to you that counts but instead how you choose to “react” and “handle” what happens to you that really matters. It’s your attitude of gratitude that sets the foundation for the rest of your life. When you adopt a positive attitude and are grateful for what already “is” then life becomes much more rewarding and fulfilling instead of just something you simply endure.

Positive emotions give you energy and vitality, while negative emotions completely drain and deplete your life force. When you are excited and happy and living life to its fullest, you radiate with energy and enthusiasm. When you are feeling angry, resentful, or negative for any reason, you feel drained, frustrated and eventually burn out and lose all your life energy. Feelings and emotions are very normal and serve various purposes. For example, anger, guilt, bitterness and hopelessness are a sort of internal guidance system. Negative emotions let us know that something in our lives is out of balance. They can provoke us to action, help us make decisions and alert us to emotional needs that are unmet. While emotional variety can spice up your life, remaining stuck in a prolonged negative emotional state is something to be avoided.

Exercise is one way to foster a positive state of mind and is one of the best things you can do to maintain your mental and physical well being. When the body is healthy and full of vitality the mind will follow. If your body doesn’t feel right, you won’t be in the mood to fully enjoy life and be happy. The hormone believed to be responsible for our feelings of happiness is known as an “endorphin.” The more endorphins we have in our bodies and reaching into our brains, the more content and happier we feel. Exercise has been found to raise the level of endorphins in the body and when this reaches the neurons of the brain, we experience a lifting of the happiness and contentment we feel.

Adopting a positive attitude and exercising takes commitment, planning and dedication. Be patient with yourself and follow your plan through. Strive for a regular routine, one that is realistic and manageable.

Don’t worry about being perfect, instead be kind and appreciate yourself for the person you already ARE. But it’s also very important to begin to make your new healthy lifestyle a “habit” of conscious decision and choice. Becoming a more healthy and happy person is the ultimate goal and the path towards a healthy lifestyle. ~Gena

Visit me online at GenaLivings.com
 

The stock market is off to a good beginning in 2012. Within the setting of the market rally there have been some shifts in the relative performance of different areas of the market that have taken place since the start of the year.  Utilities and consumer staples, which were strong last year, have been out of favor so far. The international sector was hit hard last year, but this formerly weak area of the stock market has been improving in relative strength on both a short and intermediate term basis. 

One of our favorites is the iShares Emerging Markets Index ETF (EEM) which is one of the most popular ETFs for gaining exposure to the emerging market area.  EEM holds stocks in ten of the world’s largest emerging markets, with its three biggest weightings being China (17%)  Brazil (15%) and South Korea (15%) as of 12/31/11.  It also holds stocks in Taiwan, South Africa, Russia, India, Mexico, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Top holdings and sector breakdown can be found on the iShares website http://bit.ly/yHtp5V

The chart below shows that after being weaker than the S&P 500 Index for much of 2011 a shift in strength has taken place, with EEM stronger than the S&P 500 Index for the past month.  Moreover, EEM has crossed above its 200-day moving average, and has bested its high from last October.  All of these developments are bullish, both for emerging markets in particular and for global stock markets generally.

Figure: iShares Emerging Markets Index ETF (EEM), daily (top half), and relative strength of EEM versus the S&P 500 SPDR (bottom half). Notice that EEM has crossed above its 200-day moving average for the first time since last July.  The level of this moving average,  $42.39, is now a support zone.  EEM is now also higher than its October high point.

The bottom half shows that emerging markets (EEM) were weaker than the S&P 500 (SPY) starting from August 1 through early January.  However, that trend has reversed itself, as evidenced by the trendline break on January 13, 2012.

Another ETF that can be used for an international representation is the iShares MSCI EAFE Index ETF (EFA).  The benchmark EAFE Index for this ETF represents mainly large-cap stocks from developed countries outside of North America.   The top three countries in this ETF are United Kingdom 22.7% Japan 21.17% and France 8.7%. The top 3 sectors are 22.56% financials 12.7% industrials and 10.8% consumer services. More details about the top holdings as of 2/1/11 along with the sector breakdown can be found at: http://bit.ly/A9f8gm.

Figure: iShares MSCI EAFE Index ETF (EFA) weekly, and relative strength versus the S&P 500 SPDR.

Top clip: The price of EFA remains below its October 2011 peak, unlike emerging markets (EEM) or SPY.

Middle clip: The relative strength between EFA and SPY has been in a downtrend since October 2009.

Bottom clip: The MACD of the relative strength is far below zero, suggesting that EFA has the potential to recover some ground lost relative to the S&P 500.

This ETF has been under pressure and in a down trend since late April, 2011, losing 12.25% in 2011 including dividends. The relative strength chart pattern is long-term oversold on a weekly chart and is therefore in position for a meaningful rally to occur.  (See chart above.) As with EEM, the short term down trend in relative strength compared to the S&P 500 was broken on a daily and intermediate term basis in January.

Investors wishing to invest in foreign markets can use a combination of the iShares Emerging Markets Index ETF (EEM) and the EAFE Index ETF (EFA).  We have recently increased our foreign equity exposure for clients.

Bonnie Gortler, Head Portfolio Manager
Signalert Asset Management, LLC

phone: 516-2829-26444    *    email: bgortler@signalert.com 

Ok here’s the deal undefined in the beginning, it’s flowers, intimate dinners for two, looking sexy, sexy lingerie, breakfast in bed, romantic meeting places, romantic looks and lot’s of kissing! Once the dust settles on the courtship of a marriage, it’s CNN Sports, fast food, sweatpants, manfriends, girlfriends, girl power, sleeping in, big underwear and silk scarves. But it doesn’t have to be that way, and it doesn’t have to take much to keep your romance alive. Check out what I call, “Four Forever Romance” four key habits to keeping the romance going for years to come!
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Plan Romantic Dates and put them on the family calendar, if you don’t have one start one. With your busy schedules, working, taking care of kids, and settling into a routine can lead to the lack of a romantic life with your partner. If you’re not careful, the flame can blow out for good and lead to a total breakdown of the marriage. Things like children and work are with out a doubt aspects of the marriage, that are essential to take care of. It’s also essential to take care of your relationship too. Making time for one another, setting date nights for just the two of you, a weekend to get away by yourselves, and even just taking the time to enjoy a romantic dinner at home, can provide the quality time you need to maintain a close bond. Being affectionate goes a long way to help keep the sparks kindled until you can get away alone. It’s important to remember all the things that you loved to do during the early days of your relationship whatever you did that brought on the excitement!
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Surprise Your Spouse With Romantic Gestures. It’s easy to fall into a rut and let time go by without giving your relationship the attention that it deserves. Taking just a few minutes each day to let your partner know how much you care can make all the difference. Bringing home flowers for no reason, leaving love notes posted in obvious places, sending a sexy message via email, text or voicemail is a great way to leave a smile on your partner’s face, and make the day seem lighter. Helping out around the house like doing the dishes, taking out the garbage, and making the bed undefined especially when you decided early on in the marriage that it’s not your responsibility to do so. Our actions are also a way to say I love you and can speak volumes over our words. Do say it as well, I-Love-you!!!
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Care for and Nurture your selves separately. Keep your body in shape and don’t let go of you! Going off to your favorite book club when your sweetie’s out golfing isn’t a sign you two are drifting apart. On the contrary, developing individual interests allows for a richer life as a couple. By taking little breaks of time away from each other, you’ll gain a greater appreciation of the gifts your partner brings to your life and your marriage. You’ll find it to be very sexy to be independent sometimes, and you’ll feel better about yourself and less demanding of your partner when you’re together. After all, taking some personal responsibility for your own well-being relieves the pressure on the other person to “provide” happiness. Nurturing solo adventures from time to time will keep give each of you plenty of adventures to talk about, along with the life memories that you create together which also keeps the bond between you strong.
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Communicate for a Healthy Marriage By any measure the one thing to remember in your relationship is to communicate. If you feel like you’re being neglected and ignored, let it be known. Do not try to hide your feelings and build up animosity whether you feel you’re competing against work, or the kids, or anything else. Likewise, if you feel like the fire is dieing in what was once a passionate fierce love life, let your partner know how you feel. Avoid being accusatory or placing blame, instead focus on making things right again and the way you want them to be. If you approach it right, you may be surprised that your not alone in what you’re feeling!

Share your thoughts & link below as you help keep love & romance alive! ~Mary

~ Mary Chatman, 

BlackBride.com & 

Love Life Designs

If you were to look at the main key factor of your business and its success, what would it be? Of course, you as the business owner would be one factor, but does the success of a great business depend on the owner of the business? Today, there is so much competition within business that there is more to success within business than the individual running the business. It also depends on the networking of the business, which is a product of the operation of the business. For a business to be highly competitive and to build great business, networking is essential. Networking is the primary foundation of establishing and maintaining a great business. It provides connections to potential customers and business opportunities to a higher extent than any other business factor can offer.

Social networking is one of the great advantages of business networking opportunities today, and it is essential in building the foundation of a great business. However, many business people feel as if social networking is a challenge and that it can amount to a workload of a second business. This is because social networking requires you to be constantly in touch and connected with customers and potential customers every day to promote and build your business, whilst also providing the service of your business at the same time. This can be draining for businesses, especially small businesses who cannot afford to hire a separate employee to be in charge of social networking or networking in general. Although it is a draining and time consuming task, it is crucial for building great business as without social networking, business will be lost to other competitors who are keeping up with the demand for need of social networking. Therefore, it is essential for a business to incorporate social networking, involving media sources such as Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, into their workload and to devise a networking business plan as networking is the backbone of business and is an essential foundation of great business.   

Despite women’s numerous responsibilities outside of and inside of business, they must get better at networking to create great business as networking is the core foundation of any great business. This can be done by allocating more time within work time to set up and provide networking opportunities, such as by creating business accounts with Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube, plus networking with other business people in the community who can help with providing a more streamlined service for the business, and by getting more involved by networking with current customers who can provide recommendations to their own network of people to build great business opportunities.

As you can see, networking is the core foundation of building a great business and is essential for growth and development. Without networking, business is lost to other similar business competitors. Therefore, it needs to be sustained at all times and great effort has to go in to it as you build a solid foundation for great business. ~De Harris

Take a moment and share how you network and

also join us in Building Your Empire.

The Networking University is simply a GREAT place for you to also sharpen your networking skills. Check it out!!

 ~ De Harris, WOW Network President/Founder

   email: deharris@wownetworkalliance.com

Sending a HUGE 'Thank You' to Kimyon & Jonathan for an incredible webcast today. It is always a pleasure to be in the company of such knowledgeable and dynamic professionals. Bea and I also want to thank everyone who came out and showed their support for today's LIVE webinar launch. This broadcast has been in the works for several weeks now and to see such support really makes the entire process that much more rewarding. Thank you again and keep your eye out for even more incredible result oriented sessions to be announced soon.

Please remember that sharing your experience and knowledge touches the lives & businesses of others in ways beyond what we can even imagine. Sharing your expertise is also a GREAT way for you to gain exposure for your business while positioning you as an expert within your field. The WOW hosted telecourse sessions, webinar broadcasts and in-person workshops are the type of events we want to partner up with each of our WOW Network members to present. Kiimyon is a shining example of the power held in being part of our unique organization. This is mainly because she takes full advantage of EVERYTHING her WOW Network membership has to offer. What about you? 2012 is here, so decide when we can schedule YOUR LIVE world broadcast & let's get the ball rolling! The WOW Network Team is here to assist you every step of the way. Whether it's help in overcoming some fears, identifying your talents in order to present or even just helping you focus on a workable concept; Bea and I are both fully committed to your success. You are NOT in this alone. Simply send a note so we can set up a time to discuss the possibilities!

Wishing you the best in health, wealth and success ~De

Note: There is still time to register and receive the recording for the 'Procrastination: Facing a Thief Head-On Webinar'

Do so now at http://bit.ly/wowed0117

             

~ De Harris, WOW Network President/Founder

   email: deharris@wownetworkalliance.com

Steps to Defeating the Time Thief... Procrastination

Let's face it life is just plain demanding. It doesn't matter where you turn there is always another task or responsibility that you have to get done yesterday. With all that is placed upon us it is any wonder that we get anything finished at all! Then add on the dreaded habit of procrastination then you are really in trouble. According to various estimates, societal procrastination has risen five-fold to affect from about 5 percent of the population in the 1970’s to about 15 percent to 20 percent of people today. Now at least 95 percent of people say they procrastinate occasionally. If this is one merry-go-round that is causing strife in your life then read on to learn how you may be able to move beyond procrastination into a life where achieving your goals becomes stress-free.  Yes, it takes a bit of time and effort but isn’t anything worth having worth working for?
 
Probably the biggest key to overcoming procrastination is awareness. When we become aware, we are not only able to focus on our goals but also, understand the difference between where we are now and where we want to be. This is the reason why awareness is crucial in overcoming procrastination.  Once we are aware (unless you decide to ignore the issue altogether) you automatically place yourself in the best position possible to create change due to use of ‘focused attention’.  Completing the tasks brought before you without interruption places you well on your way to creating change within your life. Delaying the inevitable can negatively affect all aspects of your life but by becoming ‘aware’ of the issue we are shining a light that will help in combating procrastination.
 
Another great way to help you move beyond procrastination is action. Yes, action. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the details that we fail to put any motion behind our thoughts or desires. We may even have the desire but look toward perfection as the ultimate goal rather than the goal itself.  Being perfect all the time can keep you from actually starting/finishing tasks or meeting the deadlines that can mean the difference between success and failure. Sometimes we just have to let the craziness go and just get it done. This can be easier said than done, so if this is still an issue for you, then maybe consider seeking out help.
 
It is easy become distracted especially when it is a task or deadline we are feeling anxious about. One of the best ways to overcome this is to look beyond our feelings and simply ask for help. If you find that procrastination has become an overpowering force in your life then you would be wise to search for an ally or mental health professional near you. Enlisting the help of a close friend as an accountability partner can be a tremendous help. Make sure this person is a trusted associate since you may run into some very sensitive areas during your growth. Be sure you have places yourself in the best position for success and that the person you've chosen is positive and has your best interest at heart.
 
Remember, there is always room for improvement in one’s life. The best way you can help yourself is with an honest assessment of where you are compared to where you want to be. This can be a challenge for some and so let's say for some reason you really don't know where you stand. Then might I suggest you take a moment to attend our upcoming webinar 'Procrastination: Facing a Thief Head-On’ with WOW’s very own, Kimyon Zari, theDiamondCoach.com.  Within this no pressure webinar you will be able to clearly identify currently held values and beliefs that may be holding you back plus key steps to help you stop procrastinating NOW. Kimyon speaks candidly about This is simply a great way to grow into the success you are meant to have.  Through awareness, action and assistance you too can move beyond all that is holding you back, especially if it is called 'procrastination'. Keep us posted on your progress and we'll see you on the 17th! 

                             See full details and Register HERE                 

~ De Harris, WOW Network President/Founder

   email: deharris@wownetworkalliance.com

This webinar is a joint endeavor with Jonathan Senior of Sharp End Training