The beat goes on (or When Kindness is Contagious)

I recently had the pleasure of doing business with Ken Canion of Greensboro, NC.

Canion is a former contestant on NBCs The Biggest Loser. He’s also a motivational speaker and the author of several books and audios. Doing business with him is an opportunity and a pleasure (we writers don’t often get BOTH at the same time).

I was introduced to Canion by another client, Eric Legette, author of the book “Closing the Curtain on Baby Mama Drama”.

I’d known Eric only since last fall when I interviewed him for a piece for Regal magazine (which was followed by my review of  his Baby Mama book). Since that time he and I remained on cordial terms, calling one another periodically to catch up, professionally speaking.

When Eric needed a press release a while back, I offered to do it for him at no cost. He’s a great guy with a great story to tell and I wanted to assist in any way I could.

He responded in kind.

A few months ago, Eric was to attend a function where Canion was speaking. He insisted that I send him some writing samples for Canion’s review – just in case he was looking for a writer. Turns out he was. Canion contacted me about a week later and we began working together.

About a month later Canion referred me to someone else…someone with ‘ever-after’ possibilities (professionally, I mean). In fact, in just a few weeks I’ll be writing all about this young lady and her new Web site (so stay tuned).

But here’s the strange thing: I have yet to meet any of these folks ‘in real life,’ having only spoken with them over the phone. But it just goes to show that what you throw out to others often is reciprocated.

And so the beat does go on…and on…and on. Indeed, kindness is contagious.

Everything requires balance

It’s easy to become excited about a new project, an exciting client, financial prospects, etc. – especially when you feel that the client will propel your business into the stratosphere (or blogosphere as it were).

Still, balance is required to accomplish anything great. For instance, this week was big for me with some GREAT breakthroughs with two of my clients. In fact, the ideas kept coming…and coming…and…

…before I knew it the week was over and I now have a pile of scribbled legal sized yellow papers up to my thick, fat, sleep-apnea neck! That’s great – yes – but here’s the problem: I now have to CARRY THEM OUT!

I don’t mind the work. (To paraphrase the late, great Ray Charles, ‘That’s why I do what I do, baby!’) It’s just that…suddenly I’m seeing that family picnic at the lake fading off…and that newly-released film will just have to wait.

What I should have done was explain to each client that my timeline would not allow me to start on ‘that particularly’ project until Monday. I should have remembered that I’m simply human – and that I, even I – need a break too.

I can hear my ‘business partner’ Chef Gordon Ramsay saying, “Madame! What are you doing?! You ‘cont’ ["can't"] accomplish anything without prioritizing. You simply ‘cont’ ["can't"]!”

In short, I should have remembered: everything requires balance.

Maybe I’ll start on that “balance thingy” next week…

Chef Gordon Ramsay: my business partner (if only he knew it)

I’m not easily swayed, but I have to admit: One day while bored out of my wits I logged onto Hulu.com and – on a whim – started watching Hell’s Kitchen (season 5) with Chef Gordon Ramsay.

The only reason I did so was because my twin sister June is totally head-over-heels in love with the angry, talented Brit and has boasted of his skills since he invaded America.

Yeah, whatever. I’ll give it a whirl, I thought. I can always turn it once he starts getting on my nerves.

But somewhere between “You idiot!” and “Dumb bleeping cow!” I became fixated. What began as a ‘nothing-else-to-do-on-a-Friday-afternoon’ stint turned into a weekend-long delve into the madness of one of the world’s finest culinary minds.

I ended up watching every online episode Hulu.com had to offer during the following week, including the current season of Nightmare Kitchens, which I also have never watched.

Yeah, I’m hooked. But not because of why one might think. It isn’t that I care so much about cooking (I’m not much of a cook and am not interested in learning). Rather, I could hear “(Yea) Chef” screaming in my ear, “Not good enough, Juice! You’ve got to do better,” as I started working on my own projects.

It’s easy to become complacent when you work alone from home. No one looking over your shoulder, no one micromanaging; those are the good points to working from home.

The down side is that there’s no one to say, “Seriously, Juice? You can’t do any better than that?” or (ala Chef Ramsay) “Is this some bloody joke, woman? Do you seriously think you belong here?!”

These days, as I’m drawing up a proposal or developing a PR/marketing plan or any one of a dozen projects I might have going on at any given time, I imagine Chef Ramsay standing over me, with that evil “make-one-wrong-move-and-you’re-outta-here” stare.

Sometimes you need that kick in the backside. At least I do. And Chef Ramsay is just the one to do it. But that’s what business partners are for.

…if only he knew it.