May 18th, 2012
Google Alerts, and On Being A Successful Optimist
YES, I’m B-A-A-A-C-K!
Gotta love Google Analytics, and the alerts you set up to skim tidbits out of cyber-space on your behalf…I have several: most to make sure my intellectual property stays mine, but a few to see who else is talking about the same concepts and directions I do.
Last few weeks when my computer was in and out of ICU-what saved me-what connected me-were the accumulated alerts that I had left for that proverbial rainy day that I accessed through my handy-dandy smart phone.
One gem is a recent WSJ article by Mark Stevenson: Eight Principles of Successful Optimists. Adapted from his book, An Optimist’s Tour of the Future-what is there not to be enthused about in either title?? The article did not disappoint, I especially liked his first principle:
Have an unashamed optimism of ambition. Don’t feel embarrassed to say that things can be better. Have no qualms about imagining an improved world and advocating for it, no matter how much derision you may receive at the hands of the cynical.
I believe we have the power to attract what we want in our lives; and I am also an optimist…not sure which came first, but no matter. How empowering is it to voice your best dreams and hope, and give them legs?
The book was named one of the 10 Essential Books for Thought-Provoking Summer Reading by The Atlantic…but follow the link above to read the article, enjoy the rest of them on your own, and may your own best force be with you!
Tags: Google alerts, marie graham, Mark Stevenson, Successful optimist, the refreshed home
Posted in Better Health/Better Life, Community/Greater Good, I'm Just Sayin' | No Comments »
May 3rd, 2012
Ahhh, it’s May, and this weekend the annual wave of commencement ceremonies begins. And yes, the inevitable Doonsbury comics, but that’s not where we’re going with this…
ANYWAY~
Unless you were Stanford ’05, chances are good to excellent you have no memory of who delivered your commencement speech, or what they spoke about.
So many other thoughts in my head those days… I know I don’t remember any of mine, but I do enjoy listening to thoughful speakers, and their messages in others’ speeches.
IMO, a good commencement speech is equal parts timeless and fresh, is both hopeful, and reality-based, and shares both retrospect, and vision.
Former speechwriter Charles Wheelan had his share of commencement speeches; writing them was his first job out of college. He’s since moved on, and in a recent WSJ essay, he wrote of things he wished someone would have shared with Class of 1988.
Adapted from his about to be published book 10-1/2 things No Commencement Speaker Has Ever Said, #3-Don’t make the world worse, and # 9-It’s all borrowed time I thought were particularly wise. Neither snarky or pessimistic, I think most are things we probably already ‘know’, but are just so well-articulated here. Click the link above to check it out, maybe get a little re-calibrated yourself.
Tags: Charles Wheelan, commencement speeches, Stanford 2005 commencement
Posted in A Day In The Life, Better Health/Better Life, Community/Greater Good, Words of Wisdom | No Comments »
April 29th, 2012
A well-chosen word will engage your audience, and allow you to communicate more effectively, and economically. This is an exciting prospect, so every week I pick, and ruminate about a normal, average word that I think is under-appreciated, this week’s word is BELIEF.
BELIEF is an umbrella word: it encompasses opinions, thoughts, hopes, fears, wishes and superstitions. A belief can come from experience, gossip, tradition, information or instinct.
It’s a conviction, an acceptance, a certainty. A belief can be inferred from another’s’ actions, or passed down from another generation. In polite conversation, it’s a way to differentiate another’s opinion from fact.
But at the end of the day, it’s a personal, internal entity that guides external actions.
Some realities may drive a belief, a belief is not necessarily tied to a result, or a reality, in many cases they just exist: Because the NY Giants won the last two Super Bowl matchups with the NE Patriots, one might be led to BELIEVE that Eli Manning is the best QB in football today. Unless one was from Boston, that is. Or Green Bay. Similarly, BELIEVING the health benefits of eating dark chocolate puts it on par with having a salad will not make it so, no matter how fervently I might believe it can.
Respecting the right to an individual’s belief system is part of MY belief system; but in business, remember: I am typically called into a job because someone’s belief is not working out so well: No, buyers will not be impressed by your vintage red flocked wallpaper…maybe lime green is the color to go for in PILLOWS, not the sofa….yes, spend the money to get a LICENSED electrician to install that new lighting….
BUT
What if I found out that their mom-who recently passed away-always loved red flocked wallpaper. Or perhaps they didn’t think lime green in pillows would add enough pop. Maybe their son’s friend is ‘handy’, and they don’t know the law, or how to say no?
Knowing, and understanding the ‘whys’ behind these beliefs allows you to understand the their actions, the first step to helping clients find solutions that will work.
Tags: beliefs control actions, Marie Graham Westchester County Home Stager, word of the week BELIEF, working through change
Posted in Better Health/Better Life, I'm Just Sayin', Word Of The Week (WOW) | No Comments »
April 27th, 2012
The last time I wrote a blog post with the words “Picking Paint Colors” in the title was over a year ago. Since, I’ve written over 100 other posts…yet, per Google Analytics, this post is my #2 all-time draw-only recently nudged out of 1st place by a post about Michelangelo. So yes, it’d seem there is a lot of interest in how to pick a paint color.
But picking the right paint color goes beyond what is trendy, or what works with the sofa. Yes, color is a highly personal expression, but IMO there is way too much pressure to pick THE color. Here’s how to get some perspective, and get you going in the right direction, confidently.
FORGET
Whispy, fluffy pastels Even in nurseries, colors are more sophisticated, more saturated-meaning there is a solid, dense appearance to the pigment. I agree with the notion that our world influences our color preferences; these days we seem to want our walls to comfort us, our rooms to embrace us.
Any colors you don’t already have in your closet Because we get dressed every day, we tend to be more confident about the colors we like, and what makes us look and feel good. If there isn’t any ____ in your closet, chances are you won’t be happy with it on the wall.
Believing you can imagine how it’ll look from a 2×2 square. Or a 4×4 square. Or those nail-polish sample bottles. Seriously. Narrow it down to your top 2 or 3, then spring for a quart of each, and just put it on the wall. You can always paint it over, and it’ll probably cost you a lot less than having to hit Home Goods after, to buy a lot of stupid stuff you don’t need to try to make a wrong color right.
Thinking this is a decision of a lifetime Paint is the cheapest and the quickest way to change a room. Look-we get tired of things, we all change our minds, and even sometimes we mis-calculate (!!). I’m not saying it’s not an important decision, or that you should just pick anything and hope for the best, but it’s just 
paint! Make your best choice, and run with it.
INSTEAD
Look at magazine pics, cruise through furniture stores as an easy way to try different colors on for size. Quickly, see what looks you’re drawn to. I recommend NOT fixating on the exact color used there, but use it to guide you, give you direction or encouragement to maybe step out of your comfort zone a teeney bit. Again-color will ’read’ differently depending on how big the room is, what was underneath, how many coats, lighting , and what else it’s shown with.
Know you have some wiggle room. When you paint, everything comes down, or gets covered up; it’s just walls with your new color, and can give you all kinds of pause. But it’ll look different after everything is uncovered or moved back, then different again once you start adding other things in. Don’t rush to judgement, play with it, give it a little time. If you find you like the color, but it needs to be ‘cut’ a bit, an oversize mirror or piece of wall art would do the job nicely.
AND-you have a “Plan B” OK, a week goes by, and there is no way around it, you truly hate the new wall color-just have it re-painted. It’s easy, and cheap enough. The hardest, and most expensive work is already done: repairing-priming-trim-ceilings. Just make the decision quickly: have the painter come back one rainy day to cover work they recently did, then you can get on with your life.
HAVE FUN! Trust your instincts, and go for it. Seeing the process through to get a look you love will more than worth it, and it’ll make your next project easier!
Tags: it's only paint, Marie Graham Westchester County Decorator, picking paint colors, the refreshed home, what decorators do
Posted in Decorating, Dollars and Sense, Home and Professional Services | No Comments »
April 25th, 2012
Astrology is one of those things that has lots of degrees of believing, but thought it’d be fun to take a casual look at the current sign, and some of the decor ideas the stars say they will love. So this month, we wish a Happy Birthday to Taurus!
Taurus (April 21-May 20) is represented by the Bull. An Earth sign, they are solid, and truly planted. Most Taureans would describe themselves as ‘patient’…while the other 11/12ths of the population would characterize them as ‘stubborn’. Ahhh, perspective!
Home-as a place to welcome and put up friends and family-is very important to Taurus. They are a real ‘home and hearth’ personality; a stable group that prefers a serene and consistent environment. They don’t make any decisions before they are ready to, and not too fond of change in general; sudden change sets them off badly.
But don’t get any idea they are sticks-in-the-mud, or anyone to trifle with, either. They are rock-solid in their chosen fields, just without all the drama. Some famous Bulls include sports legends Johnny Unitas, Yogi Berra, Andre Agassi and David Beckham, and Popes Pius IX, and John Paul II. Actors Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, George Clooney; Doctors Sigmund Freud and Benjamin Spock also born under this sign.
World leaders-the good, bad and the ugly-have a strong presence here: Golda Meir, Czar Nicholas II, former PM Tony Blair, Queen Elizabeth; as well as Hirohito, Saddam Hussein, Marx, Lenin, Ho Chi Min. Taurus is second most popular sign of US Presidents (after Leo): Monroe, Buchanan, Grant and Truman…presidential progenitor Prescott Bush was also born a Taurus, does that count for two more??
Grounded as they are, Taureans tend toward the earth tones-warm browns and corals, mossy greens, and neutrals. Picture the matador waving a red flag-you’ll remember bouncy and vibrant colors hold little appeal to Bulls. They are not early adapters-meaning they will not be camping out for the next ipod release, but show they BIG-well, that’s another story. There is no room in their lives for cute, dainty or fussy. They will buy the loft over the seaside cottage, and their choice of furniture will be simple, but of generous proportions.
Tags: Decorating for Taurus, Famous Taurus, Happy Birthday TAURUS, The Refreshed Home decorates with the stars
Posted in A Day In The Life, Appearances and Events, Decorating, Smiles | No Comments »
