Aglow Marketing's Blog

Are you suffering from "Check In" addiction? And is mine going to get worse?

As I awoke dreary eyed at 2:30 am to stand (or sit, actually) in virtual line to pre-order the Verizon IPhone at 3 am (I actually ordered at 2:45 am so camping out early did pay off), I was killing time and caught up on some articles from http://the99percent.com/ where as they say, "It's not about ideas. It's about making ideas happen."

Their article on How to Control Your "Check In" Addiction was timely as I move away from the already aptly named Crackberry/Blackberry to Wonderful World of Apps IPhone.  Will my need to "check in" be worse than ever?  I'm already trying to be better at disconnecting myself both mentally and physically from my hell phone.  Now will all the shiny newness and more information to absorb will I have taken 1 step forward and 12 steps back?  Only time will tell I suppose.

If you're in the same boat and want to get more in tune to why we feel the need to "check in" so much, check out the How to Control Your "Check In" Addiction article.  (Yes, you can read it from your phone if you must.)  Here's the intro, which definitely make my face turn red as I felt completely called out on my "Check In" addiction.

"Have you ever been caught sleeping with your mobile device? Perhaps checking your email first-thing in the morning when you’re still in bed? Given what we know about the emotional voids that are fulfilled by our electronic devices - the search for thrill, the alleviation of anxiety and panic - our intense attachment makes sense. When we wake up we want to be greeted. When we fall asleep we want to do so knowing that all is well. The mobile phone has become the security blanket of the 21st century."  Read the full How to Control Your "Check In" Addiction article here.

Why Setting Goals Matter - Professionally & Personally

Over the past month or so, I've been serving as the President of the Indianapolis Chapter of the American Marketing Association.  As I began my term, I was excited to jump into one of my favorite tasks - strategic planning!  Sure - call me a weirdo - but I love nothing more than a solid plan that you can work from and measure success.  I blame the fact that I have way too many balls in the air at all times at home & work at all times.  If I don't have a checklist or to-do list handy I go mad.  Typical Type A Personality.

To kickoff our strategic planning, we re-visited & refreshed our Chapter's Mission & Vision.  After we were in agreement on these big picture ideas, we set our high level goals, our tactics to reach these goals and a scorecard to track our success monthly.  We took it a step further and drafted individual committee monthly checklists so we can make sure the details don't get missed a few months down the line.  I won't lie - this was a TASK!  But, now we have guide map to get us where we want to be at the end of our term, which makes me sleep a little better at night!

So in the midst of all this strategic planning, I got to thinking about my role as a mom and how I should apply the concept of setting goals here at home.  The last year has been crazy around the Sweeney house -- with Aglow kicking into high gear and my AMA responsibilities ramping up. I'm sure every working mom struggles with the balance of work & family time - and for those of us who work from home that battle can be even tougher at times.  I took a long hard look at myself as a mom and knew some things needed to change - the way I was acting was not in line with the vision of the type of mom I wanted to be.

I want my kids to have great memories of a mom who isn't a workaholic, who isn't rushing from one thing to the next, who can pry herself away from e-mail and work and make time for playing.

• My vision -  to be a peaceful, relaxed, and playful mom.
• My goal - to make every day special and fun.
• Tactics - oh they range from the occasional day trip to the zoo to a simple game of baseball in the backyard. 
• Scorecard - are my boys smiling at the end of the day and can they tell me something fun or special about their day...and do they grow up embracing these qualities in themselves someday as a dad. 

This doesn't mean the entire day here is a party - much to the boy's dismay - but it does mean that each day I am much more focused on injecting the right amount of fun into it.  It also means I've adjusted when I work to make sure when I am with the boys I am focusing my attention just on them.

Recently Lily sent me a quote that I felt was worth sharing...think of this as you set your goals for your business, organization or for yourself.  Life is way too short to not have a plan to make it exactly the way you want it to be.

"Begin doing what you want to do now.  We are not living in eternity.  We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand-and melting like a snowflake." - Marie Benon Ray

Just Slightly Off: A New Vocabulary?

As I was pondering my blog post yesterday afternoon, my son interrupted my thoughts with one of his famous "slightly off" phrases.  This time it was, "I think I just saw a deer in the back yard...I can see his anchors."  My train of thought was completely derailed as a I reveled in his cuteness.

My youngest son is well known for inventing words of his own. And, being that he's my baby, I refuse to correct his quirky vocabulary. I chalk it up to personal creativity, and who couldn't use a little more of that! So, just for fun, I thought I'd share a few of his funniest words so you might enjoy them (or interject them into your own personal dictionary):

• Highnormous - You might recognize this word as a combination of huge & enormous.  Used in sentence: "Wow, look at that highnormous mess!"
• Lollipop- As in "You can work over here on the couch with me -- just use your lollipop" (aka laptop.) Classic!
• Out of Balance - More commonly referred to by most basketball fans as "out of bounds", at my house you are clearly out of "balance" once you step over the line.
• Bone Arrow - True, it bears a close resemblance to the traditional Bow & Arrow...but the visual of a "bone" arrow is just a little bit different.

I'd love to hear some of your favorite kid-inspired words. Who knows, maybe we have some future copy writers on our hands!  And even if we don't, maybe it will inspire us to think a little more creatively and make up something new of our own.