Colorful Thoughts - Be Aware

Have you ever noticed yourself gravitating to certain colors depending on your mood? Do you find yourself wearing colors not knowing really why? Maybe you wear pink, but pink isn't your color or doesn't fit your image. Here are some quick definitions behind colors and what your unconscious mind is telling you:

RED: Passion, very active, (deep red) over active, (dull red) burned out, ( bright red) sexy, leadership, love of sports, challenge, courage, practical, desire for possessions, sense of adventure, and a survival instinct. You are very active and 'on the go'. You like a challenge, are a force of will, hard worker, like to achieve results and success. You do not punch a time clock, and will work till you drop.

ORANGE: Creativity, confidence, ambition, originality, sociability, openness, intuition, independence, expression, ability to solve problems and work without supervision. You think while you act. You enjoy your sexuality. You love adventure, excitement and intrigue. You are independent and not emotionally needy.

YELLOW: Spontaneous, intellect, happy, and cheerful. A sense of humor, confident, optimistic, with a warm smile are typical.You have the ability to brighten the lives of those around you. You bring warmth, originality and exhilaration. You are playful, fun loving, humorous, and somewhat childlike. You pay attention to details, organization and are disciplined!

GREEN: Healing, teaching, caring, high self-esteem, tenacity, money, harmony, balance, and growth.
A rich dark green is abundance, prosperity and wealth. Greens (bright) are driven to be successful and often own their own business, are goal-oriented and make lists (check them off as they complete a goal). You need to be in control. Family matters and parenting are important to you. Medical professionals and people involved in the healing arts of any kind often have wear greens.

BLUE: Communication, loyalty, good listener, contentment, peaceful, caretaker, calmness, patience, sensitive, honest, empathic, generous, warmhearted, and often times spiritual. Blue indicates a depth of feeling; love, truth, trust, dedication, tranquility, tenderness and affection. You convey wisdom, and are reliable. A good talker!

AQUA: A need to be recognized, sensitive, vulnerable, responsive, stress and anxiety.
Music may play an important part in your life.

VIOLET: Spiritual, mystical, looks for magical solutions, visionaries, always see the big picture, search for the truth, questioning, take everything at face value, tends to be intuitive, and unconventional. You tend to live in a world of fantasy and love to daydream. Things come to you without pushing, what you want and need come to you as if by unexplained. You do not have to push to get what you want.

MAGENTA: Nonconformists, innovated, strong-willed, inventive, imaginative, artistic, resourceful, productive, creative and has an agile mind. You are bright and determined about things you regard as important. You are a great manipulator as well as actor. You tap dance to your own tune!

PINK: Shows a purity of intention, strong sense of companionship, cleanness, love of art and beauty, and shows vitality.

BLACK: A protective cloak shielding yourself from outside energies and keeping yourself centered or focused while putting matters in the proper perspective. Focus.

WHITE: Highly motivated, bright, ability to see 'the big picture', a chameleon, money is not always the object of your life, great wisdom. You are a avid reader and enjoy television, movies, and the theatre.

Classic Romance

The illusion of black lace draped over a women's body gathers a second glance, if not more. This holiday season rekindle your romance or start a new one with one of these figure flattering dresses:

(Nicole Miller, Victoria's Secret, Boston Proper)

Rock In the New Year

This New Year's look at the many glam rocker chic options available to create your own Rockin' Outfit. New Year's Eve has many of us thinking of what bit of sparkle can be added to our outfit. Many of the new studded clothing options give this sparkle in a mysterious way.

(Lucky Brand Leather Cuff, MICHAEL by Michael Kors Stud Dress, Collin Stuart Bootie or Rock & Republic Romy Sandels)

Dazzle Everyone this Holiday Season

Tis the season to turn your inner sparkle inside out. This year there are plenty of options to dazzle the world around you with sequins, rhinestones and beading.

Beautifully embellished dresses and sweaters are a wonderful option for holiday events. (Aidan Mattox Dress - Nordstroms; Sweater - Boston Proper)

Try a sequin patterned mini skirt and mesh long sleeve sweater w/tank or sequin and bead/sequin tank with jeans for a casual look from Express.

If you are looking for a more subtle option, try accenting your outfit with a necklace, scarf, pair of shoes or purse.

Coat Yourself in Style

With the temperatures dropping, Designers are showcasing their latest twist on making winter coats fashionable. Several key design themes are surfacing:

Plaid (Miss Sixty, L.A.M.B.)

Large Collars (Rebecca Taylor, Calvin Klein)

Military (Guess)

No matter what style of coat you choose, don't forget the accessories! (Scarf, hat, gloves, boots and a fab bag to finish the look.)

Fall Warmth

Fall and warmth are not the first two words people would instantly put together. However, every year we look forward to the warmth and familiarity the fall season brings. We know in fashion a varied range of reds, greens, purples, navy blues, browns, golden yellows and oranges will pop up in all the latest fashions. Not to mention several plaid assembles. Warm sweaters and wraps in a new edgy twist or flash back to a previous era will be walking their way into our closets.

Here are some of this seasons must haves: Victorias Secret purple wrap sweater, Plaid vest with strong collar from Nordstroms, Lipstick Red dress from Michael Kors, and Stuart Weitzman 'Safetybelt' Bootie in royal blue with purple accents

Cruising On

There is nothing like watching humanity brought together by machines to celebrate diversity and commonality. This weeks Woodward Dream cruise is hard to describe in words beyond wonderful! Individuals bring unique rides that are custom build one of a kind.

Some come in car club groups showing vested interest in a brand and vehicle model. Then they are all mixed together and the blend makes for unforgettable memories. Even creating the start of future memories.

I heard this weekend young children and kids at heart talk about what vehicles they hope to own someday. I remember being one those dreamers and I've been lucky to have been able to drive down the road of life in some of the most incredible dream vehicles. Living our dreams is one thing, remembering where our dreams came from and the path it took to get there is something people should never forget.

10 Great Work Tips

No one knows better about making it big than Cathie Black, president of Hearst Magazines — Cosmo’s publisher.

Basic Black: The Essential Guide for Getting Ahead at Work (and in Life)

1. Playing It Safe Can Backfire
Most people see taking risks as opening themselves up to unnecessary, maybe even dangerous chances. But the truth is, avoiding risks won’t keep you safe, nor will it guarantee a smooth ride at work or in life.

In fact, the opposite is often true. It’s like the monkey parable: A monkey sees a nut in a hole and reaches in to grab it. Once he’s closed his fist around it, he can’t get his hand back out of the narrow opening. Now he’s stuck. He can’t free himself unless he lets go of the nut, but because he’s afraid to lose it, he won’t let go.

Trying to avoid risks is like clinging to that nut. You may think you’re playing it safe by holding on to what you have, but in reality, you’re just hindering your own progress.

2. Failing = Success
The consequences of failure — just like the potential consequences of taking risks — are almost never as terrible as they seem. Just about anyone you can think of who’s a huge success has overcome failure to get where they are today — think of Michael Jordan, who was cut from his high school team, or J.K. Rowling, who was turned down by a number of publishers before one decided to take a chance on her manuscript about a young wizard named Harry Potter.

3. Heed the Two-Step Rule
Anyone can go the extra mile. Try to make a habit of taking the next step or two beyond what you’ve been asked to do.

A couple years ago, an article in one of Hearst’s magazines, House Beautiful, misidentified the legendary Estée Lauder chairman, Leonard Lauder.

Argh! It was an innocent mistake but an incredibly stupid one, and once I was told about it, I knew we needed to fess up immediately. It was a Friday before a holiday weekend. I got on the phone to Leonard’s office and learned from his assistant that he and his wife, Evelyn, were traveling in France. Hearing my desperation, the assistant gave me the number of his hotel in Paris.

“Leonard, I’m sorry,” I said. “And most of all, I’m embarrassed.” Leonard laughed and told me all was forgiven. And as he later told an interviewer for a magazine article profiling me, he was pleased I’d gone to the trouble of tracking him down to apologize.

4. Give Up Control...
Sometimes In any office environment, there are many factors you can’t control — the trickiest of which are often interpersonal. People get on each other’s nerves, step on each other’s toes, vie for each other’s jobs, and sometimes, at the other end of the spectrum, get inappropriately involved with each other. At one point much earlier in my career, I had a boss who was having an affair with a subordinate of his, an awkward situation that made all our lives more complicated. It would have been easy to get upset about the situation, but to what end? The only thing you can do is accept what you can’t change and work around it. That allows you to have a modicum of power over it.

5. Show Your Ignorance
The act of asking is one of the most important elements of success. All too often, people fear that asking questions reveals ignorance, yet the opposite is true. The root of the word ignorance,after all, is ignore. The minute you ask about something, you’ve taken a step toward understanding it. On the other hand, if you just ignore the fact that you don’t know, believe me, you won’t get away with that for long.

6. If You Think You Know the Answer, Check Again
There’s an old saying among journalists: “If your mother says she loves you, check it.” And in fact, you can be sure that the minute you take something for granted, it won’t be what you thought it was.

Take my name, for example. When I was in junior high, a skinny, awkward preteen with big dreams, I decided I wanted to be different. So one day, I changed the spelling of my name from Cathy to Cathie. Silly, I know...but what can I say?

I can’t tell you how many times over the years I’ve received letters addressed to Cathy Black or Kathy Black or Kathleen Black. It seems like a little deal, but it’s a big deal to me...and it’s the quickest way to lower my opinion of the letter writer.

7. Sometimes You Have to Boss Your Boss
When I watched the movie The Devil Wears Prada, one scene that stuck in my head was when the assistant, Andy, stood behind her boss Miranda’s shoulder at a party, whispering the names of guests as they approached. Smooth as satin, Miranda greeted each person, coming off as an attentive and caring hostess rather than the frosty, bored snob she really was. There’s no quicker, easier way to earn your boss’s respect and gratitude than helping her look good.

8. Have a No-Surprises Policy
Never surprise your boss. If you have bad news, tell it. If you have good news, share it. For one thing, no one likes to feel out of the loop. And for another, hiding a crisis from someone who needs to know virtually guarantees the problem will be compounded. Think of your boss as a small woodland animal — make no startling moves or strange gestures. Do the work to make things easy on him or her.

9. Be a Little Naughty
Rule breaking is an underappreciated and underutilized skill. If you look at any list of highly successful people, it’s invariably populated with rule breakers — from college dropouts like Bill Gates to female trailblazers like eBay’s Meg Whitman to Internet wunderkinds like Google cofounders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who refused to believe that a little startup couldn’t take on the biggest, richest companies in cyberspace. All these people trusted their ideas and themselves enough to know which rules they could break. You can do the same.

10. It’s Not PC, But Looks Count
The way you present yourself makes a huge difference in how people perceive you, and not just in a superficial way. People make judgments about your abilities, self-confidence, and savvy based in part on what you choose to wear and how you choose to carry yourself.

When I was just out of college and looking for my first job, I wrangled an interview at Condé Nast, then one of the biggest magazine-publishing companies in New York. I dressed in a nice, conservative suit and felt pretty good about how I looked — right up to the moment I stepped into the elevator at the Condé Nast building.

I immediately felt the penetrating gazes of half a dozen fashionably dressed young women as they looked me up and down, several of them clutching their Louis Vuitton bags. Suddenly, I felt like a complete hayseed. I couldn’t help but be self-conscious — exactly the opposite of how you want to feel going into an interview — and all because I hadn’t given enough thought that morning to how I should dress. The experience taught me a lesson I never forgot.

Your Burning Work Questions Answered
Here, Cathie Black lends career-related advice to a few of our readers.

Q: I recently landed my first job. Now I’m looking toward my first promotion. When can I expect to move from entry level to midlevel? —Kathleen, 22

A: Wait a minute! How about concentrating on doing the job you were hired to do and making sure that you are doing it really, really well? Ambition and drive are very important attributes, but experience is also essential. Have a conversation with your boss about her goals for you. When you have achieved the goals you have both agreed upon, have another meeting with your boss, and express your desire to grow within the company.

Q: I work with a lot of men. I wear skirts often but find stockings to be uncomfortable. Is it appropriate to go without them? —Christine, 31

A: It depends on what is acceptable in your industry. For example, bare legs may be de rigueur in the worlds of fashion, beauty, advertising, and publishing, but at a very formal law firm, they could be seen as inappropriate. You never want to feel uncomfortable or make anyone else uncomfortable with your appearance at work, so look around. If your coworkers skip the stockings, you can too. If they wear them religiously, toe the line or invest in a fabulous pants suit!

Q: I just started working at a new job in a laid-back place and noticed that a lot of my coworkers listen to their iPods while they do their work. Is it okay for me to do this if other people are? —Megan, 19

A: It is always a good idea to take cues from colleagues if it is clear that their behavior is acceptable to management. Some people find it easier to concentrate if outside “office noise” is blocked by listening to an iPod. Personally, I would encourage you not to work with earphones. If you are in the early stages of your career, it is important to keep your eyes — and ears — open to everything. You’ll be surprised at how much you can learn just by being alert and engaged by the world around you.

Q: I’m content in my job, but I feel like I could probably be doing more to be successful. What’s the best way to really shine? —Jessica, 31

A: When you start off your question with “I’m content,” it makes me think you are possibly becoming complacent in your work. Are you bored? If so, then it is time to reassess your goals. But if you feel that you still have more to contribute and if you are still engaged and happy at your current company, rather than looking for opportunities elsewhere, I recommend a conversation with your boss and the HR department to map out a plan for your future growth.

10 Networking Tips

Keep in mind that networking is about being genuine and authentic, building trust and relationships, and seeing how you can help others.

Ask yourself what your goals are in participating in networking meetings so that you will pick groups that will help you get what you are looking for. Some meetings are based more on learning, making contacts, and/or volunteering rather than on strictly making business connections.

Visit as many groups as possible that spark your interest. Notice the tone and attitude of the group. Do the people sound supportive of one another? Does the leadership appear competent? Many groups will allow you to visit two times before joining.

Hold volunteer positions in organizations. This is a great way to stay visible and give back to groups that have helped you.

Ask open-ended questions in networking conversations. This means questions that ask who, what, where, when, and how as opposed to those that can be answered with a simple yes or no. This form of questioning opens up the discussion and shows listeners that you are interested in them.

Become known as a powerful resource for others. When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions, ideas, names of other people, etc. This keeps you visible to them.

Have a clear understanding of what you do and why, for whom, and what makes your doing it special or different from others doing the same thing. In order to get referrals, you must first have a clear understanding of what you do that you can easily articulate to others.

Be able to articulate what you are looking for and how others may help you. Too often people in conversations ask, "How may I help you?" and no immediate answer comes to mind.

Follow through quickly and efficiently on referrals you are given.When people give you referrals, your actions are a reflection on them. Respect and honor that and your referrals will grow.

Call those you meet who may benefit from what you do and vice versa. Express that you enjoyed meeting them, and ask if you could get together and share ideas.

ANOTHER HELPFUL ARTICLE: "HOW TO NETWORK FOR SHY PEOPLE"

The Greatest Gift of Movie Theaters

It was Thursday night, a week after the premier of Sex and The City 2. Why not make it a ladies night out? So we gathered 2 hours prior to the showtime to buy tickets and had some pre-movie girl time at some local restaurants. We were advised by the ticket attendant the movie was a few tickets from being sold out (it is 2 hours before showtime), so arrive early for good seats.

Heeding the warning, we arrived a half-hour early to one set of enough seats in a row to fit our group before having to sit in the neck breaking floor rows. There was not a seat left by the beginning of pre-views, only 4 men. You couldn't even hear the pre-views. Then there was a loud woman who stood up and shouted, "Shut-up!" The movie started a moment later in silence. However, this didn't last long. In unison women...ohh...awe...laughed...gasped... Now everyone was part of the movie experience.

The next 2 1/2 hours you could feel bonding of women of all ages and races seated in the theater. Afterwards women were in huddles out side the door talking about the movie and passing on smiles to those who wandered by. Even giving out compliments to women who chose to dress up for the movie. Overall a great vibe.

Nothing can duplicate the feelings created by a gathering of people at a venue. Until someone develops an in home crowd response as background noise to a movie through a separate speaker system, movie theaters are here to stay.

Are You LinkedIn?

Part of doing business has always been building relationships. Ultimately a personal human relationship with contacts letters and computers couldn't provide. They still can't at all levels, but online video conferencing and social media outlets have helped.

Most people are now using LinkedIn as their professional Rolodex and Facebox as their personal Rolodex. Allowing the system to give them updates on what their contacts posted actions are. And if this isn't enough, Twitter helps bridge the time gap to give instant updates. The world wide web has now allowed us to reconnect or develop connections a few years ago took several phone calls, coffees...etc. to get what is now developed in matter of minutes.

However, when developing your connections are you truly connecting with people or developing your own spider web design? If so, what web design have you created and what can in provide for contacts? In LinkedIn have you made an effort to support your contacts through recommendations or introduction to synergistic contacts?

Over the next several years the tracking of introductions, recommendations and posted comment click throughs will give some great data on the top influencers and connectors. Plus, what they do and what jobs they succeed in. I bet Stanley Milgram would have loved to see it all in action.

The Leader Within

Yesterday I had the pleasure of listening to Charlene Bagley talk about her career at General Electric and some of life influences who have helped shape whom she has become. From being a young student encouraged by a teacher to taking the advise of a fellow students parents while in college. Something about a person could develop a great career at GE. (I bet her fellow student wish they would have listened! ) However, all this mixed with an internal drive of never stop learning from her surroundings truly has made Charlene a real success. Here are a few things to think about to enhance your leadership skills:

• Listen to people (learn to listen not hear)
• Ask questions and constantly try to learn about what is happening in the world around you
• Make decisions (know when to stopping gathering data)
• Don't be afraid to fail
• Look beyond your area and understand the overall company objectives
• In negotiations know how to give, you don't have to have everything your way
• Follow-up with people and keep connected
• Know your weaknesses and learn how to address them

You never know when you may be making a difference in those you touch, so always try to give them your full attention in that moment. We were lucky to have an hour of Charlene's busy day. She gave the group her undivided attention, when I'm sure her blackberry was on constant buzz. However, she was doing her part to help inspire and give back to the leader within each person in the room.

Love Thy State

Green is in the air. Every where you go in Michigan right now the grass is turning a lush green, leaves are almost at their full and the smell of fresh foliage is wafting through the air. Spring is the start of some of the best out door events around.

During my many years of traveling and living in Michigan I have become quite the avid event goer. At one point going to 4-5 events in a weekend in different villages, towns and cities. Here are some of my favorite Spring Events: (Check out mfea.org for all monthly events)

April 28 - May 08, 2010 Holland Tulip Festival

May 13-16, 2010 Boyne City MorelFest (Mushroom Lovers)

May 14, 2010 Suite Dreams Project shoetine @ Townsend, Birmingham

May 16, 2010 Eastern Market Detroit Flower Day

May 19, 2010 Polish The Jewel Fundraiser on Belle Isle (Ladies Hat Luncheon)

May 29-30, 2010 Alma Highland Games (Brings out the Scottish in everyone)

Not only are most of these events fun, but some also give back to those in the community.

Get out and enjoy Michigan!

Spring Fling

Birds are singing, leaves are popping and floating in the air is the smell of spring flowers. People are starting to migrate out of their houses and adventure into streets, woods and water. Not in the means of getting somewhere, but to enjoy the transformations of the nature around them.

When was the last time you took a moment to take the energy given by spring to renew yourself? Give yourself a Spring Fling. Rediscover "You". Here are some questions to think about:

• Mind: How are you expanding your mind? (Meditation, Reading, Games, Detox from computers...)
• Body: How are you showing your body you love it? (Exercise, Diet, Wardrobe, Hair, Make-up)
• Soul: What are you doing to fill your heart? (Giving, Volunteering, Introducing Friends - my fav...)

Take a lesson from mother nature and create your own personal "Spring Fling". It is always worth a moment to re fall in love with yourself to open your mind to others.

Lost in Translation

More automotive imports are coming to the US market in the next several years, but do they have what it takes to make it in the sometimes fickle US market place? Having been on a brand team which switched from domestic products to shared European products was a eye opening experience on what is needed to succeed in today's automotive market place.

First is BRAND IMAGE -

The brands whom have been consistent and successful are those whom don't vary too far from their heritage/european feel. BMW, Mini Cooper, Audi, Ferrari, Saab and Lamborghini are a few whom instantly pop into mind. Not only do they make minor tweaks to their brand image in the US they even use shared content from events. People are buying what the brand stands for and what image it portrays.

BMW - German engineering, edgy, fashion forward and refined luxury

Mini Cooper - English, fun, personalized and witty with a sense of adventure performance

Audi - German, artfully executed, stylized performance and technologically advanced

Ferrari - Italian, sculpted, raw power and sexy

Saab - Swedish, made from jets and fun to drive with unique consistent design cues (center console ignition, flip out cup holder, body design...etc)

Lamborghini - Italian, edgy, high end fashion, performance and sensuous

Second (but not least important) is the PRODUCT CONTENT -

Most companies with multiple brands or who want to use shared platform between Europe and US forget about the little things which make US buyers different. Here are items you must have to thrive in the US market: (order of ranking)

- US Digital Clock Display (not military time)

- Armrest (preferably installed at port if not part of the standard vehicle design)

- Cup holders (more than one and fits American sized beverages)

- Navigation Option

- iPod connection

- Performance Options that are available in Europe (Tuning market is big in US, especially in small hatch back vehicles)

- Bluetooth

- Vehicle Accessories for personalization (wheel flares, wheels, air intake, exhaust kits, spoiler, hood scoop, booster, extensions...you get the idea)

Most consumers do not know the government specifications for the US are different from Europe and impact the chassis, rear and front fascia design. They also don't care. If you are truly making the leap to bringing your brand and vehicles across the pond, they need to emulate what we would see and experience while in Europe.

It is easy being Green!

April 22 is just around the corner. What is it? Earth Day! A day to celebrate the many things the planet gives us and for us to return the favor by giving back.

In the past, most people associated Earth Day to a day where people around the planet planted trees to give back to the environment. Each year Earth Day keeps providing more awareness to people about their impact on natural surroundings. This year think about some of the simple items you can do to lower your foot print on the nature around you.

Here are some easy green design tips provided by National Resource Defense Council:

1. Decorate with Plants

Plants can act as natural air filters, removing harmful chemicals like benzene and carbon monoxide from the indoor air. And they look great too, giving your home a more natural and vibrant feel. The best plants for improving indoor air quality include the peace lily, bamboo palm and gerbera daisy.

2. Maximize Daylight

Maximizing daylight -- through skylights, open shades, and south-facing windows -- substitutes electrical lighting with the natural light of the sun, saving money and preventing the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gasses.

3. Use Energy Efficient Lighting

Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs use a third of the energy of regular incandescent bulbs and last up to ten times longer. Replacing a traditional incandescent bulb with a CFL can save you more than $30 over the lifetime of the bulb and prevent the emission of air pollutants and greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming. Look for the Energy Starlabel.

4. Choose FSC Wood Products

Much of the wood that we buy comes from unsustainable operations in endangered forests, including the Canadian Boreal, Cumberland Plateau, and the rainforests of Borneo. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is the only credible international certification organization for sustainably harvested wood and wood products. Look for the FSC label.

5. Select Efficient Windows

Windows are a significant source of heat loss in the winter and unwanted heat in the summer. Energy-efficient windows are lined with special coatings that reflect heat and provide superior insulation, keeping your home warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Efficient windows save money on reduced heating and cooling bills and prevent the emission of greenhouse gases. Look for the Energy Star label.

6. Opt for Low VOC Products

Many common household products, including paints, carpets and furniture, emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can be harmful to human health. When buying these products, look for those with a low VOC content.

7. Buy Locally

Locally produced products travel fewer miles to their end destination, resulting in less air and global warming pollution from transportation.