Staying the Course.

NBC debuted Parks and Recreation last year to withering reviews. The audience--folks who dug The Office and 30 Rock--didn't tune in. It looked like the comedy was doomed, regardless of its premise and talent.

Then, a funny thing happened.

The network stuck. They gave a show with promise something rare and valuable: time.

Time for the writers to find their groove, time for the actors to find their rhythm and time for the critics to come around. Viewers affirmed NBC's wisdom: they began to watch.

It can be tempting to pull the plug on a failed experiment. Especially in an age of immediate gratification. But as Parks and Recreation reminds us, sometimes the experiment isn't failed--it just needs time to jell.

Keep that in mind during your when you launch your next ad campaign or kick off a PR effort or redo your website.

If all the other elements are in place, give your effort time to succeed. Tinker with it, sure.

But trust in its promise.

The Art of Non Conformity.

"Hope is a better message than fear or scarcity," says Chris Guillebeau, a self-described non-conformist, world traveler and writer.

His website, http://chrisguillebeau.com, is beyond cool in both look and content.

And his missions--to help people make unconventional choices, to visit every country in the world--really resonated with me.

Jewels and Dust.

Beautiful words--like these from the 12th century Persian poet Sa'di of Shiraz--stand the test of time because they speak truth.

Jewels and dust
If a gem falls into mud, it is still valuable.
If dust ascends to heaven, it remains valueless.

Market to Me.

I'm a single gal with no kids who has never visited Disneyland.

So why do they market to me? It's annoying.

I'm not their target--which they would know if they had studied my behavior and patterns--and never will be. They are wasting their money on prospecting me. I throw away and delete their stuff without ever opening it.

CVS, however, markets very smartly to me.

Every time I scan my CVS card, data about my purchasing habits is collected. They then use that data to email or mail me coupons of interest about products I am a good candidate for. Most recently, it was a topical analgesic.

I appreciate their slice-and-dice efforts. I always read what they send me because they have demonstrated they know who I am.

All customers are not alike. One size doesn't fit all. Ask yourself if you are using your data and marketing in the best way to solidify relationships with your current clients and win new ones.

If you aren't, make a change.

We'll all be better for it.

Crazy Heart. Crazy Good Writing.

Actor Jeff Bridges has already won a Critics Choice award for the role of Bad Blake in Crazy Heart and may well nabe the Golden Globe, SAG and Oscar.  I saw the film today.  His role is a tour de force of poetic power.

In Entertainment Weekly, movie critic Leah Greenblatt writes with her own knockout poetry:  

"Bridges croons of wrong turns and ruin in a whiskeyed road-warrior warble; he's a man who's used up his second, third and fourth chances."

Paints a hell of a picture, right?

Her review made me want to see the movie. 

Which is exactly what impactful words can do:  move people to action.

Beauty in Bhutan.

In the February issue of InStyle magazine, supermodel Christie Brinkley discusses furrnishing her home with souvenirs from her many travels, including paper lanterns from Bhutan.

So it was the toothy blonde that I met on a hiking trail in Paro in 2008.

Visit my travel website to learn more about this incredible country and read about my run-in with the friendly Ms. Brinkley at:  http://www.wanderwomanonline.com/stories.htm.

Think Like a Marketer.

That's the name of a new book written by Houston-based consultant Lauren Sonnier.

This easy read has practical advice on how entrepreneurs can ramp up marketing opportunities--"stirring the pot"  as she calls it.

Whether you are a novice or a veteran who's lost her marketing mojo, you will pick up useful tips to kick-start your year.

Use 'Em This Year!

Here's 2010's first short list of my favorite underused words.  Google 'em, then dazzle your friends by using them in casual conversation!

Strident
Feral
Gormless
Sanguine
Peckish
Porcine

Cold Enough For You?

Brrr. 

Atlanta has been plunged into the mid-teens for the past week.  The rest of the country is also shivering. And more frigid weather is forecast. 

Indoor pursuits are in order. Movies are always at the top of my list.

The Atlanta Jewish Film Festival doesn't bow for a week, but planning ahead--from the warmth of your home--provides the kind of distraction we need in this unseasonably cold season.

http://www.ajff.org/.

Is Morning Stress a Myth?

Did you know that before the invention of the lightbulb the average person slept 10 hours a night?

Damn that Edison!

I am, by nature, a night owl, like many creative types.  Living in an early-bird culture.

But I recently read that the stress hormone cortisol peaks around 7 a.m.  Is that why my blood boils when I have to rise early and leave my warm bed?   Is that an excuse to grab some more Zs?

Regardless, I was up early(ish) to great the New Year and New Decade. 

And I'm not the least bit angry about it.