TED Talks and Finding Your "Enough"

Recently, I have been working out my mind a lot more than my body. Between the new job and every other two weeks of alone time while the boyfriend is away at work, I can't get enough... (hard to explain.. but from the demographic of my readers -- you have felt it) Just enough... 

That comment was one of the reasons I left my last marketing account manager position. And yet, here I am, feeling like there is too much out there that I want and need to know. I try to fulfill this void by being a book schizo. Seriously. I will be reading "Eating the Big Fish: How Challenger Brands Can Compete Against Brand Leaders" to "Truth and Beauty" to Harry Potter books to "Rework" all in one week. (Book recommendations blog coming soon.)

And then, last week at work, my company showed a "TED Talk." WTH is that...? Maybe I have been living under a rock, since everyone I have shared this with has heard of them, but this is my answer. Ideas worth spreading... insight, knowledge on all subjects, experiences, culture, you name it. Empowerment.



"As of May 2013, over 1,500 talks are available free online. By January 2009 they had been viewed 50 million times. In June 2011, the viewing figure stood at more than 500 million, and on Tuesday November 13, 2012, TED Talks had been watched one billion times worldwide, reflecting a still growing global audience." (Source: Wikipedia)

On the TED Talk website, there is a "New to TED? | 11 Classic Talks". I encourage you to join me in listening to these. My personal favorite so far "Malcolm Gladwell: Choice, happiness and spaghetti sauce." He's an incredible storyteller. 


With this wealth of knowledge at my fingertips, podcasts, and iPhone anywhere, I guess I don't have an excuse to not exercise my mind and my body... at the same time now :) I think I found a solution for my daily "enough." 

I would love feedback. What fulfills you? If you are a TED Talker, what's a talk that inspired you?

Until my next insomnia episode,

BabblingBrooke

iPhone Screen Cleaner That Never Leaves Your Phone

This morning a friend of mine was talking to me while wiping off her screen with this cute little sticker. "Wait," I said. "What is that?!"

Turns out a friend of hers owns Pristine Screens and makes these little square "screen wipes" that stick to the back of your phone or laptop.

The Pristine Screens cleaners do an excellent job of creating a "Pristine Screen" from dirt, smudges and fingerprints on all touch screen devices including iPhones, iPads, Droids and other digital devices.

The microfiber sticker also does an amazing job at removing makeup and oils from screens. One of the best parts is that the adhesive screen cleaners are all washable and reusable so they are always able to do an outstanding job at cleaning any of your screens. 

You can customize these with your logo or a QR Code, etc. I think this would be an awesome tchotchke for upcoming conferences, etc. (It's days like this where I miss tradition, big picture marketing...)

The company doesn't have videos up (big mistake for them, I think) but they have some visuals on how it works.

Until next time,
BabblingBrooke

My Serenity | Front Porch Facelift | Part 1

Everyone has their "go to" place to focus on their inner peace. For my boyfriend, it's a movie in the man cave. For my mom, it's on a bench in the front of the house reading a book. For my dad, it's out on the water with a fish on. For others it may be church, listening to music or cooking.

I have a new favorite spot to let my mind relax and quit the internal battle. I stop looking outward for solutions and focus my attention inward. This is tough to do -- so I must be in a spot that offers me serenity. This new spot happens to be my front porch. I have sounds of Sloan's Lake to the north, birds chirping in pine tree in the front yard, children laughing and playing a block down and the soft snore of my 12-year-old dog at my feet.

Yesterday I decided to give my new little spot a facelift. While not quite finished with my mini renovation, I wanted to share my finds of the weekend.

After a quick Craig's List purchase, I headed down to The Barn in Castle Rock, Colo.  Right behind it is The Emporium, which is very similar (although less cluttered). Both antique houses offer a number of different shops. I spent close to four hours looking around!

-New Chair, Foot Rest and Cushion
-Vintage Brass Side Table
-ADORABLE Owl Vase w/ Orange Flowers
-Pier 1 Candle Lantern
-Used Firefly Lights (from my storage)

This is the first phase of my DIY front porch. I am looking for ideas on how to be a little less "exposed" to the next four houses down. I'm thinking some type "see through" shades? I'm heading to Pinterest for additional ideas. Find me on Pinterest here: http://pinterest.com/bbloomfield/

I hope you find your "go to" place and make it the best it can be. Organization and focus will help get you to your inner peace. This will help heal, calm and clarify. Enjoy :)

Shoot me an email with DIY ideas!
-BabblingBrooke

Carnival Cruise Lost My Luggage -- Epic FAIL

Let's see how the customer service department handles this one... Emailed 4/17/13. 

Hello,

We just finished a cruise from New Orleans to Cozumel on Elation April 11th - 15th. 

Never got to even get in this pool! No swimsuit. @%$@!!!

We were in rooms E299 and E145, both charged to my mother, Nancy Bloomfield (copied on this email.) Hopefully you will see a note on the account showing that Carnival crew members lost my luggage and I didn't have so much as a swim suit the entire cruise. Thanks for the 20% off coupon to the gift shop -- which didn't sell a single swim suit. 

I was told that housecleaning looked in every room, in the closets and under the beds every day my bag was missing. There was a flier that was sent out, etc. Still no bag. Monday morning, while deboarding was in process, I stepped out of my room to grab a coffee before we left the ship and I walked by someone in line with MY BAG. I asked to see the tags and why he had it and he said there were three of them in the room and it was his friend's bag. While I don't think he intentionally stole the bag, I was irate. I grabbed my bag and wheeled it back to my room. His room number was U299. Right below mine. The whole time... 

I am thankful to have my bag back (no help from Carnival), BUT, I am pissed to say the least. If I wouldn't have walked out of my room RIGHT THEN, who knows if I ever would have gotten it back. I went four whole days with one pair of underwear and shorts. It ruined my trip. And in turn it put a damper on the other three ladies I was with. My bag was misdelivered, BY CARNIVAL and I was lied to about CARNIVAL EMPLOYEES looking for my bag on the ship. If I would have known no one was doing anything I would have knocked on every door myself-- but no, I was assured everyone was looking for it.

I had my bag for 15 minutes on the ship and wasn't even offered a free drink. I asked to use the internet to check my email since my email was on my luggage tag and they said they wouldn't want me to accrue any other charges!

Can you imagine going to a beach and not having a swimsuit? Seriously?

All that aside, I would like a list of all charges to both rooms so I can go over the charges with my mother, Nancy. I can't wait to put this experience behind me and never have to think about Carnival again! There should be a credit of $50/day at least on there- but I think the whole thing should be reimbursed in addition to the dress I had to buy just to attend the Captain's Dinner, and the internet charges since I was looking for any word on my bag. I get sick just thinking about it! 

Thank you,

Brooke Bloomfield

Positive accountability, is there such a thing?

Accountability. Most people cringe at the word. Defined as "subject to having to report, explain or justify responsibility" it's not not rainbows and ponies. It's a word that follows you throughout many different sectors of your life. It's not a job thing... or a home thing... It's a YOU thing. But, what most don't realize is that it doesn't have to be a bad thing.


During our monthly departmental meeting yesterday, we watched a webinar on The Oz Principles which is a must read for individuals who are compelled to improve their performance.  They refer to accountability in two ways; above the line and below the line.

If you are above the line, you ask "What more can I do?" whereas if you are below the line you think "There's no solution" and feel victimized and stressed. It's o.k. to be below the line, for a minute or two, but it's ineffective to live there. Everyone feels stress or needs to complain every once in awhile. But once you get it out of your system, move back up!

It's a personal choice to rise above ones circumstances and demonstrate the ownership necessary for achieving key results.

The Blame Game:

• ignore or deny
• finger pointing
• cover your ass
• wait and see mentality
• confusion
• not my job

People below the line stop playing to win and
start playing not to lose. 

Accountable people seek feedback. They see the bigger picture. Your employees are motivated by money. They are even more motivated by good leaders. But... they are most motivated by being part of a cause. 

I will continue to blog on additional information I learn. The Oz Principles seems to be a very powerful tool to continued positive development and building of winning teams and individuals.

-Brooke

Big changes are sometimes easier than you think.

Week 1, day 3 at Page 1 Solutions. After 7 1/2 years at Armada Medical Marketing, I made the leap and switched companies. Given that I was focusing most of my spare time learning more about search engine optimization (SEO), I reasoned I may as well be making money doing it! 

During my time at Armada Medical, I wore a lot of hats. I worked in every department but design (we are all thankful for that, trust me.) That job provided me with experience, the ability to build a reputation within the marketing world and give me the confidence that I needed to move on (and up).

Page 1 Solutions is a full-service SEO and internet marketing agency for for Attorneys & Lawyers, Dentists, Plastic Surgery and Ophthalmology. With my new position focusing more on client interactions and less focus on the project management, I will have around 35 clients instead of five. With 50 percent of my day at Armada Medical going to administrative work around keeping an account clean, active and healthy- I am not going to miss invoicing!

I'm excited for my new journey and know it will be a great new family.

-Brooke

Birchbox: Social liking turns into another social buy

Did you know women make or influence 85% of all buying decisions? But 91% of women say advertisers don't understand them? Unsurprisingly, I fit both statistics. I shop, like most women, a LOT - but I'm not making purchases based on print or broadcast advertisements. I buy things based on "social liking." Yes, Pinterest has ridiculously changed the way I shop, but I have also purchased multiple things based on friend's images on Instagram, recommendations on Facebook and even suggestions from my Twitter followers. 

Most recent social purchase example: Birchbox. Heard of it? I hadn't either, but an childhood friend posted a status update on Facebook about how excited she was to FINALLY get her Birchbox. Wait a second, I thought... why don't I know what Birchbox is? Especially if they are shipping up to her in ALASKA? That already tells me I am at least a year behind on this new trend. 

At a $10 spot a month, Birchbox sends you a small box with sample sizes of beauty products to give try before purchasing the full size. At an average of $40 a pop, we all know the feeling when we realize it makes your hair greasy, or doesn't work like it did when your hair stylist used it on you. 

I've only received February's little pink box, but with the ability to cancel at any time, I'm looking forward to a few more months of goodies. 

What's in this month's box?
Juicy Couture La La Perfume 
Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm
Beauty Protector Protect and Detangle

 

Only complaint... I wish there was more of it ;)

Questions about my first delivery? Already signed up, if so- what was in your Birchbox this month?
As always, thanks for reading- and happy shopping, ladies!
-Brooke

Thought of the day | What makes a place beautiful?

Make something beautiful today.

Throughout the last few years I have taken up DIY crafts, knitting and anything else to add beauty to our house. Beauty is something that comes from within, not just the granite counter tops. While I don't consider myself an artist, my creations define me. 

Make your space (whether it be your house or your office) beautiful by creating something and showcasing it. At work, it's a large poster with my favorite photo of my dog, Goose. At my house it may be a new framed image, plants I grew from a seed or a headboard made from scratch. Those are the things that make a house a home and a place beautiful.

What does beauty mean to you? Share your creations, definitions and photos with me :)
-BabblingBrooke

Babbling Brook(e)s

I chose the name BabblingBrooke for my blog about two years ago. It was one of those "AH HA!" moments. While I have been in the process of "branding" myself as BabblingBrooke, I am far from where I saw myself being two years ago. Unfortunately, just finding the name of the blog doesn't actually write the blog. :)

Let's breakdown the name, BabblingBrooke.

Babble:

To utter sounds imperfectly... not really what I was going for unless I am a bottle of wine deep...
To talk excessively... this is a little closer to my original idea.

Brooke:

Sir James... Also not what I was going for, but it is my name...!

After reactively researching the literal meaning, I found an excerpt in the book I'm reading, The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman.

It reads:
Two Basic Personality Types: Dead Sea and Babbling Brook
The Babbling Brook: For this personality, whatever enters into the eye gate, or the ear gate, comes out the mouth gate. And there are seldom 60 seconds between them. Whatever they see, whatever they hear, they tell. In fact, if no one is at home, they will call someone else. “Do you know what I saw? Do you know what I heard?” They have no reservoir.

Nailed it. I'm an active participant in my life and I tend to over share. I'm an intelligent, driven, type-A personality with a LOT to say. You all are here by choice, my mother can't say the same when I am calling every other hour to share a story. I appreciate your participation and readership. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I love typing to the world. wide. web.!

I'm back! But... bare with me.

No more excuses. Every day there is something I think to myself and say "That would be a great topic to blog about." And then... NOTHING. No blog. No writing. Just more ideas. So, as my New Year's resolution I have decided to redo my website and get back to writing. 

Practice makes perfect, and let's be honest- I'm out of writing shape (along with other out-of-shape references.) So please... stick with me. Read, comment and share. 

Four days passed the "30-day-get-your-butt-going time frame",
thanks for reading and here's to make more.

Brooke