2011 Yuletide Tips For Holiday Safety

This holiday season “Don’t Let The Grinch Take An Inch”. The Durham Police Department Crime Prevention Unitoffers simple safety strategies that could lessen, or even eliminate, the opportunity for a crime to occur.

Whether in town or travelling, in general be aware of your surroundings at all times,be alert to suspicious people and vehicles, and avoid dangerous situations.

If You Are Travelling…

• • Before your trip copy all credit cards, airline tickets, passports and important documents ‐ front and back.
• • Jewelry, luggage and all valuables should be photographed prior to trip.
• • Inform your Neighborhood Watch block captain and/or a reliable neighbor of your travel schedule.
• • Remember to stop delivery of your newspaper and mail.

Home Security

• • Utilizing good dead bolt locks can deter a forced entry into a residence. Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows when you leave home, even if it’s just for a few minutes.
• • Don’t display gifts where they can be seen from the outside. Consider breaking boxes down and transporting to the recycle station instead of setting them at the curb.
• • Conduct a holiday inventory. Take photographs or make videos of items and list descriptions and serial numbers. Keep photos/video in a secure place for future reference. If your home is burglarized, having a detailed inventory can help identify stolen items and make insurance claims easier to file. Make sure items like TVs, DVDs, DVD players, stereo equipment, cameras, camcorders, sports equipment, jewelry, silver, computers, home office equipment and power tools are on the list.
• • If you are at home and you hear someone breaking into your residence, leave the residence as quickly as possible. If you cannot leave, lock yourself in a room with a phone and call the police.
• • When you leave home, use at least two timers for turning on lights within the residence. Also turn on a radio or a television. This will give the appearance that the home is occupied.
• • Upon your return, if something looks questionable such as a slit screen, a broken window or an open door, do not go in. Call the police from a neighbor’s house or cell phone.

• • Report any suspicious activity to 9‐1‐1 immediately. When in doubt, call 9‐1‐1 !

• • Neighbors watching out for each other can deter criminal activity in a neighborhood. Consider starting a neighborhood tradition by looking in on neighbors and reaching out in the spirit of the season by helping someone less fortunate or lonely.

Motor Vehicle Safety

• • Never leave your vehicle running and unattended. Also, do not leave a spare key inside the vehicle.
• • Do not leave valuables such as laptop computers, cellular phones and chargers, cash, loose change, radar detectors, detachable stereo covers, GPS, Palm Pilots, CDs, and sports equipment in view.
• • Keep a record of all your serial numbers for stereo equipment, amplifiers, and other personal items.
• • If you choose to drink alcohol at a party, DO NOT drink and drive.
• • Do not create or send text messages while driving.

When Shopping…

• • Park in well‐lit areas. Be sure to lock the car and to close all windows.
• • Carry wallets in front pockets and purses close to your body. Consider carrying your wallet inside of a coat or pants pocket to deter purse‐snatchers.
• • Avoid carrying large amounts of cash; pay with a check or a credit card. Make sure that only one receipt is printed and that only the last four digits of your card are visible on the receipt.
• • When returning to your vehicle (or home), have your keys in your hand ready to open the door.
• • Do not store packages in plain view in your car.
• • If you take packages to the car, but plan to return to the store/mall, drive to a new location. Criminals can be on the lookout for unsuspecting shoppers who simply drop their purchases into the trunk and then return to shopping.
• • Most vehicles are equipped with factory car alarms. If you become startled or are approached in a suspicious manner, push your vehicle’s panic alarm or the horn button on your key fob.
• • When shopping with children, teach them to go to the store clerk, information center or security guard if you get separated.
• • It’s always best to have a second adult when shopping with small children. They can watch your surroundings when loading children into safety seats.
• • Be careful of people who rush you into signing anything – a contract or sales agreement. Read it carefully and consult someone you trust for a second opinion.
• • Be cautious of persons claiming to represent companies, consumer organizations, or government agencies that offer to recover lost money from fraudulent telemarketers for a fee.

Protect Yourself on the Internet

• • Shop with reputable companies. When ordering from a new company, request a catalog and have it sent to your residence.
• • Protect your personal financial information by using a secure browser — one that can encrypt or scramble credit numbers or other personal data. Consider using the company’s 800 number or using a check or money order to pay for your purchase. Always print out a copy of your order and confirmation number for your records.
• • Think security! Be leery of persons asking for your password or social security information.
• • A con artist’s website can look just as professional as a legitimate company’s. Always know who you are dealing with.

 Mitzi Anthony is the Marketing Rep for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact her directly mitzi@choicetitle.com    

 http://twitter.com/choicetitle  

 Her weekly Blog can be found here.

It’s been ten years now and some of those memories and emotions have faded. There are some that I think we should hold on to, forever.

I used to call my sisters and brothers every once in a while, when I thought of it (my parents have been gone a long time). Since 9-11 I’ve made it a point to call them every two weeks. It has made a huge difference in our relationship. Same thing with my children and grandchildren, I make the effort to speak/email/text at least weekly. I always tell them I love them and if I can get my hands on them they’ll either be hugged or kissed! (The boys HATE kisses right now, LOL!). Thank goodness for FaceBook, it’s allowed my whole family to reconnect.

I know what you’re thinking….this is all a one way street. Shouldn’t they be calling or hugging? Well, yes, I suppose so, but the most important thing I learned ten years ago is they can disappear in a heartbeat. Not that I didn’t understand that in some rather abstract way prior to then, but that day brought it home in a most profound manner. I don’t want to wake up some day, having lost someone I neglected or took for granted, when I could have taken a MOMENT to reach out to them. I’m not talking about long diatribes or being paranoid, just reaching out. Tell your kids you love them as they jump out of the car at school, or as you send them out the door to the bus. Maybe a note in their lunch bag or in your husband’s coat pocket. Call your friend just to touch base or say you’re sorry, especially if you’re sorry.

So here’s the point of all this, don’t let daily life get in the way of letting those closest to you know you care. Family or friends, just a note or a call, maybe a quick text, it doesn’t take much and can make a profound difference is someone’s life.

Mitzi Anthony is the Marketing Rep for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact her directly mitzi@choicetitle.com  

 http://twitter.com/choicetitle

 Her weekly Blog can be found here.

Want to be Successful in 2011, DON’T SET GOALS

The dreaded Goal Setting Blog and assignment, My marketing reps hate it. They hate trying to be specific, they hate justifying time spent in the office, when they could be out drumming up business, they hate giving themselves rewards for meeting goals, they hate sitting still to be honest. Come to think of it, I’m not fond of it either. I always feel like setting a goal is like selling myself short, what if I can do more. If I write down, “go out and get 10 contracts by Friday”, I could get it done, but what if there were 15 out there and I just left 5 on the table, who’d I help there? I see articles where Goals should be attainable, “Who says?” is there a real negative to not reaching every goal? Don’t tell me to reach for the sky when there are foot steps on the moon, the sky isn’t enough for me (I totally stole that from someone else). The other problem is Goals seem to Fade, looking at last years goals January, and February were strong, in March we waned a little, by April Goals got replaced with mere suggestions and by May we were flying by the seat of our pants. Is it any wonder that by the end of the year we are all just reacting to what is happing around us? If Goals for an entire year are going to work we have to shorten the year to 6 months instead of 12, but I don’t even know who to talk to about that.

I think part of the problem is we have complicated Goal Setting, Heck there is an entire goal setting industry out there, if you google “Goal Setting 2011” the first 3 pages are companies who want to charge you to set your own goals. What if one of your goals was to save money, the first thing you would have to do is fire you newly hired official goal setter, and now you’re back to square one. I had an employee a few years back who had to set a goal AND reward for everything. He would write it down the day before for the next day, “January 3, 2011 Goal # 1 – Get out of bed; Reward – say nice things to yourself in the mirror “, Geesh, I can only imagine the look on my Grandfather’s face if you even suggested something like that.

A quick search through the World Wide Web shows that to reach your Goals you need to be S.M.A.R.T (Because goals should be Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Something that starts with R, and Trackable) also you need a M.A.P. to reach your goals (I couldn’t find what MAP stands for, It cost $299). It would seem to me that in today’s feel good, P.C. , need to be Fluffy and Happy Right Now society, goals are as individual as each of us, just like lovely little snow flakes, unique, special and wonderful. Blah Blah, gag me. Look, it takes work, it takes planning, and to be successful at anything you need be able to say, “Get up stupid, you picked the wrong Lotto numbers again, let’s make something happen… today”. Unless of course you picked the right lotto numbers, then stay in bed, and think about what color your Maserati is going to be. And remember I saved you $299, I am partial to Red.

So we figured out Goals don’t work, they’re too complicated and even if we write them down, in 4 months we will have covered them in bills, and Calvin and Hobbs Comic strips about setting goals. On the other hand, we can’t just do nothing, and wait for NBC to announce that everyone gets to be successful this year. So what DOES work? What if we break down Goals? What if we allow them to change throughout the year? What if we don’t focus on getting to an end result but focus on the stops it takes to get there?

Consider Objectives

                Don’t take this the wrong way I do know people who make goals, write them down, and reach them, but for the most part these people are already driven, already organized and have experienced success with Goal Setting in the past. So if it works, by all means continue, this Blog is for the rest of us. The ones who dream more than execute. The ones who think a pile of papers on the corner of the desk is organized as long as it is stacked in according to the color of the paper. You know, NORMAL PEOPLE.

            For the most part I feel Goals tend to 1: Limit, 2: Set people up for failure, 3: They tend to be what a person thinks they want, not what they want to be. Let’s take for an example the most obtuse goal possible. “GOAL: To be a good person” alright now how do you do that? Well good people do good things so in theory you would set yourself an attainable amount of goodness and a  measurable amount of time to do it. So this week I will do 7 good things (one per day on average, don’t want to reach too high) and will schedule a time each day (3 hours should be plenty) to find people in need of a good person. That seems like an awful lot of work to be good, why not “JUST BE” a good person. Someone needs help, help them (without expecting something in return).  Even worse, what if you don’t find 7 people who need a dose of your Goodness, you just failed your first goal of 2011, and you’re not even a good person. How depressing is that? Hang it up fella, how long before 2012?

            Let’s not use the term Goal, besides if we go back to the road map they wanted $299 for, isn’t a map just a series of stops and intersections that form a route and get you (in theory) from where you are to where you think you want to be. So let’s break each route down into stops or objectives.  Objectives are easily changed, If your Goal is head to Best Buy to get that 50” Samsumg LED HD TV for $1099 that you didn’t get on Christmas day, but on the way the radio says that same TV is at Cohn’s for $999, I would think you would make a U-turn and save the $100, but in turn would be failing your goal. (Just an example, I’m not sure how much the TV is at either store). Or another one, and more specific, “ I want to lose 22 pounds by February 2, 2011 so I can be skinny in Cozumel”, Is this a SMART Goal?(Ignore the health issues of attempting to shed the equivalent of a 18 month old in 37 days) It seems to be specific enough, it is measureable, some might think it is attainable, I am sure it is whatever the R stands for in SMART, and tracking comes to .5945945 pounds lost each day which is 4.1621215 pounds in a week. Well what if I only lose 3 pounds this week, and then only 3 pounds next week, well at that point I only have 2 weeks left and still far from my goal weight loss. Forget it, give me a Quarter Pound hamburger with ice cream on top, and a Budweiser. How about my Objective for January is to stop drinking soft drinks, or to walk the neighborhood 4 time a week, or to actually imitate Tony Horton on the P90X dvd’s and not just using them as coasters. I have no idea if I will lose 20 pounds, but I will be healthier, I won’t have failed my goal and I may even be third of the way to “That EXTREME body I always wanted” (according to Tony Horton anyway).

            It is important to remember that Objectives should turn into a way of life, if an objective is to always end the week by clearing off my desk on Fridays, after some time it will just be habit to clean off the desk, and no longer an Objective. Also I believe Objectives should be quarterly, that way you are forced to update them, by definition Objectives are short term anyway. And while a list of 15 Annual Goals will look daunting, 15 small objectives will be much easier to accomplish and you will be surprised at the positive effects of just changing a few small objectives. There is even an app for it (crazy right), for the droid and Iphone. Search Objective Tapper and put it into play.

Prioritize, Prioritize, Prioritize

            I am the biggest proponent of priorities (Now a lot of times, what is important to me is not important to anyone else). But because you can’t fail an Objective they don’t expire either. So if something important comes up. Move it to the top of the list. I have a day planner that I carry wherever I go. And it is completely empty, not a stitch of wording in the entire thing. Not even a doodle, what is in it is a sticky pad. And whenever I have something to do I write it on a sticky and stick it to the inside cover. Then at various times I re-evaluate the importance of the sticky. Some get tossed because they are done, some get moved to the top of the stack. I am looking at the bottom one now, apparently get references for daycare wasn’t that important because my kids have been in that daycare for over a year. The Top Sticky now says write Blog and clean out day planner.

Gareth Beale is the Marketing Director for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact him directly Gareth@choicetitle.com

 http://twitter.com/gareth_beale

 His weekly Blog can be found here.

More cell phones are sold with SMART features than ones that are not. It has become the norm to be connected to the office, to three different websites, and several email accounts 24 hours a day 7 days a week. It amazes me that at the last 3 Social Networking functions I attended people spent just as much time buried in there Iphone than they did Actually being Social (I received a text from someone I was talking too the other night). This is the new norm. We can’t fight it, it is a battle we won’t win. But the one thing that is still difficult to do from a phone is real work. So we decided to help, several months ago Choice Title opened up WIFI rooms in each office. These are secure connections that agents or lenders can use to work while you work (Or check up on your Farmville crop if needed). So stop on by, bring you laptop and continue to work away from the office, or play Angry Birds all day the Choice is yours.   

Gareth Beale is the Marketing Director for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact him directly Gareth@choicetitle.com

 http://twitter.com/gareth_beale

 His weekly Blog can be found here.

I am Steeped in ‘Ol American Ancestry, all the way from 1973, when my Father immigrated here from England, and my Mother a year later (Yes, I am apparently an Anchor Baby). Growing up People asked me if we celebrated Thanksgiving, this was odd to me as if they were “More” American than I, or if my family held some sort of grudge over that War of  Independence thing. Of course we celebrated, it meant a day off of work or school, we even had Turkey on Thanksgiving (Although the occasional Leg of Lamb made it to the table). 

It Meant even more to me after I sponsored my Father’s Citizenship a few years back (I gave him an American Flag that was one of the few things that survived Katrina), and this year my Mother has applied for her citizenship. No word back yet though (I told her to cut all ties with the “Daughters of the Empire” Organization). It would appear that this time next year we may be able to celebrate as Americans and not just some people eating a large bird.

It dosen’t matter if you can trace your ancestors to the Mayflower (or the Americans who were here before then) or you took your “Oath of Allegiance” as a citizen last year, or you just arrived last week after waiting to come to America to start your new life. This holiday belongs to all of us, it helps bind us together and it is something to truly give Thanks for. 

Happy Thanksgiving, it is a holiday for us all to enjoy.

Gareth Beale is the Marketing Director for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact him directly Gareth@choicetitle.com

 http://twitter.com/gareth_beale

 His weekly Blog can be found here.

Recently I found myself in a Fast Food Establishment, This particular restaurant (I know it was technically one because it said so on the sign) has 12 pre-established meals. It has been the same 12 meals since I was in High School some Twenty years ago, minus the occasional rib burger thingy or kids movie character sandwich. So you can imagine my frustration when the couple in front of me couldn’t decide between a # 3 and # 6, to say they where undecided would be an insult to people who have no cognitive activity at all. Apart from my general aggravation at this particular chain a # 3 and # 6 are no where near similar at all, “I can’t decide between buying a hamburger or a Parakeet”. So I started thinking how these people make it through a day, we all have to make choices, some lead to prosperity and some don’t”. But if you are one of these non-decision makers, think of the opportunities that you didn’t get (or actually never had a chance of getting). Whether it’s a hiring issue, or a customer service issue or one of the hundred other decisions you have to make each day, your ability to move forward will impact your short term business more than anything else.

To be honest, your ability to make these decisions have already impacted the business you currently have. These decisions you have made (or more importantly avoided making) have consequences. Are you missing out on opportunities, or advantages over competitors by simply NOT.

Gareth Beale is the Marketing Director for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact him directly Gareth@choicetitle.com

 http://twitter.com/gareth_beale

 His weekly Blog can be found here.

LOUISIANA MORTGAGE LENDERS ASSOCIATION

Website: http://www.lmla.com                email:   office@lmla.com

 BREAKING NEWS!! GUARANTEED RURAL HOUSING DISASTER FUNDS RECEIVED IN LOUISIANA!!

Rural Development in Louisiana has received approximately $321 million in 2005 and 2008 Hurricane Disaster funds. These funds will be used to obligate guaranteed rural housing loans in the 52 declared disaster parishes in Louisiana. In the 11 non-declared disaster parishes of Bienville, Bossier, Caddo, Caldwell, Claiborne, Jackson, Lincoln, Red River, Webster, Desoto, and Natchitoches (Orleans Parish ineligible), we will use regularly appropriated funding based upon availability.

With the receipt of disaster funds and based upon current loan volume, it appears we will have adequate funding for the Guaranteed Rural Housing program in Louisiana for the next few months. We encourage you to submit complete eligible loan applications to our office for processing.

Debbie B. Redfearn / Single Family Housing Program Director Rural Development U. S. Department of Agriculture

It seems to me that between Rural Development and NFIP, the real estate industry is going to limp along through the year. Not sure if these actions really inspire a feeling of confidence, or not. What do you all Think?

Gareth Beale is the Marketing Director for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact him directly Gareth@choicetitle.com

 http://twitter.com/gareth_beale

 His weekly Blog can be found here.

As a professional you have to separate yourself from everyone else. You need to determine what YOUR focus is going to be…YOUR niche. By targeting your business to a few markets you not only protect yourself from the competition, but you shield yourself from the state of the economy. If you do this successfully, your clients won’t now what they did without you. I know of an agent in our area that was/ is the “short sale expert”. Even when times are good you will get referrals for your specific market. In an arena of generalists, people in need will seek out the specialist.

What is your Niche? First ask yourself, what is the competition NOT doing? Is there a Niche they have failed to fill? It is very easy to become the expert of something no one else is doing. Then determine if what you are currently doing relates to this “prospective niche”, you can’t be an expert in one area one day and a completely different area the next. Then ask yourself, how can I differentiate my business from others? How can I create the perception that my market simply cannot live without me. What do I have to offer?

Time to Focus…Decide what your client looks like, define who they are, and more importantly where do you find them. Too many times people stop focusing before they reach their client. “First Time Home Buyers” is not a niche…”Young, Married, plant workers in the Ascension Parish Area” is a niche. You know who they are, you know where to find them, and better yet, it is easy to ask other people to market your niche.  Make sure your niche is different, and make sure your niche is viable. No point going after “Young, Married, plant workers in the Ascension Parish Area” if all the plants are laying off workers.

The Unpaid Sales Rep… Ask yourself where is you client? Does your niche have an association? Where do they gather? How do you get to as many of them as you can, efficiently? I know a Disability Insurance sales rep whose niche is dentists, at the end of each graduating class guess who is making presentations at the state school of dentistry? As you position yourself as THE expert, the leaders of these groups will seek you out.

The only constant is change… Re-evaluate your niche, when it gets old go through the process again. Look where you market has been, how it evolved (and it will) and where it is going. Develop new products and services to add to your Business, competitors will respond to your success and you will need to grow to stay ahead. The secret to niche marketing is being able to evolve with time.

Gareth Beale is the Marketing Director for Choice Title LLC, you can respond here, or contact him directly Gareth@choicetitle.com

 http://twitter.com/gareth_beale

 His weekly Blog can be found here.

Don’t Let Negative Attitude Block You from Your Success

Originally Written By Ryan Lowe 02/02/2010

Blatantly Stolen By Gareth Beale 03/25/2010 (with permission)                                                 

The other night I was reminded by a close friend of mine why I decided to write the book “Get Off Your Attitude.”  She had mentioned that she thinks that most people let their negative attitudes block them from their successes in life. It could be any type of success; it could be in friendships, marriage or their career. We discussed several possible reasons for this, and the ones that really hit home to me are your past, your current situation and the influence of your circle of friends. The reason why these hit home to me is because they are areas in which I have personally struggled. Please note that I am writing these blogs and the book because I have know how it feels it how these areas can drain you and keep your from your success.  Our past is something that always reminds us of where we have been, and too often we let it dictate our present and our future. This is a habit that I think we have all struggled with at some point in our lives, and some of us have never learned how to let go of the parts of our past that haunt us. We simply must learn to let it go.  No one on this earth can change it, rewrite it or relive it. We must accept that it is over. The one thing you can’t do is forget the lesson.  There is beauty in every lesson of our past, and is the most important aspect of our past. Have you ever noticed that when we first choose not to see the lesson, that it just keeps coming back at us until we do?

Your Past

I firmly believe that one of the most powerful things we can do to discover these lessons in life is to journal.  I write in my journal every day. I write down the good, bad, and the ugly. I write it down and move on. This is one way that can help you know that you are moving on and that you are a student of life. Whether your current situation is good or bad, always remember that it will change. We all seem to think that the current situation is forever, but it is important to realize that it is only for a season. This is true whether you are in a bad relationship, a bad job, or in a bad financial situation.

Your Current Situation

One of the things you can do to get into a better current situation — it doesn’t matter what it is, how bad it seems, or how long you’ve been in it — is to have a game plan to make it better. You also must have goals. Your goals and game plan will keep you on track to a better situation. One the things I have learned is that you can’t change this overnight, but you can work on it a little bit daily and take it one day at a time. This will put you in control and it will definitely help you to develop a better attitude. The people you are surrounding yourself with will dictate your future. I remember growing up and my mom and dad always saying things like, “birds of a feather flock together,” or my favorite is: “You lay down with dogs and you will get fleas.” I never really understood it until I was older and I must admit I didn’t listen to them. I thought I could hang out with anyone and I could keep on moving towards my goals in life. Take it from me, it does not work that way. You must surround yourself with people that are on the same playing field you are on. If you are looking to live a great life and you are looking to better yourself, you must.  I remember going to one of my first motivational seminars at a young age and the speaker said, “If there is someone in your life that consistently stresses you out, get rid of them.” I did exactly what he said and it worked. I focused on others that could lift me during tough time. Remember also that you don’t want to be the person that they want to get rid of, and so make sure you bring value to your relationship to them. The way you can do that is to be positive with them and be truthful when it comes to helping each other.

 Your Friends

One of things you can do is write down the top five people you surround yourself with.  Ask yourself, are they bringing a positive effect and bringing joy to your life and are you doing the same for them? Also, you must ask yourself, “Are these individuals people that you can trust and are they people you wan to help achieve success their own lives?” This will be one of the most important things you do to help yourself achieve and maintain positive attitude.

Keep in mind that these three areas are only a few that I decided to write about in this blog. There are more that I will discuss in future blogs and in the book.  I strongly welcome your feedback and I ask you to please let me know if this has helped you and if you have any suggestions on how to work on these areas and make them better. I love to hear how people have gotten of their attitude. Also, please feel free to share this blog with any of your friends who you think will benefit from its message. I truly want help others reach their dreams and goals in life with a positive attitude.