Have a wonderful Christmas

Do you say Happy holidays or Merry Christmas or something else (or nothing at all)?

When I say Have a wonderful Christmas, I don’t know if you actually celebrate Christmas or some other December holiday. I don’t know if you will be surrounded by family and friends or all alone. I don’t know if your health, your job, your geographic location, your family circumstances, or the weather will impact your plans.

I do know my wish for you goes far beyond Have a great day. I hope you will rejoice in a brand new day to live, love, laugh, and learn. I trust you will be able to look forward to tomorrow and have no lingering regrets over yesterday. I want you to have a terrific Christmas, a fantastic day after Christmas, and a promising ever after, too.

Cookie baking tradition

One of my favorite holiday traditions—spending time with the people I love—has evolved over the years. We’ve gone from huge family gatherings to smaller family get-togethers and inviting our children’s friends and family. Fun, food, and fellowship remain a constant while the lines between the “working” and “watching TV” groups have blurred so almost everyone has a hand in meal preparation or clean up as well as relaxation.

We’ve added the annual Christmas cookie bake on a Saturday in December. Everyone brings their favorite recipes, tools, and ingredients to the home with the biggest kitchen. We spend the day visiting, mixing, baking, sampling, washing dishes, and dividing up the goodies. Time flies, we have fun, and we accomplish so much because we have chosen to work together instead of separately, to produce in bulk instead of small batches, and to share our secrets instead of going it alone—a true recipe for success.

What are your time-saving holiday traditions?

Be happy

I was delighted to stumble upon the Secret Society of Happy People and their 31 types of happiness project. In tough economic times, it’s easy for people to borrow trouble, lack hope, and be without enthusiasm while struggling to pay the bills and keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.

I speak from childhood experience when I say one can be poor and still learn to be content, even happy. Perhaps this is easiest as a child. Besides having fewer responsibilities, children have a natural exuberance and playfulness. They anticipate birthdays and joyfully enter into celebrations of all kinds. Many are spontaneous and enjoy surprises that cost little or nothing (like catching butterflies and walking in the rain).

I know I am grateful for my children. I am glad for the laughter they bring into my life even when I am more amazed than amused. I am also fortunate they are fun and funny as well as giving, compassionate, loving individuals.

Thank you, Secret Society of Happy People, for adding cheer to our lives by pointing out so many ways to be happy.

What are you creating for generations to come?

I enjoy reading and listening to music, so it seems fitting today to recognize the birth date of author Jane Austen and composer Ludwig van Beethoven. Both have inspired audiences for decades, even centuries, after they last wrote. How will you have a positive impact on future generations? What will you create that will outlive us all?

I’m so thankful to be a virtual assistant

It poured all day yesterday after starting as a steady drizzle the day before. The cold and the wet (rain, ice, or snow) make me more thankful than ever to be a virtual assistant. I’m warm and dry in my home office after an exceptionally easy commute (no accidents or flooded roadways to avoid). What could be better?

What’s on your list? Be your own boss? Use the best of your skills and technology? Have flexible hours? Spend more time with your family and less time commuting? Work from home? Avoid workplace irritants (admit it—this includes allergens, sick-building syndrome, and some people’s behavior) so you are more productive?

If this appeals to you, check out the virtual assistant resources available at the Virtual Assistant Networking Association. When the next big storm hits, you could be this thankful, too.

Are You An A+ E-mailer?

Some people are fantastic e-mailers. Here are five practices they use:

• Their signature line gives me all the information I need to reach them should I choose not to respond with e-mail.
• The subject line is clear and concise, telling me what I need to know or do (“I’ll be there at 11 a.m. on Wednesday” or “please proofread and return before 4 p.m.”). By closing with “End of Message,” I know I don’t even have to open the e-mail.
• They use Blind Copy (BCC) when sending e-mail to a group of people so my e-mail address is not shared with strangers.
• They don’t use Reply All or Read Receipt Requested unless absolutely necessary.
• They don’t forward junk or put me on an unwanted mailing list.

 

What additional best practices would you like to see people use?

Virtual Assistant Tips and Tools

In the course of my work as a virtual assistant, I find so many interesting and helpful tidbits of information. My purpose for writing a blog is to share these discoveries. Some are geared toward saving time, money, or effort. That’s why I’ve been writing about Identity Theft Prevention. Others can help you look more professional in print and online.  It’s also a way to give back to people who have shared their favorite tips with me. Do you have a tip or tool you’d like to see mentioned?

Check Your Credit Report

Because of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, you are entitled to one free credit report every twelve months from each of the national reporting companies: TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax.  The Federal Trade Commission has created www.AnnualCreditReport.com so you can easily order your free annual credit report with no strings attached. This site is not to be confused with other free credit report and free credit monitoring sites (for more information, go to http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre34.shtm).

Check your credit reports thoroughly and frequently. Look for accounts you haven’t opened, addresses that aren’t yours, and activity you know nothing about including employment, bankruptcy proceedings, arrests, and lawsuits. Misinformation may signal fraudulent use of your identity instead of human error.

Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness

The Internet has certainly made life and work easier by allowing us to do research, exchange ideas, keep informed, stay in touch, and shop with a touch of a button (or two). It has also increased the need for each of us to be more careful with personal information.

 

December 2008 is designated Identity Theft Prevention and Awareness Month in Chase’s Calendar of Events 2008. For tips on how to protect against identity theft, check the resources at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s Identity Theft site at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/idtheft/.