Business Tuneup
Oludee Ajayi, Southern CT Facilitator

Branding With Email Signatures

Some people find themselves working on a shoestring budget of either time, resources or money. One thing that is clear is that it is inevitable that we will communicate with fellow humans, increasingly we are sending emails every day, so why not use your email to brand, promote and connect with others.

In this Tuneup, I am offering tips to stay connected and to get yourself out there. It might be as simple as a life philosophy that you live by or an event that you want people to be aware of or even just promoting your home business. This can also be used for fundraising, charitable enterprises or just sharing the latest family photographs..

Customize your email signature! In other words, set up your email settings so that  every time you send an email, a standard phrase or information is added to the end of every email. It’s amazing where your email will end up. I often open emails that have been forwarded from others and only about 2% of them ever include "Email Signatures". 

By doing this, when people see my email, they have the information that they need to connect.  This has enabled me to connect with many long-lost friends. It is also a way for people to get to know you better. If you are already connected to any social networking sites, then let people know. They will request to connect with you.

A signature can be for personal or business use. It can include your phone, fax, website and your social networking pages (such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn). For example, both my business email address and my personal email address have customized information.

Imagine the return, it takes about 2 minutes to set up and it will be on every email you send or reply.

Nutrition Tuneup
Vanessa Houssels, Las Vegas, NV Facilitator

Don't be fooled by sugar substitutes.  I know from personal experience that it can be very tempting to use sugar substitutes. The thought of calorie free sweetness...think again. Although these artificial sweeteners may not spike your blood sugar, they are nothing more than chemicals in a packet. There is nothing natural about them.

Artificial sweeteners also help you to continue craving sweets and your ability to “just say no” to them. I would even caution against the use of natural sweeteners like Agave or honey.  While they may be a healthier choice it is best to use these sweeteners sparingly.

To help me kick the chemical sweetener habit I created a visual for myself. Would I eat a bowl of Splenda ,Equal or Sweet and Low? The answer was absolutely not!

The best part about kicking the sweet habit is that after a few weeks you will lose your desire for the artificial sweeteners and bring your taste buds back to a reality. Soon an apple will truly be the most juicy and sweet dessert you could ever ask for!

Relationship Tuneup
Susan Baker, Highlands Ranch, CO Facilitator

His Needs/ Her Needs 

Every human being in the world has 6 human needs.  A successful relationship is one where each person understands what needs the other person values the most and what has to happen to meet those needs. When you are meeting your partner’s needs at a high level it is like a magic button.   Relationships where both people are meeting the needs of the other person at a level 7 or above (on a 1-10 scale), rarely have challenges.  As you read about the 6 human needs start to think what needs you value the most and what needs your significant other values the most.  (This works with friends and your kiddos too!) 

The 6 Human needs are:  
1. Need for certainty- certain that you can be comfortable- to have pleasure and avoid pain - sometimes called the need for control. 
2. Need for significance- the need to feel special, important, needed, and wanted. 
3. Need for uncertainty/variety- the need to “mix things up” and keep things exciting. 
4. Need for love and/or connection- everyone needs connection with other humans and everyone strives for and hopes for love. 
5. Need for growth- when we stop growing, we die.  We need to grow emotionally, intellectually and spiritually.  
6. Need for contribution- to go beyond your own needs and give to others.   

We need to meet these needs every day, in one way or the other.   Determine the order of importance for your human needs as well as the order of importance of your significant other’s human needs.  Then give yourself a score of 1-10 on how successfully you are meeting each of your partners needs.  Since relationships survive and thrive when we focus on the other person, start with how well you are meeting their needs and THEN score your partner on how well you feel like they are meeting your needs.  Have your significant other do the same thing and then trade answers. 

If there are areas where you could do better think of 3 things that you can do to better meet your partners needs in those areas.  Keeping in mind last month’s Tuneup on the 5 love languages may help you to know how to meet their needs more effectively.  For example, if your partner likes words of affirmation but they aren’t feeling like you are meeting their need to feel significant very well- you could write them a love note or remember to give them a heartfelt complement each day.   

Make this a fun game with your significant other and both of you will benefit from the results!