Qualtrics Roundtable Event in Dallas

A few weeks ago, my staff and I had the pleasure of attending a Qualtrics roundtable event here in Dallas at the Gaylord, and it was great!  

For those of you not familiar with Qualtrics, it's an online survey platform that enables companies to gather real-time insights.

One of my clients has a license to the platform for in-house tracker surveys, but not enough bandwidth to create and run these surveys consistently. So, since we've been helping this client create, monitor, and report results via Qualtrics, it was great to meet some of the faces behind their very attentive support staff.

The more we have been using this tool, the more we appreciate its robust capabilities!

New Year's Food for Thought

A quick excerpt I enjoyed reading from My Fit Foods  in their Tip of the Week. Love their quick, to the point suggestions on living a healthier, happier lifestyle.  It motivates me...and I'm all about being motivated after a crazy 2012 4th quarter and busy Christmas!  

 Be "un-perfect". 

That may be the best made up word and New Year’s resolution ever!  Perfection is a trap.  If you wait until the situation/weather/way you feel is perfect then you will find precious days and years will pass you by.  Now is the time to dance in the rain.  So many times in life, we want to wait until the storm passes until we make a change, start something new or just enjoy life.  You are in control of the choices in your life, and now is the best time to start achieving your goals.

Here are 5 simple ways to start making the most out of life!

1. Put your mind to it.  Believe…such a simple word with so much power!  Think of your brain as fertile soil and your words and thoughts as seeds.  When you plant positive thoughts and beliefs, just like seeds, that is what grows.  Plant a tomato seed, grow a tomato. Negative thoughts and self-doubt act as weeds that can sabotage.  Each day, visualize your goals and believe you can achieve them.  "I am the greatest of all time."  Muhammad Ali said that thousands of times, and millions of people agree he was the greatest of all time.  He began that journey by telling himself first, and so can you.
2. Take action each day to form new habits.  If you decide that workouts are going to happen before work each morning, then schedule it like a business appointment. Each time you perform that action, it starts to become part of a routine.  Consistent routine then forms habit.  Picture this:… a 3 year old that had to get him or herself ready for school in the morning.  Alarm goes off and BAM! The race against time starts! Spring out of bed, teeth brushed, shower, hair, breakfast, news/traffic report, and off.  Not likely, right? For a 3 year old, heck, the process of just getting dressed in the morning without crying is sometimes an accomplishment!  But over time as we get older getting ready in the morning becomes simply “our routine.”  In starting new things, you sometimes can feel like that overwhelmed 3 year old just trying to get your pant leg on, but as you take action and stick with it, everything will simply fall into line…into your routine.
3. Label your actions in two categories:  Goal achieving & Stress Relieving.  Goal achieving activities are productive and move you closer to your goal and success.  Stress relieving activities (such as binging on junk food, gossiping, t.v., procrastination, and excessive alcohol consumption) all feel good at the moment, but waste time and derail you from long term success.   Make sure all your actions are goal achieving!
4. 30 seconds of willpower.  You ever notice that it is typical only “moments of weakness” that can start to unravel you.  Practice 30 seconds of will power to say no, distract yourself or find a healthy, goal achieving activity to keep on course.
5. Plan ahead.  In the battle of hunger and the bag of tortilla chips – the chips will always win.  Be prepared for the day with your meals and snacks that will keep you on track and feeling great.  Eat every 2-3 hours starting with a protein based breakfast.

Road Warrior Mommy

Wow, I can't believe it's been 5 months since Autumn was born!!

I am about to leave for my 3rd traveling research project. Does the travel ever get easier now that I have a baby at home??

Our newborn photographer posted this picture of our sweet cupcake on her blog--just saw it!

The Green Way of Life

What is it about the word “organic” written on the label of a product that makes me automatically want to buy it? For sometime, it’s been trendy to “go green”, but it seems as though now it’s going from trend to becoming a way of life for more and more people.

One would think that in the midst of a recession, people would be more concerned with “cheap”, but not the case. According to a study issued by Green Seal and EnviroMedia Social Marketing, four out of five consumers are still claiming to buy green products, and 82% of consumers are buying green despite battered economy.

Let’s face it, it’s popular to be “organic” and “sustainable”, and companies need to jump on the bandwagon that voices the environmental benefits of their products. Trendwatching.com calls it “eco-bounty”, which refers to the numerous opportunities, both short and long term, for brands that participate in the epic quest for a sustainable society. Some of these opportunities exist despite the current recession, others are fueled by it, not in the least because of new rules and regulations. Downturn-obsessed brands who lose their eco-focus will find themselves left out in the cold when the global economy starts recovering.

Even Apple is jumping on the green wagon, because it knows that most of it’s consumers are progressive, socially-minded individuals. They released the “A Greener Apple” statement to voice concerns and their stance on creating environmentally-sustainable products.

The study also claims that one in ten consumers blindly trust green product claims, so basically one in ten buys the green label because it makes them feel good. But those other nine, want to know that what they claim is actually true.

I’ll admit that all the hype surrounding the “go green” movement has seeped into my buying decisions as well. I purchase energy-saving light bulbs, shop with reusable grocery bags, recycle when I can and am often drawn to products that read “all natural, organic or sustainable”.

There is a lot of opportunity for companies to leverage the environmental benefits of their products to their consumers, because the more people hear about the importance of sustainability, the more they are going to live that way.