The Alien Cat (aka Cornish Rex)

 

Nova - Cornish Rex Cat

 

 

We live with two feline aliens.

Actually they are called Cornish Rexes and they are a unique breed of cat.

 

My babies are Nova (male) and Nebula (female with impressive gray mustache).  They are cats that act like dogs in their love of affection and need for contact. 

 

I have wanted a Cornish Rex for a long time after seeing their unusual looks.  The more I studied them the more I fell in love with the breed.

 

Nova and Nebula



The most striking feature of the breed is their coat. It is very short, lies close to the body, and is incredibly soft to the touch, prompting comparisons to cut velvet, karakul lamb, rabbit fur, or silk. It is in a class of it's own and it is a pleasure to pet this breed--which is a win/win for cat and human.




Nebula - take a look at that mustache!

In addition to the coat, the Cornish Rex has a distinct egg-shaped head with high cheekbones, hollow cheeks, a strongly bridged Roman nose, and large ears set high on the head. The body "has been compared to that of a Whippet, with its arched back, barrel chest, small waist, and very fine, long legs. In spite of their dainty appearance, these small to medium sized cats are extremely hard-bodied and muscular, using their well developed hips and long legs for fast starts and stops, quick turns, and high jumps." Credit CFA
Because of their coat, some people mistakenly believe that they do not shed and are hypoallergenic. In fact, all cats shed but the Cornish Rex shedding is minimal and they tend to be more easily tolerated by people with cat allergies.







I have had cat allergies my entire life. I now share a bed with two soft kitties that like to sleep ON TOP of me. I still have to make certain I am careful not to touch my eyes after petting them but otherwise I am fine.




Even though my babies look like aliens they actually originated in Cornwall, England, where one first appeared in a litter of barn cats in 1950. A cream-colored male, named Kallibunker, was covered in tight rows of tiny curls, giving him the appearance of a miniature lamb. He had a slender, fine-boned body standing on long legs, a narrow head, enormous “bat ears,” and a long, whippy tail. Kallibunker was a genuine mutation and was bred back to his mother to produce curly kittens. The curly coated cats were "bred with Burmese, Siamese, and British domestic shorthair cats, resulting in a broad genetic base for the Cornish Rex breed and the knowledge that the gene was recessive." Credit CFA

Nebula: "Stop talking about my mustache!"



The Myth of Multitasking

MULTITASKING

"Human multitasking is the best performance by an individual of appearing to handle more than one task at the same time. The term is derived from computer multitasking. An example of multitasking is taking phone calls while typing an email." -Wikipedia

Does anyone else remember when multitasking was considered the holy grail of the business world? More recent studies, however, have shown that multitasking actually reduces productivity and can cause more errors in our work.



It is bad to make mistakes when working for a boss--when you work for yourself it can be fatal!

As we mentioned in our last post the key to productivity is not 'more time' but instead 'more space'. Multitasking may create the illusion of more time but it's eating up our psychic bandwidth and creating less mental 'space'.




Rapid Refocus

RAPID REFOCUS

How do we make more space in the mind and still do everything we need to make our business(es) successful?

Then trick is "rapid refocus". A martial artist can fight four opponents at one time by fighting one opponent at a time, one right after the other. He doesn’t let the last (or the next) fight interfere with the present one. By focusing on the moment, his concentration defeats all. (credit Zentivity)

In business we need to think like the martial artist and tackle each project with full concentrated focus in order to get the best, most positive results.

Guard your creativity and don't let the myth of multitasking drain your resources. Be the business Ninja focusing your energy on the problem or project at hand and then rapidly refocusing as the next issue arises.


____________Join me at Xpress Healthcare

Crisis Evokes Serenity

Have you noticed that during the times of your life when you were facing a crisis or other incident that took 100% of your brain power your mind focuses to a pinpoint and you have sudden and amazing clarity in the situation?

Of course you probably didn't think about it at the time. You were probably nailing plywood to your windows or administering CPR or swerving to avoid an accident. It all went by so fast you didn't stop to pay attention to the way your brain handled the moment.

Most of our time is spent far away from crisis. We hit the snooze button a couple of times, shower, drink that first blessed cup of coffee, drive to work barely noticing the world around us. The rest of the day, week, month, year goes pretty much the same.



Highly Distracted

And while we do not want to live a life of constant crisis, we should always strive for a degree of that true clarity.





What is on your mind?

THE SECRET OF INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

Who hasn't said "If I only had more time...?"

But the secret is simply this: it is not about time, it is about SPACE.

We only have a certain, finite amount of psychic bandwidth and if our creative energy is being used to fix every little problem that has popped into our head or is buzzing around us like bees we will have nothing but wasted energy.

Save your creativity. Get in your 'zone'. Be ready for change.




Zen Buddhists use the term "mind like water". Bruce Lee said, "Empty your mind, be formless. Shapeless, like water. If you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup. You put water into a bottle and it becomes the bottle. You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot. Now, water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend."

Strive for flexibility, not perfection. Clear your mind and give yourself SPACE to think, to create, to grow.

(Credit: David Allen - CFA Leadercast...based on my own notes)

________________
Nicole Kann's Xpress Healthcare
 nicolekann.joinxpress.com/index.html

Getting Started In Network Marketing

Choosing a home network marketing business can be a scary and confusing endeavor. If you don’t choose the right company you could be missing out on a lucrative business. Worse, if you choose the wrong company you could waste resources (time, money, credibility, etc.).

I want to put YOU in control of your future so I am going to share with you some quick criteria for evaluating an MLM company.

 

 

1. Is the company going to last long term?

• Ask how the company got started and who started it. Is the originator still involved?

• Is the company solvent? (meeting financial obligations)

• Is the company growing? If the company is private (not publicly traded on a stock exchange) this may be more difficult to find, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the company is hiding anything. If there hasn’t been growth since the previous year it doesn’t automatically mean that the company isn’t great, but increasing sales is a plus for the distributors.

• If the company is over 10 years old, does it regularly ‘reinvent’ itself?

 

 

2. Does (or could) the product sell outside the network?

• Are there consumers who will buy the product even if they are not also distributors? In addition is the product so exciting to consumers that they will want to become distributors?

• Is the product low quality and/or overpriced or is it a valuable product to consumers? Does it perform as advertised?

• Can the exact product be purchased from another MLM or through retail? For instance, you can purchase Vitamin B cheaply or expensively. If you are selling an expensive yet high quality Vitamin B supplement can you explain the value and thereby justify the expense?

• Is there a market for the product? Where? Is this sales niche a place in which you want to be?

• Have you used the product and do you like it?

3. Will I be rewarded for my efforts?

• What is the company’s commission or compensation plan?

• Does the company only reward recruiting new distributors? Or will you get paid commission on products sold? Ideally you want a company that rewards distributors for selling product and rewards developing leaders.

• Does the company pay too much commission to its distributors? This could be setting up for bankruptcy.

• Is company growth due to earning a higher position or can it be purchased? If distributors can buy commissions rather than earning them the training will not focus on developing leaders. This will eventually destroy a company.

• Is the commission plan difficult to achieve but achievable? Hype aside, any business takes hard work. You want a business that pays you well for that time and effort.

4. How is the training?

• Does the training produce effective distributors? Does the company training create success?

• Is the training specific to the company and its products?

• 3) Do you have a team of distributors involved and invested in your success?

• 4) Can you contact someone in your ‘up line’ for support when needed? Your team should return your phone calls and emails within 24-48 hours. They should work with you to determine your needs and help you through them.

Signs to watch for:

• Does the company promise fabulous amounts of money for little to no effort? You want a company that will be honest with you about your earning potential. Many MLMs have enormous earning potential but as mentioned before, this comes after hard work and serious dedication.

• Does the company present a “miracle product”? Does it claim to cure cancer? Is it the ‘fountain of youth?’ Does it end world hunger, disease, and all natural disasters? You want honesty. If the product has some extraordinary claims it should have non-biased scientific research to back that up. If there is no research then the claims should be believable and achievable.

• Does the company treat you as a ‘cog in their wheel’? Are you just another ‘down line’ distributor who was signed quickly and forgotten? You should be a vital member of a team of people that love their product. 

In conclusion, be diligent in researching your prospective network marketing company. Find a company whose owners are committed to the products that actually enrich people’s lives, a company whose owners value their distributors as their most important asset. Make certain that the compensation plan pays its leadership very well and that there are actually leaders who have reached the top level. Finally, choose a company and product that you can feel pride in representing.

"At LifeVantage, we are here to support you every step of the way as you work to create and live the life you've always dreamed.

We are here with you as you build your LifeVantage business and embark on your journey of personal development helping yourself and others find financial freedom."

~LifeVantage Boulder