likeable business review

I read likeable business through 12 books group, which is an online book club that features a new personal development book to read and discuss each month, and it is definitely a book that I can see myself referencing back to often in the future. This material addressed in this book is by no means a new concept, which the author fully acknowledges, however it is presented in a way that significantly makes it easier to grasp and understand why these practices need to be put into place.

Likeable business addresses topics such as; listening, transparency, passion, responsiveness, authenticity, and more interesting topics. The book is full of wonderful examples of how each of these ideal business practices have been put into practice already. I felt like it was a lot easier to relate to what the author was writing with examples and tips of how to actually implement much of this within an organization. While the topics discussed felt like basic skills a manager, employee, or organization would already use, it was easy to see how many had lost the focus of going back to the basics.

This book helped me understand responsiveness and what going the extra mile for a customer can mean for an organization. There were also a lot of examples of organizations that chose not to go the route of applying these skills to their organizations, and unfortunately many of those organizations are no longer in business. The examples of businesses that went the extra mile made me want to jump on Twitter at that moment and let them know that their actions are not going unnoticed. They have me as a customer for life, even if I haven’t yet had the pleasure of doing business with them, I will in the future.

I would definitely recommend this book with ease to individuals looking to improve on their customer service skills, organizations who can’t understand what they’re doing wrong and anybody at all that would just want to learn how to apply these skills to their own personal life. It definitely comes down to treating individuals as you would want to be treated. It overall has improved my understanding and ability to identify organizations and businesses I currently shop at, that at the moment, do not seem to care if they lose my business. 

My review on Uncertainty

I was given the opportunity to read and review “Uncertainy” through and online book club I participate in called 12books. “Uncertainty” was a pretty challenging book to get into and found it hard to hold my attention until chapter 6. The concept of the book was very interesting in regards to learning to accept that fear and uncertainty come with most great things we do in life. Where I felt it was hard to get into were a lot of the random examples that were thrown into the book and the occasional paragraphs which would compare our brains’ response to the feelings of fear, judgment, and uncertainty.

Towards the end of the book though, my attention was held by the interesting topics that came up. How friends, family, mentors, and other individuals in our life can push a forward or hinder our progress is interesting. A feeling I had was that I could separate those thoughts but there is a lot of evidence that we internalize much more than we think. The author gives some good examples of how to turn criticism and judgment from people in our lives into fuel to push our dreams and goals even further.

The other interesting chapter and section for me, was that regarding mediation or Attention Training (AT). Meditation has always been of interest to me, but not something that I have ever been able to put into a consistent practice. I felt the author gave some great tips to get started and even so much as saying that if you are consistent, even for shorter periods of time, that you will begin to feel the effects of this relaxed state of mind fairly quickly. I definitely intend to make that a regular part of my day by starting out for shorter periods of just sitting and allowing my mind to be at peace. The author also gives some great advice about the correlation between exercising and your brain being in better shape to handle stress, work more productive, and to increase creativity. I definitely believe that adding more exercise to my life would impact my business endeavors and activities in a positive way.

Overall I would recommend this book to individuals that are in a limbo in their life. Do you continue forging through with your dreams and goals or is it time to take a step back and evaluate them? This book will help you think all that and more through. It is definitely a good read and I would just suggest pushing through the first few chapters if you find it harder to get into, because it does get better. 

My review for Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

I received an advance copy of Come Home by Lisa Scottoline from TheReadingRoom.com and St. Martin's Press to read and review.

I really enjoyed reading this book and felt bummed out when it ended. I really enjoyed the character Jill and felt that she was easy to relate to (being a mother of two myself). It was a well written story. Plenty of times felt like I knew what was going to happen next, I really had no clue. I was really rooting for Jill and Victoria to reconnect throughout the whole story and up to the end, I was rooting their relationship on. It ended well and thoroughly explained all the mysterious parts of the book that were unanswered.

My only disappointment was hoping there would be some sort of epilogue that would flash forward and show how the characters were all doing 10 years from now and how they were as a "whole family".

I will definitely be checking out more books from this author as it was a great read that held my interest the entire story.

Drinking and Tweeting (my review)

I really have grown to love watching Brandi on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills (my not so guilty pleasure), and love her feisty personality. She shares the good, the bad, and the ugly of everything she has been through. Her candor with sharing everything (including where she has messed up), really makes you feel as though you can not only relate, but appreciate how far she has come. This book does not let you down, you can actually picture her saying all those things, so I can really appreciate how it was written. Great book where she sheds some light on her side of the story. Definitely a word of caution: Watch out because once you start you will not want to put it down! 

Review on Reviving Work Ethic

I read “Reviving Work Ethic” by Eric Chester as the monthly selection for 12 Books which is a business book club where we read and review a new book each month. I went back to read the review I wrote immediately after finishing this book and realized just how short I fell on describing the book. Since reading the book I have found myself in a few deep conversations with people regarding the problem with our younger generations and their “What is in it for me” work ethic. I didn't realize just how much of the book I had absorbed until I began referencing it and feeling like I had the knowledge and some pretty great examples to back up my thoughts. I agree and understand just what the author means in regards to simply showing up has never been grounds for a promotion at work,  however it does certainly feel that it happens more than one would like to think.

I have since recommended this book to a few people who are now reading it. We do need to lift people up and over to the quadrants that will lead them to success that is earned and achieved only through hard work and dedication to their position. Like the author states, we need to relate to the circumstances and life situations within this generation and be able to explain why this is important so that they are able to understand the concept.  I think that leaders in all fields and their employees should take the time to read this book and absorb the content within it.  

Easy Zucchini Lasagna

Hey everyone :) I hope you all are doing well! We've been trying to eat healthier in the Kelly household, and when I heard you could substitute Zucchini slices for noodles in Lasagna (my favorite food), I had to try it! It went really well and was a hit with both the boys and my husband, so I wanted to share the recipe with everyone!

Ingredients needed:

2 Zucchini's

1 pounds 97% lean ground beef (or any other lean ground meat you enjoy)

1 pound of low fat cottage cheese

1 pound of low fat mozzarella cheese

1 large can of crushed tomatoes with basil

1 small can of tomato paste

2 garlic cloves

8 oz of fresh sliced mushrooms

1/2 an onion

1 egg

fresh shredded Parmesan

Italian seasonings, pepper, sea salt, basil, and red pepper flakes

Olive Oil

Turn your oven to 350 and the first thing I do is make the sauce, so I heat up a saucepan on high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 minced garlic cloves and the half cup minced onion. Saute that and add the ground beef after the onion and garlic has cooked through (about 3-4 minutes). Once the ground beef is browned there really isn't anything to drain, so reduce the heat and add in the large can of crush tomatoes with basil and the small can of tomato paste. I also add in the sliced mushrooms at this point and begin to season the sauce. I use about 2 tablespoons of italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt (a little goes a long way), a couple turns on the pepper grinder, 1 teaspoon of crushed red peppers (it adds a slight kick), and another 1/2 teaspoon of basil.

I would definitely taste the sauce at this point and see if there anything you feel is missing! Everyone seems to have their own sauce recipe, so you can definitely go off of that! After it tastes great, I put the pan to simmer and cover to help cook the mushrooms. Then I take an egg and mix that with the pound of cottage cheese and set that off to the side.

Take the Zuchinni and rinse it off well. Then cut off the ends on both of them and begin to slice them into long thin slices and just set them off to the side. You can toss pieces that have a lot of the skin on them or they go great as the bottom slices. After that, grab your lasagna dish and spray it a little olive oil (I use a Misto for this, and if you haven't seen it before, it's great!).

The first thing I do is spoon a decent amount of sauce on the bottom of the dish you are using. After that you can arrange the Zucchini slices as if they were lasagna noodles on top of the sauce. The first thing I put on top of that is some of the meat sauce followed by some cottage cheese and then some mozzarella. I don't measure those for amounts, I do it light enough so that I can create another couple of layers.

After it has been layered, you can sprinkle with a little Parmesan or wait until it is almost done. Cover it with tinfoil and place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes. Check on it then and if it looks like the cheese is melted and it is overall heated through, take the tin foil off for the last 10-15 minutes and bake uncovered.

When it is done and the cheese is slightly browned at the top, remove it from the oven and let it settle for 15-30 minutes (so it doesn't go everywhere). I'll admit that by the time it is done it is often hard to let it sit for those 15-30 minutes as the smell has permeated the house at this point lol. :)

I hope you enjoy it! It's definitely a low carb friendly dish that is enjoyed by all in my family. My boys that are five and nine could tell it was Zucchini instead of pasta, but they said it didn't feel like anything was missing with the different textures and all.

Mocha Frappucino no more!

I have really done well in regards to not drinking coffee anymore and I am definitely proud of that! Today was an off day though and I felt drained and so tired from fighting this sinus infection that I needed something to get me going again.

I decided that I would have a cup of coffee today! Instead of heading to Starbucks for a $4-$5 Mocha Frappucino that adds an insane amount of calories to my day and always leaves me feeling guilty in the end anyways, I decided to try something with my Shakeology! :)

I brewed a large Irish Cream K-cup and let that cool down while I added a cup of ice and a scoop of Chocolate Shakeology to my blender. I added a few pieces of ice to the coffee to cool it down even quicker since you don't want to heat up the Shakeology and kill any of the 70+ nutrients in it. Then added the coffee with a cup of Vanilla almond milk as well! Blend blend blend!! :)

I am sitting here drinking it as I type and cannot even tell you how satisfying this is to me flavor wise and I do not even feel remotely guilty! Instead I know I am giving my body the best nutrition it can get with that extra caffeine I needed today! I won't do this often as I am not a huge caffeine person normally, but this was an incredible fix and will be something I come back to!

It made more than enough that I was able to put a cup in the freezer for when my husband gets home in a few minutes to enjoy!! :)

For more information on Shakeology, you can contact me on my Facebook page.