Have you ever noticed yourself agreeing to things you don’t want to do? Do you find yourself making personal promises or taking on projects or tasks that don’t align with your schedule, skills or goals? “No” is a word that many of us have a hard time saying. It is also a word that successful people have mastered! Which group do you fall into?

You may say “Rubbish! I have a loving family and am successful in my work even if I can’t always say no.”  The thing is, if you are not able to confidently allow “no” to roll off your tongue in every situation, then someone else is determining how you spend your time and the direction in which you focus your energy. Ultimately, this means other people are in control of your life.

Use Color to Cope With the Gray Days of Winter

If you live in states with deciduous trees, have you noticed how gray and stark the landscape has gotten since the leaves have fallen from the trees? I enjoy scanning the landscape when I walk Jake and Oz, my beloved pups, every morning.

Recently I noticed that the grayness was broken here and there by a pop of bright red and green from bows on wreaths and other Christmas decorations. It occurred to me that we begin to decorate for the holidays right after the leaves fall from the trees. The greens of the leaves are first replaced by shades of yellow, red and gold. Then when nature can no longer provide the energy of color, we pull out our bright lights and red bows. What a wonderful transition to winter!

Is it any wonder that the early days of December seem so bleak?Then, when we pack away our decorations after the holidays, we systematically remove the color from the landscape. Little do we know, but that energy was feeding us, nurturing us, giving us visual pops of joy. When we remove them we are left a primarily gray landscape and the white skies of winter. With the exception of berries on bushes and shrubs and an occasional cardinal, it’s difficult to find a pop of bright energizing color anywhere in the landscape.

Here are some suggestions for adding color to your outer world:

• add a colorful flag at your front door
• add a wreath with some red accents to your front door
• add doormats at your front and back doors that have colorful designs

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Atlantic Shores Executive Director Eden Jones selected

as 2011 Women in Business honoree

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – December 13, 2011 - -  Eden Jones, Executive Director of the Atlantic Shores retirement community in Virginia Beach Virginia, has been selected as a 2011 Women in Business award winner by Inside Business Magazine. This annual event recognizes outstanding women in the business community who are achieving success in their careers and are active in the community as leaders, advocates or mentors.

The awards will be presented on Thursday, December 15 in a special ceremony at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott.

For the past nine years, Women in Business Achievement Awards have been given to celebrate successful Hampton Roads businesswomen who serve as examples to others. The award honors their achievements and encourages other women to trust in their abilities, strengthen their self-confidence and actively participate in the economic growth of the community.

Ms. Jones is among the 25 inductees profiled in the December 12 issue of Inside Business, a weekly business journal serving Hampton Roads.

“I’m humbled and honored to receive this award, and to be among such an elite group of exceptional businesswomen,” stated Ms. Jones. “This honor is also to be shared with the amazing women I have previously and currently worked alongside, that shape my world daily.”

A panel of judges reviewed the nominations to select this year’s honorees, from nominations received from the public. Ms. Jones was selected based on her professional accomplishments, unique business style and acumen.

Ms. Jones directs all day-to-day operations of the Atlantic Shores Retirement Community, a 100-acre campus in Virginia Beach, Virginia, featuring a 50-bed skilled nursing facility, 53 apartment home assisted living facility, a 14-bed Memory Care unit, and 555 independent living units. She oversees 350 employees in providing the finest, fully comprehensive senior living experience possible for more than 600 Atlantic Shores residents.

Since 1999, her team-based budgeting and strategic planning initiatives have successfully transitioned Atlantic Shores to self-management, created new business enterprises, and implemented operating efficiencies.  She is a lecturer on equity owned senior housing and succession planning at key trade association meetings.