Today I was driving down to Encinitas, Ca for a speaking engagement when I looked over at the Beach and realized how lucky I really am.  It had to be one of the most beautiful days I’ve seen at the beach in a long while.  I don’t live by the ocean, but I do see the beach at least once each week.

I presented to the Encinitas Coastal Rotary Club on social media for my company Square Martini Media.  (Thanks to Katherine Wichmann Zacharias for the invitation)!  Afterward, I was answering questions with a few folks but my mind was wandering as I gazed over their shoulders out the window into the ocean.  I had one thing on my mind-DOLPHINS.

Here in California, it’s not unusual to see dolphins swimming by but it had been a long time since I’d seen any.  Perhaps it had even been as long as a year.  I sent a tweet out on Twitter that I was looking for dolphins but no luck.

The meeting ended, I walked outside to my car and the club president shouted outside his car, “Look, There’s dolphins over there”.  I was so excited. “Yippee!”  I watched as they frolicked in the ocean for awhile before I got down to my next task.  It was now time to record the video that follows.  I recently heard a comment about Six Figure Moms Club that re energized me about why this groups needs to exist.  Click above and listen as I talk about the following:

• Our next meeting is Thursday night, June 18, 7pm.
• We’re taking the Summer off!
• We’re revamping our entire meeting strategy for San Diego.
• There’s still a BIG perception issue between moms that work and moms that stay home!

On April 8, I’ll be live on the air with two internet radio shows on www.wsradio.com. The first show is about entrepreneurism and the second show is….you guessed it, Twitter Talk Radio!

It’s my great honor to co-host a show about small business owners with Rieva Lesonsky.  Rieva is truly amazing.  She is a small business expert and she writes, speaks and helps small businesses all over the country.  We’ll be interviewing successful entrepreneurs and experts and talking about three major themes:

1. How despite all the negative economic news, now is one of the best times in history to start a business due to the opportunities available right now.
2. How to transition from Corporate American to an entrepreneurial lifestyle (sound familiar?  ie, my book, QUITTING IS EVERYTHING?)
3. Using Social Media to launch and support your entrepreneurial business.

Twitter Talk Radio will focus on Twitter of course but will slant largely to using Twitter for business.  You likely remember that my twitter affair started right here on Six Figure Moms Club last fall and progressed into a blog, Twitter Attraction.  Twitter Attraction and Twitter Talk Radio will work in tandem together.

But let’s get to the important stuff.  What’s in this post for you, Working Mothers?  I mentioned my best childhood friend Shelley Swisher above.  Shelley and I met in six grade and there would be weeks where you would never see one of us without the other.  She knew me better than anybody else. When my family moved to another town in the middle of ninth grade, we often got into trouble for having long distance phone bills for outrageous amounts.  If she knew me best and she thought I was going to be a broadcast journalist, then there was probably something important to that.  Why?  Because every career book out there will tell you that there are messages from your teenage years about what you are supposed to be doing with your life.  I know not all of you are searching for something new but a lot of you who talk to me are.

I loved journalism, writing, speaking, editing and all of the things I’m doing now back then.  I also didn’t like to do most of the same things I don’t like to do now too. What did you love back then and how can you turn those things into a business?

One last really fun thing about my talk show with Rieva, we’re doing a fun contest with listeners to name the show.  Look for a press release and an email blast on Monday

The industry has its own magazine, FeedFront, and the cover feature story is, “The Women of Affiliate Marketing”.  The conference has a mentor program.  Because I’m so new to this industry, I signed up for a mentor.  My mentor just happens to be, Lisa Picarille, editor of Revenue magazine and so far she’s been terrificly helpful and teaching me about the Affiliate Marketing conference.  I’m looking forward to meeting her face-to-face this weekend.  We introduced ourselves via phonecall earlier this week.

Lisa told me a handfull of stories of six figure moms who had left their corporate careers to pursue successful careers in affiliate marketing positions.  Many of these career changes were forced due to a family health situation but the end result seems to always be a happier mom with a more cohesive family unit.  I’m hoping to meet some of these women in person this weekend and to interview them so that I can share their stories with you.

Likely the most interesting thing that Lisa talked to me about is the personality of the Affiliate Marketers and this conference.  She said, “This weekend is not about explaining your business to people and striking deals.  It’s about hanging out, getting to know people and forming relationships.  People in this industry want to know you and they do business with people they like and feel a connection with.  Business deals will likely happen after the conference.”  How refreshing is that?  It is the classic Know, Like and Trust, but a whole room full of 3,000 that actually GET that is going to be amazing. 

Some of the big players in social media are already in Las Vegas for CES (Consumer Electronics Show) and will be staying around for Affiliate Summit.  I read yesterday that Chris Brogran, Warren Whitlock and Dave Taylor all attended Social Media Jungle.  Sorry to be repetitive, but Gary Vaynerchuk (@Garyvee) is the keynote speaker at Affiliate Summit and you know I can’t wait to hear him speak again!

What is Affiliate Marketing you ask?  Here’s a link to a great site with the Top 10 Affiliate Marketing programs which also has some interesting articles which tells you more about the Affiliate Marketing industry.  If you have a specific question about Affiliate Marketing this weekend, send me a message on Twitter @aaswartz or email me and I’ll do my best to find out!

You see, I’ve been operating at a crazy fast pace.  I bet you have too because that’s what we do at this holiday time of year, isn’t it?  Sometimes when we’re turned up and we’re buzzing around accomplishing massive amounts of tasks, we’re firing on all cylinders, accomplishing everything in site, we miss some of the details.  Or at least I do.  I don’t mean to say that I miss them in the sense that I don’t participate because indeed I am certainly there and I do go through the motions.  But, what’s really happening is I’m missing the details because I’m not enjoying the moment to it’s fullest potential.  My mom said to me, “Where is my daughter who always loves Christmas so much?”.  She’s right.  That person has only partially showed up this year.  And that person loves the details about Christmas, from buying pre-Christmas gifts and sending them ahead of time to baking cookies for everyone to having girlfriend parties to adopting less fortunate families.

So, now it’s Christmas eve and by my count that leaves about eight days left of the holiday season before 2009 kicks off in full swing.  How can I enjoy the holidays to their fullest in the time that’s left?  By really paying attention to the details.  Yes, I think for sure it’s all in the details.  Sure, I’ve had parties, baked cookies, looked at Christmas lights and had fun with my toddler so far.  But what I’ll focus on in the next eight days is SLOWING DOWN, SHUTTING OFF and just enjoying every moment.

For the first time in my adult life, I didn’t send out holiday cards to anyone but family.  I was determined but now I’ve flipped the switch and my holiday cards will just have to wait.  The surprising thing is, I’m perfectly okay with this now.  That’s huge for me as I’m quite the perfectionist.

So, in summary, my wish for you this holiday season is that you, too, can focus on the important things and live in the details.  Take a look at your to do lists and priortize them.  Lookat each thing on your list and really think about whether it’s important that you complete them or if your time is better spent with a loved one or just with yourself.  Be centered so that you can enjoy your moments and those around you.  You’ll be surprised at how a little shift in your own attitude can make a big difference for everyone around you.  Afterall, if the queen isn’t happy, nobody’s happy, right?

On a personal note, I wish you all the best of details this holiday week.  I thank you for your continued support of everything I do and mostly for participating in Six Figure Moms Club by reading my writing, commenting, attending events, being brave enough to step up and be controversial and showing up however you do to make the lives of others more fabulous.  Remember, you are terrific and YOU make a difference in helping other women create their best lives everyday.  HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Warmly, Angie

PS.  Can you believe I got through that post without mentioning Twitter?  I have some exciting news!  I’ll be launching a new blog in 2009 devoted specially to (drum roll please….you guessed it….TWITTER!  Stay tuned for details.)

If you’ve been following along, you know that my love affair with Twitter has been going on for a few months now. This past weekend, I had the great pleasure of meeting the author of The Twitter Revolution, Warren Whitlock…again. Not only did I meet Warren but I also had the honor of joining him at TwitCastRadio when he interviewed Adaptive Blue about Glue, a cool new tool that enhances your web browsing experience.  Can you imagine what I asked when it came to my turn for an interview question?  Of course, you’re right!  I asked how the new tool could interface with twitter!  You’ll also hear Mari Smith stepping in for a few seconds too.  (You can hear our interview by clicking on the links above.)

I so enjoyed spending time with Warren this weekend and I could write this whole post about him.  However, that’s not what’s important for you.  Here is what I want you working mothers to hear about my experience and to put to use for reengineering your own lives if it’s helpful for you:

There are successful (and sometimes famous) people around waiting to help you with whatever you need and they are within your grasp.  All you need to do is reach out to them.

Coaches, editors and publishers have been advising me that famous people are much more within our grasp than we think and that they are much more willing to help you than you would imagine.  It’s not a natural thing for us to pick up the phone and call someone like Oprah, but hey, who knows? I just might someday soon and you should too.

When I left for this conference, I jokingly said to my husband, “Warren Whitlock is broadcasting his radio show live from the hotel and I’m going to join him”.  My husband laughed and said, “OK, Angie” with a skeptic tone.  I did know that Warren was broadcasting his show because I had invited him to dinner and I knew he had a time conflict.  I didn’t, however, expect to be interviewing his guest along side him.  Like just about everyone else that I’ve met in the social media space.  I found Warren delightful, open and so willing to reach out a helping hand (Oh, and very funny too).  Thank you Warren!

And by the way, thanks to @sugarjones for taking this great picture below of Warren and I and uploading it to Twitpics just before the interview started.  Don’t we look like a great broadcast journalist team?

“If you only get to give one answer, what ONE thing are you most grateful for?” 

My answer is STRUGGLE.  I’m so thankful for the struggle I have in my life and for so many reasons.

• Struggle makes me continue to grow and think about things from a multitude of perspectives.
• Struggle reminds me that I’m alive.
• Struggle highlights that if things are always easy that I’m not stepping up enough and that I’ve become complacent.  That’s not who I am.  I should be struggling with something.  I’m a change agent and that means that there should be struggle in my life…in every aspect.  That means there will be struggle in my relationships, my career, inside me.
• Struggle is my friend and my ally. If I forget that and let it make me feel down, then that is a sign that I’m not taking good care of myself.
• Struggle is my daughter’s friend too.  She is a lot like her mother.  I must remember who she is and how she is wired and remember that she will struggle with me and that it’s not personal.  It is her path too.

So, yes, my answer my seem a bit strange to you and that’s okay with me.  I want you to think about YOU at your CORE.  What are you truly grateful for about YOU?

YES, I’m grateful for so many other things too.  My daughter, my husband, my family, my friends, my strength, my health, my good fortune, my business, flexible work, work life balance, social media, all the inspiring entrepreneurs I’ve met, and the list goes on and on.  I’m a very, very lucky girl and with a friend like struggle, it’s important for me to stop, sit and remember all these things on a regular basis.

And lastly, let us not forget the comedic one:  TWITTER.  I’m thankful for my affair with twitter.  Yes, it’s still on and it’s hot and heavy.  I’m still in love with twitter and our relationship continues to blossom.

I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving.  I hope you will take a few moments and reflect upon your own struggles, how purposeful they are for you and the wonderful treasures they bring to you in the end.  Be well. Be safe.

If for some reason, you happen to spending this Thanksgiving season alone or in a sad spot or if you are outside of the United States, visit my friend Gail Goodwin’s site at Inspire Me Today.  She’s always got something uplifting to say  

(P.S. Gail is about to make a huge global annoucement about an initiative we’re working on together. Stay tuned and SHHHHH until then.)

I was working on another project this morning at my kitchen table with the window open.  It’s a typical Santa Ana fall weekend in San Diego where it feels like the threat of fires.  When you’ve lived here through both the Cedar and the Witch Creek fires, your sensors are up for that kind of stuff in the fall.  Both of those fires came within a mile of my home.  Luckily, we survived with minor damage and big messes from both.  Comparitively speaking, over 400 homes in my community were lost last year.  It was a devastating time.

As you may have heard on the news, fires are raging in Santa Barbara and north of Los Angeles.  I’ve been consciously trying not to turn on the TV or Radio this morning to protect myself from the negative energy of the news.  This is often my process when I’m writing or working as I’m more productive.  However, I did pop onto to Twitter for a quick five minutes.

Within one minute, I knew that fire was threatening somewhere close the Santa Clarita valley (or so I thought).   I quickly thought of three twitter friends I had met in Ventura a few weeks ago:  @respres, @jesseluna and @lindaptaylor.  I sent them a tweet to come to San Diego if they felt at risk.  They responded within seconds that they were fine but another twitter freind @QueenofSpain was in more danger.  I don’t know @QueenofSpain but because she’s in their twitter tribe, she’s now in mine.  That’s how it works.  Their friends are my friends and so on.  Below is our twitter streams.  Start from the bottom and read up.

So, cross your fingers for @queenofspain and everyone else in the fire areas.

I wrote this post quickly to show you the enormous power of twitter.  It’s so incredibly useful in times like this and can give you news faster than any other source available to us.  Just think what it could do for your personal brand or your business.  Pretty incredible possibilities huh? 

Understand why I’m still having an affair with Twitter??

Tweets I typed or received:

QueenofSpain: @aaswartz thanks. will keep in mind. we can’t go south right now.

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

aaswartz: @QueenofSpain Girl, head south already!

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

aaswartz: @ResPres don’t know @queenofspain yet but bring her too. She’s ok if she knows U

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

aaswartz: @jesseluna We’ll grab @marismith and have a party and do some go away fire dance

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

aaswartz: @jesseluna Keep me posted and come if u need to.

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

ResPres: @aaswartz thank you. I don’t think we’re in danger, but the map I just looked at might make @queenofspain a bit nervous.

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

aaswartz: @respres @jesseluna @lindaptaylor Cedar fire was less than mile from my home. Saw fire coming from 3 directions when leaving. Said bye house

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

jesseluna: @aaswartz @respres is the closest of the 3. Linda and I are about 20-25 miles away.

about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

 

• QueenofSpain: @ResPres yeah, um…..not liking the direction this puppy is moving

• amarquart: @Karoli so winds 2 not helping keep contained? worried 4 u & @queenofspain… no relief insight (weather)?
  about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet

  

• meresgreen: @QueenofSpain can you get out?
  about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

  

• QueenofSpain: @tsalagi1 we’re ok. We’re not in any immediate danger. Fire is a good distance. Worse for my son to be in this smoke.
  about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet · Show ConversationHide Conversation

  

• QueenofSpain: I-5 between 405 and the 126 is now shut. SO yeah, that’s us. Don’t come visit
  about 1 hour ago · Reply · View Tweet
   

I’m truly amazed at feedback I’ve received in response to my post on Proposition 8: Why Should the Majority Get to Choose How the Minority Lives?. In addition to the 16 comments on the blogpost itself, I’ve received emails, phone calls, twitter tweets & direct messages, facebook messages, phonecalls and people walking up to me to chat. It’s been so enlightening. Below are some demographics about the folks that have reached out to me:

• 90% of the group voted no for Prop 8.
• Most of them have someone in their family that is gay and therefore directly affected by the law.
• Most were frustrated that a Utah constituency directly contributed money to the passing of a California law.
• A small % felt that the church should decide who was “married”.
• Many mentioned their concern that our children would be taught to hate minorities as a result of this law passage.
• Some didn’t have any direct ties to anyone Gay but were a minority and related to minority causes. Thus, wanted freedom for all.
• Everyone wants to know if I think there’s anything they can still do now to make a difference.

As for me, I’m disappointed that I didn’t write my post a month earlier and that I didn’t do more to influence the defeat of this proposition. Why? Because I think the public was miseducated, scared and that it passed for all the wrong reasons.

I am a straight, married, white female. So, why am I so impassioned about this topic? I want my daughter to grow up understanding equality and love for all…not hate and I feel that discrimination teaches hate. I grew up in a small town where very few black families lived. My grandparents had very racist views that just never sat well with me. I wish that bias could be erased for my daughter’s children. Additionally, focusing our energy on topics like this takes our focus away from solving what I see as more important topics like promoting flexible work for all of you.

There are things you can still do if you’re interested in being a Proponent of No on Proposition 8.

1. See this great blog at After Ellen which contains some great celebrity pictures and stories.
2. This Saturday is National Protest Day. Check out JointheImpact.com for more information about how you can participate in this national event.
3. Join the When/If Prop 8 Passes, We’ll Do Something About It Facebook group.

Lastly, I think this video says everything there is to know about this topic. Please take the short 4 minutes it takes to watch it.

Refuse to Hate from Refuse to Hate on Vimeo.

President Obama’s ability to reach out and connect with Voters, specifically Generation Y is due to the fact that he embraced their language: texting and communicating with social media tools. Compare this to John McCain, clearly a novice, and it’s easy to see how a younger generation might feel they have only one clear choice for President. They just can’t relate to someone who can’t communicate with the tools of today. It’s a text book example of the generation gap.

So you say, interesting enough but how does this impact me, the working mother?

Think about it for a minute. If Barrack Obama can use Social Media to have a landslide competitive advantage over his competition, then why can’t you? If you’re an entrepreneur or you’ve been thinking about starting a venture, what can you learn from this recent presidential election? What can you implement for your own business? What can you plagiarize from Barack Obama’s presidential campaign? If our President used Linked In, Facebook, My Space, Twitter, why wouldn’t you? After all, he did spend millions on his campaign, likely the largest budget for market research this year. Why wouldn’t you maximize the research that he’s already done and copy that for your own business?

Clearly, I am a Social Media evangelist. I believe that Social Media is the path for working mothers to flexible work. In fact, I believe that it’s the path for not only working mothers but for anyone looking to lead a more independent lifestyle. Think about it. For the first time in history, the playing field has been equalized by the internet. We’ve all got the power to step up to the plate and hit a home run. Why shouldn’t it be you?

So, go see what your new President did to get elected and copy, copy, copy. Working moms, the man just showed you exactly how to do it. All we have to do is watch, listen and implement for our own businesses. How lucky are we to be living in these times?

Got examples of things you’ve already done? Love to hear from you so that other moms can learn! Leave a comment and if you like this post. Please stumble it!

Here are a few other interesting articles covering our new President’s Social Media success and predictions about how he might continue to use it moving forward:

Mashable: How Will President Obama Use His Massive Social Media Influence?

Search Marketing Gurus: Barack Obama: The First Social Media President?

Advertising Age: Obama’s Rivals Should Steal From His Social Playbook

Read Write Web: Obama’s Social Media Advantage

As some of my Twitter buddies know, I was in Hollywood over the weekend. As I drove down Santa Monica boulevard, I knew I’d be late for a meeting with Denise Wakeman of The BlogSquad (more on Denise coming soon) due to all of the Proposition 8 demonstrators lining the street. The level of energy was noticably high as people yelled and sang and honked their car horns on every block in support of gay marriage. Today, as I drove through my conservative San Diego neighborhood lined with demonstrators in the rain, the energy was much different. These demonstrators equally as passionate, had showed up to urge us all to Vote “Yes”.

Bottom line for me is that the whole issue feels like discriminition all over again just like with females, jews and blacks in historical times. Why should I (an upper class, caucasion, female) get to decide how a minority lives their life? I am the more fortunate (supposedly). Shouldn’t I lead by example and create systems to make society work for everyone? Call me Pollyanna but can’t we all have everything? For example, if I’m afraid that allowing a gay person to have a child means my child will be taught something I don’t like in school, shouldn’t I address the laws around what is taught in the public school system in lieu of taking away a fundamental right from someone? Is it really okay for me to have that much power over someone else’s human rights?

I do agree that there are some surrounding complications with what is age appropriate to be taught in schools but let’s address those issues in separate laws and make this one purely about gay rights. Isn’t the real issue about whether two people in a loving union can provide a good home to raise children together? My daughter has a friend in her class with two mommies. She also goes to a Jewish preschool and we’re not Jewish. I’m glad that she’s exposed to diversity at such young age and I hope when she’s my age that the world will be a lot more embracing of differences. I love being around and learning from people who aren’t like me and I want to rejoyce in them. It doesn’t mean I want to be like them. It just means I want to understand them and maybe look through their eyes for a bit.

Whether you are for or against Gay marriage, I’d like to ask you to think about one thing. You could be a minority someday. Your life could change in an instant. Would you want someone to make decisions about your life that hadn’t walked in your shoes? Take Michael J. Fox, for example. He’s now a minority due to Parkinson’s Disease and he’s now a proponent for Stem Cell Research, another highly controversial and highly debated topic. Two weeks ago, I heard him talk about this topic at The Women’s Conference. I heard him say how all he really wanted to do was get the two opposing groups at the top of the Stem Cell issue in the same room for a chat. You know what he said he learned? “For the first time in my life, I realized that because of politics and money, there are just people out there that don’t want those conversations to even happen.” Folks, we’re talking about medical research that any one of us might need some day to save one of our children’s lives. Michael J. Fox is using his personal fortune, fame, pain and influence to fund this cause and he can’t get people in a room for a conversation. What’s happened to us?

Because you are a Six Figure Mom and you’re smart and educated, I have high expectations from you. So I urge you. If you haven’t voted yet, regardless of which way you are voting today. Do one thing for me? Make sure you are making your choice for all the right reasons, okay?? Thanks for indulging me today. I just couldn’t leave this one unsaid.