Listen to Traci

I tend to mother people.  I know this about myself, and I’m not going to apologize for it.  This isn’t a habit I developed when I became a mom - I’ve been this way for as long as I can remember.  In the spirit of consistency, here are the motherisms I’m most likely to pass on to my children, or anyone else who might be within hearing distance of my nagging  nurturing.  Choose citrus that feels heavy for its size.  It will be fresher and juicier than the lightweight pieces. Always drive as if everyone else on the road is an imbecile, drunk, and/or texting. Red lipstick is a commitment.  Don’t wear it unless you mean it. Be nice to almost everyone, but don’t waste your time on those that don’t deserve your kindness. Embrace who you are, what you think and feel.  Don’t let anyone belittle you for being yourself, and don’t let anyone tell you who to be, not even the internet.  Let joy in.  It’s everywhere, but you have to meet it half way, at the very least. Do

A small business can have anywhere from 1 to 500 employees, but collectively, they’re a mighty force, accounting for 99.7% of all business in the United States.  Unfortunately, according to the Small Business Administration, 50% fail within the first five years. Given the limited resources of small business, your expertise makes you a valuable partner.  And while they’re probably more focused on budget than enterprise customers are, they're also more likely to be loyal.  Offer them personalized, reliable, trustworthy service, and they’ll consider you part of their team. Here are a few of the ways you can maximize your partnership and success with small businesses: Assist with a social media strategy – do you have content they can re-post, connections they can link up with, a tip to getting more followers, co-branding opportunities?  Smallbiztrends.com identifies mobile as the #1 technology that a small business should utilize, with 56% of all consumer traffic currently

Let me start by saying I like being a woman and I like the accoutrements that come with it.  I like high heels and makeup and the color pink and having doors opened for me.  I’m especially fond of wearing makeup and pink high heels while a door is being opened for me.  And I really like it if someone else removes the spiders that skitter up in my life.  I like doing things that are typically considered girly, like cooking, needlework, and taking care of my kids.  But professional chefs are predominantly men, you can probably name more male than female fashion designers, and my husband is an amazing parent, arguably better than I am. What I don’t like are assumptions.  Assumptions are, by definition, problematic, but for now I’ll focus on sexism and misogyny.  Don’t assume that because I’m a woman I’m stupid, or weak, or illogical.  In fact, I’m passably bright, I’m decently strong, and although I’ll admit to being on the left side of reason, I’m also very even-tempered and fair.

Remember the dark ages?  Back before we carried the internet around in our pockets, when we had to answer the phone, pay for music and wait for information?  It was a very different world my friends. If you wanted a restaurant reservation you called.  If you were planning a vacation, you consulted a travel agent.  If you wanted to send mail, you needed an envelope and a stamp.  We got our news from television and newspapers.  And we couldn’t get updates 24 hours a day, either. You had to tune in at a specific time, which is where the phrase “film at 11” came from.  Newspapers were also the source for movie times, advice, local events, restaurant reviews, stock market information, weather reports and job searches. You had to watch TV shows when they aired, and if you missed something, you would wait for summer reruns to catch up. Eventually we had VCRs, so we could record shows in our absence.  But if you forgot, or accidentally taped over your show, you were out of luck.

Everybody has at least one thing they can do well, even me.  Still, there's a lot of stuff I wish I could do, some attainable, some not so much, some requires talent, or hard work, and some of it is about just plain luck.  Since I haven’t stumbled across a grungy old oil lamp that needs polishing, most of these wishes won’t come true.  That reality doesn’t stop me from thinking about it, though, so here’s my short list: Carry a tune.  I can sing, and I do sing, often.  But man, what I would give for it to sound good. Meet Meryl Streep.  Because I think we’d be great friends.  Which is probably what a stalker would say.  And I want to make it very, very clear that I am not a stalker and have no plans to become one. But even without the friendship thing, I still really want to meet her.  I mean, she’s Meryl Streep! Change people’s minds when they’re being stupid.  But as Forest Gump’s mama always said, “Stupid is as stupid does,” so I try to set a good example and hope