The Five Love Languages Birthday Party (Summary)

I am super excited!! Today I found out that I will be planning an adult birthday party with a Five Love Languages theme! For those of you who have read the book, you know how helpful it is in our adult lives to understand the love language of others. Although the book is most helpful in the relationship we have with our spouses or significant others, it is also helpful in friendships and family relationships as well. It's an awesome book so I am elated to use my creative talents to incorporate it into a birthday party theme.

The birthday recipient is female and turning 39! In the initial consultation, I asked my client (Her husband) a series of questions to try and determine an appropriate theme for the affair. Things such as favorite colors, favorite animals, favorite items, favorite time period, favorite music, etc. He mentioned that The Five Love Languages is one of her favorite books and he thought it would be a good idea to have the title as the theme. I agreed and begin to run with it!! It also helps that Valentines Day is right around the corner so there are tons of decor and items for us to choose from that will help with our theme of Five Love Languages. He also mentioned that her favorite color was purple so we will be incorporating purple into the plans as well to create a color story around our event.

A few logistics that might be important as you follow this thread:

• Number of people: 12. Six couples including the birthday girl and her hubby
• Venue: Restaurant
• Entertainment: Live Band for second part of event
• Theme: The Five Love Languages
• Color Story: Hues of Purple
• Activity: Love Language Quiz
• Invitations: Electronic

Since this will be a small gathering and there is a budget involved, I decided that a good way to incorporate the theme without spending a lot of money is to create a logo and add a few printed items (that can be done on a home computer) that will tie the theme together. Here is what I decided on. (I will come back as I complete the projects and turn the items on the list into hyperlinks of the blog post that features the item.)

• Reserved Sign for Table
• Menu Cards at each Place Setting
• Place Cards at each Place Setting
• Personalized Thank You Cards (with a space to add your love language after taking the mini quiz)
• "39 things to love about the Birthday Girl" Welcome Sign at entrance (on poster board)
• Cupcake Flags with logo or photo
• Make (or purchase) a guestbook
• Love Language mini-quiz
• Floating hearts centerpieces

In addition to printed items, I have also added a few other low cost ideas to add to the theme:

• CD Sleeves with Ribbon
• Photo Slide Show scrolling on laptop as we enjoy dinner
• Themed cake topper
• Birthday wish "love tree"

AUPA Tip Tuesday - 01/03/12

Here we go again! It's that time of year to begin making new year resolutions and setting goals for the upcoming year. If there is one thing I have noticed about the advancements in technology, it is that technology is moving so quickly that we have a hard time keeping up. Social media, blogging, websites, video conferencing, email, and the list goes on and on with things that make our minds race a thousand miles a minute.

Well, I don't have the cure for all of that but the first thing I want to share with you in 2012 is that when all of these things make your head spin, the best thing to do is slow down and regroup. As you have been able to see with this blog, 2011 got us so caught up in other things that we let it fall off. No Tip Tuesdays or Facebook Fridays, no pictures or updates, hellos and mentioned accomplishments........ We almost let our blog die....

But the good news is, we have survived another year in business and therefore, have another opportunity to slow down and regroup. We call it the SDR method!

Here are pointers on how to make the SDR method successful:

• Literally, slow down physically. When the body is in a state of rest, the mind has a better chance of following suit. You can pretend to be able to focus and multi-task but studies show that while multi-tasking may work for some things, the majority of ones work is compromised when you are doing a million things at once. And if your body is doing multiple things at one time, you can bet that your mind is also not able to stop and focus. Consider a moment of silence in your day or some time for meditation during your week. Slowing the body down and helping it to relax on occasion can surely boost your productivity and effectiveness.
• Set small goals. It is important to eat the elephant one bite at a time. Remember that everything does not have to be done all at once and taking steps is a much better way to get things accomplished than trying to jump all the way to the top in one leap. Not only is it exhausting but most times it's not as effective. It's great to always be able to see the end result and have an overall goal but remembering to make small advancements gives you room for 'trial and error' and also gives you encouragement while making small triumphs in your plan.

• Reevaluate your goal and plan of execution. Sometimes things change. That is just a fact of life. Additionally, it is a fact of business that is more constant that we realize. When things change, we have to change with it. That does not mean that you will overhaul every aspect of your life or business every chance you get but it does mean to think critically about your environment and how you plan to move forward it in. If new ideas arise from that critical thinking process then figure out how to implement those. If things are going well the way they are, continue them and don't change them until you have to. Practice balance in your efforts to reevaluate and weigh the pros and cons of each aspect of your life/business.

So as you move forward in 2012, remember the SDR method; Slow Down and Regroup!

National Black Pages Listing

Check out our listing in the National Black Pages!!

Feel free to leave a comment!!

As always, thanks for your support!

Youth Motivation Day!!

I'm so excited and honored to speak to the students of Therrell High School (Atlanta, GA) today for their Youth Motivation Day celebration!!

A follow-up will be posted later................

UPDATE!!

Here are some of the pictures from Youth Motivation Day at Therrell High School!

Photo taken with the SGA and other speakers

Speaking to a class of Juniors and Seniors at THS

With THS Principal and another speaker

Good Article on the right timing of starting a business

In these economic times, many people are suplementing income with a "side hustle" of sorts. I ran across a very good article about knowing when it is time to turn that into a full-time gig! Enjoy!

Click here or the link below the image!



http://onstartups.com/tabid/3339/bid/39008/How-To-Know-Your-Side-Project-Is-Ready-To-Be-A-Startup.aspx



AUPA Tuesday Tip - 01/18/11

These were the mascots of my childhood breakfast experience. Although my mom would always make our family a homemade breakfast, there was something about these snap, crackle, and pop guys that stayed with me as my image of breakfast.





However, the older I get, the more rushed life becomes, and the less breakfast I am able to enjoy, my mornings tend to look more like this --->. LOL.


This mornings Tuesday Tip is a simple one. To enjoy a more productive day, don't skip breakfast. There are several studies that have been done that educate us on the importance of eating a balanced breakfast before we begin our day so that our focus and concentration is better and we are more effective in our daily goals. Sometimes, we tend to forget the practical things that help us to excel. In this day and time, when we get so many nuggets of insight via social networking links and other quick interaction with our peers, we tend to forget the practical. There is nothing magical about today's tip and it doesn't seem new to most of us. However, making this one adjustment in our day can help with health benefits and productivity over all.

Below are some helpful links that have information about eating breakfast:

WebMD: The Many Benefits of Breakfast

MyOptumHealth: The Benefits of Eating Breakfast

Women Fitness: Top 10 Reasons not to skip your breakfast

LiveStrong: Side Effects of Not Eating Breakfast

AUPA Tuesday Tip: Create time to have breakfast in the mornings before you begin your day. This is not a new, revolutionary concept, but one that I think we should be reminded of often as adults. There are amazing benefits to starting your day with some nourishment.

AUPA Tuesday Tip - 01/11/11

As I looked at today's date, I thought about how funny it looked to have so many ones in a date. I thought about how this sequence might have special meanings in certain cultures and how people will remember this date in the future. Later on, I saw several post on facebook where my friends commemorated today's date with a special status or even documented what they were doing at exactly 11:11AM/PM on 01/11/11. Most status were funny or contains jokes and other silly commentary but as I sat and read the silly thoughts on my friends minds as they celebrated this one moment in time and space, I realized the importance of celebration.

Every since I was a little girl, I have been all about celebrations. Birthdays, holidays, anniversaries, graduations, weddings, and other significant milestones were always so exciting to me and I could hardly wait for them to come around. Sometimes, I would even make up a reason to celebrate. Whether I'd gotten a 100% on a spelling test or beat my brother in UNO, a huge celebration was going down if I could find an inkling of a reason to celebrate.

Now, as an adult, I realize how important it is to stop and smell the roses and just celebrate life. Celebrations don't always have to be personal or about you; they can be celebrations for others as well. They say laughter is good for the soul and keeps you young, so in the name of good health and spiritual well-being, I encourage you to celebrate something today. Even if it is just a celebration because it's 1/11/11!

AUPA Tuesday Tip: Take time out to celebrate life. No matter how big or small, take time to find things to celebrate and use those celebrations to serve as a reminder of life's blessings. Make your heart smile today and celebrate something. Add a friend or two to double or triple the fun!

AUPA Tuesday Tip - 01/04/11

It's a new year!!! I am so excited to have made it to 2011! And Authentically U thanks you all for your continued support.

So with a new year, comes change. AUPA is trying our hand at a blog this year so tell your friends, jump on board, and join the dialogue. You never know who you might help.

This years first "Tip Tuesday" is about Vision. There's lots of talk about people who do vision boards at the beginning of the year but I am interested to know the feedback of how effective these have been for most people.

• Have you done a vision board?
• Did you continue to look at it through out the year?
• Where was it placed?
• Do you think it affected your decisions?
• How was it helpful?

Last year, was my first year doing a vision board. Some of the things actually happened (I had a ring on my board and I got married) but other didn't (I had water bottles on my board but I DID NOT end up drinking more water as I had planned). However, my board was strategically placed on my closet wall so I saw it every morning when I woke up and went into the closet to get dressed. Seeing my visions was helpful but I must admit that by the time summer came, I was a bit tired of seeing the same images. So, perhaps for me, I should do them every six months. Perhaps, I plan more short term goals, than long term goals? However, with that in mind I have decided to do my vision boards every six months. But finding out what works best for you is key. So try it our for a year and if you end up like me, board with the images (or maybe even your progress), then try every six month or maybe even seasonally/quarterly. There are really no rules to it, but consistency is important.

Today's Tuesday Tip: Make your goals visual! Seeing is believing so if you have goals that you want to achieve, create a visual image of the way you see the outcome and place it where you can be reminded of the "big" picture as you make daily steps to achieve the goal. Also, be sure to have a clear understanding of whether your goals are long-term or short-term. Some goals just are NOT meant to happen over night.

Get ready for Efficiency Tip Tues. @ 9am and 2pm EST on Twitter, www.twitter.com/Authentically_U!!!!

Every Tuesday, get a quick tip on living a more productive life!!!

www.TamekaCooksey.com

AUPA Tip Tuesday:

Never underestimate the power of a connection!

Connecting w/ others can create opportunities that 1 cannot create alone.

Getting Organized

(This is a follow-up from the "Getting Organized" feature article in the August 2010 edition of AUPA Connections.)


One of the most often asked questions I get from clients and supporters is, "what is the best way to get organized?" The short answer is that there is not a simple, cookie cutter, magic way that can guarantee you will develop and maintain organization. There are many factors that affect a person's ability to be organized. How much responsibility do you have on your plate? How much time are you willing to invest on the front end to set up a system or routine? How much of a priority is being organized?

When it comes to organization, there are a few key tools that can get you started and on your way to being more organized. In addition to what you saw in our newsletter, I have added 5 more things here that could help.

• Buy a planner
• Have an accountability partner
• Put yourself on a more rigid schedule
• Eat foods that help with focus
• Take time to rest

(If you did not see the full article in our newsletter, sign up in the box to the right.)