By: Marsha Friedman

Recently, a colleague asked me, "What was the most rewarding mistake you ever made in business?"

It's a great question, and I quickly had an answer for him because it was an incredibly painful mistake. However, it proved to be an invaluable lesson that has served me well in the years since. I'm sharing so perhaps you can learn it the easy way.

The lesson: Don't ever stop marketing because you think you've reached the point where you don't need to. And, secondarily, believe the old adage that warns, "Don't put all your eggs into one basket."

There's a story, of course!

Years ago, my public relations company connected with a large publishing house that served many prestigious authors. The first few of its authors we accepted as clients had such successful campaigns, we quickly became the publicity firm of record for this publisher. I thought we'd tapped the mother load! The publisher kept a steady stream of clients flowing to us, and eventually, they became about 80 percent of our business.

We were so focused on delivering for these authors that we became much less focused on getting our company name out to prospective new clients. We slowly stopped marketing. Our newsletters ground to a halt. We didn't waste time networking. We quit our efforts to get the same publicity for our company that we get for clients. Why bother? We didn't need new clients!

We had a whole basket full of beautiful perfect eggs and we were happily skipping along with it.

And then ... it broke.

The publisher ran into some serious problems with its investors and the business came crashing down. And guess who almost went with it?

Our eggs were cooked.

Faced with only a few clients and no prospects, we got busy fast and cranked up the marketing department (me!) again. It took awhile to regain the momentum we'd lost but, thankfully, we had a side business that could help pay the bills in the interim. Slowly but surely (this was before the age of social media, which really speeds things up), we built up a new list of prospects and clients - only this time from a diverse array of sources.

It was a terrible but powerful experience that demonstrated very clearly: No matter how great things seem to be going, you never stop marketing. It needs to be a constant hum because if that hum stops, you know there will be a big problem ahead.

I stopped marketing because I thought I had all the clients I needed. Over the years I've seen others make the same mistake but for different reasons. Here are a few:

One great publicity hit is a really bad reason to stop marketing. I've talked to people who believed if we could just get them on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" (before 2011) or "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," that was all they'd need. They'd be done. Yes, a big national show can give you a tremendous launch, but you won't keep soaring unless you do something to stay in the public eye. I guarantee you, there are plenty of people you never heard of who got their "big break" and then disappeared because they stopped marketing.

Most of us won't get those huge hits - and that's not a reason to stop, either. I haven't been on "Oprah" but I often hear from prospective clients that I or my business was recommended to them by someone I've never met and don't know. That's what good, sustained marketing does. It may not always create fireworks, but that doesn't mean it's not working for you.

Yesterday's story is old news. Look for fresh new ways to stay in the public eye. The publicity you get today can continue to work for you online, but eventually, it's going to be old news. We encourage our clients to post links to their publicity on their websites; it shows visitors that they have credibility with the media. But if those visitors see only publicity and testimonials that are five or 10 years old, they're going to wonder why no one's been interested in you more recently.

Just as I put all my eggs in one basket by relying on one source for clients, it's also a mistake to rely on just one marketing tool. Maximize the reach of the publicity you get in traditional media by sharing it on social media. Put a blog, or other content you can renew and refresh, on your website. Write a book. Do speaking engagements (for free, if necessary). Your audience is likely not all huddled together in one corner of the world. To reach them, use a variety of marketing tools.

Whatever it is you're promoting - your business, your product, your book, yourself - keep the momentum going. If you want people to know you're out there, you have to stay out there.

About Marsha Friedman

Marsha Friedman is a 23-year veteran of the public relations industry. She is the CEO of EMSI Public Relations (www.emsincorporated.com), a national firm that provides PR strategy and publicity services to businesses, professional firms, entertainers and authors. Marsha is the author of Celebritize Yourself and she can also be heard weekly on her Blog Talk Radio Show, EMSI's PR Insider every Thursday at 3 p.m. EST. Follow her on Twitter: @marshafriedman.

??Marriage Expert Outlines 4 Ways to Reconcile Your
Relationship (If You're Still Interested)

For many, the response to a cheating spouse is a no-brainer?kick 'em to the curb. But others want to reconcile despite being betrayed. They're willing to forgive and believe they can mend the marriage, says global marriage expert Mort Fertel.

"Some people just can't accept the idea of forgiving a cheating spouse, but you never know how you'll react to that situation until it happens to you," says Fertel, creator of the Marriage Fitness Tele-Boot Camp and author of "Marriage Fitness," (MarriageMax.com).

"It's easy to say that cheating is unacceptable. And of course, it is. But when you're faced with the consequences of ending a marriage?like weekends without the kids, less money, a smaller house, a lower standard of living, the prospect of dating again, and tearing up years of photos?many people can't go there. As unacceptable as cheating is, for many people it's worth it to try to reconcile rather than divorce and face that nightmare too. In other words, you shouldn't assume that someone who sticks with a cheating partner is a mentally deranged masochist."

If you're fed up, lawyer up?but if you want to save your marriage and reconcile your relationship, here's some advice:

· Don't spy. If your spouse is having an affair, then your marriage needs a leader, not a follower. Spying is another form of betrayal; it's a violation of trust. Don't go there. You'll just add to the distrust in the marriage and make matters worse. Instead, take the high road. Maintain your decency and integrity. Be a leader, not a follower.

· Hang in there. The vast majority of affairs end within a year. Your spouse may think that he or she will be the exception, but affairs are relationships built on deceit and immorality, and things planted in polluted soil don't grow well. The affair will die. Don't make an impulsive decision. Hang in there until the affair runs its natural course. At that you and your spouse might see your marriage and your future differently.

· Kill 'em with kindness. He doesn't deserve it? No kidding! But if you want to spoil his (or her) affair and turn your marriage around, don't treat your spouse the way he treats you; treat your spouse the way you want him to treat you. Adulterers wants their spouse to leave them alone, give them space, that way they can feel emotionally free to philander. But when you extend kindness, it tugs on their conscience and ruins their justification for betraying you.

· Seduce 'em. No one should ever do anything sexually they don't want to do, but if you desire your spouse then go for it. You're not doing anything wrong. The other man/woman is the mistress/mister; you're the wife/husband! And to turn this around it's helpful to rev up the sexual part of your relationship. Your friend may have told you, "Don't let him have his cake and eat it too." Yeah, you'll feel vindicated withholding sex. But what will that accomplish? It's punitive; it's not healing. Show her (or him) what she (or he) be missing if he takes his business elsewhere.

About Mort Fertel

Mort Fertel is a world authority on the psychology of relationships. He has been featured as an expert on ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS and Fox television networks. His Marriage Fitness System is endorsed by a wide variety of mental-health professionals, and he has helped save thousands of marriages. Fertel graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, was the CEO of an international nonprofit organization, and is a former marathon runner. He lives with his wife and five children (including triplets!) in Baltimore
Cancer-Causing Disease Ended Dream But Opened
Unexpected Doors, He Says

For as long as he could remember, Jay Platt wanted to be a U.S. Marine, and for nearly 15 years, he lived that dream. But in 1998, a rare condition called von Hippel Lindau syndrome (VHL), attacked his eyes, brain, spine and kidneys, forcing his retirement from the service.

"Before VHL I pretty much felt untouchable - until I started having symptoms and the eventual diagnosis," he says.

"I was scared, confused and angry for a number of years; I couldn't understand why God would do this to me. I went from feeling invulnerable to officially being considered handicapped."

After a personal journey of acceptance, Platt recalibrated his sense of purpose by accepting challenges many world-class athletes wouldn't consider. Along with a record-breaking Mississippi swim while blindfolded, handcuffed and shackled, he swam from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco with his hands and feet tied, and he was one of fewer than 300 people to hike the more than 2,100-mile southbound Appalachian Trail.

Platt, who is the subject of the new documentary, "Living Unstoppable," (www.LivingUnstoppable.com), explains his transformation and how others might apply the lessons of his journey to their own lives:

• The motivation of "can't" ... Something is triggered in people when they're told they can't do something. Those who want to do what they "can't" eventually find a way if they're motivated and determined. "I don't care who you are - everybody goes through something in life; nobody gets through unscathed," he says. "And everyone, at some point, faces something they believe they can't do - but want very much. If you haven't yet, you will, and coming to terms with it will be a process." Use it as motivation for living life to the fullest, and let it show you how beautiful our time on Earth really is, he says.

• The lesson of the severely handicapped little girl: Platt experienced a long period of despair, hopelessness and rage against the universe. One day while at the park, he heard the pure joy in the laughter of a severely handicapped girl who was being pushed in a wheelchair by her mother. " 'Listen to the birds, Momma,' I heard her say - she was just so happy to experience that simple pleasure," he says. "That has stayed with me ever since; if that little girl could get past her suffering and appreciate singing birds, then I could do much better."

• A promise to contribute to the greater good: The onset of his VHL symptoms, which included vision problems in his left eye and disorientation, was a very scary period for Platt. During this period he made a promise to himself and God to devote his life to others if he survived. He has kept that promise - his Appalachian Trail hike alone raised $109,000 for charity.

• You are still you; don't let tragedy totally define you: While Platt is officially retired from the USMC, he is still the same guy who fully lived a proud life as a Marine for a decade and a half. While how you respond to hardship says much about one's character, you don't have to remain psychically stuck in the worst part of your life by identifying most with a weakness. Use a handicap, for example, for what it's worth - something that helps you strive for significance and fulfillment in life.

About Jay Platt

Jay Platt was medically retired from the Marine Corps in 1998 after suffering complications from von Hippel Lindau syndrome (VHL), a genetic disease that resulted in brain and spinal tumors, kidney cancer, and the loss of his left eye. When told his future would be considerably dimmer than his past, Platt set out to rebuild himself physically, mentally and spiritually, and to challenge himself by setting demanding physical goals. He was one of fewer than 300 people to have hiked the more than 2,100-mile southbound Appalachian Trail; one of three to swim from Alcatraz Island to San Francisco with hands and feet tied; and the only person to swim across the Mississippi River while blindfolded, handcuffed and shackled. The proceeds from his adventures and sales of his documentary benefit non-profits, including the VHL Family Alliance.

Veteran Biochemical/Nutritional Expert Offers Tips for
Maintaining a Healthy Weight

With the recent declaration from the American Medical Association that obesity now should be considered a disease, the United States officially becomes an even more afflicted union. Obesity, which affects 78 million adults and 12 million children, causes a plethora of other illnesses, including cardiac disease and diabetes.

"It's clear that a really fundamental paradigm shift in lifestyle is needed for an enormous swath of the U.S. population - but there are also Americans who have already reshaped their eating and exercise habits, and they're looking to not only maintain their health, but also take it to the next level," says Dr. Susie Rockway, a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert in the U.S. health industry.

"These are often busy, professional people who make an effort to eat healthy with most meals and make time throughout the workweek to move their body and get their blood pumping."

Still, they also want to be able to enjoy an indulgent meal every once in a while - birthdays, family barbecues or date night with the spouse. Dr. Rockway offers tips for people who want to maintain their weight while still enjoying the occasional burger, chicken wing or greasy pizza slice:

• Food diary: So, nine times out of 10 you eat healthy, eh? That may not really be true, but a food diary can help clear up any confusion. How much fattening mayo was used to make that tuna salad? If you've sworn off meat, are you getting enough protein and are you eating too many carbohydrates? What kind of carbs are they? Are you eating a diverse diet that provides all the necessary nutrients? A food diary will help challenge your assumptions and make you more aware of everything you're eating, how much and where you might make healthy adjustments.

• Stay hydrated: Whether you've upped the ante on your workouts or you're consuming too much salt or too many caffeinated beverages, which act as a diuretic, doctors and researchers believe as many as 75 percent of Americans experience dehydration throughout the day. Dehydration can make you confuse thirst for hunger, cause fatigue and a fuzzy memory.

• Lineatabs www.lineatabs.com: This meal supplement has been popular in  Europe for 11 years and recently became available in the United States. Lineatabs contains Solusitan, an all-natural fat-binding complex. Unlike other fat-binding supplements, Lineatabs dissolve in water to become an effervescent citrus flavored beverage that users consume before or while eating a fatty meal. Since the dietary fibers in Lineatabs are dispersed in water are not compressed into a tablet, they're immediately available to bind with fats, turning them into an indigestible liquid mass. The tabs are perfect for people who follow a healthy diet but occasionally eat a greasy-fatty meal. The ingredients in Lineatabs are clinically proven to help reduce body weight, in combination with a calorie-restricted diet, and can also help maintain healthy cholesterol levels. Additionally, Lineatabs encourages hydration, as it makes you drink more water.

• Relaxation: If you're always on the go, chances are you may be suffering from excessive stress, which according to the American Journal of Epidemiology, raises levels of cortisol, a hormone that can make you feel hungry. Stress can also make busy people more prone to comfort eating, including excessive amounts and foods filled with fat, sugar and salt. Consider breathing techniques, yoga or meditation for handling a busy schedule.

• Slightly increase/mix-up cardio: It's easy to get into a routine in your workout. After a certain point, however, your body gets used to the exercise and you get less of a workout. You don't have to drastically alter things though; increasing the incline on your treadmill by just 5 percent can help you lose 15 percent more calories during your walk/jog/run. If you want more muscle definition, consider trading a walk for a shorter jog, or a jog for a shorter sprint.

About Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S.

Dr. Susie Rockway, Ph.D., C.N.S., is a veteran nutritional and biochemical expert and is a multi-decade industry expert. She has worked for multiple companies in executive capacities, including as an executive director of product development, a director of research, and a manager for science developing health and wellness products, where she communicated nutrition and new science updates to consumers. She has also designed testing strategies for clinical efficacy studies.

Explore U.S. History While Creating Your Own, Says Patriotic
Mommy Blogger

Not sure how to make vacations and school breaks count with your family?

Discover your own backyard with a family road trip, advises veteran traveler and mother of three Alisa Abecassis.

"With busy lives and, perhaps, lingering anxiety about job security, a family vacation may not be parents' top priority, but if they can pull it off, even if only for a few days, it can be a truly rich experience for both parents and children," says Abecassis, who recently launched ExploreAll50.com, a website filled with resources for travel in the United States.

A modest investment of time and money creates a lifelong return for each family member, says Abecassis, who began traveling with her three children as a way of forging new bonds with them.

"I've picked up a lot of great tips not only for families, but also for any group or individual who are hungry to eat, drink, sleep and breathe more of what our country has to offer," she says.

Abecassis gives four reasons why parents should take their kids on a road trip:

• Memories: Visiting the same amusement park over and over again isn't the stuff of lasting memories. Experiencing some of North America's greatest natural wonders is! A few years back, Abecassis began planning themed trips to specific regions of the country. She started in the Pacific Northwest, including Washington and Oregon, which featured dramatic coastal views of waves and sand dunes; farther inland included stops at volcanoes. But the themes can be anything. Most recently, her July 4 theme was "Rebels and Revolutionary Ideas," and others have included "Pioneers in the Heartland" and "Lewis & Clark and the New Frontier." The themed trips will continue for the Abecassis clan until they've visited each state.

• Bonding: With three teenage children, Abecassis recognized a need for new collective experiences as a family. "Perhaps the most common experience all parents share is how quickly children grow up," she says. "It won't be long before they're out of the house and having their own families." This is especially true for a family, or an individual member, who has experienced a rough patch. "After a death in the family, divorce, or some other painful life event, every day is an opportunity for setting a new tone," she says.

• Tangible history lessons: Ignorance of U.S. history by the native population is a problem recognized by many historians and new citizens alike. "For understanding how and why our country works, it is necessary to grasp how it came to be - from the ideas driving our founding fathers to bringing law and order to the Wild West," she says. Physically being at historical sites - smelling the grass at Gettysburg or seeing the living conditions at the Alamo - breathes life into the past.

• Feeding the domestic economy: Many Americans set their sights on exotic and, sometimes, less-than-safe destinations overseas. Confusing roads to nowhere, foreign diseases and cultural missteps are all potential pitfalls in foreign travel. Why not stay in the states, which are safe and family-friendly, and help out an economy that could use your dollars? "America is arguably the most diverse place on the planet; why not witness firsthand what makes us who we are?"

About Alisa Abecassis

Alisa Abecassis is the proud mother of three children - Lilia, 17; Isaac, 15; and Joel, 14. After her marriage ended, she decided it was time to strengthen her family's bonds and personal history by traveling and gaining a better appreciation of the 50 United States. Abecassis is a prolific blogger and has a bachelor's degree in political science from UCLA. Contact her on Twitter, @ExploreAll50

Analyst Says 'Yes' - the Secret is in the Algorithm

Without being naïve and overly optimistic, there is a way of knowing what the world's financial markets will do, says Lambros Klouvidakis, who has devoted the past dozen years of his life to the study of currency exchange behavior.

"Humanity has already done 'the impossible' several times: We've been to the moon, we've created the jet engine, we've discovered and utilized penicillin and we've developed a global system of interconnected computer networks - the internet," says mathematician Lambros Klouvidakis, a Canadian market expert who says he has developed a world's first - an algorithm that calculates market behavior called Semathy, which is also the name of his consultancy firm (www.semathy.com).

"All of these advancements in human understanding took visionaries to look outside the box, recognize how the world works and engineer a solution, and that's essentially what I've done. People who have experienced findings from Semathy are shocked on the spot; some slink away not knowing how to respond."

Klouvidakis explains some essential aspects of enumerating money markets:

• The process: After devoting 12,000 hours of his life and accumulating 9,000 pages of notes, Klouvidakis has developed an algorithm, or formula, that "can calculate the exchange rates, stock prices, commodities and more by the minute ... any time." The formula is based on the immutable qualities of money and the behavior of people toward money. People tend to look at data coming from the markets as a sea of confusion, but there is a substructure to the world's markets. A skill at abstraction and willingness to break down information into smaller and smaller pieces - "nanopieces" - allows an observer to begin to see a market's language. Markets are like natural phenomena, which can seem highly complex. But a forest, for example, is simply the constant self-replication of individual trees. "Markets also boil down to simple factors," he says, "and when you know them, you can calculate the forthcoming value with a high degree of accuracy."

• The New York Stock Exchange: This is the world's largest stock exchange, with an average daily trading value roughly estimated between $75 billion to $153 billion daily. This is not an ideal environment for calculating rates because of the many variables that are exceedingly difficult to fortell, but Klouvidakis says he can. "Unlike the foreign exchange market, or forex, the New York Stock Exchange is riddled with x-factors including CEOs, share holders, public money, politicians and various other influencers and manipulators," he says. "Unless you are in on all of the secrets of the U.S. exchange, it's difficult to determine rates with a high degree of accuracy."

• The foreign exchange: The world's many markets make up a vast monetary realm outside of New York called the forex, which is a form of exchange for the global trading of international currencies. This is exponentially larger in terms of daily trading value, which is roughly estimated to be $4 trillion daily. "While many may view this as a much more complicated beast, it is actually much more computational because it involves actual money, without so many unpredictable variables," he says. "That's why anyone looking to engineer a trading method of market rates should focus on the forex."

About Lambros Klouvidakis

Lambros Klouvidakis is the creator of Semathy, an elite foreign exchange consultancy. He is a math expert, not a trader, who has dedicated more than 12 years of his life to the study of currency exchange behavior. The formula he developed, an algorithm based on the behavior of money and supply and demand, marks current foreign exchange rates versus forthcoming rates. The Semathy formula is designed to give financial institutions and governments the ability to capitalize on the foreign exchange market's unique qualities and make viable trading decisions.

Social Architecture a Key Role in Recruitment &
Retention; Industry Leader Gives Tips

A record 33 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds hold bachelor's degrees, up from 17 percent in 1971. Today's high school graduates know that a college degree means earning power so, despite the rising expense of post-secondary school, the business of higher education is more competitive than ever, says industry-leading social architect and entrepreneur David Porter.

An often-overlooked component in the coveted "three Rs" - Recruitment, Retention and Alumni Relations - is the dining hall and student meal plans, he says.

"During the mid 1990s, campuses throughout the country were dealing with widespread disenchantment with their aging dining facilities and stale menus, so many paid food contractors to take over management. That was a big mistake," says Porter, who designs dining programs and dining halls at colleges throughout North America. He shares tips for keeping students on campus, where they're more likely to bond with each and their schools, in "The Porter Principles: Retain & Recruit Students & Alumni, Save Millions on Dining and Stop Letting Food Service Contractors Eat Your Lunch" (www.porterkhouwconsulting.com).

"For most universities that contract out, the foodservice provider that controls tens of millions of dollars in purchases for the school is also its sole source of guidance on student dining. No matter how you slice it, there is a blatant conflict of interest here."

Porter, who has worked with the University of Georgia, University of New Hampshire, Ferris State University, George Mason University and the University of Richmond, among others, identifies three areas schools should focus on in their meal program and facilities:

• Do they make students want to eat on campus? Social architecture is the conscious design of an environment to encourage social behaviors that lead toward a goal. In this case, the goal is solidifying students' connections to one another and commitment to their school by drawing them together in a leisurely way at least once a day. Gathering together and socializing over meals on a regular basis helps students develop relationships that increase the odds they'll stay in school, and that they'll be active alumni after graduation. Students who live and dine on campus tend to have higher GPA's and are more likely to graduate.

• What do prospective students see? When giving tours to prospective students and their families, is the dining hall a destination, and if so, is it one to be proud of? The kitchen is a non-negotiable element in creating a home. If a future student sees the dining hall as an uninviting ghost town with drab food, then he or she will feel less inclined to live on campus, and may even seek another school simply for its more accommodating campus.

• Are good meals available when students want them? Parents and students both know what time young people tend to get up in the morning and how late they go to bed. Many classes extend well into the evening and lots of students avoid early morning classes. Meals need to be available well beyond the outdated 9-to-5 time frame. Trying to accomplish that by including off-campus restaurant deals in the meal plan, or having too many locations available on campus, will be counter-productive. That decentralizes the dining experience.

About David Porter

David Porter, FCSI, is chief executive officer and president of Porter Khouw Consulting, Inc., a foodservice master planning and design firm based in Crofton, Maryland. David has more than 40 years of hands-on food service operations and consulting experience and is a professional member of the Foodservice Consultants Society International. Porter Khouw Consulting has worked with more than 350 clients to conduct market research and develop strategic plans, master plans and designs for the college and university market. Porter is a graduate of the prestigious hospitality program at Michigan State University and has been recognized repeatedly as a leader in his field.

Juicing Icon Offers 5 Tips for Beginners and Veterans Alike; Happiness &
Well-Being a Key Ingredient

It's no longer just celebrities, world-class athletes and alternative-lifestyle hippies turning to green smoothies and freshly juiced vegetable and fruits for improved health, says nutritionist and juicing pioneer Cherie Calbom, MS. ("The Juice Lady").

"People from all walks of life are looking for proven ways to lose weight, energize, sleep better, strengthen their immune systems, and have brighter skin and a younger appearance. They're also juicing to help their bodies heal from a variety of ailments," says Calbom, author of a new book full of juicing tips, tricks and recipes, "The Juice Lady's Big Book of Juices and Green Smoothies," (www.juiceladycherie.com).

"No matter your diet, juicing offers a shot of goodness - nutrition, minerals, phytonutrients and more - that you might not otherwise get," Calbom says.

Whether you're just getting started or you've been juicing awhile and want to optimize the experience, Calbom shares some important pointers that will help.

• Fruits & veggies happiness studies: Plenty of new research shows that adding more produce to your daily diet can benefit your mental health and sense of well-being. In one analysis of the eating habits and moods of 80,000 British adults, researchers at Dartmouth and the University of Warwick found that those who consumed the most fruit and vegetables every day rated themselves as significantly happier and more satisfied with their lives than those who ate lesser amounts. Research shows that the well-being score for people who ate seven to eight servings of vegetables and fruits per day was consistently three points higher than for those who ate little or none.

• More studies ... Researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded from a study of 982 Americans that those who exhibited the most optimistic outlooks on life also had the highest blood levels of carotene, a key antioxidant that's delivered by a colorful array of produce: dark green spinach and kale, carrots, and sweet potatoes, and vibrant yellow or orange fruits like peaches, papayas and cantaloupe, among others. And "juicers" should consider starting at a young age. A study of 281 adults with a mean age of 20, conducted at the University of Otago, New Zealand, showed that those who reported the highest daily intake of fruits and veggies also declared they were happier, calmer and more energetic than those who ate less.

• "Do I need to juice; can't I just eat produce?": This is a common response, but the reality is that most people in today's society - especially those who are booked from morning to evening with a busy lifestyle - rarely get an optimal amount of produce throughout the day. A half-cup of veggies is a serving and ¾ of a cup of juice equals one serving; chewing seven to eight servings of produce every day requires much more effort and time than drinking fresh juice for some of the servings. That makes people much more likely to benefit from juice, she says.

• Flavor diversification: Some people soon fall into creative ruts because they stick to the same basic ingredients, and that can be a disincentive for sticking with juicing. Diversify! Try gourmet and exotic juice blends, or even plant-based ingredients you simply haven't yet considered, some of which may include : butternut squash, one-inch ginger chunks, beets with leaves and stems, Brussels sprouts, and fennel bulbs with fronds. "Juicing is not about just using common fruit ingredients - spice it up and experiment with healthy vegetables; it works!" Calbom says.

• An exotic example: A fennel-watercress-cucumber blend juice is an excellent way to mix up your typical cocktail. It includes: 1 handful of watercress; 1 dark green lettuce leaf; 1 cucumber, peeled if not organic; ½ fennel bulb and fronds; 1 lemon, peeled if not organic. Cut produce to fit your juicer's feed tube. Wrap watercress in lettuce leaf and push through the juicer slowly. Juice all remaining ingredients. Drink immediately; this portion serves one.

About Cherie Calbom, MS

Cherie Calbom, MS is the author of 21 books, including the best-seller "Juicing for Life," with 2 million copies sold in the United States and published in 23 countries. Known as "The Juice Lady" for her work with juicing and health, her juice therapy and cleansing programs have been popular for more than a decade. She holds a Master of Science degree in nutrition from Bastyr University. She has practiced as a clinical nutritionist at St. Luke Medical Center, Bellevue, Wash., and as a celebrity nutritionist for George Foreman and Richard Simmons.

Treat Your Organization's Most Valuable Resource with Care, Says Former Businessman of the Year

When a successful formula is discovered in the business world, it's copied and becomes part of standard operating procedure throughout entire industries.

The newest SOP trend among leading businesses? - Focusing on employee and family well-being, says Gary Kunath, who was honored nationally as Businessman of the Year and recognized with a dinner hosted by the President of the United States.

"Many think that professional well-being drives personal well-being, but it's the exact opposite," says Kunath, a speaker at top business schools and businesses including Lockheed and Marriott, and author of "Life...Don't Miss It. I Almost Did: How I Learned To Live Life to Its Fullest," (www.lifedontmissitbook.com).

"The top companies know focusing on employee well-being is critical and serves as the conduit to increasing innovation, emotional loyalty, natural productivity and overall profitability, but they have exhausted the traditional vehicles inside their companies to do this, so they are focusing on impacting their employees lives 'outside' of the company."

Employee well-being is very smart business and everyone wins, he says; it's the key to elevating associate engagement. According to the Aspen Institute, more than 70 percent of employees today would sacrifice promotions and pay increases for family well-being. Yet only 40 percent of employees feel their employers demonstrate that they care about them, says the American Psychology Association.

Several major corporations have approached Kunath and asked him to build a program that shows their people how to master life balance and maximize the joy and contentment in their lives, he says.

"The results have been tremendous," he says. "People love that they are cared for just as much when leaving the building as they are when arriving."

Kunath's newest three hour seminar for businesses centers on employee life balance and well-being; here he offers five things business owners and employees should consider in achieving life balance:

• Bring humanity back to the workplace: There are simple truths about what motivates employees today and what they want and need from their employers. Employee well-being drives profits and is good for business, he points out. Employers need to allow employees to completely disconnect from work in their off hours - for instance, not expecting them to respond to emails or conference calls after hours. He also points out the "Life Balance Dilemmas" people face, including his own; a former workaholic lifestyle nearly ruined his family relationships before he learned how to develop balance.

• The "Life ... Don't Miss It" approach: According to a Harvard study, we all have the capability to maximize our happiness regardless of the situation we find ourselves in. A large part of how happy you are is determined through intentional activity. There are things you can do to maximize happiness in your life even in the worst of adversities. Giving people a way to elevate their family well-being is critical to top performance on the job.

• Applying Life-Balance secrets: Kunath targets 10 points for Mastering Life Balance. Some of those points are: Money doesn't make you rich; Express gratitude to others; the power of perspective; relationship refinement (thinning the herd); and Good goes around. "All of these points go to the overall perspective of total life balance and focusing on the areas, and the people, that really matter," he says.

• Power of Perspective: Why is it that people who have faced death often live the most?  Why must we wait for adversity to teach us to get the most out of life?  The answer is that you don't. Kunath emphasizes various perspectives on how you can live life to the fullest every day and what the keys are to maximizing employee and family well-being.

• The three greatest gifts you can give your family: For all the importance and effort involved in mastering a worklife to fund a family's well-being, the three greatest gifts you have to offer are actually free! They are time, memories and traditions. Time is our greatest resource, and it's also our most scarce, which makes memories all the more important. They give you a place to go for all of your life. Traditions live on after you're gone; they're a legacy you leave for your loved ones.

About Gary Kunath

Gary Kunath is the founder of The Summit Group, whichis ranked among the top sales-training companies in the world by Selling Power magazine. His value-creation approach received the "Innovative Practice of the Year Award" by 3M worldwide. He was named Businessman of the Year and was recognized at a dinner hosted by the president of the United States. He has lectured extensively at prominent business schools, and is currently an adjunct professor at The Citadel's Sports Marketing graduate program. Kunath is an owner of several professional minor league baseball teams along with his partners, Bill Murray, Jimmy Buffet and Mike Veeck. The group is famous for managing its teams around the "Fun is Good" approach.
'Financial Engineer' Shares 4 Secrets Everyone Should Know

It's no wonder baby boomers worry about outliving their retirement savings.  One out of four 65-year-olds today can expect to live past 90, and if they're married, one of every four will live even longer.

With 10,000 boomers turning 65 every day, it's a big worry for 26 percent of the U.S. population.

"The biggest concern for boomers is living too long, or getting sick, and running out of money," says Rao K. Garuda, (www.aca-incorp.com), an engineer-turned-independent financial planning advisor specializing in work with seniors, high net worth business owners, and professionals.

"The average 65-year-old retires today with $500,000 to $1 million in assets, and while that might sound like a lot to a 20-year-old, it isn't," Garuda says.

Even if you plan to continue some kind of work post-retirement - as many people do whether because they must or because they enjoy it - it's imperative to plan ahead for the day you can't work, he says.

"Equally important, people deserve the freedom to make choices about how they'll spend their last 20 or 30 years, especially if they've spent 45 years going to work every day. That's part of the American dream," Garuda says. "And you don't have to earn a fortune to save a fortune!"

Garuda shares four things everyone should know about preparing for retirement:

• Save first, then spend. Most people spend first, and then try to save what's left, Garuda says. The secret is to make saving first your priority. "The people who save first will always be the people who are employing everyone else!" he says. The more you can save the better, but that will vary at different stages of your life. At the minimum, 10 percent is a good rule of thumb.

• Take advantage of tax-free savings. Taxes are the biggest expense anyone has. Besides federal, state, city and death taxes there are 59 other different ways your money is taxed, Garuda says.
"If you save $1, Uncle Sam will help you by waiting for his cut of that $1. With planning, you can put him on hold for about two generations," he says.
With tax-free compounding, a relatively small amount of money saved can yield huge returns years from now.

• Decide how you'll manage risk. There is risk in everything, and Garuda warns that those who simply choose to ignore it do so at their own peril. Others choose to "go broke safely" - they avoid risk to such an extent, they lose money. A good example is people putting all their savings in CDs that pay just 1 percent; since that's lower than the rate of inflation, they're losing money. In some cases, people transfer risk to someone else, for instance, when they buy homeowners insurance. Finally, they choose to manage their risk emotionally, psychologically and technically through asset allocation rebalancing and other tools that allow you the amount of risk you're willing to assume while still providing opportunities for growth.

• Create tax-free income. "My favorite question to ask people is, 'What have you done to create tax-free income?'' Garuda says. There are many ways to do this - Roth IRAs, life insurance, tax-free bonds, annuities -- but most involve working with a knowledgeable financial planner. "An indexed life insurance policy is a great one; it protects your money while offering a lot of benefits. But it's like a Swiss army knife - there are a lot of ways to use it, and most people don't know how to use it properly," Garuda says.

About Rao K. Garuda

Rao K. Garuda, CLU, ChFC, is president and CEO of Associated Concepts Agency, Inc. - "The Missing Piece" of financial planning -- founded in 1978, and a popular speaker at seminars and conferences for financial industry professionals. He came to the United States from India 35 years ago with a degree in engineering and, after marrying a physician, realized he had to learn how to reduce the couple's taxes. Disappointed in the financial advice he received from professionals, he went to business school and developed expertise in tax reduction, and protecting money from stock market losses. Rao is a founding member of First Financial Resources, a national organization with over 75 partners in the USA; a life member of the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), and a life member of MDRT's Top of the Table for 21 consecutive years.

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