Diet Networking

A common purpose that we do on January is to loose the weight that the December holidays bring on. Here I introduce you some tips for keeping your purpose without being antisocial.

 

1.- First ask for a glass of water, so you'll gain some extra time without consuming food and it keep your stress down.

 

 

 

 

 

2.- Ask for the variety of beverages that are offered and ask for those that contain the less sugar content. Mix them with sparkling water so you can keep your calorie control lower.

 

 

3.- Eat the most amount of crudites, avoid eating them with bread, tortillas, pasta, rice. It's better a salad portion or a boiled potato (without butter or cream).

 

 

4.- If you have to choose from different snacks, choose the salad over the sweet. They will contain less calorie amount.

 

 

 

5.- Once your event its over, dedicate few more minutes to your workout, this will help you compensate the extra calories you may ingested.

Being on a diet shouldn't be a displeasful process, just keep an eye on your goal and you may see that the things will be solved on the way. Don't miss a networking event just because you think you are going to fail on your purpose.

Exercise Networking

It's January, and you are going to the gym for the first time, you don't know anybody and you would like that this purpose last at least 6 months. What to do?

Networking activities will help you to move forward on your new year's resolutions, please remember to have fun on the process.

1.- Get into some classes, usually gyms offer yoga, salsa, kickboxing, Pilate's or spinning classes. Subscribe to a class and get to know your peers, eventually you will met all the people in the class and your class will become more fun.

2.- When activating Cardio, try to meet the people around you, specially if they are warming up. Ask about the best cardio program, and how to use better the equipment.

3.- If you are making some weights, you could handle your networking by making combining laps with other people training too. Look for the people at your same work out level. If you don't have any experience, use your training knowledge first, and then continue with your exercise. 

4.- Join a team, some gyms have basketball, tennis, racquetball among different team features. Any activity done by more than two people will be easier to handle for integration and networking.

5.- Have a purpose in mind, talk with your trainer about your goals, maybe its running a marathon, a triathlon, there could be several groups that are training for a specific challenge and if you join them, it will be perfect to share a hobby and a sport. 

6.- Finally the dressing rooms, here you can comment about your training day and also make plans for the next day. If you get a commitment partner to go to the gym it will be easier for you to end your goal.

 Hope you get the best of the success while integrating networking on your exercise routine.

Networking Tips

Do you want to Network but you are to shy to try? I share with you some tips that will be useful to get over your shyness and get to know some interesting people.

 1.- Arrive early, if you go to an event were you don't know a lot of people its easier to start a conversation when there are less people to interact with, there is not that much competence and some of them will be waiting for their friends to arrive, meanwhile they have more chances to do networking

2.- Go to different events, not only those that have the "Networking" title. For example, you could go to a conference, workshop, concert, exposition, openings, cocktails. If the event you are invited lasts more than one day, you will have more chances to get to know a lot of people.

 3.-Ask simple questions like, what bring you to this event? If it's a small group something like, may I join you? Make your questions personal, avoid speaking about the weather so you engage your new friends. This is related to the next tip. 

4.- Make people feel special to share something interesting. Make them share their personal passions and interests. It is always welcome an enthusiast talk that a small talk.

5.- Smile, people use to forget how much worth a smile has. It is strong and attractive a person with a great smile. You are sending a positive message that you can be achieved and you are an easy person.

6.- Make sure to get at least one new contact on each event, you don't need to have the goal of 100 contacts per event. Then make sure you give the proper follow up to your new acquaintances.

Networking Resolutions

We start our 2015 year and so our resolutions, so I share with you this Blog 2015 purposes:

1.- Have a post with sharing at different social networks: Youtube, Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Vimeo, Reddit, Linkedin, Goodreads, Pinterest

This will be a great challenge because I'll have to learn some new skills like video production, photographs, log on to some social networks that I haven't seen. This will be the digital presence.

2.- Make a Virtual Networking Event

It will need some discussion theme and a massive invitation, the technology use will be required and the distance participation for the guests.

3.- Make a Face to Face Networking Event

This is the easier resolution, because I happen to do this, but writing this Blog requires personal experiences and I have to promote by the example.

4.- Describe 5 different Networking Events.

Organizing and assisting to different events shouldn't be the core, now I have to find new ways for making networking, this resolution will be done all year long.

5.- Have 10 Blog Followers, not in Facebook...

This Blog stats show that the visits usually come from Facebook, this means my personal friends, hope to have some more impact on different people through this year.

Do you think this resolutions are achievable?

New Year's Traditions

The past week I write about Christmas traditions, this week I want to share some of our new year's activities. Which one of these you share?

In Mexico there are a lot of different activities we do as a tradition on our New Year's Eve celebration, some of them it's really fun to do in group, so seize this day to have some good time with your friends.

Tradition 1: Colorful underwear, you can use it red or yellow.... or whatever color you like. Some of them represent love (red), the yellow one means money. If you buy some and take them to the party you can have a really fun time with your friends taking some pictures with this underwear placed on top of your clothes. 

Tradition 2: Eat 12 grapes with the bells, this activity can be related to the next tradition that is to make some purposes. Each grape represents one purpose you have to finish at the end of the year. The funny thing here is try to eat each grape with each bell, because on the general no one can eat and finish it's grapes, the same as the purposes, we start with a lot of intentions but not finishing the purposes.

Tradition 3: Make some new year's purposes. Some of them usually include loose some weight, stop smoking, making some exercise. In my case I have make promises of all of them, some are really easy to finish, and my recommendation is to make a commitment on a few of them and finish them. One useful tip on this is to share your purposes with your friends, and this way you will be more committed to finish them.

Tradition 4: Make a toast. Take advantage of the party and be thankful to the things that happened on the past year, remember your family and friends, your trips, and also be thankful of your friends.

Tradition 6: Take out your luggage. The theory says that you should walk around the block if you want to have a pleasure trip on the year. If you want to make it VIP you have to introduce some money inside the suitcase. The fun thing here is to take the walk with your red or yellow underwear on top and having lots of fun with your friends. Yo have to be a little brave to do this activity.

Tradition 6: Fireworks. In Mexico all the social networks are trying to stop this activity because the pets have a bad time with this cracking sounds. Even though there are a lot of houses that throw fireworks and have fun with the younger ones.

I hope you have a very fun time with your family and friends. HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015.

Season Traditions

Do you know some different holiday traditions that are held in different parts of the world?

Searching on the web, I found some of them that can be different on the way we traditionally live the Christmas in Mexico:

In Ukraine they decorate their trees with spider webs.

In Czech Republic, young Lady's throw their shoe above their shoulder and depending on its landing position they can predict if they will be marrying the next year or they have to wait a little more.

In Japan they celebrate eating KFC Chicken, all because at some time someone get confused with Colonel Sanders and Santa Claus images.

In Catalan, there is an image of the Caganer that is placed on the nativity scene as a prosperity and good luck charm for the next year.

In Guatemala they burn the devil, this tradition is also done in Mexico, but instead of doing it in Christmas we have this tradition on Easter and instead of the devil we use a Judah's image.

The variety of activities done to celebrate in different sites could be wide. I share with you a video with 20 different traditions that can be interesting to review if you want to go at some time to any of this places and have an idea on how they celebrate.

Adaptation Networking

Have you seen a customer service employee delivering at your car window?

An interesting event that happens when it comes to adaptation on the different circumstances that surround different places. At Mexico City parking spaces are few and expensive, the convenience stores do not have this facilities at most of their establishments. I miss living at a smaller city where this parking spaces were available at a 30 step walk.

In this big city, the space and the square meters are really important, so the managers have developed new service formulas to adapt to this situation. Innovation some may say. I have to tell you that a few days ago my son give me a call and ask me to buy for him 30 tamales to take to his posada (event party). It was 3:30pm and at that moment I haven't seen any tamales sold at the regular stores that I shop. In Monterrey tamales are sold at any supermarket and in some convenience stores too.

So the first thing I did was to ask a Mom that knew about this type of requests. The answers came fast, some of them lead me to different places where I can buy my tamales, but they remember me that it's better to ask for them with 2 or 3 days advance.

One of the mom's told me to go to a specialized store that has at least 12 different franchises. So I do my research in Internet, get the phone number and make a call. Jesus, store manager, answered and he explain me that he had the tamales, how to drive to the store and he offered that when I was near him I just "honk" and he will go out and deliver my request.

I had never lived a similar situation, and of course, when I was on my way to the tamale's store, I kept stuck on traffic and lost. This happens here a lot, but I take the phone and call Jesus again, as soon as he answered he gave me some new directions and get me to my way. He also told me that I should call him again when  I were near the Pizza Restaurant and he will gave me my tamales.

I still not catch his instructions, but I'm pretty obedient and when I was in front of the Pizzas Restaurant I call him again, I was at half a block from his store. He then told me turn on your flashers, then he asked about my SUV model and color and 2 seconds more he was at my window giving me the tamales, I do not have to get out of my car, neither wait for him. He also told me how to get back. This was an interesting experience.

Now my suggestions

a) If you do not have the parking spaces availability, look for different ways to give your customers service experiences less stressful, give them a taxi, have different alternatives or in as in this case make the "auto" delivery.

b) Organize with your customers the possibility to make their orders by Internet or by phone and then review the different options of delivery. 

c) Have fun in the process, Jesus helped me a lot with my driving directions and also give me some tips on the places I was lost.