::Houston Events/Giveaways with HLB Members:: #HLBNetwork

Join local Latina Blogger Sharon of the Bitchy Business Briefs THIS SATURDAY, February 6th!! American Heart Association - Houston will be at Macy's, Total Go RED Makeover from 2-4 pm inside Memorial City Mall located at 900 Gessner Road, Houston, Texas 77024. 

Bring your girlfriends and when you turn in your event passport you will be entered into a drawing for $250.00 Macy's gift card. 

#GoRedHouston #LatinasGoRed 

Follow Sharon:
Blog: http://www.thebitchybusinessbriefs.com/#!blank/cx97
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheBiitchyBusinessBriefs
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SharonLeeZapata
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebitchybusinessbriefs/

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Myself and fellow co-founder of Houston Latina Bloggers, Jihane have been invited to speak on the Careers in Media: Print and Digital panel for Career Day on Saturday, February 13 at the George R. Brown Convention Center. I will be speaking about my experience as a writer/blogger who has also written for magazines and newspapers. 

As a blogger/writer I have great respect for everyone in the field and take so much pride in not only what I do but also teaching young Hispanics in our community how they too can reach their goals.

Students from 6th to the 12th grade can learn about what it takes to get into the print industry, how digital media is complimenting and transforming print media. What positions are available in these two fields and what you can do to be a part of it. 

Join us as we join many other local faces and voices of television and radio! It promises to be a great learning experience; see all the details at: www.hispanic-forum.org

::More about Jihane::

    {Jihane is on the far left in the dark blue shirt. Picture  by Alex Montoya of D'mont Photography} 

My name is Jihane. I am a British Latina, vegetarian(ish), mother of one, multicultural, tree hugger blogger. I blog about organic, natural, sustainable, cruelty-free and vegetarian topics and products, as well as the challenges of raising a vegetarian child in Texas. 

I moved to Houston 5 years ago all the way from Newcastle upon Tyne, England!  

I started blogging  back in 2011, during that time I was doing a Masters in Communications at the University of St Thomas and thought a blog would help me with my writing skills. Blogging, not only did help me become a better writer but it also helped me become better at networking, media pitching and PR. Soon enough I was part of Latism Houston Chapter and the Houston Association of Hispanic Media Professionals. 

I am now the proud co-founder of Houston Latina Bloggers; an idea that started after Connie, Ariana and I meet at Blog Elevated 3 years ago. We believe in the power of our voice, the voice of the modern, hard working, passionate and caring Latinas not only in Houston but around the world. It was this vision that drove us together and that continues to move us forward with this project. I look forward to working with all of you and finding out more about the Latinas that move Htown! 

Follow Jihane: 

Twitter & IG: @onixJihane  

Facebook: www.facebook.com/Onixjhealthyliving 

Blog: www.onixj.wordpress.com

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Our very own HLB Social Media Director will have her first ever workshop! It will be an Instagram 101 class which will have great content to help grow and promote your brand. Great for new bloggers or small business owners. The class will be February 20th and is $35.00, a perfect investment of long term results! You can RSVP HERE! 

Follow Ariana:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/a_shankasaurus/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/3twentysix

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/3twentysix/?fref=ts

Blog: http://www.3twentysix.com/

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::Giveaways::

If you follow Nikki a beautiful Latina and her blog over at Lipstick and Brunch, then you know she has a great giveaway on her right now! For all you looking to create some unique wall art with Minted. She has a perfectly crafted post over on her site, where you can learn more about her newest Valentine's Day giveaway. 

    {Photo Credit: Nikki of Lipstick and Brunch}

::More about Nicole::

My name is Nicole (most people call me Nikki) and I built a career working in women's and food magazines as a professional photographer and beauty writer. This blog is my curated space in the cyber-universe where you'll find my travels & foodie moments, frugal fashion finds that will make you look expensive, celebrity sightings and event coverage and my make-up obsession translated into beauty subscriptions, hauls and reviews. Be inspired. Live happily. Smile in the face of adversity. Be bold and never give up!

Follow Nicole:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lipstickandbrunch/?fref=ts

Blog: http://lipstickandbrunch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lipstickandbrunch/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LipstickBrunch

::Houston Latina Bloggers::

CHI Espanol currently has a giveaway on their site and HLB members are helping promote it. 

This contest is only open to those within the USA. The link to register is: http://gvwy.io/cmbxpnx 

Deadline to register is Feb 19th!! You are your BFF will have the opportunity to win; Shampoo, Conditioner, hair spray, a CHI bag and styling iron.                                                                   

:: Top 10 Reasons to Create and Attend a Vision Board Workshop:: #theBitchyBusinessBriefs

Last week I was able to support and attend my good friend and strategic partners' Vision Board Workshop. Sharon of the Bitchy Business Briefs is a fellow momma of dos and an inspiration for Latina entrepreneurs everywhere. She is not only a sassy pants but is also very genuine and creative. Her ideas are so unique and she has definitely pulled me out of creative ruts time and time again. 

Her class was given at a local technical college. I asked Sharon the following questions and here are her replies-

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What did you personally gain from your vision Board workshop?

"Great question! There were quite a few important "nuggets" I personally gained from my Vison Board Workshop...I'll share two: In the beginning of the workshop, I noticed a young man who was not interested at all in what we were doing, in what I was sharing, etc.
As the class was getting busy with cutting out pictures of visuals to glue on their board, he made a remark that caught me by surprise: "This sucks, these magazines suck; there are no good pictures in any of them" ...when he said this, I was taken off guard...Being the quick sassy-pants thinker that I am, very nicely I told him, "You suck, there is the door you are invited to leave..you don't have to be here."  Well, of course, you could hear crickets in the room!  I asked the teacher to turn up Pandora Music! LOL!   

The funny thing is, he went on to create probably one of the most impressive Vision Boards in the class.  He showed me his board when he completed it. I told him,  "Wow! you did an amazing job...you are so creative" I was impressed. He had created a Vision Board that represented the way he sees life...very authentic. He then opened up to me and said he had a great time and he  was glad he stayed.

The second personal "nugget" I gained from my Vision Board Workshop was very personal... 

Halfway through the class, I had 2 students ask me if they could talk to me outside in the hallway. The first student was a young girl, who told me she wants to be a motivational speaker like me.  She said she saw me speak last year and then again today in the Vision Board Workshop.  It was then at that moment, I realized that what I shared with these students did make an impact. I don't think of myself as a motivational speaker.  I am just uber passionate about helping others realize their full potential and that they have bigger goals to reach.

The second student that asked me to talk with her outside of the classroom was an older lady (she recently returned to college to wrap up her degree) I was so touched when shared with me that after reading my book (last year) it gave her courage to make some serious changes and improvement in her life. She told her older son to move out and she told him that she was not responsible for raising his kids. She left a bad marriage. She returned to college and will be graduating in six months.

O.K. that blew me away...that was powerful and unexpected.  I am sincerely thankful for the gift I am able to share: my writing.  Sometimes we are so hard on ourselves and we don't think anyone is reading, watching, listenig...when really they are. 
Hooray for the positive power of social media LOL!"

What's your advice to young attendees?

"Don't wait years and years to realize what genuine gifts and talents you have. Learn how to monetize from your talents.  On our birthday, we were all born with "Factory-Installed" gift and talents. It seems that society grooms young people to be followers, not leaders.  

Be your own leader.  

Do not do things half-ass. 

Never worry what others will think of you if you are trying to improve your life or make a change. Learn how to "learn"...use OPT & OPE (other people's time; other people's experience) - read books, podcast, etc. to learn from others who have become bad-ass in their craft. Never stop learning and growing.   Give back...give back to your community whether it is your time volunteering, money, or information. Bring value whatever you do. 

My favorite quote I wrote: "First, be helpful. Bring value. Then, become necessary." 

​A​nd, what's a good quote about goals that you use​?​

"​Awww!  I have two great quotes (not just because I wrote them...LOL)  1.)  It is never too late to re-invent yourself, your life, or your career2.)  It is up to you to create the kind of success you want with the time you are given
​.​ (meaning that whatever you believe is "success" it is up to you to create it ...with the time you have.  We don't live forever- We're on borrowed time)​"

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I attended her class and have created vision boards in the past, today I share with you what I feel are some top reasons to participate in this type of event. 

A Vision Board allows you to:

1) Gain Perspective-  Sometimes those things we want the most are hard to describe or maybe hard to express, even to ourselves sometimes. You at times have to step outside your comfort zone to gain some perspective. When you are placed in a fun or different environment than you are used to, and then asked to put together a vision of your future, dreams, and goals your perspective changes. You are in a sense given a creative zone for thinking.

2) Create Direction- If you create a well-planned out vision for yourself and what you want for your future, you will have a better sense of direction. Most plans fail because we don't have a clear direction of what we want to do or the steps to take to reach our goals. We need to write it down, give ourselves those specific goals to reach, as well as a time frame in which to reach those goals. Being able to visualize what we want will help us create that direction needed to obtain results.

 3) Focus- When you think about your goals and write them down, it helps you create a focus on those ideas. It's not as easy to be distracted if you create that visual which you can refer to for guidance. The vision board will be the reference point for how far you have come and how much more you have to accomplish to reach those goals.

4) Visual to Reach your Goals- Sometimes making lists or writing those goals is not enough, we need a real "map" or "vision board" to help us see the whole picture. A clear and focused reminder of what we want to obtain in the year (or years) to come. I am very much a visual person. I like pictures and words that bring me good, happy thoughts. I know a lot of people are like this. Seeing a quick, pretty reference like a beautiful garden in front of a house can serve two purposes; give me a goal to create a garden at my home and/or inspire me with its beauty. 

5) Finding like-minded individuals- Usually people who attend these events have a specific mindset and might have the same thoughts as you. Things like; I know what I want but how do I express it. Or, I have gained all this education, now what? You will find someone who you can relate to or identify with. This helps keep you motivated and serves as a great source of support. 

6) Cause Glitter, Glue and Scissors are not just for toddlers- True, this type of event might make ou think you are going back in Kindergarten but honestly, it's relaxing. The idea of being able to create something for yourself helps create a positive sense of self and accomplishment. And, it's such a creative outlet. The best part is that like in Kinder no one can judge your glueing and cutting skills because there is no real format. You basically create a collage of those items that best create your visual goals.

7) Becuase they work- There are studying that show, that vision boards really do work and help you accomplish your goals. I have now created 3 vision boards and combined I have reached more than 50% of what I placed on them. My goals were clear and I had a combination of words and pictures that helped place my ideas into the universe where I could see them daily and work towards reaching them.

8) To get rid of your extra magazines- I mean we all have that pile of magazines that we need to get rid of, why not recycle them! Surely they have a few words, quotes or pictures that you can use. Plus with the beginning of the year comes cleaning out clutter and getting rid of the old. This is a great way to "dispose" of those magazines and make good use of them!

9) Collaboration-  As mentioned before the group is bound to be like-minded and clearing have a common purpose. To achieve new goals and create effective visual to help reach those goals. The workshops and group serve as a great way to think of new ideas, to help one another express our ideas and be supportive of our dreams. The collaborations begin to form and the networking is great. 

10)  Accountability-  With your visual in hand you will have the perfect accountability tool. You should place your vision board in a place where you can see it every day. Some people suggested the bathroom! Whatever works for you. You want to be able to review your goals and take those steps needed, daily to reach your goals. Some goals and steps might work and fall into place and you might discover that some goals are more long term than others. Either way, you have created your own measuring tool of what, when and how. 

Have you created your vision board for 2016? You should! 

::Building Strategic Partnerships in 2016::

You know how sometimes you make specific plans in your mind for things to go a certain way and then oh yeah. Hello, Life. Well 2016, started with a major plot twist at my job, which could be a great and wonderful change. The universe and the stars were looking out for me and I think I like it. I have for a few years been escaping toxic environments. I love working, I say it all the time. I love my blog, it's become the hidden passion I didn't know I had 8 years ago.  

Having my 8-5 pm merge with my passion, has been in the works for years now. It had not ever worked out. But, now I feel SO much closer than ever before. And, I feel timing couldn't be better, cause it is. 

I also started my year with saying YES, to a lot of great things. I also wanted to remain local with events and conferences, and so far, so good. How did this happen? Well honestly, even though it's not happening as I thought it would, it's happening. The best thing is that I have had this need to tell my story, who I am, where I come from and how I make it all work. Suddenly those doors have opened widely.

All the while, these words remained in my head; strategic partnerships and tell your story or purpose. Today I will share with you how I feel you can build good strategic partnerships.

:: Things to keep in mind with Strategic Partnerships are::

1) Not everything that shines is a star- Don't be blinded by the social media numbers that I rock, well not me but JLo. Obviously, she is a superstar. In real life, we want to not only seek good partners but also be good partners. Just cause people have thousands of followers, are they really superstars or are they duds? Do they really create relevant and useful content? Do they have quality content like you? Does your vision look like theirs? Or is it very similar?

You can't be blinded by the shining lights, you must look past the numbers, and their possible "celebrity" status and figure out if there is depth. If they are all surface or are  they really making the light shine brightly for a reason. 

2) Build relationships (the money comes later)- Really get to know who you want to work with and what they stand for. Do their visions align with yours? Just because someone can potentially make you money, doesn't mean you should work with them. At the end of the day, some of my best partnerships with brands and people have been because I truly like their vision and they truly like my style.

I have repeat brands that come to me regardless of my pitch. Or brands that just come to me without even pitching. Usually, they have studied me and my blog and my style and they like it. The money, perks, and benefits are just that... perks of the relationship being built.

3) Be Supportive- Being supportive is so important. But, being consistent and having mutual levels of support is, even more, important. You can't just support people when it's most convenient for you. Yes, we are both trying to gain something. Whatever that gain might be it can be important too but at the same time, if one side is gaining more than the other, the trust is lost.  I don't ever want to be the person always giving or taking, neither are productive to anyone. You will lose credibility if people realize you are just trying to gain from them and never give in return.

So, supporting one another is not only key for all around success but also for building those relationships that will really allow you to be who you are and create productive partnerships. For women the concept of partnerships is far more important these days. Let's try to support one another and build empires that we can all be successful in!

{Photo Credit: Houston Latina Bloggers Facebook Page} 

Look for tomorrow's post on telling your story, some fun Youtube videos will be required......