New Year, New You!

2010 is here, which means it's time to set (and accomplish) your new goals.

Over the years, there's been countless surveys that prove that most new years resolutions are broken by February 17th.

I say we can do better than that in 2010!

How about a few recommendations from motivation experts on how to stay on track and hopefully make it far past the month of February? Personally, I know I can use all the extra help I can get.

1. Tell Everyone Your Intentions - Research shows if you tell those around you what your goals are, they'll help you stay on "the straight and narrow".

2. Expect Bumps - Don't expect things to go perfectly smooth... expect bumps along the way, and plan in advance to be thrown off course. Peter Gollwitzer, a professor of psychology at New York University in New York City, says that those who plan ahead for obstacles are more likely to stick to their original plan.

3. Stay Positive - It's been proven over and over that if you stay positive, and if you BELIEVE, you can accomplish what you set out to do. Staying positive gives you a better chance of success.

4. Be Realistic - Goals should be achievable, otherwise you're setting yourself up for failure. It's perfectly acceptable to "Shoot for the stars", just be sure you can see the stars first.

5. Baby Steps - Research shows if you take baby steps every day towards your goal, you have a better chance of getting to your destination.

6. Ask For Help - When you find yourself falling back into your old habits, ask your friends and family for help. Even if it means asking your spouse to hide the cookies from you, who cares? One less cookie every day can really add up and help your cause.

7. Set Mid-Points - Goals are great to achieve, but it helps to celebrate your success when you get to your half-way mark. The bigger the goal, the more mini-goals you need to set along the way.

8. Don't Give Up - Just when you think "I can't do this", think again. Refer back to #3 - Be Positive and give yourself a pep talk. If that doesn't work, go shopping. :)

9. Switch It Up - We can all get bored of the same old same old, so be sure to make minor tweaks here and there to help keep you focused. If exercising more often is your goal, then switch up what you're doing so you don't get bored.

10. Stay Focused on Why - Sometimes we work so hard to achieve whatever it is we're working towards, we forget why we chose to change. If eating healthier is what you've set your sights for, don't forget why you've made your choice to do so.

Stay motivated, and achieve what you've set out to do on New Years Day. It's totally possible, just remember to Believe in You!

WOO HOO - HNY 2010!!

Pay-By-Text is Growing in Popularity

I think most of you know that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of technology innovation when it comes to utilizing texting technology. After all, the U K is on record for sending the very first official text way back in 1992, which said "Merry Christmas."

I was at a Holiday party a few nights ago when I heard an incredible way text technology is being used by the TFL (Transport For London) within London's transportation systems, including the subway system commonly referred to as "The Tube".

My new friend had been traveling around the capital, and had left his car for 3 days in the parking lot for which he needed to pay for before catching his next train. He goes to pay, and has only two options. He can either pay with coins (in pounds), which he didn't have enough for the three days of parking charges, or he could send a text allowing him to pay by text message.

My point is this. There was NO option to pay with a credit/debit card at the station... he could only deposit hundreds of coins or pay by text! "Wow" was my first thought, and my second was "I need to find out more about this."

So I did, and here's the BL:

The vast majority of Londoner's walk up to the ticket barrier, text their payment in one fifth of a second and away they go!

Wouldn't it be awesome if we could just text a code to pay our way to travel on the Subway? We could totally bypass the entire process of having to first purchase a ticket prior to passing through the ticket barrier.

Just think of the time we would save if all our major transit systems around the United States implemented the ability to pay-by-text like The TFL has.

The mechanism that allows London travelers to pay by text is a pre-loaded "Oyster" card that can be obtained through the TFL, or if you have a Barclay's Visa Card the technology comes automatically pre-loaded.

We don't have the ability to pay for services on the Subway... yet, but New York based ShopText offers the ability to pay-by-text for merchandise. If you spot that must-have right now item in your favorite fashion magazine, you no longer need to go into a store or go online if the item has a text code associated with it. If you have a ShopText account set up, all you have to do is text the code next to the item you need to have.

If this sounds like a good idea, you'll need to contact ShopText to establish an account by providing your mailing address and credit card information. After your account has been set up, ShopText can take your orders, charge them to your credit card, and then have the product shipped, when necessary, from one of the firms warehouses across the U.S.

This is just one more reason why it's time to Read Between the Lines - Get With It or Wait to Get Your Stuff!

So, I've got to sign off now, because I need to sign up for my new ShopText account and get RBTL it's own special text code!

WOO HOO!

Holiday Shopping Made Easy

When you're shopping, do you strike with precision or savor the experience?

Whichever way you roll, use your texting savvy and add some ease to your holiday purchasing experiences.

To perfect your gift acquisitions while you're doing your part to spur on the economy, text your questions before whipping out your wallet:

• What size shoe does Brandon wear?
• Would Patrick prefer a black or a blue sweater?
• Does Danielle need a jacket? If so, what size should I get?
• Do you think mom would like a new watch? (Text a picture of the watch along with your note)
• I'm staring at that Marc Jacobs wallet you wanted, and it's on sale... shall I pick it up for you?

Or maybe you want to take a quick break from your long shopping day and grab a latte with your girlfriend?

• Can u grab a quick cup of coffee @ *$'s? Meet me in 20 mins

Go ahead, make a list, check it twice, then text it to yourself so you don't lose it in the process of living your crazy-busy life. :)

Whatever your shopping for, simplify your experience by double checking your gift ideas by text... just think of all the returns that will be avoided!

WOO HOO To That!

Confessions of an Unknown Author

There's a lot of things I don't know about being an author. In fact, I know next to nothing except being an "unknown" is EXTRA hard.

What I do know is how thankful I am to all of you who have supported me along my "Read Between the Lines" journey.

Everyone from my BFF to my fellow TVIP babes who've all ventured out in the pouring rain (and usually drag their family along) to support me at my signings. To my amazing friends, co-workers and clients who just continue to surprise me because they truly believe.

It seems everyone from my oldest friends to the new people I meet every day along my "unknown author" journey... are all going the extra mile to help get RBTL into the hands of their friends, family and clients.

Even my family still comes to every single signing... just to see how it's going and if I'm making any headway. I must confess that after every event I have, my family takes bets on how many books I signed, or how many bookmarks I passed out. Nothing like a little pressure!

Take Renee Lovely who owns Avalon Spa and Salon who I only met AFTER she offered to host a book signing event at her salon - just because she loves to help others! Renee got all of her family and friends on board to partake in Saturday's amazing event.

How about Michael, the store manager of Barnes and Noble in Dublin, California? When I walked into his store today for my book signing, he had arranged for a beautiful arrangement of flowers to be displayed on my event table. Justin at Borders Rancho Mirage is one of my bookstore heroes for all of his words of wisdom and extra help he gave me for my very first event! How amazing is that for an unknown author like myself to get such fabulous treatment?

Just a few weeks ago, my mom and step father drove 7 hours to surprise me at my first signing event, only to have to turn around the next day and drive home another 7 hours. 14 hours of drive time for a two hour signing.

One things for sure, I couldn't have dreamed for anything more from anyone.

From what I know now, I must confess that I never realized that writing Read Between the Lines was just 10% of the work until yesterday. The other 90% comes after the book leaves the presses - especially for an "unknown" like myself. Too bad I haven't recently run for Vice President, successfully landed my plane on the Hudson, or found the EASY button for a successful book! :)

Every day I learn a tiny bit more about being an unknown author, but the one thing I know for sure is I couldn't do any of this without without all of you!

TYSM!

Do You Sleep With Your Cell Phone?

According to a recent study conducted by Synovate, close to half of Americans sleep with their cell phones.

Can this really be true? It sounds so crazy!

That's a lot of us who sleep next to there phone. Is your sleeping companion also small, cold and made of metal?

After I read this study, I had to ask myself, "Do I really sleep with my phone?" Does my husband, and do my teens sleep with their beloved iPhones and BlackBerrys?

The answer was almost 88% "yes" for my family. The Edgington family is guilty as charged!

For me, I sometimes leave my phone in my car overnight, or out in the family room, depending on what time my head finally hits the pillow, and whether or not my kids are out or at home. Bottom line, about half the time I have my phone on my night stand... just in case.

For my husband, he sleeps by his phone every night. I'm pretty positive he's waiting for that emergency call that could come in during the middle of the night.

As for Nicole who's 17, she sleeps with her phone IN her bed every night - without fail. This is so she doesn't miss a single text that "could" come in. Thankfully, once she's asleep she usually doesn't get woken by her TM's because her phone's always on vibrate. I'm also pretty sure that her and her friends send out some sort of "I'm going to bed, good night" text notification, which immediately limits the amount of inbound messages.

Derek, who's 15 and doesn't live and die by his cell phone (yet) charges his phone every night, which happens to be on his night stand, inches away from his pillow. Derek also depends on his iPhone alarm to wake him up every morning, which is a ligit reason for keeping it close by.

It's my guess that for those of us who choose to sleep with or by our phones do so for a variety of reasons, just like my family does.

For those of you who don't - WOO HOO to you!

What Will Bill O'Reilly Do?

When it comes to texting, there's one thing I know for sure. Bill O'Reilly refuses to text, and thinks that technology is taking over the minds of the under 45'sters - and not in a good way.

My goal is to change his mind.

Here's my talking points memo for Bill:

1. Texting is not just for kids! Us grown adults are now learning about text benefits too.
2. The hard of hearing use texting as their primary way to communicate.
3. Soon, you'll be able to text your 911 calls directly to your local police department. (This is already happening in some US cities)
4. Businesses are using texting to communicate with clients.
5. Doctors depend on text messages to get important 411, because a text is more effecient than a phone call.
6. Go green and text smart by texting important information to your cell phone, instead of printing out bunches of paper.

Even though Bill has laid claim to not wanting to learn how to text, you can sign up for his "No Spin Mobile Alert" to receive a text message from Bill each weekday. So, I'm thinking that he must assign text messaging some value, otherwise he would refuse Fox News the ability to offer this service... right?

I'm not totally sure, it's just my guess. What do you think?

Here's my plan. I'm going to send Bill a copy of my book Read Between the Lines, because one thing I do know is Mr. O'Reilly prides himself on being a scholar. Even though my book is not quite text-book material, I do believe he'll have fun reading it AND learn a few things about how texting is improving communication in more ways than he thought possible.

Wish me luck - and I'll let you know if I ever get some sort of confirmation that Mr. O'Reilly has learned to Read Between the Lines.

TTFN

Texting Tips For Tiger

As we've painfully learned from the media, in the case of Tiger Woods vs. the alleged gals that are coming out of every nook and cranny with saved voice mails, a text message might have been a safer way to go.

Here's a few texting tips for Tiger:

If you're going to contact your girlfriends, don't leave recorded messages or FB updates that can be later held against you.

And definitely don't leave panicked messages about your wife, on your girlfriends voice mail! Instead, send her a text message. This way, your voice won't be able to be compared against your actual voice by the media (and heard around the world by just about everyone) just to be sure it's really your voice.

Text your inappropriate messages appropriately so you don't get busted.

Make up your own secret text lingo that no one understands but you and your gal pals. This way, your code won't be broken by your loved ones.

Don't risk sexting with your gals - a picture says a thousand words you DON'T want to hear.

Don't use your girlfriends real names in your address book, so your loved ones can easily find them. Names like Bambi, Lola or Bubbles are dead give aways. Think about changing their names to George, Louis or Thomas. What woman would Read Between the Lines with those names?

Seriously, don't try any of this at home - it's not worth it.

Instead, love the one you're with and keep those helicopters that are circling your home 24/7 away... you're just too good to be in the middle of all the crap!

Borders Rancho Mirage Rocks the Desert

While I was on Holiday with the family down in Palm Springs, I had a meet and greet/book signing event for Read Between the Lines at Borders Books in Rancho Mirage @ "The River".

Talk about one of the most professional and knowledgeable staff I have ever met. (Justin and Kelley - amazing job)

From the moment I walked in to the most perfect display of RBTL (I had nothing to add), to making me feel right at home and part of the Borders team.

I'm definitely not an expert on book signing events, but I do know quality and great management when I see it. No wonder this store is so successful! (They had the highest revenues of all Borders stores on Black Friday)

I highly recommend if you're ever in the Palm Springs area, stop by and say "hi" to the Border folks, and buy a book or three.

They'll appreciate you as much as you'll appreciate them!