I’m jetting off to the airport to catch a flight to Tampa for the first leg of the Making Things Happen Tour! Wahooo!!  I’ll be blogging every weekday of the tour (that’s the goal) so stick around! You can also catch daily inspiration from the girls and I (Lara, Gina, Emily) over on the Making Things Happen Tumblr. (And if Tumblr makes ZERO sense to you–it didn’t used to make sense to me at ALL–just think of it as a microblogging platform, falling somewhere between a full fledged blog and Twitter. It’s pretty amazing.)

Taking off on this trip is so exciting for me. It is nearly impossible for me to believe that just over 2 months ago, I knew nothing of the Making Things Happen Intensive, nothing of Lara Casey, nothing of Gina Zeidler or Emily Ley, and I’d never eaten Southern grits to boot. It is completely amazing that in such a short time, this intensive has become such a significant part of my life and that Lara, Gina and Emily have become 3 of my very dearest friends the world over. It’s beautiful what wonderful things can come into our lives when we’re out looking for them.

Deciding to register for Making Things Happen Maui was a total fluke. It was a fluke that the intensive ended up on my computer screen to begin with. It was a fluke that I thought, “Sure, I’m going to drop $1,200 to go spend a day on Maui with a women I’ve never even heard of.” It was a fluke that only days later I was on a plane with Richie in tow.

. . . Except that it really wasn’t a fluke at all.

If there is ONE SINGULAR THING in my life that I’m good at, it’s this: I follow my gut. And in this case, my guts led me to Maui, and my decision to follow their lead, changed the course of my life forever. Yes, I really believe that. 100%.

Listen, there are a VERY FEW seats left for this tour (the only tour planned for 2011). Payment plans ARE available. If you’re ready for change, ready for growth, ready for accountability, ready to overcome fear and MAKE THINGS HAPPEN IN YOUR LIFE (in any field of expertise, family, or life in general), it’s not too late to contact Marissa (Marissa{at}laracaseyreps{dot}com) and get.yourself.in.on.this.  You deserve it.

When you’re on the hunt for absolute magic, it’s hard not to get sidetracked along the way. It’s hard not to settle for FANTASTIC. Because, fantastic, is well. . . FANTASTIC! But I had to keep reminding myself, I wasn’t looking for fantastic, no matter how bright and shiny the lights or how clear and clean the bells and whistles. I was looking for just.right.for.me. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that there is power in patience (though granted this was over and done in under a week) but MOST importantly, there is power in specificity (as evidenced by the fact that this WAS in fact over and done with in under a week).

I had laid it all out there. . . defined exactly what “just right for me” looked like, felt like, smelled like for crying out loud!  And I found her. Erin Jane is just right. For me. For my family. For my business . . . And the beauty of it (which I also specifically laid out in my ad) is that I am just right for her. For her dreams, her ambitions, her remarkable potential! I’m beyond excited to see what we can make happen together, and I’m doubly excited to introduce her to you, now!

Here’s Erin’s application in response to my (again, very lofty and very extraordinarily specific) want ad. Tell me you wouldn’t have hired her on the spot.

Perfect cover page.

Perfect cover letter.

Perfect resumé.

Folks, what do you want for yourself? Your family? Your business? What do you DESERVE for yourself? Your family? Your business? Do you even know?

One of my very favorite concepts of all time was taught to me by Stephen R. Covey (and if you’ve EVER heard me speak, it’s quite likely you’ve heard this before). Summarized: don’t waste your time climbing up the “ladder of success” until you’re sure it’s leaning against the right wall!

You deserve to know what you want and where you’re headed. You.deserve.it.

If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never feel satisfied by, or comfortable with, your forward momentum. You’ll find yourself constantly revving the engine with one foot while simultaneously slamming on the breaks with the other, and that’s no way to drive. That’s no way to live.

YOU.DESERVE.MORE.

And to Erin I say, welcome to the family girlfriend! Let’s get a move on!

xx!

Me

Click here to register now. Save $150.

First things first, you should know that you have VERY large shoes to fill. You also should know that I don’t know how to play small, nor do I ever care to learn, and that I’ll expect you to help me stay grounded, inspired, organized, centered, and hydrated. Yes, seriously.

I’m not looking for just anyone.

I’m looking for YOU.

(You don’t live in Hawaii? That’s OK. I’m open to the possibility of hiring an applicant from any region.)

You’re smart.
You’re eloquent.
You’re organized.
You have an eye for good color and great design.
You’re confident in Photoshop, InDesign and Illustrator.
You know how to prep images for proofing and/or you’re a fast and willing learner.
You recognize quality when you see it and are totally committed to always producing quality work.
You know how to focus and see a job through to completion.
You’re a fast and confident worker.
You are honest, compassionate and principle centered. A straight talker and a straight shooter.
You’re capable of moving along with me as we take my business to the next level.
You get me.
You’re happy to do odds and ends jobs when I need you to.
You’re healthy, mind and spirit.
You’re confident. You’re not afraid to respectfully challenge, question and contribute without being asked.
You’re thoughtful.
You’re available mentally and emotionally to get in here and make meaningful change.
You’re keyed in to inspiration and possibility.
You’re positive.
You’re faithful.
You love to brainstorm and come up with synergistic third alternatives.
You’re proactive.
You uplift.
You have good energy.
You love my children.
You’re creative. You’re passionate about making the ordinary extraordinary! You see the beauty in everything.
You are trustworthy.
You are 100% competent.
You can respond appropriately to situations without guidance from me when necessary.
You keep me focused, inspired and energized.
You allow me to step completely away so that I can be the type of wife and mother that I want to be, and you respect me for it.
You’re articulate.
You have integrity.
You make things happen.
You are goal oriented.
You are customer oriented. My clients ADORE you.
You’re respectful. You respect me, my work, my business.
You can write and speak in grammatically accurate English. (←For instance, is this sentence grammatically correct? And should I put the closing punctuation inside or outside of this parenthesis?)
You are excited to develop a firm handle on the systems and procedures of my business.
You’re ready and willing to work WITH me, not for me.
You are better than me in every way I need you to be.

Oh, and one more thing, “you must be kind, you must be witty, very sweet and fairly pretty.”

Some tasks include:

Responding to email
Graphic design
Styling
Scanning/Filing
Book keeping
All around slack-picking-uping

Part time | Hourly wage | Start ASAP

Application Information:

Send resumes to aloha{at}natalienortonblog{dot}com, subject line: Personal Assistant Application/(your name).

Please understand that I may not respond to every applicant.

xx!

N

Making Things Happen 2011 from lara casey on Vimeo.

The January tour is your ONLY chance to attend the Making Things Happen one day intensive in 2011 AND the early bird registration ends this coming Saturday, January 1st!

And yes, I’m honored to have been asked to guest speak for all stops in the January tour! Come see me in Tampa, Atlanta, Charlotte, NYC or Las Vegas!

Here’s the thing. This workshop isn’t for EVERYONE, but it is for ANYONE who is ready and willing to dig deep and commit to success! Yes, you read that right, not just photographers. ANY and ALL entrepreneurs (budding or established) and big dreamers ready to make things happen in 2011 would benefit TREMENDOUSLY from this intensive!

I’ll see you there!

xx!

Me