Spring is here! While there are many reasons that this is good (such as the wide selection of spring giveaways available at Motivators.com), there are also a couple of reasons that this is bad.

The first sad event of this spring is my new diet. My lovely fiance and I are dedicated to getting into really good shape for our wedding in October. We're not overweight, but we definitely have winter weight to shed. Recently, upon seeing our friend Carolyn, who we hadn't seen in a few months, I was the not so proud recipient of a "what do we have here?" belly rub. That did it. Time to start eating right. Farewell, cheese. I will see you again in October.

The second reason is related to the first. Exercise. Don't get me wrong, I'll play pretty much any sport. I like activities... but running is so boring. Nothing to throw or kick. And if I'm going to really meet the goal here, I'll have to do get into abdominal and upper body workouts. Sounds like fun!

By reading Laurie's earlier blog, I found out that she is back to custom water bottles as a wedding favor. I will use this blog to propose my own idea:

How about we go with a different take on the same theme? Not water bottles, but the Arctic Can Cooler! Instead of adding a thank you, we'll imprint a picture of me (this product can be imprinted digitally)! Here's a sneak peek at an image from the soon to be released Motivators TV LOST video... I think this is the perfect picture of me to put on a koozie!

 

What do you think?!

 

Ok, so I'm a little bit early, considering that National Nurse's Week isn't celebrated until May 6-12, but that's okay. Technically, it's not too soon to be buying nurse's week gifts, but I digress. I'm rather excited because this year two very special ladies will be joining the ranks of proud women and men who have two very important letters after their names: RN. Two of my closest friends who I went to college with have finally completed all their training and this May will officially become Registered Nurses. My college happened to be one of the best in NY for its nursing program, so I was always accustomed to seeing various promotional items related to nursing in the campus store. Whether they were custom mugs, or promotional tote bags, we always had plenty of imprinted stuff for nurses. In fact, of all the promotional items that we sold with our college logo on them, the majority were dedicated to nursing. I mean, that is of course unless you count hoodies, something that one of these ladies was particularly fond of!

So in honor of the hard work that Kimmy and Nicole have endured, and the strenuous hours that are yet to come, I say let's raise a glass to all the soon-to-be nurse's out there. To all of those women and men who will walk this May, take their pledge and receive their pins, here's to you.

The Nightingale Pledge (Often Recited at Nursing Graduations)

"I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully. I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug. I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling. With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician, in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care."

So, after a month and a half of not going to the gym, eating everything in sight without a second thought and gaining about 10 pounds, I finally decided I need to get my act together. This past weekend, I cleaned out my fridge, and entire house for that matter, of all high-calorie food products and stocked up on my fruits and vegetables, and all that healthy good stuff!! In the past, the one motivational thing for me was always to have some sort of health and / or beauty magazine laying around, so every time I have an urge to eat, I just flip through the pages, see all the skinny models - and completely lose my appetite. I mean, this may not be the healthiest or most rational approach, but it works for me. So yesterday, when I was out grocery shopping, I grabbed an issue of SELF magazine. Not only is it filled with beautiful skinny models that help me to control my appetite, but it also has some good advice on healthy eating and exercising tips. One thing that definitely caught my attention however, was those little insert cards to join for a subscription. Not only is 12 issues only $12 (versus $3.99 per issue at the store), but you also get a cute little summer promotional tote for FREE, similar to our ToGo Shoulder Tote Bag we have on our site - fashionable and perfect for the gym!

 

I have been racking my brain trying to come up with a cute wedding favor. Something that people won't just throw away or forget to take. The other day a customer inquired about our Leeds Picture Frame Sport Bottle Item# 30723 and I loved it! What a great idea to hand out! A waterbottles that we can add a little thank you in the picture frame area and stuff with candy! Everyone uses waterbottles and picture frames! So far this item is the front runner!

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stay in a hotel a few thousand feet above the Earth's surface, I haven't but maybe some of you have. Well take a gander at this, a company has taken a Soviet-made Mil V-12 and converted it into two of the world firsts; the biggest helicopter and the first flying hotel. According to Gizmodo this thing features, "private entertainment systems and room service to extras like spa treatments, yoga classes, gaming and a tea garden". From what it looks like from the specifications this thing is huge roughly 137ft in length, 45ft in height, and weighing in at 232,870lb. Granted we don't have a 137ft long helicopter hotel but we do have Helicopter Stress Balls which are sure to get your company's branding recognized at your next tradeshow event or company outing.

 

 

 

It's a special Saturday edition of the Motivators blog. WooHoo! Does anyone else hear crickets chirping? Anyways, this is just friendly reminder that tonight from 8:30 to 9:30PM, it's Earth Hour. Turn off all lights and just sit in the dark for an hour. Don't use electricity and just give the planet a break! I'll be participating...sort of. All my equipment at mi casa is already off, even shut off the surge protector for my TV but tonight I'm headed out to see 12 Rounds. So technically, while I won't be using any of my house's power from 8:30-9:30, I will be using the movie theatres. But it will be dark...

 

Some companies really give out the best Promotional Products. I am going to have my first kid in a month so I have been doing everything baby. Well we got this 11" Digital Photo Frame as a free gift from a baby store! It will remain nameless since i do not want to play favorites in print but it is COOL so I will be shopping at that store a lot. We also got a sweet Canvas Tote Bag to use as a diaper bag from another store(not quite a digital photo frame, still nice). Last but not least we also got tons of Round Safety Outlet Covers. I'll tell you what if I keep getting all of this free stuff I might want to have like 7 kids!  Yes I can produce babies to look like that.

 

 

 

Mother Nature has given us a cruel start to the spring. I think she may be mad at us. The first day of spring was celebrated here on Long Island with a snow storm !! I got a call the other day from a client in Cape Cod, MA. They had a few blue sky days only to be followed up with a snow squall. It got me thinking, what else we should be doing to help the Earth. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.. I think the message is out there but is everyone doing it. It is a pretty awesome sight when the recycle pickup day has more stuff on the curb than the normal trash pickup. Earth day is coming up, April 22, 2009 and I hope this will be the biggest and best awareness day to date. It is important to educate everyone and let them know that this weather we are experiencing is not just a fluke but the cause of us mistreating our environment. We have a large category of eco friendly products showcasing that just because it is recycled or able to be recycled doesn’t mean that it is any less of a product. Our Recycled Frisbees are one of the best toys out there, no batteries and they are made from recycled plastics.

 

Comes great promotional items! Thought I was gonna go with the standard "great responsibility," didn't ya? Well, Joss Whedon creator of the internet phenomenon (now on DVD!) Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog understands that giving the power to the people is what really matters. That's why, he convinced everyone involved in the project to do it without pay and promised them that they would be compensated if and when the project was distributed via DVD release. The accompanying soundtrack's proceeds would also go towards paying the cast and crew. The short film was such a hit that not only was there a DVD and a soundtrack, but they've now created official Dr. Horrible gear! Just yesterday I was at the website, and saw that they've officially licensed promotional merchandise for the Dr. Horrible phenomenon. There's promotional t-shirts for both men and women with such great quotes from the movie like: "I don't go to the gym, I'm just naturally like this," (a Capt Hammer exclusive!) and "You are not my nemisis" (directed at that poser in a parka, Johnny Snow.)  

I've already paid my dues to the cast and crew for this great gift of entertainment by buying the DVD (best $10 I ever spent btw), but I really feel like I need one of these shirts. I don't know if the proceeds of these go to pay the cast and crew or they just line Joss Whedon's pockets but I think I'm really ok with either. Yes, it is THAT good.

You know, there are times in the course of life's journey when things can become a little hectic and the day to day situations we face can become more then a little stressful at times.  Living my own life, I am reminded through circumstances the meaning of Murphy's Law, the adage which says, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."  Well, in my experience, I have learned the power of prayer mixed with positive thinking can be the conduit to good health, happiness, and success.  You may have said to someone, as it is a common thing to say to someone that is going through a difficult time, to "think positively!"  However, many of the people we try to encourage do not take that kind of word seriously, as they either can not see how it is helpful to their situation or do not consider what you have said to be useful at all.  But, a positive outlook has a mystical effect on you and the world around you.  Ever consider why most people like to hangout with positive people?  Because just like "bad company corrupts good manners", negativity has a way of being equally contagious.  Stress relievers can be very helpful in maintaining and restoring positive energy for you and the world around you.  Many companies provide stress relievers to their employees to cultivate a more pleasant working environment.  A good attitude and positive thinking is a key ingredient to achieving success in any part of life, even in the corporate world.

Smiley face Stress Reliever