Blog Posts by Diva Toolbox

ChrisCobbOnline tax filing has gotten easier and cheaper. Unless you have complicated items to deal with in your tax return or you are new to your own business and need a tax accountant to help you with your accounting, you probably can file your own taxes with the right software. If you are ready to give it a try, avoid these 3 time wasting mistakes:

Mistake #1 - Starting unprepared. Good tax software steps you through the return in a question and answer format. If on every question you have to rummage through your files or stacks of paper, you will lose your train of thought and the process will take much longer.

Instead - Gather the basic information before you start which may include:

• Last years tax return
• Social security numbers of you, your spouse and your children
• Your bank account # and routing # (if you want the IRS to directly deposit your refund or collect any tax owed)
• W-2 forms from your employers
• 1099 forms from your bank and brokerage firm

Dr. Eudene HarryI remember when I was growing up, one of my grandmother's favorite quotes was- one ounce of prevention is better than one pound of cure. As a child, I had no idea what that meant. To me, it was just another of my Grandmother's quirky sayings. The older I get the more I realize the wisdom of her words.

Medicine is making significant strides. We are told that we have all but eliminated such diseases such as Small Pox. We have significantly decreased the incidence of childhood illness such as whooping cough and measles. We can now perform miraculous surgeries such as heart, kidney and other organ transplants. We are feverishly exploring Genes looking for cures. On the other side of this coin, we are presented with the increasing obesity epidemic. We are told that our risk as a nation for Type II Diabetes is increasing. We are quoted such dismal statistics as 1 in 7 women will acquire breast cancer in their lifetime. We are quoted such statistics as - nearly 2,500 Americans die of

Audra Fordin

How to know who to TRUST? What to Ask so you can trust your Auto Repair Shop Trust and Auto Repair Shops is always an issue in people's minds. Auto Nation did a poll and found that over 70% of the consumers number one complaint was a lack of trust in when having their cars serviced or repaired. I find this to be particularly true for women. The best way to empower yourself (man or woman) with information. Have a set of questions prepared, to ask the repair shop or service department. That way, any one male or female, old or young, you are in charge.

1: Does your Service Writer/Service Manager get paid on commission? hourly? or by salary?
This question is huge. If the Service Writer/Manager is paid only from a commission or percentage of their sales, then the motive to sell what is fast and easy is a major factor. What your car actually needs gets lost in the commission. Whether or not the vehicle gets the right service it needs and repairs it needs becomes an

PaigeAF4At a late morning meeting recently with a fellow entrepreneur, as we were wrapping up I mentioned my next meeting had been postponed and asked if he had time to grab a bite to eat and he responded how lucky I was to afford the luxury of lunch.His comment made me realize that life and business are really about choices.Maybe it is because I grew up in a food town (New Orleans) or have a family whose reunions and vacations revolve around meals but to me the most important meetings on my calendar involve the people I want to break bread with.

Call me old-fashioned, but I genuinely prefer face-to-face meetings over phone, e-mails, Skype or text message communication.Whether you focus on B2B (business to business) or B2C (business to consumer), ultimately it all comes down to P2P (person to person) and there is nothing that beats sharing a meal to foster a better relationship with someone (a cross country plane ride can be too risky if you do not hit it off)!With so many people

Hilary BrittonIt is both!

Here's why….Crisis means it is the worrying time in which things are very uncertain, difficult or painful. It is a time in which action must be taken to avoid a disaster or a breakdown. Epidemic is based on how many people are affected. A substantial amount of our population is being greatly affected by our economic downfall. It is a disease. Disease can mean many different things. Our negative mindset is creating disease in our financial, spiritual, physical and mental well-being. Experiencing ourselves or our loved ones losing jobs, homes, and their livelihoods have made a negative impact on how we view the world.

How about people's reaction? To name a few…people are turning to death, substance abuse, alcoholism, depression, exercise, weight loss/gain, divorce, marriage, child rearing, job change, and crime. Is this what we have succumb to; looking outside of our own beings for the answers? For those who are taking harmful measures to deal with life; get off

CheriAt the root of jealousy is insecurity, low self-worth, lack of trust, and fear of abandonment. The irony is that because this is where you energy stems, you actually attract what you do not want. Jealousy can erode a relationship. Trust is a very important element to a successful and healthy relationship. Often when someone is jealous, they have either cheated themselves thus projecting the behavior onto their partners or have been hurt themselves by men and women in their life.

It is not healthy for you or your relationship to hold onto jealous thoughts and suspicions.

In my first marriage, I was very jealous. Looking back I can that it caused so much of the stress in our marriage. I did not trust my husband and was sure that he as going to hurt me.

In our dating life, he had cheated on me. We broke up, and eventually got back together. To be frank it was not a match made in heaven and yet for our personal reasons we chose to get married.

To this day I am grateful

LindaRI coach a lot of women who ask me that question. Between our hormones bouncing all over the place and the steady progression of memories that DON'T light the corners of our minds, it makes sense.

So the answer is: yes and no.

Yes, it seems as if I forget where I left my shoes more frequently (I've been known to ransack the house at the last minute only to find them right beside the door!). And it seems that I need my ADD meds more than ever.

But the truth is that everyone our age is dealing with ADD-ish tendencies, simply because that's what happens to our brains and neurology as we reach "that certain age." When you already have the real McCoy ADHD, an extra helping intensifies the effects.

Harvard Medical School says that many, many boomer-generation folks like us are rushing to psychiatrists and neurologists to see if our secret fears are confirmed: that we are losing our minds! Fortunately, even with a family history of dementia or Alzheimer's, most of us are just dealing with

KellieDAThe creativity stage of business is the most exciting stage because this is the time where you realize your passion and develop your business concept. The main focus of this stage is client acquisition and delivering your products and services. Typically in this phase finances are limited and most business owners are operating under a shoestring budget so the number one thing you should be focusing on is making the cash register ring.

In business, sales are the lifeblood of every organization and as business owners, you need to find ways to generate leads; convert those leads into sales and deliver exceptional service so the customers continue to come back. This should be your number one focus.

Unfortunately, too many business owners spend too much time trying to establish their brand and outward identity before they develop any sales and marketing systems that generate results. Your goal in this stage is to develop sales and marketing programs that anyone in your