Here we are at the end of Summer. For me, I never really felt we had a Summer. The weather was all over the map. One day; hot, next day, hot and humid, then all of a sudden, rain.
Not only that, but my days seem to zoom by a lot faster than when I was younger. A true sign of getting older.
Which is fine. I don't mind age. I never have. I guess because I don't know what to expect from age. I mean, how does a 30, 40 and 50 look and act?
So the end of Summer is here. Now comes the busy time of year. For some reason, Fall has always been a busy time of year. Everyone goes back to school, plans begin to take shape for the family get togethers. For us, our Family Reunion. Then, before you know it, it's Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Break, Christmas and then the New Year...... Yeah, it happens that fast.
Even with the strange weather this Summer, and no time off, we had a good time. My husband and I weren't able to take a vacation this year. We want to take off for awhile after the Family Reunion in October.
Our son turned 25 this Summer. To celebrate his birthday, he went skydiving in San Diego, CA. He and a friend, who shares the same birthday, jumped from 15,000 feet. His original plans were to go to Santa Barbara, CA where they jump from 18,000 feet. I guess the difference makes for a more thrilling jump. I wouldn't know, I'm not that
adventurous. But, good for him. I admire my son and his generation. They take life by the horns and run with it.
Our son also joined a bicycle group this Summer. A group of 30 to 50 people meet at a public place and ride their bikes around Los Angeles. These rides takes place on a Friday or Saturday night. They start around 6:00 P.M. and ride all evening. They carry rope and potato saks. Along the way, they stop at outdoor Malls and ask the public to join them in Jump Rope or a Potato Sak race. They never had anyone say no to a good Jump Rope or Double Dutch and the Potato Sak races become quite competitive.
Our son says "old" people join in and he says it's so cool to see their faces when they Jump Rope because you can tell they're going back to a time when things were simple. By "old" he means old like his parents (52 and 53).
Then, of course, there was the birth of our Great-nephew, Kai. His daddy, Joseph, graduated from the Police Academy on August 28, 2008.
I attended several Class Reunion functions. My High School classmates are unique in that the people I graduated with I've know since 2nd grade. So, essentially, they are the only people I've known all my life, (outside of my family).
Our son became good friends with the daughter of my best friend from High School. Anthony and Sarah attended a Winter Formal one year and since then, hang out together all the time.
My other best friend turned 58 this year in June. She and I have been friends for 27 years. Every year for her birthday, we go out for Sushi, her favorite. We do this once a year, every year. It's a time we both cherish to sit and talk and eat.
So, that was my summer. Short celebrations along the way that made this Summer memorable. The weather didn't cooperate, but everthing else was sweet.
I hope you had a great Summer filled with fun and laughter. I would love to hear what made you smile and appreciate life.
Until next time,
Vikki
Friday, August 29, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Accountability or "Do as you say"
Accountability is a huge word. Not because it has 14 letters in the word. Because it means you will "do as you say".
Our position of Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant comes with responsibility. We must be accountable to the attorney, which in turn must be accountable to his/her client.
When we decide we want to pursue the career of Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant, we make a decision to take on a certain amount of responsibility.
When I decided to start AAVBA, I knew I would be accountable to a group of individuals who would look to me for answers. In this position, accountability would have to be #1 priority, followed by service and support to those who chose to join our organization.
There would be straight forward talk about the VBA industry.
There would be straight forward talk about the potential to make money and how much. Which, by the way, you cannot consistently make $15,000.00/month which in turn is $180,000.00/year . If that happens, I want to see a tax return. That is the only way I will be convinced of the potential to make more money than the attorney who practices law.
That is not to say you can't make a decent living preparing petitions. There are some VBA's who have been able to quit their jobs and do this full time. They also put in long hours of marketing and planning and preparing so this could become a reality for them. They (VBA's) are accountable for the success of their businesses. My accountability lies in that I promised to market directly to attorneys on behalf of VBA's. So far, so good.
I don't claim to be an expert in this field. To do that, I would have to be working in this field a minimum of 5 years. But I do have 25 years of Corporate experience. Also, I have been a successful Independent Contractor for 10 years.
I do a variety of work. Field Service Inspections, Notary Signing Agent, Writing papers for college students, assisting students fill out the FAFSA forms, Translations, and Bankruptcy Petition Preparation.
In every assignment, I am accountable. I'm accountable to take the correct measurements of the building when I do Inspections. I am accountable when identifying signers on Loan documents. I am accountable to the students. I am accountable to Translate the correct words from the doctor to the patient. I am accountable to the attorney that I will do my best to submit a deficiency free petition. This is not to say I'm perfect, I'm not.
I've made mistakes. And I had to acknowledge those mistakes. Which is never easy. But if I don't acknowledge what I have done wrong, then nothing about my business is honest.
I believe those who are in a position to teach and lead have a higher expectation of accountability. Especially when individuals put their hard earned money and belief in that individual or business.
Once, I had thought about doing an online $.99 cent store. The woman I was going to go into business was a very nice lady. We got along immediately. Before I signed the papers to start my online store, she sent me her tax returns. She wanted to show me how much money she lost. The first year. In the same envelope, was the tax return for the following year and then the most current year. Talk about accountability. Long story short, she made a good return after one year of doing her online store.
By the way, I never opened my Online store. It was not for me. But I know my friend is still doing her online store and quite successfully. And she became a friend.
I had not made a return on my VBA business up until February of this year (2008) when an out of state attorney contracted me to prepare his clients' petitions. I had been marketing to attorneys since 2006 with no return. My business took a turn for the better when I hooked up with my "core" group of VBA's. When I saw how successful we were together, I knew I had to do something for other VBA's who; like me, had not been successful in this business.
Much like I believed in this VBA business, I believe we can get all VBA's working for an attorney, maybe more than one. I also know it takes a lot of work. For those VBA's who put in the time and with the marketing efforts of the AAVBA, we can do this.
In October, I head out to South Carolina for the Bankruptcy Attorney Fall Conference. Along on this trip are 4 AAVBA members. I'm happy that AAVBA decided to offer this. Now, every VBA will have the opportunity to market "face to face" with attorneys.
This will be a good experience. For the VBA's and for myself. I will get to know the AAVBA members on a more personal level.
My hope is that the Fall Conference in South Carolina will bring assignments to VBA's during the winter months when most work slows down for every Independent Contractor. No matter what industry they're in.
Until next time,
Vikki
Our position of Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant comes with responsibility. We must be accountable to the attorney, which in turn must be accountable to his/her client.
When we decide we want to pursue the career of Virtual Bankruptcy Assistant, we make a decision to take on a certain amount of responsibility.
When I decided to start AAVBA, I knew I would be accountable to a group of individuals who would look to me for answers. In this position, accountability would have to be #1 priority, followed by service and support to those who chose to join our organization.
There would be straight forward talk about the VBA industry.
There would be straight forward talk about the potential to make money and how much. Which, by the way, you cannot consistently make $15,000.00/month which in turn is $180,000.00/year . If that happens, I want to see a tax return. That is the only way I will be convinced of the potential to make more money than the attorney who practices law.
That is not to say you can't make a decent living preparing petitions. There are some VBA's who have been able to quit their jobs and do this full time. They also put in long hours of marketing and planning and preparing so this could become a reality for them. They (VBA's) are accountable for the success of their businesses. My accountability lies in that I promised to market directly to attorneys on behalf of VBA's. So far, so good.
I don't claim to be an expert in this field. To do that, I would have to be working in this field a minimum of 5 years. But I do have 25 years of Corporate experience. Also, I have been a successful Independent Contractor for 10 years.
I do a variety of work. Field Service Inspections, Notary Signing Agent, Writing papers for college students, assisting students fill out the FAFSA forms, Translations, and Bankruptcy Petition Preparation.
In every assignment, I am accountable. I'm accountable to take the correct measurements of the building when I do Inspections. I am accountable when identifying signers on Loan documents. I am accountable to the students. I am accountable to Translate the correct words from the doctor to the patient. I am accountable to the attorney that I will do my best to submit a deficiency free petition. This is not to say I'm perfect, I'm not.
I've made mistakes. And I had to acknowledge those mistakes. Which is never easy. But if I don't acknowledge what I have done wrong, then nothing about my business is honest.
I believe those who are in a position to teach and lead have a higher expectation of accountability. Especially when individuals put their hard earned money and belief in that individual or business.
Once, I had thought about doing an online $.99 cent store. The woman I was going to go into business was a very nice lady. We got along immediately. Before I signed the papers to start my online store, she sent me her tax returns. She wanted to show me how much money she lost. The first year. In the same envelope, was the tax return for the following year and then the most current year. Talk about accountability. Long story short, she made a good return after one year of doing her online store.
By the way, I never opened my Online store. It was not for me. But I know my friend is still doing her online store and quite successfully. And she became a friend.
I had not made a return on my VBA business up until February of this year (2008) when an out of state attorney contracted me to prepare his clients' petitions. I had been marketing to attorneys since 2006 with no return. My business took a turn for the better when I hooked up with my "core" group of VBA's. When I saw how successful we were together, I knew I had to do something for other VBA's who; like me, had not been successful in this business.
Much like I believed in this VBA business, I believe we can get all VBA's working for an attorney, maybe more than one. I also know it takes a lot of work. For those VBA's who put in the time and with the marketing efforts of the AAVBA, we can do this.
In October, I head out to South Carolina for the Bankruptcy Attorney Fall Conference. Along on this trip are 4 AAVBA members. I'm happy that AAVBA decided to offer this. Now, every VBA will have the opportunity to market "face to face" with attorneys.
This will be a good experience. For the VBA's and for myself. I will get to know the AAVBA members on a more personal level.
My hope is that the Fall Conference in South Carolina will bring assignments to VBA's during the winter months when most work slows down for every Independent Contractor. No matter what industry they're in.
Until next time,
Vikki
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Lessons Learned
My father passed away 6 years ago from a massive heart attack. He was 67 years old. A relatively young age.
Pops lived a full life. When his friends found out how he had passed, they said to us, "he gave away so much of his heart, he forgot to keep a little for himself". That was true.
My dad was that type of person. He always gave.
Growing up, I remember my dad always being there for the less fortunate kids in our neighborhood. Not that we were well off, not by any means. But somehow, we always had just enough.
My dad came to the U.S. from Mexico in the '50's. He and my mother were young and full of hope. When they arrived in the U.S., my dad attended night school to learn English. All the while holding down a full time job to support his growing family. Later on, he would take on two full time jobs to make ends meet. He did this so our mother wouldn't have to work outside the home.
My dad hired a cleaning lady, and a cook. I think these were luxuries my dad wanted our mother to have. Also, there were so many of us! I have four brothers and two sisters.
When Dad and Mom came to this country, they made a vow to live the American dream. For my father, that meant live as an American. Everything my dad did was modeled around American life. That meant respecting and flying the American flag every holiday. My dad and mom were Scout Leaders for our neighborhood Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops. They volunteered at school and church. It's funny, but you would think with them giving so much time to everyone, there would be no time for their own children! On the contrary, we were always with them!
After working two full time jobs for many years, my dad decided he would open up a business. So, he quit his two jobs and did just that.
At the ripe old age of 42, our parents made the last payment on their mortgage and became grandparents for the first time.
Then, one day, dad decided he wanted to teach. So, he took the CBEST exam and started teaching at a local high school. He taught a vocational class.
While he taught, he attended night school to earn his Bachelors. After that, he went on to earn his Masters at the age of 51. But, his proudest moment happened when he became a citizen of the United States. My dad literally draped his house in red, white and blue!
I remember the years when my dad was a teacher. He would often invite his students over for a BBQ. We didn't mind, we knew that was our dad's way. He always helped those who needed a hand.
He was always giving.
When my dad passed away, everyone came to his funeral. At the reception held after the services, someone asked me, "what was your dad?", I responded, "what do you mean?", they said, "was he some sort of important person?", again, I asked, "what do you mean?", they said, "I've never seen so many people at someone's funeral, he must have been a very special person or held some sort of position".
Then it dawned on me. All my life, I saw my father helping other people. He helped people get jobs, he helped people buy cars, he helped the neighborhood kids, he helped teach a skill to high school students. I don't know why, but I just never gave any thought of how much my dad helped people. My thought was; this is what everybody did. Help each other.
So I looked around the reception hall (we had to rent a hall to hold all the people in attendance), I saw his students and their families, his former Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts were there, the kids (now all grown) from the old neighborhood came, I saw his godchildren (20 or 30), his brothers were there as was his sister. His nieces and nephews (40 or more). We had people from all over come up to us and tell us stories of how our father helped them.
They told funny stories, compelling stories and some stories even made us cry.
But they all had the same thing to say, "your dad helped me...."
My father had always been a very content person. Just happy to be. Period. He was a simple man with very basic beliefs and ideas; which he passed down to his children and grandchildren. Did I mention that my dad supported his family as a welder?
One brother became a welder. Our son, Anthony, took a welding class in college. And now, Anthony is finishing up his studies to become a teacher as well. Ironically, my brothers all married teachers.
So the lesson learned for me, was "when you give, you will always get back more than you gave".
It was evident to me when my dad passed away. All these people had come back to pay their last respects to a man they loved and admired and respected. All because he gave and helped them.
How simple and how basic. But that's the kind of person Pops was.
Vikki
Pops lived a full life. When his friends found out how he had passed, they said to us, "he gave away so much of his heart, he forgot to keep a little for himself". That was true.
My dad was that type of person. He always gave.
Growing up, I remember my dad always being there for the less fortunate kids in our neighborhood. Not that we were well off, not by any means. But somehow, we always had just enough.
My dad came to the U.S. from Mexico in the '50's. He and my mother were young and full of hope. When they arrived in the U.S., my dad attended night school to learn English. All the while holding down a full time job to support his growing family. Later on, he would take on two full time jobs to make ends meet. He did this so our mother wouldn't have to work outside the home.
My dad hired a cleaning lady, and a cook. I think these were luxuries my dad wanted our mother to have. Also, there were so many of us! I have four brothers and two sisters.
When Dad and Mom came to this country, they made a vow to live the American dream. For my father, that meant live as an American. Everything my dad did was modeled around American life. That meant respecting and flying the American flag every holiday. My dad and mom were Scout Leaders for our neighborhood Cub Scout and Boy Scout troops. They volunteered at school and church. It's funny, but you would think with them giving so much time to everyone, there would be no time for their own children! On the contrary, we were always with them!
After working two full time jobs for many years, my dad decided he would open up a business. So, he quit his two jobs and did just that.
At the ripe old age of 42, our parents made the last payment on their mortgage and became grandparents for the first time.
Then, one day, dad decided he wanted to teach. So, he took the CBEST exam and started teaching at a local high school. He taught a vocational class.
While he taught, he attended night school to earn his Bachelors. After that, he went on to earn his Masters at the age of 51. But, his proudest moment happened when he became a citizen of the United States. My dad literally draped his house in red, white and blue!
I remember the years when my dad was a teacher. He would often invite his students over for a BBQ. We didn't mind, we knew that was our dad's way. He always helped those who needed a hand.
He was always giving.
When my dad passed away, everyone came to his funeral. At the reception held after the services, someone asked me, "what was your dad?", I responded, "what do you mean?", they said, "was he some sort of important person?", again, I asked, "what do you mean?", they said, "I've never seen so many people at someone's funeral, he must have been a very special person or held some sort of position".
Then it dawned on me. All my life, I saw my father helping other people. He helped people get jobs, he helped people buy cars, he helped the neighborhood kids, he helped teach a skill to high school students. I don't know why, but I just never gave any thought of how much my dad helped people. My thought was; this is what everybody did. Help each other.
So I looked around the reception hall (we had to rent a hall to hold all the people in attendance), I saw his students and their families, his former Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts were there, the kids (now all grown) from the old neighborhood came, I saw his godchildren (20 or 30), his brothers were there as was his sister. His nieces and nephews (40 or more). We had people from all over come up to us and tell us stories of how our father helped them.
They told funny stories, compelling stories and some stories even made us cry.
But they all had the same thing to say, "your dad helped me...."
My father had always been a very content person. Just happy to be. Period. He was a simple man with very basic beliefs and ideas; which he passed down to his children and grandchildren. Did I mention that my dad supported his family as a welder?
One brother became a welder. Our son, Anthony, took a welding class in college. And now, Anthony is finishing up his studies to become a teacher as well. Ironically, my brothers all married teachers.
So the lesson learned for me, was "when you give, you will always get back more than you gave".
It was evident to me when my dad passed away. All these people had come back to pay their last respects to a man they loved and admired and respected. All because he gave and helped them.
How simple and how basic. But that's the kind of person Pops was.
Vikki
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