I’m getting the Family Wealth Secrets e-newsletter out to you a day late because of more technology troubles this week.

Isn’t technology supposed to make life easier?

If you’ve called the office over the past couple of days and received a busy signal, it’s because our phones and internet were up and down since Saturday.

I’m sure you can imagine my frustration.

The surprising thing is that I didn’t get stressed out about it at all.

That was a major surprise to me and ALMOST made all the trouble worth it.

I was able to see that whether I got upset or not would not affect the outcome of the situation.

Now, that doesn’t mean that I wasn’t a squeaky wheel or that I just sat back and let whatever would happen happen.

Quite the opposite. I called our telecomm co. every couple of hours at least and I escalated through the management structure each time I called.

But, I didn’t stress about it, I didn’t yell at anyone and I knew it would all get worked out. I also knew that my stress wouldn’t make it go any faster.

Think about how much more enjoyable life would be if you could relax into the knowing that everything would work out.

And, the truth of the matter is - it always does!

As a Personal Family Lawyer, I see first hand how people create their own stress and drama in their lives.

What I’ve observed is that the stress and the freaking out is ALWAYS a choice.

So, next time you start to feel that out of control feeling coming on, do this:

1. Take a deep breath.
2. Recognize that your anger, anxiety or fear will not add anything useful to the situation.
3. Approach the problem with a clear mind, an open heart and the knowing that everything will work out.

Dedicated to Your Family’s Well-Being,

~ Alexis

PS - If you want to continue receiving the Family Wealth Secrets e-newsletter, please go subscribe at www.FamilyWealthMatters.com.

We’ll be making the move in a few short weeks and if you aren’t signed up there, you’ll be off the list.

I’m so excited to share this with you, I think I might jump out of my skin!

Today, after many challenges and learning experiences, a huge investment of my love, my energy, my money and my time, I am proud to introduce the Family Wealth Planning Institute website.

http://www.FamilyWealthMatters.com

This website is a major milestone in the realization of my dream to educate you to make great decisions for your family.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing with you how you can support the growth of this vision.

I so appreciate all of the support you’ve shared with me so far via your emails and comments.

Thanks!

I’d love to hear what you think about the new site, so let me know.

Post your comments on my blog. http://www.FamilyWealthBlog.com.

And, hey, many of you have told me how much you love my weekly email. Thanks! I love to hear that.

I’m ready to post your comments on the website!

Please email support@familywealthmatters.com and let me know how much you love my weekly email, how it’s inspired you to make better decisions for your family even if it meant stepping outside of your comfort zone, and how it’s made you laugh.

If I use your words on the website, I’ll give you a 20-minute consulting session with me by phone to help you make the best decision on any decision you’ve been struggling with or to create an action plan for a specific goal you are ready to achieve.

At $1,000/hour, which is what I charge for consulting, that’s a $333 gift to you AND which you could turn into the fortune you’ve been ready to manifest.

Dedicated to Your Family’s Well-Being,

~ Alexis

PS - Even if you’ve already emailed or told me how much you get out of my weekly email, please send it again and tell me I can use it on the website. If I do, I’ll give you a $333 gift that could change your life.

I’m feeling quite grouchy today because I’m launching a new website for the Family Wealth Planning Institute and it’s not coming along as quickly as I would like.

It’s unfortunate because I would have sent a lot of business to this company I’m using for my website, but the difficulty in using the system is getting me close to admitting I’ve made a mistake, throwing in the towel and starting over.

But, persistence is my middle name, so I’m not ready to give up yet. In my experience, right when things are at their worst, they turn around and you get exactly where you wanted to go.

So, I’m holding out hope for the website yet.

When it’s ready, you’ll be able to find a Family Wealth Planning Institute Personal Family Lawyer™ wherever you live.

And, you’ll have a single resource to get free information about legal resources for your family on all sorts of issues, such as personal injury, caring for an elderly parent, divorce, marriage, living together, having a baby, etc.

You name it, we’ll cover it. When the website’s ready!

If you are a web-developer or know anything about content management systems and have any ideas for me, email me - I’m not opposed to making a move at this stage.

That’s not what this email was about though.

I was meeting with some clients this week who mentioned that their daughter got lice and they hired a hair lice removal service.

Wow! There really is a service for everything these days.

I thought those people who came to your house and scooped the poop out of your yard was the weirdest job I’d ever heard of, but I have to give the new award to hair lice removal.

I get it though. I can assure you if either of my kids come home from school with lice, I’m calling the hair lice removal professionals!

What I’m really looking for is a service that will come and change my kitty litter 2-3 times/week. I figure it’d be a great add-on for the poop scooper people - a regular cat litter box change.

I’d pay pretty well for it and I better others would too!

If you know anyone in the poop scoop business, feel free to pass on my idea and my phone number!

Families, like yours and mine, are just so busy these days that services that make life easier are welcome!

I’ve built Martin Neely & Associates on that kind of convenience and service.

I saw that too many people were not planning to protect their family because of the inconvenience and time they thought it would take. So, we’ve made planning as easy as possible for the families we work with.

We’ve streamlined our systems to reduce the number and length of in-person meetings and we’ve built our process so that you can have the assurance of knowing your family is protected within 4 weeks of meeting with us.

And, our clients love how easy it is to get things done for their family in the future. All they need to do is call the office and we take care of everything.

I had a client call me a few Fridays ago and he needed a critical document reviewed by a lawyer and signed off on by the folllowing Monday! If he didn’t have a relationship with his Personal Family Lawyer, he’d have been out of luck.

But, I was able to get it done for him. Oh, and the best part for him was that he was part of our Inner Circle program, so he didn’t even get billed any hourly fees or rush charges. A great deal for him!

If you’ve been putting off planning to protect your family, give us a call, we’ll make it really easy for you.

Dedicated to Your Family’s Well-Being,

~ Alexis

PS - If you know you need to take action to protect your kids in case something happens to you and you don’t live nearby or you just aren’t ready to meet with a lawyer or you’ve already worked with a lawyer (most lawyers don’t adequately protect your kids!), you must read my letter to have the peace of mind of knowing you’ve done what you can to make sure your children will never be taken out of your home or raised by anyone you wouldn’t want if the unthinkable happens to you.

Read it here: www.KidsProtectionPlan.com

One of the best parts of my whirlwind trip to Canada was the solitude traveling.

Now that I’ve been traveling a bit for business, I’m realizing it’s a great opportunity for me to relax and read some brain candy.  A treat I’ve been missing while I’ve been so focused on building my businesses.

On this trip, I picked up the book "the Glass Castle" by Jeanette Walls.  This book was not only a fast and compelling read (something I’m always looking for), but also left me feeling great about myself as a parent!

One of the things I judge myself about the most is my parenting.  I’m probably the most laissez-faire parent in my daughter’s class.

I got scolded by the director of her expensive private school after I kept my daughter home from school on her birthday. I’m not hyper-vigilant about brushing their teeth twice a day.  They watch TV sometimes.  And, of course, you remember the tooth fairy mishap.

Heck, I’m a single mom running two businesses, while raising my kids. Things fall through the cracks sometimes. Ok, a lot of the time.

And, I judge myself for it.  Well, after reading "The Glass Castle," no more of that!

And, it’s a reminder to me to let go of all judgments about myself. Judging myself is the fastest way to NOT get where I want to go.

Instead, I treat myself with the same compassion I have for others.  And, if I don’t have compassion for others, it’s a sure sign that I’m not having compassion for myself.

The first step to relieving your judgments about yourself is to become aware of them.  With awareness you’ll be able to make a decision as to whether they are serving you or not.

And, the answer is they are not.

So, you can consciously let them go.  Try imagining yourself as your very own child.  How would you treat your child if she came to you telling you she hated herself or was angry at herself?

You’d hold her in your arms and give her love and comfort and compassion.

Do that for yourself.  No one deserves it more than you do.

Dedicated to Your Family’s Well-Being,

~ Alexis

PS - so many of you have requested applications for strategic vision coaching! I’m overwhelmed by how many of you have dreams that you are planning to make happen in 2007.  And, excited for you.  There have also been some questions too.  I can tell you this. It’s expensive, but the return on your investment will be substantial if you are really committed to taking massive action to making your dreams come true.

I know you normally receive my e-newsletter on Wednesdays, but I wanted to get this to you on the first day of the new year so you could start your year off with the best foundation possible.

I spent time with this guy last night while I was in Canada celebrating the New Year and I just had to tell you about him.

I met Heath 6 months ago.  At the time, he told me about his dream to open a Cabaret club. He described with vivid detail the way the club would look, who would perform, and what they would do.

When I saw Heath again last night, I asked him about his Cabaret and whether he’d taken any action to move it forward.

He told me he hadn’t.  "I’m an artist." he said.  "A performer.  I’m not good at business."

After we talked for a while, I could clearly see how these false beliefs were holding him back from living the life of his dreams.

Heath had convinced himself he wasn’t good at business and therefore had no control over the realization of his dream.

Weeks turn into months turn into years and rather than taking the risks necessary to see his dreams come true, he’s taken the safe road that at the end of the day will likely leave him unfulfilled and with loads of regrets.

At the end of his life, will he look back wishing he had taken more risks or that he’d been more cautious?

Heath is working for someone else making teas and spices when he could be entertaining the world in his Cabaret that would open the hearts and touch the souls of those who were lucky enough to be invited in.

Would taking the risk be an easy road? Absolutely not! Would it be fraught with the peril of failure, heartbreak, loss of friends, loss of money, loss of family?  Yes, it would!

And, if he persisted through all of it, he would be graced with the most immense freedom and joy possible.

After talking with me, Heath knows what he needs to do to make his dream happen.  The question is will he be able to let go of the fears that are holding him back?

Are you ready to let go of the false beliefs and fears that are holding you back from achieving your dreams?

Make 2007 one of those years you look back on and say to yourself, that was a turning point in my life.  That was the year I decided to take the risk I’ve been afraid of and committed to a course of action that would make it happen.

I’ll talk to you again on Wednesday.  Until then, I remain …

Dedicated to Your Family’s Well-Being,

~ Alexis

PS - If you know you have a BIG dream, but aren’t sure where to start to make it happen, give me a call.  I’ve set aside time this January to help a couple of people with big vision who need fearless thinking, organization and accountability to  make their dream reality.  If this is you, please send me an email requesting a confidential strategic vision application.

Please only send your request if you are very serious, very committed and willing to step outside of your comfort zone to realize your dreams.