The Holidays Are Here...

Wow! The holidays are here already! I can't believe how fast this year has gone.

Since November is when we celebrate Thanksgiving in America, I would like to thank my family, who stands by me each and every day. I would also like to send out a big thank you to everyone who helps make OffAssist a success: our clients, our team, our vendors, and our colleagues.

Here's wish you a very safe and happy Thanksgiving.

In this issue...

• Article: Small Business Success - 3 Ways Gratitude Can Grow Your Business
• Quickbooks Tip: Deleting duplicate entries
• November/December Tax Deadlines
• Spotlight on U Write Santa
• Tech Talk: Defragging

Small Business Success - 3 Ways Gratitude Can Grow Your Business
by Michele Pariza Wacek

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. Family, food, friends and football thrown in for good measure. But I digress.

What I REALLY like about Thanksgiving is it's about giving thanks. And I think gratitude is one of the most powerful emotions out there. Why is it so powerful? Because it has the capacity to change your life.

My business and life are going great right now, better than I had planned, but it hasn't always been that way. There were plenty of times where things were looking pretty bleak. During one particularly bleak time, a friend told me to just start listing everything I had in my life to be grateful for. Now, when things are looking pretty bad, it can be easy to say "everything sucks, I have nothing to be grateful for." But, if we're honest, we know that isn't true. There's always something, no matter how small, that is in your life you can be grateful for, and sometimes you just need to take a step back to see it.

What's so amazing about gratitude is it's so simple yet it has so much power - in fact, it's so powerful it can start turning things around for you. Now, granted, being grateful all by itself will probably not turn a sinking business into a profitable one. But, it CAN be the catalyst to a transformation.

Why does this work? Well, if you're a fan of the Secret and law of attraction, you've heard the phrase "what you focus on expands." So if you focus on all the things you're grateful for instead of all the things that aren't working, the universe will bring you more things to be grateful for and less of the things that aren't working.

Now, while I do think this is true, I also know a lot of people do not believe this or don't think it's true for them. So, might I suggest another, more practical reason, for why gratitude works -- because it makes you feel better.

Yes, if you start to think about all the wonderful things that are in your life and that you have to be grateful for, things don't look quite so bleak. You're able to break, even for just a few moments, the funk you might have sunk into. And, with that improved mindset, you most likely can see your situation a bit more clearer and start coming up with some solutions (and maybe even take some actions) to get yourself out of it.

But gratitude isn't just about when things are going wrong, it's also powerful when things are going right. When you're on top of the world, it's still an amazing practice to give thanks. If nothing else, it gives you a moment to fully appreciate how wonderful things are right now. (And isn't that a nice feeling to enjoy?)

So, how do you start adding a practice of gratitude to your life? Here are 3 tips to get you started:.

1. Feelings are important. It's not enough to just think about being grateful, you have to feel grateful as well. When you think about all the things you're grateful for, really feel that gratitude throughout your body. Focus on it, and feel it radiate everywhere, from your fingers to your toes. Another tip is to imagine you have a dial in front of you, and when you turn up that dial you're amplifying that emotion. It only takes a few moments to do, but the results are amazing. Try it and see if you don't feel so much better afterwards.

2. Write it down. My coach, Melanie Benson Strick, Success Connections, has a great daily journal which includes a space to write 5 things you're grateful for each day. Writing is a physical activity, so again you're anchoring that gratitude feeling in your body. If you're really struggling right now, I would suggest taking a few minutes and writing down everything you're grateful for each day.

3. Put out a reminder. My grandfather gave me a stuffed bear. But not just any stuffed bear, this bear has a little button on it and a story. The story is a bit longer than what I want to get into now, but the gist of it is this -- the bear comes from a magical land and represents an emotion. When you push the button and give it a hug, the emotion is released. My particular bear is about love. I've put the bear out so I can see it every day, and when I see it, it reminds me to be grateful. (And yes, sometimes I push the button and give it a hug as well.)

I agree, it's a little silly. But it works. And if there's something you can put out that reminds you to be grateful, then it's an easy way to make being grateful a daily part of your routine.

It only takes a few minutes, but the results can be amazing. I challenge all of you to try it for 30 days and see if your business and your life start to improve.

Article source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michele_Pariza_Wacek

Deleting Duplicate Entries

Q: While reviewing reports, I noticed that a customer invoice was duplicated, as well as the payment for that invoice. I was able to delete the 2nd invoice, but when I run a receivables report, it shows the extra payment as a credit. How do I delete the 2nd payment?

A: Easy Fix – go to the Customer Center, select the correct customer along the left-hand column, and run a QuickReport for that customer by right clicking on the name. Make sure your report covers the date range in question. Find the 2nd payment, double click to open it, and then delete it. To delete, select Edit at top of screen, then Delete Payment.

Note: Check with your accounting professional before doing this to be sure that's how they'd like it done. YMMV!

Eager To Impress The Boss

A young executive was leaving the office late one evening when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document here, and my secretary has gone for the night. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy."  

November 16
- Texas Franchise Tax return final due date (if extension filed 5/15)

- IRS Monthly payroll tax deposits due for October issued payroll

November 20
- Sales & Use Tax Return due for monthly filers

December 15
- IRS Monthly payroll tax deposits due for November issued payroll

December 19
- Sales & Use Tax Return due for monthly filers

Defragging

If you are like me, the time after upgrading your system can be tough on your hard drive. You spend hours installing the new operating system, drivers, office applications, and other tools you normally use. You then go back and start deleting a lot of the things you just finished downloading off the Internet.

After a while this activity can begin to slow down your computer. I know I've harped on defragmenting your drive in the past, but with the new Windows 7 just out, I know a lot of people probably forgot to go back and check their drefragmenting settings.

The easiest way to do this is as follows:

• Open the Start Menu (The Windows icon in the lower left)
• Open "Computer"
• Right click the drive you want to defragment
• Click "Properties"
• Select the "Tools" tab
• Click on "Defragment now" (Don't worry, it won't)
• Select "Configure Schedule"
• Then make the choices that work best for you

The default seems to be Wednesday at 1 a.m. If your computer is at the office and sits over night, this setting is probably fine for you. You just need to remember to leave the system on that night. For me though, 1 a.m. just isn't a good time. So I've set mine for Saturday at 3 a.m. Then I can sleep in Sunday and know that my hard drive will be quick and speedy when I am ready for it!

I am loving Windows 7. It’s stable and has very few compatitiblity issues. But, I'd like to hear from you. What issues have you had with Windows 7? Is there a "Deal Breaker" that sent you running back to XP? Send me an e-mail at tom@offassist.com. I'd like to hear from you and pass along any information you may have to our other readers.

Til next time!.

Tom Beauchamp is the marketing and tech expert behind OffAssist. He can be reached at tom@offassist.com.

Ruth Martin's Santa Letters Are Expressions of Love

Ruth Martin, owner of Maplewood VA , now has found a new way to create memories. She has teamed up with Santa to form U Write Santa.

Imagine the joy and surprise on your child's face when an envelope postmarked the North Pole arrives just before Christmas. You'll delight in the shrieks and dances of excitement when the envelope is torn open and a letter from Santa written to them, by name, is discovered! The letter mentions personalized tidbits (provided by you) and is hand-signed by Santa. That's the experience a U Write Santa personalized letter can bring to your child.

It will warm your heart to know you've given your child, grandchild, niece or nephew a piece of Christmas magic. When you order a U Write Santa custom written letter this Christmas season you'll be creating a holiday memory PLUS gaining a keepsake to treasure for years to come. You'll be able to add to your family scrapbook the handwritten note your child lovingly wrote and Santa's warm reply.

By nurturing the child-like faith that Santa loves them and watches them throughout the year, you will keep the essence of the season in your child's heart even after the holidays.

It is their hope that U Write Santa letters will enhance your seasonal celebrations and help your family embrace the magic, love, and joy that Santa Claus embodies. Whether you know him as Santa Claus, St. Nick, Kris Kringle, S. Claus, or Father Christmas it can be agreed that he is a symbol of Christmas love, hope and holiday wonderment for ages 1 to 100. The faces of young and old alike will light up when they think of receiving a letter from jolly old Santa Claus himself.

Don't wait another minute longer, complete the order form to so you can hear your child say, "I believe."

The deadline is December 1st because it takes a while for the postal service from the North Pole.....you know how busy they get this time of the year!

Click here to learn more!

To learn more about U Write Santa, you can also find them on Twitter.

Have you nursed a secret longing to be in the spotlight, center-stage, all eyes on you?

If you would like to be featured in the OffAssist spotlight column, and have not been featured in the past twelve months, contact Candy@OffAssist.com and we'll see if we can put you in the limelight.