Writing in a journal is not just a way to keep track of daily life-it actually can make you happier, more successful, and even healthier. Studies show that writing about stressful experiences in a journal relieves stress and increases the body’s immune response.

Weight Watchers encourages us to journal. In fact, just about every weight loss plan encourages you to keep a food diary. Formal diet plans often recommend recording every calorie consumed to increase awareness of that one is eating. Perhaps even more valuable, a diet journal can improve your awareness of how your emotions influence your eating habits.

Of course this works if you work it honestly. Those three chocolate chip cookies you eat in the car on the way home from Walmart do count. Even if you don’t write them down. In Weight Watchers we have a motto, “You bite it; you write it.” This simple statement goes a long way for accountability. A food dairy is also a great reference. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut and bored with our menu selections. Boredom is dangerous and can lead to bad choices. This is when I refer back to my journal to see what worked for me in the past.

When I was growing up our dairies held all of our secrets. We kept these secrets safe with the tiny key for the tiny lock on the cover. Here we vented about our parents not understanding us, that first crush, and of course, that first kiss. Today kids tell and even show how they feel on MySpace. Very little is secret or private using this medium.

Oprah is big on journaling. I can imagine an excerpt from her journal. “I made eight million dollars yesterday. My weight is up eight pounds. I can’t wait for technology to come up with a way for television to take away pounds instead of adding pounds. Talked to Gayle ten times today.”

Nez has been writing in a journal for years. She has yet to show it to us. I fear that it may become a “kiss and tell.” We may find out exactly what happened when Jimmy Thibaut gave her a ride home from those First National Bank Christmas parties. Or did those repairmen really come over to repair her washer?

A hurricane such as Gustav adds another dimension to journaling. During this time it is important to journal how many days we were without electricity and cable, how much frozen food we lost in the freezer, and what day the hurricane actually hit.

Then there is the journaling necessary once the claim is filed. This includes the claim number, the name of the adjuster and the day scheduled for his visit. After that it is important to journal the day he was supposed to show up and didn’t and when he plans to really come.

After the storm it is a great time to journal the essentials we really need to survive after a storm. To remember to have a blue tarp before the storm as they are limited or require a long wait in long, hot lines. To remember how much gas you need daily to run the generator. To remember that once the power is off it is not necessary to flip the light switch when you enter a room.

Another good journal entry is to remember not to vote for the fool who passed legislation allowing the enormous deductibles for any named storm. Don’t forget this includes tropical storms and hurricanes. One deductible per hurricane season would be a little easier to live with.

I guess one could say I have been using this column to journal. Monthly I describe my past adventures and travels, my school days, my view of television shows, and there is still plenty more stuff to write about.

Keep in mind journaling is healthy. Even if it involves a Sonic Blast or your daily blood pressure readings. Write about how you feel and why you feel that way. Just remember to keep it locked up somewhere.

In the investment world, these are no ordinary times. Consider the following:

• On Sept. 15, The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 500 points “ the biggest point drop since the September 2001 terrorist attacks. Following this decline, the market was down about 23 percent from its all-time high last October.

• Facing big losses, two big names on Wall Street “ Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers “ took drastic steps to rescue their respective businesses, with Merrill Lynch selling itself to Bank of America and Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy protection.

• The U.S. government has bailed out investment bank Bear Stearns, mortgage finance giants, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and American International Group (AIG).

What’s behind this slew of bad news? Several factors are involved, but a key culprit is the subprime mortgage crisis, which resulted in enormous losses suffered by financial institutions.

Of course, we’ve seen large market declines before, but what’s happened to these major players in the investment world is something new for most of us. And yet, you shouldn’t confuse the problems of certain financial services providers with the viability of our financial markets as a whole. We still have the most powerful and resilient economy in recorded history, and investment opportunities still abound.

Nonetheless, as an individual investor, you’ll find it hard to ignore the recent market turmoil. How should you respond to this level of volatility?

Basically, you have these weapons at your disposal:
Patience “ It’s usually not a good idea to let short-term market movements dictate your long-term investment strategy. If the current market decline led you to take a “time out” from investing, you might feel better for a few weeks or months, but you wouldn’t be helping yourself achieve your long term financial objectives. In the past, the market has fallen sharply after a variety of events “ wars, assassinations, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, corporate scandals and so on “ only to regain its footing and move on to new highs. And since the biggest gains can occur in the early stages of a market turnaround, you could miss out on the possibility for considerable growth if you’re sitting on the investment sidelines.

• Diversification “ If a market downturn primarily affects just one type of asset, such as domestic stocks, and your portfolio is dominated by that asset, you could take a big hit. But if you broaden your holdings to include international stocks, bonds, Treasury securities, certificates of deposit (CDs) and other investments, you can potentially reduce the effects of market volatility. (Keep in mind that diversification, by itself, cannot guarantee a profit or protect against a loss.)

• Quality “ During market downturns, even quality stocks can lose value. But these same stocks have the potential to recover when the market turns around. Look for good, solid companies whose products are competitive and whose management has enunciated a strategy for future growth.

The last few months have been difficult ones for investors, and we may still have some rough roads ahead. But by showing patience, diversifying your holdings and buying quality investments, you can continue to make progress toward yoour long-term goals “ in markets that are good, bad or indifferent.

Greetings from the Press Box. I hope this article finds everyone safe and sound. Living in South Louisiana brings you alot of great food, friendly folks and great sports. But we also deal with hurricanes as well, with the lastest being Gustave. House damage, tree damage and debris were very apparent in our home town; things that can be taken care of in due time. Having a healthy family with the destruction that came to our town is the most important thing of all. Football games, cross country meets and volleyball games had to be cancelled due to Gustave. As I write this article, a sense of normalcy has finally started to surface. A special thanks to our city officials, vounteer personel and law enforcement for keeping our town very safe during the post storm.

I am happy to report that the ACHS Bulldogs and the DHS Tigers are undefeated @ 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. The Bulldogs, under Coach Rick Bolotte, have played solid on defense and special teams to win 3 games. On offense, the Dogs have shown improvement with QB Scott Charleville, RB Myron Dominique and James LeBoeuf. Jess Daze, Matt Pearce, Charles Caballero and Colby Martinez have shown the ability to catch the football. The most impressive part of this Bulldog team has been the play of the O-line. Frankie Sotile, Ben Schexnayder, Matt Mclelland, Jace Schexnayder, Greg Carter, Nate Allen and Logan Loquette have opened some nice holes and provided Charleville with time to throw the ball. On the defensive side of the ball, the Defensive line has shown the ability to stop the run behind the play of Sotile, Carter, Blake Gregoire, Martinez, Ben Schexnayder and Ryan Lawless. Linebackers Josh Thibodeaux, Conner Sullivan, Blake Rust and LeBoeuf have played solid. DB’s Daze, Caballero, Taylor Marcello, Dominique and Brandon Burns have intercepted some balls and played with some desire. The Dogs will be entering district play the second week of October and have a great shot to win 6-7 games.

The DHS Tigers, under Coach Gary Adkins, had to wait a couple of weeks to get started with the 08 season. The Tigers have not disappointed with huge wins over Avoyelles and Fisher. The Defense has been led by Aikee Turner and has great speed. On offense, QB Lane Bailey, Rb’s Jamar Landry, Bryant Dunn and Shaquille Babin have toted the rock with confidence. The speed of the Tigers is apparent again this season with big plays coming in bunches. DHS will begin district play during the second week of October, with competition coming from St. John, Livonia, Jeanerette and Loureville. I like the Tigers to win 7-8 in the regular season, they did lose 2 games that will not be made up.

The LSU Tigers just put the finishing touch on a 10 point victory over the Miss. State Dogs in Baton Rouge. LSU is 4-0 as of press time, ranked as high as #2 in the Coaches Poll and headed for a big showdown with the Florida Gators on Oct. 11th. Jarrett Lee has started to settle in at QB with a big second half in a 26-21 victory over Auburn. RB Charles Scott has rushed for over 100 yds in 4 straight games and his name has been mentioned in some Heisman talk. On defense, the Tigers have become DEFENSIVE LINE U with a 8 man rotation in most games. I like the athletic ability of the linebackers, led by Kelvin Sheppard. In the defensive backfield, Harry Coleman and Curtis Taylor lead the secondary with some big hits. I am still predicting the Tigers to lose 2 games, just not sure what 2 games. Alabama and Nick Saban have been real good and just entered the top 5. Georgia and Florida will be great tests, stay tuned.

The New Orleans Saints are a couple of first downs away from being 4-0. They are 2-2 after a convincing 31-17 win over the San Francisco 49er’s. QB Drew Brees has thrown for almost 1000 yds already this season with a depleted receiving corps. Pro Bowler Marques Colston is out until late Oct. and TE Jeremy Shocky is out with a sports’ hernia. Duece McCallister has started to show some signs of life with a 70 yd performance versus the 49’ers. Reggie Bush has been electric running and catching the ball and Saints fans have finally gotten their money’s worth with Bush. On defense, off season acquisition Jonathan Vilma has been great at Linebacker and rookie db Tracy Porter(from Port Allen) has made some nice plays. Injuries have been abundant for Coach Sean Payton in the early going. If the Saints can get some guys back in late Oct, while holding serve, this team can win 9-10 games and make the playoffs.

Basketball season is right around the corner and I am looking forward to it. I will preview our high school teams, the Hornets and LSU in the next edition. Tune in to KKAY 1590 AM for high school football on Friday night and Coaches Corner every Wednesday @ 6pm. Stories/Comments can be sent to troyleboeuf@hotmail.com.

A brand is a company’s identity. It says who you are and what your business does, while impressing your credibility and importance upon customers. How you brand your business dictates how the public perceives you. Your logo, slogan, and color scheme all help build your brand, reflecting your company image over and over in your letterhead, business cards, branded envelopes, brochures, as well as your website. Your brand differentiates you from your competitors.

The goal of all brand building should be to create a feeling of trust in people. People pay more for branded goods and clothing because of the brand’s perceived value, so companies work hard to make their brand recognizable and trustworthy. A successful brand is one people associate with targeted products even when they are made by someone else, such as Kleenex or Xerox.

Successful brand building has many benefits. Using your logo, slogan, and color scheme on all your printed and online materials constantly reminds your customers about your existence. Once your brand becomes familiar, selling is more efficient and effective. As an established brand, you no longer have to spend valuable advertising dollars explaining the nature of your business. People recognize your brand and know instantly what sorts of products and services they can expect from you. Quality brand building creates trust in people’s minds, making them willing to pay more for brand name products and services. Build your brand and you will build your business and your profits.

Brand development is a slow and natural process. Extensive research and planning are required to create a solid brand identity. Be sure to work with marketing and design experts when building a brand for your business. Successful branding will focus on what’s unique about your company, setting you apart from your competitors. By developing a brand personality, you can connect with relevant consumers then begin to build a relationship with them as customers.

Creating a logo is the first step in building a brand for your company. A logo is an image associated with your business. A logo design should be crisp and attractive, while bringing out the objective of your business symbolically. The colors you choose in your logo should be complemented by the color scheme you select for all your marketing materials. Selected colors should reflect the emotions and nature of your business. These colors will help consumers identify your company, so make sure they are colors you want associated with your business.

A slogan is also an important part of brand building. A slogan is a few words saying exactly what your business is about. Slogans should be catchy and succinct, such as Nike’s “Just Do It” and Skittles candy’s “Taste the Rainbow.” These slogans manage to capture the spirit and energy of the products they sell. As with logo development, take your time when creating a slogan and work with a design and marketing expert. The text of any slogan should be meaningful enough to lend depth to your brand identity. Impact can be create through alliteration, interesting word selection and imagery. Slogans can also be tailored to specific markets, so you are more likely to connect with particular consumers. The right slogan will say a great deal about what your business is and how you do it in very few words.

Once you have developed a logo, slogan, and color scheme, your business is ready for brand promotion. Advertisements, event sponsorship, and press conferences are some common forms of brand promotion. In addition, social media marketing (such as blogging) have become an important form of promotion in the digital age. Your marketing experts will have ideas about ways to promote your brand by word of mouth and text on the internet. Explore many different ways of making your brand visible in target markets, and get creative. The more consumers see your brand, the more successful your brand will be.

Visibility alone will not make you a successful brand name, however. Professionalism from start to finish is the only way to truly build trust in your brand. Customers will only trust a brand and pay more for it if they believe it to be a superior product or service by comparison, which means it is your responsibility as a company to make sure this remains true. A brand name only gains respect and trust by earning it, so don’t make promises your business cannot keep and keep the promises you make. The faith your customers place in your brand will keep them as loyal to you as you are to them.

Building a brand is one of the best ways to insure the future of your business, and make making money easier. With a little effort and time and help from marketing and design experts, your business can be a household name in no time.

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