1 - "Stentura 400 SRT Prize Awarded!"
2 - "The NCRA Presentation You'll Never See - THE BIG FINISH!"
3 - "SimplySteno Sweepstakes - August ONLY!"
4 - "StenoWatchdog Taking Off!"

Stentura 400 SRT Prize Awarded! (back to top)

Thanks to all of you who entered our www.StenoWatchdog.com contest. And the winner is...Tracy Hecht! She's the lucky winner of a refurbished Stentura 400 SRT. Tracy is already using the machine and loving it! This machine was given some serious steno love by The Steno Doctor. They gave it the spa treatment and got into into perfect condition. Thanks to them and all the others who took part in this contest.

The NCRA Presentation You'll Never See - THE BIG FINISH! (back to top)

(Please understand that much of what you will read below is written for comedic effect (if you laugh. If you don’t laugh…it’s meant to be serious)

When I last left you, I was talking about nutrition, telling you all about the Magic Bullet. I even gave one away! By now I'd have been up on stage about 45 minutes. My brow is covered in sweat and I'm winding down. Ever see James Brown's act? He would go about 90 minutes straight, then act like he can't go on - he's too exhausted! He'd collapse to the floor and his bodyguards would rush over to help him off the stage! But as they got him to the edge of the stage, James would shake them off - "No - I must go on!" I thought I'd do something like that : )

1 – Get Over It! – I started my SimplySteno program in about June of 2004. Within 4 months I had about 40 students and I was growing fast. It was a VERY exciting time. At the same time, I was also getting my house remodeled. Not as much fun, but it was something that had to be done. I was tired of looking at the hole in the wall and other problems (like lack of space). How do the two collide, you ask? We had to move out of the house for about a week while they painted the inside and did some other work. During that time, my house was robbed. Along with everything I owned, they took my business computers, the backup files and all other things related to my SimplySteno program. I had...nothing.

I remember sitting on the curb across the street from my empty house the morning after the robbery. The front door was wide open and I was staring inside from a distance, just lost. After about 2 hours of sitting, I came to a conclusion. I could let this destroy me...or I could start making things right. Being destroyed would have been easy. I felt like some force was crushing me down, just as I was starting to realize my goals. Surely that was a sign...just lay down...give up.

But that really wasn't an option. I was going to have to take the harder path - recovery. But it wasn't enough to just try to rebuild and get back the things I lost. I knew I needed to look forward - not back. I couldn't use what happened as a crutch if I didn't succeed in the future. I made the decision to let it go - get over it - move ahead and get what I wanted. It took me about 3 months to put the SimplySteno pieces back together. A year later I had over 100 students in the program.

But if I had failed...if I couldn't put the pieces back together...if I had only 2 students...I wouldn't have blamed it on the robbery. I would have blamed myself for doing something wrong, but not something that happened in the past - something I let go. And I'm asking you all now to make the same pledge. We've all had bumps in the road. Very large, significant bumps. And I can promise you more down the road as well. That's a given. But there are SOME bumps you can leave behind, and that's what I'm asking you to do. Let's talk about a few.

Many of you were placed in quicksand when you started school and you didn't even know it till years later. You were told you would be graduating in 18, 24, 36 months - something like that. How exciting is that?! But when a year rolled around, you started to do a little math in your head. Let's see...I'm at this speed now...and it's taken me this long...and I have this many more speeds to go through...assuming I don't slow down at any point...uh-oh. And that's when it hit you - the promises made - the great story about making 6 figures within a couple years - not gonna happen quite that fast. And suddenly you look down, and you're in quicksand up to your chest. You've been set up. You were told a timetable, and you haven't met it, so you must be a loser. From that point on, you're behind the curve. You've been branded the "struggling student" by your school, by your family, and most importantly, by yourself. When in reality, you're probably right in line with everyone else. It's not fair that you were put in that position, but it's also not going to help any dwelling on it. Move on. Get over it.

You were taught Mishmosh theory when you started school years ago. It was the rage at the time - everyone was doing it! It's conflict free! It's shorter! It makes more sense! It slices and dices! It figures out your taxes! So you jumped into it and drilled those theory outlines into your brain. Years later...the shine on Mishmosh theory had dulled. Turns out it might not have been as perfect as you were told. And even more importantly, you HEARD things that other theories are better!!! What?!?! So now you're screwed. You've learned all these things that you now know are crud, and now you feel like you're stuck. Get over it.

Here are the facts. First off, EVERY theory I've ever heard of has produced reporters. And not just one or two - many! And those students have done so by both writing things out, and through briefing. So all theories...writing everything out...or using briefs...work. You are not a victim. You were not sold a lemon. But, in fact, you may have chosen to drive the wrong car off the lot. There's a reason different theories are offered. They all don't work for everyone. Some rely on better spelling skills. Some rely on better auditory skills. Some rely on more memorization. Some are a combination of those things. And depending on what kind of learner you are, the theory you select will make a difference in how well you do.

Unfortunately, you don't always get to shop around. If you want to go to a school - campus or online - you may not have more than a couple to choose from. And chances are they are only offering one theory. So if you REALLY want to take this course, you may not get to choose the theory you learn. You get what you get. That theory selection process is not stressed as being very important when you sign up (whatever one they teach is the best....always!). You only learn about how important it is later on...when it's usually too late to look back.

So now you have a few options. You can stick with what you have and try to learn it inside and out - make it work for you. You can try to change theories. Very hard to do. Not impossible, but hard. You can mix and match theories. Still hard to do, but not impossible. Or....you can do what many students do...stick with your current theory that is totally useless (so you've heard), and use it as a crutch as to why you will never succeed. You can probably guess that I'm not a fan of the last option. If you're going to complain about your theory every step of the way, you will fail. Not because it's a bad theory, but because you've labeled it a hindrance. It will now forever be locked around your ankle like a ball and chain. If you really want to succeed at this, you need to look forward. Get over it.

My very first job in the court reporting field was as a reader in a wonderful campus school - Donna Cole School of Court Reporting. Donna was wonderful to work for - sweet and inspiring. Bill Courtland was my other boss - always upbeat and there to help students. I don't think I could have started at a better school. They cared. They understood. And most importantly, they taught. Sound like your school? Judging from the emails I get daily, that's not the case for many of you. You feel like the school enticed you to join with twisted promises. They only revealed themselves once they had you securely in their grips. Fair? No. But the situation is real, and it's something you need to deal with, rather than letting it shake you. You have choices. You can leave your school and maybe find another. You can put pressure on your school to fix what's broken. You can succeed in spite of your school. Or you can use your school as yet another reason you can't succeed. Are you going to let them take your money...AND bring you down? Look forward. Let it go. Get over it.

When I was about 18, I started working at a lamp warehouse. This place sold lamps to all the major department stores and I was put in charge of the shipping department - a position I was unqualified to take. And I mean UNQUALIFIED! I was smart, but there was a lot to know, and I had no background. Still, I went in there to do my best - get the job done. My boss - we'll call him Butthead - didn't help. I was not praised when I did something right, but you better believe I was NAILED when I did something wrong. I was given little instruction. I was given mixed messages. I was intimidated. I really hated the guy. And the more I hated him and let him get under my skin, the more mistakes I made on the job. He was WAY in my head.

I finally got fired when I sent a huge shipment of lamps to New York...when they were supposed to go to Arizona : ) And it wasn't on purpose. Butthead was just so in my head, I couldn't focus on the job at hand. How in my head was he? About a year later I was working as a waiter and he came in and sat at my section. When I brought his food out...I dropped it! (no, not on him). Yeah...I'd say he had me in his control. But he's the last one.

Many of you have teachers or school administration who have you in their control. It may not be as severe as mine was - or exactly the same. But the result is. They affect your end result. You focus on them, rather than the task at hand. "I'm not progressing because of this teacher in..." A good teacher can help a lot more than a bad teacher can do damage. You can ignore a bad teacher and still progress. Many students do this on their own. But what you CAN'T do is let a teacher or admin or another student get in your head and set up a tent there. You can't let them stand in the way of your goal. Get over it.

And of course there are many other factors you can use as roadblocks to your success. Money - family - friends - injury - history - and on and on. And I'm NOT saying these aren't significant things - real issues. Many ARE! But when it comes to steno, you're starting off with a difficult program - one that most students don't finish. So laser like focus and drive are critical to your success.

I often ask my students to "write forward." That means that if you make an error or hit a bump, shake it off and move on. And now I'm asking all of you to "steno forward - live forward." Bumps and bruises can't be avoided. That's life. But you can choose to leave those bumps and bruises in the past. Don't let them be your crutches. Get over them and succeed!

StenoWatchdog Taking Off! (back to top)

Thanks to all of you for leaving your steno reviews on StenoWatchdog! Because of you we're close to 1000 items listed, hundreds of reviews left and thousands of views counted! This is quickly turning into the website I envisioned - something that would help students make informed decisions before shelling out their money! So take a look - add your reviews and have fun!

Thanks!
Marc Greenberg

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