By Laura M. Bollin
Chicago Tribune (MCT)

If you’re heading to a movie theater this weekend, perhaps to see the new Disney-Pixar film, there’s a Web site that could help you know when to get “Up” and go to the bathroom.

Runpee.com was launched in August by Los Angeles-based freelance Flash developer Dan Florio. It touts itself as “helping your bladder enjoy going to the movies as much as you do” by telling moviegoers the best spots during films to go relieve themselves without missing any of the action.

Florio cites Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” remake as his inspiration.

“It’s a three-hour movie. By the end of it, I had to go to the bathroom really badly,” Florio said. “When I got out of the theater, there was a huge queue of people in line for the next showing.

“I wanted to go up to them and say, ‘Hey, there’s this scene with a lot of bugs, and it’s totally irrelevant, so when that happens, just go to the bathroom.”

And his site was born.

“There are more than 2,000 sites now linking to my site,” said Florio, 32, who lives with his wife, Jill, in an RV as he travels the country for different projects.

The site is a wiki, so registered users can submit their recommended break times for movies, which can be listed by most recent release date, alphabetically or by running time.

“Not all movies have pee times, because not all have had pee times submitted,” said Florio.

“Right now, I am trying to go out and see all the summer blockbuster movies, because people will be seeing those and I want to keep the site useful.”

As for that unusual name? It was the first thing that came to mind, says Florio, “the site is meant to tell you when to run and pee.”

———

(c) 2009, Chicago Tribune.

Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (/www.mctcampus.com)

I received a lot of positive responses to last week’s blog that focused on leaving your comfort zone. It seems that most people recognize their comfort zone and feel an internal struggle of whether to stay in it or venture to the unknown. The people who leave that comfort zone are typically the most successful. It’s hard to believe that risk and all the fear involved can be freeing. It almost feels counter intuitive, but it’s actually not. It’s actually about intuitively realizing that your comfort protects you, but doesn’t promote you.

I was working with a client recently who gave me tons of evidence that she could be successful in her career. She had already done workshops, written articles, and had a following that appreciated her work. However, she was afraid to take the huge step of turning it into a thriving business. Everything that she felt she needed to do: create a business name, website, blog, and marketing plan, seemed so uncomfortable. As she put it “then I would actually have to do it and put myself out there.” This is ironic because the fact is she is already out in the world doing it. She started some workshops for a few interested friends and with only word of mouth referrals, these workshops were packed.

The fact is that we look for evidence of why we can’t do something. This evidence is typically coming from our comfort zone, telling us to play it safe. What we should do is look at the evidence that shows we can do it. My client was far ahead in her business, she was naturally attracting people who wanted to hear her message. Her thoughts and beliefs about success and potential failure were holding her hostage and weren’t allowing her to see all of the evidence pointing to her natural ability to succeed with her business. The tasks that she needed to complete in order to develop the business were not the issue, her thoughts around it were.

Look at some projects where procrastination and overall avoidance come up frequently for you. Is it really that you can’t do it or is it your thoughts about doing it? When clients are stuck in this place and can’t find the precise thought that is creating the suffering, I prescribe some action. Taking action, creating movement, allows them to experience the fear and realize that the outcome wasn’t as awful as they had initially imagined. It helps them to question their thoughts and make a connection to how their thoughts have been controlling their outcome. It doesn’t have to be a huge step. For the client I mentioned earlier, I asked her to just write about an idea she had and not call it a blog, article, or anything else. Just write it. I am certain when she sees it on paper; she’ll know exactly where and how it fits into her business. Her continual “analysis/paralysis” of following the “right way” to create her business was keeping her safe, but not happy, fulfilled, and successful. Look at your thoughts; what outcome are they creating for you?

Do you have a question for Laura? Email her at:Laura@corelifedesign.com

Laura Tirello is a Life and Career Coach.  Her company, Core Life Design, works with people who are looking to find their highest potential both in their careers and personal lives. She helps her clients develop a life plan for success and create a balanced life. For more information about Laura and her life coaching business, visit corelifedesign.com or email Laura at Laura@corelifedesign.com.

Enter the Young Money/Core Life Design CONTEST! WIN A FREE SESSION WITH LAURA!

Life & Career Coach Laura Tirello has generously offered Young Money readers the chance to win a free life coaching session. All you have to do is answer this question: What is the craziest thing you’ve done to reach a goal?* Email your answer to Laura@corelifedesign.comand she will choose one random winner at the end of the month.

The winner will receive a 60 minute coaching session from Life and Career Coach, Laura Tirello of Core Life Design. The session will be conducted by telephone at a time agreed upon by the winner. The session will focus on an area in the client’s personal or professional life in which they are seeking improvement. The client will be coached through their particular issue and given tools that may help them continue to create successful outcomes in their personal and/or professional life. The winner will also receive an email summary of the session from Laura Tirello.

You have until July 1 to enter. Winners will be notified by email by July 5. Include a working email address with your answer.

*YoungMoney.com reserves the right to publish your answer. You may request to be kept anonymous.

Dear Melissa,

Frank J.

Dear Frank,

I wish that I could give you the magic date that companies turn items over to collection agencies so that you have it paid before then.  Unfortunately, it does not work like that.  Each company is different and therefore treats each account to their own standards.

But we can try to figure it out based on the average amount of time most companies follow and also the state of the economy.  First, most creditors will turn over a delinquent account to a collection agency between 90-180 days.  Since your due date was March 25th, that would put you in the June 25th – September 25th range.  However, this equation is used when a consumer does not make any payments or respond to letters or phone calls.

In addition, since you are making payments, and ones that would only extend your account six months after the date due, it is unlikely they will turn you over at all.  Right now, creditors are trying to get as much of their money as possible.  If they were to turn you over to a collection agency, they would have to give up a percentage to the collection agency.  And since you are making payments, I really would not worry.  Chances are, their only contact will be to send you a bill each month to make your payments.

By Scott Kleinberg
Chicago Tribune (MCT)

Why does everyone know about that thing you did last night with your best friend’s wife?

Probably because you tweeted about it.

How did I find out? Read it on oversharers.com. It’s a site that searches Twitter for all things embarrassing.
And it’s good.

Ever since the birth of the Internet, the same rule has applied: If you don’t want anyone to know about it, don’t type it. And whatever you do, don’t post it.

Of course, some people don’t mind their tweets ending up on oversharers.com, broadcasting delicate information “accidentally.” You can imagine their “surprise”: What’s that? It’s not private? My Twitter name is attached and now millions know what I did? Bummer.

At least at lamebook.com, basically the same idea applied to Facebook status updates, most of the names and photos are blurred out, somewhat limiting the embarrassment. Maybe that’s more your style.

Whether you’re featured on the sites or just browsing, both are worth checking out.

Moral of this story? You can’t ask the Internet to keep a secret.
———
(c) 2009, Chicago Tribune.
Visit the Chicago Tribune on the Internet at http://www.chicagotribune.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (mctcampus.com)

Dear Melissa,

Michael D.

Dear Michael,

The amount on wrong information on the Internet always amazes me!  I have heard about this “extension” of collection items on credit reports from many people.  But I can tell you with the utmost certainty, it is most definitely false.

A collection item will remain on a consumer’s credit report 7 years from the date it was reported.  This does not vary by state but is universal.  When a collection item is paid, no matter how many years after the item was first reported, it would still only remain on a person’s credit report up until the original 7-year date.  It is easier to think of in this way.

Delinquent accounts by the masses are sent to collection agencies every year.  Some people are unable to pay; others are unable to be found.  Three and a half years later plus one day, these consumers are able to pay or have been found.  Since it is one day closer to the 7 years, what is the incentive to pay?  Why would they want to prolong this for 7 more years?  This is why this urban myth is not true.  The incentive is that by paying the item, for the remaining three and a half years, the item will be seen as paid and their score will increase.

In your case, the hospital has no incentive to work with you and have this removed from your credit report, because you have already paid the bill.  You can certainly try without fear that the item will remain for another 7 years, but the chances are very unlikely.  The good news is that in three years, the item will fall off, and it will be as if it was never there.

Do YOU have a question for Melissa? Email her at melissa@dovcocs.com.

Melissa Douros
Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc.

As the owner of Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc., Melissa Douros uses her eight years of being a collections specialists to offer advice and answer questions pertaining to debt collection.  With running her own successful collection agency, she seeks to keep debt collectors accountable for their actions and in line with the law.

When looking at the goals you want to achieve and the things you want to accomplish, it is easy to get to the place of overwhelm that I have mentioned frequently in my blogs. When I was first starting my business I had to allow myself to be comfortable with discomfort and overwhelm. Why? Because in order to reach your larger goals you need to get out of your comfort zone.

I attended a goals workshop in the beginning of this year. The speaker introduced me to a concept I had already known, but for some reason, at that point and time, it made perfect sense to me. Instead of looking at something as uncomfortable, you need to look at it as out of your comfort zone. The difference here is you may be resisting something because it feels in conflict with your typical response to situations. It poses a challenge to do things differently than you might have done in the past. For some people it may be doing public speaking or appearing on live interviews. You will know if it is out of your comfort zone if you get a slight feeling of fear. How do you know if the fear is telling you something is wrong? Dr. Martha Beck, my coaching mentor, explained it this way: if you look at the fear and taking the action feels like jumping into a clear pool of water, it is healthy or “clean” fear. If you look at the fear and you feel dread and the water looks murky, there is something in the situation that conflicts with your core beliefs. We call this “dirty” fear. It could be that there is something you have not worked out with yourself or that the situation may be unethical in your eyes. It is up to you to get clear about your true thoughts about your goals. Are you using excuses because it’s out of your comfort zone? This is a common reaction; people will hide behind their comfort and limited beliefs as way to impede their own progress out of fear.

The speaker at the workshop listed the source of the next activity as unknown; then proceeded to draw a circle shape and put a line through the center. She labeled the parts above and below as the comfort zone and the learning zone. She pointed to the center line and called this the panic zone. When you think of a regular goal that is easily attainable you are in your comfort zone. When you make the goal slightly more difficult you approach the learning zone, where you may need to research and play around with logistical issues so you can attain the goal. Coming out of the comfort zone to the learning zone creates personal and professional growth.

When you create what appears to be an unreachable goal, how do you feel? Are you nervous and overwhelmed? Uncertain of the outcome? This is called the panic zone. If you can give yourself the encouragement to push towards the panic zone, this is where accelerated learning and growth will occur. It is this level of personal growth that may lead to a real possibility of transformation. You may develop a renewed sense of personal strength and create a life that you may have seen as impossible in the past.

Set your goals as close to the line of chaos as possible. Sounds too scary? Take it as close as you can and you will notice your creative juices flowing. Then intense learning opportunities will occur and they will manifest positive changes in your professional and personal life. I’ve been getting many responses from readers to this month’s contest “tell us about something that seemed like a mistake or complete failure but then turned into a great success”. Many of you have pushed yourself through the panic of failure and arrived at successful outcomes. Haven’t tried it? Maybe it’s time to examine what your comfort zone is doing for you.

Do you have a question for Laura? Email her at:Laura@corelifedesign.com

Laura Tirello is a Life and Career Coach.  Her company, Core Life Design, works with people who are looking to find their highest potential both in their careers and personal lives. She helps her clients develop a life plan for success and create a balanced life. For more information about Laura and her life coaching business, visit corelifedesign.com or email Laura at Laura@corelifedesign.com.

Enter the Young Money/Core Life Design CONTEST! WIN A FREE SESSION WITH LAURA!

Life & Career Coach Laura Tirello has generously offered Young Money readers the chance to win a free life coaching session. All you have to do is answer this question: What is the craziest thing you’ve done to reach a goal?* Email your answer to Laura@corelifedesign.comand she will choose one random winner at the end of the month.

The winner will receive a 60 minute coaching session from Life and Career Coach, Laura Tirello of Core Life Design. The session will be conducted by telephone at a time agreed upon by the winner. The session will focus on an area in the client’s personal or professional life in which they are seeking improvement. The client will be coached through their particular issue and given tools that may help them continue to create successful outcomes in their personal and/or professional life. The winner will also receive an email summary of the session from Laura Tirello.

You have until July 1 to enter. Winners will be notified by email by July 5. Include a working email address with your answer.

*YoungMoney.com reserves the right to publish your answer. You may request to be kept anonymous.

Dear Melissa,

Tina T.

Dear Tina,

Unfortunately, no, a valid dispute would not be not receiving a bill in two years.  Disputes are generally regarding bills resulting from identity theft, stolen credit card or checking information, non-receipt of goods or services, goods or services that are not up to par, bogus charges, etc.

However, you are entitled to a copy of the statement.  This request can be put into writing and legally; the company must send you a copy.  You may be able to dispute any finance charges that have incurred during this time and have the bill reduced to the original amount.

Another suggestion is to ask for a settlement.  Many credit card companies are willing to settle delinquent accounts for half of the bill.  They may even allow you to split up this settlement into payments.  The most important thing is to be strong and not commit to anything that you cannot pay.   Come up with a payment arrangement that you can adhere to, and as the payments are made, the balance will decrease and seem more feasible.

Do YOU have a question for Melissa? Email her at melissa@dovcocs.com.

Melissa Douros
Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc.

As the owner of Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc., Melissa Douros uses her eight years of being a collections specialists to offer advice and answer questions pertaining to debt collection.  With running her own successful collection agency, she seeks to keep debt collectors accountable for their actions and in line with the law.

Q: My husband and I both work and have children. My husband works two jobs so I am responsible for taking care of the children and household responsibilities in the evening. I am feeling very overwhelmed, but my husband insists he has to work the second job to pay our bills. I feel like our life is out of balance and we have to make changes or our marriage will suffer. Where do I start?

A: People often make the assumption if they get help fixing their finances their life will automatically become less stressful. The problem with this kind of thinking is that their finances are not the problem, their thoughts about money and their life in general are. In order to get your money situation under control, you need to look at your attitude towards money. Does this attitude serve you or slave you? Find out your underlying beliefs about money and question whether they are appropriate to your goals and what you want out of life.

A good place to start is looking at your budget. Where and how do you spend your money? Are the things you are spending your money on feeding your personal growth and happiness or just taking up space and time? What could you feel good about spending less on? If you have debt, are their ways to consolidate it so other areas of your budget are freed up? If you look closely at your spending and the thoughts behind it, you may see that there are areas you would feel good about eliminating excess spending. It’s not about taking away from yourself; it’s about giving to yourself and family. You don’t have to do a complete budget overhaul at once; small changes over time can get you to your larger goal.

Many people feel overwhelmed with responsibility and can’t get it all done. I have talked in the past about using turtle steps to create large changes in your life. If you are feeling overwhelmed with household responsibilities, look at ways to get chores accomplished that won’t consume all of your time. Delegate a specific amount of time to each task on a daily basis and walk away when the time is up. Realize there will always be something to do, but you have to the choice of when it gets done.
Do you have a question for Laura? Email her at:Laura@corelifedesign.com

Laura Tirello is a Life and Career Coach.  Her company, Core Life Design, works with people who are looking to find their highest potential both in their careers and personal lives. She helps her clients develop a life plan for success and create a balanced life. For more information about Laura and her life coaching business, visit corelifedesign.com or email Laura at Laura@corelifedesign.com.

Enter the Young Money/Core Life Design CONTEST! WIN A FREE SESSION WITH LAURA!

Life & Career Coach Laura Tirello has generously offered Young Money readers the chance to win a free life coaching session. All you have to do is answer this question: What is the craziest thing you’ve done to reach a goal?* Email your answer to Laura@corelifedesign.comand she will choose one random winner at the end of the month.

The winner will receive a 60 minute coaching session from Life and Career Coach, Laura Tirello of Core Life Design. The session will be conducted by telephone at a time agreed upon by the winner. The session will focus on an area in the client’s personal or professional life in which they are seeking improvement. The client will be coached through their particular issue and given tools that may help them continue to create successful outcomes in their personal and/or professional life. The winner will also receive an email summary of the session from Laura Tirello.

You have until July 1 to enter. Winners will be notified by email by July 5. Include a working email address with your answer.

*YoungMoney.com reserves the right to publish your answer. You may request to be kept anonymous.

Dear Melissa,

Leonardo C.

Dear Leonardo,

I once worked a collection agency where a consumer had an account removed from her credit because the collection agent was in possession of her work number, but never bothered to call her.  So, anything is possible.

I would send a certified letter to the collection agency stating everything that you just wrote to me.  If they do not respond, and chances are because you have already paid it, they won’t, send another letter after 30 days.  After that, send a copy of the letter to all three credit bureaus with your dispute as to why the account should be removed from your credit.  Indicate, also, that the collection agency did not respond to your inquiries.

If they do respond, they may take it off and they may not.  They are under no legal obligation to do so, as they just have to make a reasonable attempt to find you, and sending letters to your old address would qualify.  But it’s always worth a shot!

Do YOU have a question for Melissa? Email her at melissa@dovcocs.com.

Melissa Douros
Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc.

As the owner of Dovco Collection Solutions, Inc., Melissa Douros uses her eight years of being a collections specialists to offer advice and answer questions pertaining to debt collection.  With running her own successful collection agency, she seeks to keep debt collectors accountable for their actions and in line with the law.

I know it’s a cliché, but your perception really is your reality. What would you be willing to do to achieve your goal? What would you be willing to give up? I was at a conference last weekend and heard a highly successful consultant and writer talking about her business plan. It wasn’t what you would expect from a person earning a six-figure salary working for some of the major companies in the U.S. and abroad.

Why do I say that? She wanted to take a year off from consulting and care for her newborn and launch different areas of her business at the same time. Her plan began by taking a high paying consulting job for a year and saving as much money possible for her year off. She and her husband made the decision to scale back on some of their expenses, but still maintained their comfort level and felt good about their choice.

From this good place, she worked on the new facets of her business and created a blog. This small blog became a large blog with tens of thousand of readers. From there major newspapers began contacting her for articles. Her client base and network continued to grow. After three years she was offered a book deal. Her book has been very successful, leading to workshops and seminars.

So she actually scaled back her lifestyle and then built her business up in a new and exciting way. When I talk to some clients about creating a plan and the issue of scaling back comes up, they automatically go into fear mode, thinking they are trading comfort for scarcity. It is all about perception. If you value your goal and allow yourself the space to make it happen, the temporary scaling back is worth it.

Some people believe you should put your nose to the grindstone and work 24 hours a day making a goal happen. That’s fine if it works for you. However, you can achieve your goals in other ways that may make you feel more empowered, full of energy, and inspired. Look at your goal and look at your finances, what are your possibilities? Keep in mind the changes you make are temporary and can lead you to a whole new level in your career. Something new could emerge that you might not have been aware of in your sleep deprived, non-stop working schedule. Take a breath and really see what your options really are.

Do you have a question for Laura? Email her at:Laura@corelifedesign.com

Laura Tirello is a Life and Career Coach.  Her company, Core Life Design, works with people who are looking to find their highest potential both in their careers and personal lives. She helps her clients develop a life plan for success and create a balanced life. For more information about Laura and her life coaching business, visit corelifedesign.com or email Laura at Laura@corelifedesign.com.

Enter the JULY Young Money/Core Life Design CONTEST! WIN A FREE SESSION WITH LAURA!

Life & Career Coach Laura Tirello has generously offered Young Money readers the chance to win a free life coaching session. All you have to do is Tell us about something that seemed like a mistake or complete failure, but turned into a great success. Email your answer to Laura@corelifedesign.comand she will choose one random winner at the end of the month.

The winner will receive a 60 minute coaching session from Life and Career Coach, Laura Tirello of Core Life Design. The session will be conducted by telephone at a time agreed upon by the winner. The session will focus on an area in the client’s personal or professional life in which they are seeking improvement. The client will be coached through their particular issue and given tools that may help them continue to create successful outcomes in their personal and/or professional life. The winner will also receive an email summary of the session from Laura Tirello.

You have until July 1 to enter. Winners will be notified by email by July 5. Include a working email address with your answer.

*YoungMoney.com reserves the right to publish your answer. You may request to be kept anonymous.