Can you believe it’s already February? I can’t. February promises to be an action-packed month:

1) First and foremost is Super Bowl Sunday and my team’s in it to win it- GO NINERS! It’s no secret that I’m a BIG 49ers fan and I’m probably going to watch at Skates in Berkeley (great view, big screens, but not drunken), so if you’re interested in joining me, please contact me (I’d love to have a pack of rowdies with me).

2) If you’re interested in marketing and mingling, the SFAMA is hosting two super-hot events this month: One mixer and one educational (social media). I will be there with bells on and hope to see some of your smiling faces as well. They both promise to be packed and sell out, so don’t delay, register today: http://sfama.org/category/events/

3) Some of you know that I’m a fan of taking control of your health and not taking it for granted. Some of you may know that February is Wear Red Month in honor of the American Heart Association’s campaign to raise awareness about heart disease (the Number #1 killer in our country). A few of you may even know that I was a volunteer coach for the AHA Marathon Running Team, but do any of you know why?

I going to share a memory that is very painful for me to revisit, but I will do so because I want to remind you all to be grateful for your health and not let your quest for success lead you astray:

Exactly one day and one year after September 11th, my family’s life changed for the worse. I entered my mother’s house and when she didn’t respond to my calling her name, I went to look for her. I noticed that there was water all over the bathroom floor and in the hallway leading up to her room. I had no idea what had happened. Then I found her lying unconscious on her bedroom floor.

“Mom?” I uttered, trying to awaken her, but she didn’t respond.

I had a feeling that she had an accident and possibly a stroke so I immediately called 9-1-1. After telling the dispatcher that I thought my mother had a stroke because she was unconscious and unresponsive, and telling him the address. I struggled to pull her on to her bed and get her dressed before the EMTs arrived. She apparently had fallen when exiting the shower, so I wanted to preserve her dignity by dressing her.

I managed to lift and dress her, and call work and my assistant to say I wouldn’t be there because I had to go to the emergency room with my mother all before the ambulance arrived. It felt like an eternity before help came. I was in a daze, a complete state of shock. I couldn’t believe this was happening. I went back in to check on my mother and tell her what I thought was happening: that I feared she had a stroke and that I called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. She mustered up the strength to softly utter the last words that I would hear her say with her original normal voice- “Thank you.”

I can’t begin to tell you how much has changed for the worse since that day. She suffers from aphasia and dizziness from the multitude of medications she has to take. I am the only one who helps her and she refuses to take advantage of the resources that all of our taxes pay for, including hers for the 30+ years she worked for the State of California. I lost my job because Peralta Colleges didn’t like the fact that I took the day off to go to the ER.

Enough said about dark moments. My point of sharing this with you all is that we are more than a community of business owners, we are a community of people with challenges in our lives that shape us and motivate us to do good beyond just good work. I would not wish my experience on anyone else, but wishing is not enough. I was willing to hit up everyone I knew for cash during the recession, host a film festival, and walk from El Cerrito to Oakland asking for sponsor donations to raffle off, because I wanted to raise $4,000 to prevent what happened to my mother from happening to anyone else, and to keep another family from becoming collateral damage of a stroke. I encourage you all to take advantage of February to think about how you can be a little healthier and bring the gift of good health to others. If you’re looking for support and easy tips, check out my free community http://www.facebook.com/reasonsforbeing and I’d love it if you liked it. (-:

Happy Feb Club!

Kamala, KEA Productions

PS- I’m extending the $13 offer for my course through Super Bowl Sunday: If you’re a do-it-yourselfer who wants to add web video to your marketing mix, you can enroll in my online course STANDOUT AND MOVE UP WITH EFFECTIVE WEB VIDEO http://ude.my/btl07 for only $13 until Feb. 3 with code SUPER49ERS.