Working For Yourself

Do you love your job? Or, do you go to work every day wishing like crazy that you were doing something else?

There's a lot to be said for having your own business and working for yourself. Your boss is usually nicer! You get to control and manage things the way you want. You can work at 6am or 10pm and do yoga or play dates in between.

And, there are a lot of challenges. You have to fix your own computer. You have to take complete responsibility for failures and when things don't work. You have to be quite good at managing your time.

With all the pros and cons, ups and downs, at this stage in my life I would not go back to working for someone else. I have learned so much from creating my own business and it has allowed some wonderful growth in me as a person.

Are you considering going into business for yourself? It's always going to be a jump, but make sure that you plan as well as you can, before leaping from the cliff.

In a recent article over at the International Virtual Womans Chamber of Commerce I tell my story of how I went from the board room to the home office. There are some tips for you in that article if you're considering making the leap into your own business.

And, for those of you who have already lept, what are your tips? Give us your sage advice for transitioning from pumps to slippers.

Say NO and Get What You Want (or Something Better!)

My client Kym and I are working on a great goal - increasing her monthly income by a certain nice round number. Kym is really great at manifesting opportunity, but she came to our call this week with several money making opportunities that may not have been the best for her goal.

Kym realized that these opportunities did not meet her criteria and that she wanted to say no. Kym had an AHA moment - she hates to say no.

Saying no might mean that the person will be angry, or that opportunity may never come again, or she may be turning away something that really was good. Can you relate?

Kym did say no. But, she was brilliant and not only said no, but also clearly stated what she would like instead, what would work better for her.

Can you guess what happened? Yes, sirree - she got what she wanted and some great future possibilities!

By being clear about what she wanted or didn't want, and then stating it well to another person, she got what worked well for her.

Here's what Kym says:

"This No thanks stuff and being clear about the criteria is AWESOME. it's interesting because people don't like it sometimes when you define your boundary, however, they do look at the situation and try to make it work."

Nobody knows what you want until you tell them, so don't assume that NO is a four letter word.

How can NO be your best friend?

Truth Spoken Out Loud

My friend Sue sent me these words from our modern wise woman Maya Angelou, a 70 something year old woman who speaks out loud all the truth that we really do know deep inside.

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.

"People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Using Your Car as Your Organizer

My client Suzanne recently informed me of her new system for keeping herself organized. Since we really learn a lot from each other, here's how Suzanne is taking a potentially difficult situation and making it work for her:

"Here's something that I've recently implemented: Remember how I told you that my front seat of my car is my "office"? Well, it was always cluttered with "my life". . .papers with ideas, receipts, bills, papers of business I needed to call, etc. Well, I was getting tired of having it all hodge podgey on the front seat, and then scrambling to move it all to the back seat when I had a front seat passenger, so I got an "office organizer". It's a red canvas basket, normally used for grocery shopping for just a few items and eliminating the need for using the store's bags. I love it!!! I keep everything in it, and once a week or so, I'll go through it and take care of whatever needs attention. I can't believe how something so simple has made me feel SO MUCH better about being organized."



So there you go! You really can organize from your car. Just goes to show you that it's all about creating a system that works for your life, not making your life fit someone else's system.

Whaddya think?

What I've Learned from a Ski Boot

My husband and I just got back from a week of fabulous fun in Whistler, BC Canada. Since I've been skiing since I was 8, it is a sport I know well, but that I don't get to do much since I've been living in Hawaii for the last 11 years.

My wonderful husband, Carlos, who is always in favor of complete satisfaction, suggested multiple times at the beginning of our trip that I get new ski boots. Why? Because I had been complaining last time we skiied that my feet hurt a bit.

'No', I said, 'they don't hurt that bad, it's not that big a deal'. 'But, they're old, how old are they?', Carlos asked. Hmmm.... let's see, before Hawaii - omigod, about 14 years old! And, what is that funny dusty look that the plastic has - I"ve never seen that before.

OK - can you see the good information happening here - pain, weird looking plastic, and definite age on the old side? But, I still didn't pay attention.

So, I donned all my mountain gear, strapped on those trusty boots, and started on my way to the shuttle. See what happened?

Craaaaccckk! All of a sudden my tootsies were wiggling in the cold mountain air and the toe of my boot was a few steps behind me. Then, craaack, off went the other toe too. As I walked back to our condo, definitely NOT skiing that day, the boots completely disintigrated. I had to collect pieces of plastic all the way back.

As Carlos likes to remind me now - disaster averted in a big way! Can you imagine if I was heading down a mogul run and my boots cracked apart? Broken ankles and a few other things for sure.

I'm glad that the Universe decided to give me such a humorous lesson instead of a painful one. From this funny experience, here's what I've learned:

I have a very strong belief that I should eek out every last drop of use from an object/ tool before a new one is purchased. The old one should fall apart (literally, I guess), before buying a new one is appropriate. This belief really got in my way as I denied all the information being presented to me to make a good decision for new boots. I also failed to consider that boot technology had changed a lot in the years since my last purchase and so I would be buying a much improved product.

This funny experience really pointed out to me how this belief of mine can limit the success in my business. Do I have to wait for a computer breakdown to buy a new one? Do I have to have my carpal tunnel act up in order to buy a properly sitting chair?

I hope my lessons continue to be funny and that I don't have to break any bones or databases along the way. Just to keep me focused, I think I'll keep a picture of the exploding ski boot handy.

Total Alignment

New Moon Rising Over the North Pole

Isn't this photo amazing?!

I'm often stunned by the forces of nature and in this picture the complete alignment of forces that represent opposites to us - the light and the dark.

What does alignment mean in your life? For me it's kind of like balance - all pieces of life working together to support the best self. My light and my dark working in a complementary fashion to create a complete whole.

When you are your natural self then you become in total alignment. Allowing the dark to emerge is often the challenge for many of us.

What needs to happen in your life to bring you in to total alignment? Post a comment and let us know.