The article quotes someone as saying, “Welcome to the biggest time suck in your life.” Want to know more?  Get your copy today.  It just came out on Monday, March 23.

I’d love to connect with you on Facebook.  Here I am:  http://profile.to/JoyChudacoff.

If you look up the word “web” in the dictionary, one of the definitions is “anything put together in a careful way.”  It’s essential that women take the time to put their lives together in a careful and thoughtful way.  Why?  There are so many options and opportunities for women in the world today.  You have so many choices on how you choose to live your life.  What’s most important is to make those choices authentically.

And then from that place of authenticity, spin your life together, design and build it with energy and passion.  Let it be a life that soars with meaning to you, the designer.  If you choose not to do this, then your life just “happens.”  It can begin to unfold in unpredictable ways with no meaning or direction.  Putting your authentic life together involves having people who are supportive and loving, an environment that provides relaxation, and a place for inspired creativity.

In your business life, when you have a Big Idea, dream or goal, it’s essential that you build a web that is super strong in its marketing message as well as making sure that you have solutions on how to manage your time well so that you get the right things done during your day.  When my friend ran into the spider web, it was a challenge to pull all of the sticky threads off her hat and sweatshirt. 

A well-designed spider web is very sticky.  Have you created a product or service that carries a message that will “stick” with your target market?  When your target market needs your product or service, do they immediately think of you or someone else? A spider knows that in order to build a strong web, she needs the support of strong tree branches to protect her from the wind and other elements.  This is true for you as well.  Having a strong support system in your life (both personally and professionally) is key to making it happen—to help you go to the next level.

In my Women’s Success Circles last week, we spent time focusing on the essential ingredients you need to put together your own carefully planned web for success in business.  We had a conversation about marketing, time management and the importance of coaching during this building phase.  We also talked about self-care, which is paramount to living a life full of purpose and passion both at work and at home.  Smart Women know that life doesn’t just happen—you make it happen in your own carefully, planned out, thoughtful way.

As you begin to put together your own web to make it happen, ask yourself these questions:  Do you have the right support system to hold your idea in place and make it successful?  Have you created the right marketing message for your target market so that your product and service will “stick” with them?  Have you created the time and space that you will need to build and grow your Big Idea, dream or goal?  Do you have the right environment around you to make it happen?

As we finished our walk that morning, we stopped to gaze at one of the most carefully crafted spider webs I have ever seen.  It was nearly a perfect Circle with all of the fine sticky threads placed in precise proportions.  And what was the spider doing?  Resting peacefully, right in the middle.  Smart Women and smart spiders know one thing for sure:  When you are living a life full of passion and purpose, that also means time for rest and relaxation—a time for reflection—a time for you.

© 2008 Joy Chudacoff

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Joy Chudacoff is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions, a
Certified Professional Coach and Motivational Speaker. To read more
articles by Joy and learn more about her Success Circle workshops,
teleseminars or keynote topics, please visit her website,
www.SmartWomenSolutions.com or contact Joy at
Joy@SmartWomenSolutions.com.

This made me think about the idea of contact. For me, contact is about making connections in the relationships I care about – both personally and professionally. If you look up connection in the dictionary, its meaning is “linking things together, the joining of two or more parts or people.” How are you linking people, things, and places together in your life? Are you connecting on a regular basis with yourself, your mind, your body, your relationships, and your creativity?

Given our busy lives as women, we have to be very intentional about making contact with others. Whatever path you choose as a woman – be it career-focused, family-focused, or an integration of the two, making contact and connections is important. Why? Because connecting is vital to our survival in this game called living a meaningful life.

I have the good fortune to spend quality time with many smart women. One of the things they all have in common is a great support system. From friends, family, colleagues, coaches, mentors – these women are clear that making contact and connecting is essential to their success on every level. Smart women know that a solid support system makes the painful times in life bearable, the stressful times more manageable, and the good times all the richer because they are shared. 
 
I recently returned from a retreat with one of my Women’s Success Circles where we spent time connecting with ourselves and with each other, and also making plans about the parts of our lives we wanted to become more intentional about. Each women created a vision for the next chapter of her life including who, what, and how she wanted to connect or “make contact” with the people in her world. When we are clear and focused about who we intentionally want to connect with, we become more present, lighter, and happier. Having a vision of what our next chapter will be – and who will be in it – is key to a meaningful life.

This newsletter, Reflections, is one of the ways I stay connected with clients and friends and I hope it serves to connect women everywhere with one another. After you’ve read this issue, please be sure to forward it to other women (yet another way to connect – sharing information).

As summer begins to wane and you open your door to autumn, think about the connections and relationships that are so vital to your life. Because, remember – you must make contact to stay in the game!

Anything is possible.  Everything is waiting for you.

© 2008 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO SEE MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS ONE?
See Joy’s website Smart Women Smart Solutions.

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions and a Certified Professional Coach. To read more articles by Joy and learn more about her Success Circle workshops and teleseminars, please visit her website, www.SmartWomenSolutions.com or contact Joy at Joy@SmartWomenSolutions.com.

Let me give you an example. When you are engaged in a conversation with a “nutritious” person, you feel enlightened, inspired, and energized. Compare this with people who you have relationships with in your life that I refer to as the “downward spiral” relationship. When you are in conversation with these people, it tends to spiral downward in a negative, non-productive way. No matter how many times you try to bring it back to the place of possibility thinking, the conversation tends to stay in the negative. When this happens, you always have 2 choices. One, you can take the high road and stay positive.

Or, you can take the low road and deepen the downward spiral by joining this mindset of “this will never work” or everything is “doom and gloom.” The problem with the last solution is it tends to set the course for your day and your life into the downward spiral. If you maintain “downward spiral” relationships, it’s a pretty safe bet that your life could become negative and non-productive. I read recently that we are the average of the 5 people we hang out with. If you are like me, your mind acted quickly just now. Wait—who are the 5 people that I hang out with? I strive to maintain relationships with those “nutritious” people who bring a lot of light and wise thinking into my life. Do I have people in my life that are on the “downward spiral?” You bet. It’s unavoidable. What I’ve learned is to minimize these relationships in my life.

In my work with women, we focus on the positive. We explore what’s working and what’s not working and find ways to bring possibility thinking to all areas of their life. Smart women know that in order to live a life full of passion and purpose, they need to be possibility thinkers in their own lives, as well as a “nutritious” person to the people in their world. I think that one of the secrets to being a “nutritious” person in the world is creating a state of presence in your life each day. Begin to notice the simple pleasures that your day holds–a beautiful spring day, a smile from a stranger, an unoccupied parking space in the city of Los Angeles! When you can be present and grateful for the moment, then you can begin to see things in a positive light.

How about you? I invite you to take a moment right now and think about two things: How many “nutritious” people do you have in your life right now? How long has it been since you spent some quality time with them? Second, can you think of any people in your life right now who tend to head into the “downward spiral” in their way of being? If so, I invite you to think about limiting some of your time with these people if you know it could be affecting your life in a negative way. Remember, some of the work of smart women in the world is to be that beacon of light, that ray of possibility thinking to those who find it challenging to see the possibilities in life.

In order to realize your big idea and to live a life full of passion, purpose, and possibility, it’s essential to be a “nutritious” woman and it’s equally important to have “nutritious” women and others in your life to support you in your journey. Summer is just around the corner. The days are longer, with vacations and holidays sprinkled throughout. When making your summer plans, I invite you to make sure that it includes a healthy dose of “nutritious” people.

Anything is possible.  Everything is waiting for you.

My work is designed to support women in their journey to living their own extraordinary life. Years ago, I knew that I wanted to make some big changes in my own life. I had to first decide what I wanted. Then I had to design my life how I wanted it to be. Lastly, but crucial, I had to give myself permission to create this new way of being. You have to believe it so you can ask for it.

This can be a challenging part for women in the process. Once they begin to visualize what they want, they may have trouble asking for it. Who do you need to ask? You have to communicate to those who matter most to you what you want in your life–what changes you desire. Your spouse, partner, children, co-workers, boss, employees, family, and friends. We become fearful in the asking process. We begin to question whether we “deserve” this. It’s very easy to make our needs secondary, to be comfortable and stay in the place where we are caring and nurturing others—helping others reach their goals. When I decided to begin my coaching work, my husband Greg needed to take on more of the activities with the children and this was a process for us.

There comes a time when you will begin to feel a calling to create more of what you prefer in your own life. It does not mean that you do not love and care for all of those people who mean so much to you. It’s a signal that the time has come for you to embrace more of who you uniquely are.

How about you? Do you feel like you know what you want but it’s not achievable based on your current situation? Do you have a dream or goal but you aren’t quite sure that you deserve to have the time to make it happen? This is where a good mentor or coach can support you in making a plan that fits into your current lifestyle.

There is a great book that compliments my work with women. It’s called “Ask For It” by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. I met Linda a few years ago at the Harvard Women’s Leadership Conference and was very impressed with her work. You can go to www.askforit.org to learn more about the book. It’s a great resource that gives you a process and tools to use in learning how to ask for what you want in life once you determine what you want.

You really do deserve to have the life you want. All you have to do is decide what you want and how you want to design it and then give yourself permission to make it happen.

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

Our family is preparing for a big transition this week. We are moving from a house that we have lived in for 10 years. It’s the home where my husband Greg and I began our life together in marriage. It’s the only home our children, Jack and Jenna have ever known, so it holds a lot of memories that are valuable to us. It also holds a lot of other things! Things we have accumulated over the years that are not part of where we are going. We have a lot of possessions that are no longer a “fit” for us. I am finding it hard to let go. It can be challenging knowing what to keep and what to let go of. I’m not alone in this dilemma it seems. I read recently that the storage unit business is soaring as people accumulate more than they have space for and they cannot bring themselves to let go.

Letting go means saying goodbye. It could be moving, leaving a relationship, transitioning from one career to another, losing a loved one or returning to the workforce. Letting go of anything that has held value to you over the years is difficult. It can be so difficult that sometimes we stay exactly where we are—we don’t make the move, or leave the relationship, or begin a new journey to realize a big idea. We begin to rationalize why we don’t need to make changes. You say to yourself “it’s not so bad.” “What was I thinking?” Change is challenging. Transitions can be tough. You need to make sure that you have the right support system around you during times of transition. (Thanks Deb!) Someone that knows how much this change means to you and can support you in letting go, so you can move on to the next phase of your journey.

How about you? Are you holding on to an old way of being? Are you staying where you are because it’s comfortable? Are you in a career or relationship that feels like it’s not a good fit for you? I had a very wise mentor tell me once that in order to grow you have to get “uncomfortable” in life. Well I can tell you that I’m uncomfortable! This has been a challenging few weeks for me! Have you been thinking about a big idea or a dream or goal that you would like to accomplish? For you to realize what’s next for you, you need to create the “open space” for this to happen. You need to “let go” of some things in your life in order to realize a new way to live, a new way to be. In my Women’s Success Circles, we create a very open environment where women can let go of what’s not working and take on something new that will work as they move ahead in their journey.

Spring is just around the corner. It’s a great time to “let go” of what is not working for you right now in your life and make room for what’s next. I invite you to take a look around. Is everything still a fit for you? Is there something that you could “let go” of in order to realize a dream, big idea, or goal?

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

Copyright 2008 Joy Chudacoff

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE? You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with it: Joy Chudacoff is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions and a Certified Professional Coach. To read more articles by Joy and learn more about her Success Circle workshops and teleseminars, please visit her website, www.SmartWomenSolutions.com or contact Joy at Joy@SmartWomenSolutions.com.

This is a day to honor those who mean so much to us in some special way.  I invite you to stop for a moment and think about who makes your heart beat faster, who makes your heart soar with excitement—-did you think of someone, maybe more than one person?  Good.  It’s a great day to tell those people the impact they have on your life.

Be well,

Joy