Smart Women Smart Solutions | Helping women create an extraordinary life
This past weekend, I 
was sitting in the bleachers at our local park watching my children play little league baseball when I heard the weekly mantra from their coach as each child took their position at bat:
“Wait for the one that’s right for you!”
“Don’t swing at every pitch!”
“Good Eye!”
Last week, after my husband Greg read my article 
“Smart Women Are a Lot Like Rocket Ships,” he had an interesting question: He said, “Every week you write about the same thing–making your Big Idea happen, Reaching your Goals and Dreams, getting the right support, blah, blah, blah… when are you going to write about something else?”
Being a woman who encourages new ideas and new perspectives, I went to take a bubble bath (a nightly self-care ritual!) and reflect on his question.
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Yesterday, as I was on my way to pick up my kids from school, it occurred 
to me that I was feeling exhausted—I mean really tired. As I made a mental scan of my day, I realized that I had been in a “reactive” mode most of the day rather than a “proactive” mode. We do need to react to situations that occur in our lives as best we can at that moment, however, Smart Women know that living a “proactive” life where you plan, prepare, and practice conscious living is clearly more rewarding.
Living a “reactive” life can be exhausting and frustrating. There are a lot of quick stops and fast starts–most of them unplanned. The best way for me to describe my day was it felt like I was in a ship without a rudder. No direction, just floating out in a big sea of confusion. No real direction, just reacting to each wave. There was no planned course or clear navigation. I was just trying to keep this rudderless boat afloat and get back to shore.
In contrast, when you are living a “proactive” life, your days are on course with clear navigation, doing things that will lead you to your Big Ideas, Dreams, and Goals. Being “proactive” about your life is being conscious and thoughtful about how you spend your days. You are queen of your ship, with a well thought out map on where you’re going, what you’re going to do, and with whom you will do it.
The other day, I was listening to one of Madonna’s great dance tunes, “Jump.” 
It’s a fun song that makes me want to jump up and dance around the room. It also motivates me into thoughts about the “jump” in my own life–to take the leap to the next level. This got me thinking about how Smart Women take the leap into realizing their Big Ideas, Dreams, and Goals.
We all have passions and dreams inside of us. There may be times in our life when those passions and dreams can take a “back seat” to other areas in our lives, but they are still there—they never disappear or go away. They wait patiently for us to acknowledge them and take some sort of action—a leap toward them. As we begin to fantasize about those unfulfilled passions and dreams, we can sometimes fall into a trap of believing that they may never come true. Why? Because these dreams usually require change that’s really “big.” Change would need to occur in our lives. Change brings about uncertainty and being “uncomfortable.” Do you think I might be writing from experience?
Many of you know my story. I founded and ran an international marketing company for 12 years. It started as a part-time business because I needed to earn extra income. Over time (and a lot of hard work!), it became an international company that was very successful. This allowed me the opportunity to travel to wonderful places all over the world to do my work. When I became a mom, I realized that this was no longer the right path for me. After much soul-searching, I felt a calling to work with women to help them realize their own passions and dreams. Was it easy? No way! Was it challenging to make such a bold change in my life with two young children? You bet.
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Hey Smart Women—how are you? I’ve had a busy few weeks with lots of connection to family and friends. We celebrated my father-in-law’s 82nd birthday this past weekend… I played tennis with him, and I have to say, he’s in great shape. His secret to staying healthy? “Everything in moderation.”
The kids are having fun catching up with friends and going to a few camps. 
This week they’re at UCLA Baseball camp. You walk into the Jackie Robinson stadium and feel overwhelmed by the size and magic of it all. The kids are really enjoying being in that space playing a sport they love. Secretly, I wish I were there myself!
Last night, I had a “date night” with my 8-year-old son, Jack. When we got in the car to leave the house, he looked at me and said, “Mom, I can tell this is going to be a great night!” We went to a restaurant in Santa Monica that has wall-to-wall flat screen TV’s where you can watch just about any sport that holds your interest. Of course, we watched the Dodgers play against the Cincinnati Reds. Hamburger for Jack, salad for me. As we left the restaurant, he even held my hand, which rarely happens anymore since he’s a “big boy” now. This is what it’s all about…
I’ve got some exciting news to share with you: A few weeks ago, I was selected from more than 100 people to become a Platinum Mastermind Leader for Ali International, LLC. Ali International has qualified to be considered for the Inc. 500 list as one of the fastest growing companies in 2009. Ali Brown, www.AliBrown.com, has created a multi-million dollar enterprise and has been one of my coaches over the last few years. I’m honored to be chosen as a Mastermind Leader for her company.
[Read more...]
A few days ago, I was sitting with my good friend and Smart Woman, Suzanne, in her backyard and I was complementing her on how well the yard was laid out from the play area, pool area, and lounge area. Everything flows so well in accessing the home and the backyard. Suzanne shared with me that the backyard was not designed this way when they first moved into the home. When they bought the house initially, the backyard looked a lot different. She shared that after they had lived in the house for awhile and found their flow as a family, she and her husband created a vision on how the backyard might better serve their needs. This got me thinking about how Smart Women need to “live into their Big ideas, dreams and goals finding their flow along the way”.
In my Women’s Success Circles, I sometimes find that women can get “stuck” and are afraid to take action on their ideas and dreams because they don’t have a full or complete vision on how it will all come together.
We can become fearful or resistant when we don’t have a clear plan. 
Although I encourage women to have a well thought out plan, sometimes just taking that initial step forward is what you need to make it happen. I had a mentor once who used to say, “Mindset first; details later.”
When I first gave birth to my business, Smart Women Smart Solutions, I had developed a model to help women in transition. It was a program that supported women who were ready to make a change in their life–both personally and professionally. I hosted Women’s Success Circles here locally around Los Angeles. That was my initial vision. As my business began to grow and ripple out into the world, it morphed and changed into something quite different. Offering my process to help women make positive change in their lives is still a “core” part of my business today. However, I now offer a host of services from public speaking to teleseminars that are steeped in the “core” of supporting women as they move their lives to the next level of success.
I live in a community that’s a lot like Mayberry. It’s a community that has a focus on family. It’s the biggest reason my husband Greg and I decided to move to Pacific Palisades. Everywhere you go there are children involved in some sort of activity: soccer, baseball, basketball, 
hockey, tennis, music, art, drama, playing at the park. The baseball league, in particular, is quite popular. They have a well thought out program in place with an Opening Day celebration, an organized season, and Closing Ceremonies to honor the players. Our family attended the closing ceremonies last weekend and this got me thinking about how Smart Women could learn a lot from the local Pacific Palisades Baseball Association.
As I look at my calendar, you still have 203 days left to realize your Big Ideas, dreams, and goals you set for yourself at the beginning of 2009. Or maybe you weren’t in a goal setting “mode” at the beginning of the year due to the economic downturn. It doesn’t really matter where you were then. That was then. This is now. All that matters is that you stop and think about what might be important for you to accomplish in the next 203 days. Here are a few ideas that I took away from our local baseball association that could be helpful to you:
Recently, both my children participated in a science fair at their elementary
school. My son, Jack, did an experiment that involved an electromagnet. My daughter, Jenna, was curious about how batteries work so she chose to make a “homemade battery.” Needless to say, my husband and I were challenged on both projects! This process got me thinking about how Smart Women could benefit from using “the scientific method” in their own lives both personally and professionally.
If you have not taken action yet on your Big Idea, Dream or Goal this year, there’s still plenty of time. One of the trends I’m noticing in my work with women right now is that many are using this time to “experiment” or become “curious” about what might be possible for them. Spring has arrived! It’s a great time to do this work. The days are becoming longer and nature is alive with possibilities for the coming months. It’s the perfect environment for real growth and opportunity both in your personal and professional life.
Here are some tips and solutions that you can easily use to “experiment” with some new possibilities in your own life:
1. Decide what you’re interested in. What do you dream about? In my Women’s Success Circles, there are several women who are “exploring” new business ideas. They are doing their research and trying on the possibilities just to see how it feels. One essential is to block out some dedicated time in your calendar to spend working on your Big Idea, your dream. Block out the time, just as you would for other tasks and make it a priority.
2. Become Curious. Once you decide what you will choose as your “experiment” ask yourself a few key questions:
a) How would I feel if this became a reality in my life?
b) How would my life or business be different?
c) If I achieved this, what would become possible for me?
3. Plan your “experiment.” Grab a large pad of paper and some colorful pens. Don’t use standard 8-1/2 x 11 paper. (How big can an idea get if it’s created on small paper?) Jot down some ideas about what you can do right now to explore your Dream or Big Idea more deeply. Do you have an idea for a product or service? Who would benefit most from your service? Keep a notebook just for this experiment so you will have all of your ideas and notes together. Go online, go to your local library, take classes, join a community of like-minded women who are on the same journey.
Recently, my husband Greg was in the hospital for a health issue. 
He started in the emergency room and was eventually admitted to the hospital. This experience created a lot of thought and reflection for me on many levels. One that I think might be helpful to you is how Smart Women occasionally need a personal or business check-up if they are to truly realize their Big Idea, Dreams, and Goals. This week, I’m going to offer you some simple solutions on your “personal” check-up. Next week, I’ll share some reflections and simple solutions on your “business” check-up.
“What am I passionate about?” “What am I called to do?” “What would provide me with a happy fulfilled life each and every day?” I asked myself these questions 8 years ago. I knew I deserved to wake up every day full of energy and anticipation. Unfortunately, there is no “magic” pill that provided the answers. I needed help. I made a decision to get my own “personal” checkup, and went through a process of evaluation. Follow these easy, simple solutions that I’ve created for you to begin your “personal” checkup:
My son Jack came home from school today with an excited, “Yippee Mom, there’s no school next Monday because it’s Martin Luther King Day!” A few minutes later he comes running back into the kitchen and asks, “Mom, who is Martin Luther King anyway?” Wow—what a question. How do I answer that one and still have time to get dinner on the table?
So here goes. Martin Luther King was a man who lived in courage and vision every day of his life. He was a man who most likely lived in fear and faced challenges for pursing his dreams and convictions. In August of 1963, he gave a speech entitled, “I Have A Dream”, which changed the way this country saw equality and fairness forever.
What, you might ask, does this have to do with Smart Women? Well, a lot actually. Many times women live other people’s dreams. Not because we don’t have any of our own. You all know that I believe we are the most creative beings on earth with Big Ideas. Many times we don’t even realize that we are not connected to our dreams and desires. Women are so busy helping others to realize their dreams, (family, friends, co-workers) that we don’t take the time to ask ourselves the question, “What am I dreaming about?” “What’s my vision for my future?” And… “Do I have the courage to act on this dream and vision?”
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I’m thrilled to see so MANY women starting businesses these days. It truly is the only way to make the income you dream about and have the freedom to live the life you desire.
I also know sometimes being an entrepreneur can be overwhelming and confusing. It can be challenging to decide or choose which steps will work best to attract more clients and generate more income while giving you the time to enjoy it all.
I’ve been there and I know it’s a lot to consider when you are desperately trying to grow your business or take it to the next level of success. That's why I created the Smart Woman's Business Basics Blueprint™.
