Are You Feeling The Passion Yet?

February 5, 2009 By Joy Chudacoff

Hey Smart Women! Happy February—the Passion Month! In each newsletter this month, I’m going to share weekly tips on how you can create a passionate, loving relationship with the most important person in your life—You. As women, we offer our love and support to so many people and we sometimes put ourselves at the bottom of the “love” list. There are 4 areas in a woman’s life that need continual love and attention—Mind, Body, Relationships, Creativity. This week, I’ll focus on something to love and nurture your Mind.02-05-09heart

Passion Tip for the week: Find a quiet place to sit alone and enjoy a cup of your favorite coffee or herbal tea. Sit quietly. Listen and feel each breathe you take. If you are sitting near a window, look out and find a piece of nature that interests you. Take in the beauty around you and the beauty within your soul.

Two great books to nurture your Mind: (both are quick reads with wonderful meaning)

Sue Bender – Every Day Sacred
Christina Baldwin – The Seven Whispers

I’m offering you the same Passion Tip that I plan to use myself! Many of you know that my husband Greg has been ill and in the hospital. He’s back home! WooHoo! He is feeling stronger every day. The support has been amazing. So many people have called, emailed, and stepped up to do whatever it takes to support our family. My heart is full of gratitude.

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Filed Under: Success Circles, Teleseminars & Teleclasses Tagged With: ,

Smart Women Ignite Their Fire

February 2, 2009 By Joy Chudacoff

01-29-09candle1As I was getting ready for a day of skiing on a recent family ski trip, I had one goal in mind: Stay warm! I knew it was going to be cold and windy that day, and I wanted to make sure that I kept my body heat inside. This got me thinking about how Smart Women who are living a life filled with passion and purpose do just the opposite: They give themselves permission to release their “fire” of desire and passion out into the world.

As women, we can spend years–if not decades–keeping our “fire” of desire and passion inside of us. We hold our Big Ideas, dreams, and goals at our core because we are nurturers by nature and put others’ needs ahead of ourselves. We give care and support to family, friends, colleagues, and community. The great misfortune is that if we’re not careful, our fire can get blown out or extinguished. Unsupported, we begin to have conversations with our committee of one about how our Big Idea or Dream “would never work, it’s not possible, what was I thinking?” Even worse, if we can become courageous enough to share an idea with someone, we often find a negative judgment or criticism about the “fire” of desire and passion we hold so close in our heart, soul, and core of our being.

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Filed Under: Big Ideas & Goals, Have The Life You Love!, Smart Women Articles Tagged With: ,

Smart Women Know What They Want

December 22, 2008 By Joy Chudacoff

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 off to take a bubble bath (a nightly self-care ritual!) and to reflect on his question.

In my work with women, the foundation is always around passionate and purposeful living.  In order to live a life full of unlimited energy filled with passion and purpose, you will be making big things happen in your life.  You will be connecting with your Big Ideas, dreams and goals.  You will seek and find the proper support to help you achieve your goals.  This becomes a way of life for women who choose to live without boundaries around what they can and deserve to accomplish.

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Filed Under: Have The Life You Love!, Realizing Your Dream, Smart Women Articles Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Love What You Do!

November 7, 2008 By Joy Chudacoff

On Sunday, we hosted Jenna’s 6th birthday party at Tumbleweed Day Camp, which is a rustic, peaceful camp for children in the canyon above Los Angeles. You feel as if you are out in the wilderness and it’s about a 10 minute drive back to the hustle and bustle of LA. Tumbleweed has this piece of equipment called a “Tumblewheel”, which is something that 4 people can get strapped into and the camp counselors manually turn it around so that your whole body goes around in a circle like a ferris wheel–not a great thing to do before lunch! My good friend and Smart Woman, Cynthia Bouza, and her daughter, joined Jenna and I on this ride! It was a lot of fun and we all enjoyed it.

I also had the opportunity to attend a women’s event where one of the guest speakers was Linda LoRoe, the CEO of Fredericks of Hollywood. Wow–what an amazing woman! She shared a few inspiring tips for Smart Women. Love what you do–have a passion for it, learn to be a better communicator in all areas of your life, and access your core–your authentic self, as often as possible. Always have mentors and coaches in your life. She talked about the importance of quiet time, meditation, and journaling. And… she had her first child in her mid 40′s.

I truly enjoyed being in her presence. I invite you to get out into your community and hear other successful women talk about their work and their lives.

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Smart Women Know “All About Me”

April 25, 2008 By Joy Chudacoff

This is a big week for my son Jack who is in first grade. It’s his “All About Me” presentation. We spent some time this weekend gathering all of the items that he believes are a representation of who he is right now. This morning, I was walking behind him and watching him carry his box full of items, head held high, proud of what he had chosen and really sure of who he is, right now, at age 7. It got me thinking about this exercise, “All about Me.” If I were to put my life on display today, what would be in my box? What would be proudly displayed on the table?

What I noticed in my son’s box, were not only hobbies that he’s interested in at present (baseball, Lakers cards, Harry Potter) but also past accomplishments (soccer trophies, art pieces) and photos of his family, including grandparents. This is a great exercise for all of us, no matter what age. Women’s lives are so busy today with many demands for our precious time. We typically make sure that everyone around us is achieving their dreams and goals—children, family, friends, co-workers, and community. We don’t have much time to get into that space where it’s “All About Me.” However, it’s essential that we do this, if we are to manifest our own dreams, take our own risks, meet our own challenges and create our legacy. In my work with women, one of the benefits they share over and over again, is that it gives them the space and creative environment to focus on their “All About Me.” It’s taking that time to learn what’s next for you and then making a plan to make it happen.

How about you? What would be in your “All About Me” display today? Would you stand back to admire all that you have accomplished? Would there be a representation of where you are going in the future? Are all of your dreams and goals represented? Is there something that you would like to include but have not had time to get around to it? If so, make some time this week to sit down in a quiet place, maybe with a cup of tea or coffee, a journal and a writing pen in your favorite color. Make it an “All About Me” hour or entire day! Ask yourself a few key questions. A wonderful question by a very wise and talented author, Parker Palmer, goes like this, “If your life were asking you a question, what would the question be?” [Read more...]

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