After parking my car, I approached the line of at least 75 people and asked one man, “Is this the line for appointments?” The man replied, “Oh no, that’s inside.” I took a deep sigh of relief and continued on through the front door. I immediately saw the “Appointment Line” which had only 2 people ahead of me. This got me thinking about how Smart Women understand the value of making an appointment rather than “winging it” in every area of their lives.

People don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan. Many people do not value their time. If you ever sat down and figured out what your time is worth and more importantly, how fleeting it is, you’d live your life differently.

Recently, a friend asked me a question about something and my initial answer was, “I don’t have time.” After a moment of reflection, I quickly corrected myself. I said, “Wait a minute, what I just told you isn’t true. I have enough time. I have not placed a high value on this and so I haven’t made the time.” You see, you have enough time for what you want to accomplish. You manifest what you think about. I bet at least once today, you’ve thought or told someone you don’t have enough time—right? If you are really honest with yourself (like I had to be that day) it’s not that you don’t have enough time. It’s that you don’t value the action item or activity enough to include it in the time you have.

The reality is if you want:

• a loving relationship with your spouse/partner
• a loving and bonded relationship with your child/children
• a loving relationship with friends and family
• a successful business that meets the goals and expectations you’ve set
• a healthy mind and body

…I invite you to make the decision to schedule an appointment to spend quality time on what you want in your life and stop “winging it.”

When any area of my life is out of sorts, (if I’m really honest with myself) it’s because I haven’t made an appointment to spend the time that’s required to have meaningful moments in those areas. When I turn my attention to any of these areas, I find almost immediate benefit.

My time at the DMV was short and sweet. My appointment was for 11:55 and I walked out the door with my renewal at 12:20. As I made my exit through the glass door, I caught the eye of a man who had been waiting when I arrived. Unfortunately, he hadn’t made much progress toward the front of the line. I gave him a hopeful smile and continued on to my car.

Your life will unfold based on the choices you make. To quote Annie Dillard, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2012 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, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur. She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs. If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at Creating The Spark.

After parking my car, I approached the line of at least 75 people and asked one man, “Is this the line for appointments?”  The man replied, “Oh no, that’s inside.”  I took a deep sigh of relief and continued on through the front door.  I immediately saw the “Appointment Line” which had only 2 people ahead of me.  This got me thinking about how Smart Women understand the value of making an appointment rather than “winging it” in every area of their lives.
 
People don’t plan to fail; they fail to plan.  Many people do not value their time.  If you ever sat down and figured out what your time is worth and more importantly, how fleeting it is, you’d live your life differently.
 
Recently, a friend asked me a question about something and my initial answer was, “I don’t have time.”  After a moment of reflection, I quickly corrected myself.  I said, “Wait a minute, what I just told you isn’t true.  I have enough time.  I have not placed a high value on this and so I haven’t made the time.”  You see, you have enough time for what you want to accomplish.  You manifest what you think about.  I bet at least once today, you’ve thought or told someone you don’t have enough time—right?  If you are really honest with yourself (like I had to be that day) it’s not that you don’t have enough time.  It’s that you don’t value the action item or activity enough to include it in the time you have.
 
The reality is if you want:

*a loving relationship with your spouse/partner
*a loving and bonded relationship with your child/children
*a loving relationship with friends and family
*a successful business that meets the goals and expectations you’ve set
*a healthy mind and body
 
…I invite you to make the decision to schedule an appointment to spend quality time on what you want in your life and stop “winging it.”
 
When any area of my life is out of sorts, (if I’m really honest with myself) it’s because I haven’t made an appointment to spend the time that’s required to have meaningful moments in those areas.  When I turn my attention to any of these areas, I find almost immediate benefit.
 
My time at the DMV was short and sweet.  My appointment was for 11:55 and I walked out the door with my renewal at 12:20.  As I made my exit through the glass door, I caught the eye of a man who had been waiting when I arrived.  Unfortunately, he hadn’t made much progress toward the front of the line.  I gave him a hopeful smile and continued on to my car.  
 
Your life will unfold based on the choices you make.  To quote Annie Dillard, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”

Anything is possible.  Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2010 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, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur.  She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs.  If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at http://www.CreatingTheSpark.com.

Let’s face it, women have very busy, demanding lives.  We are mothers, wives, partners, daughters, siblings, friends, community activists, employees and business owners.  There are times when quantity is all I have to give because my plate is overflowing with “to-do’s.  I’m there physically but not present in the moment.  I’m busy “doing” rather than “being” because I’m thinking about so many things at once.  Can you relate?
 
Last weekend, I was reminded that it’s about quality time and being present for the important parts of our lives.  As I reflect on my special time with Jenna, I realize that this can be carried over to every aspect of my life.  I can apply this thinking to my self-care, my relationships and my business.
 
Here are a few quick tips on how you can bring more quality time into your self-care, relationships and business:

1.  Your Self-Care – This is typically the last thing on your list—right?  Sometimes, when I talk about nurturing yourself first, I get these weird looks from women as if I’m some sort of an alien.  It’s not natural for women to put themselves before others.  We are nurturers by nature, however it’s essential that you give yourself quality time so that you can recharge your own battery.  By the way, I didn’t truly understand this concept until after the age of 40.  Getting a massage, practicing solitude or taking a bubble bath are great ways to nurture yourself (by the way, I didn’t truly understand this concept until after the age of 40.)

2.  Your Relationships – Spending quality time is so much more important than the quantity of time we spend with our family and friends.  I find that an afternoon or evening with one of my children or husband where I’m truly present is worth more than spending an entire weekend while being distracted by life’s twists and turns.  Schedule some “special” time with those you love.  It will create a stronger bond and you’ll walk away feeling much more connected.

3.  Your Business – If you aren’t careful, you can find yourself working “in” your business rather than “on” your business.  It’s easy to get caught up in all the emails, social media and busy work that is part of running a business.  Every week I have a meeting with myself and get very present about the direction of my business and goals.  I’m checking- in to make sure that the steps I’m taking daily, weekly and monthly are in alignment with where I want to go.  It is only then that I can communicate effectively to my team about the vision of Smart Women Smart Solutions®.

I have the opportunity to work with some amazing smart women. They are women with Big Ideas, Dreams and Goals which means they are leading very full lives.
 
Sometimes the feeling of guilt can creep in when they are on the journey to getting what they want and deserve in life.  I invite you to schedule in some quality time for your own self-care, your cherished relationships and your business goals.
 
Having this realization that it’s about quality time not quantity time sure makes me feel a lot better about all of the roles I play in my life.  It can for you too.

Anything is possible.  Everything is waiting for you.

*****

© 2010 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, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions®, a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur.  She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs.  If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at  http://www.CreatingTheSpark.com .

– “I’m never able to get it all done.”
– “I can’t figure out which “to-do” should be done first.”
– “It only takes 10 minutes.”

One woman entrepreneur is multi-tasking all day long. She felt this was really effective in her quest to “beat the clock.” To quote my client, “it only takes 10 minutes to complete each task.” When we took a look at the “it only takes 10 minutes” tasks and added them up, she was losing over an hour a day on items that could be delegated to someone else. What would you do with an extra hour per day?

We wear many hats and play many roles in our lives. It’s very easy to get caught up in the “to-do” list and the requests of others. In my work with women, my goal is to help them have an 80/20 rule in their lives and businesses. 80% is their “ideal” life that they create and 20% is when “life happens.” You know those days when you get sick, the kids are sick, the car breaks down, etc. For many of you, it’s just the opposite. You’re getting 20% of your time to steer your life the way you’d like and 80% is spent serving others needs and requests. I invite you to think about changing this if you want to live with passion and purpose in your life and business.

I used to be in that 80/20 situation (with 80% being determined by others) until I made a conscious choice to give myself permission to design a life that resembled more of what I wanted on a daily basis. Here’s a few tips and solutions on how you can begin to take better control and win your race against time:

1. What do you want? – This really throws women off base when I ask this question. Why? You believe that your life is not your own. You serve and take care of so many people. How could you possibly have what You really want? Take a look at all the areas of your life – self, spouse/partner, family, work/business, friends and community. How much time would you ideally like to spend in each of these areas? Remember the 80/20 rule.

2. Design Your “Ideal” Day – The women I work with take a blank calendar and begin to play around with the “what-ifs.” They play with different scenarios and come up with what works best for them based on what’s most important.

3. Set up boundaries – It’s essential that you set boundaries around your life. I have a boundary around the 4pm hour during the week. I typically reserve from 4pm on through the evening to be with my family. I also have a boundary around my day between 8:30 and 4pm Monday through Friday. I spend this time serving women and practicing my own self-care.

4. Get some help – A very wise, successful woman once shared with me that “you can do it all but you can’t do it all by yourself.” Well said. This lesson has been one of the most valuable for me along the way. The act of delegation has been a key factor in helping me to have more of what I want in my life and less of what I don’t. Here’s a clue; Make a list of what you’re really good at, enjoy doing and also produces income for you. These are the things that you need to hold on to. Take everything else and delegate it as soon a possible. The first 2 things I delegated in my business were bookkeeping and technology. I don’t enjoy these and it’s not an area of strength for me.

If you are serious about winning your race against time and having more of what you want in your day, I invite you to use these 4 steps I’ve shared with you. I’m going to leave you today with a quote that feels just right at this moment. “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” ~Annie Dillard

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2010 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, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur.  She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs.  If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, FREE Report and FREE MP3 now at http://www.profitswithpassion.com/.

Today is my 50th birthday! The five decades behind me were all wonderful and as I reflect on each one of them, I can clearly see how each decade blended into the next to bring me to where I am today. I’m very excited about the next 50 years with lots of ideas and plans for living a meaningful and full life. In keeping with my family “tradition,” I’m going to share with you my five “pearls of wisdom” that have been instrumental in my life so far. This is not an easy exercise! Choosing five was a real challenge. We all have beliefs that we carry inside of us. They come from our families, mentors, and life experiences that we have along the way. However, I’m clear now that the five “pearls of wisdom” that you read below are the ones that have shaped my life in the most profound way:

1. Be on Time – Sounds simple doesn’t it? When I was a young girl in my teens, my Dad was forever rallying my sister and me to be on time. (When I was a teenager, the only thing I wanted to do was stay up late and sleep-in the next day!) What I’ve learned is that people who arrive on time (or even a little early) get access to opportunities and decision-makers that late-comers don’t. All (and I mean all) of the successful people I’ve met in my life arrive on time. Thanks Dad.

2. Listen – My favorite line in the movie, “Pulp Fiction” is when Uma Thurman asks John Travolta, “Do you listen or are you always waiting to talk?” Brilliant. Stop for a moment and ask yourself that question. It sounds simple, but have you mastered the skill of “listening?” It is one that I highly recommend that you practice. This one “pearl” alone has made a big difference in the course of my life. My grandfather used to say, “There’s a reason you have two ears and one mouth.” Enough said.

3. Be open to learn from the unexpected – I’ve been to lectures and seminars that have been taught by people who were highly educated and the information was insightful.  However, one of my most influential teachers, who ultimately became my mentor, was a high school drop-out who became a multi-millionaire.

4. Follow your instincts – In my work with women, I refer to this as “follow your internal voice.” As I reflect on the last five decades, every single time I didn’t follow my internal voice, I got myself into hot water—very hot water! Your internal voice is always with you (she’s been with you since the day you were born). She knows you better than anyone else and she will never, ever misguide you.

This “pearl of wisdom” leads me to #5 which is…

5. Practice Solitude – I discovered this “pearl of wisdom” in my 40’s. When I was in my 20’s and 30’s, I was so busy running around living a very fast-paced life, that I never, ever appreciated (or was comfortable with) solitude or silence. When it got quiet, I got moving. As I crossed the threshold into my 40’s, I began to crave solitude. It was like breathing. It was necessary for me to live. This “pearl of wisdom” ties right into #4 – “Follow your instincts”. It wasn’t until I learned to practice solitude that I could “hear” what my internal voice was telling me. She speaks very softly and with all of the roles and responsibilities you have as a woman, it can be a challenge to hear her words of wisdom. It is in those precious moments of silence that I hear and visualize the best next steps for me in my life.

These are my “5 Pearls of Wisdom” and as I reflect on each of them, they come together like a single thread weaving their way through the fabric of my life. It is my hope that if you practice even one of them that you will begin to see positive change in your own life. As a mentor once shared with me, “The slightest shift creates the greatest impact.”

Anything is possible. Everything is waiting for you.

*****
© 2009 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, ICF, PCC, is the founder of Smart Women Smart Solutions(tm), a Professional Certified Coach to 1000’s of women, Motivational Speaker, and Entrepreneur.  She publishes a weekly buzz generating ezine, Reflections On Life and Business for Women Entrepreneurs.  If you’re ready take your life and your business to the next level, get your FREE Tips, 2 FREE Reports and FREE MP3 now at http://www.creatingthespark.com.