Lead Your Life

A wise person told me today, "Just put it out there. All the time. Start when you wake up, before you even rub the sleep out of your eyes."

Just joined Ping...posts to all your networks at the same time. Check it out: http://www.ping.fm.

I'm Officially an Expert!

I was just certified as a Fundraising Expert by AllExperts.com. If you have fundraising questions, head on over and ask them.

Visit my AllExperts profile.

Happy Diwali!

Today marks the beginning of Diwali, an important Hindu holiday that celebrates the victory of good over evil. Find out more...

For the next few days (at least), let's all spend more time focusing on the good.

How Stupid Is This?

Another Blow For Battered Women: Health Insurers Deny Coverage for Victims

Three Little Words

Expressing gratitude to those who deserve it has become a challenge in our culture. Many of us do the internal stuff--thanking the universe, making our daily gratitude lists--but how many of us do the external stuff? For example, when was the last time you said "thank you" to someone?

Several years ago, I was sitting in a staff meeting. The topic of discussion was, "How to Better Motivate Our Employees". Most of us immediately leapt to staging big team-building events, which the company could not afford. Then, a very wise woman (and tiara wearer) said, "How about we all start saying 'please' and 'thank you'?" Dead silence in the room. How beautifully simple! Just say "please" and "thank you". Have you ever been loath to take on an additional task because you hadn't been appreciated for doing the extra work last time? Using these three little words made a world of change in my department in this company. My team was happier and more motivated, and other people were dying to come work in my group.

Start expressing your appreciation and gratitude today. Here's an easy way to begin (and one of my personal pet peeves):  If someone holds a door open for you, SAY "THANK YOU". Is that really so hard? Do you really have so much on your mind (or such a high opinion of yourself) that you can't take the fraction of a second? Or will it take a door slamming on your head or hand or foot to wake you up and make you appreciate us door-holders?

OK, rant over. My point is, will you start appreciating what you receive (and the person or entity that gives it to you), or will you continue to live in your bubble until a door slams you in the head?

So here are your action items. They’re really easy, and won’t add any additional stress to your already overstressed life. In fact, they may even reduce your stress.

1. When you ask for something, say please. I know I sound like your mother, but this really works. If I get two requests, I deal with the person who’s actually said please way before I get to the other one. And, depending on the mood of the day, I may ignore the other one completely.
2. When you receive something, say thank-you. Again, I may be channeling your mom, but this also works. If I am thanked for my work, or gift, or door-holding, I am much more likely to do it again. And, as a bonus, I’m likely to receive more of what I want.

And if you need some help, here's a whole site full of thank-you note samples.

What's It All About, Anyway?

I'd love for you to take some action in your own lives to create the life you truly want. Too often, it's easy to remain stuck where we are--either through laziness or being too comfortable or wanting to please others. I hope that my work encourages women to build up the confidence to first identify what it is they really want and then go after it.

Yes, I intend to change the world. I have long been frustrated at our (women, in general) inability to influence the issues that are important to us: child care, equal pay, health services, housing issues, international policy in the areas of civil rights and war. And I started thinking I could band women together to have a powerful voice. What I discovered was that, until each of us feels powerful in her own right, we won't feel powerful as a group.

So I'm out to empower women to change their world. I leave it up to each woman to define what "change" means. For some, it means finding an hour each week to write poetry. For others, it means transitioning their career from something they took up because others thought it would be good for them, into something that makes their heart sing.

I rattle cages by encouraging people, particularly women, to think differently. 

What I ask readers to do is the following:

1. Assess where you are, and whether it's really and truly where you want to be.
2. If it's not where you want to be, clearly define where you do want to be.
3. Take the first small step to get there.

I hope that I can provide some support, from the specific tools and tips I might offer along the way, to the general support of knowing there's someone else who's rooting for you.

I'd love for you to take some action in your own lives to create the life you truly want. Too often, it's easy to remain stuck where we are--either through laziness or being too comfortable or wanting to please others. I hope that my work encourages women to build up the confidence to first identify what it is they really want and then go after it.

Yes, I intend to change the world. I have long been frustrated at our (women, in general) inability to influence the issues that are important to us: child care, equal pay, health services, housing issues, international policy in the areas of civil rights and war. And I started thinking I could band women together to have a powerful voice. What I discovered was that, until each of us feels powerful in her own right, we won't feel powerful as a group.

So I'm out to empower women to change their world. I leave it up to each woman to define what "change" means. For some, it means finding an hour each week to write poetry. For others, it means transitioning their career from something they took up because others thought it would be good for them, into something that makes their heart sing.

I rattle cages by encouraging people, particularly women, to think differently. 

What I ask readers to do is the following:

1. Assess where you are, and whether it's really and truly where you want to be.
2. If it's not where you want to be, clearly define where you do want to be.
3. Take the first small step to get there.

I hope that I can provide some support, from the specific tools and tips I might offer along the way, to the general support of knowing there's someone else who's rooting for you.

What's It All About, Anyway?

I'd love for you to take some action in your own lives to create the life you truly want. Too often, it's easy to remain stuck where we are--either through laziness or being too comfortable or wanting to please others. I hope that my work encourages women to build up the confidence to first identify what it is they really want and then go after it.

Yes, I intend to change the world. I have long been frustrated at our (women, in general) inability to influence the issues that are important to us: child care, equal pay, health services, housing issues, international policy in the areas of civil rights and war. And I started thinking I could band women together to have a powerful voice. What I discovered was that, until each of us feels powerful in her own right, we won't feel powerful as a group.

So I'm out to empower women to change their world. I leave it up to each woman to define what "change" means. For some, it means finding an hour each week to write poetry. For others, it means transitioning their career from something they took up because others thought it would be good for them, into something that makes their heart sing.

I rattle cages by encouraging people, particularly women, to think differently. 

What I ask readers to do is the following:

1. Assess where you are, and whether it's really and truly where you want to be.
2. If it's not where you want to be, clearly define where you do want to be.
3. Take the first small step to get there.

I hope that I can provide some support, from the specific tools and tips I might offer along the way, to the general support of knowing there's someone else who's rooting for you.

Today Elinor Ostrom became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in economics.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113725519&from=mobile

On a completely unrelated note, I have learned that it is nearly impossible and counterintuitive to blog regularly from one's mobile phone.

You Gotta See

Typing this one in my iPhone from my bed. Promised myself I'd write every day...so I can't blow off day 2 now, can I?

Today I have a couple of quick examples of the importance of visualization.

1. Went on a college visit withy daughter today. She simply could not visualize herself attending the school. Bad decision avoided.

2. As I am doing this week's reading for my Counseling Theories class, I continually pause to reflect, "I can see myself doing this." Goal/ambition reinforced. Now off to sleep, to visualize an interesting and exciting Monday. Particular the part where I drag my behind from the bed.